8. The Ultra-Rich Seo Mina's Hot Money-Flex to Save Her Man's Pride.
8. The Ultra-Rich Seo Mina's Hot Money-Flex to Save Her Man's Pride.
"It's pathetic."
Sunday, around 10 AM, the day after the plans were made.
After eating breakfast and chatting, Mi-na told me to try on the clothes I was going to wear to La Serene tomorrow.
So, I showed her my best coordinated outfit.
I was confident enough, but Mi-na's review was that it was pathetic.
"No wonder Min Seon-a tried to pull that stunt. It's terrible."
"Hmm... is it that bad? I think it's neat and nice..."
"It's an outfit that's even more annoying because you're handsome. You were planning to wear those Nike sneakers with that, right?"
"Uh..."
"No way. Sneakers are banned there."
"Crazy! What kind of place is that!"
Why was I so confident?
Because throughout the 30 days we've spent together, Mi-na has complimented my fashion a lot.
That this looks good on me.
That that looks good on me.
That I wear things with style even if I don't have many items.
Honestly, Mi-na isn't the type to give empty compliments about aesthetics, so my shoulders had puffed up even more.
But hearing her say it's terrible makes me shrink back.
"Actually, it suits my taste."
"Really?"
"But it's not about whether it matches my taste. It has to fit the so-called formality."
"Hmm..."
Formality. I had no choice but to accept that two-syllable word.
If it doesn't fit the occasion, it's just a pretty but useless apple.
"Tae-yang, you told me last time. That where you live, there's a reality to where you live."
As I nodded, Mi-na turned on her phone as if to call someone and continued in a low voice.
"That place is the same. There's a reality to how that world runs. What can you do? You have to adapt. It's not something you or I can change."
Such charisma.
Mi-na brushed her hair back, got into position to make the call, and threw my own wise words back at me.
"Manager-nim? Have you eaten?"
Once the call started, Mi-na's voice changed.
It was the tone she used when talking to the owner of Beatrice.
"Yes, it's been a while. I've been doing well. But I think I'll stop by in an hour? I want to look at some menswear."
It must be a call to a clothing store manager.
It means I have to buy new clothes for tomorrow after all.
"Are you going to buy me clothes?"
"It's the La Serene dress code. The size... please prepare a 110. He's 187cm tall with a solid, broad-shouldered build."
Nod! Nod!
I noticed Mi-na's intention, but it felt weird to just accept it, so I intentionally added some commentary.
Mi-na haughtily nodded and scanned me up and down to recite my physical specs.
"Yes. Keep that in mind and set aside a few comfortable ones first, natural ones without brand logos. I don't like the 'dressed up' look."
For the first time in a while, I felt the difference in our levels.
The day we reunited at the cafe, and the next day when she came in the Porsche, it was truly blindingly amazing.
But her life in the semi-basement since then...
Yet, the Seo Mi-na brushing her hair back and talking on the phone right now is a quintessential nuclear-gold-spoon daughter.
"Do you even call ahead when going to buy clothes?"
"It takes too long if you just go on the weekend."
"Where is that place?"
"Cucinelli."
Mi-na, who was in her extreme semi-basement lifestyle costume, also shed her skin appropriately, and I, who was in weekend bum mode, washed up in a hurry.
Afterward, we got into the Porsche to head to the clothing store.
'Cucinelli? Is it Brunello Cucinelli?'
Having heard the brand name, I quietly searched for Cucinelli on my phone.
Since the purpose is what it is, wouldn't she try to buy from an expensive place?
Realistically, I can't say I'll pay for it all, but I intend to empty out the money I've saved in my bank account and split it at least.
'Holy shit!'
But soon, I realized the real world of the world she mentioned.
'No, how is the basic price several million won????'
2 million for a knit, 5 million for a jacket; there's not even a hundred-thousand won unit, let alone ten-thousand.
'If I buy a top, bottom, and jacket, my bank account will be torn apart, and even my rent deposit... I'll be completely broke...'
Splitting the cost is out of the question.
Buying one jacket would wipe out the money I've saved in the 6 months since coming to Seoul.
It means I'd have to be homeless, wearing my rent deposit and bank savings.
'Hmm... so it's that kind of brand... I roughly understand Mi-na's intention, but...'
[I guess you could say it's a brand that truly wealthy people wear quietly.]
[A real rich person's brand.]
[A place for people who have graduated from logo-playing.]
[Hannam-dong old money vibe?]
[It looks killer if someone who already has an aura wears it, rather than someone trying too hard to dress up.]
I also checked the reviews and explanations from online sages regarding the brand, beyond just the price.
Since simple reviews aren't reliable, I really scoured everywhere.
Synthesizing the gathered information, it seems Mi-na's intention isn't just to buy something expensive, but to coordinate an outfit that naturally melts into that world.
"Hey, Mi-na?"
Still, it's too expensive. I don't think this is right.
"It's not free."
"Huh?"
Driving, Mi-na reacted sharply, as if she had already anticipated what I was going to say and was waiting for it.
"It's my item to help resolve the situation you promised. And when the resolution is achieved, I will take back the cost perfectly. Of course, not with money, but with something else. With something truly reasonable that we can both accept."
I couldn't refute Seo Mi-na's words, which were recited like an AI.
Objectively speaking, it's logical.
However, I also felt intrigued because I saw the look in Mi-na's eyes that she would definitely get it back.
How is she planning to extract it?
"But it's unexpected. You know a lot about fashion and brands, Mi-na?"
Then I should just coolly shut my mouth.
I changed the subject to my next curiosity.
For the 30 days I've watched her, Seo Mi-na was a friend who lived lost in her own world and only knew art.
A nuclear-gold-spoon, but it felt like she was far from that kind of consumption?
Yet, the fact that she comes up with estimates so efficiently is strange.
"You said my mom runs a Gallery Cafe."
"Oh, right."
Mi-na's mother, Ms. Kim Seo-yeon, runs a large Gallery Cafe in Cheongdam-dong.
There might be more, but I didn't ask for specifics, and Mi-na didn't really try to say either.
"She often exhibits brand and fashion photography too. Before exhibiting, Mom asks me for a lot of advice. So, regardless of my own tendencies, I had to take an interest."
"Oooo... you're a filial daughter."
"Shut up."
I can feel her deep love for her mother and siblings, but she seems shy and cautious.
It must be the aftereffects of the divorce that happened during her puberty, regardless of how well-off they are.
"Is this neighborhood originally like this?"
"Yeah."
Having entered Cheongdam, we soon left the main road and entered a quiet alley.
Through the glass storefronts, high-end boutiques were lined up under low lighting.
There weren't many people, but the atmosphere of the passing cars was different.
Bentleys, Range Rovers, the occasional imported sports car.
'The signs aren't big...!'
A moment later, Mi-na's Porsche stopped in front of a dark brown exterior.
And Brunello Cucinelli came into view.
Even from the sign, a restrained sense of luxury could be felt.
"Let's go."
A valet staff member approached quickly, and Mi-na naturally handed over the keys.
Afterward, the two of us went straight into the store.
'Oh... the scent is nice.'
As the store door opened, a subtle wood scent wafted toward me.
"It's been a while, Miss."
Then, the female manager, who had been serving another customer who arrived earlier, turned her head and smiled as she looked at me and Mi-na entering the store. Of course, it was likely Mi-na she was looking at.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes. I've prepared the products you contacted me about first."
Mi-na and the manager exchanged conversation leisurely, and I, feeling awkward in the atmosphere of the high-end luxury store, looked around.
"Is the person who will wear the clothes the man behind you, Miss?"
"That's right."
The manager's gaze naturally turned to me, who was looking around.
"I have an urgent appointment tomorrow, so please take care of it."
"Understood. Please come this way, both of you. Wow... the gentleman's physique is really good!"
"Ah! Thank you."
Afterward, Mi-na and I followed the manager deeper into the store.
"This is good. Navy would be good for the jacket. Let's go with a knit for the inside. Something without a sheen. Tae-yang, something that fits moderately well suits you."
Inside, there was a separate private fitting area for reservation customers.
There, the clothes Mi-na had pre-selected were neatly hung, and I first matched the clothes to my body in front of the full-length mirror to examine them.
Mi-na, sitting on the sofa behind me with her arms crossed, focused and coordinated me.
'Whoa... Jacket 8 million... Knit 2.5 million... My entire fortune will fly away with just these two...'
Mi-na liked the jacket and knit we picked out around the fifth time the most.
They looked good to me too, but the moment I glanced at the price tag, I barely held back a gasp.
It's even more expensive than what I saw online.
"The sleeve length is good, and I haven't seen this kind of fit often. You look cool."
"Oh, is that so? Hahahat! Thank you. Mi-na, is it really okay?"
"It's okay. It looks natural. But your opinion is what matters. How about you?"
"I think it's cool. I like it."
"Okay."
After calming my heart, which had been shocked by the price, I went into the dressing room, put on the knit and jacket, and came back out.
It's a race that's already started, isn't it?
I decided to wear them without complaint.
Hearing the manager's admiration or Mi-na's satisfied comments made me feel shy but also puffed up my shoulders.
"Wasn't that okay?"
"The falling line is bad."
The private fitting space for reservation customers, which had been proceeding smoothly, hit a brake.
The problem was the pants.
In the case of the pants, there was nothing among the pre-selected ones that met Mi-na's eye.
So the manager went back out to the store to get more products.
I thought everything looked fine, but after Mi-na had me try them on a few times, she shook her head firmly, saying absolutely not.
"Are we buying not just the bottoms, but also the shoes here?"
"That's natural. There's nothing as tacky as clumsily mixing various brands."
During that time, Seo Mi-na slowly flipped through the catalog.
I saw the page where Mi-na's fingertips stopped, as I stood awkwardly waiting for the manager.
Loafers, and suede boots.
I felt deeply that Mi-na intended to finish everything from head to toe in this store.
"Wow...! Miss, your eye for this is truly different! Now that the whole matching is done, the current bottoms are perfect."
"Hmm... it looks like that to me too..."
"How are the shoes? Comfortable?"
"Yeah, the size fits well."
Once the full set was complete, the manager was so amazed she covered her mouth with her hand.
It was as if she felt Mi-na saw a fit she hadn't been able to see herself?
But Mi-na, as if it were natural, was no longer interested in the pants and examined the shoes.
'Jacket 8 million... Knit 2.5 million... Pants 2 million... Suede loafer shoes 3 million... Total is roughly 16 million... My 8 months' salary...'
By the time I bought the shoes, it seemed like we had been in the Cucinelli store for a little over two hours.
And the money consumed during those two hours is about 8 months of my salary.
I guess that's the reality for people who frequent this place like it's their daily life.
'But Mi-na hands over her card without even asking the price once...'
Is it like when I buy a roll of gimbap and don't ask the price?
No. Honestly, I ask the price even when eating gimbap.
Anyway, Seo Mi-na handed the payment staff a card that was clearly not a normal one at a glance, and as if she didn't care how they cooked or fried the card, she chicly turned around and checked my state once more.
"Ahem... I feel drained from doing things I don't usually do. Let's go home. I like my home, even if it is a semi-basement."
"Where are you going? There's still a place left to stop by."
I carried the Cucinelli shopping bags containing my old clothes, dangling them.
I pride myself on having some strength, but they felt heavy.
Because they were really heavy? No, because my body had lost its strength.
Mental energy consumption is this scary.
But Mi-na, opening the driver's side door of the Porsche, almost threatened me, saying this wasn't the end.
"Ah, the watch! You said you'd look at watches at La Serene, right?"
It was a watch store.
Jaeger-LeCoultre?
Of course, I don't know what kind of brand it is.
But the name alone reeks of a high-end watch store.
"Ms. Mi-na, you've arrived!"
As soon as we entered the Jaeger-LeCoultre store, a manager approached busily, as if Seo Mi-na had her own dedicated staff there too.
"Are you here to look at your mother's watch?"
"No, this way."
"Do you mean this gentleman's watch?"
"Yes."
As expected of a VVIP.
The fact that her mother was mentioned in the first sentence shows that not only Mi-na but her whole family are customers here.
At the manager's words, Mi-na, full of the aura of a rich daughter with her arms crossed, slowly nodded and scanned the store's watches like she had clairvoyance.
As if she had already picked out a few watches in her head.
'Watches must be insanely expensive...'
I was more nervous than when buying clothes.
Since Myeong-ho hyung has been unusually boastful about watches, I roughly realized how expensive this category is in this field.
I'm now going to be wearing the thing that I once commented on, "Where would you be scared to wear that?" as if I couldn't understand it.
'Oh! That one looks a bit less expensive? It's simple. Thank God...'
So I contemplated whether I should stop Mi-na again.
Meanwhile, I was somewhat relieved to see the watch Seo Mi-na chose.
It's small and has a leather strap. Compared to Myeong-ho hyung's Rolex, it's simple and doesn't stand out.
But.
Reverso Duoface
₩31,800,000
'Reverso Duoface... Thir... Thirty million????????'
The moment I saw the price tag, I almost cursed.
That modest thing was worth a whopping thirty million won.
It looks like a car is about to coil around my wrist soon.