Guarded Hearts || Yoon Jeonghan ||

CHAPTER 15

Jessica's pov

I was waiting outside the house, feeling like I’d already run a marathon, though the day was barely half done. Everything felt heavy.

I pulled out my phone and called my mom, hoping for a quick check-in. After Dad passed, everything seemed to fall on her. And when I turned eighteen, it felt like I had to step up. I started working full-time four years ago to help out, which meant putting my own dreams on the back burner. I always thought I’d go back to college one day, but destiny, or maybe life itself, seemed to have other plans.

She didn’t pick up, so I shot her a text, letting her know to call when she had a moment.

A few minutes later, I saw Jeonghan walking toward the car. Something about him was off today. He seemed… distant? I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had this nagging feeling. Normally, he was cool and composed, but now he just seemed different. Then again, maybe it was none of my business. The less he interacted, the easier my day would be. But still, my mind kept circling back to him.

"Did I keep you waiting too long?" he asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

"No, you’re actually early. I thought you'd be stuck there for a while," I replied, shifting the car into drive.

He nodded but didn't elaborate. "I wanted to go somewhere else, that's why."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where are we going?"

"Just drive, I'll tell you" he said, his tone a little too vague for my liking.

We drove for a while, and soon we pulled up in front of a high-end clothing showroom. So this was the surprise. Shopping.

As we walked in, the staff greeted him like a regular, which he probably was. But they looked at me with surprise, as if trying to figure out who I was. I felt out of place, but it didn’t matter. This wasn’t my shopping trip.

"Mr. Jeonghan, I'll wait outside if you're busy," I said, feeling like an intruder in his world of expensive clothes.

"No," he replied quickly. "You stay here. You’ll help me choose."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Help? How am I supposed to help? I'm not exactly a fashion expert."

"Just pick what looks good," he said, walking further into the showroom.

So I followed him through racks of suits, shirts, and trousers. His choices were sharp, stylish — he clearly knew what he was doing. I was just tagging along, nodding every time he picked something out.

Then, he veered off toward the women's section. He was looking at dresses.

I watched him scan the aisles, looking at the silky fabrics and delicate cuts.

"I want to get something for someone," he said, his eyes flicking from dress to dress. "You’re a woman, so you can help me pick,"

A little confused, I nodded. "I guess…"

Who could it be, the one he’d visited at her house a couple of times? It had to be her.

"Which one do you think is good?" he asked, holding up a deep red dress.

I hesitated. "Let me think," I said, moving further into the section. There were so many beautiful dresses, each one more elegant than the last. But my eyes landed on one. It was a satin dress, light blue, with a subtle blend of white at the edges, its straps thin and delicate. It was simple, yet striking, and something about it called to me.

I hadn’t worn a dress in years — not since my eighteenth birthday, when Dad bought me a dress .I didn’t like dresses much anymore, but I knew about the dresses and this one? It was different.