Min Yeo-ju, 25, majored in aviation at a prestigious university. She's got all the qualifications, and she's got the TOEIC. For a recent senior, she possesses a dazzling resume and lands a job at Hwayang Hotel. Along with the Shilla Hotel, Hwayang Hotel is arguably the best accommodation in South Korea. The employee benefits are excellent, and the paycheck, after a month of hard work, is even more satisfying. It's no wonder aspiring hoteliers are eagerly awaiting the job, making the open recruitment process incredibly challenging. Min Yeo-ju is quite proud to have overcome the 1:20 odds and finally landed a job at Hwayang Hotel.
"Oh, Ms. Yeoju is a new employee in the guest room department, right?"
"Yes, that's right!"
The kind-looking man, who seemed to be the general manager, waved his hand, telling the woman, who was standing with military discipline, to relax. He then pulled out a stack of documents on the desk and said, "Since you seem to have mastered the basics since you're here, I won't provide any additional training. ..." However! He had been calmly explaining, but suddenly accented the end of his sentence. This caused the frightened woman to jerk in her chair. She quickly straightened her posture and listened intently to the man's serious gaze.
"These rules must be followed carefully."
"Rule, rule...?"
"yes."
Our hotel,
It's a really unique place.
***
The hotel provided accommodations for the staff. The hotel's spacious and clean interior, not much different from a guest room, prompted Yeoju to reflect on the morning's events. "What on earth is this unusual rule, that even requires this kind of documentation?" After work, she collapsed on her bed and began reading the paper the general manager had handed her earlier, holding it up to the light.
"Rule number one... never,"
1. Never stay up past 3 a.m.
(Even if you are awake for unavoidable reasons,thatYou must keep your eyes closed until this passes.)
2. If you hear someone's voice coming from the men's restroom at the end of the right hallway on the second floor, ignore it.
(Construction of the men's restroom on the second floor of this hotel is not complete.)
3. If a blonde guest arrives after midnight, press the emergency bell located under the desk.
(that) hates noise.)
"··· Do you hate it?"
She had been skimming the edge of the paper before she realized it, and as soon as she finished the last sentence, she snorted. This kind of intimidating rookie is the same everywhere. Yeoju, who had heard a similar anecdote a few days ago from a college classmate who had just joined a four-star hotel, suddenly found everything funny. Especially the advice not to stay awake at 3 a.m. seemed contradictory to the working conditions at Hwayang Hotel, which was packed with guests on both weekdays and weekends. Dawn was probably the time when complaints were most common. Min Yeoju considered falling for the clumsy prank for a moment, but quickly shook her head.
"If you do something like this, you'll be a laughing stock for the rest of your life."
Then he roughly crumpled up the documents and threw them into a makeshift trash can.
***
It was a hectic day. Perhaps they didn't give her any leeway because she was new, or maybe they were just pushing her around more because she was new. The people here were just too harsh on Yeoju. They said the employee benefits were great! Except for the accommodations, everything else was the same as any other hotel! Yeoju, who had been leaning against the second-floor hallway for a moment, panting, sighed as her seniors' nagging piled up in her ear. Apparently, in a tough place, territoriality is equally tough. Just as Yeoju was about to grasp the ways of the world, she heard someone calling her name.
"there."
"Haa... Yes, sir?"
Of course, I assumed it was a passing customer. But when I looked around, the hallway was quiet. I rubbed my eyes with a fierce expression, and then I heard the voice again. "There, you, you." Only then did the female protagonist raise her head. "Yes, yes!" And the scene unfolding before her eyes...
"ah?"
That unfinished men's bathroom. Construction is supposed to resume next month due to our circumstances. So, it shouldn't be empty right now. Haha. Could this really be me? Yeo-ju forced a laugh, but then felt goosebumps creep up her body. It was all because Min Yeo-ju couldn't even watch horror movies alone. "Damn it, this job... I went through all that trouble to get here." She, who had been feeling utterly exhausted until just now, left behind a potential customer.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!!! Please call me next time!!!!!!"
The 36th strategy is to break the chain of command.
***
"Okay, see you later."
***
Time passes, and it's past midnight. The female protagonist, her battery drained, is pretending to work at the desk thanks to the rare kindness of her angelic senior... lying down. Honestly, there's not much to do at the desk at night. Most customers come and go during the day or afternoon. So, right now is one of those rare, perfect times. Just as she's about to catch up on some pending calls, she senses a presence.
"Senior...? That's not it."
"···."
"Son... are you there?"
A mysterious man has suddenly approached the desk. He's pulling his hood down low, making the woman tilt her head. "Can I help you check in? Or check out?" The man, who had been silently ignoring all of her questions, suddenly takes off his hood. "Your hair is... nice... uh... bright too..." The woman stares at him as if entranced, then suddenly comes to her senses. That guy's hair color...
"Is there a room here?"
"···."
Blonde hair.
Came at midnight... She has blonde hair.
"Is there one?"
"Gyaaaa ...
The heroine ran away.
***
A frail new housekeeper had taken refuge in her room. It could have been a damn coincidence, but even considering all that, it was fucking terrifying. To the point where she was about to develop a phobia of blondes. The female protagonist ran to the bed and pulled the covers over her head. Fuck, fuck, fuck. A torrent of curses she couldn't bring herself to spit out. If she was going to be scolded by these people anyway, she might as well take more. So the female protagonist picked up her phone and left a message for the angelic senior who had finally managed to speak. In the voicemail, she wrote, "Senior... I'm really sorry, but I'll just sleep a little..." Her traces were timid.
"Okay, let's go to sleep. When you're sleepy, you tend to have strange thoughts... Let's think about it when we wake up, Min Yeo-ju."
I mutter to myself and fall asleep.
***
Ring ring ring! If there's one flaw in Min Yeo-ju's eyesight, it's that she has slightly bad eyesight. It's not that it's terribly bad, and she doesn't wear glasses, but sometimes it happens. For example, she can't tell the difference between AM and PM. So, the alarm that she thought was set for 3 PM, lunchtime, actually rang at 3 AM. Yeo-ju wakes up, rubbing her face nervously. Looking at the loud alarm screen, it says it's 3 AM. I'm going crazy and I'm going crazy. Min Yeo-ju, 25 years old and extremely sleep-deprived, throws her phone far away with a thud.
"Oh... man. I'm awake."
She completely pulled back the rustling blanket, her fingers twitching absentmindedly. Had she received a reply from her senior? Am I just going to be scolded until my ears bleed tomorrow? As she pondered this and that, the events of earlier came flooding back into her mind. The noises in the men's bathroom, the blonde man who came in at midnight. Something about them felt familiar: the rules she'd dismissed as jokes. The heroine didn't fully believe it yet, but she sensed a sense of gravity. Thoughts soon turned into actions. She reached into the trash can and pulled out the already crumpled documents.
“I think there were three… What on earth is this?”
The surroundings were pitch black, making it difficult to read the letters. Squinting, the heroine heard a noise from an unknown source: the sound of footsteps. Startled, she assumed the guest in the room had left for a moment, and focused nonchalantly on deciphering the letters. Finally, the rules began to emerge. The second and third rules... were the same as before. Creak. Didn't you see the very first rule? Creak. But... what's this sound...?
"···."
The first rule was finally read by the female protagonist who was quietly reading the documents.
"How about you,"
"···."
Never,
"Isn't there anything you're protecting?"
Don't be awake at 3am.