Noticing his reaction, Tiffany mused, narrowing her eyes. "You don't have money, right? I knew it. You—"
"I'll pay by using the card," he interrupted in a short and concise manner.
She furrowed her brows and brought out a POS machine (Point of Sale machine).
Everyone's eyes lingered on the machine as Augustes swiped his card… payment successfully went through.
"I'll take the Full Luxury Package at $1,399," he said with a steady gaze.
Tiffany's eyes widened. "Y-yes, sir, this way please," she stuttered and politely gestured for him to enter, while the bodyguard raised his brows sharply.
"Damn, how is he entering? Wait, guys, let me check," Caesar said and ran toward the entrance, but was blocked by the same bodyguard.
"Why are you letting him in and not me?" he questioned frantically.
"None of your business, kid," he replied in a rough tone.
"Augustus, wait! You said you would take me along!" Caesar yelled from behind, but Augustus ignored him and walked into the store.
But before disappearing from his vision, he heard him shout into the phone, "Fuckers, now you're laughing at me…"
Once inside, he was asked to sit in the waiting room. Moments passed, and Mr. Orno finally came.
"Hello, Augustus," he said while scanning him up and down. "You've got sharp features under that mess. Follow me to bring that out."
Augustus walked into a large room where four women stood side by side, smiling warmly at him. He returned the gesture with a calm nod.
Holy shit, this place looks more like a five-star suite than a salon.
One hour later, Augustus stared into the mirror. A stranger looked back. Sharp jaw, styled black hair, and eyes burning with focus.
"Hmmm, kid, you don't look bad yourself," Orno mused with a thoughtful look. One must know that Daniel Orno was used to seeing handsome and pretty faces, so his compliment held some weight to it.
Augustus broke into a dazzling smile. No kidding, I really look good, he mused.
"Here, Augustus, take my personal number. If you need anything, just give me a call," he said and handed him a card.
Augustus nodded with an easy smile. "Thank you, Sir Orno," he said and began walking toward the exit. If it weren't for his worn-out clothes, he could have easily walked into a modeling interview because of his looks.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Task #05:
[✓] Haircut | [✓] Shave | [×] Dress Properly
Level up your look—because the world treats you how you present yourself.
| Penalty: Your 3 contacts will receive an embarrassing message
| Reward: $50,000 + Brand-new phone + Confidence
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
I just need to buy some good clothes, and $50,000 will be in my account… This almost feels unreal, he thought, looking at the panel and finally stepped out of the salon.
Surprisingly, Caesar was still waiting for him outside, thinking that he had went in while making some excuses. After all, this was more believable than Augustus actually paying them money.
Bright sun rays hit his fair, handsome face as he stood tall with composure. Then he glanced at Caesar, who was walking toward him at a quick pace with an annoyed face.
However, without sparing him a glance, Augustus turned right and began walking in the direction of a clothing store.
The 'Dress Properly' task still needed to be completed.
Since this was an elite sector, only luxury or costly things were sold, catering to the wealthier side of the city.
Augustus walked at a normal pace, while Caesar caught up to him speedily.
"You—" he started but stopped after glancing at Augustus's face, falling silent, feeling a sudden sting of inadequacy as they walked side by side.
One wore a faint, happy smile; the other trailed behind, shadowed by doubt. The power dynamic was slowly shifting, but Augustus still remained calm and silent, letting his actions speak for themselves.
They both stopped outside of 'Veyron & Vale,' a flagship clothing store. Augustus muttered, "This should do it," and entered the store swiftly.
Caesar hesitated but soon followed to see how things would turn out. In the corner of his mind, there was still some doubt regarding Augustus.
Once both stepped in, a staff member quickly approached them. However, she straight away went toward Caesar after glancing at Augustus's clothes.
The world really does treat me based on my looks, he thought, and began to browse clothes by himself.
Sweeping his gaze, he quickly found a nice pant in a single glance. Hmm. Now I need a nice shirt, he thoughtfully hummed, but soon turned his head when a not-so-familiar voice chimed in from behind.
"Here, take this black t-shirt with a thick beige shirt," while holding each cloth in two hands.
Augustus glanced at both hands—one holding a t-shirt and another a shirt almost bordering toward a jacket. A bright smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, I'll take this," he said excitedly and looked at the woman holding it.
But before he could utter anything, she began, "I almost didn't recognize you, but after… a closer inspection, I knew it was you," she said with a soft smile.
He furrowed his brows. "Wait, you are Miss Singer!" he exclaimed with widened eyes.
"Hehe, yes," she chuckled and murmured softly, "I sing in the morning and start my shift here by 9 a.m.," with a light smile.
"Janice, I'll attend to the customer here. You don't have to worry about him," the first staff member who had ignored him said, interrupting their conversation. "Sir, please allow me—"
"I've already decided to buy the clothes Miss… Janice has recommended to me," Augustus asserted in a firm tone.
Then, shifting his tone, he decided, "Let's go, Miss Singer. I'll take this. Your recommendations are spot on," he said and walked toward the billing counter.
The bill had come up to $3,400. This time, however, Augustus slightly hesitated to pay the bill. Not because he had no money, but it was just a reflection of who he was earlier. Should I buy clothes this costly? He thought.
Ding!
[Task #06: No Hesitation — Pay the Bill in 30 Seconds]
Host must spend without overthinking. Confidence over calculation.
| Penalty: System lockdown for 12 hours
↳ Reward: 10X Bill Amount → | $34,000
After reading the new task, he hastily swiped his card. And as the payment went through, he sighed with relief. System, you almost gave me a heart attack, he mused. But seeing how there was no reply, he went to the trial room and quickly changed into his new clothes.
[Task #06: No Hesitation — Pay the Bill in 30 Seconds]
[Task #06: Completed]
↳ Reward: 10X Bill Amount → | $34,000
| Avail. Bal: $63,373.87