Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 22

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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 22.

Hong Kyung-yeon laid bare everything he knew.

“He appeared quite exhausted.”

It was the first conversation—the one he’d overheard between Lee Yeon-woo and someone else behind the Lobby pillar.

“He didn’t smile. His expression was completely different.”

For instance, that face.

“He seemed like someone with authority to operate the Hotel autonomously. But it didn’t appear to be a voluntary choice—the authority was imposed on him regardless of his own will.”
“So he’s not a helpless victim?”
“But he was being coerced. There was a clear hierarchy and conflict between him and the person he was talking to. It seemed oddly intimate, but the distrust was far more pronounced….”

For instance, role and authority.

“He was trying to protect outsiders as much as possible. He seemed aware of how dangerous this Hotel is, and he carried a sense of responsibility—or perhaps guilt—about it.”
“Was there no will to control?”
“…I can’t say it wasn’t there, but his attitude was that he would protect outsiders like us even if he had to bear the suffering himself. To prevent any victims.”
“I see. So, to protect.”

For instance, his attitude toward them.

“He questioned why it had to be him… but then said that it was still more fitting for him to be in this position than anyone else.”
“He understood his role but couldn’t accept it.”
“Yes, he did say he understood.”
“He went out of his way to voice it. Was it self-persuasion born of despair?”
“Either way, it amounts to much the same thing, doesn’t it?”
“He’s already aware of both the Hotel and the System, analyzing from that position.”

Self-awareness. Self-deprecation.

“You said it was an event. It sounded like there’s a pattern of recurring dangers happening repeatedly in this Hotel. That’s a problem beyond Lee Yeon-woo’s control.”
“Can that be included in the rules? Or is it a danger outside the rules?”
“Well, the way you mentioned it’s some kind of game… it seems like a system closer to an experiment or amusement… but I’m not entirely sure what exactly it is.”
“Oh, a game? That’s chilling.”

And then, the structure of the Hotel.

“And?”
“…When I went to the 7th Floor, I heard a loud splash. It sounded like something massive was falling into water.”
“So.”
“It was coming from Room 703. The door was slightly open. There was splashing. Sounds of scratching against the floor tiles as if something was trying not to sink completely, and sounds of hitting the bathtub. Eventually…”
“Of course it would be coming from the Bathroom.”
“And then finally, with a plunge…”
“It sank completely.”
“…Everything went silent.”

The dull splash I heard in front of Room 703.

“…After that, I was going to get the Director without making a sound, heading for the Elevator. And then that person came out. Holding a knife… but you saw it yourself, there was blood on their clothes. How would I know who they stabbed with that knife?”
“There was no blood on the knife.”
“But they came out of the Bathroom, so they could have washed it before taking it out. Their eyes… they weren’t in their right mind. It seemed like they wouldn’t respond to reason. And of all things, their mouth… their mouth was just covered in blood.”
“Blood in their mouth.”
“The inside of their mouth was red. Their teeth were bright red, with blood just… stuck in them. That’s why I thought maybe they had eaten something. I… I really… where would I ever see something like this? How could I possibly… calm down?”
“There was blood stuck in their teeth?”
“That wouldn’t happen just from drinking or putting something in your mouth. You’d have to put it in and chew for it to be like that. No, I’m sorry. I’m not really sure. I was so panicked… with the drowning, the injuries, I thought… maybe Lee Yeon-woo really did die.”
“But he was alive.”
“…Yes.”

That’s what the conversation had been about.

“….”

Lee Sun-hae just had that thought.

“If this were a horror film, we’d already be dead.”
“…Yeah… you’re right…”
“Usually that’s how it goes—guests drawn in by the thrill experiencing an amazing murder case at a Mountain Hotel…”
“A typical scene from a thriller movie.”
“I’m suddenly feeling sorry.”

Lee Sun-hae’s laughter had run its course. It was self-deprecation tinged with guilt and absurdity.

“Living only in safe places must have dulled my instincts. My grip on reality slipped, or maybe I’ve just become complacent. I didn’t prepare for anything properly, yet I went around stirring things up, and now look—I’ve caused an accident.”

I recalled the moment I discovered this Hotel days ago.

“It was the kind of subject that would make people like us go wide-eyed, wasn’t it? A surreal Hotel we stumbled upon by getting lost by chance, wrapped in mystery… Isn’t that fascinating?”
“….”
“A murder Hotel in the rainy Mountain. If it were a film, it’d be an intriguing premise. But when it becomes reality, all its ugliness becomes exposed. It can’t remain mere entertainment.”
“…I wasn’t unaware of that….”
“Wasn’t this a kind of arrogance too?”
“…I suppose it was.”

It wouldn’t be dangerous enough to cause real problems. Even if it were dangerous, I had enough experience to handle it. Just like before, I could resolve this smoothly too.

Those were the thoughts I entertained.

“Encountering such potent dopamine after so long must have made me lose my mind. Where can you report something like this? Like reporting drug addiction… Maybe I should have just kept going to counseling.”
“Addiction isn’t something you cure—it’s something you endure.”
“Whether it’s cigarettes, drugs, or gambling, they all work that way, don’t they? Right, I suppose so. I quit gambling and lived decently for years, but the moment dice were placed in my hands, I lost my senses and rushed toward it.”
“Hearing you say it like that is pathetic, really. You don’t seem to live up to your age.”
“I always think about it, but we seem incapable of becoming people of character. There’s no backbone. I’m over forty, yet I still think of myself as young. This isn’t an age where mistakes can be forgiven anymore… Sigh….”
“Greater caution was necessary.”
“Still, to make some excuse—I never imagined this Hotel would sink this low.”

South Korea was a nation that maintained reasonable public order. Behind the authorities, or hand-in-hand with them, there were places conducting illicit dealings in the shadows. Yet because the country was small, their numbers were relatively few.

“That’s why I let my guard down.”

I never imagined the structure could be this vicious and complex. I couldn’t fathom that such a place had emerged while I wasn’t paying attention.

“….”
“Honestly….”

Exhaustion pressed heavily on my shoulders. It was self-recrimination.

“If it were a typical illegal Cartel, I’d pull strings and try to intervene, but I hate situations like this most of all. When money-minded people deliberately engage in corruption, it’s hard to get involved.”
“…Wars and criminal organizations at least follow their desires faithfully….”
“The bigger they appear, the greater the profits they stand to gain.”

But places like this operate differently. One must keep a low profile, shrink one’s presence. Only then can operations continue indefinitely, extending the period of profit extraction.

“…Yes, sleep.”
“What?”
“Sleep.”

First, Lee Sun-hae put Hong Kyung-yeon to sleep.

“What are you—in this situation, no less—”
“Quiet. What did you do right to deserve running your mouth?”
“No, I… no….”
“I haven’t done anything right either, but you’re worse.”

And then.

She picked up her phone.

“….”

Despite the dawn just breaking, the other party answered the call.

“…Yes, Uncle.”
“….”
“It’s been a while.”

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, the Mountain basked in sunlight, beautiful despite the lingering drizzle—it merely glimmered. An inexplicable unease pressed against my chest.

“Nothing major, but I went to Gapyeong recently and discovered a Hotel. Yes, a Hotel. Well… it’s not like that… I got lost in the Mountain and found it. Yes, yes.”

Lee Sun-hae sat on the sofa, gazing out the window. The interior design screamed selfishness—a desire to monopolize nature, to consume it conveniently.

“Right, there’s nothing around it. The Staff Members here don’t talk much. Yes, probably… yes. There’s a Hotel General Manager. Looks about nineteen years old… The Guests seemed strange. Yes, well. Yes, all of them.”

Sleeplessness arrived not as drowsiness but as pain. My head throbbed, yet sleep wouldn’t come. Lee Sun-hae answered with a habitual smile.

“…It’s a sickness, really. You know how I go crazy seeing things like this. I can’t miss my precious dopamine. But there’s this kid there, right? No matter how I look at it, they’re around twenty years old… this is a bit much….”
“….”
“…They were injured. Badly injured. Yes. I saw it today and got a fright. Right, it’s like the Guests are harming the kid… No, it’s the Hotel General Manager. Seems to be a co-owner. Yes, yes.”
“….”

Soon after, a brief exclamation—or perhaps intrigue—came through the phone.

[Remarkable that you’re still alive.]

He offered counsel with the affection one reserves for a beloved nephew.

[Know when to stop and get out, Sun-hae.]
“…Do you think so?”
[Your body and mind remaining intact was pure fortune. That Hotel owner seems to have shown you considerable care. For someone in such a role to exercise such restraint… truly, it’s miraculous. If you wish to keep your cherished Writer alive, don’t touch this any further.]
“I see, yes.”
[My name carries weight—this isn’t a place where you can simply walk out unscathed. Don’t think of being stubborn like last time. You know how much your Uncle worries about you.]
“Of course.”

After exchanging the customary pleasantries, the call ended. Lee Sun-hae collapsed onto the sofa.

Then she laughed.

“God, really.”

It was absurdly funny.

“This damned world.”

In her youth, she had been curious about the depths of this world.

Yet even Lee Sun-hae had been granted access to precious few places. And nowhere among them had she found a true “bottom.”

She had wanted to see the end, but she acknowledged it lay beyond her reach. A cherished colleague had returned home bearing trauma. Conviction and hope, and wounds….

“….”

Perhaps they should never have opened the doors to this Hotel.

‘Regret won’t change anything now.’

As a human being, I should at least try to make amends.

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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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