The reason why Yang Min Seok was standing next to Yoon Se Ah and trying to wake her up was simple - just when he was getting back to his suite after working late, he decided to stop for a quick drink but as the elevator doors opened before him, he heard a slight commotion and a security guard walking towards the bar. He did not pay much attention to it at first, watching another drunk being dragged out of the bar was nothing new to him, but this time was different. As he approached the bar counter, the young bartender turned his worried face towards him and asked in a pleading voice,
"Mr. Yang! I'm so glad you're here! What should we do now?"
Min Seok looked in the direction of the bartender's pointing finger and raised his eyebrows. There she was, Miss Yoon Se Ah, completely senseless, lying over the bar counter, with her face glued to its wooden surface. That was the picture he did not know he was about to see tonight.
"She drank a lot of champagne and passed out. I tried to wake her up but she did not respond at all. I had to call security because I did not want to just leave her like this here..."
Mr. Yang shook Se Ah lightly by the shoulder but the result was still the same - she was completely out of it. He then leaned closer, his face almost touching her hair, and started calling her name as loudly as it was socially acceptable in their current situation, and the woman finally started showing signs of being alive; he nodded at the security guard and the still-concerned bartender and sighed.
"You can go now, I'll take care of her myself. Thank you for your help."
Min Seok supported Se Ah from behind her back and under her knees, effortlessly picked her up, and left the room like a hero carrying a rescued damsel in distress. The security guard followed him with his eyes until he was no longer in his field of vision, then took out his phone and quickly typed something with a strange sense of urgency. As both the Birthday celebration and Miss Yoon's revival mission died out, the bar regained its intimate serenity once again.
Mr. Yang opened the door to his suite with the card key, marched straight into the bathroom, carefully placed Se Ah on the cold tiled floor right in front of the toilet, then dashed to the kitchen, and returned with two large bottles of water. The woman was still struggling to keep her head upright, no matter how hard she tried, therefore, her only choice was to lean on the cool white wall and hope that the cold sensation would put out the fire that kept melting down her face. Min Seok helped her straighten her body by supporting her neck, and pressed the neck of the bottle to her lips.
"Work with me here, Miss Se Ah, you need to drink."
His voice bounced off the bathroom walls but still managed to reach Se Ah's half-conscious mind. She grabbed the bottle, yanked it out of his hands, and started drinking with such passion as if it was the most delicious water she ever tasted in her entire life.
"Please slow down, otherwise you'll--"
Min Seok did not manage to finish that sentence as Se Ah was already hugging the rims of the toilet with both hands while throwing up whatever was there in her stomach. The man held her hair behind her neck and gently stroked her back, that situation reminded him of his college days, and he could not help but put on a nostalgic smile. Two more bottles and vomiting sessions later, he helped Se Ah climb onto his nice, soft bed, and as she was wrapping the blanket around her body, turning into a caterpillar, he sat right next to her and gave her a somewhat patronizing look.
"Don't you think you should now go back to your room?"
His kind, friendly smile was so soothing that Miss Yoon could not help feeling comfortable and relaxed to the point that she completely forgot that she was not, in fact, back at her suite. But there was no way she could walk, after almost an hour spent in the bathroom, it was a miracle she could even breathe.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Yang, but can I rest here for a while? I'll leave as soon as I am physically able to."
She gave him a guilty look but Min Seok seemed fine even with that. He brushed Se Ah's damp hair away from her face, then stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, and sighed.
"So what made you succumb to drunkenness? Did something happen?"
His calm, low voice sounded so warm, it was almost as if he was casting a magic spell on her, and for some unknown reason, she felt like she was about to tell him everything. She closed her eyes tightly, pushing out all the unnecessary thoughts, then let out a long tired exhale, and murmured,
"A person like you would not understand... I felt frustrated and sad, I needed to get rid of those feelings and alcohol seemed like the best way to do that."
Min Seok glued his eyes to hers but remained silent. Over the years, he learned to see right through people and Se Ah was like a breath of fresh air to him - she was distant, almost indifferent, kind but reserved, she cared about her own emotional comfort while neglecting the emotions of others, and although she was good at keeping her guard up, she still knew how to be vulnerable even though she was bad at asking for help.
"I am not going to offer you empty comforting words or tell you that everything will be fine while I have no idea what you're going through. However, if you ever want to vent or will find yourself in need of a shoulder to lean on, you now know where to find me."
Mr. Yang smiled and got up from the bed.
"Good night, Miss Se Ah. You can stay here as long as you need, I'm going to sleep on the couch."
Se Ah was speechless. Although she was convinced that Min Seok could never understand her, somehow, he still managed to give her the comfort she needed. Thinking of him made her think about Lee Min Hyun. He, just like Min Seok, did not try to reassure her with empty words, but his comfort was different, it was physical and more intimate. Was it because she got used to his body that she craved to touch him again? Or was she craving it simply because it was HIM? Her own emotions got entangled once again, and as her heavy mind took over her empty body, she closed her eyes and fell into much-needed slumber.