Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 21

Lee Seonhae sometimes teased Hong Gyeongyeon, calling him a coward.

 

The reason was simple. He would tremble and shake, and when he couldn’t hold it in anymore, he would burst out shouting—exactly like a small dog. Lee Seonhae found it pitiful.

 

‘At least small dogs are cute.’ 

 

And Hong Gyeongyeon was not cute. The chances of the other party taking it easy on him were low. He probably knew that himself, yet he couldn’t fix it. If that wasn’t being a coward, then what was?

 

“….” 

 

“….” 

 

“….”

 

And then came the highly anticipated three-way encounter.

 

Director Lee Seonhae called out to Hong Gyeongyeon.

 

“Writer Hong.” 

 

“When did you a—I’m sorry, should I shut up?” 

 

“Let me think about it for a moment.”

 

The problem was that Hong Gyeongyeon usually held it in. He was a bomb that rarely ever exploded, you see?

 

‘He does try to maintain his reason in his own way. As long as someone else’s life and his own aren’t threatened at the same time. Objectively speaking, that isn’t a very rational state, but still…’

 

Director Lee Seonhae looked at the opponent they were facing. A large build. A threatening knife. Dripping wet clothes. And the open door of Room 703.

 

Hmm.

 

“….” 

 

“Should I shut up?” 

 

“…Uh-huh, please do.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Good boy.”

 

Hong Gyeongyeon’s anger was probably justified.

 

But the world doesn’t run on justification. There’s a reason for the saying that the fist is closer than the law. From the director’s point of view, even if it were a 2-on-1 fight against the guest of Room 703, they would lose.

 

‘Isn’t there some kind of staff call button attached around here?’ 

 

Judging by how she hadn’t seen one when exploring the 21st-floor hallway, it seemed there wouldn’t be one here either. A hollow laugh escaped her naturally. 

 

‘Wow, this is a bit nerve-wracking.’

 

Lee Seonhae realized anew just how much Lee Yeonwoo had cared for them. Hadn’t he assigned them to the place furthest away from the 7th floor? But here, there was no one to ask for help.

 

“….”

 

Clack—! 

 

Lee Seonhae unfolded her extendable baton as she approached.

 

“…Hong Gyeongyeon, get over here.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“You should hold it in when your life is on the line, why do you keep charging in instead? Thanks to you, my heart is about to drop too.” 

 

“I have nothing to say.”

 

Director Lee Seonhae stepped in front of Hong Gyeongyeon. No matter how it might look to the opponent, it was to prevent this angry Chihuahua from leaping forward. 

 

“Hello, sir? Goodness… what a wonderful dawn.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Please ignore what I’m holding in my hand. What you’re holding, sir, looks so vicious that I got scared. Oh my, so scary.” 

 

“….” 

 

“No answer? You must be very shy.” 

 

“….” 

 

“…You’re not even looking this way at all, are you?”

 

The opponent’s gaze was pinned on Hong Gyeongyeon.

 

‘Ah.’

 

He must have really thrown a fit in front of him. This was troublesome.

 

‘I was going to tell him to go out and ask the staff for help if the attention shifted to me. Though in a situation like this, the staff probably wouldn’t help us willingly either.’

 

She had checked on her way here that there was no cell signal again. But if it was the hotel’s doing, they might be able to use their phones if they got far away from the building.

 

‘For that to happen, one of us needs to get away first.’

 

Leaving Hong Gyeongyeon alone was unreliable considering how he was acting, but if she sent him away, the Room 703 guest’s gaze wouldn’t leave him.

 

“…Gyeongyeon, take one step back.” 

 

“…Yes.”

 

Then.

 

“Oh my.”

 

The opponent took one step closer as well.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t move, don’t move.” 

 

“I plan not to. Even if you tell me to run, Director, I’m staying right here.” 

 

“There’s no need to ask for an early grave.”

 

But even so, what could they do?

 

‘Calling the staff has fallen through. The phone signal is dead… and looking at his physique, running away might be difficult too, right? No, the one closer to the elevator is our side. If we time it perfectly, it might be possible.’ 

 

The speed at which the elevator doors closed. The distance between them and the Room 703 guest. She gauged the physical capabilities of the dangerous individual. But it seemed like it would be a difficult gamble.

 

‘Or maybe maintaining this standoff and waiting for the staff to notice something wrong and come isn’t a bad method either. Considering my family, they wouldn’t let me die or get seriously injured here…’

 

It was when she was inwardly predicting the worst possible future.

 

“….”

 

Suddenly, silence fell, and.

 

Ring—

 

“…?”

 

A small… sound of a bell was heard.

 

“…This is…”

 

Ring. Ring. Ring…

 

“…?” 

 

“Huh,”

 

As soon as the clear ringing stopped, staff members poured out of the elevator and the emergency stairs.

 

“…! Wait a minute…” 

 

“W-What the.”

 

Smiling faces with hands politely clasped together. A posture unwavering like a refined doll, as if the boundary between humanity and the bizarre had collapsed. With mechanical smiles on their faces, they blocked the path in front of Lee Seonhae and Hong Gyeongyeon.

 

Two more staff members stood on standby behind the guest from Room 703. Behind them, the remaining staff moved into position. 

 

“What on earth is,” 

 

The large man’s gaze turned towards the open guest room.

 

“….” 

 

“….”

 

…A pale hand emerged from outside the door.

 

“…Ah.”

 

The staff’s hands moved.

 

One slipped a clean cotton glove onto that wet hand, Another politely supported the small bell he was holding. Yet another staff member put a new suit jacket over his wrinkled shirt.

 

And the last staff member pressed… a white cloth to his neck.

 

“….”

 

A red bloodstain rapidly spread across the pure white cloth.

 

“This is quite…”

 

Brushing back his wet hair and putting on a pair of dry, new glasses. 

 

“A busy dawn.”

 

The General Manager showed a smile so bright it felt surreal.

 

The white cloth pressed to his neck continuously soaked red, and water still dripped from beneath his new suit, yet there was not a single waver in his voice.

 

“First, I must offer an apology to those gathered here. To allow such a disturbance to occur in a hotel where guests should rest comfortably—I have caused a great discourtesy.”

 

“….” 

 

“Allowing such distinguished guests to experience discomfort is entirely my failure as the General Manager. If you would kindly grant me an opportunity to make amends for this mistake, I could ask for nothing more….” 

 

A silent, neat gait.

 

He naturally wedged himself between the confronting parties. Soon after, Lee Yeonwoo faced the large man, who was also dripping wet.

 

“Will you understand?” 

 

“….”

 

The man’s chilling gaze pierced the General Manager’s face.

 

A heavy silence returned instead of an answer. As if interpreting it as a positive, Lee Yeonwoo lazily curled his eyes, just like when he had just stepped out of Room 703.

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

—The target,

 

‘…has changed.’

 

It wasn’t her imagination.

 

‘The attention that was focused on Gyeongyeon is shifting to Lee Yeonwoo-ssi.’

 

Lee Seonhae examined Lee Yeonwoo, guessing the danger of the situation. She could understand why Hong Gyeongyeon had lost his reason.

 

“You look to be in a very… bad condition, Yeonwoo-ssi?” 

 

“Isn’t a capable manager naturally meant to be embroiled in various incidents and accidents?” 

 

“This doesn’t seem like a situation to be making jokes.” 

 

Dark crimson blood seeped out along his throat, which was covered in deep black bruises. Although it wasn’t clearly visible as he was hidden behind the backs of the staff, he was still desperately applying pressure to stop the bleeding between his neck and collarbone. 

 

Even the faint trembling of his hand, as if it lacked strength, was clearly visible to her eyes.

 

‘No, is that not the only problem?’ 

 

The water drops falling ‘plop, plop‘ at Lee Yeonwoo’s feet were mixed with a vivid blood-red color.

 

“…Are you injured somewhere?” 

 

“I don’t know if you will believe me if I say no.” 

 

“Of course I’d believe you. These are the words of our kind General Manager, after all.” 

 

“Then I have no choice but to tell you that I am not injured.” 

 

He spoke while still looking at the Room 703 guest.

 

“Guest.” 

 

A voice lowered to a whisper. 

 

“This is not your room.”

 

It was a refined composure that only someone who had repeated this dozens, hundreds of times could produce.

 

“If you wish, I can personally guide you back. Is there any room service you desire? Or perhaps any specific items you need? Our hotel is prepared to provide everything our guests request.” 

 

“….” 

 

“However, guest.” 

 

A voice so stable it felt light.

 

“This is not your room.”

 

Yet it was firm. 

 

It was brainwashing disguised as politeness, an undeniable suggestion, and an absolute command issued by this hotel to a mere guest.

 

At least, that was how it sounded to Lee Seonhae’s ears…

 

“….” 

 

“….”

 

What kind of expression was he making?

 

Lee Seonhae unknowingly questioned herself. She couldn’t define what she was feeling. She was simply watching this situation in a floating sensation, as if detached from reality.

 

And soon,

 

‘…Ah.’

 

After a brief silence, Lee Yeonwoo turned his head to look at their group.

 

An expression filled with relief for a fleeting moment, as if he had confirmed their safety. He soon restored his unwavering smile and continued his response.

 

“Our staff will assist you two in…”

 

…But, uh, wait a minute.

 

“Behind you.” 

 

“Ah.”

 

Squelch—!!

 

“…!!”

 

A knife was plunged in.

 

“…Y-You crazy bas…!” 

 

“Hong Gyeongyeon, stop!!”

 

Lee Seonhae blocked Hong Gyeongyeon, who was about to go on a rampage for a moment. She pushed him away and took a step back. The staff blocked their front with mechanical movements once again.

 

But Lee Seonhae saw it clearly. The moment Lee Yeonwoo’s gaze turned away for a fraction of a second, the Room 703 guest plunged a knife into his back.

 

‘He’s not some wild beast, how could he do this just because he looked away for a second…!’

 

Cough. Along with a small coughing sound, dark red blood gushed from Lee Yeonwoo’s mouth.

 

“Ugh,”

 

Just as Lee Yeonwoo’s figure was about to collapse, the staff on either side of him held him up. It was closer to forcing him to stand rather than supporting him. As if to say he must never lose his composure.

 

That series of processes was bizarre. A physiological revulsion, different in texture from the fear of a threat, rose within her.

 

“…Crazy.”

 

Simply because it was grotesque.

 

“….” 

 

“Haa…”

 

The sound of blood boiling leaked from inside Lee Yeonwoo’s throat.

 

“I apo—”

 

Gurgle. A faint noise of blood regurgitating squeezed through the silence of the hallway. It sounded like an auditory hallucination.

 

“I apologize. You should, return to your room now.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Our… ahem, our staff. Will guide… you.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Tomorrow…” 

 

“Are you alright?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Tomorrow.” 

 

“….” 

 

“…Yes.”

 

A question or a confirmation.

 

“Understood.”

 

It was no longer a place for them to stay, nor a situation for them to intervene. 

 

Director Lee Seonhae heavily moved her feet as she finished speaking. She grabbed and dragged the panicked Hong Gyeongyeon. Just as she said, the staff kindly assisted their movement. 

 

Hong Gyeongyeon suddenly looked at Lee Seonhae. Lee Seonhae’s hand holding his clothes was trembling.

 

“Director.” 

 

“I’m fine.”

 

The two of them got into the elevator with the staff, and the doors soon closed.

 

“I hope so.”

 

Would a hotel of this size really not have a medical team? She comforted herself, telling herself that there must definitely be equipment and personnel capable of performing surgery with ease.

 

“And you… you… you punk, seriously….” 

 

“Should I kneel?” 

 

“You really, truly….” 

 

“Should I bow my head to the ground?” 

 

“Let’s see how the situation goes and decide.” 

 

“Yes, Director.” 

 

“This is driving me crazy. Hah, what is going on at this hour…”

 

The high-performance elevator quickly reached the 21st floor.

 

The staff led the two of them to their room with unwavering posture. However, those silent, still movements seemed closer to surveillance than guidance for some reason.

 

‘No, it probably is surveillance.’

 

A silent pressure telling them not to dig any deeper. It also felt like a warning that doing so would be beneficial for each other’s safety. The face of Lee Yeonwoo, who always avoided revealing the hotel’s true identity, flashed through her mind.

 

Standing in front of her room, Lee Seonhae couldn’t hold back in the end and stopped the staff member.

 

“Excuse me.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Excuse me, will Yeonwoo-ssi… will the General Manager be alright?” 

 

“….”

 

The staff member stared at her.

 

“That,” 

 

But something was strange.

 

‘What the.’

 

A gaze completely devoid of even a single drop of emotion. Pupils without the slightest movement. Lee Seonhae read a bizarre deficiency in that gaze.

 

Before long, the staff member artificially curved their eyelids to ‘create’ a smile. 

 

“….” 

 

“….”

 

Instead of answering, the staff member bowed their head. It was an answer where she couldn’t even tell if it was an affirmation, a denial, or if they hadn’t understood the question at all.

 

“…They won’t speak even in this situation.” 

 

Feeling somewhat distressed by this one-sided conversation, Lee Seonhae entered the room holding onto Hong Gyeongyeon.

 

The hotel, the staff, the guests—everything was strange, but what twisted Lee Seonhae’s insides the most was something else. It was the fact that in this bizarre space, only Lee Yeonwoo seemed to be the only ‘human’.

 

She felt nauseous. It was grotesque. Why did a place like this have to exist? 

 

“…It really is the end of the world.”

 

* * *

 

“….”

 

The 7th-floor hallway. In that place where only the staff remained, Lee Yeonwoo.

 

He poured out blood. 

 

“Ugh, bleegh…!”

 

To describe how refreshingly he threw up, one could dare compare it to Niagara Falls. Fresh blood thoroughly soaked the floor, and only after coughing violently and retching for a long time did Lee Yeonwoo barely manage to compose himself.

 

Well, it wasn’t painful, but the blood had pooled up.

 

“Cough, ugh… bleegh…” 

 

“….” 

 

“Haa…”

 

Ah. He really almost got caught. 

 

‘If I had shown them this state, I really would have been dragged away to NASA.’

 

It’s obvious he would have been dragged away, subjected to human experiments, and lived the rest of his life as a sample. Common sense dictated that standing with this level of injury was far beyond the realm of humanity.

 

‘With this level of injury, it’s strange for a person to even endure it.’

 

To speak of the injuries currently sustained, they were quite diverse. His neck was pierced by the water ghost’s fingernails, the front of his body was torn away, and a knife was driven into his back as large as a double door. 

 

‘At this point, it feels like dying would be the polite thing to do as a human being.’

 

It seemed this body had given up on being human a long time ago. And that in itself was ridiculous. You weak-willed bastard, I didn’t give up, so why did you?

 

“…To think I can still be alive like this, it truly makes no sense…”

 

Lee Yeonwoo gasped for breath and tried hard to calm down.

 

This was no time to be marveling at the mysteries of the human body that his current body possessed. The problem was how he would face those two sharp guests tomorrow morning. Especially Writer Hong Gyeongyeon, who had extensive medical knowledge.

 

The wounds on his neck or the traces of being torn away could be roughly hidden from view, but the problem was the penalty imposed by the ‘Wet Person’. 

 

‘I took it into consideration, but… if I had known the penalty would trigger so immediately, I would have sent the guests upstairs right away. Thanks to that, it was quite dizzying.’

 

It was the same situation as in the lobby earlier.

 

When their paths cross with a human guest, the ‘Wet Person’ begins their pursuit. They don’t rush at you with a knife like the two human guests worried about, but ‘pursuit’ is a major threat.

 

Lee Yeonwoo had simply drawn their attention, just like back then.

 

‘The situation became much more direct than in the lobby, but the penalty is the same.’

 

An increase in the frequency of night nightmares. Hypothermia. Attacks resulting from diverting attention. Injuries. And excessive bleeding. 

 

“….”

 

Of all things, he had been stabbed in the back this time.

 

“…Last time it was my hand.”

 

He was a bit dissatisfied with this.

 

‘Writer Hong Gyeongyeon wouldn’t think it’s strange, would he?’

 

He could just make an excuse that his neck was scratched. He could say he saw wrong because of the dark bruising. He could package the area between his neck and collarbone as being stabbed instead of gnawed on.

 

‘But it’s hard to make an excuse for being stabbed straight through the back.’

 

Humans are not as sturdy as characters in creative media. Usually, being stabbed in the back is life-threatening. Because there are many vital organs. 

 

‘…Is it the medial side of the left scapula? A penetration in the direction of the intercostal space. It looks to be around the 6th intercostal space… I feel a sensation of the intercostal muscles being severed. Truly, all sorts of things are happening.’ 

 

Since pleural damage would be a given, a mild pneumothorax must be taken into account. If the blade had reached the lung parenchyma, hemoptysis would have been accompanied, and severe respiratory distress would have followed. 

 

‘Seeing as I can still talk right now, I guess it isn’t to that extent? No, maybe not.’

 

If it were a normal human, let alone conversation, it should be normal to find it difficult to utter a single sentence without catching one’s breath. 

 

That’s how it should have been.

 

“To think I even have to act out injuries and pain now.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“This is tiring; the workload as General Manager is excessive.”

 

It was true that his body was tattered. But this was strictly the body of a game character. It was similar to a human’s, but different. What this meant was, 

 

Most of the ‘physiological symptoms’ following an injury are not reflected either.

 

‘At this point, should I consider it closer to a blood bag mimicking a human body rather than an actual human body… Somehow, the more time passes, the more it feels like my very existence is distancing itself from the concept of human rights, beyond just human rights violations.’

 

Vomiting blood just now was because of that too. Right now, nearly half of his muscles and organs have been replaced by blood. It happened because he was trying to cope with being half-eaten during the ‘Wet Person’s’ bathtub event.

 

‘Still, an injury of this depth shouldn’t result in instant death.’

 

There was hope.

 

‘Even if it’s Writer Hong Gyeongyeon, he wouldn’t think it’s that strange, right? He looked like he was panicking, too… If push comes to shove, I can make an excuse that the Writer saw wrong.’

 

No matter how deep his medical knowledge was, he wasn’t a doctor himself, so he wouldn’t be able to insist until the end. 

 

“Seeing as my luck is this bad, the karma I accumulated in my past life must not have been small. Just because a few human guests entered, it never passes quietly.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Which part did you agree with?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Well, my appearance must look like a mess even to you.”

 

He picked Coco up in his arms.

 

“Usually, how many days are needed to recover from an injury of this level?” 

 

“A few days.” 

 

“I know that much, too. Recovering overnight would be nonsense. Short phrases might be possible in a day, but to talk and walk properly, it would take at least five days, wouldn’t it.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I’ll have to downplay the injury when I speak of it. Say the depth was about 2cm and the hemoptysis was just from the inside of my mouth bursting… They won’t think it’s strange even if I active from the afternoon right away. Right?” 

 

“Right.” 

 

“Good.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo turned his gaze. It was directed at the staff he had summoned at dawn.

 

The staff were diligently wiping away the moisture and bloodstains in the hallway. They were working hard. From the perspective of a fellow laborer, he felt a deep sense of camaraderie and pity.

 

Poor office workers who probably don’t even receive the four major insurances…

 

“What a crazy black company. I must improve the hotel’s welfare first thing once the tutorial is over.” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Undoubtedly, the management’s position would be that side.” 

 

“No!” 

 

“The hotel’s structure itself is rotten to the core. With the labor environment like this, what employee in their right mind would try to endure it? At this rate, overwork will kill people before the monster guests do.” 

 

“No!” 

 

“You’re saying they aren’t people? That’s racism, Coco.” 

 

“No…!”

 

He ignored it. It truly was an evil cat.

 

* * *

 

“Uh, Yeonwoo-ssi?” 

 

“…Yes?”

 

And so, the next day.

 

And so, the next day. Lee Seonhae and Hong Gyeongyeon were only able to encounter Lee Yeonwoo in the late afternoon, as the sun was slowly setting.

 

“…What a cra—?!” 

 

Hong Gyeongyeon was appalled. No, they shouldn’t be able to encounter him?!

 

“Why, why, why are you already out in the lobby…?! Shouldn’t you not be here right now?!” 

 

“Oh my, what do you mean why am I out here. This is my job.” 

 

“If you were hurt that badly, you should be lying in bed right now…!” 

 

“It seems you were quite startled by the commotion yesterday, Writer. It was a minor abrasion compared to how it looked, so you do not need to worry.” 

 

“No, what kind of…!” 

 

“Rather, I am merely apologetic for causing confusion to the guest due to the hotel’s carelessness.” 

 

It was a brazenly smooth response.

 

Lee Yeonwoo checked his watch and then politely asked them.

 

“It is a bit late, but I believe you have much you wish to say, so I would like to arrange a time for us to talk.” 

 

“….” 

 

“How does that sound?” 

 

“…Yes, sounds good.”

 

The director nodded.

 

“We were actually coming to say our goodbyes anyway.”

 

It seemed it was time to leave this hotel.