Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 15

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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 15.

The staff members made no sound whatsoever.

No voices, no footsteps, no breathing—not even the whisper of fabric brushing against skin.

It was an eerie, unnatural silence. Director Lee Sun-hae had never once seen them open their mouths.

“They act as though they lack the ability entirely.”
“….”
“It would be madness to ask them to simply open their mouths once, wouldn’t it?”
“…Yes.”

Both arrived at the same conclusion silently.

“….”
“….”

They might not have
a tongue at all.

“…Among all the Hotel staff, only the Hotel General Manager actually speaks and moves like a human being.”

There were countless employees, yet he alone wielded language. He was the sole entity capable of displaying emotion openly.

Yet even that remained confined within strict parameters. The Manager permitted no unnecessary small talk when dealing with guests. It was clearly a calculated silence.

“That’s rather….”

deeply unsettling.

Hong Kyung-yeon shared the same sentiment.

“Those staff members won’t lift a finger until he gives the order.”
“But isn’t that command itself strange? He could just speak, but instead he needs to ring a bell before the staff will move. They’re not Pavlov’s dogs—why does the bell have to be absolutely necessary? Can that really be called good service?”
“….”
“Or maybe it’s some kind of brainwashing training… yes. That’s it.”
“….”
“Honey, try to calm down.”

The Director waved his hand as he noticed the Writer glancing around nervously.

“There shouldn’t be any cameras, right? Or listening devices?”
“…Can you be sure of that?”
“I don’t know exactly what this Hotel’s purpose is, but ultimately it’s a hotel for one of the few elite classes in this country. The conditions for access are clearly restricted to them alone.”
“So what? You’re saying it should be fine because it’s a place used by such people?”
“A hotel like this wouldn’t exist without that level of security. Well, actually, I’m not entirely certain myself….”

The most crucial thing was understanding this Hotel’s true purpose. I’d need to form a hypothesis based on that, but there are almost no clues at all.

“Should I write a story about it?”
“…What kind of story?”
“This place is a recreational space for madmen.”
“You won’t call them murderers or criminals—quite a cautious approach.”
“Exactly. People who wouldn’t bat an eye at reducing someone else’s body to rags.”
“And then?”
“This Hotel manages those strange people by treating them as guests.”

Why does that actually make sense? Hong Kyung-yeon furrowed his brow.

“Then why haven’t they stopped us?”
“Maybe the guests would enjoy it more if sacrificial lambs wandered in?”
“But we haven’t been harmed so far.”
“That’s because we haven’t actually encountered them yet.”
“At minimum, it means they’re not desperately hunting for outsiders.”
“But if we do encounter them, it could be dangerous—just like what happened to the Hotel General Manager.”
“Is that why you called them madmen?”
“Right, yes, so… what I’m trying to say is….”
“I get the gist of it.”

The Writer covered his mouth and exhaled slowly.

“So this could be a psychiatric hospital for the upper class.”

The Director scratched his head.

“I’m not sure if it functions as a hospital, exactly.”
“Either way, it’s a den of dangerous lunatics right now, isn’t it?”
“Just something I wrote about once.”
“Sometimes reality surpasses fiction.”

It was something I’d come to understand during my days traveling on assignment with Lee Sun-hae when she was a documentary director. The world operates with remarkable carelessness and absurdity.

In very many ways, it does.

“Then what about the staff here?”
“I don’t know much, but I do know they’re staff optimized for this Hotel.”
“Were they trained to fit this Hotel so perfectly? Even the owner?”
“He said something like that on the first day.”
“That he was merely asked to manage this Facility.”
“Right, I remember that clearly.”
“Asked….”

Was it truly a request?

“….”

Not a command or threat dressed up as a request?

“….”

Why is even the owner so accustomed to suffering?

“….”

Is that person truly an adult?

“…What will you do now?”
“I think I’ve settled on a theme for my next work, so I’d like to investigate.”
“Let’s do it together—it sounds interesting.”
“We’ve always done things that way.”

I wasn’t truly planning to make a film about this place. That was merely an excuse. While we weren’t accomplished enough to save someone’s entire life, we could at least uncover the injustices they’d suffered.

Sometimes, if fortune favored us, unexpected opportunities would arise.

I simply couldn’t bring myself to walk past it.

‘…And truthfully, I was genuinely curious about what this place was.’

The Director set down his phone.

“The kids say they’re going to sleep soon.”
“Oh, you were in contact with them? What did they say?”
“If you feel like you’re dying, open the window and jump out.”
“If that were possible, I’d be a psychic….”

As if anyone could do that from a Guest Room on the 21st Floor of a Hotel.

“Anyway, everything we’ve written so far is pure fiction, so I’m curious about any concrete information. For now, let’s start by seeing what kind of Guests stay here.”
“That seems a bit dangerous. The Hotel General Manager did warn us—not to go to the 7th Floor.”
“Doesn’t that mean everywhere else is fine? We’ve seen other Guests occasionally in the Lobby, and he never told us to avoid them. Not all the Guests at this place might be dangerous to us.”
“The phrase ‘might not be’ is a bit frightening, honestly.”
“If that’s too difficult, then we should probably have another conversation with the Manager.”
“He didn’t look like he was in good condition. I’m not sure if it’ll be okay.”
“So now you’re finally admitting that blood on the glove was his? Anyway, he’s probably the person at this Hotel who talks to us the most.”
“That may be true, but….”

Staff Members who kept their mouths shut and only followed the Manager’s orders. A handful of Guests who seemed to have no interest in interacting with others.

Remarkably, the Hotel General Manager was quite talkative by comparison.

‘But separate from that, even he didn’t seem like the type to be particularly chatty.’

He gave the impression he would never share anything personal.

“…We still have some time left.”
“Right, our stay is only a week anyway, isn’t it?”
“That’s what it is for now.”

The nagging concerns were difficult to simply overlook.

* * *

And so came the next morning.
The two of us encountered a familiar face in the Lobby.

“Oh.”

Naturally, it was the Hotel General Manager.

“Good morning.”

As I offered the greeting, a courteous reply came in return.

“Good morning. You’re out early again today, I see.”
“Isn’t it a bit later than yesterday?”
“You appear far more at ease than yesterday. Adequate rest is always the cornerstone of maintaining our guests’ well-being, after all.”
“I’m not sure if I should say this, but….”

The Director hesitated before speaking.

“It seems you haven’t gotten enough rest yourself, Hotel General Manager.”

He wore his usual smile, yet that expression remained confined to the corners of his mouth, devoid of genuine emotion. The pallor of his face, thinly veiled by exhaustion, somehow only sharpened his composed appearance.

‘Tired, yet utterly composed.’

A pathological perfection paired with indifferent self-discipline. A person organized to an almost unsettling degree.

He answered promptly.

“That is my oversight. If I’ve given you an unfavorable impression, I apologize.”
“Oversight, you say?”
“Did it concern you?”
“To be honest, it did. Look at that handsome face looking worn out.”
“You’re too kind.”

He adjusted his glasses.

“Thank you for your concern. Seeing such thoughtfulness, you’re clearly good people indeed.”

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the Main Gate before his lips moved slightly.

“…Here….”

That was when it happened.

His gentle smile froze abruptly. His lips still curved upward in their arc, but Lee Sun-hae’s eyes caught the subtle stiffening of the muscles in his jaw and neck.

It wasn’t simply that his mouth had closed—it felt as though it had been forcibly shut.

“….”
“….”

…Who?

How? Why?

“…Are you planning to explore the surroundings again today?”

When the Manager finally broke the heavy silence, what emerged was an entirely different subject.

“The Mountain where our Hotel is situated always has rather poor weather, so I’m concerned. Especially on days with heavy rain like today, please do take care of yourself. The terrain around here is particularly treacherous, wouldn’t you say?”

His tone was courteous, yet the discomfort was unmistakable. The sentence that had been cut short moments ago—the one I never got to hear—seemed to linger unpleasantly in the air.

“…Yes,”

Director Lee Sun-hae shifted awkwardly in her seat.

“Thank you for your concern.”
“It’s only my duty. Ensuring our Guest’s safe stay is my responsibility.”
“Then, Manager, would it be alright if I asked you for something?”
“Please, feel free to ask.”
“When I return, that is.”
“Yes.”
“Could we talk about us?”
“Ah, so you wish to have a conversation.”
“I realized I still don’t know your name.”

The Manager’s pupils trembled ever so slightly.

“….”

The answer came soon enough.

“My name is Lee Yeon-woo.”
“…Yeon-woo?”
“…Yes.”

Just a single word, yet his voice carried a faint undertone of weariness and hesitation—as if he were dredging up a memory that had sunk long ago, barely surfacing from the depths of his consciousness.

‘Why is that?’

But the peculiar reaction lasted only a moment.

“Oh my.”
“…? What’s the matter?”
“Forgive me for interrupting.”
“Has something come up?”
“I’m afraid I must take my leave rather abruptly. I’ve received an urgent summons….”
“A summons?”

A call from someone. The Director smiled.

“No, no—we’re the ones who should apologize for keeping you so long.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Why do you thank me for such a thing?”
“Because you showed consideration, it is only proper that I express my gratitude.”
“Is that so? Then let’s leave it at that.”
“Yes, I shall see you again later.”
“I expect I’ll be back within seven o’clock.”
“I see….”

Lee Yeon-woo offered a slight bow.

“I hope you have a peaceful and meaningful time.”

He headed straight for the Elevator.

A gait that seemed to produce neither footsteps nor body heat—each movement possessed such flawless mechanical precision that it felt inhuman, as though the stride belonged to something that had never drawn breath.

In simpler terms, his presence lacked substance.

How does one suppress such an overwhelming existence to this degree? What method could possibly achieve it?

Lee Sun-hae’s gaze remained fixed on the floor indicator above the Elevator where he had vanished. The numbers flickered and came to rest at….

“…the 7th Floor.”

Something felt deeply wrong.

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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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