Half an hour later, Myeongdong.
Kim Ji-yeon strutted forward in sexy, strappy high heels, her steps elegant. "Why not Lotte? Got a grudge against them?"
"That place is filthy. Even the air's disgusting."
"You hate Lotte that much?"
"Not hate."
Lee Jin-woo said coolly, "It's revolting, like garbage. Got it?"
"Got it."
Kim Ji-yeon nodded seriously, opening her new Prada bag from two days ago and pulling out a VIP card.
Snap~ She folded it and tossed it into a passing trash bin.
Taking out her phone, she dialed. "Manager Yoon, cancel all my Lotte-related cards."
"Yes, all of them… No need to ask why, just do it."
Snapping her flip phone shut, she flashed a dazzling smile. "How's this gift? More real than becoming a king, right?"
Chaebol women were certifiably insane.
Before Lee Jin-woo could respond, a guy suddenly blocked Kim Ji-yeon's path.
"Pretty noona, wow, you're hot. Can I get your number?"
"Don't rush to answer. I don't like rejection, and those who reject me tend to—"
As he rambled arrogantly, Kim Ji-yeon held up a business card between two fingers.
"Before you keep yapping, want to see who I am?"
"What? Damn woman, I—"
Chairman of Ssangyong Chemical, Director of Seoul Ssangyong-Rosewood Hotel—Kim Ji-yeon.
Ssangyong? Ssangyong Group?!
The cocky guy's face drained of color. Holding the card overhead with both hands, he bowed deeply. "Sorry, sorry, I was too forward…"
As a privileged insider, he knew exactly what that card meant.
In their circle, class divisions were stark.
To a lower tier, an upper-class figure was practically a higher-dimensional being.
Knowledge bred fear.
Ssangyong Chemical and Rosewood Hotel were assets the Kim family allocated to their eldest daughter.
Meaning he'd just hit on the Kim family's eldest daughter.
Realizing this, his face went completely ashen.
To someone like her, a mere department head was as insignificant as a slum dweller in his eyes.
Crushing him would be easier than squashing an ant.
Finding an ant nest in this neon-lit, steel-clad city took effort. A department head? One call, and he'd deliver himself for slaughter.
"I hope we don't meet again. Next time, you'll be raising pigs in the countryside."
"Yes, kamsahamnida, kamsahamnida."
Retrieving her card, she folded it like the VIP card and tossed it in the trash.
The minor interruption didn't dampen her shopping mood.
"For me, this happens monthly. Power inflates people's desires—it's terrifying, isn't it?"
"It's because you're too beautiful. Makes people want to possess you."
Her cheeks flushed at his blunt words, flattered yet shy. "Omo, omo, what's this? Is our Jin-woo praising me?"
"Yup. Can we go now?" He smiled faintly, reminding her of their deal.
Thinking of it, her full cheeks bloomed with color.
Men were so bad!
At the bespoke boutique, Lee Jin-woo lounged in the VIP waiting area, flipping through a magazine.
Kim Ji-yeon was in the fitting room, trying on curated pieces.
This was a high-end store by a renowned Korean designer, catering to the elite.
Kim Ji-yeon was a regular, a VIP among VIPs.
Today, the stylist noticed her taste had shifted dramatically.
Was it because of the handsome man in the waiting area?
So hot.
If I had money, I'd date a guy like that and have a whirlwind romance!
Aah, so jealous! The stylist's mind ran wild with scenarios.
If her thoughts were written out, they'd summon not just the censorship gods but their entire clan.
Swish~
The curtain parted, and Lee Jin-woo looked up, stunned by the figure emerging.
How much pain must Lee Seung-eun be in?
"What do you think?" Kim Ji-yeon posed, hand on hip, twirling. Her left leg, clad in lettered black stockings, bent inward at the knee.
She knew men—how to spark their impulses and desire for conquest.
Blending sensuality and delicacy, she was an angel and devil incarnate.
Getting no response, she looked up.
His gaze, ablaze with raw desire, scared her—yet something deep inside anticipated it.
"Jin-woo, Jin-woo?" She called his name cautiously.
"Hm?" Snapping out of the angel-devil spell, he focused on the real her.
Standing abruptly, he grabbed her wrist as she instinctively stepped back.
"Bill. Now." He handed his card to the stylist, who scurried off.
Two minutes later, the system confirmed a 10.07 million won transaction.
"Your card, sir."
"Thanks."
Snatching it, he stuffed it in his pocket and pulled her out.
"Wow, so manly. They must be desperate now."
"What? Just a rich kid born with a silver spoon."
"Aish, if I were born rich, I could have a woman like that…"
"Stop dreaming, and don't say it out loud. I don't want to get dragged into your mess. Do your job!"
Patting his shoulder, the senior stylist said, "Chaebol daughters aren't yours just because you're rich."
A right turn and 200 meters later was her hotel, Ssangyong-Rosewood.
Lee Jin-woo marched her straight to the lobby.
"Jin-woo, what are you doing?" Nervous and scared, she pleaded for him to "calm down."
"Any man calm now isn't a man." He didn't look back, heading to the front desk.
She watched him get a room key and approach her again.
Finally panicking, she bolted out the door without a goodbye.
Watching her flee, Lee Jin-woo smirked. "That should keep her in line."
Pulling his left hand from his pocket, he tossed a rubber item into the trash.
Sighing, he muttered, "Went through all that trouble to prepare this. Wasted it."
(End of Chapter)