Dressed to Impress
As I stepped out of the academy, the sun was already dipping toward the horizon, bathing the sky in deep crimson. I headed for the rear gate. A sleek luxury sedan waited there, and the woman seated in the back waved when she saw me. It was Cha Jiyun. I offered a polite bow and approached the vehicle. The driver immediately stepped out and opened the rear door for me.
“Please, get in, sir.”
He bowed as he spoke.
“Ah… haha.”
I gave an awkward smile. This was a little overwhelming. I had never been treated this way before.
“Thank you. I’ll accept your kindness.”
I climbed into the sedan. Once inside, Cha Jiyun bowed her head slightly toward me.
“...You have arrived.”
“Yes.”
She then looked me up and down, as though inspecting today’s choice of clothing.
“...As you know, the presentation begins at nine in the evening. The current time—”
Cha Jiyun checked the watch on her wrist.
“—is five o’clock, which leaves us four full hours.”
“Yes, that is true, but…”
“...Then let us stop somewhere before proceeding.”
“Pardon?”
Stop somewhere all of a sudden?
“...Driver, please head to my usual destination.”
“Understood.”
The car pulled away smoothly.
“Um… may I ask where we are going?”
“...It would spoil the surprise if you knew in advance.”
“Ah… I see.”
After that exchange, a long silence settled between us. Cha Jiyun had never been particularly talkative to begin with.
The car glided through the streets and soon entered Cheongdam-dong.
“Why are we here of all places?”
The entire neighborhood was lined with luxury boutiques. Even the most ordinary-looking garments carried price tags in the millions of won.
“We have arrived. You may step out.”
The driver announced.
“...Let us get out.”
Cha Jiyun said.
“Yes.”
I exited the vehicle. As expected from the luxury district, every outfit and accessory worn by the people strolling by looked like it cost tens of millions.
It left me feeling strangely small.
Cha Jiyun walked ahead. When she sensed I wasn’t following, she turned back.
“...Are you not coming?”
She tilted her head.
“Ah. I’m coming now.”
I hurried after her.
GUCCI
...
A high-end brand I never imagined having any connection with in my lifetime. Buying even a few pieces here would easily burn through tens of millions of won. Why was she bringing me here when I had no money to spend?
Jingle— Jingle—
I stepped inside. Every employee’s gaze snapped to me at once. But their attention quickly drifted away.
Jingle— Jingle—
The door opened again. I turned to look. A young man dressed head to toe in luxury brands entered with a woman who appeared to be his girlfriend. He looked me over, then let out a derisive snort.
“Does trash like this really shop here?”
“Seriously. Their standards must have dropped lately.”
The woman beside him added.
Unlike how they had treated me, the staff swarmed toward the pair.
“Welcome, sir. Is there anything in particular you would like to see?”
“We have the new season’s arrivals. Would you care to look? They’re absolutely stunning.”
He flicked a sideways glance at me before addressing the staff again.
“By the way, aren’t you screening your customers properly these days?”
“Pardon?”
The employee looked confused.
“I’m just saying, are you really letting people like him in as customers? Never mind, it was just a mutter. Ignore me.”
“Ah, haha.”
The staff gave awkward laughs and glanced my way. Only then did it click. I looked down at my outfit—the suit I had bought for a few hundred thousand won to wear to the party. Inside this store, it looked painfully cheap.
“The store manager usually comes out to greet us. Why isn’t she here today?”
The man asked with a frown.
“The manager is currently assisting another VIP client.”
“...Who on earth is this VIP? Who could possibly be more important than me that the manager won’t even come down?”
“...I’m afraid it cannot be helped.”
“Tell me exactly who it is. I demand to know.”
His voice grew louder and louder.
Click— Click—
The sound of heels descending from the second floor echoed through the boutique. The man glared in that direction.
“Let me see this person’s face.”
He stared intently. Soon, a woman descended to the first floor.
“Huh…?”
The man’s face went blank.
“....?”
Cha Jiyun looked at him and tilted her head.
The moment he recognized her, he rushed forward.
“Miss Jiyun! It’s you!”
He bowed deeply.
“...Oppa?”
His girlfriend beside him tilted her head in confusion, then continued.
“Who is that girl that you’re bowing to like that? I’ve never seen you do it before—especially not to someone who looks the same age as you.”
“...Ah. Hello. However.”
Cha Jiyun regarded him with her usual cool expression.
“Yes?”
“...May I ask who you are? Your face seems familiar, yet I cannot quite place it.”
“Ah… haha! That is understandable. I am Kim Baek-min, son of the president of Gimin Semiconductor. We met once at a previous party.”
“...I see. So you are the son of Gimin Semiconductor’s president.”
Cha Jiyun gave a small nod. Gimin Semiconductor was a subcontractor for Samhwa Semiconductor.
“Wait, what? She’s Cha Jiyun, the youngest daughter of the Samhwa Group?”
His girlfriend’s face filled with shock.
“...Then I shall take my leave.”
As Cha Jiyun moved to walk past him, the man spoke again.
“If I may ask, what brings you here today? If there is anything you wish to purchase, I will buy it for you. Anything at all.”
He pulled a black card from his pocket.
“Choose whatever you like and I will pay for it! Please, go ahead.”
Cha Jiyun glanced at me, then a small, amused smile touched her lips as if a clever idea had occurred to her.
“...I must decline.”
“Yes? Is there something that displeases you?”
“...Not at all. I simply wish to purchase clothing for my boyfriend myself.”
“...Y-Your boyfriend?”
His face twisted in disbelief.
“...Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, none at all. However… I am truly curious who this boyfriend of yours might be. He must be someone truly exceptional to be dating you, Miss Jiyun.”
He stared at her intently.
“....”
Cha Jiyun turned and walked straight toward me.
“Why… is she heading toward someone like him?”
The man looked utterly confused.
Cha Jiyun stopped beside me and casually slipped her arm through mine.
“!!!”
The man’s jaw dropped as he stared at me.
“Is… is he truly your boyfriend?”
“...Yes. Is there any issue with that?”
Cha Jiyun regarded him with an utterly blank expression.
“Ah… no, no issue, but… that is…”
When our eyes met, the man’s pupils trembled violently. He immediately bent forward in a perfect ninety-degree bow.
“I am truly sorry! How dare I speak so rudely! Please forgive me!”
With that, he and his girlfriend fled the store.
I felt the corner of Cha Jiyun’s mouth lift slightly. It seemed she had developed a taste for these little pranks lately.
“...More importantly, would you try this on?”
She handed me a shopping bag.
“Ah. Thank you.”
I peered inside. A suit. I discreetly checked the price tag.
...
Were my eyes malfunctioning?
“I will show you to the fitting room.”
The staff practically tripped over one another to assist me. Their attitudes had completely changed the moment they heard I was Cha Jiyun’s boyfriend.
“Sir, I hope you weren’t offended earlier? We’ve been terribly busy today. Ho ho—”
“What line of work are your parents in, if I may ask? Perhaps they’re members of the National Assembly?”
“Haha…”
I gave an awkward laugh and slipped past them into the fitting room.
When I emerged wearing the new suit, Cha Jiyun looked me over from head to toe.
“...It suits you very well.”
She nodded.
“I’m glad. But… was it really necessary to buy something this expensive…?”
I had already purchased a suit for the presentation. Even if it had only cost a few hundred thousand won. There was no real need for something this extravagant.
“....You are aware that Hayeon will also be attending the party tonight, correct?”
“Yes.”
“...Does that explanation not suffice?”
She smiled faintly.
“Pardon? What exactly do you—”
“...Hayeon will be quite pleased to see you wearing it. More importantly, come with me.”
She took my arm once more and led me elsewhere. This time we entered a high-end makeup salon.
As soon as I sat down, unfamiliar hands began to caress my face. Cushions patted my cheeks, brushes drew careful lines, and pencils traced along my skin.
“Yes, sir. Your makeup is complete.”
The session ended. I looked in the mirror. A completely different person stared back at me. Was this what makeup could do?
“...Oh.”
Cha Jiyun’s mouth parted slightly.
“Do we really have to go this far?”
I asked, feeling embarrassed.
“...Yes. Hayeon will definitely like it.”
She smiled again.
She kept saying things I couldn’t quite understand.