Beneath the Dress Code

The mind that had been exposed to harsh conditions simply could not adapt to this kind of excess and waste.

‘Not adapting is one thing, but I am spending Ju Noeul’s money pretty freely anyway….’

The cruise we boarded required formal attire from the moment you stepped outside your room.

Of course, in special areas like the swimming pool, you could dress freely.

But anywhere else, the dress code had to be strictly observed.

Most of the women were in dresses, yet I still felt a faint resistance toward clothes that restricted movement.

As a result, among the women dressed in glamorous evening gowns, my outfit stood out just a little.

“Doya, wouldn’t it be better to buy a dress?”

“I’d never wear it anywhere else. I don’t need one.”

“Hey, if it’s about money, just buy it.”

Jeong Iheon nudged and coaxed me from beside me, but I simply shook my head.

Even Ju Noeul, who had insisted on covering all the expenses for this vacation, said buying a few dresses was nothing, yet I wasn’t drawn to the idea at all.

The money wasn’t mine anyway, so I was spending it without much thought.

“I don’t like it. It feels uncomfortable. I’m already uncomfortable as it is.”

I said it flatly, resting my chin on my hand.

Voices drifted toward our table as we gathered in the restaurant for dinner, and honestly, I wasn’t in the best mood.

One person alone would have drawn attention with that kind of appearance, so five of them gathered together made it inevitable.

That included me.

As I traced a finger along the stem of the wine glass set before dinner, unable to hide my discomfort, Hyeon Jaeyul reacted immediately.

He pulled his chair a little closer to mine, as if to block people’s stares, but it wasn’t the looks that were the problem.

It was the sound.

The cruise was luxurious and peaceful, but it was also a place densely packed with strangers seeing us for the first time.

I had only just grown used to the sharp-edged remarks occasionally directed at me at the Association, and yet…

‘It’s too loud here….’

A crude joke aimed at me—the only woman in our group—floated over from a distance, and I let out a short sigh.

If they were making those kinds of vulgar remarks even with me fully covered in a suit, then wearing an evening dress that revealed more of my figure would only make it worse.

Honestly, being criticized for my rank at the Association had been better.

At least it hadn’t been that kind of filth.

When I couldn’t quite relax my expression, the others’ faces filled with concern.

‘It can’t be that they fail to enjoy the vacation because of me.’

I forced my expression to soften and lifted my head.

But it was useless in front of people who were far too skilled at reading my mood.

“You’re not feeling well, are you?”

If even Ju Noeul—who wasn’t particularly sensitive—could tell, then there was no need to look at the others.

I let the forced expression drop and nodded weakly.

“I don’t want to ruin the mood. Sorry for acting like this….”

The stares and words still bothered me.

When my shoulders slumped, Jeong Iheon rose from his seat.

The food had just begun to be served.

“Get up.”

“Why?”

“Let’s go back to the room.”

“The food just came.”

“You don’t look well. If you stay here, you won’t even eat properly.”

Without asking for the others’ agreement, he pulled out my chair and took my hand, helping me to my feet without a hint of hesitation.

“I wanted to show you the ocean. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I was the one who suggested the cruise. I didn’t think it through.”

Jeong Iheon apologized in a low voice as he helped me stand.

The expression that usually looked as though he were hiding something was now filled only with worry and regret.

“There’s a private pool and private rooms. Let’s just stay there for the rest of the vacation. It’ll be quiet.”

He looked downcast despite having done nothing wrong.

Truthfully, the place we had been in wasn’t particularly noisy.

The soft sound of instruments blended with the murmur of voices.

It was just that my hearing was unusually sharp.

It wasn’t his fault.

And I had been in a good mood when we first boarded.

Seeing the sea, riding a ship—both were new to me.

“I do like being on the ship. The ocean’s beautiful.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time seeing the sea. It’s fascinating. Kind of fun, actually.”

At my words, the tension in Jeong Iheon’s face eased a little.

He let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh.

“Let’s just order room service. I didn’t like this dress code anyway. Works out.”

Ju Noeul tugged at his tie as he followed behind us.

I smiled faintly and nodded.

“But Doya. It’s really your first time seeing the ocean?”

“Probably. I don’t remember it, at least.”

“It is.”

Won-gyeong asked, tilting his head, and before I could fully answer, Hyeon Jaeyul—who knew more about me than I did—confirmed it.

As I exchanged words with them, the heaviness in my chest eased.

By the time we stepped into the glass-walled elevator, I even had the leisure to look around.

Our room was located on the highest level of the cruise.

It was more luxurious than the hotel suite I had seen through the rift when I was separated from Won-gyeong.

‘No, calling it a room is generous. It’s more like they moved an entire house here.’

In the living room—larger than most homes—there was even a grand piano for reasons I couldn’t guess.

After stepping out to admire the view, transferring to another elevator, we finally reached our room.

“Ha, I thought I was going to suffocate.”

The moment we arrived, Ju Noeul tossed his jacket and tie onto the sofa.

I loosened the top button of my blouse and collapsed onto the couch.

When I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, someone’s hands gently kneaded my shoulders.

Opening my eyes, I saw Hyeon Jaeyul standing behind me, his large hands carefully pressing at my tense muscles with a grave expression.

It was oddly funny, and I let out a small laugh.

He answered with a faint smile of his own.

Only after we entered the quiet room did the others’ expressions lighten, reassured by the comfort settling over me.

“Feeling better now?”

“Way better.”

“The restaurant didn’t seem that loud. Was it really that bad?”

Won-gyeong asked from the seat beside me.

Their senses were sharp, but not compared to mine.

I shook my head, shuddering.

“Forget the noise. What they were saying was so vulgar I couldn’t stand listening.”

“…Vulgar? What did you hear?”

Won-gyeong’s expression hardened slightly, and even Ju Noeul, half-sprawled across the opposite sofa, furrowed his brow.

There was no need to repeat words that would only dirty their ears.

I shrugged instead.

When I didn’t answer, Jeong Iheon—taking the last empty seat—rested his head lightly against my shoulder.

“Should I send them all to another dimension?”

Ah. He was talking about his ability.

I seized on it immediately.

“What happens if you send them?”

“They lose consciousness while they’re there. They’d be asleep. It’d get quiet.”

“Can you send everyone here?”

“They’re all ordinary people. It’s not difficult. I’d leave the crew.”

He answered without the slightest attempt to hide anything.

I glanced at his face.

The usual smile was gone.

Without it, his expression was cool—almost chilling.

“If you want, I’ll do it.”

He looked more serious than ever, talking about flinging ordinary people into another dimension.

“Should we make everyone disappear and leave only us, Doya?”

Maybe that was why I couldn’t fall asleep that night.

His sunken expression lingered at the edge of my thoughts.

After lying awake late into the night, I rose from the bed.

Sleep wouldn’t come.

I threw a coat over my pajamas and stepped out, thinking I might as well look at the sea from the terrace.

After a brief hesitation between the terrace and the private pool, I headed toward the pool where sunbeds were laid out beneath the open sky.

“What brings you here at this hour? Can’t sleep?”

A voice cut through the darkness, shattering my expectation that no one would be there.

It came from the pool.

A man stood in the water without turning on the lights.

Jeong Iheon.

“You’re one to talk. What are you doing in the pool at this time?”

“Just floating around.”

He said it playfully, then leaned back.

As if to demonstrate, he let himself drift on the water, staring up into the air.

“Is it fun?”

“No.”

I picked up a large beach towel and walked toward the sunbed.

I had no intention of getting wet like him.

I just wanted to lie quietly and look at the sky.

“If it’s not fun, why are you doing it?”

“Just….”

His voice trailed off, far more subdued than usual.

‘You’re seriously getting on my nerves.’

I spread the towel over the sunbed, then approached the pool.

He shifted his gaze slightly, watching me as he floated.

Even in the dark, his blue eyes seemed to glow faintly.

“Come out.”

He merely curled his lips in a faint smile and didn’t move.

I spoke again, unable to hide my irritation.

“Come to me, Jeong Iheon.”

“…If you say it like that, I don’t have a choice.”

With a sigh, he straightened and cut through the water toward me.

His hair and clothes were drenched.

It seemed he had jumped in fully dressed in his suit.