Room 1303: Contact from Shin Jaewoo
Han Taeho stared at the message from Shin Jaewoo in room 1303, lost in thought. It was true he'd fully submitted to the man, but he still needed a moment of internal conflict before actually speaking to him. In the end, though, he picked up the phone.
"What's up, hyungnim?"
Han Taeho answered with a grin, smiling as if Shin Jaewoo were right there in front of him. But his expression faltered in surprise mid-conversation.
"Wor...k?"
He never imagined Shin Jaewoo would actually entrust him with a job. Even his own parents didn't give him real work. Let alone Shin Jaewoo, with whom he shared such bad blood. But what shocked him even more was the role he'd been assigned.
"So... what exactly do I need to do...?"
To be honest, Han Taeho had never done any proper work in his life. He'd just been living off the allowance his parents gave him. Sure, he had his "duties."
'Sucking up to Kim Dong-su's ass—that's been my role.'
Kim Dong-su. Sticking by that gangster's side, playing the loyal little brother. It was much the same now. Sticking by Shin Jaewoo's side, playing the loyal little brother—that was Han Taeho's mission. The stress from it was why his parents kept giving him pocket money.
'But...'
This was the first time anyone had ever said, "Let's work together," in this way. Kim Dong-su had never treated him like that. And certainly not Shin Jaewoo, their old enemy. He'd figured any job from him would be something shady at best. But as he listened, Han Taeho realized it wasn't the case at all.
'This is actual work?'
And if it was this kind of work, it was right up his alley—his specialty, even.
"Hyungnim, I'll handle it perfectly so you won't be disappointed."
Han Taeho found himself genuinely moved, almost teary-eyed. It felt like real recognition.
-Yeah, I figured you'd be perfect for something like this.
It was because Shin Jaewoo said things just like that.
"Of course, hyungnim. I'll take care of it flawlessly."
-Good. I'm counting on you.
He'd actually said he was counting on him. Where else would Han Taeho ever hear words like that? Especially after he'd betrayed Shin Jaewoo once before. And yet, here was the man speaking to him like this.
'I swear I'll never betray you again. I'll serve you as my hyungnim for life.'
For now, he had to nail this job. Han Taeho rose from his seat.
"...Lumière Seoul, huh?"
He should check it out at least once. He wasn't officially on staff yet, but it was his assigned workplace, so he wanted to scope it out.
'Hah.'
Heo Sang-gi let out a hollow laugh, surveying the room service manager's office. Starting today, this was his new workspace. He'd been thrilled when he first stepped in. But now? It felt unbearably uncomfortable.
'Why did it have to happen right at this moment...?'
He wished his promotion had come just one day later. It was infuriating how quickly the announcement had dropped. It felt like someone was deliberately screwing with him.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it..."
Profanities spilled from his lips nonstop. He couldn't focus on any work right now. And of course, that's when someone had to knock.
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"Uh... Manager. It's Guest Services Manager Kim Byung-wook."
One of his subordinates from before. With Heo Sang-gi's promotion, this guy had taken over the vacant manager spot. Heo Sang-gi scowled deeply.
"Come in."
In truth, Kim Byung-wook was a year older than Heo Sang-gi. But he'd always spoken casually to him. It had been that way since Heo was just a manager.
'If you don't like it, you should've gotten promoted first.'
The guest services team's main job was handling complaints from difficult customers. Having a younger boss chew him out was just part of the training. Kim Byung-wook entered, bowing his head.
"Sigh. What do you want?"
Everything annoyed Heo Sang-gi right now.
"Ma-Master."
"What? You wondering if I'm about to get fired too?"
"Huh? F-Fired? No way. No one fires hands-on managers like the room service chief."
Heo Sang-gi's tension eased a bit at those words.
"...Right?"
"Of course. They don't even seem like real hotel people—just bought the operations rights. They'll keep the practical managers like us, obviously."
Heo Sang-gi nodded vigorously. That had to be it.
"Ahem. Yeah. So, what brings you here?"
"Well... it's about a complaint..."
Heo Sang-gi's face soured again.
"Why bring that to me? Isn't it your job?"
"Y-Yes, it is, but... I told Min-ah to call her superior, and when she did, she started yelling at me to bring my superior..."
Heo Sang-gi's scowl deepened as he listened. It happened sometimes—customers who demanded to see the top dog.
'What a pain.'
Even the guests were getting on his nerves now. He took a deep breath.
"...So you came running to me?"
"Huh?"
"God, you idiot. Can't a manager handle his own shit properly?"
As he chewed out Kim Byung-wook, Heo Sang-gi racked his brain. Going there himself would just mean more headaches.
'In that case...'
Who knew how long his power would last, but for now, he was room service manager. As he left the head manager's office earlier, he'd overheard the front desk staff trash-talking him gleefully.
'...Fine. Front desk helps each other out, right?'
He turned to Kim Byung-wook.
"...Front desk manager hasn't clocked out yet, has she?"
"She was on duty last night, but she'll finish her shift today."
"Yeah, figures for a woman like her."
Confirming Oh Miyoung was still there, Heo Sang-gi smirked.
"Go to Oh Miyoung and tell her a front desk screw-up pissed off the guest, so they demanded the responsible party."
"Huh?"
Normally, complaints went from front desk to guest services. But Heo Sang-gi was flipping the script—sending guest services trouble to front desk.
"Tell her the front desk head needs to go apologize, promise it won't happen again, and smooth things over."
"But the guest isn't mad about that..."
"Since when do you care? Just do what I say."
Oh Miyoung would figure out it was a setup once she got there. But what could she do about it?
'She's a pro; she'll handle it.'
He respected her as a rival, in a way. She'd sort it out with her loyalty and skills. So he'd toss her this bone.
'Heh heh.'
He'd milk his remaining authority for all it was worth. Oh Miyoung received the details from Kim Byung-wook.
"Pardon?"
Her face hardened. Even if it were true, it was suspicious. Front desk rarely got called out for their own mistakes like this.
"The... manager said to send you, ma'am."
Kim Byung-wook, embarrassed, told the truth. Oh Miyoung's expression darkened further.
'He's really gone too far, Heo Sang-gi.'
Rage boiled inside her. Few staff liked Heo Sang-gi. He was the classic bully to underlings, fawning to superiors and customers.
"Sigh. Fine. I'll handle it."
What choice did she have? She was exhausted from the night shift, but it was her company.
"Which room?"
"Uh... 1303."
Oh Miyoung flinched slightly.
'Figures.'
Room 1300s were Lumière Seoul's suites—expensive and rare. It meant a wealthy guest. But not quite VIP level.
'Moderately rich.'
And full of pride. Those types were the worst whiners. The 1300s fit perfectly.
"Got it."
Oh Miyoung headed there. When she arrived, the door was ajar. A young man lounging on the sofa, leg crossed, scowled at her.
"What? You're the room service manager?"
"...Front Desk Manager Oh Miyoung."
"This place is a joke. I asked for the guest services manager's boss, and the hierarchy puts front desk above them? Nah."
He knew the org chart better than expected.
"The room service manager isn't available right now..."
As she deflected, he cut in.
"Ah, whatever. Room service manager must be slacking already. Heard he just got promoted today—already dodging work to bully his staff."
"...?"
Oh Miyoung was caught off guard now. This guy wasn't just any guest.
"Tsk tsk. A slob like that as room manager. Good thing no inspection came, or we'd be screwed."
His words were odd, suspicious. Han Taeho pressed on.
"No need for the manager to rush over for a whiny guest demanding the boss, but pulling this crap? Hilarious. Send him back. Tell him it's not the guest this time—it's the owner's orders. See if he shows."
Han Taeho's smirk eerily mirrored Heo Sang-gi's. One thing was clear: Heo Sang-gi was in deep shit.
'The owner's... orders?'
She'd heard the ownership had changed. The new owner's rep was finally here—posing as a whiny guest for an inspection.
"...I'll pass it on."
"Nah. I called for the manager's boss, and some auntie shows up..."
Han Taeho opened his mouth.
"Guess the auntie can play room manager now. Let's go with that."
"...Pardon?"
"He brought this on himself. If he wants to blame someone, blame his dumb head. Head back. Personnel orders are coming soon."
Oh Miyoung couldn't process it. Dazed, she rode the elevator down. Ding. The doors opened to Heo Sang-gi, smirking smugly.
"Oh. Sorry about that, Oh Manager. But I thought you should experience a customer complaint firsthand. All for your own good, so don't hold it against me."
He patted her shoulder, acting like he knew everything. Oh Miyoung turned and stared.
"That guest..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. How nasty was he..."
"No. He said he's here on the owner's orders."
"Yeah, the ow—what?"
Heo Sang-gi's face froze.
"If you want to save your spot, you'd better rush up there now. Though... I doubt it'll end well."
His face drained of color as she spoke.
"M-Move!"
He shoved past her and hit the button. The elevator rose to the 13th floor.