Chapter 41 : A Toast of Revenge

The reason why Lee Woo Do was disappointed was exactly that.

Potato pancake—of course, it’s a makgeolli side dish.

At most, it might go okay with soju.

But pairing potato pancake with whiskey? That’s nonsensical.

As for Lee Woo Do personally, he did like potato pancakes.

When Yuseong said he had dug up potatoes, the very first dish he brought out was potato pancake.

“I did say I wanted to eat potato pancake, but to say it goes with whiskey…”

Lee Woo Do’s puzzlement was only natural.

Originally, whiskey is said to be a type of liquor that doesn’t need side dishes.

Because it’s a drink to enjoy its aroma.

But is there only one way in the world to eat food?

There are many ways to drink whiskey, from straight, to on the rocks with ice, to highballs mixed with soda water or tonic.

Likewise, there are many kinds of side dishes said to go well with whiskey.

The representative examples are nuts.

Walnuts, macadamias, almonds.

Also chocolate and fruit, and hard cheeses.

These are considered the safest choices.

There are also opposing opinions.

Some say sashimi pairs well, others say greasy pizza or hamburgers do.

Even raw oysters and other seafood are said to be good matches.

The fact that opinions vary means it’s all subjective—like “earrings if hung on ears, nose rings if hung on nose.”

“Chairman Park also went that far to prepare side dishes like grilled garibi shellfish, quickly frozen and preserved Stella Maris oysters, macadamia nuts and chocolates. But potato pancake is definitely…”

“If it’s a regular potato pancake, it wouldn’t match, of course.”

“Then are you saying there’s a special way of making the potato pancake?”

“It’s a Swiss-style potato pancake.”

“…Sw- Swiss-style?”

Yuseong smiled with satisfaction.

All the side dishes Lee Woo Do had suggested to Chairman Park so far were simple ones like chocolates or nuts, or light seafood.

Then perhaps a rich side dish like this Swiss-style potato pancake would perfectly match Chairman Park’s tastes.

“It contains cheese, bacon, and eggs. It’s called ‘Rösti.’”

“So that exists…”

Korean-style potato pancake is a very simple dish.

Simply grated potatoes fried in cooking oil and dipped lightly in soy sauce.

It’s delicious in itself, but it doesn’t pair well with a legendary whiskey.

But if it’s Rösti, the Swiss-style potato pancake, then it might work.

Yuseong explained to Lee Woo Do how to make Rösti.

The more he spoke, the more color returned to Lee Woo Do’s face.

“Oh, indeed… if it’s something like that, then Chairman Park might…”

“If he refuses to agree it pairs well, it won’t matter, right?”

“Huh?”

“Then we won’t give it to him and just enjoy it ourselves, Chairman.”

That was a clear answer.

If Park Kyung Jae turned down Yuseong’s food, then the two of them would just eat it between themselves without giving him any more.

That in itself would be a satisfying revenge.

Since Yuseong’s cooking could never be bad.

“Then I’ll just trust you, Yuseong!”

Lee Woo Do laughed heartily.

Yuseong’s eyes sparkled.

***

On the same day as their conversation, Lee Woo Do called Chairman Park.

Park was confident and accepted Lee Woo Do’s proposal.

Even though Lee Woo Do knew that Park’s intention was to save face, he smiled anyway.

The arranged appointment was exactly one week later, on the last day of the year.

Lee Woo Do gave Yuseong a department store Gift Card as spending money.

“Use this to buy some clothes and come back.”

The meeting place was a six-star hotel renowned domestically—the Phoebus Hotel.

Since general meetings or dinners of the council took place there, Yuseong prepared formal attire.

“So, how much is on that card?”

Shin Jia asked casually after hearing the news.

Though she was sweeping the floor with a broom, all her attention was on the black card Yuseong had received.

Even Shin Elder, who was having an Energy Bar along with tea, was curious.

They wanted to know just how significant the ‘spending money’ from a chaebol chairman could be.

Yuseong promptly answered their questions.

“20 million won.”

The response was immediate.

Shin Jia dropped the broom from her hands, and Shin Elder let his cup fall.

“Th- Th- Not two thousand?”

“How can you buy clothes with just two thousand won?”

“My daily allowance was two thousand won!”

Shin Jia said that while clutching her head.

Yuseong thought that two thousand won a day was indeed very little.

When he looked at Shin Elder with a blank stare, the elder hurried to explain.

“Y- Yuseong, why are you looking at me like that? I raised it to four thousand won a day now.”

“Who’s complaining.”

Yuseong certainly understood their difficult situation.

“Well, anyway, I think I should buy some clothes, so let’s go together.”

“Huh? Me?”

When Yuseong said that, Shin Jia was taken aback.

“I don’t know much about fashion. You help me out. I’ll buy you some clothes too while we’re at it.”

The reason Yuseong wanted to go to the department store was exactly that.

He knew very well that he was completely clueless about clothes.

In his previous life, he just wore shabby suits all day, and even if he wanted to buy something suitable for a six-star hotel, he wouldn’t know what to buy.

“Great! Finally!”

Shin Jia’s reaction was a bit over the top.

Her eyes looked slightly red.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you know how much I thought about this?”

“Hmm?”

“I hoped you wouldn’t keep dressing like that.”

Yuseong wondered if she was insulting him, but Shin Jia’s attitude was sincere.

He glanced down at his own clothes.

A black padded jacket worn so long it had a slight shine.

Underneath, a black sweater he’d also had for about five years.

His pants had holes but were cleverly patched in a way that wasn’t obvious, also black training pants.

And black sneakers.

“I think I dress okay. All black is pretty safe, isn’t it?”

Shin Jia’s pupils trembled.

So Yuseong stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.

“We’re going tomorrow.”

“It doesn’t really matter, but is dressing like that strange?”

“Yes. Oppa’s wardrobe is a waste. You need a pro’s touch.”

Saying that, Shin Jia took out her phone.

“Let’s ask for help from Yul Hee unnie.”

Yuseong was a little surprised to realize who she was talking about.

“Already sisters?”

“We’ve been in touch ever since we had kongguksu together.”

The reporter who handled Yuseong’s interview last time was Lee Yul Hee.

It seemed Shin Jia had already become friendly with her.

“She works in broadcasting and is totally cool, so she’ll definitely help.”

Indeed, no one among Yuseong’s acquaintances seemed more trustworthy.

It wasn’t as if he could ask Jang Do Jin or Hwang Ri An to pick clothes for him.

By the time Yuseong nodded, Shin Jia had already called.

“Unnie, are you busy?”

She said Yuseong needed clothes and handed the phone to him.

ㅡ “You need clothes, right?”

“Well, yes.”

ㅡ “What’s your budget?”

“20 million won.”

ㅡ “Sounds good. Let’s meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday on the first floor of Apgujeong Galleria. Looking forward to it, hehe.”

“…Okay.”

Yuseong hung up.

“I kind of don’t want to go.”

“What are you saying? She’s helping. We have to go together in three days.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“If someone’s helping, you can’t refuse!”

Shin Jia was beaming with anticipation.

Yuseong quietly sighed.

Just like before, he wanted to buy clothes roughly at the market.

***

Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Apgujeong Galleria Department Store, first floor luxury brand section.

Even though life had become tougher than before the great upheaval, the wealthy still lived abundantly.

If anything, the wealth gap had only widened, so the Galleria Department Store was the pinnacle of luxury.

Yuseong and Shin Jia stood in front of the luxury store’s showcase.

Behind them stood mannequins draped in all kinds of expensive clothes.

However, Yuseong and Shin Jia’s appearance was not too far behind those mannequins.

Shin Jia’s face was tense, and Yuseong, apart from wearing the suit he wore in the Abyss, looked fine.

“D- don’t be nervous. Just act natural. Like you come here all the time.”

“I’m not nervous. You’re the problem.”

Yuseong wasn’t the type to get discouraged just because he had never been to a place like this.

But Shin Jia was stiff and uneasy at this high-end department store.

“By the way, did you have to wear a suit? Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to wear what you usually do?”

“What are you talking about? I saw your suit—it looks the best. And there are plenty of people wearing suits here.”

Shin Jia was right.

Yuseong’s custom-made suit from Cheonghwa was quite sophisticated.

Wearing a simple black jacket on top didn’t make it feel cheap.

Also, Yuseong’s wardrobe was actually decent, which helped.

“Explorers don’t do what they’re supposed to and instead just roam around the luxury brand section.”

“You’re an explorer too.”

“I’m different.”

As Shin Jia said, there were quite a few explorers here.

Exploring is considered one of the highest-income jobs.

Because it’s a dangerous profession with no guaranteed survival, many explorers focus more on consumption than savings, which was why many came here.

At that moment, someone spoke to Yuseong as he wandered the department store.

“Oh my, just wearing a suit makes you look quite good. Maybe because of those broad shoulders.”

It was Lee Yul Hee.

Yuseong turned and his mouth opened slightly in surprise.

“Did you come to a fashion show or something?”

“When you talk about Yuseong like that, you’re not going to be popular with the ladies.”

When Lee Yul Hee interviewed Yuseong, she was dressed like a classic announcer.

A blouse and skirt in soft colors, her hair neatly tied back.

But now, she looked different.

Long flowing wavy hair.

A white long coat that looked like a genuine luxury brand, high heels, black tight pants, and a shirt.

“Unnie, you look totally amazing today.”

“Jia, you dressed nicely too, huh?”

“Really?”

Shin Jia giggled.

It really did seem like their relationship had warmed.

“Yuseong, why the sudden clothes shopping trip?”

“Oh, I have a place I need to dress properly for.”

“Well, that’s good. I’ve always been concerned about clothes.”

“…Yul Hee unnie sounds just like Jia.”

“How tall is Yuseong?”

“About 180 cm.”

“Small face, handsome.”

Lee Yul Hee said embarrassing things as if it were nothing.

She put her hand on Yuseong’s shoulder.

“He’s not bulky, but he must have good bones. Broad shoulders too.”

“Wow, suddenly you’re praising me.”

“It’s not praise. I’m saying your body is a waste. Should take better care of it.”

“Why bother dressing nicely? No one looks anyway. We spend most of our time in the Abyss.”

“Now it matters, I think.”

Lee Yul Hee gestured to the surroundings.

Only then did Yuseong notice.

People’s gazes had gathered quite a bit.

“That’s Baek Yuseong, right?”

“Is that his girlfriend?”

“No, that’s the reporter who did his interview. The girl next to her was on the hospital interview.”

“Are they shooting something here again? But you sure know your stuff.”

“I’ve seen it a few times on my tube.”

People around recognized Yuseong and whispered among themselves.

Not everyone, but once one or two stopped, others began to pause out of curiosity.

“As Yuseong walks around without filming, his views keep rising. He’s quite famous now.”

Just as Lee Yul Hee said, many people hadn’t recognized him when he was in the Abyss.

Because explorers are so busy, that was natural.

But now that he was out here in the city, many recognized him.

Before more people gathered, Yuseong took a step forward.

“Seems like there are a lot of bored people. Let’s not stay here and go inside.”

“Where shall we start?”

Lee Yul Hee asked confidently.

She knew all about clothing brands.

Yuseong already had his answer prepared.

“Suit. Not ‘shoot.’”

“The English spelling would be ‘suit.’ The standard is ‘suit.’”

“Whatever.”

Formal wear.

For formal clothing, nothing beats a suit.