‘How rough was it that even my back hurts so much?’

Clutching her waist, Seol-ah stifled a groan as she cautiously stepped out of bed. She saw her clothes hanging over an armchair and quickly started to put them on.

The good news was that the man was still in the shower.

“Please don’t come out yet.” she pleaded softly as she slipped out of the bedroom. 

But when she stepped into the next room, her mouth dropped open at the sight of the lavish decor. 

‘Where on earth am I?’

Seol-ah looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows and gasped at the breathtaking view of Seoul’s cityscape. The room she’d spent the night in wasn’t just any hotel – it was the Sky Tower, the most prestigious hotel in South Korea. The only one to offer a 360-degree view of the city, it was often referred to as a seven-star hotel, far surpassing any five-star establishment.

And it wasn’t just any room. It was a suite – an extravagant space that only a select few could afford.

Still in disbelief, Seol-ah pulled out her phone to check for any charges, hoping to find a record. But no messages were showing that she had paid for the room, which must have cost millions. If she had, it would have meant using the money she had saved for her wedding.

Relieved, her eyes widened again.

Does that mean the man paid for the hotel? He paid over ten million won just for a one-night stand?’ 

She blinked in disbelief, but the sound of the door opening brought her back to reality and she hurried towards the entrance. As she left the suite, she walked quickly towards the elevator that was in sight. Each step sent a jolt of pain through her lower body, but she decided that escaping was the best course of action. 

She pressed the button and was relieved when the doors opened almost immediately. 

“Welcome, how can I help you today?” 

“!” 

Seol-ah hadn’t expected there would be an attendant in the elevator, and she stood there confused and speechless. The attendant smiled brightly and said, “If you’re going to breakfast, I’ll take you to the 13th floor.

“Uh?” 

‘Grrr!’ 

The mention of breakfast immediately reminded Seol-ah of the lavish hotel buffets she had seen in dramas. Her stomach was now churning and her hunger was accompanied by a headache, perhaps because she hadn’t eaten properly the night before. She soon realized that the gurgling sound she was hearing was coming from her stomach.

‘When will I ever get the chance to have breakfast at such an expensive hotel?’

Seol-ah thought to herself. But she quickly rejected the idea, reminding herself that breakfast wasn’t the real issue at the moment. Just as she was about to refuse, the attendant pressed the button for the 13th floor.

Remembering the saying When you fall, you might as well take a break. Seol-ah decided to enjoy the free breakfast, even though she wasn’t sure if it applied to her situation. After all, someone else had already paid for the room.

“Ding! 13th floor.”

When the elevator arrived, the attendant graciously pushed the button to open the door. Seol-ah thanked them and made her way down the corridor to the buffet restaurant.

Her jaw dropped at the sight of the luxurious interior and her eyes lit up like someone discovering a hidden treasure. Well, considering the hotel was charging ten million won a night, it had to be that impressive, right?

As she licked her lips and reached for some hot soup, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with someone she never wanted to see again. 

“What are you doing here? Are you seriously stalking me again?” 

“What?” 

Her ex-boyfriend Lee Jung-jae, who had just gotten married the day before, looked at her with a fierce expression and accused her of being a stalker. Seol-ah, wide-eyed and surprised, looked at the woman standing next to him and quickly understood his reaction.

He had been secretly dating two women for over a year and had finally tied the knot. Running into his ex-girlfriend just a week after they broke up must have come as a shock to him.

Seol-ah was able to understand the situation, but it only fuelled her anger. How dare he accuse her of being a stalker? And how dare he call her some kind of stalking freak?

Dumbfounded, Seol-ah blew her bangs out of her face in frustration. Jung-jae noticed her growing anger and quickly decided to act first.

“Excuse me!” 

He raised his hand and a staff member approached with impressive speed. 

“Yes, sir. How can I help you?” 

Jung-jae hadn’t even considered the possibility of Seol-ah staying in such an expensive hotel. He had only managed to secure a night in the Sky Tower Suite before his honeymoon in Pattaya by taking advantage of every discount he could find. He had checked in for a third of the regular price on the condition that he would promote the hotel on his social media and booked the cheapest and least popular room available.

“This woman is a stalker! I thought the hotel security was top-notch. How did this happen?” 

“Pardon?” 

The male employee looked up and down at Seol-ah in surprise before speaking into the walkie-talkie hidden in his sleeve. He was inclined to believe Jung-jae’s accusation, especially considering the stark contrast between Seol-ah’s appearance and that of Jung-jae’s impeccably dressed wife. Seol-ah didn’t look like someone who would be staying in a Sky Tower suite. Furthermore, her make-up from the night before was smudged and she hadn’t freshened up, which made her look even more out of place.

You could even interpret the dark circles under her eyes as further proof that she was stalking her ex-boyfriend.

“Please send security to the breakfast buffet on the 13th floor,” the attendant said into his walkie-talkie.

Seol-ah was so shocked by Jung-jae’s absurd accusations that she could barely find her voice. Before she could react, Jung-jae’s wife, Kim Seol-ran, leaned over and whispered in his ear.

“Is it true? Is she the ex-girlfriend you broke up with a year ago who’s been stalking you all this time?”

“Yes. I can’t believe she followed me here. I’m getting chills.”

Jung-jae said, rubbing his arm for emphasis. Kim Seol-ran shivered and looked at two uniformed security guards as they entered the breakfast buffet restaurant. Seol-ah looked at Jung-jae, who seemed unperturbed, but her anger flared when she heard the guards’ words. She was furious that they had accused her of being a stalker without even getting to the bottom of the situation. 

“Excuse me, could you please show us your ID?”

Seol-ah shot back with wide eyes, “Why should I? I’m not a stalker! I’m a guest staying in a suite here!”

“Pardon?”