Chapter 305: Together (5)

"Dear customer, you are causing a scene, sir," said the department store employee blocking the lounge's entrance.

Although she spoke in a sufficiently-gentle tone, something about it sounded stiff and unyielding as well. It was probably best to describe it as a polite rejection.

Obviously, the employee had no intentions of angering anyone, but her response was still enough to anger someone who was already not feeling happy about something else.

Unfortunately for her, the rude customer seemed to be in a very bad mood.

The male customer growled angrily. “Causing what now? A scene? What will you do if I am?”

Kang Jin-Ho quietly groaned at this sight. Going to the VIP lounge obviously meant he would encounter a higher number of deep-pocketed customers. The unfortunate side effect of that was that he would also get to meet a higher number of Karens and Kevins there.

These folks all possessed the mindset of 'Listen here, you plebeian! I dumped this much money on this place, so you better serve me properly or else!' Although their behavior was an eyesore, in a certain sense, they were entitled to such a haughty attitude as well.

Why would a customer spending over a hundred million won stick around a store when its employees treated them the same as another customer who only spent a million? Kang Jin-Ho could understand that much, but...

“Dear customer, this lounge is reserved only for the VIPs,” said the employee.

“So, here it is! My VIP card! Can't you see this damn thing?!”

"My apologies, customer, but this card has not been renewed. Which means you're currently not recognized as one of our VIPs. We ask for your understanding in this matter, sir."

“You...! Don't you know who I am?!”

Kang Jin-Ho decided to stop paying attention to this rude customer. Not only did this matter not require him to step up, but there was also no need to waste his mental energy on it. It was the job of the employees to deal with rude and difficult customers, to begin with. Even if Kang Jin-Ho was technically more than Jaegyeong's customer, he didn't have any position of responsibility within the corporation, anyway. Why should he butt in here and resolve this issue?

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at his family members. “Come on. Let's just ignore them.”

Kang Eun-Yeong tilted her head. "But why? Isn't it fun to watch?"

“It's wrong to be entertained by other people causing a scene, Eun-Yeong,” Kang Jin-Ho tutted in disapproval.

"Well, at least now I know that you don't care about stuff like this," Kang Eun-Yeong replied before cheekily poking her tongue out at her older brother. Still, she started moving again after deciding to obey Kang Jin-Ho this time.

But then, the rude customer's shrill yell dug into Kang Jin-Ho's ears.

“Don't you know who I am?! I'm Hwang Min-Su! You, you think you can deal with the fallout of treating me like this?!”

Kang Jin-Ho's brows furrowed. 'Hwang Min-Su?'

That name sounded familiar for some reason. Obviously, someone with enough balls to shout at the top of his lungs in the Jaegyeong Department Store's VIP lounge couldn't have been a no-name small fry. In that case, it wouldn't be strange for Kang Jin-Ho to hear this rude customer's name in passing somewhere. However, the feeling Kang Jin-Ho got wasn't like that.

This didn't feel like a random name he heard in some news broadcast, but it was a familiar name currently buried in Kang Jin-Ho’s mind.

The department store employee stared alternatingly between the VIP card and the rude customer's face, then a somewhat flustered expression floated up on her own face.

“...You're Mister Hwang Min-Su?”

“That's right! Now, do you recognize me?!”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and studied this man named Hwang Min-Su. And his first impression was...

“Hmm. His clothes are worn-down, no?”

Kang Eun-Yeong standing next to her oppa quickly corrected him. "Oppa, that business suit is seriously expensive."

“Really?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

"Yeah. One set of that suit is so expensive that it costs as much as a brand-spanking-new hatchback! Sure, it's a bit old, but... Why is someone wearing that kind of clothes not a VIP?" Kang Eun-Yeong muttered, also sounding a little confused.

Kang Jin-Ho shifted his attention back to Hwang Min-Su's 'conversation' with the employee.

“Open the door, now,” said Hwang Min-Su.

“...Sir, it is still not possible.” The employee shook her head.

“You dare keep doing this despite knowing who I am?! Where is your manager? Tell your manager to come down here right now!”

“Sir, even if it's Chairman Hwang and not you, someone without a valid VIP card is not allowed in our lounge. And Chairman Hwang himself has approved of this regulation.”

Hwang Min-Su's face reddened up considerably at the mention of Chairman Hwang. "That... stinking geezer!"

Kang Jin-Ho's brows rose up slightly. 'Now, I remember.'

It had been too long ago, and he had forgotten it. Even with Kang Jin-Ho's ultra-sharp memories, it would be almost impossible to remember every single name he would hear in passing, after all.

'Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu's eldest son is Hwang Min-Jae while the second is Hwang Min-Su, isn't it?'

In that case, the rude customer's attitude could be understood now. Back when Hwang Min-Su was still a part of Jaegyeong, these employees wouldn't have dared to raise their heads so highly like today. Most likely, either Hwang Min-Jae or Hwang Min-Su was the previous president of the Jaegyeong Department Store.

And now... Hwang Min-Su had shown up to the VIP lounge while wearing a set of a worn-down business suit. Behind him were a nervous and fidgety middle-aged woman and a young child tightly holding that woman's hand.

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly at this scene. It seemed that Hwang Min-Su was out on a... 'rare' shopping trip with his young child and tried to enter the VIP lounge only to encounter a problem.

Hwang Min-Su didn't back down. “Stop wasting our time and open the door!”

The employee didn't back down, either. "Dear customer, if you insist on causing a scene, we'll have no choice but to call security."

“Security?” Hwang Min-Su flinched a little at the mention of the security being summoned. He glanced behind him only to grit his teeth after seeing the young child's nervous and scared face.

'God damn it!'

Hwang Min-Su should have backed off when the employee refused him entry. He knew that was the cleanest and best way to resolve this situation. However, all the irritation and grievance that had built up over the years regarding his situation pushed him into losing his cool and raising his voice.

His raised voice naturally attracted attention, and the situation gradually got worse. Hwang Min-Su should've just backed off before it was too late, but his irritated mind and the unyielding attitude of the employee had a terrible synergy that quickly worsened this volatile situation even further.

And now, backing off at this stage would greatly damage his pride as a man.

Hwang Min-Su loudly shouted. “Call them, then!”

“Sir?”

"Call your damn security! Because I'm not walking out of here on my own feet! Call them!"

The employee's expression grew icy. In other department stores, responding to these kinds of situations would've been troublesome, but not in Jaegyeong. Jaegyeong had only one response in this situation.

Wasting time being wishy-washy because Hwang Min-Su was the former president of this place and the son of the corporation's chairman might get the employee fired for incompetence instead!

The job of dealing with the aftermath belonged to the higher-ups, not the employee. And those heartless bastards might point the fingers of blame at her while saying she failed to speedily resolve a scene caused by a rude customer and messed up the relaxation of the VIPs in the lounge.

“...Please send a team of security to the VIP lounge entrance.” The employee spoke to her radio.

With that, the situation entered the point of no return. The people in the lounge craned their necks to see what was going on while the passersby also glanced at Hwang Min-Su out of curiosity.

The only fate awaiting Hwang Min-Su now was to get dragged out of this place.

“What's going on here?!” The department store manager hurriedly rushed in from the end of the corridor. His fluster was understandable since the VIP lounge was easily the most important place in the whole store.

The employee quickly informed the store manager. “Sir, this customer was demanding to be allowed into the VIP lounge.”

The store manager looked at Hwang Min-Su only for his expression to crumple unsightly.

'Son of a b*tch...! Why?'

Why was this guy here, and why was he causing a scene? There were many other department stores in the city, so why did Hwang Min-Su have to come here and saddle the store manager with such a huge migraine?

The department store manager sucked in several quick breaths.

'I need to calm down!'

This was absolutely the worst crisis to befall him. Responding wrongly here could instantly end his career. To make matters even worse, the worst VVIP since the manager got this job, Kang Jin-Ho, also happened to be observing this situation, too!

One mistake would immediately send the store manager to the nearest breadline! Even if Kang Jin-Ho may not be the type to do something like that, this event would still reach the ears of the corporation's higher-ups. The store manager could guarantee that happening.

Even he could tell that this was the perfect material for gossip.

The store manager finished calculating what kind of report to the higher-ups would be the best for his career, then cautiously asked the employee, “Did you confirm that this customer is no longer our VIP?”

“Yes, store manager. The customer was a VIP until last year, but his status has been revoked starting this year.”

The department store manager slowly nodded. Since the confirmation was done, there was only one thing left to do. "Dear customer, I'd like to offer my sincerest apologies. However, only VIPs are allowed to enter this lounge. Please understand that continuously making a scene will unfortunately force us to eject you from our premises."

The manager bowed courteously, but only a fool would fail to see that what he meant to say was ’Get out of here now if you don't want to get thrown out!’

And Hwang Min-Su was no fool. He definitely got the gist. His face reddened up from all the blood rushing to his head.

“You want to eject me?! Fine! Try it! I dare you!” Hwang Min-Su's voice got even louder as the anger got the better of him. “You bastards! You think what I've done here and stuff like that is important?! No! Think about how much I've spent in this goddamn place over the years! Yet you dare treat me like this just because I missed some stupid target for one year?! This is why you idiots can't sell sh*t to save your stinking selves!” The first reveal of this chapter happened through N//0/vel-Biiin.

“Sir, that's not something you should concern yourself with. Besides, this is our company policy.”

“Policy?!”

The store manager nodded. “Yes, dear customer. Surely, you still remember who set this policy in the first place?”

Hwang Min-Su's expression crumpled hideously. The one who came up with this policy was not Hwang Jeong-Hu, but Hwang Min-Su himself while he was still the president of this place.

Hwang Jeong-Hu merely opined that the management of VIP treatment had to be strict and clear-cut. And it was Hwang Min-Su who decided on the system of different grades and the treatments per grade. Unsurprisingly, he was also responsible for the policy of clearly dividing the VIP grades according to the money spent in the store. And his own policy had come back to haunt him like this.

Hwang Min-Su narrowed his eyes. “Wait, you look familiar?”

The store manager lowered his head slightly. “Sir, that is not important. Please don't cause a scene anymore. If you don't comply, we'll be forced to eject you from our premises, sir!”

“Just try it, you little sh*t!”

"...Security!" The department store manager coldly called out to the security personnel silently observing the situation from nearby. Black-suited young men quickly rushed in and stood behind the manager like an impenetrable human wall. One more word from the store manager, and they looked like they would immediately drag Hwang Min-Su out of here.

“Dear customer, I'd like to avoid worsening this situation if possible. As my sign of respect to my former superior, I will overlook this matter just this once. I ask you to behave yourself and back off from here. You know as well as I do that acting this way now won't change anything in the end.”

Hwang Min-Su's gaze shifted to his family behind him before moving back to the store manager. His expression seemed to convey the pleading ‘My son is watching, can you please let us in just this once?’

Unfortunately, this situation was also too delicate for the department store manager. If only Kang Jin-Ho weren't here! He could have let Hwang Min-Su through under the promise of keeping it a secret. The manager was also a father himself, so he could definitely understand where Hwang Min-Su was coming from.

'Damn it!'

The department store manager knew that Hwang Min-Su was fundamentally not a bad person in spite of his strong thirst for power. The manager didn't want to be this harsh and cold, but... his hands were tied in this situation. "Sir, please leave."

Hwang Min-Su was about to shout loudly... only for his head to droop gradually. "...If it can't be done, I guess there's no helping it."

His voice contained unmistakable sorrow. The department store manager felt this bitter aftertaste in his mouth but hid that from his expression. One needed to follow strict policies to efficiently run a large department store like his, after all.

“The customer wishes to leave. Let them be.”

“Yes, manager.” The security personnel parted to the left and right.

Hwang Min-Su lifelessly turned around to look at his wife.

"Honey..." The wife was looking back at him while also making a half-tearful face. It was so hard for her to see her husband treated this way, even though he used to be the president of this department store.

Hwang Min-Su sighed, then was about to say ‘Let's go home. But then..’

“How many people can I take with me inside?”

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly addressed the department store manager.