The Price of Impulse (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
The sound of Tae Jo’s shoes sank softly into the plush carpet. As he turned the card key in his hand, he mulled over his conversation with Director Song.
“‘The guest list? Hmm, I don’t know. I could ask, but wouldn’t that be pushing it? I doubt they’d hand over their client list so easily.’
‘…….’
‘But why do you need the list anyway?’
‘I think I recently found an earring with a design similar to that one.’
‘Similar? Ah, I heard each piece they make is numbered. If we just confirm the number, wouldn’t we be able to identify its owner? They might be willing to share that much customer info.’
‘Are the earrings numbered too?’
‘Yes. With so many counterfeits around these days, they number them—especially since it’s a limited edition, and also for after-sales service tracking.’
‘Then do you know what number Yoon Se Kyung’s pair was?’
‘Se Kyung’s? Hmm, probably…….’
‘…….’
‘Either number 1 or 7, I’d guess? Since those earrings were inspired by Se Kyung, and they made exactly seventy-seven pairs, wishing her abundant good fortune.’”
After hearing Director Song’s words, Tae Jo examined the earring as if dissecting it—and discovered the engraving “No. 01” inside the setting.
The list of seventy-seven suspects instantly narrowed down to two, and one of them now seemed overwhelmingly likely.
Tae Jo thought he knew exactly who that prime suspect was.
Someone who could possess a limited-edition earring.
Someone highly likely to cross paths with him in this hotel.
Someone who had at least some degree of familiarity with him.
And if one person fulfilled all those conditions…
“There’s no one but Yoon Se Kyung.”
Click.
He held the card key to the door handle, and a heavy sound followed. That day, Tae Jo opened the door to Room 1703 where he’d stayed.
Sliding the key card into the interior slot, the previously dark room instantly lit up.
After closing the door, Tae Jo headed straight to the bathroom. The freshly cleaned sink and tub were completely dry, and the trash bin was spotlessly empty.
“…….”
He aimlessly rummaged through the amenities beside the sink.
He scanned the ceiling and walls thoroughly, but saw nothing resembling an air freshener—and certainly didn’t smell that sweet fragrance in the bathroom.
“This is normal.”
After surveying the immaculate room, Tae Jo drew the curtains covering the window and sat on the sofa, gazing outside.
Yoon Se Kyung had clearly said she hadn’t seen him that day.
Yet upon waking that morning, he’d found an earring—presumably hers—rolling on the bed, and the air had carried a faint trace of the same perfume scent Se Kyung used.
Putting all that together, it seemed certain she’d entered his room.
“Then why…?”
Why had she lied, claiming she hadn’t seen him that day?
Had he really slept with Se Kyung that night? And was she denying it because she didn’t want anyone to find out?
But if that were true, why hadn’t Seok Joo mentioned seeing Se Kyung enter his room that day? It wasn’t something that needed hiding.
“Ha.”
An irritated sigh slipped from Tae Jo’s lips.
With his crucial memories missing, answers eluded him, leaving only questions.
And if he confronted her with the earring, asking, “Se Kyung, did we sleep together?”—he’d just be labeled a lunatic.
After all, finding an earring on the bed wasn’t solid proof they’d slept together.
“That damn Gom…”
Tae Jo ground his teeth. Maybe he should track that bastard down first.
He splashed some cold water on his face and glared at the bed.
That dream sequence kept replaying in his mind—was it just pent-up frustration, or his subconscious trying to surface something into awareness? He couldn’t tell.
Tapping his fingers on the table, Tae Jo left the room and headed for the convenience store.
He didn’t think he could figure this out sober.
He didn’t need to get wasted, but a little alcohol might help—maybe it would suddenly jog his memory of that night.
Tae Jo entered the convenience store, bought five cans of beer and some snacks, and returned to the hotel.
Just as he approached the elevator, he spotted someone standing there and stopped in his tracks.
As if hearing his footsteps, a familiar woman turned around.
“Oh—President?”
There she stood—the prime suspect, the very person who might have rolled around in bed with him that dawn.
She’d just come from checking on the remodeling progress of her new home.
Before heading up to her room, Se Kyung stopped by the front desk—hoping her lost earring might have turned up as a found item.
“I’m sorry, nothing’s come in yet.”
“Oh… I see.”
After waiting this long with no luck, it seemed her earring was truly gone for good.
Disappointed, Se Kyung thanked the staff and turned to leave.
As she pressed the elevator button and waited, she sensed rustling behind her and someone’s presence.
Instinctively, she turned—and her eyes widened at the unexpected person standing before her.
“Oh—President?”
Why was he here?
Se Kyung looked up at him, puzzled.
“Why are you here, President?”
“I came to rest for a bit.”
“At a hotel?”
Really?
Frowning slightly, Se Kyung looked unconvinced.
Even though she’d never been to his place, it was easy to imagine his home was bigger and more comfortable than a hotel room.
And since he lived alone, no one would disturb him there.
“Well, sometimes a change of mood helps.”
A change of mood—at a hotel, which was even less comfortable than his own home?
She felt a vague unease, but since he said it himself, she couldn’t really press further.
Se Kyung nodded as if accepting his explanation and stepped into the elevator.
“What floor, Se Kyung?”
“Thirteen.”
Tae Jo pressed the 13th-floor button. His own light—17—lit up as well, confirming he was staying on the 17th floor.
Didn’t he stay on the 17th last time too?
Wondering if it was just coincidence, she suddenly felt his steady gaze on her.
“…….”
She turned—and their eyes met.
His piercing stare seemed to hold a question, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.
Embarrassed, Se Kyung lowered her eyes—and noticed the convenience store bag in his hand, oddly out of place for him.
“Did you just come back from the convenience store?”
“Yeah. Thought I’d have a drink.”
“Alone?”
“Of course alone. Who else would be with me?”
“Well… I just thought maybe Managing Director Kang or Senior Seok Joo came along.”
“Ugh. Why the hell would I come with those creeps?”
But last time, you came with Senior Seok Joo—though you were practically unconscious.
“It looks like a lot for one person.”
The convenience store bag was so packed with beer cans it looked like nothing else could fit.
“If it looks like too much, does that mean you’ll drink with me, Se Kyung?”
“Where? In your room?”
“…….”
No—she really should’ve said no right there.
Tae Jo silently looked down at her. Then—ding!—the elevator chimed clearly as the doors opened.
Taking the sound as his cue, Tae Jo—who’d been momentarily frozen—finally spoke.
“What do you mean, ‘in my room’?”
“…….”
“Don’t you go chasing after me.”
As the doors started closing, Tae Jo hit the open button again.
Rummaging through the bag, he pulled out the almonds he’d bought as a snack and pressed them into Se Kyung’s hand. Then he jerked his chin toward the open doors, signaling her to get off.
“Go rest, Se Kyung.”
As she stepped out—feeling practically chased away—Tae Jo waved at her.
Once the closing doors hid him from view, Se Kyung bit her lower lip lightly.
Had she made a mistake?
She hadn’t meant anything improper by her words—she’d just casually thought about sharing a quick drink.
“Did I come off as easy?”
Se Kyung buried her face in the almond bag Tae Jo had given her and let out a heavy sigh.
The quiet room was filled with the sound of the TV. Tae Jo, freshly showered and wrapped in a robe, walked over.
Droplets clinging to the ends of his wet hair trailed down his cheek. He dried himself with a towel and pulled a can of beer from the fridge.
Each time the cold beer slid down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbed visibly.
He downed half the can in one go and set it on the table.
“Honestly, she’s got no fear.”
Recalling his encounter with Se Kyung at the elevator, Tae Jo smiled faintly.
She was always defying his expectations.
When he’d casually joked, “Then will you drink with me?”—what did she say? “In your room?”
“When I just told you I’m alone. What exactly does she trust?”
He lifted the can again, bringing it to his lips.
Of course, he hadn’t meant anything untoward—but he had no idea what she’d been thinking when she replied like that.
Did she trust him that much? Or did she see him as harmless?
“Then… was nothing really going on that night?”
He poured the rest of the beer into his mouth and grabbed a fresh can.
Truthfully, when they’d been alone in the elevator, he’d wanted to ask her more than just one or two things.
Was it really you who came into my room that day? Did you lie when I asked if you’d seen me at the hotel? Did we even sleep together that night?
His mouth itched to ask—but he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud, since the earring was his only tangible evidence.
The perfume scent relied solely on his memory—if she denied it, he’d have nothing to counter with.
And the way the woman in his dream overlapped strangely with Se Kyung’s image might just be his own imagination.
Above all, wasn’t there something else he really wanted to confirm?
To verify that, he needed more concrete evidence—something she couldn’t deny.
“So… where should I start?”
Tae Jo tilted his beer can and glanced toward the bed, slowly retracing the events of that night.
First, it was certain that after drinking, Seok Joo had brought him to the hotel.
If Se Kyung really had entered this room, she likely ran into Seok Joo by chance.
“Because there’s no way that guy would’ve called Se Kyung out so late.”
Tae Jo rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
He’d been completely drunk, carried in by Seok Joo—if Se Kyung saw that, she might’ve helped support him.
“So… did she drop the earring then?”
He grabbed the notepad and pen from the table.
Keeping multiple possibilities in mind, he began jotting down his theories—and everything he needed to verify next.
“I guess I really should check the CCTV footage.”
He recalled the camera locations he’d noted before entering his room.
He couldn’t bring the police along, so he’d have to explore unofficial channels first.
Tap tap.
He tapped the pen against the notepad.
Looking out the window, he saw the lights of the tall buildings around slowly fading one by one.
“If nothing unusual happens, maybe I’ll just ask her to have breakfast together tomorrow morning.”
He glanced at the clock—it was already midnight, too late to call.
He drew the curtains, changed into training pants, and—just in case—sprayed the perfume he’d brought around the room.
Then, late into the night, as he drifted off to sleep…
“…Damn it.”
When he woke the next morning, Tae Jo muttered a quiet curse, staring at the bulge between his legs and the fragmented memories flickering in his mind.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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