Four Wild Goose Chases in Korea
South Korea had wasted her four times.
The hotel where Woo Je-hyeok was known to frequent, the gym, and the restaurant. Not once in any of them had she crossed paths with him.
They were places Ki Seok-ju had investigated and reported.
Ki Seok-ju was the secretary-type who shadowed her in Korea whenever she arrived. Gruff, yes, but he was thorough with his duties.
This time it was supposedly real. Tonight, at this exact hour, in the bar of this hotel, information had arrived that Woo Je-hyeok was meeting with some lawyer. Ki Seok-ju had sounded certain, and she had come to check it herself.
But even here she had not found him.
She had sat in the hotel bar until three in the morning, waiting, before returning empty-handed.
She had endured the lecherous stares of the pointless men inside, yet there had been no harvest.
Why go to such lengths just to see Woo Je-hyeok? Growing doubt had taken root. She had even begun to question why she had come to Korea at all.
She had set her goal on one thing only: to lay eyes on the face of Woo Je-hyeok and spend each day chasing that curiosity. As always, the interest had faded quickly.
It was Myeong Eun-ju who reignited the dying spark in her.
“I was surprised when you suddenly showed up in Korea, but finding Woo Je-hyeok… that surprised me even more.”
While walking, she had spotted a woman who looked like Woo-hee and called Eun-ju, who had answered, “No way, in Korea?” Her words were vague as ever, yet Woo-hee had trusted them.
Eun-ju had invited her to her restaurant.
At the mention that Ki Seok-ju had wasted four times over Woo Je-hyeok, she could not hide her delight.
“Do not mention to my father that I came to Korea.”
Eun-ju had simply shrugged.
“Why are you looking for Woo Je-hyeok?”
“He’s handsome.”
“What?”
“I just want to see what he really looks like.”
Eun-ju’s eyes had widened, then she burst out laughing.
Eun-ju had laughed at her, but Woo-hee felt no need to explain herself at length.
Eun-ju had scoffed, “Do you really cross the sea for that reason? Still living like a thug in this life, huh? Because you’re so impulsive, that’s why our dad doesn’t trust you yet.”
Even if Eun-ju’s father did not trust her, Eun-ju’s own father was the only man she still followed faithfully in this world.
“Do you know that man?”
Woo-hee had cut her off and changed the subject.
“No, not really. I know who he is. He used to come to our restaurant often.”
“What kind of man is he?”
“…Handsome, well-mannered, rich, kind bastard.”
Eun-ju, who had been sucking on a cigarette, had lifted her red lips in a smirk.
“Are you more curious now?”
“No.”
That answer was enough. She had wondered what the real thing was like, but the effort no longer felt worth it.
She was about to stand up when Eun-ju said, “You came to Korea to see Woo Je-hyeok? Don’t you feel bad wasting all that time? You should at least see him once.”
Eun-ju had flicked a navy envelope onto the glass table.
“Woo Je-hyeok’s cousin recently started an MCN. There’s an opening gala invitation. He’s going to be there too. My cousin is a regular at our restaurant, so I know him. He said he worked his ass off to get Woo Je-hyeok invited to the event.”
“….”
“Only those invited may enter. I have a prior engagement anyway, so I can’t go. That’s lucky. Go in my name. Even if it’s not Woo Je-hyeok, you’ll have plenty of fun.”
Woo-hee picked up the envelope and examined the invitation inside. White paper with gold lettering.
Eun-ju had waved her smoke around playfully, corners of her mouth lifted.
“Dress flashily, Woo-hee. Woo Je-hyeok likes that kind of thing. Pretty trash.”
She had gone dressed modestly. No chance of catching his eye.
The distance was just enough to get a rough idea of what he looked like. In truth, the curiosity had been faint for a long time now.
She had come because she felt bad about wasting the effort Eun-ju had mentioned. Since she was already in Korea, had received an invitation, and had little else to do.
It was her last attempt.
The event was held in the heart of Gangnam. One nine-story building rented out entirely, with a different theme per floor.
Thud, thud, thud, thud. Loud music slammed against her ears with every step up the stairs. Strobe lights swirled overhead in a dizzying blur.
She had forced herself to climb anyway. There was only one elevator, and the crowd had turned desperate.
Expensive drinks spilled across the floor, food crushed underfoot. Everyone upstairs wore the same light, lewd eyes.
Opening gala, they had called it. More like a club, less like a club, more like a seedy cave. The moment you stepped inside, a sticky atmosphere clung to your skin.
Woo-hee had pretended to look around while searching for Woo Je-hyeok. She had accepted a few drinks from the servers and sipped them.
Eun-ju had been wrong. The event was not fun at all.
People dancing, sucking lips, stripping in front of her meant nothing. She had stopped walking once, sighed, and several times had harshly brushed off hands that grabbed her.
Some waitstaff had mistaken her outfit for their uniform and bothered her with questions.
“What’s your name?”
“Tell me your name.”
“Just curious, that’s all.”
“Asking like that? What’s your name?”
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, fuck. Don’t act so high and mighty.”
“Hey, what’s your name…!”
The moment a man had grabbed her shoulder, a ringing sound had burst through the ceiling speakers.
“Golden Bell! The Golden Bell just rang! All the drinks you’re drinking tonight will be paid for by the host on behalf of a certain gentleman. Enjoy the party to your heart’s content!”
A cheap, outdated line. Still, everyone had cheered and jumped as the floor shook.
The man who had bothered her had been swept away by the excited crowd.
Then came a voice.
“That Golden Bell just now… it was Woo Je-hyeok.”
“Who?”
“You don’t know Woo Je-hyeok? The grandson of Woo Shin Group.”
“He’s on the fourth floor. They were playing Hold’em, and suddenly Golden Bell?”
“How much will the bar tab come to?”
“Hey, that’s Woo Shin’s Woo Je-hyeok. To him that’s just pocket change. He’s wasting money on pitiful mortals.”
Light laughter had scattered like smoke.
Woo-hee turned toward the stairs again. Fourth floor. Hold’em. Woo Je-hyeok. She had mechanically repeated the words and walked with hypnotic steps.
But the fourth floor was off-limits.
Several rooms lined the hallway, yet she could not enter.
A guard blocked her when she got too close. She had waited for the door to open and peeked inside whenever there was a gap, but the doors had slammed shut too quickly.
Even if she caught a glimpse, she could not examine it properly.
“Entry restricted to authorized personnel only.”
The guard with the harsh face had said firmly.
“Get out.”
At first she had not understood he was speaking to her. She had never received such a warning before.
Only when her arm had been grabbed had she realized.
She had been ejected from the fourth floor. Forced to climb the stairs again.
A curse had followed the warning: “Fuck you.”
She had lost even the last of her will. She no longer cared about seeing Woo Je-hyeok’s face.
I should give up and go back to the hotel for a spa.
Then someone had shoved her again.
Right after, another person had spilled a drink on her, the strong alcohol scent engulfing her body.
Neither the one who had shoved her nor the one who had spilled the drink had apologized. They had simply vanished into the cheering crowd.
She had no patience to complain or to receive a spa.
In the end, she had blindly walked toward the emergency stair sign visible in the distance.
She had pushed through the crowd and opened the locked metal door.
A cool breeze had brushed her neck, and the noisy hall had faded.
She had stepped out onto a spiral staircase attached to the building’s outer wall.
The stairs ran from the rooftop all the way down to the first floor.
It was good.
She had thought, walking down these stairs would take her out of here.
Except her steps had slowed.
Inside the cave-like building she had not noticed, but now the alcohol was rising. She had accepted every drink the servers offered.
She had stepped slowly to avoid falling.
The familiar name had hit her ear like a hammer when she reached the fourth floor.
Each step echoed the name she had come for.
Woo Je-hyeok.
She had reached the fourth floor.
But the door was locked.
She had been blocked.
The guard had said, “Entry restricted to authorized personnel only.”
She had turned to leave.
Then someone had shoved her again.
Right after, another person had spilled a drink on her, the strong alcohol scent engulfing her body.
Neither the one who had shoved her nor the one who had spilled the drink had apologized. They had simply vanished into the cheering crowd.
She had no patience to complain or to receive a spa.
In the end, she had blindly walked toward the emergency stair sign visible in the distance.
She had pushed through the crowd and opened the locked metal door.
A cool breeze had brushed her neck, and the noisy hall had faded.
She had stepped out onto a spiral staircase attached to the building’s outer wall.
The stairs ran from the rooftop all the way down to the first floor.
It was good.
She had thought, walking down these stairs would take her out of here.
Except her steps had slowed.
Inside the cave-like building she had not noticed, but now the alcohol was rising. She had accepted every drink the servers offered.
She had stepped slowly to avoid falling.
The familiar name had hit her ear like a hammer when she reached the fourth floor.
Each step echoed the name she had come for.
Woo Je-hyeok.