Chapter 15
The next day, Yunseo brought a sandwich and coffee set to the front desk during lunch.
Ji-ah’s eyes widened when she saw Yunseo.
“Thank goodness. You’re here.”
Yunseo smiled brightly, though Ji-ah still looked a little stunned.
“Oh, Secretary Choi. What brings you here?”
“I got praised for helping with the marketing team’s plan,” Yunseo said, offering the sandwich set she had brought.
“You really didn’t have to do this.”
It was time for the lunch shift, so Ji-ah took the sandwich set and walked with Yunseo out of the front desk.
“I didn’t do much. Next time, I’ll make sure to treat you to something delicious.”
“No, I’m giving this because I’m grateful.”
“Don’t say that. Next time, I’ll definitely buy something.”
They had walked only a few steps when Yunseo noticed a woman walking arm in arm with a middle-aged man coming toward them. The man, with a round belly, saw Ji-ah and smiled like he recognized her.
“Oh, you’re a front desk employee? Going for lunch?”
Ji-ah forced a smile and nodded.
“Oh, a guest! Are you heading to eat?”
“Yes, we’re going to the second-floor restaurant. See you around.”
The man waved once and crossed the lobby with the woman.
Only then did a look of deep disgust appear on Ji-ah’s face.
“Did he make some kind of mistake too?” Yunseo asked, noticing Ji-ah’s expression.
Ji-ah shook her head.
“Ugh, if it were just a mistake, it would be easier to deal with. He’s a No Info. guest. Absolutely no information can be disclosed about him. Want to know why? Every time he comes, the woman changes.”
Yunseo’s mouth fell open in surprise. She glanced back at the man once more. He seemed like an ordinary middle-aged man. But now she noticed the woman with him looked extremely young.
“By the way, you know this is a secret, right? I’m only telling you because you’re Secretary Choi. If this gets out, I’m dead.”
No Info. guest information must never be disclosed to anyone unless law enforcement intervenes.
“That must be frustrating.”
“It is. Inside, I’m boiling with anger, but what can you do? It’s the fate of a hotel employee. Though… I wish he’d get a bit of a wake-up call someday.”
Seeing that discussing this in a public area might be risky, Yunseo naturally changed the subject.
“How long have you been working here?”
“Exactly six months. I started right after graduation. So I’m still a bit clumsy.”
From Ji-ah’s chatter, Yunseo felt a sense of fresh youth.
They entered the staff lounge, where employees were eating lunch or desserts in various corners.
While the hotel provided lunch, sometimes staff brought in sandwiches from the hotel bakery or other items if they wanted something different.
“Wow, is this a limited-edition sandwich? It is! Did you line up to buy this this morning?”
The hotel bakery sold only twenty of these sandwiches a day. Even staff had difficulty getting them.
“Yes, I actually asked the pastry chef to save just two for me.”
“I’ve only tried it here twice. I’ll really enjoy it.”
Yunseo watched Ji-ah chatter and eat with a satisfied expression.
Yunseo had made the effort to visit Ji-ah not only out of gratitude but also to secure an information source.
Front desk employees were the first to receive information coming in from guests outside the hotel.
Getting close only to Director Han Juseok wasn’t the best method. The more connections she had, the faster she could gather information.
“By the way, are there many No Info. guests?” Yunseo asked, recalling Ji-ah’s earlier comment.
If Juseok planned to execute his scheme by bringing someone into the hotel as a guest, they would likely be checked in as No Info.
“Sometimes, yes. But in our hotel, those guests are reported immediately to upper management, so nothing happens. At another hotel I worked at, some No Info. guests were gambling, and the police had to be called. It was chaos.”
Ji-ah went on about her experiences: hotel difficulties, troublesome guests, and the constant unexpected challenges.
Yunseo listened gently, like she would to a junior colleague.
“Thank you so much today. You really are Secretary Choi. They say you’re a legend in the secretary team. Everyone says they understand why the president was so smitten with you.”
“Oh no, that’s too much praise.”
“And… you’re often busy, right?”
Ji-ah waved her hand as if to brush it off, and Yunseo smiled.
“I’ll come again. It’s not far, so I’ll visit often. Please don’t ignore me.”
“Ignore you? If I have any good ideas, I’ll tell you immediately.”
“Oh, also… if a No Info. guest comes, could you let me know too? Even if it’s reported to the president, I think I should keep an eye on it.”
Ji-ah nodded, seeming it would be no problem.
“I will. Don’t worry.”
Back in the secretary office, Yunseo checked the emails that had come in and reviewed her remaining tasks. The president’s busy schedule kept the secretary office constantly occupied.
All afternoon, Yunseo reviewed reports from the room team, pressing her temples with both hands.
“Sigh, why are there so many complaints? Someone even said the pillow was the wrong height. A single call would solve that. It’s all written in the information. How could they not know?”
Hae-jin, reviewing similar reports, muttered under his breath.
For every complaint posted in reviews, a report had to be written, including the cause and countermeasures. If not done properly, it had to be rewritten, making the room team’s work far from easy.
That was why the secretary team also helped review the reports.
“Or they could just call the front desk, and the staff would guide them to change the pillow. Why don’t they even do that…”
Hae-jin knew customer behavior well. He had experienced enough over a year. He was venting despite knowing.
“Many people find calling inconvenient, no matter how politely guided. These days, most things are done via apps or messages.”
Yunseo nodded, and Hae-jin agreed.
“Customers are king, but after a year here, I feel a bit disillusioned. Both hotel work and being a secretary… it’s all about adjusting to others.”
Yunseo looked at him.
His voice lacked energy, and his expression was heavy with unspoken worry.
“That’s right. Whether secretary or hotel work, serving someone is the same.”
“Making money for someone else isn’t easy. Especially as a secretary.”
Hae-jin’s gloomy expression seemed unusual, as if a deep, fundamental wound had been touched.
After a moment, he looked back at Yunseo.
“Ah, was I being too serious?”
She smiled back at him.
“No. It’s okay to be serious sometimes. We can’t always be happy.”
“Madam… I mean, Secretary Choi, I feel like my real expression keeps showing in front of you.”
Hae-jin stood. Yunseo watched him leave and tilted her head. His eyes had seemed a little glossy just moments ago.
He wasn’t crying, surely.
While she continued reviewing the remaining reports, Yunseo received a call from the front desk.
“Yes, this is Choi Yunseo.”
[Um, Secretary Choi, a guest would like to see you now.]
Yunseo’s face showed surprise. In her five years as a secretary, she had never received such a request.
“Excuse me? Who is it?”
[It’s Min Seon-yeong. Technically she’s the president’s guest, so we can’t explain everything. She asked that the president not be told. What should we do?]
Yunseo thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and replied.
“All right, I’ll go.”
[Thank you. Go straight to the room, 2503.]
Yunseo remembered Seon-yeong’s provocative gaze. She didn’t want to lose, nor did she want Seungwoo to find out.
She slowly took the elevator to Seon-yeong’s room.
When she reached 2503 and rang the doorbell, it opened a moment later, revealing Seon-yeong with messy hair.
“You’re here?”
Seon-yeong looked slightly surprised that Yunseo had actually come.
Yunseo frowned at the state of the room. It was a mess, with trash everywhere and half-empty bottles scattered around.
“I understand. I need the mess to get ideas flowing.”
“You can call the front desk anytime for cleaning service,” Yunseo said.
Seon-yeong didn’t seem to want to fix it, even though it would take no effort.
“It’s fine. I’m comfortable like this. Sit.”
Hesitant, Yunseo sat on the sofa, unsure if it was even clean.
“You act so proper, Secretary Choi. Don’t you go to the bathroom?”
Seon-yeong crossed her legs and tilted her head.
“I called you because I want to drink with you. I have no drinking buddies, so I get lonely.”
“I’m on duty.”
“You’re a hotel employee. Serving guests isn’t part of your job? Just have a drink.”
Seon-yeong poured whiskey from a bottle into a glass in front of Yunseo.
But, either intentionally or because she was tipsy, the whiskey spilled on Yunseo’s skirt instead of into the glass.
“Oh!”
“Oh my, what a mistake.”
Seon-yeong just laughed at the whiskey spilling on Yunseo’s skirt.
