# Chapter 4
Everyone in the hotel was staring at Wonyoung, who was sprawled on the floor. Beyond the embarrassment, Wonyoung felt considerably unjustified by the coldness of this human society where people only stared from a distance without anyone asking if he was okay.
‘If this place calls itself a hotel, shouldn’t at least a staff member come and ask?’
“Are you alright?”
And just as Wonyoung’s thought ended, someone who couldn’t wait to be a gentleman asked that question and extended their hand. Only then did Wonyoung realize that someone had been standing in front of him all along. Probably the person he had collided with.
Belatedly looking up at the person, Wonyoung hesitated for a moment. The man was quite handsome, but that wasn’t the issue.
The moment he saw the man, suddenly music started playing from somewhere, and inexplicably, something like flower petals began flying around behind him.
‘What? What’s that sound?’
Setting aside the music from an unknown source, Wonyoung tapped his head, wondering why flower petals were flying around indoors. He worried that he might have damaged his brain when he fell after the collision earlier. But then, with a ‘ding’ sound, a notification window appeared.
[※Mission Complete! Reward has been given.※]
‘Huh?’
Behind the confused Wonyoung, the grandfather clock in the hotel was showing exactly 5 o’clock.
‘The location I was supposed to go to was the third floor here… Anyway, since I made it into the hotel, does that mean I’ve succeeded in the mission?’
If so, that was fortunate. And the reward for completing the mission…
‘It was definitely unlocking the first character’s affection level. So this man is the first target?’
With that thought, Wonyoung looked at the man again. Fortunately, the strange music and random flower petals seemed to have disappeared.
However, as if they had been waiting, choices immediately appeared before Wonyoung’s eyes.
[Wow, he’s handsome…]
[Wow, look at that body…]
What is this? Why is Narae saying such things out loud?
Wonyoung unconsciously clenched his fist.
Of course, both choices were true. The man was an extraordinary beauty, enough that Wonyoung, who was picky about appearances and always put reason before emotion, thought he was handsome from the start.
His distinct facial features that were rare to see and his exceptional physique played a part, but above all, the elegant yet arrogant atmosphere he exuded emitted a unique charm.
Additionally, with a luxury suit that fit his firm body perfectly and a high-end watch worth hundreds of millions of won, the man was clearly a “handsome rich man” who couldn’t exist in reality. Indeed, he was worthy of being a romance game character to pursue.
However, that’s beside the point!
‘This is ridiculous. If the first words upon meeting are like this, are they telling me to pursue him or not?’
But Wonyoung had learned enough from previous experience that no amount of resentment would help. Suppressing the urge to summon the system and kick it, he ultimately chose the first option.
“Wow, he’s handsome.”
“…”
At those words, the man’s thick eyebrows curved slightly. Though his expression was somewhat incredulous, perhaps because he’d heard an obvious statement, he let it pass without comment. Meanwhile, Wonyoung just wanted to die. Had there ever been such humiliation in his life?
However, before Wonyoung could curse the game, a notification window appeared.
[After seeing an incredibly handsome man, Rae’s status has become ‘Flutter.’ Due to the nervousness, words won’t come out easily.]
“…?”
Incredulous, Wonyoung unconsciously tried to say “What?” out loud, but stopped when no voice came out. Indeed, his heart was pounding like never before. Hurriedly calling up the status window, he found that where it previously said ‘Healthy(●’◡’●),’ it now said ‘Fluttered(*/ω＼*)’ instead.
‘This damned… damned game…’
While Wonyoung, who rarely lost his composure, was trembling with anger, the man, tired of waiting, finally pulled Wonyoung up directly.
“Oh…”
Wonyoung’s body was easily pulled, bringing them closer than expected. The man’s inorganic eyes lightly scanned Wonyoung. In that moment, Wonyoung felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort from the man.
‘What is it? Something feels off.’
But that was only for a moment.
“Th-th-thank y-…”
Attempting to thank the man instinctively but failing due to the fluttered state, Wonyoung completely forgot his previous thought.
‘F*ck.’
He couldn’t remember the last time he had cursed since entering society, but one thing was certain: he was using up a lifetime’s worth of curses in this game.
The damn Narae, the damn game, the damn heart. It was truly a trinity of damnation.
“Who is it this time?”
But suddenly, the man who had been dusting off Wonyoung’s clothes asked a strange question. Though his voice was lowered almost to inaudibility, Wonyoung immediately understood what he was saying. He just couldn’t answer.
‘What does he mean? It’s hard enough to speak as it is.’
Whatever he made of Wonyoung’s silence, the man asked again.
“Who sent you?”
Though Wonyoung wondered why he suddenly switched to informal speech, he knew that rich people typically lacked manners. That was something Heo Wonyoung, an office worker who had experienced the tyranny of company owners, knew all too well.
“Wh-what are you t-talking about…”
“Director Kyung Taeryeong? Or is it Kyung Taehyeok?”
Who are they?
These were names he was hearing for the first time, but if he spoke carelessly, the fluttered state might make it seem like he was acting guilty. When Wonyoung reluctantly chose silence, the man looked at him with contempt and muttered as if talking to himself.
“I guess they decided to send a man now that women won’t work? What lowly thinking typical of those people.”
With a snicker, the man flicked Wonyoung’s fluffy brown hair with his fingertip.
“They could at least bring someone more to my taste.”
Though he didn’t understand the meaning, from the context, Wonyoung had clearly just been severely insulted. Knowing that words wouldn’t work anyway, Wonyoung had no choice but to speak with his expression instead.
‘What nonsense are you talking about? Please make sense.’
Of course, it wouldn’t all get through, but Wonyoung put on the coldest, iciest, most sensitive, and most fierce expression he could.
But coincidentally, the man didn’t budge at all. Rather, it was Wonyoung who was shaken. Because despite his knife-like gaze, the man not only didn’t flinch but looked at him as if observing a day-old puppy. Even his employer’s tyrannical son would have flinched at his prickly glare.
Of course, he didn’t realize that with Narae’s round and harmlessly innocent face, no matter how fiercely he tried to glare, he could only manage an expression like a puppy who hadn’t been walked for a few days.
Eventually, the man calmly spoke again.
“Fortunately, you don’t appear to be injured. If you need medical expenses later, please contact me at this number.”
With that, the man handed Wonyoung an elegant business card. It was clearly a pretense, a fabricated attitude obvious to anyone. While Wonyoung clicked his tongue at the audacity, he quietly accepted the card to learn the man’s identity.
HS Holdings
Director Kyung Taerim
‘HS, huh. I’ll have to look into it later.’
As Wonyoung was examining the card, the man snidely remarked:
“Well, I suppose you already know all of this.”
“…”
“Anyway, your cards are all exposed now, so let’s not see each other again.”
The man said this and walked past the dumbfounded Wonyoung. Wonyoung also mentally retorted that he never wanted to see him again and glared at him. The man, extending his long legs, entered the elevator and deliberately closed the doors in front of Wonyoung.
However, just as the elevator doors were almost completely closed, suddenly a small foot slipped through the gap. As the closing door reopened, Wonyoung’s round face peeked through.
Taerim’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight of Wonyoung, but Wonyoung quickly pushed his body through the door gap and muttered as if making an excuse:
“I need to go to work too. ‘Why aren’t you here yet’… I just got a text message.”
It was all true. Wonyoung didn’t want to appear as if he was being clingy with the obnoxious rich man, but it was already 5:08. Being 8 minutes late was absolutely unforgivable for Heo Wonyoung, the Benjamin Franklin of this era.
Once the door closed completely, Taerim asked:
“Which floor are you going to?”
“…The third floor.”
Regrettably, it was the same floor as Taerim’s destination, which was already selected.
Soon, the sound of Taerim chuckling was heard. Although Wonyoung deliberately stood with his back to Taerim, the latter’s laughter was so blatant that Wonyoung could hear it clearly. Eventually, Taerim remarked in a scathing tone:
“I don’t know how much you were paid, but it’s too obvious.”
At those words, Wonyoung’s eyes widened. How much was he paid? Was he talking about money?
‘Does he think I approached him for money?’
Wonyoung finally understood why Taerim had been taking such an aggressive attitude. He thought that the collision and now going to the third floor were all part of a scheme to get involved with him. The earlier mention of unfamiliar names must have been asking who had hired him.
Since all the names mentioned had the surname Kyung… it seemed to be a power struggle within a wealthy family.
‘It’s a commonly used cliché. For a game with such bizarre settings, it’s using quite a standard plot.’
Though the sharp-witted Wonyoung now understood Taerim’s misunderstanding, he was still incredulous. Who got paid? Me? Heo Wonyoung? This personality-deficient rich man’s imagination could probably create an 18-volume epic saga with plenty to spare.
‘Let’s just endure it for now.’
