Chapter 7 · 7 min
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
7. The Great Age of Social Media Promotion
The past fifteen days had been hell for Frank.
Operating costs had risen along with the number of employees.
‘And October, our opening month, was the absolute worst off-season.’
Then there was the huge amount spent on opening promotions.
In truth, it wasn't much different from competing hotels.
Given the same conditions, guests naturally gravitated toward larger hotels.
As a result, only five groups had stayed during those fifteen days.
Revenue hadn't even come close to covering employee wages.
It was a hopeless situation with no apparent breakthrough,
but there was still a silver lining.
“Manager, Vivian really saved us this month. If she hadn't come for pork belly, our losses would've been enormous.”
“Yeah, we survived thanks to······.”
“Manager?”
No.
Strictly speaking, they'd survived thanks to the owner, Woo-jin.
‘Don't tell me he personally delivered coffee and invited her to the company dinner because he foresaw this?’
Frank's hand stopped as he absently turned another page in the ledger.
“Maybe the owner is far more capable than we think.”
“Sir?”
The words had slipped out unconsciously.
Frank waved a hand, telling him not to mind it.
“Continue.”
“Ah, yes. First, this was James's idea. What if we all promote the hotel on social media during our breaks? None of us have many followers, but if everyone pitches in, it might add up.”
“Hmm. Are you sure?”
“We have to try something. We can't let our hotel go under.”
The employees felt much the same as Frank.
They'd long since abandoned the idea of slacking off until quitting time just because there were no guests.
The camaraderie built during the company dinner with Woo-jin was strong enough that they were willing to promote the hotel through their personal social media even on days off.
But when Frank and the staff took the social-media promotion proposal to Woo-jin, they received a completely unexpected answer.
“Sounds good. But won't this just give everyone more work?”
“Well, yes, but everyone said they'd use their break time······.”
“Why don't we hold a contest instead?”
“Pardon? What do you mean······.”
“With prize money.”
“What?”
“We rank first, second, and third by views. Two hundred, one hundred, and fifty dollars. How about it?”
Their love for the hotel now came with hefty prize money.
“······.”
“······.”
A brief silence, and then,
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Thus began the great age of pirates,
no, the great age of social media at Hale Makani Hotel.
***
The next day, in Hale Makani's kitchen after breakfast service.
“Damn it, James! Move! It's our turn to film!”
“Bullshit! We got permission to use this spot yesterday.”
“Permission? From who?”
“Shh! Shh! I hit record, so shut up!”
- Beep.
“All right, everyone! It's James, the handsome face of Hale Makani! Today I'll show you how our hotel's pride and joy, breakfast, is made······.”
“This sucks. Feels like my grandma filmed this on NewTube twenty years ago.”
“Damn it, I told you not to interrupt!”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“I'm starting over. Seriously, shut up this time.”
Faced with James's nearly pleading desperation, everyone finally went quiet.
- Beep.
“All right, everyone! Hale Maka······.”
“Emergency! Emergency!”
“Haah, what now!”
“Koa came to work in the lobby wearing a hula outfit! He even did gyaru makeup!”
“What?”
Every employee in the kitchen rushed into the lobby at once.
There, Koa was practicing choreography in full hula attire.
It wasn't something you got to see every day.
Not that anyone particularly wanted to.
“How desperate is that bastard for the prize money?”
“Seriously······.”
Maybe it was thanks to every employee giving it everything they had.
Little by little, the once-empty lobby began filling with footsteps.
***
Another fifteen days passed after Vivian's visit.
Hotel Profit/Loss Ledger
──────────────
Rooms Sold: Avg. 11.6 (of 30) / Occupancy 38.7%
···
Operating Profit: $152 — Profit Margin 1.8%
──────────────
Oh, what's this?
We're consistently making money this month.
Sure, I'm only doing this as a hobby, but if I'm going to run the place anyway, turning a profit is better!
You could call it an elegant money-making hobby.
Right, I can't let this historic moment pass without commemorating it.
- Tap. Tap-tap.
━━━━━━━
Pathological Liar Gallery
━━━━━━━
[General] Today's Hotel Management Diary (16)
HotelMan | 2026.12.01 15:12:57 | Views 202 | Likes 7
──────────────
Today's net profit: $152
That's after all operating expenses.
Thought we'd stay in the red forever, but we're still making money.
Easy money lmaoooo
──────────────
└ Anon(101.73): Yo why didn't you come yesterday?
└ HotelMan[OP]: Was browsing another gallery and accidentally posted there
└ Anon(101.73): Idiot lmaoooo
└ Anon(290.31): Isn't $152 like 220,000 won? You even used money cheats and play all day. Why are you making so little? Lmaooo
└ HotelMan[OP]: Yeah, it's hard.
└ CutieCoco: Still, you're staying profitable pretty consistently lol
└ CaptainChoiThePipe: Bro, I made 12.7 billion won the other day.
└ HotelMan[OP]: Why the fuck are you bragging about your money in MY post!
└ CaptainChoiThePipe: Just taking a shit on a shitpost, what's the problem
└ 2YearsOnFluoxetine(58.140): Yo, how long are you gonna keep writing this? You're already at 16
└ HotelMan[OP]: Mod's gone AWOL, so nobody can stop me.
└ Anon(39.7): Gyaaaaaaah!
└ Anon(211.36): Gyaaaaaah2
└ 2YearsOnFluoxetine(58.140): You lunatic! The board's already slow enough!
└ PuttingMachine: Even that guy who used this gallery as a grocery list only posted once or twice a week. This bastard's worse.
──────────────
So what.
This is the only place I can brag.
Deal with it, bastards.
***
At the same time, in the president's office of Waikiki Sun Beach Hotel.
“Fucking! What the hell happened!”
A large, imposing old white man roared.
“You're saying our Sun Beach Hotel lost to some nobody with no pedigree? Does that make any sense? Look at this!”
- Scatter.
The report he'd thrown angrily spread across the desk.
【TrapBible Monthly Satisfaction Rankings】
1. Hale Makani(★★★★★): 4.67
2. Waikiki Sun Beach(★★★★☆): 4.49
···
“You said these bastards went out of business!”
“They reopened after remodeling when ownership changed recently.”
“How many rooms do they have?”
“Thirty, including suites.”
“Fuck! A damn corner shop dares!”
- Bang.
The desk boomed beneath his fist.
TrapBible's star ratings.
They were Waikiki Sun Beach's owner's greatest sore spot.
Since the site's launch, Waikiki Sun Beach had never once lost the number-one satisfaction ranking in Hawaii.
And that fact had been the chairman's greatest pride.
But now that enormous pride had transformed entirely into rage aimed at Hale Makani Hotel.
“Elina, bring me my tablet.”
“Here you are.”
The old man took the tablet, put on his reading glasses, and began searching the site himself.
“Look at these damn star reviews!”
Hale Makani Hotel — Guest Reviews
──────────────
Satisfied Because of Breakfast (★★★★★ 5.0)
Michael R. · Seattle, USA · 4 nights · November 2026
──────────────
When my wife booked it and said there were only 30 rooms, I was honestly worried. I thought we'd come all the way to Hawaii and end up staying in a motel.
But the hotel is clean.
They serve grilled pork belly at breakfast.
They call it Korean pork belly, and the chef grills it himself.
A staff member from the next table came over and showed us how to wrap it in lettuce called ssam.
It's incredibly delicious.
▸ Helpful (32)
──────────────
Clean Hotel (★★★★★ 5.0)
Yuki T. · Osaka, Japan · 2 nights · November 2026
──────────────
If you want a resort, I recommend somewhere else.
There are only 30 rooms here, so the lobby is small and there are almost no auxiliary facilities.
The rooms aren't spacious, but they are very, very clean.
I dismantled the air conditioner and licked inside the filter, and there was no bitter mold taste.
The pork belly at breakfast was unexpected.
▸ Helpful (19)
──────────────
They Serve Pork Belly (★★★★★ 5.0)
Jennifer K. · Vancouver, Canada · 6 nights · November 2026
──────────────
The grilled pork belly at breakfast deserves the hype.
Though since they serve it every day, by day six even I had an omelet.
▸ Helpful (68)
“Even the Japanese, who hand out three stars by default, gave them five. You know what that means?”
She hadn't risen to the position of secretary for nothing, so of course she knew.
“Unless something major changes, their rating is likely to remain stable.”
“Exactly! That means they'll keep reigning above us!”
- Thud.
Unable to contain his frustration, the chairman sprang from his chair.
“Elina.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Mobilize the entire secretary's office and review-bomb their rating. And you go investigate that hotel yourself. Find out who the owner is and what tricks they're using to get ratings that high.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Her crisp reply finally eased some of the anger from the chairman's face.
But his good mood lasted only a moment.
As he crossed the lobby toward his car, his gaze stopped at the lounge café.
A young Asian man sat there with a laptop, wearing a vaguely sinister smile.
“Tsk. No wonder our ratings are like this when unemployed bums like that sit around all day!”
He had no idea.
That bum was the owner of Hale Makani Hotel.
***
The next morning, in front of Hale Makani Hotel.
‘So this is the place?’
A woman in thick sunglasses entered the lobby with a meaningful expression.
And there she came face-to-face with it.
A chaotic social-media filming set fueled equally by love for the hotel and lust for prize money.
- Bam-bam-ba-ba-bam.
“I'm gonna dance the hula-hula. Come on. Come on. Come to Hale Makani. I'll be waiting for yooou.”
A Hawaiian man in drag, dressed in hula clothes with gyaru makeup.
The woman squeezed her eyes shut.
© Kim Mangcho#1ond5