Even though it was wedding preparations, Miju decided it would be better to choose her own daily necessities to be used immediately rather than furniture or electronic appliances. Siyun suggested shopping with a shopper, but Miju, who was not yet accustomed to such luxury, insisted on shopping alone. Secretary Lim compromised by accompanying her to the designated place.
However, at the brand store where Secretary Lim knew Siyun’s executive secretary position, they could recognize who the Secretary was escorting when checking the VVIP status from the car’s license plate upon entering the parking lot. Therefore, the brand manager and the assigned shopper waited, showing friendly smiles.
Miju’s hands and feet even felt stiff from the seemingly natural kindness. She had never experienced such hospitality in a luxury store before.
The store manager, who she felt had high walls, pretended to know her first and showed kindness. Of course, this kindness was a privilege that could be enjoyed by someone entering the Taehan Foundation, not herself, and this fact made Miju more tense.
“If you need anything, please let me know.”
There were many things she needed, but she couldn’t easily pick up items. Siyun had given her a card before arriving in Seoul, but the glimpses of price tags surprised Miju.
“I’ll take my time and let you know.”
That was all Miju could say. Upon hearing this, the manager and shopper quickly recognized Miju’s tendency to enjoy shopping alone and stepped back.
However, seemingly not paying attention to Miju, they were quietly observing her gaze and gestures, gradually learning about her preferences.
They were already aware of news articles related to Siyun. However, the content of the articles was not important to them.
Today, what mattered was how much revenue Miju would generate in this store and how much of a heavy user she would become for this brand and department store in the future. That was the only thing that mattered, so they were making efforts to understand Miju.
Miju picked up two dresses and then asked the manager.
“Could you check the colors?”
“Both are good. If I have to choose, Miss Miju tends to prefer the left color. It will go well with the navy suit you usually wear and create a cool look.”
Miju’s heart turned around with the brief advice. Anyway, it was a big expense for herself, and Siyun probably wouldn’t care about the price, whether it was high or low. So, she chose a color that would go well with Siyun’s fashion.
‘Ha, it’s exhausting just to buy one dress.’
Miju felt a rush of fatigue. Secretary Lim, who noticed Miju’s condition, suggested a short break.
“It seems nice to go to the private lounge and have a cup of coffee.”
At the mention of coffee, Miju’s ears perked up.
Miju put down a cup of coffee in the lounge, where the roasting aroma was rich, and looked around.
With wide intervals between tables, middle-aged women and a few young ladies were enjoying a leisurely moment. The most noticeable were the people sitting between Miju and her daughter at the adjacent table.
The mother and daughter, although their voices were a bit loud, seemed to be having a pleasant time exchanging various stories.
‘A daughter and her mother…’
Miju told herself not to be envious, but she couldn’t control her heart from tightening at the envy.
In the midst of the mother and daughter’s lively conversation, there was a sound that caught Miju’s ears.
“This guy. A professor at Taehan University. Isn’t he handsome?”
The daughter was showing her phone to her mother.
“Exactly. She seems to have fallen for a woman who looks so prim and proper!”
“Sometimes there are people like that. People who fall into the complex of being a good person, someone like that.”
Miju’s auditory nerves tensed. Not only Miju but also people around who were sipping their tea seemed bothered by the mother and daughter’s loud voices, glancing at them occasionally.
“Women are truly amazing. How did an orphan manage to snag a man from such a prestigious family?”
“How could an orphan afford to study abroad? That alone must be extraordinary.”
“Mom, it seems the United States is indeed the land of opportunities.”
The daughter and mother were joyfully bantering, taking turns teasing Siyun and Miju.
Although articles about Miju were pouring out, since her pictures had not been disclosed, they were unaware that the person in question was right next to them.
“Mom, I bet the woman is after his wealth, right?”
“How could a man fall for a woman just for her looks?”
“Well, at first, a woman like her might seem fresh and fun, but she’ll quickly get tired of her. And these days, men’s remarriage is not a good sign, especially in well-off households.”
They seemed like an affectionate and charming mother-daughter pair, but their conversation was lowbrow and vulgar beyond comparison.
‘But ultimately, the protagonist of this vulgar conversation is me.’
Miju’s face turned red. Everyone must be seeing her as that vulgar woman, and Siyun was being treated as a fool caught by a gold digger.
“What’s the point of being from a prestigious university like Taehan? It seems their child’s education has gone down the drain. What’s the name? Professor Kim Siyun? Seems like they gave him a position in their family.”
Miju couldn’t take it anymore. If it was just herself being insulted, she could endure it, but insulting Taehan and Siyun was something she couldn’t overlook. Quietly, Miju stood up and approached the mother and daughter.
With a dumbfounded expression, as if asking what was going on, the mother and daughter looked up at Miju.
“Excuse me, but what you just said in this public place. Do you know it constitutes defamation against a specific person?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
