Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 6

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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 6.

Every living creature reads and responds to the world in its own way.

“….”

That was the presence of “reason” I had felt as a child.

Perhaps it was a matter of intelligence. Maybe it was a question of brain size or capacity. We cannot fully understand them. But there are definitely rules.

Rules between individuals, rules of reaction. They existed somewhere between language and non-language. No different from humans at all.

“Yeon-woo.”

A frog with its belly splayed wide open.

Lying still.
Unable to move.

“You finished already?”
“…Yes, teacher.”
“As expected, you have such dexterous hands. You’ll make an excellent doctor.”
“I’m not sure.”
“That’s right, dreams are built slowly.”
“Yes.”
“But your talent is truly remarkable.”
“….”
“I hope you won’t waste such talent.”

Talent.

Dissecting a frog while it was still alive?

‘Is that remarkable?’

Dissecting living flesh for the anthropocentric benefit called experience. That such an act could be called a talent.

I found it somewhat strange.

‘But perhaps it is a realm I cannot yet comprehend, being so young.’

The adults said he was intelligent, a genius with diverse talents. Such praise was not unpleasant. The better they evaluated me, the greater the benefits I could obtain.

Yet gazing upon the frog with its beating heart laid bare, I thought.

“….”

I killed a person today.

One whom humans had defined as a ‘frog.’

A person no larger than my palm—the one whose eyes had met mine yesterday across the small Aquarium.

* * *

The morning of the 180th day was decidedly unpleasant.

“….”
“H-hello….”
“….”
“…y-you…!”
“Now that is a reaction I have not witnessed before.”

Coco curled into a ball like a cat confronted with a cucumber.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say she had simply become a round lump. Like a ‘frightened slime’ of sorts. Her form was far too amorphous to be called feline—rather absurdly misshapen.

Still seated on the bed, I lifted Coco up.

“H-hello…! Hello… hello….”
“….”
“…to you….”

Her body shrank in proportion to the volume of her voice.

Something black and squishy—like a cushion—fidgeted nervously, bobbing its head as it gauged my mood. I could easily imagine how haggard my appearance must have been to warrant such a reaction.

“I had a terrible dream.”
“Hello.”
“Well, there’s no reason it couldn’t be a pleasant greeting….”

The lukewarm warmth against my palm gradually pushed away the unpleasant aftertaste lingering in my mind.

“….”

My eyes met my reflection in the mirror of the Lodging.

“…Ah.”

A ferocious expression stared back at me.

“I can’t say I’m pleased with this.”
“No, sir.”
“A dull face.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

“It would be difficult to make a favorable impression with a face like this.”

I closed my eyes and let the sharp tension in my nerves settle. Having pored over torture records until dawn, this shameful state was an inevitable consequence.

Once I accepted that, my expression naturally softened.

“…It’s rather fascinating that dark circles can form on this body….”

It was the price of pursuing “additional study” that the system had never intended. Research beyond the game’s parameters invariably accumulated fatigue. Even for a body that required no sleep, it was a tedious burden.

As a result, I simply had to rest my eyes, if only for my own peace of mind.

“Do you think this minor condition would recover if I died and were resurrected? What are your thoughts?”
“No, sir.”
“I’m not so extreme as to choose suicide merely over a poor complexion. Using resurrection as a painkiller leaves too bitter an aftertaste.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Right… My body is fine, but my mood has taken on a peculiar darkness.”

A body that has no need to eat, no need to bathe, no need to sleep.

Perhaps because this setting was reflected in the system, the Manager’s Quarters didn’t even have a bathroom. Yet whenever I forced my eyes shut and woke up, my hair would become disheveled at random intervals.

I gazed into the mirror and tidied my tousled appearance into neat order.

“Hello?”

Probably meaning ‘Do you need this?’

“…Thank you.”

Coco arrived at just the right moment, carrying a necktie in her mouth.

Speaking “hello” while holding a necktie between her teeth—where on earth was such a function even implemented? Academic curiosity stirred within me, but I couldn’t very well dissect her to find out.

‘Being alone like this, I’m only coming up with terrible jokes. I should reflect on myself.’

My appearance quickly returned to its proper state. Neat as always, with not a hair out of place.

“….”

…Yet still, a tedious face stared back.

“To entrust the duties of general manager to someone like this—the Hotel’s personnel system truly has no sense.”
“No.”
“It’s fortunate that the guests are strong-hearted enough not to be wounded by such a face. In an ordinary service position, I would have been fired long ago. I’m not the sort of person suited for work as courteous as hospitality.”
“No.”
“Coco, you have a tendency to see me too favorably.”
“No.”
“…Well….”

The face of a murderer.

“….”

I put on my glasses.
Looking in the mirror once more.

I laughed.

“That’s better now.”

My usual composure had returned without a trace of disturbance.

“Wouldn’t you agree?”
“No.”
“Haha, what a shame.”

* * *

Aside from the fact that I had dreamed for the first time in ages, it was an unremarkable day.

I moved to the Front Desk and received the backlog of guests while sleeping. I made rounds throughout the Hotel to check on the few lodgers, saw off those who wished to check out, and then summoned staff to prepare the Guest Rooms.

“I do miss the Auto function.”
“No.”
“I truly long for it desperately.”
“No.”
“I’m aware it’s a feature that unlocks only after the tutorial ends. You don’t need to remind me.”

Yet I still had no intention of receiving human guests. I couldn’t even grasp what stance to take if actual people arrived. For I was neither human nor NPC.

Of course, it wasn’t a day without any progress.

“Communication remains inadequate, but I judge that through consistent response patterns and repetitive learning, the foundation for a trusting relationship is being established. What do you think?”
“….”
“Why no response?”
“Yes… no… yes… hello….”
“I warned you not to use your clumsiness with human language as a shield, you wretched cat.”

I was in the process of building rapport with the monsters within the Hotel. It might have been mere self-delusion, but that was how it felt.

‘Is it because of the playstyle I chose?’

This Hotel could be managed in various ways. Among them, my preferred approach was the non-lethal route. Rather than antagonizing the monsters, I would recruit them as allies through management and contracts.

The method was simple: provide optimized service to each guest. I struggled at first, but as a user with 26 years of experience, how could I not know the strategy?

‘Even if the setting frames it as closer to a phenomenon than a living creature, there’s nothing inherently wrong with attempting to define an unknown entity. With luck, I might even elevate this mere phenomenon to the status of a living being and bring it within the bounds of my understanding.’

A typical researcher’s mindset.

“For now, we remain distant with one another… but there is ample opportunity to grow familiar, so improvement will come in time. It’s simply a matter of neither of us being accustomed to the other’s ways yet.”
“Yes.”
“It’s not as though we’re dealing with common animals like dogs or cats, where data abounds. It’s only natural that adaptation requires time.”
“Yes.”

When it was merely a graphical asset in a game, I could dismiss it with a thought—’so that’s the character type’—and move on. But now, this is undeniable reality. Entities quasi-equivalent to living beings.

I couldn’t treat them as I would mere game mechanics to exploit. Fortunately, my accumulated learning had proven useful.

“….”

To think that studying such worthless scribbles—material undeserving even the title of ‘book’—would become practically invaluable. My pride suffered considerably, both as an ordinary citizen and as a researcher.

‘These dark circles that have appeared recently might stem from blood deficiency during my research….’

After all, the very foundation of this Hotel originated from that repugnant history.

“It’s fortunate that there remains more to study.”
“Yes.”
“Yet sometimes I find myself forgetting why I was so wary of this knowledge in the first place. Those fleeting moments are quite unsettling.”

Which brings me to this point.

“If the sacrifice or conduit were not another person, but myself… wouldn’t that be a reasonably logical conclusion as well?”
“No.”

The cat let out a sharp, piercing cry.

“No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.”

By now, I had grown remarkably resilient even to such sudden outbursts.

“That’s enough.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes.”

Coco lacked a deep understanding of humanity, but she was a good friend who would listen attentively whenever asked politely for help. Though it was a situation where I had no choice but to become friends with her by force.

“….”

…It didn’t matter much anyway.

“Shall we discuss this topic today?”
“Yes.”
“Good, please make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes.”
“Verifying the results of a specific project is an extremely rigorous process. The same applies to assessing the potential harm such results could pose to the human body. The most certain method would be to test it directly on human subjects, but—”
“No.”
“Unfortunately, budgetary constraints and ethical barriers tend to block the way.”
“Yes.”
“Even if we pivot to animal testing, the difficulties persist. Pigs in particular have an astronomical per-unit cost. Without a major national project backing it, such budgets rarely get approved. But in such situations, we can employ a remarkably efficient shift in perspective.”
“Yes.”
“Offering one’s own body as an experimental subject isn’t illegal, at least.”
“No.”
“Ah, a fair point. Of course, there are cases where legal complications are difficult to avoid… but if we can pass IRB review, it becomes a perfectly legitimate experiment. As long as we obtain voluntary consent forms, minimize risks, and meet all the requisite conditions.”

Lee Yeon-woo sank deeper into the sofa. A relaxed composure spread across my previously expressionless face. It was one of the few pleasant conversations in my monotonous isolated life.

“By the way, I was a regular at IRB reviews.”

It was less pride than confidence in verified knowledge.

“The review standards have become more stringent with each passing year, but in any case, it was never illegal.”
“Yes.”
“In that sense, even if the technology has impure origins, if I myself am the one bearing the cost… wouldn’t I be somewhat freed from ethical responsibility?”
“Yes.”
“You mean no?”
“Yes.”
“How unfortunate. I thought it was quite a plausible argument.”

His lips curved into a crooked smile.

“In the first place, did this Hotel ask for my consent before legally kidnapping me?”
“No….”
“Then I believe it’s entirely reasonable for me to voluntarily assume risks within these walls. Above all, the prospect of achieving efficiency that nearly disregards the law of conservation is quite appealing.”
“Yes, no, yes….”
“I’m not entirely sure which parts you wish to refute and which you wish to affirm.”
“Yes.”
“I see.”

In any case, this was the moment I understood why the Fanatics had been so obsessed with such terrible knowledge.

This repugnant knowledge produced results far exceeding what was invested. It pretended to respect the law of conservation while substituting human emotion and soul for the necessary resources.

A formula corresponding to this certainly existed, but I was still in the learning phase.

“….”

I glanced at Coco, gauging the time.

A languid cat.
Rather adorable, actually.

“Shall we head up soon?”
“Yes!”
“Very well.”

It was just as I was returning to the Manager’s Quarters to conclude the day.

“….”
“…Hello?”

I immediately understood what Coco’s gaze—looking up at me—was signifying.

Just as this cat was the Hotel itself, I too was a being bound to this space. I was also its owner and general manager. Any variables arising within the Hotel, my instincts detected first.

My senses rippled. A sticky, ominous sense of otherness. The presence of a Guest.

But….

“―Ha,”

…This was different from before.

“I must be losing my mind.”

That was definitely a human guest.

Who gave the order?

* * *

Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

A black sedan jolted along a rain-soaked road, its chassis shuddering violently each time the wheels struck a deep pothole.

“Ugh, look at this road—it’s a complete mess.”
“After we finish this survey, you should really take it to an auto shop.”
“It’s like riding an amusement park ride. My backside is killing me. What is this, some kind of disco dance?”
“It’s an unpaved road, so there’s not much we can do about it.”
“You’re always so unfazed about everything, aren’t you?”

The woman gripping the steering wheel grumbled deliberately, her eyes fixed ahead betraying deep exhaustion and weariness.

It was a downpour common during monsoon season.

“At this rate, I’m not sure the film crew will be able to move properly.”
“I believe that’s something the director should consider.”
“So you don’t want to worry about it together? Hong, you’re really heartless. We’ve known each other for so long. Your affection has cooled, hasn’t it?”
“Sigh….”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

Director Lee Sun-hae laughed.

“Still, with all these mountains around, the atmosphere is really something special. The air is so clean too. I wasn’t entirely opposed to heading to Gangwon Province if needed, but Gapyeong seems like it’ll work just fine. Since we’re handling it within Gyeonggi Province, it’ll be less of a burden on the actors.”
“It’s certainly better than Gangwon Province, but Gapyeong isn’t exactly close either. The terrain isn’t as rugged as we’d hoped. If we’d chosen Gangwon, we wouldn’t have had to venture this deep into the mountains.”
“Oh come on, are you still pouting? This is perfect—eerie and atmospheric. Even if several people died on set, I wouldn’t complain.”
“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, I just….”
“I understand Hong’s ambitions, but we can’t treat the actors like tools just because we want something. Why are you two being like this?”
“…It’s only natural for an original author to be ambitious.”

The two were a film director and a screenwriter. They were here for a pre-production location scout.

Hong had originally insisted on Gangwon Province as the filming location. Though the story’s setting was technically in Gyeonggi Province, he’d anticipated that Gangwon would have more high-quality candidates to choose from.

“No, honestly. It’s ambition, sure, but… you know how it is.”
“Ah, I understand. Cha Do-hyun has always been that way.”
“I know it’s not good to speak ill of actors, but Cha is really difficult to manage. The fact that we even chose Gapyeong was because of his stubbornness.”
“He’s famous enough to pull that kind of demand. Besides, there’s no other actor quite like Cha Do-hyun for this male lead role. The side with less leverage has to give in.”
“It’s only because Han Ye-seol agreed to adjust her schedule to his that we’re managing. Honestly, I’m still displeased about it.”

Hong Kyung-yeon, the screenwriter, let out a sigh.

“I apologize for complaining so much when you’re even driving us.”
“Don’t be like that—it’s not like we won’t see each other again. You’re just tired, that’s all. When your body’s worn out, you get irritable and moody for no reason.”
“…Thank you.”

The man crossed his arms and leaned back against the seat.

“It’s taking longer than expected. Are we still far?”
“Why, are you regretting not sending someone else?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”

A pre-production location scout was always crucial.

The two, who’d worked as a pair for years, always operated this way. They’d leave basic research to the staff and personally scout locations to verify the sites. It was an essential step in matching the visual aesthetic.

Of course, two members of the filming crew were accompanying them on this scout as well.

“Are you doing okay in the back? Any motion sickness?”
“Yes… I took medication beforehand, so I’m fine.”
“Thank you for coming all this way with us.”
“Oh, this is our job anyway.”

Without a filming crew, it’s difficult to provide an accurate on-site estimate. Still, considering the treacherous terrain and dense vegetation, I assembled the team with only the most essential personnel.

The more people we bring into the mountains, the more exhausting the expedition becomes.

“Um, but….”
“Hmm?”
“It seems like it’s getting dark rather quickly.”

On a midsummer day when torrential rain had swallowed the entire world.

“Ah, you’re right.”

The downpour was so heavy that I couldn’t even see the path ahead.

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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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