Chapter 107: Cooperation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Cooperation
We arrived at the Gold One Hotel before I knew it.
Even at a glance, there were easily over two hundred college students gathered in lines in front of the hotel.
Though it was called a hotel, it wasn't just a single building standing alone; a massive plot of land had been developed to include various auxiliary facilities alongside several hotel wings.
The most prominent of these was the casino.
In fact, Gold One was so dedicated to its casino guests that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the hotel was built specifically for them.
"I looked into it, and apparently, employees get free admission to the water park and ski resort on their days off."
"Whoa, seriously?"
The girls from the Design and Film departments were chattering away while standing in line outside.
I figured I should probably learn their names soon, but after what happened earlier, the distance between us had only grown.
Anyway.
Just as they said, Gold One operated a ski resort and a water park near the hotel.
Hearing that, one might view it as a resort rather than a hotel built for a casino.
"It’s all just bait," I muttered, shoving my hands deep into my coat pockets. It was the coat I’d bought with Choi I-seo yesterday, and I was satisfied with it; it made me feel like a decent dresser for once.
"What's bait?"
Senior Ju-hee was standing next to me with her arms crossed. I had only recently regrouped with her after she arrived on a different bus.
Instead of her usual dragon padded jacket, she was dressed quite elegantly. She actually looked like an employee rather than a gangster out to enjoy the casino.
"The ski resort and the water park. In the end, they’re both loss leaders."
"Hmm?"
I smiled and continued my explanation to Ju-hee, who tilted her head as if she didn't quite follow.
"Think about it. If there was just a casino sitting there by itself, the image would be terrible, and people would feel hesitant to come. Parents with kids definitely wouldn't visit."
"Well... I guess that's true?"
Right now, if you go anywhere near Gold One, you'll find plenty of gangster types running pawnshops or private loan businesses—all waiting for the people who blew their money at the casino.
"Right? So, they created things for kids to enjoy: a water park and water slides in the summer, and a ski resort, hot springs, and an indoor pool in the winter."
"Isn't that a bit too much investment, though?"
"In the long run, it's not that much... It just shows how massive the casino's revenue is."
Getting the kids to tell their parents they want to come here has a bigger impact than you'd think.
The ski resort and water park wash away the negative image of the casino, replacing it with the idea of 'going to Gold One to play.'
And what do people do after skiing or playing in the water? At night, there’s nothing else to do in the area, so stopping by the casino becomes a natural next step.
"They must make a ton of money."
Ju-hee looked up at the massive, glittering hotel building as if it were plated in gold, her expression full of awe.
Gold One was a hotel located deep in the mountains. It sat in the middle of a valley with absolutely nothing else to see nearby.
Yet, ironically, it offered better employee benefits and higher salaries than almost any other hotel in South Korea.
And that was for one reason and one reason only.
The existence of the casino.
"Well, I bet it's just as hard to get a job here."
I shrugged, and Ju-hee nodded in agreement. Her eyes had sparkled at the mention of high salaries, but obviously, it wasn't a job you could just get because you wanted it.
Just then, a man who introduced himself as an assistant manager took the microphone to check the attendance.
It seemed everyone had finally been accounted for.
"Alright, this line, follow me to the banquet hall. The next line, stay close behind them."
A long line formed, looking like a game of crack-the-whip, as we all entered the hotel together.
"You all brought the stuff I told you to pack, right?"
Ju-hee turned slightly to check on us. Everyone nodded and double-checked the documents in their bags.
The rest of the day would likely be swallowed up by orientation, contracts, and room assignments.
This is going to be boring.
As I let out a wide yawn, Seo Ye-rin, who was behind me, lightly tapped my mouth with her palm.
"Mmph!"
I was about to protest, but Seo Ye-rin just puffed out her cheeks and walked right past me.
"Sigh."
Well, at least it wouldn't be boring.
* * *
I'm so sleepy...
I remember arriving at the hotel at 3:00 PM, but it was already 7:00 PM.
After spending nearly four hours gathered in the banquet hall listening to explanations and waiting our turn, it was impossible not to be exhausted.
There were three hotel buildings in total at Gold One.
They were divided into Buildings A, B, and C, and the part-timers who arrived this time were assigned to Building C.
There was a separate building for employees, but because so many part-timers had come at once, they were letting us use hotel rooms instead.
At first, everyone cheered, but the truth was that Building C was the cheapest and the furthest from the casino.
Apparently, it was a building that existed before the casino was even built, so they rarely took reservations there unless it was peak season like now.
"You look really tired."
Chan-woo, standing next to me, asked with a grin. I felt a bit annoyed seeing his skin looking so fresh and vibrant.
Unlike me, he had been very busy in the banquet hall.
"You bastard, how many different perfumes are you wearing right now?"
"I-is it that bad?"
So many girls had been hitting on Chan-woo in the banquet hall that he was practically radiating a cocktail of various perfumes.
Now that his 'inhibitor'—Yoo Ah-rin—was out of the picture, Chan-woo seemed to be secretly enjoying the female attention. At first, I was happy for him, but now that it was excessive, it was just irritating.
While I was just suffering the whole time...
Thanks to Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin sitting on either side of me, I couldn't even nap. Every time I tried to drift off, they’d wake me up to talk about nothing.
Seo Ye-rin occasionally gave off a chilling vibe, and Yoo Ah-rin was constantly annoyed, so I was thoroughly drained.
...I miss Choi I-seo.
Suddenly, I really missed her.
I want to feel her breasts.
I wanted to bury my face in them.
Damn it, if I hadn't come here, I’d be having intense sex with Choi I-seo right now.
Since I’d be living with four other guys, including Chan-woo, for the next two months, I couldn't even relieve my sexual frustration with some 'happy time' alone.
Roughly sixty days.
Since I was being forced into abstinence, I decided I might as well hold out until the very end.
Choi I-seo, you're dead.
Just wait until I get back. You're in for it.
"Whoa, is this the place?"
We finally arrived at Building C.
The glittering lights in the spacious lobby were so luxurious that it was hard to believe this was a hotel they didn't use often.
We tried to get our key cards at the front desk, but our roommates—whom we hadn't met yet—had already picked them up, so we headed straight for the elevator.
Our room was 801.
The thought of living eight stories up for two months was actually kind of exciting.
"Ah, here it is."
As we walked down the hallway on the 8th floor, we found a door wide open.
Stepping inside, we saw three people already unpacking.
Two of them looked like friends, similar to Chan-woo and me, while the last one seemed a bit older.
"Hello."
As I greeted them and walked in, the three of them turned to look at us.
The two who already seemed close looked surprised and whispered something to each other.
"Hello."
The older, friendly-looking man gave us a polite nod.
"Since everyone's here, let's do a quick round of introductions and decide how to split the rooms."
He called everyone together with a practiced ease that showed his maturity.
Standing in a circle, the older man introduced himself first.
"I'm Oh Dae-sang. I'm twenty-six, and I'm here for a practicum from the Food & Culinary Arts department at Gahyeon University."
Twenty-six?
He's younger than I thought.
He was probably the oldest one here, but he looked older than his actual age.
"I'm Jegal Jae-min. My surname is unique, so I'm easy to remember. I'm from the Hotel Management department at Seshin Kang University. I'm twenty."
So he's the same age as us.
He was a thin guy with his hair styled sharply with wax, and he seemed quite interested in his appearance.
"I'm Min Dong-geon. Same major and age as Jae-min. Nice to meet you."
Min Dong-geon was a bit stocky.
He had a naturally large frame, but it was the kind of body that didn't see much exercise.
"I'm Kim Woo-jin. I'm from the English Literature department at Gahyeon University. I'm not here for a practicum, just a part-time job. I'm twenty."
They looked a bit surprised that I wasn't there for a practicum.
Finally, Chan-woo introduced himself, looking awkwardly stiff.
"I'm Jeong Chan-woo from the Architectural Engineering department at Gahyeon University. I'm also twenty and here for the part-time job."
Surprisingly, Chan-woo seemed to have trouble talking to strangers. Come to think of it, he’d seemed like the silent type when I first met him at the PC Bang, too.
"This should make splitting the rooms easy, right?"
Jegal Jae-min immediately started acting like a strategist, proposing his own 'Tripartite Division of the Room.'
There were two bedrooms in total.
The obvious setup was for two people to share each room, while the last person slept in the living room.
He was implying that since he and Dong-geon were friends, they’d take one room. And since Chan-woo and I were friends, we’d take the other, leaving Dae-sang Hyung to sleep in the living room.
"Hmm... I'm not sure about the living room."
Dae-sang Hyung seemed a bit uncomfortable with that idea.
"I'll take the living room."
I immediately raised my hand and stepped in. I figured I should show some respect to the eldest.
I wondered if Chan-woo would be okay with it, but he didn't say anything, seemingly realizing it was unavoidable.
Besides, I’d be right outside his door anyway.
"The living room means I get it all to myself, and it's nice and spacious. I can even watch TV while I fall asleep."
With the sleeping arrangements settled, we began unpacking quickly.
The two from Seshin Kang University kept glancing at Chan-woo.
It seemed like they wanted something from him, and Chan-woo didn't miss it either, as he sidled up to me.
"...Those two keep staring at me."
"Maybe they're interested in you."
"What are you talking about! That bald guy was enough!"
"Speaking of which, has that bald guy contacted you lately?"
When I asked with a grin, Chan-woo replied with a dead serious expression.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. He sent me a Tok like this the other day."
"...Get lost, you filthy gay."
"I'm not!"
While I was messing around with Chan-woo, the Seshin Kang duo came out of their room and asked a question.
"We saw a few restaurants in the hotel basement. How about we go have a little welcome dinner and get to know each other as roommates?"
Jegal Jae-min spoke confidently, like he was presenting a military tactic, and his friend Min Dong-geon nodded vigorously beside him.
Dae-sang Hyung thought it was a good idea and went to change his clothes.
We agreed as well, and as we were about to grab our coats and head out, Jegal Jae-min approached us.
Behind him, Min Dong-geon was huffing through his nose, looking strangely excited.
"U-um... if it's okay, could you guys dress up a bit before we go?"
"Huh?"
A flustered Chan-woo took a step back, but I immediately understood what they were after.
Chan-woo is the bait, huh?
They were planning to catch whatever fish gathered around him.
I couldn't help but laugh at their desire to pick up the 'crumbs' falling off Chan-woo—a motivation so typical of twenty-year-old guys.
* * *
While the men were negotiating their living arrangements.
In the women's room, Room 403, unpacking and room assignments were already in full swing.
Since the five of them already knew each other, they decided to just stay together.
Seo Ye-rin, Yoo Ah-rin, and the two girls from Design and Film. With Min Ju-hee joining them, that made five.
Min Ju-hee had such a laid-back personality that she didn't feel left out, even though the other four were already close.
Since the room layout was the same, Min Ju-hee decided to take the living room, while Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin shared a room.
"Ah-rin."
As Seo Ye-rin was unpacking, she called out, and Yoo Ah-rin, who had changed into comfortable tracksuits, turned her head.
"Yeah?"
Aside from things like school trips, they hadn't really traveled or lived together, so Yoo Ah-rin's heart was fluttering slightly.
As her shoulders bounced with excitement, Seo Ye-rin's contemplative eyes met hers.
"...Do you like Woo-jin?"
The blunt, heavy question caught Yoo Ah-rin off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless.
But Seo Ye-rin didn't wait for an answer.
"I saw you fiddling with Woo-jin's hand on the bus."
"N-no! That was just a joke...!"
"A joke?"
Seo Ye-rin tilted her head slightly and took a long stride toward Yoo Ah-rin.
Was she always this scary?
Yoo Ah-rin was momentarily paralyzed with fear.
Seo Ye-rin was the epitome of 'pure and innocent,' but the way her hair was slightly disheveled and sticking to her cheek created a chilling aura.
"I don't think so."
Gulp.
What should she say?
Yoo Ah-rin managed to open her mouth to deny it.
"N-never! Why would I like him!"
"I think you do."
"I told you, I don't!"
Seeing Yoo Ah-rin's desperate denial, Seo Ye-rin pondered for a moment before letting out a soft breath and whispering.
"Ah-rin, if we keep acting like this... Woo-jin will be taken."
"I said I don't like him!"
"I don't want to lose him."
Yoo Ah-rin was on the verge of tears, trying to make excuses to her friend, but Seo Ye-rin wasn't listening anymore.
"How about we cooperate? I-seo isn't here right now anyway."
"I'm telling you! Ye-rin!"
"Just for the two months we're here at Gold One."
Seo Ye-rin patted Yoo Ah-rin on the shoulder, said she understood, and turned away.
"Hey guys, let's go get chicken! It's on me!"
"Yay! Chicken!"
Watching Seo Ye-rin's back as she cheered like a child at the mention of Ju-hee buying chicken, Yoo Ah-rin couldn't help but wipe away the cold sweat that had broken out.