Chapter 6

Jae-won stepped out of the car.

The cold, sharp air filled his lungs all the way down to his chest.

The snow-covered hotel was breathtaking.

A serene beauty surrounded the entire building, the kind that quieted the mind just by looking at it.

In the distance, he saw I-young running toward the hotel.

She looked like a country dog that had gone wild in the snow for the first time.

After sprinting for a while, she suddenly stopped and looked around the parking lot.

It seemed like she was searching for someone.

“Hey, Cha Dong-hoon!”

Apparently, she had spotted the boyfriend she’d been talking to in the car earlier.

“Well, well, Kang I-young. You actually made it here in one piece. I thought you froze to death somewhere.”

A tall, good-looking guy with long legs walked toward her and immediately hooked his arm around her neck, pulling her into a playful headlock and pretending to slam her into the ground.

They were ridiculous.

It reminded Jae-won of how his younger brothers used to mess around.

He stood there quietly, watching the two of them.

“What’s with your hair? You enlisting or something?”

The guy laughed as he pointed at her short hair.

Covered in snow, I-young pushed herself up and glared.

“Forget it. Where are the others?”

“They’re waiting.”

“Let’s go already.”

“How was the blind date?”

“What do you think?”

“So, are you getting married?”

“No!”

“Don’t ruin another man’s life. Just stay single.”

“I said no!”

The guy seemed to live for teasing her.

Jae-won leaned against the car and kept watching their antics with a faintly crooked smile.

“Sir?”

“What.”

Ji-soo, who had been standing silently beside him, finally spoke up, her eyes full of questions.

“Did you… have a blind date today?”

“What, with that woman?”

“…”

“Yeah.”

“Ah…”

Jae-won opened the car trunk and pulled out a leather jacket, the kind he wore for site visits.

He yanked off his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Ji-soo flushed slightly as she watched him.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

It was time to forget all the distractions and focus on work.

* * *

I-young and Dong-hoon walked through the hotel lobby and stopped in front of the elevator.

She kept glancing around, admiring everything. Her excitement was overflowing now that the fun was about to start.

“Tae-joo really spoiled us this time, huh?”

Their wealthiest friend, Tae-joo, had a free stay at the Daegwallyeong Palace Hotel’s suite room. He had reserved it long ago.

There were six of them, and they had planned this trip together for months. There was no way she could have missed it.

She looked up at Dong-hoon, smiling.

He nodded with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets.

“Your face is so red, it’s hilarious, Kang I-young.”

“Is it that funny?”

She cupped her cheeks in both hands and pouted.

“You went to a blind date looking like that?”

Dong-hoon stared down at her with an expression that screamed disbelief.

“What was I supposed to do? If I went home to change, I’d have been late. I had no choice.”

“Fine. Then who gave you a ride here?”

“Ah, that’s… complicated.”

She frowned slightly, trying to figure out how to explain it.

“You didn’t just hop into some random stranger’s car, did you?”

Dong-hoon’s tone grew serious.

Sometimes, in moments like this, he really did feel like an older brother.

They had been inseparable since college, so he was as comfortable as family.

“He wasn’t a stranger.”

“So you knew him? On the middle of a highway?”

“Kind of. It just happened that way.”

Thanks to him, she’d made it safely. She’d have to properly thank the building owner later when she saw him again.

“You’re seriously fearless.”

“I guess I am. Hehe.”

She lifted her chin proudly, grinning, and he immediately pushed her forehead away with a finger.

“Get that face out of my sight. It’s disgusting.”

“Ugh, whatever. So where’s our rich sponsor Tae-joo?”

“You’ll see. He’s probably already drinking.”

“And skiing?”

She mimed holding ski poles and gliding downhill, which made Dong-hoon chuckle.

“He’ll probably want to go tomorrow morning.”

“That’s fine too.”

I-young smiled with anticipation, already planning to eat and drink until she dropped.

Dong-hoon shook his head, seeing right through her.

“Go ahead and get drunk. I’ll bury you in the snow.”

He snatched her backpack and slung it over his shoulder as the elevator arrived. They stepped inside together.

“Wow, that’s fast.”

The high-speed elevator reached the suite floor in no time.

“Let’s get out.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait to see it. How many suites are on this floor?”

“Four, I think.”

“Wow.”

Dong-hoon and Tae-joo were still students, soon to be seniors.

Their female friends had already graduated and started working, but the guys had delayed graduation because of military service and studying abroad.

They’d planned this trip as one last get-together before everyone went their separate ways. Without Tae-joo and his wealth, it would have been impossible.

When the doorbell rang, the door opened, and Tae-joo appeared. The noise inside spilled out immediately.

“You’re early, Kang I-young.”

“You guys ditched me! Traitors!”

“You’re the traitor. A blind date? Really? You’d rather meet some guy than hang out with us?”

“You call yourselves guys?”

Ignoring them, I-young stepped inside.

The suite was enormous, about ninety pyeong, and lavishly decorated.

Through the wide glass windows, the snowy view glittered like a dream.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

She darted around the room in awe.

Having grown up helping her father with his interior business, she had always been interested in design.

Even though she hadn’t majored in interior design, she had a good eye for it.

“Kang I-young, come here and show us your face already.”

Hye-sun stood up and walked toward her.

“Who cares about my face right now? Oh wow, look at that!”

Ignoring her friend, I-young ran toward one of the displays.

Hye-sun just shook her head.

“Look at this! It’s a coffee cup from the time of Louis XV. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Only you would know that. The rest of us wouldn’t even notice. Anyway, how did the blind date go?”

I-young took off her jacket and joined her friends in the living area.

They all sat on the plush carpet and greeted one another with smiles.

“It was like Siberia in there. So cold.”

“Really?”

“He even had a girlfriend.”

“What? Is he crazy? Why go on a blind date if he already has someone?”

Dong-hoon, who was pouring drinks, chimed in. I-young glared at him.

“Hey, come on. My dad set it up. You really think he’d pick some psycho?”

“You two can’t be in the same room without arguing, can you?”

“Excuse me, don’t lump me in with him. I don’t argue.”

I-young grinned mischievously and raised a glass.

“Whoa, whiskey? Are we drinking to death tonight?”

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s party.”

“Yeah, let’s drink.”

They were six friends in perfect sync, full of life and laughter.

* * *

Jae-won and Ji-soo stopped by the first-floor office to go over the basics before heading up with the hotel manager.

Since the hotel owner was absent, the final details would have to be discussed later.

That alone was enough to sour his mood.

Still, since he was already here, he decided to at least inspect the suite slated for renovation.

“I heard your company is almost on par with HBA Design,” the manager said carefully, testing the waters.

HBA was a world-famous hotel design firm.

At the comparison, Jae-won’s expression turned cold.

“If you want that level of quality, you’ll have to pay accordingly.”

“Of course, of course. But if we could afford that, we wouldn’t need to hire your company, would we?”

“So what you’re saying is, you called us because you can’t afford better?”

Jae-won stopped walking and looked the man straight in the eye.

The blunt question left the manager stammering for words.

Without hesitation, Jae-won pulled out his phone and called the hotel’s CEO.

The call connected immediately.

“This is Jung Jae-won from Won Interior. Consider the Palace Hotel renovation project canceled.”

The manager’s eyes went wide as he looked up at him in shock.