Faceless

VI. A favor

POV Rowoon

I had slept like a log. I was in her city, and she was somewhere here. I had it in my mind to go to the medical school and ask the students if anyone knew her. It wouldn't be easy with my limited French, so I planned to ask the young woman for help. Maybe she was a student herself. I would talk to her at breakfast.

"Hyung, good morning! You missed a great meal last night. Our guide has a great sense of humor. She speaks Korean very well. We were impressed."

"I'm glad to hear that. Do you know what time we need to leave the hotel?"

"In about an hour, she'll be waiting for us in the lobby."

It was the perfect plan. I would wait for her in the lobby to talk to her before everyone else came down and ask for her assistance. I scanned the area and spotted her sitting in a chair, checking her phone. I approached and coughed softly to get her attention. She looked up and startled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Lee Rowoon. I didn't greet you yesterday."

"Hello. It's fine. My name is Iana Thuy."

A group of tourists suddenly invaded the lobby, and their noise drowned out the young woman's voice. I didn't hear her name clearly, but I didn't want to make her repeat it. I bowed to greet her, and she did the same.

"Let's go to the breakfast room. It'll be quieter there if you don't mind."

"Sure. Do you have a problem?"

"No, I need your help with a personal matter."

She began to cough, her voice hoarse.

"Did you catch a cold in the middle of summer?"

"I drank too many cold drinks with your colleagues, I think. My voice will return to normal. I don't think I'm sick. Don't worry about me."

"At least let me get you a hot drink. What would you like?"

"A latte or tea, if it's not too much trouble."

"Alright, I'll get that for you."

I watched her sip her latte slowly and then explained my plan.

"I have a very close friend in Korea who asked me to find a young woman he feels indebted to. She's a medical student here in Brussels."

"And he couldn't contact her? She changed her phone number or something?"

"No, it's not like that. He couldn't ask for her phone number or address. She doesn't know he's looking for her. He's not a creep. He just wants to express his gratitude. Since I was coming to Europe, he made me promise to do everything I could to find her."

"Do you have at least a photo, a name, anything?"

"No photo, just a first name. Her name is Iana."

I saw her startle and furrow her brow. She must be misunderstanding my intentions.

"I'm not a stalker, I promise. I don't want to involve you in anything illegal. I was thinking you could accompany me to the student office or somewhere else where we could inquire about her."

"Okay, I'm willing to help. We can go this afternoon after your rehearsals."

"Thank you for your understanding. If we find her, I promise to treat you to a nice meal."

With that, I got up to retrieve my sheet music from my room and get ready.

POV Iana

He was looking for me, he wanted to meet me. I was overwhelmed with happiness and yet conflicted. I suppose he hadn't understood my name properly because of the noise in the hallway; otherwise, it would have intrigued him. Why didn't I immediately confess that it was me? I don't know.