Revenge at the Hotel
Yu-seo-hyeon’s mind was elsewhere, and she made a mistake while serving a customer. Unfortunately, it happened to be one of her regular clients, a middle-aged woman who immediately flew into a rage. After issuing a refund and promising extra service on her next visit, the woman finally calmed down and left.
“Haah. What’s wrong with me?”
It was because of that man from earlier. The way he’d spoken made it sound like he already knew about the lottery ticket, and his promise to wait had completely thrown her off balance.
“Focus. I should just apologize.”
She couldn’t keep living like this, with a guilty conscience and a restless heart.
“You worked hard today, boss.”
“You too. Thanks for your hard work.”
“So… are you going on a date now?”
“What?”
“That boyfriend who said he’d wait for you earlier. He was really handsome, wasn’t he?”
The new employee had misunderstood and assumed Min-hoo was her boyfriend. Since she’d only recently been hired, she didn’t know anything about Yu-seo-hyeon’s personal life.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“O-oh, really? I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Go home. I need to leave soon too.”
“Yes, boss.”
Once the employee had gone, Yu-seo-hyeon finished closing up and stepped outside. Where was he?
Vroom—
A luxury foreign car was parked along the street.
“That car…”
She didn’t know much about cars, but even she could tell it was extremely expensive. He really was a wealthy man.
As she approached, the window rolled down.
“Get in, Seo-hyeon-ssi.”
“……Yes.”
She climbed in carefully. He had just called her by name so naturally.
“I didn’t expect to be spending time with you after work like this.”
“Where are we going?”
“I was thinking we could grab a simple meal. And talk.”
“……”
“Don’t be so nervous. I’m not a bad person.”
When should she say it?
“Could you tell me why you wanted to meet?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
“……So you did know.”
“Let’s go. We can talk once we get there.”
She realized she’d been too careless. These days, lottery winning locations and stores were all publicly listed. Since a second-place ticket had been sold at the place he’d bought from, he must have looked into it.
“Or maybe he even took a photo.”
Perhaps he’d only recently discovered the information and come looking for her.
The place they arrived at was a high-end Korean beef restaurant. He must have reserved a private room in advance, because they were shown straight inside.
“Have a seat, Seo-hyeon-ssi.”
“Thank you.”
She decided to apologize properly. She had clearly done something wrong.
Just as she was about to speak, a server came in to set the side dishes and pour water. She had no choice but to close her mouth.
Once the server left and she tried again—
“Let’s talk while we eat. I’ve been waiting a long time, so I’m hungry.”
“……”
“Or maybe you’re too nervous to eat properly.”
He smiled gently. He really was handsome. Broad shoulders, tall, flawless skin. Most women would probably feel their hearts flutter just being near a man like him.
Her own heart was pounding for an entirely different reason. He seemed gentle now, but what if he was actually suppressing his anger? She felt a flicker of fear at the thought of that fury being directed at her.
“Then I suppose we should clear the air before the meal.”
This was her chance.
“I’m sorry, Min-hoo-ssi.”
She already knew his name from the customer information.
“For what, exactly?”
“This is about the lottery ticket, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It is.”
He showed her his phone. As expected, there was a photo of the lottery ticket in his gallery.
“A second-place ticket came out of the store where I bought mine. When I checked later, it turned out to be the one I’d thrown away.”
“That’s right. It was second place.”
“You knew the result?”
“……Yes.”
“How did it feel when I asked you to throw it away?”
“……Honestly, my heart was racing. I felt strangely good about it. But…… my conscience bothered me. It hurt. I’m really not that kind of person. I just made a bad choice because I was desperate. I’m sorry, Min-hoo-ssi.”
Now he would scold her, right?
“Hmm. I didn’t ask to meet you just to hear an apology.”
“What?”
“I did ask you to throw it away. At that moment, the ticket was no longer mine.”
“What do you mean?”
“Legally it might be complicated, but I’m telling you I have no intention of suing. You can relax.”
What? This man? That was nearly fifty million won, and this was his reaction?
“For the record, I don’t plan on asking for the money back either. You can consider it yours.”
“……No. I’ll return it. And I’ll pay back the money I spent too.”
“It’s fine. Thanks to this, I get to have dinner with you, don’t I?”
“……”
“I think you’re worth at least that much.”
No matter how much self-love she had, she didn’t think she was worth that much.
“If it weren’t for the lottery ticket, we wouldn’t be sitting across from each other like this. So I’m quite pleased.”
“The amount is huge. No matter how well you earn……”
“I can live without that money.”
“Ah……”
He was even wealthier than she’d thought.
“I’m not going to pester you either. You’re getting married soon, aren’t you?”
“Yes……”
“Just enjoy dinner with me today. So I can sort out my feelings about you.”
This man…… didn’t seem like a simple playboy. To give up nearly fifty million won just for one dinner with a woman like her.
“I came here to apologize, but……”
Now she felt even more sorry. And grateful.
“Why are you doing this for me? I’m really just an ordinary woman with nothing special.”
“I like women who work hard and have strong self-respect. You’re exactly that type. It’s a shame we met so late.”
If she heard it without emotion, she would have thought it was just a pickup line.
“Look at you now. Anyone else would have claimed ownership of the ticket and ignored me completely. There wouldn’t have been an apology. They wouldn’t have felt any guilt either. But you were different. I saw you clearly.”
“……”
“So enjoy dinner with me tonight. For the last time.”
Did this man really like her? Was that why he was going this far? The fact that he was willing to give up fifty million won made her thoughts complicated.
“Could Seok-hyeon oppa do something like this?”
She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure.
“But this man……”
In every way, he seemed superior to Seok-hyeon oppa. Looks, wealth……
“What am I thinking?”
No matter how sorry she felt, she couldn’t let herself waver. She was a woman who was about to get married.
Just then, a server entered and began grilling the Korean beef. It was truly premium beef—sets that cost hundreds of thousands of won.
“Eat up, Seo-hyeon-ssi.”
“Yes. Thank you for the meal.”
She decided to enjoy this final meal with him. And return the remaining money. That would be the cleanest way to end things.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yes. It melts in my mouth. It’s delicious.”
“Eat as much as you want. Ah, would you like a glass of wine?”
“No. In times like this, soju and beer is the way to go.”
“Haha. You’re right. Sounds good.”
“I’ll mix it for you. I’m good at making somaek.”
“I should look forward to it, then?”
Once the awkwardness faded, she felt lighter. She was able to talk with Min-hoo much more freely. He was surprisingly gentle. He didn’t look down on her at all. Their senses of humor matched well too. He brought up topics she liked.
“You like badminton? I like it too.”
“Really?”
Even their hobbies matched, which stirred a strange feeling in her. She knew she shouldn’t let such emotions surface, yet the dinner with Min-hoo was genuinely enjoyable and happy. She’d never felt this way even on dates with Seok-hyeon oppa.
“They said his face was insanely handsome.”
Unlike before, when his good looks had made her feel resistant, now just looking at his face made her want to smile. She had to work hard to control her expression.
Maybe it would have been nice if they’d met earlier.
“Stop thinking like that.”
She’d already received a proposal. She couldn’t waver.
After the meal, they stood up.
“Want to go for round two? There’s a wine bar nearby that I know.”
“Hmm. Sounds good. I’ll pay for that one.”
“You just won the lottery. Don’t go throwing money around.”
“I’m going to pay it back. Really.”
“I told you, you don’t have to.”
“I will. Definitely. So if I contact you, come out then too.”
“You’re not using that as an excuse to see me, are you?”
She laughed at how ridiculous he was being.
“Shut up and lead the way.”
Being with this man was surprisingly fun, so she ended up agreeing to a second round. If she got drunk, things could get really complicated……
They walked side by side.
“He really is tall.”
Her heart fluttered for no reason. Every woman they passed stared at Min-hoo. It made her feel strangely superior, even though he wasn’t her man.
“Seok-hyeon oppa never got looks like that.”
Why was she like this? She kept comparing them.
“Ah! Seo-hyeon-ssi. Just a moment.”
“What? Why?”
“I think I left something at the restaurant. Could you wait here for a second?”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
“I’ll be right back, so please wait right here.”
“Got it.”
His flustered, hurried figure was oddly cute. He’d seemed so perfect, but he had this side too.
Where was this? The signs were filled with flashy lights. Most of them looked like bars.
That was when she heard it.
“Ugh, I’m drunk. Hoo.”
“Oppa, walk straight.”
“Hehehe. My Chae-yeon. Why are you so pretty today?”
A familiar voice she’d heard somewhere before came from behind her.
“Ah, seriously, oppa. I’m tired. Walk properly.”
“Let me see those lips, Chae-yeon. Come on, kiss.”
“Let’s do that at the hotel. There are too many people here.”
She turned around without thinking—and saw a scene she had never imagined.
“……Seok-hyeon oppa?”
It was clearly Choi Seok-hyeon, her boyfriend. He was linking arms with a woman in flashy clothes, forcing kisses onto her cheek.
Peck. Peck. Peck.
Multiple times. Completely unaware that she was standing right there.
Her stomach churned. The shock was so great that she could only stand there, dazed, watching.
“……Huh? Seo-hyeon?”
“……What are you doing right now?”
Seok-hyeon finally noticed her and looked flustered.
“Ah, no, it’s just……”
Slap—
She struck his cheek without mercy. Then she turned and ran.
She felt pathetic for having been happy about receiving a proposal from a man like that.
Since when? Why was he like this? She had clearly heard him say he wanted to go to a hotel.
“Disgusting. Revolting.”
Blinded by rage toward Choi Seok-hyeon, she ran without thinking. Then a hand grabbed her wrist. Thinking it was Seok-hyeon who had chased after her, she spun around to slap him again—only for that hand to catch her wrist.
“Seo-hyeon-ssi. What’s wrong?”
“Ah……”
It was Min-hoo.
“Why are you running away like that?”
“I-it’s…… It’s just…… I mean……”
Looking at him, the anger from earlier disappeared, replaced by…… sadness. Along with self-loathing, all sorts of thoughts flooded in. Her eyes grew hot. She felt like she was about to cry.
As if he understood, he offered her his broad shoulder. He gently pulled her in and held her.
“Hngh…… Hic……”
Tears spilled out before she knew it. She had thought he was such a good man. Why did something like this have to happen to her?
After crying for a while, another emotion surfaced. Anger toward Choi Seok-hyeon.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
A good idea came to her. She should make him feel this miserable feeling too.
“Min-hoo-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Help me.”
“With what?”
“Let’s go to a hotel. Right now.”
She wanted to get proper revenge on that bastard.
****
‘Everything went exactly according to plan.’
He had already searched everything in advance. The days Choi Seok-hyeon visited the establishment. The time he came out after playing around. He had looked it all up and timed it perfectly to come out with Yu-seo-hyeon. Then he left her standing near the establishment and disappeared.
As planned, Yu-seo-hyeon ran into Choi Seok-hyeon, slapped him, and fled. Min-hoo chased after her and caught her. Choi Seok-hyeon had fallen on the street in shock, too drunk to even stand properly, let alone chase after them. Of course, he hadn’t recognized Min-hoo either.
‘Finally.’
He could finally have Yu-seo-hyeon.
She was a narcissist. She would have absolute confidence in the man she chose. But what if that man had been secretly visiting establishments? Given how high her self-esteem was, she would have expected the man she chose to be perfect. Realizing he wasn’t would bring an equally massive sense of disappointment.
‘Among the men Yu-seo-hyeon knows, Choi Seok-hyeon was probably the most outstanding.’
That was why she had started dating him after being won over by his smooth talk, and why she had accepted his proposal. But once she realized what a pathetic man he was, if there was someone who could replace him……
‘She’ll definitely waver.’
That was why he had spent all this time building goodwill through compliments. Meeting her on the exact day and place he wanted, using the lottery ticket, had all been for today.
‘Having the search ability really is convenient.’
Because he could see everything from psychology to the future, this kind of buildup had been possible.
Yu-seo-hyeon seemed to have thought of revenge. Whatever it was, he had succeeded in getting her to agree to go to a hotel with him.
‘I didn’t expect her to suggest it so directly.’
He had planned to use her sadness to bring up the idea of revenge himself, but he hadn’t expected Yu-seo-hyeon to take the initiative like this. Lucky.
All he had to do was accept it gracefully.
‘Choi Seok-hyeon. I’ll enjoy your girlfriend.’
Just like he stole my item, this time I’ll steal yours.
Yu-seo-hyeon, who had stopped crying, looked especially beautiful. He was going to devour this woman to his heart’s content tonight.
