DI Ch 73

As soon as the door closed, I turned and slowly walked back into my room with a serious expression on my face. I thought I’d hear something from him, but he just walked away. He seems even more irritated than before. No, wait. Did I make him angry? Is it because of the heat in my body? Should I try to cool down? Should I give him something cold to drink? Maybe some food that’s good for stamina? Should I make it into medicine and give it to him?

“Oh, right. The phone.”

I quickly turned on my phone, remembering that I had been on the phone with the student rep just moments ago. However, it had been over 8 minutes since I had ended the call. When did I hang up? I couldn’t recall, and I started to worry that my memory was deteriorating.

I left an apologetic message about accidentally hanging up during our call and then paced around the room slowly. Come to think of it, when is Tae Seong-je’s birthday? I thought hard about it, but I don’t think Tae Seong-je’s birthday was mentioned in the novel. Maybe?

I think the birthdays of Woo Ji-min and Kang Moo-hyun were mentioned in the novel, but I can’t remember the exact date. So, when was Tae Seong-je’s birthday? Summer? Spring? Oh, wait. I realized I was frowning deeply as if facing a difficult problem. 

Was asking about his birthday crossing a line? Was it okay to ask such a thing? What would I say if he asked why I wanted to know? What if he didn’t like receiving gifts? But he’s a gangster; wouldn’t he appreciate cash gifts?

But giving him money would be too obvious. Should I keep giving him presents? Then he wouldn’t have a problem with me getting him something for his birthday. That seemed like a good idea. But when would I see him again to give him another gift?

“Should I give him a lot each time we meet?”

I placed the bag I had brought on the desk and sighed. It might seem burdensome, but… I looked at the bookshelf and realized he had taken out all the books in my apartment. So, my bookshelf was probably empty. I stared at the familiar problem sets and pulled out a TOEIC workbook. Tucked in between its pages was an envelope I had left there.

“It doesn’t really matter if he saw it, but isn’t it too much to hide it here?”

I scratched the back of my head and put the envelope into my bag. I took out the first aid kit and found a large knife inside. Placing it snugly against my cheek, I used my phone’s black screen as a mirror to check my face.

My original clothes were nowhere to be found, so I reluctantly picked up the discarded ones and put them back on. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t have any other clothes to wear. With my preparations complete, I headed straight for the entrance.

Perhaps it was because I had never really taken a break since coming to this world, but I suddenly felt like seeing the sea, exploring a hotel, and so on. The room itself was so nice; the hotel itself must be quite nice too. I was excited.

I was about to walk out the door when I heard a voice.

“You’ve always been scared of the late-night breeze.”

A man wearing a flashy shirt was leaning against the wall, talking on the phone. He was fidgeting with his fingernails as he spoke.

“When are you coming to Korea? You’ll be shocked when you see it for yourself. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, huh? When I see you, I’ll wonder if you’ve changed…”

The man who had been chatting with his legs shaking all the time looked up and froze when he saw me. It wasn’t like I was trying to eavesdrop, but it seemed like that because I was just sticking my head out and looking at him. I lowered my head to apologize, walked past him, and stood in front of the elevator.

I took the elevator up to explore the lounge. I absentmindedly watched the floor numbers rise, but as soon as the elevator doors opened, my phone rang. It was Tae Seong-je.

“Hello, hyung.”

[What are you doing?]

I wondered if he’d forgotten something, but the way he spoke suggested otherwise.

“Oh, I just came out to look around the hotel.”

[Like that?]

“…What do I look like?”

Uh, my shirt’s a little wrinkled, but I don’t smell…

[Didn’t you see your face?]

“Ah, yes, I did.”

Only now did I understand what he meant, and I scratched my head in embarrassment.

“Uh, I covered it up with a band-aid.”

[Hyung forgot that you are well prepared.]

“Yes? Of course. If you get hurt, come to me. I’ll give you some ointment. But, don’t get seriously injured, okay?”

Given his job, I couldn’t help but be concerned. He’ll rise to the top in the second part, but you never know. Even if I pretended not to notice, I was concerned that he would be disrespected or beaten because he had a soft spot.

I looked at the painting in the hallway with concern and shook my head. No matter what, he’s not the type of person to resort to violence just because he doesn’t like something. If it were about personal preferences or dislikes, it would be a different story.

“After looking around that lounge first… Wow, there’s a pool here too.”

[Explore the lounge first. Where else?]

I glanced at the hotel’s interior map nearby while talking on the phone and it looked much better than expected.

“Just going for a light stroll. Hyung, this place looks really nice. How much is it for a night here?”

[Don’t go outside, it’s scorching hot.]

He didn’t seem to pay any attention to what I was saying, and his response was a weak whisper. I felt uneasy, so I turned back and caught the elevator again.

“Hyung, I have a portable fan and a hat in my bag. How far have you gone? You can use mine.”

[If I need it, I’ll buy it. Why would I borrow something from you.]

He chuckled, which made me feel a little embarrassed. Meanwhile, the elevator doors re-opened. Since it had turned out this way, I decided to explore the lounge later and begin with other locations. As I stepped into the elevator, the elevator next to me opened with a cheerful sound. I noticed the man in the flashy shirt from earlier walking out and looking around as if looking for someone as I waited for the doors to close on their own.

He looked suspicious. When I thought about that, I unconsciously spoke.

“Seong-je hyung. I miss you a lot. See you later.”

I put extra emphasis on the name when I called it out. At that moment, the man suddenly turned around, and our eyes met. The elevator doors closed just as we locked eyes. He definitely reacted. It felt like my heart was beating one second faster. I ended the call and my hand trembled as I held my phone, then I pressed the lobby button firmly.

As the elevator doors opened, a clean and elegant atmosphere exuded from the lobby. I didn’t even need to take a full look around before spotting it. I walked briskly towards the entrance. It was clear that the man in the flashy shirt resembled a gangster. He didn’t get up this time, but there was definitely a reaction on his part.

My thoughts raced, but I eventually came to a decision. I took hold of the revolving door, turned around, and returned inside. That’s when I locked eyes for the third time with the flashy-shirted man. He rushed up to me, narrowed his eyes, and walked past me, heading outside.

I noticed the figure outside on my way to the elevator. He appeared helpless as he stood still in the sunlight. It was unmistakably Tae Seong-je’s people. It didn’t seem like the right time to be kidnapped in various ways, and the atmosphere didn’t feel threatening, so I was relieved that my little trip turned out fine.

I was proud that I had noticed something sooner. But then, I suddenly felt sorry for Tae Seong-je. All his people had been taken away, leaving only such a hapless person behind. Now that I thought about it, I remember his call earlier seemed like he was going to handle some issue caused by his subordinates. Perhaps?

In any case, I shouldn’t worry too much about a busy person. I decided to just stay quiet. Before heading back to my room, I sent a text message, ‘Hyung, work hard,’ but to avoid making him worry, I added, ‘I’m going to study upstairs.’

However, even before getting on the elevator, I noticed a souvenir shop inside the hotel.

“A souvenir shop…”

Should I take a quick look? Where else could I buy a gift? I went inside, and the interior was decorated in a luxurious white and gold theme. Intrigued by the pleasing interior, I started browsing various items. While doing so, I came across a rather impressive Zippo lighter.

Would someone who claims to have quit smoking appreciate something like this? He’s probably already bought everything in this area, given how he’s been working around here for a while. More than anything, it felt uncertain to choose a gift from the hotel souvenir shop for someone with such clear preferences.

Then again, I couldn’t find anything to buy. I stood at a distance and rubbed the back of my hand with the tip of my thumb.  It’s not that there was nothing to give, but rather, I didn’t know what to give. I didn’t know much about Tae Seong-je… I glanced at a fancy perfume bottle with a dejected expression and was about to leave when something caught my eye: a keychain.  A car keychain, to be exact.

Come to think of it, he seemed to be quite fond of his car. So, perhaps an air freshener would be a good choice? I also thought about getting some car accessories in the future. I decided to sweep these items into my basket, even though I wasn’t particularly interested in them at the moment. Maybe he’d like something like this?

I continued to stroll around, half-heartedly searching for anything else that might catch my eye. Then, near the checkout counter, I noticed a fairly elegant set of stationery. Thinking this would be my last purchase, I took the stationery set and pulled out my wallet. But then, …Where’s my card?