Chapter 8
What a heartbreaking situation.
The room was still unbearably hot, scattered with dried flowers. The old woman walked over and placed her son’s black–and–white photo, small and delicate, next to her own larger memorial portrait.
The silence in the air was deafening, broken only by her muffled sobs of grief.
I remained silent for a moment before saying gently, “Ma’am, please don’t be so sad. I think… your son might already be in the game.”
She abruptly looked up at me, hope flickering in her tear–filled eyes.
I continued, “Earlier today, I saw a young man who looked very much like your son. But I can’t say for sure. I didn’t want to get your hopes up… I think, if it is him, he may have entered another boss‘ room.”
It was as if a spark of hope had ignited in her eyes.
She gasped, breathing heavily, and clutched my hand tightly.
“Really? Then I… I have to find him-” she said, before breaking into a violent coughing fit.
The emotional toll was clearly too much for her frail body to handle.
I quickly helped her to the bed, gently patting her shoulder to calm her down.
“Don’t worry, I’ll look for him for you.”
“Really?” she asked, her tearful eyes fixed on me.
“Of course. I have to inspect rooms every day anyway, so I’ll just ask the other bosses along the way. It’s no trouble at all.”
Her rough, weathered hands reached out to stroke mine repeatedly.
“That’s wonderful… just wonderful…” she murmured. “Young lady, you’ve done so much for this old woman… I can’t thank you enough.”
After leaving her room, I immediately went to check the other rooms.
After all, I was in a rush to clock out!
As I visited the bosses in their rooms, I shared the events from the previous night with them. In return, I received a wave of gratitude.
The little girl’s father, upon hearing the news, shook my hand with a relieved smile, saying I
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+25 Bonus
had fulfilled one of his greatest wishes.
The husband of the older woman, with tears streaming down his face, said, “Good, good. Now that she has that money, my wife doesn’t have to work so hard anymore. And see? Every bit of money a man secretly saves can end up being the backbone of his family!”
Of course, since my time after work was limited to just a few hours, I couldn’t get around to fulfilling every game boss‘ wishes. I had to reassure them, promising that if they gave me a little more time, I’d get everything done.
Thankfully, they all understood.
“You’ve already sacrificed so much of your time to help us. How could we ask for more?”
“Miss, I had lost all hope here. I thought I’d never hear about my family again, but then I met you.”
“That’s right, young lady. The thing I look forward to most now is your room inspections. That way, I can find out what’s happening with my loved ones.”
Surrounded by their gratitude and praise, I felt overwhelmed and deeply moved.
In my eyes, I was just an ordinary front desk clerk, yet they entrusted me with such profound meaning in their lives.
I suddenly found myself loving this job even more.
From then on, every day, I threw myself into my work with even greater enthusiasm and a sense of purpose.
But one day, out of nowhere, I received a call from the hospital. My mother had collapsed.
I was stunned.
Even though her temper was terrible, she had always been in good health. How had she ended up in the hospital so suddenly?
I rushed to her bedside, and there she was, lying with a breathing mask over her face.
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