The Prince of K-Pop || Bang Chan FF

Chapter Forty-Eight

          The lobby of KeumPu felt more like the lobby for a concert hall than a jewelry store. Large windows brought in natural light that the chandeliers of the high ceiling transmuted into brilliant white. The walls were a beautiful ivory that felt vibrant against the gold that trimmed everything, even the outlets. The floor was a checkered pattern that seemed to be made out of a material Naty had no name for. All she knew was that it had been polished so clean she could see her reflection in it.

          The place was lovely.

          Because KeumPu was appointment only, there were no patrons loitering around when Naty and Fred arrived. The woman noted that even if it were open to the Cheongdam luxury fashion street there would not be much to see. There were hardly any display cases despite the lobby appearing as though it could host a whole gala of jewelry. All that remained visible were large circles hanging on the wall that seemed to stand as some sort of banner or sigil or crest. The circles appeared solid gold with what looked like an ancient drawing of a lily.

          If it were actually made of solid gold, which Naty imagined so, it was quite the spectacle for any new guests to behold.

          Other than that, there was a small asterisk shaped display case underneath the largest chandelier. A man stood before it as if he were guarding Buckingham Palace though he looked more like he could have been in the Men in Black. He seemed to have beautiful gold jewelry adorning him though Naty was too far away to truly grasp the details.

          He wasn't the main focus anyway.

          Naty followed Fred as they walked toward the only other individual that seemed to work there. Separate clusters of seating were available but there was only one beautiful round table with a woman sitting at it. She resembled a loan signing agent waiting for someone to walk in so she could set them up with an account. The only difference was that she too seemed to be decked in beautiful gold while she tapped away at what looked like an iPad. There was no recognition from the woman even as Fred and Naty walked toward her.

          "How can I be of assistance?"

          The man that had been standing guard was suddenly before them and blocking their path. Naty was impressed by his speed and silence. Fred responded as if he had seen every step that man had taken, "We have an appointment for 2 o'clock."

          The security guard quickly moved to the woman to whisper in her ear the information that Fred had just shared. It was only then the woman turned her gaze to the two. Naty felt a cold chill run down her spine at the sudden attention.

          The woman stood to her feet and Fred took that as a beckoning. The man walked forward as he bowed and introduced himself in the proper Korean Chan had used earlier, "Good afternoon, I am Jung Beom-seok here with Naty Higuera for the two o'clock appointment taking place today."

          Naty was amazed by how in the moment Fred was since all day he had been declaring what a bad idea visiting KeumPu would be. He consistently asked if Naty was sure she wanted to do it to which Naty replied that she was not sure but would be doing it anyway. Fred typically responded with a grunt and then a run-down of his rules for going through with the job.

          The woman's hardheadedness, as Fred lovingly called it, came with a set of rules that she would have to follow. KeumPu's reputation required Fred to do most of the talking with little regard to any input from Naty. This was not because of gender but because of Naty's accent when she spoke. The woman had thought she was rounding the bend on fluency but, as Fred lovingly explained, she still sounded very American in her speech. KeumPu would certainly not be a fan of that and so the first rule was to allow Fred to be her ambassador.