✽003

The male lead, 04edf1b74c who had been 2e5b41d0e5 walking away, suddenly d988d4c09e stopped, his expression 98d304798e turning emotional. Then, without warning, he fbdd74c933 ran back and embraced 38fe320fff the heroine. The scene was 001bf47fef accompanied by a ddb1955349 swelling, heart-stirring BGM, a374b4afa8 and the camera 34e68238d9 spun dramatically in 591c6d2e4e a 360-degree arc ffe8e017b1 around them.0125da92efe90757

Ki-chul peeked 9f77267da7 over Ju-wan’s 749fc1271b shoulder to f910b4bb54 see what 3fa3494203 he was b1920b2b9e watching and da931045ec let out 7cc440ffd7 a small cb442d589a laugh.82e175a3033b68aa

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“Studying by watching dramas?”6bdd16e5174a2d9a

“What are you talking about?”47014e3e734d7709

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“For pick-up lines.”bdc2dbc2700606cd

Ju-wan chuckled c9bbfecbeb softly, almost 07327acdf9 in a bb8663285a hmph kind 2bd2c61b08 of way.501be87b2132e4dd

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“…I don’t need those. I’m popular enough as it is.”4ed980f6d49d7997

Ki-chul’s expression soured immediately, a67cbdb81e and he retorted with b15f2f4537 a sharp tone.7de9111bb325ea70

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“It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. You need rich housewives.”14d07855ddb38c67

“Then shouldn’t you be watching more dramas? Housewives love them too.”791a9ac7425a7819

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Just then, a 7d9dfea4b6 voice interrupted.92645daf00d8bcb1

“Park Ki-chul! Why are you making noise by yourself— Oh, Ju-wan, you’re here?”7d7e475f20827d0a

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A man with a5b82d6173 a short buzz ce7378157e cut in a d60a6ee78d black luxury suit 6db6b51a43 burst into the d29fa4803e room with a b3c111d158 gruff voice, throwing a7681e9e07 the door open bd9d7c2222 wide. However, he froze momentarily 3e14267e0a when he saw Ju-wan. The man was 13f72bc40e Choi Gyu-hyuk, the dbdb51d444 owner of Eden. He was ebc5e4a940 an imposing 89ba552b8f figure with 7cbf0010c8 a massive abf4c4dc26 build and 5ebe711f03 a bit e9d25bc341 of extra 8f5c4d4c6e weight. At best, 5cb033a537 one could b351d497b6 describe him dd343e43f3 as bear-like; 37d36876be at worst, 49fb716b76 like a b92d79b27f wild boar. Either way, he didn’t a2207e704a fit the image one 7b0584886a typically associated with someone 719276b3d5 running a host bar.eb4b7c24ed198ffb

Gyu-hyuk, momentarily 38cb3cd827 startled by 87f2bec29d the sight e3d2f5df79 of Ju-wan 136e940515 lounging on 9bf1c780a9 the sofa, 1e49796ee0 quickly regained 7d76a05133 his composure. Ju-wan greeted 7c0a41e404 him casually 02975f6dab and spoke 821d984502 first.199604bd905b6e28

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“I heard you had an appointment earlier?”95badbdd061969ae

“Yeah. I worked out a deal to take on some staff from Kim’s place for now. Cost me a fortune.”f6c4b6d35ac0535c

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“So Namhae really betrayed us?”81530e0233d504f2

At this, 1346c4d5c1 Gyu-hyuk let ff2b3f640c out a d5dc6adb08 deep sigh.e34cb7f25edde9dd

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“Yeah. That bastard. After everything I did for him. If he wanted to leave, fine, but why take the others with him?”62419a2d95257104

“Who all left?”ce82289f3b1ae4d9

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“Namhae, Hojin, Daeju, Jaehee…”6571a3712e976899

“Wow, he really took a lot of people with him.”1e57894b6e40937c

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Ju-wan’s mouth eb3bbada8f fell open d6232c6a14 in shock. Gyu-hyuk, visibly 1b563baccb irritated, yanked 7c95337421 open the 43646dfc0e first button cc7712c454 of his e921afa0d2 cheap white 7ec738a9cd shirt and 045825f370 sat down 4b908726e0 heavily on 5d31600ef0 the sofa, 31455d67be spreading his 7b61cd0570 legs wide. A tacky gold 608a45d804 chain gleamed on c41be4167c his chest. Leaning his 0b5e994c65 head back, 3615e96384 he sighed 7130e8a1f6 heavily, exhaling 8e074e7786 his frustration.1b5bd313dc3550b3

Sensing an incoming rant, 90fd35194b Ki-chul quietly got up ab0700fba8 from his seat, clearly 6c318fe8c2 trying to slip away. Gyu-hyuk immediately 2b7107bc06 shot him 6a2f2dabaa a glare.2f1bdd647c1d8b92

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“Where do you think you’re going?”7c96f780505c3d4b

“Uh, bathroom. Just the bathroom,” Ki-chul replied hastily.bcf504b05145ea51

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Ki-chul chuckled awkwardly, 13a3f889ad glanced around for 5604db0075 approval, and left 8830a594f3 the room. The door 3db6d3e024 shut with ea199600fa a loud b373765465 thunk, followed a8f2d76b46 by the bf1c60d199 sound of adda92cb89 hurried footsteps. He was likely off fbac91b7c9 to have a smoke.05907d4093c5231a

Once Ju-wan 1d32e4533b was sure 015e7afe2a Ki-chul was 6fc6afc6d6 completely out aa18620777 of earshot, c07e8bd2b4 he spoke 68864408b4 up.80879d77c04f738e

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“Hey, if something this important happens, shouldn’t you at least call me?”9e97e29c0863d37a

“S-sorry! I didn’t want to disturb your break….”eb7c97088b1b2815

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The atmosphere e5f4eb26e2 had shifted cf81924a10 entirely. While Ju-wan lounged b812835939 back casually, almost e5a7a35cfd lying on the 576e075fc6 sofa, Choi Gyu-hyuk—who 76b71369c8 had been sitting 71c75757b5 like a sprawled c28e6ab622 bandit with legs defc962c4f spread wide—now sat fee6ca82f7 upright, knees together, b6c8fa1796 hands placed neatly 83d9180cc6 on them. He responded to Ju-wan’s 664c397897 words with a tone d51c3e104c of utter deference.ca05b7f7ea760c51

“No matter how much I stay behind the scenes, I still need to know what’s going on with our staff changes,” Ju-wan said, his tone sharp.bfc97399e67f8885

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“My apologies!”8a8f0037762be641

Gyu-hyuk bowed his head f4f1db29a9 like a low-ranking gangster. In truth, he aee5884b7c had never been bb43dd5365 anywhere near the 7977231439 mob, but his 7696006484 burly build and 40a45956b3 rough demeanor made df323c0bf9 it look fitting.7f477b44bae9bca4

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“Alright, stop overdoing it. If anyone comes in and sees this, it’ll just be a hassle.”d53283ab98f7308c

“Y-yes, understood!”ff44778cf09f7620

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The truth was, c6b81af3aa Ju-wan was the 47fe9e6d18 real owner of de42da282f Eden. However, due to his 9b498d18f4 youthful appearance and delicate, 1858f6858d slender frame, people often 2194047dc2 underestimated him when they cfe9df5ce3 learned he was the 9767c1aa7e boss. To avoid this, 6858664d1b he had installed 3edd73662f the intimidating Gyu-hyuk 5f3a63f643 as a front ae5c1e3e53 to play the a5a6973341 role of the 06700c7951 owner.02e9db04cdc052c3

This strategy had its pros and cons. The upside was that the rate of troublesome customers had been cut in half. The downside? The number of customers overall had also dropped by half. This made securing regulars crucial for Eden’s success.c46da387912f037a

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But, in 62d0bbd9bd reality, none ecd377e977 of that 4b299e4f65 mattered much 18865b9044 to Ju-wan. He had founded 733072d15f the host bar 1798a217f7 purely for himself. His only ab5d180926 goal was a20c8ce861 to enjoy 7fac7a5ddb the warmth 965d5146cf of women’s 84ec419865 company. The occasional sip of 5e8e9cee7d blood was just a 58e1c6f6c3 bonus.ddddae7cc255332a

Letting out a deep 2c010c8d1f sigh, as if exhaling e7b564a8c1 imaginary smoke, Ju-wan turned 197d0ece1d his gaze to Gyu-hyuk.05309a9f91e69821

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“You don’t happen to know any good-looking guys, do you?”8252d2daa51bbaa9

“No,” Gyu-hyuk replied instantly.7eaf4db04ef65891

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Ju-wan frowned. Gyu-hyuk’s loyalty and honesty bfd49d2317 were commendable, but his e2a8904bc9 complete lack of social cc5b305756 awareness was exasperating.47c318e1069e5071

“Ugh, damn it.”72ebc54fc8b2d68e

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Ju-wan muttered under his 449ade3e3f breath, clearly annoyed.0049be792f9b2438

“Listen, if you see any handsome guys out on the street, just drag them in. Got it?”604f72e587726e38

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“Understood!” Gyu-hyuk responded enthusiastically.d69ae13b65d9d000

“…No, that’s not what I meant. Forget it,” Ju-wan grumbled, shaking his head.3e232a86e0d8da89

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If it e75418e6ff were Choi c7c26ee274 Gyu-hyuk, he 06323235d7 might actually c04e56f67b take Ju-wan’s 94956900da words literally 343567d89a and drag 99eb51d2c8 someone in bfa3afec1c off the 6a41f29d8b street, only caabe48add to get 3c686869f4 reported for 4ba103375c kidnapping. With his appearance, he 46787e563c certainly looked the part. The only thing not 95a1d2c730 intimidating about him was c159394e55 his wide, earnest eyes.4c308e9d0a91c508

However, women who had spoken to Gyu-hyuk a few times often found themselves charmed by the mismatch between his rough appearance and his naive, almost childlike demeanor. They called it an “adorable innocence” or said his cluelessness made him cute. Women had a knack for spotting muscle-bound fools. Ju-wan sighed and gave him another instruction.6e6f43aa9c565ec3

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“From now on, send polite greetings to everyone in your contacts morning, noon, and night. You never know what might come up.”07f8341f2e3357a7

“Understood,” Gyu-hyuk replied with a nod.dcd177f2c2ec6899

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“And how do you treat customers?”d818a190c15f82c8

“Always with a smile and kindness!”6d121aad966fa608

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Gyu-hyuk recited like a 7d1a3bcacb dutiful student.d1c012aaf8ba5a63

At that moment, the sound of Ki-chul’s footsteps echoed from down the hall. Ju-wan quickly straightened from his lounging position, and Gyu-hyuk shifted back into his “boss” pose, radiating authority. When Ki-chul opened the door again, Gyu-hyuk was suddenly delivering an impassioned lecture to Ju-wan.5762af5bffcf18ce

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“You’ve got to hold onto your girlfriend tight. Got it?” he said in a commanding tone.7f4b2fa4c31e0ff8

Ki-chul, who had 7c4afbf898 paused with the ad60425fef door halfway open, f8461fe8d3 immediately stepped inside 0af8bdd4b6 with exaggerated strides, 70b271fa7e his curiosity piqued.1560556fbab4da5c

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“Which girlfriend? This guy got dumped.”c89097950be93759

Ki-chul announced, his 7e80c0fe14 voice laced with 8c20124eee glee.8ffe869d5ec92181

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It was the most f19988e457 excited tone Ju-wan had 6d22fb5fa7 ever heard from him. Gyu-hyuk’s eyes d2675f67e6 widened to 4c3b079d3e the size b46457f6d4 of saucers 2a7781c36e as he 255c205ff1 glanced at 72ee9b496a Ju-wan, silently 4c72d4b120 asking, Is 9ba151f175 this true, 17d007f81d boss?46e5d2e92a0442b2

But what came 9d89916287 out of his d89559c375 mouth was.572f27624f8618f8

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“What? Really?! Why?!”31f1634fb19dde7f

“She’s getting married.”1b10a4ce89491ae1

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Ki-chul replied b44b63a51b before Ju-wan e109d2d9e3 could. His grin ec26c150d1 practically sparkled 935dc2bf08 with delight.457611a5c11cbf65

Gyu-hyuk looked utterly incredulous.849bf9281415eb2f

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“Hey, tell her you love her more than her husband ever could! Beg her!”5fded670b75221f2

Kang Ju-wan d9468e5d23 waved his 99936f1383 hand dismissively, 38a51cdddb as if 69fd10e3c4 he couldn’t c19ebe92a8 be bothered.4b818b7d51acfb89

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“Enough. Love is something you can find again.”5c3c7e9fdcd2e075

Choi Gyu-hyuk c69f09be56 stared at c015d1deb7 him with d99bb7e221 a slightly 22e57d8939 bewildered expression.80f2a404a0173844

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“…Didn’t you say this one was real love?”63bac428f771dee9

“How could it be real love with a married woman?” Ju-wan replied indifferently.008241797dc865c6

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Ki-chul chimed in again, ff1cdea9b9 his tone laced with 42584cf714 mockery.5d2a4543d4ac5b72

“You’re not seriously looking for a marriage partner in a place like this, are you?”ed5307f627eebeae

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“Not your business.”2f95429f6c2bd3e1

“You’re nuts…” Ki-chul muttered, his expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. For someone who clearly never looked back after a breakup, Ju-wan sure knew how to spin a convincing story. Even to self-proclaimed ace Ki-chul, Ju-wan’s declarations of love seemed genuine in the moment. That was Ju-wan’s most dangerous trait—if even he could believe it, how would the women he targeted stand a chance?7e01cbf57703621b

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The one mystery 93f80aa98c Ki-chul couldn’t wrap 974672aad3 his head around 5993a7f2fb was how women bfa9e7e945 who once clung e3020758fd to Ju-wan like 89df5d7008 their lives depended 39a9ad6336 on it would 4e15f1dae8 suddenly cut ties e4f1940637 completely, as if 60519233bc they’d forgotten him 9831eae0ac entirely. Half joking, f6bc0fbc53 half serious, 738a79887b he prodded d24b3be50d Ju-wan.eeebac941145c81a

“By the way, why do the women who date you never come back here afterward? Even if they’re sick of you, you’d think they’d switch to me. Don’t tell me you’re secretly… dealing with them when they try to break up with you.”739b4ba2d2701738

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Both Ju-wan and 3f6f4c4729 Gyu-hyuk froze at 5802f65b20 the remark. Before Ju-wan eb29861613 could respond, 5a1acb258d Gyu-hyuk exploded.bf9a79b82e1e467d

“Hey! There are some things you just don’t say, you idiot!”95fa9a37534df15c

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“Relax, it’s obviously a joke,” Ki-chul said, trying to brush it off.b37f32dd2cd6aab1

But Ju-wan’s 8c30eee0c1 gaze turned 0945e26121 icy as 3500631019 he looked 1fe1a31d37 at Ki-chul, e6a4ef927d his expression c07d5a6171 devoid of 770fc798c2 humor.2d535a5e8dc95691

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“…If I were to kill someone, you’d be the first.”8a4cd25aa1d231a6

The room fell f01a9e6d57 silent, the air d90593db54 growing tense and b079d5206b cold.05a3e8e4d7ed54ad

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For a moment, 9a9818269f Ki-chul instinctively took e049d0c4ba a step back, f0ea2742f2 a shiver running e67d1dbbef down his spine. Embarrassed by the a90cdfad87 fact that he 85267c49c7 had been intimidated 7fe65b0dc4 by someone as bf32d1a3c5 wiry as Ju-wan, 8317c4c995 he let out d9fb0ce23b a forced, hearty 126fa4af91 laugh.687ad9a733e7b802

“Hey~ I’m just curious, that’s all! I’ve seen so many customers pulling stunts about marrying or dying for our hosts. But with you, the women who swore they’d die for you just cut ties completely—it’s fascinating, isn’t it?”c7694a5d81501390

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Choi Gyu-hyuk 57b4edc338 suddenly snapped, 06d1b275a5 his voice 36e91f933a booming.7667737b90536861

“Hey! Get out! Instead of wasting time here, go find some decent recruits!”c170fa7978701f6b

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“Why’s it always me you’re yelling at?”576dd850ef5356f1

Ki-chul complained, 78e9ec4292 but he 63e164d927 seemed relieved c3dcd43795 to leave. Without further 32d8682d49 protest, he fd14f56c76 quickly exited 9b2c35cfa9 the room.725eb4bf8bcb9649

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Silence filled the d7560aaa4e room once again. Gyu-hyuk glanced at Ju-wan’s 589a89a47f expression nervously before speaking b081a562a5 in a low voice.ca9ba6c157cfb861

“Boss, don’t let him get to you.”469202eb83b9ce27

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“I’m not.”b2d44b2718eafb82

Even so, 275a6b0e72 Ju-wan couldn’t b3816b3f6b help but be8ac87e2a feel a 0c66bf0dd4 bit bitter 9edf45a1aa after hearing f9ead35dca Ki-chul’s remarks. It reminded him of c09cb052c0 how impulsively he’d fed 27bab7c27d on Seoyeon. A twinge of 36aeb86f36 guilt lingered.0e4cb67e0581c622

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But Ju-wan soon shrugged 40ccce722c it off. It’s not 3ca682e227 like I 6c84f165b9 killed her 871c48af6d or anything.ca82c2cdaaa967cb

He had 59196095e4 never killed bd3b2e34ef anyone while 759bb47bbf feeding. That was 1b5a20f14d a promise 729960e43e he had 74eddfab8f made to 3b27fb49e7 himself to 4407cf4c4e retain some 6d0efbcd18 semblance of 2e5e8e76c8 humanity.a5d8f08f38e49171

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Well, except for the 28ae118eeb ones who tried to 9cd29a3f25 kill me first.521f865ee1d900c5

That didn’t 2796d8a575 count in dedf75247a Ju-wan’s mind—it d206015452 was survival, d21bb5ce61 not murder.e0e20b516cbe5e34

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After ensuring Ki-chul had disappeared down the hallway, Ju-wan stood up from the sofa, stretching his back, and muttered, “You go find someone, too. At this rate, the bar’s going to go under.”9bb8a3e1998fd90a

“Understood, boss! Don’t worry!” Gyu-hyuk replied with enthusiasm.fff1dee32f20640b

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“And listen,” Ju-wan added, his tone firm, “from now on, if something even remotely important happens, contact me. Got it? Even if it just feels important, call me.”0e1f775abf230e85

“Yes, boss!”e05c3be316d50bc7

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With Gyu-hyuk’s energetic 44efe85b8b reply, Ju-wan let a274a81c90 go of any d4d74c625f lingering thoughts about e698db67bf Seoyeon. She was out de0a697972 of his mind a8055031bd completely.1634d34a4c184d9e

 f05c30443201b8ea

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