Holloway's expression tightened.
He looked toward the original proposal.
The timeline had been presented as optimistic.
Not guaranteed.
He knew that.
But he had allowed the investor materials to describe the temporary relocation as though it were straightforward.
Elaine continued.
"We need either a workable interim facility or a different construction sequence."
Holloway remained silent.
Finally, he said.
"Find a solution."
Elaine looked toward her drawings.
For several seconds, she considered his tone.
Then answered.
"I've been trying."
The call ended.
And Holloway realized the waitress had exposed a weakness his own advisers had been warning him about.
The video appeared online the next morning.
It lasted forty-three seconds.
Someone had recorded the beginning of Holloway's wager from the far end of the private dining room, capturing the millionaire waving his checkbook and demanding that Nia speak Korean. The camera then shifted toward her as she answered, before cutting to a brief moment of the Korean businessman standing with tears in his eyes.
The clip ended before anyone explained the subway rescue.
Its caption read:
Millionaire Offers Waitress $500,000 for Korean Song — She Stuns Entire Room.
Within hours, hundreds of thousands of people had watched it.
Some praised Nia's composure.
Others celebrated her Korean pronunciation.
Several viewers argued about whether Holloway had intended to insult her or simply offer an extravagant opportunity.
A few people focused on her job, insisting that someone with advanced language skills shouldn't be waiting tables.
Nia found that particular reaction exhausting.
She'd spent enough time defending her decisions to people who didn't know her family's circumstances.
There was nothing shameful about serving food.
Nothing shameful about earning honest wages while helping a parent recover from a medical crisis.
And nothing shameful about having an education that didn't translate immediately into financial security.
But online strangers preferred simpler stories.
A beautiful, talented waitress.
An arrogant millionaire.
A half-million-dollar challenge.
And a shocked room.
The footage had all the ingredients of a spectacle.
Very few viewers understood why the Korean businessman stood.
Nia wished the video would disappear.
Instead, her phone began ringing.
By noon, Haneul had received dozens of calls.
Some people wanted to congratulate the waitress.
Others wanted to book a table and meet her.
Several demanded to know whether Holloway had paid the promised money.
One caller offered to purchase the restaurant's security footage, apparently unaware that the private dining rooms weren't equipped for the sort of public surveillance he imagined.
Grace Yoon refused every request that involved discussing an employee's personal information.