***

She met Yuhyeon several times a day at the hotel. In the restaurant, in the lobby, and sometimes even in the hotel garden.

It would have been easier if he had approached her first, but Yuhyeon passed by as if uninterested.

The lingering scent he left behind made Soo-min uneasy.

A person’s natural scent… could it be the same?

Of course, if they used the same perfume, it was possible, but perfume interacted with a person’s natural body chemistry to create a unique scent for each individual.

‘Think, Han Soo-min…’

She needed to find more things that Junhwan and Yuhyeon had in common. But the more she tried to think, the more her mind went blank.

The more she thought about Junhwan, the more she realised how little she really knew about him.

‘Come to think of it… I had never heard him talk about his parents.’

It was hard to believe that she had been in a passionate relationship with Junhwan for two years and still knew so little about him.

Just as she had never wanted to reveal her own circumstances, Junhwan had never talked about his family.

‘This… strange feeling…’

Her heart was beating fast.

It had been calm for five years, but now it was racing unexpectedly. But she told herself it was just curiosity about Yuhyeon – nothing more.

***

A week had passed since then.

When she entered the CEO’s office, she found Eunhyuk sighing heavily.

It was the 29th of June.

“I barely managed to push back the bank’s due date by a month… Seriously, do I have to resort to private loans?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m really worried about the staff salaries. Many of them live paycheck to paycheck – we can’t afford to delay their salaries”.

“You’re right…”

The hotel had 150 rooms, three banquet halls and two suites. There were about 140 employees, and the monthly wage bill alone exceeded 400 million won.

“I’m wondering if we should push ahead with building a wedding hall, even if it’s a long shot. At least with a wedding hall, there would be a steady cash flow…”

“With this size, it’s impossible.”

Even though it was a five-star hotel, it was far too small. In addition, wedding halls would have to be renovated every few years, so the costs outweighed the potential profits.

“…Whether we renovate or build a new structure, the cost would probably be about the same, right?”

“I’ll take a quick trip to Seongbuk-dong….”

Soo-min walked with a heavy step. She visited her maternal grandparents only once a year.

Although she was despised as an illegitimate child, her mother always took her and her brother there during the holidays.

There was no warm welcome, but just entering the house reminded her that they were still bound by blood.

“She is so shameless. What right does she have to show her face here? Even her children take after her – just as shameless”

“What else? It’s obviously about the inheritance. If it were me, I wouldn’t put up with such humiliation, but she has nerves of steel. Tsk tsk.”

Just the thought of having to beg Chairman Go left a sour taste in her mouth.

Still, her maternal family was the only place she could turn for help at the moment. Uncertain, she continued on her way.

The moment Chairman Go saw Soo-min, he frowned.

“One billion won? Did you just say a billion?”

“I’m not asking for a handout – I just need temporary funds. Lend it to me for six months… no, just three months.”

“I’ve already given you your share.”

“Chairman, let’s be clear. Even though my mother was born out of wedlock, she still had the right to inherit an equal share of my grandfather’s estate.”

“Ha! Look at you! I married you off to a rich family, and now you think you’re entitled to more? Do you really think a concubine’s child will ever inherit such a fortune? Huh? And haven’t I given you anything else? I gave you the hotel, didn’t I?”

He pretended to be generous, but after taking over the hotel, she discovered that it was already deep in the red. It was far from a fair share.

“Wasn’t this the hotel you wanted to sell at a bargain price? I know very well that its debt ratio was 30%, which means it was more of a liability than an asset.”

“Clever. You’ve got it all figured out. You’ve really grown up.”

“I worked myself to the bone for years to revive a failing hotel and finally get it back to its previous occupancy rate. I can’t let it collapse now”.

“How shameless. Where were you hurt before you came here to take it out on me? I know things are hard, especially since Eunhyuk lent money to your ex-husband.”

“He did it out of emotion. I don’t blame him for that.”

“Whatever the reason, I don’t care. Whether you run the hotel, sell it or let it go under, I don’t care. I’ve already done my part. If you don’t have the money, sell the hotel or go to another financial institution. Figure it out for yourself.”

Chairman Go waved his hand dismissively, clearly irritated. She had held out a little hope, but as expected, he dismissed her without hesitation.

“I didn’t expect anything, but you really refuse so decisively.”

Soo-min clenched her fists.

All the subsidiaries had been given to the legal wife’s children, while her mother was left with a worthless hotel – it was infuriating.

At this rate, when her mother woke up, she wouldn’t even be able to tell her with a smile that she had inherited a hotel.

***

From inside the parked car, Yuhyeon watched Soo-min intently as he stared blankly at the Han River.

His expression remained unchanged, but his cold gaze followed the woman relentlessly.

A moment later, someone approached the passenger side of the car. They glanced around before knocking on the window.

“It seems that the Jaewon Group will no longer be providing support.”

“Proceed as planned.”

“Understood, CEO.”

Yuhyeon’s gaze remained fixed on a woman.

After five years of marriage, it was natural that the breakdown of the relationship would lead to feelings of self-doubt and loss. Yet here she was, trying to pick herself up and regain her strength.

If she had shown the slightest trace of pain or weakness, even for a brief moment, he might have hesitated. But she never gave him that chance.

‘She’s always been this kind of woman… she were…’

Yuhyeon pressed the back of his hand to his lips.

***

No matter how much they agonised over it for hours, nothing changed. Eunhyuk’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

“I knew it. As if the chairman would ever help… The salaries of the employees on the 5th are the real problem…”

Knock, knock. The CEO entered at the sound.

“CEO, I have something to report…”

“Go ahead.”

“The VIP guest has asked to see you. He wants to speak to you directly – what should we do?”

“Ah, today is his check-out day, right? Let him in.”

At the mention of meeting Yuhyeon, Soo-min was startled.

“I… I’ll just go.”

“Just stay. You should hear it for yourself. It’s hard to manage everything alone – I need your judgement too.”

“But…”

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can wait in the second reception room.”

“I’ll do that.”

Since it was uncomfortable to face Yuhyeon directly, Soo-min moved to the second reception room.

Through the glass partition, she could still see Yuhyeon sitting on the other side.

Soo-min glanced at Yuhyeon and when their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

“I hope your stay was comfortable?”

“It was excellent. The breakfast was great too.”

“We brought in a special chef. I’m glad you enjoyed it. But… may I ask what you wanted to discuss?”

“I’d like to rent the suite for a long-term stay.”

“For how long?”

“At the shortest, about two months. At the longest, maybe three. I have a lot of things to take care of, so I’ll be staying a little longer in Korea, and the hotel is convenient for me.”

“It would really be an honour for us to accommodate you for such a long stay.”

He had made the reservation in the name of a Russian tycoon, and he was indeed a big spender. The monthly cost of staying in the suite would exceed 200 million won. Without realising it, she found herself looking at Yuhyeon again.

“Then will you stay in the room you’re currently using?”

“I heard there are two suites in this hotel. I’d like to rent them both.”

After finishing his words, he stood up and shook Eunhyuk’s hand. Then he turned his head and looked at Soo-min.

She quickly moved aside to hide, but since their eyes had already met, hiding felt even more awkward.

The moment he walked away, Eunhyuk let out a sigh of relief.

“Noona, for the next two or three months we won’t have to worry about paying the staff.”

“But I’m not sure it’s a good idea to accept such a long stay. It will help with cash flow for now, but if other guests can’t make reservations, I’m worried that once he leaves, there will be a sudden drop in customers.”

“That won’t happen. Like I said, he’s a big spender. Of all the hotels available, he chose to stay here for the long term – there’s no better free publicity than that. Our reputation will improve.”

“If that’s the case, it’s a relief…”

“At least it’s one less thing to worry about. I’ll go to the bank and see if we can use the hotel as collateral for more loans.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“I’m going to be busy for a while, so if there are any urgent decisions to be made, discuss them with the General Manager.”

“Got it.”