Chapter 4: The Hills Have Eyes

Here’s what the hotel looks like for your reference—you need to have a clear view of it to understand this more. ;) https://youtu.be/vxuuDB-uNZc

“The interns are coming in tomorrow. You think there would be any interesting fresh meat for us to gnaw?” 

On a fine Sunday morning, I was awake at dawn. Came to the hotel along with my new bike—yes my new bike. The brakes of my old one gave away because the hills from Woodville are steep. That would be the end of my misery as a living person if I end up being pasted on a concrete wall. 

Luckily, I brewed a cup of coffee earlier so I wasn’t really that cranky when Sooyoung, the head chef of the dining room came to me with a grin. Interns are not meat in the first place. Why would I even have the slightest urge to gnaw them? Oh yes. Because I’m a seasonal jerk.

“You can cook and bang them after shifts but I’m not in for that this season,” I say, closing the lid of the cold French toast. There goes my breakfast.

“You are way too judgemental my friend. I don’t bang people. I have a boyfriend.” She acted surprised. 

“You were banging them when you haven’t got any boyfriend to bang.”

She eyed me roughly. “Okay. You won. But you’ve got someone to occupy your time this season? I mean well, we have like 4 more months before the hotel closes for winter.” 

“Interns are in for 3 months only this time?” I asked, quite surprised.

“They are for work and travel program. Three months. Always.” She lifted those three lanky fingers to prove her point. 

Anyways the hotel closes every winter and opens every summer. Six months working, Six months rest. It’s a cycle. Besides, it is an icon for summer getaways here in the States. Aside from the luxurious ambiance, it is also an old architectural landmark, it’s like time stopped whenever I am here on the island.

So I often go off the island and travel. Chicago? New York? Or Korea. Mainly the first one coz it’s the nearest state to wind down. But I am four months away from my freedom so I had to keep it together still.

“So about that girl for this season? Who is it?”

Certainly, she knew about my reputation. 

“I don’t have time for that. This year got the highest amount of guests and people are flocking to the island to get married! I hate weddings. Too much work to handle.” I mumbled. Adjusting my black bow tie.

Sooyoung leans unto the pillar of the dining room while she makes way for the waiters who are already starting to set up their respective tables. 

“Hmm. Okay, I will have to open my ears for news about your escapades then. It gets lonely here Taeng. You plan to stay for the winter?”

“Why would you ask that?”

She smirked. I guess she already knew. “Saw you eating pizza downtown.”

Of course. She knew. Who am I kidding? Working in that big kitchen, Sooyoung is like the eyes and ears of the place. Not a single gossip can make it pass through her. 

“So it’s Tiffany? After eating Jessica it’s Tiffany?”

“Oh my god. I’m not having this conversation with you Sooyoung, bye.” I have a humongous dining room to manage. 

“You might be staying for the winter. Heard the family is going to stay.”

I looked back at her almost automatically. She was eating a strawberry tart from the buffet table, smiling right back at me. “They always stay here. The family lives here.”

“The old Hwangs do. But the twins? I don’t think so.”

———

All of the leaves are brown, the air is colder too. The gardener had plucked all of the tulips out of the driveway and my favorite roses on the porch were gone. 

It’s the end of a season. Some guests stayed for the traditional end of the season festival tomorrow so they opted to have their last breakfast in the dining room. Half-day is not bad though. 

I said my goodbyes to those crying interns on their last day and took a picture with a bunch of girls. Keepsakes. It’s uplifting. Heartwarming too.

I dodged Jessica on my way out of the hotel and bumped into Tiffany on the bike parking lot. Looking tremendously overdressed in her fur coat. 

“Where are you going?” She asked her nose red because of the wind or the horse poop allergies. 

“Home.” 

Before she took a step towards their private estate, she held my arm in a tight grip. If someone will get to see this kind of skinship, we are going to be the talk of the island. 

The attention. The audience's taste in the news. Nope. I won’t be having more of that.

But Tiffany looks concerned. So I stopped.

“Look Taeyeon..” she starts to fiddle with the dead animal’s fur. 

“Anything wrong?”

“I and Jessi are staying for the winter. Jae and my parents are going out of town.”

“You aren’t going with them?” 

The family always goes out of town for some ski trips in the higher lands or a warm December in the Bahamas. Indeed what Sooyoung told me was true. Wonder why.

She shook her head, cutely. Porcelain skin and plump pink lips. Can Tiffany be any more of a perfect creation though?

“Jessi wants to stay. I want to stay too.”

“Okay….that’s...great...alright. Yes..” I stammered.

A hint of a giggle was masked by her fake cough. “You are my friend right?”

“Yes..of course.”

She smiles again, “You are staying right?”

“Yes….why?” I asked. 

“Nothing. Be safe. I’ll see you tomorrow, yes?” She passed by me with her scent lingering in the air.

What was that all about?

———

The horses were working hard. Island’s a buzz after the barrels for the employee’s belongings arrived two days before. Not a surprise though. Aside from the excitement of finally going home after one hectic season, there are also a lot of possessions in need of transporting. 

It’s not necessarily needed for them to do that but they have a family back home. Two and three and four luggage won’t do. Hence the barrels painted in blue were the management’s last resort. To be honest that’s safer and cleaner. 

It’s funny actually. Watching my workmates working their off-putting a flat-screen TV inside the large barrel. Some others are putting an entire bike inside. The family made sure that all of that will approximately cost around a hundred bucks plus the shipping and all, way too cheap to be honest. 

So I stayed there, on my little rocking chair outside my room. Watching. Just watching.

“You ain’t going back?” Little bald Travis wags his big in front of me. Pushing his big barrel out from his room.

“My family is in Korea for the rest of the year,” I say shortly, gargling my coffee.

“Hmm. Have a blast. See you in the summer!” He smiled, and I waved back at him. 

Now I am all alone. Which isn't a bad thing. Thinking about the first snow dropping from the sky and then the island would be all white. It’s serenity. 

I need to somehow feel peace. That’s why I stayed. 

“Peace my .” Yuri’s voice startled me.

There goes my peace, outside the window. Rotting.

“You read minds now?” I huffed and went inside my room but she followed.

“I’m the police.” 

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