Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual - Chapter 80

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 80.

A thin, threadbare whisper.

A sound lingered at the edge of his hearing.

Formless resonance, directionless acoustics. Like an abandoned piano melody played by a phantom, the tune caressed and toyed with his ear.

“…sanctus… sanctus… sanctum… non est….”

Neither too swift nor too slow.

“noli tangere… noli… noli… no….”

Sounds always reached his ears. Not spoken by anyone, yet unmistakably voiced by someone—such were these utterances.

Perhaps hymns that once praised the divine.

“in luce, non remanet….”

Corrupted language,
Prayers bereft of their master,
Words reduced to skeleton.

“hymnus fractus….”

It sounded like a confession of love, yet also like words longed to be spoken but never were. It resembled a scream never uttered. Not a cry, but a vibration that resonated sharply around his eardrums.

“oratio inanes….”
“verba sine fides….”
“noli tangere….”

He rolled his eyes upward, gazing at the light.

“miserere….”

Perhaps I see beyond the light.

“…illumina mortuos….”

These pale ears are always open.

Within them, thousands of syllables overlap, and inside dwell hymns and curses, love and death, all the things left unspoken. And so the young man smiled softly.

“…Ah.”

Evidence that someone still lived crystallized in his ears. Joy was drawing near.

“Lucy.”
“….”
“It’s almost time to head to the recording studio. Are you ready?”
“….”
“…Yes.”

The Manager who approached him murmured while looking at Lucy.

“You seem to be in a good mood today.”
“Yes.”

Lucy’s slate-gray eyes curved with laughter.

“I feel good.”

I feel good.

He closed his eyes beneath the bright lights. Not through eyes, but through ears, he saw. And very faintly, a name before it took form echoed somewhere deep within his mind.

“….”

Rawi.

“….”

Seme.

It wasn’t words—it was sound. Not lyrics, but syllables. Not a name, but pitch itself.

He said nothing. Yet somewhere distant, ‘someone’s speech began to slow in an eerie way’. Rawi called his friend’s name twice, and Seme walked on ‘without hearing his own footsteps’.

“Miserere….”

They didn’t yet know. Harmony had already settled into their ears.

“…Illumina mortuos.”

He ceased his whisper.

The air fell silent, and eyes of slate-gray opened as if walking upon that silence. He smiled quietly.

“Mm….”
“Are you done thinking?”
“Yes.”
“How unusual—answering so promptly.”
“I’m pleased.”

Genuinely pleased.

“…Did you have a pleasant dream?”
“…Hehe….”

Whether he was dodging the question with a laugh, or whether the laughter itself was the answer, remained unclear.

Lucy rose from his seat. The Manager followed as if accustomed to it, and turned off the lights in his singer’s residence. His taciturn artist simply proceeded forward with measured, priestly steps.

Watching that retreating figure, the Manager felt a surge of satisfaction.

“Even days like this come around.”

In any case, with his singer in such good spirits, it promised to be a pleasant day ahead for him as well.

* * *

[Codex]
[Monster Guest]
[Name]

[Songka Without a Tongue]

An incarnation of sacrilege wearing human form.

A demon that rings alone, retaining only the structure that once praised divinity—he sings with his mouth sealed shut, and sees the world through his ears.

His song is composed of a structure older than language itself, gradually dismantling the inner world of those who hear it. He transforms every sentence you speak into melody, manipulates memory, and renders it void.

He appears when you have made six or more ‘noble choices,’ infecting all that surrounds him. He simply exists, and his song merely resonates. There is no way to stop him.

Only by refusing to harmonize with his song. And only through ‘non-response’—a refusal to comprehend him—can you find your sole defense when he arrives as a guest.

So that your language does not become his notes,
So that your memory does not become his score.

Be warned.

“….”

※Warning※

If you contract with him six times or more, he will not forget you,

“Embrace your new friend.”

Lucy sang.

* * *

Flicker—

“….”

Lee Yeon-woo’s eyes opened.

‘…Did I fall asleep for a moment?’

No, it would be more accurate to say I had lost consciousness.

Coco lay upon my body, with Room 14 perched on top of her. I reached out and kneaded Coco’s soft, plump cheeks. As if she had been waiting for this, Coco purred and nuzzled her head against my chest.

I gently patted Coco’s head and surveyed my surroundings.

“…This place….”

Somewhat unexpectedly, my voice emerged smoothly.

“Hmm, what about the previous manager who was here?”
“Yes.”
“Did they disappear while I was synchronizing?”
“Yes!”
“That’s different from the Game.”

Then Room 14 cautiously approached. Climbing onto my shoulder, she carefully tapped my ear.

“What… ah.”

I nodded.

“Come inside.”
“…? No!!”

Startled by Coco’s objection, Room 14 hastily retreated back inside through my ear. It was still an odd sensation, but not nearly as disturbingly unsettling as before.

I smoothed the side of my ear, then slowly lowered my hand to the nape of my neck.

“….”

Scratch.
I clawed at my skin.

Leaving behind inflamed marks, I rose calmly from my position.

“The synchronization has been completed successfully.”
“Mm.”
“I do hope you won’t torment Room 14 too much, Coco.”
“Yes.”
“Well then….”
“….”
“…Should I take a look?”

Perhaps it was because I had just synchronized with the Hotel. My senses felt strangely dulled—or rather, everything felt numb and detached.

It was as though my entire body and mind had been converted into data.

‘This must be how game characters feel.’

The distinction between Lee Yeon-woo as a character and Lee Yeon-woo as a person felt far more pronounced than before. I still couldn’t quite grasp it, but perhaps I could find a use for this later.

‘But for now….’
“Yes.”
“Yes.”

The accumulated exhaustion was overwhelming.

‘I should rest for a moment.’

Of course, that would be difficult here.

I hoisted Coco onto my shoulder and approached the door. The heavy door swung open at my will, and beyond it, the corridor lay silent.

“….”

Not a trace of blood stained the floor.

“…Do you know where the Tasteless Guest has gone?”
“Yes.”
“Still within the Hotel?”
“Yes.”

That was good news.

“I need to create a position.”

As the structure naturally came to mind, I walked down the corridor. I needed to verify whether the situation on the 14th Floor had truly changed as it would in the Game.

“Ah.”

I nodded.

“They certainly don’t charge at me like they used to.”
“Yes.”

The twisted walls, the Watcher’s eyes, and the creaking movements of the monsters came into view. Yet they no longer lunged like hunting hounds.

They halted at the edge of my vision, their gazes lowered like servants observing their master from a respectful distance. It was clear their posture conveyed reverence and respect rather than fear.

“…It resembles the response of the Hotel Staff Members….”
“Yes!”
“I see.”

I understood.

The 14th Floor remained filled with flickering lights and the crackling noise of sparking wires. But the rhythm within had transformed. The entire corridor obeyed my breathing.

The blinking panels. The nodding cameras.

“….”

The silence of the space revealed that complete control had fallen into my hands.

“There’s no need to explore further.”
“Pardon?”
“The condition of the previous Manager doesn’t require immediate verification.”
“Yes.”
“Proper rest is important regardless of one’s duties.”

As I turned the corner of the corridor.

“Let’s return.”
“Yes.”

The Operator-Only Elevator came into view.

It was when I returned to my Lodging and sank into the plush comfort of the Bedroom.

* * *

“…?”

The Young Man rubbed his neck.

“….”
“Senior?”
“…No, wait….”

The Young Man glanced around for a moment before spotting his Junior.

“I was wondering if someone was watching us.”
“…If you’re saying that, then you mean it was just your imagination, right?”

If surveillance were truly in place, he wouldn’t speak of it so openly. At his Junior’s words, the Senior nodded.

“Guess it was just my imagination.”
“Even our Senior gets confused sometimes.”
“I’ll believe you weren’t being sarcastic.”
“Ouch. Do I really seem like that kind of guy?”
“A little….”
“….”

The Junior muttered to his Senior with a disgruntled expression.

“You say whatever’s on your mind, don’t you.”
“What else can you do but speak your mind and live?”

The Senior, shrugging with a slight smirk, examined the paper.

“Do you have a religion?”
“I’m an atheist through and through.”
“Me too.”

It was difficult to believe in and rely on God in a world like this. The senior swallowed such thoughts and continued reading the paper. The cipher was tangled haphazardly, but not hard to decipher.

“At least that’s fortunate.”
“What is, sir?”
“Our mission destination this time is the Cathedral.”
“There’s a Cathedral here?”
“No, to be precise….”

Whoosh!
He burned the paper.

“The Golden Cave.”

The senior turned to look at the junior.

“We have to go to the Golden Cave.”
“….”

The junior held back a sigh with a forced smile. His expression was deeply displeased.

“…That Dokkaebi’s lair, sir?”
“Something like that.”
“You’ll protect me, won’t you?”
“Well… I’ll do my best.”
“Ugh, how cold.”
“I think you’re colder than me.”

The junior asked while cleaning his gun.

“Is it a lower floor or a higher floor?”
“Don’t worry, it’s a higher floor.”
“Then let’s finish quickly and get back.”
“Still, I think it’s better to stay somewhat alert….”

Splash, splash—

“Let’s go, Rawi.”
“Yes, senior.”
“Call me Seme instead.”
“I’ll call you that once we get closer~”
“I’ll have to put in more effort then.”

The two of them advanced, treading through pools of blood.

* * *

Lee Yeon-woo awoke from sleep.

“…”
“Good morning?”
“Yes, I slept… well.”

A vivid emotion—distinct from what I had felt walking through the 14th Floor—surfaced across my face. It was unmistakably an expression of unease.

“…But why does my mood feel so unfamiliar?”

Then Coco tilted her head and asked.

“Good morning?”
“No, I didn’t have a nightmare. But it feels as though I did…”

It felt as though someone had seen me. Or perhaps I had seen someone else.

“It’s difficult to explain.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t understand the cause myself.”

[Manager Rank: Lv.764]
[External Surveillance Level: 4]

“…”
“Ah, I see.”

I had just realized it.

“Is some Monster Guest from outside the Hotel causing trouble?”

It already felt ominous.

‘My level went up again in the meantime.’

It wasn’t welcome news. With nothing in my possession, a level increase only meant more difficult events would unfold.

‘This ominous feeling right now is probably part of that.’

My instincts had developed to such a degree. At this point, I was beginning to doubt whether I could still call myself human. Lee Yeon-woo exhaled slowly, scratching at the discomfort and bewilderment clawing at my insides.

“….”

I raised my hand to assess my condition.

“…I’m fortunate to still be alive, aren’t I?”
“Pardon?”
“My apologies—I misspoke.”

There are things one should say and things one shouldn’t. According to the interface, synchronization would take roughly a day, and I had just spoken carelessly to Coco, who had waited nearly twenty-three hours for me.

‘Words still slip out so easily. I said I’d be careful, but…’

The aftermath of having my emotions consumed by the Tasteless Guest was hitting harder than expected.

“….”

After checking the interface, I rose from my seat.

“…Shall I finish the work then?”
“Pardon?”
“Yes.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m in my right mind.”

Who’s treating whom like they’ve lost it?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————