Chapter 100: Shopping Center, Is It Okay to Buy This Much?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Shopping Center, Is It Okay to Buy This Much?
"Hmm... Is this right?"
A private appointment had been made out of the blue.
I couldn't exactly turn down Yeong-eun’s request to go shopping together. So, I had arrived early at a shopping center near my house.
I adjusted my sunglasses and glanced around at my surroundings.
I had tried to dress up a bit. Well, even so, it was just a sweatshirt and jeans.
Clothes that are easy to move in are the best.
That philosophy hadn't changed.
I also felt the need to prepare thoroughly for any potential incidents. I was feeling a bit uneasy. Yeong-eun had confidently told me not to worry, but she was a celebrity whose face was recognizable to almost anyone, wasn't she?
I was secretly worried that a scandal might break out.
As a precaution, I had used the system to buy some items in advance, but I wouldn't know how effective they were until I actually used them.
'I wonder when she'll get here.'
Just as I was waiting and rubbing my hands together...
"Have you been waiting long?"
Yeong-eun, wearing large-rimmed sunglasses, approached me with a wave.
Between the hat pulled down low and the sunglasses covering most of her face, her features were almost entirely hidden.
'Just how small is her face?'
Honestly, I was a bit surprised. She had shown up in a disguise so effective that, at a glance, you wouldn't even recognize her. Of course, those who knew her would still figure it out.
"You're here?"
"I'm sorry. I tried to pick a time when there wouldn't be many people. Am I a bit early?"
It was just past lunchtime. It was a time when ordinary office workers would be busy working, so the shopping center was relatively empty.
"No. I don't have any classes today anyway."
I smiled and held out a pair of sunglasses to Yeong-eun.
"Wear these."
"What are these?"
"They're the same sunglasses I'm wearing. It's a gift. People probably won't stare as much."
I tapped my own sunglasses as I spoke.
"...These?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't it be better to cover as much of the face as possible? The lenses on these are smaller than the ones I'm wearing..."
"Your face is small enough that they'll be plenty, Yeong-eun."
"Flattery won't get you anything, you know."
"I'm being serious."
I smiled and placed the sunglasses I had prepared onto her face.
[Charm Reduction Sunglasses – Rank F]
[Upon wearing, your charm decreases, potentially giving a poor impression to those who see you.]
It was a debuff item with a charm-reducing effect. It was exactly what Yeong-eun, an actress who naturally drew attention with her innate charm, needed right now.
And the sunglasses I was wearing had the same design but opposite stats.
[Charm Amplification Sunglasses – Rank B]
[Amplifies your existing charm by one level. The effect is temporary.]
Decrease Yeong-eun’s charm and increase mine.
This was the conclusion I had reached after agonizing over it several times after making the appointment with her yesterday. I had prepared the items to keep the focus off her as much as possible, but you never know.
Since someone might still recognize her, this was my backup plan. My calculation was that if people's attention was drawn to me—an ordinary person—they wouldn't pay as much mind to Yeong-eun standing next to me.
"Thank you. I'll make good use of them," Yeong-eun said, adjusting the frames. "But is it really okay?"
"What is?"
"There might be articles saying you came to a shopping center with a man."
"Hahaha, were you worried about that?"
"Well, yes. You are my member, after all."
"Don't worry. I have a plan for everything. And let them take pictures if they want. It's not like we have a guilty conscience, right? We can just say a trainer and his member came to buy some things together."
She spoke so casually.
It should be fine. If Yeong-eun says so, it must be.
"Shall we go, then?"
We stepped inside the shopping center.
*
At first, I wondered what she wanted to buy that required me to come along.
Was she buying clothes? Or did she have something heavy to buy? It seemed like she needed someone to carry her bags, but Chief Park was nowhere to be seen.
"How does this look?"
Yeong-eun asked me after coming out of the changing room.
She was wearing a beige long coat, a look that screamed autumn. She was still wearing the hat, but it blended surprisingly well with the sunglasses, creating a better look than I expected.
'Even with the sunglasses lowering her charm, she still shines.'
She was dazzling.
"It looks great."
"Is that all?"
She sounded intentionally disappointed.
"Um... I'm not very good at expressing myself, but it really feels like autumn. It feels like autumn leaves should be falling all around you."
"...So you like it?"
Was that not the right answer? I felt like I had picked the wrong multiple-choice option.
"Of course! You look really beautiful."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll take this one too."
Yeong-eun purchased the clothes she was wearing right then and there. The corners of the employee's mouth were already reaching their ears.
And for good reason.
This was already the sixth outfit she had bought. And not just six individual pieces—six full sets. Each outfit easily cost well over a million won.
'The standards of the wealthy really are different.'
I found myself marveling at her wealth all over again.
"I-it's not like I'm buying this because Jae-ho said it was pretty, okay? It looks pretty to me too, and our opinions just happened to match, so I'm buying it."
Yeong-eun, who was swiping a black VVIP card, stuttered as our eyes met.
"I know. Of course."
"Ahem, as long as you know."
After finishing the purchase, Yeong-eun stood still and looked at me.
"What are you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"You have to carry them. They're quite heavy."
Ah.
As expected, her upbringing as a sheltered young lady showed in moments like this.
Starting with clothes, we moved on to perfumes, cosmetics, bags, and more. She looked at every luxury item available and bought them on the spot.
"How is this scent?"
I was quite flustered when Yeong-eun suddenly held out her wrist after applying perfume and asked me to smell it, but...
"It's nice."
I managed to handle it well.
"Then I'll take this one."
Cosmetics and bags followed the same pattern. She would pick something, ask me, I would answer, and she would swipe her card. It was a very simple and clean shopping process, but...
'It's already been four hours...'
Since we had stopped at so many stores, it was taking a long time.
"Hmm..."
While humming and browsing the shops, Yeong-eun stopped in front of a luxury brand store and pouted slightly.
"I received a gift and you've been escorting me all this time, so it would be a shame to just let you go, wouldn't it?"
Hermès.
A luxury brand famous for being incredibly expensive.
"Let's go in here."
"Wait, what?"
"I'll give you a gift too, Jae-ho."
Yeong-eun dragged me into the Hermès store.
Uh, wait. I shouldn't... I shouldn't... I should...
"This looks nice!"
Yeong-eun said, picking up a crewneck sweater.
"Do you want to try it on? I think these pants would go well with this... and you can't go without a belt..."
Yeong-eun moved busily, holding clothes up against my body. No one could stop her.
And honestly, word had probably already spread through the store—that a VVIP who was swiping her card like crazy had appeared. One look at the shopping bags in my hands was enough to confirm that it was Yeong-eun.
After about twenty minutes of coordinating my outfit...
"This isn't bad. Why don't you try this on?"
Yeong-eun, who had made me hold the top and bottom against my body and even hold a belt over the pants, finally pointed toward the fitting room.
"Okay..."
So this is what it feels like to be exhausted just from standing around. I trudged into the fitting room.
Rustle. Slide.
The fabric was incredibly soft. Is this the taste of luxury?
"Oh."
An exclamation escaped my lips involuntarily. The fit was great, and it actually looked pretty good. After fully changing, I stepped out of the fitting room.
"Ho-oh."
A glint appeared in Yeong-eun’s eyes.
"Wow."
The clerk standing behind her also looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"It... it suits you quite well?" Yeong-eun said.
"Does it?"
"Of course, sir! It looks wonderful on you. A body line like yours, starting from the shoulders, isn't something you see every day," the clerk added, showering me with praise.
Talk about professional dedication.
"I'll pay for everything."
Yeong-eun, who had been glaring at the clerk, held out her black card again.
"Oh, and take this too."
In Yeong-eun’s hand was a black wallet with the Hermès logo.
"This is...?"
"It's a gift. I noticed your wallet looked like you've been using it for a long time. I'm giving you this, so use only this from now on."
"This is too much. Just these clothes alone..."
"Adding two million won to twelve million won doesn't make a big difference."
"What?"
Twelve million? Plus two million makes fourteen million?
"Why? Did you think I'd give you something mediocre?"
Only then did I look at the price tags on the clothes. How many zeros were there? My head spun.
"Let's go now. Miss, please remove the tags."
"Ah, yes."
The clerk reached out to remove the tags from my clothes.
"Haa..."
The clerk, letting out a strange sigh while looking at my body, lightly touched my torso instead of the tag.
"Hey."
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned icy. The store was supposed to be at a comfortable temperature thanks to the air conditioning, so why was it so cold?
"What do you think you're doing?" Yeong-eun said, glaring at the clerk as if she were ready to kill.
"P-pardon?"
"I asked what you're doing. How dare you touch his body?"
Her voice was full of murderous intent. The clerk, turning pale, realized her mistake and bowed deeply.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, ma'am!"
"I think I need to have a word about staff training."
"I-I'm sorry! Your b-boyfriend's body looked so good that I did it without thinking! I'm sorry!"
Hey, that sounds like you're stepping on a landmine.
Was she too flustered? The clerk bowed her head, blurting out whatever came to mind as an excuse.
"Say that again."
I knew it. How should I stop this? Should I step in between them...?
"P-pardon?"
"I said, say it again."
"I-I'm sorry."
"After that."
"B-because his body looked so good?"
"Between those two parts."
"Your boyfriend?"
"Is that how it looked to you?"
"Uh... yes..."
"I knew it, right?"
The atmosphere that felt like walking on thin ice just a moment ago vanished instantly.
What? What just happened? Is this allowed?
What if you get caught? How can you just let it slide because she called me your boyfriend!
"Uh... I'm not her boyfriend. We're..."
I tried to make an excuse, but...
"Then, are you her husband?"
"That's even less true..."
This is bad. I feel like I'm falling into an abyss. Hey, Yeong-eun, do something.
...That's what I thought as I looked at her.
"I-I-I suppose it could look that way. But that might be going a bit too far, so instead of husband, maybe boyfriend... No, that's a bit rushed too. Maybe more like a guy I'm seeing..."
She was muttering something to herself while looking at the floor. It was so quiet I could barely hear it.
This is hopeless. Why did she suddenly become so docile? Was that word really that shocking?
"We aren't in that kind of relationship. Please just think of us as friends."
"I guess starting as friends is..."
I could hear Yeong-eun muttering behind me.
"Ah, then I will remove the tags for you now."
"Yes, thank you."
After confirming the tags were removed, I took the card back from the clerk.
"Let's go. I think we've bought everything."
"Ah, right. Let's go. Is there anything else you want to buy...?"
"I'm fine. Let's get dinner first. Somewhere with fewer people would be better."
"I understand."
After the brief commotion, we left the store.