Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 1

Prologue

 

1. Have you ever thought about wanting to be a hero, a superhuman, or a wizard?
2. No.

 

1. …Not even once in your life?
2. Not even once in my life.

 

1. What kind of superpower do you want?
2. Gushing capital, solid connections, overflowing luck.

 

1. …Is that really a superpower?
2. Yes, it is.

 

1. What if your favorite game became your superpower?
2. It would be an apocalyptic disaster. 

 

1. …For you personally?
2. I said it would be a disaster.

 

1. We’re close, right?
2. Who are you?

 

[Update in progress]

 

1. Hello?

 

[Restarting game]

 

Chapter 1.

 

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of the front desk.

 

“….”

 

The first things he registered were the exaggerated splendor and a sense of neatness so intense it felt alien.

 

A landscape too refined to be reality. He defined this place as a ‘familiar hotel lobby.’ It was a classical style rarely found in the modern era, but in essence, it was unmistakably a hotel. 

 

“…?”

 

…He had discovered an error.

 

‘That is a judgment without logical basis.’

 

His consciousness woke up rapidly.

 

‘Why… did I think it was familiar?’

 

Even in the subconscious, there is always a reason for every judgment. This time, only the visual information accepted without addition or subtraction in a state detached from emotion served as that reason.

 

“….”

 

He felt a sense of familiarity with things he had never encountered before.

 

For instance, the marble tile floor.

 

The classical columns and walls.

 

The people who were nowhere to be seen.

 

The massive chandelier.

 

The flower vases and potted plants.

 

‘And… the cat.’

 

Wait.

 

‘A cat?’

 

A lump of shadow stretched out on top of the front desk.

 

It had bizarrely round eyes and a mouth curved into a crescent moon shape. It was too black to be called a cat, its form was soft, and its expression was extreme.

 

Lee Yeonwoo knew the name of that thing. It was the ‘Co-owner’ who co-owned this hotel with the Operator.

 

“Coco.”

 

Official designation: Coco.

 

As if responding to the call, it tilted its head halfway while wearing a smile. It wasn’t the head following the gaze; it was the unnatural feeling of the gaze being forcibly dragged by the head. A sense of discomfort mixed with unease permeated the air.

 

The cat that wasn’t a cat replied.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“….”

 

The answer was out.

 

‘This is a hotel inside a game.’

 

Horror Hotel management simulation game, <Hotel One: Eden Within the Nightmare>.

 

‘Or  ‘Ho-One for short.’

 

Why was he suddenly dreaming of this game now? Was this even a dream in the first place? As if answering that question, the previous exchange flashed through his mind.

 

―We’re close, right?

 

―Who are you?

 

“….”

 

[Update in progress]

 

―Hello?

 

[Restarting game]

 

“….”

 

It seems it wasn’t just a dream.

 

Therefore, the conclusion was that he had been kidnapped.

 

“…Conversation….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Let’s have a conversation.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Yes.”

 

* * *

 

The world goes on quite roughly, pretending otherwise.

 

Lee Yeonwoo’s life here was the same. Numerous unexpected pieces of luck or misfortune would often intrude upon his life plans. It wasn’t just him; that would be the case for every human life.

 

Lee Yeonwoo called these variables.

 

“And unless something has gone wrong with my memory.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“In terms of dictionary definitions, a variable means an element that can change depending on the situation or conditions. It also refers to unpredictable factors or variable situations.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So, no matter how carefully you plan, life cannot proceed as intended. I know that well, too. My life has always been influenced by large and small variables added to my will and predictions.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“My words have gotten a bit long, but here is what I want to say.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo asked the cat.

 

“Even so, isn’t this going too far?”

 

The Vantablack cat, Coco, replied.

 

“Yes.”

 

“You think it’s not going too far?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you have the will to converse?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m starting to worry if I’ve gone mad.”

 

“No.”

 

It had been 44 days since he was imprisoned in the horror hotel within the game.

 

Lee Yeonwoo had just failed his 172nd attempt at persuasion.

 

* * *

 

A researcher in his 40s wakes up to find himself the 19-year-old CEO of a hotel inside a game.

 

“….”

 

…Any sane person would know how nonsensical that sentence is. 

 

Day 1 of hotel imprisonment. Lee Yeonwoo, realizing the proposition above, grabbed his cat partner Coco and asked countless questions.

 

“Business registration wouldn’t be possible for those under 19, so are there no legal issues?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What is the possibility of receiving protests from human rights organizations regarding the incidents and accidents occurring at this hotel? There is a high probability that the conceptual resources utilized here violate the Narcotics Control Act and the Medical Service Act.” 

 

“No.”

 

“The horror phenomena that occur here could lead to charges of professional negligence resulting in death and assault. Furthermore, isn’t this building failing to comply with building and fire safety codes and violating labor laws?”

 

“No.”

 

“Do you think this ghostly hotel is above modern law?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you crazy, sir?”

 

What a wicked cat.

 

As expected of a horror hotel, its perspective on the world was daring beyond belief. Naturally, this was a situation where his opinions were not reflected. 

 

Thus, Lee Yeonwoo became a criminal. It was one of the most baffling things to happen in his life.

 

“To bring someone who would be eating well and living well on their own if left alone, what kind of situation is this….”

 

In response, the cat merely stared at him intently without an answer. 

 

Despite this, Lee Yeonwoo put a lot of effort into trying to escape. Trusting in his rejuvenated body, he didn’t hesitate to try escaping through windows or the roof.

 

“Huh?”

 

But he couldn’t even physically leave this place.

 

“Don’t tell me… the windows won’t even open because the tutorial isn’t over?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Excuse me, let me ask a few more things. If I finish the schedule corresponding to the tutorial, as I did in the game, will the hotel doors open?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Does that mean I can permanently escape from the conceptual and physical domain of this hotel?”

 

“No.”

 

“Do you hold a grudge against me?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then what is the problem?”

 

Even if he scraped together all the karma he’d accumulated, it would be hard for something like this to happen. Perhaps even the karma from his past lives, which he didn’t even know about, had been added to the mix, and the entire universe had combined its strength.

 

“….”

 

But that wasn’t the end.

 

‘Ho-One’ was an unkind game. The epitome of a game where you learn by dying. Even with Coco, who was the hotel itself, by his side, he died and was resurrected more times than he could count.

 

“…I’m not at an age where I should be going senile yet.”

 

Staking the honor of his laboratory, he felt like he was about to go crazy.

 

By this point, for the 89th time, he wondered if he had fallen into a coma or developed a cognitive disorder. Rejuvenation followed by resurrection—one should at least say something that makes sense. 

 

‘But the current situation is far beyond the realm of nonsense.’

 

He was just resentful that he couldn’t deny the reality hitting his five senses.

 

“If I escape from here… I’ll contact NASA immediately. Unless it’s alien technology, there’s no way this is possible. I must contribute to the development of humanity and carve my name into history.”

 

“No.”

 

“Did I really die from overwork? Or am I in a vegetative state? Unless I’ve become a vegetable and am having such an absurd dream, I can’t explain my current situation.”

 

“No.”

 

“I hope a missing person report has at least been filed. I’d love to ask the police for rescue, but I can’t even make a phone call, and I’ve been rejuvenated to 19, so it’ll be difficult to return to society right away.”

 

No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd. It was so absurd that he couldn’t even speak properly.

 

“Do you want to fight me?”

 

“No.”

 

“If you don’t want to see me die of high blood pressure, I hope you add a little more sincerity to your answers. I’ve started to feel like I could die purely from blood pressure alone.”

 

And on the 4th day of hotel imprisonment, Lee Yeonwoo learned the fact that a human can purely die from blood pressure.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

He couldn’t speak for half a day due to the shameful death of a human being.

 

“….”

 

“Hello.”

 

“….”

 

“No, no. Hello….”

 

“….”

 

“Hello….”

 

It was a very weak cry for a cat.

 

“Hello, yes, no, hello….”

 

Coco, flustered by the shock, circled around him restlessly.

 

It still had a Cheshire Cat-like smiling face, but from the fidgeting movements and the four feet tapping on the ground, he could tell the anxious psychological state of this monster cat.

 

It looked like a child watching someone’s mood. Lee Yeon-woo soon returned to his original state.

 

“…It is true that I was flustered by the unexpected situation, but you need not worry. I just needed time to understand a situation that doesn’t make sense logically.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“That must be asking if I’m okay, right?”

 

It was admirable that it cared, but to be honest, he wasn’t exactly okay.

 

‘It’s questionable whether a weak creature like this can even be defined as human.’

 

If he had to find something similar, it would be an acorn jelly.

 

Unlike a general living thing, this body absorbs external shocks exactly as they are. Internal shocks were the same. He was proud of himself for having endured the threat of vascular rupture for 4 days with a body like this.

 

‘But… when I act like a game character, there are no problems with my activities.’

 

For example, dying from the horror elements of this hotel. Or walking or running at a constant speed. Situations that are natural for a character in a game.

 

In this case, there is no pain, and stamina or physical strength do not drop.

 

‘But problems arise when I perform actions not in the settings.’

 

Crouching is like that.

 

While ‘crouch’ is in the game, ‘stand up from a crouch’ is not defined. It’s a non-existent function.

 

That was how Lee Yeon-woo became a person who gets dizzy whenever he squats and stands up.

 

“….”

 

“Yes, no, yes, no… Hello….”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Is there a reason for the durability of this body to be like this?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No… I’m sorry, the way I asked was wrong.”

 

Coco knew few human words.

 

“So,”

 

The most likely hypothesis is that ‘an anomaly occurred as the bodies of human Lee Yeonwoo and operator Lee Yeonwoo merged.’ Otherwise, there was no explanation for how he was alive and breathing in a body like this.

 

“If I act like a game character, is there at least no pain?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is that so… thank you for your kind answer.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“To think I’d feel affection for a kidnapper; I must be going crazy.”

 

“No.”

 

“This must be Stockholm syndrome.”