By Zephyria 
What? It’s a hotel.
It’s really a hotel.
He was surprised, but they were already inside the lobby. Kwon Rae-i pulled Tae-hwon straight towards the elevator. The marble floor sparkled brilliantly, and a chandelier hung from the incredibly high ceiling. Soon, a luxurious matte elevator stopped in front of them.
“Let’s go for French today. Italian next time.”
“Okay…”
“Would you prefer Italian?”
“Honestly, I don’t really know the difference.”
“Ah, right. Actually, I don’t know much either. I’m just pretending.”
However, Kwon Rae-i seemed quite familiar with high-end restaurants, not just saying it as a throwaway line. He had driven straight here without even turning on the navigation, and now he seemed to know the location of the elevator and the floor of the restaurant without hesitation, guiding them effortlessly. His expression seemed relaxed, and his upright posture exuded elegance.
The crowning touch was when they got off on the high floor where the French restaurant was located. The receptionist recognized Kwon Rae-i’s face immediately, greeted him with a smile and a polite bow, and even guided them straight to a private room with a great view, even though they hadn’t made a separate reservation. As he sat down at the table following the waiter’s guidance, he felt dazed. It was as if he was still half-asleep.
The city skyline was visible at a glance through the large glass window, and the interior featured luxurious sofas in soft beige facing each other. In front of them was a stylish round dining table with a white tablecloth, and the table was perfectly set with intricately arranged silver cutlery, crystal glasses, and a fancy vase.
Kwon Rae-i ordered the chef’s special course without even looking at the menu, and Tae-hwon wondered what was going on.
‘What is he? A player?’
Why did he know so much? And how did the staff recognize Kwon Rae-i’s face?
Tae-hwon, lost in thought and speechless, drank from the water glass in front of him. He felt strangely restless and uneasy.
‘Is it because of his looks or something?’
But Kwon Rae-i was definitely a virgin.
He had even prepared a sedative because he was worried that he would get too excited due to his inexperience.
‘No. Well, that’s true. He said his physical experience was his first, but he didn’t say his dating experience was his first.’
Tae-hwon drank the water faster. He gulped it down, and the glass was immediately empty. Even though he had clearly drunk enough, his lips felt dry. Kwon Rae-i kindly asked Tae-hwon, “Were you thirsty?” and called the waiter to refill his water glass.
‘Let’s not worry about it. Kwon Rae-i might have met someone before. It’s only natural that he would.’
It was embarrassing. He must have jumped to conclusions just because he heard him confess that he was a virgin.
It was because he had seen Kwon Rae-i looking so happy. He had happened to see his reaction of being overjoyed at the news that Tae-hwon was also a virgin. That’s why there was no one else for him, and he had only been single-mindedly looking at Woo Tae-hwon until now, and that’s why it was so meaningful. He had unconsciously thought that.
‘That’s enough. Right. He might have met a few people in his adolescence… There’s no reason to worry about this. What if he met someone, and what if he didn’t?’
Tae-hwon grabbed the refilled water glass and started drinking it again.
He had turned a simple invitation to have a meal into a date with a smooth remark.
He had pretended to ask about the menu and then suddenly dragged him to a hotel.
He was sticking close under the guise of support, and he was coming into a private room under the guise of a restaurant, and what was next?
What was he going to do next?
‘Damn it, why am I suddenly thinking like this?’
He wasn’t a kid. If he was like this, wouldn’t he be like those immature kids enjoying their youthful days? Obsessed with love games, arguing over trivial reasons, and quickly burning out as quickly as they flared up.
Tae-hwon emptied the water glass and placed it on the table. Kwon Rae-i, who had been staring intently at Tae-hwon all along, asked abruptly.
“Tae-hwon.”
“Yeah.”
“Your expression is stiff. Is your shoulder not feeling well?”
“No.”
“Is your wound healing well? I wonder if I pushed you too hard today.”
Then, Kwon Rae-i abruptly pushed himself up from his seat and stood up.
His tall height soared towards the ceiling, and his thick frame in a suit blocked the view like a wall. Tae-hwon was quite surprised inwardly.
‘Why is he getting up?’
‘Is he perhaps leaving?’
Is Woo Tae-hwon’s expression bad, so he thinks I’m in pain? Is he worried?
‘I wasn’t planning on going back, though.’
I barely squeezed out the time and came all the way here despite the uneasy situation, so why is he leaving?
More than anything, didn’t Kwon Rae-i say he wanted to go on a date? What was with saying he was excited earlier?
Tae-hwon could only stare at Kwon Rae-i without blinking. He couldn’t figure out what he was trying to do. And for some reason, he felt hesitant. He couldn’t act rashly. Unlike before, he felt like he shouldn’t do whatever he pleased.
“Where are you looking?”
With those words, Kwon Rae-i left his seat across from Tae-hwon and came over to where Tae-hwon was. The French antique sofa with its ornate decorations was large enough for two people to sit comfortably.
He carefully examined Tae-hwon’s left shoulder and slightly lowered the suit jacket. He checked the state of the bandage over the shirt, and fortunately, the wound was healing well. It was a recovery power that wouldn’t lose anywhere.
“Hmm… it looks good. So your face wasn’t stiff because of the pain.”
Kwon Rae-i smiled as he rearranged Tae-hwon’s clothes that he had messed up. His lips were smiling, but his eyes showed no movement. Tae-hwon wondered if he was forcing a smile. He pointed out that fact.
“You say that, but your eyes aren’t smiling either.”
“Well, I’m like this because I’m taking care of Tae-hwon.”
“You don’t have to take care of me so much. I’m tired of being treated like a patient…”
“It’s not just that. Did I push too hard? Was I the only one who was too eager today?”
Kwon Rae-i lowered his voice and muttered in a low tone. Just a while ago, when they were in the car, he was excited and elated. He even gave me a surprise kiss when we got out of the car. But now, it seemed like he had suddenly sunk. Was he disappointed, or was he displeased? Was he annoyed…?
“Did you hate it because I insisted it was a date?”
He casually tossed out the question. Tae-hwon shook his head.
“No. Why now.”
“Then, do you not like the restaurant? Was it too much to be at a hotel for our first date? Is it burdensome?”
“It’s not that burdensome, it’s, well, clean and spacious and comfortable. The water tastes cool, too…”
Tae-hwon continued with excuses that were out of character for him.
In all his life, Woo Tae-hwon had never had to explain his feelings to anyone like this. He was worried that Kwon Rae-i would be disappointed or regretful if he told him his true feelings as they were, and he just wanted him to be happy. He would rather he was as unreservedly happy and excited as he was earlier, but his mood seemed to be fluctuating like Tae-hwon’s.
“Then why? Why me?”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you looking at me? You’re not looking at me right now, Tae-hwon.”
“Was I… doing that?”
“Yeah?”
“…”
“What’s wrong? Are you angry?”
Ha, I’m really going crazy.
‘Seriously, what kind of mentality do other people have when they go on dates?’
Woo Tae-hwon was about to go crazy and jump up and down! He wanted to gulp down a pot of spicy kimchi stew right now.
‘Drinking two glasses of water at a top-class hotel French restaurant’ vs ‘Chopping off the heads of Kwon Tae-oh and Kwon Hyeon-oh’.
If he had to choose between the two, Tae-hwon would rather choose the latter right now. He would go to the Gyeongjeong Faction’s main house alone with his injured left shoulder and start a knife fight. Of course, such a disaster shouldn’t happen, but that’s just how much his insides were burning.
‘In the broad daylight, embarrassingly!’
He felt like his limbs were twisting. Tae-hwon swallowed hard, having emptied two glasses of water to no avail, and glanced at Kwon Rae-i.
His elegant eyebrows were furrowed at a sharp angle, and the smile on his lips had disappeared, leaving a cold expression. Tae-hwon blinked twice and let out a complicated sigh.
Then he barely managed to say one word.
“…It’s just, it’s more serious than I thought.”
Kwon Rae-i frowned and asked back.
“What is?”
What else could it be?
“The date.”
“So? Do you think you got caught up in something bad?”
“You’re too skilled. Natural. So I suddenly got worried.”
“……?”
“You go in and out of hotels like it’s your own home, what kind of behavior has a virgin been doing.”