From Eden

2

[Y/N]

Once I went inside the Eden Hotel, I was immediately greeted by a very lively girl.

"Good morning, Ma'am! How can I help you?"

"Good morning. The reservation for Yoon Y/N, please."

"Alright, give me a second to check the reservation, Ma'am."

I saw her typed and scroll and how her eyes move from her left to right. Though as lively as she was, she may still have a shy side considering how red her ears were. It was obvious she can feel my stare as she performs her duties. I looked away just so I can give her a space to breathe and help her stop feeling pressured to do it fast.

After hearing her mutter an aha, she excused herself and opened the door behind the reception area and quickly went inside the room. After a minute or so, she went back with a card and a key.

"We give both keycard and a key in case you lose one of them. If there will be an instance where you lose both, you will have to pay 10,000 KRW as a fine. Typically the drinks in mini fridges hotels have are charged. However, here in our hotel, it is free; the one you will order will be the only ones that are charged. In addition--"

The telephone beside her rang, which made us both surprise and made her even jump a little bit. The caller must have been important because the smiling girl suddenly got visibly nervous.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. I need to take the call, I apologize. You may sit down if you need to."

"No worries at all. Take your time. I do not mind waiting and standing. I keep sitting these days, anyway."

She thanked me and answered the call in a hushed tone. While she was busy on the phone, I took the time to observe the interior design of the hotel. The design was not that bad; though it was just one of those generic, fancy 5-star hotel designs. When I heard her clear her throat, I turned around to see her smiling at me slightly and was fiddling with the telephone line. Judging her behavior, it seems this girl must be bad at lying. 

As a response to the look she gave me, I looked at her with a questioning look, which made her chuckle nervously.

"The owner of the hotel requested to speak with you. Would that be okay?"

It seems that I already caught the attention of the man I wanted to investigated. Of course, I would gladly take the offer to have my investigation started immediately. 

"Of course."

"Well, if you need something, don't hesitate to call me, Ma'am. My name is Mona."

"Thank you, Mona. Would you mind if I put my stuff here?"

"I'll put it beside me while you're with the owner. Someone will help you carry your bags after, Ma'am." 

"Thank you."

"Please, follow me."

She guided me where we were supposed to go and we ended up in a hallway wherein a room can be found on its end.

While we were walking towards the owner's room, I asked if he was an eccentric person. Mona had not experience talking with him personally, so she cannot properly describe what his personality is like. Well... if I was asked this question, with the layer of his room, I would a hundred percent say yes. 

I watched how quick Mona's pace was compared to the time we were walking towards his office. I wanted to laugh but I also found myself a bit nervous. I took a deep breath before I knocked on the door. After hearing a soft but very deep voice that told me to come in, I opened the door to see a tall, pale man--as much as I do not want to admit this, he's handsome. 

He cleared his throat before telling me to go take a seat. I thought that he would make me feel intimidated and uneasy if he ever stared at me. Compared to how my younger brother described him (with his words, wild, scary, and had an aura that showed how blood thirst he is), he was very composed. My younger brother only got his physical appearance right. 

I can't blame him. You can't just forget someone this handsome.

"Let's cut to the chase, Mr. Seo. You know my brother, yes?"

His postured stiffened a bit, and slightly avoided eye contact with me.

"I do. I see the resemblance a little bit and so I wanted to ask you about him."

"Well, first of all, he's dead. Second of all, I do not cherish or love that sick man at all. All I want is to see what happened to both sides and how many have died or got injured in his hands. I heard his stories and have read his diary that he wrote during his stay here back when this was only an apartment. Now, I want to learn about your side. He kept talking about you, which probably meant that you're a lucky one that was able to survived him and he hated the thought of it." 

Well, I didn't really wanted to overload him with my real motives and thoughts about the ordeal that happened within the apartment. He was wide-eyed, and had his mouth a bit agape while trying to process my words.

"I am not here to destroy you. I am here to learn all about you and perhaps will be able to help you construct a proof that you are in fact innocent. It would be unfair if the man who was the real mad man is now free of pain while the sore survivor is painted as the bad guy just because of how charming he was to the policemen."

From having his mouth agape, to turning to a small smile. His stiff posture is now relaxed and took a deep breath, as if he have been holding it in ever since I visited his hotel. Both sides are demanded by an explanation and proof; one side will never be give, and the other one could. It is now up to him to clear BOTH sides. For some reason, I am rooting for this man and even found myself praying that he could finally get a proof that would clear his name and avenge the victims.