Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 31

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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 31.

To be honest.

“….”

I thought it was beautiful.

‘Though I shouldn’t have been looking at it that way.’

Yet the instinct toward beauty weighed heavier than anything else. Lee Sun-hae witnessed it. It was primordial life itself and an exquisitely rational form—a process of reconstruction so meticulous it was almost pitiable.

Streams of blood rose above the water, which poured forth with an intoxicating radiance. It resembled a lotus blooming from a frost-laden pond, or perhaps some classical illustration I had seen long ago.

Frozen blood.
A twisted body.
The dissolution of self.

And reassembly.

“Do you require assistance?”
“….”

I met your gaze.
You were looking at me as well.

I felt fear. Fear of the unknown.
I felt awe. Awe toward suffering.

Was this what those sinners trapped and contorted within ice had experienced as they lost their identities?

Those who suffered so desperately to maintain their forms. The sight before me transcended that agony—it was the collapse of self, yet also a miraculous restoration.

‘If one were to overlay rapture upon that terribly hollow illustration.’

A line so cruelly precise that it preserved each thread of agony without destroying the pain itself—that’s exactly what it would look like.

I’d seen something like that in a book somewhere….

“….”

…Where was it again?

* * *

After barely shaking off The Wet Person, I arrived at the Emergency Treatment Room.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo fell silent for a moment, sitting beside the unconscious Lee Sun-hae.

It wasn’t for any grand reason. I was simply feeling a bit wronged by the current situation, questioning where exactly my life had started to unravel.

‘If only I hadn’t been kidnapped.’

No, more than that.

‘Is it normal for the tutorial to be this brutal?’

Even if this Hotel One existed in reality, its essence was still a game. If that were the case, it should at least maintain some basic plausibility.

‘No matter how infamous this game is for its difficulty….’

If it had been implemented in reality, shouldn’t there be some leniency? I’d endured the tutorial hundreds of times, but never anything this merciless.

“…Hmm.”

Though I suppose I can’t really compare the difficulty between the game version and this.

‘Before The Human Guest appeared, I’d only thought of this place as some theme park with a Ho-won concept. What a shame.’

People must always face reality as it is.

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo fell silent again, studying Director Lee Sun-hae once more.

‘She looks more at peace now.’

Just moments ago, she had been on death’s doorstep. The fact that an innocent person hadn’t died in this absurd incident was, from my perspective, genuinely fortunate.

‘It was also fortunate that the treatment room was exactly as I remembered it.’

The 23rd Floor Aqua Park had a guest emergency treatment room. Despite how circumstances had changed, the basic emergency supplies remained intact.

‘Even though I only administered medications without side effects for the human guest, I was worried whether I might have made a mistake since this had become reality. But it seems I wasn’t mistaken.’

Since Hotel One was a dot game, the item images were crude. There was a difference from the vivid appearance of reality, which could have been confusing, but I managed to find the right ones by their colors and names.

Perhaps it was the high humidity. My vision felt clouded, so I adjusted my glasses.

“…I need to keep watching for a bit longer.”

Whether the psychological shock had been severe or fatigue had accumulated, Director Lee Sun-hae wasn’t waking up despite the medication.

‘But her breathing is gradually becoming more regular.’

Her complexion had also improved considerably from before.

‘Seeing her muscles gradually gaining strength… it looks like she’s past the critical point now. Well, in the game too, one thing was certain about item effects. So that immediate efficacy seems to work here as well.’

Lee Yeon-woo leaned back deeply into the chair.

“….”

…I’m exhausted.

From pulling off one insane act after another, I was genuinely, terribly exhausted. On top of that, the aftereffects of the Velmareth ritual still left my head spinning.

I quietly tilted my head back. The dark ceiling came into view.

“….”

To be honest, my rationality had been somewhat clouded back then.

‘…No matter what, climbing up through the Pipe System was probably overkill.’

At the time, I was far too desperate. Theoretically, there were no problems with it, and more importantly, I believed it was the most efficient method. I couldn’t find any compelling reason not to do it.

‘In my position, there really weren’t many ways to circumvent the rules.’

The 23rd Floor—a place I couldn’t set foot on during the tutorial according to the rules. But the Pipe System, which had never been implemented in the game, meant the rules governing it didn’t exist at all. There was no other option but to exploit that gap.

So I used it. The Pipe System.

‘By grinding my body down.’

Transformed into blood,
liquefied into a fluid state,
flowing through the pipes….

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo paused to reflect for a moment.

‘―It was absolutely insane.’

No sane person would ever do such a thing.

But what choice did I have? It was the only method I could think of at the time.

‘Fortunately, the water tank in the Power Generation Facility had the right equipment attached. It was a structure that had been depicted in the game before—one fitted with multiple layers of crushers to prevent foreign debris from clogging the pipes….’

Fortunately, according to the game system, that equipment wasn’t included in the conditions for ‘death.’ Thanks to that, while it was quite painful, I survived. Though in such a chaotic situation, I barely registered the pain at all.

When a person is on the verge of death, such pain could never reach the brain.

“….”

Still, I suppose I should reflect on it.

‘If I set up an automated Engraving later, it would be easier than today, but it was still insane. If I hadn’t done it, Director Lee Sun-hae would have died, but it was still insane….’

Once this is all over, I really need to get some proper rest.

‘I should have evacuated the guests long ago.’

This shallow regret, coming now, was meaningless.

Bound by the rules as I was, I could never have uttered a single word to the guests anyway. I’d tried countless times, but my lips wouldn’t even part.

Yet I couldn’t help but keep glancing back. The thought that perhaps it would have been possible if I’d persisted harder. The nagging suspicion that I should have searched more diligently for a workaround.

“―….”

I buried the regret beneath a small sigh.

‘…Still, thanks to Director Lee Sun-hae’s signal, finding the Pipe System was straightforward.’

Even if I’d stumbled upon it by blindly fumbling around.

This hotel’s Pipe System—experiencing it firsthand, it was incredibly convoluted. I should be grateful I found it this quickly. Just three more minutes and the Wet Person would have finished the execution.

“….”

Yet now, Lee Sun-hae was alive.

“….”
“….”
“…uh….”

After waiting a moment longer, Director Lee Sun-hae stirred back to consciousness.

‘…Oh, my goodness.’

I wanted to let out some kind of exclamation. The situation was sudden, but from my perspective as Lee Yeon-woo, it was a perfectly natural reaction.

‘This hotel’s medicine actually works.’

As a bound spirit who’d been trapped in this game for twenty-six years, my heart stirred with genuine excitement.

‘If only someone’s life hadn’t been on the line, I could have celebrated purely.’

A game that hadn’t seen so much as an update in a lifetime, let alone merchandise. Wasn’t this the merchandise itself made real? An actual in-game item had been materialized.

For Lee Yeon-woo, it felt like wielding actual magic with Harry’s wand. Like a Star Wars lightsaber toy becoming a real beam. Like catching a stray cat with a Pokémon Poké Ball figurine.

“….”
“Um, Yeon-woo… sir?”
“Yes, Director.”

But outwardly, I remained composed and composed, betraying nothing.

Image management. For the sake of social life. After all, no one would want to know about my twenty-six years of devotion to Hotel One. It was only natural consideration.

“Are you feeling more lucid now?”
“…Where am I?”
“This is the Emergency Treatment Room. Have you visited before?”
“Oh, no…. Though I’ve been to similar places….”
“Then perhaps you visited the Staff Break Room.”
“So that was the break room. There was just some strange sign on it, so I couldn’t tell what it was.”
“Indeed….”

…A strange sign?

‘In the game, the signs were clearly visible, weren’t they? This treatment room sign too… Ah.’

Then it dawned on me.

‘Just because I see Korean characters doesn’t mean everyone else perceives them the same way.’

The true identity of the Hotel General Manager in ‘Hotel One’ had always remained obscure.

Some interpreted him as human, but theories of ghosts or monsters were equally prevalent. And so today, I had drifted one step further from the category of humanity.

‘My modest dream of returning to society feels increasingly distant.’

But this was no time to be lost in such trivial concerns.

“I’m truly sorry for not being able to help you in time.”
“Pardon?”
“You must have endured so much fear and suffering, and I genuinely thank you for holding on until now. I’ve treated your urgent injuries while you rested, but is there anywhere else that feels uncomfortable?”
“Injuries… injuries, ah. This…! Huh? Wait? It’s all healed?”
“How are you feeling physically and mentally?”
“Both are fine. I didn’t realize it while I was moving around, but I was truly exhausted. My head was throbbing before, but that’s gone now… and my vision is clear.”
“That’s a relief.”
“….”
“….”

After the conversation lapsed, Lee Sun-hae suddenly sat up from the bed. She grabbed Lee Yeon-woo’s shoulder.

“What exactly are you doing here?”
“I work as the Hotel General Manager.”
“Why are there only monsters here?”
“They’re a type of staff under my management.”
“What country’s staff tries to turn guests into pulp like this?”
“You might find it easier to understand if you think of this place as a sort of extraterritorial zone.”

It had taken him a long time to adapt to this place as well. This Hotel negated constitutions and common sense by its very existence. The explanation of ‘extraterritorial zone’ was half-joking, but it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

However, Director Lee Sun-hae’s expression was not favorable.

‘Her eyes were filled with fear just moments ago, yet this is unexpected.’

He had expected her to be far more frightened after witnessing his ‘Emergency Restoration Protocol’ firsthand. Yet her face showed confusion and sympathy rather than fear.

‘Is she holding back her fear out of consideration?’

This situation had occurred due to his negligent management, and yet the victim was showing him consideration instead. There could be no more shameful situation for him as a human being.

Lee Yeon-woo set aside his exhaustion and confusion, offering a smile as he always did. There was no benefit to either of them if he, as the person in charge, showed weakness in this situation.

“I’m truly sorry.”

Director Lee Sun-hae waved her hand dismissively.

“You didn’t create this hotel, did you?”
“Had I possessed such authority and capability, I would never have allowed everyone to suffer in these circumstances. It’s truly regrettable.”
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like the type who would work at a hotel like this.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“Why did you really come here? Why are you working at this place? Who dragged you into it?”
“Haha.”

That’s something I’ve been wondering about myself all this time.

‘I can only suspect it was Coco’s doing, but I have no certainty.’

After experiencing one surreal situation after another, even such thoughts had begun to feel natural. Perhaps this was something like an unstoppable natural disaster—a typhoon or earthquake.

“…I understand. Who am I to pry into such things? I’m sorry for asking something so sensitive.”

Once again, Director Lee Sun-hae accepted it without further question. I was grateful for her understanding.

“Not at all. I’m simply grateful that you’ve survived with all your limbs intact.”
“…Do many people die here?”
“That’s not the case.”

Since this place became reality, no one has ever died here—not once.

Even during the game era, that only happened during the initial adjustment period. After that, I managed to keep everyone alive. It was partly because I adjusted the hotel’s nature to accept very few human guests.

“Let me assure you in advance—you need not worry anymore. As long as I’m looking after Director Lee Sun-hae, there’s no danger of death or injury.”
“….”
“However, remaining trapped on the 23rd Floor indefinitely would be harmful to your mental health. Please be assured—I know the way out of here.”
“…I….”

Director Lee Sun-hae laughed awkwardly. After a moment of hesitation, she asked.

“…You’re Lee Yeon-woo, right? You are Lee Yeon-woo?”

Her voice trembled faintly.

“….”

What exactly was she asking?

‘…Am I asking whether that horrifying mass of blood I saw just before losing consciousness and my current self are the same being? Or did I encounter some monster mimicking me while wandering the 23rd Floor Aqua Park?’

Lee Yeon-woo had no desire to become an object of fear. Rather than taking the risk, he decided to attribute her wariness to the fault of the monster Staff Members.

“Have you perhaps encountered a being that looks exactly like me?”
“Ah, well… yes.”

The Director, who had been hesitant, laughed.

“I encountered something similar.”
“Something similar?”
“Well, you know… it mimics my voice perfectly through the walkie-talkie….”
“Did that voice try to lure you toward a dangerous location?”
“There’s an outright murderer outside, yet it kept urging me to leave my hiding place.”
“Then… you were rather unlucky.”
“What happens if I’m lucky?”
“You connect with the walkie-talkie I possess.”

Lee Yeon-woo tapped the in-ear device lodged in his ear. It was a function described in the actual game.

“On the 23rd Floor, walkie-talkies are discovered at low probability. Half the time they connect with the real Hotel General Manager, but the other half, a fake Hotel General Manager responds.”
“…At first, it was quite clumsy in its imitation….”
“That’s how it reassures you. It deliberately shows clumsiness at first, then from the second or third time, it mimics meticulously. That way, people fall for it more easily.”

Looking at the game logs, I could see how the guests trapped on the 23rd Floor died because of that walkie-talkie. They all lost their lives falling for such fake instructions.

“Then it’s understandable that you’re now uncertain about my true identity.”

The Director wouldn’t be able to be certain whether I was real or fake. My position was different from his—I knew Hotel One inside and out. Even if I explained the rules, it would be difficult for him to trust completely.

“How about this? I was able to pinpoint your location through the signal from the water pipe system that Director Lee Sun-hae sent me.”
“…Me? I never did anything like that.”
“Didn’t you listen at the sink?”
“Huh? The sink…. That thing where water and monsters flow backward…?”
“Exactly. A survival signal.”

In practical terms, it was a device signaling that someone was alive; within the game system, it was actually a mechanic that allowed me to determine location. Either way, it was an excellent countermeasure.

“Something flowing backward through the sink’s pipe system means the pipe signal was successfully transmitted. In fact, I heard the pipes in the Power Generation Facility banging quite loudly.”
“Wait, what kind of signal is that…?”
“Were there any other unusual occurrences?”

Lee Yeon-woo recalled the three possible scenarios of survival route B. The walkie-talkie, the sink, and….

“For instance, if the wired telephone at the Front Desk rang. Not wireless—it must be the wired telephone specifically. If the bell rang without anyone touching it, that would mean the rescue request is ready to be sent.”
“…I did see it ring… but it felt ominous, so I just let it go without answering….”
“…That was wise. It’s precisely that caution which has kept you safe until now. Please don’t blame yourself for the mental anguish you’ve endured these hours—the delay in my arrival is my responsibility.”

The rescue request could only be sent after the wired telephone rang six times, but picking up the receiver prematurely before that would spell disaster. One careless move could even destroy the brain—a dangerous trap indeed.

‘I have no desire to witness a perfectly sound person reduced to an idiot. In this hotel, it would actually be better to be overly cautious like Director Lee Sun-hae.’

That said, for someone who was being so cautious… they certainly….

“….”

…Hmm.

Having roughly assessed the situation, Lee Yeon-woo spoke with a note of admiration in his voice.

“You’ve certainly been quite diligent in moving about.”
“Ah, yes… it just happened that way.”
“Indeed.”

So this is the audacity of a horror-specialist director.

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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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