✽ lobby.

@❁ ┇ cheon yonggi。 The secret to wearing a mask and hiding the turmoil inside was to, against all odds, wear a mask. And Chinen opted for a mask in the form of casual clothes, summer themed clothes, a light blue linen blouse with a small embroidered hawaiian flower, white large shorts down to his knees and slip-ons. If that was not enough, he had raybans and a damn chain he had purchased when he was at the airport, anxious and desperate to make a bigger mistake than the one he was about to commit by flying to an island his ex all but invited him to. That expensive piece of jewelry was not the only thing he was wearing, which was very unlike him. He had a couple rings he wore on the hand that used to carry the engagement ring, the one he struggled to remove just this morning upon realizing there was no more pretending Yonggi and him could salvage things. His skin was obviously more tanned on the rest of his finger, making it so obvious that he was just stumbling out of the idea of being engaged.

But still, his reflection in the glassdoor of the resort he had tracked his boyfriend to seemed to display a man who was casual, chill, on holiday, ready for anything, when really Chinen was a trap where all positive ideas and hopes went to die. He was handed his luggage and barely bowed his head, finding it hard to be angry like he was when he booked the trip the previous day, on a whim, about five minutes after figuring out where Yonggi was: the White Lotus. It was no more an unknown place or a far away destination. Chinen was there and he knew he was a few meters away from seeing Yonggi, for the first time in 97 days. His heart broke when it hit him: the other was there, in this sunny place, far from their rainy london, love nest apartment. He was sad that his ex did not tell him at all, like they couldn’t remain friends, like they had to be separated by whole continents. The anger from the past three months evaporated under the south Korean sun right there.

He followed people going in, refraining from looking around the lobby, and hoping to just check in and beeline to his room. Chinen is not ready to face his ex just now. He wanted a shower, a cold drink and a pillow to scream into. But instead, he got to face his dearly departed sweetheart at the desk and really, nothing said not-chill like the stiffness that seized him for a whole uncomfortable minute. Yonggi was just there, at the desk. When Chinen removed his sunglasses, it was more to look at the face he promised to kiss endlessly in their old days in the vows he had started laying down when they got engaged.
His jaw squared and he pulled his passport. “Hi, I’m here to check on-”
Nope.
“Check in.”
He was not going to introduce himself like he didn’t spend hours into the night and morning and afternoon gazing into those eyes, watching this man. He missed him too much to be as hostile as he’d wish to, but he was already at his limit as far as niceties went.

"room 107, mr. go. we hope that you will enjoy your stay at the white lotus." the front desk employee tells him, handing his keycard over with a welcoming, warm smile. min smiles back, the expression physically reaching his eyes, turning them into crescent shapes. "thank you, i'm sure i will." he responds back in farewell, taking his room key.

towing his carrier behind him, min starts walking towards the elevators. as he does, he looks to and fro, left and right, all around at his surroundings. the hotel's interior is grandeur, impressive in scale and design. immensely tall, high ceilings serves as the above of the establishment, with trims that are etched with intricate, elegant patterns and designs, showing off the sheer fine details and excellent craftsmanship that went into them. beautiful art murals hung at the walls, depicting the breath-taking landscapes and infamous landmarks of jeju island. in the center of the enormous lobby, hung the centerpiece, a massive hanging spiraling crystal chandelier, with staggered crystal spheres ascending all the way up.

everything was immaculate and regal. nothing, not even a single decor or piece of furniture seemed out of place at the white lotus. perfectly in place—like a custom built film set; staged and propped. and yet, even such an establishment of high standards had fallen into peril, turning up a dead body on its premises. a dead body, but no other details. its quick arrival had also vanished, just as fast.

min is intimidated by the resort's omniscient presence. he's only just stepped in, but somehow the white lotus feels like its under his skin, threatening to figure out everything about him, down to the deepest depths. the feeling is daunting, but electrifying. it's the ideal setting for his next murder-thriller novel or script.