The Price of Impulse (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
The plan to capture Moon Seok Joo the moment I woke up in the morning and interrogate him had failed.
It was because that lucky Gom had been booked for an overseas shoot and was already in Germany.
With no other choice, Tae Jo left a message telling him to come straight to his house as soon as he returned to Korea, then turned his focus to other matters.
He stared intently at the credit card statement lying on his desk.
After marking with a red pen the card transactions from the day he’d entertained Daren Baze, he checked the timestamp of the message Seok Joo had sent him on his phone.
The payment time printed on the receipt was 1:25 a.m., while the message Seok Joo sent saying he’d put him to bed in the hotel and left was timestamped 2:43 a.m.
Comparing the card payment time and the arrival time of Seok Joo’s message, it seemed true that Seok Joo had indeed left shortly after putting him in the hotel room.
“Now that I think about it, the things were unusually neatly arranged—very unlike Seok Joo.”
He should’ve realized it then. It had been odd that someone had neatly placed his belongings on the bedside table.
Moon Seok Joo would never have done such a thing; the guy didn’t have an ounce of thoughtfulness in him.
Whether he slept comfortably or not, Seok Joo might’ve tightened his tie, but he certainly wouldn’t have kindly loosened it and folded it neatly.
His wallet and phone were the same. If it had been Se Kyung, maybe—but if Seok Joo had done it, he wouldn’t have even bothered tidying up; he’d have just tossed them somewhere carelessly.
And above all, that dream he’d had last night…
“No—it wasn’t a dream. It really happened.”
Tae Jo sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t remember everything clearly like water flowing, but a few specific scenes were crystal clear in his mind.
The same went for that illusion he’d seen right after stepping out of the hotel that day, when he’d briefly closed his eyes.
He’d thought the scene of his shirt front being wet was just a dream, but it hadn’t been.
His hands had been stiff, unable to unbutton his shirt—but Se Kyung had undone the buttons for him. She’d also handed him a towel when he’d spilled water on himself.
“I thought both of them came in and left together.”
Tae Jo muttered seriously to himself.
If what he recalled was accurate, then Se Kyung must have stayed in his room for quite a while after Seok Joo had left.
Which meant that crazy Gom had actually walked out, leaving him—completely drunk and unconscious—together alone in the room with Yoon Se Kyung.
“I really need to check the CCTV footage…”
Only then would everything become clear.
He opened his messenger app and scrolled through his friends list, trying to think who among them might be connected to S Hotel.
Of course, he could easily get an introduction through his older brother or sister-in-law—but asking them might cause unnecessary fuss.
“Oh?”
Tae Jo’s finger stopped on a familiar name. It was the nephew of S Hotel’s CEO. Hadn’t he been transferred to the New York branch about two years ago?
“I wonder if this guy’s in Korea right now?”
Tae Jo immediately sent him a message—and soon, the screen changed, revealing an unfamiliar number.
– Hey, Jin Tae Jo. Long time no see.
“Are you in Korea right now?”
– Yeah. I was actually about to contact you myself. How’d you even know I’m back?
More unnecessary chatter followed from the other end. Tae Jo clicked his tongue impatiently and cut in.
“We’ll catch up later.”
His lips curled into a faint smile as he looked at the glinting earring on the tray.
“I just need you to do me one favor.”
“Ugh, I’m so nervous.”
Yoo Na clasped her hands together as if praying and shivered her legs nervously.
It was the day of her meeting with PD Im. Se Kyung, who’d accompanied Yoo Na at her request, sipped on a matcha latte while watching the two of them.
Though it wasn’t Yoo Na’s first time meeting a PD, she looked extremely tense—whereas Won Ho beside her appeared completely calm.
“Won Ho’s so composed, but why are you shaking so much?”
At Se Kyung’s teasing question, Yoo Na turned to look at her husband.
“Seriously. Why aren’t you nervous at all?”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about since I haven’t done anything yet. Besides, you said it’s just a casual meeting today, right?”
“Even if it’s casual, I’ve still got to take it seriously! Honey, you really did listen to what I told you, right?”
“Yeah, I remember everything. I didn’t agree to appear on the show lightly.”
Won Ho patted Yoo Na’s head reassuringly, as if to tell her not to worry.
Watching them, it almost seemed as if Won Ho were the more experienced one in broadcasting rather than Yoo Na—or perhaps his ignorance simply made him braver.
“Oh, sorry! Did I keep you waiting long?”
Just then, PD Im entered the conference room with the main writer.
After giving a brief greeting to Yoo Na and Se Kyung, whom she recognized, she introduced herself to Won Ho, whom she’d never met before.
“I’m Im So Ra. I’m in charge of the show ‘Sweet & Savage: Couple’s Dream,’ so please just call me PD Im.”
“I’m Ji Won Ho. And this person here…”
“This is our main writer for the program. Oh, drinks… you’ve already brought some, I see.”
“Yes. I wasn’t sure what the writer liked, so I just got an Americano and a vanilla latte…”
Yoo Na pushed the drinks forward toward the two of them. PD Im handed the vanilla latte to the main writer with a smile.
“Thank you so much. We’ll enjoy these. Normally, we should be the ones treating you. Hmm, but Se Kyung—what brings you here?”
“I came with Yoo Na. She said it’s been a while since she’s done any broadcasting, so she wanted me to come along.”
“Oh, right—Yoo Na isn’t signed with an agency right now. Does that mean you’re acting as her manager, Se Kyung?”
“No, not at all.”
Se Kyung shook her head with an awkward smile. PD Im took a small sip of her iced coffee and looked at Se Kyung.
“It’d be great if you could appear on our show sometime too, Se Kyung.”
“Me? But I…”
I’m not even married yet…
Seeing Se Kyung’s flustered expression, PD Im chuckled softly.
“No, I don’t mean as a couple. I meant, maybe later as a guest during Yoo Na’s filming.”
“Huh? I thought we were only doing one shoot?”
Yoo Na’s eyes widened at PD Im’s words.
“Well, we’re planning to film two or three episodes for now. Right now it’s a guest appearance, but if the response is good, we might consider making you regulars.”
“Regulars…”
Yoo Na muttered dazedly, and Won Ho tightly gripped her hand.
“So, about the first shoot…”
PD Im began discussing the initial filming details with the writer. Watching them, Se Kyung briefly drifted into her own thoughts.
‘Why did he suddenly go to that hotel?’
Her thoughts unexpectedly turned to Tae Jo, who’d claimed he was going there to rest.
Why would someone who didn’t even need a hotel break choose that particular place out of all possible options?
And why, of all things, get assigned a room on the unsettling 17th floor…
‘And that was clearly him drawing a line, wasn’t it?’
Se Kyung recalled Tae Jo handing her the almonds and giving her a look in the elevator, signaling her to get off.
She’d taken seriously what he’d only meant as a joke about having a drink together.
In that situation, she should’ve just brushed it off lightly with something like, “Don’t joke about that.”
Could he have possibly sensed her feelings because of that?
Maybe telling her to get off the elevator—asking why she was following him—had been a kind of warning not to cross that line.
“Sigh…”
Wondering if this was how her long crush was finally coming to an end, a sigh escaped Se Kyung’s lips like a quiet lament.
“…”
Suddenly sensing someone’s gaze on her, Se Kyung turned her head. All four people in the meeting room were staring at her.
“What’s wrong, Se Kyung? Is something bothering you?”
“Huh? What…?”
Seeing Se Kyung’s confused look, Yoo Na fluttered the paper in her hand.
She was asking if Se Kyung disliked the proposed theme for the first shoot.
“No, it’s not that. I was just lost in thought for a second…”
She hadn’t heard a thing.
Se Kyung waved her hand with an embarrassed expression.
“Wow, I’ve only been back in Korea for two weeks—how did you even know I was working here?”
Tae Jo half-listened as his friend grumbled beside him.
He hadn’t contacted him intentionally—it was just lucky timing.
Chang Wook, who until just a month ago had been stationed in New York, had silently returned and was now serving as team leader of S Hotel’s legal department.
“My aunt would never allow this kind of thing. No matter how close you are, leaking personal information these days is the end—especially at a hotel. It’s not just about reputation damage. That’s why we don’t manage the CCTV in-house; we outsource it completely. So if you want to review the footage, we’d have to call in another person.”
He went on and on, as if trying to make Tae Jo fully appreciate just how difficult a favor he was doing.
“I get it. I know it’s a tough request—which is why I’m really grateful to you.”
Tae Jo offered a casual word of thanks.
In truth, when Tae Jo first asked to see the hotel’s CCTV footage, Chang Wook had immediately refused.
Even though he was the CEO’s nephew and the data protection officer, granting such a request just because they were friends would open the floodgates to endless similar demands.
So Tae Jo had countered that if it was truly impossible, he’d bring the police instead. Though reluctant, Chang Wook had worried that Tae Jo might actually follow through if this failed too.
But not wanting things to blow up within his first two weeks on the job, Chang Wook finally agreed—as long as Tae Jo specified the exact date and time, he’d let him view the footage.
Of course, there were conditions: Chang Wook had to be present, the matter must remain confidential, and absolutely no external disclosure was allowed.
“Have you arrived, Team Leader Min?”
At the sudden greeting, Tae Jo looked up. Having moved through the staff corridor, they’d reached the security office—and standing there was a burly man.
He was a security officer at the hotel.
“Yes. Is everything I requested ready?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already set it to the date and time you mentioned. But this person here…”
The officer eyed Tae Jo suspiciously. Since it was a restricted area off-limits to outsiders, he was clearly wary of the unfamiliar face.
“Oh, he’s just coming in with me to check the footage quickly and leave.”
At Chang Wook’s explanation, the security officer looked uneasy.
“Sir… Team Leader Min. I’ve prepared everything as you instructed, but if an outsider enters the security office, we could be held accountable later.”
“It’s just for today. This man is actually one of the people in the footage itself. He just needs to check something quickly. If I don’t let him, he’s the type to escalate things big-time. It won’t take long—I’ll take full responsibility if any issues arise from this, so don’t worry.”
Reassured, Chang Wook stepped inside, and Tae Jo followed with a brief, polite nod.
“Alright, let’s hurry up and check it so we can leave.”
As Tae Jo closed the door and entered, Chang Wook stood in front of the monitor. With a tap, he played the paused footage—and Tae Jo’s eyes sharpened as he stared at the screen.
The hallway was completely empty, likely due to the late hour. But after a while, someone finally appeared on the monitor.
It was Tae Jo, utterly drunk, being supported by Seok Joo—and Se Kyung.
“You were completely wasted. Totally plastered.”
Spotting an opportunity to tease, Chang Wook whistled playfully.
As the three entered the room, Tae Jo fast-forwarded the video.
Soon, Seok Joo emerged from the room. True to his word, he hadn’t stayed inside for long.
But then…
“…”
Se Kyung, who should’ve come out around the same time, was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh? Weren’t there three of you—including you—who went in just now?”
Chang Wook, watching from behind, added another remark. Tae Jo clenched his jaw and advanced the footage again.
How much more time passed, he didn’t know.
But finally, the firmly closed door opened—and Se Kyung appeared.
Tap.
Tae Jo froze the screen and checked the timestamp. Seok Joo had left the room at 2:23 a.m. Se Kyung had come out at 4:58 a.m.
“Uh… um… this…”
Chang Wook stole a glance at Tae Jo’s expression.
For a brief moment, silence filled the security room.
Two hours and thirty-five minutes. More than enough time for a man and woman to create history.
“You.”
Breaking the long silence, Tae Jo finally spoke. Chang Wook rolled his eyes and looked at him.
Though his eyes were clearly laughing,
“You die if this ever gets out.”
his voice certainly wasn’t joking.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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