IBS - Chapter 24

“What? We have?”

“Just as I thought, you don’t remember. I guess I didn’t make much of an impression. Then again, you were always surrounded by a flood of alphas with strong personalities, Han Sol-ssi.”

“Ah… Where did we meet?”

“Do you remember Jaemo? Lee Jaemo? We met at a party he hosted.”

Lee Jaemo? I had no idea who that was. A party? I had no memory of attending one. How was I supposed to bluff my way out of this?

“I wanted to talk to you that day, but the competition from the alphas around you was fierce. There was just no way to break through… Still, an opportunity has presented itself like this.”

Park Wonyoung smiled as if he had finally seized his chance. For some reason, that smile sent a chill down my spine. I couldn't bring myself to smile back, taking a sip of water to avoid his gaze instead.

When I returned, the man sitting across from me had changed. There was an odd shift in his demeanor, a subtle sense of urgency that I couldn’t quite place. It was making me anxious. 

Just as I was wondering if he had somewhere to be, Park Wonyoung heaved a deep breath, his shoulders and chest rising uncomfortably, and then spoke.

"Since you’re such an open-minded person, Han Sol-ssi, I figure I can say this now.”

“Say what?”

“Isn’t it time we got a little closer? Shall we move to a different spot?”

I was curious where he suddenly wanted to move. When I asked again, having no idea, his gentle eyes suddenly turned sly as he replied.

"Let’s move to a room.”

A room. There are countless rooms in this world. Disregarding the various meanings a single character can hold, a room was simply any enclosed space. And people, at times, astonishingly understood the implicit meaning. 

I, a virgin who had never dated, was no exception. Recognizing the immediate implication of "moving to a room," I nearly spat out the tea I had in my mouth.

He means moving to a room in this hotel, right now?

So, he wants to do it with me? On our first blind date?

“You were waiting already, weren’t you? I was so thoughtless to say it so late.”

What was that tone, that suggestion that he knew me so well?

I most certainly had not been waiting. If anything, I’d been feeling a little disappointed that things would soon end with this man, too. But I hadn’t been craning my neck in anticipation, wondering when he’d suggest we go to a room. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“I’ve already got a room, so we can head right up…”

He even got a room?

The brazen topic, abruptly brought up in our otherwise wholesome conversation, left me bewildered. If only it were just that. Annoyed, I fiercely twisted one eyebrow. It was a habit I’d picked up from constantly seeing Han Jin-heon.

Come to think of it, this man called me an open-minded person. The word “open-minded” likely referred to a promiscuous side of me. As a self-proclaimed fan, he couldn't possibly be unaware of Han Sol's loose behavior.

“You said it at first, didn’t you? That you hoped this meeting would be constructive.”

“Did ‘constructive’ mean this?”

“Yes. Didn’t you agree, knowing that?”

His shameless reply left me speechless. That same unsettling chill from his smile washed over me again. Now I knew why. This man had been harboring sordid intentions from the very beginning. I regretted not putting my guard up the moment I first felt it.

“That’s not the kind of agreement I made,” I retorted sullenly.

“Ah. Well, that doesn’t matter.”

“Why doesn’t it matter? Park Wonyoung-ssi, surely you didn’t agree to this blind date just to… do it with me?”

His increasing brazenness was irritating me. As my affection for him vanished, I asked him outright, and Park Wonyoung, with an unperturbed expression, pulled a card key from his pocket. The hotel's name was on the front of the card key.

It was one thing to hear him say he’d booked a room, but seeing the key sent a shiver down my spine. 

To think that all the while we were chatting so pleasantly, he was just waiting for this moment. To think that while we were laughing, he was just looking for the right time to present this key card. I was overcome with disgust.

My definition of “constructive” was vastly different from his. I hadn’t meant building a fortress of passion in a hotel room; I’d meant that since we’d both taken the time to meet, we shouldn’t waste it but spend it meaningfully. 

I had been willing to accept if he’d asked for a second date. I didn’t feel any flutter of excitement or a racing heart for him, but he wasn’t a bad person overall, and I’d been open to seeing him again.

But I never expected the blind date to be ruined like this, or for things to go so awry. If he had just splashed water on me and left, I would have accepted it.

“On a first date… people don’t usually…”

…end up in bed together. At least, I don’t think that’s for me.

“Han Sol-ssi has an Alpha scent. Is it because you did it yesterday?”

“What?”

“And everyone who has done it with Han Sol-ssi says it’s best to be prepared…”

I was still reeling from his first shockingly rude question when his follow-up remark made me scowl.

Park Wonyoung quickly scanned my face. He was nervously trying to read my mood. He must have thought Han Sol would eagerly take the card and go, so my unenthusiastic reaction was probably perplexing and frustrating to him. I could understand his predicament, but that was his situation, not mine.

“I’m sorry. I’d like to end our meeting here.”

I wasn’t in the mood for further formalities, so I ended the conversation and stood up. Since he had booked the room, I figured I should pay for the meal, considering it the price of a shitty experience. I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my card.

“Han Sol-ssi, wait. Why? Do you think I won’t be good?”

"I don’t think this is a conversation to have in front of the cashier.”

With eyes on us, I forced a smile and handed over my card. Park Wonyoung seemed to realize his mistake, fumbling for his wallet, but my card had already been swiped. 

It looked as if he was deliberately slow to avoid paying, which made me dislike him even more. I just wished this man would stop taking any action at all.

I exited the restaurant and stood in front of the elevator. I had only pressed the down button when Park Wonyoung roughly grabbed my wrist and turned me around. Not even Han Jinheon grabbed my wrist like that.

“What’s the reason? There’s no reason not to be with me, is there?”

“There is. And I’m finding this incredibly bewildering. Why would you assume there isn’t a reason?”

“Because you’re Han Sol…! We both came on this blind date to have a good time, didn’t we?”

“I did come to have a good time. By laughing, talking, and enjoying a delicious meal. Do you think that’s the only kind of fun I’m ever looking for? Let me be perfectly clear. I have no intention of sleeping with you.”

I tried to twist my arm free, but he wouldn’t let go. I shook it harder, but an alpha’s strength was an alpha’s strength. I was no match for him.

This man was so much worse than the blind date who had merely thrown water on me. He made me feel pathetic. If he hadn’t suggested going upstairs, I would have positively evaluated him as someone easy to talk to and accommodating, and I would have looked forward to a second date.

But now I saw him for what he was: just another man, his eyes glazed over with the thought of how to get me into bed. A man who would grab a person’s wrist without a shred of decency and refuse to let go. 

Thankfully, my heart was wise. I was relieved it hadn’t fluttered for him, not even once. I would rather feel a hundred, a thousand flutters for my own brother, Han Jinheon, than a single one for a man like this.

The man must have completely abandoned his public image. He spouted a cheap line that wouldn’t even make it into a third-rate drama.

“Being picky is cute, but we were having such a good time. Let’s keep the good vibe going.”

"It was only good before you showed your true colors. But Park Wonyoung-ssi, why are you dropping formalities?”

“No, I…! I even booked a room you’d like, Han Sol-ssi, so let’s just go and spend some time together.”

"Forget it. Just let go of me before you say another word. I said, let go. If you don’t, I’m calling the police.”

“There’s a CCTV camera right there, you know,” I growled, jutting my chin toward it. “The fact that you grabbed me first and won’t let go—it’s probably all recorded.”

At my threat, Park Wonyoung hesitated before finally releasing his grip. A curse slipped through his brutally clenched teeth, but I ignored it. There was nothing more repulsive than a man pathetically begging for sex from someone who clearly wasn’t interested.

God, when was this elevator going to arrive? The lobby was too far to take the stairs, and I was afraid he’d follow me. I shouldn’t have sent Secretary Jeong away. He’d offered to wait, but I’d insisted I was fine.

The man clung to me, spouting shocking words.

"You know, if you act like this, we can’t get married. It’s only because it’s me, because it’s my parents, that you’re even being considered as a match.”

“Who said anything about getting married?”

“Ha, this is unbelievable. Han Sol-ssi, this is no time to be prideful. Are you even aware that you’re being passed around and ridiculed on the blind date circuit?”

“Oh, is that so?”

“You’re trying to buy your way up the social ladder, but you were abandoned by HANQ, and you’re just a beta who sleeps around. Who would possibly— Hey! Listen to me!”

The elevator doors opened, and I moved toward it. In a flash of fury, Park Wonyoung grabbed my shoulder, his grip hard enough to make me wince. The undeniable pain made me turn my head toward him. I decided then and there to kick him in the shin, and I did so without hesitation.

Thwack—

“Agh!”

“Oh my. Sorry, sorry.”

I was the one who kicked him, but damn, it was a good kick. My own face contorted in sympathy. Park Wonyoung clutched his right shin and hopped on one foot. Seizing the moment he lost his balance and stumbled against the far wall, I slipped into the elevator and frantically jabbed the ‘close’ button.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

I knew I could kick him in the shin again if he came at me, but I wanted to end this as peacefully as possible, praying for the doors to close and deliver me safely to the lobby. In that tense moment, the doors slid shut. I could hear him screaming my name, but I chose to pretend I heard nothing.

The moment I reached the lobby, I started running. It was unlikely, but the terrifying thought that Park Wonyoung might follow me, urged me to get out of the building entirely. 

I hailed a taxi waiting at the hotel entrance and told the driver to just go. The driver, clueless, pulled the car away from the curb.​