Chapter 608: VVIP Fashion Show (4)

Kim Bu-Ho looked at Noh Hyun-Hee as he made a suggestion. "Mrs. Noh. Even if this is a VVIP event, asking Miss Yoo-Jin to try on every outfit when you're not even going to buy them—well, that's not very courteous, is it? Why don't you first decide what you actually want to purchase, and then ask Miss Yoo-Jin to wear it for you?"

Kim Bu-Ho had immediately seen through Noh Hyun-Hee's malice toward Yoo-Jin and so had proposed that Yoo-Jin would only wear the dresses from Part 1 of the L.M.L Black Label show if Noh Hyun-Hee chose which ones she would buy.

It was a clever reversal using the upper class's etiquette against her since it was unseemly to ask about the price of dresses shown at fashion shows. If she insisted on having all 30 outfits modeled again, there would be no telling how much she'd end up having to pay. Especially since the premium line of L.M.L Black Label had never publicly listed prices, the total could be astronomical.

As expected, Noh Hyun-Hee's expression stiffened once she realized she didn't know the prices.

Seeing this, Kim Bu-Ho subtly began his provocation. "

Hmm?

Why so quiet? Surely the mistress of the great HK Inc. didn't come here just to window-shop? Didn't you say you really wanted to attend our show?"

The moment HK Inc. was mentioned, Noh Hyun-Hee snapped. "What do you take me for?!"

Seasoned as ever, Kim Bu-Ho took a step back with an apologetic nod. "Well, it's true. There's no way a lady like you would just browse without buying. I apologize. That was hasty of me."

But that apology was only a setup to open Noh Hyun-Hee's wallet.

"Alright then, just tell us. Which dress, bag, and accessory would you like to purchase? I heard this season's L.M.L Black Label designs are quite something... Perhaps it'd be best to only ask to see a few key pieces?"

Like a masterful merchant, Kim Bu-Ho continued to jab at her pride.

Finally, Noh Hyun-Hee couldn't take it anymore and took the bait. "A few? I'll buy them all!"

"The dresses, bags, and jewelry too?"

"Of course!"

The VVIPs in attendance started murmuring. L.M.L Black Label, which pursued Korea's top-tier luxury branding, had never once disclosed its prices. And now Noh Hyun-Hee was claiming she would buy over 30 dresses along with all the bags and jewelry without knowing the cost.

Many of them looked on in disbelief, wondering if it was an overreach. But Noh Hyun-Hee couldn't back down as the mistress of Korea's 12th largest conglomerate.

"

Hahaha

. Are you sure? Even for you, Mrs. Noh, that seems like quite the splurge."

"

Hmph!

A few dresses and some accessories won't even put a dent in my bank account. Don't worry. I'll buy them all, so just have Jung Yoo-Jin wear them!"

Kim Bu-Ho nodded, barely suppressing his laughter. Then he turned to Yoo-Jin and spoke kindly.

"Miss Yoo-Jin. Would you be willing to help us out?"

Unlike the other models who were only paid an appearance fee, Yoo-Jin had a contract that gave her an additional 3% of the sales of the products she wore. With the total of the selected dresses, bags, and jewelry exceeding 1.5 billion won, that meant Yoo-Jin would earn around 45 million won from Noh Hyun-Hee's purchase alone. And if other VVIPs made purchases, Yoo-Jin would earn even more from the split.

Yoo-Jin didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked at me and signaled with her eyes.

'

Oppa, what should I do?

'

If it were just about money, I would have told her to refuse. But right now, Kim Bu-Ho had stepped in to stop Noh Hyun-Hee's abuse. So, the least we could do was not embarrass him.

Since Noh Hyun-Hee's attempt to bully Yoo-Jin without buying anything had been thwarted, this much was manageable. And as a bonus, we would be emptying Noh Hyun-Hee's wallet too. There was no reason to pass up this opportunity.

'

Let's do it.

'

I nodded, and Yoo-Jin returned the nod before answering Kim Bu-Ho. "Understood, Mr. Chairman. I'll change and come right out."

"Thank you, Miss Yoo-Jin."

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Yoo-Jin gave a polite bow and looked at Noh Hyun-Hee. "I'm even happier that Mrs. Noh likes L.M.L Black Label dresses. Thank you very much."

Noh Hyun-Hee responded reluctantly. "Y-yes. Maybe it's because the model is good, but the dress looks nice... yes."

Since things weren't going as she had planned, Noh Hyun-Hee's voice trembled.

Kim Bu-Ho grinned and spoke. "Well then, Miss Yoo-Jin. Why don't you start with Dress Number 2?"

"Yes, sir."

Yoo-Jin turned around and walked off with the other models.

After exchanging a few greetings with some VVIPs, Kim Bu-Ho signaled for me to follow him. I quickly stood up and followed behind him.

And right away, Lee Ha-Yoon tagged along at my side. "I'm coming too, Mr. Jung~"

Once again, she was sticking to me again like glue.

***

When we arrived at the backstage waiting room, Kim Ae-Ryeon was apologizing to Kim Bu-Ho. "I'm sorry for bringing you all the way here, Dad."

"There's no need to apologize. You did well. Even if you're the future head of Daechon, your reputation would've been ruined if you had clashed with Mrs. Noh in front of the guests."

As Kim Bu-Ho praised her, Kim Ae-Ryeon pointed at me. "But the one who suggested calling you was Chief Jung here."

"Chief Jung?"

Kim Bu-Ho turned his gaze toward me. "So now you're the one ordering me around, telling me where to go?"

Although his tone was slightly scolding, his expression had a trace of a smile.

So I responded even more confidently. "I believed it was the only way to ensure the show continued smoothly. And also the only way to uphold Daechon's dignity."

Kim Bu-Ho looked at me for a moment, then chuckled. "Wasn't it also for your actress?"

"A little of both."

"You're quite bold."

Even though he saw through my intentions, he didn't criticize me.

But he did ask with curiosity, "So then, what do you plan to do about Noh Hyun-Hee?"

As expected, Kim Bu-Ho's intuition was exceptional.

"If I tell you, will you help me?"

"I, Kim Bu-Ho, am not a man who lets things slide."

Kim Ae-Ryeon, Lee Yung-Ah, and Lee Ha-Yoon all turned their attention to me.

After a deep breath, I replied. "The current L.M.L Black Label designs are priced by negotiation, right? Then let's raise the prices from what Mrs. Kim initially proposed—double for dresses and bags, triple for jewelry."

The L.M.L Black Label pieces designed by Lee Yung-Ah cost over twice as much to produce as comparable foreign luxury brands. But since the brand was still new, their prices were set at less than half of the global luxury market.

The dresses like Glory or Cheongmyung that Yoo-Jin wore were priced at 50 million won, while the others ranged between 10 to 30 million.

But since Noh Hyun-Hee promised to buy everything, I figured it was time to leverage her name value to raise both price and brand recognition. If the mistress of HK Inc. bought out the entire collection, it would be quite the endorsement for high-society sales.

She dared to target my actress, so I intended to make full use of her.

Just then, Lee Ha-Yoon looked surprised and said, "Mr. Jung. If we do that, some dresses will go for 100 million won each. That's almost the same as foreign luxury brands."

Kim Ae-Ryeon had already adjusted the pricing once through agreement with Lee Yung-Ah. And now I was suggesting doubling it again, which made Lee Ha-Yoon blink her wide eyes in disbelief.

At that moment, Kim Bu-Ho asked her, "Ha-Yoon, do you think Chief Jung's idea is wrong?"

"

Hmm

... yes!"

"Why?"

"The product quality is great, but who would buy them at that price? Wouldn't they just go for foreign brands instead?"

Kim Bu-Ho let out a hearty laugh. "For ultra-premium brands like L.M.L Black Label, the price has to be shockingly high. That's the only way those snobby women will start paying attention and open their wallets."

"But still. If the price seems too high, won't people just not buy it?"

"That's true too. But don't forget that Noh Hyun-Hee of HK Inc. just appraised its value herself. She said she'd buy everything, no matter the price. That's why we have to raise the price as much as possible to show there's no difference between us and foreign luxury brands!"

Noh Hyun-Hee, mistress of HK Inc., had declared she would buy everything Jung Yoo-Jin modeled from L.M.L Black Label. That alone was enough to cause a stir among the upper class. As the mistress of the 12th-ranked conglomerate in Korea, Noh Hyun-Hee was known for her discerning taste in luxury goods.

Kim Bu-Ho continued, "And soon, that foolish woman Noh Hyun-Hee will become a walking billboard. Knowing her prideful nature, she'll go around bragging about how exceptional L.M.L Black Label is—just so she doesn't have to admit she was outmaneuvered. People are bound to ask her about what happened today."

Kim Ae-Ryeon gave a small chuckle. "Shouldn't we give Mrs. Noh a small share of the sales margin as thanks?"

"Why would we do that? If anything, we should give it to Miss Yoo-Jin."

"Alright. Then we'll raise Miss Yoo-Jin's incentive from 3% to 5% of the sales. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes. Do that. This was all made possible thanks to Jung Yoo-Jin's name value."

Kim Bu-Ho and Kim Ae-Ryeon were both taking care of Yoo-Jin in the midst of all this. But just receiving without giving back wasn't my style, so I proposed another idea to cement the brand's value and increase sales.

"Mr. Chairman, what do you think about offering today's designs as a limited edition, available only to those who place reservations today?"

"Limited edition?"

"Yes. Nothing raises value like scarcity. And being limited will likely boost sales too."

Kim Bu-Ho let out a hearty laugh. "

Hahaha

! This is great. Chief Jung really knows how our industry works. You could run a department store yourself."

"You flatter me, sir."

"No, I mean it. Chief Jung, are you sure you don't want to join our company for real?"

The gleam in his eyes carried genuine intent, but I had absolutely no intention of doing so.

"I'm fine, thank you."

When I declined again, Kim Bu-Ho shook his head with regret.

Then he turned to Lee Yung-Ah and asked, "Anyway, what do you think, President Lee? I feel like we're making all these decisions without asking you, the supplier..."

Lee Yung-Ah responded with a delighted expression. "I've entrusted all pricing decisions to Mrs. Kim. And I fully agree with everything so far, Mr. Chairman."

"Good. From what I've seen, I think L.M.L Black Label designs have a lot of potential. While we're at it, let's sign an exclusive sales contract for the next three years."

After a brief thought, Lee Yung-Ah nodded. "Understood. L.M.L is a mid-range luxury brand, so we'll continue to supply other department stores. But the top-tier L.M.L Black Label designs will be sold exclusively through Daechon Department Store."

"Excellent. Then we'll open up international sales routes for you. I heard you were planning a collaboration with Jason Cho, is that right?"

"Yes, we're set to begin soon."

"Perfect. You can count on us."

Kim Ae-Ryeon took the opportunity to tell her secretary to bring the paperwork. In the blink of an eye, the whole situation had escalated into a major business deal, leaving Lee Ha-Yoon wide-eyed in surprise.

Just then, Yoo-Jin appeared wearing the second dress. Dress Number 2 was a more casual day dress, lighter than the one she wore at the year-end awards. But once Yoo-Jin wore it, it became a completely different dress from what the model had worn earlier.

After a light bow, Yoo-Jin turned to me and showed off the dress. "Oppa. What do you think?"

I gave her two big thumbs up. "As always, you're the best."

Yoo-Jin smiled with her eyes. "Thank you."

Then I explained to her what had happened earlier.

After listening, Yoo-Jin nodded and looked at Kim Bu-Ho. "Thank you, Mr. Chairman. But I have a request."

"What is it?"

"I heard the 10 models invited today were each paid 10 million won. I'd like the additional margin you're offering me to be given to them instead."

"

Oh?

And why is that?"

"I'm an actress, and they're models. None of us wanted it to happen, but I still took their place so I'm sure their pride is hurt."

"Miss Jung Yoo-Jin, you've got quite the generous heart."

Yoo-Jin shook her head in embarrassment. "N-no, not really."

"It's fine. We, the Daechon Inc., can easily handle that. I'll take care of it."

Kim Bu-Ho looked at Kim Ae-Ryeon.

Kim Ae-Ryeon nodded and then spoke to Yoo-Jin. "Thanks to Chief Jung, we're going to see strong sales today. I'll personally make sure the models are taken care of, so please give it your all with the remaining 30 dresses. I know it'll be tough, but I believe in your ability to make everyone's eyes pop."

Only then did Yoo-Jin beam and straighten her shoulders. "Got it."

Kim Ae-Ryeon smiled as she looked around at everyone. "Alright then, shall we continue with Part 2?"

We all headed back to the venue where the show was taking place. And Yoo-Jin, now changed into the next dress, resumed the Part 2 show.

***

Because Kim Bu-Ho had shown up, Noh Hyun-Hee failed to abuse her power over Yoo-Jin and ended up buying all the products against her will.

Also, when it was announced that the L.M.L Black Label designs presented today would never be sold again and were limited editions, the invited VVIPs began rushing to buy them. Everything was going exactly as I had expected.

And so, Part 2 of the show ended successfully.

Then came the time for payment. The staff standing next to each VVIP opened their tablets to display the total cost of the items selected. The VVIPs, only now seeing the total prices, looked a bit surprised at how comparable they were to foreign luxury brands.

At that moment, all the VVIPs turned to look at Noh Hyun-Hee as if on cue and delaying their payments. They seemed to be waiting for the HK Inc.'s mistress to validate whether the products were truly worth that much.

In front of Noh Hyun-Hee, Lee Ha-Yoon stood holding a tablet and awaiting her payment.

When Noh Hyun-Hee saw the total amount on the screen, she spoke in a startled voice. "Three billion, thirty-three million won?"

So shocked, Noh Hyun-Hee blurted out the amount. Then she realized her mistake too late. She saw that everyone was now staring at her.

At that, Lee Ha-Yoon turned into a Smile Princess and answered brightly. "Yes, Mrs. Noh. If it's too much, we do offer payment in installments..."

"W-who said it's too much? I'm Noh Hyun-Hee of HK!"

Noh Hyun-Hee had fallen into her own trap. With trembling hands, she pulled out her card and handed it to Lee Ha-Yoon.

"Charge it!"

Lee Ha-Yoon bowed her head and took the card. "Yes, Mrs. Noh."

As the card swiped with a beep, the receipt began to print.

Chhrrt. Chrrrhhht.

At the sound of the receipt printing, Noh Hyun-Hee's expression subtly contorted.

That's when the others who had been hesitating began requesting to make their payments as well.

"I'll pay too."

"Same here."

At this rate, I might actually have to share a little sales margin with Noh Hyun-Hee.

Then, Kim Bu-Ho sitting beside me stood up and spoke. "Chief Jung. Let's have a quick word."

"What would you like to discuss?"

"Well, I helped you out, didn't I? Now you should help me out too."

Kim Bu-Ho was the owner of Daechon and one of the few living founders of Korea's conglomerate elite.

And now, such a man was saying he had a favor to ask of me.