“Wow!!! Look at the view here!”
Jiyu and Yumi were glued to the window, staring at the scenery outside. Just as they said, the view outside was absolutely stunning. A cool beach stretched out before them. Of course, it was getting dark, so the view was gradually disappearing. But this room was perfect for waking up early tomorrow to catch the sunrise.
“See? I told you showing the boss’s card would solve everything!”
“Yeah! Hana was right!”
Earlier, before arriving at the hotel, Jiyu and Yumi had been anxious, but when the staff showed them such a nice room, their worries seemed to vanish. We unpacked our things. Since it was just a one-night trip, we didn’t have much luggage. The hotel bathroom already had shampoo and body wash, so all we needed to prepare was our pajamas.
There was no reason to wear anything else anyway. Our perfect plan was to wake up early, watch the sunrise, have breakfast at a nearby restaurant, and then head back home. It took us a whole week to come up with this plan, by the way.
“Ta-da!”
I pulled out my dinosaur pajamas. Even here, I had to wear my dinosaur pajamas. Seeing my pajamas, Jiyu and Yumi made surprised faces.
“Hana, you’re wearing dinosaur pajamas here too?!”
“Typical Hana!”
“Of course! Dinosaur pajamas are non-negotiable!”
I showed them my dinosaur tail. The dazzlingly crafted tail swayed as I moved, and Jiyu and Yumi couldn’t resist grabbing it. I squirmed to break free, but their grip was too strong.
“Ow!”
“Grab Hana’s tail!”
Thanks to Jiyu and Yumi’s combo attack, I couldn’t move an inch.
“By the way, are we just staying in tonight?”
“Yeah. They said it’s dangerous at night, so we should only play inside the hotel! We’ll go out tomorrow!”
“Who said that?”
“The staff here!”
“Really?”
Even though it’s safe, wandering around at night still felt a bit off. Plus, there wasn’t much to do outside at night anyway. Once night falls, it’s the adults’ world. Kids like us should be sleeping.
“By the way, I’m hungry…”
“Me too… I’ve already digested what I ate earlier.”
“Should we go to the restaurant?”
I was curious about how luxurious and delicious the food at a 5-star hotel restaurant would be. We had enough money, so all we had to do was show up. And just like that, our restaurant exploration team was formed. We took off our dinosaur pajamas and changed back into our regular clothes.
If this were the Starlight Food Building, I would’ve just wandered around in my dinosaur pajamas. The Starlight Food Building was my territory, after all. But this hotel was different. I didn’t know anyone here. Everyone was a stranger. So, there was a chance people might find my awesome dinosaur pajamas weird.
So, I just wore the clothes I had on earlier. Jiyu and Yumi changed too. The room was so big that all three of us could squeeze onto one bed. The bed was huge, like two regular beds put together.
Since it was safe inside the hotel, it didn’t matter if we wandered around. And honestly, even though they told us not to go outside, it wasn’t a big deal. Korea’s public safety is good, so it’s not like we’d run into thieves or weirdos at night. Of course, most stores that were open at night required ID, so we couldn’t go there to play anyway.
We’d probably get stopped at the entrance. Places where kids could play closed at night.
So, we left the room. They called it some royal suite or something, and it really was a nice room. The inside was as big as a penthouse. There was even a fish tank inside.
The atmosphere was great too. There was a bed big enough for the three of us to sleep in, and there were all sorts of things. There was even a bar with wine, but we decided not to drink it. We were good elementary school third-graders, after all. Or should I say fourth-graders now?
Since tomorrow is January 1st, we’ll all be a year older. But it still feels like time is moving so slowly. It feels like 3-4 years have passed, but not even a year has gone by.
“Over here, Hana!”
“Okay!”
We got on the elevator. In the corner of the elevator, they kindly listed what was on each floor, so there was no way we’d get lost trying to find the restaurant.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we couldn’t help but gasp in awe. The atmosphere of the restaurant was incredibly luxurious. It was a 5-star hotel restaurant, so it was clear they had spent a fortune on it. If the interior was this fancy, the food must be amazing too. I licked my lips and stepped forward.
I entered the restaurant, looking forward to all the food.
Jiyu and Yumi were also holding onto my sleeve and coming into the restaurant with me. Jiyu and Yumi were a problem because they were so timid. There was absolutely no reason to be scared here. I confidently sat down on a chair. Jiyu and Yumi, watching my reaction, also sat down on the chairs next to the table. Then they said:
“Hana, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine! Let’s enjoy the food today!”
“Really…?”
Just as I was diligently reading the menu on the table, my intuition was telling me that something was coming. I stopped looking at the menu and glanced toward the restaurant entrance. The person entering was very familiar. It was none other than Boss Kim Sehee, whom I see every day.
I quickly started to run away. I had said I was going out to have fun, but I didn’t say I was going to Gangwon-do. I don’t know how the boss knew I was here, but if I got caught, I wouldn’t hear the end of it.
“Hana, where are you going?!”
Leaving Jiyu and Yumi behind, I searched for an exit. But there was no exit. To leave the restaurant, I had to go back through the entrance we came in. The entrance and exit were in the same place.
“Ugh…”
I ended up getting caught by the boss. I thought I had hidden well, but somehow the boss found me right away.
“Hana!”
“Boss…”
I thought I was going to get scolded, but instead, the boss hugged me. It didn’t seem like I was going to get in trouble. The boss grabbed my cheeks and stretched them while saying:
“Why did you go all the way to Gangwon-do? You scared me, Hana!”
“Uwaaah…”
I had no choice but to give the boss a simple explanation. I wanted to see the sunrise, and I thought about going with the employees, but I didn’t like the idea of them working on their day off, so I came here with Jiyu and Yumi. The boss listened to my story and laughed brightly, then said:
“Then, shall we watch the sunrise together?”
If the boss said that, there was no reason to refuse. In fact, I was happy. I thought I was going to get scolded, but instead, the boss suggested watching the sunrise together. No matter how I thought about it, this was a win-win situation for me. I nodded enthusiastically and said:
“Yes! I’d love to watch it with you!”
“Good, good~ By the way, did you come to the restaurant because you were hungry?”
“Yeees…”
“Then, shall we eat together? I’m hungry too!”
Since the boss was also feeling hungry, the timing was perfect. I held the boss’s hand and went back to the table where Jiyu and Yumi were sitting. Jiyu and Yumi were looking at me with bewildered expressions. Well, it made sense since I was the one who suggested coming here, but then I ran away midway.
“Hi, guys!”
“Helloooooo…”
Luckily, the boss and the kids knew each other. They had met whenever the boss came to visit our building. The boss picked up the menu and started looking through it. We all looked at the boss with sparkling eyes. I figured the boss would know better about what’s delicious.
It was my first time at this hotel, but since the boss is from the same Starlight Group, they must have been here many times. I also heard that when the boss goes on business trips, they stay at Starlight Hotels. There’s no better domestic hotel than Starlight Hotel, and staying there is more beneficial anyway.
The boss skillfully called the waiter. The boss ordered the menu for us. It was some English name and super long, so I couldn’t really understand it. It was my first time at Starlight Hotel, so I had no idea. Still, I was glad the boss was here. If the boss hadn’t been here, we might not have been able to order from the menu.
“Let’s chat for a bit, kids.”
The boss stepped outside the restaurant for a moment. Outside, there were middle-aged men bustling around. My excellent hearing caught a bit of their conversation from afar.
“Boss…”
“Manager, thank you for your hard work… You can go in now…”
Of course, I couldn’t hear the whole conversation.
