Custom Suits and the Clumsy Heiress
After the joyful process of picking out my new weapons and having them sent to my room...
I followed Seo Do-hyun out of the armory and ended up at a suit shop, of all places. More precisely, the suit shop inside Baek Ya-seong Headquarters. The staff greeted me with deep, polite bows as I stepped inside.
"Welcome. We've been expecting you, Baek Se-rin."
"Oh..."
It was the same polite treatment I'd gotten from Seo Do-hyun earlier—something unimaginable in the Back World. But since I'd already experienced it once, I accepted their greeting naturally.
"Yeah, hi. So, coming to a suit shop means we're getting my uniform fitted here, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Baek Ya-seong uniforms are made from composite fibers that can stop pistol rounds without issue. You'll be issued a total of seven sets, but today we'll just take your measurements."
The suits all the Baek Ya-seong assassins wore. From what Seo Do-hyun said, they were made of bulletproof material tough enough to handle pistol bullets.
Capital makes all the difference, huh.
In the Back World, plenty of guys wore bulletproof clothes, but high-quality stuff like that was rare. Most Back World gear just kept bullets from penetrating too deep. If you wanted full bullet-stopping power, you had to buy heavy-duty body armor yourself.
But handing out uniforms with material that fully stopped pistol rounds? Sure, three or four hits to the same spot would punch through, but that alone made it top-tier bulletproofing. Providing that to every assassin in Baek Ya-seong? How much money did they have?
I felt Baek Ya-seong's reputation anew as I watched the staff approach. They each carried different measuring tools.
But right before they started taking my measurements, I raised a hand slightly.
"Hey, if it's possible, could I request some modifications to the uniform? A standard suit won't really fit my fighting style."
"Pardon? What do you mean...?"
The staff looked puzzled, especially the one who seemed like the supervisor. Instead of explaining, I just spread out my clothes to show them.
Flutter—
What I was wearing now: baggy pants and a loose hoodie. And since it was just women here anyway, I stripped without hesitation.
"B-Baek Se-rin?!"
The staff yelped in surprise at my sudden undressing. Seo Do-hyun, standing behind them, looked flustered too.
But that lasted only a moment. Once they saw me stripped down, their shock faded into focused stares.
"That's..."
"Dagger holsters, right?"
Exposed on my bare body were dagger holsters, spaced slightly away from my skin. Each held five throwing daggers—knives, basically—strapped to both arms, both legs, and my waist.
If anyone asked why I carried so many daggers, I'd have to say it was all out of necessity.
What can I do? I'm the only one who can't use ranged weapons.
While everyone else wielded guns or bombs for distance attacks, all I had were daggers, stilettos, wires, and poison vials. Sure, the modded body they gave me in exchange was so superior it made that weakness feel trivial, but I still couldn't use ranged weapons. No laser eyes or finger guns or anything. My only ranged option was chucking knives.
So I pointed to the holsters and explained.
"Personally, I fight using all these throwing knives. So if possible, I'd like the uniform modified to let me draw them without any hassle. Think you can do that?"
"Hmm. Normally, uniform modifications are pretty much forbidden... but for an exclusive assassin like you, Baek Se-rin—and since it's for combat, not fashion—we can make an exception."
"Oh, good."
The staff confirmed modifications were okay for an exclusive assassin if it was for battle. I let out a relieved sigh, and she started eyeing my body critically.
"Two on each upper arm, two on each thigh, one on the waist... That's going to be tricky. But not impossible."
She spoke with confident assurance, then gestured to the others. They quickly began measuring me.
"Could you raise your arms for a bit, please?"
"Sure."
The measurements for my custom uniform took less than ten minutes—true pros.
Three days after swapping weapons and getting measured...
"Whoa, they got here fast."
I couldn't help but marvel at the boxes of uniforms stacked in front of my door. Seven full sets made and delivered in just three days? Did they pull all-nighters?
I hung them in the closet with reasonable suspicion, then stood before the full-length mirror to try one on. I was impressed all over again.
"Perfect tailoring... not a single flaw."
It looked like a plain suit at a glance. But when I slipped a finger along the spots where my holsters sat, the fabric parted like it was zipperless.
Probably some magnetic tech, but no way I could figure it out. I couldn't even remember basic math formulas—high-tech clothing was beyond me.
All I cared about was that my requested mods were spot-on. Good thing the mod only blocked advanced tech weapons; clothes were fair game.
As I admired myself in the mirror from every angle, an alarm blared from the table.
Beep-beep-beep—
"Already that time?"
I'd been up for hours, but the alarm was set for today’s big event: my first face-to-face with Jin Yeon-ah, who you could call my owner.
I'd spent the past days gearing up, getting fitted, training—just for this. D-day had arrived.
I silenced the alarm and gave my outfit one last mirror check.
"Looking good."
The cold press of throwing knives under the suit and the stiletto tucked behind my waistband brought indescribable reassurance. I gave them a quick pat, then turned my head to the air.
More precisely, to the floating quest window.
The quest that updated after clearing the first-day one to join Baek Ya-seong as an exclusive assassin. No clear deadline like when I first dropped into this world—just a vague "survive." I let out a wry chuckle.
"And the failure penalty doubled."
It used to be five years; now it was ten. Back then, I'd have raged. But three years in this world, after all the crap I'd been through? I just shrugged.
"Eh, not like it'll be hard."
I never even considered failing. No point worrying.
I dismissed the floating quest window and left the room.
Step—
Step—
I'd memorized Baek Ya-seong's layout during training days ago. I strode quickly out of the dorms and into the main headquarters building, took the elevator to the 49th floor, and approached the familiar door where Seo Do-hyun waited.
"This the place?"
"Yes. Yeon-ah is waiting inside."
She nodded confirmation. I straightened my clothes one last time, then knocked carefully.
Knock-knock—
The sound echoed in the silent hallway. A response came promptly.
"Come in."
A thin voice, but with real weight. Still, after meeting so many heavy hitters, it didn't faze me. I reminded myself: This is my future boss—be polite, courteous, keep movements precise.
I flung the door open.
And immediately hit a dangerous snag.
"So, you're my exclusive assassin? Baek Se-rin, right?"
A black-haired woman lounged in a massive office chair, legs crossed. Her ponytail framed a face so stunning you'd call her beautiful a hundred times out of a hundred.
But at barely twenty, with her forced aura and the tension peeking through, I barely stifled a laugh.
...Like a kitten with puffed-up fur.
Saying that out loud would be disastrous, so I bowed instead.
"Yes. Pleased to meet you, Lady Yeon-ah. I'm Baek Se-rin, your exclusive assassin starting today."
"Yeah, nice to meet you."
She nodded, scooted the chair lightly, then uncrossed her legs with casual grace and stood.
Or tried to.
"So, about business..."
Like a cramp hit her leg, she stumbled the second her foot touched the floor. The chair caught her tumbling body, sparking instant chaos.
Crash-clang-bang—!!
The overturned chair and Jin Yeon-ah sprawled amid the racket. The wheel spinning wildly echoed in the quiet room.
Me, her, even Seo Do-hyun outside—we all froze in silence.
And in that silence, I couldn't hold it back.
"...Pfft!!"
I tried, but the laugh burst from my gut anyway, shattering the quiet with explosive glee.