The First Night of the Honeymoon

Kang-hyun checked the caller ID. It was William.

Hearing his ever-cheerful friend's voice, the bottomless gloom that had settled over him seemed to lift a little.

Before his words could start to drag, Kang-hyun quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

Kang-hyun rubbed the back of his neck and swallowed an awkward hum. The first day of the trip was only just winding down. Even if he recalculated every last detail, making time by the weekend was impossible.

As expected, a full-blown commotion erupted from the other end of the line.

Listening to that noisy voice, Kang-hyun slowly looked around. Lovers gazing at each other with open affection, torches lighting the night, the bittersweet scent of whiskey and the salty sea breeze. Then, without thinking, he let the words slip out.

Silence dropped like a bucket of cold water. The way he was spouting whatever came to mind made it clear he was properly drunk. The moment he considered the aftermath, a headache began to bloom. That already loud friend would raise absolute hell; his skull seemed to throb just imagining it.

William spoke up too late; the conversation went no further. Even after Kang-hyun ended the call the phone kept vibrating, but he ignored it. He flipped the device face-down on the table and drained the rest of the whiskey in one swallow. Then, before the alcohol could fully wear off, he pushed himself up and left.

Back in the suite, the door opened and the motion sensor flashed the lights on before letting them sink again into darkness. Crossing the cold quiet into the living room, Kang-hyun stared at the closed bedroom door. Earlier the endless sound of water had scraped at his nerves; now the deathly silence began to grate just as badly.

"Really, one thing after another…"

He couldn't quite swallow the self-mockery as he raked a hand irritably through his hair. Better to check for himself and be done with it than let the uneasy feeling drag him around all night—his alcohol-soaked thoughts slid easily toward the convenient conclusion.

He stepped up to the bedroom and took hold of the handle. Click. Frowning at the especially loud noise, he eased the door open.

The room lay submerged in a bluish stillness like deep water. He had expected pitch darkness, yet the night air was so clear that moonlight poured through the balcony window and draped a thin, pale veil across everything. Beneath that veil Baek Yeo-eun slept deeply. In the stuffy room—air conditioner never turned on—she had the blanket pulled all the way to her chin, body curled tight into the corner of a bed large enough for two.

"……"

Kang-hyun stood holding the doorknob and looked down at her for a long while. Moonlight floated like silver dust and settled quietly on the defenseless curve of her cheek. She had always been the kind of woman who held the eye only when she slept. Even now, little seemed to have changed. But the moon was especially bright tonight, and the bloodless pallor of her sleeping face snagged his attention.

"Do you know what that young lady's nickname is? She's the Ghost of Cheongbaekwon—a ghost."

He understood the origin of the name. If the blanket hadn't been rising and falling in a steady rhythm, he might have checked whether she was breathing at all. His gaze, still fixed on her, slid to the nightstand. A small white plastic bottle without a label sat within easy reach of her hand. Medicine, by the look of it. Painkillers or something for digestion, no doubt. She had been frail since childhood; carrying emergency pills was nothing strange. After the long flight even he was exhausted, so it was natural her condition would be off.

The only real surprise, then, was that his simple wish to confirm she was still there and set his mind at ease had gone sideways in every possible way. Chewing on the sense of defeat, Kang-hyun closed the door as if shutting out the sight. Despite his twisted mood, the hand that released the doorknob was careful.

He returned to the sofa and dropped onto it carelessly, as if flinging his body down. Then he forced his eyes shut. Even after the world went black, the afterimage clung to his retinas and flickered. The ridiculous part was that, with a woman like that lying just beyond the door, heat was slowly gathering low in his body.

Crazy bastard. He raised an arm and covered his eyes completely, chewing a low curse. He knew it was nothing more than a physiological reaction, yet it was still a thorough nuisance—the clueless body, and the woman sleeping soundly without the faintest idea. Blaming everything under the sun, he tossed and turned.

It was the first night of the honeymoon.

The next morning Kang-hyun rose at his usual early hour and finished his workout in the hotel fitness center. After a clean sweat and a shower for good measure, he returned to the suite to find the scene exactly as he had left it. He glanced around the empty living room, then finally knocked on the bedroom door. When there was still no answer he opened it without ceremony.

The woman lay in almost the same posture as the night before, sound asleep. Looking unsurprised, he checked the smartwatch on his wrist. He was still weighing whether to let her sleep longer or wake her when the blanket stirred.

"Mmm…"

After a brief restless shift, a tousled head suddenly rose from the bed. Her eyes searched the empty air with the frantic look of someone who had lost something precious; then they found him standing in the doorway and stopped. For a fleeting instant something like relief seemed to settle in the trembling pupils.

"…You were here?"

But as if everything had been his imagination, she immediately set her barbed tongue to work.

"I thought you'd gotten scared and run off in the middle of the night."

She was treating him like some pathetic male who had tucked his tail and fled. Kang-hyun, however, remained expressionless. A face still glossy with the soft vitality of deep sleep and that messy hair made her sarcasm anything but threatening. He looked away from the clear complexion that no longer held a trace of last night's pallor and spoke.

"If you're eating breakfast, get ready and come out now."

With the message delivered he left the bedroom without a second glance. A short while later, as busy sounds began behind the closed door, he settled onto the sofa at a leisurely pace and turned on the television. He waited through a stretch of morning news until Baek Yeo-eun reappeared. She wore a loose short-sleeved dress that fell past her knees, hair tied back in a casual knot—comfortable and unhurried.

"Let's go."

She spoke brightly and led the way. Her hurried steps made it hard to believe she had been dawdling in bed only moments earlier; Kang-hyun let out a soft, dry laugh and followed at an unhurried pace.

The breakfast restaurant was on the first floor. As they drew near, the smell of golden bread and rich butter filled the air. A wave of guests had just left, so the dining room was pleasantly quiet. An employee approached.

"Table for two?"

"Yes."

"Right this way."

They took the outdoor table the staff indicated, then separated to collect their food. True to a world-class resort, the buffet was lined with dishes from every corner of the globe—so many that even a single bite of each would have been impossible. Still, Kang-hyun returned with only the omelet he had asked the chef to make on the spot. He preferred a light breakfast; this was enough. He flagged a passing server, ordered coffee, and waited. Baek Yeo-eun, for some reason, was taking her time.

"Your coffee of the day, sir."

The coffee arrived first. Kang-hyun gave the server a brief nod and began to eat. When he cut into the yellow omelet studded with colorful paprika, mozzarella stretched thickly and warm steam rose. A proper bite brought the soft eggs and crisp vegetables together in a familiar, perfectly acceptable harmony. He was lifting the coffee cup when Baek Yeo-eun finally appeared in the distance. At the same moment, Kang-hyun's brow furrowed ever so slightly.