Chapter 4

I-young decided to just let it go.

“Since we both didn’t really want to be here, let’s just have a cup of coffee and call it a day.”

What a relief to hear that.

“Sure.”

A few minutes later, their coffee arrived. I-young lifted her cup in silence and took a sip.

But she couldn’t just sit there doing nothing. If her father later asked how the blind date went, she’d need something to say. So she decided to make small talk.

“Excuse me, may I ask how old you are?”

She blinked her eyes innocently as she asked.

Age was the most basic question, after all.

She was genuinely curious. A man young enough to own an officetel building? That didn’t sound common.

At her question, his dark eyebrows twitched as he looked straight at her.

The intensity of his gaze made her flinch. It almost felt like she’d just challenged him.

A little scary. She hadn’t meant anything by it.

“Thirty-four.”

He finally spoke.

“Ah, I see.”

She had guessed he might be around thirty, but he was older than she thought.

“My youngest brother is twenty-eight.”

“So you must have a lot of siblings.”

“Two younger brothers.”

“No younger sister?”

He nodded once, then spoke in an offhand tone.

“Thank goodness.”

The way his eyes swept over her made it sound like he was saying he was lucky not to have a sister like her.

What the heck was that supposed to mean?

He was subtly provoking her.

And I-young had never backed down from a fight in her life.

With a faint smile, she replied, “I think that’s great too. I’m lucky not to have an older brother.”

He understood right away. A faint grin curved his lips as he glanced at his wristwatch.

So, he wasn’t going to bother with petty bickering.

“Let’s get going. No point wasting each other’s time.”

“Ah, sure.”

That worked perfectly for her.

I-young picked up her backpack and stood. He glanced at it and gave a small, crooked smile.

“Don’t tell me you plan to head off on a trip after this using me as your excuse.”

“What?”

“We just spent exactly thirty minutes having coffee, then parted ways. That’s what I’ll tell CEO Kang, if he asks. Not that I plan to tattle. But don’t go causing trouble with your friends today. I hate dealing with hassles.”

I-young stared at him in disbelief.

She had planned to leave quietly, but no, this couldn’t end like that.

“Do you know something?”

“Hm?”

“You’re seriously insufferable.”

“I’ve been told I ruin people’s appetites plenty of times.”

The landlord replied without flinching.

It didn’t affect him at all.

Completely losing her will to argue, I-young turned sharply and stormed out of the lounge.

Anyway, the blind date was over. Now it was time to enjoy herself in the snow.

* * *

Tenant from room 1004.

She had chopped off that seaweed-like hair and shown up here.

Jae-won could only laugh at how absurd the whole thing was.

So CEO Kang’s precious daughter turned out to be the eccentric from room 1004.

Maybe “precious” wasn’t the right word. “Headache” sounded more fitting.

Could it be that CEO Kang had set up this blind date just to hand her off to him?

You could see to the bottom of a river, but never into someone’s heart.

And honestly, no matter how many people had called him annoying, this was the first time someone had said it straight to his face.

That tiny woman.

Watching her walk away, Jae-won narrowed his eyes, then called Team Leader Lee.

The blind date had ended thirty minutes early.

No reason to waste time. He could head to Gangwon right away.

He had to personally check on the renovation progress at a five-star hotel suite.

“Team Leader Lee, where are you?”

– You’re already done? I just got out of the taxi. I’m right in front of the hotel.

“Wait there. I’m coming out.”

Lee Ji-soo was a university junior and one of the designers at his company.

She was also in charge of this hotel renovation project and was scheduled to go on the business trip with him.

Jae-won left the hotel and headed for the parking lot.

As soon as she spotted him, Ji-soo waved and jogged over.

“You finished earlier than expected.”

“Something like that.”

“Did you meet someone?”

Instead of answering, he just walked toward the parked car.

He took off his jacket, tossed it onto the back seat, and got into the driver’s seat of the SUV.

Ji-soo sat beside him, quietly studying his expression.

“It was a personal matter.”

Even with people he knew well, Jae-won rarely talked about his private life.

After that short reply, he started the car.

Silence filled the space.

“Am I really that unpleasant?”

Ji-soo, who had been staring blankly out the window, turned to him in surprise.

Who on earth would say something like that to the mighty President Jung Jae-won?

“W-who said that?”

Who would even dare?

“There she is.”

He pointed out the window.

Ji-soo followed his gaze.

A small woman in a thick khaki parka was walking quickly along the sidewalk.

“That woman?”

It was hard to see clearly in the dim light, but she looked petite and slender.

When the wind blew, her short, sleek hair fluttered across her face, and she brushed it aside with an annoyed flick.

At that moment, the headlights illuminated her face.

Even from a distance, her delicate features stood out. She was strikingly pretty in a soft, natural way.

Her pale, milk-white skin looked so smooth it almost glowed.

“She looks like a college student… She said that to you?”

“Believe it or not, she’s twenty-six.”

As he said it, a faint smile curved his lips.

Ji-soo noticed the rare softness in his expression and turned to look again at the girl outside.

‘Who is she? What’s their relationship?’

Her face darkened.

* * *

– In the Gangwon Yeongdong region and along the eastern coast of North Gyeongsang, snow is expected tonight. The eastern coastal areas of Gyeongsang Province will be cloudy with rain or snow due to eastern winds. Please drive carefully.

Listening to the weather forecast on the radio, Jae-won pressed a button on the steering wheel and switched to a calm classical station.

“The snow’s getting heavier,” Ji-soo said, glancing nervously out the window.

Their destination was Palace Hotel in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.

Many hotels in the area were being renovated to improve their facilities.

The last renovation project Jae-won’s company had completed had earned high praise, and now new requests were pouring in.

Renovations usually happened during the off-season, but this case was different.

The ski resort had already opened, and the client had insisted the work be done right away.

He had no choice but to go himself to make sure things stayed on schedule.

Normally, it would take about three and a half hours to drive from Seoul to Pyeongchang, but with the snow falling and traffic building, the roads were getting worse.

They would probably arrive late at night.

It was only a one-night, two-day trip, so instead of bringing a driver, he had decided to drive himself. But he was already starting to feel tired.

“Sir, should we stop for a meal? Maybe at a rest area?”

“Sure.”

They stopped at the next rest stop, had quick bowls of udon, and got back on the road.

Once they were back on the highway, traffic slowed even more.

The car inched forward, stopping and moving again.

“Oh, there’s been an accident up ahead,” Ji-soo said.

A long-distance bus had stopped, and several people were standing outside.

Smoke was billowing from the engine compartment. It looked like they had escaped just before the bus caught fire.

Traffic had turned into a parking lot, cars barely crawling forward.

Bzzz.

Jae-won rolled down the window to check outside.

Cold air swept into the car, sharp and refreshing. Ji-soo shivered and coughed, curling up in her seat.

“Button up your coat.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Damn it, this road’s a parking lot.”

The icy air didn’t bother him. It actually helped clear his chest.

How long were they going to be stuck like this?

Frowning, he stared out into the snow. He could feel Ji-soo’s uneasy gaze from beside him.

“You’ll wear your eyes out staring like that.”

“Ah…”

Flustered, Ji-soo quickly looked away, her cheeks reddening.

‘Maybe I should’ve brought Chief Cho instead.’

That thought crossed his mind when a familiar voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

“…Hey, are you seriously leaving me here? You heartless jerks! How could you abandon me in this freezing cold?”

Wait, that voice… room 1004?

The angry shout cut sharply through the night air.

Jae-won turned his head in disbelief toward the direction of the voice.