TDIMEH Chapter 09

 

9. I Don’t Have a Boyfriend, but I Do Have a Husband.

As the night deepened, the bright lights of the cruise ship reflected on the dark water, shining even more brilliantly.

Se-ah leaned against the railing of the pier, which had large lights hanging on both sides, and glanced around with a pout on her lips.

“Why aren’t they here yet?”

The second group of guests, who should have already boarded, had yet to arrive, even though it was past 8 p.m. One group had called the guide to say they were having dinner and would be a little late, but the other group hadn’t made any contact at all.

Not only Se-ah, who had been sleep-deprived since the morning, but also the crew who had been busy with the first group, were visibly exhausted.

“[Coco, are they on their way?]”

Kevin, the captain on the second deck, stretched his neck out and called down to Se-ah. Since it was his daughter’s birthday today, he seemed more anxious than usual, unlike his usual laid-back demeanor.

“[Yes, they’re on their way. Let’s wait a little longer.]”

“[On a day like today, we should be getting extra pay. If we turn around at 8:30, it’ll be past 10 by the time we finish, right? Coco, talk to the boss about it, will you?]”

“[Alright, I’ll try to bring it up.]”

Se-ah thought it was only fair for the stingy boss to pay them extra, at least for travel expenses, on such a delayed day.

More than money, though, she just wanted to finish work and get some rest.

If even one of the groups had arrived on time, they could have departed right away. But since both groups were late, the schedule had been pushed back. This kind of situation was oddly common with the second group.

She couldn’t understand why people who moved so quickly back in Korea seemed to slow down as soon as they arrived in Southeast Asia.

“[Oh? A car just pulled in.]”

Kevin, being on the second deck, had a better view, and he pointed toward the entrance of the pier.

Se-ah straightened her posture, brushing off any dust that might have stuck to her uniform.

“How late are they?”

She checked the time. It was 8:30 p.m.

Her frown from earlier softened as the vehicle approached. A professional smile, one that came with experience in hospitality, appeared on her face.

When five men got out of the car, Se-ah immediately recognized them as people she had seen at the airport the day before. It wasn’t because they left a lasting impression, but because the events that followed were so memorable that she remembered them.

The men, who appeared to be in their late 30s, seemed to be in high spirits, perhaps having had a drink during dinner, though they didn’t seem particularly drunk.

“Welcome aboard Star Cruise. We hope you have a wonderful time enjoying the best night view in Manila.”

Unlike the others in shorts and sandals, one man, dressed in light gray pants and a neat white short-sleeve shirt, couldn’t take his eyes off Se-ah as she greeted them at the entrance.

Seeing his slack-jawed expression, Se-ah thought, Here we go again, another troublemaker. She mentally prepared herself for the potential hassle.

“Hey, Jung Jihoo! Get it together! The guy who rejects every woman suddenly loses his mind over a pretty face.”

His friends teased him and pulled him inside the cruise ship, dragging him away as he stood there like a statue.

Annoyed, Se-ah thought about changing her phone wallpaper back to her wedding photo.

At that moment, headlights from another approaching vehicle lit up the area.

An all-too-familiar car came into view, and an equally familiar driver hurriedly got out. It was Alex, the boss's personal driver, who only worked on weekdays.

Why is the boss’s car here? Se-ah wondered. I didn’t hear anything about the boss coming here. Did he personally escort the business guests himself?

As she was pondering, Alex opened the rear door, and the man who stepped out left Se-ah so stunned that she nearly fell backward off the railing.

Why on earth is Do Junhyuk here?!

It was truly an infuriating situation.

Just before the 'rabbit hunter' spotted her, Se-ah quickly hid behind the pillar at the entrance—not a rabbit hole—and fumbled in her pocket, searching for her mask.

She was sure she had put it in her pocket, but after searching thoroughly, all she found in the small pocket of her uniform vest was a notepad and a pen.

Ah, right! I put it in the pocket of my skirt!

Only then did Se-ah realize that she had left it in the pocket of the previous uniform she had changed out of, and she couldn’t hide her frustration. Meanwhile, the group from yesterday was drawing closer to where she was hiding.

Panicking, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Her eyes caught sight of a white cloth draped around both sides of the railing as decoration.

With superhuman effort, she ripped one side of the cloth off and wrapped the wide, long fabric around her face like a hijab, leaving only her eyes visible.

"Hey, where did Se— no, I mean, where did Coco go?"

“Coco, you say?”

The boss's voice, calling out for her, was immediately followed by Junhyuk's voice, his tone filled with curiosity.

"Yes. She should be at the entrance..."

“Is this Coco person an employee here?”

Why does he keep asking about me? Se-ah felt a sense of foreboding.

"Yes, you saw her yesterday. She's one of our staff. She’s the one who went to return the phone."

“Ah, so that employee’s name is Coco? Of all names, it just had to be Coco, huh?”

The way Junhyuk repeated her name, savoring it, made Se-ah feel an unsettling chill. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up every time he pronounced 'Coco' with his deep voice.

It felt as if the trap was closing in on her.

Unable to waste any more time, Se-ah scanned the area again, making sure nothing but her eyes were exposed, and then sprang to her feet.

"Welcome to Star Cruise!"

"Ahhh!"

Startled, the group recoiled in surprise at the sight of Se-ah suddenly appearing, her head wrapped in white cloth like a ghost.

“Coco, what are you doing?”

The boss, who had the most nervous disposition of them all, recognized her, clutched his chest, and asked with wide eyes.

"It's a surprise-style welcome. Wasn't it thrilling?"

“Thrilling? I saw my ancestors for a second there. Never do that again!”

Jisang, who was standing beside the boss, was also pale-faced and shook his hands as if to ward off a curse.

“But what’s that on your head? Is it a bandage?”

The boss tilted his head, squinting at her face, which was barely visible except for her eyes.

“It’s a hijab.”

“A hijab?”

“Yes.”

“Why a hijab? I thought you didn’t have a religion?”

Since the weather was hot and humid, even at night, the boss questioned her. Se-ah answered calmly,

“I’m thinking of converting.”

“What? Since when?”

“Since today.”

“Ah! You’re preparing ahead for Mindanao, huh? It’s a Muslim cultural region, so that might make it less dangerous. Smart thinking.”

That wasn’t her actual reason, but since he had interpreted it that way, Se-ah figured it was best not to correct him. She nodded eagerly.

"Mindanao? Are you saying you're going to that dangerous place?"

Hearing this, Junhyuk suddenly interjected.

“What does it have to do with you—”

Se-ah started to snap but was interrupted by the sound of loud voices coming from the team that had already boarded the cruise.

“Aren’t we leaving yet?”

"Ah, right. It’s late. Let’s board. I’ll show you the best night view in Manila. Once you're on board, you won’t even realize you’re on a ship because it's so comfortable."

With an excited grin, the boss led the group onto the cruise.

Junhyuk didn’t get the answer he was looking for, and his gaze briefly flickered toward Se-ah, who was putting away the makeshift stairs connected to the dock.

The ship slowly glided away from the pier, smoothly cutting through the water. Before stopping at the spot with the best view of the night scenery, Se-ah began her brief introduction to Manila.

"Manila is the capital of the Philippines, home to about one-tenth of the country's population..."

This is so uncomfortable. Incredibly uncomfortable.

Se-ah struggled to continue her words as she faced the gazes of nine pairs of eyes fixed on her. She was barely managing to string her sentences together.

None of these people are visiting the Philippines for the first time, so why are they staring at me like this?

To make matters worse, during the previous group’s meal, food had been spilled on her, forcing her to borrow another uniform. This replacement uniform was too tight.

Her blouse was her own, so it was fine, but the borrowed vest and skirt clung to her body, making it even more uncomfortable to move. And the weight of their stares only made it worse.

Her stomach churned as if she could skip meals for days.

“Then, please enjoy your time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask at any time.”

Se-ah gave a polite bow and was about to retreat to the deck where the captain was stationed when a man in a white shirt raised his hand.

"I have a question."

Seriously? She had only made the offer out of courtesy, and now someone was actually taking her up on it? What is this, a classroom?

Her eyebrows twitched briefly, but she quickly recalled that she was still in front of the boss. She put on a gentle smile again.

"Yes, sir. What would you like to know?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

The man, looking flustered, was staring straight at her lips.

Se-ah had encountered this kind of thing far too many times before. Without changing her expression, she opened her mouth to respond.

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

When the man’s face lit up with excitement, Se-ah smiled sweetly and added one more thing.

“But I do have a husband. If there are no more questions, I’ll be on my way.”

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