ALRE 09

Chapter : 9

Jae-won, who had been about to press the 21st floor, instead pressed the lobby button.

He wanted to get some fresh air before going back to the room.

When he stepped outside the hotel lobby, a crisp, refreshing coldness—nothing like what you could feel in Seoul—filled his lungs.

Pure white snow blanketed the entire world.

Even the trees were blooming with white snowflowers, sparkling under the lamplights.

Jae-won walked along the path carved like a small trail. Patches of frozen snow made it slippery, but overall, the mood was enjoyable.

Crunch, crunch—each step on the snow broke the silence of the night.

But then, beneath that sound, another faint vibration reached him.

He stopped walking and turned toward the direction the sound came from. It grew louder.

“Haah… I really am a terrible daughter.”

Her voice, carried through the cold wind, was damp with tears.

“You realized that only now?”
A lower voice—male.

“And you, mister—have you matured?”

The pair finally came into clear view.

The lamplights lining the trail lit the two as they walked.

To anyone else passing by, they would look like a sweet, affectionate couple.

The man gave a soft chuckle and reached out to ruffle the woman’s hair as if she were adorable.

“Stop that. I feel like a puppy.”

“If there were a puppy this ugly, I’d want to raise one.”

“What?”

“It’s cold. Let’s go inside.”

“Mm. But Dong-hoon… my dad keeps trying to marry me off. Why does that make me so sad? I even hate meeting Madam Choi…”

“Hey. There you go again. I held back from burying you in the snow earlier. You gonna keep crying?”

The man stopped and reached a hand toward her face.

“Oh really, Cha Dong-hoon? Acting bold now?”

“Come on. It’s cold. Let’s go in.”

“Okay.”

Jae-won narrowed his eyes as the two shapes approached.

Judging from their bickering, they were definitely more than just friends.

If she had a boyfriend, what right did she have to get drunk and lecture him so confidently?

All while mistaking everything and showing up for a blind date.

“Excuse me, Mr. Jung Jae-won. You shouldn’t be doing that. You have a girlfriend, don’t you? What are you doing out here? Think my dad is a pushover? Huh?”

The more he remembered it, the more ridiculous it became.
His irritation toward that brazen woman surged.

What a waste of his precious time—and now everything about her rubbed him the wrong way.

Jae-won’s gaze sharpened fiercely.

Even as the distance closed, the couple didn’t notice him standing right there.

Step.

He stepped forward.

Only then did they react to the sound.

“……Ah!”

Lee Young looked up with tear-shiny eyes, startled.

“Where’s the lady you were with? Why are you alone?” she asked.

“…….”

Beyond pathetic—almost laughable. He wasn’t even curious about how long she planned to misunderstand.

When he didn’t answer, she actually looked around, searching.

Look all you want—you won’t find anyone.

“Is she asleep?”

“Why do you care?”

“Huh? Oh, I just…”

Startled by the intensity of his gaze, Lee Young began to fumble.

“Your words are too much.”

Dong-hoon finally stepped in, unable to watch any longer.

That made Jae-won let out a short scoff.

“Even if she was your blind date partner, can you really talk to her that rudely?”

“And who are you to butt in?”

His sharp, cold gaze stabbed into Dong-hoon.

“I’m her friend.”

“Friend? A passing dog would laugh.”

“You really have no manners, do you?”

“Speak properly. Are you really just friends?”

“Yes, we’re friends.”

Lee Young suddenly cut in.

“Really? You’re really just friends?”

But Jae-won’s eyes stayed fixed on Dong-hoon.

Meanwhile, Dong-hoon flinched under that stare, as if the man could see straight through him.

“Why can’t you answer? You’re not friends. A man and woman at twenty-six, being just friends? Don’t you think that’s unlikely?”

“Excuse me? He’s literally just a male friend, okay? Even if we turn thirty, we’re still going to be friends. Till we die.”

“She says that. What about you? Do you think so too?”

Dong-hoon clenched his fists tightly, biting his lip.

“If you really thought she was yours, you wouldn’t let her go on stupid blind dates. That’s what a real man does. Got it?”

With eyes glinting like a predator in front of prey, he stared at Dong-hoon—then suddenly smirked and turned around.

“Ugh, what is he even talking about? As if anyone should listen to a guy who goes on blind dates while having a girlfriend. Makes no sense,” Lee Young muttered at his back.

Dong-hoon stood frozen, as if struck on the head.

“Cha Dong-hoon, what are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”

Lee Young nudged his back.

And so, practically being pushed by her, Dong-hoon finally moved.

When they entered the hotel lobby, Jae-won was standing in front of the elevator.

His relaxed, elegant figure stood out effortlessly.

People passing by naturally turned their heads toward him.

Lee Young, out of pure stubbornness, dragged Dong-hoon right next to him.

Ding—

The elevator arrived, and all three stepped inside.

Jae-won, who irritated Lee Young just by existing, stood leaning casually with his hands in his pockets.

Dong-hoon, on the other hand, looked pitifully stiff and quiet.

Ding—

The 21st floor.
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.
Jae-won stepped out first.

Still overwhelmed by his presence, Lee Young grabbed Dong-hoon and hurried out.

“Wow, I almost suffocated.”

Lee Young fussed, but Dong-hoon only looked dejected.

Jae-won tossed his clothes aside and headed straight for the shower.

The hot water streaming down brought a deep wave of drowsy fatigue.

After drying off, he stepped out of the bathroom with only a white towel around his waist and grabbed a cold beer from the minibar.

A strange thirst kept nagging at him.

After downing it in one go, he slowly looked around.

Or rather—he pictured the suite next door with the exact same layout.

Everyone must’ve fallen asleep—silence filled the air.

Even that troublesome woman was probably passed out.

Wearing only a robe, he walked around the suite, inspecting every corner.

Manager Lee would check things again tomorrow, but Jae-won examined everything with a sharp eye.

He mentally mapped what needed to be fixed or renovated.

Then—
the doorbell rang.

Who would visit at this hour?

He hadn’t ordered room service.

It wouldn’t be Manager Lee.

He listened—someone was saying something outside the door.

The manager, maybe?

He slowly walked to the entrance and opened the door.

But standing there was not the manager…
It was the blind-date woman from Room 1004.

“What the…”
His low voice echoed slightly.

“Please help me.”

She couldn’t even make proper eye contact as she said something outrageous.

Help her?

Jae-won’s brows twitched.

With her head bowed, Lee Young fidgeted with her toes, mumbling.

Jae-won lifted his gaze, tracing her pale neck and flushed cheeks.

“C-can’t we talk inside?” she asked softly, pleading.

“…Why would you come inside?”

“Please. I need help.”

“…….”

Her eyes were big and wet, like a crying puppy staring up at him—
even someone like him felt his resolve waver.

What on earth did she want?

Maybe he should at least hear her out.

He stepped aside just a little.

Immediately, she darted inside like a bullet, slipping past him.

He let out a dry laugh as he watched her tiny figure scamper to the sofa and perch there, as if afraid he’d kick her out.

She was clearly not in a normal state.