Chapter 29 (1) - The Mysterious Art Museum
Mass release for the year end, see you all next year.
The next afternoon, two o'clock.
In front of the W Tree Ambassador Hotel in Hannam-dong.
Having descended from the subway and walked uphill for about 15 minutes, I marveled at the two-lane road leading up to the hotel.
"Wow..."
Surprised, you ask?
Because the path up was so luxurious?
Or because it was flashy?
Not at all.
The road to the hotel was like a mysterious entrance to a secret forest, winding and twisting.
Young green leaves hung from the tree branches, covering the sky, but the sun filtering through the leaves brought a warm feeling.
Could this be a reflection of the hotel owner's taste?
Walking on the sidewalk at the edge of the road, the unexpectedly steep and long road made me stop and rest, leaning on the guardrail.
Having walked uphill for about 20 minutes, a splendid view of Seoul city unfolds before my eyes.
Despite the cool weather, a single drop of sweat trickles down my back due to the unexpected 'hike,' but it quickly evaporates in the cool breeze from the mountains.
"Phew."
As I catch my breath, admiring the view, the phone conversation I had with Soo-young in the morning comes to mind.
Information I had asked Soo-young about the client over the phone because I felt it wasn't right to go without knowing anything.
Her Korean name, Yoo Min-young.
Completed a doctoral program in humanities at the University of Florence in Italy.
She is twenty-eight years old, two years older than me.
The W Tree Ambassador Hotel chain started in 1996 with a hotel in Jongno and now operates ten hotels nationwide, including in Jeju Island. The current chairman, Yoo Chang-hyun, has two sons and a daughter, all of whom are managing the hotels.
Wiping sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, I muttered to myself.
"So the chairman is giving all three children an equal chance to take a succession test."
I couldn't have predicted this with my limited perspective.
Of course, it was a tip-off from Soo-young.
Chairman Yoo isn't the type to hand over the group to the eldest son or a son just because they are that. He's observing which child to pass on the management rights to after having each manage a part of the hotel's operations.
"The life of chaebols, huh."
It's hard enough in this world to get by even when siblings give and help each other, let alone being pitted against each other in competition.
I now understand why chaebol siblings are always at each other's throats, fighting tooth and nail in dramas.
While walking towards the still distant hotel, I start walking again.
As a child, I often daydreamed while walking, usually imagining myself as a famous soccer player or a Major League pitcher, throwing a fantastic 160 km/h fastball to dominate batters.
Of course, that was a child's story.
Growing up, I dreamt more about making lots of money, driving a G-Wagen, and going to department stores saying, "I'll take everything from here to there," a crude and shallow dream.
Lost in thought, I find myself facing the hotel entrance.
I swallowed dryly at the sight of the immense and expansive hotel building.
"Is this really a hotel?"
It looks like a medieval castle.
Or a magnificent theater somewhere along Vienna's Ringstrasse.
The hotel, about 40 stories high, seemed capable of swallowing a soccer field with its immense size.
How much money must it take to build a hotel of this size in the expensive Hannam-dong?
"The forest and parking lot I saw on the way up must also be part of this land?"
A lowlife like me, unfamiliar with such massive expenditures, ponders the management rights battle among siblings to run these ten hotels.
What if it were me?
Would I fight with my brother over money? Nah, probably not.
Having grown up in such a family and facing an unrealistic concern, I straighten my clothes before entering the hotel.
A male staff member in a bellboy uniform smiles and opens the door for me.
Hmm. I should have just nodded coolly and entered, but I found myself awkwardly bowing more than the staff member, feeling embarrassed for a moment. But then, snap out of it, Jeong-hoon. You're here for work.
I approach the information desk and say I have an appointment with the CEO. They ask for my name.
I state my name with as much confidence as I can muster and wait. After a few phone calls, the staff member hands me a card key and points to the right.
"Take the elevator at the far right, and place this card on the internal card sensor."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
The black card given by the staff member.
What is this for?
I remember that the staff already explained to use the card inside the elevator, so I go to find it.
There were six elevators next to the information center, but there must be a reason they specified the one at the far right.
Wow, this hotel is really huge. The lobby is as big as a school playground.
I walked to the right for a while, but the elevator was not in sight.
I showed the black card to a passing staff member, who immediately changed his expression and respectfully gestured for me to keep going.
Hmm, I don't know what this card is for, but it seems to get me special treatment.
After searching for about three minutes more, I found two elevators tucked away in a corner. I pressed the up button and stepped back, lifting my head out of habit.
"Huh?"
Don't elevators usually display what floor they are currently on and how close they are to arriving? Why doesn't this one show anything?
However, my confusion didn't last long because the elevator doors opened immediately. But as I hesitated and glanced at the elevator, which epitomized luxury, I stepped in and was bewildered again.
There are no buttons.
There's no button for open, close, not even for the floor I need to go to.
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