Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 54

A feast served upon silver platters.

 

Artistically decorated dishes, pies, and sugar sculptures caught the light, gleaming like jewels. On the table lay a linen cloth embroidered with gold thread, along with silver candelabras. The wafting scent of aromatic candles brushed the tip of the nose.

 

Clink,

 

Clink.

 

Roasted peacock, posed as if taxidermied alive. Veal tenderloin topped with a cream sauce enriched with luxuries. Venison steeped in wine until stained deep red. A wild boar’s head with rubies set into its eyes.

 

Clink,

 

Clink.

 

Carp soup gleaming with the hardy sheen of metal. The fragrance of saffron and wine. Steamed oysters and lobster brought in haste from the sea. Salmon jelly laced with herbs and gold leaf, suspended in clarified gelatin broth.

 

Clink….

 

Candied fruits preserved in sugar. White wheat bread and butter rolls. A cheese platter. Marzipan and fruit tarts. The wine of kings, the king of wines. Spiced, warm. From the Rhine—no. No. No.

 

No.

 

“….”

 

It is not a meal, but a play. 

 

In this place, one always ends up falling into deep thought. One ends up acting like a human. The appearance, aroma, and texture of the cuisine, the dishes and candlelight placed on the table—everything is a mechanism to enchant human senses and make one feel power. 

 

Before all that, how cumbersome an existence am I, who have lost all sense of taste?

 

What am I? What am I?

 

I am.I am— 

 

“….”

 

Clink.

 

Clink.

 

Clink….

 

* * *

 

Clink.

 

“To summarize the situation….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo set down his spoon and chopsticks. 

 

“The ‘Guest Without Taste’ is a figure formed from the gathered, desperate resolve of people who became taste-blind. It is a… crystallization of deficiency, born from the desire to do anything if only they could taste once more.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The more one prized the sense of taste, the deeper that deficiency would have run, so considerable portions of the egos of gourmets and chefs are surely mingled within it. I wonder if the present ‘Guest Without Taste’—not in the game, but now—is the same.”

 

“Ing?”

 

“Is that not so?”

 

Now Lee Yeonwoo was certain. This place was the result of game and actual history being mixed together. If so, the ‘Guest Without Taste’ would have his own unique narrative as well. 

 

“Reaching an appropriate compromise with him is already an inevitable step. Just as it was with the ‘Wet Person,’ simply neglecting the issue won’t solve anything.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That is why I intend to understand the opponent.”

 

Back then, the reason Lee Yeonwoo had been able to rescue the director and his crew from the ‘Wet Person’ was that he possessed clear information. Even more so now, in a situation rife with variables where game knowledge could not be wholly trusted.

 

“Approaching rashly will only incur various penalties. Of course, it won’t be as terrifying as the ‘Wet Person,’ but it is troublesome. Losing one’s emotions is….”

 

“Humanity.”

 

“I’m glad you remember. That’s right. From the standpoint of maintaining humanity, it is by no means welcome.”

 

A single night was more than enough for a person to be broken.

 

“When it was a game, it wasn’t much of an issue. Even if the General Manager lost his emotions, it didn’t cause any great operational loss. But now, the story is different.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“To avoid that and understand the opponent, I’ll need some time first….”

 

Lee Yeonwoo concluded his sentence.

 

“I don’t know if I can hold out during that time.”

 

“Ing?”

 

“Because my body has grown so weak.”

 

“Ing.”

 

On top of that, wasn’t there now a monster friend residing as a tenant inside his very body?

 

“At least this side has quieted down, so it isn’t terribly uncomfortable.”

 

Bringing all of it along was far too vast a capacity, so he had selected and carried only the core fragments. Fortunately, as though the environment inside him had eased the agony and despair that had tortured it, the monster was quite satisfied with its current state.

 

‘To be precise, is he in a state of deep sleep?’ 

 

It felt as though it were making up for all the sleep it had missed out on all at once.

 

For Lee Yeonwoo, who had read their memories, it was something to be grateful for. Just by keeping them housed within his body, they were seeing to their own comfort.

 

‘Though my stomach does feel a bit bloated.’

 

“….”

 

“…Did you hear that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Even so, I have no intention of spitting them back out.”

 

“Ing.”

 

“What a cold-blooded cat.”

 

There were times when it became difficult. It was due to Coco’s peculiar disposition of refusing to tolerate Lee Yeonwoo taking any loss outside the scope of the game system.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Their persistent gazes locked.

 

“…Coco.”

 

Feeling the pressure, Lee Yeonwoo dryly added.

 

“Can you not see these pitiable souls who are finally managing to take a rest?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Now you even lie. Truly worthy of being the co-owner of Hotel One. Utterly shameless.”

 

“Ing, ing.”

 

“Hah, to think you dislike it that much…” 

 

Lee Yeonwoo took a sip of warm tea. As he did, he felt the monster inside his body rejoice ever so faintly. How wretched was this?

 

“I don’t want to mistreat humble friends who know how to find joy in the warmth of a single cup of tea.”

 

“No.”

 

“Aren’t they cute?” 

 

“No!”

 

“How firm.” 

 

He understood why Coco was behaving like this. Perhaps because something else had settled inside him, a nausea rooted in squirming sensations welled up. No matter how docile it was, it was not entirely without influence on him.

 

Swallowing down the regurgitated blood, he continued.

 

“I’d appreciate it if you could yield a little. My body has just grown somewhat sluggish; there’s no major problem. Conveniently, the ‘Wet Person’ that dwelled in my lungs has departed for the aqua park as well….”

 

Coco lowered its head.

 

“Ing.”

 

“Coco.”

 

Only when he called its name did Coco finally give an affirmative answer.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Thank you for understanding.”

 

“No?”

 

“Ah, I see.”

 

It hadn’t understood after all.

 

‘Wicked cat, indeed.’

 

It cared nothing for the well-being of anyone other than Lee Yeonwoo.

 

“At any rate, setting aside the matter of our friend.”

 

“Ing?”

 

“Is it something to hate so much? I didn’t call them friends out of genuine sentiment; it was a sort of pronoun. Since I am in the position of sheltering them for now, I consider this level of familiar title to be the bare minimum of social courtesy.”

 

“Ing?”

 

“…Then again, the ‘Wet Person’ wouldn’t have liked that title either. Yes, I shall be careful. More importantly, returning to our original subject.”

 

What mattered right now was the ‘Guest Without Taste.’

 

“What should we do?”

 

In the game, no alternative existed for a situation like this.

 

“When playing Hotel One, the playable character was at least not a mass of blood like I am now. From that point on, every fundamental premise has been warped.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Certainly, I can no longer lean solely on the rules of the game system.”

 

It might serve as a reference, but the limits were distinct at the stage of practical application. Especially so now that he had learned the ‘Guest Without Taste’ was an affiliate of the Crimson Core ritual.

 

‘Originally, the Guest Without Taste was easy to deal with, at least when there were no human guests around.’

 

In truth, it was much the same even if human guests were present. At most, what it did began with robbing them of the pleasure of dining. As the stolen emotions expanded, it eventually sucked all their blood, however.

 

“….”

 

At the foundation of every transaction lies an ‘objective.’

 

“Let’s look for an ‘item’ I can offer.”

 

“Yes.”

 

He could coordinate from there.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Lee Yeonwoo checked were the records.

 

“Let’s see.”

 

The records of serving the ‘Guest Without Taste.’

 

“Today’s meal is….”

 

“Ing.”

 

“Lavish as expected.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Usually a two-course to three-course structure, is it?”

 

Beginning with a delicate dish, leading into substantial fare, and concluding with dessert.

 

It was a method where multiple dishes were brought to the table all at once for a single course, which was closer to the French style of service rather than the Russian service familiar to modern people.

 

“The ‘Guest Without Taste’ was always like this. For someone who claims to taste nothing in anything other than blood, he enjoys quite the sumptuous feasts.”

 

Whether he truly enjoyed them remained unknown, but Lee Yeonwoo sank deep into thought.

 

“…The European upper classes in general favored meals of this sort.”

 

“Yes? Yes.”

 

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly which country or era… but let’s look a little further.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo muttered as he scanned the logs.

 

“France, Austria, England, Poland…. Dishes like these overlap with the European upper classes as a whole, so they hardly serve as a distinctive clue. The composition of silverware, meats, and seafood is also fairly common.”

 

“….”

 

“…Ah.”

 

The wild boar dish.

 

“Let’s check earlier records as well.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The ‘Guest Without Taste’ primarily operated in the dining area. Particularly when there were no human guests, he often appeared in the dining hall, where more specific orders were possible.

 

After examining the records of the past several days, Lee Yeonwoo nodded.

 

“The main dishes are entirely based on game meat.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It will be a long time before our side can distribute ingredients through actual hunting, but that isn’t the point. Historically, these are game-based dishes. From the perspective of ingredients, that is.”

 

Stag, roe deer, and wild boar.

 

“And mouflon.”

 

An animal that appeared in the game Hotel One, but also one that existed in reality.

 

The mouflon, a wild sheep, is found in Europe and Western Asia, and around the seventeenth century, it was introduced to Europe for hunting purposes. At the time, it was unmistakably an exclusive menu item for the nobility.

 

“Rabbit, squirrel, badger, pheasant, wild goose, duck, pigeon…. As you can see, all representative game animals. This is a detail that differs slightly from when it was a game.”

 

In the game, the ‘Guest Without Taste’ simply enjoyed lavish feasts. But now that it had become reality, this obsession with game meat as the center of the main dishes was a conspicuous change.

 

“Game meat, is it.”

 

“…?”

 

“…Wasn’t game meat usually butchered and prepared on the day of the hunt… What liquor did he drink? Wine. Ah, the consumption of beer isn’t low either.”

 

“…?”

 

“Yet what was consumed primarily in dining was wine. Was beer for everyday use? The consumption area… as for the cuisine… right, the sauces… the heavy, rich ones were preferred.”

 

“…??”

 

“He seems to like ornate dishes. It doesn’t seem to be a specific symbol of anything, but, hmm….”

 

It wasn’t as if nothing came to mind.

 

“…Was it the German region? Or Austria?”

 

“Ing?”

 

“No, wait. I was just recalling which country and era this culinary culture belonged to.”

 

“Culinary culture?”

 

“What the ‘Guest Without Taste’ consistently obsesses over upon arriving here is a sumptuous feast, and among those, these characteristics are the parts that changed upon becoming reality. There is a need to examine them intently.”

 

“Culinary culture…?”

 

“Germany and Austria are quite close to each other. It could be outside of them as well. But with this alone, one cannot specify the nation or era. His attire is modern, too. But if he used silver plates in daily life to this extent… hmm.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“…The sixteenth to the eighteenth century? No, the actual practical use of silver tableware alongside game-centered cuisine would be… the late seventeenth to the early eighteenth century. Conveniently, that coincides with the introduction of the mouflon….”

 

From the mid-eighteenth century onward, the practical use of silver plates declined. Afterward, they were generally used for symbolic purposes or display. From the twentieth century onward, it went without saying that they served as souvenirs.

 

“Looking at the tableware used, they are entirely silver plates. It seems nearly all the silver platters used in our hotel have been brought out. Seeing how thoroughly he rejects porcelain plates, it can be deduced that he was from the upper class of at least the seventeenth to at most the early eighteenth century.”

 

“….”

 

Coco, who had been sitting on his lap looking at the interface together, raised its head to meet Lee Yeonwoo’s eyes. Blinking, Lee Yeonwoo asked.

 

“What is it?”

 

“…No.”

 

“What now?”

 

A strange discomfort lingered, but in any case.

 

“Given that he adopts French-style course dining yet remains so obsessed with silver tableware, he isn’t a figure from after the early eighteenth century. From the mid-century onward, splendid porcelain gained popularity as formal banquet tableware.”

 

Even so, insisting on silver meant he was that much of an old-fashioned individual. Despite his modern attire, it was fair to say he was a soul that had failed to escape the past.

 

“For that region during this period, one might think of the Holy Roman Empire, but game meat and silverware alone make it difficult to specify.”

 

“….”

 

“While insisting on silverware, the ‘Guest Without Taste’ pours coffee into his own porcelain cup and even serves those sitting at the same table. Yet, he doesn’t enjoy chocolate. If so… it is far more likely to be Bohemia rather than Vienna-centered Austria.”

 

“….”

 

“The Bohemian nobility used silverware for a long time, and while they swiftly adopted coffee under Vienna’s influence, they ultimately kept chocolate merely as a luxury item. Game-based banquets, an obsession with silverware, and the attitude of using coffee as the language of socialization.”

 

Taking all that into account?

 

“It is the typical image of an early eighteenth-century Bohemian nobleman.”

 

In the end, it would have been merely a territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but still.

 

“Beneath the Emperor was a loose confederation of hundreds of principalities, duchies, counties, and free cities. If he took silver tableware and game-based banquets for granted as an upper-class gentleman of that era… the possibility of him being a lord of an imperial estate is ample.”

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

A brief silence. Lee Yeonwoo muttered in a low voice laden with fatigue.

 

“…We’re reaching quite far back.”

 

Yet the work had only just begun.

 

“The culinary culture of the early eighteenth-century nobility. Yes, back then it wasn’t merely gastronomy. It was a means of displaying identity to the point of expressing family symbols through cuisine, and a symbol of authority and hierarchy proving one could afford such extravagance.”

 

What mattered here were the keywords of hunting and banquets.

 

“To the nobility of that era, hunting and banquets were potent instruments to prove oneself. If he was someone who originally held an interest in gastronomy itself, it would have held even greater significance….”

 

“….”

 

“At the time in Europe, one of the standards dividing human from beast, god from demon, was reason. Moderation and sensory perception were treasured. Yet the present ‘Guest Without Taste’ has ruined all of that through the Crimson Core ritual.”

 

“….”

 

“In aristocratic society, dining together is an expression of goodwill and trust. After this incident, he would have effectively ceased to be a noble, or even a human being. The result would have been political retirement or exile.”

 

Even though his attire had shifted to modern clothes, he still insisted on the banquet customs of those days.

 

“This must mean his obsession with taste is greater than his honor as a nobleman. The fact that sounds typical of a convivial banquet can be heard whenever the ‘Guest Without Taste’ moves is likely in a similar vein.”

 

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

 

“If he truly was a noble, his pride would have been considerable, and as much as he insists on silverware, he would have an antiquated side as well. The shock of having ceased to be human must have been immense. Did he evolve from that time, or did he regress?”

 

Lee Yeonwoo recalled the ‘Guest Without Taste’ he had seen when Hotel One was just a game.

 

“Unlike his simplistic speech or unnatural movements, he is quite a sensitive guest. It is completely different from pretending to be foolish. Rather, it gave a strong impression that his body simply could not keep up with his discernment. Like a massive vehicle… that is difficult to steer.”

 

“A massive vehicle.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Which meant.

 

“We can strike a deal.”

 

It meant that genuine communication was possible.