Chapter 9
He stepped out of the private jet and straight into the bustling airport terminal.
Though he was burning with determination to carry out his plans, the smartest thing to do for now was to lay low and hide in plain sight.
If he was discovered before his birthday rolled around, everything would fall apart.
Just the fact that he was back in Korea at all was already a huge risk — one wrong move, and his entire strategy would go up in smoke.
Everyone in high society knew exactly who he was. The disgraced, abandoned bastard son of the Choi family.
He couldn't afford to draw attention yet.
First things first, he gathered all his luggage. And there was a lot of it — more than enough to make anyone stare, but Yeonho didn't care.
He had more than enough money to afford it all, and every single item was necessary for what he had planned.
'I brought way too much stuff. This is going to be a pain to carry… but I need all of it. No cutting corners.'
Nothing was going to slow him down.
Once he had all his bags and belongings together, he headed straight to the nearest restroom to change his appearance.
He swapped his nice clothes for a plain black designer hoodie and loose, baggy jeans.
He pulled a face mask up over his nose and mouth, and then — for the first time in his life, and much to his distaste at having to hide his natural beauty, he put on a wig.
Long blonde hair was replaced with sleek, dark black locks.
He got to work on his face next.
Mascara changed the colour of his long lashes, darkening them enough to hide their natural pale gold hue. He even put brown contact lense.
He used makeup to darken his eyebrows to match his new hair, blending every line perfectly until nothing looked out of place.
Fifteen minutes later, he was done.
He leaned close to the mirror for one final check, making sure every detail was perfect, nothing left that could give him away.
"How is it even possible that I still look this good even in a disguise?"
He murmured to his reflection, tilting his head from side to side, admiring himself.
No matter what he wore or how he changed his features, his beauty still shone through. It was just natural, impossible to hide completely.
He was still busy admiring his own reflection when the restroom door swung open. A group of men walked inside.
Yeonho instantly pulled his hood up over his new black hair, adjusted his mask until it covered his face completely.
He'd left all his luggage just outside the restroom door, so he hurried out before anyone could get too close or look too closely.
Only once he was out in the main hall again did he finally let out a long, slow breath, his shoulders relaxing.
Now that he looked like a completely different person, he could move around freely without worrying about being recognised.
'Wait a minute… won't my name raise suspicions if I use my cards?'
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but he brushed it off just as fast.
There were plenty of people in Korea with the same surname or similar names. It was unlikely anyone would connect the dots just from that.
He had more important things to focus on right now.
Later that same day, Yeonho sat alone at a small table in a busy fast-food restaurant, eating his burger and fries.
He was dead tired from hauling all his heavy luggage around, and exhaustion mixed with hunger made him feel a little irritable — but the food was good, and for now, he could finally rest.
His main problem right now was figuring out where he was going to stay.
He needed a place that would be his permanent base while he carried out his plans, but there were just too many options, and he couldn't decide.
"Ugh… why are there so many choices? It's impossible to pick one."
He stuffed another handful of fries into his mouth, frustrated, when suddenly a thought popped into his head, making him pause mid-chew.
'Wait a second… one of the male leads owns one of the biggest hotel chains in the whole country, doesn't he?'
He took a long sip of his drink through the straw, then wiped his fingers and lips clean with a tissue, pulling out his phone immediately.
He'd almost forgotten that detail.
One of the five male leads was the heir to the Woo family.
Owners of the largest, most luxurious hotel group in Korea, with branches all over the world.
It was famous everywhere, known for its grandeur and exclusivity.
He typed the name into the search bar, and soon his screen was filled with photos of the stunning, opulent hotel, and right alongside them, photos of the man himself.
"Woo Gyeongjae…"
He murmured under his breath, eyes scanning the screen hungrily.
The search results were exactly what he needed, giving him all the information he was looking for.
He scrolled slowly, staring at the images of the white haired man, tall, broad-shouldered, devastatingly handsome, with striking features and visible ink winding up his neck and arms, just like described in the novel.
The photos were a little blurry, taken from a distance or paparazzi shots, but even through the grainy quality, there was no denying just how attractive and intimidating he was.
A slow, sharp smile tugged at Yeonho's lips. He pushed his hood back slightly, leaning closer to his phone screen to get a better look.
"Tall, rich, covered in tattoos… and obviously hot. I can't wait to ruin your peaceful little life, Mr. Gyeongjae. Hehe."
Yeonho chuckled.
He saved dozens of photos of the man to his phone, studying his face and features carefully until he'd memorised every detail.
Just thinking about meeting him, about getting under his skin and making him his, made Yeonho feel more excited and motivated than ever.
This was exactly what he'd come back to Korea for.
A few minutes later, once he'd finished his meal, he booked a room at Gyeongjae's hotel. Technically, the place belonged to the Woo family business as a whole, but Gyeongjae was the sole heir and the face of the brand so it was practically his.
He waited for the booking confirmation, and to his pleasant surprise, it came through much faster than he expected, smooth and efficient just like everything associated with the Woo name.
"Alright then… let's go make some magic happen."
He stood up from his seat, gathering all his bags and luggage — and instantly felt that familiar frustration creep back in. It was way too much for one person to carry, and his arms were already aching.
"Screw this. I'm calling the old man."
His fingers moved fast as he dialled Jiseok's number.
He'd told him not to interfere, and that he wanted to do everything on his own, but he drew the line at hauling fifty kilos of luggage across the whole city.
The call connected in seconds.
He simply told Jiseok he needed people to come and help him carry his things, and Jiseok agreed instantly, no questions asked.
Yeonho only had one condition.
The men sent had to wear normal, casual clothes. No suits, no obvious uniforms, nothing that would make them stand out or look like bodyguards.
He couldn't exactly roll up to Gyeongjae's hotel surrounded by a squad of suited security.
That would draw way too much attention, blow his cover completely, and ruin everything before it even began.
Ten minutes later, two cars pulled up outside the fast-food restaurant, and the men arrived exactly as he'd asked — dressed in plain, simple clothes that let them blend right in with the crowd.
They got straight to work, grabbing all of Yeonho's heavy bags and loading them into the cars without a word.
A few of them threw confused glances at Yeonho's new appearance.
Dark hair, mask, completely different from the man they'd travelled with just hours before.
But none of them said a thing, just did their jobs exactly as they were trained.
Yeonho let them handle everything, stepping out of the restaurant and sliding into the back seat of the first car while they finished loading.
He leaned back against the soft leather seats, waiting patiently until everything was ready.
Once the doors closed and the engines roared to life, he gave the driver the address of the hotel he'd booked.
"Thirty minutes to get there, sir. Traffic's pretty heavy this time of day," the driver told him politely.
Yeonho just hummed in acknowledgement, completely unbothered.
They could take twice as long for all he care. He was exhausted, worn out from the long flight and carrying all that heavy luggage, and the quiet ride was exactly what he needed right now.