Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 143

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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 143.

Hyun Si-gyeong stared into the void without so much as a blink.

“….”

For a very long time.

Without the slightest movement.

* * *

Ding—
A crisp mechanical chime.

The Elevator came to a halt at the 1st Floor, and the heavy iron doors slid open with a soft whisper.

“Wow.”
“It’s pretty flashy, isn’t it~?”
“This is insane….”

A dazzling golden radiance flooded inward.

Kwon Do-hyun surveyed his surroundings with wide eyes, though his gaze betrayed an undercurrent of unease. From somewhere, an antiquated classical melody flowed with graceful elegance. Yet its rhythm was subtly off-beat, creating an unsettling discord that grated against the nerves.

As Kwon Do-hyun stepped out of the Elevator, the vista of the 1st Floor Lobby came into view.

‘The ceiling is ridiculously high.’

▶ An immense crystal chandelier sways from a ceiling of unknowable height.

‘Are those actually gemstones? The sparkle is too authentic to be fake….’

▶ Premium Marble Floor and crimson carpets, intricately carved antique furnishings.

‘Why does everything look so expensive?’

Kwon Do-hyun prided himself on his discerning eye. The furniture and decorations scattered throughout the space were far from ordinary.

A landscape of unparalleled grandeur. Yet despite the overwhelming spatial presence, an alien sensation pressed down upon the entire Lobby. Kwon Do-hyun soon grasped the nature of this dissonance.

“…Isn’t it unusually quiet?”
“Everyone here seems rather taciturn.”

▶ A suffocating silence grips the Lobby—so complete that even the sound of a single ant passing would be audible.

‘There are people here, though…’

Guests were scattered throughout the Lobby. Their clothing and races varied across gender and age. Occasionally, glances cast in our direction carried something distinctly foreign.

“…Is this the 1st Floor Lobby? Outside is nothing but a Mountain Valley without a single light, yet inside it’s like a European palace. There are staff members everywhere too.”

Several guests were receiving care from Staff Members—being served beverages, enjoying books or simple refreshments.

Uncle stroked his chin gently, glancing around as he spoke.

“Something’s off.”
“What is it? Don’t make me anxious.”
“My police officer friend was supposed to be waiting here.”
“You mean that police friend you mentioned earlier?”

Kwon Do-hyun scanned the surroundings as well, but his eyes found no one who appeared to be a police officer.

“Maybe he went to the Bathroom? Or got cold feet and bolted.”
“Hyun Si-gyeong wouldn’t abandon his post without a word. Did the divination fail?”
“Divination…. Let’s just go ask at the Front Desk over there.”

The moment Kwon Do-hyun and my uncle approached the empty Front Desk—

“…!”

From the darkness behind the desk, someone emerged without a sound.

▶ A crisp white shirt pressed without a single wrinkle, paired with a black suit. Black hair swept back with meticulous precision.
▶ He appeared to be my age, yet his translucent skin bore no trace of blood, and across it stretched a perfect, artificial smile devoid of any emotional depth.
▶ I couldn’t even sense his breathing.

‘This is unsettling.’

The thought escaped me unbidden.

‘Is he even human?’

And perched upon his right shoulder.

▶ A cat the color of Vanta Black sat serenely, absorbing every trace of light around it, gazing in my direction.
▶ Its smiling face resembled a Cheshire cat—an uncanny creature that appeared soft to the touch.

“I see you’ve found the nephew you mentioned. Congratulations, Guest.”

The voice that emerged from the man’s lips was strangely alien—utterly devoid of inflection, like the emotionless drone of a machine. Kwon Do-hyun’s brow furrowed.

“What—what is this? When did you get there?”
“Oh my, nephew, just a moment~”

As Kwon Do-hyun instinctively stepped back, driven by primal wariness, Kwon Seung-jae brazenly moved forward to block his path.

“Isn’t it the courteous Hotel General Manager? Your bright demeanor is exactly the same as when we first arrived. Thanks to you, we’ve safely found our lost nephew.”
“How fortunate. I’m delighted you’ve been reunited here at our Hotel.”

The Hotel General Manager adjusted his glasses with a hand clad in pristine white cotton gloves.

“Is there anything else I might assist you with?”
“Actually, I was just about to ask. How do you read my mind so well? Have you seen my friend? The taciturn fellow who walks around with a whistle in his mouth. We were supposed to meet here.”
“The one with the whistle….”

The Hotel General Manager regarded Kwon Seung-jae quietly, then a thin line appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Ah, you mean the Guest in the police vest.”
“Right, you did see him? Where is he now?”
“I’m afraid I cannot disclose a Guest’s location.”

At those words, Kwon Do-hyun interjected, exasperated.

“Wait, you said this person came in with someone else? They’re looking for their party, so why are you bringing up privacy? What kind of hotel operates like this?”
“Even if they are part of the same party, there are no exceptions. Thorough security and privacy protection are among the finest services our Hotel provides.”

Then Kwon Seung-jae stepped forward, his hand naturally pushing Kwon Do-hyun back. The gesture carried an unmistakable implication: *Don’t make a scene—just stay quiet.*

“Well, well, the Manager here is quite the principled man. I suppose a hotel like this does need to uphold its regulations.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“But even if you can’t tell us the location, surely you could offer some advice on what we should do? This hotel is so sprawling—we could easily get lost~”
“Of course, we cannot allow our guests to become lost. We are committed to ensuring the safety and comfort of all our residents.”

The Hotel General Manager’s golden eyes slowly turned toward the enormous grandfather clock at the center of the Lobby.

‘…Golden eyes….’

Following that gaze, Kwon Do-hyun found himself checking the clock without thinking.

▶ The grandfather clock at the center of the Lobby. The hands point to [12:10].
I

Ding—
He struck the golden bell with his gloved hand.

▶ The grandfather clock at the center of the Lobby. The hands now point to [11:50].

The clear, crystalline chime cut through the oppressive silence of the Lobby.

“…The clock hands….”
“There should be one room on the Guest Room Floor with its door open.”

The Hotel General Manager, now empty-handed once more, fixed his gaze back upon Kwon Do-hyun and Kwon Seung-jae.

“Inside that room, there may be something that will help you find your party.”
“What do you mean? We just came down from the Guest Room Floor exhausted—are you telling us to go back up? Is this some kind of joke?”
“Our Hotel always respects our guests’ freedom of choice.”

The Hotel General Manager added with an artificial smile.

“However, if you wish to attempt it, I would advise you to hurry.”
“Is there a reason?”
“It will be midnight soon.”

The Hotel General Manager’s voice carried an odd weight to it.

“Once midnight passes, a dangerous guest who wanders these halls in violation of the Hotel’s guidelines will begin their activities. That guest is quite volatile and emotional—they do not take kindly to being noticed.”
“A dangerous guest? What kind of monster is that supposed to be….”

The Hotel General Manager bent slightly at the waist, bringing his eyes level with Kwon Do-hyun’s. When I met those strange golden eyes devoid of emotion, a chill ran down my spine once more.

“Always conduct yourself with courtesy toward the guests who stay here.”

The pupils within those eyes were somehow alien.

“Listen carefully to what our guests say and do, but never commit rudeness. If you follow the rules, you can avoid unfortunate incidents.”

At that moment, the Black Cat perched on the Hotel General Manager’s shoulder opened its mouth wide.

“Rude guest. Punishment.”
“What….”

▶ The cat’s mouth was like a bottomless abyss, devoid of a tongue.

“….”

It resembled the Hotel General Manager’s pupils.

“…Did that cat just speak human language?”
“That is Coco, our Hotel’s mascot. She is quite playful and often greets guests in a friendly manner, so there is no need to be overly startled.”
“How can I not be startled when a cat is speaking?”
“In any case, I hope you find your friend safely.”

The Hotel General Manager bowed politely before adding:

“Pardon?”
“Huh?”

I just said “bad times,”

Before Kwon Do-hyun could even voice his bewilderment, the Hotel General Manager and the Black Cat perched on his shoulder vanished soundlessly into the darkness beyond the Front Desk.

Dumbfounded, Kwon Seung-jae finally broke the silence.

“Remarkable fellow. Every word he speaks carries weight. I’m fairly certain he’s the Labyrinth administrator, but what exactly is he doing here…?”

He scratched the back of his head, muttering to himself.

“Our friend the Captain doesn’t seem to be in the Lobby, so we’ll need to head back up as he suggested. You can handle it, can’t you, Nephew?”
“This is infuriating. That comment about midnight bothers me too.”

▶ The ticking of the grandfather Clock’s hands, advancing toward midnight, begins to fill the Lobby.

“Huh?”

▶ [SYSTEM] Main Quest Updated!
▶ [Objective] Before midnight strikes, take the Elevator back up to the Guest Room Floor and explore the ‘room with the open door.’
▶ [Time Limit: 10:00]

“What…?”

▶ [Time Limit: 09:58]

“What the hell is this?”
“What is it? Come on, let me see the fun stuff too.”
“There’s some kind of notification window here—”

Tick—tick—

As the crimson timer materialized in the air and began to blink, the relentless tick-tock-tick-tock of the countdown made Kwon Do-hyun’s heart lurch.

“Damn it, let’s go. Now.”
“Suddenly so motivated? Not that I’m complaining~”

Kwon Do-hyun gripped his pistol tightly and hurried after Kwon Seung-jae toward the Elevator.

Only ten minutes remained until midnight. He didn’t know what penalty awaited failure, but he had to find that ‘room with the open door’ before the clock struck twelve.

* * *

And there were no penalties.

“I’m not such a strict administrator.”
“Coco. Disappointed.”
“How could I do such a thing in a game meant for everyone to enjoy together?”
“Coco disappointed….”
“We can simply rewind time until it succeeds.”

Hotel General Manager Lee Yeon-woo laughed.

“I have that much authority, after all.”

In the end, Kwon Do-hyun would believe he had succeeded on his first attempt.

“In this game where real people act as users, failure holds no value as entertainment. Only the experience of barely succeeding immerses users and produces quality nightmares. That is the true essence of the service this Hotel provides.”
“Precisely.”
“No matter how many times we perform server rollbacks, we gift our valued users the finest success experience. That will become the true nature of this Hotel’s service.”

In other words, it was a right the users would never know about.

* * *

“Why….”
“D-Director?”
“Why do I feel so uneasy?”
“If even you feel that way, Director, what are we supposed to do?”

During the actors’ break after the first shoot, Lee Sun-hae, who had been organizing the footage she’d recorded with Writer Hong Kyung-yeon, bounced her left leg nervously.

“Just one cigarette.”
“Please don’t. I was barely holding myself together to work, and now you’re making me anxious too.”
“Ugh, my instincts are terrible. So terrible I feel like I should raid the Hotel.”
“Please tell me you’re not actually thinking of going there.”
“Am I insane? Go back there with nothing but this body?”

Of course, it wasn’t just her body alone. Baek Mu-jin’s guards would be watching over Lee Sun-hae nearby. They would follow on their own if she went.

But even so, for Lee Sun-hae—who truly knew how to do nothing—to crawl back into the Hotel would be absolute madness. She wasn’t that insane.

“I heard the police dispatched officers to that location.”
“The numbers were quite small, and it seemed more like an investigation than an attempt to resolve anything….”
“So now I’m supposed to reassure the Director?”
“Hong just needs to stay healthy in body and mind. I’ll handle the rest.”
“This is driving me insane.”

It was Lee Yeon-woo who wanted to lose his mind.

‘I can’t even expose this.’

The world was full of information that could drive you mad or kill you simply by knowing it. That chihuahua of a man could never handle it. So there was no way I could discuss this with him.

‘Should I even contact my Uncle….’

Even if I did, he’d just tell me not to touch it and move on.

“….”

…Would things have been different if I were an artist?

‘If I had some ability, something I could actually do.’

If only that were the case.

Exhaustion and helplessness choked the breath from my lungs.

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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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