Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Chaebol Heiress's Way of Dating (1)
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The next day, at 2:30 p.m.
Since it had been a while since I'd last seen Do Si-hee, I'd arrived at our meeting spot a little early. But it seemed like she was even more excited about today's date than I was.
Even though I'd shown up a full thirty minutes ahead of schedule, the golden-haired young lady was already there waiting for me.
With a vivid crimson heart marked "60"—the projected points I'd earn—floating right next to her face.
"Do Si-hee."
"Eek?!"
"Why are you so startled? You're making me feel bad."
She'd been casually fiddling with her smartphone while waiting for me, but the moment I spoke, she jumped in surprise, as if she hadn't expected it at all.
Then she turned to look at me, tilting her head about five degrees and blinking. At first, I thought she was shocked that I'd arrived early, but her follow-up words suggested otherwise.
"Huh... what's this?"
"What's wrong?"
"Y-You... don't you look a bit more intense?"
"...Must be your imagination."
Come to think of it, last time I never showed my face from behind that mysterious mask.
Maybe after getting used to the masked version, seeing the real face underneath made her perceive it as more intense. Another lesson learned.
At least she didn't see me as a completely different person, which was good enough. It meant I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of reintroducing myself and arguing over whether I was really Kim Sung-cheol or not.
"What do you mean by 'more intense'?"
"Compared to how you looked in the dungeon... you seem subtly more handsome somehow..."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
I didn't want to arouse too much suspicion, so I played it cool and brushed off her comment. Quickly steering the conversation elsewhere.
"By the way, you got here awfully early. Wasn't our appointment at three?"
"W-Well, my house is nearby, so I just came early!"
"Is that so?"
"Y-You're one to talk—you came early too! Thirty minutes early, no less..."
She didn't want to admit she'd been waiting first, so she pointed at me and threw my own words back.
Unlike her, I didn't deny that I'd come early on purpose.
"True enough."
"You were so cold on the phone yesterday, but it turns out you were dying to see me too, huh?"
"Yeah. Thinking about seeing you again might've made my steps a little quicker."
"Eek?!"
She'd said it first, so I answered honestly, but she clearly hadn't expected me to be so straightforward.
"You've gotten even prettier in the few days we haven't seen each other."
"H-Huh, ah..."
"Casual clothes suit you really well too. Did you dress up this cute thinking of me?"
"Eek, ah, ah..."
...She's more innocent than I thought. Is she really from that foundation?
Or maybe the chaebol heirs in this world are different from the ones in my previous life?
'She's only in her early twenties, and she was a virgin until me, so she's probably not that experienced with men.'
Personally, I preferred women who hadn't been with anyone else, so it worked in my favor.
"Since you set the meeting for this time, can I assume today's a date?"
"Y-You told me yesterday not to pry into your private life, but now you're calling it a date?"
"That's that, and this is this. Dates aren't just for couples. Of course, I am looking forward to something physical with you today, but I also enjoy spending time with someone I care about first."
"S-Someone you care about? It's only our second meeting..."
"If you just want the physical side and skip the rest, that's fine too. It'd be a bit lonely, though."
Do Si-hee fell silent for a moment after hearing me, then quietly shook her head side to side, signaling she didn't want that kind of relationship either.
"F-First, let's get you some new clothes."
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
The date kicked off with Do Si-hee leading me inside the department store we'd agreed to meet at.
Given that she'd chosen this spot, it was obvious from the start that shopping here was the plan. Very chaebol heiress-like, in a way.
I followed her lead inside without complaint. In this world, dates were usually planned by the woman, so rejecting her carefully prepared itinerary would've hurt her pride.
No matter how much she enjoyed being dominated in bed, this was the proper dynamic for everyday guy-girl stuff.
Besides, there was no reason to turn down a date someone else had set up. The only odd part was her insistence on clothes first.
"What do you mean, 'clothes first'?"
I'd thought my jeans and plain tee were casual enough, but maybe to a chaebol heiress, it screamed hick.
As I made a puzzled face, she clarified that wasn't it.
"I-It's not that I hate your outfit or anything. The restaurant I reserved isn't the kind of place you go in jeans and a short-sleeved tee."
"I see."
"Still, your base look isn't bad, so anything should work. That time in the dungeon, your vibe was so hazy I wasn't sure what to dress you in."
I'd never thought of myself as handsome. Maybe for her, going from hazy to sharp made the difference.
And reserving a dress-code restaurant overnight? Rich people really did get things done.
"Come on, follow me. Don't get lost in this huge store like an idiot!"
"Got it."
I could've used the system's real-time tracking to avoid getting lost anyway, but claiming I might was a handy excuse for other things. So I extended my right hand toward her left.
"Eek?!"
She panicked as I took her left hand with my right, but I smiled at her as she turned to me.
"Just in case I get lost, we should hold hands. Right?"
"Y-You get it!"
We'd already been intimate, so holding hands wasn't a big deal—but bedroom closeness and daily closeness were different beasts.
It applied to me too. Just holding her hand was warming my face with a gentle heat.
I hadn't felt this embarrassed holding Cha Yu-ri's hand in the dungeon. Maybe because in there, it was practical—you could actually lose someone. Out here, it felt like a lovers-only thing.
Or maybe it was Do Si-hee's clear reactions, unlike Yu-ri's. Embarrassment is contagious, after all.
"...Your hand's warm, Do Si-hee."
"...Y-Your hand's warmer...?"
"I figured a girl like you had tons of dating experience, but you're getting nervous over this?"
"W-Who are you calling a playgirl?! I-I'm new to this too, so of course I'm a little tense!"
Fair point. If anyone's the playboy here, it's me.
"Then I've claimed not just your first time, but your first date too."
"Eek?!"
First sex, first blowjob, first anal, and now first date. Dying all her firsts in my colors oddly thrilled me.
...The order felt a bit off, but in the grand scheme, it was minor.
"By the way, where exactly are we headed? We've passed a bunch of men's stores already."
"Quit whining and follow me."
She dragged me deep into the store, stopping at a shop bathed in dazzling lights.
"""Welcome, Lady Do Si-hee."""
A dozen or so staff bowed to us the moment we entered, nearly making me freeze up from the tension.
'...What is this place?'
"Is this the boyfriend you mentioned?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Excuse us for a moment."
With that, the staff swarmed me, measuring every inch from top to bottom.
Five or six of them chattered about waist size, inseam length, and such, then reported back to Do Si-hee once they had the details.
"We'll bring the outfits right away. Please have a seat."
The male staff vanished in unison after that.
Left alone, I sat next to Do Si-hee on the store bench and asked the obvious question.
"What the hell is this place?"
"Can't you tell? It's a clothing store."
"The clothing stores I know have racks of dozens of outfits, and you pick the designs you like."
To be precise, my shopping memories were all about layered markets near Dongdaemun, grabbing decent stuff at fair prices.
Department store shopping like this was unimaginable.
After losing my parents young, I had to scrimp to survive without help. Savings and insurance weren't infinite, and living in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, cost plenty.
That frugal life was my past—even if it ended with help from Hye-eun and her mom.
"Shopping like that would've kept us in the store all day. Do-kyeong Group people don't do it that way."
"But they just measured me and left. What kind of shopping is this...?"
"""Thank you for waiting!"""
The staff returned with a group bow, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
They'd wheeled over massive racks loaded with dozens of tops and bottoms, shoving them right in our faces.