“We’re here!”
We arrived at the train station. We all tumbled out of the taxi. Maybe because it was the end of the year, there were a ton of people. We stuck together to avoid getting separated. If we got even a little bit apart, we could’ve been swept away by the crowd and become separated families.
Pushing through the crowd, we finally made it to the ticket counter.
“Got money?”
“Don’t worry!”
I pulled out a gold-colored card. Ever since I accidentally pulled out a super expensive premium card last time, I stopped using it. Instead, I’ve been using another card the boss made for me. It was less flashy, just like a regular credit card most people use.
“Three children, please!”
We got our train tickets. Excited, we waited on the platform for the train to arrive.
“It’s my first time seeing the sunrise!”
“Me too! I’ve always just slept in at home!”
Jiyu and Yumi also said they’d never seen the sunrise. The reason was simple: they were too lazy to wake up early. They weren’t planning to see it this year either, but luckily, they changed their minds after hearing my suggestion. If I hadn’t proposed watching the sunrise, this trip wouldn’t have even started. Going on a sunrise trip alone would’ve been a bit… you know.
At least one person had to come along. That’s why solo trips aren’t as fun—there’s no one to share the experience with. Sure, some people travel alone, but I’m not the type for that.
So, I was grateful to Jiyu and Yumi for coming along to see the sunrise. I thought I’d treat them to a really nice hotel today. Starlight Hotel seemed like a good choice.
[The train will arrive shortly.]
With the announcement, the train started pulling into the station. We couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. I don’t know how much it weighs, but seeing such a massive chunk of metal move so fast made me realize how powerful technology is. Just a few hundred years ago, who could’ve imagined something like this? Back then, riding a horse was the fastest way to get around.
Jiyu, Yumi, and I boarded the train. It was warm inside, probably because the heater was on. Holding our tickets, we started looking for our seats. We chose a spot where the seats could rotate so we could face each other and chat. We even bought four seats to prevent anyone else from sitting there.
Once we arranged the seats to face each other, we sat down and pulled out the snacks we bought at the store. We planned to eat them carefully without making a mess. The train wasn’t shaky at all, so we munched on our snacks while looking out at the scenery.
“So pretty!”
After about an hour on the train, we were greeted by a snowy white landscape in Gangwon-do. Even though it was winter, the trees were adorned with snowflakes instead of leaves. It looked like they were wearing flowers. Seeing this, my winter vibes were kicking in. It felt like the word “winter” had come to life.
“So pretty, seriously!”
Jiyu and Yumi nodded in agreement as they looked out at the scenery. Before we knew it, we had already arrived in Gangwon-do.
“Whoa, it’s way colder than Seoul!”
“Me too! It feels like my lungs are freezing!”
Just breathing made my chest ache. I realized that when it’s too cold, even breathing can be painful.
It was still only afternoon, but the sun was already starting to set. Winter afternoons are short. Jiyu and Yumi turned to me and asked,
“Hana, what’s the name of that nice place you mentioned?”
“Yeah! You said there’s a hotel that’ll take us, right?”
We couldn’t even consider a motel, so the only option was a hotel.
I patted my chest confidently and told them not to worry.
“Just trust me, Jiyu, Yumi! It’s a really nice place!”
“Really? The way you say it makes me nervous…”
“Me too…”
Jiyu and Yumi didn’t seem to trust me. To squash their doubts, I didn’t reveal the exact name. I was curious how they’d react when they saw the 5-star Starlight Hotel.
But that could wait. First, we had to fill our hungry stomachs. Speaking of which, I wondered what the food at Starlight Hotel would taste like. I led Jiyu and Yumi toward the hotel.
“Hana, isn’t this place super expensive?”
“Yeah… And they probably don’t even take kids…”
Seeing the towering Starlight Hotel, Jiyu and Yumi spoke in nervous voices. I…
Looking at those kids, she confidently told them not to worry.
“It’s fine, really!”
I boldly opened the hotel’s main entrance. There was a security guard, but he seemed to think they were children of a family staying at the hotel. Since the hotel wasn’t a restricted area for outsiders, he didn’t even pretend to stop us. Inside, the lavish decorations and chandeliers greeted us. They said it was a 5-star hotel, and it really seemed to live up to that reputation.
I confidently walked up to the front desk. There were employees there, after all. Jiyu and Yumi were stuck to my back like glue. I looked at the employees and said,
“Hello~”
The desk employee looked down at us. She was a graceful woman wearing a neat suit.
“Oh my, what cute kids! What can I do for you?”
“We’re here to make a hotel reservation.”
“Really? Where are your parents?”
The employee smiled brightly as she looked at me. Since we didn’t have any guardians, I confidently replied,
“We came by ourselves!”
“O…oh, really?”
The employee’s smile began to crack. Seeing her like that, I pulled out my ultimate move.
“The boss said to show you this!”
It was a specially made credit card that only the owner’s family of the Starlight Group could receive. Anyone working in the Starlight Group would definitely recognize it. Of course, people in other fields like manual labor might not know, but I heard that service industry workers, especially in hotels like this, were trained to recognize it. So, this was my trump card.
The employee who took my card spoke with a stiff expression.
“Um… who gave you this card?”
“Boss Kim Sehee!”
“O…oh, really? Wait a moment!”
The employee hurriedly opened a door behind the desk and went inside.
“What’s going on? I’ve never seen a hotel employee panic like that!”
“Me neither!”
Jiyu and Yumi looked at me with confused expressions. I felt the same. The boss clearly said that showing this card would get us something good… but this didn’t seem to match my expectations.
We could only stare at the empty desk with a sense of emptiness.
——————————————————–
“Senior! Senior!”
“What’s wrong?”
“That card… the card showed up!”
“No way…?”
“Yes, that card!”
The senior jumped up and looked at the card the junior brought. It was indeed the card only the owner’s family of the Starlight Group could have. Immediately, he informed the manager. Regardless of the possibility of forgery, the fact that this card had appeared was significant. And even if it was forged, it wasn’t a particularly famous card outside the Starlight Group.
The mere existence of this card was the reason the manager called Kim Sehee. Seeing the child call out Kim Sehee’s name, he thought there might be a close relationship. He hadn’t heard that Kim Sehee had any children, though.
“Yes, I’ll be right there. Can you make sure the kids don’t leave? Or better yet, put them in the best available room in the hotel. I’ll handle the rest.”
As soon as Kim Sehee received the call from the manager, she immediately headed to Gangwon-do. If anything happened to the kids, it would be a big problem. She couldn’t figure out why they went to Gangwon-do in the first place. Hana didn’t have any connections there, and there wasn’t any big reason to go from Seoul to Gangwon-do.
She pondered in the car, but no other reason came to mind. Hana’s surprise party was now out of the question. It was supposed to be a party to surprise Hana as soon as she woke up in the morning.
She was heading to Gangwon-do at top speed. Luckily, the highway was clear, so she didn’t have to worry about traffic. At this speed, she could reach the Starlight Hotel in Gangwon-do within 2 hours.
