Back in college, I shared an apartment with a girl who was the definition of Crazy Rich Asian rich. Everything she owned screamed luxury — from her clothes to her perfume, even the way she carried herself. But the one thing that always caught my eye was this tiny, stylish mini bag she carried whenever we went out.

One weekend, I had a concert to go to and jokingly asked if I could borrow it. She smiled and said, “Oh sure, no problem!” I was thrilled — the bag was perfect: elegant, compact, and just big enough for my essentials. I spent the whole night feeling like I’d just stepped out of a magazine.

The next day, I decided I had to get one for myself. I looked it up online, expecting it to be a couple hundred dollars at most. But when the search results popped up, my jaw hit the floor — the exact same bag cost over $25,000.

It wasn’t just a purse. It was a Hermès Mini Kelly, made from exotic leather and completely handcrafted. My “concert bag” was worth more than my entire year’s tuition.

I returned it to her the next morning, carefully setting it on her vanity like a sacred object. She just laughed and said, “Oh, that old thing?”

That’s when I realized — some people really do live in a completely different world.