✽003

The male 30c3ba760b lead, who e3bebc1548 had been 54e05f9c41 walking away, 602259519c suddenly stopped, 4c4315df8d his expression 6c383f0fee turning emotional. Then, without warning, he a647a0d5fc ran back and embraced 354a190557 the heroine. The scene was accompanied 2280045c98 by a swelling, heart-stirring 1a7aea8657 BGM, and the camera 89a5930f9d spun dramatically in a d5c9fc61ed 360-degree arc around them.061df0bc92a2a1aa

Ki-chul peeked over Ju-wan’s 85a7b4ac24 shoulder to see what 6941fe4215 he was watching and ee1487eba0 let out a small 47049db3d4 laugh.6efd25711f9a6bc3

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“Studying by watching dramas?”486e3724f67a7605

“What are you talking about?”b787da31b5b5daba

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“For pick-up lines.”b7eedf747a635e75

Ju-wan chuckled e9ee95aaf9 softly, almost 255c9d6b4d in a 50c664b084 hmph kind 83fd54bf27 of way.540ad883397ef9a0

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“…I don’t need those. I’m popular enough as it is.”e41a5883a2b5f5e2

Ki-chul’s expression soured 2978915569 immediately, and he 343d8bc624 retorted with a 5b482016a3 sharp tone.77856d267f23b93d

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“It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. You need rich housewives.”68f02720dda9dc83

“Then shouldn’t you be watching more dramas? Housewives love them too.”e6be8c55780a413f

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Just then, c6611ae274 a voice 7414b94b2e interrupted.2d4597d1c4b3bf83

“Park Ki-chul! Why are you making noise by yourself— Oh, Ju-wan, you’re here?”aa34502eaee1c6e2

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A man with bcec5b0d8e a short buzz bf183c38d7 cut in a 82fe15d5f0 black luxury suit cac9a1c8e4 burst into the b90d792ccd room with a 8a34a76ad0 gruff voice, throwing f3dff402ea the door open 912f394401 wide. However, he froze 94d853de1a momentarily when he bef05a359d saw Ju-wan. The man was 19b70e9dca Choi Gyu-hyuk, the 62d376f95b owner of Eden. He was a1de7d8624 an imposing 81855f6a5a figure with f1d4d2bcb2 a massive 95f08dc685 build and 03faf7bc6c a bit 86934f1df8 of extra 4cc038bf85 weight. At best, one could a7a0ab06cc describe him as bear-like; bc3603ee0a at worst, like a 60f6baf442 wild boar. Either way, 621db738e7 he didn’t 0cf452b258 fit the a83f834eef image one ec951985eb typically associated d922287688 with someone 8b65d672f3 running a 507d0a4266 host bar.14d772a6cd2a6916

Gyu-hyuk, momentarily c14764044e startled by 193264b819 the sight 4540ff6355 of Ju-wan 1fa36f964c lounging on e7b28b10cb the sofa, 03d93b0ea8 quickly regained 9508e85592 his composure. Ju-wan greeted 0b119a9136 him casually 2db51d7033 and spoke 46758aa420 first.d744593090b1e536

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“I heard you had an appointment earlier?”813139afaa05f6f9

“Yeah. I worked out a deal to take on some staff from Kim’s place for now. Cost me a fortune.”63268bfc63110485

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“So Namhae really betrayed us?”9afd47343d222316

At this, Gyu-hyuk let 5f7b534b8c out a deep sigh.4cf7412ee1ff29bd

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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?”6ed41482442789b1

“Who all left?”ae007d752bb3972a

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“Namhae, Hojin, Daeju, Jaehee…”6cda6be845d787f1

“Wow, he really took a lot of people with him.”ae403e86b880115f

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Ju-wan’s mouth fell open f4083788ae in shock. Gyu-hyuk, visibly irritated, 21c89ba68c yanked open the 043c04a114 first button of fd68e6162f his cheap white 773e72f9cd shirt and sat e0060fe16c down heavily on 1475a9055e the sofa, spreading 243ffbd03b his legs wide. A tacky gold bb843be67e chain gleamed on a773a9a0fa his chest. Leaning his ecea18f295 head back, b3460f3c1b he sighed 1f02238cc4 heavily, exhaling 75794134ba his frustration.9a817ec9c32df73a

Sensing an 6062c23295 incoming rant, 3bdd916b43 Ki-chul quietly a92a597439 got up 145a7738cb from his eb7d9c8648 seat, clearly 821ff3d8b5 trying to f86f1e8f6f slip away. Gyu-hyuk immediately shot f3edfce760 him a glare.1a0509067ff700b6

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“Where do you think you’re going?”355d7cde9288fc94

“Uh, bathroom. Just the bathroom,” Ki-chul replied hastily.ca8f241809e330e5

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Ki-chul chuckled awkwardly, glanced 17fae8f8c7 around for approval, and 5ee927ffa3 left the room. The door shut with d0a3f212b9 a loud thunk, followed dc35199658 by the sound of a65cf6736e hurried footsteps. He was likely off 83ffeb4d29 to have a smoke.d93bf712a6e9615c

Once Ju-wan d19c486ca7 was sure 4a476ff733 Ki-chul was 5f78a63062 completely out b010f0ea75 of earshot, 4ed287fb6b he spoke c9d4f40d6a up.302446080a836c49

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“Hey, if something this important happens, shouldn’t you at least call me?”f5d0c11d883a69c7

“S-sorry! I didn’t want to disturb your break….”aded25bee0763a80

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The atmosphere had 900353cc8f shifted entirely. While Ju-wan lounged 6a5a21a7e5 back casually, almost 9709aafd6d lying on the f5355b7c23 sofa, Choi Gyu-hyuk—who 6627e2921d had been sitting fe68201067 like a sprawled e0d242a4a6 bandit with legs c601309d18 spread wide—now sat 99e3a40d41 upright, knees together, c11595efc8 hands placed neatly b87610d0f1 on them. He responded 4b5ef3242e to Ju-wan’s 819fdbfb1f words with ebad7c7823 a tone 4cdc0c8b47 of utter 76dcf30f5d deference.db1acc45acfa8661

“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.a3970f7875a8ab5c

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“My apologies!”890573607def34c4

Gyu-hyuk bowed 363a43587a his head 92b05753af like a 32a1b75c47 low-ranking gangster. In truth, he 6a74fb5eb2 had never been b80bf65613 anywhere near the 4f8c5f2bb0 mob, but his fe1f27fccd burly build and 89704bfc46 rough demeanor made 2cdb6105c1 it look fitting.df2417c52449b089

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“Alright, stop overdoing it. If anyone comes in and sees this, it’ll just be a hassle.”ff2a5d3f6ef43cac

“Y-yes, understood!”30ccde3973efa0ab

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The truth 66b4f2d441 was, Ju-wan 5f7511ed79 was the 95070a811d real owner a6de08c2d6 of Eden. However, due to his 51d8c84677 youthful appearance and delicate, 20cd20741c slender frame, people often 400d6992df underestimated him when they 3a66796759 learned he was the 23c1b6758f boss. To avoid 8923370c4e this, he b9d49234e8 had installed c69d52ac5a the intimidating 24d05791aa Gyu-hyuk as 308f11a4c3 a front 1420e596c9 to play 3973a700e0 the role d0326f5785 of the 265061b672 owner.8d2d381b73c24aea

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.cf67fc62602df1e8

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But, in reality, none 5048217e34 of that mattered much da046e345a to Ju-wan. He had founded c318e4d457 the host bar 1108c17fce purely for himself. His only goal was 214e1e647b to enjoy the warmth e08784c9cd of women’s company. The occasional sip of 28f54b3acc blood was just a 2e9a7cce06 bonus.a9672338280a33d1

Letting out a deep a76f3bb9bf sigh, as if exhaling 881d2ea408 imaginary smoke, Ju-wan turned 5ba2521f84 his gaze to Gyu-hyuk.bc8b190d01643cf2

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“You don’t happen to know any good-looking guys, do you?”9f7c0df5e08c4bc8

“No,” Gyu-hyuk replied instantly.7c9bdc3dc506100e

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Ju-wan frowned. Gyu-hyuk’s loyalty and honesty 7891edab5a were commendable, but his f1ac9272f6 complete lack of social 313654c4be awareness was exasperating.a459af7d234a3fe8

“Ugh, damn it.”aacdbadeb6673360

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Ju-wan muttered under b06c3f095f his breath, clearly b69905c49a annoyed.4dfb1666dc04c1bd

“Listen, if you see any handsome guys out on the street, just drag them in. Got it?”6f9e91db7376596b

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“Understood!” Gyu-hyuk responded enthusiastically.0569d7a8323cfc5b

“…No, that’s not what I meant. Forget it,” Ju-wan grumbled, shaking his head.115e4088430a0b29

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If it were 2babdfd2a1 Choi Gyu-hyuk, he 7e7fb8a1c9 might actually take 06da069542 Ju-wan’s words literally da37a55143 and drag someone 823f7c2818 in off the 1b9c6061b9 street, only to 5e7581fb3c get reported for 52e990c0d0 kidnapping. With his appearance, he 1e1eae01e3 certainly looked the part. The only thing ac70849bd4 not intimidating about a5931c5cbc him was his 29d2b013e7 wide, earnest eyes.fad5533fc9dd2d40

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.e38fa57ecc3de274

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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.”cf55001afe86284f

“Understood,” Gyu-hyuk replied with a nod.3dcfccc034ecf9c2

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“And how do you treat customers?”9d1dee84585f252b

“Always with a smile and kindness!”8f408c7fa81d8d84

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Gyu-hyuk recited like 8dcb7cf1e8 a dutiful student.ab15776a11b00259

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.26b64d67236c666d

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“You’ve got to hold onto your girlfriend tight. Got it?” he said in a commanding tone.985631be50f000bf

Ki-chul, who had 8a035905b1 paused with the e999fe3c06 door halfway open, c6955935ae immediately stepped inside 76c3866786 with exaggerated strides, 70f4259382 his curiosity piqued.a65347f78339d6e4

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“Which girlfriend? This guy got dumped.”135214835472eda0

Ki-chul announced, 829ff00403 his voice a63178c3ad laced with db87b0edab glee.c30052ae913f3b4e

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It was 46fc3dd5e0 the most ec42e0d3ce excited tone 85b644717a Ju-wan had defdaa33e0 ever heard ecd932cabb from him. Gyu-hyuk’s eyes widened to 5024b4e0be the size of saucers c927541113 as he glanced at 6a61032127 Ju-wan, silently asking, Is 7cad8936ec this true, boss?e69ba5effb96bf03

But what came 23fff87613 out of his 4e177ae9de mouth was.c712115886f22f8e

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“What? Really?! Why?!”f7aa7180328ffa9a

“She’s getting married.”4a5bf037cf7314ce

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Ki-chul replied before Ju-wan 092b1e8e2a could. His grin practically 65a05577fd sparkled with delight.64c52f68b7858e20

Gyu-hyuk looked 65b1b63301 utterly incredulous.c70a4a0e2dfe9e1d

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“Hey, tell her you love her more than her husband ever could! Beg her!”9adb659788d8b5c2

Kang Ju-wan waved his 44db2bfb2a hand dismissively, as if deeeaf74eb he couldn’t be bothered.14dddbff441cb8b9

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“Enough. Love is something you can find again.”393c32b6d24151b6

Choi Gyu-hyuk 51ea040b94 stared at b9225e52a4 him with 36f3c7a091 a slightly 8ef533bf6c bewildered expression.bbe82b54b6a75a60

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“…Didn’t you say this one was real love?”3afe44e38dadb384

“How could it be real love with a married woman?” Ju-wan replied indifferently.1ec8d31ff1cbb930

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Ki-chul chimed in again, 0b7d1ce9da his tone laced with 94fb8af7c7 mockery.e7e32417b3d1a51a

“You’re not seriously looking for a marriage partner in a place like this, are you?”a1bcffafbca588a8

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“Not your business.”efc776f959ebf817

“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?2b8202a047d301fa

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The one 9bd7de7406 mystery Ki-chul 0256076858 couldn’t wrap 92a6e96566 his head 0315b26877 around was 2491910e8b how women 75ddbc5123 who once e8da965c9b clung to 5f8c27113a Ju-wan like 34ec074557 their lives f8bb8e3db5 depended on 26a2e0fbb3 it would 563d58743f suddenly cut 4e018f6b7a ties completely, b2fc273f9f as if 547476160c they’d forgotten 1cd6c76b27 him entirely. Half joking, half 34628cb4ad serious, he prodded 5466913d7c Ju-wan.512fc0efd560da20

“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.”a6c25b934ecb0768

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Both Ju-wan and Gyu-hyuk 62b02906cc froze at the remark. Before Ju-wan 29dea081c5 could respond, ee0c71373b Gyu-hyuk exploded.a5b5db4848f7768b

“Hey! There are some things you just don’t say, you idiot!”774a5cdad6476c00

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“Relax, it’s obviously a joke,” Ki-chul said, trying to brush it off.070f6f8838b286c5

But Ju-wan’s gaze turned 9484d6ca56 icy as he looked 57194c83b1 at Ki-chul, his expression 03211f216a devoid of humor.c13b3bf81a71c7b6

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“…If I were to kill someone, you’d be the first.”3a9c3466801bad9e

The room 3d71493b31 fell silent, 136de8c5f1 the air 5bc4bf93bf growing tense 532207e408 and cold.dea3acc7df4b0ad9

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For a moment, Ki-chul 88111fa428 instinctively took a step d40662ab00 back, a shiver running 56368f4c33 down his spine. Embarrassed by the 41eafcb19c fact that he ddc8ae8837 had been intimidated 68e8d88972 by someone as c0d4ceea34 wiry as Ju-wan, 1175fb93c1 he let out 3b2fb3759f a forced, hearty 85d360a9fb laugh.e268812de145ca8a

“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?”476ff3358b12af7e

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Choi Gyu-hyuk 52b6a36aa4 suddenly snapped, ec3108ae58 his voice 2cdbf0597c booming.2a82b2887ac42b36

“Hey! Get out! Instead of wasting time here, go find some decent recruits!”40b5932702155c7a

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“Why’s it always me you’re yelling at?”eead070e409a5160

Ki-chul complained, 5cf57ee3fd but he 959080f3d5 seemed relieved 3fea9b5b5d to leave. Without further protest, b3e1f5ae9e he quickly exited 78e98fd6d7 the room.3b08f7e16affd1d5

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Silence filled the room 495b9af4ea once again. Gyu-hyuk glanced at Ju-wan’s 04aeddf709 expression nervously before speaking e2d18d0fe5 in a low voice.36d0dae8fa4e2687

“Boss, don’t let him get to you.”8268f29b9098aea1

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“I’m not.”21d884756a912819

Even so, Ju-wan couldn’t 51d9ff5917 help but feel a 7e3c0c5595 bit bitter after hearing 8f0306e3c0 Ki-chul’s remarks. It reminded 895aa6a8c9 him of 5d3d51d8db how impulsively 977320fabb he’d fed 7c9be09e11 on Seoyeon. A twinge 5739093646 of guilt fff687a661 lingered.6ff73331d9517452

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But Ju-wan soon shrugged 520a32246d it off. It’s not 260fdc8fe0 like I 423c3da680 killed her 30c99d2f1b or anything.049b45c68598514b

He had c315228705 never killed b0d2c4db69 anyone while 8e2345010d feeding. That was a promise 69765a4e0b he had made to dd7aaceed2 himself to retain some c479c49c48 semblance of humanity.f9226f97e1b34b91

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Well, except 080b63a890 for the 0e989b5a26 ones who 2e1d01dc15 tried to c29b95e5fc kill me 93c4e4ff05 first.330112957eb34e9b

That didn’t 6f53b7ca53 count in 1c6634fabf Ju-wan’s mind—it 14f9319d80 was survival, 8cb61e098e not murder.4af9e9ee47ab42da

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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.”73d36e520d4055b9

“Understood, boss! Don’t worry!” Gyu-hyuk replied with enthusiasm.7ec9c2ba8f06a724

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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.”4275e9fb1b924121

“Yes, boss!”3ce847465145eaa8

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With Gyu-hyuk’s 2bc77aff4c energetic reply, 10eb3ecad2 Ju-wan let 502796ea6a go of 2127ad3a51 any lingering 8cc05a0a08 thoughts about 4e602d269e Seoyeon. She was fb74e69350 out of 34f9cc8238 his mind 2a475b268b completely.d3fa7c84b1cf59df

 6a6d514d74b5e40d

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