Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 115

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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 115.

Lee Yeon-woo pushed his glasses aside and pressed his forehead with his palm.

“My suspicions were correct, then.”
“Yes!”
“Though I didn’t want to confirm it this way.”

He recalled the circumstances of that time—when the Wet Person, irritated for reasons unclear, had seized his ankle with crushing force, driven their nails deep into his flesh, and torn through it.

‘The blood had flowed so profusely that I’d had to order the Staff Members to clean the entire Corridor.’

In retrospect, it wasn’t an injury significant enough to overshadow his shock. Even a severe wound meant nothing to Lee Yeon-woo, who had successfully enhanced his body—pain was merely sensation.

Yet he shouldn’t have dismissed even the sensation of drowning in blood.

“The absence of pain doesn’t mean the absence of sensation.”
“Yes.”
“Yet at that moment, I could scarcely perceive any of those sensations.”

The sensation of skin tearing.
The sensation of blood flowing.
The sensation of dampness seeping inside my shoes.

“Looking at the records I myself left behind, the culprit becomes all the more certain. This is no longer mere hypothesis. The influence of Lover of Dawn must have been present.”
“Yes!”
“Then the frenzy of that moment could be viewed as an additional side effect of losing my memory upon encountering Lover of Dawn. It seems I was quite frightened. In the end, the students’ assessment of it as ‘panic’ held some merit.”
“Yes?”
“Why that reaction?”
“No?”

Coco, her expression grave, shook her head in an awkward mimicry of human gesture. She suggested that the frenzy of that moment had been closer to extreme rage than panic.

Rage directed at two Guests—not one, but two—who dared to wreak havoc in the Hotel that I myself managed.

“….”

I found myself momentarily at a loss for words.

“…But I’m not sure if that’s entirely acceptable either….”
“Mm.”
“According to what you’re saying, the anger built up to the point where I lost my rationality, didn’t it?”
“Isn’t it?”
“Ah, so there was some influence after all.”
“Yes.”
“Well, losing my memory is an undeniable fact.”

It seemed I had indeed felt anger rather than fear or helplessness at the two Guests’ misconduct back then. By losing my memory in that state, my rationality had simplified, allowing me to feel my emotions far more nakedly.

After all, I hadn’t completely overcome the penalty from the Tasteless Guest either.

‘That rawness must have made it look like panic.’
“Yes.”
“I understand the situation now.”

I felt reassured. Whether I lost my memory or not, I remained consistent. It was unfortunate that this consistency stemmed from anger toward uncooperative Guests, but in certain circumstances, consistency becomes a virtue.

“I understand, but….”
“Yes.”
“What should we do about this?”
“Well….”

We both stared blankly into empty space for a moment. I was deep in thought, while Coco had nothing on his mind.

“….”
“….”
“…The version of me in those lost memories must have gone through the same process.”
“Hm? Yes.”
“Say it more definitively.”

In other words, I desperately needed outside help in this situation.

But even if things had changed slightly, Coco was still Coco. He refrained from interfering with the user’s gameplay as much as possible—unless I suffered some disadvantage like mistreating him.

“Naughty Cat.”
“Yes.”
“I regret it.”

Lee Yeon-woo wiped the corner of his mouth and continued.

“For now, I have no choice but to repeat the same routine until Lover of Dawn checks out. No matter what, I don’t want to choose the fire route.”
“Yes!”

The penalty had long since evaporated any tender affection, but the memories from twenty-six years of gameplay remained. And the obsession born from those memories was slowly, steadily welling up again.

Which meant that Lover of Dawn—a being within the game—held a special place in Lee Yeon-woo’s heart.

‘I don’t want to torment her.’

But.

‘I can’t allow actual harm to come to her either.’

It was less a matter of wanting to do that than of knowing it shouldn’t be done. In the end, having lost his emotional big data, Lee Yeon-woo had even forgotten the satisfaction that came from making the right choice.

“I recall when I played the game. Whenever Lover of Dawn checked in, I always paid careful attention to patrolling the Hotel and observing the guests. Her behavioral patterns were, well….”
“Love!”
“Exactly.”

Lee Yeon-woo nodded.

“When she sees a Human Guest with deep affection, she can’t help herself.”

She moves about surprisingly actively. She wanders through nearly every floor except the Aqua Park. In doing so, she hunts for prey. In other words, she hunts for those caught in passionate love affairs.

‘My role is to observe the Human Guest beforehand and restrict her movements so she doesn’t encounter potential prey with Lover of Dawn.’

Then he could understand what he himself had forgotten.

“Then you must have observed Seme’s condition as well?”
“Yes!”
“Why didn’t you tell me, Coco?”
“Huh? Yes.”

He possessed a basic stat called ‘Sixth Sense’—a skill encompassing the five fundamental human senses and intuition that transcended rational explanation. It proved invaluable in discerning information about his guests.

Had Lee Yeon-woo been himself during Lover of Dawn’s stay, he would have meticulously catalogued information about Seme and Rawi. That was always how he played.

“….”

Yet the absence of any such memories regarding either of them suggested something else entirely.

“I was manipulated.”
“Yes.”
“She wouldn’t have surrendered this advantage either. Lover of Dawn deliberately erased it first, knowing her disadvantage. The slower my situational awareness, the more secret meetings she could arrange.”
“Yes.”
“Now I understand why the amnesiac version of me kept desperately seeking out those friends. I thought it was mere concern, but if I became Lover of Dawn’s target….”

Wait, hold on.

“But there’s still something inconsistent about this logic.”
“Pardon? Yes.”
“Lover of Dawn spent nearly five years as an uninvited guest, brazenly ignoring this Hotel’s rules and wandering as she pleased. Even when she was devouring my memories, she always operated outside the rules.”
“That’s correct.”
“So why now?”

Why would she suddenly press the doorbell at The Human Guest’s room entrance for these secret rendezvous with Lover of Dawn—binding herself to formal rules that made her easier to control?

“Seme may well be tempting prey, but I doubt that’s the whole picture.”

Lee Yeon-woo’s eyes narrowed to serpentine slits.

“Your true desire isn’t merely that, is it?”
“Hm.”
“During my thoughtless wandering through this Hotel, I realized something. The loopholes outside the Hotel’s rules—they can’t actually constrain me.”

Because Lee Yeon-woo was already bound tightly to this place.

“So if that’s the case….”

It was rather absurd.

“Am I insane?”
“Yes.”
“What on earth is the reason?”
“The Hotel General Manager.”
“That’s not something I can fix right now.”
“Correct.”
“I’m already drowning just managing Hotel Management alone, and now this….”

Even the vampire had done it, and now this guest was targeting me as well. At this point, I couldn’t help but reassess the Wet Person.

“However, if my final objective is you, then I can explain why she merely wandered the Hotel without even registering formally. She didn’t come here to stay in the first place—she came to see me.”
“Lover of Dawn. No. Meta-Cognitive Guest.”
“That’s also a puzzling aspect for me, but….”

From what I recalled, Lover of Dawn had barely failed to meet the conditions of Meta-Cognitive Guest.

“But the circumstances so far speak clearly.”

I couldn’t ignore that.

“Discerning process and cause through results is also part of research. I’m quite familiar with this sort of thing. So if Lover of Dawn’s true purpose was ultimately me….”
“Central Control Room. Authority.”
“Ah, so that was it. Since she even became more integrated with the Hotel through control authority, as an intruder, she would have needed to devise another method. That’s why she changed her approach.”

In other words, she decided to sample the legitimate route. Just as Tasteless Guest had followed the Game’s rules at least at the Dining Table to increase her predation success rate.

“Adhering to this Hotel’s rules means Lover of Dawn also risks incurring penalties, but simultaneously, it means gaining the systematic coercion guaranteed by those rules.”
“Bait. Sacrifice. Seme.”
“Seme, I thought she was putting in unusual effort, and it seems my suspicion was correct—she was indeed coveting Seme. The guest suited her palate. And beyond mere taste, if she did it that way….”

It was regrettable.

“She calculated that I would inevitably intervene in the secret meeting to save him.”

Regardless, not a single monster guest who came here was without problems.

“If the situation has come to this, I can’t afford to waste time merely interfering halfheartedly.”
“Hehe.”
“Now that she’s entered within the Hotel’s rules, we’ve passed the stage where I can simply turn a blind eye and leave her be as before.”

If Lover of Dawn settles in as a legitimate guest, even the Hotel General Manager’s authority to forcibly control him becomes limited. Instead, I’d be the one on a leash.

“I regret to say it.”
“Your vocabulary was lacking. That’s right—it’s not a good situation.”

Lee Yeon-woo’s amber eyes rolled with a soft click.

“If that’s the case, then perhaps….”

【Wouldn’t it be more entertaining to run amok?】

“….”
“…?”
“Oh.”
“Good heavens.”

Lee Yeon-woo, whose eyes had returned to black, unconsciously touched the corner of his eye at the strange dissonance. He couldn’t understand why he was doing this himself, but something—just now, every part of my body underwent a change….

“Why won’t this correction take effect?”

My grasp of the situation was swift.

“I never coded the ‘Hotel General Manager Mode’ to activate on its own like this.”
“Yes? Yes.”
“I wasn’t reproaching you.”

It was simply frustrating.

“…Yes, but I must admit that approach would be more advantageous.”

For the survival of the two human guests and the subsequent management of genuine problem guests.

“It would be better to prevent that person from being fully integrated into the rules. If we let him play with the rules clumsily like the Tasteless Guest did, those poor friends of his might suffer the same… permanent penalty that I endure.”
“Agreed.”
“I disagree.”

Our opinions rarely converged on this point.

“So, what should we do about this?”
“Trauma.”
“Did I teach you that word too?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.”
“However, it does make sense.”

I wasn’t actually planning to touch upon trauma itself. Rather, as was typical with Monster Guests, I could probe at their most critical deficiency.

“If I could make them lose their reason to such a degree that they break free from the rules on their own and can’t even think of returning….”

Relying solely on the existing settings within the Game wouldn’t be enough.

“It seems there were useful elements during our interactions. Good. If I utilize that and willingly give a part of myself as desired, it shouldn’t be difficult to read the other party through it. That works.”
“Yes? Yes.”
“I’ll need to actively set traps from this side.”

My thoughts were roughly organized.

“Since I’ve touched those with bright futures ahead, they should be prepared for at least this much.”

Lee Yeon-woo asked Coco while looking at her.

“Did I block the ‘Midnight Rendezvous’ again this dawn?”
“Yes. Yes.”
“It’s good that there’s an answer.”

I thought this much help was worth the friendship—or whatever we’d built that wasn’t quite friendship.

“Then it appears the target of the ‘Lover of Dawn’ is Seme. The prey she covets isn’t the type like Rawi, who distrusts humans.”

Such types are difficult to deceive easily. As the number of rendezvous increases, the targeted person’s judgment deteriorates. But at first, even the Human Guest remains clearheaded.

“I thought there was something peculiar from the Hunting Ground. Seme was unusually mature for her age. If my understanding so far is correct, the Gap seems like a place where growth like that is simply necessary….”
“No?”
“Right, even accounting for that.”

Lee Yeon-woo rose from his seat and continued.

“Everything seems far too familiar.”

Over twenty-six years, I’d grown accustomed to it—yet certain inconsistencies still felt strange.

“Above all… even though I call Rawi a junior, he’s clearly older than me and far larger in build. I’ve always found it peculiar how I tend to regard him so paternally. That’s been a source of discomfort for me.”
“Yes!”
“Of course, since I don’t understand the Gap-world well, perhaps everyone there matures that way naturally. But based on this alone, I can confidently conclude that Lover of Dawn would have been drawn to Seme rather than Rawi.”
“Hehe!”
“Let me examine this.”

As the Lee Yeon-woo of lost memories might have done.

“I need to understand who Seme is.”

* * *

[Observation]
‘An elliptical callus remains between the index and middle fingers of the left hand, though its edges have begun to blur.’

A callus born from gripping a pen for extended periods. Such a defined shape wouldn’t develop from brief, occasional use. The unmistakable mark of someone who once made writing their profession.

Yet naturally worn calluses fade at their edges—softened tissue from disuse. The absence of sharp definition means he no longer writes regularly.

‘A callus exists on the right palm’s center, spanning from below the ring finger to the pinky.’
‘The callus surface is smooth, but its edges bear minute fissures.’

Smooth callus surfaces indicate continuous compression and hardening. Edge fissures are the result of accumulated fatigue in aged tissue. He continues to grip a sword repeatedly, even now.

Seme is a swordsman who has wielded a blade in actual combat for an extraordinarily long time.

‘The thumb’s inner edge and the side of the index finger’s first knuckle are worn at roughly a fifteen-degree angle, facing each other.’

Friction lines between thumb and index finger—a mark of balance control. A technique that draws the center of gravity inward. His swordplay favors defense over offense, survival over aggression.

Then what of this?

‘The right hand’s skin is redder than the left.’
‘The right hand’s temperature is higher than the left.’

Reddened, warm skin indicates greater usage.

“….”

‘His height appears to be just over 160 centimeters, his weight around 60 kilograms.’

Isn’t that strange?

‘His shoulders are narrow, the contours of his musculature barely visible.’
‘His wrists are slender, and when he moves, no muscles protrude.’
‘The veins on the back of his hands appear smooth.’

An untrained body—unremarkable, even slightly below average.

‘His toes point forward, his center of gravity balanced over the metatarsal arch.’

Always ready to move at a moment’s notice.

‘His shoulders and pelvis tilt in opposite directions.’

A stance calculated to disperse any incoming attack.

‘His right hand curves in a gentle arc.’

Even without a blade in his grip, his hand bears the phantom impression of one—so intimately familiar with the sword.

And then.

“….”

‘His fingernails are meticulously trimmed.’
‘A faint scratch marks the base of his right thumbnail.’

Nails that do not grow.

“….”

A body that does not age.

“…Lee Yeon-woo?”
“Seme is.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Quite young, aren’t they.”
“Yes…?”

Lee Yeon-woo simply remained silent.

‘If things stand this way, I’ve escaped part of the charge for unlawful confinement of a minor….’
[Yes!]
‘But it’s still confinement regardless.’

Seme was inhabiting another’s body.

* * *

[Sixth Sense]
‘Within the mirror, she cannot find Seme.’

* * *

“You see, we serve the Fox Deity.”

The adults spoke thus.

“The Fox…?”
“Yes.”
“The one that lives in the forest?”
“Those children are the deity’s messengers, watching over the village in animal form.”
“Then does the Fox Deity also have a fluffy tail?”
“That one has no tail.”

They spoke in gentle tones, with soft gazes.

“The forest keepers always tell it, don’t they? Never enter the forest when night falls, or you’ll lose your way.”
“We’ve never once ventured into the forest when darkness descended.”
“That forest itself is the deity’s belly.”

They spoke frightening words.

“It is a world of divinity—something we feeble creatures could never comprehend.”

The adult gently grasped Seme’s shoulder and spoke those words.

“Seme, you felt the danger, didn’t you? Before we could even tell you, you sensed something in that forest.”
“Well, yes, but I….”
“That is precisely what it means to possess The Artist’s talent.”
“The Artist…?”
“Ah, what a tremendous blessing!”

He laughed.

“You are the closest to divinity!”
“….”

In Seme’s village, The Artist was such a being.

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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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