A Lie Has Turned Into Reality

Two days passed.

I relentlessly dug through my dark history, piecing together scattered information, and arranged it in chronological order like a puzzle.

I also finished organizing some of the assets I currently owned.

‘Real estate?’

‘Real estate could be traced back to me… just some prime land in Seoul, haha.’

Because of these two lines, I unexpectedly became a property owner. There are so many types of assets apart from just savings. Coming from a background where loans were the only thing I had, this was a completely unfamiliar experience.

In addition, I had four personal cars.

I’m the type of person who never even bothered to take a driving test because I didn’t want to spend the money. So, logically, I shouldn’t be able to drive, but with my face and voice changed, does it really matter?

Thanks to the sentence “I enjoy driving,” I somehow became an expert driver.

[Seo Hye: Oppa, I’ll be there in an hour!]

[Hot Potato: Got it.]

The preparations for the meeting were complete.

Only the departure remained.

I quickly grabbed some comfortable-looking clothes and picked out a watch from the display.

I also grabbed a random bottle of perfume and sprayed it.

From the mountain of shoes, I chose a clean, simple pair and made my way to the parking lot.

Sigh—

A sigh escaped me inside the car.

Who would’ve thought that one day I’d actually meet someone I’ve known online?

I feel so sentimental.

What should I say when we meet? How should I speak?

I ran a mental simulation of our conversation a few times, and before I knew it, I arrived at the meeting place.

I put the key in and started the car, handing the valet the keys.

Actually meeting her made my blood run cold.

I tried to calm my pounding heart and glanced around.

Tap-

A feeling from behind made me quickly turn around.

“Huh…?”

“Oppa, it’s me! Seo Hye!”

“Ah… yeah.”

She had a cute, round face with a fresh, innocent beauty.

Could this really be Seo Hye?

Her appearance was so much more beautiful than I expected that I was momentarily speechless.

She looked at me up and down in apparent shock.

I forced myself to meet her gaze and spoke.

“…Nice to meet you.”

“I’m so touched… You know I came all this way just to meet you, right?”

“Yeah… Shall we head inside? I made a reservation.”

“Sure! I’m so happy to finally see you in person.”

I bowed my head deeply at her bashful words and led the way inside.

That’s when I suddenly remembered something I had overlooked.

Unlike me, a recluse, she was a social butterfly.

As she followed me, casually chatting, I replied appropriately, leading her inside.

The table was neatly set, and the space was wide, but there were surprisingly few customers.

With the high ceilings and subtle lighting installed all around, it felt like a place where one would pay 500,000 won for a single meal.

The interior alone was overwhelming, but I tried my best to maintain a calm demeanor as I walked.

Following the staff’s lead, we entered the most private room at the back.

As she glanced at the prices on the menu, I saw her pupils shake, as if an earthquake had just struck.

I get it, girl, I really do.

Of course, now it’s nothing, but just a few days ago, I was surviving on convenience store food.

“Isn’t this ridiculously expensive?”

“Once you try it, you’ll understand.”

“It’s like they’ve covered the food in gold or something.”

“Ahem. Don’t feel pressured, just eat. I’m treating.”

I cleared my throat awkwardly, feeling a bit out of place.

We continued with our trivial conversation.

With her cheerful and excited responses to everything I said, I started to relax a little.

“Hello, I’ll be guiding you through the course.”

Before long, a staff member came over and began placing the dishes one by one with detailed explanations.

Instead of thinking “looks delicious,” my first thought was “it’s beautiful.”

Thanks to the extreme plating, the food looked more like a piece of art than something to eat.

‘This is insane…!’

Before I even had the chance to chew properly, the softness of the food seemed to melt into my mouth, moving down my throat.

With every bite, an explosion of flavor and richness hit my taste buds.

What had I been eating all this time?

How could food leave such a fresh shock on me?

I thought to myself, “I need to live longer to experience this more.”

“The food was in my mouth, but it disappeared…”

She, too, was staring wide-eyed, marveling at the food.

From that moment on, as if we had made a silent pact, we spent the next hour silently devouring the course after course of food placed in front of us.

I couldn’t help but smile wryly, thinking about how I had lived without knowing any of this.

Is this the reality of capitalism?

“Oppa, I’ve made up my mind.”

Huh?

Her voice suddenly became serious, completely out of place in the mood.

“I’ve realized. This is what money is for—to spend it on things like this.”

She must have been quite shocked.

Well, it was an experience that made the money feel completely worth it.

I nodded in agreement with her words.

Finally, the day came to meet the much-talked-about “Hot Potato,” the name that had been circulating in our community.

The community we were part of wasn’t a very large one, but it was close-knit, and the members often had meetups.

Among them, there was an enigmatic figure known as “Hot Potato.”

According to rumors, this person was a massive asset owner but had severe social anxiety, which kept him holed up at home.

Honestly, I was suspicious. If someone was confident enough, why would they avoid meeting?

That day, I just had a feeling.

“Honestly, I was just testing the waters.”

After persistent effort, I had finally gotten confirmation that we would meet.

I was finally going to see the person behind the rumors.

I had traveled all the way to Seoul, but part of me was worried he wouldn’t show up.

“If he doesn’t show, that’s a done deal…”

By now, I had already made up my mind.

There had been some posts online criticizing Hot Potato as well.

Handsome, incredibly wealthy, but terrified of meeting people.

“Does that even make sense?”

I chuckled and made my way up to Seoul.

Even though I had reserved a fine dining experience that costs hundreds of thousands for one meal, I didn’t expect much.

All I wanted was to find out if his entire persona was a lie.

Maybe I had developed some attachment to him.

[Seo Hye: I’m here, LOL. I don’t think he’ll show, but I’ll wait anyway.]

[Starry Berry: I doubt Hot Potato will show… You’re just wasting your time, Seo Hye ]

[Cha Taehoon: Why? He might show up.]

[Starry Berry: Do you really think so? The whole idea of him staying holed up at home just to be online makes no sense, LOL.]

[Seo Hye: Heh… Yeah, I guess.]

Since many had been curious about his true identity, today’s meeting was the talk of the town.

The time to finally meet had arrived.

I looked around, but I couldn’t spot the guy from his profile anywhere.

On top of that, he hadn’t even read the message I sent asking when he would arrive. Did he block me?

I had expected it, but it still wasn’t an enjoyable experience.

Sigh.

I suppressed the overwhelming disappointment.

“Ugh… What a waste of time.”

Just as I was about to give up on any hope and prepare to leave, a particularly expensive-looking luxury car caught my eye among the ordinary ones.

The symbol of wealth—the finest handmade luxury car brand, Rolls-Royce.

Even those who don’t know cars have probably heard of the brand at least once.

Who could be driving such a car?

How much money must they have? What do they look like?

But wait, is that car coming toward us? Is it a mistake?

The Rolls-Royce that was entering the parking lot of the upscale restaurant where we were supposed to meet.

No way. It can’t be.

But still, I’m curious to see who’s getting out of the car, so maybe I should move closer and watch for a bit.

Clunk—

With the soft sound of the door opening, a man stepped out.

“Whoa!”

He looked exactly like the profile picture of Hot Potato!

‘Was everything real?’

My mind went blank as I froze in place.

The man who got out of the car looked around, as if searching for someone, and then started walking toward me confidently.

I had assumed it was all a lie.

Anyone I asked would have given the same answer.

Although there were photos posted as proof and gifts sent frequently, the evidence always felt lacking, and his attitude was always vague.

He probably didn’t realize it, but public opinion had already turned.

And now, all that certainty had been overturned.

The disappointment that had consumed my mind vanished, and excitement and curiosity began to grow.

I wonder how everyone else will react?

I tried to calm my racing heart.

Tap—

I cautiously moved behind him and tapped his back.

Startled, he quickly turned around, and our eyes met.

‘No way.’

His profile picture had been completely authentic.

If anything, the real him might be even better.

But that wasn’t all.

Since I worked in the fashion industry, I was confident in my knowledge of fashion brands.

A Fendi knit, Daol track pants, Hermes sneakers, Bottega Veneta crossbody bag, Richard Mille watch.

The value of what he was wearing alone could easily buy a house.

“Uh…?”

The voice of the man in those extravagant luxury clothes.

It was the same voice I had heard so many times, the one I used to laugh and chat with.

Ah… it was all real.

I managed to control my expression as I greeted him brightly.

“Oppa, it’s you, right? It’s Seo Hye!”

“Ah… yeah.”

My almost certain suspicion had been wrong, and he had always been sincere.

Although he didn’t even know I had doubted him, I felt genuinely sorry.

The time we spent laughing and chatting together hadn’t been a lie.

“I’m so touched… You know I came all the way here just to see you, right?”

“Ah… yeah… shall we head inside? I made a reservation.”

“Sure! I’m so happy to finally see you in person.”

Honestly, I’ve never felt so good.

Maybe this could turn into something truly special?

With a slightly flushed face, I watched him walk ahead, feeling a bit like I was chasing after him. He seemed so cute.