CH 10

As I walked, I found myself at the regular shop from my announcer days.

It had been over a year since I took a break from my anchoring job after the engagement ceremony, but the manager, the only one who still called me by my announcer title, warmly approached me.

“Oh my, Announcer Yoon. It’s been so long, isn’t it?”

Despite my hesitation, I smiled at her welcoming embrace.

“What brings you to our store? Are you looking for something in particular, perhaps?”

It was a brand that I used to love wearing during my announcer days. I gestured to her, giving her a look that confirmed her suspicions.

“No, not really. I haven’t decided on anything yet.”

“Oh, I see. You must be considering something! Announcer Yoon, we hope you’ll be back on TV soon. That way, you’ll visit our store more often, right?”

I was planning on talking to the director soon about returning, so I just smiled and nodded. As we talked at the entrance of the store, we made our way inside. There, I saw a woman sitting on a distant couch.

“That woman is a KBC weathercaster. Don’t you know each other?”

The familiar back view of the woman who quietly told me that she was a weathercaster gave me a sudden pang of frustration.

“Chae Seorin.”

In a country with only one department store, why did I have to meet her here?

“I bet you were so thrilled to become an anchor. Our brand will surely become more famous thanks to the anchors.”

“Chae Seorin as an anchor? That’s unlikely.”

It was a sky-high probability for a caster to become an anchor in conservative KBC, where there was no solid backing. Moreover, she was nothing special.

I walked up to Seorin with a raised brow.

“Shopping, were you?”

It was very strange to see her in a luxury shop, and I couldn’t help but ask. As I glanced over the clothes she had picked out, I could tell they were worth thousands.

“Oh, Unni. What brings you here?”

“Oh my. You two know each other? You’re both from KBC, after all?”

In a sudden burst, she looked up at the sound of my voice, her round eyes showing just how startled she was. The approaching manager seemed pleased to see Seorin and me, his grin suggesting they were old friends.

“My dear junior,” he said.

“As I suspected,” Seorin replied. “Let’s talk comfortably.”

After whispering something to the employee next to Seorin, the manager disappeared outside. 

In front of her, I noticed a catalog and a card payment machine with a purple card stuck in it. It was a card that Seorin’s salary couldn’t possibly afford.

“A purple card? Can you even use this?”

She had a black-grade card that only elite customers could use. It was a VVIP card that only the top 5% of W department store customers could use, so I was curious.

As she watched my expression, she reached for the card in the machine.

“That… that’s….”

As I took the card from the employee who was paying in front of Seorin, I read the name on it.

Seo Jihan? Why is my fiance’s card here?

As expected.The employee only rolled their eyes, seeming to understand the situation.

They’re even holding onto each other’s cards, even before the wedding.

I couldn’t imagine how long the two had been meeting.

Seeing Seorin’s nervous eyes shaking with tension, it was clear that she was confused and anxious about their relationship being discovered.

“Oh,” I said, trying to contain my anger at her obvious behavior. “I told you not to do something like this. And he, too.”

“….”

“Did you need something?” I asked, then added with a smile, “He’s asking his junior for a favor again, this time for a gift of clothes?”

Seorin giggled and pulled out various clothing items she had picked out, as each one slid off her fingertips and onto the table, Seorin’s face tightened.

“I don’t like these flashy patterns. I guess Seorin is confused.”

“Haha..”

She laughed at the sound of her own voice.

“Here you go,” I said, returning the card that she had taken from the employee.

“Would you like to proceed with this?”

As the panicked employee rushed over, I smiled and said, “No. Please refund everything.”

Looking at the array of clothes on the table, it seemed like they were all from Seorin’s favorite brand.

“Uh, all of them…?”

The fl**tered employee looked at Seorin, unsure of what to do. But she firmly bit her lips and turned her head away. She must be angry and embarra*sed.

“Seorin, are you okay? I’ll choose and pay for mine.”

I patted Seorin’s shoulder, noticing her worried expression. As I continued talking, her face turned red with embarra*sment.

“Okay. It’s your treat, so go ahead.”

Her nose was reddened, and her voice was trembling with shame. She then tried to smile and took the card from the employee again.

“I’ll go ahead.”

Watching her frantically gather her coat and bag on the sofa, I quietly sat next to her.

“Oh, by the way, you said you became an anchor.”

“How did you know…?” Seorin looked up at me, startled.

Her eyes were restless, and her lips were trembling as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

“It’s Seo Jihan, right? Your boyfriend.”

My vague guess was confirmed by her unusual reaction.

“Well, you won’t be able to do it even if you wake up as an anchor.”

I was going to take that spot.

“I know everything, Seorin. We’ll see each other soon.”

A cold smile spread across my face as I looked at her.

“Take care.”

Seorin’s face turned white as I left without even waiting for a response. She didn’t have the strength to respond to my goodbye, as she ran away without looking back. Finally, I turned my head around and chuckled as I looked at the catalog. Her hurried escape was quite amusing.