Jovy paused for a second, trying to process what she was hearing, but her mind went blank. She thought hard, but nothing came to her—her brain felt like it had just short-circuited. She really tried…
"Wh-who?????" she asked Jane, as if time itself had frozen for an entire minute.
"Hey, what group???? Again?" Jovy repeated herself, her voice more frantic now.
"CHA CORPORATION, KOREA'S LARGEST FIRM. IT HAS BUSINESS ALL OVER THE WORLD. THEY WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH US. OH MY, THIS IS A DREAM, A DREAM, RIGHT?! RIGHT?!?!?" Jane's voice was filled with excitement as she hurriedly placed her laptop on the table and began shaking Jovy, her hands full of energy.
"STOP!" Jovy exclaimed, breaking free from Jane's shaking. She was overwhelmed and disoriented by the news.
"Why would they do business with us? They already have a ton of businesses. We're just some small, cute company in their eyes," Jovy said, trying to downplay it, her mind racing with doubt.
"That's just spam, I'm sure," she added, trying to convince herself.
"Did you even read the email?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow, skepticism evident in her voice.
"N-n-No?" Jovy stammered. She didn't know what to say anymore. She was confused, exhausted, and could barely make sense of what was happening—perhaps it was just the lack of sleep getting to her.
"Then read it, look." Jane grabbed her tablet and handed it to her.
Jovy glanced at the screen, her eyes quickly scanning the message:
Hi, Designer "B". This is Secretary Kim from Cha Group. Mr. Cha wants to do business with you. He wanted to meet you personally and thank you for the suit you made for him too. Please let us know the earliest time you could meet him so I can schedule it. Thank you and have a great day.
"N-No—NOOO!" Jovy's panic spiked. "You know I don't want people meeting me, right? You should cancel that, don't even accept the offer. Just respond appropriately. Anyways, I have to go!"
Without waiting for Jane's response, Jovy hurriedly exited the room, running out as fast as she could, her mind reeling with disbelief.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Secretary Kim gave a report, "I've received a response from Designer B's secretary. She mentioned that 'B' appreciates being a loyal client but has declined both our proposal and the invitation to do business with us."
Mr. Cha frowned. "That's not good news. In fact, it's bad. We really need her to work with us. Her atelier is opening next week in Korea—this could be a major press opportunity and a strong partnership for our company."
Secretary Kim continued, "I've heard that 'B' doesn't do business with other companies at all. She entered mass production last year, and in that short time, her company's value has surged to $200 billion."
Mr. Cha was impressed. "Incredible. Even in my past years, I couldn't accomplish that in such a short time. She released three collections that were well-received, and now she has a large team working for her. People from all classes are eager to get their hands on her creations."
Secretary Kim nodded. "It's true. But the odd thing is, no one knows what she looks like. She doesn't appear in public, doesn't meet with people—her assistant handles all the interactions. The assistant even appears more frequently than the designer herself."
Mr. Cha leaned back, deep in thought. "That's true. The suit I wore for last month's economic summit was one of her designs. I waited an entire year to get an email from her, and it took three months just to get the suit made."
Secretary Kim let out a sigh. "She really is mysterious."
Mr. Cha smiled faintly. "She does, Designer B."
________________________________________________________________________________
A week had passed, and today was the day—the shop was finally opening. I really hated being here, but I had no choice. Jane had been nagging me for days about it, and she'd promised to leave me alone for a week afterward. That sounded like a fair deal, but today was a different story.
I peeked through the window, feeling a sense of dread build up in my chest. "Jane, do you really need to hold a press conference? Even the biggest news outlets are here to cover this."
She didn't even look up as she prepared things around the store. "We have to! You're releasing another collection next month for both the runway and mass production. This is the perfect time to get some press."
I couldn't argue with that logic, even if I didn't like it. I slipped on my head tailor's outfit and grabbed the sunglasses I'd packed for this exact occasion. Cameras and I did not get along.
"Ready? Alright, let's do this," I muttered under my breath.
Jane didn't hesitate. She swung open the shop's door and raised the blinds, and just like that, the flashes hit us like a machine gun barrage. It was overwhelming, like being bombarded by a series of flashbangs—one after another.
Thank God for the sunglasses. My eyes were crap, and if I didn't have them, I might've been blind for the day.
"Welcome! Welcome!!!! to Designer B's Atelier. It's her first shop in KOREA!" Jane shouted, greeting everyone with her usual bubbly energy.
The store quickly filled up with influencers, the wealthy, and the average shopper. They wandered through the space, snapping photos, scanning the pieces, and soaking in the atmosphere. There were even some critics mixed in with the crowd, and I spotted other famous designers in the mix. What a surprise.
"Thank you so much, everyone, for coming to our shop! We appreciate your warm welcome, Seoul!" Jane beamed, hands on her hips, with a proud laugh. "HOHOHOHO."
I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. As much as I wanted to be left alone, I knew this was part of the game. Just get through today, and Jane would leave me in peace. At least, that's what she promised.
She was a different person when it came to greeting people, especially when it was about portraying her image on social media. To everyone else, she was an angel, but to me? She was the devil in disguise, constantly nagging and pushing me to meet her standards every day.
"Please, please enjoy! We're so sorry we could only provide you this. We only had two weeks to prepare everything. Help yourselves with the food!" Jane announced, flashing her most charming smile. Everyone looked at her like she was the epitome of grace, but I knew better. I could see the calculating side of her, the one who could deceive anyone with a smile while keeping her claws out of sight.
The media, as expected, bombarded her with questions, and she answered them flawlessly. I, on the other hand, was hanging around, sneaking bites of food to distract myself from the whole ordeal.
"That looks good... I don't think I've tried that before," I muttered to myself, spotting a tray full of pastries. Without thinking twice, I grabbed a bunch and piled them onto my plate, like there would be none left if I didn't act quickly.
As I tried to navigate through the crowd, I couldn't really see where I was going, but my stomach was telling me I needed to get to a table before someone noticed my pastry heist.
"OH!!!!!!!" I cursed under my breath as I crashed into someone.
I was able to save the pastries from falling, and somehow, I managed to keep the plates from breaking. Thank God for that, or I'd have created a disaster. But as I looked up, I froze. The person I'd bumped into was... not someone I expected.
His suit—once pristine—now had frosting splattered all over it, and it looked like I had just ruined his whole look.
"SHIT! SHIT, SHITTTTT, JANE'S GONNA KILL ME!" I whispered frantically under my breath, my heart pounding as I tried to quickly assess the situation.
I hurriedly placed my tray on the nearby table and quickly reached into my pocket for a handkerchief to wipe off the mess.
"Sir, I'm so sorry, I didn't see where I was going," I muttered, my voice trembling.
His gaze shot to me, and he snapped, "Are you an airhead? Do you have any idea how expensive this is?" His words were sharp, almost cutting.
I flinched, my heart racing. "I—I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"You should watch where you're going!" he cut me off, sighing in frustration, but his calm demeanor made it all the more intimidating.
At this point, I felt like I was shrinking. I kept my head down, barely able to meet his eyes. The weight of his anger was almost suffocating.
"Look at my suit! It's ruined now! I can't face anyone like this; it's embarrassing!" His voice was loud now, filled with frustration.
I could feel his fury in my chest, but I didn't want this to escalate. I thought quickly, desperate to make things right.
"I—I'll pay for the cleaning. I can take care of it, please, just let me make it right," I offered, my words stumbling over each other.
He let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples as if to calm himself. "You think money will fix everything? This is about respect!" He gestured to his suit, clearly upset.
I stood there, not knowing what to say, before I finally spoke up again. My voice was quieter, but there was more resolve in it this time. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your day. Please, let me make it up to you however I can."
There was a moment of silence between us, and for a second, I thought he might snap again. But then, he exhaled and shook his head, his voice softer this time. "Just… watch where you're going next time."
I nodded quickly, relief flooding through me. "Of course. I promise I will."
He didn't say anything else, just gave me one last disappointed look before turning away. I stood there for a moment, my heart still pounding, but at least it was over. I silently promised myself I would be more careful from now on.
I couldn't help but glance at his suit one last time before he disappeared into the fitting room. It was white, immaculate, and crisp. From the way it hugged his frame, I could tell he was probably a large. I estimated his height to be around 183 centimeters, his shoulders about 47 cm wide, and his chest around 107 cm. The sleeves seemed perfectly tailored at 75 cm in length. It was the kind of suit that screamed both money and style.
Feeling a bit more composed now that I had an idea of what I was dealing with, I quickly gathered myself. "I—I'm so sorry, sir," I stammered again, rushing the words out as I felt the pressure to make things right. "I think we have some extra suits in the back. I'll get one for you as an apology. Please, if you don't mind, wait in the fitting room."
I didn't give him a chance to respond before I turned and rushed to the back, heart still racing. My mind was on autopilot as I grabbed the first suit that seemed like it might fit him—white, sleek, and formal but still high quality. I barely had time to second guess myself as I sprinted back toward the fitting room, my breath coming a little faster than usual.
"Sir, here's the suit," I said, almost out of breath as I handed it to him. "Again, I'm really sorry for getting your suit dirty. You can leave it with us, and we'll have it dry-cleaned and delivered to your address tomorrow, if that's okay."
He glanced at the suit for a moment before giving a sharp nod. "Sure. I'll take that offer since you wasted my time," he said, his tone still sharp, though not as loud as before. He took the suit from me and, without another word, turned to enter the fitting room.
I swallowed hard, trying to hide my anxiety. "I'll have someone be here to receive it," I added quickly, hoping to get out of the situation as smoothly as possible.
I quickly called over a staff member to attend to him, making sure they'd be ready when he was done. As I did, I quietly slipped out of the area, making sure I wasn't in the way. I leaned against the wall for a second, taking a deep breath to steady myself. It wasn't perfect, but at least I'd avoided making things worse. Now, I just had to hope that the rest of the situation would resolve smoothly.
________________________________________________________________________________
In the fitting room, Mr. Cha swiftly changed into the new suit, inspecting himself in the mirror.
"It fits perfectly," he muttered to himself, pleased with the result.
"Sir Cha, are you there?" Secretary Kim called out, her voice laced with concern.
"Yes, I'm here," Mr. Cha replied, his tone curt.
"Did something happen, Sir?" she asked, sensing something was off.
"Yeah, some airhead bumped into me and got my suit dirty. She came in with a tray of pastries, as if there was no tomorrow, and ended up ruining my suit," Mr. Cha explained, annoyance evident in his voice as he stepped out of the fitting room.
Secretary Kim's eyes widened in shock as she took in his new outfit. She was taken aback by the sharpness of the suit, which was unlike anything she had seen on him before.
Min-Kyun entered the room just then and stopped in his tracks, his gaze shifting from Mr. Cha to Secretary Kim in surprise.
"I didn't know they were offering private fittings already," he teased, clearly impressed by the transformation.
"Someone messed up my suit, so I had no choice but to wear this," Mr. Cha explained coolly, trying to brush off the earlier frustration.
"Si-Sir, you didn't buy anything here, did you?" Secretary Kim asked, her tone suddenly hesitant.
"No? Why?" Mr. Cha asked, looking at her in confusion.
Secretary Kim exchanged a glance with Min-Kyun, both of them silently communicating, before turning their attention back to Mr. Cha. The tension in the room grew, as neither of them seemed to know how to address what had just been implied.
"Yo—you really don't know what you're wearing?" Min-Kyun asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he eyed Mr. Cha's suit.
"No! Care to explain?" Mr. Cha shot back irritably, clearly growing frustrated with the ongoing comments.
"Sir, what you're wearing is from a runway collection way back in 2020. It's probably considered vintage by now, but no one has this suit. People are actually auctioning it off just to get their hands on this specific piece!" Secretary Kim explained, her tone a mix of awe and surprise.
"Don't tell me you're just wearing that to work?!" Min-Kyun added, raising an eyebrow. "That's a museum-worthy suit!"
"Really??!?!?" Mr. Cha exclaimed, his voice rising in shock. Just then, an intern from the store walked in, overhearing the conversation.
"You look more handsome with this suit too," Min-Kyun teased, his smirk widening as he noticed the intern's reaction.
The intern paused, his eyes darting between the two men before speaking up. "Sir, I was instructed by the staff to take care of your dirty suit. We will have it dry-cleaned and delivered tomorrow," he said, carefully picking up the suit.
"Hey, you," Mr. Cha called out, his gaze narrowing as he watched the intern. "Do you know who the woman was that instructed you to do this?"
"I'm so sorry, Sir. The staff just told me," the intern replied, his voice apologetic, before quickly exiting with the suit in hand.
"Designer B... you're really mysterious," Mr. Cha muttered to himself, a sly smile tugging at his lips as his thoughts drifted to the enigmatic person behind the whole incident.
"Sir, we have to go. You still have a meeting at your office by 10 am," Secretary Kim reminded, her tone professional but urgent as she glanced at the clock.
"Designer B's conference will start now, we have to be there," she added, her expression shifting to one of focus.
"I'll just follow up with the details of it," Min-Kyun interjected, glancing at Secretary Kim with a nod before turning back to Mr. Cha.
"Thanks, Ms. Kim, for sorting it out for us," Min-Kyun said, his voice laced with gratitude as he acknowledged her efforts.
"Sure, let's go," Mr. Cha commanded, his tone sharp and businesslike. Without another word, he led the way out of the room, followed closely by both Secretary Kim and Min-Kyun. The three of them moved quickly, the urgency of their schedules clear as they made their way to their next appointments.
_______________________________________________________________________________
"Hays, I caused trouble again. If Jane finds out about this, I'm dead." I talked to myself.
Jane is still there talking to the press, a lot of people are currently gathering for the big announcement.
There's a lot of huge LED Screen TV's to broadcast the interview. There's few people at the dining hall, and VVIP's at their own separate booths, floors and even rooms.
"Woah, the team really prepared for all of this. They made full use of the building's facilities," I thought to myself, completely amazed. The whole setup looked like a modernized banquet hall—elegant and sleek, far beyond what I had imagined.
I shifted my gaze to the press conference. Jane was still facing the crowd, completely immersed in the event. She must have been tied up with all of it, juggling so many things at once.
"For the last question, what is Designer B's plan for the future?" a reporter asked, cutting through the air with his sharp tone.
"Oh, that, hm... I'm not sure," Jane replied, her voice faltering for just a second. She looked around for a moment, then, as if sensing something, her eyes locked with mine. I tried to look away, but it was too late. She spotted me, and within an instant, she stood up.
"Give me a minute," she said, already making her way toward me.
Before I could react, she grabbed me, pulling me toward the front. I tried to resist, but she was like a force of nature, and my frail body couldn't do much to fight it.
The next thing I knew, I was standing right in front of all the cameras, news casters, and journalists. My heart was racing, and I could feel the panic rising in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me.
"Who's this?" a reporter asked, his gaze switching from Jane to me. Rude was an understatement.
"She's one of our tailors. She has all the ideas in the background and can give you a good answer," Jane responded effortlessly, her devilish smile never wavering.
I couldn't believe it. What a poor excuse to drag me here. Jane was just using me to face the crowd, to take the heat off her for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing!?!?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady, but it came out shaky instead.
"I don't know what to answer! I had no idea! You should answer that," Jane whispered back, still smiling confidently at the reporters, her composure completely unshaken as she let me flounder in front of everyone.
"Excuse me, Miss Seamstress," a male reporter's voice sliced through the air, snapping both of us to attention.
I froze. Oh no, not now. The question that followed only made things worse.
"What are B's plans for this year?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with the kind of hunger you'd expect from a reporter who had sniffed out a mystery.
"Uh-Uhmm... T-to be ho-honest... W-we a-are wo-working on a f-few things-behind the scenes," I stuttered, feeling the pressure build with every second. I need to hurry this up, sneak out, disappear.
I glanced around at the reporters' faces. Their eyes were still hungry, like wolves circling a deer. They weren't going to let this go until I fed them something they could chew on. If I didn't satisfy their curiosity, we'd be dealing with this for weeks.
"Could you be more specific?" a woman asked, her voice sharp, her eyes narrowing like a hawk preparing to strike.
My mind raced. What could I say that would get me out of this mess without revealing too much? My heart was thudding in my chest.
"T-the designer will put out 3 collections in three months..." I began, hoping my shaky voice didn't betray the nervousness I was feeling.
The room went completely still, every person hanging on my every word.
"Specifically, 3 runway collections—Paris, Milan, and Korea's fashion week. She plans to dress three people for Korea's Gala night. She's also going to release new collections for the masses—fall, summer, and winter—in the following months," I continued, feeling a mix of dread and relief. I could feel the weight of the words as they left my mouth.
The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone was staring at me, eyes wide, jaws practically on the floor. I turned to Jane, who had the same reaction. She looked as if I had just revealed the secret to life itself.
"Jane," I whispered, my voice trembling with a new kind of fear.
"JANE!" I shook her, but she didn't respond at first. She was completely spaced out, caught off guard by what had just come out of my mouth.
Finally, she snapped back to reality, blinking as though waking from a dream.
"I didn't say anything bad, right?" I whispered, trying to catch her eye, my heart racing. The reporters were all waiting for her reaction, and I had no idea what was about to happen next.
The room was still. The world seemed to freeze. No one moved. No one made a sound. All eyes were on Jane, and every pair of eyes seemed to be holding their breath.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. You could hear the faint sound of nervous gulps echoing in the air, and every drop of sweat felt like a drumbeat in the oppressive silence.
Then, suddenly—"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?"
The entire room erupted in chaos, the silence shattered as reporters scrambled to process what I'd just revealed. Noise flooded the space, and the previously calm atmosphere exploded into a frenzy of questions and disbelief. The calm before the storm was over, and now, it felt like the whole building was shaking with excitement.
I couldn't help but stare in disbelief at Jane. What had I just done? What had she done to me?
-End-