Thump-thump-thump-thump.
“What… what was that??”
Startled by the immense noise, I instinctively looked up at the ceiling.
Given that the sound reverberated directly above my head, it seemed to be emanating from the apartment upstairs.
A quick glance at my phone revealed it was 8 PM.
Perhaps it was a slightly late dinner, but it sounded as if the children were exuberantly playing after their meal.
“Hmm…”
I pondered for a moment.
Should I go up and ask them to quiet down?
After listening to the persistent thumping, I slowly shook my head.
“I’ll be making some noise myself in two days, so….”
The lack of furniture in the apartment certainly amplified the sounds, and considering the ten million won worth of furniture that would soon arrive, confronting them now would be ill-advised.
In two days, I would undoubtedly be making noise while moving in boxes and assembling furniture.
Furthermore, this was the first time I had experienced such noise between floors, so I saw no reason to intentionally stir up trouble (TL Note: A Korean idiom meaning to provoke an unnecessary conflict).
“It’s best to just let things be.”
I wasn’t sure how long I would reside here, but it was certainly preferable not to cause any unpleasantness with my neighbors during my stay.
****
Thump-thump.
As I sat there for a while, the noise definitely subsided a little compared to before.
If it was only intermittent thumping like this, it would be tolerable.
It was certainly much better than my previous dwelling.
In that studio apartment, the soundproofing was nonexistent; I could even hear the panting sounds from the woman next door.
“It’s much better than back then, but….”
I let out a soft sigh.
The idea of sleeping on a sleeping bag in my new, empty apartment now seemed like a bit of a headache.
The empty space caused sounds to echo.
And getting a good night’s sleep felt like it would be uncomfortable.
“Hmm…”
It was strange to be living like this in an unfurnished, empty apartment to begin with.
Why should I put myself through this?
“Perhaps I should just stay at a hotel for a couple of days.”
It was still a weekday and the off-season, so there would likely be plenty of rooms available.
As soon as the four characters for ‘hotel stay’ (TL Note: The Korean phrase for ‘hotel stay’ is ‘호텔 숙박’, which consists of four characters.) crossed my mind, I immediately started searching.
“I can probably sort by highest price.”
Chuckling to myself, I sorted the results by price.
A cascade of luxury hotels began to appear.
Clicking through each of the sorted hotels, I confirmed that rooms were indeed plentiful.
Most even included a breakfast buffet, meaning I wouldn’t have to worry about meals at all.
“Wow. There’s a pool inside too?”
As I scrolled through the photos, I saw that communal pools were available, and some of the more expensive suites even boasted private pools.
While I had no intention of swimming, it was still quite fascinating.
‘Hocance’ (TL Note: A Korean portmanteau of ‘hotel’ and ‘vacance’ (vacation), referring to a leisure trip spent entirely within a hotel.).
‘This is true luxury.’
With a joyful heart, I looked at the hotel photos and immediately pressed the payment button.
One night for 1.3 million won.
Breakfast or dinner included.
Since I planned to stay for two nights, that would be 2.6 million won?
“That’s not much at all.”
It was cheaper than my compact car.
And even cheaper than the furniture currently being packaged for delivery.
My first ‘hocance’.
In the past, when I heard the term ‘hocance,’ I used to inwardly curse, wondering why anyone would waste money on a hotel if they had so much left over.
Come to think of it, the Team Leader’s family once took a ‘hocance,’ with everyone taking annual leave at the same time.
And yet, he made the other employees come to work and even dumped his tasks on them.
A sudden surge of anger washed over me.
“Perhaps I should have just put him in jail.”
‘This man just opened my room door and walked in!’ or ‘A stalker was chasing me!!’
If I had testified like that, wouldn’t the Team Leader’s life have become incredibly complicated?
I felt a slight pang of regret.
“…Being too kind is my downfall, I suppose.”
Perhaps the reason I was so foolishly kind was because my mother had lived such a kind life.
My foolish mother.
The mother who always accepted everything, no matter how much I grumbled or threw a tantrum.
“Anyway.”
I chuckled softly, gazing up at the ceiling.
If my mother were here, she would probably have looked at the upstairs neighbors and smiled, saying, ‘Those children are so lively~’.
But I knew.
Being too kind was not good.
At the very least, if you had no money, there was no reason to live kindly.
Well, now I had a reason to live kindly.
“By the way, as for things to pack…”
I glanced around for a moment, checking if there were any clothes or items I needed to pack.
Since I didn’t even have a suitcase to carry them in, there wasn’t much point in looking anyway.
I would just go as I was.
The hotel was right next to a shopping mall, so I could go there to look for clothes and a suitcase.
“Clothes, huh….”
Clothes.
Proper clothes, not just tracksuits.
Should I just buy some hoodies and jeans to wear?
The silver lining was that women could easily wear men’s clothing.
The size might be an issue, but it wouldn’t look strange.
“That’s a relief, I suppose.”
Pondering what clothes to buy, I put on my shoes.
Thump-thump-thump.
“…Surely they won’t keep jumping like that later, will they?”
A slight unease lingered, but they hadn’t been jumping when I viewed the apartment or during my brief stay yesterday, so it would probably be fine.
Even if not, things would work out somehow.
****
8:40 PM.
This was the time when most guests had already checked in and settled into their rooms.
The rush of check-ins and the hotel’s dinner buffet hours had concluded, making for a somewhat relaxed period.
While not the largest in the country, it was a hotel bearing the name of a reputable company.
Consequently, it was a considerably large establishment, frequented by a diverse clientele, including foreign visitors and even domestic and international dignitaries.
One employee, Han Ah-rang, regarded working at such a hotel as a source of pride.
“Good work on the night shift today.”
“Yes, you may go.”
The front desk employee, Han Ah-rang, cheerfully replied as she saw her superior off.
Her makeup was not excessive; she had adorned herself minimally according to hotel policy, presenting a neat and tidy appearance.
She possessed a beauty that would earn compliments from elders for her gracefulness, and even young men would subtly turn their heads to look as she passed by.
Thus, she had, perhaps unknowingly, captivated the hearts of her male colleagues.
Aware of this to some extent, she occasionally displayed a cunning side, making unreasonable demands of the male staff.
Today, too, Han Ah-rang had swapped schedules with her superior to secure the coveted ‘honey-time’ (TL Note: A Korean slang term for a desirable or opportune moment, often referring to an easy or pleasant shift at work.) of a weekday off-season night shift.
She settled into her seat, leisurely intending to browse her phone.
“Ahem…”
Comfortably seated, she turned on her phone screen.
The moment she opened an app, contemplating which video to watch, she noticed someone slowly entering from the front.
Han Ah-rang let out a short sigh inwardly and immediately rose from her seat.
‘Huh…?’
Seeing the guest approaching, she tilted her head slightly.
‘A guest? I don’t recall any woman like this on today’s guest list.’
A woman with jet-black, flowing long hair approached the front desk.
Her long hair, seemingly well-maintained, cascaded softly.
Her face appeared devoid of makeup, yet not a single blemish was visible.
Furthermore, her features, neatly arranged within her small face, were utterly those of an actress.
Despite wearing sneakers, she was taller than Han Ah-rang, and her proportions were as elongated and slender as a model’s.
Her leg length was so remarkably superior that most other women would likely appear like middle or high school students standing beside her.
‘Wow…’
Even Han Ah-rang, who had grown up being treated like a princess, dared not even think of competing with her.
While there’s a saying that you can only tell what’s long or short by measuring them, the woman before Han Ah-rang was so undeniably ‘long’ that no comparison was even necessary.
Though she couldn’t pinpoint why, Han Ah-rang felt slightly put off, yet she diligently masked her expression, bowing her head in a polite greeting.
“Welcome.”
“I have a reservation; may I check in?”
At her question, Han Ah-rang tilted her head once more.
It was almost 9 PM.
While it wasn’t an impossible hour for check-in, doing so at a luxury hotel like this seemed somewhat perplexing.
Judging by her attire, she wasn’t a foreigner or a dignitary.
There weren’t even any events happening nearby.
‘What’s going on?’
Even if she were here for a ‘hocance,’ why would she check in at almost 9 PM?
No matter how much she pondered, Han Ah-rang couldn’t find a plausible explanation.
With a slightly uneasy feeling, she proceeded to confirm the woman’s personal details.
“May I have your name, please?”
“I have a reservation under Choi Yeon-bi.”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
Choi Yeon-bi.
The name somehow reminded Ah-rang of ‘car fuel efficiency’ (TL Note: The Korean word for fuel efficiency, ‘연비’ (yeonbi), is phonetically identical to the character’s given name ‘연비’ (Yeon-bi).), causing her to inwardly chuckle as she typed the name into the search bar.
Then, the moment she saw the room the woman had booked, her thoughts abruptly halted in astonishment.
“…Excuse me?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll process it right away.”
Choi Yeon-bi.
The mysterious woman had booked the Premier Suite, a room priced at 1.3 million won per night.
‘Who in the world is she?’
****
I had spent over a billion won so far.
Yet, not once had I considered myself to be indulging in true luxury.
My car and house were purchased out of necessity, and other possessions were acquired for practical reasons.
While steak or ice cream might verge on luxury, the cost was so negligible that it felt disingenuous to label them as such.
Nevertheless, as I eagerly opened the door, I immediately realized that what I had once considered luxuries were, in fact, nothing of the sort.
“…What in the world is this…”
Faced with the breathtaking scene before me, I was left utterly speechless.
The expansive living room was elegantly appointed with vintage-style furniture.
The largest television I had ever seen in my life dominated the center of the room, flanked by a colossal floor-to-ceiling window offering an unobstructed panoramic view of the city skyline.
“Wow…”
My gaze remained fixed on the night view outside the window, unable to tear away.
Cars moved like toys, lights twinkled endlessly.
And tiny specks of people scurried about between them.
‘This is the world.’
‘This is the city I live in.’
It felt mystical.
And beautiful.
Simultaneously, old memories resurfaced.
I once went on a retreat (TL Note: ‘Suryeonhoe’ refers to an outdoor training or retreat program, often for students, focusing on character building and group activities.) in middle school.
Knowing that we were struggling financially at the time, I deliberately refrained from showing my mother the permission slip.
The moment I received it, I circled ‘absent’ by myself at school and submitted it.
And that day.
My mother scolded me terribly.
What did she say again?
‘Do you think your mother can’t afford to send you to a place like that? Why did you decide on your own without telling me?’
She essentially yelled at me through tears, expressing sentiments like that.
On the day of the retreat.
I was left awkwardly at home with my mother.
I detested the gloomy atmosphere so much that I tried to go out to the library.
‘Wait, your mother has somewhere to take you.’
She stopped me from leaving.
A short while later, with a lunch bag in one hand.
And my mother, who firmly held my hand with her other.
Led by my mother, I ascended the small mountain behind our neighborhood and saw the sprawling city laid out before us.
‘The place I lived was so vast and magnificent.’
‘The places I usually saw were incredibly small.’
As I held my throbbing chest, filled with various thoughts.
‘Next time there’s a retreat or a school trip, make sure you tell me. I can afford to send you to things like that. Understood?’
My mother stroked my head as she spoke.
What kind of expression did my mother have then?
I couldn’t quite recall it now.
Still.
It certainly wasn’t a sad face.
“…It’s beautiful. Just like back then.”
And so, I stared blankly at the endless nightscape visible through the large window.
