For some reason, waking up in a hotel room never quite feels familiar.
Back when I was dating Sojeong, I didn't notice it much.
Maybe it's because these days, the person beside me keeps changing.
"Phew…"
I wasn't the only one who couldn't settle down.
CEO Cha Yoonjung paced around the room restlessly as checkout time approached.
She seemed to be avoiding me—she wouldn't even meet my eyes.
Maybe last night's embarrassing memories were still lingering.
I smiled lightly and asked her,
"Are you planning to eat before we leave?"
"Ah, no. Even without eating, I somehow feel full."
She declined politely, but there was a deep sense of satisfaction on her face.
Seeing that calm expression made me want to tease her a little.
"Feeling full already? People might misunderstand if they heard that."
"Ah! That's not what I meant!"
She pressed a hand to her innocent lower abdomen, flustered.
Normally, a comment like that might get a contract canceled for sexual harassment—but this time, it was fine.
You could say it was a privilege reserved for the man who greeted the morning with her.
"I know. You mean you're so excited about what we're going to do together that you feel full without eating, right?"
A startup lives on hope.
And as its CEO, Cha Yoonjung was clearly brimming with it after our conversation last night.
Google, Meta, Amazon—global IT giants.
My ambitious plan to contact such corporate behemoths was more than enough to fill her with anticipation.
"I feel the same way, CEO. Just thinking about what we're going to achieve makes my chest feel like it'll burst. The world will recognize IntelliOn's value very soon. I'll make sure of it."
I spoke boldly and extended my hand to her.
"So, CEO Cha Yoonjung—let's do this properly. Let's turn the world upside down."
"Yes! Director Kang Suhyeok…!"
She clasped my outstretched hand tightly with both of hers.
From her grip, I could feel heat—anticipation and excitement for the challenge ahead.
"…Ah."
But for some reason, she froze while still holding my hand.
"What's wrong?"
She glanced back and forth between me and the bed, then whispered shyly, her face turning bright red,
"I was just wondering… if maybe there's still some time left…"
So that's what she meant.
I checked the clock.
There were only fifteen minutes left until checkout.
"If we start now, won't it be hard to make it by checkout time?"
"R-Right?! Ahaha!"
An awkward laugh echoed loudly through the room.
So much energy first thing in the morning—somehow, it was endearing.
I squeezed her hand gently and said,
"CEO. Let's save the celebratory toast for after we succeed."
"…Yes, Director!"
We headed down to the lobby to check out.
Maybe because I'd been coming here so often, even the female staff at the front desk felt familiar now. Same with the man by the coffee machine over there.
Running into the same people every time gave me a strange sense of familiarity.
I returned the key while exchanging a polite nod with the desk clerk I felt oddly close to.
Maybe she felt the same way. Seeing me so often, perhaps she'd developed that same one-sided familiarity.
Or maybe she was just a little out of it from working overnight.
Either way, it wasn't something she should have said out loud.
"Was everything comfortable during your stay?"
"Yes. Everything was fine."
"But I see you came with someone different this time. You must be very popular."
"…Excuse me?"
Her casual remark made my eyes widen before I could stop myself.
What did she just say?
There's a common gag in comics where the words you think and the words you say get mixed up.
In comics, it's funny.
In real life, it's a disaster—especially in an industry like this.
"What… did you just say?"
"Ah…"
Beside me, CEO Cha Yoonjung asked sharply, and the clerk's face stiffened.
Commenting on a guest's private life wasn't just careless—it crossed a serious line.
CEO Cha poked my side insistently.
"Director Kang, do you come here often with other women?"
"Haha…"
All I could do was laugh awkwardly.
Thankfully, my partner could laugh this off.
If she'd been my wife or girlfriend, this wouldn't have ended so lightly. It would've been a full-blown catastrophe—lawsuit-worthy, even.
"I-I didn't mean it like that… I just thought I'd seen you before…"
Being inexperienced didn't excuse this.
Hotel work requires professional training, and what she'd said carried an edge that felt almost malicious.
Just as I was wondering whether I should file a complaint on an otherwise pleasant morning, the man from the coffee machine rushed over.
"I'm so sorry, sir!!"
He bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
"Our new employee made a serious mistake. I sincerely apologize. As the manager, I take full responsibility."
He was clearly in charge.
Before I could say anything, CEO Cha spoke up first.
"I was told this hotel takes privacy very seriously. Is it normal to comment on a guest's companion like that?"
"You're absolutely right. There's no excuse for this. She's still new and didn't realize how serious the issue was. We'll make sure she's properly trained. Please forgive us."
The man kept bowing repeatedly.
Watching a balding middle-aged man apologize like this felt strangely pitiful.
"I'm sorry…"
The clerk who caused the incident bowed as well.
Her face was pale with fear, and seeing that, I didn't feel like pressing the issue further. It felt like bullying a young employee.
"Well, mistakes happen. It's fine. Just be more careful in the future."
At my words, the man bowed even deeper.
"Of course. We'll make sure this never happens again. As an apology, we'd like to offer you VIP benefits."
I let out a dry laugh.
VIP benefits? Were they trying to make me come here even more often?
"No, that's not necessary. Please just complete the checkout."
"Yes, of course."
Despite the hiccup, checkout was completed quickly.
As we left, both the clerk and the manager were still bowing deeply.
Outside the hotel, CEO Cha chuckled.
"That employee was definitely jealous."
"Jealous?"
An interesting perspective.
"She saw me walking out with such a handsome man and got irritated. Like, 'I'm working this hard, and she gets this?' So she wanted to say something petty. Maybe hoping we'd break up on the spot."
"Haha…"
I gave a dry laugh.
Honestly, I wasn't sure.
Would someone really be jealous of a man who'd shown up with three different women in just a few days?
Maybe she was just trying, in her own misguided way, to warn CEO Cha about my true nature.
CEO Cha continued with a soft laugh.
"But it's funny. Normally, hearing something like that would've upset me. But when I imagined the man being Director Kang Suhyeok, it oddly made sense."
"Excuse me?"
"I thought, 'Ah, of course. Capable men never get left alone by women.'"
Oh dear.
Our CEO seemed to be wearing rose-colored glasses—very firmly.
Capable men don't get left alone by women?
That's not something you say about a man who got dumped after an eight-year relationship.
"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm really not as impressive as you think, CEO."
Coming from someone as capable as Cha Yoonjung, it did make my chest swell a little.
But I couldn't let myself get carried away. I hadn't proven anything yet.
"My time to show what I can do starts now."
"Still… you will be, won't you?"
"Of course."
If everything went according to plan and IntelliOn succeeded, I might become the kind of capable man she imagined.
"Then, CEO, please take care of persuading the others about the equity and the staff."
"Yes. You too, Director—fighting!"
She made a small fist-pump gesture before leaving.
I watched her go for a moment.
Alright—time to move on to the next stage.
First, I needed to recruit talent to prepare the promotional materials.
I immediately sent messages to Yoo Eunha and Hwang Juyeon.
"Suhyeok oppa!"
As I entered the café, Hwang Juyeon waved enthusiastically.
Next to her sat Yoo Eunha, looking noticeably grumpy.
After parting with CEO Cha, I'd arranged to meet the two of them together. That was why they were waiting for me this late in the afternoon.
"Oh? 'Suhyeok oppa'?"
Yoo Eunha reacted sharply to the change in address.
I was still not used to it myself, but Hwang Juyeon—being younger—seemed to adapt quickly.
"Sorry. Did you wait long?"
I joined the table where the two women sat like a flower garden.
Seeing that, Yoo Eunha sneered.
"Must be nice. Calling two girlfriends to the same place."
"H-Haha…"
I wanted to say that wasn't my intention—but honestly, I didn't have much ground to stand on.
Yoo Eunha was probably in a bad mood because I'd called them together.
Maybe she'd imagined something like a date, only to have her expectations crushed.
If she resented me for it, I couldn't really complain.
"So what's this about?" she asked. "Why call me and Juyeon together?"
"Don't tell me you're suggesting a 2-on-1 date?"
The two of them looked at me suspiciously.
Well.
At this point, there was no point dodging it.
If you can't avoid it, embrace it.
I decided to lean fully into it.
"That's exactly it. I called you out for a date. A very long one, at that."
"Whaaat?!"
Their voices overlapped in perfect harmony.
Their shocked expressions were quite a sight.
But jokes had their limits—especially with Yoo Eunha, who was terrifying when truly angry.
I quickly moved on to the point.
"Do you two want to work with me on something?"
"Work?"
They looked surprised in a different way now.
Yoo Eunha nodded almost immediately.
"I'm in. If it's with you, Manager."
I couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Yoo, that was fast. Aren't you even going to ask what it is? You'd have to quit your current job."
"You wouldn't drag us into something stupid. And honestly, I'm already sick of my current work."
Her confidence was unwavering—reliable as ever.
Then Hwang Juyeon raised her hand eagerly.
"M-Me too! I'm in as well!"
She looked like she was half carried away by the atmosphere, but her trust in me was genuine.
To be honest, it moved me a little.
"Thank you for trusting me. But don't you think you should hear me out first before agreeing? Otherwise, the briefing I stayed up all night preparing will go to waste."
Of course, the part about staying up all night was a lie.
I'd been busy with… other things.
But the plan itself had been in the works for quite a while.
A plan to acquire equity in IntelliOn—and then hit it big with massive contracts.
I began explaining that plan to the two of them.