CH4 - Money

An office employee, Lee Se-yeon.

Today, she was in a terrible mood. She had stayed out drinking late with friends last night and ended up being late for work. Her manager, shouting for what seemed like the nth time about her tardiness, told her to quit if she was going to keep this up.

All that commotion over being just an hour late. No wonder he's stuck as a perpetual manager at his age.

While everyone else went out for lunch, her steps took her to the department store.

There's nothing like shopping to change her mood. She thought buying something might cheer her up.

As she entered, luxury French brands like Chanel, Prada, and Louis Vuitton were lined up on the first floor.

She wished she could walk in and boldly buy a bag, but…

Her credit limit wouldn't allow it. She had already used 8 million won through cash services and revolving credit.

She had less than 1 million won left to spend, so she needed to shop frugally within that limit.

Lee Se-yeon headed to the MPM store, a mid-range luxury brand she frequented. This was her fifth visit just this month. Because of this, she was already treated as a regular there.

Thinking about the VIP treatment she'd receive from the manager and staff lifted her spirits.

On the way to the MPM store entrance, she saw a mess on the floor where someone had spilled coffee. A cleaner was diligently mopping it up.

She tried to walk past without paying attention, but the mop lightly brushed against her shoe.

It was a pair she had splurged on just a few days ago during a sale, now dirtied by a mop cleaning the floor.

Horrified, she yelled out,

"Ma'am! What do you think you're doing?"

The cleaner bowed her head,

"Oh! I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"Is 'sorry' enough? Do you know what shoes these are?"

"I'll clean them for you, ma'am."

The cleaner tried to wipe the shoe with a handkerchief pulled from her pocket, bowing as she did so.

"Don't touch them with your filthy hands! Keep them away right now!"

"I-I'm sorry."

As the commotion grew, a young woman in a suit rushed over. A name tag on her outfit read 'Manager Woo Mi-ran.'

"What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" the manager asked.

Se-yeon, on the verge of tears, replied.

"Can't you see? This lady dirtied my shoes with her mop. What are you going to do about it?"

The cleaning lady clasped her hands and repeatedly bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm very sorry."

"Is that the attitude of someone who's sorry? Kneeling and begging wouldn't be enough."

The manager looked at the cleaning lady and said,

"What are you doing, lady? If you're in the wrong, kneel and apologize to the customer right now."

"Y-Yes?"

The middle-aged cleaning lady glanced around nervously. But there was no one there to support her.

"Do you know how much these shoes cost? Are you going to pay for them?"

She lived hand to mouth.

There was no way she could afford to replace such expensive shoes. If kneeling and begging would resolve the situation quietly, she had to do it.

The cleaning lady started to kneel.

But at that moment.

Smack!

Someone grasped her shoulder.

* * * *

The janitor looked at me with a surprised expression.

"How did you get here…?"

As I stepped forward, the young woman glanced at me and asked irritably.

"Who are you to interfere?!"

"I'm her son."

"What, what did you say?"

I glared at the woman and spoke.

"I said, I'm her son."

"…"

She fell silent at my words. She likely didn't expect the janitor's son to show up in such a situation.

As I entered the department store, I saw a woman who looked to be in her early 20s shouting at the far end near the luxury brand stores, while a middle-aged woman in a janitor's uniform repeatedly bowed her head in apology.

At first, I intended to just walk by. But the moment I heard the janitor's voice, my feet stopped on their own. It was my mother's voice.

I looked at my mother in her janitor's uniform. She briefly avoided my gaze.

I had come to this department store with my parents before. It must have been on my mother's birthday. We ate at the food court and shopped together.

My father splurged and bought my mother a bag. I also chipped in with my pocket money. Though it wasn't a high-end luxury brand, just a mid-tier brand, my mother was as happy as a child with her gift.

She had told me she was working at the customer service center…

To avoid worrying her son, it seems she had lied about being a janitor and said she worked at the customer service center.

"What's the problem here?"

"This woman dirtied my shoes with her rag."

"…."

Is she causing such a scene over something so trivial, forcing her to beg on her knees?

Anger surged to the top of my head. I felt like hitting the woman, regardless of her being a woman. But I couldn't resort to violence in front of my mother.

I clenched my teeth to suppress my anger and asked,

"Where exactly did she make them dirty?"

"Where?"

The black shoes looked spotless.

The woman shook her head and said:

"Oh, I don't know! Anyway, these shoes are too dirty to wear now, so you need to compensate me. If you don't, I'll post on the department store's bulletin board and report you to the consumer protection agency."

The manager standing next to her lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We'll take care of it."

It's often said that the sister-in-law who stops the fight is more annoying than the mother-in-law who starts it. This was just like that. Both the person causing a scene and the person egging them on were irritating.

Seeing the manager's reaction gave the woman more confidence, and she raised her voice again.

"Do you have any idea how much these cost?"

I immediately asked back.

"How much are they?"

Proudly, she responded:

"They cost 600,000 won!"

Then, an employee behind her mumbled in a small voice:

"They're on sale for 330,000 won now."

Are they on a 45% sale?

With all the fuss she was making, I thought they were worth millions of won.

I took out my wallet.

"So 600,000 won should be enough, right?"

My mother, watching, was shocked.

"Jin-hoo, where are you going to get all that money…?"

"It's okay, Mom."

I pulled out twelve 50,000-won bills and handed them to the woman.

"Here you go."

"Hmph! You should have done this from the start."

The woman reached out her hand.

Just before she could grab the money, I pulled my hand back.

"First, apologize."

The woman widened her eyes in surprise.

"What?"

"If you want the money, apologize first."

The woman glared furiously at the 600,000 won in my hand and then at my face. But it seemed that money was more important than her pride.

The woman half-heartedly bowed her head toward my mother.

"So-sorry. I guess I was a bit harsh."

It was an apology devoid of sincerity. Still, it was better than nothing.

The woman grabbed the money in my hand. But no matter how much she pulled, it didn't come loose. Because I was still gripping it firmly.

Annoyed, she said, "What are you doing?"

"Take off your shoes."

"What?"

I repeated, "Take off your shoes. You said they were too dirty to wear and demanded compensation, right? If I'm giving you money, you should hand over the shoes. Were you planning to keep the shoes and take the money too? What kind of scam is that?"

"Ha!"

The woman looked dumbfounded, but she had no retort. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with a counterargument.

"If you're just going to walk away with them, then I'll take it that you're refusing the money."

I tried to pull the money away, but this time, she didn't let go. She seemed to be torn between the money and her pride.

Naturally, taking the money and buying new shoes would be the better deal. Being in a department store, she could easily buy a new pair at any store she wanted.

In the end, money won.

"Oh, for crying out loud! This is absurd!"

She threw off her shoes. Only then did I release my grip, and she took the money.

I picked up the shoes and dramatically shoved them into the trash can.

"Trash like this belongs in the garbage."

"······"

The woman couldn't say anything to me and yelled at the manager instead.

"I'm going to report this department store, just so you know!"

The manager bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am."

Report it if you want, it's none of my business. The department store will handle it.

I spoke to my mother.

"Let's go, Mom."

As I was about to leave with my mother, the woman manager shouted from behind.

"Where do you think you're going? Do you really think you can come to work tomorrow after this?"

"······."

Unbelievable.

I was going to leave quietly, but I can't let this slide.

I stopped walking. Then I turned around, grabbed a mop from the floor, and approached the manager.

She flinched and took a step back.

"W-What, are you going to hit me······."

I forcibly handed her the mop.

"She won't be coming to work ever again, so from now on, clean up yourself."

"What are you saying? Hey!"

Ignoring her ranting from behind, I held my mother's hand and left the store.

Once outside, my mother, who was dazed and following me, was startled.

"My, my goodness. I should go back and apologize······."

I spoke to my worried mother.

"You don't have to do this anymore."

"But······."

I hugged my mother. Her body felt fragile, as if it would break if I applied too much pressure. I could feel her bones through her shoulders and back.

When did she become so thin?

To think she cleaned the department store all day with this body.

I forced down the tears welling up in my throat.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of everything from now on."

For a moment, my mother looked a bit startled, then she gently patted my back with her slender arm.

"When did my son grow up so much?"

TL/n :- 

Power Stones = More Chapter