章 17: Weird Conversation
Room 976 was booked for the month by a powerful man, and yet it had not been in use for almost a week. The staff at Hotel Helios found it strange but they didn't dare start a rumor in fear or losing their jobs or worse.
The general manager had warned them.
But that day was different, the room was in use and no one would have known about it too if two of the newer maids hadn't seen a man and a woman go inside.
Before closing the door, the man had put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. This alerted the two maids and so, they couldn't help but let their imaginations go wild.
They looked at each other curiously and then entered the room beside room 976 to clean.
"Did you hear what were they talking about?" One of the maids said as she began to dust the tables halfheartedly.
"Just a little, they were having a really weird conversation," The little maid said. When the two had passed the two maids, they had been cleaning another room, and the little maid was fairly close to the door.
The two continued to banter back and forth.
For years there hadn't been anything worth wild to talk about in Hotel Helios. Back in the day, the hotel was well known for bizarre things. It had been known to be a high-class hotel which harbored dark secrets. However, after being bought out by another corporation, they had been forced to clean out all the filth and make a whole new reputation for it.
Though this was a good thing, it made life boring for the hotel staff.
"It was something about a little boy and how he wanted to see her." The little maid had stopped cleaning. She just sat on the bed and gossiped.
"Do you think the girl is a mistress? Maybe long ago she gave birth to a son and then it was taken away from her or something."
"I doubt it. I mean, It's not an impossibility, but that sounds like something you'd see in a drama, so I doubt it. Plus she wasn't too pretty. Actually, I think she looked super plain."
"Yea, I think you're right. I saw her from the side and she was a bit chubby too. Plus her clothes were horrendous compared to the usual guests."
The women were so used to the rich and famous that their standards of beauty were slightly skewered but, at the same time, if AnLing had heard their conversation, she would have wholeheartedly agreed with the two.
She never wore makeup, her hair was always in a bun or at least tied up in some manner, she never wore her contacts and her closet was filled with mostly monochromatic shades of black to white; like a gothic rainbow.
Even so, AnLing knew what people thought of her and it's not like she cared very much since she never really tried to change. It's true that she had a style that wasn't appealing to everyone and it did make her blend into a crowd but that was exactly how she liked it.
"She's most likely poor and trying to sell herself." The little maid wanted to laugh but she didn't believe in her own words. She had already said that the woman was plain, and the other had brought the woman's figure to her attention also.
She believed that, even if she had wanted to sell herself, no one would want to pay.
Even if she begged.
There were a great many beautiful girls in the city, why would a girl like that turn the head of a rich man?
The thought was ridiculous! Or so she thought.
Though, despite their wild ideas, nothing of the sort was happening in the room.
AnLing was just sitting calmly on the bed while Mr. Long paced back and forth, waiting for Kang Jun. Little did Mr. Long know that Kang Jun was in a predicament of his own.
When a call arrived, Mr. Long's face brightened up.
He hated awkward situations and at that point, because AnLing refused to utter a word, it was becoming one of the most awkward moments of his life. He thought he used to silence considering how his boss was, but he had been mistaken. He was used to his boss's silence but when it came from someone else, it was crippling.
Already getting AnLing to come up to the room required the general manager to step in, but that didn't mean that the girl trusted him. Mr. Long knew that well.
As Kang Jun spoke, Mr. Long's face darkened.
After hanging up, neither he nor AnLing spoke for a moment, but then he turned to look at her.
"My, uh, master might not come today. Something has come up."
For some reason, Mr.Long found it hard to call Kang Jun boss in front of AnLing, so he settled for calling him 'master' the term itself was neither wrong nor right.
AnLing waved her hand in the air.
"It's fine." She pushed herself off from the bed. "I'll be going then."
In a moment of panic, Mr. Long couldn't help but scream:
"No!"
No? AnLing turned to give him a strange look. Her eyebrows were raised and her expression questioned him before she was able to speak.
"…Why?"
Mr. Long coughed.
He knew that letting her go would be a mistake and his boss hated mistakes. He didn't want to lose his job, neither did he want to be forced to look for AnLing again.
"Well, my master wants to find an opportunity to speak to you so it's best if you stay here for the time being. He has your phone with him also, so there would be no way to contact you."
Truth be told, Mr. Long had done some research of AnLing per his boss's orders and found out about her current situation.
After reading about her struggles for the past two months, Mr. Long felt out of touch with the rest of the world, he had lived in comfort for so long that he had forgotten how to struggle but he believed that if something happened and he had to struggle again he wasn't sure if he could take it.
But AnLing was different. Even if she had to struggle, after years of luxury, she wouldn't give up her pride.
"Do you have any objections?" Mr. Long didn't make a move. He just stared at her with a calm face.
AnLing pursed her lips and paused for a moment. She gave off the impression that she was thinking things over but Mr. Long could sense that she had already made up her mind.
After doing some research, Mr. Long still didn't know much about AnLing. It seemed that she had always been a private person but there were two truths that almost guaranteed that she would accept.
One was that she needed a place to stay.
And two was that she was on bad terms with the majority of her family members, with the exception of certain key members.
That only meant that she really really needed a place to stay and by the looks of her, he believed that AnLing was not stupid enough to refuse a helping hand.
But he didn't know her well enough...
AnLing smiled softly.
"I refuse."
As soon as he heard those words, Mr. Long's face turned pale. He had believed he had won, but he had made a grave miscalculation…
He had overlooked the severity of AnLing's pride.
"W-why?" Mr. Long couldn't understand the girl at that moment and a part of him worried about how Kang Jun would handle her.
She was completely nonsensical.
"I don't accept handouts."
"We aren't giving you a 'hand out'. The room was simply something the master wanted to use…" Mr. Long couldn't find a proper explanation.
It was true that Kang Jun reserved the room just so he could meet AnLing, but at the same time it didn't mean it was a 'hand out'. Though because Mr. Long himself didn't understand his boss's thought process, it was hard for him to speak.
Either way, he had to make sure that AnLing stayed for the sake of his boss but most importantly, for the sake of his job.
"What would make you stay?"
'I need you to stay!' Mr. Long almost screamed.
AnLing pretended to think it over, but ever since Mr. Long had offered her a room to stay in she had been ecstatic but she wouldn't dare show it on her face.
This was kind of like playing hard to get but at the same time, it wasn't. None of her words were lies. She would never accept a handout, no matter whose hand out it was.
If she insulted the other party, so be it, as long as she didn't insult herself.
"The price of my stay. I'll pay your master back in full with interest."
"My master doesn't need money—"
"You asked me what it would take to make me stay, right?" AnLing said, not really asking. "This is my offer. I will only stay if he allows me to pay him back."
Mr. Long wasn't sure whether he should accept or not, but when he remembered Kang Jun's orders he accepted her request without a second thought.
He shook AnLing's hand.
Mr. Long still couldn't help but sigh. His poor master would have his hands full with her but it wasn't Mr. Long's problem.
Kang Jun's words were clear after all.
Just as Mr. Long was leaving the room he received a phone call.
'Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear…'
"Did she accept?"
"Yes sir, but…" Mr. Long recounted the details to Kang Jun.
The line was quiet after he had finished which caused Mr. Long's heart to palpitate.
Had he made the correct decision?
Kang Jun: "Good. You can have a week off. Chose."
Mr. Long's eyes brightened. He wanted to retort but he kept his mouth shut. Even after Kang Jun had hung up, Mr. Long just stood in place and stared straight down the hall.
Was this a dream?
He pinched himself and felt the sharp pain shoot up his arm.
Nope…
Working for Kang Jun for five years made him realize one thing. The man was the devil on bad days and a beast on a good day. He never stopped working and he never allowed anyone to have a break. Ever. It was just not part of his belief system. He barely liked it when employees were sick. But for the first time ever, his boss was neither a devil nor a beast but a normal man.
Who had even given a lowly employee like himself a vacation, and not just one day but One. Whole. Week?! And he could choose whichever week he wanted.
Impossible…
A beast such as Kang Jun was turning human?
Mr. Long felt the need to slap himself but he didn't do it in fear that it would leave a mark. If he really had just gotten a weeks worth of vacation he didn't want to hurt himself and anger his wife.
But now the question that dominated his mind was:
Who was this AnLing girl?
No…
Who was this Goddess and how had she tamed his boss?!
クリエイターの想い 
caremel
caremel This is the last chapter before the fateful (and fully sober) meeting between Kang Jun and AnLing, I hope you look forward to it.
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