“Hana, how about this?”
“Wow…! Boss, you’re the best!”
I couldn’t believe my eyes when the boss handed me Lumi’s goods. The boss knew me so well, picking out exactly the Lumi merchandise I wanted. It felt like someone had peeked into my mind and came out with the perfect picks.
Just then, the door opened, and an employee walked in. They looked like they’d fit right into a maid outfit. The boss said they worked at their house. I stared at the employee, who glanced at me nervously before turning to the boss.
“Boss, the department store staff said they’ve finished setting up the display.”
“Really? Got it. Tell them to head down.”
“Yes.”
I looked at the boss, confused. Was there something else going on today besides hanging out at the boss’s place? I’d been here before, but I’d never seen the department store staff come here. Noticing my puzzled expression, the boss smiled brightly and hugged me.
“Boss is going to buy Hana some clothes today!”
“Clothes?”
I made a face. The thought of wearing girly clothes didn’t appeal to me. But the boss’s next words made me light up.
“If you cooperate fully with the clothes shopping, Boss will get you a special limited-edition Lumi merch!”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“Ooooh!”
I couldn’t help but raise my hands in excitement. It was the special limited-edition Lumi merch that was so popular, you couldn’t buy it even if you had the money. I’d been wondering how to get my hands on it. I didn’t want to ask the employees, and I was hesitant to bring it up with the boss, but the boss scratched that itch perfectly. I smiled brightly and said,
“Boss, you’re the best!”
“Hana, you’re the best too!”
And so, I descended the stairs in the boss’s arms. The neatly dressed department store employees bowed silently. I also greeted them from the boss’s arms. They must have worked hard to get here, so a little greeting was the least I could do. Those employees had put in a lot of effort to turn this living room into a department store.
“Hello~”
After being set down by the boss, I started running around the living room. It felt like I was in a real department store. Various clothes were displayed on hangers, and on a table covered with a luxurious carpet-like material, there were expensive-looking jewelry pieces. There were no price tags, but even someone as clueless as me could tell they were worth at least ten million won.
“Good day. I’m Kim Jin-woo, here to assist you with your shopping today.”
A man who seemed to be in charge spoke cautiously. Everyone was dressed in formal attire for special occasions, wearing white gloves, which gave off an unusual vibe. If this weren’t the living room but a funeral hall, the dress code wouldn’t have been out of place. I felt a bit intimidated by the employees. They all seemed a bit robotic, and I wasn’t used to this kind of atmosphere.
I turned my gaze to the boss, who was talking to other employees. I subtly eavesdropped. The boss wasn’t whispering but speaking openly, so I could hear everything without trying too hard.
“Did you follow the instructions I gave you today?”
“Yes. We focused on items for the child. But we also prepared some items for you, Boss…”
The boss nodded with a satisfied expression. To summarize, it seemed like the boss wanted more items for me than for themselves. It looked like the boss was planning to buy me clothes today. I was ready to cooperate with the boss for the limited-edition Little Magician merch.
If I hadn’t cooperated, I probably would’ve already run away. Even so, wearing skirts and other girly clothes felt a bit off.
I rarely wore anything other than my school uniform. When I went out, I usually wore a T-shirt and shorts like a boy, never skirts or feminine clothes. But winter was approaching, and it was time to overhaul my wardrobe. I needed thicker clothes for the cold.
If I wore light, thin clothes like in summer, I might catch a cold. Korean winters are famous for being brutally cold.
So, I decided to browse clothes with the boss.
—
Director Marzo stepped out of the airport, feeling the cold winter breeze of Korea.
There was already a vehicle waiting to pick up Director Marzo.
He was a director of Moët Chandon, a famous French wine company. His company, known for its champagne, produced a whopping 28 million bottles of champagne a year. It was safe to say he had a firm grip on the champagne market.
After boarding the vehicle, Director Marzo took out his tablet and read the company’s instructions. The message was to investigate the details of a wine production operation in Korea. Starlight Food had also sent a separate request for cooperation. Though he didn’t know the reason why.
Honestly, until recently, Director Marzo didn’t know much about Korea. Having lived only in France, he had no reason to know about such a small country. He even confused North Korea and South Korea at one point. Of course, North Korea was practically on the brink of collapse due to the Gate incident.
But recently, he had developed an infinite affection for Korea. The reason was simple.
Director Marzo took out a mirror and adjusted his lush hair. Yes, Director Marzo was a balding man who had lost all his hair by the relatively young age of 40. While it’s true that Westerners tend to experience baldness earlier and at a higher rate compared to Asians, baldness was still a negative factor for any man.
People say that Westerners have better-shaped heads and can pull off the bald look more easily, but that’s just what the hair-rich folks say. No matter how much they complimented his head shape, the fact that he was balding didn’t disappear. No matter how handsome or stylish he was, without hair, he just didn’t look as good.
But now, with the release of Tangle, more than half of balding individuals had found salvation. For a relatively affordable price of 300,000 won a month, they could be freed from baldness. Baldness, which was once thought to be unconquerable until humans achieved immortality, was now being joked about as something that could only be overcome if we could resurrect the dead.
Yet, here was someone who had conquered it. Recently, through continuous improvements, even those who hadn’t seen results before were now experiencing benefits. Tangle’s ultimate goal was to save 100% of balding individuals through ongoing enhancements.
Seeing this, one couldn’t help but applaud.
Anyway, that’s how Director Marzo came to know Korea well. How could he not be interested in the country that cured his baldness? And of course, he became even more familiar with Starlight Food.
“Hmm… This divine company also produces wine, right?”
The taste of the wine produced by Starlight Food was said to be extraordinary. That’s why the headquarters sent Director Marzo. He had a palate recognized even by the company’s executives.
Director Marzo’s affection for Starlight Food was infinite, but he was someone who could separate personal feelings from business. No matter how much he liked Starlight Food, when it came to testing the wine, he intended to approach it with the strict mindset of a judge.
“We’ve arrived, Director.”
The driver informed Director Marzo, who then stepped out of the car. It was Starlight Food’s wine production factory.
The exterior wasn’t particularly special. But even from a distance, the vibrating scent of grapes was unusual. The aroma was overwhelmingly strong. They said they used special grapes to make the wine, and it seemed to be true. Grapes with such a potent scent didn’t exist in this world.
“Hello, Director.”
The vice president of Starlight Food came out to greet Director Marzo. Marzo bowed his head excessively in return. It was only proper to show such respect to the executives of the company that cured his baldness.
After all, they were the benefactors who turned the severely balding Director Marzo into a hair-rich man.
“Nice to meet you.”
After exchanging greetings, the vice president and Director Marzo, accompanied by their entourage, slowly entered the wine factory.
