the motel door knock that almost got me killed

ok so background. me and my bf have been dating 4 years and we are SUCH indoor people that literally since we hit dating age our date spot has always been motels. and not even for the 😏 reasons. just walking around and eating out is exhausting to us lmao. so our whole vibe is: go to motel, shower, watch Infinite Challenge reruns, order bunsik¹ when we get hungry. that's it. that's the date.

usually we do daesil² (hourly) but if we can stay overnight we book the full night. this story is from an overnight.

I remember it so clearly. last year, late august, past 10pm.

me and my bf were watching tv and got into a fight. over the CHANNEL. you know how something stupid just escalates?? we were straight up yelling at each other. eventually he got mad enough that he threw on his clothes and stormed out.

but here's the thing. he left his bag. so I figured, where's he gonna go, he'll be back in a minute. that's just our pattern.

except an hour passes. still nothing.

I'd already cooled down and was getting worried so I swallowed my pride and called him. his phone was in his pants pocket so I knew he had it.

it rings. he picks up. "hello?"

AND AT THAT EXACT MOMENT someone knocks on the door.

I'm like who?? so still on the phone with bf, phone pressed to one ear, I walk over to the door. "who is it?"

and from outside: "it's me..."

some MAN'S voice.

and instantly my brain just. clicked. like oh. OH. this motherfucker outside is pretending to be my boyfriend and he's trying to do something to me.

meanwhile through the phone I can hear my ACTUAL bf going "hello?? hello??"

I froze. didn't answer. and the guy outside goes

"you still mad? don't be mad."

the CHILLS. I literally felt my skin go cold.

I checked the chain. checked the lock. backed away from the door. and all I could say into the phone was "come back. come back NOW." over and over. shaking.

bf had been downstairs smoking and came running up. by the time he got there, the guy outside had muttered something like "ssibal..."³ under his breath and left.

so later we pieced it together.

when bf stormed out, he was waiting for the elevator (the motel was on the 9th floor). there was a cleaning cart with towels piled on it and two cleaning guys standing next to it. he didn't think anything of it. then his friend called him and was like what are you doing, come hang out. and bf said "I'm at a motel with my gf, we just had a fight, honestly I might just go home tonight ugh."

yeah. bf thinks the cleaning guys heard the whole thing.

and like. if I had kept being stubborn and NOT called him. if I had just opened the door thinking it was him coming back to apologize.

???

we didn't report it because filing a police report would've meant our parents finding out we were at a motel together and that was its own whole problem. so we just left it.

but we still talk about it sometimes. bf's takeaway is always "babe. maybe chill with the pride thing." LMAO

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¹ bunsik = cheap Korean snack food (tteokbokki, kimbap, ramyeon etc). motel delivery staple.

² daesil = renting a motel room by the hour instead of overnight. totally normal in Korea, not sketchy, just how couples who live with parents get privacy.

³ ssibal = the f-word basically.