Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Concentration Mark
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‘Wow, that lighting is really uniquely shaped.’
I glared at the lamp with its scattered holes, twisting it this way and that to check different angles.
It was a furniture store combined with a lifestyle goods shop, and apparently, this counted as lifestyle goods.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Shopping is always fun.
Even just browsing without buying is enjoyable, but this place let you sit and try things out—it was basically an adult playground.
Which explained why the prices were adult-sized too.
‘One lamp for 140,000 won?’
I carefully set the lamp back down.
Then, wandering around aimlessly, I stumbled upon the area where all the chairs were gathered.
Sofas and single-seaters.
Like a sparrow darting into a mill, I hurried over and plopped down on a chair that caught my eye.
‘Sitting here, my butt really sinks right in.’
It was a single-seater with armrests. There was even a cushion to prop your legs up on.
I couldn’t put my shoes on the cushion, but sitting like this at home would be pure bliss.
‘Perfect for scrolling on my phone like this.’
With that thought, I decided to buy one to match the living room sofa.
‘This one’s 330,000 won...’
I stood up and checked the price tag next to it.
It was pretty pricey, but understandable.
A chair you never want to get out of deserved a price like this.
It was basically a risk premium.
I chuckled to myself at my silly internal joke and moved to the next section.
Passing the bedroom corner, living room corner, kitchen corner, and the chair section I’d just left, I eventually arrived at the bedroom displays.
Cozy bedroom setups filled the vast space, along with various beds, mattresses, bookshelves, display cabinets, nightstands, and more scattered around.
‘Wow.’
I’d heard that in some countries, people even took naps lying in these displays.
I didn’t really get it, but I could kind of see why now.
‘Still, sleeping in a public spot where everyone can see is a bit much.’
The other shoppers were just sitting briefly on mattresses or inspecting bed frames—no one was crawling under the covers to test them out.
Like everyone else, I strolled slowly around before heading to a bed that caught my fancy.
A frame that looked like it was made from solid natural wood.
And it had built-in storage drawers underneath.
There was even an optional matching bookshelf/display unit that could attach to it.
“Pretty...”
I murmured softly to myself as I ran my hands over the furniture.
It felt smooth, unlike the rough look of solid wood, and it didn’t give spongily under pressure.
‘So, the price is...’
Frame: 970,000 won. With the bookshelf set: 1,300,000 won. Mattress separate.
‘Are beds always this expensive?’
I’d never bought a bed frame before, so I wasn’t sure.
But one thing I knew for certain:
You should never skimp on chairs or beds.
Health is important.
You need to stay healthy if you plan to live off your wealth forever.
‘Not that I can’t afford whatever I want anyway.’
Anyone seeing me might say, “With 500 billion won, why are you pinching pennies like this?”
I’d get it. If I saw someone like me, I’d tell them to splurge more.
But now that it was my money, it turned out to be harder to blow than expected.
‘Wait, haven’t I been spending pretty freely already?’
A luxury car, a high-end apartment. And now furniture worth ten million won.
‘Maybe I should start saving a bit.’
Listing it out like that suddenly made me think so.
Looks like I’ll never be one for extravagance my whole life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “That customer over there keeps loading more stuff into her cart.”
“...Is she planning to buy all that?”
The furniture store staff were huddled together, buzzing with chatter.
The person they were watching was a young woman.
A young woman in casual training clothes was grunting as she piled furniture into her cart.
“How much is all that gonna total?”
“First time seeing someone use multiple carts solo.”
They murmured their thoughts, just watching idly.
The reason they didn’t step in was simple.
‘What kind of person is she?’
They’d never seen a customer like this before.
“Shouldn’t we help her?”
“Yeah, maybe...”
As the staff murmured and stared, a man in what looked like a higher-up’s uniform approached slowly from behind.
“What are you all doing gathered here?”
“Oh, Section Chief. That customer over there is loading up her cart like crazy...”
The neatly ponytail-ed female employee explained, and he glanced over.
Sure enough, a young woman was struggling to pull a cart overflowing with items.
The Section Chief was startled.
‘How much is all that?’
Even as Section Chief, he couldn’t calculate the total just from the boxes.
But some expensive pieces had distinct boxes, so he could guess from those.
Especially the table and chair boxes.
Those two alone were nearly a million won.
Adding the rest, it had to be several million—or more.
The Section Chief glared at his staff for letting a VIP struggle without helping.
Then he spoke in a voice suppressing anger.
“Go grab a cart each and help her right now. Take her to the wide-open area for checkout. Were you all just standing around gawking?”
Startled by the reprimand, the staff quickly responded and rushed toward the customer.
“Tch... No business sense at all.”
The Section Chief clicked his tongue, watching them hurry over.
He pulled out his phone, thinking he needed VIP protocol training, and texted the staff training team.
“No, we’ll handle moving it. Need anything else?”
“Uh... thank you. I’m looking for furniture in... this style...”
“You’ll find it in C16. I’ll get it for you.”
And so the three began chatting with the mysterious customer.
They each took a cart and attended her courteously.
She walked with an awkward expression, bowing her head slightly.
She didn’t seem used to this treatment.
“...Here to replace all her furniture?”
They did get bulk buyers occasionally—once or twice a quarter.
The Section Chief watched her, a bit envious, as she moved among his staff.
“An idol...?”
Her outfit looked thrown-on, but to him, she seemed incredibly stylish.
It was definitely training wear.
But with slightly long pants covering her sneakers just so, pulling off street style.
Her oversized jersey hid her figure, but every movement subtly revealed enticing curves.
‘Her looks are unreal too.’
Her face rivaled any celebrity’s.
No—even top actors.
Wealth to buy this much furniture, fashion sense to rock training clothes like that.
And beauty unlike anything he’d seen.
‘Should I get an autograph...’
A huge idol fan, the Section Chief seriously pondered if she was a trainee from a major agency.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Concentration mark.
They say in sports like basketball or soccer, players being tightly marked by the opponent feel a smug pride inside.
Because it means they’re the one seen as the biggest threat.
But experiencing it in everyday life? I just realized it feels more embarrassing than proud.
“Ma’am, looking for anything else?”
“I’ll grab another cart.”
“This one’s sold out... but just in case, I’ll check with the team leader.”
I appreciated the cart-pulling help, but having three people glued to my side, marking me intensely, was overwhelming.
They say three people make a tiger.
Sure enough, everyone around was staring like I was some beast.
“Wow...”
“VIP customer, huh.”
“Mom! That big sis looks rich!”
“Hush, come here!”
I could feel my face heating up.
If I could, I’d cover it with my hands.
I was grateful, but all these eyes on me were too much.
Honestly, it made sense.
Even if people mind their own business more than you’d think, no one ignores someone buying this much furniture.
‘Even a kid could see that.’
I kept chanting “I’m an idiot” internally to shake off the embarrassment.
Once the staff took over and we had five carts total, my shopping finally wrapped up.
“Ma’am, we’ll handle checkout over here separately.”
No.
One employee guided me not to the self-checkout or regular counters, but to a wide-open plaza nearby.
And another was rushing over with a barcode scanner and calculator.
‘...I’m an idiot.’
I chanted it one more time inside and squeezed my eyes shut.