Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 113

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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 113.

Lee Yeon-woo considered himself a rational man. Yet he couldn’t simply ignore the obvious results staring him in the face. That would be a betrayal of his credentials as a Researcher.

“….”

…Could this world truly be like that?

‘They call it the Gap, but surely human rights haven’t deteriorated to such an extent?’
[Yes.]
‘What do you mean by that, Coco?’
[Yes? Yes.]
‘I can’t fathom your intention at all.’

Consider ordinary sensibility.

If someone gets injured before your eyes, you’d naturally feel uncomfortable. If you couldn’t stomach the sight of blood, you might even feel afraid.

But in a world where such injuries were commonplace. Where they were everywhere, the Two Students’ reaction made perfect sense. Fear weakens when confronted with the familiar.

‘Rather than discomfort, it would actually bring relief.’

Yet truly to that extent.

“….”
“Lee Yeon-woo?”
“…Ah, yes, just a moment….”

Lee Yeon-woo lightly rubbed the corner of his eye, then pressed firmly on the bridge of his nose where his glasses would normally sit, and lifted his head.

“Where were we in the conversation?”
“The French toast we had this morning.”
“You mentioned it was dusted with sugar?”
“Yes, we had it for dessert and it was just like pudding….”

Seme asked with an awkward expression.

“I’m afraid we’ve exhausted you terribly.”
“No, that’s not it at all.”

I was simply overwhelmed by the reality that such a world existed—one where human dignity had plummeted to such depths. Now that I possessed the semi-permanent stamina of a game character, exhaustion was no longer a concern.

“This is just how I naturally look.”
“Ah, well….”
“If anything, I’m the one worried about you all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You should be leaving soon.”

Lee Yeon-woo decided to be honest.

“You’re people with so much ahead of you—so much to see and experience—yet you’re trapped in a place like this.”

The effect was remarkable. Far too remarkable.

‘Rawi might be fine, but Seme is particularly dangerous.’

Rawi was manageable. He showed subtle familiarity, but maintained proper distance through reason. Perhaps his inherent distrust of people was keeping him grounded.

But Seme—he was unmistakably unstable. After our conversation, I understood it clearly. He was overlaying his own painful memories with my situation.

“….”
“That’s why I’m concerned.”

One thing was certain: both of them had let their guard down.

If they were truly inhabitants of a world accustomed to such things, perhaps it wouldn’t matter. The discomfort was mine alone. Honestly, it wasn’t something I should be doing in front of them.

Whether they were young or not, the principle remained the same.

“….”
“….”

After a brief silence, Rawi opened his mouth.

“…you really do speak like a grandfather.”
“I hear that assessment quite often, but it’s no more pleasant hearing it again now.”
“Oh, I apologize? But you’ve heard it often?”
“Old soul, scholarly type—I’ve heard those remarks plenty of times.”

I’d lived my life as a boring person, enduring the ridicule that came with it.

“I thought I’d become more flexible through various experiences, but in my ignorant youth, I was far more rigid about principles and rules. What I considered rational actions at the time were probably quite… frustrating and stiff to others.”
“….”

Seme, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

“Do you remember that time?”
“To some extent, yes.”
“All of it?”
“Not entirely, but….”

This year—well, I’ve reached a point where I can’t use such expressions anymore. In any case, when I was first dragged into this Hotel, I was already past forty. I was hardly at an age to vividly recall my school days.

That said, I hadn’t forgotten The Friend who used to tease me as a “scholarly fool.”

“I’ll remember what I can remember.”
“Oh, that’s….”
“You were an unremarkable person.”
“That’s absolutely not true.”
“You’re quite emphatic about that.”
“I was only thinking it, but the words just came out from my core.”

Rawi smiled crookedly. I’d always thought it, but he had a subtly serpentine expression.

“I’m curious~ what kind of person were you?”
“I’m not sure.”

Lee Yeon-woo blinked. It took a moment to recall what kind of person I had been as a minor. It was simply too long ago.

But there was one thing I was certain of.

“First and foremost, I was a model student.”
“You certainly look the part.”
“Among my cohort, I had the highest grades.”
“Perhaps not much has changed since then.”
“There probably aren’t any truly significant differences.”

You reap what you sow.

‘I did make one terrible choice with the Game, and it completely derailed my life.’
“So what did you do with those good grades?”
“Organizations everywhere want to extract every ounce of talent from someone who listens well and works hard. There were various positions, but ultimately, I ended up in the Research Facilities.”

Rawi tilted his head.

“Research Facilities… somehow that doesn’t seem to fit.”
“I practically lived there.”

At that, Seme spoke up.

“May I ask what field it was?”
“Life sciences—specifically genetic engineering.”

Lee Yeon-woo added, recalling my former workplace.

“I handled genetic modification and cellular cultivation experiments.”
“That sounds… dangerous.”
“Well.”

I suppose people without relevant knowledge might feel apprehensive about it.

‘Genetically modified crops are a contentious field, and cultured meat is no different.’

Lee Yeon-woo continued.

“I won’t deny that it might sound that way, but my research never caused anyone innocent to fall ill or suffer injury. Safety testing was conducted with absolute rigor.”
“And who conducted these safety tests…?”
“I took full responsibility for them. There were no issues afterward.”

I added this hoping it would inspire some confidence, but Seme’s expression only grew more rigid.

“Did you conduct the research yourself, or were you the one who received it?”

It was an odd question, but Lee Yeon-woo answered calmly.

“If I had to choose, it was both.”
“You tested your own research… on your own body?”
“Isn’t that the most direct and certain method?”

If the project’s lead researcher personally verified the safety of a crop or cultured meat, wouldn’t that lend credibility to the results? It was a calculated exploitation of the psychology that whispered, ‘If I’m willing to test it on myself, it must be safe.’

“Testing on someone else’s body risks unforeseen complications that become a nightmare to manage. It’s not something I desired personally either, so I determined that using my own body was the fastest and cleanest approach.”

Seme continued with another question for Lee Yeon-woo.

“That doesn’t sound like a particularly good workplace…”
“There are precious few truly good workplaces in this world.”
“Were you able to take proper rest?”
“Accidents would happen whenever I stepped away.”

He shrugged.

“If I left, all those problems would fall squarely on my colleagues’ shoulders. It was simpler to carry most of the burden myself. Though I did end up doing quite a lot of work because of it.”
“Why not just rest a little…?”
“The situation didn’t allow for it.”

A researcher capable of protein structure analysis, fermentation and microbial engineering, and genetic manipulation was rare. No company wanted to send someone worth a hundred ordinary employees home.

“It was work that someone had to do, and I was simply capable of doing it.”

Through such subtle persuasion, I had become involved in more than one project.

“I’ve been rambling. My apologies.”
“…No.”

Seme, who had been hesitating, asked another question.

“Then now, how are you…?”
“As you can see, I’m staying at this Hotel.”

As the Hotel General Manager and a guest, that is.

“In the end, it’s similar work.”

Whether there or here, I had to seal away variables that could emerge at any moment, in any way.

“Though it differs in many respects, of course.”
“That is….”

Seme seemed to want to say something, but swallowed the words instead.

“I see.”

Watching this, Lee Yeon-woo couldn’t help but think.

“….”

I need to send him out soon.

‘Director Lee Sun-hae comes to mind.’
[Yes.]
‘What a pity.’
[Yes.]

Seeing how much she cares even over a mere matter of overwork.

* * *

“I’ll interpret it for you.”
“Ah, was that a conversation that needed interpretation?”
“Your knowledge of the Gap is rather limited, so… it tends to be that way.”
“Why does your expression keep getting worse?”

Rawi scratched his neck.

“So you weren’t just a Researcher, were you?”
“I’m not sure what he thinks himself, but well.”

Seme didn’t look particularly confident either.

“Since this is the Labyrinth, I can’t guarantee that Lee Yeon-woo’s memories will be clear. Besides, that person isn’t exactly someone with a high face value to begin with, is he?”
“But I’ve heard that people from the Gap age unpredictably compared to outsiders… Looking at Lee Yeon-woo’s behavior, he doesn’t seem to be less than an adult, does he? I thought he’d be at least twenty-five.”

At that age, working as a Researcher in the Gap posed no problems. In Gap Society, if you were useful, employment was possible even for those under ten years old.

“I can’t deny that point.”

Seme readily acknowledged the cruelty of the Gap.

“But that’s not what I’m talking about. If what we assumed earlier is true, then Lee Yeon-woo’s appearance at the time he was enshrined should have been maintained until now, right?”
“But if he was The Artist after all….”
“Aging doesn’t slow down just because someone’s breathing.”
“Oh, so that wasn’t it.”
“….”

Seme, who had been looking at him with eyes that seemed to ask ‘how on earth did this person end up in the Gap in this state?’, continued the explanation.

“…For The Artist to maintain a youthful appearance, they need to unconsciously channel energy into self-preservation or have an environment that supports their body not deteriorating. That’s a form of technique as well.”
“How can you use a technique unconsciously?”
“With those eyes of yours, that’s really what you’re saying.”

Magicians use magic with knowledge of the process, but The Artist often doesn’t even know how it was possible. Aging delay techniques were the same.

“Of course, if you intentionally delay aging, the effect would be much better. But that also requires strong personal capacity and environmental support.”
“But Lee Yeon-woo didn’t seem to say anything like that.”
“We don’t even need to go that far—just looking at Lee Yeon-woo as we’ve seen him so far, we can tell. You remember how that person acted in the Underground Hunting Ground.”
“That’s certainly true.”

Rawi nodded.

“I don’t think someone like that would waste energy maintaining their ‘appearance’~….”
“Lee Yeon-woo is just someone who needs a clean body and limbs attached to it.”
“Ouch, that’s harsh.”

But he didn’t bother refuting it, since there was a part of him that agreed.

“He doesn’t seem to have any particular obsession.”
“And when people undergo biomedical experiments like that, the side effects and stress usually make them look older than their actual age.”
“We still don’t know exactly what kind of experiments he underwent, do we? It could be something like genetically modified food or that sort of thing.”
“I… for various reasons, I don’t think Lee Yeon-woo is someone from the Outside.”

The man paused thoughtfully before continuing.

“His three-character name and ethical values might suggest Outside origins, but how do I put it…”
“Someone who lived there their entire life wouldn’t be in the Labyrinth in the first place.”
“Right, I think he’s here because he became deeply involved in this.”
“That seems to be what you said was the condition for the offering.”

It was the sort of thing that would make an unfortunate Researcher—who’d been working overtime at a perfectly normal company, only to wake up kidnapped into a game-turned-hotel—feel terribly wronged.

“His behavior is unusually mature, but that seems like an innate trait… Just like people from the Outside talk about skin age, here we have spiritual age. Lee Yeon-woo is quite young in that regard.”

It was largely because the Hotel had only recently become reality from a game.

“That’s why I thought Lee Yeon-woo, despite being from the Outside, seemed like someone who’d lived in the Gap for quite a long time.”
“Well, naturally… if someone has that level of skill, then…”
“And would genetic modification or cell culture experiments in the Gap be as safe as food research?”
“I misspoke, senior.”

In Gap Society, one wrong word could get you killed, and if luck turned against you, you’d end up worse off than dead. In such a place, the word “research” didn’t sound particularly gentle.

“Yet despite all that, he looks this young,”
“You’re not exactly old yourself, senior.”
“Shut up. Anyway, it means he was offered before he could fully age. You agree?”
“I agree.”

Again, it was the sort of thing that would make an unfortunate forty-something Researcher feel terribly wronged.

“So continuing from here, from what Lee Yeon-woo said, it sounds like he participated in the research and volunteered as a test subject. That’s not normal.”
“Really… isn’t it?”

Rawi blinked.

“I heard that if you experiment on your own research using yourself, it’s not illegal.”
“Really? That’s surprising… so the Outside isn’t entirely safe either.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. But doesn’t it make sense? You take responsibility for what you do?”
“But even if that’s true, isn’t that an Outside matter?”
“Maybe…?”

Seme, observing him in that state, asked a question.

“Do you know what a ‘watch’ is?”
“The one we have in our room too?”
“I don’t know.”

This was a story Seme had first heard from The Hero—the one who had saved him and, for a time, carried him around while teaching him the common sense of this world.

“A long time ago, something became a worldwide craze. It was research about a certain watch.”
“Not the kind of watch you use to tell time, surely…?”
“Apparently it was an incredibly remarkable object.”
“Now you won’t even answer me. So is it some kind of legendary artifact?”
“It probably hasn’t been around long enough to be called an artifact. They say it was made in 1969.”
“That’s oddly specific, isn’t it?”
“What was it again…”

Seme, lost in thought, looked up at Rawi.

“I thought you, being from the Outside, might know better. They said some spacecraft—Apollo or something—was launched back then?”
“You’ve got the wrong person. When was the last time I studied world history?”
“I’m not sure how to react to that. Anyway, there was apparently a day when humanity’s first moon landing became known to the Outside people.”
“Ah, the moon landing. Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong. I know that.”
“They say an object was created as a result of that, but honestly, I don’t know the details either.”

Seme carefully set down the sword he had been holding.

“It’s just… that something like that was made back then, and it supposedly possessed tremendous power, or so the story goes.”
“Tremendous power?”
“But because it was such a remarkable object, people insisted on keeping it for themselves, and it ended up shattered into pieces…”
“It was a remarkable object, yet it shattered?”
“I told you, I don’t know the details.”

Seme, seated on the sofa, removed the sword’s sheath and rested the blade across his thigh.

“There was a time when people actively researched clock fragments—to restore their original power, study the power itself, or exploit it. And it wasn’t that long ago.”
“Ah, I see.”

Rawi tapped his chin.

“Do you think Lee Yeon-woo might have been one of the researchers working on that project?”

Since Lee Yeon-woo had mentioned participating in research.

“He didn’t seem like the type to do something like that~… Could he have just been an ordinary researcher from the Outside? Something like genetic engineering, perhaps?”
“An ordinary researcher from the Outside wouldn’t have any reason to be bound to the Labyrinth.”

There was a reason.

“Your age also seems similar to his.”

It wasn’t similar at all.

“I’m not sure why I keep wanting to contradict you, but since it occurs to me, I’ll mention it. Still, couldn’t there be a possibility he’s aged somewhat? Living in the Outside, perhaps?”
“You’re saying Lee Yeon-woo is older than you?”
“There’s supposedly some kind of youth that only magicians can sense, so I don’t think he’d be in his thirties or anything… But like you said, maybe he’s just an youthful-looking researcher from the Outside who was born with mature behavior.”
“Ah, true. There are artists who live in the Outside too.”

Seme rolled his eyes as he summarized.

“What you’re really trying to say is ‘isn’t there a possibility that Lee Yeon-woo is a youthful-looking researcher in his early-to-mid twenties who lived in the Outside?'”

He shrugged.

“His spiritual energy is tangled in all directions, making it hard to confirm clearly, but among those tangled threads, there are parts that resemble yours. That’s why I said you two might be around the same age.”
“….”
“I’ll say it again—unless someone is from the Gap, there’s no reason they’d be bound to the Labyrinth. Not just anyone caught up in the Labyrinthification process can be bound. You need enough significance to become a ‘character’ in the ‘story.'”
“That’s… true.”
“Anyway.”

He continued.

“The Outside has all these things about human rights, saying people under twenty can’t do dangerous work because of it.”
“Is that really a human rights issue? I’d say it’s less about ‘can’t do’ and more about ‘conditions aren’t met,’ wouldn’t you?”
“Conditions not being met—now that’s a fresh perspective.”
“Isn’t being a Researcher not really that dangerous of a profession to begin with? You have to be careful with chemicals and such, but any intelligent person could do it.”
“Ah, so research in the Outside is like that?”
“The Gap really is a true dystopia, I’m telling you.”

Neither of them attributed Lee Yeon-woo’s appearance to rejuvenation. In the Gap, and among The Artist, such precocious youth under twenty was commonplace. Personality was another matter entirely.

Seme nodded and continued.

“But if he belonged to the faction researching clocks, it would explain why he was enshrined in the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth isn’t created without substantial history or narrative backing it.”
“About that, though.”

Rawi pointed at the ceiling and asked.

“Isn’t this a Hotel?”
“It is a Hotel.”
“There’s no real connection between a Hotel and a Researcher, is there?”
“It was about five years ago, I think?”

Seme spoke while meeting the gaze of his reflection within the blade.

“Back then, there was still something called the Foundation.”

He continued.

“We design the foundation for the future.”
“….”
“For a better structure of life.”
“…I see….”

Rawi shrugged.

“That’s quite a compelling slogan.”
“It was the Foundation’s official motto.”

『The Foundation conducts foundational research integrating technology, space, psychology, and community structures to enhance quality of life』

“We design the foundation for harmonious coexistence between individuals and society, and propose policies and technologies for a healthier and safer future environment.”

“And all of that process is dedicated to laying the groundwork for a world where people can exist more completely.”

“You’re right—they hung those plausible statements at the forefront and operated globally. Despite being close to a Magician Group led by The Artist, they maintained multiple bases not just in the Gap, but in the Outside as well.”
“Was that even possible?”
“It happened, so it must have been possible. But it was rare, I’d imagine. The Gap and the Outside don’t usually share the same organization like that.”

Seme continued speaking as he wiped his blade with cloth.

“They spread like cancer. They shook hands with multiple governments and established so many different facilities that it seemed impossible to clean up, or so I’ve heard.”
“….”

Rawi asked.

“The way you speak of it, it doesn’t sound like a good place.”

Seme answered.

“A den of madmen and egotists.”
“What was their purpose?”
“I already told you—’a better structure for living.'”
“So that means….”
“This is something I heard from someone else, mind you.”

He spoke while stroking the blade.

“…They were trying to create paradise.”

* * *

On the still-disorganized 14th Floor, in one corner of a damaged Room.

As Lee Yeon-woo made his way toward the Central Control Room, I noticed the “mural” that remained, unwiped and persistent.

“Every time I see it, I wonder.”
“Yes?”
“Who painted it, and what were they trying to depict?”

His eyes blinked.

“….”

[A mural depicting paradise.]

“Still, I can’t quite grasp it….”

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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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