"He's not picking up... Well, this is the first."
Having gotten used to Min Hyun's prompt responses to her calls, Se Ah found it strange that her current call was ignored. It was definitely the first time. Although it was nice to feel that Min Hyun was finally getting less clingy, it pained her to admit that she felt somewhat rejected, and was now in an awkward situation of looking for a new source of entertainment.
"It's already past midnight, should I just go to the bar on the 21st floor? I don't feel like going out alone."
Whenever she had a chance to pass by the hotel bar or restaurant, Se Ah was always impressed by its splendor and seemingly never-dying clamor but the idea to come and check it out herself never crossed her mind up until now, and now that Lee Min Hyun was unreachable, it seemed like a perfect night to go there.
She did not want to put too much effort into getting ready, truthfully, she would rather put on comfortable sweats, buy the most expensive bottle of wine in the nearest convenience store, slice up some apples, and down everything while watching the night sky change its shining patterns. On the other hand, it felt rather wasteful to spend her time in that luxurious hotel without trying nice things, especially since they all have been already paid for.
Se Ah's reflection in the elevator mirror was showing a tall, slim woman, dressed in a short, tight black dress, with her shiny dark hair flowing down her elegant shoulders. She carefully looked herself up and down and sighed.
'Alright, let's just have a couple of drinks and get back to the room.'
The hotel bar was as luxurious as she had anticipated it to be. Its interior went well with the rest of the YL Hotel - tall, dark-brown and red walls, full-length windows overlooking the Han River, framed with thick, heavy dark-green curtains, black round tables scattered sporadically and surrounded by rather old-fashioned velvet-covered chairs, two bizarre chandeliers hanging under the black ceiling like some kind of grotesque creatures, drowning the place in a somewhat romantic ambiance with their dimmed lights, and, of course, the bar counter - an L-shaped, expensive-looking wooden table, protecting two unexpectedly neat good-looking bartenders and their alcoholic wealth brought to them from all over the world, from high wooden bar stools that were surrounding the counter like enemies.
Perhaps it was the late hour but the bar was almost empty which was rather fortunate for Yoon Se Ah, who wanted to have her drinks in peace. She slowly walked up to the counter, climbed on the surprisingly uncomfortable stool, offered the bartender a polite smile, and after a few moments of contemplation, ordered her drink.
"A glass of Merlot, please."
"Sure thing, miss."
"That sounds good, make it two glasses."
Both the bartender and Se Ah followed the direction of a low male voice and froze in astonishment. Se Ah was taken aback by the man's beauty and strange familiarity, while the bartender was simply bewildered.
"Uhm... I am very sorry but it looks like we ran out of Merlot, I have enough only for one glass."
The bartender offered the mysterious man an apologetic smile, while the latter looked at Se Ah, and sighed.
"What can I do? This lady here was first so the glass will go to her."
Se Ah scoffed and nodded, agreeing with his words.
"That's right. And even if I was not, I would have definitely fought you for that glass."
The man appreciated her straightforwardness and smiled.
"I'm sorry, it would have been a rather short fight because I would have surrendered even before it started."
"You are quite a smooth talker! But I appreciate your willingness to surrender so easily, sometimes it's better."
The awkward atmosphere created by their attempts at subtle flirting was interrupted by the bartender's loud but fake cough.
"Would you like something else, Mr. Yang?"
Se Ah flinched as she heard that name and widened her eyes. The man scratched the back of his neck rather awkwardly and nodded.
"The usual, please."
"Coming right up, sir."
He slowly turned his torso around and shrugged his shoulders, responding to Miss Yoon's bewildered expression. She took a sip of her wine to clear her throat and tried to sound as calm as possible.
"Mr. Yang? As in Yang Min Seok? Does not your family own this hotel?"
"You caught me!"
Min Seok fell onto the wooden stool next to her and wrapped his hand around the whiskey glass placed in front of him. It was all making sense now, the reason why the bartender was so flustered the moment he saw him, and that strange feeling that Se Ah somehow knew that man. He was Yang Min Seok, the only son of Yang Hyun Woo, the owner of Yang Corporation, and one of the most famous bachelors in South Korea. Everybody knew who he was, it was impossible not to - he was young, handsome, rich, and most importantly, single. He has appeared in every sports and fashion magazine, when famous models and actresses were asked about their ideal type, the first name they mentioned was Yang Min Seok. It felt like the whole country was in love with that man. Except for Kang Da Hye.
'Well... He is handsome. But he is Da Hye's business rival, although her father likes him. The world of rich sure is complicated.'
"I feel embarrassed now. This is my hotel and I have literally humiliated it and myself by ordering a glass of wine that I could not even get."
The young bartender looked at Se Ah with guilty, pleading eyes, while Min Seok simply laughed and gestured for him to relax and continue with his work. The woman looked at her almost empty glass of wine, sighed, and pouted her lips in an attempt to mock the man.
"You should be humiliated, sir! I like this wine and I came here in hopes to get at least two glasses!"
She waved a peace sign in front of his handsome face and continued,
"So what are you going to do about that?"
The light atmosphere was now interrupted by Min Seok's ringing phone. He looked at its screen, then put the phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket, stood up, and offered Se Ah a genuinely apologetic, ninety-degree bow.
"I sincerely apologize for this incredible inconvenience, miss. I'll make sure to find a way to make up for it. And..."
He fixed his neatly-styled black hair and smiled rather slyly.
"If we meet again, I'll think of it as destiny."
Mr. Yang bowed again and left, leaving Se Ah alone with an awkward-looking bartender. Although it felt unbelievably cringe, she could not help but smile. When was the last time she actually enjoyed talking to a man like this? Perhaps never before. It was refreshing. She finished her wine, thanked the bartender for his hard work, and walked towards the elevators, still smiling.
'Destiny, huh?'