Welcome to the Goblin Hotel - Chapter 14

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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 14
Park followed my gaze to the drawer set deep in the corner.
“That one?”
“Yes.”
Park narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Why do you ask about that?”
“I feel something malevolent emanating from it.”
“Remarkable. You’ve got an unusual talent about you.”
Park rose from his seat and opened the drawer.
Creak—
The old wooden drawer shrieked loudly.
Inside lay a small wooden box, and after a moment’s hesitation, Park withdrew it.
“This contains a Hand Mirror. But it’s not something I can dispose of carelessly.”
“Why is that?”
Park let out a long breath.
“Everyone who possessed this has been cursed. It drifted from place to place until it reached me.”
“But you seem to be fine.”
“I never opened the box.”
“Why go to such lengths?”
“I told you—old objects carry wishes imprinted upon them. An object bearing a corrupted wish is always dangerous.”
The old man continued, stroking the box.
“I took this thing not to sell it, but to seal it away deep.”
“A seal, then.”
“Exactly.”
Black tendrils of spiritual energy writhed from the wooden box in Park’s hands.
I reached my hand toward the box.
The moment my fingertips brushed it.
【 An object imbued with a wish. 】
‘Could it be from the increase in my Spiritual Power?’
A notification appeared even outside the Hotel.
This was the first time it had happened.
Park pulled the box back, away from my reach.
“Be careful. Don’t open it under any circumstances.”
“I won’t open it. Just let me look for a moment.”
After a brief hesitation, Park nodded and handed me the wooden box.
The sluggish black aura wrapped around my hand.
【 Soul Insight 】
The world before my eyes darkened, then a different scene unfolded. This Soul Insight manifested in grayscale, like an old black-and-white film.
Still, I was grateful the ability had activated.
‘I’m glad I tried on a whim.’
# A young woman sat in a room, dressed in a fine traditional hanbok.
She held a small Hand Mirror in her hands.
‘She must be the mirror’s owner.’
The woman gazed into the mirror, her voice bright with anticipation.
“Soon I’ll be married to the young master.”
At those words, a glimmer of sorrow crossed the maidservant’s eyes.
The maid’s lips trembled several times before she finally spoke.
“Miss. The marriage has… fallen through.”
The woman’s hand went still.
The mirror slowly turned.
The woman’s hidden face came into view.
One side was pale and beautiful, but the skin on the other side was grotesquely scarred and red.
‘Burns?’
“…No. No! This can’t be!”
The woman covered her ears and shook her head violently.
# The scene shifted.
A man stood at a distance, averting his eyes from the woman as he spoke.
“We are no longer bound to each other. I ask that you cease all contact.”
Another woman stood beside him.
“I’m sorry. My parents arranged this marriage—I cannot refuse it.”
“You’re… my friend. How could you do this to me?”
“It’s not my fault.”
“…What?”
“That your face turned out that way. It’s not my fault.”
‘Ah… she was broken off because of her face.’
# Another scene.
A wedding procession passed beyond the courtyard wall.
Fluttering silk, laughter, the sound of drums.
The servants’ whispers could be heard.
“Everyone, mind your tongues!”
“Our young mistress, it’s such a pity. If only there hadn’t been that fire that day….”
“Hush! I told you to watch what you say!”
Inside the room.
The woman sat holding a hand mirror.
She lifted it, lowered it, then lifted it again.
She murmured to herself as she gazed into the mirror.
“Why… only me?”
Tears fell.
“Why must only I suffer like this?”
She swallowed her tears.
“…No one understands unless they’ve lived through it.”
The woman gripped the mirror so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“That’s right. No one understands unless they’ve lived through it. No one understands unless they’ve lived through it. Unless they’ve….”
And so the Soul Insight ended.
The interior of Cheongpa Seorim appeared before my eyes once more.
‘No one understands unless they’ve lived through it.’
The woman’s voice lingered in my ears.
The anguished desire of a woman consumed by pain was bound into that mirror.
It was a pitiful tale, certainly….
But that desire was turning into a curse.
‘How do I handle something like this?’
If it were a spirit, I could at least try talking to it.
Just then.
A notification appeared before me.
【 Burn away this desire? 】
‘Burn away the desire?’
I asked Park.
“By any chance, did the people who looked at this mirror suffer severe facial scarring?”
Park’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“How on earth did you know that?”
“The truth is, I can read the desires bound into objects.”
“Well, I’ll be. You had a gift like that in you?”
I was uneasy about having such a dangerous thing so close at hand in Park’s possession.
The business card Park had given me felt heavy in my pocket.
‘Since I’ve received something from him.’
I had to burn away this desire.
But how do I burn it away?
The moment I thought about burning away the desire.
My palm grew cold, and blue flame bloomed forth.
The blue fire that erupted in an instant consumed the dark energy.
【 The desire has been resolved. 】
【 Spiritual Power Points +100 】
With my Spiritual Power Points rising, had I become capable of doing things like this?
At this rate, could I even burn down spirits themselves?
I handed the box to Park and spoke.
“It won’t harm anyone else now.”
Park stared at me silently for a long moment, then took the box.
Without hesitation, he opened it and drew out the hand mirror.
“Heh heh… so this is what it looked like.”
Lost in thought as he gazed down at the mirror, Park then seated me back in my chair.
“Wait here a moment and have a seat.”
***
A short time later.
Park handed me a warm cup of tea and spoke.
“He should be here shortly.”
Park had contacted the man whose business card he’d given me and arranged a meeting directly.
“I could have called him myself.”
“I owe you a debt today, and I can’t rest easy without repaying it somehow. Besides, having me around won’t hurt your chances.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip of the tea, and a fragrant, slightly sweet taste lingered on my tongue.
“What kind of tea is this?”
“Mistletoe Tea. It’s good for your health, so drink it all.”
It was delicious.
I even liked the name—mistletoe had a certain charm to it.
‘I should pick some up on the way back.’
By the time the fragrant mistletoe tea reached the bottom of the cup.
Ding—
The door to Cheongpa Seorim opened, and an elderly man stepped inside.
Silver-streaked hair. An air of refined dignity. There was weight behind his gaze.
‘He’s no ordinary person.’
A younger man stood behind him like a folding screen.
Park rose from his seat.
“Welcome, Chairman.”
The elderly man called “Chairman” smiled at Park.
“Park. It’s been a while.”
From the atmosphere, he didn’t seem to be a neighborhood association chairman.
Could he be a conglomerate chairman?
A wealthy client willing to pay fair prices for my goods… a chaebol owner?
‘Park, I’m grateful.’
I silently exulted inside.
The Chairman’s gaze naturally shifted toward me.
“Is this the person you wanted to introduce?”
“Yes. He’s the one who brought that Daehan Empire Gold Coin last time. He’s no ordinary young man.”
Interest flickered in his eyes.
“Is that so? Your eye for talent has never been wrong.”
“You’ll soon sense what makes this man special, Chairman.”
The Chairman laughed heartily.
“Haha, if Park says so, I’d better listen.”
The Chairman extended his hand to me.
“I’m Jang Young-seok.”
“Kim Woo-jin.”
Chairman Jang was not a man of many words.
Holding the hairpin and studying it for a long moment, Chairman Jang finally spoke.
“It’s in excellent condition.”
Park beside him added his assessment.
“It’s from the middle period of Joseon.”
“What was your appraisal?”
“I valued it between three and five thousand.”
The Chairman nodded.
“That matches my thinking.”
Chairman Jang appeared to have considerable expertise in this field as well.
“I’ll take it at five thousand. In exchange, if you come across quality pieces in the future, bring them to me first.”
“Agreed.”
Chairman Jang and I concluded the transaction smoothly, without even haggling.
The secretary standing like a folding screen behind him immediately arranged the transfer.
A real conglomerate chairman, indeed.
Five thousand won—he spent it without blinking.
‘Then…?’
I took out the Heavenly Ginseng I had been planning to consign to the Ginseng Digger Association.
The more precious an item, the better the price you could get by dealing directly with someone wealthy.
“This is Heavenly Ginseng.”
The moment he opened the box, the stale-smelling space filled with the rich aroma of medicinal herbs.
“My goodness…!”
“My… my word…!”
Chairman Jang and Professor Park stared at the ginseng with expressions of pure wonder.
I added an explanation.
“It’s 106 years old. You’re welcome to have an expert examine it if you’d like.”
Chairman Jang, breathing in the ginseng’s fragrance, nodded slowly.
“It’s definitely Heavenly Ginseng. I’ve seen an 80-year-old specimen before. It was smaller than this, and the aroma was much fainter.”
He truly did have an excellent eye.
Now I understood why Professor Park had introduced me to him.
The chairman named his price.
“Three hundred twenty million won. Even if you put it up for auction, you’d have a hard time getting more than that.”
The secretary standing behind him stepped forward urgently.
“Chairman, wouldn’t it be wise to have a professional assessment first?”
“Secretary Kim. Don’t you trust my judgment?”
The secretary retreated a step.
“My apologies, Chairman.”
The chairman turned to me.
“Well? Will you sell at that price?”
The notification had shown an estimated value of three hundred fifty million.
If I had the Ginseng Digger Association appraise it and sold it at auction, I’d get that price.
But there would be substantial fees, and the whole process would be tedious.
“That works for me.”
And so I sold the ginseng that Sam-mi-ho had given me for three hundred twenty million won.
It was a good deal.
***
[Deposit: 50,000,000 won]
[Deposit: 320,000,000 won]
I’d earned three hundred seventy million won today.
Payment for treating Dokkaebi to buckwheat noodles and providing Sam-mi-ho with food and lodging.
‘The customer is king.’
I’d have to treat them even better from now on.
With this much cash padding my account, shouldn’t I spend generously today?
I headed straight to the butcher shop.
The butcher greeted me with a smile.
“Is there a particular cut you’re looking for?”
“Oh, cuts? Sirloin cap, short ribs, tenderloin, strip steak, fan-shaped— anyway, give me plenty of all the delicious cuts.”
“Plenty… you say?”
“About five kilos each. Slice half for grilling, and give me the other half in chunks.”
“I have both American and Australian. Which would you prefer?”
“Korean beef, of course.”
The butcher’s eyes went wide.
‘He won’t need cosmetic surgery after that.’
“And sir, if you have raw liver and whatever else, give me all of that too.”
Sam-mi-ho’s a fox, so she’d eat liver too, wouldn’t she?
I felt quite pleased with my own excellent sense.
Even spending this much money, I felt no anxiety whatsoever.
‘Feels solid.’
I was in the middle of the important work of loading heavy coolers into my car
when a ghost drifted close and started jabbering loudly.
— Where’re you going? Take me along too. Hehehehe.
I’d accumulated a lot of Spiritual Power.
Surely it wasn’t useless against ghosts…?
The ghost still clung close.
But something had changed.
Ghosts no longer frightened me.
Dokkaebi, Sam-mi-ho, and vengeful spirits were guests at my hotel.
Though I still hadn’t actually seen Dokkaebi.
Anyway.
‘You know the Grim Reaper, right? I had lunch with him just yesterday! Hmm? We’re on those terms.’
Ghosts didn’t frighten me anymore.
I swatted at the spirit circling my head like a gnat.
“Shoo, shoo—get out of here.”
The next instant.
Thwack!
My hand connected with the ghost.
“Huh…?”
Our eyes met—the spirit’s surprise mirroring my own.
‘Ah. So I can actually touch them.’
It had to be the invested Spiritual Power at work.
Before this, I could see them, but there was nothing I could do to them.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
“Come here.”
The Malevolent Spirit bolted before I could grab it.
That look of alarm on its face was deeply satisfying.
Considering everything Song-i and I had suffered at their hands, this hardly felt like enough.
But the next one I caught would pay in full.
I turned toward the Hotel, eager for what lay ahead.
Inheriting the Dokkaebi Hotel
Author
: Wae Geureae Nolra
Creation Date
: August 25, 2026
Publisher
: Acesmedia Co., Ltd.
Editor
: Acesmedia Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by Acesmedia Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder.
Without permission from the publisher and author, no part of this content may be used in any form or by any means.
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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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