Welcome to the Goblin Hotel - Chapter 37

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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 37
“Dad, wake up.”
Song-i shook my body.
Flash.
I opened my eyes and checked the clock—already past eight in the morning.
“Dad’s such a sleepyhead.”
I wrapped my arms around Song-i’s waist and rubbed my face against hers as I asked.
“When did you wake up?”
Song-i laughed, her hair sticking up in tufts, sleep still crusted in the corners of her eyes.
“Hehe…! That’s a secret.”
I wiped away her eye boogers with my fingertip and asked.
“So you slept in too? And here you are calling me a sleepyhead?”
“Hehehehe…!”
“Waaaaahhh—!”
I stretched and sprang up from bed.
“Song-i, let’s wash up together.”
“Okay—!”
Brush-brush-brush.
Standing side by side with Song-i, we brushed our teeth while I checked the Management Window.
【 Guest Details 】
*Room 310:
Goblin
Satiation
Looks like the Goblin ate the buckwheat jelly well.
I’d been making it fresh every day recently.
Originally Min-ju and I made it together.
But yesterday I had something to do, so I left it to Min-ju.
Ptooey.
I spat out the toothpaste and thought to myself.
‘Min-ju’s gotten good at it now. I could probably hand it over completely.’
Ptooey.
Song-i spat out her toothpaste too, following my lead.
I caught Song-i’s eye in the mirror, and we both smiled softly at each other.
Brush-brush-brush.
I kept brushing thoroughly into all the corners while checking the next guest.
【 Guest Details 】
*Room 301:
Baek Mi-ho
Satiation
I’d been noticing she was eating better lately….
The words “Spirit Power Recovering” had vanished, replaced by “Satiation.”
‘Looks like Mi-ho’s almost ready to capture a Spirit Body.’
Whoooosh—
Swish-swish-swish. Ptooey.
I filled a cup with water and rinsed my mouth, and Song-i did the same.
Swish-swish-swish. Ptooey.
“Song-i, say ‘ahhhh.'”
“Ahhhhh—”
“Very clean. Good job.”
“Hehe…! Song-i’s good at brushing teeth now.”
Boop.
I gave Song-i’s soft cheek a gentle poke with my finger and said.
“But Dad’s still going to wash your face for you.”
I draped a towel around Song-i’s neck.
Puff-puff-puff-puff.
I scrubbed her plump little face thoroughly and dried it.
Her pale skin flushed pink.
“You look just like Dad, so you’re pretty today too.”
“Hehehehe….”
“Go put some lotion on to get even prettier. Dad’ll be ready in a minute.”
“Yes!”
After sending Song-i out of the bathroom,
I checked the guest’s information that I hadn’t managed to look at yet.
【 Guest Detailed Information 】
*Room 201:
Park Deok-gu
Anxiety
Park Deok-gu.
That was the name of the one called Dandelion.
The moment I saw Dandelion’s real name, I remembered what Kang-rim had murmured to him in passing.
He’d said to be grateful to the one who’d given him that name….
‘Hmm?’
I tilted my head.
‘Is that really a name to be grateful for…?’
Deok-gu. Deok-gu. Deok-gu….
It sounded like a dog’s name you’d give to one kept in the yard.
Was it an optimized name for a groundskeeper, perhaps?
Scritch-scritch-scritch—
I mused while shaving.
‘Must be it.’
After washing up refreshingly and heading outside, I called for Song-i.
“Song-i, did you put on the lotion well?”
“…….”
Song-i, who was sitting turned away, gave no answer.
“…Song-i?”
She still had her head bowed low and didn’t respond.
When I approached and gently touched her shoulder, she flinched with a start.
“Eek…!”
‘What happened while I was gone…?’
Worried, I bent down in front of Song-i.
“Song-i, look at Dad. …What’s wrong?”
“…Whimper. Dad.”
Only then did Song-i slowly lift her head.
Her face was completely caked with white lotion.
“Pffft…!”
“To get pretty… I put on a lot…!”
Now that I looked around, the room was filled with fragrance.
‘She’s absolutely adorable. Hehe.’
I gently wiped away the lotion covering Song-i’s face with the towel I’d been holding.
Song-i’s soft, chubby cheeks came into view.
“Puhehe… Oh, our Song-i is so pretty.”
“Whimper….”
It was a peaceful morning.
***
I called to Deok-gu, who was sitting in a corner of the Restaurant, glancing around nervously.
“Come here.”
“Yes, sir!”
Thud-clatter.
Deok-gu sprang up from his seat.
Then, looking tense with a rigid face, he walked over moving his hands and feet on the same side in an awkward gait.
Watching him approach, I frowned.
“You….”
“Yes?”
“Where’s your hair clip?”
“…Pardon?”
“That yellow dandelion flower hair clip — where is it?”
“Oh, that’s in the room, but my hair isn’t dry yet….”
“Don’t do that while you’re staying at our hotel.”
“Yes… Huh?”
“So, should I keep calling you Dandelion instead of Deok-gu? Green-headed Dandelion?”
“…Oh, no. That’s… how do you know my name?”
I let out a short snort and answered.
“Do you think I wouldn’t know the name of a guest staying at my hotel?”
“Ah….”
Kim Min-jae and Kim Min-ju were peering out from the kitchen, their heads craning forward.
Kim Min-ju asked, his mouth twitching with amusement.
“Your name is Deok-gu?”
Nod, nod.
Deok-gu bobbed his head.
“Yes. Deok from virtue, and gu from seeking. My grandfather gave me the name.”
The meaning was good.
So that’s what Kang-rim had been talking about.
Just then, Song-i, who had been playing and joking around with Hwang-geum-i, laughed brightly.
“Deok-gu, I’m Song-i. This is Hwang-geum-i.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Hwang-geum-i wagged his tail vigorously as if to say his name was far better.
‘Of course it is. After all, I’m the one who named you.’
“…Um. So you’re Song-i. That’s a pretty name.”
Deok-gu spoke with his head bowed, scratching at the cuticles around his fingernails.
Tiny beads of blood dotted each finger.
The state I’d observed in him this morning.
‘Anxiety.’
If he was going to be this anxious about it, why curse in the first place….
“Tsk.”
Watching him, I found my thoughts turning to Choi Mak-soon’s spirit, whom I’d seen last night.
A young maid, murdered and transformed into a malevolent ghost.
When her neck was being hanged.
That young maid’s spirit had been bound there along with her body.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose and took a moment to organize my thoughts.
I’d shown some compassion even to the malevolent ghost, and the thought occurred to me: ‘Wouldn’t it be good to give this fellow a chance as well?’
“What do you want to do?”
“What do I… want to do?”
“You heard what the Grim Reaper said yesterday, didn’t you? Whether you’d stay here and build up merit or whatever.”
Deok-gu jerked his head up.
“Really… can I really stay here…?”
“I’ll hire you as a temporary worker, minimum wage only. What do you say? You willing to do it?”
“Yes…! I’ll do it.”
I turned my head toward the kitchen and shouted.
“Min-ju, Min-jae! You two get him trained up properly.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, sir! I’ll take care of it!”
And with that, the kids rushed off.
I rubbed the corners of my mouth and reflected.
‘And so I save another spirit.’
At that moment, a welcome notification appeared before my eyes.
【 Condition achieved. 】
【 Partial enhancement options for Spirit Power Points have been unlocked. 】
I summoned the Management Window and checked the Spirit Power Point enhancement options.
【 Spirit Power Point Enhancement Options 】
—Manager
—Staff
—Hotel Facilities: LV. 1
—Barrier: Locked
The lock on Hotel Facilities had been released, and it now had a level.
‘A level, huh.’
What would change?
Curious, I calmed my itching fingers and selected the Hotel Facilities option.
— Hotel Facilities: LV. 1
【 Insufficient Spirit Power Points. 】
【 Points required for enhancement: 10,000p 】
The Spirit Power Points I’d earned yesterday came to 8,000.
Even that I’d had to spend to catch the Spirit Body.
“Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise…?”
If I’d had 10,000 points, I would’ve found it hard to resist the urge to level up right then and there.
But as things stood, I fell short of the requirement anyway.
I nodded, then froze.
‘Wait—why did the lock suddenly come undone?’
I tried to recall what had just happened.
“…Could it be because I took Deok-gu on at the hotel?”
No matter how I thought about it, accepting Deok-gu had to be the cause.
‘What exactly was the condition?’
The most plausible theory was hiring him as a temporary employee.
Or perhaps saving a living person’s soul?
Both seemed likely, but I couldn’t be certain.
“Siiiiigh.”
I drew in a deep breath through my teeth, sorting through my thoughts.
Whatever it was.
I’d achieved my goal, so that was what mattered.
It felt like if I kept moving forward, following my instincts, I’d satisfy the next condition too.
After all, I was the master of this Dokkaebi Hotel.
***
Behind the hotel, in a secluded corner.
Kim Min-ju growled low, his face fierce.
“From now on, do things right. I’ll be watching.”
Park Deok-gu nodded, scuffing the ground with his toe.
“Yeah. Got it. I’ll do my best.”
Kim Min-jae patted Deok-gu on the back as he spoke.
“Since the boss decided on this, that’s why we’re accepting you. But you still owe an apology to Song-i.”
“Of course.”
Min-ju watched Deok-gu for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Now I’m going to tell you something crucial, so listen carefully. The most important guest at our hotel right now is….”
Mid-sentence, Min-ju suddenly barked out a complaint.
“Hey, can’t you keep that foot still for one second?”
Deok-gu, who’d been scuffing at the earth with his toe, stopped moving.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Ugh….”
At Min-ju’s heavy sigh, Deok-gu hung his head, and his toe unconsciously resumed scuffing the ground.
“Agh…! There you go again?”
That’s when Deok-gu stepped back slightly and pointed at the ground with his finger.
“…Hey, there’s something here.”
Beneath the soil Deok-gu had disturbed.
Something with a yellowish tint appeared.
“Huh? Really?”
Min-ju crouched down quickly and brushed away the dirt gently.
“Could this be gold that a goblin buried…?”
They all leaned in, watching as it slowly came into view.
Min-ju carefully lifted it out and murmured.
“…Is it a bell?”
She shook the fist-sized bell.
Puff.
Only wet soil fell away; no sound came from it.
Once she cleared out the dirt from inside the bell, that explained why.
“Could it be made of gold?”
“…Doesn’t look like gold.”
The color was too dull to be gold.
“Ah…. So it’s nothing after all….”
Deok-gu was deeply disappointed.
If he’d found something worthwhile, he could’ve faced less criticism going forward.
His shoulders slumped in frustration.
Min-ju, lost in thought and puffing her cheeks, brushed the dirt from the bell as she spoke.
“No. There has to be something buried in this hotel. Let’s go show the manager.”
At Min-ju’s words, light flickered back into Deok-gu’s eyes.
“Really?”
Min-ju gave a slight shrug.
“Well…. Maybe?”
“Let’s go show him now.”
With Min-ju holding the bell at the center, Min-jae and Deok-gu ran together.
Glimmer.
The bell shimmered in Min-ju’s palm, but no one noticed.
***
Inside a dark room.
Light spilled only from the computer monitor.
In front of it.
Someone sat in a chair with both legs drawn up tight, gnawing at their fingernails with sharp, rhythmic bites. They muttered to themselves.
“Strange…. How did this happen? It’s strange.”
After repeating the word “strange” for quite some time, they leaned in close to the monitor.
Then they placed their hands on the keyboard.
“Mmm~ Should I release one more?”
Tap.
Tap-tap-tap.
Click.
The person drumming on the keyboard let out a low chuckle.
“I wonder who’ll get caught this time…?”
For a while, the sound of clicking mouse and tapping keys continued.
And shortly after.
They left the dark room with an expression of eager anticipation.
The screen displayed text in vivid, multicolored letters.
――――――――
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I Inherited the Dokkaebi Hotel
Author
: WhyAreYouSurprised
Production Date
: August 25, 2026
Publisher
: A.C.E.S Media Inc.
Editor
: A.C.E.S Media Editorial Team
Address
: 10F, Urban Bench Building, 325 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Email
: [email protected]
※ This work is published by A.C.E.S Media Inc. under contract with the copyright holder.
No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
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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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