Juri

I leaned close to the mirror, sweeping the blush across my cheeks to hide how pale I'd been lately. Then, my phone buzzed. Juwon's name popped up: "Hi, love. Don't forget that I'll pick you up tonight!"

I stared at the screen, a bitter, breathless laugh escaping my throat.

Friday was already here. For the first time in years, a week had passed without me hating my job. At my previous company, rumors had turned me into a social outcast. Everyone bullied me for no reason, leaving me entirely dependent on Nari. She was my roommate, my best friend, my only comfort.

I froze, the makeup brush hovering inches from my face.

Could Nari have started those rumors? Did she isolate me on purpose?

My grip tightened on the brush handle until my knuckles turned white at the realization that Nari could be more than capable of doing so.

A soft sigh escaped my lips. Enough about her. I was more worried about what Mr. Lee tasked me to report. It was my first week at work, and yet, he tasked me with providing a list of VVIPs that should attend the upcoming campaign since I was studying our clientele throughout the week.

How was I supposed to do that without failing?

As soon as I stepped in the store, Mrs. Min called out as she walked towards me.

"Are you ready for your meeting with Mr. Lee?" she asked, and I nodded. She'd help me prepare the list of the VVIP guests we believed would help take the campaign to the next level. It was still fairly early, so I had a few hours before the meeting.

I walked around the store to ensure the visual merchandise looked impeccable and that the latest appeals were correctly displayed.

Once everything was in place, I made my way upstairs and began going through the list again. For the limited time I've known Mr. Lee, I knew he wasn't going to go easy on me. While pacing back and forth as I went through the list, the sound of Mr. Lee's office door opening caught my attention. I glanced up and looked through the sidelights to see him and Mr. Park go inside.

My heart skipped a beat as Mr. Lee closed the door. I paused and placed my hand on my chest, "Get it together, Juri." I mumbled to myself and resumed pacing back and forth again.

Suddenly, a staff member barged into my office.

"Manager Kim, there's a problem," he said, and my brows lifted.

"What happened?"

"Gaeul accidentally spilled coffee on a customer's bag, and she's throwing a fit."

I set the folder down and hurried downstairs. Once I reached the main floor, I immediately saw a thin woman with light brown hair who was covered in luxurious clothes from head to toe. She was yelling at Gaeul, who could only bow while apologizing profusely.

"What's going on here?" I asked as I assessed the situation. The woman whipped her head at me with a piercing gaze, "And who are you supposed to be?" she asked.

"I'm the manager. If you have any issues with my staff, you report to me."

She scoffed, "Fine..." She then held her bag in front of my face, "Do you know what brand this is? It's a limited edition, Louis Vuitton! And your staff here spilled coffee all over it. It even got on my pants!"

Gaeul looked down at her feet in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to do it. Our VIP customer requested me to bring coffee, and I bumped into her by mistake. I was in a hurry."

The customer shot back at her, her high-pitched voice disrupting the once peaceful atmosphere, "So what are you going to do about my bag?! You don't even look like you have half of what it costs to compensate for it."

I stepped in between them. "May I see the bag?" I asked.

The woman sneered and shoved the purse into my hands. The moment my fingers brushed the material, a dozen red flags went off. The texture was stiff and plasticky, the brass hardware was chipping, and the iconic monogram alignment was completely warped near the zipper. It was a cheap, poorly made counterfeit.

I held my tongue. Regardless of how she was acting, my job was to protect the store's reputation, not humiliate her.

"Our boutique takes full responsibility for the accident. We would be more than happy to send your bag to a luxury restoration specialist to be professionally cleaned and dried at our expense--"

Slap.

My head snapped to the side, and a sharp, stinging heat exploded across my left cheek.

The entire boutique went dead silent. Gaeul's jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth in sheer horror.

"Cleaned?!" the woman shrieked, her voice echoing in the quiet store. "You think a cheap wash is going to fix a limited-edition piece?" she began pointing her finger at me, "Do you even know how much this bag is worth?"

For a second, the room spun. 

However, as I slowly turned my head back to face her, I didn't feel humiliated anymore; instead, I clenched my fists and smirked.

Sunjae

My brow twitched as the sharp crack of the slap echoed through the quiet boutique. Taeho and I had left the office at the noise, but we froze halfway down the staircase, looking down at the unfolding assault. The entire showroom held its breath, every eye locked on the two women.

Taeho's face darkened, and he marched forward. I held my ground, blocking him from walking past me.

"Wait."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Sunjae, she just--"

"Watch," I commanded quietly, my gaze narrowing on the floor below.

Just like the moment we met, she didn't cry or scream. Instead, her expression was a mask of absolute, unbothered calm. 

"There will be no financial compensation, ma'am," she said, staring directly into the woman's panicked eyes. "Because Louis Vuitton does not compensate for counterfeit goods. And neither do we."

A slow, dark smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

The customer froze, the blood instantly draining from her face, but Juri wasn't finished dismantling her.

"The stiff synthetic leather, the crooked alignment of the canvas pattern, and the flaking spray-paint on the brass zipper," Juri continued, rattling off the defects with the cold, detached precision of a seasoned luxury appraiser. "Your bag is a replica. A poorly executed one at that. If you would like to call the police to report this alleged damage, please do. We can have them review the security footage of your assault while they verify the authenticity of your luxury item."

I folded my arms, my mind whirring as an unfamiliar emotion washed over me. I had spent months dodging the blind dates Grandfather had set for me. I had never intended to get married. To me, a wife only meant another tool my family could use to control me.

However, as I watched the counterfeit shopper utterly collapse under Juri's gaze, my mindset switched.

I was never looking for a wife; I needed an ally. Someone strategic and uncorruptible. And I believe the perfect partner was standing right in front of me.