Chapter 10

Inevitably, clock-out time arrived.

After meticulously organizing his patients’ charts, drafting and printing next week’s exercise regimens, and filing everything away, Gi-hyeon headed to the locker room to change.

Since he fully intended to spend the night out, he had packed actual street clothes instead of his usual commuting scrubs. The sight of him meticulously preparing to leave in a sharp, polished outfit instantly drew the nosy attention of the therapists sharing the adjacent lockers.

“Oh? Where are you heading off to today, Dr. So?”

“Seriously, Dr. So, why are you so dressed up?”

Park Chang-won and Kim Byung-joo, fellow sports clinic trainers, whistled obnoxiously as Gi-hyeon changed. Giggling like schoolboys, they playfully demanded he take them along if he was heading somewhere fun, their faces plastered with mischievous grins. Gi-hyeon merely shook his head.

“The second someone puts on actual human clothes, you guys instantly pounce.”

“What? So scrubs aren’t human clothes?”

“Honestly? They’re clothes worn by hospital house elves, not humans.”

Debating amongst themselves, they reached a unanimous conclusion and nodded vigorously in agreement. Offering a dry, purely vocal imitation of a laugh, Gi-hyeon turned to leave the locker room.

From behind, Byung-joo called out again.

“But Dr. So, didn’t you bring a bag today?”

“Why would I carry a bag? There wasn’t even a conference today.”

Delivering the clean deflection, Gi-hyeon pushed the locker room door open and exited. Behind him, he heard the trainers laughing, affectionately branding his personality as inflexibly stubborn as a bamboo shoot[1].

Inflexibly stubborn? If he truly lived like that, he wouldn’t be currently fleeing his own home and burning money on a hotel room just to avoid his ‘boyfriend’.

Regardless, the incredibly light attire was a massive relief. The layers were gradually shedding; summer would inevitably arrive soon. As long as the humidity wasn’t suffocating, the brutal mid-summer heat was entirely manageable.

With his naturally low body temperature, surviving the freezing depths of last winter had been an absolute nightmare. His feet had been so perpetually freezing that he genuinely wanted to lay a blanket directly on the heated floor and sleep there, but that bastard had relentlessly complained about back pain, forcefully dragging Gi-hyeon up onto the mattress every single night. Being trapped in Jo Yeon-oh’s suffocating embrace undeniably warmed him up, but the sheer physical proximity absolutely annihilated any chance of actual sleep.

Unless the Alpha was dragged away on a business trip, Gi-hyeon was permanently condemned to agonizing insomnia. Thus, this impulsive, desperate runaway attempt was a cause for sheer celebration.

Debating whether to take the subway, Gi-hyeon ultimately decided he couldn’t stomach the thought of being crushed against strangers tonight and boldly hailed a taxi for the commute. Even if traffic was a nightmare, he desperately wanted the luxury of sitting down. Feeling a faint throbbing in his ankle, he realized he would likely need to request an ice pack from the concierge upon arrival.

Since he had booked the room using accumulated credit card points, he had been generously upgraded to a rather luxurious suite. His master plan was to barricade himself in the hotel all weekend and sleep until he practically decayed.

His body was so utterly battered and groggy that he possessed zero desire to do anything else.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

Predictably, entirely oblivious to the apocalyptic hellscape that was Seoul rush-hour traffic, Gi-hyeon had passed out completely in the backseat and only woke when they finally stopped. The elderly driver didn’t even bother turning around, simply extending a hand backward to collect payment. Assuming he wanted a card, Gi-hyeon groggily explained he had hailed the cab via the app. Only then did the driver turn around, offering an embarrassed, apologetic laugh.

“Oh my, I completely forgot. It’ll process automatically, so you can just head on out.”

“It’s no problem. Have a good evening.”

The driver’s hearty, refreshing laugh was incredibly infectious, coaxing a faint, genuine smile onto Gi-hyeon’s face. Since the taxi had pulled directly into the hotel’s driveway, a doorman immediately stepped forward to open the door. Offering a slight, polite bow, Gi-hyeon strode straight into the grand lobby.

He felt slightly awkward arriving entirely empty-handed, but packing a bag would have instantly flagged his runaway attempt. After a quick search confirmed a convenience store wasn’t far, he debated grabbing some fresh underwear after checking in, but quickly dismissed the idea. He was going to be completely alone anyway, so lounging in a plush hotel bathrobe sounded perfectly acceptable.

Everything just felt too exhausting. Since his sole objective was to sleep himself into a coma, he figured it didn’t fucking matter if he was completely naked underneath.

After finalizing his check-in, Gi-hyeon headed straight for the elevators. He fully intended to order room service for dinner as well. However, just as he was navigating the sprawling, ivory marble lobby toward the elevator banks…

…!

Gi-hyeon violently spun around, practically plastering himself against the nearest wall in sheer panic.

Jo Yeon-oh was currently striding directly into the hotel.

Desperate to avoid any accidental encounters, Gi-hyeon had specifically chosen a Swiss hotel chain entirely unaffiliated with the Haeseong Hotel brand owned by Yeon-oh’s cousin. Yet, by some horrific cosmic joke, they had collided here anyway. Spotting Manager Yoo and several other executives trailing behind the Alpha, Gi-hyeon deduced he was here for an official business dinner.

Clicking his tongue in profound annoyance, Gi-hyeon quickly altered his route, retreating toward the hotel’s luxury boutique arcade. He aimlessly hovered around the high-end storefronts until the staff began casting highly suspicious glares his way. Deeming the coast clear, he spun around, power-walked back to the elevator banks, and threw himself into the first open carriage he found.

“Excuse me.”

Fortunately, the interior was already occupied by a family of foreign tourists rapidly conversing in what sounded like Spanish. Tapping his room key against the security sensor, Gi-hyeon punched the button for his designated floor. As the heavy doors slid shut and the carriage began its smooth ascent, a massive, suffocating weight finally lifted from his chest.

…He probably didn’t see me.

Desperately attempting to calm his violently racing heart, Gi-hyeon stepped out as the elevator chimed and made his way down the quiet corridor. His heart was hammering relentlessly against his ribs. For a fleeting second, he felt a strange, thrilling rush of guilt, like a criminal executing a daring heist, but as he pressed his keycard against the electronic lock, the adrenaline instantly evaporated into hollow exhaustion.

If he had come to a place like this with someone Yeon-oh had ‘vetted,’ the Alpha wouldn’t have been angry at all. Therefore, there was absolutely zero logical reason for him to be furious about Gi-hyeon coming alone. Sure, it would be a massive headache if he got caught, but the sheer absurdity of finding himself starring in a pathetic, unscripted espionage thriller coaxed a dry, exasperated laugh from his lips.

Gi-hyeon found it deeply pathetic that this chaotic disaster was the only thing capable of eliciting a genuine laugh from him lately, yet he made absolutely no effort to erase the smirk lingering on his lips.

The profound absence of the man who would have immediately pinned him with a terrifying glare and demanded to know why he was smiling allowed Gi-hyeon’s violently coiled tension to finally snap and unravel. Stepping into the pitch-black room, he didn’t even bother slotting the keycard into the power dock. Instead, he simply slumped backward, resting his spine against the heavy door, and let his head fall back against the wood.

A long, ragged sigh tore from his throat. Living was just so incredibly exhausting. Everyone feels like this, right?

That singular, bleak thought was the only pathetic comfort So Gi-hyeon had left.

***