Chapter 4

Chapter 3.

2000, Mirae Hotel

After Seong Hyun-woo left, Seong Gwan-gyu instructed the secretary general not to let anyone in.

Then he began to gaze out the window.

Secretary General Kim Sung-wook placed a cup of tea in front of Seong Gwan-gyu.

"Chairman, it's chrysanthemum tea."

Seong Gwan-gyu nodded briefly and took a sip.

After a moment, Seong Gwan-gyu spoke.

"What do you think, Kim Director?"

"If you're referring to Seong Hyun-woo, he seems more determined than I thought."

"He is determined, but he doesn't seem particularly clever."

"Is it because he chose the hotel?"

"He seemed to have studied our group and me quite well, but I wonder why he chose the hotel..."

"Perhaps he decided to be the head of a snake rather than the tail of a dragon?"

"The hotel was built along with the development project when the IMF crisis began, wasn't it? We announced that we would develop the hotel, but if he had paid a little more attention, he would have known that we were only maintaining its size for a potential sale."

"Chairman, Seong Hyun-woo is still in his final year of university. His judgment isn't that developed yet."

"Indeed, even some of the headquarters executives don't know. Still, the future of our country will be dominated by electronics and retail. If he's studying at a top university, he should have some idea of how the future will unfold, shouldn't he?"

Seong Gwan-gyu's face showed a hint of bitterness.

Seong Jae-jin, Seong Hyun-woo's father and his second son, had no interest in the group's management.

This led to frequent conflicts with his eldest son, and during the remarriage process, he decided never to see him again.

Twenty years later, they met again.

But the second son was a very intelligent child.

So he hoped that his grandson would fulfill the expectations he had for his son.

However, this grandson chose the hotel, which would be sold in 2-3 years.

Seong Gwan-gyu, still with a stern expression, spoke.

"How was it outside?"

"From the moment he entered the mansion until now, he did quite well."

"Did he pass my test?"

"He handled the gazes of his uncles and aunts very well. His posture while waiting was impeccable. He seemed like a well-mannered and confident child from a prestigious family."

"His father must have given him a good education."

"He expressed his thoughts clearly and took a higher position than the one offered. I think he will do his part well in future negotiations."

"If he hadn't chosen the hotel..."

Seong Gwan-gyu's face showed disappointment.

Kim Sung-wook spoke cautiously.

"Chairman, the sale of the hotel isn't 100% decided, is it?"

"..."

"It may be a mediocre hotel now, but it's located on prime land in Gangnam. Once the hotel stabilizes, it can serve as a cash flow for the group."

At that moment, Seong Gwan-gyu threw a file.

"Can you still say that after seeing this?"

The file contained a hotel improvement plan.

The biggest issues were the hotel's declining external image and service quality, and the ongoing losses.

Mirae Hotel was rumored to be just a name for a luxury hotel.

Despite Seong Gwan-gyu's intention to develop it and sell it, the revenue was not impressive.

It had one of the highest turnover rates in the hotel industry.

Given this, it was impossible for the service quality to be high.

Ultimately, all of this led to losses.

The group had replaced several general managers.

They even brought in someone well-known in the industry.

However, they all cited the employees' lax work attitudes, outdated facilities, and the group's passive support as reasons.

So the chairman had decided to sell the hotel 99% of the way.

When Seong Gwan-gyu still looked unconvinced, Kim Sung-wook spoke.

"Chairman, it's 2000 now. The World Cup is just around the corner."

"Already, top luxury hotels are lining up with the government."

"The tourism industry expects that the Korean tourism industry will be divided into before and after the World Cup. If Seong Hyun-woo can save the hotel, wouldn't it be fine to keep it?"

"Hmm!"

"Chairman, you seem more puzzled by why Seong Hyun-woo chose a hotel with no future. But I think he also considered the impact of competing with your other grandchildren."

"Surely he didn't think that far?"

"President Seong Jae-hwan and Executive Seong Eun-young already have positions in the subsidiaries."

"Finance is tightly held by my younger brother, and his son is in construction, while Eun-young's son is in the food service industry. So the hotel is the only one without my bloodline."

"Chairman, if the hotel fulfills its role, there's no better place for funding construction. It can also be used as a connection to the political world. Who knows, it might become a valuable cash flow like other groups?"

Seong Gwan-gyu, after a long pause, spoke.

"Check how Seong Jae-jin's son is doing. I need to see how a father who only read books all his life has raised his son."

* * *

At that moment, Seong Hyun-woo was at a nearby café with his parents.

Except for Seong Hyun-woo, his parents had only stepped into the chairman's mansion.

So from their perspective, it was as if they had been rejected by their grandfather again.

But his parents didn't show any signs of disappointment.

"So, you chose the hotel over retail. Can you tell me why?"

In response to his father's question, Seong Hyun-woo asked.

"Are you disappointed?"

"I think the MD team would suit you better. Did you choose the hotel because there's no one from our family there?"

"I chose the hotel because it's the least valued part of the group."

"..."

"Father, I don't want to waste time competing with my cousins. And wouldn't it be more impressive to save a business that's about to be abandoned?"

"But you're not a hotel expert, are you?"

"I plan to stabilize the management first and then nurture veterans in each department. Just wait and see."

Seong Hyun-woo said confidently.

In his previous life, he was the top expert in the hotel industry.

From guest rooms to food and beverage, banquets, and ancillary facilities, there was nowhere his touch didn't turn into profit.

But now, he was just a student about to graduate from a business administration program.

His father and mother exchanged worried glances, and Seong Hyun-woo offered them coffee.

"The coffee here is good, right? Mom, let's not just drink instant coffee. We should come to places like this and enjoy coffee. The atmosphere is nice, and it's a good walk to get here. When the hotel stabilizes, it would be great if you could provide external information like this."

Seong Hyun-woo winked as he said this.

His parents, who had been worried, burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, Seong Hyun-woo was sweating.

He was 26 years old.

But his mental age was 46.

No matter how old he was, he was still a child in front of his parents.

But such cuteness was honestly exhausting.

While drinking coffee, Seong Hyun-woo thought about how he needed to start work as soon as possible.

Two days later, a call came from the Mirae Group's secretariat, and Seong Hyun-woo headed straight to the hotel.

* * *

At 7:00 AM, Seong Hyun-woo stopped in front of the hotel.

He remembered the Mirae Hotel from his previous life.

Even then, he had sighed at the hotel's exterior, but now it looked even more pitiful.

In 2000, the Mirae Hotel was about 10 years old.

It didn't have the luxurious charm of a recently built hotel, but it had the cleanliness and elegance of a luxury hotel.

However, the service philosophy and sophistication of a traditional hotel were missing, perhaps due to the change in ownership.

The problem wasn't the building itself.

The bigger issue was the poor building maintenance.

The first thing he noticed was the hotel sign.

The 'H' in 'MIRAE HOTEL' was not lit.

"Even if you charge motel-level prices, that's a bit much."

Seong Hyun-woo then looked around the building.

There were uncollected trash and even signs of drunkards in the corners.

A pile of garbage was even at the entrance to the parking lot.

This wasn't just a terror attack by drunkards in Gangnam; it was a problem with the hotel's cleanliness.

He regretted not visiting the hotel first before making his choice.

He thought he could have lived a completely different life by choosing retail.

But the arrow had already been shot.

Seong Hyun-woo picked up a garbage bag from the parking lot entrance and headed to the lobby.

The lobby was even worse.

Despite guests checking out early, there was only one front desk staff member.

And that one staff member looked like a trainee.

He looked at the restaurant in the lobby.

It was where the breakfast buffet was held.

But there was no buffet, only flies.

Worse, the restaurant staff were gathered, joking and eating.

Seong Hyun-woo sighed, and the door to the housekeeping team opened, and staff members came out.

Then something even more absurd happened.

They started to greet guests while smacking their lips.

"So, you were away from the front desk eating?"

Just then, a man's voice came from the side of the lobby.

"Where have you been, coming out now?"

There were guests in the lobby.

Yet, someone was yelling.

The man approached Seong Hyun-woo.

"Sir, why are you holding garbage? Did you bring it here to throw it away?"

Seong Hyun-woo looked at the man's name tag.

He was the housekeeping team leader, Kim Joo-won.

But he was looking Seong Hyun-woo up and down.

As if he were looking at someone who had thrown garbage into the hotel.

Seong Hyun-woo placed the garbage bag in front of him.

"You seem to only manage the lobby. Take a look at the hotel's exterior. If you can't, at least manage the external cleaning staff thoroughly."

Most hotels outsource internal and external cleaning to external companies.

So the maids who clean the rooms and the cleaning staff for the building's interior and exterior are from the same company.

The housekeeping team leader often manages them.

Seong Hyun-woo's assumption was proven correct when the housekeeping team leader's face turned red.

"This is from the kitchen..."

"Then you should tell the kitchen manager to handle the garbage properly."

"But who are you...?"

"I'm the audit team leader. Please guide me to the president's office."

The housekeeping team leader quickly handed the garbage to a nearby staff member and headed for the elevator.

"Shouldn't you guide me to the staff elevator?"

"Y...Yes, this way."

The housekeeping team leader seemed intimidated by the term "audit team leader."

Or he might have misunderstood that Seong Hyun-woo was from the headquarters audit team.

Seong Hyun-woo followed with a slight smile.

But his expression soon turned grim.

The staff route is usually at the back of the hotel building.

It's narrower and darker compared to the areas used by guests.

And it was the time when the morning shift staff were arriving.

The staff entrance was bustling.

The housekeeping team leader quieted them down and began the tour.

But Seong Hyun-woo's frown deepened at the scattered garbage and various items.

Seeing Seong Hyun-woo's expression, the housekeeping team leader spoke.

"The staff are changing shifts, so it's a bit messy."

He then guided Seong Hyun-woo to the president's office and placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

"This is fresh coffee from the restaurant. Please try it."

"This is a test cup, isn't it?"

Restaurants and delis in hotels often make test cups of coffee early in the morning.

Usually, managers or supervisors test them, and sometimes they are sent to the president's office or the general manager's office.

"The test is already done. This is for the guests."

"Is that so?"

"But are you from the headquarters? Our president doesn't seem to know about the audit team leader."

The housekeeping team leader asked with a puzzled look.

Seong Hyun-woo took a sip of coffee and spoke.

"Does the president tell all the team leaders about headquarters matters?"

"He usually does in team leader meetings."

"Then why didn't he mention the new audit team for the hotel?"

"The hotel audit team? So...?"

"Yes, I'm the audit team leader for the hotel, not the headquarters."

The housekeeping team leader's face showed confusion.

He seemed frustrated that he had been so courteous to someone from the headquarters.

Seong Hyun-woo smiled and continued.

"I'll remember the warm welcome today. Oh, I'll remember the garbage first, though."

The housekeeping team leader's face turned red again.

He regained his composure and spoke.

"So, you're definitely from the hotel?"

"Yes."

"Which hotel were you at before? And how old are you?"

The housekeeping team leader seemed to want to get back at him for the earlier treatment.

Just as Seong Hyun-woo was about to speak, the president's office door opened.

"Who came from the headquarters?"

It was President Heo Tae-sik of Mirae Hotel.

Seong Hyun-woo spoke clearly to him.

"I'm not from the headquarters. I'm Seong Hyun-woo, the audit team leader for the hotel."

"Seong... Hyun-woo?"

Heo Tae-sik repeated Seong Hyun-woo's name.

"Chairman Seong Gwan-gyu is my grandfather."

Heo Tae-sik and Kim Joo-won's mouths opened wide.

Seong Hyun-woo gave his first instruction to Heo Tae-sik.

"President, please show me the sales and expenditure records and the organizational chart for the past five years."

"..."

"Also, the purchase records and supplier lists for each department, the reservation status of guest rooms and restaurants, the list of major customers, and the inventory list. Please separate the sales records by department and provide the relevant computer data. However, bring the internal records, not the ones submitted to the headquarters."