By Zephyria 
As Yeon-rok was looking around cautiously, Yeom Cheon-ho urged him in a gentle voice to eat something. Only after Yeon-rok drank some ade and ate a piece of cake did Yeom Cheon-ho get to the point.
“Today, I came to buy Yeon-rok some clothes that he can wear right away.”
General manager Park, who had been maintaining a smile while Yeon-rok was eating the cake, gave an even brighter smile.
“Ah! I see. Is there a particular brand you’d like?”
“I’d like clothes that suit Yeon-rok’s taste well.”
Distracted by the conversation, Yeon-rok stopped using his fork, so Yeom Cheon-ho urged him to eat again. Yeon-rok sweated profusely and ate a couple more of the unknown sweet desserts. They were delicious even in this situation. He still didn’t even look at the side where his ex-girlfriend was.
When he had emptied about half of the three-tiered tray, employees wheeled in rows of mobile hangers with clothes on them. Yeon-rok’s fork stopped again. Then, a personal shopper explained what this clothing was, what that clothing was, and what the season’s collection was, but it sounded like gibberish to Yeon-rok. The stiff Yeon-rok looked at Yeom Cheon-ho with eyes pleading for help.
Then, Yeom Cheon-ho let out a small, inexplicable laugh and stood up. He picked out clothes from the hanger himself and handed them to Yeon-rok.
“Would you like to try this on?”
“…I will.”
Yeon-rok awkwardly put down his fork and stood up. The dressing room he entered with the clothes was unnecessarily large. Yeon-rok put the clothes down on the sofa, then hung them on the hanger, and paced around, looking around.
Even though no one was watching, Yeon-rok was wary for no reason and took off his clothes. He put on the cloud-like, light and soft knit and the stiff, cool pants, and stared at himself in the mirror for a long time before awkwardly coming out of the dressing room. Yeom Cheon-ho nodded in satisfaction.
“It suits you well, just as I expected. Don’t you think so?”
When Yeom Cheon-ho asked for agreement, the personal shoppers, who had only been smiling until then, began to shower him with compliments.
“The customer has a fair and handsome face, so he pulls it off perfectly.”
“I’ve never seen anyone look so good in yellow clothes.”
“R-Really?”
Yeon-rok, his cheeks flushed, awkwardly fiddled with the knit. Then, he paused when he found the price tag. Did I just see the number right? Before he could properly check the price tag, the personal shoppers launched an aggressive offensive.
“Sir, would you like to try on this outerwear too? If you layer it like this with an oversized fit… Ah! It really suits you. It’s a perfect fit.”
“How about an athleisure style? The design is sleek and the activity is good, so it’s good for everyday wear and sportswear. It’s a product from this season’s capsule collection…”
“If you’re going to a more formal occasion, how about matching this half coat with a houndstooth check pattern turtleneck?”
Amidst the flood of terms that he seemed to understand but ultimately didn’t, Yeon-rok’s mind became muddled, forgetting about his ex-girlfriend and everything else. The only words he could properly understand were shirts and pants. Hangers were constantly being brought in and out. He ended up not checking the price tag and went in and out of the dressing room several times. It was quite tiring just changing clothes.
Nevertheless, compliments poured out every time he came out of the dressing room, so Yeon-rok gradually gained confidence. Thanks to the personal shoppers’ and Yeom Cheon-ho’s sense of style, Yeon-rok was unfamiliar with his appearance in the mirror, but he was quite satisfied. He felt a little proud and couldn’t help but smile slightly, thinking, ‘Well, my face isn’t so bad.’
‘What would have happened if I had an ugly face?’
He already felt inferior to his Name partners in many ways in terms of social status and wealth, but if he had an unattractive face, he would have really been unable to stand tall. The personal shoppers, who were like tongues in his mouth, smiled brightly as Yeon-rok smiled. Then, they politely asked Yeom Cheon-ho.
“Sir, what do you think?”
It was a question that was well aware that the person wearing the clothes was Yeon-rok, but the payer was someone else. Everyone tensed as Yeom Cheon-ho stroked his chin and cast a sharp gaze. He opened his mouth.
“There are some shortcomings.”
“What kind of shortcomings…?”
The personal shoppers, who had suddenly become apologetic, asked cautiously. Yeon-rok’s confidence, which had been deflated, was about to be broken when Yeom Cheon-ho replied.
“The shoes, I mean.”
Everyone’s gaze turned downwards. Only then did Yeon-rok try to calculate the age of the shoes he was wearing. How many years ago did I buy those? He hadn’t paid much attention to them until now, but now they looked very shabby. Especially since they were white. The personal shopper regained his smile.
“Since the customer’s shoes are a vintage type, there may be a slight imbalance, so we will pay more attention to it.”
Yeon-rok realized for the first time that you could decorate and express old, worn-out sneakers so beautifully. A little later, dozens of pairs of shoes entered the room. After trying on each pair of shoes, all the desserts he had eaten earlier were digested.
“Sir, how is it this time?”
After putting on the shiny shoes and waiting for Yeom Cheon-ho’s verdict again, Yeom Cheon-ho crossed his arms this time and tapped his right chin with his fingertips. He frowned slightly and said.
“Perfect. But it would be even better if we added a few more items.”
This time, all sorts of fashion accessories appeared in a row. After putting on and taking off belts, cufflinks, sunglasses, and even socks, and changing clothes one more time, and putting on a soft cashmere muffler and a pair of gloves, Yeom Cheon-ho finally nodded as if satisfied.
“Yeon-rok, which clothes did you like the most?”
“This one I’m wearing now…”
Yeon-rok, who was so exhausted that he was finally hungry after digesting the desserts, replied weakly. He was tired of his ex-girlfriend, the clothes, and everything else. He wanted to eat something quickly and go home since they had already held hands. It was winter, and the personal shoppers were fanning him diligently or wiping his sweat, but he was still sweating.
“Good.”
Yeom Cheon-ho clapped his hands and stood up. Then, he said this, waking Yeon-rok’s muddled mind.
“Let’s buy everything you’ve worn so far.”
Yeon-rok listened to the waiter’s explanation with a blank expression.
“…It’s an amuse-bouche consisting of sea urchin puree and abalone.”
What kind of flower did he say was in the ingredients just now? Yeon-rok’s gaze wavered. But he didn’t show it and just nodded as if he understood. A purple sauce was artistically placed on top of the cube-shaped diced abalone flesh.
After finishing the explanation, the waiter stepped back, and Yeon-rok carefully moved the utensils. He put the bite-sized food in his mouth and chewed, and his eyes sparkled. Yeom Cheon-ho smiled and asked.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“It’s delicious. And it tastes strange and mysterious.”
Wrinkles formed on Yeon-rok’s forehead as he focused on the taste and aroma of the food, a combination he had never tasted before. If he had been wearing a cap and casual clothes, like when he stopped by the flower market, it would have been a very uncomfortable place.
However, as Yeom Cheon-ho said, after putting on the appropriate clothes, Yeon-rok was able to act as if he came to such places often. He thought that such behavior might seem a little funny to Yeom Cheon-ho…
‘But it’s still good.’
It was nice that he was kind and friendly to him, and it was also nice to have unfamiliar, new, and wonderful experiences. He was grateful that he was so considerate, as if he could see through Yeon-rok’s situation and heart, whenever he was awkward and hesitant. But there were also parts of that consideration that bothered him.
“Still, don’t you think you bought too many clothes?”
Yeon-rok said anxiously, picking up and putting down his water glass. Judging by the price tag he had glanced at earlier, he knew that the total price of the clothes and accessories he had bought today would be beyond imagination. The most expensive clothes Yeon-rok had ever bought were lightweight padding, and even that didn’t exceed 100,000 won, so he felt very burdened. Yeom Cheon-ho smiled and said.
“Yeon-rok, do you know how much Hwan spent last month?”
Hwan? He thought it was cringe when he called his name, but these titles he used were really something he couldn’t get used to. Yeon-rok shook his head, saying no.
“He spent over 100 million won last month.”
“Yes?”
Yeon-rok’s mouth dropped open at the unimaginable amount. What could you possibly buy to spend over 100 million won in a month?
“Did he buy a sports car? Gyun-woo also spent tens of millions of won. On the other hand, Yeon-rok’s spending was only 0 won until yesterday. It’s something that bothers me a lot.”
100 million? Tens of millions? It was a truly shocking amount for Yeon-rok, who hesitated to use his card even at a convenience store. He stammered slightly.
“But that’s too much money…?”