A Palace for the Night
"What? Nothing available?"
"Correct. We have no vacant rooms today."
The front desk clerk stood with perfect posture and a practiced business smile, but her gaze kept sliding past Yeo-won to the man standing behind her.
"Even if it isn't a twin room, would that be all right? Are you sure there aren't any?"
"I'm afraid we have no rooms at all tonight. My apologies."
The clerk delivered the refusal with a bright smile and unyielding finality. The sharpness of it left Yeo-won looking as if she'd been cut, her face drawn with exhaustion.
She had come to the single brand-name hotel in all of Inwol. The village was so small and remote that most lodging options were shabby motels. Yet the thought of bringing Shin-wol to one of those had felt wrong, so she had chosen this relatively new hotel instead.
Perhaps she had underestimated the countryside after all.
She hadn't considered that its very remoteness would drive every traveler to the only decent hotel available. Still—completely booked? It seemed impossible.
She should have secured a room before worrying about buying an umbrella.
Regret settled heavy in her chest as Yeo-won glanced back at Shin-wol. He waited for her as still as a finely carved marble statue. In the glittering lounge, he looked entirely at ease, offering her a gentle smile that held no trace of discomfort.
Should I just ask him to take me to his palace?
Since they were already in Inwol, it wouldn't be far.
But I literally just told him not to use his power. Changing my mind now would be beyond shameless.
If she could turn back time thirty minutes, she would have clamped a hand over her own mouth.
After a long moment of internal debate, Yeo-won let out a deep sigh.
It would have been easier if she were the shameless type.
Knowing she wasn't, she refused to dig the hole any deeper. She pulled out her phone.
There has to be somewhere else. It's not like this is the only place in town.
"Oh dear. We just rented out the last room."
The middle-aged woman sounded genuinely sympathetic. Despite Yeo-won's obvious fatigue, she made certain to drive the point home.
"It's the weekend, so everywhere nearby is probably full, don't you think?"
The remark felt like a gentle rebuke of Yeo-won's naïve assumption that weekends wouldn't matter in a place like this.
Instead of answering, Yeo-won bowed her head in thanks and exhaled a sigh so heavy it seemed the ground might crack open beneath her.
She stepped out of the motel, lifted her phone again, and rubbed her aching neck.
Every establishment that looked even remotely clean had turned her away. What kind of day was this? The timing was so disastrous it felt as if every person in Inwol had booked a room at once.
Swallowing back the irritation bubbling inside her, she jabbed at the screen—only for it to go black.
"You've got to be kidding."
Her own face stared back at her from the dark glass, and a wave of dread washed over her. She tapped the screen, held the power button, but the phone remained stubbornly unresponsive.
Only then did she remember the warning that had flashed when she left the second lodging: 10% battery remaining.
"Unbelievable."
It was the final straw. Yeo-won squeezed her eyes shut.
She had noticed the battery draining faster lately but had dismissed it. The phone was over five years old, after all. Since she had neither close friends nor a lover to text constantly, she had never found a compelling reason to replace it. Now she had one.
She vowed silently to buy a new phone the moment she returned home. Just then, a calm voice spoke beside her.
"You look as though the weight of the world rests upon your shoulders."
"...A little, yes."
"Shall I lend you my aid?"
"In what way?"
"You require a place to rest, do you not? Is it not a simple matter of returning with me to my palace?"
He gave a small laugh and tilted his head. The strangely confident gesture made Yeo-won narrow her eyes at him.
Truthfully, the offer was tempting.
It was already past one in the morning, and her exhaustion had long since crossed the threshold of endurance.
Part of her wanted to simply give in and accept, yet some deeper instinct kept raising its voice in protest.
Today, for whatever reason, Shin-wol had been unusually persistent in trying to do things for her. From the accessories to offering to stop the rain, to constantly asking if she needed anything else.
These small kindnesses should have been easy to accept, yet an uneasy feeling clung to her that she could not shake.
Yeo-won had always believed that no favor came without a price.
That was why, even as she felt grateful for his generosity, a sense of debt kept accumulating.
Shin-wol was someone who understood give-and-take perfectly. There was every chance he would use this as leverage to demand something from her later.
The thought made her hesitation deepen.
His hand moved in front of her with clear intent, fingers curling in invitation.
"If it is difficult to answer, then simply take my hand. I will bring you to the palace."
Yeo-won stared at the large hand extended toward her, caught in genuine torment.
In truth, this wasn't a decision worth such anguish. She had already accepted countless favors from him.
Suddenly overthinking it might seem strange, yet...
Ah, I'm making this too complicated. I should just accept. Keeping refusing would be rude at this point.
After much deliberation, just as Yeo-won reached to take his hand, she lifted her gaze. Beyond his shoulder, a single building caught the light.
She changed the motion of her hand at the last second, pointing past him with her index finger.
"Let's check that last place over there."
"..."
"If they don't have anything either, then I'll accept your offer."
She smiled and tugged him by the hand. At the warm touch of their joined palms, a complex swirl of emotions flickered across Shin-wol's face before vanishing.
In truth, if he took her to his palace, he had no intention of letting her leave for several days. The air of the mortal realm displeased him, and the way humans stared at him as if he were some exotic monkey had begun to grate on his nerves.
And in many other ways, he himself was reaching his limit.
The desire he had felt since Mount Gonok was becoming impossible to suppress.
He wanted to hold her in his palace for days on end and never emerge.
That was why he had planned to take her the moment she took his hand.
Whether by good instinct or sheer coincidence...
Shin-wol glanced down at their clasped hands. At some point, Yeo-won had stopped flinching away from contact with his body.
She held his hand willingly now and no longer pushed him away when he drew her close.
For now, this would have to be enough.
He smiled with languid satisfaction and allowed her to lead the way.
"Uh..."
From a distance the neon sign had hidden its true state, but up close the building looked far more dilapidated and worn. Yeo-won's eyes traveled over the exterior and suddenly stopped.
Palace Motel...
A small, helpless laugh escaped her at the faded, peeling sign.
Of all the places to end up last...
Scenes from movies where such motels were always connected to crime flashed through her mind.
The blatant name and weathered sign only made the mental image more vivid.
She stole a glance at Shin-wol to gauge his reaction to the gloomy atmosphere, but he stood with an indifferent expression, showing no obvious signs of displeasure.
Hoping against hope that this place would also be full, Yeo-won opened the translucent glass door and stepped inside.
Shin-wol followed closely behind her.
The first floor, which could barely be called a lobby, was narrow and dim.
Motion-sensor lights flickered on, but their glow was so weak they might as well have stayed off.
Are they even open...?
The complete silence made her glance around uneasily. With great caution, she knocked on the firmly closed window of the front desk.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Her voice carried unmistakable tension.
No answer came from within. Just as she was about to tell him they should leave, the window suddenly flew open.
"You need a room?"
Yeo-won's eyes met those of the middle-aged man inside, and she barely managed to swallow the scream rising in her throat.
The way he tilted his head made his upturned eyes resemble a scene straight out of a horror film.
She pressed a hand to her pounding chest and somehow found her voice.
"Do you... happen to have a room available?"
"We do, but are you here alone—oh ho."
The man caught sight of Shin-wol standing behind her and drew in a sharp breath.
Even the faint light from the motion sensors seemed like a spotlight on features so handsome they left the man momentarily speechless. Yeo-won called out to him carefully.
"Um..."
"Ah, sorry about that. Your boyfriend looks like a movie star. Not a short-stay, then—you want overnight?"
"Ah, yes."
"That'll be sixty thousand won."
Yeo-won immediately handed over her card.
After processing the payment, the man passed her a plastic key marked 407 along with a rough cloth pouch.
"Checkout is at eleven. If you need a hair straightener, just come down and ask."
He spoke dryly, then stole another glance at Shin-wol, muttering admiring words under his breath before closing the window.
It had been a little frightening, but they had finally secured a room. Yeo-won pressed a hand to her chest in relief and gave Shin-wol a tired smile.
"Let's head up."
Shin-wol gave a light nod. Yeo-won led the way up the stairs.
Only then did she look down at the cloth pouch in her hand and tilt her head in confusion.
Do motels even give out amenities?
Having never set foot in a motel in all her twenty-eight years, Yeo-won had no idea what might be inside the bag.