TOIGC 63

Chapter 62 …

I Am the Luxury (2)

“Huh? You can help?”

Caught slightly off guard, Yoongi reacted with genuine surprise.

“Yeah, I said I can help. Did you forget what I’ve been doing lately?” “Modeling…?” “Right, like I told you, I do modeling work. When it comes to luxury brands, I’ve got your back.” “Wait, the thing I’m trying to pull off right now is signing deals with ultra-high-end luxury houses…”

Merrill’s energy was so high it practically threw even Yoongi for a loop.

“So like I said, I can help!” “You can help with the contracts? Can a model really pull off something like that?”

At Yoongi’s skeptical tone, Merrill hopped off the sofa and struck a pose right in the middle of the room.

“Hello? Do you remember who I am?” “I know you’re a model, I just don’t see how a model has that kind of heavy-hitting leverage.”

Yoongi could clearly see Merrill’s expression shifting into a playful mask.

“Is there a bookstore anywhere around here?” “Bookstores are pretty common.” “Lead the way!”

With a bright, energetic chirp, Merrill dragged Yoongi right out the front door. The second they crossed the threshold, however, she smoothly slid her hand into the crook of his arm, instantly switching back to her public composure.

Back when Yoongi was grinding away on construction sites, bookstores meant massive multi-story flagships or online storefronts, with neighborhood mom-and-pop shops teetering on the brink of extinction. But back in the eighties, small local bookstores were everywhere. It took them barely any time after leaving the house to spot a cozy, compact little shop and slip inside.

It was a classic eighties bookstore, smelling richly of paper and old dust. The thin, bespectacled shopkeeper was staring listlessly toward the open door out of sheer habit, but the moment his eyes landed on Yoongi and Merrill’s striking looks, his eyes popped wide open and he froze in place.

Yoongi was used to this kind of reaction by now and didn’t give it a second thought, but Merrill instinctively pressed closer to Yoongi’s side, which secretly sent his mood soaring.

Look at this kid, grinning from ear to ear.

At Deokbae’s remark, Yoongi casually rubbed the jujube seed in his pocket, instantly triggering a shriek from deep within his ear canals.

T-t-t-this damn jujube! Seriously, how does this kid never go 365 days without that thing on him?!

Still, knowing there was no fighting the jujube, Deokbae clamped his mouth shut and went to drift around the shelves. Meanwhile, Yoongi took a leisurely stroll around the small shop with Merrill.

A moment later, when Merrill gave his sleeve a firm little tug, Yoongi turned his head.

“Can’t find what you’re looking for?”

Seeing her nod, Yoongi was just about to step in and ask when the shopkeeper drifted over with a helpful grin.

“What are you kids looking for? Tell me if you need help, I’ll track it down for you.”

Faced with the sudden appearance of the shopkeeper, Merrill shrank back shyly behind Yoongi’s back, forcing Yoongi to translate her body language and handle the conversation himself.

“Do you happen to have any fashion magazines around here?” “Fashion magazines? Right over there.”

From Yoongi’s perspective, there was indeed a rack displaying distinctly retro-looking Korean fashion magazines. But that wasn’t what Merrill was after at all.

“Ah, no. Not Korean ones. Do you have any foreign ones?”

At Yoongi’s question, the shopkeeper’s expression suddenly twisted into something rather shady.

“Ohh, young man. You’ve got a pretty girlfriend right there, and you’re looking for those? Well, of course I do.”

Glancing furtively over at Merrill, the shopkeeper reached under the counter and hauled out a dusty cardboard box. And inside that box were…

“Oh…!”

The items that drew an involuntary exclamation from Yoongi were none other than 1980s American adult magazines. Even though the eighties were notorious for heavy censorship, in some ways it was looser than the modern era, meaning peddling adult mags to underage kids was just a nice little side hustle for local bookstore owners. Selling them to adults, of course, was business as usual.

“Well? This is what you were looking for, right?”

The shopkeeper pulled out one of the tightly packed magazines, revealing a gloriously unabashed American-style cover that instantly stirred up a long-dormant surge of masculine passion within Yoongi.

“This is—oof!”

Just as Yoongi reached out with a hand, ready to blurt out, This is exactly it!, a sharp pinch to his lower back wrung a painful yelp out of him. He spun around to find Merrill glaring at him with a pair of absolute daggers for eyes.

“Ahem! No, this isn’t what I’m looking for at all! I’m just looking for regular fashion magazines. Do you have any normal, everyday foreign fashion magazines?” “Why would a shop like mine carry boring stuff like that? What do you take me for? A bunch of hot-blooded teenage boys don’t want to look at women who are actually wearing clothes.”

Faced with the shopkeeper’s entirely logical response, Yoongi could only offer a sheepish, dry chuckle.

Fair enough. The man’s logic is 100 percent airtight.

After all, back in the actual eighties rather than his modern mindset, Yoongi would have been just one of those hot-blooded teenage boys. Well, technically he was still a hot-blooded teenage boy right now, too.

“Do you happen to know anywhere around here that sells those sorts of magazines?” “Not as far as I know. Bookstore selections around schools are all pretty much the same. You’ll have to head downtown to a major bookstore. They’ll probably have what you want.” “Thank you. We’ll go check downtown.”

Following the hand tightly gripping his sleeve and pulling him along, Yoongi pushed open the bookstore door, while the shopkeeper’s parting words drifted after them from deep inside.

“Come back alone next time, kid. You’re at that age.”

A quiet snort escaped Yoongi before he could stop it, earning him another vicious pinch to the ribs from an embarrassed Merrill.

What was supposed to be a simple bookstore run somehow morphed into something resembling a full-blown date between Yoongi and Merrill.

At the sprawling mega-bookstore downtown, packed tight with shoppers, people’s gazes naturally gravitated toward the rare sight of a mixed-race beauty and an Asian teenager walking side by side. Figuring Merrill might feel overwhelmed, Yoongi glanced sideways to check on her.

She’s totally loving it.

While it was true she felt the weight of the surrounding stares, Merrill clearly took immense pride in showing off the guy she was walking with.

I haven’t been on a real date in nearly sixty years.

Back when he was living his grueling construction life, a date was something he couldn’t even dream of. And ever since his regression, he had been sprinting at breakneck speed through his plans, leaving zero breathing room to mingle with the opposite sex.

Or, to be more precise, it was hard to feel any romantic interest when, from the psychological standpoint of a grown man, elementary-school girls just looked like children. To make matters worse, Korean teenage girls, whose physical development lagged noticeably behind their Western counterparts, weren’t on Yoongi’s radar at all.

Merrill, however, was an entirely different story. Thanks to a mature aura and looks that made her look a few years older than her actual age, she easily passed for a stunning young woman, effortlessly sparking a real romantic flutter in Yoongi’s chest.

“Find anything?”

Yoongi asked as he watched Merrill flip through various titles in the foreign magazine section. In response, Merrill held up a hand, asking him to wait a second, and laid out a handful of different magazines. She flipped open a specific page in each one, revealing full-page spreads featuring striking photos of Merrill herself modeling various outfits.

“Oh…”

An involuntary gasp slipped out. Even in casual, everyday clothes, Merrill was gorgeous, but fully styled and made up for a high-end shoot, her visual impact was enough to leave even Yoongi genuinely breathless.

Seemingly satisfied with his reaction, Merrill flashed a proud, triumphant grin before pointing a slender finger directly at a specific section of the page.

“Huh?”

Following her delicate fingertip, Yoongi looked down. Printed right there in the credits were the labels of the clothes she was wearing.

“Ah!”

Without thinking, Yoongi reached out and pulled Merrill into a tight hug.

“Eek!”

A short squeak escaped Merrill. But the grin splitting across her face threatened to reach her ears, and Yoongi was grinning just as widely for entirely different reasons.

Hermès. Louis Vuitton. Chanel. Armani. Dolce.

Merrill wasn’t just any model—she was actively modeling for ultra-luxury brands.

Settled deep into the plush cushions of a first-class seat on a jet bound for France, Merrill was living her absolute best life.

“Hah… First class is honestly the best. It feels like it’s been forever since I last flew like this.” “First class feels like forever?”

At Yoongi’s question, Merrill nodded emphatically.

“Well, duh? My family isn’t rolling in cash like yours.” “Wasn’t Commander Geuster a rich man?”

Merrill shook her head.

“He always said the U.S. military makes it way harder to pull shady financial stunts compared to the Korean military. Grandpa’s a respected soldier in America, but he always told me, ‘If I wanted to make serious money, I would’ve become a corporate CEO instead.'” “That’s unexpected… Weren’t there people constantly trying to suck up to him for connections?” “You mean like you?” “No, aside from me.”

At Yoongi’s wry smile, Merrill just shrugged.

“I mean, sure, he helped hook people up with jobs here and there through connections. But that was about it. Cops or CIA agents maybe, but the U.S. military isn’t going to halt a war just because someone slid them a paycheck.”

Hearing Merrill’s simple yet sharply accurate assessment, Yoongi gained a much clearer understanding of Geuster’s reasoning for tying himself to him.

From Geuster’s perspective, trading a board seat for his grandson’s hand in marriage to a major Korean chaebol family was a net win. Even if my businesses tanked, as long as Geuster was alive, he could easily land his kin a solid position somewhere else.

They might not hold pure chaebol-level liquid cash, but their political influence easily outstripped any corporation. That, Yoongi concluded, was the true weight of a man like Geuster.

“Still, retiring as a full general in the U.S. military has got to come with insane perks, right? I’d imagine the retirement package is massive.”

Merrill shook her head again.

“Active duty perks were unreal, but post-retirement? Not so much. Grandpa actually misses the old days pretty often.” “Just how good were the perks while he was active?” “Off the charts. They give you a private prop plane with a bed, free access to private jets, and a luxurious mansion. On top of that, you get a default driver, a personal chef, a housekeeper, and a private secretary. It’s basically living like an actual king.” “That’s insane…”

Yoongi, whose mental baseline for top-tier military perks stopped somewhere around a slightly upgraded version of a Korean army general, blinked wide-eyed at the sheer, boundary-pushing scale of American military benefits.

“Because of that, his actual pension feels almost underwhelming by comparison. After retiring, he just gets an annual pension matching his active-duty base salary.” “Which is?” “Well, it’s about…”

Hearing the exact figure from Merrill, Yoongi immediately clicked. Converted roughly to modern standards around 2019, it was a little under 300,000 dollars a year.

With that kind of money alone, there’s no way you’re maintaining private jets, luxury mansions, and a full domestic staff.

Curious, Yoongi asked a lingering question.

“Doesn’t Commander Geuster work for a defense contractor or anything like that?”

Merrill shook her head.

“Too many military ties in the family for that kind of open lobbying to fly. Instead, he still holds massive behind-the-scenes influence over the armed forces.” “Every system has its pros and cons, I suppose.” “Pretty much. Anyway, flying business class on the way over was nice, but first class is just on another level. Ah, being able to stretch my legs out fully like this…”

Watching Merrill’s long, sleek legs stretched out across the ottoman, Yoongi smiled and whispered,

“Want me to make sure you only ever fly first class for the rest of your life?”

Her face flashed a brilliant crimson as she lightly swatted his shoulder. The sweet, leisurely hours of the flight were rapidly drawing to a close.

“How are you holding up?”

At Yoongi’s voice, Cho Chung-woo nodded vigorously.

“Oh, man, putting me in business class is more than enough for me. I’m infinitely grateful.”

Chung-woo didn’t harbor an ounce of resentment about only getting a business-class seat while Yoongi flew first. In an ideal world, people shouldn’t complain even if they sat in economy, but since human nature meant plenty of people grew bitter over perceived inequalities, Yoongi always kept a sharp eye on his inner circle’s morale. Anyone who bit the hand that fed them or demanded more than their capabilities warranted had to be pruned away without mercy. In that regard, Chung-woo clearly knew his place.

“Shall we head out, then?”

Of course, Chung-woo wasn’t the only addition to this trip. Three crucial personnel were required for this mission. Originally, Yoongi had intended to source them locally in Korea, but thanks to Merrill, these three individuals who rendezvoused with them directly in France turned out to be absolute game-changers for what they needed to pull off.

“We don’t have much time to spare before the appointment, so let’s head straight there.”

Checking into their hotel just long enough to drop their bags, Yoongi’s party immediately launched into motion to secure their hard-won meeting with Hermès headquarters, arriving right outside the main office building a full three hours early.

Three whole hours—an eternity. Yet thanks to meticulous preparatory steps, Yoongi smoothly walked through the front doors of Hermès headquarters with a neat ten minutes to spare before showtime.

Stepping into the reception lounge, Laurent, the head of international business development for Hermès HQ, was already waiting for them. Before Yoongi even had a chance to step fully into view, Laurent fired off a volley of irritation.

“I already told you over the phone that signing a deal right now is simply out of the qu—uh…?”