Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 108

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 108.

Lee Yeon-woo led the two of them into the Elevator. The moment the doors closed after pressing the 22nd Floor button, he offered brief advice.

“From now on, please use only the Dining Area at the 22nd Floor Sky Lounge for your meals. I’d strongly recommend avoiding the Buffet on the 1st Floor or Room Service.”
“Uh….”

Rawi scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun and asked.

“The Buffet and Room Service seem more convenient though. Can’t we use them? We even got a call asking if we needed Room Service to our Guest Rooms earlier….”

Lee Yeon-woo didn’t bother explaining further. It was naturally Seme, seasoned in the Gap Society, who grasped the meaning behind that silence.

“The Buffet with all that food already laid out carries a high risk of crossing paths with other Monster guests. And with Room Service, who knows what tricks might occur while the food travels up on the cart.”
“Ah, I see… You’re right. If we think about it that way, the Dining Area where staff directly cook and serve right before your eyes would be the safest option. I understand what you’re saying.”

Seme nodded at Rawi’s words and turned back to Lee Yeon-woo with a question.

“Then the food at the Dining Area is safe to eat?”

At Lee Yeon-woo’s gaze upon me, Seme hesitated before adding.

“I’ve heard it’s safer to refrain from consuming food from the Labyrinth as much as possible….”
“The ingredients at this Facility are harmless to the human body.”

He added.

“I’ve tested them personally, so you needn’t worry.”
“Ah… I, I see.”

Seme thought Lee Yeon-woo’s tone seemed slightly off, but let it pass.

“I thought even meals would be some kind of phenomenon, but the way you’re speaking suggests it’s ‘real food.’ That’s rare.”
“So there’s fake food as well?”
“If you’re asking about that… you’d first need to understand the structure of the Labyrinth.”

In response to Rawi’s question, Seme traced a circle with his finger as he explained.

“Most food in the Labyrinth is illusory. You could say it’s a replica that implements taste and form without any actual cooking process. If you eat it carelessly, you become bound to the Labyrinth.”
“Bound to it?”
“But the fact that the food in the Dining Area is safe means it’s the real thing—prepared through a proper cooking process.”

Having explained that much, Seme hesitated and looked at Lee Yeon-woo.

“Ah… I apologize. I’ve spoken out of turn and gone on too long.”
“No.”

He continued in a measured tone.

“You’re quite knowledgeable. Thanks to you, I’ve been spared the trouble of explaining it myself.”

Seme, who had been gaping, hesitated before speaking.

“…Yes, thank you.”
“Oh, Senior, you’ve been praised.”
“I have ears too.”
“How nice for you~”
“Junior, shall we keep quiet?”
“Yes.”

Seme felt a touch of embarrassment at the strange sense of stability he’d experienced.

‘Being praised by such a child….’

Leaving behind Seme, who covered his face with one hand, and Rawi, who grinned at the sight of him, Lee Yeon-woo gestured toward the seats.

“Shall we sit?”
“The view from the window seat is insane.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t a poor choice.”

Beyond the window, rain continued to fall.

“….”
“….”

Rawi, who had been observing it, finally spoke.

“…When I looked around the Lobby yesterday, there was a Main Gate in the Lobby.”
“As you’ve likely already guessed, you cannot leave through there immediately.”
“Anyway, this bad feeling of mine has never been wrong….”

Rawi continued, his expression weary.

“So if we go out through there, what happens? Where does it lead?”
“Somewhere in the mountains of Gapyeong, Gangwon Province, I’d imagine.”

At that, Seme murmured.

“Gapyeong?”

Steady, but soft and heavy in resonance.

“…Senior?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Ah, yes.”

It seemed like something, but I didn’t press further. I had no desire to share so much with him.

As Rawi turned his head, the Staff Members brought out the food.

“…! Insane.”
“You seemed preoccupied, so I took the liberty of ordering on my own.”
“This is wonderful.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”

Lee Yeon-woo nodded.

“Shall we eat first?”

* * *

After finishing the meal, Lee Yeon-woo led them to the 25th Floor Rooftop Garden.

“Wow….”
“Amazing.”

A marble promenade embroidered with delicate floral fragrance and jewel-like shimmering lights. It felt like a serene and magnificent secret paradise spread across the sky, as if noise had never even grazed this place.

Lee Yeon-woo swept his gaze across the garden landscape and spoke.

“After committing this view to memory, I would advise against visiting the Rooftop Garden in the future.”
“Then why did you bring me here if you’re telling me not to come? You’re confusing me.”
“Should we find ourselves fleeing in the worst-case scenario, familiarizing ourselves with the terrain beforehand will prevent foolish decisions that risk our lives out of mere curiosity, would it not?”
“You’re rather cutting, aren’t you….”

Rawi thought to himself.

‘His personality changed again.’

Just moments ago in the Dining Area, he had guided me to my seat with warmth. Now he was acting like some crooked Mercenary Corps operative. With such a composed face uttering those words, I couldn’t tell what rhythm to follow.

As Rawi laughed awkwardly, Seme, who had been surveying the Rooftop, hardened his expression.

“There aren’t many places to escape to.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“I sometimes wonder how you even got hired as personnel for the Agency.”
“Luck and connections, I suppose.”
“Fair enough.”

Seme, satisfied with the answer, explained.

“It looks wide open on all sides, but in reality, the exits are blocked. It’s a dead end at the highest level. If Monster Guests swarm in and simply seal off the stairwell or Elevator exits, we’d be trapped like rats in a cage.”
“That’s already terrifying.”
“It’s a perfect trap for isolating and ensnaring prey.”

At Seme’s words, Lee Yeon-woo nodded.

“And one more thing.”

His eyes turned toward the Outdoor Staircase hanging from the building’s outer wall at the edge of the Garden.

“You’ll need to be careful with that staircase as well.”
“Now that I think about it, there are two staircases?”
“The Emergency Stairwell and the Outdoor Staircase serve different purposes.”
“Ah, so it was built for aesthetic purposes….”

Rawi, listening to their conversation, scratched the side of his head with the barrel of his gun.

“It looks more open, which would actually be better for escaping, wouldn’t it?”
“This is one of the Hotel’s more mischievous zones.”
“So what happens then?”
“You either get pulled toward the 24th Floor, or the path itself becomes blocked.”
“Hmm, wait a moment.”

Rawi turned to look at Seme.

“There’s no floor with the number 4 in it here, right?”
“I don’t remember there being one either.”
“But you just said it pulls people to the 24th Floor….”
“It’s probably an illusion. The Dokkaebi like that sort of thing.”
“But that means the space itself exists, doesn’t it?”

Rawi muttered as if confused.

“Then shouldn’t it have to exist?”
“It shouldn’t exist.”

I added my thoughts.

“Not for the Human Guests.”
“That’s….”

Rawi looked at me.

….

As expected, I seemed familiar to him.

‘How long have I been in this place?’

He knew the number and characteristics of every Guest. Even for a typical Hotel, that would be no small feat. Above all, this place was somewhere that didn’t even appear clearly to Rawi.

That’s why the question arose.

‘I don’t understand why he goes to such lengths.’

Was it truly because he was ‘that kind of existence,’ as Seme had said?

If he had been in the same position as Lee Yeon-woo, he would have simply wanted to kill them all. It would be far easier and cleaner that way.

‘He doesn’t have the demeanor of someone who would tolerate such trivial variables like us….’

As Rawi rolled his eyes, Seme asked Lee Yeon-woo.

“Then is there no danger within this Rooftop Garden itself?”
“Of course there is. Depending on the circumstances, it can even enchant people.”

His gaze swept across the Rooftop Garden. It seemed as though he were observing the flowers and trees, yet simultaneously appeared to be staring into empty space where nothing existed.

That gaze returned to Seme and Rawi.

“That is this Hotel’s specialty.”
“So you’re saying Monster Guests could enchant us as well. Dragging us somewhere, or leaving us in the wrong place…. Is there any way to endure such a ‘specialty’?”
“There would be individual differences, but it would be difficult without my assistance.”
“I see….”

When he put it that way, there was no choice but to accept it.

Whether observing flowers he’d never seen before or not, Rawi’s gaze had already turned toward the flowers. Even in a situation like this, he couldn’t stop ‘seeing.’ Truly befitting an artist.

“Incidents and accidents must occur frequently.”

At Seme’s words, Lee Yeon-woo stared at the crimson flowers blooming in the Rooftop Garden and spoke casually.

“Death often feels like a luxury here.”
“….”

Seme blinked and asked.

“…You’re saying I’ll die?”
“It was a slip of the tongue.”

He shook his head slowly.

“No one has ever died here.”

Then what?

‘Isn’t he just talking about himself?’

The rooftop, decorated so beautifully it felt almost wrong to call it merely a garden. Seme examined the fresh flowers with meticulous attention, drinking in their sight again and again.

Yet nowhere could he sense moisture.

‘Like artificial flowers.’

Despite being so brimming with vitality.

“Um, Lee Yeon-woo.”
“I’m listening.”
“You seem to know a great deal about this Hotel.”
“Yes.”

His answer came with complete composure.

“There’s probably no one who knows this place better than I do.”
“That is….”

Was that acceptable?

“That….”

Wasn’t it all knowledge born from having experienced everything?

“….”
“…Seme?”
“I apologize. I was trying to say something.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve forgotten what it was.”

There was no point in speaking. The answer that would come back would be equally meaningless.

But then again.

“What is this Hotel?”

Could I at least ask something like this?

“I understand it’s a Hotel where Dokkaebi and monster guests come and go. I still don’t quite understand if they even need such a thing as a Hotel… but still….”
“Yes.”
“But whoever created this doesn’t appear to be Lee Yeon-woo, at least not primarily. He might be involved somehow, but there’s no evidence. He doesn’t seem like the one who would have built this place.”
“….”
“…Then?”

Then who on earth.

“Who could have done such a thing?”

That ‘something’ I witnessed when he rescued Seme from the jellyfish monster in Basement Level 7. At first, I thought it belonged to Lee Yeon-woo. The way he wielded it so skillfully, as if it were his own.

But now I was beginning to understand that wasn’t the case.

‘It was merely covered over.’

Perhaps that ‘something’ was this Hotel itself, I thought.

‘The role of continuously holding and imprisoning this person called Lee Yeon-woo….’

Seme asked.

“Since this is a Hotel, perhaps the Hotel General Manager? Or maybe the owner? Could someone of that caliber have created this place?”
“That is, indeed… an intriguing perspective.”
“With a Hotel this expansive, I’d expect at least the Hotel General Manager to show up for work.”
“In fact, there does exist a person who is both the Hotel General Manager and the owner of this Hotel.”
“Then perhaps he created this place.”
“I simply hope we never have occasion to meet.”

What must that feel like?

To wear something that neither kills nor lets you live, to become one with it—what must that sensation be? To be treated as one with it.

Lee Yeon-woo, gazing down at Seme, opened his mouth.

“Seme.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Do I appear pitiful to you?”
“….”

Reading the wavering light in Seme’s eyes, Lee Yeon-woo let out a small, quiet breath.

“I see.”

He neither wept nor grew angry.

“I may indeed appear that way, but please don’t concern yourselves with burdens that aren’t yours to bear.”
“I apologize.”
“No, I do appreciate the sentiment itself… but you already know well, Seme, that concern for me is not the same as sound judgment.”

There was no sentimentality or self-pity in his words.

“The more you learn of the Hotel’s intimate secrets, the harder it becomes for me to guarantee your safety. Rather than worry about me, it would be wise to look after yourselves.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”

Lee Yeon-woo fixed his gaze upon Seme.

“The way out is sealed for now. So if you have questions while I’m away, or if a crisis forces you to flee… find Room 4 on the Guest Room Floor, wherever you are.”
“Room 4?”
“I promise—I’ll leave the door open.”

It was a firm voice.

“So you can escape this Hotel safely, avoiding the Hotel General Manager.”

* * *

The Hotel General Manager said.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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