Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 45

Crash!!

 

“…!!”

 

In an instant, his body was slammed into the floor.

 

‘What kind of strength is this….’

 

It felt as if the skin on his ankle was going to be ripped off. Without even a chance to scream at the monstrous pressure—like being caught in steel pincers—Lee Yeonwoo was dragged across the floor.

 

“Ugh, wait—!!”

 

Swwwoooosh—!! 

 

‘This insane hotel, seriously.’

 

Even while being dragged, the doorframe of Room 1814 came into view.

 

Lee Yeonwoo reflexively grabbed onto it. No, rather than a reflex, it was more like an automatic operation. A fixed sequence in a cutscene. Lee Yeonwoo knew the next scene all too well.

 

The door would fall rapidly from top to bottom, like the blade of a guillotine.

 

Ah….

 

‘I’m going crazy.’ 

 

Crunch—!! 

 

“…!”

 

A horrific sound of fracturing.

 

His arm convulsed. The sensation of his wrist being severed was vividly clear.

 

The door slammed shut with a roar, catching his right hand in the gap, while his body was dragged in the opposite direction and torn away. The severed hand was left abandoned in the hallway.

 

He could ‘see’ that cutscene. The blood flowing through the gap in the wall where the door had vanished, along with the hand left behind.

 

“….”

 

Thud, draggg—!! 

 

“…Haa…” 

 

Even as he was dragged helplessly, Lee Yeonwoo was impressed. It had been one of his hypotheses, but to think the user’s perspective would project into reality, allowing him to see sights from ‘angles that should be invisible.’ it was a bizarre phenomenon.

 

Since this was likely part of the hotel’s mechanics, if he analyzed it well later, he might be able to use it effectively….

 

“Ing.”

 

“I know this isn’t the time for that, Coco.”

 

His body was being dragged at an incredible speed.

 

Fortunately, thanks to game-like logic, his clothes weren’t ruined from scraping against the floor. But if he delayed any longer, it would truly be Game Over. The owner of this hand would kill him.

 

‘Any more death and resurrection would be problematic. I have to escape this grasp. If it follows the game, the device should be soon….’

 

Lee Yeonwoo rolled his eyes. The dark scenery whipped past. Dark red gazes flashed within that darkness.

 

And finally, he found it.

 

—The lever.

 

‘That,’

 

If he pulled it— 

 

Click.

 

“Ah.”

 

Thud—!!

 

Bam!!

 

“—…!!”

 

He gasped sharply. 

 

His back slammed violently against the isolation shutter that had dropped in an instant. It was the result of being hauled at high speed and then suddenly thrown mid-way. The strength left his arms, which had been reflexively clutching Coco.

 

His back was numb, and his arms trembled. Regardless of the fact that he perceived ‘pain’ merely as ‘information,’ a groan burst out of him.

 

“Guh, ugh…!”

 

Flop!

 

He bounced off the shutter and fell prone onto the floor again.

 

“This….”

 

What kind of ordeal was this? 

 

‘As if I’ve become a child’s toy tied to a rubber band.’

 

An unbearable sense of unpleasantness surged within him. He did not appreciate his body flailing about so undignifiedly regardless of his will. Even for a body as thin as paper, this had crossed the line by far.

 

He struggled to push his upper body up, bracing his hands against the floor with trembling arms.

 

“…Right, fine….”

 

The fishy scent of blood mingled with his ragged breath. Now, let’s try to pull ourselves together.

 

“…I perceive it as painful, but it isn’t agonizing. This contradiction confuses a person every time I experience it. Don’t you agree?”

 

“No?”

 

“What a wicked cat you are.”

 

“No!”

 

“Sigh….”

 

His ankle throbbed. That was how he ‘recognized’ it. As he shifted his gaze, he saw several blood-soaked fingers deeply embedded in his ankle.

 

Lee Yeonwoo stared blankly at the unnaturally long arm connected to those fingers. Still slumped on the floor, he scanned the grotesque byproduct with a dry gaze.

 

‘It was cut off.’

 

The shutter had come down and severed it in a single stroke. A hollow laugh escaped him.

 

“Haha.”

 

“…”

 

“…You’ve ended up in the same state as me.”

 

BANG—!! BANG!! Rattle-clack!!

 

As if in reply, a rough noise echoed from the other side of the shutter. 

 

Even though it was a considerably thick iron door, the vibration transmitted through it completely. It meant the path back to the other side was now entirely blocked. Swallowing the wave of fatigue washing over him, Lee Yeonwoo exhaled a low breath. 

 

“….”

 

He stared at the translucent interface window floating in the air.

 

“I thought I had prepared in my own way, though.” 

 

The inventory. A space where he could store and retrieve items he recognized as ‘items.’ 

 

“At this rate, bringing all this might have been for nothing.”

 

“No!”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Even with such useful functions, variables always exceed the imagination.

 

Originally, in this type of event situation, there were almost no ways to attack the monster. He had brought his own weapons just in case things were different now that it was reality, but the situation was far more serious than expected.

 

‘No, I gave it plenty of thought.’

 

It was simply that he lacked the capital to prepare something better.

 

‘Even if I can’t use them as direct weapons, they should be useful enough for other purposes.’

 

“Hello?”

 

“It’s alright, come here.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo reached out with a staggering hand and pulled Coco back into his arms. Holding the bundle of squishy silk, he slowly forced himself up. His extremely weakened body swayed.

 

The deformed arm, connected to the fingers embedded in his ankle, dragged across the floor like a shackle.

 

“Dear me….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo clicked his tongue and lightly shook his foot.

 

Perhaps because his body was so soft, the monster’s fingers, which had been deeply embedded, fell away surprisingly easily. Though as a result, his own ankle looked like it had been half-hacked away.

 

‘The smell of blood is strong.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked down at his ankle. Coco’s gaze followed his downward. Staring at the blood gushing out from there, Lee Yeonwoo furrowed his brows slightly.

 

‘No, it’s not from here.’

 

Drip…

 

Something was falling from a spot much higher than his ankle. Vivid red dots were being left on the floor. When he felt his forehead, a sticky, slippery sensation flowed down his fingers.

 

His forehead wasn’t cracked open.

 

“….”

 

…Ah, the sensation at the back of his head was strange.

 

His back was also damp all over. Even amidst the extreme confusion, an ominous certainty struck Lee Yeonwoo. He asked Coco for a moment of understanding.

 

“Just a moment.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

He tucked Coco under one arm and used his free hand to sweep across the back of his neck.

 

“Oh, dear.”

 

All his hand touched was blood. 

 

“There shouldn’t have been an effect like this in the cutscene.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“As expected, it must be because I’ve grown too weak, right?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“You truly never sugarcoat your words.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yes.”

 

In the original cutscene, falling against the shutter and then getting back up was the extent of it. There was never a situation where half the body turned into a bloody pulp.

 

Under a perfect game system, at least.

 

“It’s a headache when a body clumsily tries to imitate a person.”

 

In truth, it was at a level too embarrassing to even call it imitating a person. Because the very material of his being was blood, his physical tissues couldn’t withstand such an impact and simply scattered.

 

“Let’s see….”

 

Fortunately, enough blood remained to maintain his form.

 

Lee Yeonwoo began to use Blood Magic to fill the hollow spaces. As time passed, the back of his head and his back, which had felt empty, were filled to some extent.

 

He had stitched up the torn pocket, so there should be no more leaking.

 

‘No, should I call it blood-leaks?’ 

 

Either way, in terms of it being a systemic deficit, there wasn’t much difference.

 

“Though I’m in a state no better than hollow bread.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“A human hollow bread, I must truly be going crazy.”

 

“Yes.”

 

At this point, it really felt like she knew what was going on when she agreed.

 

“….”

 

“Hello?”

 

“…I lack blood.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Is there really no choice but to temporarily set aside my human dignity?”

 

“…? Hello?”

 

“I am not particularly doing ‘hello.’ I am critically low on blood.”

 

“Quarters. Bed. Rest.”

 

“I know that too.”

 

Once he slept in the administrator quarters, his blood would be replenished.

 

However, currently, he was in a situation where he couldn’t leave until he completed the game for Room 14. At this rate, his life—already like a flickering candle in the wind—was about to go out.

 

‘In that case, the only option is….’

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked at the blood-soaked floor.

 

“….”

 

He looked at the thumping shutter.

 

“….”

 

And he looked at the pitch-black surroundings.

 

“…Do you know what I was thinking for a second just now?” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Under the grand premise that I must preserve my humanity, a severe conflict of values occurred. Dignity is an essential element of humanity, so I was debating whether the act of licking up my own blood spilled on the floor was rational, no matter how desperate the situation.”

 

“….”

 

“But then I thought, what use is that dignity if my life isn’t attached, or if this form deteriorates even further after death? I can’t very well fall further into the abyss just to keep a scrap of dignity, can I? Am I being overly dramatic?”

 

“….”

 

“You only shut your mouth like a ghost at times like this.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo added with a lament.

 

“The shutter will be breached soon.”

 

Right. Dignity or whatever, the priority was to get out of here immediately.

 

Licking up blood from the floor was not a wise choice. Not only would the efficiency be low due to impurities, but it would also take too long to lick the floor clean.

 

He would likely be eaten by the monster breaking through the shutter before he could even fill up on blood.

 

“If only I had fully mastered the vampiric technique.”

 

There were stages even in the technique of consuming blood. As a beginner who had merely succeeded in the Blood Heart Crimson Sea ritual by luck, Lee Yeonwoo had only mastered the primitive method of direct oral consumption.

 

“….”

 

Oral consumption.

 

“It’s not a situation where I’ll die immediately, though.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s true.”

 

It was merely that his phone battery had about 71% remaining. Just because 29% of energy was missing didn’t mean it would power off right away. If he used it as sparingly as possible, he could endure for a few more hours. 

 

‘It’s just uncomfortable for a temperament that only feels satisfied when the battery is above 90%.’

 

Although the coughing and gagging that erupted spasmodically whenever he felt a bit better were problems, it was an inevitable choice for now to complete the event to the end. 

 

Lee Yeonwoo adjusted his hold on Coco. It felt squishy.

 

“It’s not like there’s no way.”

 

“Human?” 

 

“No, I’ll decline that on my part.”

 

“Ing.”

 

“I suspect the other party would decline me too.”

 

“Iing.”

 

“There are blood packs in this place.”

 

Packs containing fresh blood.

 

“It shouldn’t be too hard to find. They’re on the way, after all.”

 

In the game, they were used as items to lure pursuers in the latter half of the stage. For the sake of his pride, it was better to aim for those instead.

 

“Now that the situation is organized, shall we stop the complaining?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Slowly….”

 

He swept his gaze over his surroundings.

 

“….”

 

“I must do what needs to be done.”

 

Countless holes in the walls.

 

The eyes beyond them were looking at Lee Yeonwoo.

 

* * *

 

14th Floor, Central Control Room.

 

“This was the sector that controlled all sorts of unethical experiments and rituals carried out within the building. Consequently, the benefits of gaining authority over the central control room are many, but the risk is proportional to that.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo added as if asking Coco in his arms.

 

“Isn’t that so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

They walked down the hallway shrouded in deep darkness. The rooms were silent, but from beyond the countless holes in the walls, innumerable eyeballs stared at Lee Yeonwoo tenaciously.

 

“The true identity of the playable character is a subject I’ve pondered for a long time.”

 

Is he human, a ghost, or simply a monster? What kind of causal link binds him to this hotel?

 

“The developer answered that it was up to the user’s interpretation. A truly disappointing answer. Thanks to that, even after knowing this game for over 20 years, I still haven’t reached a conclusion.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“The hotel’s reaction toward the character is far too contradictory. At times it attacks with hostility, yet at other times it defends him to a degree that is hard to understand. Sometimes it even shows a perfectly neutral attitude.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“That’s why it’s so difficult to grasp. Just what kind of existence the ‘General Manager’ was in the history of this hotel.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo stared into a hole in the wall.

 

“But whenever I face a sight like this.”

 

“….”

 

“…I come to think that in the end, ‘I’ too might have been one of the perpetrators.” 

 

Inside the hole, a gaze watching him from beyond a crack.

 

The vivid things within that gaze approached him deeply, as if carving out his insides. It was a scream filled with fear, pain, and agony. Without a single sound. Without any words or form of language.

 

Without even the sound of a beast’s cry, they were screaming such screams at Lee Yeonwoo.

 

“It gives off the unpleasant feeling that past victims are watching me from within closed rooms. I don’t know if those are eyes seeking help or eyes pouring out resentment.”

 

A noise heard from somewhere. Lee Yeonwoo used that mechanical sound as a landmark and moved his steps.

 

“Though when you actually open the door and step inside.” 

 

He entered a room after opening an iron door.

 

“There is nothing inside.”

 

“Yes.”

 

As if the gazes pouring in until just now were an illusion, as if the bloodshot eyeballs were a delusion, the room was empty.

 

Only a single, old, dusty CRT TV sat in the silence.

 

“As expected, it doesn’t work.”

 

It was a background object that could not be interacted with in the game, either. It seemed nothing had particularly changed just because it had become reality.

 

“Still, isn’t it fortunate? Even though it’s become reality, I remember all the paths in this maze. When I first encountered the Room 14 event, I died quite a few times because of this malicious structure.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You remember? That’s surprising….”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Times like this make me realize the fact that you are an existence that has been with me for 26 years.” 

 

A space where rooms of similar shape were infinitely connected. Beyond every gap in the walls, groaning eyeballs were packed tight. The only clue was to follow the noise of the TV. 

 

‘Now that it has become reality, this part is actually easier.’ 

 

Now he could remember the way even without the sound, but it had been quite an ordeal when it was a game. The difficulty of the listening task varied wildly depending on the device’s performance or audio settings.

 

And when you reach the end….

 

“Ah, right.”

 

“….”

 

“Here you are.” 

 

All the noise was cut off in a single stroke.

 

A CRT TV placed in the middle of the room, a chair facing it, and a remote control placed on top of it. Lee Yeonwoo lightly dusted off the chair and sat down.

 

He gripped the remote and fixed his gaze on the screen.

 

“Then, shall we give it a try?”

 

[Welcome, General Manager.]

 

It was mini-game time.