Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 34

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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 34.

Lee Sun-hae, who had been standing in a daze, moved her feet.

“….”

Whoosh—…
She steadied her breathing.

Then she opened the door.

“….”

The changing room and Shower Room came into view.

‘…If I leave here….’

Opening another door revealed the Corridor.

She turned her body upon spotting the bilingual signage in Korean and English. So I was indeed at the Aqua Park, she thought, and followed the path. The route wasn’t complicated. The signs were clear.

She pressed the Elevator button. The doors opened immediately.

“….”

Ding—

Arriving at the 1st Floor took mere moments.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the Lobby seemed more crowded than before. Though the number could still be counted on one hand, the increase itself was undeniable.

‘…Are those people monsters too?’

Whether they had been born human and become monsters, or were monsters from the start.

I deliberately avoided meeting their gaze. I deliberately avoided meeting their eyes, yet I still felt a stare reaching toward me. It reminded me of what I’d sensed at the Aqua Park.

Lee Sun-hae turned her attention toward the counter.

“….”

Only Staff Members with identical expressions occupied that space.

The neat face she remembered was nowhere to be found. Not the youthful, clearly student-like features, nor the bloodless, pallid complexion, nor those eyes that would narrow delicately whenever their gazes met.

Even the exhaustion and withered blankness that she’d grown accustomed to in just a few days were absent from that place.

“…Right.”

Lee Sun-hae muttered reflexively.

‘They said they wouldn’t die.’

As if convincing herself, she turned her head and pushed through the Lobby’s Main Gate. The sound of raindrops reached her first.

“….”
“…Oh.”

A black sedan came into view, belatedly.

“This is surprising.”
“….”
“I never expected you to emerge entirely intact. Though I suppose you’ve always had good fortune in such matters since childhood. You have the talent for it too.”

An elderly man in robust health. His hair was white as snow and his skin creased with age, yet his frame remained sturdy and well-built.

“…Our Uncle….”
“I was going to inquire whether we could purchase any of your belongings, but it seems that won’t be necessary.”
“Why are you here?”

The elderly man opened the sedan’s rear door himself, as one might for a cherished nephew.

“Shoot.”
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
“I thought the age for finding joy in the rain passed long ago.”
“I’ve watched children die many times.”

Lee Sun-hae murmured.

“I’ve even seen them die because of me….”
“….”
“But this is the first time I’ve killed someone to save myself.”
“….”
“…I’m….”
“Tired.”
“Yes.”
“How uncharacteristic—indulging in such luxury.”
“Really.”

She doesn’t do it gracefully.

She swallowed her words and spoke with a hollow laugh.

“That’s why I hate you.”
“That too is meaningless.”
“Haha.”

Lee Sun-hae paused for a moment, then got into the car a few minutes later.

* * *

Congratulations, Hotel General Manager.

You have successfully completed the Beginner Administrator Course.

A portion of this Hotel’s authority has been transferred to you.

[Tutorial Performance]
Guest Relations: ★★★★★
Room Management & Cleaning: ★★★★★
Staff Management: ★★★★★
Security & Safety Management: ★★★★☆
Facility Operations: ★★★★★
Overall Rating: S

[New Features Unlocked]
Full Interface Activation
Management System Module Access
Sensory Expansion
Entity Detection Enabled

[Open Areas Guide (Open Version Exclusive)]
25th Floor: Rooftop Garden
23rd Floor: Aqua Park
22nd Floor: Sky Lounge & Dining
3rd, 5th~6th Floors: Lifestyle Zone
2nd Floor: Grand Banquet Hall & Buffet
B1: Staff Break Room
B5~??: Hunting Grounds

[Status Change Summary]
Manager Rank: Lv.1 → Lv.763
External Surveillance Level: 0 → 3
Accumulated Resources: ■■,■■■,■■■
Total Playtime: 1,770 days

[Tutorial Rewards Received]
Nightmare Assets×300
Random Box×1
Staff Recruitment Voucher×10

Explore the hidden floors and uncover the dark truth of this Hotel.

From this moment forward, every decision you make will determine the fate of this Hotel.

* * *

“….”

The system window filled my entire field of vision.

Furrowing my brow, I muttered from where I lay in the Bedroom.

“…I already know all of this….”

I’d been playing this game for twenty-six years—if I didn’t know this by now, that would be the real anomaly.

I opened my dry, strained eyes to narrow slits and blinked. The sensation of sleep deprivation. A familiar discomfort. I propped myself up on my elbows and gazed blankly at the translucent window before me.

“…Hmm.”

Honestly, the technical marvel took precedence.

‘I wondered how the interface would be applied, and sure enough. So this is how it was implemented.’

Within the scope of my knowledge, it resembled augmented reality technology most closely. While not my field of expertise, the completion quality was overwhelmingly impressive enough to astound anyone in the industry.

‘What’s the principle behind it? If there were some separate device attached to my eyes or brain, no—there are aspects that can’t be explained by that alone. It’s not a HUD system either. If the medium is air, achieving this resolution and implementation stability would be nearly impossible….’

At that point, I closed my eyes and cut off the thread of thought.

“….”

I rubbed my face.

“…My thoughts are scattering. Must be sleep deprivation.”
“Yes.”
“I thought this body was designed to be unaffected by sleep duration.”
“Affirmative.”
“Right, I’ll have time to research that gradually.”

This was right after I’d died and come back to life. Resurrection was a familiar procedure, but this time, someone else’s life hung in the balance. And here I was, fresh from breaking through that crisis, already pondering the output principles of the system.

‘I need to get my head on straight first.’

As I took a deep breath and lifted my head, rational thought finally returned.

“Did Director Lee Sun-hae manage to escape the Hotel safely?”

If the bug had worked properly, she should have gotten out without any additional procedures. But the Wet Person in the Aqua Park was in an ambiguous state, so I was inwardly worried.

I was even prepared to personally escort the Director out if she was still trapped in the Hotel. Coco, who had been staring up at Lee Yeon-woo, suddenly lifted her head and echoed his words.

“Escaped safely.”
“…Ah, yeah.”

Lee Yeon-woo smiled faintly.

“That’s a relief.”

It was good news. No one had died. Regardless of how things unfolded, it was the outcome I wanted.

“How many days has it been since I died in the event?”
“Days.”

Coco bounced on the Bedroom three times—boing, boing, boing.

“Ah, three days.”
“Three days.”
“I thought I taught you how to count numbers and dates.”
“Taught you.”
“Are you pretending not to know on purpose, or did you forget already?”
“No.”
“I’m not even sure what you’re denying….”

Lee Yeon-woo embraced Coco. She was soft and lukewarm and squishy. An excellent texture and presence.

“….”

It was over.

‘My career along with it.’

A hollow laugh escaped me at this absurd situation. How many years would I have to serve in prison for this? I had always prided myself on living honestly my whole life, yet now I had no face to show the world.

“It’s pointless to make excuses that it was beyond my control.”
“No?”
“No.”

Either way, I had orchestrated the situation, and there was no denying that I hadn’t immediately released the people. Lee Yeon-woo closed my eyes for a moment and tried to organize the circumstances.

‘I was a kidnapping victim, but ultimately, I cooperated with the operation.’

I had essentially neglected someone’s danger despite knowing it plainly.

“Article 32… Article 33… if I’m lucky, Article 30….”
“…??”
“Simply participating in a criminal organization makes actual imprisonment likely, and if I emphasize the kidnapping aspect, maybe I can somehow mitigate it with a suspended sentence or a short prison term.”

Coco tilted my head. The bustling gestures signaled a sort of bewilderment. It seemed I had even picked up fairly human mannerisms.

“….”

It was eerie.

Lee Yeon-woo kneaded Coco’s cheeks as if cutting off the thread of thought. Soft sensations pressed through my fingers. I still couldn’t fathom what principle governed this texture.

“Of course, such worries are only possible once I can fully reintegrate into society.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling washed over me.

It was the sense that so much had changed.

* * *

“―Cough.”

Ah, truly.

A bad premonition never misses once.

“Cough, hack! Ugh…!”

Blood streamed from my mouth and nose, and just as relentlessly from my ears and eyes. I tried to stem the flow with my hands, but soon gave up. It didn’t take long to realize the futility of the gesture.

‘At this rate, I might actually die.’

After several rounds of ragged breathing and violent coughing fits that expelled blood, I finally managed to lift my head. My hunched spine gradually straightened.

“Hah….”

Beneath my labored breathing, Coco circled anxiously.

“…I’m fine.”
“No, no, no.”
“To be precise, this is clearly not fine at all—yet my mind feels oddly serene. Have I finally lost it?”
“No….”
“Why are my brain and heart operating separately?”

This was undoubtedly a grave situation. I’d grown accustomed to dying and suffering injuries as a game character, but now I remained far calmer than I had then. In fact, I almost felt as though this were nothing serious at all.

‘How do I even explain this.’

Ah, yes. That’s exactly what this feels like.

‘That time I researched until 7 AM due to consecutive all-nighters, then went straight back to work and got a nosebleed….’

…Wait, doesn’t that mean things are actually very much not fine?

“…In any case, it’s certain that my body has undergone significant changes.”
“Yes.”
“Yes, my durability was already pathetically inadequate before, but now even the system that guaranteed minimal survival seems to be failing. Otherwise, there’s no way I’d feel like my life drains away with every breath.”
“Yes.”
“I must be losing my mind. What exactly went wrong? There are too many possibilities to pinpoint the exact cause. At this rate, basic survival itself becomes difficult, never mind anything else….”

My body continued to deteriorate. My mind too grew muddled and unfocused. I lowered my head and stared at my fingertips as I removed my gloves.

“…The color’s already changed.”

One of the penalties that followed contracting with the Wet Person. In game terminology, it was called ‘acrocyanosis’—a phenomenon where the extremities turned blue and became extraordinarily vulnerable to impact.

“At this rate, I can forget about ever walking around bare-handed again.”

Isn’t it too conspicuous?

“I’m terribly sorry.”
“….”
“…*cough*, *hack*…!”
“No! No! No!”

The coughing fit erupted again. It was a semi-permanent penalty—there was no escaping it.

‘Peripheral cyanosis. Persistent hypothermia. Aspiration cough spasms. Automatic respiratory suppression before large bodies of water. Tactile sensory disturbance. Drowning re-traumatization syndrome. Compulsive water-proximity urges….’

Remarkable, isn’t it? Seven penalties in total. The dignity of a dual-version monster guest was truly this terrifying. Even as I coughed as though my insides would spill out, the future loomed dark.

‘It’s not about overcoming—it’s about enduring.’

That was how one played this game.

“*Ugh*, *hah*….”

Lee Yeon-woo retched for a long while before finally slumping back against the chair.

“…*sigh*….”

My body and spirit were in tatters. I was barely holding together.

“…I instinctively feel that my being alive right now is nothing short of a miracle. A peculiar sensation. The system, blood contracts, bugs, and penalty clauses are all tangled together, and somehow I’ve managed to maintain a human form, but barely….”
“….”
“Like a Jenga tower with holes punched through it… a strange feeling indeed.”

One wrong breath and the whole structure would collapse.

‘At least the materials are heavy enough to keep it from crumbling easily—if that’s any consolation.’

I wouldn’t die from simply breathing, but it was clear I’d reached a state where I had to be extremely careful with my body.

“If my memory serves me correctly, the Water Ghost’s penalty doesn’t include hemoptysis or vomiting blood.”
“Yes.”
“It’s likely an effect of the Red Heart Experiment ritual.”
“Yes….”
“If this is happening simply due to the softening of internal organs rather than something like peritonitis or gastric ulcers, that would be fortunate.”

No, let me correct myself. No. This is absolutely not fortunate. I won’t deceive myself.

‘Still, being able to guess at the cause is relatively fortunate. There are few things as terrible as failing to understand the situation at all.’

I could make an educated guess about what was happening.

One of the penalties: ‘Drowning Cough Fit’.

A symptom caused by water filling the internal organs. It must have looked like vomiting blood when it came into contact with lungs that had become more like blood than actual tissue.

In other words, what I had just coughed up was blood corresponding to my own organs….

“….”
“Hello….”
“…I was just thinking for a moment.”
“Thinking?”
“About what kind of fatal impact it would have on human dignity if I were to pick up this vomit I just expelled and eat it again.”
“Pardon?”
“Yes.”

It’s impossible. It’s done for. This is something I cannot do.

‘The synergy is truly the worst.’

The Red Heart Experiment ritual turned my entire body into nothing but blood, and the Water Ghost contract penalty is draining that blood out on its own. There’s no way to avoid anemia like this.

“No, it’s not a problem that can be expressed with such a refined term as anemia.”

This is no different from dying in real time.

“If we’re being honest, every time I cough, isn’t it like chunks of my organs are falling apart?”

Red Heart Experiment. A ritual that transforms humans into eternal blood. In this body, every single drop of blood was not merely a liquid, but the only physical asset he possessed.

“….”

Whether it was my blood,
or someone else’s.

“…And as long as I’m bound by contract with the Wet Person, I’m forced to endlessly expel this wretched asset. I can’t even void the contract unless I switch to a new save file.”
“Yes.”
“So this isn’t something that can be solved by simply vomiting it up. The inevitable anemia that results means I can only guarantee my survival by employing alternative measures.”

The contents of the Red Heart Experiment suddenly came to mind.

“According to the records, all the Red Heart Experiment’s test subjects became monsters that craved blood. Whether they drank it, chewed raw flesh, or indulged in cannibalism.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not experiencing those kinds of urges. Perhaps it’s because I succeeded in gaining consciousness, unlike them? That’s fortunate, truly fortunate, but just because I lack the urge doesn’t mean I’ve escaped the reality that I too must now source blood externally, does it?”
“Yes!”

Lee Yeon-woo looked down at Coco sitting on my lap. It wasn’t difficult to read what Coco was thinking. This cunning cat really was.

“You were just thinking of a way to drain blood from the Human Guest.”
“What do you mean?”
“I cannot accept the Human Guest.”
“What?”
“There are limits to turning someone into a criminal. Do you now intend to transform me beyond a mere murderer into a cannibal? How far do you mean to drag me down, cough… hack…!”
“…!! No! Hello! No! No!”
“Stop, ugh, I’m fine… urrgh….”
“Hello!!!”

Blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, and Coco circling endlessly around my collapsed form. This absurd chaos and the coughing up of blood finally subsided after two hours.

Yes, a full two hours it was.

“…There were sections in the game where coughing fits were frequent too.”

The timing of contract penalties was usually random. Or perhaps continuous altogether.

“I apologize.”
“Yes….”
“Can I even still call myself human?”

Lee Yeon-woo stared at the blood stains scattered across the marble floor in a dizzying pattern.

‘How absurd.’

A pool of blood so thick and vast it was embarrassing to call it a mere ‘trace’. The liquid that had spilled from his body was utterly silent, yet Lee Yeon-woo felt that it was still alive.

The pool was not dead liquid but still part of him, still connected to him. His pallid fingertips brushed wordlessly against his sternum.

‘Something,’

…felt hollow inside.

“…At this rate….”

I might never become human.

“….”
“….”

After a long silence, Lee Yeon-woo added in a subdued voice.

“…Let me find a way.”

Whatever it takes—a way for me to remain myself.

—————
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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