Chapter 20

Chapter 20

20. Please DM for Reservations. (Praying)

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Pathological Liar Gallery

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[General] Storytime: I Drank with a Female Singer.ssul [Comments:117]

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What the hell? There's no way it should have this many comments.

Heh, guess they were insanely jealous when I said I drank with a female singer.

Sorry, but there's no part two.

Too much work.

Just as I put my phone down and was about to start driving again,

- Ding.

Huh?

An Instagram notification popped up over the browser.

【Eve Callaway】: I'm taking off now!

【Kim Woo-jin】: Have a safe flight.

【Eve Callaway】: And here's a gift!

【Eve Callaway】: (Waikiki Sun Beach Free Tasting Voucher)

【Eve Callaway】: It came through my agency, but Hale Makani's food was so good I never got to use it. Enjoy!

【Kim Woo-jin】: Thank you.

【Eve Callaway】: See you later!

Even on an Instagram DM exchanged only for reservations, she gives fan service like this.

World stars really are different.

Right, I should tell Frank too.

- Ring-ring-ring.

(Yes, President Kim. This is Frank.)

“Frank, the suite reservation page is still closed, right?”

(Yes. As instructed, it's listed as under preparation.)

“We won't be taking reservations from now on either, so change everything afterward to fully booked too.”

(Then how will future reservations······.)

“I'll handle them separately. Just know that.”

After hanging up,

I suddenly remembered a sign I'd once seen at a hair salon in Korea.

『Please DM for reservation inquiries. (Praying)』

Back then, I couldn't even imagine how comfortable their business had to be to pull that stunt on customers standing right outside the door.

But now I finally understand.

Those bastards never intended to run a business in the first place!

Just like me.

All right, work's done. Shall I go get some free food?

***

At the same time, in the Hale Makani staff office.

“What? President Kim is going to personally manage suite reservations?”

“That's right.”

“So the reservation page stays closed?”

“······.”

Frank couldn't answer James's question.

Thirty thousand dollars a night.

If they accepted every reservation flooding in, the suite would easily be fully booked for more than two months.

And yet Woo-jin had ordered them to close reservations.

He was simply giving up all the income the suite could generate.

“Manager, shouldn't you try talking to him again? If we accepted all of them, it would be over two million dollars······.”

“No. He must have some other intention. He never moves carelessly.”

‘I tried stopping him at first too.’

From the very beginning, Woo-jin had operated unlike any ordinary hotel owner.

Spending nearly as much as the acquisition price of the hotel itself solely on interior renovation was already an absurd decision.

With only thirty rooms, it would take well over fifty years to recoup the investment.

Yet Woo-jin hadn't hesitated for even a moment.

As if he truly didn't care about the hotel's profits.

And the result was what they had now.

Every standard room had been fully booked for three straight months,

and the absurdly expensive beans and coffee sold at the lounge café now generated revenue comparable to the guest rooms themselves.

Once Frank's thoughts reached that point, he didn't hesitate long.

- Click.

(TrapBible Reservation Page Settings Complete)

『The unavailable reservation period for Hale Makani's suite has been extended through December 31, 2028.』

At that moment, Hawaii's most expensive suite became impossible to reserve at all.

And by coincidence, someone else witnessed that exact moment.

***

Waikiki Sun Beach Hotel chairman's office.

“Elena, what was our revenue growth this month?”

“Seventeen-point-three percent in total.”

“Wahahaha! Exactly as I predicted!”

Chairman Victor's booming laughter filled the office.

He'd learned from his previous failure and quickly changed their promotional strategy, and it had paid off handsomely.

The strategy was free tasting vouchers for the lounge restaurant's kimchi stew.

They'd practically showered celebrities and travel NewTubers with vouchers for the secret menu item that normally cost an absurd ninety dollars per serving.

And the result was a 17.3% increase in revenue.

“At this point, we've more than recovered what we spent on the vouchers. It's basically free promotion, isn't it? Wahahaha!”

Was there anything more satisfying?

While he'd managed to get NewTubers to promote the hotel for free,

Hale Makani had gone so far as to bring in the famous Eve Callaway, yet they still only had thirty rooms.

“Let's see how much their reservations increased, shall we? Hm?”

Victor refreshed TrapBible to check Hale Makani's availability, then rubbed his eyes.

‘Am I seeing things?’

【TrapBible – Hale Makani Hotel】

★★★★★ 4.73

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Deluxe Double: $480 (Sold Out)

Ocean View Twin: $620 (1 Room Left)

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Suite: $30,000 (Sold Out)

⚠ No Available Dates in June

[ Notify Me of Vacancy ]

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He wasn't seeing things.

- Click. Click.

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⚠ No Available Dates in July

⚠ No Available Dates in August

⚠ No Available Dates in September

⚠ No Available Dates in October

⚠ No Available Dates in November

⚠ No Available Dates in December

···

This is the last page.

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No matter how many months forward he clicked, not a single available date appeared.

‘It's all booked? A room that costs thirty thousand dollars a night?’

That was impossible by any reasonable standard.

The average booking rate for top-tier suites was below ten percent.

Even with heavy discounts, getting above fifteen percent was difficult.

Yet it was fully booked?

- Click. Click.

His hand kept advancing through the months in search of an available date and finally stopped at December 2028.

After a brief pause, that hand moved to the calculator.

- Tap. Tap-tap.

『30,000 × 580 × 0.8 = 13,920,000』

He'd even accurately factored in the average suite reservation cancellation rate.

“That lunatic! You're telling me he's making fourteen million dollars from one room over two years?”

***

Waikiki Sun Beach Restaurant.

It's been a while since I came here.

Almost three months?

Ever since I set up my living quarters in the annex, I really had no reason to come anymore.

It wasn't like the food had been particularly good.

But kimchi stew is different!

“Are you ready to order?”

“One kimchi stew, please.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The employee politely took my order and left, and before long, a familiar Korean aroma wafted from the kitchen.

I, Kim Woo-jin,

had thought I was fairly indifferent about food, but apparently I was still Korean after all.

Most Korean food in Hawaii was bulgogi or bibimbap.

But kimchi stew?

If Eve hadn't given me this coupon, I might never have known it existed.

No! I shouldn't use the coupon!

It's not like I don't have money······.

“Your kimchi stew. Enjoy your meal.”

Huh?

As the steam from the earthenware pot cleared, I finally saw what was inside.

I picked up my spoon and stirred through the contents.

- Plop.

‘Rice cakes··· fish cakes··· sundae··· dumplings?’

This··· isn't kimchi stew.

What lunatic commits the atrocity of putting fish cakes and sundae into stew?

These Hawaiians really make every possible fusion dish. You can't find normal Korean food anywhere.

- Clack.

In the end, I put down my spoon without even taking a single bite.

Still, she gave me the coupon, so I should at least send one picture.

【Kim Woo-jin】: (Photo)

【Eve Callaway】: Eww! What is that?! Why are you sending me a picture of food waste?

【Kim Woo-jin】: It's the kimchi stew I ordered with the coupon you gave me.

【Eve Callaway】: Oh! You already went? But why does the kimchi stew look······.

【Kim Woo-jin】: Exactly.

【Eve Callaway】: Sorry. If I'd known it was that kind of place, I wouldn't have given it to you.

【Kim Woo-jin】: It's fine. Hawaii's creativity is impressive.

【Eve Callaway】: Pfft! Then let me apologize by asking you to reserve the suite once. A friend of mine is going to Hawaii and really wants to stay at your hotel.

【Kim Woo-jin】: Sure. What dates?

【Eve Callaway】: Could I reserve the entire month of June?

【Kim Woo-jin】: Of course.

【Eve Callaway】: Thank you!

All right, I sent my thank-you and the photo. Time to head back.

“Check, please.”

“How would you like to pay?”

“With this coupon.”

***

In the end, I returned to the hotel on an empty stomach and filled myself with cup ramen and musubi.

After going through that ordeal once, I didn't have the energy to find another restaurant.

“This really is the best when you can't be bothered.”

The perfect carb-on-carb combination.

Eat it all, let the blood sugar spike, and you're guaranteed an afternoon nap.

Though I was still disappointed I didn't get the kimchi stew I'd been looking forward to.

The kimchi stew from that home-style restaurant near my old office was really good······.

Wait.

Why don't I just go to that restaurant tomorrow?

It's not like I'm short on money. There's no reason I can't fly to Korea just to eat one meal!

Some guys fly to Japan just for a bowl of udon.

At this point, I'm going to the Blue House··· no, Korea!

© Kim Mangcho#1ond5