# Chapter 9
“Ha… this crazy bastard.”
I became a drug-sniffing dog, rummaging through the nearly 100-pyeong house. After searching the entire house like a mad dog, I managed to find about 20 more bags similar to the one discovered in the dressing room.
This crazy bastard, instead of hiding them all in one place, had stashed drug bags everywhere, making me go through unnecessary trouble.
Starting from inside the audio system I had turned on earlier to inside the toilet tank—he had hidden bags in all sorts of outlandish places. When I gathered all the drug bags I’d found, a crime scene worthy of the news unfolded. After thinking about how to dispose of them, I took them all to the bathroom.
After wrapping my entire face with plastic bags and masks in multiple layers, I carefully cut the bags and emptied all the contents into the toilet, then flushed. I knew drugs shouldn’t be thrown in water, but my survival came first right now.
‘Sorry, Earth of this book.’
Afterwards, I began a major bathroom cleaning. I scrubbed the toilet and tiles with bleach, thoroughly washed the emptied bags with bleach, and stuffed them into a trash bag. I’ll throw that away first thing after getting some sleep.
This is the perfect crime. It’s like I’ve been possessed by a criminal from an American drama rather than a rich person. Is there any reason to ransack this huge space like this? Also, when in my life would I ever get to handle so many drugs? My energy was completely drained. It wouldn’t be surprising if I came down with a fever soon.
[8 o’clock]
I looked at the clock. Without realizing it, I had stayed up all night. I had been so focused on finding those bags that I didn’t even notice the sun rising. Well, at least I found them all, so that’s fortunate.
‘This is exhausting.’
I had done hard manual labor that wasn’t even in my plans. My tension must have eased because I started feeling incredibly sleepy. Cha Jaehyun is just a rich unemployed person anyway, so he probably doesn’t have any schedule tomorrow. No one would care or say anything if I slept all day. My plan for today is simple: sleep all day, wake up in the afternoon, and throw away the trash. First, let me lie down on the bed.
* * *
Ding dong-
My head feels like it’s about to split open.
‘Who could that be?’
Looking at the clock, it’s 10 o’clock. I only slept for 2 hours. What is this? Wasn’t I supposed to be able to sleep all day? I guess even this punk has his own schedule. I barely got up from the bed and checked the intercom screen to see Han Woojin’s face.
‘Why is he here at this hour?’
I was annoyed because my sleep was disturbed. It’s more irritating to have a brief, unsatisfying sleep than to pull an all-nighter. I wanted to pretend I wasn’t home and sleep more.
But from now on, I need to get along well with Han Woojin. I can’t pretend to be a completely different person and be nice to him, but I shouldn’t make him more angry by showing my temper or being moody. I need to get all the information I can from him.
“Ha… annoying.”
I grumbled as I flung open the front door. I turned on Cha Jaehyun mode again and began acting.
“What is it?”
“Young master, good morning. I’ve come regarding today’s scheduled dinner with Chairman Cha Taesan and Executive Director Cha Taehan.”
Wait, if it’s a dinner schedule, why come at 10 AM? If it’s dinner time, shouldn’t he call me in the late afternoon?
“What time is the dinner?”
“It’s at 5 PM, young master.”
“Then why did you come in the morning?”
Due to my poor condition, I unintentionally snapped at Han Woojin. I didn’t mean to be so testy, but I was so sleepy that I just blurted it out in an annoyed tone.
“Young master, you said before that you wanted to prepare clothes to wear before dinner, so I came. PSS is scheduled for 10:30 AM.”
With so many clothes in the closet, why would he need more? What a ridiculous guy. No matter how I think about it, Cha Jaehyun seems good at only two things: throwing money around and stalking.
Anyway, I can meet Cha Taesan today. Things are going more smoothly than expected. But I don’t want to see Cha Taehan. Honestly, I’m a bit afraid. But what can I do even if I’m scared? Strike while the iron is hot. I definitely need Cha Taesan’s permission to study abroad.
But what the hell is PSS? I had no idea what PSS could be, but it was embarrassing to ask Han Woojin. I slightly turned on my phone and quickly searched for PSS.
[PSS (Progressive Systemic Sclerosis)]
Progressive systemic sclerosis. Also called systemic scleroderma, it is a collagen disease of chronic diffuse connective tissue including joints, muscles, and tendons. Depending on the patient, some cases hardly progress, so these days the term ‘progressive’ is often omitted.
‘Progressive systemic sclerosis?’
When I searched for PSS, I only got incomprehensible terms. The search results just made things more confusing. Judging by the context, the PSS Han Woojin is talking about probably doesn’t mean this. What on earth is PSS? They make abbreviations out of everything.
Well, since he said he was preparing clothes for dinner, it must mean going to a department store or something? I concluded based on context clues that PSS must have a similar meaning to “going to a department store.” If the schedule is at 10:30, he should come at 10:25, not at 10. Being tired is one thing, but having to be in the same space with someone who absolutely detests Cha Jaehyun is another issue. How should I spend these 30 minutes?
‘Whatever, I should just wash up.’
“I’m going to wash up.”
I walked past Han Woojin, who was standing stiffly in the living room, and went to take a shower. I need to prepare if I’m going out. As I wet my head with cool water, my sleepy brain felt somewhat refreshed.
After finishing my shower, I went to the dressing room. I randomly put on the first clothes that caught my eye. I definitely just put on any clothes, but looking in the full-length mirror, I looked stunning.
As expected, when you’re a clothes hanger, you look like a model no matter what you wear. With a body like this, getting dressed must be fun every day. Before I knew it, it was almost the time Han Woojin had mentioned, so I headed toward the entrance.
“Young master, are you planning to go out? Should I cancel today’s PSS schedule?”
As I walked toward the entrance wearing an overcoat, Han Woojin said something strange. Aren’t we going to a department store? Then what is PSS? Was it something to be done at home? I had nothing particular to say. Out of awkwardness, I blurted out nonsense.
“I’m not going out. What are you talking about?”
Walking towards the entrance in a clearly outdoor attire while saying I wasn’t going out—I’m completely contradicting myself. I must have earned one more point of dislike from him.
[Ding dong-]
After spouting nonsense to Han Woojin and casually returning to the living room, I heard the doorbell ring again. Is there some kind of party at home from early morning today? Looking at the intercom, I saw one woman and two men. While I was wondering who they could be, Han Woojin went to the entrance and opened the door.
“Young master, hello. It’s an honor to meet you.”
A woman with a bright smile walked into the house and greeted me. She was a beautiful woman flaunting gorgeous looks. The two men standing behind her brought clothes hangers and numerous velvet boxes with unknown contents.
[Choi Yeonju / Personal Shopper]
My eyes were drawn to the namecard on the woman’s top. Personal Shopper?
PSS. PSS must be an abbreviation for Personal Shopper Service. Don’t make even these things into English abbreviations… Damn rich people. I felt petty spite.
People bring clothes to the house. I just sit at home, and the personal shopper brings clothes that would suit me, and I just choose. So this is how the truly rich shop.
When Han Woojin came earlier and told me about the dinner schedule, I imagined a scene straight out of a drama. Like walking into a luxury store in a department store and saying to the clerk “I’ll take everything on this side” without even looking at the clothes.
Thinking about such scenes, I felt self-contempt for considering actually saying that line at the department store. Just as I realized the meaning of PSS and thought of myself as a fool, the woman had already set up all the products and began explaining each item one by one.
“This jacket is a new product with only five pieces imported into the country. At a glance, it might look very formal and stiff, but the true value of this jacket can be seen here, at the end of the sleeve.”
“This watch, each diamond was handcrafted by a Swiss craftsman…”
Honestly, none of it registered in my ears. There’s no reason for a commoner like me to be interested in luxury goods, and I’ve never bought them.
So when will this PSS or whatever end? The dressing room is already packed, so there doesn’t seem to be any need to buy more clothes. But since she’s explaining each item so meticulously, I felt like I should buy at least one thing.
“I’ll take this.”
Interrupting the woman, I walked to the clothing rack and chose a plain-looking suit and a pair of shoes. This should be fine to wear to dinner.
“As expected, young master. Your eye for fashion is the best!”
The woman smiled brightly at me. Having a gorgeous beauty smile at me made my heart flutter for a moment. I knew it was an obvious capitalist line, but I wanted to smile back.
But right now, I am Cha Jaehyun. I suppressed my happy feelings and calmly continued my next line.
“Secretary Han, pay for this. See you at dinner.”
“Yes, young master.”
Wow, I just acted really haughty. Playing rich seems quite fun. As Han Woojin went into the dressing room to organize the clothes I just bought, the others quickly packed up all their things and left the house.
“Young master, I’ve organized the clothes in the dressing room. I’ll visit you again at 4:30 PM.”
Han Woojin bowed to me at a perfect 90-degree angle and left. It was a truly perfect 90 degrees. I found it amazing no matter how I looked at it. He was like a robot without emotions. Is it because he’s like a robot that he can steadfastly endure no matter what chaos Cha Jaehyun causes?
“Now I can finally breathe.”
When everyone left, peace and quiet returned to the house. I should catch up on the sleep I missed earlier. Before sleeping, I turned on my phone to look up some information about Cha Taehan.
[Cha Taehan / Businessman]
– Affiliation: Daejin Electronics (Executive Director)
– Family: Father (Cha Taesan)
– Education: Korea University Bachelor’s, Harvard University MBA, Completed Doctoral Coursework
As expected of a chaebol heir apparent, his educational background was impressive. According to the articles, it seems he recently completed his doctoral program at a prestigious foreign university and returned to Korea to begin his heir training in earnest.
Looking at his photo in the article, he was handsome in a manly way. If the handsome general from the martial arts novels I read as a child were to appear in the modern world, he would have this appearance. A solid build, sharp nose bridge, and thick eyebrows. His eyes also shone brightly like someone full of intelligence.
‘If he glares at me with those eyes…’
To think I have to have dinner face-to-face with that face. I would definitely get indigestion after just one bite of food. But if I examine his face closely, I suppose there are some resemblances to Cha Jaehyun…
After Cha Taehan, I also searched for Seo Hanryul. I won’t be meeting him anymore, but I was curious because he’s the protagonist of the novel.
[Seo Hanryul / Actor]
– Physical: 184cm, 68kg
– Agency: Red Entertainment
– Education: Yejong University Department of Theater and Film (on leave)
Maybe because he’s still just a rookie, or because of Cha Jaehyun, I couldn’t confirm much information from his profile. However, looking at articles, Seo Hanryul was frequently featured in special articles about noteworthy new actors. As expected of Seo Hanryul, like the protagonist he is, he seems promising from appearance to acting.
Time passed quickly as I searched for photos and articles of Seo Hanryul. He was a person with a bewitching face that made me want to keep looking. When I had only seen his face on Cha Jaehyun’s phone before, I just thought “frighteningly handsome,” but even from still cuts, he seemed to have a face perfect for acting. From his diverse expressions to his eye acting—you could tell what emotion he was expressing just from his eyes.
‘Well, he’s certainly born to be an actor.’
After seeing all the photos, I was curious about the public’s reaction, so this time I typed Seo Hanryul into the blue search engine. More diverse communities than I expected were discussing Seo Hanryul. I clicked on one of them.
Today’s insane Seo Hanryul visuals.jpg
↳ Is that face for real? It’s a blessing.
↳ Whoever becomes Seo Hanryul’s future partner should pay more taxes;;; A lot more…
↳ It’s a sight to behold. A gift from God.
↳ I think you uploaded the wrong picture. All I can see is light.
↳ But isn’t Seo Hanryul from a relatively unknown small agency? This is truly… the miracle of a small planning agency.
↳ He’ll probably go to a major agency when his current contract expires?
Not a single word is wrong. If someone who doesn’t know Seo Hanryul sees these comments, they might think people are just having fun amongst themselves, but anyone who sees Seo Hanryul’s face would agree. How could anyone not fall in love with that face, and he’s good at acting too?
‘He’s just a rookie actor now, but to receive the grand prize next year… That is quite impressive.’
Although I’m not very interested in the entertainment industry, I know that it’s a significant achievement for a rookie actor who just debuted to receive the Best Actor award.
I won’t be meeting Seo Hanryul anymore, but as the protagonist of the novel, I should cheer for his future.
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to close my eyes, a title caught my attention.
[The Secret Story of Daejin Group, Rank 2 in the Domestic Business World]
‘I searched for Seo Hanryul, why is this post showing up?’
The title was too provocative to just pass by. Connecting Seo Hanryul and Daejin Group? Indeed, the power of the mysterious algorithm is great. I immediately clicked on the post.
