Revision of last chapter please scrool down to chapter 7 and ignore this and am sorry this chapter is a little short.
Ju-kyoung broke down. "Let me get surgery! I'm the only one who looks like you!" she cried as her siblings pulled her away.
Her mother looked at her daughter, discouraged beyond words. Her tears started to fall again—heavier than before.
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Chapter 7: This is it.
The room was dim — not too bright, not too dark. Ju-kyoung sat on her bed, her eyes rolling as she sighed gently and glanced at her phone, its faint light glowing on her face.
She left her hair unpacked, allowing it to fall gracefully down her back.
She wore her usual glasses. Thankfully, she had a spare pair — the original ones her mom bought her, which eventually got broken when she was saved by her prince charming…
Unfortunately, she didn't even know what he looked like.
Ju-kyoung inhaled deeply.
She knew what she was about to do was foolish — but she did it anyway.
She dialed Hyun-bin's number. Then, a flashback from earlier that day came to her — when he kicked the box and hurled all sorts of insults.
She tapped the chat button and saw the messages she had sent him.
"I must have been the only one who thought we were friends," she murmured.
She placed the phone on the bed and laid flat on her back, looking at the wall.
"Starting tomorrow, I really have no one."
She grabbed her bone-stuffed monster teddy bear and squeezed it tightly.
"I want to drop out," she whispered.
Someone opened the door — her figure elegant as she leaned in. Her aura calm and beautiful. Her brown eyes scanned her younger sister worriedly.
She knew something was wrong with Ju-kyoung, but couldn't figure it out.
Ju-kyoung quickly pretended to be asleep.
Hee-Kyung furrowed her brows as she pushed her short bob hair back and stepped into the room gently.
"Ju-kyoung, are you asleep?" she asked softly, her voice low but filled with concern.
Ju-kyoung nodded slightly. "I'm about to."
Hee-Kyung smiled faintly. "I'm taking Mom out for a drink. So, you sleep okay?"
Ju-kyoung nodded again. Hee-Kyung turned off the lights and gently closed the door behind her.
Ju-kyoung sat up and took a deep breath. She pushed her hair back, clenching her fist.
Her voice rose in frustration. "Why did I even leave that voicemail for Mom?!"
She lowered her voice, sadness washing over her.
"I just broke Mom's heart…"
Ju-kyoung sighed as she laid back down, staring angrily at the wall.
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Meanwhile, her mom sat outside a bar with Hee-Kyung. The chairs were properly adjusted. Hee-Kyung sat in front of her, her eyes lowered as she picked up the glass of alcohol and took a sip, sighing in agreement at the taste.
Her brown eyes lifted to meet her mother's across the table.
Her mom looked at the passing cars, the night breeze brushing through her face and hair. Even though it was night, the city sparkled with light — towering buildings everywhere.
She turned to her daughter, who was pouring another drink.
"After we bought this apartment, I couldn't sleep for days because I was so happy."
Hee-Kyung set the bottle down, her brows furrowed in disagreement.
"You're selling it?"
Her mom nodded slowly. "What should I do?" she asked, looking at Hee-Kyung with tired eyes.
She sighed and placed her hand on the table.
"Selling our old place won't give us much. Since nobody wants to rent it, we'll sell the new house and move back to the old one."
Hee-Kyung looked at her firmly. "Don't."
"I'll get my severance pay early, take out some loans and we'll—"
"Nonsense," her mom interrupted sharply.
"He's my husband. I'll settle it myself. It's not your problem."
Hee-Kyung replied, "Let Dad come back home. Kicking him out with just his underwear in this cold… it's too harsh."
Her mom downed another glass.
"I don't care if he freezes to death."
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Meanwhile, Ju-kyoung's dad lay inside her mom's beauty salon, covered with only a bedsheet that didn't even reach his stomach. He was still in his underwear and singlet, talking in his sleep.
"Honey, I'm sorry… please stop…" he murmured, falling off the bed and continuing to sleep on the ground.
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Ju-kyoung lay on her bed, fast asleep, until the constant buzzing of her phone woke her. She picked it up and scrolled through her messages.
It flashed back to earlier that morning when she told her group chat she was going to confess to her crush — and asked them to wish her luck.
Now they had all backslid on her.
"I think I'll propose to my crush," someone said in the group.
Ju-kyoung sighed and kept scrolling.
"I admire your courage. I hope he likes you back," another person said.
She rolled her eyes in disappointment.
"How did it go? Did he accept you?" someone else asked.
Ju-kyoung angrily typed,
"Guys, I actually got rejected. No one likes me because I'm ugly."
She sent the message and sighed deeply.
"Oh no. Focus on studying," someone responded.
"A full-body makeover? Plastic surgery can totally reinvent you," another person wrote.
"I wish…" Ju-kyoung muttered.
Then she typed,
"My grades aren't good, and my mom said no to plastic surgery."
"Are you good at makeup? You could totally make up for your looks," someone said — and sent a link to a makeup group.
Ju-kyoung stared at the message, then tapped it.
She saw a photo of a beautiful woman. Her skin glowed radiantly. Above the photo were the words:
"Hope you all get prettier after this."
Ju-kyoung smiled gently as she tapped the video. A girl wearing glasses appeared on screen — her face red, but in Ju-kyoung's eyes, not too ugly. She was still mesmerized.
The girl began applying makeup. Ju-kyoung watched in awe as the girl completely transformed.
Even though she watched from beginning to end, she was still shocked.
"This is it," she thought.
She scrolled through more before-and-after images.
"This is it," she whispered.
"This is it!" she screamed, suddenly full of excitement.
She laid on her bed happily.
"Come on, world! Just wait for it — your next pretty girl is coming tomorrow!" she laughed excitedly, glancing at her phone.
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