Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 49

Entering into a contract with a monster guest incurs a massive penalty, but it comes with equally substantial benefits. Reflecting on the implicit meaning of the word ‘contract,’ this was only natural. 

 

Since it meant hiring the guest as a hotel employee and establishing a relationship that exerted mutual binding force.

 

‘In certain domains, I can receive their protection.’

 

However, calling it help felt a bit ambiguous. 

 

Since the playable character had died from drowning at the time of the contract with the ‘Wet Man,’ the system considered him a water ghost in some respects. The discomforts he had suffered thus far were largely due to living above the water.

 

‘From the perspective of someone born as a mammal who spent their whole life on land, it feels a bit unfair, but…’ 

 

Since a fish that could only speak and breathe underwater was forcing itself to live on land, it was an inevitable result for its breath to be ragged and its body to be broken.

 

But to put it the other way around, while staying inside the water as he was now, he was somewhat freed from internal and external threats.

 

‘The fact that an employee tags along as an escort is a bonus.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked to his side while entrusting his body to the current. The water ghost whose eyes met his smile brightly.

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Yes, hello.” 

 

“Hello!” 

 

“How long must I do this for?” 

 

“Hahaha!” 

 

“They must be insane.”

 

There are guests whose personalities change drastically once a contract is signed. This was mainly the case for guests who placed meaning on the weight of a relationship, and the ‘Wet Man’ was a prime example.

 

‘I thought it was because he confirmed I wasn’t just a hypocrite who was all talk, but…’ 

 

When a player tries to help the ‘Wet Man’ by choosing ‘good’ options, the ghost laughs and calls the user a hypocrite. Even while obtaining a shred of warmth and solace from that hypocrisy.

 

That was because the user was, in fact, an existence that continued to step on the land and walk beneath the light. It was a relaxed hypocrisy that could only be afforded because the user was not in the same situation.

 

‘But if the user maintains the same course of action even after the contract, the Wet Man starts acting friendly, calling the user a friend.’

 

For the record, it was not as if he maintained his appearance from the time of the contract. The ‘Wet Man’ was a collection of numerous water ghosts. As proof, the ‘Wet Man’ currently slicing through the current with agility was female.

 

“Where are you going? Down? Further down?” 

 

“I’m not going down.” 

 

“I’ll go with you.” 

 

“I will formally ask for your assistance later.” 

 

“Is that so?” 

 

“Right now, I’m going to the Records Room.” 

 

“What about this?”

 

Crunch—!!

 

The grotesque hands reaching out from the walls of the waterway were crushed by a single sweep of its massive tail.

 

“Oh.” 

 

“Is this also a friend?” 

 

“Good heavens, of course not.” 

 

“Is that so?” 

 

At that, the ‘Wet Man’ let out a pleasant humming. Come to think of it, it was the melody that played during the Aqua Park chase stage. Thanks to that, even the 26-year veteran user felt a bit refreshed.

 

‘It seems they quite liked hearing that it wasn’t a friend.’

 

He was particularly fastidious when it came to discerning a contractor’s friends. If one entered into a contract with another water-related guest at the same time, his possessiveness was strong enough that underwater accidents wouldn’t cease in the hotel for an entire week. 

 

“….”

 

Even so, there were some puzzling points.

 

‘The monster that is the subject of this event has nothing to do with water, though?’

 

Then what was that attack just now?

 

‘Was it just a reflexive wariness toward a foreign existence swimming in its domain, the water?’

 

In the original event scenario, a contracted guest does not personally appear just because specific conditions are met. It was because the game wasn’t one with such excellent detail.

 

However, benefits and penalties were faithfully linked. Specifically, if a player fell into the water while contracted with the ‘Wet Man,’ his figure was visible until the player reached the surface. Like a crow staring at a corpse.

 

‘In the game, that is.’

 

Recalling how the penalties had applied until he reached this point, he had guessed the benefits in the water would also be exerted. It was also within a sufficiently predictable range that an apparition of the ‘Wet Man’ would appear.

 

‘But is this… not an entirely different story?’

 

Crunch—!!

 

“….”

 

Cr-cr-crunch—!!!

 

The ‘Wet Man’ swung its massive tail and pulverized the unnaturally long arms and clumps of hair. Those monsters reaching out from the pipe holes were clearly the masters of this pursuit.

 

“That.” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“That!”

 

The ghost faced Lee Yeonwoo with a face that looked as if it couldn’t bear not venting to a friend about the absurd incident it had encountered. It asked while pointing a finger.

 

“What is that?” 

 

“A stalker.” 

 

“We really, truly, do not like this.” 

 

“What a coincidence; neither do I.” 

 

“It seems to be following us constantly. Acting like the master of this waterway.” 

 

“Constantly following; that is the core of a stalker. You’ve grasped it accurately.” 

 

“It is very unpleasant; it must not dare do this. Do you understand my words?” 

 

“I understand.” 

 

“Yes, that’s right. You are on my side. You are my friend.” 

 

“I see….”

 

A complex voice whose gender was hard to gauge. Beyond that equally confusing manner of speech, a droning resonance that vibrated the brain was heard. It was a vibration similar to a whale’s song yet far more threatening.

 

‘Even sound effects like this weren’t in the game.’

 

This behavior of openly protecting the contractor was the same. Though it looked closer to possessiveness or the anger of a superior toward a lowly monster getting ideas, rather than protection.

 

‘I thought we’d just exchange greetings and they’d stand by, but we can communicate better than expected. Interactions like this were impossible in the game. If that had been possible, the game would have struggled to run even as pixel art….’

 

To say it was simply because the game had become reality, well, he had an inkling.

 

“….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo asked while cutting through the water.

 

“…Friend.”

 

“Yes, friend. My friend.” 

 

“Do you ‘remember’ me right now?” 

 

“….”

 

At that question, the ‘Wet Man’s’ mouth tore open grotesquely. As if to show what kind of implication was contained in the reaction, the eyes, drenched in ecstasy, curved thinly like crescent moons.

 

“““We remember you!”””

 

Wait, hold on.

 

“My friend, my kind warmth, our sweet blood!” 

 

“….” 

 

“You will never know how long we have waited for you to come to the water. Pitiable friend, why go out of the water and suffer so? When we wait for you so. When we are your friends!” 

 

“….” 

 

“Are you angry because we remembered late? Were you angry because we were late every time? I promise, we won’t anymore. We will never do that again. We, we, all of us remember you.”

 

“…Oh.”

 

Oh boy. 

 

‘This wasn’t a part I was prepared for.’

 

He felt like he had been struck in the back of the head.

 

He already knew the ‘Wet Man’ belonged to the meta-aware customer group. So, he had inwardly wondered why the ghost showed no special reaction or penalty while perceiving him all this time.

 

But now that the game had become reality, it seemed emotions beyond data had begun to entangle.

 

“We remember you.” 

 

“Yes, I see.” 

 

“You remember us, right?” 

 

“Of course.”

 

There was no way he could forget the guest who threw him into the bathtub every time he started a new play. A water ghost who died in the water committing water torture; that is quite an impressive attitude.

 

“What is the reason you haven’t shown yourself much until now?” 

 

“Did we have to? When you are already soaked in water, do we have to show ourselves?” 

 

“….”

 

It sounded extremely significant.

 

“…May I interpret that as you always having been with me?” 

 

“We are always together! Isn’t that right, friend?” 

 

“I would like to ask where exactly you were together with me.” 

 

“Death is always clinging to your breath.” 

 

“This is driving me crazy.” 

 

Even when spoken in needlessly metaphorical terms, he could decipher it all. Did that not mean it had been clinging to his lungs? 

 

‘No wonder that man Baek Mujin was looking at me so strangely.’

 

I wondered where he had read my hotel management style, and it turned out those mysterious looks he gave me at the Aqua Park were for that reason; he had read it directly from the guest clinging to my body.

 

How absurd a human must I have seemed in his eyes?

 

“Where has my privacy gone, friend?” 

 

“Water is always one.” 

 

“Am I not the water that has taken root outside the water?” 

 

“Does it not hurt a lot?” 

 

“Your friend is requesting at least a minimum of privacy protection.” 

 

“You too are water….” 

 

“Even so, I am strictly a separate individual.” 

 

“Let’s go down, down.” 

 

“I’m busy.”

 

As expected of a water ghost, his skill at throwing a tantrum was no less than a child throwing themselves onto a supermarket floor. He had thought there was a childish side to him in the game as well, but now that it had become reality, the situation returned far worse. 

 

‘At least a child sprawled in a mart doesn’t lunge at you saying let’s die in the water together.’

 

But Lee Yeonwoo, who has experience in childcare, knows. One must draw a firm line in these cases.

 

“Friend, please stay in the Aqua Park when there are no human guests. I will go for a swim often. When it feels as if my tail is about to wither and die, I will find you immediately without wandering.” 

 

“You mustn’t wither.” 

 

“Will you accept my invitation?” 

 

“…Ah, yes. Fine.”

 

The ‘Wet Man’ smiled, curving its eyes wide. It seemed they quite liked the word ‘invitation.’

 

“Your hotel has always accepted us.” 

 

“Where else have you visited?”

 

This was a point that drew some interest.

 

Lee Yeonwoo now knows that the guests here are not simple copies of game data. The same would apply to the ‘Wet Man.’ He grew curious as to how far the ghost was reaching into the outside world.

 

However, the returned answer was simple. Perhaps it was the answer he had expected.

 

“We were just in the water.” 

 

“Only there?” 

 

“A cold, deep, dark home.” 

 

“Was there nowhere that would accept you?” 

 

“No one looks at us. No one takes our hand.”

 

“No one?” 

 

“Sailors occasionally see us, but they flee to the shore in fear.”

 

The ‘Wet Man’s’ voice heard underwater was layered. It was a jumbled manner of speech, as if many were whispering at once, with the voices of numerous drowning victims mixed together.

 

“…I see.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo added after a brief silence.

 

“You must have been lonely.” 

 

“Is it not the same for you? Are you not lonely?” 

 

“Not particularly.”

 

Humans are social animals. Lee Yeonwoo also needed interaction.

 

“But right now, there is something more important than that, so I’m simply not stepping forward.” 

 

“This place?” 

 

“Exactly.”

 

Things are as tangled as can be, but he merely endures, believing that untangling even that is what life is.

 

“…Ah,”

 

Lee Yeonwoo, who was flowing while entrusting himself to the current, grabbed the lever on the wall. He used the recoil to pull the lever forward with all his might. “This is it.”

 

Thud—!!

 

A massive iron door blocked the waterway, causing a heavy vibration.

 

“….” 

 

“That thing won’t come here anymore.” 

 

“Because I blocked it.”

 

The monster failed to cross the isolation shutter that had descended. The pursuit ended here. Since it was a creature that couldn’t use its strength in the contaminated waterway, there was no worry about it breaking through walls and intruding like before.

 

‘Hopefully, another unexpected variable won’t occur.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo cleared the debris blocking his vision and floated toward the surface.

 

Or rather, he tried to float.

 

“Where are you going?” 

 

“….”

 

He almost got goosebumps.

 

“I am going… to work.” 

 

“You’re busy.”

 

The water ghost obediently let go of Lee Yeonwoo’s ankle.

 

‘Is my ankle cursed or something?’

 

It had long been since the ligaments and senses in his ankle were damaged in that grasp, but he had to be grateful for the fact they let go so readily. He knew well that this was an existence that could have torn him apart starting from the ankle had it chosen to be stubborn.

 

‘I’m having all sorts of bizarre experiences. The Wet Man I remember in the game wasn’t a guest one could communicate with this well, regardless of the contract status….’

 

Lee Yeonwoo offered a greeting.

 

“I’ll see you later at the Aqua Park.” 

 

“Fine, let’s play again.”

 

It was a very plain send-off, much fainter than the blind murderous intent seen in the game. From that, Lee Yeonwoo guessed the reason.

 

‘Ah, I see.’

 

It’s thanks to the memories of the previous files.

 

‘They know I’ll remain a friend even without them holding onto me.’

 

In a manner of speaking, it was the result of accumulated data like trust or favor.

 

In the game, no matter how much the files piled up, the character merely moved according to a set algorithm, but reality was different. As memories accumulate, emotions and the form of a relationship naturally change.

 

‘It’s a huge relief that memories from when it was a game remain.’

 

If it had been pure reality, it would have been nearly impossible to convince this assertive guest of the statement: ‘Acknowledge that I am a separate existence and respect my personal circumstances.’

 

‘Good grief, to think this is a trust that can only be obtained by dying in the same form for at least 26 years.’

 

There are limits to human distrust….

 

“….” 

 

“…Yes, see you next time.” 

 

“Yes, friend!”

 

Dozens of layers of laughter were heard through the dark red ripples, and soon, the ‘Wet Man’ vanished. Thanks to that, Lee Yeonwoo was able to reach the surface smoothly without interference.

 

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

 

Flap flap!! Coco, shaking off the water, looked up at Lee Yeonwoo.

 

“….” 

 

“….” 

 

“…Hello…?” 

 

“…Probably….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo pulled a blood pack from the inventory and opened it. He put it to his mouth and drank it all down.

 

“I feel somewhat alive now.”

 

While wondering if this was okay, he suddenly recalled the days when he lived with red ginseng sticks in his mouth at the office. It seems that wherever they are, an office worker is an existence that must have at least one type of supplement ready.

 

“At any rate, thanks to them, I escaped the pursuit section far more easily than I expected. Originally, it was a high-difficulty section where one had to ride the current while dodging or striking away the monster’s hands with a weapon….” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Oh well, a good outcome is a good outcome.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked down at his soaking wet clothes. He wasn’t too worried about the clothes. They would dry soon enough. Unlike his body, which was a mess in various ways, the clothing was still within the influence of the game system.

 

‘Not even wet footprints will remain after a few steps.’

 

The rulings of a low-budget game are always like that.

 

‘Though I think the quality is on the high side for such a thing.’ 

 

“Ing.” 

 

“It’s almost over.”

 

When Lee Yeonwoo picked up Coco, the creature comfortably settled into place on his shoulder. 

 

“Now, let’s go to the last room.”

 

The Records Room.

 

The key to the 14th floor is there.

 

* * *

 

Countless eyeballs in the holes surrounding the entire room.

 

Between those gaps, glistening monitor screens and the archived footage of the past within them.

 

The blood of the victims, the agonizing screams, and the mad prayers….

 

“….”

 

All of that jumbled together meant the ‘Central Control Room.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo approached the center of the room. On the table lay an unnaturally smooth metal button. A button with the number ‘14’ elaborately engraved. It was the final destination Lee Yeonwoo had come looking for.

 

The moment he gripped the button.

 

“—Now then….”

 

Every screen in all directions flickered at once, and they began to broadcast only one person: Lee Yeonwoo. From afar, the cry of a monster carried down the hallway.

 

“Let’s move immediately, Coco.” 

 

“Yes!”

 

They saw Lee Yeonwoo.