Vol 3 Ch 31

While Manager Cha was checking in, Inseop explored the lobby of the resort. The luxurious resort, located a distance away from the city, had a serene and peaceful atmosphere. Even the drama staff who had come together seemed excited.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

Inseop turned his head at the voice coming from behind. Lee Wooyeon was standing there, tapping the hotel key card.

 

“Yes, I like it. It seems like a nice place to stay.”

 

Once again, Lee Wooyeon stared at Inseop for a while before handing him the key card.

 

“Oh, uh, my room is separate…”

 

“Just in case, the assistant manager should have it.”

 

Inseop accepted the key card from Lee Wooyeon with a bewildered expression.

 

“…What about lunch?”

 

Inseop asked, fiddling with the key card.

 

“Are you asking me as a manager?”

 

Lee Wooyeon retorted.

 

Should I say no?

 

As Inseop hesitated, Lee Wooyeon replied.

 

“Let’s rest in the room for a bit and then order room service.”

 

“You must be tired.”

 

As Inseop nodded in agreement, Lee Wooyeon’s eyes briefly showed a sigh.

 

“Oh, right.”

 

Inseop took out a small bag from his suitcase.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“The luggage you asked for. It’s just underwear and some travel essentials. If you need anything else…”

 

He was about to say he would buy it, but he heard a hint of laughter from Lee Wooyeon. He clearly sensed the displeasure hidden in that short laughter.

 

“I didn’t expect you to take care of it separately. Thank you.”

 

Lee Wooyeon accepted the bag and thanked him. Meanwhile, Manager Cha who had received his room assignment approached with a smile.

 

“I heard they do the check-in explanation right in the room here? By the way, Inseop, it’s okay if we’re sharing a room, right? I snore a bit loudly, so it might be noisy. Haha.”

 

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

 

Lee Wooyeon glanced at Manager Cha and asked seriously.

 

“Who said that? Manager Cha, who said you snore loudly?”

 

“You did, you. You told me to look into snoring surgery.”

 

Lee Wooyeon narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly. His smile was so sweet it made Inseop want to avoid eye contact involuntarily. Forgetting that they were in the hotel lobby, Inseop stared blankly at Lee Wooyeon.

 

Lowering his head slightly towards Manager Cha, Lee Wooyeon whispered softly.

 

“When did I say you snore a little? I said you snore like crazy.”

 

“…”

 

“Try not to breathe while you sleep.”

 

With that absurd advice thrown in a gentle manner, Lee Wooyeon disappeared with his luggage.

 

“I really want to throw it away.”

 

Muttering softly as he rubbed his forehead, Manager Cha, Inseop, couldn’t even lift his head for being too embarrassed.

 

***

 

After showering, when Inseop came out, manager Cha was already lying down, snoring. Inseop quickly tidied up his things and sat on the bed. Out of habit, he checked his phone and saw a message from Lee Wooyeon.

 

[Are you sleeping?]

 

Inseop half-raised his body and quickly replied.

 

[No, I’m not sleeping.]

 

I wonder why.

 

Inseop glanced at the key card placed on the bedside table. In the meantime, he received another message from Lee Wooyeon.

 

[Don’t sleep now or you’ll fail to adapt to the time difference.]

 

Okay, got it. What is Wooyeon doing now…

 

Inseop started typing but then deleted it.

 

]Yes. Got it.]

 

Even after a while, there was no reply.

 

Should he ask if he can go to Wooyeon’s room now? Maybe he can just pretend to bring something and quickly see his face.

 

…But I think he’s still angry.

 

Inseop laid back on the bed with his phone in hand. He hoped, even though Lee Wooyeon maintained a suitable distance when he was still angry, when his anger subsided, he would silently reach out, pull Inseop close, and kiss him.

 

He wondered when that will happen.

 

As he looked through the photos of Lee Wooyeon stored in his phone’s secret folder, Inseop closed his eyes.

 

Even while visiting this mild and beautiful island, all he could think about was Lee Wooyeon.

 

***

 

Even after opening his eyes, Inseop had to think for a while to figure out where he was in the darkness.

 

“….!”

 

Inseop checked the clock. It was 11 PM.

 

“…This is not good.”

 

Checking the side, he found the bed empty.

 

I’ll have a drink and come back. You’re sleeping so deeply, I don’t want to wake you up so I’ll go out.

 

There was a note left by Manager Cha on the table. Inseop sat up and checked his phone. There were no messages from Lee Wooyeon.

 

By now, he must be asleep.

 

Inseop lay back on the bed. He tossed and turned for a while, but once he woke up, sleep did not come easily again.

 

Inseop sat up. He took out a small plastic bag from his luggage. He had deliberately taken out a portion of the skincare that Wooyeon used separately from the bag earlier.

 

“…Am I being too obvious?”

 

Inseop murmured as he looked at the bag, then got up from his seat. But he couldn’t help it. He wanted to seize the opportunity to reconcile, even if it meant using such cowardly means.

 

Inseop took the key card given by Wooyeon and went out into the corridor. Wooyeon’s room was on the 4th floor. As he descended in the elevator, Inseop pondered.

 

Is it a bad idea to go there and provoke his anger? …he should have at least combed his hair properly.

 

Inseop took a shower and combed his hair with his fingers, straightening the mess. Meanwhile, the elevator arrived at the 4th floor. Wooyeon’s room was at the end of the corridor. Standing in front of it, Inseop cautiously knocked on the door.

 

“Wooyeon.”

 

He called his name and knocked a few more times, but the door didn’t open.

 

“….”

 

Is he asleep?

 

After hesitating, Inseop gathered his courage and opened the door with the key card Wooyeon had given him.

 

“Wooyeon. …It’s Choi Inseop.”

 

Inseop groped through the darkness and managed to enter.

 

“Wooyeon.”

 

It was silent. He couldn’t even feel a presence. It was then that Inseop realized that Wooyeon wasn’t in the room. Something in him relaxed. He hadn’t even considered that Wooyeon might have gone somewhere alone.

 

Inseop gently placed the plastic bag on the bed and stepped out of the room.

 

Where could he have gone at this late hour? There was no message saying he went out….

 

Inseop checked his quiet phone screen and put it sadly back into his pocket.

 

As he mulled over the sadness that crept in while riding the elevator, the door opened. It was the lobby on the first floor. It was only then that Inseop realized he hadn’t pressed the floor he wanted to go to. As he hurriedly pressed the button to go back up, people rushed into the elevator.

 

They were actors from the drama. It seemed like they had all gathered for a drink, as the smell of alcohol wafted through. Inseop quickly nodded at them and squeezed into the corner of the elevator. Just then, as the elevator was about to close, he met eyes with Wooyeon, who had just entered.

 

“Wooyeon, are you planning to take a break after this is over?”

 

“Yes. I plan to take a break for a while.”

 

“A lot of work will come your way. Don’t overwork yourself when it does.”

 

“Ah, don’t worry. Wooyeon is always in places full of water.”

 

Everyone burst into laughter. Wooyeon was looking at Inseop. Somehow, he couldn’t meet his eyes and just lowered his head.

 

“We’ll go in first. Goodnight.”

 

Several people got off.

 

“What floor is Lee Wooyeon on?”

 

“7th floor.”

 

Inseop’s heart sank. The 7th floor was where Inseop’s room was located. When the elevator arrived on the 7th floor, Lee Wooyeon got off first. Inseop also said goodbye to the remaining people and got off. Lee Wooyeon walked ahead.

 

Was he going somewhere else?

 

Inseop quietly walked down the hallway. When he arrived at the door, he reached into his pocket for the key card, but then heard a low voice from behind.

 

“Why are you wandering around at this hour?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep, so I took a short walk.”

 

Inseop couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had gone to and from his room.

 

“Go inside and get some rest.”

 

“Yes. Goodnight.”

 

Inseop tried to open the door. At that moment, a hand reached out from behind and closed the door firmly.

 

“Are you not feeling well?”

 

Inseop was startled by the sudden intrusion and almost collapsed. His heart thumped, and blood rushed to his face. He felt like Lee Wooyeon might reach out from behind and embrace his waist at any moment.

 

“I’m not sick.”

 

Inseop managed to reply weakly.

 

“Why is your hair like that again?”

 

Inseop’s face turned red as he realized that Lee Wooyeon’s gaze was on his tousled hair.

 

“I woke up, and I should have dried my hair and gone back to sleep, but I fell asleep just like that…”

 

Inseop stammered and ran his hand through his tousled hair. A brief laughter was heard. Inseop turned around and caught a glimpse of Lee Wooyeon smiling. The laughter disappeared from his face, and the air around them seemed to thicken. His heart began to beat faster.

 

“I was…”

 

As Lee Wooyeon was about to speak, the door behind them suddenly opened with a creak.

 

“Inseop? Why aren’t you coming in and what’s…?”

 

Manager Cha froze in place, staring at Lee Wooyeon with cold eyes.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Ah, nothing. We just met outside, and I was about to go in.”

 

Inseop stuttered, bowing slightly to Lee Wooyeon.

 

“Then I’ll go in first. Lee Wooyeon, have a good night’s sleep.”

 

“…Okay. Go ahead.”

 

As Inseop entered the room, Lee Wooyeon’s gaze turned even colder. Manager Cha hesitated to close the door and then laughed softly as Lee Wooyeon gave him a cold look.

 

“You should go in and sleep alone too. It’s late at night.”

 

“Yes. I understand, Manager.”

 

That jerk, why is he smiling like a flower while looking at me anxiously?

 

Manager Cha silently cursed Lee Wooyeon for smiling sweetly at him for once.

 

“Aren’t you worried about anything?”

 

“What should I be worried about?”

 

“If I go back to Korea, we’ll be working together again.”

 

“….”

 

It was a kind of threat, questioning whether he could handle the consequences.

 

Manager Cha, despite the cold sweat running down his back, maintained a composed expression as he stared directly at Lee Wooyeon.

 

“I’m only doing this until this job is done. Honestly, do I look like someone who should be driving around and running errands at my age?”

 

“Yes, you do.”

 

Damn it, what a bastard.

 

Manager Cha continued with a rational tone.

 

“The CEO also said this is the last time. He said if I leave you in charge one more time, he’ll be furious.”

 

“Ah, so that’s what he said last time.”

 

Although he knew that talking with Lee Wooyeon could be risky, Manager Cha couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked what the CEO had said last time.

 

“He said he’s changing his name to Cha Hakseung. I wondered if you two were getting married and following the husband’s surname.”

 

“Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep!”

 

Manager Cha closed the door in annoyance.

 

“Ugh, that crazy guy.”

 

Muttering to himself, Manager Cha suddenly sent a message to CEO Kim in a fit of anxiety.

 

[CEO. …You’re not seriously considering changing your name, are you?]