Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 129

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

Chapter 129.

Dawn broke, and that morning in the Dining Area.

“….”
“….”

Seme and Rawi’s faces looked hollow with exhaustion.

“…It seems you couldn’t sleep.”
“…How could anyone sleep after that?”
“Oh, true enough.”
“I might as well be dead.”
“Compose yourself.”

Seme was half-unraveled from the incident where he’d lost his mind and drawn a blade, while Rawi was similarly fractured from making Lee Yeon-woo cough blood. Rawi’s culpability might not be a hundred percent certain, but….

‘No matter how I think about it, it feels like I pressed the button.’

Lee Yeon-woo had denied it and hurriedly left the scene, but still. The circumstances were far too convenient for that explanation. The anomaly had begun the moment Rawi suggested they leave together.

“…Well, then….”

Rawi looked at Seme.

“Can I ask you something, our senior?”
“Go ahead. Yesterday was such chaos I couldn’t say anything.”
“What was that, anyway?”

He tapped his own ear lightly.

“What came out of Lee Yeon-woo’s ear.”
“…Ah….”
“As a mage, senior, you must sense the essence of such things more keenly, don’t you?”
“…That is….”

Seme had also spent the entire night pondering this very matter.

“…From what I could sense, it was closer to a gu poison.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of that before.”
“You know of it? An outsider like you? How on earth?”
“I didn’t see it firsthand, but I think I heard about it in some manga or TV show….”
“Has the world gone mad? Why would something like that appear on television?”
“It’s just treated as fantasy material, so I don’t know much about it.”
“I see. So, this gu poison….”

As Seme opened his mouth to speak, someone interrupted.

“It is sorcery.”
“….”
“Malevolent and cruel.”

A man in a black suit—the Tasteless Guest.

“You seemed to be having an interesting conversation. Would you mind if I joined?”
“Would you kill me if I said no…?”
“Ha, hardly. I’m being careful not to incur Lee Yeon-woo’s displeasure.”
“You seem to be receiving plenty of that already.”
“That too is an intriguing matter. Quite a difficult person to deal with, isn’t he?”
“….”

As Seme fell silent, the Tasteless Guest’s eyes widened.

“Specifically, I won’t count this as an ‘invitation.'”

A promise that he would not devour them.

“…Please, sit.”
“Then I shall join you.”

He settled naturally into the seat across from Seme and Rawi. Given the two’s usual position in the corner by the window, the Tasteless Guest had positioned himself where the rain-streaked glass panes were blocked from view.

The man, having adjusted his clothes lightly, asked:

“How did the subject of solitude even come up? From what I understand, it’s an incredibly crude and inefficient form of sorcery—it should be almost entirely obsolete in the modern era.”
“…Just….”
“Didn’t you say it came from Lee Yeon-woo’s own ears?”
“….”

Seme wiped his face.

‘He’s already heard everything and is just probing now.’

There was no point in hiding anything—I’d only end up marked by a Dokkaebi of this caliber for nothing.

“…I was concerned about Lee Yeon-woo’s physical condition.”
“He does neglect his own well-being, doesn’t he?”
“I sensed something in him, and I wondered if it might be solitude.”
“Hmm.”

The Young Man spoke while observing Rawi, who was subtly averting his gaze.

“Since we have a younger friend present, perhaps I should offer a brief explanation.”
“Yes, ah, thank you?”
“Think nothing of it. Solitude is primarily a form of sorcery where multiple insects are placed in a jar and left to their own devices, with the venom of the final survivor serving as the medium.”
“That’s….”
“Yes, it’s closer to a curse than true sorcery.”

His explanation was remarkably concise and orderly.

“But despite the name referring to insects, the practice actually employs a far wider variety of living creatures. Ultimately, the essence of solitude—or wu gu, as it’s known—is ‘confining living things and forcing them to kill one another.'”

The Young Man’s gaze turned back to Seme.

“And you sensed this in Lee Yeon-woo?”
“Just a feeling… I’ve witnessed sorcery employing solitude before.”
“In such matters, a mage’s intuition is quite reliable.”

A mage, after all, is fundamentally a concentration of spiritual energy, making them particularly sensitive to another’s sorcery.

“But it doesn’t seem like enough to immediately invoke ‘solitude,’ does it?”
“….”

The Tasteless Guest’s assessment of Seme’s talent as a mage meant it was unremarkable.

“…That is true, but….”
“Which means it was such a remarkable mystery that you could recognize it so immediately.”
“…Yes.”
“The Foundation did engage in quite fascinating projects with some frequency.”

When Rawi turned to look at him, the Young Man laughed.

“Then it seems the material used was ‘human beings.'”

He looked genuinely delighted.

“….”
“….”

I was left speechless.

‘…Even if he acts quite human, his true nature is still that of a Dokkaebi.’

I couldn’t let my guard down. After all, this situation was merely a capricious amusement for the Tasteless Guest. He seemed to hold this Hotel in particular regard, so this was simply part of how he enjoyed this place.

‘If I can remain intact and alive, even as a plaything, I suppose I’m rather fortunate.’

In the meantime, the Young Man, his face returning to that of a ‘human being,’ continued speaking.

“How fascinating that solitude has attached itself to Lee Yeon-woo.”
“…What’s so fascinating about that?”
“Our young friend seems unaware, but this curse is primarily used to slowly and painfully drain the life force from the living when administered to someone.”
“Life force…?”
“It harms both body and soul, and can even attack within dreams. In similar fashion, it dominates the soul and manipulates its will as one sees fit.”
“….”
“It makes people fall in love, binds them in fear, clouds their minds….”

His voice was soft and measured, yet carried a rhythmic quality like song.

“However, it is a curse with many inconveniences. Its destructive power is certain, but precise remote manipulation is difficult. It is a curse I would recommend only if you wish to slowly wither away a particular target over an extended period.”
“…Thank you…?”
“Surprisingly cheerful manners.”
“…No, wait a moment.”

Rawi turned to face Seme.

“Then there’s someone who placed a curse on Lee Yeon-woo, isn’t there?”
“That is precisely why I found it intriguing.”

This time, it was not Seme who answered, but the Tasteless Guest.

“There are few entities in this hotel capable of such a bold act….”

The young man who had been muttering soon spoke thus.

“Oh, perhaps he desired it himself.”
“…That would be painful, wouldn’t it?”
“But this hotel favors such things, as it would greatly aid in growth.”
“Growth? The hotel?”
“If cursing oneself would benefit the hotel, wouldn’t such a person do exactly that?”
“….”
“…Indeed, quite the entertaining tale….”

He rose from his seat.

“I believe this has become a most pleasant dining occasion. I shall take my leave now. Though our conversation did not occur at my own table, it has been a meaningful time.”
“…Yes, it was an honor.”
“Before I go, allow me to offer one piece of advice—it would be wise not to keep him too occupied.”
“….”
“This hotel has need of him.”

Still that crescent-moon smile, thin and curved.

“Be careful not to incur his displeasure.”

With a light bow of his head, he departed the Dining Area.

“….”
“….”

It was the kind of meal that threatened to suffocate us both with silence.

* * *

The two of us, who had barely spoken, opened our mouths the moment we returned to the Guest Rooms.

“To whom?”
“Hatred, you say?”

The words tumbled out almost simultaneously.

“Were you pondering that as well, Ser-sang?”
“As long as we’re trapped in this Hotel, there’s hardly anything else worth thinking about.”
“That’s true, but really—to whom?”
“If we think about it in the most straightforward way, it would be the Hotel itself.”

Seme spoke with a furrowed brow.

“…That black coat I saw yesterday keeps bothering me.”

He continued.

“Did you notice anything different about it? I thought it was just an ordinary overcoat at first, but now that I think back on it, Lee Yeon-woo wore that same coat—that unnaturally deep black—constantly from the Hunting Ground onward.”

Rawi looked at Seme.

“May I speak honestly?”
“Go ahead. We can sort it out afterward if needed.”
“I felt nothing from it.”
“You felt nothing at all?”
“Just… an overcoat with a unified color….”

Rawi hesitated, then wiped his face.

“The only time I sensed anything was when it moved yesterday.”

When he had strangled Lee Yeon-woo’s neck.

“It was like a grave pit so deep you couldn’t see the bottom.”
“That’s a chilling way to describe it.”
“It was so impossibly deep that nothing was visible, yet the stench of corpses was overwhelming…? It felt like something so massive that it escaped notice entirely.”
“That’s terrifying too.”
“I also sensed that Lee Yeon-woo had no intention of ever leaving.”
“…Ah….”

Seme’s expression darkened.

“What if that really is this Hotel.”
“…I can’t deny it.”
“When you brought that up yesterday, I was honestly relieved.”

He recalled Lee Yeon-woo from last evening, when Rawi had said, “Let’s leave together.”

“Lee Yeon-woo really seemed to want to do it….”

Perhaps his face had even held a hint of longing.

“But right then, that ‘blackness’ moved, and Lee Yeon-woo’s face began bleeding profusely, and from within his body crawled out such profound solitude that—”
“Even thinking about it now, it’s overwhelming.”
“That solitude—I’m not sure how much of Lee Yeon-woo’s will was in it, but the Hotel General Manager must have planted it there. That’s the only way to generate enough ‘resources’ to sustain this Labyrinth.”
“Wait, that….”

Rawi hesitated before asking.

“It wasn’t just happening when summoned, was it?”
“Think about it—maintaining a Labyrinth this vast would be impossible to handle with just those brief moments. If it went that far, Lee Yeon-woo might break entirely, and if that happened, it would be better to….”
“Do it gradually, multiple times?”
“Or perhaps allow no personal freedom whatsoever.”

Truly a wretched Labyrinth. He’d never encountered one that wrung a person so mercilessly—and deliberately targeting just one individual at that.

Of course, that was likely a measure reflecting Lee Yeon-woo’s own will.

“It seems you have no intention of letting me go.”
“…Well, what can we do about it.”
“….”

Seme turned to look at Rawi.

“Aren’t you being too optimistic?”
“You’re being too pessimistic, senior.”

Rawi’s face contorted. His already unpleasant expression grew even more menacing.

“Both Lee Yeon-woo and you, senior—you’re both so twisted that simple thoughts don’t come easily to you. Sometimes, shouldn’t we just act first and think later?”
“You’ll die doing that….”
“Oh, come on.”

He looked petulant.

“Anyway, Lee Yeon-woo wants to get out too, doesn’t he?”

At the very least, that was what mattered most to Rawi.

“Since you’re both intelligent people, I trust you’ll find a way somehow.”
“If you lie like that, won’t your mouth just float around when you bathe?”
“Honestly, I don’t really believe it either, but Lee Yeon-woo’s golden window isn’t that wide open anymore, is it?”
“Right, at this point it won’t be long before he’s completely consumed.”

Just like Ser-sang would eventually be offered up.

“…That’s….”
“I don’t want to see that happen.”
“….”
“That’s why I caused all that commotion yesterday.”
“…You’re right….”

Rawi’s words were correct.

“…I didn’t want to see it.”

The reality that Lee Yeon-woo would eventually become ‘that,’ and that I would continue living because of it—the urgency of knowing that I had so little time left before witnessing that tiresome cycle repeat itself once more seized me.

“…Thinking back on it now, it was definitely a trauma response.”
“It certainly appeared that way.”
“I have no face to show you, or Lee Yeon-woo either.”
“Lee Yeon-woo scolds methodically and moves on, but I tend to hold grudges longer.”
“I’d rather just get scolded point by point and be done with it… I’m exhausted….”
“Would I be the only one waking up every night after finally getting some sleep?”

Rawi sighed as he spoke.

“So what I’m saying is, wouldn’t it be worth at least trying once?”
“….”
“We can at least make the effort, can’t we?”
“…You’re right.”

Seme nodded.

“Then I suppose we need to convince Lee Yeon-woo first.”
“You’re going to cut your own attachment first?”
“Do you know how difficult it is to avoid stepping on mines in a minefield?”
“If you do that, I can’t exactly argue against it.”
“Exactly.”

He looked up at Rawi.

“Where is Lee Yeon-woo right now?”

* * *

And so they came to witness the Water Channel stretching out before them in all its glory.

“….”
“….”

…The Elevator, 23rd Floor.

The Aqua Park.

* * *

That’s right—Lee Yeon-woo was in the Aqua Park.

He had been here all night since yesterday.

“The Friend.”
“…”
“The Friend?”

Watching The Friend submerged in the Swimming Pool, desperately clutching at his own severed ankle, Lee Yeon-woo contemplated the situation seriously.

“…”

Why did this unattractive creature keep resorting to such foolish antics?

Did he truly believe this would be effective?

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