Chapter 17
The waitress slipped a small bottle into Hana's hand. Hana immediately grabbed Gyeongjae's glass and poured all the white powder from the bottle into it.
'Is that what I think it is… Did she really slip some kind of drug in there?'
Yeonho could barely believe his eyes. But there was no mistaking it. Hana was doing exactly what he never imagined she would dare to do.
Hana swirled the glass gently until the powder dissolved completely, leaving no trace behind.
She set it back on the table like nothing had happened, while the waitress returned to her place beside her, acting as if she'd done nothing wrong.
Yeonho kept watching closely until Gyeongjae came back.
"Let's get back to it." Gyeongjae sat down again, completely unaware of Hana's little scheme. He lifted his glass and clinked it against hers.
"To us…" Hana smiled sweetly.
'No… Don't drink it! Gyeongjae you idiot, she put something in there!'
Yeonho wanted to rush over, make a scene, and stop him — but it was far too risky. He couldn't blow his cover now.
Gyeongjae drank the whole glass down in one smooth gulp. Hana smiled, looking as innocent as ever, clearly pleased with herself.
Yeonho kept a close eye on them.
Fifteen minutes later, the bottle was nearly empty. Hana was already looking a little tipsy, but Gyeongjae didn't seem drunk at all — instead, his eyelids were growing heavier, and he was yawning every few seconds.
'So it's a sleeping drug then?'
Yeonho realized it made perfect sense. The more time passed, the sleepier Gyeongjae looked, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Is something wrong, Gyeongjae? Are you feeling drunk?" Hana asked, feigning concern.
"Was that really whiskey? I know my own tolerance well, but this…" Gyeongjae rubbed his temples, feeling his whole body grow heavier and more relaxed by the second.
"It is pretty strong, isn't it? Even I'm feeling a little lightheaded. Maybe we should head out before we get too out of hand."
Hana stood up and reached for his hand, but Gyeongjae stopped her.
"I can handle it. Just give me a minute, I need to use the restroom." He got to his feet and walked away.
Hana simply nodded, her lips still tugged up in a satisfied grin.
Yeonho stopped recording, stood up right away and followed Gyeongjae quickly toward the restroom.
When he stepped inside, Gyeongjae was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" Yeonho looked around, checking each stall one by one, until he found him at the very back.
He could hear Gyeongjae grumbling to himself.
Yeonho walked over and slowly pushed the stall door open. Gyeongjae was slumped on the toilet seat, half-asleep, fighting just to stay conscious.
"Geez… look at you, all wasted just because of Hana. Tsk."
Yeonho shook his head, both annoyed and amused.
Hana was bold enough to pull this kind of trick, but she clearly didn't know how to look after her own target.
Which meant Yeonho wasn't going to let this perfect chance slip. He was definitely going to snatch Gyeongjae right out from under her nose.
"Consider me your savior, saving you from Hana for now."
He stepped closer and brushed a strand of hair away from Gyeongjae's sleeping face.
As much as he wanted to stare, he knew he didn't have time. Hana would start getting suspicious, looking for him any minute.
Not wanting to get caught, Yeonho took off his hooded jacket and tried to slip it over Gyeongjae — though it was far harder than he expected.
"Stop wiggling around, damn it. You're huge, make this easier for me, will you?"
Gyeongjae kept shifting unconsciously, making Yeonho's blood pressure rise, but finally managed to get the jacket on.
Thank goodness Yeonho was wearing a simple t-shirt underneath.
"I'm sweating buckets already… Next, the mask."
He pulled the face mask from his pocket and secured it over Gyeongjae's face to hide his features.
"Now you look like a drunk K-pop idol… Heh." Yeonho snorted.
Between the oversized jacket, the mask, and the hood pulled all the way down, it was almost impossible to tell who was underneath.
"Alright, time to go. Get up and walk."
Yeonho slung Gyeongjae's heavy arm over his shoulders and supported him from the side. But Gyeongjae was far too sleepy, his legs turning to jelly.
"C'mon, stand up. If you fall here we'll be stuck in the restroom forever."
He patted Gyeongjae's back, trying to rouse him just a little.
"Who…? So… tired…" Gyeongjae mumbled, before suddenly leaning his full weight onto Yeonho's shoulder.
"No you, idiot. Don't fall asleep standing up!"
Yeonho huffed and shifted him back into position, holding him up firmly.
"This is way more work than it's worth…"
He guided Gyeongjae out of the restroom and glanced back across the restaurant.
Hana was still waiting at their table, but Yeonho ignored her completely and called out to a nearby staff member.
"Excuse me! Can you give me a hand? My friend drank way too much and I can barely carry him alone."
Yeonho asked politely. The man nodded immediately, coming over to help support Gyeongjae's other side.
After what felt like forever, they finally reached Yeonho's suite.
The staff helped him get Gyeongjae all the way to the master bedroom, then excused himself and left.
Now it was just the two of them alone in the quiet room.
"All this trouble just for one male lead…"
Yeonho sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over at the sleeping man, completely unaware of where he was or what had happened.
Leaning closer, he took in Gyeongjae's features once more.
"At least you're good-looking and smell nice. I guess I can forgive you for being such dead weight."
Yeonho groaned and got up from the bed, already feeling sticky and uncomfortable.
"I'm soaked in sweat… First thing's first. Shower, get rid of all this makeup and take off the wig."
He wasted no time, stepping into the bathroom.
A long, warm shower washed away all the sweat and tiredness, leaving him feeling refreshed and clean again.
Stepping out of the bathroom still wrapped in a soft bathrobe, Yeonho walked over to the bed and let out a long sigh at the sight.
"Look at you, still dead asleep. What a nuisance…"
He turned away and headed toward his walk-in closet to pick out something comfortable to wear.
When suddenly, a rough voice stopped him.
"Who are you?"
Gyeongjae was now awake, though still groggy and disoriented from the drug's effects.
Yeonho turned around slowly, walked back to the bed, keeping his movements calm and relaxed.
"You passed out, so I brought you here."
He sat down on the edge of the mattress, looking straight at Gyeongjae.
Still trying to piece together what was happening, Gyeongjae rubbed his face roughly with both hands.
Then he squinted his eyes, focusing hard on Yeonho's features.
"Hana…? Is that you? When did you dye your hair blonde?"
Yeonho burst out laughing right then and there. Gyeongjae actually mistook him for Hana. This was absolutely hilarious.
"What's so funny?" Gyeongjae asked, still struggling to shake off the fog in his head.
"No, hahaha… sorry, it's just ridiculous. Do I really look anything like that pathetic little girlfriend of yours?"
Yeonho grinned widely, amused by the confusion.
"You… What? You are…" Slowly, the haze began to clear, and recognition finally started to dawn on Gyeongjae's face.
"Poor you. Hana slipped something into your drink. That's why you blacked out and fell asleep."
Yeonho crossed his arms over his chest, watching his reaction.
"What? Why would she do that? And why are we here? I don't understand… Hana, where are we?"
Gyeongjae was still lightheaded, but he was certain his eyes weren't playing tricks on him anymore.
Yeonho stood up and walked back to the closet, continuing to sort through his clothes like it was no big deal.
"I told you, I'm not Hana. Your so-called girlfriend drugged your drink — that's why you passed out. Is it really that hard to understand?"
Gyeongjae stared at his back, his mind moving sluggishly.
He watched Yeonho act so unbothered, as if dragging a stranger back to his room was an ordinary thing to do.
Glancing around, he realized he didn't recognize this room at all.
"Am I dreaming? Why are you here? Where is Hana? You… you look just like her, but your hair…"
Flooded with questions all at once, Gyeongjae's words only made Yeonho groan in annoyance.
"Ugh. You're a total mess right now. Just go back to sleep and let the drug wear off." He didn't even spare him a glance.
All this talk and Hana's name being mentioned over and over again was making Yeonho's blood boil.
He finally picked out a clean set of clothes, ready to change — until he heard Gyeongjae start breathing heavily behind him.
"What is this…? Why does my body feel so hot all of a sudden?"
Gyeongjae groaned, but Yeonho was too busy getting ready to pay attention at first.
"Hey… are you even listening? Haaah…" Gyeongjae tried again, but was still ignored.
The heat spreading through his body only got worse, making his breathing grow faster and heavier. He covered his face with his hands, trying desperately to stay focused — but every second, it felt like fire was coursing through his veins.
"Shit… my whole body's burning. Hana, what the hell did you do?" he cursed, still half-convinced Yeonho was his girlfriend.
Yeonho thought he was just complaining from drowsiness at first. Until he turned around and saw Gyeongjae tearing off the borrowed jacket.
"What do you think you're doing? I told you to rest so you can recover!"
Yeonho dropped his clothes and hurried back to the bed.
"Fuck…" Gyeongjae cursed.
Next went his black polo shirt, leaving him completely bare from the waist up.
His broad shoulders, chiselled muscles, and the intricate tattoos covering his chest and arms were suddenly on full display.
Yeonho stared, confused as to why Gyeongjae was stripping off his clothes in such a hurry.
"Hey! What's wrong with you? Wait a minute…"
He sat back down and watched as Gyeongjae's shaky hands fumbled with his belt, trying to undo it.
'No way… Was that drug actually an aphrodisiac? Did Hana want to get into bed with him that badly…?'
Everything made sense now. That would definitely explain his reaction.
Gyeongjae's face was flushed bright red, beads of sweat rolling down his neck and chest, and his eyes were hazy with desire.
Yeonho quickly grabbed his face and stopped his hands before he could undo his belt.
He held Gyeongjae firmly by the jaw, staring right into his unfocused eyes, his tone turning serious.
"Gyeongjae, look at me. Do you recognize who I am?"
Gyeongjae stared back, still panting heavily. "You… you're Hana… but your hair…"
He was so confused. Why did Hana suddenly have blonde hair, blue eyes, and look even more stunning than he remembered?
Yeonho sighed. As irritating as this was, he needed to make sure Gyeongjae finally understood.
"No, I am NOT Hana. I'm her twin brother, Choi Yeonho. That girlfriend of yours tried to drug and trick you, but I saved you from her. Do you get it now?"
He gave Gyeongjae's jaw a light shake to snap him back to reality.
"Yeonho…?" Gyeongjae mumbled the name, trying to process it.
"Exactly. Choi Yeonho." A small, confident smirk tugged at Yeonho's lips.
The fog finally cleared enough for Gyeongjae to fully grasp the situation and his expression shifted instantly.
In the blink of an eye, he shot forward, grabbed Yeonho by the neck, and slammed him hard back down onto the mattress.
"Why are you here? Where the hell am I? Where is Hana? Did you hurt her?!"
His eyes blazed with rage as his grip tightened around Yeonho's throat.