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28. The Mistress of Le Soleil Hotel
28. The Mistress of Le Soleil Hotel
Min-hyuk and Dan-jung emerged 20 minutes late, causing Secretary Im to rush them to Min-hyuk’s family home as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, they arrived on time, but Secretary Im had broken into a nervous sweat fearing they might be late.
“Phew~ I never expected the president to act like this.”
Secretary Im muttered as he watched Min-hyuk and Dan-jung enter the family home.
It was rare for Min-hyuk, who was usually punctual, to be late. Even more unusual was how he hadn’t let go of Dan-jung’s hand during the entire ride.
“Mother, we’re here.”
Min-hyuk led Dan-jung, whose body was stiff with nerves, into the house.
“Welcome, come in.”
Yeonju greeted them warmly with an elegant smile.
However, Min-hee glared at Dan-jung with daggers in her eyes, unlike Yeonju.
“It’s nice to meet you, Madam. I’m Choi Dan-jung.”
Dan-jung, though extremely nervous, managed to greet them politely thanks to her experience as a hotelier.
‘So this is why President Min-hyuk is so handsome.’
Seeing Yeonju, Dan-jung finally understood where Min-hyuk got his good looks. She realized what it meant to age gracefully just by looking at Yeonju.
“What’s that?”
Min-hee, who had been glaring at Dan-jung like she wanted to devour her, noticed the C-brand shopping bag in Min-hyuk’s hand.
“A gift.”
Min-hyuk handed presents to Yeonju and Min-hee—items Dan-jung had chosen with the help of store staff.
“You didn’t have to bring anything. Why bother buying gifts?”
“Ms. Choi picked them out.”
When Min-hyuk credited Dan-jung, Min-hee begrudgingly thanked her.
“Thank you for the gift.”
“I hope you like them.”
Though surprised by Min-hyuk’s words, Dan-jung didn’t show it. She silently appreciated his thoughtfulness.
“Hungry? Let’s eat first. Come along.”
Yeonju gently touched Dan-jung’s tense shoulder to convey warmth.
Fortunately, Yeonju found Dan-jung’s first impression better than expected. She had heard negative rumors and initially underestimated Dan-jung, but in person, Dan-jung appeared refined and dignified.
“So, have you set a date for the meeting between families?”
“We’re meeting on Monday.”
“Good job. O Secretary will assist with the wedding preparations. I’ve already informed him, so rely on his help.”
“Yes, understood.”
In truth, Yeonju and O Secretary had already completed all the wedding preparations. The only thing missing was the bride.
“What about your job?”
After finishing her conversation with Min-hyuk, Yeonju turned to ask Dan-jung.
“I’ve taken a month off.”
“Off? You’re not quitting?”
Yeonju couldn’t hide her surprise at Dan-jung’s unexpected response.
“Ms. Choi wishes to continue working even after marriage. I’m fine with it,” Min-hyuk interjected, reminding them of Dan-jung’s condition.
Min-hee seized the opportunity to start another argument.
“Doesn’t our future sister-in-law care about Oppa’s position? What will people think if the hotel owner’s wife works at the front desk?”
“I’ve applied for a transfer to another department, so there’s no need to worry about that.”
Dan-jung had indeed considered this issue carefully. But she didn’t want to give up her career just because of marriage.
“My dream is to become the hotel’s general manager. Though I’m just an ordinary hotelier now, I’ll work hard to make myself worthy of the president.”
Dan-jung mustered her courage and spoke clearly to Yeonju. Her heart raced, but she didn’t hide her true feelings.
“Hmm~ Well, we still have time to think about this matter.”
Yeonju thought her son had chosen a decent woman. Dan-jung’s confidence when talking about her dreams overshadowed even Min-hee’s presence.
She would make a perfect mistress for Le Soleil Hotel.
________________________________________
After leaving his family home, Min-hyuk dropped Dan-jung off at her officetel.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
10, 9, 8, 7… Min-hyuk watched the elevator numbers descend toward 1 and asked.
“I plan to pack some things tomorrow.”
“Do you need help?”
“Will you help me?”
“If you need help, I’m always available.”
“Are you not going to the office?”
“I’m off on weekends.”
“Oh, right. You’re the president.”
Dan-jung had worked without distinguishing weekdays from weekends for so long that she mistakenly assumed others lived the same way.
“When will you move in?”
Min-hyuk looked at Dan-jung with an insistent gaze, urging her to move in sooner.
“It’ll probably only be possible after we’re married.”
“Why?”
“What?”
Dan-jung was momentarily flustered by Min-hyuk’s persistent attitude.
“Well, we have the meeting between families within a week, wedding preparations, and I also need to organize my place.”
“I see.”
Min-hyuk revealed a slightly disappointed expression.
“Oh! You were disappointed just now, weren’t you?”
“Did I look disappointed?”
“Yes~ You definitely did. Your face showed it.”
Dan-jung grinned widely, pleased with herself.
“Then I suppose I was.”
Min-hyuk accepted her observation indifferently, unwilling to dwell on the headache-inducing emotions. He found it comforting that Dan-jung pointed out his feelings, which he often failed to recognize.
“So, what will you do this weekend?”
“Since Ms. Choi hasn’t submitted a report yet, I might study a bit about love.”
Min-hyuk decided to seriously study love after accepting Kanghyun’s assertion that his desires weren’t love. If he couldn’t feel love naturally, he would learn it.
He needed to fulfill Dan-jung’s prerequisite: love before physical intimacy.
Moreover, since his only friend ambiguously suggested that sleeping together could reveal whether something was love or not, Min-hyuk resolved to figure things out on his own.
“Oh! Right, I almost forgot. Now that I’m on vacation, I’ll write it soon.”
“I’d prefer if you wrote about the kind of love Ms. Choi wants.”
“The love I want?”
“The person I must love is Ms. Choi, after all.”
Thump! Dan-jung felt her heart drop at Min-hyuk’s shameless words. How could he say such embarrassing things without batting an eyelid?
Dan-jung tried to suppress her rising smile and compose her expression. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Dan-jung reluctantly stepped inside.
“Be careful going in.”
After bidding farewell to Min-hyuk, Dan-jung pressed the button for the fifth floor and waited for the elevator doors to close. However, the doors remained stubbornly open, as if broken.
The reason? Min-hyuk had pressed the “up” button.
“Let me walk you to your door.”
Min-hyuk didn’t lower his guard against the possibility of encountering one of Dan-jung’s ex-boyfriends. Though he desperately wanted to take her home immediately, he reluctantly respected Dan-jung’s wishes.
And once again, Min-hyuk naturally took Dan-jung’s hand.
Every time he saw Dan-jung, he instinctively wanted to touch her. For now, her hand was the only part of her he could hold.
“Jinhee, I’m back!”
After parting ways with Min-hyuk at the entrance, Dan-jung entered her apartment with a bright smile.
Though she had returned from meeting her future in-laws with a heavy heart, Min-hyuk’s touch seemed to erase all her worries.
“Welcome back. How did it go? What’s the future mother-in-law like?”
Jinhee, who had been crying bitterly earlier, hastily wiped her tears and approached Dan-jung.
“She’s incredibly elegant. I thought she was a movie star.”
Unaware that Yeonju had been an actress in her youth, Dan-jung missed the connection entirely. Moreover, her mood was lifted by Min-hyuk, so she failed to notice Jinhee’s changed demeanor.
“They say sons resemble their mothers. That’s probably why he’s so handsome.”
“I thought the same thing. Where’s Hayan? Is she asleep?”
Dan-jung looked around for Hayan, who was nowhere to be seen.
“I sent Hayan to stay with her grandparents for a while.”
“Really? But you’re breastfeeding her.”
“I guess they’ll feed her formula or something.”
Jinhee hadn’t touched her favorite soju or spicy kimchi for nearly a year because she had to nurse her daughter.
But now, formula?
“...Is something wrong?”
A sudden bad feeling made Dan-jung scrutinize Jinhee’s face.
“No, nothing... I’m just exhausted, so I sent her away temporarily. Don’t worry.”
In truth, Jinhee had decided to divorce her husband and sent Hayan to her in-laws. But she didn’t want to tell her friend, whose wedding was approaching, about her divorce.
Though she disliked being compared, Jinhee genuinely wished her friend happiness. Still, no matter how much she tried to hide it, Dan-jung could sense that something unfortunate had happened to Jinhee.
No matter how hard Jinhee tried to conceal it, the shadow cast over her face was unmistakable.
________________________________________
“Si-woo, over here.”
Manager Na, waiting at the hotel’s back entrance, waved enthusiastically upon spotting Si-woo.
“Did you wait long?”
“I just came out. Are you hungry? Shall we eat first?”
“No, let’s drink.”
“Drink? Alright, then. There’s a new bar nearby. The food’s pretty good.”
For some reason, the word “us” made Manager Na’s heart flutter.
However, not long after, Manager Na exploded in anger upon hearing Si-woo’s confession.
“Manager Na, I think I need to quit working at the hotel.”
“What? Why suddenly? Did something happen?”
“Sigh~ I’ve been feeling emotionally drained lately.”
“Don’t say that. Tell me everything. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it.”
As Si-woo hesitated, sipping soju, Manager Na pressed him impatiently.
“It’s embarrassing, but... I got dumped by someone I was seeing.”
“But why quit your job? Do I know this person?”
“... “
Si-woo nodded affirmatively.
“Si-woo, quitting your job isn’t the solution. No matter how much you liked them, that’s... Could it be that the person you were seeing is Choi Dan-jung?”
Manager Na suddenly recalled how Si-woo had doted on Dan-jung.
It was obvious to anyone that Si-woo had feelings for her.
“You really think you should quit?”
Si-woo pretended to be troubled, though inwardly, he smirked.
“No! Why should you quit because of her? Who’s it benefiting? That woman is marrying the president and living comfortably! You should find someone good too! Right?”
Manager Na shouted indignantly.
Why did everyone seem obsessed with Choi Dan-jung?
Disliking Dan-jung all along, Manager Na had no intention of wishing her happiness.
‘So, they were dating, huh?’
Manager Na sneered inwardly as he gulped down his soju.
Meanwhile, Si-woo, having completed his mission, hoped Manager Na would behave as usual and spread the rumor he had planted.
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