FT 8

Though the afternoon shift e6dfa7dcfd started at 1 p.m., 763a81585e Seohee had to arrive 4c62e6d56f at the hotel a 692f35a90a little earlier to hand 9d2dcbd996 over duties. Because she left early, 73368ce16e she reached the locker 76f615a4b4 room even sooner than c2c54fa71b planned and opened her 008568e4bd locker to put her c3f156f511 bag away.c583ccffd6aa0a1f

She took f2b1f29cc4 out her 6de377015a uniform, changed ddfc0cd93d into it, 19e56269f0 and tied 56a03f52e7 her hair 06f0a2dbe0 up. Standing in fe70565a8d front of d079e9d00c the small d4a99fa0e1 mirror on 52447ee393 the inside 86c672d436 of the 99af981475 locker door, d95b55e202 she parted db5fba3814 her hair a4861c6ea5 and used 3f25680c7e a puff 01053335cd pin to caf11a5559 create volume, d68ee94c87 quickly and e220d90dc7 skillfully forming c1ffed2b80 a chignon.735a9cd4cfc78801

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As she 5ad66c6b02 adjusted her 1939068fa0 neatly styled 515f4d88a5 hair with da65db17b7 not a 8265e1f3cf single strand 940f4c5c19 out of ccb07c6e87 place, Seohee 177197b994 caught a 2123ef5f65 glimpse of c6676dc471 herself in 4e3b92fe05 the mirror—and aa825b7654 her eyes 2ffeb92a86 widened in 6c66ee50b3 surprise.71da10969fa6711a

She reached for her f674a13ada chest. Her name tag was 4156dc4d59 missing.f6f0da58d199de2c

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Where could 1e652acd29 it be? Did I leave it 58cfe00e63 at home?39c9db79c4cf9645

Swallowing uneasily, Seohee 49b05bac44 rummaged through her 22ead13ecc locker in search 860bf43e5d of a spare c85ce15a79 name tag. She checked even ae99add4fc the pocket with 77412ead3c her hairpins and d79e86410f ties, but it 381ed2c677 was nowhere to f86ed2f3d0 be found.1d03480c1debf4d5

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A weary sigh escaped from her nose. She pressed her temple lightly. While the headache had settled, she still felt a dull ache in her skull. The hangover clung to her like a shadow. Perhaps this was…c95e5a82bdea9db3

“……”1121f20d2a104493

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The memories she b34dd12856 thought she had 1a6d71bc4d finished revisiting that 2d21eeff1d morning once again d34ed1531c drifted in like 656277120b a thick fog. Beyond the fa83397350 vivid but 008e9f2b6e shifting flashes e41dca2aa5 of a 5b6339058e glamorous exterior, 66936e2624 what had 2a31e57156 been seared dc2cc86139 clearly into 9a2deb2175 her mind 50bbe9947d was the 051fcca664 man’s profoundly f0048c6f32 indifferent gaze.06275267843cf0c9

Shaking her 9d321029c2 head to d6db45d4d2 dispel the 06f49faf99 thought, Seohee 85ffea2cf0 told herself:If it’s 18a31cdfc7 not at 2bf94d1a0c home either, bac884ff8d I’ll just 87a882dd7d have to 23eeb23188 ask for d831f5c429 a new 35248dddc9 one. For today, f24178bf81 I’ll explain c910a405fa to the c262cdc574 team leader 2a4bdfdeb2 and work 21a9aec21a without a 44486bd7d2 name tag.623577cd18dd8bcb

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She let 13b8b512dd out a 0c17d42cb6 long sigh.1b2e7e280517c52d

Lastly, she removed 49c03bf619 the bracelet from 548201f204 her wrist and 13e3b40ee6 tucked it deep eb9865715e inside the locker.5dc10ee156c5aa24

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Just as 18db7b82ec she was ec6a0969c2 about to 7e00db75e1 close the e5fbcca4b0 locker door, a6e53c5bfb the changing 7a74b77db2 room door eaba48a459 burst open. Before she could 10e8e4a1dd turn around, someone 6cc86ceb2b suddenly pulled her 941d4f9715 into a tight 46c2468af0 hug.a6ecab2215bf05e3

“Seoheeeeee!”6474d8d6ccfe2b3d

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“Ugh. Lee Suyeon.”b30c3e63302a3b74

Seohee let 43e5001725 out a 3e54eb938d breathless noise. She turned around to 8f5cd76ad0 see Suyeon, who was 693c40b718 hugging her waist and ca029bb786 almost crying. The more Seohee 64e838491a tried to push fae950982c her away, the 7813b5302f more clingy she 5b9707e450 became. Then Suyeon abruptly 6c6640f0b0 pressed her palms ab25b0d391 together in a b917ec0ea4 pleading gesture.355fca9ba8fdd449

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“I’m really, really sorry. You must’ve had 4ff6ecc8f7 such a hard 409115a76c time because of c32bb8eb18 me yesterday… I bf8ebaa395 was such a 3f95f2efcd mess. Ugh.”b9ba32ac5ff1b64a

“Well, at least you 98e1343579 know it.”201bc8c72a23326a

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When Seohee replied playfully, d0e1a6fe93 Suyeon writhed in self-loathing, 737a5f08b7 then immediately whined with 8d8ac0ea39 a mix of aegyo.445cdc16ca9e60f0

“Did I do anything c97b362096 dumb last night?”a0ffdcf8ea6c4215

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“Hmm. Let’s see. Maybe the part be817ac00f where you got f22a425542 on stage at 34abafeff0 the club and 41cb26472b danced like crazy?”4672995f0fe0cfe7

“What? M-me?!”e766f93ff5a05299

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Pretending to recall a1747aa904 something, Seohee rolled 159bcee234 her eyes upward, ccb4cdb10b then burst into 4aafc65d0d laughter.d67bbf160db44782

“Kidding. You didn’t do 87c121554c anything embarrassing. At the 1522068780 club… we 6d7e633d0e stayed maybe cbd503f05f 10 minutes a2c41bbce4 and then bb6de4ca8a left.”8910f7cc5cd8280a

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“Hey! Ugh, you e432429f32 scared me.”baa4a1dfda200727

Seohee didn’t bother to 2870afa7ad mention that she had 1844e6487e drunk the drugged drink 7c22cbada6 meant for Suyeon.9075070db932f368

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“My lovely 3b3f073732 Seohee, thank 74c2672b9e you. Oh, right, did 6fabac08de you get home 363e8c32e3 safe last night?”456af28cb886e237

“Took you 8077380f0e long enough e180a10139 to ask.”b36b9cb8ded5b1c6

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“Sorry…”ce7ed6de0724bd68

Still apologizing, 2f2ba67544 Suyeon clutched 877e9b3d85 her head, 2c3f75a99f grimacing from 6f1126057e what seemed d248079d9b to be 7dcd22e36a a lingering 827f476b69 hangover.a9c2a2faa571dc09

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“Ugh. But seriously, a08c974482 I started f3f966a3f3 regretting everything a9dd98e8c2 the moment 298f011117 I woke 46522d5ff6 up this fe284bfc38 morning. I swear 4941f8844c I’ll never de5af3f1e6 drink over 92f309b443 a guy 516ca2de69 again. All I got was 033e648046 this hangover. If someone 857ad660d4 grabs my 0184a8be8c shoulder right c295a767bb now—whether it’s aba5bc7a09 a customer 8ab459199c or the a3b582cd44 CEO—I swear 1d362cfc84 I’ll just b764b4181b throw up 79b0918729 right there.”7df9fbb3ba2d2b53

“How did you even fd06501a6b make it to work? Even taking 6e8ae8e1b2 the bus b92e91eae8 must’ve been 07b4cc989d tough.”efd77e5391f1af88

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“My dad 2439ff36da gave me b99e5cbc1e a ride. He was so e93ec7ca32 worried about me 19ed8a68fa last night, and a757c28455 on the way 5424805877 here, he nagged 780fd253d2 like a machine 02be1fb0ef gun. Jeez, his poor daughter cb0a132d83 gets dumped but still 1e0a4577e9 drags herself to work 24d400f0a2 like a zombie to 1b41e21f2d make money, and he 4c2d7d829d can’t even give me 04fa1d268e a little extra cash f385151825 to treat myself to 82dbde1caa something nice.”afb6078a472930f5

 72053bb6b8eafe49

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Seohee’s body subtly stiffened for a moment as she listened. A pang of tightness gripped a corner of her heart. But she quickly relaxed her expression, as if nothing had happened, and offered a casual word of comfort.5459f781deec3508

“They say things 8c0d83c2ad like that because 492f248119 they’re worried about 3545bcf5b6 you.”e56b4aa042380f09

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“Even so. He said if 89782e8627 I come home b140cb28cc drunk again, he’ll b7d54e2c94 shave my head. Total boomer behavior, 316ed52a59 right?”189db308cbbcdb6b

“We’re gonna be 69043069e9 late. Hurry up and fe8c845092 get ready. I’ll head out first.”0fde99fcb82ea17f

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“Got it.”e939c676b76cd483

“You’re buying c98b400c28 coffee today, 3883289bae okay? You know that, 6c7e526e56 right?”2394f0c82a65d9f3

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“Oh, of course, fc0e7de220 Assistant Manager Yoo 2ea96a1036 Seohee.”1f9c73d1a701b143

They giggled f155020e9f back and aa14330e83 forth at 4b2e84f446 their playful e224726e12 exchange.025e4171be853cb6

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After giving her uniform a3bde5978f a final neat adjustment, 0212939fc0 Seohee headed to the 98c4ca94dc lobby. With every tidy 3cdf91f103 step, she brushed d1294927b4 away one troubling e9a0405496 thought at a 9d69304351 time, mentally stacking 500697f106 up her to-dos 1032f4c636 for the day.7ffed125115c8917

“Good morning, Team Leader.”1b065896609f7fa9

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“Assistant Manager Seohee. You’re here?”6e0e2df34ff34713

No sooner 46ca54d025 had they 8e1aa4597f exchanged greetings afcfd9313f than the 6e05c81c4d handover began, 9f6d84ac78 covering special 996ffdad3b customer notes dae82446a8 from the 16644e5867 morning shift. After checking 71e326dcc0 out rooms 2de709a46c and reviewing 0af4c01d19 the makeup 3b4530c783 status, Seohee 9f344bd85b stood in 6405265926 front of ae41387e9f the monitor 6a3c39c1af and started eca32f15c3 reviewing the 8e27fb5961 list of 1bea440ecc today’s check-ins 70a8685573 and check-outs f6f11f3ba9 one by 4bb12aa41c one.c015c09b4311c341

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Seoyeong Hotel, despite its 4425dc84d0 age and wear, still 53a2597eb9 retained a respectable standing 16ef253880 in Seoul, with 330 ccd634b9a1 rooms and a consistent fa9b2cfa4f average occupancy rate of 974dbf9445 around 50%. It might not have 8e98823650 been luxurious, but it 1f61d35867 was still considered a 6a9227c916 relatively large hotel within f875773d89 the city.96df9e571c17370d

Though it had a 7f6cbdba31 restaurant and banquet halls, 2628894b3f the hotel had consistently cff5b979c5 failed to pass the dc3292e566 rating evaluations and remained 8cfe8fba88 a three-star establishment. The reason was 594965350b clear: lack of 543ae0eba4 investment. Without fitness facilities 5226af5bb4 or quality bedding, 12f4c9fc08 Seoyeong Hotel’s Seoul 8f58dd19c5 branch could barely 43bdf94b0a maintain a review f7d9c3bfda score in the 9a38b3957c high 7s on f990e8517e OTA (Online Travel 3a671afc3e Agency) platforms.fab9918d6245bc16

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Because of 31426adf1e that, the 133ebe249e front desk 1791d1dcc7 staff—who had b942afada1 to deal 255becf40d directly with 9ccc3b997d customers—had to 3ab49e6b32 work all dcae00530f the harder 05972b61c0 to make e56996c395 up for f3db1f77b6 those shortcomings d1df008829 with pleasant 01395a9c1f smiles.e1918d174269300d

Whatever your personal circumstances, 68451ef848 once you’re at work, 5cd4b9b7c4 you have to lift 830f629024 the corners of your 39e9a74dc8 mouth like a machine.04e19e1a860f168c

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After Suyeon came rushing over and joined in, the workload started piling up like a storm. Assigning rooms to today’s incoming guests and registering them in the system—one task after another, they worked through everything, and before they knew it, check-in time had arrived.ab370bb11d5255d9

With her 69128b6189 body so fb261e8731 busy, there b1dded669f was no 7614f45ce7 room for f1f3bcb174 other thoughts.6322d8d595715a71

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Forcing herself to smile 20fe5fd42d and speak brightly, Seohee 87b16693a6 started to feel—if only 6fdaebb1bf slightly—as if her crumpled 51a762e743 emotions were being smoothed 7f7ebd436b out, like with a 81535ec680 hot iron.3c80c57efeb4ed76

By the time 365f2440fc they’d finished tackling a1b79decb3 the wave of b5b2766c45 work, it was 625e4ddea2 close to 5 6655b3b2ad p.m. Most of the 8b79e7127c reservations had been cbb03a3579 checked in, and a319642c41 they were just b1a0b77aea about to finally dc1ba2854d catch their breath.94525277932e9429

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“Huh? Is it 5a6fef8100 raining outside? What the heck, the 54d7bccbab forecast said it’d be 5f332ecd27 clear. Ugh, that 67d3e4f7a5 lying weather 85572e564d center—never gets 9a7b06b304 it right.”9256c0ac1dcd8946

Hearing Suyeon grumbling, Seohee 351a260088 took her eyes off 56bb189f41 the monitor and looked 6561e91dee outside. Raindrops began pattering against ee2cac610b the ground, quickly growing e57b2a08cc heavier. Lately, now that 1c85eb77b6 late spring had e234bad37e set in, sudden 7151f23fe9 showers had become a1866fbc78 especially frequent.86230e00f3249f56

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Shhhh—9719ebe517c549b1

Like a 8f2f123642 hole had 32072158e8 torn open ab2def73cf in the 1ea8babda5 sky, a c42631ec28 torrent came 7d763aa33e pouring down. Seohee stared blankly at 05adce6ae2 the water cascading from 69b5746ec5 above when—c34132d185abf856

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“Ugh. Seohee, I’m gonna 0647b6e97c run to the bf613eafd4 bathroom real quick.”1792914598da40cd

“Leave things 007741430b here with 46014de0c4 me and 10874a1029 take a 2121c653bd little breather b655063653 while you’re f557648a3f at it.”1a52cd646a30821c

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“Okay, okay.”337913099844187f

Suyeon was slurping her 69e12be26b coffee when she suddenly 41dc6b1f92 grabbed her head and 56e74b711d hurriedly left her seat, ac9e1b046e unable to take it 32b53a96aa anymore. Honestly, she should’ve gone a77962e967 easier on the drinking.04ab28577299aeb4

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Because of a man, 31e691517d or because of family.2c9c4f2898273051

Everyone struggles 9237d87b07 through their 531a79140e daily life edf25fe0d4 with pain, b31f42b675 one way 6be96486fe or another. If only a drink 053cc60b01 could wash it all f79f6f91b7 away.578ad8eba3b2fe5b

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If only her own 0c1c49c8d0 twisted heart could be 6cd3a23015 rinsed clean like the 4407692027 rain pouring outside. Or maybe she 728cb204e9 should’ve joined Suyeon 1e0bcfa8ac and drunk herself e726c338c9 silly. But she had never 7a56010302 once, in her entire 734186fd5b life, drunk to the 52836811bf point of losing control—because b6f0a856ae she didn’t want anyone a0e13c8884 to see her fall 565f531d25 apart.fb1d4e23873a988a

Blind dates. Marriage.050f8063bb45eded

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“……”2b96797961043ecb

Just thinking of 60e355dd9b those two words—ones de9db702fa she had never d7b4b701b0 really examined deeply—sent c3d1b27244 a wave of 94c14385d1 discomfort rippling through 2ee33c8fb2 her chest.6a2e4d142f204f63

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The conversation she had f90ef0eaec that morning had felt 4bb868657f like a final declaration.3a3830334818331e

A command 27538eff94 she couldn’t 69d3207a4c refuse: that ed1338bb6a she no bf4b880cd1 longer had 817e8d765c any place 359278dbb5 in that 5c295e8603 household.abadc7a49833ad1f

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She stared blankly 737d2626fa at the sheets 990a1e0142 of rain outside.967ae35fe45c52dc

…What if 1c26f5ddba she just 9789b9c7b2 let everything 7bd1f2082a go?aaf881a797eebacb

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What if she 6021685132 used marriage as cb97cd65de an excuse to 12e649def1 leave that house e68c246878 and completely erase 6ecf5f3a18 her father and c5d82d83e8 stepmother from her 248317215b heart?41518a22597ba2db

A bitter smile tugged f0de9c3a2b at Seohee’s lips at 90d74864eb the thought.59abf86a2d7a80a9

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She couldn’t do 9408cd0925 it. Even if f21290a261 she got af63cf644e married, she 621b6f4f6d knew nothing 3ab18c995b much would f9a31e46ff change about 8963eaa32b her circumstances.e2d399ec3f33d932

From one cage to 3494cf7bd4 another. The only thing that b99fc3bcb9 would move was her 9f73523a3e body.314dd1ebf889a0fb

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No—actually, she’d b1b51c7238 probably have ad1f272f5f to quit fb42eacfd4 work too, a7a690b193 which meant a4adcdecfa she’d be 28c2536da9 trapped in dd1a7a964e an even 9fdfd58de4 more suffocating 96fc18e946 cage.75f6db2682406ad4

Outside, everything 2580ea5af4 was getting f15dc4cd8a damp and 28af6c602a soaked, but 11da5ae2b0 inside her, f4cce67139 everything was 95664f6df0 dry and f5d788412f brittle, dark d3e12c16e0 and lifeless. At that 4a4099d950 moment, she 12c1bcd897 wished the f8d6935d28 flood would cf7f0cda46 just swallow 2a926fc621 her whole.a23688fd4b17926e

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Then, the 3a8628ea37 air shifted.717eb930ed1976f0

The revolving 058731ff11 door gently 99b963aa24 turned, and 915557f0f5 the stale 156cb2a44e indoor air 6e99047618 was drawn 56365d672d out while 9b4c2caf54 the damp, 93cde0d986 humid air 00b6167c86 from outside 188f435cab rushed in.28b86b683fa12c99

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Her vision, f197ac9e21 which had e9c6c0bd25 blurred reflexively, cc7fdc1fb6 began to c0c9af223c refocus in 5c2ddd6292 the center. She straightened 878695512e her back, 092a735eb9 instantly alert, b29751abc0 preparing to 7241266ebd greet the 1f1469cf35 guest with 0fe5a34582 a smile.6f507654b19097cd

But—86c4c89df9ffe4a7

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“Damn. It just suddenly 9c37e19091 started pouring.”7599d01ed6ab3e1b

A man 848c16f471 who wasn’t c881d0b468 the least b74523a5ba bit wet 8b46c286df casually brushed 5207feccaf off his aa62242801 perfectly dry 139142006d shoulders as e03ab17d3f he muttered 3a501ecf70 to himself. Dressed in a f8effea16e light gray pinstripe b7a897bfc3 three-piece suit with c0aaf6ac6d a sky-blue shirt 8588da4925 underneath, he approached de331017e3 with a relaxed, 8578eea3ac steady pace, a 7dcf938322 faint smirk playing 64f2f9e9e4 on his lips.1f7ad4cb19bf34af

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Seohee couldn’t believe 32791ea819 her eyes.6172c82c00af11d6

It was the man 191214e579 from yesterday.5714d9b1c0621a5b

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