Chapter 36. The Long-Term Guest in Room 103
Chapter 36. The Long-Term Guest in Room 103
“Hello!”
9:50.
At my greeting, Chanhyeok hyung, who had been dozing in the counter chair, jolted awake.
“Already shift change? Ugh… my back!”
Looking at the POS screen, not even half the rooms were filled.
It was better than when the nuclear missile incident happened before, but ever since the Gwanghwamun bombing, it had been like this every day.
How many more days would the aftereffects last this time?
Still, once people calmed down, the days when we ran out of rooms would return.
If a time ever came when motel rooms didn’t sell, humanity would be on the verge of extinction anyway…
“Hello, Assistant Manager Kang!”
“Good day, Kang Chan-nim!”
The new female cleaning team and the returning Isu Gang cleaning team greeted me.
Arin, Hyeonyoung, and Yuri started cleaning the lobby in outfits like comic book protagonists, while the returning Isu Gang juniors began loading supplies onto the cleaning carts.
When Cheolmin hyung said he would bring three people back because they were short-handed, the owner looked despairing. But perhaps he couldn’t stand against Cheolmin’s charisma when he delivered decisions firmly—he didn’t refuse outright.
Thanks to that, our room cleaning quality improved again.
The female cleaning team still cut corners seriously, but since the Isu Gang juniors worked hard, overall it wasn’t too different from before.
Moreover, the female team focused more on hallways and the lobby than on rooms. When guests occasionally ran into them, their eyes would widen and they’d turn back for another look.
These days, besides couples, solo male guests had started appearing too. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like the female team’s contribution.
They suited marketing more than production.
At that moment, the doors to Rooms 105 and 104 opened, and Cheolmin hyung and Lauren came out.
“Hello, oppa!”
The female cleaners, who had been pretending to clean while glancing toward Room 105, greeted Cheolmin in chorus.
Oppa?
That hyung looked well into his mid-30s—oppa?
“Little brother, you’re on shift today. I’ll be late today. I might not even make it back tonight.”
As Cheolmin hyung spoke, Lauren suddenly approached and added,
“I might not come back today either. You don’t have to wait.”
She stood almost linking arms with Cheolmin. Seeing that, the female cleaners’ gazes sharpened.
“Yes, have a good trip!”
“You two are going out together?”
Yuri asked coldly. Cheolmin hyung replied with a big smile,
“Yes. We have something to do together today.”
Then Lauren slipped her arm through Cheolmin hyung’s and said,
“Let’s go, Cheolmin-ssi. We’re busy today!”
The two disappeared like a couple checking out, and the counter atmosphere turned chilly.
I ignored it, took my tablet, and started inspections from the fifth floor.
Room conditions were better than when the older aunties used to clean, so there wasn’t much to check. I used telekinesis to remove dust from spots that were hard for the cleaning team to handle.
When I came back down, the owner was alone in the office, on the phone with someone.
He never came to the motel when Cheolmin hyung was around, so he must have seen him leave on camera.
“Ah, President Kim, does that make any sense? How can I hand over a motel at that price?”
Huh?
Hand over the motel?
My ears perked up.
“Anyway, tell him to stop talking nonsense. How can someone in real estate be that clueless about how the world works? Don’t even bring those terms to me!”
It sounded like someone trying to buy below the 12-billion-won market price.
The greedy owner was refusing to sell below market…
On TV, news about social unrest and falling Seoul real estate prices kept airing.
Then how much had they offered for him to refuse?
Judging by how angry and firm he was—below 10 billion? 9? Maybe even 8?
While I was thinking, the owner hung up and cursed.
“Tch, those thieves. Trying to get something for nothing! Chan! Bring me a cup of mix coffee!”
I handed him coffee and asked casually,
“Seems like someone wants to buy the motel cheap?”
“Exactly! Scammers who don’t know how the world works. Saying I should sell for 15 billion—does that make sense?”
“What? Didn’t you say the market price was 12 billion recently?”
I almost choked at his words.
“That was before! Look at how much money the government is pumping into the economy now! Real estate prices will double soon! At minimum it’ll hit 20 billion!”
What kind of nonsense is that!
I didn’t know economics in detail, but the news was screaming about apartment prices crashing.
“The news says the opposite. Maybe you’re mistaken, boss?”
“News? That’s just scammers fooling naive people! Think about it—if you spray money everywhere, where does it end up? It all circles back into real estate! I’ve never been wrong about this!”
I had been running hard toward the unrealistic goal of 12 billion.
And suddenly the target doubled.
This doesn’t feel right!
A heart demon was creeping in.
Should I not have stopped that nuke?
If it had just dropped, maybe motel prices would’ve halved.
Should I blow up some small place somewhere?
Ah… heart demon.
I took deep breaths to calm myself.
After once losing my composure before, I stayed wary of inner demons. Owning the motel mattered, but what mattered most was living normally among ordinary people.
If I lost my balance, I couldn’t live normally.
“What’s with your face? If you scowl like that, will guests like it? Can’t you smile?”
The owner snapped at my expression.
I tried to force a smile while breathing slowly.
“Hey, your eyes are glaring while only your mouth smiles—that’s scarier. Just scowl instead. That’s better.”
“Yes!”
I put two sticks of mix coffee into a paper cup and made it strong.
Sugar entering my body calmed my emotions.
I picked up a rag and wiped the counter. Telekinesis already kept it clean, but wiping things by hand quieted my mind.
Then the phone rang.
Room 208.
“Yes, front desk.”
“Why’s the water pressure so weak here!”
“Weak water pressure? Should I come take a look?”
“I need to wash and leave. Come quickly!”
I grabbed a screwdriver and went up. Usually loosening the faucet screw slightly fixed it.
When I rang the bell, a man in only underwear stood there.
His body was covered in flashy tattoos—more trendy than gangster.
“Ah, damn, these motel facilities…”
He lit a cigarette and watched me. On the bed, a similarly tattooed woman was sleeping face-down.
I checked everything from the tank to pipes with telekinesis—nothing wrong. Turning on the water, the pressure was normal.
Other guests never complained about this level, but he said he couldn’t shower. I turned the faucet screw half a turn. The pressure increased about 10%.
“All set, sir.”
As I was leaving, he frowned.
“What do you mean set? It’s the same! Trying to fool me and brush it off!”
He came in, turned on the shower, and shouted. The pressure was still normal.
“This is normal pressure, sir.”
“Normal? So I’m abnormal now? This punk—”
He threw down the hose and swung at my face.
I dodged lightly and spoke again,
“Try using it. Anywhere, this is normal pressure.”
“This punk dodged?”
He got angrier.
You get guests like this once or twice a month. Three or four staff had quit because of this.
“Assistant Manager Kang, any problem?”
The Isu Gang juniors approached after hearing the noise. 190 cm, 130 kg muscle blocks in aprons and head towels—intimidating.
“Ah, don’t worry about it.”
“No, he was swearing—this bastard—”
One of them took off his apron and head wrap.
The tattoo guy shrank instantly.
“Sir, please try again. This is normal pressure.”
I smiled and turned on the shower. He nodded reluctantly.
“Use it, and if there’s an issue, call the front desk.”
I left. The cleaning team clicked their tongues and went back to work.
Usually it takes a long time for guests like that to calm down. After missing a few slaps, they ask if I’m an athlete and cool off.
Today it ended quickly thanks to the Isu Gang juniors.
The sun was setting.
The owner and manager left. The red sunset from the parking lot spilled into the counter.
Bella sat next to me, licking ice cream and watching a drama on her phone.
A retro drama from years ago. A Russian watching it enthusiastically felt mismatched.
Guests were sparse again due to the bombing’s aftermath. It didn’t look like overnight rooms would fill, so we were already taking overnight bookings early.
Day-use guests were about 10% of usual.
Objectively, it looked like a failing motel, yet the owner insisted on double the market price.
If I took over, would I be buying a failing motel, or overpaying for a good one?
While I was thinking, the door opened.
A woman in a long coat down to her calves and black leather pants.
Either unique fashion sense or serious about cosplay like our maids.
“Welcome!”
I greeted her with a smile.
She stared at my face and said,
“Tracksuit?”
“Huh?”
She was extremely beautiful.
Skin like white jade with invisible pores, even paler than a Westerner. She looked bare-faced, yet her red lips surpassed our cleaning team’s efforts.
Maybe someone Bella could only match after a rebirth? Bella just snickered at her drama.
“One room.”
“Staying for a short rest?”
“……….”
No answer.
Many women book first and men come later, so it’s a necessary question, but she just stared.
“Staying overnight?”
She nodded slightly.
“I’ll give you 504. It’s 90,000 won.”
She shook her head.
“First floor. A room facing 105.”
“Ah… that’s the 103 suite. It’s 160,000 per night.”
“Charge me for a week.”
She handed over a plain black card.
A rumored black card?
Now all five first-floor rooms were filled with long-term guests.