I don’t know what I am supposed to do now.

It feels as though I’m head over heels, and my mind knows this too but it can’t do anything about it. I notice too many things now whenever I see her: the strands of hair that stray from her braids, the determined curl of her lips when she’s wanting to say something…

…the emptiness I feel when she doesn’t meet my eyes.

Funny how my world dims a little bit each time she does that.

Does she not remember, truly?

Am I so easily forgotten?

“I got it! If C is equal to A, then D is equal to B, and so on and so forth, that’s why the words are so jumbled up together like this,” Sun Young explained, scribbling on the notepad, “See? It makes more sense now.”

“Where are we supposed to go?” Ju Hyun asked, “I don’t think we’ll be going to the lobby or anything; there’s people all around.”

Victoria leaned closer, looking at the words her friends was hastily deciphering. “S-U-I-T-E-,” she read, “S-E-V-E-N-T-Y-S-I-X. Guess we’ll be heading to a hotel room, guys.”

“Are you serious?”

Sun Young looked at the others. “Let’s go,” she said, getting to her feet.

“And it seems like Team 4 is leading the pack with their clue!” Chen’s voice echoed through the speakers, “Remember to find the missing item, and don’t forget to observe the Game Masters very carefully!”

Sun Young passed the banquet table, taking a few custard pies onto her plate as she hurried back to her team, and in the process, she passed by Park Chanyeol, who was walking in her direction.

She spared him no glance.

“The elevator’s this way,” Hyun Joo pointed as they rushed towards the main part of the hotel, “I guess it must be at Level Seven, then.”

Victoria nodded. “I wonder what we’ll find there.”

“Or who,” Sun Young murmured.

“Secretary Choi,” Chanyeol asked, walking out of the dining room, “Can I ask you a question? A personal one, I hope you don’t feel offended in any way.”

The woman next to him betrayed no emotion as she glanced at him, save the quirk of her eyebrow. “And the question is, Director Park?”

“Aren’t you and Mr Yang,” he began, referring to the elevator operator, “sort of…together?”

Secretary Choi’s frown became deeper, and Chanyeol felt internally stricken.

“I did say it was a personal question,” he added, “I don’t really need an answer, I was just curious- you always call him by name, even when I was younger, so I automatically assumed-”

“We are not together,” she interjected.

Chanyeol’s eyebrows rose. “You’re not?”

She shook her head.

He watched her expectantly as they walked out of the West Wing, entering the main lobby.

“Why aren’t you together?” he finally asked, “You’re not married, are you?”

“No.”

“He’s not married either.”

There was a ghost of a smile on her lips. “No,” she agreed.

“Then why?” he asked, “Is it the difference in job positions?”

“Of course not.”

“Did your parents disagree?”

She fixed him with a stare so sarcastic he shut up immediately. “Director Park, as you can clearly see I am not a young lovestruck teenager,” she deadpanned, “Surely my parents’ wishes are not something that is holding me back.”

True. And she’s almost fifty so… “Then why?”

“Why not?”

He let out a groan. “I’m asking here.”

Her lip twitched. “Perhaps Mr. Yang and I are content enough with seeing each other at work,” she mused.

“Can you really be happy that way?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do we look like hormonal teenagers to you?”

He flushed. “That’s not what I’m insinuating!” he protested, “I mean…happy as in…content. Like, a couple. A happy, married couple.”

Secretary Choi looked at him for the longest time. “Director Park, marriage does not guarantee happiness. You of all people would understand that.”

Chanyeol blinked at her words.

Obviously she was right. Having been the secretary of his father, a distant husband himself, was enough experience to see the avoidance of a nurturing parental role that couldn’t be missed. In fact, she could already see it from the accident, and the way the late director had further pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion in pursuit of his career.

“You’re right,” he murmured.

Because it was true, after all. He saw it with his mother, and the day she gave up trying to salvage whatever was left in the marriage, was the day he had told himself he wouldn’t rush into a relationship and settle down for love.

Just then, he heard the chorus of female voices speaking animatedly, and his heart sank as he spotted Sun Young and her team waiting for the elevator.

Without thinking, he stopped walking, prompting Secretary Choi to stop as well.

“Let’s wait till they go up first,” he said haltingly.

She nodded.

He sneaked a glance at his secretary. “Are you going to ask me why I said that?”

“I know you have a reason for your decisions, Director Park. I won’t question them.”

He refrained himself from the urge to roll his eyes. Was she trying to – in a way – get him from asking her more about her and Mr Yang?

“You can question me,” he told her, almost teasingly, “I would answer.”

Secretary Choi sighed. “What I see is more than enough to answer whatever curious questions I might have, sir.”

His eyes widened. “And what would that be?” he asked, turning around so he could face her properly, “What did you see?”

He scanned her face as she stared ahead, at the elevator, which had opened and allowed the girls to enter.

“I don’t have to consciously make an effort, Director Park,” she said, “I can already see – in the short time since the start of the competition – how you’ve become a bit happier these days.”

“How would you know if I’m happier?” he scoffed.

“You’re wearing colored shirts, for example,” she pointed out, and he looked down at the pastel blue shirt underneath his blazer.

“That could be anything-”

“Mr. Byun also commented on how you spoke in your sleep less,” she added.

“He only slept here for the night-”

“He also might have mentioned something intimate happened last night.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened, his face drained of all color. “Wha-What?”

Is she smirking? Was that a smirk on her face?

“I would wish you good luck, Director Park,” she said, walking towards the elevator, “I’m sure whoever you pick would be a worthy candidate for the position of Mrs. Park.”

He stood there, still blinking as he tried to connect the dots.

And as he hurried to fall into step with her, he realized it.

“I am going to kill him,” he muttered.

Secretary Choi smiled, and she handed him the clipboard. “You will be overlooking the room maintenance today,” she said, going back to business, “The Engineering department is helping Housekeeping with the relevant maintenance – curtain changing, carpet cleaning, among other things – so you need not assist them. You’ll simply supervise each room and ensure that they adhere to the timing.”

He took the clipboard. “Noted. Which floor?”

She gave him another of her enigmatic smile. “Seventh floor,” she said, “I will be heading to back of the house to do some audit works with the restaurant staff, so I cannot join you at the moment.”

He nodded.

The elevator doors opened, revealing Mr Yang in his operator’s suit. “Good morning Director Park!” he bid cheerfully, before giving a bow, “Secretary Choi. Oh, you’re not coming along?”

She shook her head. “I need to be at the restaurant,” she replied, “I’ll take my leave now.”

“See you later,” Chanyeol said with a nod, as the elevator doors closed, and tried to see any sign of emotion on Mr Yang’s face, which was a silly thing to do because Mr Yang was constantly smiling.

“Where to, Director Park?”

“Seventh floor.”

“Oh, what a coincidence!” he chuckled, pressing the number 7 on the buttons, “Sun Young was heading there with her friends too!”

And just like that, Chanyeol’s demeanour cracked. “S-Sun Young?”

Mr. Yang nodded. “Apparently they have a mission to go on,” he said, giving a wink, “They need to find a missing item from the Penthouse and to discover the culprit behind it too! How exciting, don’t you think?”

Chanyeol leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Very exciting,” he muttered.

Just my luck I’ll run into her again.

And she still doesn’t remember.

The sounds of drilling and hammering and vacuuming were a shock to their ears.

“Are we at the right place?” Victoria asked, watching the myriad of equipment placed outside the rooms, along with the staff that were walking up and down the corridor. It felt as though they had walked into some sort of construction zone, and this was no longer what they expected the hotel to be.

“Well, it is the seventh floor,” Sun Young murmured, as a housekeeping staff pushed a trolley filled with curtains passed by them, “I don’t think there’s any other place to be. Come on, room seventy-six is that way.”

Kris lowered his camera. I doubt I’ll be able to get any filming done at this rate,” he grumbled, “The sounds are messing with my recording.”

“You’re not supposed to film everything, you know.”

“Yeah, but this is the game segment. They told me to get as much as I can,” he said, placing the camera on his shoulder, “Guess I’ll just have to mute everything out. Ignore me, guys.”

Ju Hyun wrinkled her nose. “I smell paint,” she muttered, fanning herself.

“Me too,” Hyun Joo said, just as she sneezed.

“Why would they ask us to come up here while they are renovating the rooms and whatnot?” Ju Hyun huffed, leading the group, “It makes the hotel look so cheap!”

“I highly doubt they’d want us going to a hotel room while guests are living next door,” Victoria said with a shrug, “We can be a noisy bunch, after all.”

Ju Hyun scoffed. “Just because the models are noisy, doesn’t mean I am part of them,” she said airily, “Ask Hyun Joo, she even told me they exclude her too.”

Victoria and Sun Young shared a look before glancing at the girl in question.

Hyun Joo looked like a deer in headlights as she bit her lip nervously.

“But that can’t be…” Victoria said, her voice faltering as she looked at Hyun Joo, “They’re fun and friendly-”

Ju Hyun tsked. “Just because everyone’s looking all fun and friendly, doesn’t mean they have their own secrets,” she said mysteriously, pausing outside a door marked 76, “I daresay there’s more drama to come, given the right time.”

Victoria looked unsure as she held onto the clues in her hand, suddenly uncertain about her newfound friendship.

Sun Young caught the unmistakeable triumph on Ju Hyun’s face and felt her anger bubble inside of her.

“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” she asked dangerously, capturing the heiress’ attention as she walked right up to her, eye to eye, “As if you don’t have your own dirty secrets as well.”

Ju Hyun swallowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line. “I am as I show myself,” she said confidently, “Nothing more, nothing less.”

Sun Young scoffed. “Because you have other people doing your dirty work, don’t you?” she asked, “After all, this is a competition, isn’t it? Every woman for herself.”

For the first time, Ju Hyun’s emotionless exterior cracked. Her eyes widened, and she in a gasp as she stared at Sun Young with an expression that could only be described as shock.

She was a blubbering fish at those words, sputtering unintelligible words as she tried to defend herself.

Sun Young relished it. She felt the power in her hands now, and as she gave the heiress one last chilling glare, she could hear Victoria in a breath.

“Back off from my friends, Ju Hyun. I mean it.”

The latter composed herself quickly, a product of her etiquette lessons. “And if I don’t?” came the almost-taunting reply, “Do you really think you’ll be able to have a friendly match till the end?”

Sun Young rolled her eyes as she knocked on the door.

Always so dramatic.

The distant sounds of noise seemed to stop, leaving behind murmurings of conversations, and for that moment, Sun Young’s next words echoed in the stark near-silence, just nice for the girls to hear loud and clear.

“I have faith that Chanyeol will make a proper decision regarding the finalists,” she said, as they heard the sound of someone unlocking the door, “And it won’t be a snake like you.”

The sound of a gasp interrupted the stunned silence that followed, and they realized it had come from Kris, whose eyes were wide as he blinked at them.

, was the first thing that came to Sun Young’s mind. It’s all on camera.

Ju Hyun was about to say something when the door opened, revealing the affable Mr. Yoon, Head of Housekeeping.

“Good morning ladies!” he said cheerily, taking in their appearances, “Why the long faces, is it the noise? Come in, come in, I’ve been waiting for you!”

The pause in sounds in the midst of Sun Young’s speech was, of course, attributed to the arrival of the Director, who had asked for all tasks to cease as he gave out his instructions.

The hallway was filled with all sorts of things: from the industrial vacuums, the carpet washers and soaps, the trolleys of bedlinen, to the long line of staff facing him.

“Right, I understand that three of the rooms are done with maintenance?” he asked, looking down at the clipboard the Housekeeping supervisor had passed to him, “Were there any unresolved issues I need to follow up, Mrs Song?”

The matronly lady in uniform shook her head. “No, sir. All three rooms are in order.”

“Good,” he said, turning to his Engineering supervisor. “How long will the heater servicing take for the rest of the rooms, Mr. Gan?”

“Along with the airconditioning, about one to two hours per room, sir,” came the quick response, “We’d finish rooms seventy to seventy-five at the end of the day, if no issues pop up.”

“Alright, good. I see we’re already ahead of schedule, so try to keep up the excellent time management,” he said, passing the clipboard back to Mrs Song, “I’ll just- is that Mr. Yoon’s voice I hear?”

He strained his ears for the sound of voices, and turned, looking down the other length of the corridor where the distant voices seem to come from.

“Mr. Yoon must be talking to the girls from earlier,” one of the staff supplied, “We saw them walking that way.”

Ah. That explains it.

“Indeed,” Chanyeol murmured, turning back to them, “I was planning on seeing him earlier, but no matter. Right, let’s get back to work!”

Mrs Song stepped forwards as he began taking off his blazer. “Director Park, there really is no need for you to trouble yourself to help,” she said, “We have plenty of staff-”

“And most of the appliances in the rooms require little upkeep,” Mr. Gan added, “You’re better off not-”

Chanyeol let out a sigh, hanging his blazer on a nearby coat rack.

Ever since the start of his leadership, having to deal with his overly-sympathetic staff was something he had to go through almost daily. Some staff, who had been with the Royal Pavilion under his father knew how much the late director wanted to work with them during their daily tasks.

Funnily enough, when his father had passed away and he had taken over, they seemed to find it a burden to allow him the liberty of doing the same things his father had.

Chanyeol didn’t know whether they were being kind; after all, they had seen him since his childhood days, and perhaps they thought it was a burden to expect his involvement in his father’s practices.

Or perhaps they thought that he would have better tasks to do. After all, he was still recently into his role as Director, and maybe they felt that he had a lot of the bigger things to concentrate on instead of performing the menial tasks he was not paid to do.

But whether they felt these things or no, it didn’t matter to him. He was not going to shy away from the responsibilities his father had gone to lengths to do. The old man had practically pushed himself to the brink of life for his hotel, how could he not do the same, especially when he – and he wouldn’t admit it aloud – wanted to display the strength that his father claimed he never had?

The unfortunately for him was, he was unlike his father, and they never shared the no-nonsense, firm method of leadership the late director had, which was probably why the staff seemed more empathic towards him.

Either way, whatever their motivations were for dissuading him, however kindly, he was not there to be swayed.

It was his hotel, and that gave him no excuse not to work the way his staff did.

He would be the perfect director, just the way his father was.

Looking to them now, he spoke.

“If the rooms are in perfect order, why would I schedule a maintenance period?” he asked them.

The two supervisors glanced at each other.

“As preventative measures?” Mr. Gan answered.

Chanyeol shut his eyes. “And…?”

“To be up-to-date with quality?” Mrs Song answered.

A small smile quirked its way onto the young director’s lips. “Exactly,” he said, rolling up his shirt sleeves, “Which means there is always something to improve every maintenance period. Remember, we are not sacrificing quality for convenience here. Even in a ‘perfect’ room, there is always something wrong with it, and our job is to address that before it becomes a big issue.”

“Yes, sir,” they chorused.

“Good,” he replied, “What needs to be done now, Mrs Song? I’ll help your team first.”

“Actually, sir, one the staff just went down with the previous batch of curtains,” she said, passing him the master key card, “The trolleys are taking up too much space on the corridor. Maybe you could help with the dismantling of the curtains in the other rooms and the removal of all bedlinen and pillowcases. There’s only one houseman on the job and he was the one who went downstairs.”

He nodded. “Which rooms have yet to be done?”

She pointed past him. “Seventy-three to seventy-five.”

“I’m on it,” he said, turning towards the other hallway.

This was what he liked: the task, broken down into sections of systematic instructions, given to him in the most direct and straightforward way. He didn’t care for ‘oh, Director Park, you shouldn’t’ this and ‘oh, Director Park, you shouldn’t’ that.

He took a ladder with him and walked down the hallways, opening the door to Suite Seventy-Three. Like every other unoccupied hotel room, it was dark, and cold, with the heavy air and slightly musty smell wafting inside.

Placing a stopped under the door to keep it open, Chanyeol strode in, heading for the curtains, and drew them back, allowing the light to come in.

Sunlight poured in, bathing him in light, and he blinked as he adjusted his sight to the view outside the windows, overlooking the Gardens behind the hotel, including the maze, and the Pavilion.

There was something almost special about the Pavilion, seeing it from here, surrounded by the mazes whose paths were clearly made out from this height.

The memory of last night washed over him again, and he shivered as he stood in front of the window, his breath fogging over the glass.

Flustered, he reached and wiped the mist off, before bringing the ladder over.

There was a warm feeling inside his chest as he shook the recollection of what happened last night away. It bloomed outwards, sending ripples over his skin, and as Chanyeol climbed up the ladder he couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

There’s no going back from this, is there?

Strangely enough, he had quite regretted telling Baekhyun about what had happened as much as he wanted his best friend to know. He wasn’t expecting the latter to be so affected by it, but then again, who wouldn’t have been so shocked?

Sun Young and he weren’t exactly easygoing with each other. And even if they were, who would have expected them to kiss so quickly?

He remembered being accused of being afraid of women, and he wondered if Sun Young was the same.

There was something else too, he thought to himself as he reached to dismantle the hooks from the curtains, Baekhyun had told him about the little observation at the main road yesterday.

I wonder if I need to investigate this more.

If it is true, and Sun Young is the girl from the accident, then-

No, I can’t get my hopes up.

Not now.

He paused, letting out another long sigh.

If only Mother made this easy for me. Can’t she just tell me which one of the twenty girls is the one?

I mean, I can’t just play bingo and ask, “Which one of you broke your legs in an accident?” and expect no one to be triggered by it?

Honestly.

He went down the ladder, shifting it to the other end of the room to dismantle the other side of it, and thought about his sister’s words last night, about having a few contestants in mind and systematically eliminating the ones he was sure of not choosing.

It would be a difficult decision, of course, but well…it was necessary.

He was in a competition, for goodness’ sake.

As he was alone with his thoughts, he heard the sound of a door unlocking, and the sound of Mr. Yoon’s voice penetrating into the silence of the hallway outside.

“Do take care as you make your way back to the elevator, girls, I understand it might be a far cry from the posh hotel you’re expecting, but it’s that time of the season where we spruce up the rooms, so I apologize for any inconvenience caused!”

Chanyeol unhooked the last part of the curtain, letting it fall to the ground in a heap of dust and fabric. He fanned the air in front of his face as he descended from the ladder, hearing the girls bid the Head of Housekeeping goodbye.

Then, because the door to his room was open, he spotted the girls peering curiously inside, seeing Victoria and Sun Young straight away.

But it was Ju Hyun who spotted him standing at the corner. “Chanyeol!” she said in surprise, taking his presence as an excuse to stride into the room, “Are you…achoo!”

He suppressed a smug stare her way as he gathered the curtains in one big pile. “I see you have been busy,” he commented, seeing the rest standing outside the suite, “Come in, if you’d like to take a look.”

“Is it okay?” Victoria asked, “To come in, I mean.”

“Why not?” he replied, and she grinned, pulling the other girl – whose name still escaped him – and squealing as they admired the bathroom.

“Director Park?” someone asked, a male voice.

He turned to see the cameraman enter the room, who he remembered vaguely at the ballroom, and beckoned him in.

“I was wondering if I could use the bathroom,” the cameraman asked, “If that’s alright?”

“Why not? It’s functional,” came the reply, and the latter brightened, before placing his camera on the counter and shooing the girls inside.

It was then that Chanyeol noticed Sun Young standing near the doorway, and caught her gaze before gesturing for her to come in too.

She broke eye contact, raising her hand to refuse his request. “Make it quick, girls, we need to head to the next station,” she said, “You don’t want to disturb Mr. Park as he does his work.”

He shook his head. “You’re not disturbing,” he told her, “I only have to take down the curtains.”

Sun Young pressed her lips together and shut her eyes.

He heard Ju Hyun giggle behind him, and noticed her sitting on the bed, her legs crossed as she leaned back slightly.

“I didn’t know you engaged in your staffs’ work,” she commented, and through the lightness of the atmosphere, Chanyeol could obviously see the heiress’ gaze taking him in from head to toe, lingering, especially, at the ed top part of his shirt, “I thought you’d be at the Penthouse, calling your board of investors to talk about new projects. That’s what my father does all the time.”

Huh. Sorry to disappoint.

Chanyeol turned away slightly, obstructing her view somewhat; suddenly he felt very self-conscious of his appearance, as though insects were crawling on his skin.

This is not how I wanted the attention to come to me.

“My mother’s in charge of all that, I’m in charge of the hotel, so here’s where I’ll be,” he replied, “I think it’s important to work as hard as my staff do. It teaches humility and perseverance.”

She sent him a smile that was probably meant to be full of admiration, but all he wanted was to forego the conversation; he was beginning to get uncomfortable with the sultry stares she was sending his way, and he glanced up to see Victoria and the other girl take pictures at the window.

“This is amazing, Director Park!” Victoria trilled, sighing, “Look, it’s like a secret garden!”

He nodded, grateful for the diversion of his attention. “It is, isn’t it?” he asked, gathering the curtains so they could stand closer, before glancing back towards the door, where he saw Sun Young writing something on a piece of paper. She was using the door as a backing, her facial features scrunched up in thought as she scribbled something.

“…see the world through me,” she was saying aloud, “Glasses? Camera?”

He carried the curtains, walking past Ju Hyun without a second look. “Miss Park,” he said, causing Sun Young to jump as he appeared, significantly closer.

She frowned. “Y-Yes?” she stammered, walking backwards to make way for him to put the curtains in the trolley outside the suite.

Chanyeol deposited the curtains at the laundry trolley outside and brushed the dust off his hands. “Are you not going in to enjoy the view as well?” he asked.

She reached into her pocket, taking out a packet of wet tissue, and passed it to him before he could even notice. “We have a mission to go to,” she said, leaning against the wall in front of their suite, “Apparently it’s timed, and the last team has a penalty.”

He nodded at this, wiping his hands. He handed the packet back, but she shook her head.

“You need it more than I do,” she simply said, “Besides, I have a lot in the Lilium Suite.”

“Oh,” he murmured awkwardly, “Okay. Um, thanks.”

She nodded, not saying a word.

Chanyeol scratched the back of his head. There were so many things inside his head that he was terrified of saying, and as he was filtering through them, he found himself standing stupidly.

She resorted to continuing her scribbling, and he frowned as he watched.

“Do you need any help?” he asked gently, making her look up at him.

She shrugged. “It’s difficult,” she murmured, giving him the list of numbers, effectively stepping closer to him as he took it, “I can’t make any sense of what it’s supposed to mean in words.”

Chanyeol frowned at the mess of numbers that swam in front of him, before looking at Sun Young. He could smell the hint of perfume on her, and kept a straight face as he pretended to focus on the clue.

But she might as well have seen right through him. “You don’t know it, either” she muttered matter-of-factly.

He looked at her, swallowing. His eyes darted between her eyes, and he could sense his ears turning red.

“It wasn’t me who set the code,” he said, reaching into his pocket and taking out his phone, “But I have a very good idea as to who actually did.”

“Baek?” she guesse