Welcome to the Goblin Hotel - Chapter 3

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

Episode 3
Morning sunlight swept across the hotel lobby.
I stretched and yawned.
‘…I really slept well.’
Song-i was still asleep.
It had been ages since I’d slept so deeply.
Every night, those whispers at the edge of my ears kept me from sleeping soundly,
but last night they never came.
I unzipped the tent and looked around the lobby.
The puppy that had been sleeping on the blanket was nowhere to be seen.
“Did it leave…?”
Though we’d only met for one night, I felt a pang at its silent disappearance.
‘Song-i will be upset when she finds out.’
I sighed quietly and set about preparing a simple breakfast.
The yellow scrambled eggs came together fluffy and light.
“Done.”
“Woof!”
Just then, the puppy reappeared.
“You didn’t leave after all…! Where did you go?”
The puppy stood in the hotel entrance, wagging its tail furiously.
‘Why won’t it come inside?’
I approached the puppy.
As if it had been waiting, the puppy quickly nudged something on the ground toward me.
“What’s this?”
I picked it up.
‘A coin?’
It was covered in wet earth, as though freshly dug from the ground.
When I gently brushed away the soil with my fingers, hidden characters appeared.
Twenty Won
“Twenty won? Won…?”
Then.
Strange characters materialized before my eyes.
【 Dokkaebi Hotel Administrator Authority has been transferred. 】
【 First lodging fee received. 】
【 Loading…… 】
“……!”
【 Loading…… Complete 】
【 Dormant mode disengaged. 】
【 Automatic Maintenance activated: ON 】
【 Lodging fee settlement: Daehan Empire Gold Coin, Twenty Won 】
【 Condition: Minor scratches 】
【 Estimated value: 120 million 】
The characters appeared and vanished before my eyes like a hologram.
“Am I still not fully awake?”
Maybe it was a dream.
“Woof!”
As if to insist it wasn’t, the puppy barked sharply at me.
The coin felt tangible in my palm.
The rough texture of the soil and the cold touch of metal.
“This is really a Daehan Empire gold coin?”
I needed to verify it.
I carefully washed the coin under clean water.
As the soil washed away, a golden circular form emerged.
No way….
‘Is this actually gold?’
Search.
Let me search for it.
My hand trembling, I tapped my smartphone.
‘Daehan… Empire… Gold Coin… Twenty Won’
The first thing that caught my eye was the photograph at the top of the screen.
It matched the shape of the coin I was holding.
Related articles popped up in succession.
<○○ Auction sold for 150 million won.>
<New York ○○ Auction 168 million won.>
I found article after article reporting astronomical prices.
“My goodness…! A twenty-won coin worth over a hundred million?”
I had no choice but to accept it.
That text floating in mid-air just moments ago wasn’t a hallucination or a dream.
I hadn’t even known our country had gold coins.
My crude imagination couldn’t have conjured this.
If this coin really was a Daehan Empire Gold Coin….
I found myself staring at the dog sprawled across the blanket with fresh wonder in my eyes.
An astronomical room rate.
Did she know the value of this?
Just as my mind was reeling from the unexpected windfall.
Rustle, rustle—
Swish.
A soft sound tickled at the edges of my hearing.
I turned my head and looked around the lobby.
‘What’s this…?’
Strange things were happening around me.
The hotel was becoming progressively cleaner.
So subtly it was hard to notice.
Just a little at a time.
The mold stains were slowly fading white.
Layers of accumulated dust were quietly seeping out through the doors.
“What kind of miracle is this…?”
Right then, text appeared before my eyes, explaining the situation.
【 Automatic Maintenance in progress. 】
【 Lobby purification and repairs 15% underway… 】
【 Guest room organization and repairs 8% underway… 】
【 Landscaping management 12% underway… 】
The wild grass that had choked the hotel’s front yard was cut down and laid flat on the ground by itself.
The dust-covered windows were becoming progressively transparent.
“Ha… ha… ha…….”
How could I even describe this feeling?
Astonishing.
Absurd.
Bewildering.
Joyful.
A torrent of emotions swept through my chest.
And what remained at the last was.
‘Anticipation.’
The corners of my mouth twitched of their own accord.
I couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling out.
I looked forward to today and tomorrow with Song-i here in this place.
I looked forward to one year from now, ten years from now.
***
I gave the dog a boiled egg for breakfast.
She ate every scrap without leaving a crumb.
‘Looks like her paw isn’t hurting anymore.’
Song-i asked, watching Hwang-geum-i dart around the hotel’s front yard.
“Dad, what’s her real name?”
“Hwang-geum-i.”
Song-i’s mouth fell open.
“That’s not a name.”
“Then, should we give her one?”
I couldn’t keep calling her dog or Hwang-geum-i forever.
She was a guest who’d paid a hefty room rate.
I had no idea how long she’d stay here.
“Yes! Will you give me a name?”
What would be a good name?
Puppy sounds… puppy sounds… Mongmongi?
“How about Mongmongi, then?”
“That’s weird.”
Song-i’s face fell.
“Ha ha, all right then. What about Hwang-geum-i?”
“Hwang-geum-i?”
“The puppy brought back gold this morning.”
“Really?”
I showed Song-i a gleaming gold coin.
“This is it. What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent?”
Song-i threw both arms up and cried out.
“Wow…! Hwang-geum-i is the best. She brought back treasure!”
So Song-i loved gold too.
I nodded and smiled warmly.
And so the puppy’s name became Hwang-geum-i.
A name that seemed to promise good fortune ahead.
I murmured softly to myself, watching Hwang-geum-i.
“I’m sorry. Gold would’ve been too plain for you…. You look far too Korean for that.”
***
“Song-i, shall we give Hwang-geum-i a bath first?”
Hwang-geum-i’s coat was matted unevenly, caked with dirt, with seeds tangled throughout—an absolute mess.
Our VIP Guest looked like that.
Unacceptable.
“Hwang-geum-i! Come here!”
At Song-i’s call, Hwang-geum-i bounded over with her tail spinning like a propeller.
“Got her!”
I scooped Hwang-geum-i up and headed to the bathroom in the first-floor staff area.
“Dad, can I soap her up?”
The moment I opened the bathroom door, I gasped involuntarily.
The black mildew and grime that had been wedged between the tiles until yesterday had vanished without a trace.
The mirror gleamed without a single smudge, and the faucet gleamed like it was brand new.
Warm water streamed from the tap in a steady rush, steam rising gently from it.
I filled the tub, and once the water reached the right temperature, I poured it gently over Hwang-geum-i’s back.
“Whine… whine….”
Song-i held Hwang-geum-i steady and spoke in a firm voice.
“No fussing. You need a proper wash so you don’t catch a cold… and don’t get sick.”
Song-i scrubbed Hwang-geum-i’s fur with her small hands, working up a lather.
White foam rose up, and the scent of shampoo filled the bathroom.
Hwang-geum-i soon grew accustomed to it, resting her chin on my palm and closing her eyes to narrow slits.
As I rinsed away the foam, a bright tan coat emerged.
Splash-splash-splash—!
Before I could even towel her off, Hwang-geum-i shook herself dry, flinging water everywhere.
“Eek! Hwang-geum-i, what are you doing! Ugh!”
Song-i, drenched by the spray, scrunched up her face.
“Pant… pant….”
Hwang-geum-i, now refreshed, lolled her tongue out happily and wagged her tail.
“Ha ha, looks like Song-i needs a bath now too.”
“I don’t want to wash….”
“But didn’t Song-i just say you need a good wash so you don’t catch a cold?”
“Ugh….”
“After you wash up, let’s go out and get some snacks for Hwang-geum-i and other things we need.”
“Snacks for Hwang-geum-i?”
“Yes. And snacks for our Song-i too.”
At the word snacks, Song-i moved with purpose.
A short while later.
Song-i’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Dad, can we take Hwang-geum-i with us?”
“No, it’s too risky. She might wander around in the car….”
Song-i asked Hwang-geum-i a question.
“Hwang-geum-i, you’ll stay calm in the car, right?”
“Woof!”
“Dad, Hwang-geum-i says she’ll be good. I’ll hold her… is that okay?”
Ah… those gleaming eyes are absolutely unfair.
I see them every day, but the moment our eyes meet, I’m completely disarmed.
“Song-i, you need to watch her carefully. Understood?”
“Yes!”
I emptied the box that had held camping supplies and laid a cushion inside.
Then I secured the box firmly in the back seat so it wouldn’t slide.
“You have to stay calm. Understood?”
The moment I placed Hwang-geum-i in the box, she seemed to grasp my words and lay down obediently.
‘This is really something.’
Watching what she did, she truly seemed to understand language.
Song-i fastened her own seatbelt and was bouncing with excitement on her shoulders.
“Let’s go! Dad, let’s go!”
“Right, let’s head out.”
As I pulled out of the Dokkaebi Hotel, my heart began racing wildly.
‘I’ll handle this as quickly as possible and come back.’
I steeled my resolve and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
After we’d been driving for a while,
we’d grown quite a distance from the Dokkaebi Hotel.
‘Damn… I’d almost managed to forget, even for a moment.’
Eyes pure white, without a single black pupil.
A ghost appeared on the road.
I’d thought I might encounter one,
but facing it now, a chill ran down my spine.
The thing whose eyes had met mine drew steadily closer.
But then.
“Woof! Woof woof!”
The thing stopped and looked at Hwang-geum-i.
Then it vanished in an instant.
As if it were fleeing.
Hwang-geum-i barked triumphantly, even louder than before.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Dad, it looks like Hwang-geum-i is protecting us!”
Had Hwang-geum-i actually driven them away?
A puppy that brings back gold coins and drives away malevolent spirits.
“What on earth… are you?”
Hwang-geum-i panted with laughter directed at me.
***
Thanks to Hwang-geum-i, I arrived at my destination without any trouble.
I folded the wide cloth I’d brought into a triangle, tied both ends together to make a makeshift sling, and placed Hwang-geum-i inside.
It would do for now.
“Stay calm in there.”
I stroked Hwang-geum-i as she poked just her head out of the sling.
“Dad, does Hwang-geum-i get a snack here?”
“No, I came here because I have some business. Can you wait for a moment?”
Song-i nodded and took my hand.
Insadong. Cheongpa Seorim.
I checked the sign and pulled open the door.
A bell hanging from the door chimed softly.
The musty smell of old books rushed into my nostrils.
Song-i pinched her nose.
“Ugh… it smells.”
“Who is it?”
An old man with graying hair emerged from the depths of the shop, removing his magnifying glasses as he spoke.
“Pardon the intrusion. Do you offer appraisals?”
The old man glanced briefly at Hwang-geum-i cradled in my arms, then spoke in a blunt voice.
“Keep that dog under control. Cause a ruckus in here and you’ll regret it.”
“Yes, I’ll take good care of it.”
“What item are we appraising?”
I handed him the gold coin wrapped in tissue paper.
“Here. It looks like a Daehan Empire Gold Coin — I’d like to have it authenticated.”
At the mention of a Daehan Empire Gold Coin, the Old Man shook his head slowly.
“There are a lot of counterfeits of those out there. I don’t know why people keep making fakes like this. Tsk…!”
Even as the Old Man said it was probably a fake, he pulled on white gloves and accepted the coin.
Then he put on a magnifying glass and turned the coin over for a long moment.
“Hm…?”
The Old Man tilted his head, then took out a jeweler’s loupe and examined the coin more closely.
“Well…! I’ll be.”
He pulled out a notebook from the drawer and opened it, then compared the coin and notebook back and forth.
The Old Man set down the loupe and looked up, asking.
“…Where did you get this?”
“I inherited it.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I’d received the coin from a dog, the first guest at the inherited hotel.
Which amounts to the same thing.
“It’s genuine. Well…! There are only a few of these in the entire country.”
The Old Man was frank.
Apparently there were cases where genuine pieces got passed off as fakes too.
“What’s the appraisal value?”
“At minimum, 120 million won. If you auction it, you could get 150 million.”
‘So it really was genuine.’
I stroked Hwang-geum-i’s head nestled in my arms, feeling the warmth.
“What will you do? With something like this, Daehan Auction would welcome you with open arms.”
“Could you purchase it directly, sir?”
The Old Man’s eyebrows twitched.
“Did you hear me at all? I said you’d get more money through auction, didn’t I?”
There was no benefit to leaving the hotel so often.
It was also awkward to be frequenting high-end auction houses with Hwang-geum-i.
“I have some circumstances that make it difficult for me to come downtown frequently.”
The Old Man scratched his head, watching my embarrassed smile, and chuckled.
“Hmm… Really, you won’t regret handling it here?”
“No. It’s fine.”
“…I’ll purchase it for 125 million won. How about that?”
My heart pounded wildly at the large sum, but I managed a small smile as if it were nothing.
“Yes.”
A few minutes later.
My smartphone vibrated.
[Deposit: 125,000,000 won]
Even seeing it with my own eyes, the number felt unreal.
With trembling fingertips, I stroked Hwang-geum-i and sent a telepathic message.
‘Hwang-geum-i, bring me something again. I’ll treat you as a VVIP guest.’
I Inherited the Dokkaebi Hotel
Author
: WhyAreYouSurprised
Production Date
: August 25, 2026
Publisher
: AcesMedia Inc.
Editor
: AcesMedia Editorial Team
Address
: 10F Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work has been published by AcesMedia Inc. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder.
No part of this work may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
This e-book is protected under copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or replication may result in legal liability.
UCI
: G720:N+A129-20260730113

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