A Natural Disaster on the Scale of an Ownership Change
[Thanks for Coming, Jaewoos Oppa]
Hey oppa! I thought you were Zeus, but it was Jaewoos lol. Whoa. Oppa, your support totally threw me for a loop—teasing me and starving me like that. Did you have to sweep everything just to feel satisfied?!! Haha just kidding, next time please come as a healer boo hoo. We already have way too many DPS, and if even you join as DPS, I'll never eat on stream!
A private message had arrived. Naturally, the sender was StrawberryPudding.
'Oh.'
It was his first time receiving a message like this. A fresh experience.
He'd heard that big spenders sometimes got DMs from female streamers, but actually seeing one was new.
'So this is what it feels like.'
It wasn't a bad feeling. Just completely unexpected.
[Hello]
Hello. I know this is incredibly rude to ask, but could you maybe send me just one gift card? I'm in such a tough spot right now—I haven't eaten anything for two days straight. I've barely held on drinking only water from the police station or community center purifiers. I know this is shameless...
"...Messages like this too?"
Shin Jaewoo blinked in bewilderment at the lengthy, detailed sob story.
If it were true, it was heartbreaking. But he didn't quite buy it right now. It just left him dumbfounded.
'Why the hell should I help you?'
Korea was a pretty livable country to begin with. People didn't just starve to death unless things were extreme. There were always paths to at least get by with food.
"...No reason for me to look after someone in that situation anyway."
Still, he couldn't help pondering it a bit. After all, his money had come without any effort on his part.
"...Maybe it's not a bad idea to help people who are really struggling."
Shin Jaewoo murmured to himself. The first thing that came to mind was orphans.
Wasn't it something he'd heard countless times growing up?
- Orphan bastard
- Kid with no mom or dad...
No need to look far. Just recently, Han Taeho had dismissed him for similar reasons.
'I was okay because I had Grandma and Aunt...'
That's why he was truly grateful to his maternal grandmother and his aunt, Oh Miyoung.
Maybe that's why. Helping orphans sounded good, but everything had its order.
"Aunt comes first."
Shin Jaewoo muttered. So, how could he best repay Oh Miyoung's kindness?
Just then, a thought flashed through his mind.
'Just you wait. Someday, Aunt's gonna be a hotel general manager.'
Back when he was still writing novels, he'd talked with Oh Miyoung about career dreams. Her dream had been to become a hotel GM.
She wanted to run a hotel.
'Unlike me, who quit writing novels, she's still working at one.'
She'd never given up on that dream. She'd switched jobs a few times, but always to hotels.
His eyes lit up as the thought crystallized.
"...But she'd probably feel burdened by that?"
Hotel general manager. He could build her one or acquire an existing hotel. Easy with his money.
But Oh Miyoung was different from Kim Minseo.
'Minseo takes whatever I give her no problem...'
Oh Miyoung wouldn't. She might accept moderate pocket money. But handing over an entire hotel? Way too much.
So the conclusion:
'I have to help Aunt without her knowing it's from me!'
Shin Jaewoo's eyes sparkled. Time to devise a strategy.
Lumière Seoul. A 22-story building in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. A hotel.
"You're here, Manager?"
"Yeah. Heading home now, Soo-ji?"
"Yes."
Oh Miyoung, arriving for her shift, greeted a woman coming out. They shared front desk duties.
Of course, Oh Miyoung rarely handled check-ins anymore. She still had her good looks, but with her age and experience, no need to take work from juniors.
"Alright, have a safe trip home. All dressed up on your way out... Got a date?"
"Not a date—a blind date."
"Oh? Didn't you have a boyfriend?"
The woman waved off the teasing as she headed out.
"Come on, Manager. It's been ages since I broke up with him."
"Oh, right? Sorry. Hope it goes well."
A friendly exchange. Maybe because the woman mentioned a blind date, Shin Jaewoo popped into Oh Miyoung's mind.
'Jaewoo needs to meet a proper girl soon too...'
It was a shame. That he still hadn't found one.
Not her place to say as a divorcee, but Oh Miyoung believed everyone should experience marriage.
'Even if marriage sucks, becoming parents is worth it.'
The joy of having and raising kids. It came with immense hardship, but the rewards made up for it.
"Oh, Manager Oh. Heading in?"
But work satisfaction didn't quite compare. Especially now.
She turned with a smile.
"Yes, Manager Heo."
Standing before her was a man in his mid-to-late 30s. Younger than her.
But same rank.
And not just that. The room division manager was retiring soon. He was her rival for the spot: Heo Sang-gi.
"Take care, then. Lately, the front desk staff's handling of things... Complaints from guests are piling up."
Heo Sang-gi's words needled her.
'This kid half my age...!'
Oh Miyoung managed the front desk. Heo Sang-gi handled guest services and complaints.
He shook his head.
"I was thinking of calling them in for retraining... But since they're not my direct reports, I'm telling you, Manager Oh."
His eyes gleamed slyly.
The front desk didn't staff just anyone—mostly young, pretty women.
And under the guise of training, Heo Sang-gi had a bad rep with the female staff.
'Nothing official's been filed yet, so I hold back.'
He never crossed the line. A relief, but irritating all the same.
"...Got it. I'll talk to the staff."
"Yes, please do. Feels like we're the only ones dealing with complaints."
As if front desk was always at fault. But arguing now wouldn't help.
"Sure."
Oh Miyoung kept her expression neutral, hearing him out.
Heo Sang-gi inwardly clicked his tongue at her demeanor.
'Typical old auntie—such a pushover.'
It wasn't just now. Whenever he approached female staff, Oh Miyoung would glare like a beast.
'That auntie's cockblocking my game.'
But not for long. He eyed her retreating back, lighting a cigarette.
"...Come to think of it, her daughter's pretty cute. Still in school?"
He muttered, inhaling deeply and exhaling. His lip curled twistedly.
'If you've got a pretty daughter, enjoy her cuteness. What exec position is some mom with a kid eyeing?'
The retiring room GM was exec-level, beyond regular staff.
"...Promotion ain't just about doing good work. Gotta play the politics, auntie."
His phone buzzed. He smirked slyly, answering.
"Yes, GM. Ah, there? No worries. I've handled it this time. Yes, yes. Oh. This weekend?"
No one around, but he groveled obsequiously.
That was Heo Sang-gi's edge.
"Of course I'll go. Guest management is my job. Yes, yes. Yep! Take care! Loyalty!"
He hung up laughing, then murmured at the phone.
"Yeah. That's how you play the game. Connections."
He swung an imaginary golf club in the air.
Golf with the GM this weekend. He chuckled at the thought.
'Auntie's probably thinking it's a fair fight.'
Delusion. She thought they were competing, but it was over.
Upper management had decided. His promotion was set—just not announced.
Nothing short of an ownership change would overturn it now.
"...Sooyoung."
A call from Shin Jaewoo.
"Yes."
"Uh... There's this hotel in Samseong-dong called Lumière Seoul."
"Ah, you mean that one?"
Lee Sooyoung pretended nonchalance as her hands flew across the keyboard.
Search: Lumière Seoul. Info and photos popped up.
Decent hotel. But not quite five-star.
'Why ask about this when someone's at Baekje Hotel?'
She tilted her head. Reviews were solid, though.
And Shin Jaewoo's next words:
"Could... we acquire it?"