Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 33

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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 33.

Someone wished for death.
Someone wished for life.

“S-save me…!”

A cold, trembling hand that no one could grasp.

“….”

A breath that sank quietly into a place no one could see.

“…gasp….”

Warmth stolen away, leaving only ignorance behind.

A teenage girl drowned in the swollen Valley Stream during monsoon season.
A man in his forties threw himself into the River, despairing of life.
A man in his seventies died of hypothermia while homeless on a rainy night.

Trapped in water yet unable to die—no longer human, but fish.

‘So cold.’

Together they are one, yet always alone.

‘So quiet.’

They despise warmth and yearn for it.

‘It hurts.’

Yet because they dwell forever in water, people call them the Water Ghost.

A spirit of the waters. A monster during voyages, or a phantom ship. Commonly called the Water Ghost, but encompassing far more than that—a broader spectrum of diverse souls and their stories.

And yet, for this cold and lonely thing, one door had opened.

“Thank you for visiting.”
“….”
“How may I assist you?”

Unexpectedly.

…It was a magnificent Hotel.

“….”

And truly… the memory of a water spirit is a desperately tragic thing.

It was only after drowning the owner of that singular voice countless times that I remembered. Only after killing them beyond count did I recognize.

What had I observed so intently?

Pallid skin.
Fingers without flesh.
A composed face.

Hair black as pitch.
A voice of perfect pitch.

Warm, and

‘plush.’

Soft.

Simply… like that….

“….”
“….”

―Splash…!!

“…Gasp….”
“….”
“…Ugh….”
“….”
“….”
“….”

Hypocritical things.

The Water Ghost had not forgotten.

“…Hm….”

Perhaps it was because summer had been so long.

* * *

Lee Yeon-woo had been examining one particular hypothesis all along.

‘This place doesn’t align perfectly with the game I knew.’

It wasn’t that the game had become reality, but rather that reality had been invaded by the game.

Therefore, the monstrous Guests before me wouldn’t move according to the data I remembered either. Reality was inherently full of variables, after all.

Yet one thing remained certain: they too were influenced by the ‘game system’.

‘I should act based on the game information I remember, but I mustn’t be blindly faithful to it. Still, despite such inconveniences, Ho-won’s information is useful…. Especially in a life-or-death situation like this.’

To be precise, it was Lee Sun-hae’s life on the line, not my own.

“….”

In any case, what mattered was that Lee Yeon-woo had to follow the game’s rules.

“Guest?”

Lee Yeon-woo called out politely to the Wet Person.

“How are you feeling now?”
“….”
“I’m relieved to see you’ve improved since earlier.”

Entry to the 23rd Floor within 11 hours of abduction.
Rescue target secured within the 23rd Floor Aqua Park.
Tutorial completed.
The Wet Person in a non-excited state.

All necessary conditions for Rescue Method 2, the management route.

‘And now I’ve finally escaped the excited state.’

The figure wasn’t smiling, wasn’t walking or running frantically. Still gripping the blade, but that was always its nature. This was the ‘non-excited’ state I’d observed through the LCD screen.

So with all conditions met, had I crossed over into the management route?

‘No.’

One condition remained.

‘I need to invoke the forced eviction measure.’

Now, if I stated ‘you are no longer my guest,’ it would constitute a successful rescue route.

“…I confess some concern. Your mode of existence appears far more complex than what I remember. I cannot be certain the previous measures will still be effective.”

The difference between game and reality.

‘What if this isn’t the Wet Person I knew? Even if it is, what if the tutorial bug doesn’t apply?’

But Lee Yeon-woo had done everything possible.

“Therefore, I must convey something regrettable.”
“….”
“…You are….”

You.

“―Not my guest.”
“….”
“….”

Silence settled in.

Lee Yeon-woo blinked.

The dim lighting and the eerie water trails streaking the floor. The oppressive weight of the air pressing down upon that beautiful landscape.

“…Ah, how irritating….”

Having confirmed that nothing had changed, I slowly wiped the corner of my mouth.

“A pity.”

I had failed.

The monster lunged.

* * *

Lee Yeon-woo widened the distance with characteristic speed, lost in thought.

‘What went wrong?’

The tutorial bug might not have applied.

‘It happened often enough in games too.’

Bugs were unreliable by nature. More than that, since this reality was based on a game, another anomaly could have emerged.

‘The former was the same when it was a game, so that’s fine, but the latter would be troublesome. I’d hoped otherwise, but now that it’s come to this, the value of the information I remember becomes incomparably lower than before….’
“Lonely.”
“―Tsk.”

It was over.

‘Am I entering phase two?’

Even on dry land, the Wet Person had begun to speak. It meant the 23rd Floor Aqua Park itself was being recognized as a tank. Naturally, the danger escalated accordingly.

“Lonely, cold. It’s cold, I’m telling you. Listen to me.”
“Appearances notwithstanding, I am listening intently.”
“Why? Why? Why? Why am I alone? I’m scared, cold, and so quiet…!”
“You treat me worse than air itself, it seems.”
“Hypocrite! Ah, so warm, only you, only you, only you…!!”
“You sound mad.”

I moved my feet, maintaining a precarious distance.

But if Phase 2 fully kicked into gear, there would be no escape. Calling it a phase was generous—it was essentially summary execution.

‘Nothing ever goes right.’

Normally, if I had the route memorized, there would be no catching up. The Wet Person and the Operator were set to identical speeds. But since I’d failed the management route, its speed would accelerate beyond mine.

Ah, what could I say. I could almost hear the developer’s malicious voice: “If it bothers you, you should have done better from the start.”

‘Even trying to brush past this, it feels unfair. I don’t think the fault was on my end, but regardless—is this how route progression failures manifest….’

I’d learned something valuable.

“Give it to me―!!”
“Next time, I’ll need to be more careful.”

The advantage of this character’s body.

‘I don’t get winded even while running and talking.’

Oh, for heaven’s sake. It truly was an invaluable advantage.

Lee Yeon-woo trembled with longing for items. Or skills, stats—anything. If only I’d had an interface, I wouldn’t be enduring this humiliation.

“….”

Now there truly was no way out.

‘The only escape route left now….’

No, it wasn’t even the only option. In the worst case, I could have resorted to blood magic learned before ascending to the 23rd Floor and fought like a dog. But that wouldn’t guarantee Director Lee Sun-hae’s safety. Rejected.

So the only method remaining.

‘Proceed through the contract route.’

Ah….

‘I wanted to avoid contracts above all else, but here we are.’

Contracts in name only—they were nothing but predatory loans that mortgaged your entire life. Over twenty-six years, I’d lost count of how many save files I’d had to overwrite because of these damned ‘contracts.’

‘But now that Phase 2 has begun, there’s no other way.’

In a situation spiraling beyond control, at least I could control my own death. That was the only initiative he could seize in this moment.

“….”

To survive.

To live more comfortably.

Letting others suffer instead.

‘That kind of thing.’

Had no place in Lee Yeon-woo.

“Warm, soft, tender…!!”
“―Blood.”

A soft tap.

“Breath.”
“….”
“…Warmth.”

Everything you whispered endlessly.

Lee Yeon-woo stood precariously at the edge of the Main Pool, one foot balanced on its rim.

“I have it.”

Salvation Method 3, the Contract Route.

Perform self-harm events 2 or more times. Select structural utterances 2 or more times. Enter the 23rd Floor Aqua Park within 12 hours. The Wet Person in a non-aroused state.

And the final condition.

“….”
“How about it.”

Death in the Main Pool.

Lee Yeon-woo extended his hand.

“I cannot perform miracles….”
“…but I’m lonely.”
“I can die with you.”
“Yes.”

The Water Ghost, scales bristling across its pallid form, smiled and descended upon him.

“You, hypocrite.”

Splash―!!

The water surface convulsed violently, sending up a tremendous spray.

One human.
One mermaid.

* * *

To be coldly analytical about it.

Andersen’s fairy tales have something unsettling about them.

‘…Was the mermaid’s pair of legs truly a gift?’

Consider it: cutting off your own legs for love and grafting on a fish’s tail instead. Everyone would call you mad. How grotesque could it be?

Losing the tail you were born with, replacing it with body parts from a creature you barely knew. Surrendering your gift for song, your pride, your very voice.

‘Walking on unfamiliar legs, suffering with each step against the ground….’

And if love fails, you dissolve into sea foam and vanish.

‘Isn’t that grotesque?’

It’s no different from a horror story.

“….”

The sensation of cold water flooding deep into my lungs was vivid and unmistakable.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?”
“….”
“Does it hurt? You must feel suffocated, trapped in darkness, terrified.”
“….”
“I felt it too. We all did….”
“….”
“…So lonely.”

Unfortunately, it’s not as agonizing as one might hope.

Cold, pain, suffocation—such purely physiological sensations. For me now, they feel like distant memories. I’m changing, bit by bit, into something else.

‘…Perhaps this inhuman numbness is the most efficient tool for properly managing this Facility.’

The sensation of gradually fading from the category of human. This place treats human emotion as an unnecessary variable, compelling its managers to eliminate it.

Yet alongside such sterile thoughts, an odd sentiment surfaced.

‘It doesn’t kill you outright.’

This wasn’t in the game.

‘The conversation we had just before falling into the Hotel Pool wasn’t part of the original game either.’

The Wet Person simply dragged Lee Yeon-woo downward, ever downward. He wielded no sharp blade, nor did he strangle me.

It was a scene the game never showed. It ended the moment you fell into the pool.

“….”
“…I didn’t want to die.”

…That was only natural—the instinct of any living creature.

‘I wish I could hear more of what he’s saying….’

My glasses had long since drifted away. Beyond the undulating black hair, painfully transparent water crashed in. It was a sight one might glimpse only in the abyssal depths of a dream.

‘A world I could never see when it was merely a game. A voice I could never hear.’

Emotions that lay beyond the data, finally confronted face to face.

“….”
“….”

And so the form of the Wet Person filled my vision entirely.

‘…A mermaid, then.’

Well, of course.

Though it was hardly the romantic sort of creature one might imagine.

The Wet Person, fully revealed, bore the form of a mermaid.

‘Mermaid is a generous name for it.’

It was simply a monstrous fish.

‘A creature that had once been human—breathing in water instead of air, bearing a tail instead of legs.’

Fins as elaborate as a betta’s, as sinuous as a serpent’s….

“….”

Breath fades away,
and my eyes close.

“….”
“…Sleep well.”

Yes.

‘Perhaps it’s because death is defined by the game, or perhaps… who knows.’

No gasping reflex, no convulsions that should accompany drowning, no thrashing, no involuntary movements. Only the sensation of my heart and brain gradually dying—something I’ve grown all too familiar with during my time in this Hotel.

“….”

…A deep-sea creature’s.

A cry echoes through the darkness.

Andersen’s fairy tales are definitely not meant for children.

* * *

“…?”

Lee Sun-hae suddenly felt her vision brighten.

“…The light….”

After flickering, the bulb in the Medical Office illuminated.

The oppressive weight that had pressed down on her body, the chill that had crept along her spine—all of it vanished in an instant. What remained was merely an ordinary Medical Office, empty of people, like any other.

And so she understood instinctively.

‘It’s over.’

Relief lasted only a moment, and the thought that followed was horrifying.

‘Really… dead…?’

Ah.

“…ugh…”

―Retch, gag, cough!!

Lee Sun-hae retched for a long time.

There was nothing in her stomach to expel, yet only a metallic, salty liquid kept spilling from her mouth. Dizziness and an indescribable sense of dread wrapped around her entire body.

Her breathing was ragged.

“…no.”

Gasp, gasp.

“That can’t be right.”

Huh?

“It’s impossible.”

She had no time to compose herself. She pushed her trembling body upright, her shaking hands fumbling for the radio, but again—nothing. No response.

Lee Sun-hae rushed out of the Medical Office. Her anxious footsteps echoed through the Corridor. The sight that greeted her was excessively bright and serene. As if nothing had happened at all.

Did this Hotel even realize how eerie that artificial peace truly was?

“No…”

The soaring ceiling with its immaculate fixtures. The flawless tile floor and walls, not a trace of moisture upon them. The endless Corridor stretched before her in refined elegance, yet it was nothing more than a lifeless structure suffused with oppressive silence.

“…”

Thud,
Lee Sun-hae moved her feet forward.

A kindly sign in Korean came into view. Following the directional markers, the Hotel Pool soon appeared.

It was a scale entirely different from a typical hotel pool. As if an underwater palace or a floating art museum had been transplanted here, the space radiated opulence and refined elegance.

“….”

Yet nowhere was there any trace of the monster.

Only brightness, silence, and sophistication remained. As if mocking the vivid terror she had endured, all threat had evaporated without a trace.

“…Lee Yeon-woo.”

It was as though someone had erased everything.

I knew. Lee Sun-hae had heard the plan too. That I would try to persuade it. That I might die if I failed. But I said I’d die halfway, so I should still be breathing, so why.

“Lee Yeon-woo?”

It seemed like no one was here.

“Hotel General Manager.”

Her voice grew louder. Her footsteps had become almost a run.

“Lee Yeon-woo…!!”

Even calling out at the top of her lungs, only cold echoes returned.

“….”

Lee Sun-hae muttered into the empty air. Damn, it’s loud, she said.

‘…Of course, no matter how much I think about it, it’s nonsense, but still, if I’m only half dead, then clearly I’m alive, right? I should be alive, shouldn’t I?’

Ah, I couldn’t make sense of it. My head throbbed and my vision swam.

‘Damn it, what is this. What am I… unless I took some drug, how could something this… fantastical even happen? Lee Yeon-woo said… no, he definitely said I wouldn’t die….’

But I really couldn’t understand.

‘Why do I feel this way?’

Why.

Left behind, that feeling.

…Could that be what this sensation is?

“….”

I looked around once more.

Pleasant music drifted through the entire Park.

The floor gleamed with meticulous care, and every facility stood in perfect order. A space where artificial structures and natural elements harmonized seamlessly. The air was crisp, the view refreshing.

The gentle lapping of water brimming to the edges….

“…hah….”

Lee Sun-hae grasped two truths instinctively.

“Where is he.”

This was not the space she had occupied moments before, and Lee Yeon-woo had likely been killed by the murderer in that place. Her survival might have been built upon someone else’s death.

“What is this place.”

To escape by sacrificing a child.

“….”

A horrifying survival.

—————
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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