By Zephyria Fortunately, the event ended without a hitch. Since it was an event organized and run by students, there were bound to be some rough edges, but aside from the minor details, there were no major mistakes that would disrupt the proceedings, so it could be said that it ended well in many ways.
Above all, the foreign couple who had asked Ryu Jeong for help did not suffer any harm due to allergies. The student council president, who belatedly received the situation report, repeatedly thanked Ryu Jeong for his flexible response, and even grabbed a few leftover canned drinks, saying he wanted to do something for him, apologizing for not being able to do more, which embarrassed Ryu Jeong.
“Hyung. Are you tired?”
After everyone had left, Su-bin approached and asked while Ryu Jeong was cleaning up the messy banquet hall. Ryu Jeong, who was sweeping up the trash on the floor, tilted his head in confusion.
“Huh? Oh, no. Why?”
“You’ve been spacing out since earlier. I thought you were tired.”
Me? Ryu Jeong, stunned by the sudden remark, touched his cheek. It was right after the event had ended, so Su-bin didn’t say anything even when he touched his face with his bare hands.
Su-bin shrugged, saying it was nothing, and turned away to do her job. Ryu Jeong, who was standing still and mulling over the situation, urgently called out to Su-bin.
“Su-bin. By any chance.”
“Yes?”
Ryu Jeong, who had approached Su-bin who was looking back, hesitated and opened his mouth. It was a concern that he had been agonizing over for a while, not being able to focus on the event.
“The blind date… you know.”
“Blind date? Are you going on a blind date, Hyung?”
“…Huh?”
Su-bin’s eyes widened. Su-bin didn’t give Ryu Jeong a chance to argue and started chattering as she came closer again.
“Choi Da-won was looking for someone to go on a blind date earlier. Did she ask you too, Hyung?”
“Ah, no… that’s not it.”
He didn’t even know who Choi Da-won was. Ryu Jeong shook his head in horror at Su-bin, who was misunderstanding.
“Then? You’re not going on a blind date, Hyung?”
“No. I just had something to ask…….”
There wasn’t a good place to ask, but Su-bin happened to talk to him, so he grabbed her, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Su-bin, feeling frustrated by Ryu Jeong’s hesitation, tilted her head and frowned slightly. It wasn’t exactly a gesture of urging, but Ryu Jeong became even more impatient and took a deep breath.
“Usually, when you say blind date… is it, like… that kind of… meaning?”
“That kind of meaning?”
“Getting introduced to someone… like that.”
Su-bin’s eyes narrowed at the ambiguous question, then returned to their original state. She seemed to be thinking hard, then nodded in agreement.
“I guess so? Sometimes it’s within the department, but sometimes we connect with other schools and do it with their students. Sometimes it’s one-on-one, but that’s just called getting introduced. I’ve done group blind dates the most.”
“Ah… I see.”
Su-bin looked puzzled by his somehow dejected voice, but she quickly returned to her place at the student council president’s scolding not to slack off. Ryu Jeong, who was also scolded, resumed his work while sinking deep into thought again.
Suddenly, Lee Do-hyeon’s sister, whom he had seen at the cafe one day, came to mind. Although he had briefly mistaken his own sister for his lover, a wonderful person like her was much more suitable to be by Lee Do-hyeon’s side. Not someone as insignificant as him.
After all, he must have just been helping him that day……. The fact that he wanted to have a conversation later seemed to be to properly wrap up what had happened that day. Since he said he was coming to the hotel for a meeting in the first place, he might have already forgotten about someone like him.
The moment he saw Lee Do-hyeon’s face, he felt happy and excited, but he felt embarrassed for making a fuss over nothing. Ryu Jeong moved even more busily to get rid of his distracting thoughts. He helped others even though it wasn’t his job, and as he worked so diligently, the banquet hall was clean as if nothing had happened.
After finishing the cleanup, Ryu Jeong finally checked his name and account number for the last time and was able to leave the banquet hall. Because the time was delayed more than expected, it was already close to 6 o’clock. He thought it would end around 5 o’clock, but it was an hour late.
He must have left, right? What if he got tired of waiting and left? I should have just told him not to wait. Lee Do-hyeon suddenly worried him, but even that worry was completely forgotten because of the sudden yawn.
Ryu Jeong stretched out a long yawn and shrugged his stiff shoulders. His body was tired, but the thought of the money being deposited made the fatigue seem like nothing. He was sweating from the tension, and above all, his face felt sticky because of the cream that Su-bin had applied before the event started. As he was thinking that he should go home and wash up quickly and heading towards the stairs, Su-bin, who had been following him, stuck close and started grilling him.
“Ryu Jeong Hyung. What’s this about Choi Da-won asking you to introduce her to someone?”
“…Huh?”
Who is Choi Da-won……. As Ryu Jeong looked at her in bewilderment, the male student who had spoken to him earlier came into view behind Su-bin. When their eyes met, he greeted him with a delighted expression. Ryu Jeong smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze. Come to think of it, he did speak as if he knew Su-bin. Only then did Ryu Jeong realize that the male student was the Choi Da-won that Su-bin was talking about.
Su-bin, who was frowning and seriously pondering, suddenly covered her mouth. He couldn’t hear her well as she was saying something, so when he asked “What?” she shook her head and grumbled.
“Choi Da-won is an Alpha. Why is an Alpha hitting on a Beta? You’re not interested in Alphas either, right, Hyung? Even if you are, say you’re not. Choi Da-won is not good. She talks too much. Tired, tired.”
Then, as if she had remembered something, she clapped her hands. Ryu Jeong flinched in surprise.
“You seem to be popular, Hyung. Do you want to get introduced to one of my friends?”
“No, I’m okay…….”
“Some of the people who worked part-time with us earlier said you were okay too, Hyung. If you dressed up a little more, you’d be really popular. You looked different just by putting on some sunscreen and lip balm.”
Su-bin clung to him persistently. Ryu Jeong couldn’t push her away harshly, perhaps because he knew she didn’t mean any harm. He just smiled awkwardly and revealed his discomfort, which wasn’t very noticeable. Ryu Jeong, who had been putting up with Su-bin’s chatter as he climbed dozens of stairs, stopped abruptly in surprise at the figure blocking his path.
“Jeong-ssi.”
Lee Do-hyeon was standing there with a smiling face, in the same outfit he had encountered in the elevator earlier. Ryu Jeong, who had completely forgotten about his earlier embarrassment, unknowingly stared up at him in a daze, and Lee Do-hyeon met his gaze intently.
“Are you finished now?”
“…D, did you wait?”
“Yes.”
At the answer that seemed to ask why he was asking something so obvious, Ryu Jeong fluttered his lips in embarrassment. He was afraid to look at him steadily, so he quietly averted his gaze. He thought that Lee Do-hyeon wouldn’t wait because the time was delayed and he seemed to have an important schedule that he couldn’t miss. It wasn’t like he ran into him by chance while leaving, but he said he had waited on purpose to catch him, so he felt even worse.
“Are these Jeong-ssi’s friends?”
As Ryu Jeong was fidgeting and not knowing what to do, Lee Do-hyeon looked around behind Ryu Jeong and asked lightly. Choi Da-won was already standing next to Su-bin, rolling her eyes to figure out what was going on.
“Ah, they’re… friends who worked part-time with me today.”
“Ah, I see. Hello.”
When Ryu Jeong explained hastily, Lee Do-hyeon nodded and bowed. Ryu Jeong thought he would introduce himself at least briefly, but Lee Do-hyeon kept his mouth shut and only blinked his eyes. Then, Su-bin, unable to contain her curiosity, nudged Ryu Jeong in the elbow with a shy smile.
“Who, who is he, Hyung?”
“Ah, that’s…….”
A convenience store customer? Or should he say a cafe customer since he had been to the cafe? Would it be better to honestly say that he is the President of the construction company that is trying to build a hotel in the neighborhood where he lives? Many things came to mind, but none of them were quite right.
As his worries deepened, Su-bin’s urging intensified. Lee Do-hyeon was also staring at Ryu Jeong, asking why he wasn’t answering.
“He’s, an acquaintance….”He’s my baby.””
Ryu Jeong, who was trying to vaguely say that he was just someone he knew, was so surprised that he couldn’t even think of refuting it and froze. He was lying so shamelessly, and the eyes of both pairs of eyes were directed at Ryu Jeong, not Lee Do-hyeon.
“O, Oppa, you had someone you were seeing?”
Su-bin, who took the silence as affirmation, openly gaped. Choi Da-won frowned and looked back and forth between Ryu Jeong and Lee Do-hyeon.
“I, I’ll go first. Oppa, see you later.”
Su-bin was the first to come to her senses. Su-bin had a face that showed she had many questions, but she tactfully gave them space. She even dragged Choi Da-won, who had no intention of leaving, away with her. Ryu Jeong belatedly tried to grab them, but Su-bin had already gone through the revolving door.
Only after all the other part-timers, who were staring strangely at the two people blocking the stairs, had left the hotel, did Lee Do-hyeon take away the smile he had been holding onto until the end. Instead of a smile that seemed to like people, an expression that seemed full of dissatisfaction was revealed.
“Were you just going to leave?”
“Yes……?”
“I said I would wait.”