####
There are all kinds of problem customers in luxury boutiques.
“Do you know who I am? Huh?”
Some throw their authority around like that, when in truth they aren’t even VIPs.
Some sweep up every limited-edition product and resell them.
And then, like now.
“Could I try this on too?”
The problem customer who keeps trying on clothes even though she has no intention of buying anything.
Of course, with luxury clothing, it’s important to try it on before buying.
Given the price, you have to make sure the size is right.
From the start, headquarters’ policy is to allow alterations so the clothes fit the customer’s measurements.
Especially in the case of bespoke suits, they take measurements two or three times or more, so in a way it’s only natural.
But in the end, that sort of service only has meaning for someone who actually intends to purchase.
Continuing to try things on like this without buying anything was certainly close to being a nuisance.
‘How many has it been already?’
The customer currently in the store had tried on five outfits in total.
If you calculated it purely by price, it came to nearly 11 million won.
The manager standing in front began signaling with her eyes to the employee waiting for the customer in front of the fitting room.
The employee also noticed the manager making small hand signals, subtle enough not to be obvious. The meaning of the signal was, [Wrap it up and send her out.]
As soon as she saw that signal, the female employee nodded and took her place in front of the fitting room.
A short while later, the problem customer emerged from the fitting room.
‘It really does suit her, though.’
When she’d come in wearing a tracksuit, no one had paid much attention, but seeing her dressed like this, she was practically a model.
Do clothes make the person? Yes. A person can change completely depending on what they wear.
However, for clothes to truly be “wings,” several conditions have to be met.
Especially the figure.
The face matters too, but when it comes to clothes, the figure comes first.
She was tall, seemingly in the upper 160-centimeter range.
And though she was slim overall, she wasn’t too thin, with a certain beautiful curve to her body.
On top of that, she had a bust size that wasn’t commonly seen.
The female employee spent a moment admiring her beauty.
While she stood there in a daze, the manager behind her began signaling again.
[What are you doing?]
The female employee nodded, answering that she understood.
“It suits you very well. I’ll help you check the size for a moment.”
Saying that, she approached, checked the size, and began speaking in order to politely send her out.
“The size fits you. And, I’m sorry, but…”
“Then I’ll wear this out. I’ll take these pants… and for the top, the jacket I tried on first. And please bring out the pieces I tried on earlier in the right sizes too.”
“Uh… yes?”
An answer she hadn’t expected in the slightest popped out.
Altogether, it was 10.8 million won.
‘All of it?’
The employee, slightly startled, was unable to continue speaking.
She cleared her throat with a small cough.
Then, with a practiced expression.
“Yes, I’ll show you this way.”
She guided her to the register.
And, worried that perhaps this was a VIP they simply didn’t know, she checked the list.
But no matter how much she searched, there was no customer similar to her.
“The total is 10.8 million won. Are you registered for a membership?”
“Uh… no.”
She was an ordinary customer who didn’t even have a department store membership.
The employee tilted her head slightly and began explaining.
“If you register for a membership, you’ll be able to receive various benefits when making payments in the future. With the amount you’ve purchased today, you can receive Emerald tier, so I recommend creating one.”
At the employee’s explanation, the customer blinked and thought for a moment.
Then she nodded and answered that she would make one.
“If you write your name, date of birth, and contact information here, I’ll help you register. And I would appreciate it if you could show me your ID as well.”
Hearing that, the customer casually took an old wallet out of her pocket and handed over her ID.
The employee checked the ID.
Her face froze.
‘…What?’
Choe Yeonbi.
Twenty-one years old.
Twenty-one.
[What are you doing? Is there something wrong with the ID?]
Seeing the hand signal the manager sent from behind, she shook her head.
Then, with her face still slightly frozen, she hurriedly finished the membership registration.
She was practically the youngest Emerald member.
An Emerald member, a tier one could only receive after spending roughly over ten million won annually, had been achieved at the mere age of twenty-one.
No, perhaps she might even be above Emerald tier.
‘What on earth does she do…?’
She had seen countless customers, but it had been a long time since she’d been this flustered.
Occasionally, women who looked truly young would come in and swipe tens of millions of won, but most of them were the children of chaebol families already registered for memberships.
However, the customer standing expressionlessly in front of her now, Choe Yeonbi, had no membership registration at all, let alone any family membership.
Though she was a little confused, she somehow completed the membership registration.
“Registration is complete. You can apply for your membership card online, or receive it right away at the customer center on the first floor of the store.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Then I’ll help you with the payment.”
She struggled to regain her composure.
‘Well, sure. There are plenty of rich people in the world.’
Looking at Yeonbi standing in front of her with slightly envious eyes, she continued assisting her.
“Please put it on the card.”
“I’ve received your card.”
This time, after taking the card, she was slightly flustered.
It wasn’t a credit card, but a debit card.
‘She really is unusual.’
At her utterly unpredictable behavior, the employee’s head began to ache a little. Soon after, the payment was completed without any issues.
“Payment has been completed.”
And with that, Choe Yeonbi, utterly calm, received back her card and the paper bags containing her purchases.
####
It feels a little awkward.
Tracksuits don’t show the lines of the body and are baggy, so I didn’t feel this conscious in them.
The clothes I’m wearing now fit my size exactly.
Well, they don’t fit perfectly. They’re a little big.
They said they could alter them there, but then I’d have to pick them up later, so I just asked them to give them to me as is.
After all, I can’t keep walking around in nothing but tracksuits forever.
‘Was it around the third outfit? Their gazes started getting a little unfriendly from then on, so I guess I should walk around dressed like this.’
I’m not someone without tact.
Once I tried on the third outfit, I could feel a slight pressure in the employees’ gazes.
It didn’t offend me. I understood completely.
So I just went ahead and bought even the clothes I hadn’t planned to buy.
Was it showing off?
Hmm… if I had to define it, it was close to showing off.
But since I have the financial ability to buy like this, it isn’t entirely empty bravado.
If possible, let’s call it kindness rather than showing off.
‘If they sell a lot, it’s good for the employees too.’
It’s a small kindness in return for the kindness they showed me.
Thinking that, I suddenly remembered Ms. Na Dayeon.
If I ever see her again, I’d like to give her even a small gift.
From their perspective, it was probably only natural, but to me, it was something I was a little grateful for.
Nothing big. Maybe I could give her one of the cups they were selling at the café I went to earlier. That much shouldn’t be excessive.
‘Anyway, the number of people really increased.’
In the short time I’d gone in and bought clothes, the place had become packed.
I took out my phone and glanced at the time. It was a little past lunch.
‘Should I eat something simple?’
Thinking the paper bags in my hand were a bit of a nuisance, I moved my feet back toward the first floor where the restaurants were gathered.
On the way back to the first floor.
“Wasn’t that a celebrity just now?”
“A celebrity? I’ve never seen her face before…”
I heard two people who seemed to be friends talking.
“Babe, where are you looking so hard? Aha~ Is that your type?”
“No, it’s not that… Her clothes were pretty, so I was just wondering if they’d suit you.”
“Really? Then should I go try them on at the store?”
“Uh… but isn’t that luxury brand stuff?”
“Right.”
“…Should we just go take a look?”
“Really? Let’s go, let’s go!”
I also heard that kind of conversation from a couple.
‘It’ll probably be a little expensive.’
I looked at the man with a bit of pity.
In any case, I arrived back on the first floor where the restaurants were gathered.
‘It’s gotten seriously crowded.’
It was so bustling that I wondered if this was really the same quiet department store from earlier.
To think it felt like this even on a weekday.
It made me wonder if there were this many rich people in our country.
Well, most of them were probably families who had come out to have fun, or people who had taken time off.
‘Around this time, it is the last summer vacation period.’
A summer vacation made by forcing together whatever days off you can.
Even in the army, I took leave and came out to have fun around this time, and I remember taking annual leave from work around this time and going out with the guys.
Back then, I didn’t know anything, and even when they told me, “If you take annual leave, your pay won’t be calculated for that day,” I confidently answered, “Yes!” and went anyway.
What kind of company in the world deducts a day’s allowance because you used annual leave? It wasn’t even like I’d used up all my annual leave.
‘And I was an idiot for happily agreeing to that.’
Smiling bitterly, I looked at the men who seemed like office workers.
Some were with their girlfriends. Some were with their families.
Some had come out with friends, and some were still in that flirting stage, unable to even properly hold hands.
Everyone was really making full use of their vacation.
Still, there probably wasn’t anyone making fuller use of it than me.
Smiling faintly, I began looking for a restaurant.
‘Hmm… what would be good?’
Smelling the delicious aromas, I looked around.
Something simple to eat that would also fill my stomach moderately would be nice.
It wasn’t that I was eating because I was hungry, but because I wanted to fill my stomach a bit before moving around.
If I starved now, I’d definitely get hungry while shopping.
By then, the timing would be awkward for eating.
There’s a reason mealtimes are fixed.
‘Because that’s the most efficient.’
I’m not someone who lives by calculating efficiency, but I don’t think there’s any reason to force myself to change mealtimes.
Anyway, I kept walking around and scouting the restaurants.
‘Rice bowls are a bit too much. Noodles? Nice, but nothing really appeals to me.’
As I wandered diligently while smelling the delicious aromas, one store caught my eye.
‘Right, there are sandwiches.’
It was a famous sandwich brand.
A terrifying place where, to place a single order, you had to memorize everything from the toppings to the sauce to the type of bread before going in.
These days, they say there are kiosks, so you don’t have to say each thing one by one.
I’d only ever ordered it for delivery, so this was my first time coming to the store like this.
At the kiosk, I tapped through what I wanted, ordered a fifteen-centimeter set, and sat down.
Once I sat, for some reason, people’s gazes were directed toward me.
It felt like they kept glancing at me as they passed.
Feeling needlessly self-conscious, I adjusted my clothes a little and opened my phone.
Even after opening it, there was nothing to do, so I just read internet news articles.
‘Having no one to contact really is the worst.’
At times like this, if I could just say something pointless in a group chat with friends, time would pass quickly.
There was one friend in my messenger.
Other than the man who gave me his contact information at the steakhouse back then, there was no one.
‘Is it only natural that I’m lonely?’
Relationships with people can’t be built in an instant.
Especially friends with whom you can enjoy and share things together.
I had barely any friends to begin with, and I’d lost them all in an instant.
The fact that I’d suddenly been dropped into the world alone began to feel a little real.
It wasn’t that I was sad or anything.
I was just a little bored.
‘Should I try joining some small gathering or club?’
Things I like.
I like board games, and I like computer games too.
I don’t dislike reading books, and I like movies as well.
Once I’ve roughly finished organizing the house, I should try doing something.
I don’t want to live alone for the rest of my life. And I don’t want to buy friends with money either.
— Ding-dong, ding-dong.
At the bell sound from the front, I lifted my head and looked at the large monitor.
“Ah, it’s ready.”
Muttering to myself, I went to the counter and received my sandwich.
I sat down and took a light bite.
In the past, it had tasted incredibly good, but now I felt like something was lacking.
‘My palate hasn’t already become expensive, has it?’
Smiling faintly, I deliciously ate the rest of the sandwich.
No matter what, it was hard to eat a sandwich and think it tasted bad.
‘Should I have just ordered the fifteen-centimeter sandwich by itself?’
And as I ate the wedge potatoes that came on the side, I regretted it slightly.
####
I headed straight to the customer center that was supposedly on the first floor.
The reason was, of course, to make a VIP membership card.
“Welcome. Uh…?”
The employee looked as though she recognized me.
Well, my outfit had changed completely from before.
“I came to have a membership card issued.”
“Yes, I’ll help you with the issuance. Could you tell me your name and phone number?”
“Choe Yeonbi. My number is 010…”
The employee searched for something diligently.
She hesitated slightly, then smiled and handed me the membership card.
“It has been issued. Enjoy your shopping.”
Her face looked complicated and subtle.
Seeing that was amusing, and I found myself putting a little strength into my shoulders for no reason.
As expected, appearances are important.
They say what’s inside matters more than the outside, but in the end, if the outside isn’t good, no one bothers to look at the inside.
Then now that my outside and inside—my bank account—match, I can walk around as much as I like.
Thinking that, I set one goal for today’s shopping.
“Excuse me, but could I ask what the highest VIP tier is, and how much one has to spend to receive that tier?”
“Yes? Uh… there is the Arcana tier, and it is given to those who purchase over 100 million won annually.”
My goal.
Achieve Arcana.