Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 59

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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 59.

Lee Yeon-woo knew this much.

“….”

Knowledge could render a person miserable, but it could never kill them outright—that was the truth he understood.

“Assuming you truly understand it correctly, that is.”
“Indeed.”
“Nothing is ever simple.”

A danger I could control with my own hands was preferable to someone else’s bomb, waiting to detonate at an unknowable moment.

Lee Yeon-woo had always been the sort of person who thought that way—his temperament was naturally restless, exhausted easily by the smallest ripples of disturbance.

So I sought your consent with proper courtesy.

“Is it not so?”

It was a conversation from dawn, shared long ago.

* * *

“Director.”
“What is it, you bastard.”
“We’re completely screwed.”
“Damn it, didn’t I tell you not to spout such filthy talk in this sacred Resonance Bureau?”
“I’m genuinely curious—isn’t ‘damn’ just as dirty?”
“Let’s hear it first.”

When the Director nodded, the Section Chief mirrored the gesture and set down a thick stack of documents.

“A cooperation notice has arrived from the European Union.”
“Just hearing that much is already giving me a headache.”
“It’s been less than a minute since the Director told us not to use crude language in this sacred Resonance Bureau.”
“Those damn foreigners and their monkey business—what kind of new nonsense is this?”
“Ah, is that so? I wasn’t aware of that either….”

The Section Chief pointed beyond the door and asked.

“The staff members have a brazier going—should I go burn it?”
“If you’re burning it, then burn it. Don’t waste time asking—just go handle it.”
“As expected of the Director, that’s a sensible approach.”
“If you know that, then do it well. Stop flapping your tongue and just work, will you.”

Crack.
The Director stretched her neck and asked.

“So then, why?”
“That is….”

The Section Chief continued.

“The ‘White Raven’ has landed on the Korean Peninsula.”
“Well, well?”

The Director pulled out her glasses from a drawer due to presbyopia and examined the documents for a while before removing them again, tapping the frame in her hand as she spoke.

“Tell whoever brought an aircraft carrier to turn themselves in.”
“It appears they walked here on their own two feet.”
“Damn it, this gap in the system never gets a day off.”

The Director nodded once more.

“Gather the team.”
“I’ll assemble the Special Team.”
“No, no, that’s not it either.”
“I’m listening.”
“Get the Corpse Disposal Team together.”
“Ah, that one. We’ll blow through the budget.”
“What gets blown through is the budget I’m authorized to spend, you idiot.”
“Isn’t it both your right and your duty as Director?”
“What right do I have when I’m the one getting beaten down? You’re insane.”

She continued speaking with that same impassive expression.

“If it’s the ‘White Raven,’ it’s a Labyrinth that’s existed since the 16th century.”
“Yes, that’s correct. It’s one of the famous classical Labyrinths.”
“Which means there’s nothing we can do.”

The Section Chief nodded as if those words were indeed accurate.

“Would you like some popcorn?”
“Before that, update the paperwork and burn whatever you brought back. Fraudulent bastard.”
“You really hate Europe—isn’t that discrimination?”
“The gates of hell opened in Europe, you fool.”

As if demons had their origins in monkeys or some such nonsense. The Director, positioned to communicate with various nations, had not forgotten the resentment from months past. They had started the conflict first.

The Section Chief, who had been rubbing his chin, soon asked.

“Still, the religious Dokkaebi that they manage there is… relatively well-behaved, isn’t it?”
“If Ru Ttang-ttang is well-behaved, how could anything be well-behaved? Are you out of your mind? Now I see—you’re a demon’s spy.”
“My, I’m not sure how you knew, but to prove my innocence, I’ll go burn the cooperation documents in the hearth.”
“Don’t forget to type up separate copies and distribute official notices to all the team leaders.”

Creeeeak―
The Director, leaning back in her chair, added.

“Go without getting hurt.”
“….”
“…You’ve worked hard.”

The Section Chief answered with a smile.

“I’ll head out first.”
“Got it.”

It seemed Ru Ttang-ttang had won the lottery.

‘And yet he acts all composed. What nonsense. The guy’s completely unhinged.’

The Director let the Section Chief’s voice—twisted grotesquely like a hymn since earlier—pass through her ears without catching it.

The Resonance Bureau inevitably lost personnel. Dokkaebi scattered across the world possessed the power to kill with mere mention of a name or the act of remembering it.

Watching the Section Chief’s familiar silhouette recede into the distance, the Director lit a cigarette.

“Damn things.”

In some circles, those dedicated to death for the sake of information transfer were called “Messengers.”

“The moment he hears the intel, he’s already gone, spouting nonsense….”

Three days later. When the rosters for both the Special Team and the Corpse Disposal Team had been finalized, and the cooperation notice had been posted on the bulletin board, Hong’s headless corpse was discovered standing upright in the Ossuary.

Thus, the first task for both teams became the posthumous arrangements of their founder.

* * *

Humanity’s five basic senses are commonly called the Five Senses. Eyes perceive light and form, ears detect vibrations, the nose senses smell, and skin registers warmth.

Becoming blood had changed little in that regard.

I still see.
I still hear, still smell.
I perceive the world with my entire being.

Each drop of blood carries sensation, alive and aware.

But I cannot speak.

It could not possess human language.

‘I cannot taste through a tongue.’

This is merely blood mimicking a tongue, after all.

‘In the end, I can never be human.’

Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste—people defined these as human senses, but the Old Goblin who had wandered the margins of humanity for eons held a different view.

‘The drowsy pull that came when closing one’s eyes.’

Sleep.

‘The affection whispered at the ear’s edge.’

Love.

‘The seasonal wind brushing the tip of one’s nose.’

Time.

‘The warmth transmitted beyond the skin.’

Body heat.

‘Even the happiness that bloomed when touching the tongue.’

Desire itself.

In those days, the vampire—no longer even a forgotten noble—had nothing left. Things unreturned yet rightfully forgotten. And so I had forgotten them.

Or so I had believed.

“….”

And thus the first dish arrived.

Instinctively, I swept my gaze across the plate.

He had spent long centuries shedding identities like worn skin. Though he could not taste, he possessed an unwavering confidence in his ability to discern the technique, devotion, and intention woven into every dish.

‘Quite… meticulous work.’

The lustrous sheen flowing across the pâté’s surface spoke of patience, while the bread’s crumb structure boasted flawless perfection. Impeccable. Exceptional.

‘Skill of this caliber.’

Had the other not been Belmarés, I would have been tempted to teach them directly.

‘A harmony befitting social grace.’

Since my counterpart had taken such pains to orchestrate this stage, responding with corresponding refinement and dignity would be the prudent course.

‘How best to offer praise.’

I surveyed the technique with a chef’s eye, marshaled accolades with a critic’s mind, and lifted the cutlery with a gesture befitting this occasion.

And yet.

“….”

The fingertips gripping the fork trembled faintly. Something was wrong.

My mind analyzed the information methodically, but my blood-forged body had breached the rational realm first. My mouth grew acrid and tight; a dull throb bloomed behind my eyes.

‘What is this?’

Not entirely unfamiliar—a sensation I surely knew.

‘What was it…?’

Poison? I rolled my eyes. What was this hot, viscous liquid pooling in my mouth, and what accounted for this strange convulsion wracking my stomach?

Memories surfaced of centuries spent evading the futile attempts of those who sought my demise. Perhaps poison. Perhaps some cunning snare of Blood Magic.

“….”

Not poison. Not Blood Magic.

Had that been the case, I wouldn’t be floundering so helplessly now.

Only then did an exceedingly faint fragment surface in my memory. It was neither pain nor magic.

A time almost forgotten. That utterly natural bodily response I’d experienced when I willingly endured hunger and thirst to sit at a table—a sensation so ancient I’d buried it beneath layers of oblivion.

So this was…

“…?”

Hunger…?

I reached out my hand.

The moment the fork’s tines parted the pâté, I felt its yielding softness; the moment I lifted it to the plate, I felt its substantial weight. I gently tapped a freshly baked roll and selected one.

When I placed the pâté atop it and brought it to my lips, warmth flooded through me.

“….”

The bread’s crust crackled and crumbled, releasing a nutty fragrance as delicate as dandelion down. The pâté that touched my tongue melted like softened butter, enveloping it in silken smoothness.

The liver’s distinctive deep iron notes brushed across my palate before the harmony of herbed butter and spices gently embraced that intensity. With each chew, the meat’s texture unraveled seamlessly, mingling with crisp bread crumbs to create a symphony of varied sensations.

The aroma of herbs rose upward.

“….”

I was eating. Right now, I was truly eating.

“….”

The Blood-Loving Guest remained motionless for a long while.

* * *

“Hello?”

In response to Coco’s question, Lee Yeon-woo, who had been gazing at the guide window, answered.

“Yes, I’ve registered it.”
“Hello.”
“Of course I’m being careful. You worry a lot, Coco.”
“Yes.”
“I see.”

The Dining Area was a section where I’d previously applied an automation protocol. Just now, I’d registered a specialized recipe for the Tasteless Guest. This way, when he arrived, the staff would know exactly how to serve him.

This monster cat’s words were correct.

‘It’s dangerous for me to step in directly.’

I was already in a position of avoiding other monster guests. If the staff could handle it instead, that would be safest. Besides, this was a sample course with some incomplete elements.

My body felt stiff. I leaned against the counter and spoke.

“It was good that I applied the automation protocol to the Dining Area. Since it’s a place he visits frequently, all that attention paid off. Though I never expected the guest to be so insistent about it.”

In any case.

“I’ll have to wait and see what kind of reaction he shows.”
“Yes.”

I wasn’t without concerns. I would have preferred more time to dedicate to research, but the schedule was tight, and I hadn’t produced many successful results.

‘I don’t have enough to maintain perfect historical accuracy.’

In the end, I had no choice but to settle on a modern-style course meal.

“It’s not a perfect recreation. But it should be enough to meet the standard.”
“Yes.”
“Based on his reactions so far, he won’t take offense immediately. And if he were truly so particular about formality, he wouldn’t be wearing modern formal attire and using the Buffet in the first place.”
“Yes.”
“Since I’ve arranged the table lavishly, it won’t look sparse. Let’s observe a bit longer.”
“Yes.”
“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”
“Hello.”
“Yes, it’s fine.”

Adhering strictly to the appointed time, I did my utmost.

“….”
“….”
“…ah….”

Hack!!!

‘I’m exhausted.’

As though my entrails were being forcibly torn through my mouth, my legs buckled reflexively. Just before I collapsed to the floor, my thick-boned hand gripped the counter roughly, bracing myself against the fall.

“Ah….”

A sigh-like gasp. Veins bulged tautly across my forearms as they bore the weight of my crumbling body.

‘Nothing ever goes right.’

Life truly offers no ease. I irritably furrowed my brow and expelled a dry cough. It was a tedious process, but honestly, I’d grown accustomed to it by now.

Those around me, however, had not.

“―No!!!”

Coco cried out in alarm, and the Dining Area staff rushed over. Some tried to catch me and pull me upright, while others repeatedly wiped at the corners of my mouth.

‘This excessive concern….’

I felt so undeserving that I wanted to simply sink into the floor and vanish.

Before gratitude could take hold, my instincts rebelled—I couldn’t breathe. What they offered as purely concerned touches carried an undercurrent of compulsion that I could feel.

‘To be honest, it’s unsettling.’

I could sense the worry in their gestures, but still. It felt like something more than that….

“No…!!”
“I’m fine,”

A white handkerchief blocked my mouth. If the goal was to seal the hole where blood was seeping through, this made sense enough.

‘Was I imagining the sound telling me to shut up and not speak?’

It seemed like concern that I shouldn’t speak in this condition, or perhaps an unwillingness to tolerate a scratch on something precious. I couldn’t quite tell which was the real reason.

‘Either way, it was equally burdensome.’

I decided to simply expel the water that had filled my lungs.

“Cough, hack, ugh… uuuugh….”
“No! Hello! No! No!”
“Ugh, phew.”

But in the midst of all this….

‘What is this unpleasant feeling.’

It sounded like The Wet Person on the 23rd Floor Aqua Park was welcoming me with open arms. Whether it was intuition or mere fancy, I couldn’t say… hmm.

No, actually. How regrettable.

[Sixth Sense]
‘The Wet Person welcomes you, who have fallen into the water.’

It wasn’t just sounding like it—I had genuinely heard it.

‘What nonsense is this.’

So long as they were fine, they didn’t care if their friend suffered. Even as I surrendered my body to the firm grip of the Staff Members holding me steady, indignation welled up inside me. Once we grew closer, I would definitely grab them by the collar.

‘If only the bug had worked properly during the event, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.’

But it was already spilled water.

After expelling so much blood, I wiped my mouth with the back of my bloodless hand. I brushed away the Staff Members’ hands that had been holding and tending to me, then staggered to my feet.

“….”
“…Thank you.”

Faces that continued to smile in silence.

‘Something is being shared. A feeling that’s difficult to explain.’

It wasn’t mere restlessness. Something that should have been perfect and noble was crumbling as it vomited forth incomplete filth, and there was a roiling anxiety to conceal and erase it all by any means necessary.

‘What kind of emotion is that, exactly?’

I tried to examine it more closely, but stopped myself. Lee Yeon-woo couldn’t hide his look of exhaustion.

“…Yes, I see.”
“….”
“Thank you.”

In any case, this too counted as a kindness.

‘Though in terms of convenience, the period before the tutorial actually seemed better.’

Back then, they were far more businesslike. They wouldn’t move at all unless the bell was rung, confining themselves strictly to their duties. This too is certainly different from how things were during the tutorial.

‘Or it could be the effect of becoming an official administrator.’

As Lee Yeon-woo swallowed a weary breath and lowered my gaze, the staff members finished tidying my composure. Always composed and quiet, yet their touch was somehow… meticulous.

They removed the blood-stained gloves and outer coat, dressed me in a fresh one without a single wrinkle, and fastidiously tied a necktie over it. It was precise, yet obsessive in its orderliness.

“….”

After five years, I’d grown accustomed to this too.

‘Though it wasn’t quite this compulsive before.’

The adjustment of my clothes was completed swiftly. Having pulled on white cotton gloves and confirmed their fit, I could see the staff member standing hesitantly, holding a mop and cleaning cloths.

“…Ah.”

I understood why they were like that. Originally, they had always been reluctant to clean up the blood spilled on the floor. Because even the spilled blood was part of their superior, Lee Yeon-woo.

‘They must feel as though their superior’s body has been scattered across the floor like a planarian.’

But my hesitation stemmed from more than just that. I raised my hand.

“Wait, please don’t clean that up.”

Before I could finish speaking, the staff members retreated, and I gazed intently down at the floor.

“….”
“Huh?”

Coco tilted her head near the pool of blood. I nodded.

“Yes, I seem to have made a mistake while regurgitating.”
“Yes.”
“It wasn’t intentional. Please don’t take it so literally.”
“No, sir.”
“You’re quite firm about it.”

I swallowed a sigh and bowed my head toward the blood.

“…You may come out now.”

Then two eyes flickered within the blood.

They were smaller than my palm. The thing that had been nervously gauging the situation slowly raised its head. A head as round as its eyes. A small lump the color of blood.

It was a fragment of the Room 14 Monster.

“It’s alright. Can you come over here?”
“….”
“Fortunately, it seems you can move.”

Judging by the mere nod, it appeared unable to speak.

‘Is it similar to a Slime?’

The small, round Slimes commonly seen in games. If the Room 14 Monster were simplified to its absolute limit, I imagined it would take this form.

The Slime dragged itself through the blood and trembling, grasped the toe of my shoe. Then it laboriously crawled up onto my hand.

Lee Yeon-woo spoke to the staff members.

“If you could finish cleaning up the rest, that would be appreciated.”

At that, the startled Slime suddenly leaped from his hand onto the floor.

‘What’s this?’

The action was certainly peculiar, but Lee Yeon-woo made no move to catch it.

“….”
“….”

Splash.
The Slime, now submerged once more in the blood-stained water, writhed within it.

“…?”

It seemed eager to leave, so I let it go. But what could this mean?

Lee Yeon-woo turned to the staff members, but they only shook their heads—they had no idea either. This time, he looked toward Coco. The monster cat offered no response, merely staring at the Slime.

Ah, wait.

“Coco, stop.”
“No.”
“Tsk.”

Lee Yeon-woo lifted Coco into his arms, her pupils dilated and her hindquarters wriggling.

“Room 14’s friend is not your prey.”
“No.”
“Mm, that won’t do.”

Some things simply couldn’t be allowed, no matter how stubborn one was.

‘So she’s not just a cat in appearance.’

With her eyes wide and her hindquarters twitching, she was the very picture of a cat on the verge of a hunt. And cats dilate their pupils when excited, after all.

“….”

Coco’s pupils were perpetually dilated, regardless of the season.

“….”
“Pardon?”

I held Coco’s gaze for a moment.

Whenever I met those black eyes, a certain primal instinct would surge within me—one I had to forcibly suppress with reason. This was the NPC I had observed through a screen for twenty-six years.

One who treated people as playthings,
who lied as naturally as breathing,
who was always so shallow….

‘―we’re friends, aren’t we¿’

A grotesque voice suddenly brushed past my ear.

“? Hello?”
“…No.”

I offered a faint smile and added,

“It’s nothing.”

I decided to set that aside for now.

I hoisted Coco onto my shoulder and glanced at the Slime. The crumpled Slime carefully blinked its eyes. It seemed to want something.

“If there’s anything you wish for, I’ll be happy to help.”
“….”
“Is there anything you need?”

Then.

“…?”

The Slime began to quiver strangely. I and the Staff Members exchanged glances, wondering what on earth it was doing.

Lee Yeon-woo was the first to understand its intent.

“Oh.”

It was sucking up the blood.

‘Or rather, not eating so much as…’

…absorbing it into itself.

‘It’s similar to what I did. Did it learn while inside me?’

With each gulping motion, the blood on the floor steadily diminished. The floor was soon spotless. When the movement ceased, I extended my hand again, and the Slime carefully climbed onto it.

“…?! Wait…!”

Then it scurried up my arm in an instant and burrowed directly into my ear.

“Ugh…!”
“?! No! No! No!”
“The sensation is really….”

It was different from pain. I furrowed my brow helplessly. The vivid sensation of the blood mass squirming through the narrow ear canal, spreading through my veins and coursing throughout my entire body.

And gradually, my expression softened. Or rather, I let it.

“….”

At the strange pressure and ticklish sensation, I touched my ear and let out a small chuckle.

“…The sensation is truly peculiar.”

It seemed to harbor no malicious intent.

As the blood mass returned into my body, that emotion was vividly shared. The terror of being swept up by a typhoon while in hibernation, and the blind relief of returning to the safe “home.”

“Since we’ve now avoided the risk of fainting from anemia, it would be best to leave things as they are for the time being.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”

That was the feeling I got.

‘I was worried it might make me feel trapped somewhere again, but with a reaction like this… it’s probably best to leave things as they are for now.’

It seemed the creature had come to recognize my interior as a safe place.

“If we communicate well, we might even receive assistance until I master the blood-drinking technique. Whether that moves us closer to or further from human dignity is ambiguous… but at least it won’t be as unpleasant.”
“Yes!”
“So our Cat teacher’s mood has finally improved, I see.”

Normally it treated me like a parasite, but now it seemed willing to exercise some patience once it learned I could be useful.

“….”

Wretched creature.

‘The resemblance is uncanny, actually.’
“No?”
“Well, the way it’s all gelatinous and those perfectly round eyes especially….”
“No?”
“Is it really worth disliking this much?”

It was a mystery why it showed such generosity toward guest monsters while being so stingy with the one inside the Hotel.

That was when it happened.

“Ah.”

The Hall Staff who had been guarding the door approached and bowed respectfully.

“….”
“I see.”

I straightened my disheveled clothes and nodded.

“I’ll head there right away.”

The Tasteless Guest had finished their meal.

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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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