Chapter 25: Should I Call You a Blackmailer?
Chapter 25: Should I Call You a Blackmailer?
After about twenty minutes of driving...
'That building keeps appearing no matter where we go.'
It was so tall that it remained visible from any direction.
'Is that a hotel?'
Squinting to see better from a distance, the elegant and sophisticated lobby did indeed look like a hotel. As we got closer...
'We're not actually going there, are we?'
No matter how much money we had, booking a luxury hotel for a business trip was borderline delusional. We weren't executives—just regular employees.
'Correction—I'm just a regular employee.'
As if mocking my assumption, the car turned right—straight toward the hotel entrance.
"Seo-yun? Is this the right place?"
"Yes. This is it."
'Looks like a five-star.'
I'd only stayed at a five-star hotel once in my life—during a family trip to Japan when I was so young I barely remembered it.
This place looked even more luxurious than that. Do Seo-yun parked the car at the entrance and stepped out.
I followed.
"We'll handle your luggage for you."
Just as I pulled my suitcase from the trunk, hotel staff approached. I handed over the car keys and my luggage.
"Please take care of it."
"Thank you."
I quietly followed Seo-yun. I didn't know the protocol here. She strode confidently through the lobby and stopped at the front desk.
"We'd like to check in."
"May I have your name and date of birth?"
"Do Seo-yun. July 8, 2002."
"You have a reservation for the Premier Suite, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
'...The Premier Suite? Isn't that insanely expensive?'
Even with my limited hotel experience, I could tell. The lobby was the epitome of luxury, and a suite in a place like this had to cost a fortune.
At least several million won, easy.
"Our staff will escort you to your room."
Seo-yun whispered in my ear.
"Hold on. Seo-yun? Are you sure this is right?"
I couldn't wrap my head around it. A suite for a business trip?
"It's fine. Just follow me."
I had a million questions, but with so many eyes on us, I had no choice but to comply.
The staff led us all the way to the room, even bringing our luggage inside. It was obvious they'd paid an exorbitant amount.
'No wonder it's called royal.'
Seo-yun stood there like it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"How would you like your dinner prepared?"
"We'll discuss it and let you know."
"Very well. Please enjoy your stay."
"Thank you."
"Have a pleasant evening."
The staff bowed before leaving. The room fell silent.
"Seo-yun."
"Yes?"
"Are we really allowed to stay here? Even with your father's connections, this is..."
I couldn't help but feel out of place. If this was company money, I'd have to write an incident report the moment we got back.
"I had a voucher, so it's fine."
"A voucher?"
"Yes. It was about to expire anyway. Figured I'd use it for this trip."
"Oh..."
'Still, this feels way too extravagant...'
"The best part is, there are multiple rooms."
She pushed open a door, revealing a spacious bedroom with a large bed and a TV. The surprising part? There were several of these rooms.
"Take whichever one you like."
"I'd be grateful just sleeping in the smallest one."
Grateful didn't even begin to cover it.
"Uh, are you sure it's okay for us to stay together? Given that we're... opposite genders."
It was a bit awkward.
"Is there a reason it wouldn't be? You're not the type to do anything inappropriate. Unless... you have ulterior motives?"
"N-No! What are you—"
Her words sent a chill down my spine. Then she flashed a playful smile.
"Just kidding. The doors have locks, see? You can secure them like this."
"Ah."
"And if you do try anything, there's an emergency button right here. No need to worry. Want to test if it works?"
"Wh—No! No!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. No way was I risking that.
"Go ahead and pick what you'd like for dinner. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all included in the voucher, so don't hold back."
"In that case, I'll..."
I skimmed the menu. Even at a glance, the prices were in a whole different league. It was like the meals I usually ate at work, but with an extra zero tacked on.
"I'll have the steak."
Seemed like the safest choice.
"If you're having steak... I'll go with the pilaf. Want to share a pizza too?"
"You can order that much?"
"The portions here are tiny."
I remembered seeing videos online—dishes that cost a fortune but came in laughably small servings.
"Ah, then let's get a pizza too. Order whatever you'd like."
"How about a quattro formaggi?"
"Wouldn't say no to that."
"Feel free to relax in your room. I'll call you when the food arrives."
"Got it."
I wheeled my suitcase into the smallest bedroom.
'Money really does make the world go round. Three bedrooms in one suite...'
I sat on the bed. The mattress felt different—better. To test it, I lay down. The plush comfort made my bed at home feel like a wooden plank in comparison.
"Haah..."
'This is heaven.'
I stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting back up. Had to unpack first. I grabbed my charger from the suitcase and revived my phone.
After organizing my clothes—didn't take long since it was just a two-night stay—I checked out the bathroom.
'This bathroom is insane.'
Compared to the one in my tiny studio, calling mine a "bathroom" felt like an insult.
'Do all the rooms have their own bathrooms?'
No way to know for now. I explored the room. Staying in a place this expensive just to stare at my phone would've been a waste.
'This side faces the ocean. Must be breathtaking during the day.'
Right now, it was too dark to see anything beyond the streetlights. Just as I was taking it all in—
Knock knock.
"Senior?"
"Yeah?"
"Dinner's here."
"I'll be right out."
The moment I opened the door, the delicious aroma hit me. Plates of food were already laid out on the table, along with a bottle of wine.
"This wine...?"
"Oh, I ordered it to go with the meal. Just eating felt a bit plain."
"Isn't this kind of wine expensive too?"
"It's included in the voucher."
"Ah. Thanks to you, I'm living the high life."
"Try some."
"Bon appétit."
I took a bite of the steak first.
'It's melting... melting.'
Worth every penny.
"Try the pasta and pizza too."
Like the steak, they were divine. So was the wine Seo-yun poured.
"You said you're not good with alcohol, right?"
"Yeah. Just a little, please."
"One glass should be fine, no matter how lightweight you are."
I took a sip. It was easily in the top three best things I'd ever tasted.
"You should have some too."
"I will."
'I'd love to bring someone here someday.'
My parents, or maybe Ha-rin and her mother.
"Have you been here before?"
"Yes. Came with my family once. It was nice."
We chatted as we ate. The more we emptied our plates, the more relaxed the atmosphere became. By the time we were nearly done—
"I'm sorry about Friday."
"Huh?"
"Two Fridays ago."
That would be... the day she exposed herself.
"Oh, it's fine. I've already forgotten about it."
"I was being blackmailed."
Cough. Cough.
I choked on my food, covering my mouth as I coughed repeatedly.
"Blackmailed?"
'React properly.'
If I messed this up and she got suspicious, it was game over.
"Someone threatened to leak photos if I didn't... walk around without underwear. I was being blackmailed."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I should probably report it to the police, right?"
My hair stood on end. If an investigation started, I'd be caught for sure. I was the one who did it. But stopping her from reporting it would only make me look guilty.
To Do Seo-yun, I was just a senior colleague. One who'd seen her without underwear.
"...If you were blackmailed, then yes, you should report it."
I forced my expression to stay neutral. She stared at me intently before speaking.
"I considered just reporting it, but... I wanted to talk to you first."
"Talk to me?"
"I found out who it was. The person blackmailing me."
Was this what people meant by "chills running down your spine"? My back was drenched in cold sweat. I played dumb, feigning curiosity.
"Who was it?"
"I can't tell you exactly who, but... it's someone from the accounting team."
The moment she said it, I knew. She'd taken a wrong turn—a big one.
'Good. If she's talking to me about this, she trusts me.'
"Aren't you curious how I found out?"
"I am, actually."
Now that I was relieved, I was curious how she'd reached such a bizarre conclusion.
"First, I narrowed it down through the messages. At first, I thought they were sending them in real time from the office, but when I checked the timing... they were scheduled messages."
"An alibi."
"Right."
I'd expected the scheduled messages to give me away. But Seo-yun's unusual behavior had caused one to send at the wrong time.
"Next, I checked the CCTV."
"CCTV? There aren't any in the office, are there?"
If there were, I'd have been caught already.
"No, not in the office, but there are some in the hallway. I checked who left after me."
"...So you kept narrowing it down."
If there were overlapping suspects, the pool would shrink fast.
'But she couldn't have been certain.'
"Yeah, but that had its limits. I doubted someone meticulous enough to use scheduled messages would overlook CCTV."
"True."
"I thought I'd hit a dead end... until I stumbled onto something."
"...What was it?"
"There's a bug. In the app the blackmailer and I use."
'A bug?'
This was news to me. If there was a bug, the developers would've patched it.
"For example."
She picked up her phone. Seconds later, my screen lit up. Just for a split second, but I saw the notification.
[SY____0_0]
[What's it to you?]
"If you send a message like this, the screen turns on. That's the bug."
"Sorry, must've been another notification."
I casually pressed the power button to turn it off. She smirked at me.
"The reason it's a bug is..."
She continued.
"...the screen turns on even if notifications are disabled."
[Like this.]
The screen lit up again, showing the notification.
"Silently."
Now I was sure. This was a trap. I didn't know when she'd started setting it up, but—
"Why so tense, Senior? Or should I say—"
I'd walked right into it.
"—Blackmailer?"
'...I'm screwed.'