56.
“You can buy all the necessary items at once. And the goods are better, more luxurious, and quality-guaranteed compared to other places. This alone should be enough to attract people’s interest.”
Yu Jin slapped his palm with his fist. It was an excellent idea. To set up a department store, they might have to postpone creating the knightly order, but for now, increasing their money was urgent. As Yu Jin and Jinhyeon were excitedly discussing the department store, they felt a gaze from somewhere.
By then, Yu Jin realized his mistake, but it was already too late.
“What’s a department store?”
Haruna wore a suspicious expression at the unfamiliar term. Keith had the same look.
“A place that sells various types of goods in one location is called a department store.”
“Can it generate significant profits?”
“It can.”
Department stores had many advantages. You could buy all the desired items in one place, rest in a cafe, or enjoy cultural activities.
‘It might be difficult to go that far yet.’
The possible range would probably be limited to seeing all the goods in one place or having tea in a cafe. But if that catches on well, they could recreate some aspects of modern culture. Movies might be too much, but other things seemed possible. They could hold small-scale plays for children or teach enjoyable hobbies to others.
Jinhyeon calmly explained all these points.
Haruna’s expression brightened as she listened. She judged it to be a feasible idea.
“Then there’s a lot to prepare. First, we could buy an existing building and renovate it. We can fill the interior with goods ourselves at the beginning. And once it’s somewhat established, we could bring in other shops or expand.”
Haruna quickly began to form a plan.
“Oh, but is it possible with the money we have now?”
“It’s not impossible. Yu Jin earned a lot of money last time, right? If we add to that and liquidate some other assets, we should be able to secure the funds.”
The money Yu Jin earned referred to what he won at the gambling house. He did earn quite a bit then. Although they couldn’t bar his entry because he was a noble, whenever Yu Jin appeared at the gambling house, the manager would rush out and watch nervously.
“Let’s do it!”
Haruna exclaimed excitedly.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Yu Jin asked, and Jinhyeon answered.
“There is. Why wouldn’t there be? Only you can do this here.”
What could it be? Yu Jin looked at Jinhyeon with curiosity.
“Advertising. You’ll become a walking billboard.”
“Me?”
Me, a good-for-nothing, becoming a billboard for the newly opening department store? He roughly understood the meaning, but Yu Jin doubted if it would work. This was because Yu Jin had been living as a good-for-nothing and didn’t have proper connections.
“From what I hear, it sounds like Yu Jin needs to promote the newly opening department store.”
“You understand well.”
“It’s not an impossible idea.”
Even Keith agreed with Jinhyeon’s opinion.
‘Why?’
Do you really think that’s possible?
“Wouldn’t it be better to find a more proper person and ask them?”
“Who’s more proper than you? You’re as pretty as an angel, lovable, and cute.”
Yu Jin unconsciously raised his hand and hit Jinhyeon. But as if it didn’t even tickle, Jinhyeon showed no reaction. I want to hit him more! But reason returned in the meantime, and Yu Jin quietly lowered his hand. He didn’t know how long Jinhyeon would tolerate it.
“That’s right. I agree on that part too.”
“Even you, hyung?”
“No, it’s really possible.”
“Haruna?”
“I understand what you’re worried about, but it will take quite some time to prepare this department store anyway. In the meantime, you can gradually infiltrate high society.”
“How am I supposed to infiltrate?”
“If there are no parties or banquets you can attend, you can go where they gather frequently.”
Haruna smiled brightly.
The famous opera house in the capital, Gracia.
The current opera being performed was “The Fairy of Rutiel,” which had already opened several times but remained popular. Especially when Arina, who played the role of Rutiel falling into a heartbreaking love with a fairy, appeared, the opera tickets would sell out.
High-ranking nobles could watch anytime by buying a private box in advance, but others had to buy tickets each time, so competition was fierce. People would line up from the day before ticket sales began.
Sarah, the daughter of a baron’s family, got her ticket that way. Of course, it wasn’t her who lined up, but an employee working at their mansion. Sarah was a noble with a mansion in the capital, but she didn’t have enough money and power to buy a private viewing box. So when she got the ticket with difficulty, her lips unconsciously curled up.
“It’s really good.”
Rose, the daughter of a viscount family who came with her, seemed to be in a good mood too.
“Right? The seats are good too. We can see Arina right up close.”
The two smiled at each other. The girls, just over 15 years old and full of sensitivity, were filled with joy. And the moment they entered the opera house guided by an employee, they opened their eyes wide in surprise.
“Huh?”
Sarah forgot her noble dignity and gaped blankly.
“Oh my?”
It was the same for Rose.
“Ro-Rose. Is what I’m seeing real?”
In the first-floor hall of the opera house. An angel was standing there. The beautiful angel painted on the ceiling she had casually looked at while listening to mass at the temple existed in reality.
“There’s an angel.”
Golden hair shimmering like silk, blue eyes reminiscent of the sky, and white skin – he didn’t look like a person of this world.
“Yeah, it’s an angel.”
Rose uttered the exact same words as Sarah. As they stood there blankly, a red-haired girl approached from behind.
“It’s not an angel.”
It was Marilyn, the daughter of a count’s family who occasionally interacted with Sarah.
“It’s not? But he looks like that?”
Sarah asked in confusion, and Marilyn shook her head.
“No, they say he’s not.”
“Then is he human?”
“He’s human.”
“Who is he?”
Sarah asked, clutching her pounding heart.
“Yu Jin von El Lucid.”
“Yu Jin von El Lucid.”
Sarah, who had repeated unconsciously, soon realized.
“A person from the Lucid family? Was there someone like that there?”
She had seen some people from the Lucid family at parties, but she swore she had never seen someone like this. The eldest son of that family had a decent face but was too muscular to be appealing, and the second son somehow reminded her of a weasel or a mouse. The third son looked ordinary but had no particular charm.
The women were pretty, but they weren’t known for good personalities. Sarah, who loved pretty things so much, had once approached Roena only to retreat after hearing curses.
How arrogant and nasty her personality was. And it wasn’t just Roena; her other sisters had similar personalities. So even though she knew befriending them would benefit her family, she couldn’t easily approach them.
“That person is the youngest of the Lucid family.”
“The youngest?”
She remembered. The good-for-nothing youngest son of the Lucid family who was almost abandoned by his family. He frequented secret gatherings rather than proper parties and was cursed by many for freely displaying his good-for-nothing ways. Sarah remembered her mother’s advice before she entered society.
“Don’t associate with that kind of person.”
But mother, you didn’t tell me that good-for-nothing looked like this. Sarah stood there, looking at Yu Jin again and again. She wasn’t the only one. Some even tried to approach him directly.
‘I want to talk to him too!’
Sarah was tormented by an intense desire. However, she gave up after seeing most people who approached being driven away by the guard standing behind Yu Jin. Behind him stood a tall man with black hair wearing a uniform, his face half-covered by a mask, but it was still apparent.
‘That person is handsome too.’
He seems to be from the Dragon Continent. Both his aura and appearance are strangely attractive. As the people standing in the hall were captivated by one person, a bell sound was heard from somewhere.
It was the bell announcing the preparation for the opera. The opera house rang the bell at certain intervals, and when the third bell rang, the opera would start, so those who wanted to watch needed to enter now. Sarah turned her steps, filled with regret.
Yu Jin breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the bell ringing in the opera house. Finally, the bell rang. Now he could leave the hall and move to another location. It had been so difficult standing there the whole time that his tightly clenched hands were full of sweat.
It wasn’t a matter of physical strength.
