BTL Ch 8

“You wrote down Hotel Management, didn’t you?”

“Where did you hear that from?”

It was only yesterday that she wrote it down. Hayeon slightly lifted her head from her knees and propped her chin up.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Suddenly, hotel management…” Kangmin narrowed his eyes, a look of disbelief on his face. He had also heard about the Hwa Group’s movements from the news a few months ago.

“Han Haein?”

“…”

Silence was his answer, but it was enough.

“Huh.” Hayeon frowned, hearing Kangmin’s hollow laugh. “I still remember what her mom said in front of our parents’ memorial picture.”

[“Just live quietly, like a mouse, just like your father did.”]

“I have no intention of living quietly, like a mouse, just like they want. Who would that even benefit?”

Kangmin fell silent at her words, which she chewed out through clenched teeth.

“I’ll get their attention no matter what. I’ll clearly show them that the bloodline left by the son you disowned, that half-bloodline you scorned so much, has superior qualities than the one you believed was superior and raised as your successor. So they’ll regret it until they die.”

Bloodline? Superiority? Those weren’t words you’d expect to hear in the 21st century. To hell with that. Hayeon smiled fiercely and stood up. Then she paused, looking back at Kangmin.

“Are you free this weekend?”

Kangmin shrugged, standing up with her. “I’ve got nothing but time, right?”

“Perfect. Then let’s go to Deus on Saturday.”

“Deus Hotel? Why there?”

Hayeon huffed in response instead of answering.

“Hey, Hayeon. I don’t think this is a good idea.” Kangmin sighed, pulling his baseball cap lower.

He and Hayeon had been sitting at a cafe in the lobby of the Deus Hotel since morning.

[Deus Hotel? Why there?]

[I want to see what kind of person Han Haein is, with my own eyes.]

His question of why go to KW’s Deus Hotel instead of Hwa Hotel, where she was a director, was completely ignored, and he got no answer. Now he realized she probably didn’t want to talk about Han Haein and Kang Chaeheon’s blind date herself.

Kangmin’s eyes furrowed uncomfortably. He quietly looked at the back of Hayeon’s head. Her long, straight hair, which reached her shoulder blades, was covered by a black baseball cap, just like his. Sometimes Lee Hayeon would show her reckless side, and Kangmin mumbled to himself that this was one of those times.

“Be honest with me. You don’t like Han Haein, not because of her mom, but because of her title as Kang Chaeheon’s fiancée, right?”

“She’s not his fiancée!” Hayeon, who had been staring intently at one spot, immediately flared up and glared at Kangmin.

Kangmin snorted, finding it utterly ridiculous, and crossed his arms. “They even set a date for the engagement, didn’t they? So she’s his fiancée, what else?”

Hayeon, her lips pressed tightly in a speechless expression, turned her head away, ignoring him. Kangmin sighed, watching her, then followed her gaze. He saw the side profile of a woman with short hair, neatly dressed in a white suit, drinking coffee. Even though she was dressed all in white, she looked elegant and graceful rather than tacky.

Moreover, she surely knew all eyes in the hotel were on her, yet the faint smile on her lips was even relaxed. A woman who naturally stood at the center, no matter where or when she set foot. Shin Kangmin concluded his assessment of Han Haein, whom he’d only seen in the media.

Just as he was losing interest in Haein and about to look away, Kangmin saw the back of Hayeon’s head, which had been fixed on Haein, twitch. At the same time, someone approaching Haein came into his peripheral vision.

Ah.

Kang Chaeheon. It was him. The very reason Kangmin had followed Hayeon all the way to the Deus Hotel. His overwhelming and perfect visuals, visible even from afar, were intimidating. Feeling an instinctive rejection and hostility as a male, Kangmin straightened his posture. But that was only for a moment; something strange caught Kangmin’s eye.

“Didn’t they say it was a blind date?”

Unlike Haein, who was dressed formally and politely, the man was in casual clothes. Clothes that wouldn’t look out of place for a stroll in the park in front of his house. Anyone could tell he wasn’t there for a blind date. Haein, who was about to get up after spotting Chaeheon, also looked flustered. But she paused in an awkward half-crouch, then, as if nothing had happened, smiled and greeted Chaeheon. Her flushed cheeks showed she was attracted to Kang Chaeheon.

“…She has good taste.”

Hayeon gritted her teeth, gripping her chair. At that moment, Haein smiled warmly and extended her hand. Hayeon couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it seemed like a friendly greeting. And Chaeheon, with an unreadable, expressionless face, glanced at Haein and then sat down. He kept both hands inside his dark grey coat.

A satisfied smile finally appeared on Hayeon’s lips as she annoyedly glared at Haein’s fingertips. The conversation between the two was unilaterally led by Han Haein. Chaeheon’s mouth only opened to say a clear and brief “Yes” or “No,” which was evident even from a distance.

“You like this?”

Kangmin, who had unknowingly taken his eyes off Chaeheon and Haein and was only looking at Hayeon, asked in an incredulous tone, seeing the twitching corner of her lips.

“Yeah. I like it.” Hayeon quickly nodded as if there was no doubt.

“As if. Who do you think you’re eyeing?” Kangmin scoffed. “Why don’t you just jump right in there and shout, ‘This man is mine!’?”

“…I’d love to, but we’re not at that stage yet.” In her mind, she had already imagined herself walking up to Han Haein dozens of times, telling her not to dream of Kang Chaeheon because he was hers. But that childish fantasy remained just that—a fantasy. She was trying to get closer to Chaeheon by taking proper steps. The aggressive approach… she couldn’t even attempt it with Chaeheon, who probably saw her as nothing more than a high school student freeloading at Taegeon’s house, let alone a potential romantic interest.

Hayeon, feeling glum, gazed longingly at Chaeheon’s face. No matter how much they say fashion is completed by the face, why did even that blue tracksuit suit him so well? No wonder Han Haein was so eager to say even one more word. Hayeon annoyedly clicked her tongue and gritted her teeth. She didn’t even hear Kangmin’s incredulous voice saying, “Yet? Seriously.”

Just then. Chaeheon stood up.

Haein, who had been talking to him for a while, widened her eyes and looked up at him. Chaeheon said something to her, then strode away.

“Oh, oh, oh?”

A clearly flustered sound escaped Hayeon’s lips right after. She fumbled to pull her hat lower and hunched down to hide from Chaeheon, who was walking directly towards her.

But her efforts were in vain.

“Lee Hayeon.”

Thwack! Chaeheon’s hand brushed her cap, sending it flying backward. Her widened eyes instinctively grabbed for her hat and looked up. A moment of silence settled between their intertwined gazes.

“What are you doing here?”

Hayeon laughed awkwardly at the voice above her head. Chaeheon had noticed Hayeon’s presence right after he entered the cafe, which was their meeting place. All he could see under the black baseball cap was her gracefully sculpted nose and plump lips, but he couldn’t mistake her for anyone else. The hollow dimples on her firm cheeks, which seemed to be drawn in by whatever was bothering her, captivated his gaze.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Haein.”

Chaeheon turned his attention from Hayeon, ignored the pure white hand extended to him, and sat down. Chaeheon had come to this meeting as a formality out of respect for Chairman Kang, intending to quietly waste time and then leave. He had no intention of introducing himself, let alone continuing a conversation beyond that.

The woman didn’t mind Chaeheon’s silence and spoke. “You must be surprised that this meeting was set up so suddenly. I only heard about it a few days ago, and I was quite surprised too. But I was very much looking forward to it when they told me it was you, Mr. Chaeheon. How did you feel?”

Her eyes were clearly full of admiration for Chaeheon. The woman’s eyes crinkled in a soft smile. She was a woman who knew how to smile to make herself look beautiful and stand out.

“Does her smile look similar?”

Chaeheon stared idly at her eyes, which curved into a gentle arc when she smiled, and thought of someone else. The girl who was still peeking her head out, checking out this place, as if so curious. The only remaining blood relative of Lee Juwon, who was like his own brother. That girl, who would giggle shyly, also smiled with her eyes like that.