Bad Relationship (1)
So the next day arrived.
A new guest has arrived at the hotel.
Kim Taeseok's party had finally come to visit.
“You’re back again.”
“Haha. Long time no see. As for our room…”
“Of course, we kept them empty. Rooms 111 and 112.”
“The number of rooms has increased?”
“Thanks to you. By the way, is the time okay right now?”
“Time? Well, there is, but what’s the matter?”
“Good, it seems you don’t plan to hunt right away.”
“Good. We’ve opened the restaurant, so would you like to try it?”
“... The restaurant?”
I gestured toward the location of the restaurant.
“Really? How did this happen?”
“Haha. Thanks to all the promotion you did.”
Thanks to their promotion, the number of rooms increased to a whopping 12, and the construction of the restaurant and kitchen was completed.
“Hyung, there’s a real restaurant over there?”
“It smells delicious!”
The party had also discovered the restaurant after hearing our conversation.
“How much is the price?”
“All the menus you see now are 100,000 won. But since you promoted it, this time we’ll give it to you for free.”
“Really?”
Free.
No one in the world dislikes the word "free."
Kim Taeseok accepted my offer.
Following my guidance, Kim Taeseok's party looked around the restaurant with wide eyes.
“Wow. Noona Hyeji has a lot of customers.”
“Hey, you’re acting like you’ve just come to the hotel for the first time?”
“Hyeji noona was the most excited, but now she’s worrying about the gazes?”
“W-what?”
- Pfft.
“Since today is the opening day, many guests are using it.”
At various seats, guests who were already eating were there.
“Insane! Eating the food gives a buff!”
“This is the ramen I knew...”
“Let’s hunt right away!”
Those who tasted the food here were all in shock.
Kim Taeseok asked at that sight.
“Hey... what is this buff story?”
“You’ll know if you try it. More importantly, let’s sit down and talk.”
“Yes.”
Kim Taeseok's party sat at a seat near the kitchen.
“Please choose from the menu here and call for it.”
“Thank you.”
Soon, the party opened the menu.
“Insane. Hyung, there’s a hamburger?”
“I’ll have the salad!”
“Hyeji. Can you go hunting after eating that?”
“I’m a magician, so it doesn’t matter, right?!”
After seeing that, I headed to the kitchen for a moment.
The inside of the kitchen was a battlefield itself.
“It’s busy because it’s open.”
“You’re here?”
“Yeah. Is there anything I can help with?”
“Manager. Have you forgotten who I am?”
“Huh?”
“I’m the chef. Not the front desk staff, the chef! You didn’t forget, right?”
Emily was flipping patties with one hand while stirring the fried rice with the other.
It was movements close to miraculous.
Thanks to her efforts, points had accumulated quite a bit.
“A little more and we can hire a front desk staff.”
“If I have time after hiring a front desk staff, I should help with vegetable preparation.”
At that moment.
“We’ll place our order.”
Kim Taeseok's party's menu decision was finally over.
I came out of the kitchen to take the order.
“Five hamburgers, please.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you’d order salad too earlier?”
“Hey. It’s free, so why bother? Unifying the menu is good manners.”
“...”
That was why I liked Kim Taeseok's party.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
And in just 10 minutes.
“Your order is ready.”
One hamburger each was served in front of them.
“Insane...”
“Is this really the tower?”
“Is this really free?”
The party spat out one word after another at the completed hamburgers.
Then, Kim Taeseok who had been swallowing saliva asked.
“... Manager. Can I buy a cola? Seeing this, I can’t hold back anymore.”
Kim Taeseok placed 8 low-grade magic stones on the table.
He must have remembered the price of the cola.
I had planned to give it free if requested, but I didn’t refuse.
“Even with this, the original hamburger price is overflowing.”
◈ 8 Points
I quickly bought cola from the shop and brought it over.
“Then... I’ll eat.”
Kim Taeseok carefully lifted the hamburger.
He took a bite.
Crisp.
The sound of fresh lettuce being bitten echoed.
Kim Taeseok, who had been silently savoring it, lowered his head.
“Hyung, why? Does it taste weird?”
“... Try it. You’ll know if you try.”
At that, the party also hurriedly put the hamburgers in their mouths.
And.
“It’s so delicious!”
“Is this really made just now?”
“Delicious...”
With those words, the table was filled with the sounds of eating hamburgers.
At that time, I secretly glanced toward the kitchen.
“They’re watching.”
From the open kitchen far away, Emily was observing the reactions of this table.
And Emily with the corners of her mouth raised at the sight of the party eating deliciously.
Chefs are happy to see their dishes being eaten deliciously.
“Who will discover the Hearty Meal buff first when all the food is eaten.”
And.
“... Huh?”
The first one to finish the hamburger was the archer Lee Hyeontae.
“H-hyung. Eating this gives a buff...”
“What? Don’t lie. I didn’t get any.”
“It’s because I didn’t eat all of it?”
At that, the party, after savoring the taste, hurriedly ate the hamburgers to confirm the buff.
“It appeared!”
“It was real.”
“Me too.”
“Everyone is surprised as expected.”
Soon, Kim Taeseok looked at me with serious eyes.
“Manager.”
“Yes.”
“... Did you misprice this?”
“Huh?”
“Even if we charge 1 million won, there would be people lining up to eat.”
At that, I asked.
“Then shall we really raise it to 1 million won?”
At my words, the party's expressions hardened.
It seemed they didn't think it was a joke.
“It was a joke.”
Only then did the party let out a sigh of relief.
But I felt the need to seriously consider raising the price.
The party finished the hamburgers in an instant.
“Boss, thank you for the meal!”
“It was really delicious!”
The party expressed sincere gratitude with happy expressions, then returned to their rooms.
“Whew. It’s rewarding.”
Starting to operate the restaurant, now it felt like properly operating a hotel.
Currently, every won earned is used for hotel growth, but someday there will be free time.
“Then, someday repaying my father's debt might not be a distant future.”
Hundreds of billions in debt.
An enormous amount of money that would make the future dark, but with my abilities, it didn't seem impossible.
At that moment.
A new guest has arrived at the hotel.
“Shall I go back to work?”
Emily started her kitchen work, and the front was left to me alone.
Because of that, I returned to the front without a moment to rest.
But.
“... I didn’t expect you to come looking for me directly.”
The moment I checked the guests' faces, my expression froze coldly.
“Oh. There really is a hotel?”
“Yes, sir. It’s said to be 1 million won per day.”
“Hmm. Still, I heard it’s worth using. That’s why after that guy died, nights were too uncomfortable.”
“Still, thanks to you, we survived.”
“Heh heh. That’s right. I should have taken a photo of that expression.”
The guest who came this time was none other than Han Seok-gu's party.
Those who ran away using themselves as bait when chased by orcs.
“Should I kick them out?”
I seriously considered it.
But soon, I shook my head.
Kicking them out immediately wasn't bad, but I wanted to see their faces crumple myself.
While they were distracted by the hotel lobby, I quickly headed to the kitchen.
“Emily. Can I ask you for one favor?”
“Eh, what favor?”
Emily, who had been stir-frying onions hard, stopped for a moment.
“Can you handle the response to the guests who just arrived?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. I’ll fry the onions.”
“Then... it’s okay, but can I ask why?”
I briefly told Emily about the guests who just arrived and what happened with Han Seok-gu.
“Hah. Then I’ll take it even more. Those bad humans who dared to use the manager as bait. I’ll scold them thoroughly.”
She was angry as if it was her own matter, but I stopped her.
“No, it’s fine. Instead, please respond more kindly than usual?”
“M-more kindly?”
“Yeah.”
Humans feel the greatest despair when they lose what they naturally feel.
I will make them feel the comfort of the hotel, then kick them out.
“If that’s the reason, I understand.”
“Yeah. Thanks for understanding.”
“Heh. By the way, the manager is scary, right?”
“... Is that so?”
Emily and I looked at each other's faces for a moment, then laughed at the same time.
“Han Seok-gu. I hope you enjoy your last meal.”
The restaurant was finally open.
They would be even more despairing.