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Chapter 13
Seo-hee was silent for a moment, suppressing the laugh that almost escaped her as she looked over the receipt the clerk handed her.
She hadn’t intentionally brought any of her newest or most personal belongings. She’d figured selling the gifts from Chairman Han or recently purchased luxury items would draw too much attention.
Most of what she’d brought were older items — though even those weren’t things easily found in Korea. The clerk couldn’t not know that.
When Seo-hee stayed quiet for too long, the clerk asked with a smile,
“Were these items gifts, by any chance?”
Seo-hee couldn’t tell what kind of intent lay behind the question, but she simply replied,
“Yes.”
The next thing out of the clerk’s mouth was laced with condescension.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but…”
“…”
“Most of these are older models, and there’s not much demand for them. Some of them are even… fakes—”
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not selling them.”
Seo-hee began putting her belongings back into her bag. The clerk’s face showed visible surprise, clearly not expecting that reaction.
“Wait—you came here to sell them, didn’t you? Why…”
Seo-hee just stared silently at him. You should be the one answering that, her gaze seemed to say.
Perhaps realizing the meaning behind her eyes, the clerk forced an awkward businesslike smile and tried to persuade her again.
“Please don’t tell my boss I said this, but…”
He lowered his voice as if someone might overhear.
“You look like a student, and I can tell you need cash quickly. I’ll add another million won for you, just between us. How does that sound?”
He said it proudly, as though offering an incredible favor, and waited for her reaction. Seo-hee found his words laughable.
A clerk willing to secretly offer an extra million won behind the boss’s back? He’d be fired the moment that came to light.
“You won’t get a better deal anywhere else,” he added smugly. “Trust me.”
Ah, so that’s why he’d lowballed her so shamelessly — greed and desperation, a perfect recipe for unemployment.
She wasn’t dressed expensively or overly made-up. She hadn’t been before, and after returning to the past, she cared even less. She understood that how others saw her didn’t matter anymore.
Maybe because she’d dressed plainly to go to school later that afternoon, the clerk had judged her at a glance and decided she was beneath him.
“Could you call your manager for me, please?”
That was the first thing Seo-hee said after his long spiel. Her tone was calm, almost elegant — out of place for someone with such a youthful appearance.
“O-our manager?”
The word manager made his voice tremble.
“I’d like to ask him directly whether it’s really okay for you to offer me an extra million won on the side.”
“Ah, no—Miss, like I said, that was just a private favor, the manager doesn’t need to—”
“That’s exactly why I want to meet him.”
“Pardon?”
“If an employee’s secretly offering that much money without permission, don’t you think the manager deserves to know?”
At her words, the clerk’s eyes flickered nervously. He’d thought she was just another naïve student desperate for quick cash early in the morning — dressed too simply to know the value of what she carried, probably the type to have a rich boyfriend who showered her with gifts.
He’d figured he could take advantage of that.
“I-I’m sorry, Miss, that’s not what I meant…”
“And if you can’t even tell real from fake, maybe your boss should reconsider keeping you around.”
Her tone was still level, but her words cut deep. The clerk’s composure crumbled. By the time he realized he’d picked the wrong person to deceive, it was far too late.
“Buying all of these for ten million won? Either you don’t know what you’re looking at…”
Seo-hee locked eyes with him, her voice slow and sharp.
“…or you were trying to scam me.”
“…”
“It’s one or the other, isn’t it?”
“M-Miss…”
“Either way, I’d say that’s grounds for termination.”
The clerk quickly apologized, insisting it was all a misunderstanding. He redid the appraisal properly this time, quoting their actual value.
Seo-hee thought to herself — so this is how a second life teaches you things.
Leaving the store, she received a polite farewell from the same clerk who had sneered at her minutes ago. It looked as though the matter was resolved, but she had no intention of letting it end there.
She might’ve caught on in time, but someone else—someone more gullible—would almost certainly be tricked the same way.
For their sake too, a man like that shouldn’t stay employed there.
Seo-hee took out her phone.
“Chief Choi? It’s Seo-hee.”
She checked the shop sign and asked him to find the manager’s contact information — also reminding him not to tell her grandfather.
After the short call, she gave a bitter smile.
Once again, she’d been reminded how easy it was for people to underestimate her — how the weak and naïve were treated as prey.
For some reason, Han I-soo came to mind. The clerk’s face overlapped with hers in her memory. So this is how I let people walk all over me before, she thought.
“Maybe I should thank Han I-soo,” she muttered.
For teaching her never to be so easily deceived again?
She let out a short laugh at the thought, then received a text from Chief Choi with the manager’s number.
Seo-hee called immediately and calmly described everything that had happened. The manager would decide what to do, but she doubted that employee would last much longer.
Brushing off the faint guilt of meddling, Seo-hee turned her thoughts to how she’d spend the money now sitting in her account.
First, she needed to meet Jin Woo-hyuk.
They’d met before, but weren’t close — just classmates in a lecture, maybe exchanged glances in the library.
If she wanted to invest in his future project and back his success, she’d need to build a relationship with him first. In her past life, they’d never been close, so she’d have to think carefully about how to approach him this time.
“Let’s start by going to campus.”
The library would be the best place to gather her thoughts and information — plus, Han I-soo would never show up there.
Once she decided, Seo-hee headed toward the university. She didn’t rush; there was no need. She walked leisurely to the bus stop.
She hadn’t taken the bus many times, but the route was simple. Before long, she arrived at school safely.
Standing at the front gate, she imagined where Woo-hyuk might be. It’s not like I’m a fortune-teller… how am I supposed to find one guy on this huge campus?
“It’s fine. Today doesn’t have to be the day.”
She reminded herself she had the advantage of knowing the future — she could afford to take her time and plan perfectly.
“Still three hours left.”
After checking the time, she walked toward the library.
Settling into a reading room seat, she decided to borrow a few books — to find ideas on how to win Woo-hyuk’s interest, or to study up on strategies for the company she’d rebuild within the Shinsung Group.
As she browsed through the shelves in the archives, she muttered,
“It should be around here somewhere…”
So focused on the book titles, she didn’t notice anyone nearby. The moment she reached for the volume she wanted, her hand brushed against someone else’s.
“Ah—sorry…”
She looked up—and froze.
“…!”
It was Jin Woo-hyuk.
He looked slightly surprised too, as if he hadn’t expected her to grab the same book. The surprise in his eyes faded quickly, replaced by his usual calm indifference.
He gave a polite nod.
“Do you need this book?”
How should she answer to keep the conversation going?
The book they both wanted was one their business management professor had recommended — and there was only one copy left. Judging from his expression, Woo-hyuk genuinely wanted it.
So there was no need to hesitate.
“Yes.”
Her hand had reached it first; she could stand her ground. Her firm answer made Woo-hyuk let out a quiet hum.
Then, in a tone softer than his usual dry demeanor, he asked,
“Right now?”
The question carried genuine curiosity. By pure luck, one book had opened a door between them. She’d been wondering how to approach him — and now the opportunity had fallen right into her hands.
When she didn’t immediately reply, Woo-hyuk continued,
“If it’s not urgent, could you let me—”
“Sorry. It’s urgent for me too.”
“Ah…”
He nodded, about to turn away, when Seo-hee stopped him.
“I’ll only need it for an hour or two. I can hand it over right after that.”
At that, Woo-hyuk smiled faintly.
“I’d appreciate that. Should I just come back and look for it on the shelf?”
It was an awkward moment to ask for his number directly. But she knew a popular book like this would disappear the instant she put it back. That’s why she asked so casually — a small bait.
And, just as she expected, Woo-hyuk took it.
“Actually… could you just text me when you’re done? I’m Jin Woo-hyuk, business management department.”
He handed her a slip of paper with his phone number on it.
