DMH Ch12

CHECKLIST
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▶ Would you like to add fleece to the inside of the winter jacket? (Y/N)

Wan was checking each item on the paper that the employee handed him, but he got stuck on item number 4. Item number 4 asked whether or not to add fleece to the inside of the winter jacket. There was an additional explanation below. It was about the additional cost. Adding fleece would cost 100,000 won more.

“I’m only going to wear it for a few months…”

He didn’t want to spend more money on a school uniform for a school he would soon graduate from. With summer soon passing, he also regretted buying a summer uniform. Now that Wan had decided to enter that school, he was determined to live even harder than before. He would never forget his dad’s voice when he borrowed money from his friend early yesterday morning, his hunched back, and the faint light of his phone reflected on the wall. Wan finished checking the last item and handed the paper to the employee.

“Please come this way to get your measurements taken.”

The store he had come to to get his uniform fitted was not a common student uniform store. In fact, Park Wan had been feeling a little intimidated from the moment he opened the glass door and stepped inside. The lighting coming from above was almost no different from the lighting that came out of a wedding hall. They sold not only school uniforms but also custom suits and dresses. Banquet dresses with jewels hanging from them were lined up. The uniform Wan was going to buy was also on display next to them. A mannequin with a thin body had its hand on its waist and a school cardigan on its arm. When he entered the place the employee was guiding him to, he learned that the school uniform was made by a famous designer that everyone would recognize by just hearing the first letter of the school’s name.

Mu Jeonghoo sat on a chair with legs twisted into curves, casually flipping through a magazine as he watched Wan open and close his arms to the tailor’s measurements. Then, with a bored expression, he flipped through the magazine again. Mu Jeonghoo spoke without even looking at the employee who was measuring Wan’s body with a tape measure.

“Make it a perfect fit.”

“Understood.”

The employee tightened the tape measure around Wan’s thigh a little more snugly. Wan, flustered, whispered to the employee,

“Won’t it burst if it’s too tight?”

“Our store doesn’t tailor clothes with fabrics that are likely to burst in the first place.”

“Oh, okay…”

The employee looked very offended by his concern. As a matter of fact, he was a person with a strong sense of pride in the brand of the store he worked for. The employee, who had measured the height of his instep last, stood up. Before the employee disappeared, Wan quickly asked,

“Do I have to wear dress shoes? I’m more comfortable in sneakers…”

“That’s optional. Would you like to exclude the dress shoes?”

“Yes.”

The employee checked here and there on the paper that Wan had checked with a pen that was stuck in his pocket. Wan was relieved that he could save some money on shoes.

“Would you like to pay right away? You can pick up the uniform in three days.”

“Yes. I’ll pay.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The employee rolled up the tape measure and disappeared to the other side. That side was a private space where only employees could go, and outsiders were not allowed to enter. Wan glanced at the interior of the store, where classical music was playing softly, and went around to the opposite side of the chair where Mu Jeonghoo was sitting. Several frames with the signatures of famous designers were hung on the gold-wallpapered walls of the store. Just as he was about to narrow his eyes to read the tiny English writing, Mu Jeonghoo opened his mouth.

“I’ll buy you the uniform.”

“No. I’ll buy it.”

Park Wan replied quickly without hesitation. Paying for the uniform was a matter of Wan’s pride. At the firm tone, Mu Jeonghoo lifted his gaze from the magazine. Determination could be seen in his tightly closed lips. Wan felt Mu Jeonghoo’s gaze but subtly turned his eyes elsewhere. He was looking at the designer’s signature, but he didn’t actually know who was who.

“You have a strange stubbornness.”

“…”

“You will be troubled.”

“I’m going to buy it.”

“Okay. Do as you please.”

Mu Jeonghoo started looking at the magazine again. There was no reason to insist on paying for it when he said he would pay for it himself. He must have gotten the money to pay for the uniform from somewhere. The sound of shoe heels approached from where the employee had disappeared. Wan pushed the chair back and stood up. Then, he took out the debit card he had brought from his bag.

“Here you go.”

The employee, who had brought a machine, received the debit card. He had been working here for over five years, but the customer in front of him was the first to pay with a debit card. The employee looked at Wan’s face once and swiped the card through the card reader. Wan anxiously looked at the space where the receipt was coming out. As a result of calculating the price from the estimate, the price was a little over 1.5 million won. If he had added shoes and a winter jumper, the price would have doubled. Please, please. Wan hoped that the amount of money his dad had put in was more than the total amount. His lips were burning.

The employee swiped the card back and forth, looking at the card Wan had handed him. The payment should be completed when the approval message appears, but no matter how many times he swiped it, the [Approval Completed] message did not appear on the card reader screen.

“Insufficient balance?”

“What? That can’t be. I definitely put money in…”

The employee fiddled with the machine buttons, confirming that it was not broken. There was no way the newly purchased card reader would break so quickly after only a week.

“There must be insufficient balance.”

“How much is it short?”

“Um… just a moment.”

The employee started swiping the card, gradually lowering the total amount. Wan closed his eyes and lowered his head. His mind was racing with ideas on how to overcome this difficulty. The gaze of Mu Jeonghoo, who was watching him from behind, was much more stinging than being embarrassed in front of the employee. How pathetic would this look? He wanted to become invisible and escape.

“Ah, it’s done.”

The employee, who had been lowering the price and calculating for a long time, tore off the receipt that was coming out from above.

“There was 1.43 million won in the card.”

“…”

With this, it was revealed to the whole world that there was not a single won left in the card that Wan was carrying. A dull sound was heard from behind. It was the sound of Mu Jeonghoo throwing a thick magazine on the table.

“Use this for the rest.”

Mu Jeonghoo opened his wallet from his seat and took out a check. The total amount was 1,598,000 won, so the additional amount to be paid was 168,000 won.

“Use the rest for dinner.”

“Thank you.”

He handed the money to the employee and got up smoothly from his seat. Mu Jeonghoo put his wallet back in his pocket and said to Wan.

“I protected your pride. You know that, right?”

“…”

“Come out so we can eat.”

He passed by Wan, who couldn’t hide his crumpled expression, leisurely. Protected my pride, my head. Wan received the debit card and receipt from the employee and roughly shoved them into his pocket. In the first place, it was abnormal for a school to adopt a uniform that cost over a million won.

Mu Jeonghoo headed to a restaurant located one block away from the uniform store. At first glance, it was hard to tell if it was a restaurant, as there was no flashy sign. The further you went inside the restaurant, the more similar the atmosphere was to the student uniform store that had made Wan feel small earlier. Rich guys must come and go to places like this like their own homes when they’re hungry. Wan glared at the broad back walking ahead with envious eyes.

He probably hasn’t even bought a roll of kimbap outside. Looking at the way he sat down in the chair that the employee pulled out for him, it didn’t suit him to buy kimbap on the street with that guy.

The air conditioning was blowing around the table next to the window, making it chilly. The sky outside looked gloomy. On days like this, it’s best to go home and gather all the side dishes and eat bibimbap.

“Choose.”

“Okay.”

Wan unfolded the long menu. As soon as he opened it, he saw squiggly letters. He couldn’t even understand what was written on the menu. It was a foreign language he had never learned. If it was written in English, he could have guessed, but he was completely illiterate. He glanced at Mu Jeonghoo, who was sitting across from him. The sharp eyes that were slightly visible above the menu were quickly scanning the pages.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Anything.”

Wan quietly put down the menu and replied. ‘Anything’ is a perfect word. Mu Jeonghoo recited the menu names to the employee who was standing by. His pronunciation was at a native speaker level. Even if Wan heard his voice, he couldn’t tell how many dishes he had ordered or if there was anything he could eat. He gulped down water and shook his legs. However, when he realized that he was the only one shaking his legs among the people inside, he couldn’t shake his legs as he pleased.

Before the food arrived, the employee approached with wine. He held the bottom of the wine bottle with a vintage label and gently poured it into the decanter. The red liquid slid into the wide decanter bottle. The more liquid that gathered inside, the more it rippled with the light. The employee first slowly poured the wine in the decanter bottle into Mu Jeonghoo’s glass. Mu Jeonghoo swirled the glass a few times and then held the red wine in his mouth.

Wan was amazed by the situation where he could drink without any special procedures. Mu Jeonghoo’s scene of drinking wine looked as noble as a craftsman who had learned wine for a long time. He followed Mu Jeonghoo and lightly touched the wine to his lips.

“Ugh…”

It was just very bitter. He quietly stuck out his tongue and wiped the wine from his lips. Not long after, the dishes that Mu Jeonghoo had ordered appeared one by one. Unlike the grand descriptions in squiggly letters, the menu was simple. It was just a plain steak with sauce drizzled on top.

“I didn’t know what you would like, so I just ordered meat.”

“…”

“You like meat, right?”

Wan hesitated for a moment before answering. If he said he liked it here, he would look poor, but he couldn’t say he didn’t like it because he had not had any as he couldn’t eat meat.

“Ah, you have not had any?”

However, the following words that Mu Jeonghoo muttered were enough to make him lose all affection. Wan gritted his teeth at Mu Jeonghoo’s words that had ignored him to his face. He wanted to hit that Adam’s apple with his hand as he calmly drank wine. The sun was already setting outside, and the time was passing early evening. Wan picked up a knife and cut the meat. During the meal, it was as calm and peaceful as the upper body of a swan leisurely wandering around the lake. When Mu Jeonghoo’s wine glass was emptied, the employee who had come at some point filled the glass.

“You can go to school from the day after you receive the uniform. From this Thursday, I’ll see you at the same school?”

“Yeah.”

“The uncle said you were a genius.”

“I’m trying to work hard.”

“It won’t just be trying hard, you’ll have to work really hard. The level is different from the school you used to go to.”

Wan stopped the knife he was cutting the meat with and asked in an emotional voice.

“Did you call me out to brag about the school you go to?”

“I called you out to get you a uniform. But since you bought it, I thought I’d buy you a meal.”

“…”

“It’s like I scouted you, so I was going to buy you a uniform. I didn’t want you to feel burdened.”

“How can I not feel burdened?”

“Anyway. Have you had sex?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you’ve had sex.”

Mu Jeonghoo uttered an unusual question naturally in a casual conversation.

“Why are you asking that?”

“What kind of world is it these days where you can’t even ask if you’ve had sex?”

Wan looked around, worried that someone might hear the word ‘sex’ coming out of Mu Jeonghoo’s mouth. However, the employee who had just poured wine into Mu Jeonghoo’s glass and left did not change his expression even after hearing the word ‘sex’ and left.

“Have you?”

“…”

“Huh? Have you?”

He was about to be persistent until he answered. Wan looked at Mu Jeonghoo unpleasantly and answered.

“No.”

“Wan is a little late.”

Mu Jeonghoo grabbed the slender wine glass. At Mu Jeonghoo’s words, Wan scoffed as he cut the meat.

“It’s not late if you haven’t done it as a minor.”

“You talk back a lot.”

The knife cutting the meat stopped. Mu Jeonghoo and Wan made eye contact. His eyes were fixed on Wan even while drinking wine as red as blood. Wan was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that he might have made a very big mistake at the sharp gaze.

He had been that kind of person from the beginning. He had never grown up listening to harmful sounds, bad sounds, or sounds of complaints to him. From a young age, even when he scolded his superiors, everyone around him only said yes, yes. Wan was not in a position to say everything he wanted to Mu Jeonghoo, whose birth was power.

Wan, who belatedly came to his senses, closed his mouth. The light reflected in Wan’s pupils shook here and there as if it had lost its center. Blood flowed down the blade from the piece of meat pierced by the knife.