Ā Chapter 3
It was Friday.
The kind of Friday night everyone liked to call the start of the weekend, and Jung Woni, the only daughter of the chairman of Serin Department Store and a notorious party animal, was throwing a party at Club Ryun
Located in Cheongdam-dong along Dosan-daero, Club Ryun was owned by Woni and designed specifically with parties like this in mind.
Even the layout reflected that purpose.
Modeled after a stadium, the club featured an oval-shaped hall with a bar and a DJ booth, surrounded by tables arranged in concentric tiers that rose in steps.
Several levels extended upward from there, with a row of private rooms occupying the highest floor.
Like the VIP boxes at a baseball stadium, each room was a separate space, but the entire wall consisted of folding doors that could be opened or closed.
And one of those private rooms was occupied by Iseo.
She had been going through some documents when she briefly lifted her head and looked down at the floor below.
The hall around the bar was packed with people.
Woni certainly lived up to her reputation.
True to her name as a party enthusiast, she had put together an exceptionally glamorous event.
It started with the guest list.
Along with members of the social circles frequented by second- and third-generation heirs of Korea’s political and business elite, numerous celebrities and influencers had been invited.
Even Iseo, who had little interest in the entertainment industry, recognized some of their faces. They must have been quite famous.
After surveying the surroundings with an expressionless face, Iseo lowered her gaze back to the documents.
Just then, a staff member hurried over and placed a cocktail and several pieces of finger food on the table.
“I didn’t order these.”
“The owner asked me to bring them to you.”
Come to think of it, the bottle of sparkling water she’d been drinking was empty, too.
“Then could I have another bottle of water, please?”
“Of course.”
Since she wasn’t particularly fond of alcohol, Iseo made that request and picked up one of the canapĆ©s the staff member had brought.
The savory cracker, cream cheese, and sweetness that spread from the honeycomb were a perfect combination.
She raised her left wrist to check the time.
10:29 p.m.
She had already been here for over two hours.
The party was in full swing, and every seat was occupied.
Perhaps there had never been any need for her to come in the first place just to help fill out the guest list.
Honestly, Woni really knows how to exaggerate…
Looking down at Woni chatting with guests near the bar on the first floor, Iseo tossed the highlighter in her hand onto the table.
After wrestling with lines of text for so long, her eyes were spinning and her shoulders were stiff.
It was late, and the party was going wonderfully.
Wouldn’t it be all right for her to call it a night now?
She could stop by the restroom, find Woni, tell her she was leaving, and head home.
Yes. That would do.
With that decided, she rose from her seat.
The moment she removed the earbud from her ear, the noise of the party came crashing in all at once, carried by the heavy beat of the music.
The pounding rhythm reverberated through her entire body, adding to an inexplicable sense of unease.
Iseo furrowed her brows slightly as she stepped away from the table, immediately sensing gazes fastening onto her from every direction.
It had started when Woni opened the folding doors.
One after another, men had approached her, struck up conversations, and offered her drinks. Rejecting them all individually had become a nuisance.
That was why she’d put her earbuds in and buried herself even deeper in her documents.
But now that she was moving, she could see several men discreetly following her with their eyes, apparently preparing to approach her.
Iseo quickened her pace toward the restroom.
That was when she saw him.
A straight staircase connected the first-floor hall to the upper levels where the private rooms were located.
The man was simply walking up those stairs.
That was all he was doing, and yet, for an instant, it felt as though the space had shifted slightly out of alignment and the flow of air had changed.
It was as if the music had grown quieter and even the pounding beat had loosened its grip.
Whether that was an actual physical change or merely a psychological reaction, she couldn’t help being a little surprised.
How could an ordinary personāmoreover, a young manāgive off such an overwhelming presence?
Everyone in the same space could do nothing but watch him in breathless silence as he slowly ascended the stairs.
Those who had been drinking, those who had been dancing, those who had been chatting, the DJ, even the staff carrying trays of drinks…
Even the men who had been following Iseo.
Every single one of them stopped to look at him.
His clothes weren’t particularly flashy, either.
He wore black slacks and a black shirt, with a black jacket casually slung over one arm. And yet, he looked as though he were walking the finale of a famous designer’s fashion show.
It was almost enough to make one imagine that every spotlight in the entire hall was shining on him alone.
That was how conspicuous he was.
Being tall didn’t automatically mean someone had good proportions or a well-built body.
The man’s physique couldn’t possibly be described with the simple word good.
His broad shoulders and thick chest tapered into a slim waist, which flowed into narrow hips and long legs. In the most commonly used expression, his body was a work of art.
And his face?
Even from a distance, his sharply defined features immediately caught the eye. He was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Despite the admiring gazes pouring in from every direction and the audible gasps of women around him, his expression remained indifferent, almost ascetic at first glance.
But there was the cool, half-lidded look in his eyes, the slight curve of his lips as he smiled at people who greeted him, the languid way he walked, and even the casual dip of his head when he returned their greetings.
He might have appeared elegant at first glance, but there was nothing chaste about him. Instead, a languid sensuality seemed to seep from every movement.
Just looking at him made the back of her throat itch for no apparent reason.
Feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, Iseo looked away and, as she usually did, quickly lost interest.
But a remark she overheard from someone beside her forced her attention back to the man.
“Wow. Kwon Jaeeon is blindingly gorgeous again today, isn’t he?”
Kwon Jaeeon? That man?
Iseo’s gaze latched onto him once more.
As she observed him, the incessant chatter of several women reached her ears.
“How could he not be? At this rate, I’m going to go blind.”
“Ugh. My boyfriend is supposed to come later.”
“Tell him not to bother.”
“Right? Even if he comes, he’ll just look terrible by comparison. It’ll ruin my eyes.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about. Today is your chance. The seat next to Kwon Jaeeon… is empty.”
Just as the woman said, despite his reputation for always having a woman hanging off his arm, the space beside Kwon Jaeeon was currently unoccupied.
“Oh, you’re right. Wasn’t Sienna his girl this month? Why did he come alone?”
“Apparently, Sienna caused a huge uproar this morning by posting a shirtless photo of Kwon Jaeeon on social media. He was asleep in bed, and she uploaded the picture without his permission. From his perspective, she’d crossed the line.”
“Gasp! So the two of them slept together?”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if they hadn’t? She’s supposedly his girl of the month, after all.”
“Sienna was acting so smug because she thought she’d landed Kwon Jaeeon. Serves her right.”
“Still, I’m jealous. Sleeping with Kwon Jaeeon… Just look at him. He’s obviously huge, so he must be incredible in bed, too. I wonder if Sienna’s legs are still shaking so badly that she can’t even get onstage.”
The women burst into laughter and began declaring, one after another, that they would challenge for the title of Kwon Jaeeon’s Girl of the Month.
“…So that’s Kwon Jaeeon.”
By then, Jaeeon had reached Iseo’s floor. Slowly turning his head as if gauging which direction to take, he swept his gaze across the room.
His eyes were utterly indifferent, yet arrogantly self-assured.
Everywhere his gaze fell, there were people desperately trying to attract his attention.
They must all be aspiring candidates for his Girl of the Month.
A derisive snort escaped Iseo, and her curiosity about the man began to fade.
That was when her eyes met Kwon Jaeeon’s.
It lasted only an instant, but suddenly, it felt as though her airway had tightened.
Was this what people meant when they said someone could crush you with nothing but a look? She hadn’t done anything wrong, yet her mouth inexplicably went dry.
“Oh, my goodness.”
When Jaeeon’s gaze landed in Iseo’s direction, the women chattering behind her let out a series of breathless sighs that sounded almost like moans.
“Is he looking at me?”
“No, I think he is!”
As the women each insisted that he must be looking at them, Iseo hastily averted her eyes.
She, too, had thought Kwon Jaeeon’s gaze had landed directly on her, and the situation had suddenly become ridiculous.
How could I possibly make such an absurd mistake?
Turning away, Iseo swallowed the self-mocking words threatening to escape her lips and hurried back to her table.
She had changed her mind.
She’d planned to stop by the restroom and take another moment to see Woni before leaving, but now she decided to leave without doing either.
The stale air, the smell of alcohol, and the blaring music seemed to be interfering with her ability to think rationally.
Without even sitting down, she bent over and stuffed the documents into her bag, then shoved in the highlighter and pencil haphazardly.
She gathered the jacket and coat she’d taken off and had just picked up her phone from the table whenā
Thud.
A man dropped into her seat.
That man was none other than that Kwon Jaeeon.
Leaning languidly against the back of the sofa, with one arm draped diagonally across it, he stared straight at Iseo.
“Leaving?”
