Inside a mid-range clothing store in broad daylight, Si-Yeon was busy selecting a fresh outfit after finishing her shower.
Embarrassing?
Not in the slightest.
Why? Because she had simply bought the entire store and every piece of clothing inside it.
While acquiring a business on the spot was normally a complicated process, having her personal servant handling the logistics made the ownership transfer and staff relocation go smoothly without any unnecessary drama.
Her servant, Butler Yoo, immediately cleared out anyone unrelated to the Baek Family, leaving only himself and Si-Yeon inside the building.
"Does it still smell?!" Si-Yeon shouted from inside the fitting room’s private bathroom, directing her voice toward Butler Yoo, who was standing a considerable distance away.
"Young Miss... honestly, the odor is completely gone now," Butler Yoo replied, finally lowering the hand that had been clamping his nose shut.
Si-Yeon had scrubbed herself raw through three consecutive showers just to wash away every trace of that lingering black residue.
Butler Yoo had no idea what the strange substance was, but its pungent stench had been so overwhelming within a five-meter radius that he had been forced to cover his face. Under normal circumstances, he maintained flawless professionalism and impeccable servant etiquette. But in that moment, instinct had overruled manners—even at the risk of offending his young mistress.
Fortunately for him, Si-Yeon had been far too consumed with finding a quick solution after fleeing Origins VR Cafe to scold him for his slip-up.
While waiting for Si-Yeon to clean up and change, Butler Yoo took the initiative to bring up the topic he was most curious about.
"Young Miss... do you happen to know what transpired when those thugs harassed the old man earlier? I was watching from a distance and considered stepping in, but out of nowhere, the shopkeeper downed one thug then fainted while another fell unconscious from afar for no apparent reason."
No immediate answer came from behind the door, but Butler Yoo waited patiently. He knew his Young Miss was taking her time dressing, so he stood quietly in the corridor.
Whether she chose to answer or not, he would find out soon enough.
After a few moments, the door clicked open, and Si-Yeon emerged looking thoroughly refreshed in her new attire.
"I... am not entirely sure what happened back there," she admitted softly.
"You don’t know, Young Miss?" Butler Yoo blinked in surprise. "Weren’t you standing right next to him when it occurred? Was it some kind of hidden trick the shopkeeper pulled?"
Facing his questions, Si-Yeon fell into deep thought. She had been pondering the exact same thing. No matter how knowledgeable she was about the world, no plausible explanation came to her mind.
"I can’t be certain," Si-Yeon said, her eyes narrowing. "But those two middle-aged... they reacted as if it were almost a routine occurrence. Although they were startled at first, they didn’t dwell on it. It seemed as though they understood what truly took place."
"In that case, should I order a few bodyguards to intercept and question them once they leave the shop?" Butler Yoo offered promptly.
Si-Yeon shook her head with decisive timing. "No. You and I came here discreetly as Grandpa work behind the scene to cover the trace. If we cause a public scene, word might reach the main family. If that happens, Grandpa will be held accountable for defying the Patriarch’s explicit orders. Leave it be—I will handle this matter myself. You just stay by my side."
"Understood. We shall do as you command, Young Miss," Butler Yoo replied, bowing deeply.
As he raised his head, however, his sharp eyes caught a subtle shift in her appearance.
"Young Miss... forgive me for being presumptuous, but you seem slightly different."
Si-Yeon paused, intrigued, as she had already felt a slight change within her own body. "Different how?" she asked, examining her arms and touching her collarbone.
"Excuse my bluntness, but... your complexion appears significantly brighter. And your skin looks far healthier," Butler Yoo noted, sounding slightly hesitant as if doubting his own eyes.
There was, however, one more detail he refrained from voicing.
Si-Yeon had gotten slightly larger. It wasn’t immediately obvious to an untrained observer, but as an experienced martial artist, Butler Yoo could tell after careful scrutiny.
’An inch?’ he thought, observing her frame. ’She’s grown slightly taller, and if I’m not mistaken, her overall physical density has increased as well.’
He wisely kept that realization to himself, knowing better than to bring up matters of height and weight with a young noblewoman.
Si-Yeon and Butler Yoo arrived back at Origins VR Cafe shortly after noon.
Pushing the front door open, they stepped inside to find several customers scattered throughout the shop.
Jae-Woong and Kennedy sat at the counter, quietly sipping their Obsidian Roast Coffee. Nearby, seated at a four-person table beside the large glass window, Irene, Mira, and Ga-Eun were enjoying bowls of Spirit-Infused Noodles accompanied by glasses of Origins Fountain Water.
Noticing the new arrivals, Ga-Eun promptly rose from her seat to greet them. Though it was only 2:03 PM—two hours ahead of her scheduled shift—Donape didn’t mind her putting in extra hours on weekdays. He simply planned to log the additional time and adjust her paycheck at the end of the month.
"Good afternoon! Welcome to Origins VR Cafe," Ga-Eun greeted with a gentle, warm smile. "How may I help you today?"
Butler Yoo’s brow furrowed in disapproval. He harbored a strong dislike for what he perceived as unprofessionalism, believing an employee should remain stationed behind the counter rather than lounging at a customer table.
"Where is the owner?" Butler Yoo demanded, his voice laced with annoyance. "Tell your owner to come out—"
"Ga-Eun~ah," Irene interrupted casually, not even bothering to look up from her noodles. "If anyone tries to cause trouble, just yell like the boss taught you. Trust me, the shop’s automated security will handle the problem cleaner than a professional janitorial service."
Donape had made it clear that his establishment didn’t follow the rigid etiquette of standard luxury shops. Ga-Eun was free to relax during her shift as long as arriving customers were promptly served.
Butler Yoo was quite different from Butler Lee. The former leaned toward arrogance while the latter was naturally more humble—a direct reflection of the masters they served. There was also a stark age gap between the two men, one being twenty-nine and the other fifty-nine.
Bristling at Irene’s dismissive tone, Butler Yoo moved forward to silence her, but Si-Yeon raised a swift hand, signaling him to be quiet.
Turning back to Ga-Eun, Si-Yeon spoke politely. "Are you a shopkeeper here as well?"
"Ah? Yes! Well... I’m a part-timer, but this is my shift," Ga-Eun replied cheerfully. "If you’re looking for Boss Alexander, I’m afraid I can’t call him out unless you have a prior appointment."
Si-Yeon was privately amused by Ga-Eun’s quiet confidence. ’Is she this bold simply because of that security lighting?’ She shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"I apologize if we caused any discomfort," Si-Yeon said, seamlessly shifting her demeanor into one of gentle poise. "We merely came to experience what your shop has to offer."
For someone in her position, acting suave and agreeable was second nature. She knew precisely when to assert her true self and when to put on a soft front; she was certainly no brainless brute like Baek Su-Hong.
Because the minor friction was resolved smoothly and no genuine malice was detected, the shop’s system didn’t register Si-Yeon or Butler Yoo as troublemakers.
Ga-Eun smiled warmly, ushering them toward the counter to take their order.
"Is it truly impossible to reorder items that have a daily purchase limit?" Si-Yeon asked softly, leaning in slightly. "Is there really no workaround?"
Meanwhile, Butler Yoo stood a half-step behind her, silently observing their surroundings. To an outsider, he appeared perfectly composed, but beneath the surface, he was struggling to maintain his balance.
’Damn it! Young Miss warned me before we stepped inside, but this is far too absurd.’
He had been briefed about the mysterious lighting defense and the shop’s strange interior expansion. While the defensive lighting didn’t trigger, the spatial expansion hit him immediately, causing a bit of nausea that he managed to suppress.
’What kind of technology could possibly expand an interior without altering the exterior footprint in the slightest?’ he exclaimed internally. ’This isn’t some cheap architectural illusion where clever angles trick the eyes. The physical space itself is distorted!’
No matter how frantically he searched for a logical explanation, none existed—unless he was willing to accept that concepts from fiction were real, rather than mere fantasy.
Ga-Eun offered an apologetic smile, shaking her head gently.
"I’m sorry, but the daily purchase limits are strictly hardcoded into the shop’s ordering system," she explained in a polite, patient tone. "Even if you are offered to pay double or triple, the shop simply won’t let me process or serve those items for you again today."
Si-Yeon sighed, a faint smile touching her lips. ’It’s similar to what the other shopkeeper said last time.’
A brief flashback crossed her mind about how Donape insisted about rules.
"This place is so magical that even these absurd rules are strictly obeyed, aren’t they?" Si-Yeon commented softly, subtly fishing for information.
"Ah, yes!" Ga-Eun replied cheerfully, completely unaware of the probe. "Boss Alexander always says that fiction becomes reality inside this shop. So it’s not really surprising that everyone complies—especially since the shop can easily punish anyone who tries to cause trouble."
Si-Yeon kept her polite smile intact, but inwardly, she cringed.
’Still so confident?!’ Si-Yeon screamed in her own head. ’She talks as if all this mind-boggling strangeness is completely normal. This entire place is utterly insane!’
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