Next door, Bardel sat in the bath, his exposed chest robust and well-defined.
One arm rested on the edge, the other held a phone to his ear as he spoke, his demeanor lazy and casual.
"I'm not in City B for the next few days. Put the project on hold until I get back…"
"Mhm, let them make noise…"
"I'll be back the day after tomorrow…"
Koen listened quietly.
When he heard that last sentence, his eyelashes fluttered faintly, and he lowered his gaze.
Beep-beep-beep!
The timer went off, and the talking next door also stopped.
Koen turned off the timer and rose from the pool.
His movements were very light, causing only the slightest ripple of water.
After getting out, he merely draped a white bathrobe over himself, gathered his soiled clothes, and left quietly.
With a faint creak of the closing door, complete silence fell.
Bardel ended his call.
Two minutes later, he also got up and left the room, similarly clad only in a bathrobe.
Truthfully, he really couldn't get used to the strong medicinal smell; he'd just felt like trying it on a whim.
He had left only a few minutes after Koen, but as he stepped out, he saw the hotel front desk clerk holding Koen by his slender, pale wrist, hurriedly leading him towards the elevator, all the while chattering anxiously.
"Aiyo, my young master! Have you no regard for your health?You've only just recovered from a cold! After soaking in the hot springs, you mustn't dress so lightly, understand? And it's still so cold outside!"
"If the boss finds out, you can expect to be scolded to tears!"
"So worrisome…"
The clerk pressed the elevator button.
"Hurry up and go put on more clothes… Ah, Mr. Bardel…"
The elevator doors began to close but were pressed open again by Bardel, who strode over at the last moment.
The clerk greeted him respectfully.
Bardel gave a slight nod and stepped inside, pressing the door close button.
Koen's arms tightened around his clothes, and he shrank back into the corner.
It was the same situation as the previous night, with one difference: both were dressed rather inappropriately, and both carried the same medicinal scent clinging to their bodies.
Bardel watched Koen in the reflective doors.
His hair was slightly damp, a few stray locks falling across his forehead.
His face, the exposed skin of his neck, and a small patch of his chest were all tinged pink.
Huddled pathetically in the corner clutching his clothes, he looked like he'd been badly bullied…
Bardel's thoughts began to stray down an inappropriate path, so much so that he didn't snap back to reality even when the elevator doors opened.
The blast of cold air from outside made Koen shiver involuntarily.
He stepped past the motionless man and quickly walked out.
Just as the elevator doors were closing, Bardel followed him out, inwardly scolding himself.
Beast.
In front of Koen's room, Kerry, who had been knocking for a while without response, turned around.
Seeing the two emerging from the elevator one after the other, he froze for a few seconds.
Then, noticing their identical attire, a vein throbbed at his temple.
"Koen!"
The name was ground out through gritted teeth, causing Koen to slow his steps.
A flicker of guilt crossed his face, which had already lost its rosy hue.
Forcing calm, he called out softly, "Brother…"
Kerry clenched his fist, offered a strained smile to Bardel behind him, then fixed his gaze back on his brother's face, now pale from the cold.
"You're pushing your luck right after getting over a cold? Get inside and put some clothes on, now!"
Koen fished his key card from the bundle of clothes, entered his room, and swiftly closed the door, shutting out his older brother's death glare.
Kerry glared at the closed door for a moment, composed himself, and smiled at Bardel.
"Did you try the medicinal springs too? What did you think?"
Bardel shrugged.
"Felt like I'd turned into a walking medicine pouch after getting out."
"People who aren't used to it often find the smell hard to take, but it's more comfortable than a regular hot spring once you're done."
"Mhm."
He swiped his key card and opened his door, then suddenly turned back.
"That's your brother?"
Kerry nodded.
"Yes, my younger brother, Koen. The weather's cold, so I had him come stay for a few days and soak in the medicinal baths to recuperate."
Bardel mentally noted the name 'Koen'.
"I'm going to take a quick shower."
"Alright. I need to head to the company soon. You can hang out with David and the others."
"Mhm."
---
Koen washed off most of the medicinal scent and burrowed under the covers for a nap.
He was roused from sleep by a knocking sound.
He got up and opened the door, his hair adorably disheveled.
Bardel stood outside, dressed in casual white, a gentle smile on his lips, his voice pleasant.
"Excuse me…"
Koen's mind was still foggy.
He looked at him slightly confused.
"Hmm?"
The emotion in Bardel's eyes was unreadable.
He pointed towards his own room, the door still open.
"Is the air conditioning in your family's hotel incapable of heating?"
The outside temperature was low, but it was warm inside the room.
Koen was only wearing thin pajamas.
The draft made him shiver, and he instinctively moved to close the door a little.
Thinking he meant to shut it completely, Bardel reached out a hand to stop the door.
Koen's gaze dropped to the large, well-defined hand on the door for two seconds.
He took two steps back, opening the door wide to let the warmth from his room spill out.
His voice was heavy with sleep and a slight nasal quality.
"It can."
Only then did Bardel notice how lightly he was dressed.
A faint light flickered in his eyes.
He proactively took hold of the door handle and pulled it almost shut, leaving only a narrow crack.
"Well, the AC in my room seems to be broken. It only blows cold air."
Koen looked at him through the crack and said, muffled, "You can call the front desk. All the rooms have landlines."
"…"
He was silent for a moment, then withdrew his hand.
"Oh."
Click.
Koen closed the door.
Bardel turned expressionlessly and went back to his room, where he used the landline to call the front desk.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking came just as he hung up.
He walked over and opened the door.
Koen stood there, now wearing a beige wool overcoat.
He lifted his pale, delicate face to look at him.
"Did you call someone?"
Bardel looked down at him, a smile appearing in his eyes.
"I did. I was beginning to think your family's hotel service was exceptionally fast, arriving the moment I hung up."
The corners of Koen's eyes curved slightly.
He didn't say anything more, simply standing by the doorway waiting for the staff.
Bardel's gaze swept over his pale lips.
"You should go back to your room. It's too cold out here."
Koen shifted slightly to the side, letting Bardel block the cold air streaming from his own room, pretending nothing was amiss.
"I'm not cold."
A smile tugged at Bardel's lips.
He pushed his own door until it was nearly closed, then leaned sideways against the doorframe, looking down at his phone.
A few minutes later, the guest services manager arrived hurriedly with a maintenance worker, apologizing profusely before having the worker check the AC.
She offered to move Bardel to a suite.
Bardel waved a hand.
"Let him fix it first. If he can't, I'll move tonight."
The manager bowed apologetically.
"Mr. Bardel, we are truly sorry for the inconvenience…"
"It's fine."
"Miss Bush."
Koen, who had been standing nearby, spoke up.
"Are there any better rooms available?"
Lucia looked troubled.
"All the superior suites are taken…"
The resort had just opened.
The big boss had invited many friends for a soft launch, including several young masters and ladies from City B.
Naturally, the superior suites were allocated to them first, leaving only standard rooms.
Judging by this Mr. Bardel's appearance, demeanor, and the importance the boss placed on him, he was undoubtedly a significant figure.
For this problem to occur with him of all people was truly disastrous.
Koen frowned and looked at Bardel.
"Shall we arrange another hotel for you? There's one down the mountain…"
"No need."
Bardel cut him off before he could finish, his tone remarkably good-natured.
"Let's see if they can fix it first. A standard room is fine if not. It's so cold, I can't be bothered to move now."
Koen pressed his lips together.
Lucia quickly said, "I'll find a couple more workers and get the AC fixed as soon as possible."
She then hurried off to make calls.
Bardel went into his room, retrieved his overcoat, and looked at Koen.
"Could you find me a warm place to stay for a while?"
The hands Koen had tucked into his coat pockets curled slightly.
He said softly, "I can ask Emily to…"
"May I stay in your room for a while?"
Bardel asked, seemingly oblivious to how presumptuous the question might sound.
"I'm genuinely not accustomed to staying in small standard rooms."
"..."
You just said a standard room was fine.
Bardel tilted his head slightly.
"Is that not allowed?"
Koen met his gaze for a few seconds, then turned.
"It is."
A smile curved Bardel's lips.
He didn't even bother putting on his coat now, just draped it over his arm and followed Koen back to his room at a leisurely pace.