Chapter 109: Gold One
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: Gold One
The next day.
Everyone arrived at the banquet hall for work at the same time.
Since everyone was clocking in simultaneously, the internal shuttle buses operated by Gold One were bursting at the seams, forcing some people to walk.
"Ah, seriously, please."
"I hope I land a sweet gig."
"I heard a lot of kids can't even last two months and just run away."
Since our placements for the next two months were about to be decided, everyone was buzzing with anxiety and anticipation.
The assistant manager who had guided us yesterday stood at the front. Perhaps understanding how we felt, he didn't bother to stop the chatter.
He probably saw us as just kids since we were college students.
Well, we basically are kids.
I’d only been out of high school for a year myself, so it wasn't like I was a full-blown adult.
I sat in my chair, listlessly playing a mobile game, when Seo Ye-rin, sitting next to me, chimed in.
"Woo-jin, let's have a friendly match."
"No way. You always win."
The gap between our accounts' specs was astronomical; there was nothing 'friendly' about it. I kept refusing, but Seo Ye-rin wouldn't stop pestering me, so I finally agreed to play a few rounds.
"Ahem."
Just then, Yoo Ah-rin, sitting to my left, cleared her throat and glared at me. It felt like she was sending some kind of signal, so I turned my head. She bit her lip hard and said, "Please, just go work somewhere far away from me."
She waved her hand dismissively, basically telling me to get lost.
I thought about snapping back, but she’d seemed strangely moody since yesterday, so I decided to let it slide. I didn't want to poke the bear when she was already sensitive and end up getting hit.
"She’s seemed like she’s in a bad mood since yesterday."
Seo Ye-rin must have been thinking the same thing, as she leaned toward me and whispered softly.
"Looks like it."
"Right?"
Then, she subtly leaned against me and continued playing her game. I shrugged my shoulder to signal her to move away, but Seo Ye-rin just thrust her phone toward me and kept playing.
"I told you not to level that one up."
"But she's pretty. I only raise the pretty ones."
"I’m telling you, if you raise the ones with good stats, they start looking pretty automatically."
"But you've maxed out everyone. Because you spent so much money."
I had dropped five million won on this game, after all. And that was months ago, so who knows how much it was now.
"...They're all pretty anyway."
In the end, she had maxed out everyone herself, so I didn't know what she was trying to say to me. As I was thinking about how absurd she was being, a crowd of employees in suits suddenly poured in through the entrance.
"Alright, everyone. Please step forward when your name is called."
The assistant manager in charge immediately grabbed the microphone and began calling out names.
"Lee In-ju, Baek Da-un, Cheong Seol-a."
The people called were handed over to the first employee who had entered and led away.
It felt a bit like being at a labor pick-up site, which made my heart race a little.
Because there were so many of us, names were called continuously, and the number of people taken at once varied. Sometimes they called only one person; other times, they took a dozen at once.
"If they take a lot of people at once, that place must be tough."
When I shared my theory, Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin both thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement. Taking a lot of people meant they needed a lot of hands, which usually meant hard labor.
"Seo Ye-rin, Jang Jin-ha, Kim I-seo."
I flinched.
I reflexively snapped my head up. It was partly because Seo Ye-rin’s name was called, but mostly because of the name Kim I-seo.
"Ugh, you idiot."
Yoo Ah-rin clicked her tongue in pathetic disappointment at my reaction to the name 'I-seo.'
"Heeing, I'm going now."
Seo Ye-rin let out a whiny groan, acting sad that we were being split up, and walked away.
"Wow, she's insane."
"Is she a celebrity?"
"I want to work with her."
Naturally, exclamations, lustful gazes, and looks of jealousy followed her as she left. I had forgotten lately, but Seo Ye-rin’s looks really were top-tier.
"Sigh, Ye-rin’s going to have a tiring time."
Yoo Ah-rin grumbled with her chin resting on her hand, clearly used to people reacting to Seo Ye-rin like that.
"She’s a total one-trick pony for her face," I added.
"Wait a minute!"
Just then, one of the employees waiting to take the next batch of part-timers stepped forward.
"Can we take this student for our side?"
The man pointed at Seo Ye-rin. The golden name tag on his chest read: Department Head Lee Chan-song.
"Huh? Department Head, but..."
The employee who was originally taking Seo Ye-rin looked troubled. He signaled the assistant manager in charge to do something, but the assistant manager pretended not to see the Department Head's actions and called the next names.
"Yoo Ah-rin, Lee Seo-ah, Han Bom..."
About four people were called this time, and surprisingly, they were all familiar faces from the girls' side.
"They're all together."
Lee Seo-ah was a Film Major, and Han Bom was a Design Major—both were high school classmates of Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin. This meant all the high school friends, except for Seo Ye-rin, were assigned to the same place.
"Good luck."
When I waved goodbye, Yoo Ah-rin glanced at me and just walked past without a word. Between her not drinking the Chocomong yesterday and this, she really was in a foul mood.
"We can just swap one of our kids, right?"
Department Head Lee Chan-song was still being a total boomer. He seemed that desperate to take Seo Ye-rin to his department.
"Uh, well..."
However, when he looked at the three girls who had actually been assigned to his department, he seemed conflicted about who to send away.
Taking advantage of that opening, the employee who originally had Seo Ye-rin made a quick escape with her.
Department Head Lee Chan-song tried to say something, but with the eyes of so many college students on him, he had no choice but to be ushered away with his assigned group.
Yoo Ah-rin is going to have a rough time.
She was going to be working under that guy. You could already tell what kind of person he was by the way his eyes rolled back at the sight of Seo Ye-rin.
While I was mentally wishing Yoo Ah-rin luck and waiting for my turn...
"Jegal Jae-min, Kim Woo-jin, Han Min-chan, Choi Min-ji..."
Finally, my name was called.
As I stepped forward, my roommate, Jegal Jae-min, naturally approached my side.
"I'm glad I'm working with someone I know."
"Same here."
He talked a bit too much and felt a little flighty, but that also made him easy to get along with. He was quite into grooming himself, though, which meant he tended to hog the bathroom in the morning.
"Alright, let's go."
The place we were assigned to was a Korean restaurant called 'Countryside Dining Table.'
Located outside the main hotel building, it featured a traditional Hanok-style interior and even a small pond in the center. It was a place that exuded a traditional Korean atmosphere in every sense, but...
The prices, though, holy crap.
Despite the name 'Countryside Dining Table,' the price of their Kimchi Jjigae was on par with a steak. I wondered if that was right, but seeing so many staff members assigned there, I figured they must get a lot of customers.
Whatever the case.
It finally felt like I had truly arrived at Gold One.
*
Time flowed on.
Day three at Gold One.
Yoo Ah-rin woke up at her usual time and slowly got out of bed. Her roommate was Seo Ye-rin, but since she worked at the 'Dae-Han-Dang' bakery, she had already left for work.
"Yawn."
After a quick wash, she dried her hair and applied her makeup. She had been quite rushed on the first day, but now that she was used to it, she had some time to spare.
She put on the black skirt and white shirt provided as a uniform, then topped it off with a black blazer.
It was similar to the outfit she had worn for the school festival, but she liked this uniform much more because it was far more sophisticated. It wasn't plain; the subtle patterns woven into the fabric in the same color gave it a much more luxurious feel.
On the first day, the girls had spent so much time having a fashion show in these uniforms.
It was still dark outside.
Before heading out, she put on her long padded coat and met up with Lee Seo-ah from the Film Major and Han Bom from the Design Major.
The three of them worked in Room Service.
It was a department found in any hotel, handling various simple menu items.
Heh.
It was only the third day at Gold One. Amidst all the notorious rumors floating around about other departments, Yoo Ah-rin had realized that Room Service was a total 'honey job,' making her footsteps light on the way to work.
She took the elevator, which was filled with chilly morning air, down to the first floor.
She was now used to the crowd of people commuting at this hour and naturally stood in line for the bus.
"Ugh, it's cold."
"Tell me about it."
Perhaps because it was morning, even her usually boisterous friends kept their conversation low and drowsy.
Listening to them while keeping her hands tucked in her padding pockets, Yoo Ah-rin fell into a daze.
It had already been three days.
In those three days, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of Kim Woo-jin.
She didn't know whether to be happy or sad about it. Their shift times seemed different, and they worked in different places, so there was simply no reason to run into each other.
It’s a relief.
Feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at that thought, she boarded the bus with a faint smile on her lips.
After a ten-minute ride, they arrived right in front of the hotel. She swiped her employee card and headed into the basement to clock in.
She wondered if this was what life would be like after she graduated and became a regular office worker as she headed downstairs.
The work in Room Service was simple.
Take orders from the rooms and relay them to the kitchen next door. Once the kitchen finished the food, set it up and deliver it. That was it. It was a very easy job.
"I'm telling you! I'll bring someone!"
"Oh, then go ahead and bring someone!"
"Ugh, they're fighting again first thing in the morning."
Two people were shouting at each other inside the office: Department Head Lee Chan-song and Assistant Manager Han Jeong-jik of Room Service.
In reality, an assistant manager raising his voice to a section chief like that was a form of insubordination, but in Room Service, it was a daily occurrence.
"I guess they still haven't found anyone."
"Where would they find someone? There's no one to swap with."
"We're not exactly display figures. I'd rather go somewhere else."
"...But there's no place as easy as this."
Lee Seo-ah and Han Bom whispered to each other.
Listening silently, Yoo Ah-rin was suddenly reminded of Kim Woo-jin, who had insulted Seo Ye-rin by calling her a 'living display figure.'
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Muttering to herself to stop thinking about Kim Woo-jin, Yoo Ah-rin began preparing for work.
The section chief and assistant manager were still arguing.
There was only one reason they were fighting: a lack of male staff in Room Service.
There were four regular Gold One employees and four part-timers assigned this time, so the numbers seemed sufficient, but the problem was the lack of men.
Due to the nature of Room Service, food had to be delivered right to the guest's door.
However, perhaps because Gold One had a casino, there were quite a few rough-looking long-term guests. Because of this, there had been occasional incidents where female staff were pulled into rooms, so only male staff were allowed to go up to the rooms.
"Is it my fault he ran away? Huh? Is it my fault that bastard bolted?!"
And just yesterday, the only male part-timer had quit, saying the job was too hard.
Normally, more male part-timers should have been hired instead of females, but this mess happened because Department Head Lee Chan-song had allocated most of the vacancies to women.
"Then whose fault is it? It's peak season and the rooms are full. How am I and the boys supposed to handle all of this!"
Building A alone had over 200 rooms. But since Room Service also covered Building B, only three people had to deliver food to nearly 400 rooms.
"We're getting more kids in the second round! We can just take all boys then!"
"That's still a week away! What are we supposed to do until then?! You just sit here and take calls, Department Head, but the three of us have to run around the rooms!"
What a mess.
Even if the female staff did all the setting, just moving the carts would be exhausting.
"Oh, for fuck's sake!"
Finally, Department Head Lee Chan-song barked in anger, grabbed his cigarettes, and stormed out.
And this was just as the orders were starting to pour in.
"Sigh."
The remaining assistant manager let out a deep sigh, but since orders were coming in, he had to start working.
About thirty minutes later.
"Hey! I brought someone!"
Surprisingly, Department Head Lee Chan-song returned with a male part-timer.
"I brought the ace who was doing the best work over at Countryside Dining Table!"
A man stood there looking dazed, glancing around as if he had no idea why he was there.
The moment Kim Woo-jin scratched the back of his head and locked eyes with Yoo Ah-rin, who was setting food on a cart...
"What? You were working here?"
Ha, seriously.
Yoo Ah-rin’s heart, which had been so calm, began to fluctuate strangely once again.