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Chapter : 28
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”
When I entered the villa garden, Meno, who had been sitting under the circular pergola, sprang up to greet me.
“Eani-nim, you’ve come! We’ve been waiting for you!”
At that, several women sitting beside Meno also turned their gaze toward me.
I gave them a satisfied smile.
‘Perfect timing—experts showed up just when I needed them.’
And they came of their own accord.
As I approached, they all stood and bowed to me in greeting. I gladly returned their courtesy and, naturally, took a seat in the center of the table.
“You all came from far away, thank you for the effort. Welcome to our resort, where you’ll be working from now on.”
Meno, who had long experience at the Quend Hotel, had a wide network. Thanks to that, she had been able to reach out to many people, and those who came today were the ones who had immediately signed the contracts, eager to start working—even before meeting me in person.
‘Then there must be something urgent going on.’
Perhaps… financial pressure?
As I guessed, the person who had looked the most anxious brought up the matter first.
“Can we really get the salary exactly as stated in the contract? It’s almost double what I was getting at the Quend Hotel…”
“Isn’t double a good thing?”
Startled by my direct question, she hesitated but spoke cautiously.
“It’s good, but honestly… I still can’t believe it.”
At her words, I shook the bell I had placed on the table.
Then, Elin handed out booklets she had prepared to everyone.
When they looked at it, puzzled, as if asking “What is this?”, I kindly opened the first page and explained:
“This resort is a new type of facility, unlike traditional hotels. Each villa is a standalone unit. So unlike a fully established system like Quend, we have to build everything from scratch.”
Hearing this, everyone began examining the booklets.
Inside were maps of the resort, simple layouts for each villa type, the total number of rooms, lists of small interior items, and notes on operating the ancillary facilities and training the staff.
‘I can’t personally explain everything to every new hire, after all.’
From now on, I would meet only the heads of each department. Those heads would then train their teams according to the operational guidelines I had set. This booklet summarized the basic instructions for them.
I could prepare this because of my experience taking over my stepmother’s hotels in Korea.
‘Knowing how hotels and resorts operate back then really comes in handy now.’
Even Meno’s eyes widened; it was her first time seeing this booklet.
“My goodness! You’ve planned everything in such detail, not just the restaurant but every facility! This is incredible, Eani-nim!”
One by one, the others also began speaking.
“I love that the shuttle boat will pick us up from each port in Wayna on a schedule. I was worried about that the most.”
“And there’s really a playroom for children! So the kids can stay there while we work? Then I can take my child home with me after work?”
I nodded at their questions.
“I promised you convenience and high pay because there’s a lot to do. You’re going to be the opening members of this resort, laying the foundation with me.”
Everyone swallowed hard at my words. It was the tension of positive anticipation.
‘Looks like everyone’s motivation is growing fast.’
The salary I offered was certainly a motivator, but more importantly, these were people Meno had personally connected me with because of their dedication. It was now my role to lead these professionals to produce the best results.
“You’ll be working so hard you might think it’d be easier to just stay home with your children. Of course, I’ll reward you for the results, and I hope you’ll fully receive what I’ve planned for you.”
At my words, they exchanged amused, weary smiles.
“Don’t worry—we’ll never choose staying home over work. After raising children for a few years, I’ve realized I need to keep working.”
“Exactly. My friends say it’s nice to quit work, but I don’t feel that way. Staying home is too frustrating.”
“Same here. My kid is old enough now to dislike my interference. I have nothing to do if I’m not taking care of them.”
“I disagree. With four kids, living expenses are too high. My husband’s salary can’t cover it.”
“Meno, are you just getting started?”
“From what I see, she hasn’t even started yet!”
It seemed they had been holding back lots of stories, as they began chatting one by one. I didn’t stop them.
‘These are resort staff, but they’re also my primary consumer base in the empire.’
Why would I stop listening to their genuine interests up close?
I sipped the tea Elin brought and paid attention to their conversation.
After a while, I felt someone’s gaze and turned to meet the eyes of the woman who had seemed most anxious earlier.
With slightly teary eyes, she slowly spoke:
“Thank you, Eani-nim. Thank you for giving us another chance.”
Her words paused the lively conversation.
“Thanks to you… both of our twins can now attend the Lebeta Academy.”
“Wow, your twins are going to the academy?!”
“Why didn’t you say anything? Getting accepted into that tough school!”
“Smart kids are raised by smart parents! You were the smartest among our peers, after all!”
Everyone laughed brightly and offered warm congratulations.
Indeed, Lebeta Academy was one of the top schools in the empire, the best school available to commoners—and notoriously expensive.
‘No wonder she was so anxious.’
Twins, no less…
It was like an all-in-one school combining elementary through high school. Parents had to invest in their children’s education for a long time.
‘In other words… she can’t easily quit her job.’
I liked that. I smiled warmly at her.
“Fena.”
“Yes, yes!”
When I called her name, Fena, who had been receiving congratulations from her colleagues, answered promptly.
I looked at her kindly and asked:
“You said you worked in which department at the Quend Hotel?”
Fena’s voice was nervous as she replied:
“I worked in the Public Relations team!”
With the arrival of the new staff, work began to get busy in earnest.
I set up my private study right next to the bedroom as my office and diligently reviewed documents.
‘I’ll make the villa the resort headquarters. The first floor will be the lobby and breakfast restaurant, and the second floor will host daily classes for visitors.’
I could use the third and fourth floors for other purposes.
‘Then I’ll need to renovate the villa accordingly.’
Clearly, a lot of construction personnel would be needed. The problem was that most construction workers were men.
‘Besides, to operate the resort, we need as many staff as possible, regardless of gender.’
So I couldn’t rely on women alone.
I put down my pen and raised my head.
‘Maybe it’s time to call Harton back to Tadebna.’
The project was expanding, so it was time to properly tell Harton I wanted to run the resort on this island.
After a moment of thought, I blinked slowly.
‘…Perhaps now is the perfect time to call Harton.’
Because, since a while ago…
I could barely lift my hand to touch my forehead. I didn’t even need to see Virt to know: my body was burning with fever.
‘Just a moment ago, my condition seemed fine…’
So why this sudden heat?
I couldn’t think further.
‘Whoa, the world… is spinning~’
Thud—.
And just like that, I fainted over the desk.
