Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 121

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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 121.

Lee Yeon-woo nodded after hearing Rawi’s words.

“So you sensed the possibility of an acquaintance in such similarities.”
“I thought it wouldn’t be the case, but if they’re that similar, I wondered if some kind of permission was necessary… I wasn’t really trying to curse them out.”
“I’m not angry, so please calm yourself. I was simply taken aback.”

Seme spoke as if joking.

“So you do get flustered.”
“I apologize for showing you such an embarrassing side.”
“No, I was just joking…”
“I see. But since I’m human as well, being asked whether I’m acquainted with a serial killer and cannibal is rather awkward.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yes.”
“You should apologize once more as well.”
“Ugh.”

Seme forcibly bent Rawi’s head down and wiped his face with his other hand.

“Are… you alright?”
“I’m not so narrow-minded as to be bothered by a mere hypothesis or casual joke.”
“No. Well, that’s true too.”

Seme continued speaking.

“From what I can see, the Tasteless Guest appears to have considerable interest in you.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“Is that… um, alright with you? Given that you mentioned cannibalism, it seems to go beyond simply consuming blood. And if they’re mimicking your appearance to that degree…”
“Thank you for your concern.”

Today’s version of Lee Yeon-woo seemed to be the gentler sort, answering with a forthright demeanor.

“First, let me clarify—he is not imitating me. If his intention were to usurp Lee Yeon-woo’s existence, he would have taken on my exact appearance.”
“Then what is it, exactly…?”
“Yes, it’s true that he holds a certain degree of interest in me.”

Lee Yeon-woo’s face remained impassive as he spoke, though he appeared fatigued—noticeably more so than usual.

“However, that stems from my personal characteristics. You need not worry—Seme and Rawi would never inspire the same fascination in him. Please, set your mind at ease.”
“I wasn’t worried, I was concerned.”
“My apologies. It seems the habit has taken root already.”
“….”

Seme understood what he meant.

‘…During his confinement in this Labyrinth, he’s grown more accustomed to worrying about others than himself. If my suspicion is correct, then under the influence of the Clock in this Hotel, Lee Yeon-woo likely won’t die….’

Seme hesitated before looking at Lee Yeon-woo. His face was stern in some respects, gentle in others.

“…I heard something from The Guest just now.”
“What might that have been?”
“He spoke as though Lee Yeon-woo held the favor of the Hotel General Manager here.”
“I see.”

Lee Yeon-woo fixed his gaze upon Seme.

For some reason, his eyes reminded Seme of the Tasteless Guest from moments before—though the pressure behind them was entirely different. Seme asked awkwardly.

“Was this topic too presumptuous after all?”
“No. If you are to escape this place safely, it is something I should have mentioned by now.”

He responded as though the moment had finally arrived.

“Once you’ve finished your meal, shall we move elsewhere and continue our conversation? What do you say?”
“Ah….”
“As you can see.”

Lee Yeon-woo gestured toward a distant table as he spoke.

“This is not the place for the sort of discussion we need to have.”

Suspicious gazes converged upon me from all directions.

* * *

The three of us moved to Seme and Rawi’s Guest Rooms.

“Has anything frightening ever occurred in this room?”

To my question, Rawi settled onto the edge of the bed with a playful tone.

“Just a little bloodbath last night~?”
“That was certainly quite rude of me. You must have been quite startled, Rawi.”

I continued speaking to Rawi and Seme, who sat side by side on the bed.

“In fact, I sought you out to apologize for that very matter, but I was delayed somewhat by the Tasteless Guest. Though late, I wish to apologize for the disturbance at dawn.”
“There’s really nothing to apologize for.”
“It was I who promised to help you all, so I would prefer you not burden yourselves with guilt over that. As I continue to say, focus on surviving and moving forward.”
“About that, though.”

After a slight pause, Rawi asked.

“…Do you really have no intention of leaving, Lee Yeon-woo?”
“….”

I answered slowly.

“Not for now.”

Rawi’s smile twisted slightly.

“To be honest, every time I see you, Lee Yeon-woo, it feels frustrating.”
“That’s simply how I am. Adjust accordingly.”
“I’m not sure I can adapt to something like this….”

Following Rawi’s suppressed sigh, Seme asked.

“Then may we return to the previous topic? That is, the Hotel General Manager.”
“Yes, it would be best to discuss that matter beforehand.”

My gaze drifted sideways.

“I should have mentioned this sooner, but I’ve been hesitant to broach the subject due to my own discomfort. It’s a matter you all should have known long ago, given that you’re staying at this Hotel indefinitely….”

At that, Seme reflected.

‘Of course it would be an uncomfortable topic.’

After all, Lee Yeon-woo was the very entity confining them here. To anyone’s eye, he was fundamentally opposed to the Hotel’s nature. There was no way he’d be comfortable discussing the Hotel’s personnel.

Yet Lee Yeon-woo returned to his composed tone and began his explanation.

“This Hotel is operated by two co-owners. One prefers not to appear before the Hotel’s guests, while the other is the Hotel General Manager you’ve all heard about.”
“The owner of such a large Hotel is directly serving as the General Manager?”

At Seme’s question, Lee Yeon-woo nodded slightly.

“I’m not entirely sure why the structure is this way. Perhaps it’s for the convenience of Hotel Management. Guests also tend to prefer being greeted directly by the Hotel’s owner.”
“Then the General Manager must be quite well-received by other guests.”
“At minimum, basic courtesy will be observed. Even the most ill-tempered Monster Guest would likely restrain themselves within this Hotel. That’s the Hotel’s power.”
“Then the Hotel General Manager here is… hmm.”

At Seme’s hesitation, Rawi asked.

“What sort of being is it?”
“Should I even be answering that?”
“At this point?”
“Fair enough.”

As Seme also turned to look at Lee Yeon-woo, he pondered briefly before answering Rawi’s question.

“It specializes in service.”
“Service?”
“To be more precise, it exists solely for Hotel Management.”

What Lee Yeon-woo was describing now was the playable character known as the Hotel General Manager.

* * *

Previously, Lee Yeon-woo had divided himself into two versions during his body enhancement work: ‘Lee Yeon-woo (User)’ and ‘Hotel General Manager (Character)’.

‘To escape the penalty.’

And that had been influenced far more by ‘identity’ than he’d anticipated.

Lee Yeon-woo, simultaneously user and character, seemed to have unconsciously guided himself in that direction. Perhaps it was the influence of his own ‘blood’—something inherently unrefined in its nature.

But.

“…I can’t say emotions are absent, but whether it’s difficult to perceive or simply below average, they’re quite blurred. Stress responses are suppressed—reactions to fear and anger are nearly nonexistent, and most emotions are converted into objects of analysis.”

Still, this was somewhat, frankly.
An exaggeration.

‘No matter how much I divided myself into versions, I’m not actually that compartmentalized.’

Creating nearly dissociative traits within merely eight months was impossible.

‘I’m not that capable.’

Yet Lee Yeon-woo recalled the ‘Hotel General Manager’ he’d observed while playing the game. He was translating a mere game character—the ‘Hotel General Manager’—into human terms.

And when you treat a game character as a person, this is the explanation that emerges.

“Extremely cold and controlled, insensitive to genuine suffering. Empathy through situational judgment is possible, but emotional empathy is entirely absent.”
“That sounds like a rather terrifying being.”
“His distinction between good and evil is likewise subordinated to functional purpose. He internalizes directives deemed rational with absolute conviction, and treats pain as a controllable signal.”

They needed to regard the ‘Hotel General Manager’ as something formidable.

“In similar fashion, he defines himself solely through role and duty.”

His heart had been uncomfortable, so he’d kept postponing it.

‘Dragging this out endlessly is absolutely undesirable.’

Ultimately, before their relationship deepened any further, they had to accumulate ‘Nightmares’ and venture outside. And within that, a clear villain was necessary.

That was precisely what becoming the Hotel General Manager would entail—the choice that would cause the least harm to others across multiple dimensions.

For now, at least.

“It would be fair to characterize this as a personality disorder with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. An obsession with perfectionism, rules, and procedure, with virtually no flexibility except in exceptional circumstances.”

Unless there were exploits or bugs, the character would always obey commands.

“Emotion and memory appear disconnected, yet systematic reasoning remains meticulously intact. He doesn’t respond to others’ suffering unless necessary, but it’s indifference rather than malice.”
“….”
“I couldn’t in good conscience call him a good ‘person.'”

What I had been describing all along was a ‘character’ within the game, after all.

“His self-conception is function-oriented. When I said earlier that he exists solely for Hotel Management, that was the context I meant.”
“Does he lack self-preservation instinct?”
“For him, pain and death are mere data, not things to be avoided. His cognitive structure prioritizes system maintenance over safety and survival.”
“That sounds colder than most Dokkaebi….”
“But precisely because of that, he is the perfect administrator for this Hotel.”

A playable character, after all, must faithfully reflect the player’s tendencies and choices.

“Of course, explaining morality to him would likely hold little meaning.”
“That’s even more frightening than before.”
“The Hotel General Manager maintains ethics through logic rather than emotion. That’s less cold-bloodedness than it is highly refined rationality.”
“But that means….”

Seme, who had been rolling the sheath in his hand, looked at me.

“Perhaps, in other words, this could be an opportunity for us.”
“You’ve understood perfectly.”

This was why I had deliberately introduced the antagonist of this story as a ‘playable character.’

“As I mentioned before, he isn’t a being entirely devoid of emotion. But joy, sorrow, even pain—all have short duration, and he immediately recalibrates his objectives.”
“Less alive than digitized for the sake of efficiency.”
“Precisely. Therefore, he becomes an absolute mediator against those who obstruct Hotel Management, and he affirms those who either aid operations or pose no obstacle.”
“Which means….”

Rawi rolled his eyes as he spoke.

“So you’re saying that as long as we follow the rules of this Hotel, we won’t have to worry about being dealt with by the Hotel General Manager?”
“Precisely.”

It wasn’t difficult. They just needed to perceive this Hotel as a ‘game.’ Perhaps Lee Yeon-woo did as well.

“Seme asked at the previous Hunting Ground whether this place was a game-type Labyrinth. That’s correct—it’s no different. You simply need to endure here until the Hotel releases you.”
“How do we get it to release us?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”

I hadn’t told them exactly that it involved accumulating ‘Nightmares.’

If I did, this villain simulation would lose all meaning. Besides, they might venture into dangerous places under the pretext of accumulating ‘Nightmares.’

Lee Yeon-woo spoke as he observed the two of them with awkward expressions.

“However, it shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“But what if we’re killed by the Dokkaebi here first…?”
“That’s precisely why I’m here.”

Lee Yeon-woo added further.

“I’m not saying you should let your guard down. Rather, there’s no need to suffer through trial and error when the most efficient route is right before us. Use me. The procedure with the highest success rate achievable in this situation is one that goes through me.”

He thought to himself.

‘There’s a strategy already verified right in front of us—there’s no reason to let these unpredictable variables waste time fumbling around in the dark.’

Seme and Rawi’s independent actions were uncontrollable variables. If they moved recklessly and something went wrong, the mental energy and Hotel Management resources I’d have to invest in cleanup would become pure sunk costs.

‘Since I can’t leave immediately on my own without procedures anyway, the priority is getting these two out safely first.’

It was far less stressful to become a living strategy guide myself, designing their every movement perfectly. My mind was already mapping out the smoothest, most optimized path.

It was embarrassing, but it was a field I took some pride in.

“….”
“To be frank, no one understands this game better than I do.”

After all, I’m a user with twenty-six years of experience.

* * *

“Use me. The procedure with the highest success rate we can derive from this situation is through me.”
“….”
“I say without hesitation—no one knows this Game better than I do.”

At those words, Seme’s

mood grew, very.

“….”

…sour.

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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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