Troll

‌⁠♡⁩ TL: Khadija SK

 

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After the party hosted by the Aylesford Group, the atmosphere in the kitchen hit rock bottom.

 

Since then, the head chef frequently entered the kitchen to check various things, and if the main chefs left their stations even briefly and returned, they would undergo inspections for smoking.

 

Someone who had carelessly smoked out of habit was immediately fired on the spot. After witnessing that, no one dared to smoke anymore.

 

“One week left now, huh?”

 

The only people who spoke to Jin-ah were Jessie and a few temporary staff members, but she found herself feeling more at ease.

 

Wherever she went, it would surely feel better than here. So she hoped the last day would come quickly.

 

As Christmas drew closer, the number of big parties decreased.

 

Most people had returned to their hometowns to spend time with their families.

 

The only ones left in London were tourists who came to enjoy Christmas in the city, unaware of how quiet this time of year was, or those unable to meet their families who instead spent time with friends or partners.

 

“Ugh, my hands are freezing.”

 

Walking toward the hotel, Jin-ah rubbed her hands together. After spending all of yesterday cleaning, her hands were swollen. It was all due to the sous chef’s harassment.

 

He had previously made her come in early to prepare ingredients, but now that things were quieter, the sous chef reassigned her to kitchen cleaning duties.

 

“ now you’ll do a full cleaning every day. So keep things organized!”  

 

What used to be a weekly deep clean was now required daily. She contemplated quitting due to such blatant harassment but knew she couldn’t.

 

‘If I quit first, I won’t get the extra pay.’

 

Since she had been temporarily hired for a special period, she would receive an additional £1,000 if she worked until the end of the term without quitting.

 

There was only one week left, so she couldn’t give up on it.

 

Moreover, the contract included clauses allowing work hours to be adjusted based on the situation, so she couldn’t dispute it.

 

Rather than feeling sorrowful or resentful, she found it absurd. The sous chef’s harassment had only amounted to this; it was laughable.

 

What scared Jin-ah the most wasn’t this petty harassment but the debt she had to start repaying monthly beginning next month.

 

* * *

 

After finishing cleaning, it was time to get ready to go home. Jessie, who also handled the hotel’s late-night room service after the restaurant closed, came to find Jin-ah.

 

“Jin-ah, I’m sorry, but could you cover my room service shift tonight? I hit a corner while working earlier, and I don’t think I can handle work today.”

 

“Oh no, let me see.”

 

When she lifted Jessie’s uniform to check, it revealed a mess of abrasions and a dark bruise that stood out clearly against her skin.

 

“You can’t work like this. Go home now, Jessie.”

 

“Thanks. I’ll let the supervisor know myself.”

 

After Jessie left with difficulty, Jin-ah headed toward the hotel’s kitchen.

 

‘This might work out well.’

 

The sous chef had arbitrarily reduced her working hours, so she was expecting to earn less than she had planned.

 

‘Even if it’s just for today, it’ll help a bit with paying off my debt.’

 

She had tried to apply for late-night room service shifts like Jessie before but couldn’t get a spot.

 

While staying up late was tiring, the work was relatively light, and the hourly pay was high, so the positions were always in demand.

 

Thinking about the night shift pay rate, she went to meet the supervisor.

 

When she reviewed the preparations left by the previous shift after hearing the supervisor’s explanation, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

 

“There’s more prepared than I expected.”

 

The prepared food and ingredients far exceeded Jin-ah’s expectations, particularly a variety of snacks that paired well with drinks.

 

“Is late-night room service really this busy?”

 

Given the season, guests had already dined at the hotel or famous local restaurants. Moreover, the hotel was so expensive that the cost of room service was exorbitant.

 

Yet there were still this many orders.

 

At her question, the supervisor smirked bitterly.

 

“Only for tonight.”

 

“Just tonight?”

 

“Well, orders will start coming in after midnight. They’re all for the 14th floor.”

 

After hesitating briefly, the supervisor lowered his voice and added,

 

“You know, those rich, party-going types rent an entire floor to party in, sometimes pretty messily.”

 

Jin-ah smirked bitterly at this explanation. She had seen similar things while working elsewhere before.

 

“Couldn’t they do that in one of their vacation homes?”

 

“They used to, but after some incidents where reporters tried to catch them, they’ve stopped. Things would go missing, and cleaning up was a hassle… Hotels are probably more convenient.”

 

As Jin-ah listened to these sordid details, the supervisor continued his explanation.

 

“You won’t have to go to the 14th floor. Only pre-assigned staff are allowed up there tonight. Oh, actually, someone you know is working there. Speaking of which, here they come.”

 

Someone she knows? Turning her head, she saw the sous chef entering the room.

 

The moment their eyes met, both Jin-ah and the sous chef grimaced.

 

It looked like it was going to be a tough night.

 

***

 

Contrary to her expectations, the work turned out to be easier than anticipated.

 

After midnight, the sous chef, who had been glaring at her, disappeared from sight.

 

‘Is he staying on the 14th floor the whole time?’

 

Thanks to that, Jin-ah greeted a few employees she vaguely knew through Jessie and started preparing for work.

 

As the supervisor had said, orders started coming in after midnight. Most of the predetermined items were snack platters like cheese and ham.

 

The demand was high, and items like premium cheese and ham, rarely ordered even at the restaurant she normally worked at, disappeared quickly. Even a simple cheese platter could cost as much as her weekly paycheck.

 

These were orders from people who didn’t even bother glancing at price tags.

 

After the initial rush of orders, the kitchen quickly quieted down. The remaining staff began chatting about what might be happening on the 14th floor.

 

“Did you see those women going up in the staff elevator earlier? They were stunning.”

 

“Are they really doing drugs up there?”

 

“Wouldn’t it be weirder if they weren’t? I heard they even brought a doctor just in case something happens.”

 

The lively chatter about the decadent parties of the wealthy bordered on excitement.

 

“I’d love to sneak a peek.”

 

“Not me. I’d probably just feel disgusted.”

 

“I heard they do all sorts of crazy things. Like spreading money on the floor, pouring wine over their bodies, and rolling around to collect what sticks.”

 

“Oh, I heard something even worse. Apparently, they stuff as much money as they can somewhere and take it that way. Some even make people eat… things.”

 

At that, some of the listeners gagged in disgust.

 

“What kind of people are they?”

 

“Who else? The future Prime Minister.”

 

“Not just the future Prime Minister. Maybe even the current one.”

 

“So that’s where my taxes are going—into some prostitute’s pocket.”

 

The sarcastic remarks continued, soon shifting to talk about the expensive wine sent to the 14th floor and the tips rumored to be showered on tonight’s staff there.

 

“It must be the long-time employees or the ones who… join in the fun that got assigned up there. Like that sous chef who always volunteers for this shift…”

 

The employee paused, glancing at Jin-ah for her reaction. Jin-ah gave a bitter smile and responded.

 

“I hate that jerk, so feel free to keep talking about him.”

 

At Jin-ah’s words, everyone laughed knowingly and continued their conversation.

 

She sat off to the side, scrolling through her phone.

 

Since losing her previous phone in Edinburgh and being unable to back it up, she had to buy a new one. All the old messages exchanged with others had disappeared.

 

Although recovery was possible, it came with an additional fee, and after much deliberation, she had given up.

 

‘There wasn’t anything worth saving anyway,’ she thought.

 

Then she remembered the day at the mansion when her phone had rung incessantly. A Korean woman had kept calling and texting her frantically.

 

What had she wanted to say so desperately that day?

 

Jin-ah’s hand hovered over the “Recover” button several times, hesitating.

 

But in the end, she didn’t press it, muttering to herself that it wasn’t her pride stopping her—it was the money.

 

***

 

How much time had passed?

 

Even the chatty ones had dozed off in corners or were quietly engrossed in their phones when the staff in charge of room service entered the room.

 

“Here, can a few of you help out? The ice machine upstairs is broken, so we need to scoop some ice from the one downstairs.”

 

The staff member gestured toward Jin-ah and two other employees nearby. Grumbling, they followed the instructions, filling large containers with ice.

 

Sitting around had grown dull anyway, and the thought of finally getting a glimpse of the infamous activities on that floor sparked a mix of curiosity and excitement among them.

 

The staff member led them to the service elevator, radioed someone, and sent them up. When the elevator doors opened, another staff member standing there guided them further inside while issuing a warning.

 

“Don’t look at anything. Just do your task and leave immediately.”

 

It didn’t take long to understand why he said that.

 

The 14th floor was chaos incarnate—a debauched scene straight out of the most twisted imaginations, reminiscent of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sounds of depravity, lewdness, and hedonism filled the air, mixed with moans and perverse laughter.

 

Most of the rooms had their doors wide open, revealing sights accompanied by the unmistakable noises of flesh meeting flesh, moans, and gasps.

 

A wave of physiological dread and disgust paralyzed Jin-ah. She could feel her body stiffen, and it was clear the others were just as affected.

 

Trying to ignore the horrific scene, the three hurried to the ice machine, dumping the ice they had brought into it.

 

The first two employees poured their share, leaving Jin-ah to finish. She poured the remaining ice into the machine, turned to leave—and froze.

 

“Did I request someone like this?”

 

A man suddenly emerged from a nearby room, blocking her path.

 

“I’m just a kitchen staff—”

 

Before she could finish, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked it violently, laughing darkly.

 

“Guess you’ll be next.”

 

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Poor Jin-ah (⁠ ⁠･ั⁠﹏⁠･ั⁠) I hope nothing bad happens to her ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ