The Best, or the Worst - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Wait a second—if Lee Seohee is her cousin…

Lee Seohee. Lee Taeseo.
Both shared the same family name “Lee” and the syllable “Seo.” That meant they were paternal cousins—sons and daughters of two brothers from the same family line.

The late founder of L Group, who had passed away long ago, had two sons.
The elder was Lee Jinhyuk, the current chairman of L Group and Seohee’s father.
The younger was Lee Jinseok, chairman of S Group, a major corporation ranking within Korea’s top ten conglomerates.

“So then… S Group is—?”

“My father’s company.”

It had taken less than thirty minutes for his friend to casually drop a revelation that left Ji Hyou’s brain on the verge of overheating.

“…I don’t have money. My family doesn’t have money either.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“When someone randomly says, ‘Oh, I’m actually a third-generation chaebol heir,’ there’s a 99.9% chance they’re a scammer…”

At that, Taeseo burst into laughter. Then she scrolled through her phone, found a photo, and handed it to him.

“Here. Proof that I’m not scamming you.”

The picture showed her and Seohee sitting together at a restaurant, mid-meal. No matter how one looked at it, they exuded the easy warmth of genuine siblings.

“I took this last year when I went to London. We were having lunch together.”

She even offered to let him talk to her cousin directly if he didn’t believe her. Hyou quickly waved her off, returning the phone.

“He’s really a decent person, right?”

“…‘Decent person’ sounds like an awfully cheap way to describe the Lee Seohee—heir to a conglomerate, Premier League star player, and a dominant Alpha. Miss Lee Taeseo, daughter of S Group.”

“You sound like you’re being sarcastic.”

“I’m not—it’s just… I’m too stunned to process all this.”

“What’s there to be so surprised about?”

“This is the normal reaction!”

When he asked why she had never mentioned any of this before, she countered, “Did you ever ask?”

“Honestly, I didn’t want people to know. If word like that gets out, it only brings trouble and awkward situations.”

“That’s fair.”

He nodded slightly, conceding the point. Taeseo propped her chin on her hand, smiling playfully.

“So, what? Do I look different now that you know I’m from that kind of family?”

Her teasing tone broke the tension, and Hyou finally let out a small laugh, shaking off his dazed expression.

“Of course not. It’s just… kind of surreal.”

“To be honest, if he’d asked me to set him up with anyone else, I would’ve refused. I only agreed because it’s you.”

Before he could even ask “Why?”, she answered simply:

“Because you’re a good person too.”

“You’re someone I can trust. I really think highly of you.”

The compliment, coming from his normally cool and curt friend, made his ears burn. He averted his gaze awkwardly, and she softened her smile.

“You’re both good people, so just give it a try.”

Unlike his confident friend, who promised he wouldn’t regret it, Hyou couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that he’d just agreed to something far beyond his ability to handle.

Haah…

Standing before a luxury hotel he never imagined setting foot in, Ji Hyou let out a long, shaky sigh.

A few days earlier, Taeseo had texted him to ask what kind of food he liked. It was to choose a place for the blind date. He didn’t have much of an appetite to begin with and wasn’t picky, so he told her to pick whatever she liked. In the end, she reserved a traditional Korean restaurant located inside this very hotel.

Through the glass doors, the lobby shimmered under crystal chandeliers and elegant Christmas decorations that looked more like fine art than mere ornaments.

“I definitely don’t belong somewhere like this…”

Overwhelmed by the sheer opulence, he lingered near the entrance for a long time.
Such places—where wealthy people casually came and went—made him uneasy. He’d even heard that the restaurant she’d reserved was notoriously expensive. He couldn’t help feeling a twinge of resentment toward his friend for choosing somewhere like this—but she had her reasons.

“So that’s why he suddenly came to Korea during the season… it was for a family event.”

That evening was the wedding of Seohee’s aunt—L Group’s chairman’s youngest sister and the hotel’s current CEO.

After attending the wedding, Seohee was scheduled to return to England the next morning on an early flight for his weekend match.
Since his stay would be less than twenty-four hours, he was lodging at the hotel rather than at his family’s residence.
Given his schedule and movement restrictions, holding the blind date here was, in truth, the most logical choice.

“Just the chairman’s sister’s wedding alone would be a huge story—but with Lee Seohee’s arrival, of course the whole area’s swarmed…”

Outside, the hotel was surrounded by fans and reporters. Inside, access was limited for safety reasons, keeping the crowd at bay—but even so, there were several journalists waiting in the lobby.

Standing there, Hyou couldn’t shake the feeling that he was stepping into a place—and meeting a person—he absolutely shouldn’t. His chest tightened with nerves.

For a fleeting moment, he considered turning around and leaving. But then he forced himself to take a deep breath.

“It’s too late to cancel now. If I stand here any longer, I’ll just lose my nerve. Just… go.”

He crossed the lobby briskly, heading toward the elevator.
Pressing the button for the 27th floor—the location of the restaurant—he checked the time.

12:11 p.m.

The appointment was at one o’clock.

Taeseo hadn’t chosen this place only for Seohee’s convenience. She’d also chosen it because Hyou had a hopeless sense of direction(길치 (gilchi)).

He could get lost on a road he’d walked a dozen times, and he once even got turned around in his own neighborhood where he’d lived for over five years.

If he was going to lose his way anyway, at least a famous hotel would be easy to find again.

“You can’t miss it—it’s right outside the subway exit,” she’d teased.
And if he still got lost, she’d said, he should “try using that miracle of modern civilization—the map app.”

Remembering her words, Hyou sighed softly.

As if that weren’t enough, he had another lifelong affliction: chronic overthinking. His personal motto might as well have been “Worry is my way of life.” He tended to brood over every little thing, even those that didn’t warrant it.

Even though this hotel was famous, the unfamiliarity made him nervous.

What if my phone dies? What if I take the wrong train? What if I end up at the wrong hotel?

His mind looped endlessly through imaginary disasters.

In the end, he’d left home far too early, and now he was here—over forty minutes ahead of schedule.

“What am I even supposed to do while I wait…”

He was just pulling out his phone to review Seohee’s profile again when his reflection in the elevator mirror caught his attention.

He wore a long ivory coat over a navy sweater and black trousers—plain, neat, and unassuming. Given who he was meeting, he’d debated what to wear for quite some time, but in the end, he’d chosen his usual style.

After all, it was just a blind date. Dressing up too much would only make things awkward.

Besides, when Seohee had arrived at the airport that morning, he’d been dressed casually. Surely he wouldn’t show up to lunch in anything extravagant.

“Not that dressing up would make much difference anyway…”

In truth, Hyou was wearing several layers beneath his clothes. Partly because he was sensitive to cold, but mostly to conceal his overly thin frame.

As he smoothed his hair in the mirror, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open to reveal the 27th floor.

Which way is the restaurant?

He looked around uncertainly until a staff member approached.

“Good afternoon, sir. Are you here for the lounge?”

“No, I’m looking for the restaurant ‘Heyum.’”

“Heyum is fully booked today. Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you. Right this way, please.”

He opened his mouth to say there was no need to guide him—just point the way—but before he could, the staff member was already leading him down the corridor.

Following quietly behind, Hyou soon saw the restaurant entrance ahead. The atmosphere resembled an upscale Western fine-dining establishment more than a traditional Korean eatery.

After showing him to the door, the staff offered a courteous smile and left him with a cheerful, “Enjoy your time.”

“Everyone here is so polite… must be the hotel training.”

There was a small lounge area right by the restaurant where guests could sit and wait.
He decided to wait there until one o’clock—but barely ten seconds passed before he stood up again.

There was something he needed to do before meeting Seohee.

Something that couldn’t be done here, under watchful eyes.

Glancing around, he searched for the restroom but couldn’t find it nearby, so he reluctantly stepped inside the restaurant.

“Welcome.”

A staff member in a neat uniform greeted him with a warm smile.

“Excuse me, I arrived a bit early. Would it be all right if I used the restroom?”

“Of course, sir. May I have the name under which your reservation was made?”

“It should be under ‘Lee Taeseo.’”

At that name, the staff’s hand paused briefly on the tablet. Clearly, she recognized it—and likely knew who the other guest was meant to be.

For a moment, he worried she might tell him to wait outside until the other party arrived, but instead, she nodded politely.

“Confirmed. The restroom is down that hallway on your right.”

Thanking her, Hyou followed her directions. Fortunately, the single-person restroom was unoccupied.

He locked the door behind him and pulled a small plastic case from his coat pocket—a compact, portable thermometer he always carried just in case.

Removing the protective cap, he took a deep breath and measured his temperature, heart pounding anxiously.

Footnotes

1. “길치” — Korean slang for a person with a terrible sense of direction; literally “road idiot.”