“I’m sorry to disturb you like this, but checkout was at eleven this morning, and we didn’t hear from you. We tried to call. Nobody answered. We were worried.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t …” She swallowed. Her mouth was dry. Distracted, she looked down at the bed, but there was nobody next to her. “I didn’t realize.”
He cleared his throat and spoke almost in a whisper. “You have to vacate the room now. Unfortunately, even if you wanted to stay another night, the hotel is fully booked. Our cleaningstaff needs to service this room for the next guest. Is there somebody we could call for you? To help you with your … things?”
“I don’t have anything,” she muttered.
“Will you be needing a taxi?”
“No.” She made no move to get up. With a pained look on his face, the receptionist nodded toward the security guard, who went to the light switch and flicked it on. It was bright. Dahye blinked rapidly. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was dead.
“Please don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” the receptionist said.
“I’m not trying to,” she started to say, but the security guard grabbed her wrists and yanked her to her feet. The blankets fell to the floor in a heap. “Hey! What are you—” she started to snap. As he dragged her to the door, Dahye caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She stopped struggling and instead twisted to look back at the bathroom. She wasn’t sure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but the door looked like it was moving. As though someone was closing it slowly from the inside.
+
In the lobby, she crouched over the outlet, waiting for her phone to charge. The screen lit up, and a barrage of missed calls and messages appeared, each one growing in concern.
Bora:where are you? everything okay?
Bora:hello???? why is your phone off
Bora:I’m getting worried
Bora:where the fuck are you? call me asap. your mom called me. she’s freaking out.
Mr. Lee (work):Good morning. I walked by your desk and it doesn’t seem like you made it in to the office today. Are you sick? Please call me and let me know.
Mr. Lee (work):Miss Park, is everything alright?
Mr. Lee (work):We’re very concerned. Please call.
Omoni:Where are you? Your boss called us saying that you never showed up to work!
Omoni:Answer the phone now!
There was nothing from Hyukjoon. She closed out of the messages without responding and dialed his number. This time, instead of going straight to voicemail, it rang once and stopped, and she was met with silence. Confused, Dahye stared at her phone. She tried again. The same thing happened. She got to her feet, swaying, trying to understand what it meant.
“Miss? Are you okay?”
“I’m leaving,” Dahye muttered. “As soon as my phone is charged.”
“Yes, of course. You don’t have to leave right away,” the receptionist said. He seemed apologetic. Lowering his voice, he continued, “Do you need a ride somewhere? My wife works nearby. She could come and walk you to the subway station …?”
Dahye stared at him, confused by his kindness. Then, remembering the way he had looked at her the previous night—the sympathy evident in his eyes—she unplugged her phone charger and stood up. Did he think she was some poor girl Hyukjoon had picked up at a club? Or worse?
“I’m fine,” she replied curtly. She walked out of the lobby.
It was mid-July, and it was humid outside. Dahye stood on the sidewalk, looking around. Where could she go now? Going home was out of the question. She couldn’t face her parents now, after everything that had happened.
Her phone had only charged to four percent. She had maybe ten minutes before it died again, and she was a mess, still wearing the dress from last night. She had no shoes besides the Louboutins. She hadn’t brushed her teeth. Her mouth felt like it was coated in a layer of fur. She wondered what the weather was like in New York, and when she looked at her phone to check, she saw that Bora had called again.
How much longer could she ignore her life?
Forever, if it meant she would get Hyukjoon back.
But seeing as he wasn’t answering, and she had nowhere to go, she returned her best friend’s call. Bora answered on the first ring, her voice flooded with relief. “Dahye! Where are you? Are you alright?”