Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 41

After the tutorial ended, a notification like this had appeared.

 

[New Functions Unlocked] 

Full Interface Activation 

Management System Module Opened 

Sensory Expansion Existence Detection Permitted

 

Among them, if one opens the ‘Sensory Expansion’ tab, there exists a category called ‘Five Senses Stats.’ These are the basic character stats, similar to health, agility, and strength in a typical game.

 

“…Thank you for visiting.”

 

And there was one fact that Lee Yeonwoo had temporarily forgotten. 

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

 

“How may I help you?”

 

Those stats were applied without filter even to human guests.

 

[Vision] 

‘Your eyes capture an elderly man with white hair and a beard.’ 

‘A sharp impression and deep-set eyes are visible on the old man’s face.’ 

‘In the gaze with which the old man stares at you, a color of subtle probing is mixed.’ 

‘He fixes his gaze persistently, as if trying to find some clue beyond your outward appearance.’ ‘You discover dangerous curiosity and thick suspicion within that gaze.’

 

The guidance from the translucent window poured into his mind as if being branded there.

 

“I’d like to stay for a night.” 

 

“A one-night stay, confirmed.”

 

[Hearing] 

‘As the old man opens his mouth, a low and calm voice resonates.’ 

‘The old man’s voice maintains a precise tone, and every time you speak, he collects your vocal data.’ 

‘The old man maintains silence as if trying to find a minute sense of dissonance in your vocalization.’ 

‘The density of the old man’s scrutiny toward you increases.’ 

‘In the silence, his interest in analyzing your manner of speech and cross-referencing it with specific information is detected—’

 

Stop.

 

“….”

 

It might have been data in a game, but reality was different. Every time the script swept directly through his brain, the back of his neck grew stiff. The situation of being forced to read another person’s information was… certainly burdensome.

 

‘My body is already weakened as it is. If it’s a technique directly linked to the brain, I have no choice but to worry about overload. I must avoid a situation where my blood pressure soars and causes sudden death like last time.’ 

 

This was the reason he had stayed only in the administrator quarters ever since the tutorial. He had been extremely careful about his personal safety, but as long as a human had set foot in this hotel, he could not fail to come out and greet them.

 

In the first place, why were human guests visiting one after another?

 

“I shall assist you with your check-in.” 

 

“…I’ll leave it to you.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo opened the ‘Management System Module.’

 

‘I hope there isn’t a list I missed.’

 

The process of collecting information through the ‘Guest Management Policy’ within the module is important. Only then can a checklist according to the ‘Response Guidelines’ be established.

 

A list prepared in advance raised the efficiency of response. Because when a new guest arrived, the system automatically categorized the rooms available for occupancy. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“…?”

 

[Vision] 

‘You capture the old man staring into the empty space over your shoulder.’ 

‘Even though nothing should exist there, his gaze is directed toward a precise point.’ 

‘It is an extraordinary insight.’

 

Extraordinary insight, huh.

 

‘Can he see Coco?’

 

He certainly was not an ordinary person.

 

‘He definitely seems to know something.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo took a room key from the board.

 

“I shall escort you to Room 9 on the 17th floor.” 

 

“The 17th floor. Good.”

 

“Then, prior to entering the room, I will guide you through a few matters.” 

 

“That because it is under pilot operation, there are deficiencies in the overall service, and some public facilities cannot be used? Because of that, meals might be difficult to prepare?” 

 

He had guessed as much, but. 

 

“My niece was in your debt.”

 

Ah, dear. 

 

“I came to convey my apologies and gratitude for making things troublesome.” 

 

“….”

 

“Can we talk for a moment?” 

 

“…Of course.”

 

Name: Baek Mujin.

 

The head of ‘Baeksan’ Group, a representative corporation of South Korea, and a major figure in the art world.

 

It seemed the rumors that Director Lee Seonhae was a member of a royal family hadn’t come from nowhere.

 

* * *

 

So, he had guessed the man wouldn’t be an ordinary person, but.

 

“May I hear about that gift?” 

 

“I brought a death row inmate.” 

 

“…Aha.”

 

He didn’t realize the man would be someone so far beyond common sense.

 

“May I hear the reason?” 

 

“The reason for bringing a gift is always obvious.” 

 

“You thought I would like it.” 

 

“I find it regrettable. It doesn’t seem that way at all.”

 

Wouldn’t most people not like that?

 

“It is not a gift brought to give to that thing, though.” 

 

What a shame, it was indeed a gift Coco would like. 

 

However, he couldn’t tell exactly what the man had seen to bring a death row inmate. At most, all he would have seen was the hotel building. Was it thanks to Director Lee Seonhae’s account of her experience, or….

 

“Our hotel shouldn’t be a very well-known place. Did you perhaps hear a rumor?”

 

The answer returned readily. 

 

“Far from rumors, I didn’t even know such a hotel had been built in this spot. Contrary to your concerns, I’ve heard nothing about this place. However, I do know that it’s a building built upon corpses.”

 

However, Lee Yeonwoo felt a sense of incongruity within those sentences. 

 

“I smelled the odor of corpses in this hotel. The sticky scent of blood, the layers of screams piled up. The prayers offered toward a god that must not exist. That is not something hidden just because you decorate it beautifully like this.” 

 

Baek Mujin’s statement sounded as if he possessed some kind of superpower.

 

“To be honest, it would be difficult for others to know as accurately as I do. But anyone with even a bit of sharpness would feel the uncanniness. They would feel the dissonance. Just as Seonhae, who knows nothing, felt the warp in this place….” 

 

“….” 

 

“Seonhae is doing well.” 

 

“…That is a relief.”

 

That was… a somewhat relieving thing to hear.

 

Though he didn’t know much, Baek Mujin appeared to be an expert in ‘this field,’ and if such a man was by Director Lee Seonhae’s side, the chances of her suffering from aftereffects would decrease.

 

‘Judging by the friendly way he refers to her, he seems to be a family member who cares.’

 

But this was definitely uncomfortable.

 

“Because the energy and nature were so sinister, I wondered if a gift of this size would satisfy. Though I wouldn’t know what you would use it for and how, if you drag a death row inmate who has fallen to the very bottom to a place like this… everyone is delighted.” 

 

…Do I now generally look like some kind of strange person?

 

He felt a bit wronged. Where in the world could you find such an upright, innocent citizen? 

 

* * *

 

That sense of injustice continued throughout the entire tour of the hotel. 

 

“May I ask what is unexpected without it being an rudeness?” 

 

“I expected there to be at least a water ghost… ah.” 

 

“…?” 

 

“It is nothing.”

 

The gazes sent his way after this conversation were very burdensome.

 

‘What is it?’

 

He didn’t feel any grand emotions. But at the same time, it was a complex gaze. If there was anything he could decipher, it was a faint curiosity, or perhaps greed.

 

‘It’s excessive for a reaction between people meeting for the first time.’ 

 

The gaze used to appraise antiques or jewels would be like that.

 

‘No, wait. Does that mean he doesn’t see me as a person right now?’

 

Reading between the lines, he was clearly the type to treat people as objects. But this felt different even from that. It felt more alien, more distant.

 

“….”

 

[Sixth Sense] 

‘During the conversation with Baek Mujin, you receive the feeling that an intangible ‘gaze’ is continuously staring at you.’

 

“…?”

 

[Will you permit Existence Detection?] 

[Yes/No]

 

“…….”

 

[No]

 

“…Then, next, I shall escort you to the Lifestyle Zone. Though it is not currently in the official operational stage, I believe it will be sufficient for you to deduce the overall atmosphere our hotel aims for.” 

 

“Then shall I ask you to continue guiding me?” 

 

Even while explaining the Grand Ballroom, the buffet, the dining area, and the rooftop garden in succession, that scrutiny continued. He considered pretending to notice it but decided against it.

 

“Where should I prepare your meal?” 

 

“I heard the buffet or dining area is operational.” 

 

“An excellent choice. I shall assign a dedicated staff member to a quiet area so that your path does not overlap with other guests.” 

 

“I’ll leave it to you.”

 

By the time the tour was entirely finished, Lee Yeonwoo’s mind and body were already exhausted.

 

‘…This is a pressure of a different sort.’

 

What on earth was the reason?

 

‘There is too little information.’

 

It is certain that that strange gaze began at the Aqua Park.

 

But why? What had he deduced from me, and what conclusion had he drawn? What kind of conclusion was it for him to look at me with those eyes? 

 

As if inspecting an old facility….

 

“….”

 

He returned to the administrator quarters and agonized over it, but nothing changed.

 

“Regrettable.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“As expected, there is nothing as difficult as dealing with people.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo pulled up the management module as if shaking off idle thoughts. Whatever the case, the man was a human guest, so he had to prevent any accidents that might occur.

 

“…? Is he moving?”

 

He expected the man to head to the buffet or dining area for a meal at most. Unexpectedly, the place where the guest’s footsteps stopped was the rooftop garden.

 

A single blue dot floating alone on the map. Lee Yeonwoo stared at it and muttered.

 

“Fortunately, there are no other guests using the rooftop garden today. Since paths don’t overlap, there’s no need to restrict his actions… but just in case, it’s best to have a dedicated staff member standby nearby.” 

 

“Ing.” 

 

“What kind of reaction is that?” 

 

The ‘Sixth Sense’ Lee Yeonwoo used was not a technique that simply grasped a guest’s location. 

 

An ability to dig into almost all information about the target depending on growth. Though it was currently merely at the basic stat stage, checking at least the minimum conversation script was possible. 

 

That was how he saw the unexpected conversation.

 

[You’re probably thinking about which crazy b*stard created a goblin in modern times, aren’t you?]

 

Goblin?

 

[Who would have imagined a young Goblin being born in this day and age?]

 

Young Goblin?

 

[To summarize, he is a young Goblin who was perhaps once a young artist… held captive by a labyrinth that systematically piled up blood and pain.] 

 

“….” 

 

[He is a material they labored over enough to have to erase him from the world entirely. It would be harder to think such a material was not an artist.] 

 

“…? What is this….” 

 

[That they have bad personalities? So that kind and diligent young man couldn’t have been an artist, which is a synonym for a personality disorder? Is that what you wanted to say?] 

 

“What is he talking about?”

 

It was Korean, but he couldn’t interpret it.

 

[Do not pity him easily. Do not judge him recklessly either. He became a Goblin under the gaze of the labyrinth and is currently in the process of constantly suffering and dying, held captive by this hellish disaster, is he not?] 

 

“No.” 

 

[Nevertheless, he saved people. He has lived as a human that way and still bestows goodwill. To my eyes, it appeared that he ultimately succeeded in protecting ‘himself.’ If he were an existence easy enough for you to pity and judge, do you think he could have done that?] 

 

“No, not to that extent.” 

 

“Yes-no?”

 

Something was wrong, but he didn’t know exactly what or where it had gone wrong.

 

[Without even worrying about being devoured in an instant before that existence.] 

 

“I don’t eat people, though?” 

 

[Who knows about that. From what I can see, he seems to be involved in Blood Magic.] 

 

“Ah, that much is true.”

 

Apparently, one usually eats people if they learn Blood Magic. Come to think of it, all the records left in the Blood Heart Crimson Sea mentioned side effects regarding cannibalism or vampiric impulses.

 

It seemed Baek Mujin had concluded that Lee Yeonwoo was in the same situation.

 

[Even if a desire cannot be absent, it can be suppressed.]

 

There wasn’t one.

 

[Do you see now why I said it was dangerous?]

 

Thus, Lee Yeonwoo became a dangerous element.

 

[To feel sorry for a monster of that magnitude—that, too, is a remarkable thing.] 

 

“….”

 

And he even became a monster.

 

“….” 

 

“Hello?”

 

It was information enough to cause an identity crisis.

 

* * *

 

“Let’s organize this.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo pulled out a whiteboard from the corner of the lab. Coco was huddled on a chair like a loaf of bread.

 

Lee Yeonwoo adjusted his glasses and pointed to the first phrase he had written with a marker.

 

First, Goblin.

 

“Our hotel’s second human guest, Baek Mujin-ssi, called me a ‘traditional Goblin.’ He even added the specific modifier, ‘a young Goblin newly born in the modern age.’” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Seeing as the possibility of someone artificially manufacturing one was even brought up, it seems certain that a race called Goblin actually exists in the world. However, the birth process and the result seem to be an extremely rare case.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Furthermore, Baek Mujin-ssi evaluated me as having ‘an appearance full of human touch and honesty that a labyrinth with an ego could not show,’ and as ‘the only one preserving humanity.’ I cannot hide my joy at the news that my social skills haven’t grown rusty.” 

 

“No.”

 

“I will not listen. Then moving on to the next…” 

 

Second, Soul.

 

“According to Baek Mujin-ssi’s testimony, my soul, Lee Yeonwoo’s soul, is deep and clear, looking like that of a pure ‘human.’ I’ve received a truly grand compliment. Now, applause.” 

 

“Iing.” 

 

“I believe I told you to choose one: either sulk or applaud.” 

 

“Ing.”

 

Even so, Coco gave him some steady applause. Since it was essentially certified that at least his soul was human, Lee Yeonwoo was in quite a good mood. Enough to generously overlook even that half-hearted applause.

 

“Good, let’s move on.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

Third, Labyrinth.

 

“Baek Mujin-ssi presumes that I am imprisoned by the first master of the labyrinth. Here, the ‘first labyrinth’ seems to refer to this hotel… As expected, was it not you, Coco, who kidnapped me? Are you still planning to deny it even with the addition of a third party’s testimony?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“You certainly have backbone. Fine. Let’s continue.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo lightly twirled the marker.

 

“Baek Mujin-ssi seems to have judged that by being trapped in this labyrinth, I act as… hmm, a sort of filter that blocks ‘all sorts of ominous things,’ meaning monster guests or horror elements. He must be referring to the role a character in the game performed.”

 

Hotel One can be played in various ways. The method Lee Yeonwoo favored was the ‘Over My Dead Body’ tactic. He never let any human guest die until they got through him.

 

Surprisingly, Baek Mujin seemed to have seen right through Lee Yeonwoo’s playstyle. Seeing as he even used the expression ‘repeating death,’ it seemed he had roughly read the records of this hotel.

 

“Reading between the lines, it seems an ‘artist’ refers to a kind of psychic. The reason he read the records of this hotel or my character’s physical data… is likely because Baek Mujin-ssi himself possesses that kind of ability.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“An important piece of information came out here.” 

 

Lee Yeonwoo took off his glasses. He stared at Coco with eyes that had turned coldly sunken.

 

“I was erased from the world?” 

 

“….” 

 

“Coco, please answer.” 

 

“Hello?”

 

“I’d rather not believe that is an appropriate answer in the current situation. I might have been stuck in this hotel for about five years including the resurrection period, but there’s no way traces of me would vanish without a word from the world in just that much time. But I was erased? What does this mean?”

 

Baek Mujin is the head of a corporation representing South Korea. A person with very deep and wide global influence who also frequently appears in the political sphere.

 

That such a giant could not find a single researcher named ‘Lee Yeonwoo.’ 

 

“It seems that in the process of me being kidnapped by the hotel, an administrative or cognitive defect occurred. Is my deduction correct?” 

 

“Yes….” 

 

“Thank you for answering readily.”

 

It was better to know the cause than not to know.

 

‘At least my family and friends won’t be losing sleep worrying about me.’

 

If there had been even one person who remembered him, a conglomerate of that size couldn’t have failed to find the information of a commoner. The expression ‘erased from the world’ only holds true if he was forgotten entirely.

 

While he felt relieved that everyone seemed to be eating and living well without him, on the other hand….

 

“This is quite disappointing.”

 

He felt quite sorrowful and uncomfortable. While worrying that they couldn’t live without me was a concern, it was also unfair for them to forget me and live too well. 

 

“I shall settle this later after I leave the hotel.” 

 

“Yes….” 

 

“As a courtesy toward a co-owner, I trust you will surely prepare an alternative for this matter. Did you hear me? I shall trust you, Coco. I believe in you.”

 

“Yes…!”

 

Her expression was no different than usual, but Coco seemed to be resolving something. Had he known what kind of result that resolution would bring in the future, he definitely would have stopped it—so Lee Yeonwoo would think much, much later.

 

Of course, that was a story for the distant future.

 

“Coco, guarantee!” 

 

“Good.” 

 

“Yes!” 

 

“It’s not ‘yes’… Ha, why do I have to distribute project tasks to a team member even here? And regarding a matter related to my private life? It’s truly maddening.”

 

And finally, the last agenda: Blood Magic.

 

Lee Yeonwoo spoke as he put his glasses back on.

 

“Blood Magic is, as expected, of course, but even more than I thought… hmmm….” 

 

“It is dangerous.” 

 

“To think you’d speak.” 

 

 “Yes.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

Blood Magic was being treated as an area far more dangerous than he had imagined.

 

“To generalize public opinion with the view of just one person is an obvious statistical error, but… given who the source of information is, I can’t help but be bothered.” 

 

“Yes….”

 

“What kind of image does blood magic have exactly? Judging by Baek Mujin-ssi’s words, it seemed close to a cannibal or a vampire. At this rate, it’s obvious without looking how I’ll be treated when I interact with people later.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Even if I can’t help having been caught by Baek Mujin-ssi, I should hide my use of Blood Magic as much as possible from now on. That way, I’ll be able to maintain at least a minimum level of human relationships.” 

 

“Yes-no.” 

 

“….” 

 

“Hello?”

 

He must have lost his mind. Lee Yeonwoo squeezed both eyes tightly shut. 

 

“At this rate, my dignity… my honor… my social standing….” 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“No.”

 

My upright, innocent career.