Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 35

“How much do you know about humans?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“My, we have a long way to go.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Or perhaps you’re simply distracted by the food.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo placed a steak in front of Coco. Coco stared intensely at the meat as if ready to bury his face in it. He was truly a creature with a vigorous appetite.

 

Having confirmed that, Lee Yeonwoo took a seat across from Coco. Since Coco was sitting in the center of the table, calling it exactly the opposite side was a bit ambiguous, though. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“This is pyeonyuk. It’s pig’s head meat that has been boiled, pressed, and thinly sliced. The texture will be quite different from the steak in front of you.” 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“That over there is seasoned buckwheat jelly, and next to it are buckwheat crepes. This is buckwheat tea.” 

 

“Pig? Buckwheat?” 

 

“Yes, I quite… like them.”

 

There were only a few foods that Lee Yeonwoo could describe as “liking.” Alcohol, pork, buckwheat, and perhaps rice cakes or fruit. But in the first place, he tended to be reluctant about the act of eating itself.

 

Because it felt like foreign matter entering his body…. 

 

“I felt this when it was a game, too, but perhaps because it’s a Western-style hotel, it was difficult to find Korean menus. What I did manage to find were the types of things you’d likely see on a funeral table or an ancestral rites table.” 

 

“Ancestral rites table.” 

 

“It feels a bit strange from a diner’s perspective, but they’re foods I originally preferred, so it doesn’t matter. They even had sorghum rice, as if they truly intended it to be an ancestral rites table.”

 

The combination of head meat and buckwheat jelly was excellent. Furthermore, adding crepes and seasoned vegetables made it the icing on the cake. It would be perfect if he finished with sirutteok for dessert.

 

‘To think I’d benefit from the completion of the tutorial in this way.’

 

The reputation given by his former colleagues—that he had the palate of an ancestor, let alone an old man—briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly ignored it.

 

Lee Yeonwoo took a bite of a buckwheat crepe.

 

“Mmm….”

 

…It was delicious, but.

 

‘It was the same when I tried the human guests’ food instead, but perhaps because it’s been a while, it’s even more uncomfortable.’

 

A unique sense of incongruity felt when an alien substance infiltrates the inside of the body. Putting down his chopsticks, he wiped his mouth and changed the subject.

 

“Let’s stop talking about the menu here.” 

 

Since this was merely an excuse.

 

“I thought we might talk a bit about humans today.” 

 

“Yes-no.” 

 

“Whether such a conversation will actually be of help in you, Coco, understanding humans remains an unknown, but I believe that what is most important in closing the gap between species is ultimately understanding and acceptance.” 

 

“Yes….” 

 

“You’re acting exactly like a student who doesn’t want to study. Learning such an expression must also mean you understand the human called ‘me’ to some extent.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Good.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo scooped up some rice with a spoon. It had a quite soft texture, just as intended. Although it was a dish that existed within the game system, it seemed he could make these kinds of minor changes.

 

“Humans. And humanity. It is a subject capable of much discussion.” 

 

Coco opened his mouth in a circle as if to say, ‘What do I care?’

 

“Ah.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Ah. Ah.” 

 

“…Just a moment.”

 

Kir○y of the Stars.

 

‘Where is this food going?’

 

Lee Yeonwoo started to cut the steak for him but stopped. It was an act unsuited for that mouth size. Lee Yeonwoo put the whole piece of meat into that mouth.

 

Coco absorbed it without even pretending to chew. It wasn’t surprising at this point, but it was interesting.

 

‘I wonder what kind of structure the digestive system has.’

 

Leaving such questions behind, Lee Yeonwoo continued with the main point.

 

“Shall we talk again?”

 

First, philosophy.

 

“From a philosophical perspective, humanity refers to the combination of reason, autonomy, consciousness of existence, and moral responsibility. It means they are tiresome existences that constantly throw the question, ‘Who am I?’” 

 

“Moral responsibility.” 

 

“That’s right, the fact that I caused all that fuss to send Director Lee Seonhae and Writer Hong Kyungyeon outside in as safe a state as possible is also in the same vein. It’s a responsibility that humans universally come to possess.” 

 

“Universal?” 

 

“Do you think it isn’t?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“That is regrettable.”

 

Anyone who has had a bit of a social life would know, quite unfortunately, that not every human possesses a ‘universal sense of responsibility.’

 

‘Few people would know that as well as I do.’

 

It was a matter of probability and averages, after all. Humans are creatures with strong individualities.

 

“Then let’s move on to the law. Humanity in law can be summarized as the prerequisite for rights. It means the grounds for being a being that must be respected equally before the law.” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Aren’t you honest. Then again, to you, Coco, who inhabits this kind of game system and lawless zone, the laws made by humans will hold neither great inspiration nor meaning. Those kinds of opinions have an interesting side to them, much as they are uncomfortable.” 

 

“Hello!” 

 

“It wasn’t a compliment.” 

 

Lee Yeonwoo added.

 

“To put it another way, humans are creatures who must make even such complex promises to be guaranteed minimum rights.”

 

That is how the law organizes humanity.

 

“Then how does science express humanity? It’s simple, higher primates. It’s merely a species with traits of a highly developed brain structure, sociality, and metacognition, but….” 

 

“Ing.” 

 

“Are you starting to yawn?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Oh dear. Originally, social life starts from enduring and listening to things you don’t want to hear. I’m sorry, but I’m not finished yet.”

 

In fact, there was nothing to be sorry about. Since the probability was high that Coco was the main culprit who dragged Lee Yeonwoo into this monster’s den, he, as the kidnapper, had an obligation to bear the general manager’s anguish together. 

 

Because originally, this kind of complex discussion gets sorted out only when shared with another. 

 

“Also, there is this argument. The perspective that only humans do art. Looking at it from that aspect, perhaps humanity in art is the refinement and interpretation of experience, the pinnacle of self-expression.” 

 

“Eeing.” 

 

“You’ve become quite sly. It’s not that that kind of playing cute particularly worked on me, but highly rating the fact that your interaction with humans has advanced a step further, I will wrap it up here.” 

 

His actions had become quite cute.

 

‘That kind of throwing a fit must be an imitation of a human’s.’

 

What on earth did it reference inside this desolate hotel? 

 

‘If there was no influence from external factors, it might mean its intelligence system was highly developed from the start. Or that there was another channel through which it could learn human culture. But… no.’ 

 

He set such questions aside for a moment.

 

“…So….”

 

Returning to the main topic.

 

“…To summarize, a human is an existence that understands others, perceives oneself, creates meaning, and bears moral responsibility. Countless people have agonized for a long time and reached that conclusion. Quite apart from whether that is truly right or not.” 

 

Lee Yeonwoo tasted the pressed pork and put down his chopsticks.

 

‘It’s a condition where it’s difficult for an appetite to be piqued.’

 

As the flesh of the pig rolls, a thick taste of blood lingers in his mouth.

 

“I don’t think I’m not human.” 

 

“…” 

 

“…Unlike during the tutorial, I feel some more full-fledged biological reactions.”

 

Following the scent of blood, his tongue brushes his lips, and his gaze rolls to the side.

 

“I perceive that fatigue, pain, hunger, and senses exist incompletely.” 

 

“….” 

 

“However, do you know the term ‘Uncanny Valley’?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“How do you know that?” 

 

“Yes?” 

 

“The current me is feeling that discomfort. I don’t know what to do about this feeling of having become something that is neither a living thing nor a non-living thing.” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Do you wish for me to completely depart from being human?”

 

Lee Yeonwoo chewed the buckwheat jelly.

 

Green onions and red peppers. Soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. The scents and tastes should be intense in their own right, but they are buried by the taste of blood that seems to have coated his tongue. He smells the scent of blood just by breathing.

 

He feels as if he has been buried alive in bloody water.

 

Nonetheless, no, because of that.

 

“….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo ate.

 

“…Perhaps you are right.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“It might be a much more efficient and rational path for me to cease being human. If one considers figures or probabilities, or that kind of absolute majority of cases.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“But as I give up and resign myself one by one like that, I can’t imagine what kind of choices I’ll end up making later. And as you know, I absolutely loathe uncertainty. Even if everything in the world cannot be clear, shouldn’t at least I, myself, be within my own hands?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“My, you think so?”

 

He clicked his tongue as if he were slightly hurt.

 

“This is quite disappointing….” 

 

It was also an interesting opinion.

 

‘Indeed, it’s correct that this hotel needs the person called Lee Yeonwoo.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo, smiling faintly, continued.

 

“You seem to dislike something, but this is a fairly important matter. How can a man who can’t even protect his own foundation achieve anything greater? Isn’t that so?” 

 

“Hello.” 

 

“It probably won’t be a losing deal for you either, Coco. You want me to drive a stake into this hotel and ideally manage these unidentified guests and this living, breathing building, don’t you?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“So, I will yield a hundred times—I don’t mind even if I stop being ‘human.’”

 

He was willing to put that much up as a stake.

 

“What’s important is that I remain ‘me,’ not how my cells are composed.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Humans are originally products of adaptation and evolution according to the environment. I am merely intending to follow that natural law as well, it’s just that my stride is a little unusually wide and fast compared to others.” 

 

Nonetheless, he wishes to be ‘me.’

 

“…Shall we think about what makes me, me?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I tend to skip meals often. Since I’m someone who gets full easily and gets bored quickly, the amount I eat is also small. I don’t particularly want to eat things that don’t taste good, and the sensation of being full is burdensome and uncomfortable.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“I try to lead as ideal a life as possible, but it isn’t easy…. When I focus on something, I skip meals, exercise, and sleep. Only after everything is finished do I regain the mind to manage myself.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“…And….”

 

What else was there?

 

Things that can express me. Things that can be called my core.

 

“….” 

 

“….” 

 

“…Seeing as so many things come to mind that it’s a hassle to say them out loud, it seems I haven’t gone mad yet. Isn’t that a great relief?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Naughty cat.”

 

Philosophy and psychology aren’t my areas of expertise.

 

But Lee Yeonwoo knew himself. He knew what he couldn’t give up even if he died. And that remained true even while the cells of his entire body were being replaced and he repeated life and death.

 

It’s an obvious thing to say, but failing to achieve something is….

 

Incompetence.

 

‘At least to me.’

 

That was only natural.

 

“I think I’ve organized things to some extent.” 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Yes, doing what I can do right now comes first, doesn’t it?”

 

There were many tasks. His head was still complicated, but at the very least, sustaining his own life by harming others could not be called ‘me.’ Lee Yeonwoo thought so. 

 

For that, both I and the hotel needed measures.

 

“Then first….”

 

[Acquire Tutorial Rewards] 

Nightmare Assets ×300 

Random Box ×1 

Staff Recruitment Ticket × 10

 

“Shall we start by opening the gift box?” 

 

“Yes.”