Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 133

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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 133.

Lee Yeon-woo returned to the Manager’s Quarters after completing the bare minimum recovery.

“I learned Tarot once before.”

Coco questioned the sudden remark.

“Pardon?”
“It was during a university festival, I think.”
“University?”
“It’s a place where students with genuine academic aspirations gather.”

Though that wasn’t always the case.

“The very purpose of such an institution is rooted in that ideal.”
“Coco.”
“Yes.”
“I hate it.”
“What?”
“Studying….”
“….”

Coco sprawled across the bedroom in the Manager’s Quarters.

“…No one’s telling you to go to university….”

Lee Yeon-woo was utterly exasperated.

“Besides, most universities wouldn’t accept animals as students anyway.”
“Discrimination.”
“That’s simply what humans are.”

He too had experienced various forms of racial discrimination after entering university. Thanks to that, he’d learned social skills there that he hadn’t fully grasped in high school.

“Racial discrimination?”
“I could swear I heard a ‘you?’ in there somewhere.”

A sudden doubt crossed my mind, and I turned to look at Coco.

“Is it discrimination?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
“But what can I do about it.”

As Lee Yeon-woo, there was no escaping human narrowmindedness.

“During the festival, the Life Sciences Department ended up running a Tarot Card booth with no connection to our field. It stemmed from the same prejudice.”
“Life Sciences… Tarot… Tarot?”
“A science student who should revere empirical evidence, peddling superstition at a festival stall—I felt a shame unlike anything before. Even now, thinking back on it, it was deeply insulting.”
“Hello.”
“Doubly insulting because business was brisk.”
“Pardon?”

One couldn’t shirk one’s responsibilities, after all.

“The fortune-telling fees were quite substantial.”
“Hello?”
“That’s the true flavor of capitalism, right there.”

As I spoke, I rummaged through the box.

“I wasn’t particularly scrawny back then, but I hadn’t taken care of myself—standing next to my more robust classmates, my physique stood out in comparison. The discrimination had its reasons.”
“Back then?”
“Ah, true enough. Now that I think about it, that would’ve been around this time.”

Perhaps it was because I’d been isolated from the world for so long. I often forgot that I’d been rejuvenated. But now that my body was nineteen years old, my first days at university must have felt much like this.

“Even now, I regret it.”
“What?”
“Those muscles I’d worked so hard to build….”
“Hello?”
“I’m not doing well.”

I was taller then, with more bulk to my frame. At the very least, I didn’t have this gaunt, pitiful appearance I wear now.

“Of course, a mysterious shaman from the East does suit a leaner physique.”
“Racial stereotyping.”
“Your adaptability is impressive.”

It was a fair point.

“Thanks to that, I remember hastily learning the meaning of Tarot cards.”
“Kill me.”
“Don’t say such things so suddenly….”
“Go ahead and kill me.”
“Your vocabulary expands remarkably when you’re being violent with your words.”

Who was I supposed to kill at this point, anyway?

“….”

…Nothing there.

‘Neither the cards nor anything else.’

Lee Yeon-woo rolled his eyes.

‘I can’t trust my own memories anymore.’

It seemed I’d need to start carrying a recorder or diary with me soon.

‘It’s almost like a mystery game—might actually be entertaining….’

After rummaging through the box for a while, Lee Yeon-woo brushed back the hair that had slipped down from lowering his head. Turning his gaze toward the Lodging, he continued speaking with an expressionless face.

“When I first received The Devil card at this Hotel, the reason I understood its meaning was thanks to that as well. Viewed negatively, it represents bondage to desire; viewed positively, it symbolizes overcoming and freedom.”

It was a card with poor reputation, perhaps because of its ominous appearance.

“To be honest, I wasn’t in a particularly good mood when I received it either.”
“Coco. Dislike.”
“I still can’t figure out why you hate it so much.”
“Eeeee.”
“Your reaction is too intense for something that’s merely an object from outside the Hotel.”
“Eeeeeee.”

Coco was sprawled across the bed like a child demanding a new toy, all four legs fluttering about.

“Ing!”
“…”

I was beginning to find it endearing again.

“Yes!”
“Please, compose yourself.”
“Yes.”

In any case.

“Where on earth did this card go…?”

Just because my memories are jumbled doesn’t mean my belongings should be too.

‘I’m missing quite a few things.’

Lee Yeon-woo surveyed the Lodging, stroking his chin.

“I definitely put it back in the box.”
“Coco. Innocent.”
“I wasn’t suspecting you.”

Coco never moved or damaged his belongings without permission. After all, when Coco had dropped the candlestick before, it was to prevent Lee Yeon-woo from harming himself.

‘I should be more careful about that, but my hand keeps reaching for it.’

Lee Yeon-woo lowered his hand from his neck and glanced around the room with searching eyes.

“Could it be that it moves on its own…?”
“Yes.”
“I think I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s truly no cursed doll quite like this one.”
“That’s correct!”
“It doesn’t appear just because I call for it,”

he said.

“….”
“….”

Lee Yeon-woo gazed at the Tarot Card held in his hand.

‘…I can feel it.’

A subtle madness, as if saying, ‘You did call for me, didn’t you?’

“I would say it’s a kinder system than a cursed doll, at the very least.”
“No. No. No.”
“Why do I dislike it so much?”

Coco, who had drawn near without warning, stood on two legs and stretched its body, chewing away at the card in his hand. Whatever the structure of Coco’s mouth might be, the card remained utterly unmarred.

‘This one’s got formidable power too.’

Why is everything around me like this?

“I never would have imagined an object capable of this kind of communication and exchange.”

I’d sensed it from the first moment I saw it—the material and texture were extraordinary. It felt like a lightweight metal plate, or a surface so delicate powder might brush off it. Almost like cotton paper.

Yet its rigidity surpassed even a kitchen knife.

“And yet it’s not cold either….”
“It’s alive.”
“I would appreciate a warning before you make such shocking declarations in the future.”
“I refuse.”
“You’re in no position to criticize this card.”

I rescued the card from Coco’s mouth. Coco, having no intention of continuing that behavior, released it willingly. Though she didn’t shrink her elongated body back to normal.

‘In the past, I couldn’t stretch like this so freely unless I was in darkness.’

Before I could find that change interesting, another thought crossed my mind.

‘Ferret… mink… meerkat….’
“No?”
“Of course those friends can’t stretch as long as you do.”

She’d risen almost to my chest.

With that thought, Lee Yeon-woo removed his gloves. The moment his bare hand touched the card, he felt a subtle vibration and lukewarm warmth as if it possessed a heart.

‘Is this feeling somewhat different from when I first held it?’

What part of me had changed in the meantime? Lee Yeon-woo suddenly wondered, then nodded to himself.

“I have changed quite a lot.”
“Yes.”

That was an objective fact.

“Still, if what I’m sensing is true, there must be a reason for this change….”
“Hello?”
“I can certainly say hello.”

This was a topic I’d deferred because I judged it unimportant when I’d just finished the tutorial.

‘But now that Seme has brought up this card, I can’t put it off any longer.’

The Order of Azure, was it? There was an international vigilante organization, and according to Seme, it had collapsed because of the person who possessed this card. It seemed the current perception of its owner remained equally poor.

‘A person like some urban legend that transcends human common sense….’
“Yes? Yes.”
“I acknowledge that my actions over the past five years have been extraordinary, but if I’d been placed in ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.”

Lee Yeon-woo made his excuse. What could he do when those were his only options?

“The owner of Card 15 is also said to be particularly notorious as a dangerous individual.”

The Tarot Card represents the destiny of the person who possesses it, or so they said.

“I can’t say I’m thrilled that my destiny is ‘The Devil.'”
“Discard it.”
“But didn’t you say it always comes back?”
“Yes….”

Coco’s elongated form drooped with dejection.

“A cursed doll….”
“Now we’ve crossed into personal attacks.”

I was genuinely curious about the reason for this aversion, but I decided to examine the card first. What I held carefully in my hand looked less like something aged and more like a well-preserved artifact.

“Is this really gold leaf?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, I see.”

Gold gilded the borders and primary motifs, gleaming brilliantly and elegantly when caught by light.

The painting style itself was noteworthy. The lines were exquisitely detailed and soft enough to reveal individual strands of fur. The coloring was muted overall, creating a serene atmosphere, yet certain areas possessed a clarity and transparency that commanded attention.

“The image itself resembles The Devil card as I know it, though….”

The demon at the center—Baphomet.

“It appears to be a mountain goat, wouldn’t you say, Coco?”
“A mouflon.”
“That’s what I thought as well.”

Baphomet is the demon primarily used in The Devil card, typically depicted with the wings of a bird or bat, the head and lower body of a goat or mountain goat, and the upper body of a woman.

‘Large, gently spiraling horns and black fur.’

This card had interpreted Baphomet as a mountain goat.

Somehow, even the beast’s fur gleamed with a lustrous smoothness like pearls. Despite being the skull of an animal, the two eyes were pristine and clear, sharp and, in a sense, austere.

“….”

Indeed, the eyes were gilded.

‘…The inverted pentagram on the forehead is also gilded.’

A magic square delicately embroidered in golden thread. Behind the horns, The Demon’s back bore wings like those of a bat—sleek as black silk or velvet, their fluid folds draped across the body like a cloak.

“This way, we can’t tell from the records whether it’s the body of Yangseong-guyu.”
“That’s correct.”

Coco had also approached Lee Yeon-woo’s side, gazing at the image within the card together.

“Bat wings? A demon?”
“It’s traditional enough.”

The bat wings attached to The Demon, that is.

“And in the hands….”

One hand stretched upward in supplication, while the other held an ornate golden chalice inverted. From within the chalice, something—whether flame or blood—poured forth in torrents.

And beneath the altar upon which The Demon sat, two naked figures—a man and a woman—knelt, drinking in whatever spilled from the chalice. The chains around their necks hung loose.

“It doesn’t evoke a pleasant feeling.”
“Yes!”
“By ordinary sensibilities, that’s what it is.”
“Mm.”
“Even though you can’t discard it anyway.”

Lee Yeon-woo fixed his gaze upon the image.

For some reason, the figures of the man and woman within the card peculiarly unsettled him. Drinking in what poured from the chalice, they clung to those loose chains—chains they could easily slip free from—as though they were lifelines….

Those suspended from The Demon’s ankles, their expressions lost in rapture.

“It still feels strange.”
“Yes, it does.”
“Not that it’s meant to demean.”

By the time I realized it, I had returned to my usual composure, gently patting Coco as she settled on my shoulder. Thanks to the improved penalty, it wasn’t as unpleasant as before.

My gaze shifted back to the card.

‘Suspicious as this card may be, it does follow the basic framework overall….’

I blinked.

“….”

There’s an error.

“…A chalice?”

Why did I think of this as a chalice?

‘Normally it should be an inverted torch, and this isn’t even the typical form of a chalice.’

A base that bloomed like petals, and a stem that resembled a stalk. A bowl depicting a whirlpool’s gaze and the tree supporting it. A rim where an engraved serpent crawled.

It was certainly an unfamiliar form, yet I couldn’t shake the sense of déjà vu.

“This somewhat….”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t it resemble my golden bell?”

Despite it bearing no resemblance whatsoever, why had those words escaped me?

“Were there additional ornaments attached to my bell?”

Coco answered me.

“No.”
“I see.”

Ding—
A bell’s chime seemed to ring in my ears.

“I understand now.”

My situation had apparently become far more complex than my calculations accounted for.

* * *

“So you sought me out despite being so busy?”

The Tasteless Guest greeted Lee Yeon-woo with his characteristic smile.

“You’re curious about what that Tarot Card means?”
“In summary, yes.”
“Rather than seeking out that Water Ghost you keep close to your heart.”
“I thought you would understand better how the world is turning.”
“A spirit that prefers to dwell in water has little connection to worldly affairs.”

The Vampire added that “he suits direct crushing more than scheming.”

“He’ll employ cunning readily enough to obtain what he desires, but otherwise, he likely has little interest. Water spirits have never been known for ferocity, have they?”
“That’s quite a blunt way to put it, even for you.”

It was odd to ask this way.

“Are you on bad terms?”
“Few beings maintain good relations with waters so deep and cold.”

The Vampire chuckled at that.

“Lee Yeon-woo is quite the exceptional case.”

Lee Yeon-woo shared that assessment. The Wet Person was not the sort to cultivate favorable relations across the board. And he had no desire to develop his own social skills either.

Lee Yeon-woo added dryly.

“I never doubted that my long-standing friend lacked knowledge on this matter. Water exists everywhere, and it’s not as though it has ears to close.”
“Then?”
“Only that even if that friend appears to flow aimlessly like a river, because he is Hotel Staff, I find it difficult to trust he would tell me objective truth.”
“That is the nature of this place, I understand. He would seek to keep you bound here.”

The Vampire chuckled, studying the face of the young man of Eastern descent.

“Did I not seem like I would do otherwise?”
“You, sir…”

Well,

“You’re an opportunist, are you not?”

In every sense of the word.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh, my.”

The Vampire simply laughed.

“Very well, I shall tell you.”
“Your intentions hardly seem pure, but I’m grateful nonetheless.”
“If you won’t take me as your disciple, then at least I can enjoy this. Playing the role of a teacher is not difficult for me.”
“You speak as though you’ve already given up on becoming my student.”
“Oh, was it that obvious?”
“More than that—you lacked sincerity.”
“I concede the point.”

His ordered coffee arrived.

“I intend to stay at this Hotel for a very long time.”
“That depends on your conduct.”
“Ah, how noble of you.”

The scent of cardamom drifted up.

“We can maintain a good relationship.”

Lee Yeon-woo, gazing at the brown liquid, asked,

“Does your conscience not trouble you when you speak like that?”
“I abandoned it long ago.”

Several centuries, to be precise.

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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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