Chapter 3: 3

That day was the same…

A pair appearing to be mother and daughter entered the store. 

After several months of working in a department store, I had become good at reading people. These two were clothed in the season’s latest trends and carried numerous paper bags of expensive brands. They were VIP customers and sure to raise the sales.

“Are you looking for something specific?”

“No, I’ll just look around.” The daughter answered. 

There was a lingering discomfort in the air. Avoiding someone because it would be too bothersome to interact with them is different than outright ignoring them, and the other person can usually tell when it’s happening. This, and judging from how they talked, I realized that I should be careful around these customers. 

“Please let me know if you need anything. I’m at your disposal.”

I stepped back and waited, as not to bother them as they looked around. I felt envious seeing the daughter, who appeared younger than me, carelessly rummaging through this and that.

Some have to work tirelessly, like me, while others can go out and spend a month’s worth of my salary in one sitting without batting an eyelash.

It’s not that I was bitter about being born without a silver spoon.

It’s just that this disparity that seemed so hard to understand as a child was all too clear to see with these customers.

Some people have to toil for days and days on end just to buy a simple dress. Then there are others, who buy expensive clothes without a thought, and never even wear them. I don’t want to feel this way, but this sense of deprivation hits me pretty frequently.

Alas, that’s the most important thing to avoid in this job. Don’t compare yourself with others. Your life itself is different from theirs. I have to remember that.

As I turned away, so that I wouldn’t get swallowed by greed, my eyes met the daughter’s. She was watching me. Seeing her stern face, I felt that something was wrong.

“Unnie, was your mind wandering somewhere else, even though there are customers right in front of you?”

(T/N: ‘Unnie’ is Korean for ‘sister,’ used by a younger female to address an older female, not necessarily blood-related.)

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

I quickly bowed and apologized. It was my fault for not concentrating on my work.

“Ha, that’s funny. To do that so easily.”

The daughter snorted sarcastically. She crossed her hands and tilted her head, about to continue in earnest. So I quickly bowed deeper.

“I’m really sorry, ma’am. I will be more careful.”

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“It’s easy to gobble up others’ money, isn’t it?”

I knew I made a mistake, but I didn’t think it was large enough to warrant this treatment. All the sarcasm made me emotional, and I pressed down on the rising sadness. I felt like I was going to scream, so I bit my lower lip and lowered my head.

“Unnie, are you annoyed?”

“No, ma’am.”

“What do you mean, ‘no?’ You got annoyed because of what I said, didn’t you?”

When the daughter burst out, the mother belatedly stepped in.

“What’s going on?”

“Mom, this person was getting annoyed right now. What does she mean, ‘no?’ She frowned now. I saw everything. Do you think I’m stupid?”

She was in high school, at most, but had cut off the honorifics. This kind of treatment was really unfair.

(T/N: The Korean language has honorifics – special titles, words, and verbs – that are used to refer to people older than you or higher than you in the social hierarchy.)

“What? Are you ignoring us?”

“Yes. If the employees are so unfriendly, won’t people be scared to buy from the shop?”

The voices of the mother and daughter grew louder, and people began rubbernecking to see the commotion. Since something needed to be done fast, I apologized first.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m really sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to look annoyed.”

I hoped they would calm down after this apology, but rather, the voices of the two became louder since it was as if they were proven correct.

“You’re sorry for ignoring us right now, is that it? Where is the manager? Tell him to come out right now. How much did we spend at this department store today? Is this how you treat us?”

“I know, right? Mom, I don’t think I can come to this department store again.”

The manager, who was finally alerted to the commotion, came running and panting, and a nearby security guard also approached.

“What’s the matter?”

But there was no way he could calm the mother and daughter. Instead, the two began to make an even bigger fuss once the person in charge appeared.

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