From Eden

E d e n

With the conversation ending well, I fortunately was able to retrace myself back in the lobby and was met with a nervous Mona. Seeing the small smile on my face, she had this instant relief and was smiling as well.

"With the smile, I take that the conversation went well, Ma'am?"

I was just about to answer when she gasped.

"Oh my, forgive me for asking something private. I can't help but ask since you have a small smile, Ma'am."

"It's all good, Mona. To answer your question, the meeting I had with your boss went well. I think I'll enjoy staying here."

Mona alerted one of the bellboys to assist me in carrying my stuff to my room. The bellboy who is assisting me also happens to be as lively as Mona. He was a chatty man. He mostly talked about what he knows about the hotel throughout the whole elevator ride. While listening to his stories, I found myself staring at the floors that passed by. 

One of the features of this hotel is that Mr. Seo choose to have those elevators that are transparent because on every floor, there is a designated theme for it. He even told me about the gimmick Mr. Seo put on the 4th floor. 

"Our boss sure has a weird humor, but at least it brings large profit whenever Halloween comes around. The 4th floor's theme is "The Shining"; usually it's the Non-Asian foreigners who would stay in the floor since Asians, especially East Asians, have a specific belief about the number. He deliberately put the 4 on the bottom with a different button design."

"Mr. Seo seems very business-minded, I see."

"He definitely is, Ma'am."

The elevator doors have opened and we proceeded to walk along the hallway. The numbers are weirdly in a decreasing order; since he said that my room is almost in the end, it got me really nervous and felt uneasy about the room I'm going to stay for a while."

"How long have you been working here..."

I read his name plate and smiled because of how cute his name is and it really suits him,

"...Hyun-Joong?"

"I've been working here for three years, Ma'am."

"How's your experience so far working with Mr. Seo?"

"It's rare for me to handle very unruly guests. It's usually kind souls like you, Ma'am."

I chuckled while he was grinning widely.

"Hm... You don't have to flatter me to get a big tip, Hyun-Joong. Regardless, I always give big tips to all of those who helped me."

I saw how he sheepishly laugh and scratch the backside of his head.

"But I do mean it, Ma'am. It's genuine."

"Well, thank you for the kind words."

Since it was a long walk, I might as well ask the man if he knows something about the history of the hotel. 

"Have you seen the old version of the hotel?"

"Not at all."

"Well, six years ago, this was often overlooked as a shady apartment. It looked as if different calamities took over the place. The exterior was good, but once you enter, you'll agree with what I've said. And at that time, something happened to this place."

"Ah... I've heard that something have happened before and multiple murders took place. But they all said that it was just rumors and all that stuff."

"Well..."