PM Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He drew a thick line through the fourth bullet point and wrote, Send to basement.

Contrary to what Daesik assumed, Heeseong had actually understood what he meant. From Heeseong’s perspective, the job had a few things to keep in mind, but it didn’t seem all that difficult. So he was a bit confused by Daesik suddenly shaking his head. Heeseong pushed his glasses back up again.

Meanwhile, Daesik tapped his pen on the fifth bullet point.

“You’re not supposed to give the room key to just any guest who says a number—only if the guest gives you the room number themselves. Ugh, I don’t even know why I’m doing this.”

Grumbling about why he was even explaining all this, Daesik still corrected the notes with his pen. Then, glancing sideways at Heeseong, he tapped the notepad thoughtfully with the tip of his pen.

Counter Notes! ☆☆☆

Collect payment according to the posted rates and give the key!! (Check the rate sheet)

If an overnight guest says they’re going to the basement, came to work, wrapping up, or looking for something → Call the boss!!!
(If the boss isn’t here, guide them to the stairs / take payment as they offer it)

If they say they’re drinking or came to party → Basement! (They’ll go by themselves) Leave them be!

If they give chips or cash → Exchange for money!! Just send them all to the basement!

For room guests, give the key only if they state the room number!!
(If they ask for a room that’s been checked out, say it’s under renovation and give the next room! And then…?)

Dealing with room guests:

Ask whether it’s short stay or overnight (If they give a room number right away, give that key!)

Take payment and hand over the key

If they ask for a room that’s already been checked out, tell them it’s under renovation and give the neighboring room key. (Once they go up, inform the requested room someone’s arrived.) — Or just call the boss.

“If someone asks for a room that’s already been checked out, just call me.”

“Okay…”

Heeseong replied in a small voice and glanced nervously at the boss, wondering if he’d done something wrong when he saw his frown.

“Here, I’ve corrected everything. Just follow this. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Heeseong took the notepad with a nod. He was quietly relieved the boss wasn’t upset with him. That’s right—definitely a good gangster, he thought, and looked down at the corrected memo. Only then did he realize there were parts he hadn’t fully understood.

Daesik tilted his head slightly as he looked at Heeseong, who resembled a squirrel fussing over its acorns. He let out a sigh, unsure how the kid was going to manage all this—but oddly enough, he didn’t feel bad about it.

Patting Heeseong on the shoulder, Daesik pointed to the underside of the counter.

“And here underneath, there’s a red button. Right here. Press it if you’re ever in danger. Got it?”

Heeseong gulped and nodded. He added a note about the red button to his list. So there really were robbers around, he thought.

It might be more dangerous than he expected. Still, he was grateful the boss was decent. He wasn’t too strict or scary, and he even bought him food. Heeseong mentally counted all the things he was thankful for and resolved to do his best.

Watching him, Daesik lifted an eyebrow. Whatever Heeseong was thinking, he looked dead serious with his fists clenched and that determined look on his face. It was kind of funny.

Suppressing a laugh, Daesik walked to the door.

“I’m gonna look around a bit. Hold down the fort.”

“Yes!”

Well, at least he answers well. Daesik ended up letting out a short laugh and shook his head.

He didn’t know if this pint-sized kid would actually be able to do the job well, but honestly, Heeseong wasn’t that small—just underweight from not eating enough. For an omega, he was actually on the taller side. Still, standing next to someone like Daesik, a dominant alpha with a solid build, he looked as tiny as a sparrow.

“That scrawny thing… can he even handle being assigned anything?”

Muttering to himself, Daesik slowly made his way downstairs toward the basement. Heeseong looked so weak and flimsy, but for some reason, Daesik had no intention of dismissing him.

Though he didn’t realize it, even that thought was telling. He just smirked to himself, remembering the way Heeseong had jotted down his words.

Meanwhile, alone in the office-slash-counter space, Heeseong, despite his lively response, was internally a nervous wreck. It was only his first day, and he was already left alone. Cold sweat dripped down his back.

With a face tense with determination, he widened his eyes, steeling his mind to stay alert. His back straightened stiffly, and his fists clenched tight.

Heeseong glanced at the clock. It felt like at least thirty minutes had passed, but only five minutes had gone by. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and stared intently out the counter window with a nervous expression.

After watching outside for a while, he went back to reading the memo over and over. Then he glanced toward the bathroom, then toward the elevator, and finally stared blankly at the lobby and the entrance.

After a few repetitions of the same cycle, Heeseong’s eyelids began to flutter.

Maybe it was because of the nearby mountains, but the sound of birds chirping felt as if it was right beside him. The chirping of birds, the occasional whisper of wind, the rustle of leaves drifting in the breeze. The quiet lobby, the still office, and the silent counter. Everything was perfectly drowsy.

Maybe it was the influence of this lethargic atmosphere, but a yawn escaped him. The tension he had tried to maintain quickly melted away into the haze of drowsiness. When he checked the clock, more than thirty minutes had already passed.

“Ha-aahm…”

There was also the fact that he’d woken up extremely early, which added to the fatigue. The combination of weariness and the lazy ambiance hit Heeseong all at once. He bit his lips and forced his eyes open. I can’t fall asleep! He braced himself against sleep and began a desperate battle to stay awake.

Determined not to doze off on his first day, Heeseong fought with all he had to resist the drowsiness. Barely managing to keep his eyes open, he reread the memo of things to remember. It didn’t really sink in—probably because he was too sleepy—but he bit down on his lip and forced strength into his eyes. He straightened his back as well.

But it didn’t last long. His eyes began to droop as if heavy weights were tied to them, and his stiff posture started leaning forward little by little.

Eventually, his head started bobbing up and down like a leaf swaying in the wind. His glasses slowly slipped down his face.

“Ha.”

What even is this?

Daesik, having finished checking the entire basement floor, returned and stared, speechless, at the sight before him. Through the small counter window, he could see Heeseong dozing off. Daesik let out a short, dumbfounded laugh.

So good at answering… and now this? Unbelievable. Shaking his head in disbelief, he slowly tilted it to the side. What am I supposed to do with this goldfish? Of course it would start nodding off too.

Maybe 5 a.m. was a bit much? Thinking back, he might’ve pushed the kid too hard from the start. If Kyunghoon found out, he’d probably be horrified—again. But Daesik simply thought, he must’ve been tired, and continued watching the sleeping Heeseong.

Normally, with his personality, he’d have fired someone like that on the spot, sleeping or not—but strangely, he didn’t feel like doing that. Instead, he opened the counter door, leaned against the frame, and crossed his arms. His gaze stayed on the small head nodding behind the glass.

The glasses were barely hanging onto the lowered face, looking like they might fall off at any second. They seemed too big for him. Might be better to just take them off.

As Daesik quietly watched the bobbing head, he suddenly reached out. It wasn’t a conscious action. He just thought the kid might slam his head on the desk if he kept sleeping like that. It was the kind of action that would make Kyunghoon seriously question Daesik’s identity.

Just as his hand was about to touch Heeseong’s head, noisy voices came from the stairwell.

Daesik pulled back his hand, closed the office door behind him, and slid the counter window shut partway. Then he furrowed his brow. He hadn’t needed to go that far—so why did he?

Meanwhile, a few guests who had come up the stairs poured out into the lobby.

“Well, look who it is!”

“Hey there, President Pyo!”

They were regulars, people whose faces Daesik knew well. They approached him casually, speaking in a friendly tone. One was a woman with sharp eyes, and the other was a man who looked like a toad.

Both of them were smugglers, mainly dealing in pharmaceuticals.