Chapter 14
“No, it’s only been an hour. I’m just asking to be let in once the cleaning is done. They won’t finish exactly at three anyway.”
“I’m sorry. All the rooms are fully booked right now. As soon as a room becomes available, I’ll let you know, so please wait a moment…”
“Why is this place so strict with everything? You’re all full, I know that! Do you think I’ve never been to a hotel before?”
The front desk staff broke into a cold sweat at her tone.
Yunseo, returning from a slightly late lunch, paused and saw the staff member’s flustered face. It reminded her of her own first days on the job.
She wasn’t a hotel front desk employee, but as Seungwoo’s assistant, she sometimes faced awkward situations. Back then, it felt like any problem was her fault, and it weighed heavily on her.
In service jobs like a hotel front desk, employees must never upset a customer, even if the customer’s requests are unreasonable. A single complaint posted online could seriously impact the hotel’s revenue or reputation.
“I’m really sorry. But all the rooms are full…”
“Excuse me?”
Yunseo straightened her posture and stood beside them. Two women, appearing to be in their fifties, glanced at her.
“Who are you?”
“I’m the secretary for the hotel’s president. You must be in a bit of a bind arriving an hour early. Would you mind coming this way for a moment?”
Yunseo led them to a table in the hotel lobby.
Hearing that she was the secretary for the hotel president and seeing her polite and respectful attitude, the women stopped resisting and sat where instructed.
“I’m very sorry. We’ll guide you as soon as a room is available, but today everything is fully booked. In the meantime, we’ve prepared tea and madeleines served only at our hotel. These are usually a welcome gift for suite guests.”
“Oh, really?”
Their faces immediately brightened again.
“Normally, this isn’t allowed, but since we’ll be keeping you waiting, I’ve asked for this as a special courtesy.”
The tea and madeleines were already offered as desserts at the morning buffet. The suite welcome gift usually included macarons and other treats, in addition to tea and madeleines.
Yunseo hadn’t lied.
She had simply created the impression that they were being treated specially. Emphasizing that it was a suite welcome gift made them very satisfied.
“Thank you, secretary. I really thought I was going to die.”
Watching the women enjoy tea and madeleines at the lobby table, the front desk staff let out a quiet sigh.
Yunseo looked at the employee’s name tag: Kwon Ji-ah, English name Jenny. A name worth remembering.
“Is it tough?” she asked.
“Only in situations like this. I don’t know what to do. But… you’re the president’s wife, right? I’ve heard about you, but it’s the first time meeting you in person.”
The young staff member’s eyes sparkled. Yunseo smiled back, feeling a little shy.
“Oh, a celebrity, huh? Are there many difficult customers like this?”
“Yes, sometimes. But usually, if we tell them we’re not ready, they wait patiently. Complaining like that is rare.”
Of course, the hotel hadn’t done anything wrong. But from a customer’s perspective, some people are let in early while others are not, which could cause dissatisfaction.
Yunseo quietly thought.
“If the hotel is fully booked, we have to make them wait. But maybe offering something in the meantime would be nice.”
For now, she had improvised with tea and madeleines. What if this became a permanent welcome gift?
Lost in thought for a moment, Yunseo noticed the piano music flowing through the lobby and smiled softly.
“This is Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. It’s my favorite classical piece.”
“Really? That’s Cho Sang-jin on piano. The president always selects the music. He’s really amazing.”
Yunseo’s eyes widened as if struck by something.
Cho Sang-jin on piano… yes, if what’s offered isn’t visible but something that can engage people’s time, it could keep them occupied.
“Thank you, I just thought of something.”
“Excuse me? Thank you for what…”
The confused staff member watched as Yunseo waved and quickly returned to her office.
“Designing the time in the lobby?”
Seungwoo raised his brows slightly after seeing the new plan.
“Yes. It’s a plan to turn waiting before check-in into an enjoyable experience, not just idle time.”
Marketing team leader Seo glanced at Yunseo and continued.
“To do that, we could make the lobby more like a café rather than just a waiting area. There’s a bar on the first floor, but except for evenings, there are few customers. So we could operate the bar and lobby together as a café in the afternoon.”
Seungwoo flipped through the plan.
“Continue.”
Seo took a sip of water and went on.
“And especially, provide a free welcome drink for guests, with the option to pay extra for other items. This way, customers naturally perceive their waiting time as time to enjoy a drink in the café.”
Seungwoo’s lips curved upward.
It was a rare, genuinely pleased expression.
“Who came up with this idea?”
Seo glanced at Yunseo.
Yunseo shook her head slightly, but Seo finally spoke.
“Actually, this idea came from secretary Choi Yunseo.”
Seungwoo looked surprised at Yunseo. She lowered her gaze briefly, then looked up cautiously.
“How did you come up with this idea?”
Seungwoo’s eyes focused sharply on her. This was the first time speaking to him since they got out of their cars yesterday.
Early this morning, Seungwoo had left for work first, saying he was busy.
“I met some customers who requested early check-in. Of course, they didn’t follow policy, but I thought about it from their perspective.”
Seungwoo nodded lightly.
He knew many guests wanted early check-in. But not all rooms were available, so persuading them was always the front desk’s responsibility.
“Most importantly, if the hotel’s first impression is conflict, the overall image suffers. So I thought we could design the guest’s first moments at the hotel to be enjoyable.”
“Excellent.”
When Yunseo finished speaking, Seungwoo unexpectedly praised her.
Yunseo froze.
This was the man who had made her cry yesterday. Even with a good idea, she wasn’t ready for such direct praise so soon.
“This is exactly the kind of idea I wanted. Instead of cutting costs, provide differentiated services. That way, guests remember our hotel more impressively. Designing the pre-check-in lobby time as the guest’s own time was an excellent idea.”
All eyes turned to Yunseo. She lowered her gaze, embarrassed.
“Specific details may still need refinement. Discuss and improve them further.”
Seungwoo took out a black card and handed it to the team leader.
“This is a small reward. There’s a new Japanese restaurant—let’s have a team dinner.”
“Thank you.”
The team leader’s face lit up.
“I’ll go first, as I’m busy. Continue your meetings.”
Seungwoo stood up decisively. Everyone bowed. As he passed Yunseo, he spoke in a low voice.
“Follow me.”
Yunseo felt her heart pounding as she followed him out of the conference room.
Seungwoo walked slowly to the window and turned to look at her.
“Not bad.”
Yunseo lifted her gaze.
The first thing she noticed was Seungwoo’s red eyes.
He hadn’t slept well yesterday either. How many days a month did he get proper rest?
Yunseo quickly pushed the thought away. Who was worrying about whom? She didn’t even know what would happen to her.
Seungwoo spoke again.
“Why?”
“Ah, yes?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yunseo had no words, just blinked rapidly.
“I’ll give you a separate incentive. If you worked, you deserve it. Do you want to go to the Japanese restaurant?”
Was that why he called her? Yunseo stayed quiet.
“If you really want to go, I’ll take you.”
“You still doubt me, don’t you?”
Yunseo whispered, avoiding his eyes.
“Yeah.”
Seungwoo didn’t deny it.
“Work and personal matters should be separate. Good work deserves proper reward. You’re telling me not to do that?”
“No.”
Yunseo shook her head.
Seungwoo quietly observed her stubbornly lowered head.
He didn’t understand why she acted that way yesterday.
He had been the one to call her in, so he was responsible for what came after. Whatever she did.
Yet yesterday, he had been unnecessarily sulky.
He lightly tapped her forehead.
“Go inside. I have a meeting.”
Yunseo, startled, touched her forehead and lifted her head. Seungwoo had already turned his back.
Why is he like this? He doubts me… but now he calls me over again?
Shaking her head, Yunseo felt her cheeks heat up.
