Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Flex Time (3)
Team Leader Kim Jun-seok’s divorce day.
That day was probably the day before Christmas Eve.
He seemed utterly drained, so he took all the employees and drank until they were on the verge of death.
It was the first time in my life I went drinking up to the fifth round.
He was so drunk that day.
He begged desperately, saying just this once for the sake of the kids, hands and feet pleading—but it was no use.
I could imagine how it must have felt to watch everything he had built vanish in an instant, powerless.
Even if it wasn’t exactly like Kim Team Leader, I had felt something similar.
Because of his rabbit-like kids and his family-oriented wife, Kim Team Leader used to leave work early whenever there was no overtime, always avoiding drinking sessions.
So the team was genuinely shocked when they heard he got caught drinking with another woman and got divorced.
They knew he’d never do something like that.
“Alcohol?”
Come to think of it…
The day Kim Team Leader stayed out overnight, he had complained that he was with Team Leader Lee Joong-wan, but somehow woke up with another woman.
“Ha… haha. Could it be that the gold-digger incident was also orchestrated by Team Leader Kim?”
This is insane. Really!
That crazy bastard not only stole a colleague’s wife but even caused a divorce.
And since he didn’t know if the woman would demand the divorce first, he made it appear as if it were Kim’s fault, so he could collect 5 million won monthly in alimony.
“And on top of that, he tried to manipulate everything at the company and even poach team members? Damn it. What a son of a—”
The more I learned about Team Leader Lee Joong-wan, the more nauseated I felt.
It was like seeing the ugliest side of a person blinded by desire.
“One’s a greedy money-hungry bug, the other’s an adulterer who tossed morality aside… they really do make a good pair.”
Using innocent people to take revenge on someone else… I used to feel sorry for Lee Joong-wan sometimes.
Thanks to him, my guilt completely vanished.
“I was going to end this with a cannon shell, but no. It’s going to be a nuclear bomb!”
The guilt of deceiving innocent colleagues… I would destroy him so thoroughly that he would never rise again.
In an instant, my combat power soared to its maximum.
After that, I drank endlessly.
I was so furious that even after finishing an entire bottle of whiskey alone, I wasn’t drunk.
After midnight, leaving Woo Jung-hwan, who was completely wasted, alone for a moment, I headed to the lobby on the first floor.
“I reserved a room over the phone.”
“What name was the reservation under?”
“Kang Min-hyuk.”
“Let me check.”
A moment later, the front desk clerk’s eyes widened when they found the name.
“You reserved the President Room?”
“Yes.”
The tired expression instantly changed to utmost politeness.
“Thank you for visiting our hotel. May I have your card to process the payment?”
I handed over a freshly issued black card, specially made for today’s flex.
Spending 500 million won in one day wasn’t possible with my regular card, so I got this one.
“You’re all set. Payment complete.”
Along with that, a text arrived on my phone.
[Web Message]
[Korea Bank] Kang * Hyuk (5025)
25,000,000 won
Noble Hotel Gangnam
25 million won for one night. An extraordinary amount.
An expense I would have never dreamed of in the past.
But today, because I had a mission to complete, I didn’t feel the least bit reluctant.
I would spend 500 million won to earn 13 billion won—there was no way I could refuse.
When my phone screen went dark, above it appeared a target balance: 475,000,000 won.
It was convenient to see exactly how much I needed to spend.
“What time is check-out?”
“10 a.m., sir.”
“My friend is really drunk. Could you help move him to the room?”
“Of course. I’ll send a bellman. Please wait a moment.”
The bellman arrived promptly.
I went up to the lounge with him, handed over Woo Jung-hwan, and completed the payment.
“2,580,000 won charged.”
“Here you go.”
The number on my phone’s lock screen changed to 472,420,000 won.
“I’ve only spent 5%. Still a long way to go.”
It was just past 12:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Hong Yu-na watched with amusement as a woman she had gifted alcohol to was being turned away.
‘And this is none other than Seo Jeong, huh. Heh heh.’
Seo Jeong, who had seduced the second generation of MG Group with his handsome face and powerful backing, had been on the blacklist for being recklessly arrogant.
Seeing him get rejected by Kang Min-hyuk and walk away felt like a breath of fresh air.
A little later, Kang Min-hyuk whispered to his companion, then began drinking furiously, for reasons unknown.
Bored quickly, Hong Yu-na headed to her reserved room.
Since the concierge would contact her once Kang Min-hyuk checked in, she could try to rest a little.
With year-end events and all the preparation, she needed breaks whenever she could.
After about two hours, the bell rang.
A staff member stood at the door holding a large basket.
“President Room guest, just checked in.”
“Oh, okay. Did you include the hangover remedies?”
“Yes, as requested.”
“Thank you. Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Since she had ordered another bottle of whiskey, if he fell asleep now, tomorrow’s schedule would be ruined.
She had asked the concierge to include her favorite hangover remedies in the basket.
Hong Yu-na, dressed in room manager attire, took the basket and headed to the President Room.
Click, click, click.
Room number 1.
The President Room, provided only to a single guest in the Noble Hotel.
Standing at the entrance, Hong Yu-na adjusted her outfit and pressed the bell elegantly.
Buzz—
One minute later, Kang Min-hyuk appeared.
A strong scent of whiskey emanated from him.
Leaning one arm on the doorframe, struggling to balance due to his drunken state, he said,
“I didn’t order room service.”
His slightly glazed eyes and arrogantly raised chin gave off a dangerous air.
Hong Yu-na met his gaze without blinking.
“This is a welcome service provided exclusively for President Room guests.”
“Oh… okay.”
As he reached for the basket, she stepped back.
“I’m required by hotel rules to deliver it personally to the living room.”
Kang Min-hyuk stared at her in disbelief.
Then, a strange sensation struck Hong Yu-na.
Soon, she realized why and chuckled quietly, remembering what Jeong Ji-hyun had said.
The bell rang, and a woman who had earlier stared provocatively at me from the bar stood at the door.
‘What? How did she know I’d be here?’
Almost asked how she had followed me here, but her attire…
‘Ah… she’s the room manager.’
Since she insisted on delivering the basket herself, I stepped aside.
The female manager walked elegantly to the living room and placed the basket in the center of the table.
“Is everything comfortable?”
“Yes.”
She glanced around carefully, then moved toward the bedroom.
“You must be tired. I’ll just explain the emergency exits and then leave.”
I wanted her to leave quickly since I had an early morning schedule, but her resolute gaze left me unable to refuse.
“Understood.”
She pointed out the fire extinguisher and emergency exits, then at the bedroom door, she said,
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Knocking gently, she opened the door to find Woo Jung-hwan passed out on the bed, and smiled faintly.
Probably embarrassed.
She pointed to the window, explaining where the fire escape ladder was.
After checking each room and explaining, she left.
“Are they usually this friendly?”
The service in such an expensive room was definitely top-notch.
Even so, the hangover remedies in the welcome basket were the most welcome.
“I don’t know whose idea this was, but it’s thoughtful.”
Before the lunch appointment, I had to spend as much as possible according to the consumption plan.
My younger sibling, whom I met in the hotel lobby, jumped when I offered to buy a foreign car.
“Are you crazy? A foreign car for an unemployed person?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll start working soon.”
“Me? When? Where?”
“Uh… have you ever tried real estate auctions?”
“I can’t try something I haven’t done!”
“No worries. You just need to watch. The final bid will be recorded by our company employee.”
“What?”
It was a building worth 10 million dollars (13 billion won).
Alex would handle preparations, but our staff needed to record the final bid.
“I’m thinking of putting the Zeros Group office in New York, so we’re buying a building. There’s a good one up for auction.”
“Zeros Group? You’re buying a building in New York?”
“Yes.”
I explained the situation to my stunned sibling: the plan to start an investment company with the remaining money, how the funds would be allocated, etc.
Of course, my sibling didn’t know I had won the lottery. They just assumed I invested leftover money in U.S. stocks and got lucky.
“Wow! You’re really lucky this year! Jackpot at the casino, hit it big on U.S. stocks, and even the lottery!”
Yep. The lottery made me rich.
Not luck, though—the TV predicted the future.
I quickly changed the topic.
“The auction lawyer will handle everything. You just need to record the final amount.”
“Okay, if it’s that simple.”
Even in Korea, people try to get extra fees on auctions. In the U.S., we’ll keep our info blind.
If anyone bids even one won higher, we’d lose out.
“It’s a good building. Just buying it will increase its value. Consider this car your reward.”
“Yay! I’ll take it.”
My sibling picked a pearly white Forte Karmann 4S, sleek and fitting for their slender figure.
“How much is it?”
“170 million won.”
“Full option?”
“A bit over 200 million won.”
“Perfect. I’ll take that.”
Watching them squeal in the test car made me proud.
“Won’t you buy a car, though?”
“Taxi’s fine. I’ll just commute between the gym and office.”
Driving during rush hour is exhausting.
Since I already had a skilled driver with a luxury taxi, I didn’t feel any inconvenience.
While the payment was processed, I immediately contacted Manager Kim at the department store.
“I’m going shopping. I’ll arrive in 10 minutes. Meet me at the first-floor entrance.”
At the department store, Manager Kim came out to greet us.
I handed him a list of items to purchase.
“I’d like to buy these items.”
“Understood. I’ll take you to the VIP room.”
My sibling, dumbfounded by the VIP treatment, whispered quickly.
“What? You’re a VIP at Noble Department Store?”
“Heh. They give it to anyone spending 200 million won.”
“200 million? Then everything we wore today was real?!”
“You don’t go to a department store wearing fakes. Embarrassing.”
“Oh, right? Hehe.”
After buying watches for my father and me, large and small bags for my mother, and three sets of clothes and bags for my sibling’s U.S. trip, we spent 270 million won quickly.
The flex budget left: 5,350,000 won.
“I want to give a gift to the lawyer. What should I get?”
“She’s female, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… maybe accessories? No woman dislikes pretty things.”
Accessories… would that work?
She hardly wore rings or earrings.
“Wouldn’t it be too much for a first gift?”