Welcome to the Goblin Hotel - Chapter 1

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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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Episode 1
It was a day unlike any other.
A day when the Ghosts drifting around me barely registered as a distraction.
At least, not until they reached for my daughter, Song-i.
“…Ugh.”
Song-i’s sixth birthday.
Thud—
She’d been blowing out the candles when her eyes rolled back and she crumpled to the floor.
Splat!
The heavy Strawberry Cake, laden with berries, tumbled down with her.
“Song-i!”
Smeared in whipped cream, she convulsed, her body wracking with spasms.
My hands trembled as I shouted at my wife, who stood frozen, helpless.
“Get yourself together and call 119 now!”
“I… yes, okay.”
Even as I spoke, I knew no hospital visit would fix this.
Translucent shapes were slipping in and out of Song-i’s body.
The things I’d spent years refusing to acknowledge.
Ghosts.
Malevolent Spirits.
Souls.
Things that had died but never departed.
I had no idea how to stop them.
Wasn’t it enough that they’d tormented me? Did they have to take Song-i too?
‘Please, not Song-i. Not her.’
Then, a memory surfaced—sudden and sharp.
A small pouch my mother had pressed into my hands when I was young, when those things would hunt me.
Before the Numpsgut ritual, I’d carried it like a lifeline.
‘That’s it. That could work.’
I bolted toward the storage boxes and began hurling them aside frantically.
Crash! Bang!
“Woo Jin! What are you doing!?”
My wife looked at me as if I’d lost my mind, but I didn’t care.
Then.
A blue silk pouch embroidered with a golden dokkaebi caught my eye.
“Found it!”
I grabbed the pouch and ran back, pressing it firmly into Song-i’s palm.
And I prayed—silently, desperately.
‘Please, please, please, please…’
Was it working?
Soon after, Song-i’s eyes cleared.
“Dad? Mom?”
“That’s right, Song-i! Look at Mom. Does anything hurt? Tell us?”
My wife wiped the whipped cream from Song-i’s skin, checking for injuries.
I sank to the floor.
The Ghosts that had been moving through Song-i’s body were gone.
So we were safe now.
‘As long as I have that pouch…’
We would be fine.
Or so I thought.
Pssst.
A corner of the pouch frayed—as if to remind me I’d need to find another solution soon.
Over the next few days.
I combed through my late parents’ journals and photograph albums, page by page.
Objects left behind by parents who’d passed before I’d even reached adulthood.
Inside them, I found an entry in my father’s handwriting.
Woo Jin’s episodes of Possession are increasing.
Went to see Great Aunt and obtained a Dokkaebi Pouch imbued with Blessing. She promised to research other methods.
She said she would look into other solutions.
‘Possession… Blessing… This is it.’
But there was a problem.
“Great Aunt…?”
I closed my eyes and rifled slowly through my memory, but I found no trace of such a person.
Where she might be, whether she was even still alive—none of it was clear.
Still,
“I have to find her.”
***
Weeks passed.
Great Aunt’s whereabouts remained unfindable, and Song-i’s symptoms grew more pronounced by the day.
My wife’s hands trembled.
“She’s staring at empty air again today and talking to herself. Do something…!”
“I’m working on finding a way.”
“Working on what? It’s been weeks already!”
She snapped at me, her voice sharp as a blade.
“You think I don’t know? I see it too—you standing there staring at nothing with that hollow look. I’ve seen it all.”
……
So she knew.
My limbs went cold.
“This is because of you, isn’t it? She’s like this because of you.”
I reached out to comfort her, my voice unsteady.
“I’ll fix it soon. Just wait a little longer.”
“Can this even be fixed? The kindergarten called today. They said she keeps making strange sounds.”
“I’m looking for someone who can help. It’ll be resolved soon—”
She covered her face and wept.
“I… I’m so frightened. I can’t bear to turn off the lights at night, and every time she stares into empty space and speaks, my skin crawls.”
“Just wait a little longer. I’ll make it right.”
‘She’s afraid of her own daughter…’
“It’ll get better soon.”
I stepped forward to soothe her, but she recoiled, her face drained of color.
Then she bowed her head, still weeping.
“No. I can’t take this anymore. I’m too frightened.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m sorry. Please… get me out of this house.”
“Are you abandoning me and Song-i?”
“I feel like I’m dying of fear! I can’t do this anymore!”
……
“I can’t endure it.”
Her words pierced me like a dagger.
My chest went numb.
***
A dark night.
I lit every corner of the house, chasing away the shadows.
I knew it was futile, but there was nothing else I could do.
“Song-i, the light’s too bright. Put this blindfold on and sleep.”
Song-i gave a small nod, and I tied the blindfold over her eyes.
Pat-pat—
I tapped her chest gently.
When I heard her soft snoring, the strength drained from my hand.
-You. You saw me earlier, didn’t you?
-Let us use your body.
-Just for a moment.
-Which one of you will lend it?
-Just a moment, we said.
-Lend it, lend it, lend it, lend it.
-Or… should we just take it?
-Let’s take it. Taking it will work.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Voices whispered at my ear.
My eyes snapped open.
Song-i was still asleep.
‘How many of them are there?’
A cold air swept over me, as if my hair were standing on end.
“Haah—”
White breath clouded from my lips with the shallow exhalation.
-You awake?
-You’ll lend it to us, right?
Skin tinged with a sickly blue luminescence.
Eyes locked with mine—pupils pure white, devoid of iris or pupil.
I spoke toward the ghost.
“No. Get out.”
-Growling, are we?
-Like a scared puppy. Kee-kee-kee.
-Really? You’re frightened?
Ice-cold fingers clamped around my wrist.
My arm wouldn’t move.
Song-i was right beside me.
I had to protect her.
Not my daughter. Anyone but her.
I flexed my fingers, coaxing my rigid body to move bit by bit.
-Hush now, hush now, hush now.
-Is the little one still sleeping?
‘Stay away from my daughter!’
“Get out of here. Now!”
I forced strength into my arm.
As I wrenched it free, the ghosts scattered.
-Huh? It broke free?
-How did it break free?
-Let’s come back tomorrow. Kee-kee-kee-kee. Think it’ll break free then too?
The Dokkaebi Pouch I’d tucked into Song-i’s pocket had crumbled nearly to dust—only the creature’s face remained.
‘There’s almost nothing left now.’
***
After searching everywhere, I finally found a shaman with a reputation for genuine power.
I pushed open the creaking door and stepped into the Shrine.
In an instant, a thick wave of incense smoke struck my nose.
The acrid smell made my head throb.
Before I’d even settled into my seat, the shaman spoke.
“Tch! It won’t work. It’s too late.”
I hurried forward and dropped to my knees before her.
“Too late? But you haven’t even heard—”
“Hearing won’t change anything. You came here for the Numpsgut ritual, didn’t you?”
The shaman grabbed a handful of rice and scattered it across the table.
Whisper-whisper-whisper—
The grains tumbled and rolled across the surface.
The shaman pointed at individual grains with her finger as she spoke.
“Your daughter has Spirit Vision opened too?”
“Yes. I’m fine—but my child, I beg you, there must be some way?”
That’s true. I’m an adult now; even if I see ghosts, I can pretend not to and get by.
But Song-i is only six years old.
The shaman unfolded her fan.
With each sweep, wind stirred and ran cold down my spine.
Snap!
She folded the fan closed and pointed its end directly at my eyes.
“Someone’s handiwork. Pressed down quite deep and thorough.”
She spoke in a murmuring tone.
“But even so, it cracked. It’s too late. The bloodline bearing Spirit Vision runs close—she’s been affected by that connection, and that’s what caused the break. The seal was doomed from the start.”
The shaman swept the scattered rice aside with her hand and tossed down a collection of old coins.
“Your child’s Spirit Vision can’t be sealed with the Numpsgut ritual. What was sealed generations ago has now shattered—there’s no stopping it.”
I pressed my palms together, begging.
“Please, there must be something. Anything. I’ll bear it all myself. Just spare my child, I’m begging you—!”
The shaman opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, her lips moving silently.
I pulled a thick envelope from my bag and held it out to the Shaman.
“Here—I’ve prepared the offering generously. Please… find a way to help us.”
The Shaman glanced at the envelope and then spoke.
“Can you do anything?”
“Yes, anything. Whatever it takes.”
After a moment’s consideration, the Shaman continued.
“Then go to the Dokkaebi Ground.”
In that instant.
The golden face of the dokkaebi embossed on the blue pouch flashed before my eyes.
“What is the Dokkaebi Ground?”
“It’s where a dokkaebi has claimed its territory. Malevolent spirits can’t so much as approach it. There, even if your Spirit Vision opens, you’ll manage.”
A place where malevolent spirits couldn’t reach.
It was exactly what we needed, those of us cursed with Spirit Vision.
“Where is the Dokkaebi Ground located?”
The Shaman counted on her fingers and answered.
“You’ll have reason to enter it soon enough. Pack what you need beforehand.”
It sounded like grasping at clouds, but the promise that there was some way forward felt like clutching at straws—and in that moment, even straws were precious.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
I turned to leave after my bows, but the Shaman added one more thing.
“You’ll hear from me within four days. Don’t refuse—accept it. That’s the only path for you and your daughter to survive.”
***
The kindergarten had refused to let Song-i enroll.
A child who could see ghosts.
The teachers could hardly welcome that.
I’d taken parental leave and kept Song-i at home, but…
I had no idea how we’d navigate the days ahead.
“Dad, isn’t Mom coming anymore?”
“No, she will. Mom’s just very busy with—”
Just then, Song-i suddenly pointed her finger toward the crosswalk.
On the crosswalk.
A child limped across the intersection, blood streaming down her leg.
When the light turned green, she crossed; when the signal changed, she crossed back the other way.
All day long, she repeated the same crossing over and over.
“Because I can see things like that, Mom gets scared and can’t come, right?”
“…!”
Song-i’s words knocked the breath from me.
‘…She knew all along.’
“Dad, am I a bad child because I can see these things?”
“No. You haven’t done anything wrong, Song-i.”
‘It’s all because of me.’
Because I’m someone who sees ghosts.
My daughter has become this way because of me.
I’m sorry, Song-i.
Dad is sorry.
I pulled Song-i close, cradling her head as her eyes glistened with tears.
“…Song-i, aren’t you afraid of those things?”
“That one isn’t scary. But sometimes I see scary-looking men too….”
Though she tried to sound composed, her small shoulders trembled.
“Dad will protect our Song-i. Don’t worry.”
As I stroked her back, the trembling gradually subsided.
Then.
Buzz—
My phone vibrated.
A call from an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Is this Woo Jin Kim?”
“Yes, speaking.”
“Ah, this is Choi Eun Seok, an attorney at Chilseong Law Firm.”
A lawyer?
I’d signed the divorce papers just as my wife wanted.
I’d agreed to give up the property settlement in exchange for custody of Song-i.
Had my mind changed now?
While all manner of thoughts scattered through his head, the other party added to their explanation.
「 We’ve contacted you because real estate has been inherited under the name Woo Jin. 」
“Inherited, you say?”
「 It’s real estate left behind by your Great Aunt, Kim Mal Sook. 」
‘Ah… She’s already passed away.’
“You’re certain it was left to me?”
She must have had family…
Why me?
「 I’ll explain the details when we meet in person. 」
Today was the fourth day the Shaman had spoken of.
Inheriting the Dokkaebi Hotel
Author
: Why Not Surprised
Date of Creation
: August 25, 2026
Publisher
: Aces Media Co., Ltd.
Editor
: Aces Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work has been published by Aces Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from our company and the author.
This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized republication or reproduction may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260730113

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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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