TOIGC 65

Chapter 65 …

I Am the Luxury (4)

The door swung open to reveal none other than Merrill.

Naturally, because Merrill had never crossed paths with Fabien or Laurent before, she stood frozen stiff as an icicle. Fabien and Laurent recognized her immediately, of course, because she was one of Hermès’s premier house models.

“Call Eleano!”

Though he had never laid eyes on her in person, Fabien had heard enough about the model named Merrill to catch on instantly. At his sharp order, the staff member who had escorted Merrill there scrambled off down the hallway.

A moment later, Eleano—flaunting a rich, bohemian wave of hair and starkly bleached blonde locks—fluttered into the doorway.

“Merrill, if you were dropping by, you should’ve given me a heads-up.”

Dressed in a vibrant green dress, Eleano half-coaxed, half-dragged Merrill away, and Merrill vanished down the corridor just as rigidly as she had arrived.

“Ah… that young woman who just appeared is Merrill, one of our house models. She’s a precious gem our board of directors has been keeping a very close eye on.” “I see.”

Responding with deliberate ambiguity, Yoongi kept his personal connection to Merrill entirely under wraps. If he let it slip himself, the strategic leverage would vanish.

“Anyway, shall we get back to business? While we’ll draw up the formal contracts down the line, we need to lock in a verbal agreement today so we can start setting things in motion.” “Let’s do that.”

Though it mostly recapped what had already been said, Yoongi and Fabien successfully hammered out the big picture:

1. Hermès will initially supply YK Department Store with standard special-event inventory volumes.

2. If the initial stock sells out completely within the agreed timeframe, Hermès will supply a secondary batch for an extended duration.

3. Should sales hit the target thresholds during that extended period, the term outlined in clause two will automatically extend to five years.

4. The above conditions become active only after Choi Yoongi, owner of YK Department Store, signs a contract agreeing to become the promotional model for Hermès in Japan.

Once they reached this point, Fabien assumed everything was settled, but Yoongi still had one final loose end to tie down.

“Fabien, assuming these terms are finalized into a contract soon, my partnership with Hermès is essentially secured. Right?” “I suppose so.”

Unsure where Yoongi was heading with this, Fabien nodded readily.

“However, since I have an entire department store to run, I’ll need to secure contracts with other brands as well.” “Ah… naturally.”

For a split second, Fabien wondered if Yoongi might try to leverage a modeling deal elsewhere. In a way, it was a fair assumption—if today’s meeting had fallen through, that exact strategy had been Yoongi’s backup plan.

“So, that brings me to a request. From Hermès’s perspective, I’d like you to name two brands you would strictly prefer we not stock in the same store.” “Brands you want us to completely bar from entry?” “Yes. In short, I’m offering to lock out your primary rivals.”

It was a brilliantly crafted proposal. Just two names. Framed positively, he was helping them box out their competitors; framed critically, he was only agreeing to lock out two of their rivals.

Alright, Fabien. What’s your move?

Yoongi waited calmly. If Fabien actually named two rival houses, Yoongi would walk away holding a valuable piece of internal Hermès intelligence—discovering firsthand which brands they viewed as their true threats, even if it wasn’t public knowledge. Of course, if he refused to answer, it didn’t matter in the least. If he stayed silent, Hermès would have zero grounds to complain about whatever brands ended up on YK’s floors since they had chosen not to answer when asked.

“Well…”

Fabien drew the word out deliberately. Yet that hesitation alone told Yoongi all he needed to know: Fabien was genuinely weighing his options. Whether through silence or drawn-out pauses, the lack of an immediate answer was proof enough that the wheels in his head were turning.

“I will discuss that matter with the executives and give you an answer on the day we sign the contract.” “Understood.” “Then it seems we’ve covered everything. Are you staying at a hotel?” “Yes, we are.” “How long do you plan to stay?” “We haven’t set a fixed departure date.”

Though their original plan was a week, Yoongi deliberately kept his schedule open. If he said seven days, Fabien would likely stall until the very last minute of the seventh day to reach out. Even with a verbal agreement locked in, who knew what obnoxious extra clauses they might try to slip into the contract draft?

You think I haven’t seen enough subcontractors run ragged over tight deadlines back on the construction sites?

Just as Yoongi was inwardly sneering at Fabien’s transparent stalling tactics, the office door swung open once more.

“I heard Merrill’s boyfriend was in here…”

At Eleano’s words, Fabien and Laurent exchanged startled looks before turning their gaze toward Cho Chung-woo standing quietly behind Yoongi. Chung-woo blinked in sudden bewilderment under the unexpected scrutiny, while the two executives looked equally baffled.

(That guy is Merrill’s boyfriend? No way in hell!)

As if reading their shared, incredulous thoughts aloud, Eleano continued briskly,

“Choi Yoongi… they said his name is Yoon, I believe. Is he—”

Eleano’s eyes landed squarely on Yoongi, who offered a smooth, casual nod.

“Yes, I’m Yoon.”

The moment Yoongi confirmed it, Fabien and Laurent wore expressions that practically screamed, Are you kidding me?! They had genuinely suspected Cho Chung-woo for a split second, only to find out it was Yoongi all along. Of course, the thought—Could Yoon actually be her boyfriend?—had crossed their minds earlier, but assuming he was just an older guy she was casually hanging out with, neither of them had seriously entertained the idea that the teenager sitting before them was the actual boyfriend.

“You’re Merrill’s boyfriend…?”

At Laurent’s slightly dazed inquiry, Yoongi nodded again.

“Yes.” “Then why on earth didn’t you say hello earlier?” “Didn’t I? If you’ve ever met Merrill, you’d know.”

(We have no idea what he’s talking about!!)

Since neither Fabien nor Laurent had ever met Merrill in person, they had zero frame of reference for what kind of greeting he was talking about. Naturally—because he hadn’t given one at all. Yet facing Yoongi’s utterly unfazed expression, the two men could only swallow their confusion and nod along awkwardly.

“Wait, but earlier, when we mentioned Merrill is an Hermès model, I distinctly remember you replying, ‘I see.'”

At Fabien’s remark, Yoongi wore a look of mild, innocent puzzlement.

“Ah, no. When you said she was a favorite of the board of directors, I was just acknowledging that part…?”

Hearing that, Fabien felt a deep, sinking realization wash over him. Thinking back on it, every single action the boy had taken felt meticulously calculated from start to finish.

Damn it. I thought I’d seen it all and lived through enough rough waters, but I just got played like a fiddle in the palm of a kid’s hand.

Not that he had any intention of ripping up the agreement over it. The terms of the deal itself were entirely favorable to them, after all.

“Anyway, Eleano, is that the only reason you came barging in here?”

Eleano shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. Merrill made me promise to look after her boyfriend properly.” “Look after him properly?”

At Fabien’s repeating question, Eleano nodded.

“Yes. And looking at the terms, you gave him plenty of initial inventory and a pretty low margin rate, didn’t you…” “Wait, that’s not something I have the authority to—” “The board gave verbal approval.” “Pardon? Verbal approval from the board?” “Because Merrill agreed to sign on as an exclusive promotional model for Hermès.” “Ah…”

Realizing the board hadn’t given the green light purely because Merrill was charming, Fabien nodded with a slightly dizzy expression.

“Ah… well… if it’s an order from the board, I suppose we have no choice.” “And Yoon, can you come with me now? Merrill is waiting.” “Happily. Shall we take our leave, then?”

Confirming Fabien’s dazed nod of assent, Yoongi turned to Cho Chung-woo.

“Secretary Cho, leave our hotel address and contact info with them.”

With those final words, Yoongi strolled out of the office.

“Eleano, seriously, if I didn’t have you around, I wouldn’t even be able to take a single step inside this building.”

Watching Merrill giggle brightly, Eleano let out a heavy sigh.

“That’s why you should’ve given me a heads-up beforehand. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you standing out in the hall. Bringing an entire glam squad with you—I thought something major went down! Only to find out you rushed over here because of your boyfriend…”

As Eleano shook her head in disbelief, Merrill flashed a thoroughly mischievous grin.

“Oh, come on. Didn’t you once pull strings and ask me for a favor because of your younger brother?” “That was family. This is a boyfriend.” “We’re going to be family eventually.”

For a split second, Eleano spat her coffee right back into her cup, leaving a few dark splatters tangled in her stark white hair like stray ink drops on pristine parchment.

“Wait, is he your fiancé?!”

Merrill shook her head.

“No, not yet. But Yoon promised to make sure I only ever fly first class for the rest of my life.” “That… is a remarkably enviable promise.”

Though she was a senior designer at Hermès, Eleano was also an unmarried career woman in her mid-thirties. Glancing sideways at Yoongi—who didn’t bother denying Merrill’s claim—she couldn’t help a twinge of envy.

“Anyway, how’s your little brother doing in the service?” “Good. Thanks to your grandfather, he managed to dodge getting deployed to any combat zones. My parents are finally sleeping easy.”

After learning that Merrill’s grandfather was a retired U.S. military general, Eleano had previously asked her to pull strings to keep her younger brother away from high-risk combat postings. No family could comfortably sit back while a kid volunteered to run into flying bullets just to pocket a little extra hazard pay. Because of that past favor, Merrill could make requests of Eleano now without an ounce of hesitation.

“I bet I’m the only designer on earth who moonlights as a matchmaker for rival luxury houses.”

Pulling out a sticky note, Eleano began scribbling down a list of brand names, key contacts, and direct phone numbers, sliding the note over 채 Merrill a moment later.

“Call these designers, drop my name, and you’ll find it much easier to get your foot in the door with these houses. Don’t go expecting a 100 percent success rate, though; don’t get cocky.” “Thank you!” “Ugh, gross! Stop that!”

Prying an overly affectionate Merrill off her arm, Eleano finally surrendered with a defeated groan, staying latched onto Merrill as she turned to Yoongi.

“Say…” “Yes?” “D-do you happen to have any unmarried male relatives in your family…?”

Hearing what kind of catch Yoongi was straight from Merrill’s lips, Eleano let slip a remarkably poignant, desperate plea. Yoongi shook his head with a polite smile.

“Regrettably, I’m the eldest.” “Ah…”

A mournful, echoing sigh escaped Eleano’s lips and drifted across the office.

Armed with the direct contacts provided by Eleano, Yoongi moved down the line and successfully locked down agreements with nearly every high-end brand he had initially targeted. Of course, a few houses still pushed back despite his leveraged network, but it didn’t matter. He had a trump card up his sleeve.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t secure an even bigger allocation from a brilliant house like Hermès.”

The moment he dropped that heavily implied statement, brands that realized Hermès was successfully setting up shop scrambled to change their tune and warmly embraced a deal, bringing Yoongi’s European expedition to a triumphant close.

“When am I going to see you again…”

At the airport, Merrill stared up at Yoongi with swimming, tearful eyes. Due to her ongoing studies, she couldn’t simply drop everything and tag along with him indefinitely.

“Whenever you miss me, fly on over to Korea. I’ll always be waiting for you, Merrill.”

Hearing that, Merrill wore a deeply touched expression for a split second before her eyes narrowed into sharp, playful daggers.

“If you dare cheat on me, you’re dead…” “Relax, I’m not stupid enough to cheat with someone less attractive than you.”

Essentially admitting he had no eyes for anyone else, Merrill burst into a bright, musical laugh.

“Come to think of it, why didn’t you bother trying to sign with the truly ultra-exclusive luxury houses?” “You mean the ones catering strictly to the ultra-wealthy elite of the chaebol class?” “Yeah. I spent the whole trip wondering when we were finally going to go knock on their doors.”

To Merrill’s entirely valid curiosity, Yoongi just offered an easy smile and shook his head.

“Those don’t carry any commercial scaling power. I’m running a business, not curating a private collection of expensive trinkets.” “Ah… so that’s why.”

As Merrill nodded in clear understanding, the boarding call for her flight echoed through the terminal.

“Well… I’m heading out.” “Safe travels.”

Along with a warm touch brushing against his lips, Merrill vanished into the bustling crowds in the blink of an eye. Even amidst a sea of rushing travelers, she navigated her way forward with absolute confidence.

Looks like Geuster’s instincts weren’t entirely wrong after all.

Yoongi finally understood why Geuster had pushed her into modeling and why he had permitted her solo trip to Korea.

Alright, time to head back to Korea myself.

Turning his gaze toward Cho Chung-woo, who had quietly stepped up beside him, Yoongi flashed a confident grin.

“Shall we head back to our battlefield?”