Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 29

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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 29.

Those who are destined can do anything.

It wasn’t the right phrase for this moment, but in any case, while Lee Yeon-woo was tearing at his hair over failing to fail the ritual and instead succeeding by accident.

Someone else was still gritting their teeth, clinging to survival.

“….”

Naturally, it was Director Lee Sun-hae.

‘…I miss my children….’

Where am I, and who am I?

The first thought that surfaced was the Film Survey Team members laboring without her, and the second was simply, simply a curse.

Damn it all.

‘Even if I try to live righteously, what? The world, what?’

I felt like I might actually cry. The chaos swirling in my head pretending to justify survival only made it more terrifying.

‘This sensation of my mind and self fragmenting—it’s dizzying.’

Please, let me live.

‘What is this Hotel’s concept, really.’

It wasn’t reality but rather a hidden camera prank. My mind had begun accepting this moment as a sitcom.

‘What is this, another survival mechanism?’

When the happiness circuit runs at its limit, does it conjure such fantasies?

‘But this Hotel came first.’

I was so wronged and terrified that I could barely survive. I’ve lived thinking this world was truly frightening, but this level of terror seemed genuinely problematic.

‘Someone’s watching me? Murderous intent detection—something that only appears in fantasy genres—it’s actually real? How is that even possible with this pathetic body of mine?’

At first, it was merely a gaze. The Swimming Pool water that shimmered brilliantly with each ripple—as if bioluminescent plankton dwelled within it—I could accept that. But in the darkness, I felt an uncanny presence watching me.

I identified its nature quickly enough.

“….”
…Squeeeeeee―…
Shriek, chirp, screech-screech-screech, screech.
Ugh, eek, hehehehe, eek.
“….”
Ahhhhhhh…ah.
‘Mother….’

A monster lives in this Swimming Pool.

Yes, it truly lives here. It breathes, crawls, and flies. I had never witnessed such chaos.

‘So the day has come when I see a siren with my own eyes.’

No, I wasn’t certain. I didn’t even know if that’s what it was. Just a creature—a fish’s lower body fused with a humanoid female torso. The skin was smooth yet viscous, and the eyes were either absent or there were three of them.

‘What that creature is called exactly doesn’t really matter.’

The fact that I hadn’t lost my mind after witnessing it was the more astonishing thing.

“….”

…Of course, it did spark a peculiar fascination in a creator like me….

“…I need to pull myself together.”

I glanced around inside the Tunnel.

‘I may need to change locations.’

That is not all there is.

Inside the Water Slide or in the deep tanks, there are octopus-like monsters—probably Krakens. There was also a Unicorn, a mangled mass of flesh that had failed to become a living thing.

Beyond that, I saw some ghostly fish, slime that was hard to see underwater, and jellyfish with human eyes. My mind was too scattered to remember the details clearly.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo.

‘What kind of workplace is this, and how are you even working here?’

I would have quit long ago.

‘Or I’d already be dead from ignoring safety protocols.’

If this place had merely been a haunted house or a theme park, I would have wandered around excitedly. It seemed like it would provide good inspiration. But now was not the time for that.

‘You can only make a film if you’re alive.’

Lee Sun-hae was a master at preserving her own life.

Right now, Lee Sun-hae was hiding in the Tunnel behind the Exhibition Tank. The ghostly fish occasionally wandered by, but they did not attack her. For some reason, aside from the slightly suffocating air, this place was the safest.

“Ha….”

A hollow laugh escaped involuntarily.

Yes, Lee Sun-hae had already hidden elsewhere and paid the price dearly.

‘My leg hurts.’

My calf had been pierced.

‘There’s no blood, but is this… is this right….’

It looked slightly punctured, but there was no bleeding. Instead, the area around the wound was cold and dry. Beneath the skin, I felt a faint sensation like ripples undulating. It was repulsive, and naturally, it hurt.

‘Because of this, I can no longer walk on both feet. No, if a monster enters here, I’d actually have to crawl to escape… what am I supposed to do about this.’

I barely stopped myself before scratching that spot raw enough to draw blood.

‘What kind of insane thing am I doing?’

Judging by the evidence, the creatures in the Facility seemed to induce both mental derangement and contamination.

‘Now that I think about it, there was that strange sink.’

The Bathroom where water droplets echoed. An eerie voice had emanated from the stagnant water pooled in the sink. The water began to writhe, and then—creatures crawled out from the sink’s Pipe System like it was nothing.

‘Wow.’

Truly, horrifying in every conceivable way.

“….”

But there was something far more terrifying.

‘…That thing definitely—when it briefly lit up—at the bottom of the Swimming Pool….’

A depth like the Sea itself, far, far below.

I saw an enormous eye slowly opening.

‘It was in an incredibly deep place, and it was incredibly… massive.’

I nearly died standing there in a daze the moment I barely escaped the Swimming Pool after being enthralled by the siren.

‘Everything about this Facility is wrong. It feels like it’s throbbing, alive somehow, and though the darkness obscures it, there’s definitely something pale and enormous above the Ceiling….’

Was this the cosmic horror I’d only heard about? I wasn’t a specialist in that genre, so I didn’t know much. But I had a colleague abroad who was obsessed with cosmic horror, so I knew the basics.

Indeed, it was terrifyingly massive. Lee Sun-hae found herself suddenly confident she could make a cosmic horror film—a genre completely foreign to her until now.

‘…At this point, it might actually be worth attempting?’

As long as I escape alive?

“….”

Lee Sun-hae swallowed a bitter laugh along with her breath.

‘At least I was the only one dragged into this mess. If the children had come, they would have all died without reason.’

Everyone had tried to stop her, but it was Lee Sun-hae who forced open the Hotel door. Even Hong Kyung-yeon, who never broke his habits, eventually joined in—but the beginning is always the problem. I am the problem.

‘If the other children had come, I would have fainted outright.’

Clearly, I was being observed. I could feel it.

‘I don’t know who’s watching, but there are plenty of monsters here capable of seeing me, so it would be difficult to pin it down to just one.’

I had no idea how many hours had passed. But judging by my hunger, at least several hours must have gone by. During that time, Director Lee Sun-hae certainly hadn’t done nothing and merely hidden.

She shook the walkie-talkie.

“Hmm….”

It was frustrating.

‘This thing only produces strange sounds.’

I found it in a storage compartment in what appeared to be the Staff Break Room. After searching around, I discovered a frequency setting sheet. I followed it exactly, but I couldn’t reach anyone.

All I heard were strange sounds—vibrations and what seemed like overlapping voices.

‘I did hear human voices, but they were definitely strange.’

I heard Lee Yeon-woo’s voice. But the content was odd. “Rescue request… received… you will be rescued… you rescue… cannot….” It just kept repeating that.

‘There was a telephone too, but that didn’t help either.’

It was an old landline I found at the Front Desk, but it wasn’t connected to anything. Yet it rang on its own. With my experience as a film director, I knew better than to answer.

‘What else could I possibly do.’

There was no answer.

‘I’ve run away, hidden, prayed, cursed, cried….’

A strange thrill climbs from my fingertips, layered now with resignation. It feels as though I’ve exhausted every option available to me. My mind grows increasingly hollow, and I find I don’t want to think about it anymore.

‘If I’ve come this far and I’m still alive, it’s not because I’ve done anything right. It’s simply because that madman with the blade has chosen to delay killing me.’

Struggling to survive is more embarrassing than one might think.

‘Isn’t it shameful that I’ve been whimpering to Lee Yeon-woo to save me?’

I’m not quite resigned to death yet—there’s still some bitterness to it. But haven’t I struggled enough by now? Honestly, standing here blankly, staring at this place, doesn’t feel entirely unpleasant.

‘…No, wait. Am I taking this situation too lightly? Am I giving up without trying anything else? But if I move carelessly and get hurt again like this, what then?’

I was fortunate—only one leg was injured. There’s no blood. But next time, it could have been my head instead. Attempting something recklessly without any information is foolish.

‘So beyond this point, I can just… let go…’

It would be a rather decent death.

“….”

…Where else could an ‘abnormal place’ possibly be, right?

Embarrassing as it is, I was beginning to think such thoughts when,

something changed.

[―…Director Lee Sun-hae?]

A walkie-talkie.
The sound came from there.

“…!”
[Director, are you there?]
“Yes…?”
[Your voice is echoing. If you’re currently in a Pipe System or Tunnel, you can speak freely. If you see any tangible monsters nearby, please don’t speak—simply tap the walkie-talkie twice.]
“…No, I’m inside the Tunnel.”
[Ah, I see. Then you can speak at ease.]

The other person asked. There was no hesitation in the question.

[Are there Phantom Fish swimming nearby?]
“Ah, yes. You mean ghost fish, right? Do they bite?”
[They do not. They are spirits, after all.]
“….”
[I suppose that offers little comfort.]
“No, it’s… actually somewhat reassuring.”

A chill crept through me—not from dissatisfaction with the situation, but from the creeping dread that accompanied it.

“…I heard the Manager’s voice through this radio just moments ago.”
[He spoke more foolishly than now, did he not?]
“Yes, somewhat… it was garbled and crackling… I could barely make it out.”
[Did you ignore it?]
“I turned it off immediately.”
[Well done. You truly are a horror thriller Director.]
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
[It was admiration.]

The signal crackled with static, mechanical noise cutting through the connection. The unease compelled me to speak.

“…First, I need to tell you—I don’t know how much longer I can endure this. My body is freezing, I’m injured in multiple places, and now some killer is hunting me down.”
[A critical situation, I understand.]
“No, what I’m trying to say is….”

Should I even say this?

“….”
[Director?]

But the words needed to be spoken.

“…So I wanted to tell you not to blame yourself too much if you come here and see my corpse. I’m sorry for showing up and causing trouble. I’ll try my best to stay alive, but I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience.”
[There’s no need to apologize for such things. You didn’t choose to end up in this situation. It always seems like only the perpetrators apologize, while the innocent victims are left bearing the burden.]
“Ha ha, you’re right… Thank you for saying that.”
[But don’t worry. Thanks to Director Lee Sun-hae requesting rescue, we were able to pinpoint your location quickly. I’ll be there shortly.]
“Wait, you’re coming?”
[Well, presumably?]
“….”
[I imagine you have many questions, but let’s discuss them once we meet.]
“…Ah, you caught me before I could ask….”

An awkward laugh escaped me.

“…But how does this walkie-talkie work? It’s like a cell phone. Right, I said I’d ask questions later. Should I just wait here quietly?”
[How long have you been waiting in there?]
“It feels like a few hours, but I’m not sure.”
[Around the area.]

That’s when it happened.
Splash, splash.

[Do you hear footsteps?]
“…Yes.”
[Then exit now.]
“Now?”
[Yes, now.]
“….”
[Now.]
“….”
[Now.]

Crackle, crackle―…

[You need to leave ■ now¿]
“Ugh, that’s creepy.”
[Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?]
“I’m turning it off.”

Click.
I switched off the walkie-talkie right then.

“…ugh.”

I scratched at my ear.

‘This is so uncomfortable….’

Something lingered in my ear.

What came through the radio wasn’t speech. It wasn’t a voice or language at all, yet that something kept reaching toward me with words. Only after I cut off the radio did I realize it had been a corrupted language.

‘…Anyway,’

Let me take a look.

“….”

I watched beyond the Tunnel. Footsteps, moderately slow. Despite the considerable commotion, the knife-wielding madman had passed right by me. That was meaningful information.

I nodded inwardly.

‘…Horror films have rules.’

Information given early by a suspicious entity is usually the truth.

‘Lies work best as bait when you mix in just enough truth.’

Cute phantom fish flickered before my eyes.

“….”

I knew it was absurd, but right now these creatures seemed the safest.

‘At this point, they’re actually starting to look cute.’

So that’s how it is—I guess it’s too early for me to die.

‘Because I don’t want to die, I’m picking up on something eerie with supernatural precision.’

Since things have come to this, let me hold on just a little longer. I found myself wearing an awkward smile. It was sincere—I didn’t want Lee Yeon-woo to see my corpse.

“…But I don’t have the energy to try anything else.”

The radio voice that had crackled through just as I was about to surrender. When that thin thread of hope was judged to be nothing but quicksand, I realized I lacked even the strength to feel anger.

‘Of all things, now I’m being toyed with by a radio.’

The psychological blow was severe.

‘How fleeting and fragile human beings truly are.’

I decided to stay here for now. For a refuge chosen on nothing more than the fact of being alive, it was quite serviceable. The best part was that the creatures couldn’t see me even if I made noise.

As I slouched against the wall, the phantom fish rippled before my eyes once more.

“…Ah….”

I murmured to myself.

“I’m craving grilled mackerel.”

Perhaps it was from seeing the school of fish.

‘With no energy to flee, my appetite awakens.’

Was this what they called the survival instinct? Even knowing I couldn’t eat, my mouth watered absurdly. So the desire to live was ultimately just yearning for the ordinary.

‘Am I losing my mind?’

A hollow laugh escaped me. This narrow Tunnel had never felt so comforting.

“….”

…Yes, let’s see how long I can endure this.

I curled myself up as tightly as I could.

* * *

And several hours later.

‘―Damn it!!!’

Lee Sun-hae was fleeing like a hunted animal.

Such a primal survival instinct—truly, she was desperate to live.

—————
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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