Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 59

Lee Yeonwoo knows.

 

“….”

 

That while knowledge can make a person miserable, it cannot immediately kill them.

 

“That is, assuming one truly and properly knows.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“Nothing ever comes easy.” 

 

A danger he could control with his own hands was better than someone else’s bomb that might detonate at any moment.

 

Lee Yeonwoo was always the type of person to think that way. Because he was by nature not easygoing, easily worn out even by small ripples.

 

And so, he politely seeks your agreement.

 

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

 

It was a chat they had once shared at the break of dawn. 

 

* * *

 

“Director.” 

 

“What, you little shit?”

 

“We’re f*cked.”

 

“Aish, f*ck, didn’t I tell you not to bring up filthy talk in the sacred Bureau of Resonance?”

 

“I’m asking out of genuine curiosity, but isn’t ‘f*ck’ filthy too?”

 

“Let’s just hear it first.” 

 

As the Director gave a slight nod, the Section Chief nodded in return and set down a thick stack of documents.

 

“An official request for cooperation flew in from the European Union.”

 

“Just hearing up to there, we’re already fucked.”

 

“It hasn’t even been a minute since you told me not to use filthy language in the sacred Bureau of Resonance.”

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, those motherfuckers. First they were pulling that ‘monkey go home’ bullshit, and now what kind of novel bullshit is this?”

 

“Ah, was that so? I didn’t even know….”

 

The Section Chief pointed past the door and asked.

 

“The staff are using a brazier, should I go burn it up?”

 

“If you’re gonna burn it, just burn it, why come back? In that time, go bust your ass working.”

 

“Truly, spoken with reason befitting the Director.”

 

“If you know that, do your job properly. Stop flapping that tongue of yours, brat.”

 

Crack.

 

Stretching her neck, the Director asked.

 

“So, why?”

 

“Well, that is….”

 

The Section Chief continued.

 

“The ‘White Crow’ has landed on the Korean Peninsula.”

 

“Well, look at that?”

 

Due to her presbyopia, the Director pulled glasses from her drawer and put them on. After staring at the documents for a long while, she took the glasses back off, gesturing with the frames held in her hand as she spoke.

 

“Who brought an aircraft carrier over? Tell them to turn themselves in.”

 

“It seems to have walked here on its own two feet.”

 

“Aish, seriously, this f*cking rift never takes a holiday.” 

 

The Director gestured with her chin once more.

 

“Gather the kids.”

 

“I’ll form a special team.”

 

“No, no, that too, but.”

 

“I’m listening.”

 

“Gather the corpse cleanup crew.” 

 

“Ah, that side. That’ll blow the budget.”

 

“The one getting broken is me having to pull in the budget, you little shit.”

 

“Isn’t that the Director’s right and duty?”

 

“Where’s the ‘right’ in getting beat up, you lunatic?”

 

She spoke, her expression still blunt.

 

“If it’s the ‘White Crow’, that’s a labyrinth that has been around since the sixteenth century.”

 

“Yes, that’s right. It’s one of the famous classic labyrinths.”

 

“So there’s nothing we can do.”

 

The Section Chief nodded as if that were undeniably true.

 

“Do you need popcorn?”

 

“Before that, update the documents and burn the printed ones, don’t invite bad luck.” 

 

“You hate Europe so much, isn’t that racism?”

 

“The gates of Hell opened in Europe, for f*ck’s sake.”

 

Where the hell does the devil’s homeland get off with that ‘monkey’ bullshit? In a position that required communicating with various nations, the Director had not forgotten her grudge from two months ago. They were the ones who picked a fight first.

 

The Section Chief, rubbing his chin, soon asked.

 

“Still, isn’t the religious dokkaebi managed over there… on the relatively tame side?”

 

“How in the world could Mr. Lu-so-and-so be tame, are you crazy? Come to think of it, you must be a spy for the devil.”

 

“Oh dear, I don’t know how you found out, but to prove my innocence, I’ll go burn the cooperation document in the brazier.” 

 

“Don’t forget to type it up separately and circulate the memo to all the team leaders.”

 

Screeech—

 

Leaning back in her chair, the Director added.

 

“Go without hurting too much.”

 

“….”

 

“…You worked hard.”

 

The Section Chief answered with a smile.

 

“I will be go■◀ng fir○t.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

It seemed he had won the lottery with Mr. Lu-so-and-so.

 

‘And after all that, what nonsense about him being tame, that lunatic.’

 

The Director casually let pass the Section Chief’s voice, which had been contorting bizarrely like a hymn for a while now.

 

In the Bureau of Resonance, there were personnel who inevitably perished. It was because dokkaebi that could kill a person merely by having their name spoken or thought of lurked across the globe.

 

Watching the familiar back of the departing Section Chief, the Director.l ki.,u7 placed a cigarette between her lips.

 

“Damn b*stards.”

 

In some quarters, those who took on death solely to deliver information like this were called ‘Heralds’.

 

“The moment you grow fond of them, they drop dead, goddamn it….”

 

Three days later. When the rosters for the special team and the body cleanup crew were finalized, and the official cooperation request was updated on the bulletin board. Section Chief Hong’s headless corpse was found standing on two feet in the charnel house.

 

Thus, the first duty of both teams became cleaning up after their founder.

 

* * *

 

The basic human senses are commonly called the five senses. Seeing light and form with the eyes, feeling vibrations with the ears, smelling with the nose, and sensing warmth with the skin.

 

Having become blood didn’t change things much.

 

‘I am still seeing.’

 

‘I am hearing, and smelling.’

 

‘I feel the world with my whole body.’

 

It was thanks to the sensation alive in every single drop of blood.

 

‘Yet I cannot speak.’

 

He could not possess human language.

 

‘Nor can I taste through a tongue.’

 

For this was merely blood mimicking a tongue.

 

‘In the end, I cannot be human.’

 

Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste. People defined those as the senses of man, but the old dokkaebi who had wandered the interstices of humanity for ages thought differently.

 

‘The drowsiness that would creep in when closing one’s eyes.’

 

Sleep.

 

‘The affection whispered in one’s ear.’

 

Love.

 

‘The wind of the seasons brushing past the tip of the nose.’ 

 

Time.

 

‘The warmth transmitted across the skin.’

 

Body heat.

 

‘Even the happiness that brought a smile to one’s face upon touching the tongue.’

 

Desire itself, even.

 

In those days, nothing remained for the vampire who had ceased to be even a forgotten aristocrat. Things that could not be reclaimed, things that rightly ought to be forgotten. And so he had forgotten them.

 

He believed he had forgotten them.

 

“….”

 

And so the first dish was served.

 

He instinctively swept his eyes over the plate. 

 

He had lived through the ages by shedding and assuming identities. Though he could not taste, he possessed unwavering confidence in his discernment—his ability to read the skill, devotion, and the intent imbued beyond the dish.

 

‘Considerable… devotion was put into this.’ 

 

In the sheen gliding across the surface of the pâté, he saw patience; the air pockets of the accompanying bread boasted perfection. Flawlessly exquisite.

 

‘Is his skill to this extent?’ 

 

If he could only forget that his counterpart was Belmares, he would want to instruct him personally.

 

‘A harmony suitable for a venue of social interaction.’ 

 

If the other party had prepared such an elaborate stage, showing a dignified response worthy of it would be the wise demeanor.

 

‘What sort of praise should I offer?’ 

 

Examining the technique with the eyes of a chef, preparing praise with the mind of a critic, he picked up the cutlery with a hand gesture suitable for this seat. 

 

And yet.

 

“….”

 

…The very fingertips gripping the fork trembled faintly. Something was wrong.

 

While his head was analyzing information, his body made of blood encroached upon the rational domain first. A stinging pang pulled at the inside of his mouth, and a throb pulsed behind his eyes.

 

‘What is this?’

 

Not entirely unfamiliar; it was distinctly a sensation he knew.

 

‘What was it…?’

 

Is it poison? He rolled his eyeballs. What was this hot, sticky liquid pooling in his mouth, and what was this strange spasm twisting his stomach? 

 

The futile attempts of those who had threatened him for centuries came to mind. It might be poison, or perhaps an insidious trap of Blood Magic.

 

“….”

 

It was not poison. Nor was it Blood Magic.

 

For if it were, there was no way he would be so at a loss like this.

 

Only then did a very faint fragment surface. It was neither pain nor magic.

 

An era almost forgotten. The utterly natural physical response experienced when facing a dining table, willingly enduring hunger and thirst. A sensation so ancient he had completely forgotten it.

 

So, this was.

 

“…?”

 

Appetite… was it?

 

He reached out his hand.

 

The moment he sliced through the pâté caught on the tines of his fork, he felt its softness, and the moment he lifted it onto the tableware, he felt its substantial weight. Tapping lightly over the freshly baked bread, he soon chose a piece.

 

Placing the pâté atop it and putting it into his mouth, a wave of warmth surged in.

 

“….”

 

The crust shattered with a crisp crunch, dispersing a rich, savory aroma like dandelions. The pâté touching the tip of his tongue smoothly enveloped it like melted butter.

 

Just as the heavy, metallic scent unique to liver brushed past ever so slightly, the harmony of herb butter and spices rounded out that roughness. The texture of the meat, melting silkily with each chew, mingled with the crisp breadcrumbs to weave a rich variation.

 

The fragrance of herbs rose up.

 

“….”

 

Right now, I am having a meal.

 

“….”

 

The blood-loving guest simply sat there for a long time.

 

* * *

 

“Hello?”

 

To Coco’s question, Lee Yeonwoo, who had been staring at the notification window for a moment, answered.

 

“Yes, I registered it.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Of course I am being careful. You have many worries, Coco.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Dear me.”

 

The dining room was an area where automated protocols had previously been applied. Just now, he had registered a recipe exclusively for the ‘Guest Without a Sense of Taste’. That way, whenever he arrived, the staff would serve him on their own.

 

This monstrous cat’s words were correct.

 

‘Stepping forward in person is dangerous.’

 

He was already in a position where he had to avoid other monster guests. If the staff could do it in his stead, that was safest. Besides, this one was a sample course, so there were incomplete elements as well.

 

His body felt stiff. Leaning against the countertop, Lee Yeonwoo spoke.

 

“It was a good idea to apply the automated protocol to the dining area. It’s a place visited often, so paying attention to it was worth the trouble. Though to begin with, I never imagined the guest would be so unreasonable.”

 

In any case.

 

“We’ll have to see what kind of reaction he shows.”

 

“Yes.”

 

It wasn’t that he had no concerns. It would have been better if he had more time to invest in research, but time had been tight, and the successful results were few.

 

‘There isn’t enough to strictly adhere to historical authenticity.’

 

In the end, he had no choice but to settle on a modern-style course meal.

 

“It’s not a perfect recreation. Still, it should be enough to touch upon the standard.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Judging by his reactions so far, he won’t lose his temper immediately. Besides, if he had the kind of disposition to obsess over formality to that extent, he wouldn’t have worn a modern suit and used the buffet.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Since the table has been lavishly prepared, it won’t seem barren. Let’s observe a little longer.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Hearing you say so puts my mind at ease.”

 

“Hello.”

 

“Yes, I’m fine.”

 

Strictly observing the set time, he had done his best.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

“…Ah….”

 

Cough—!!!

 

‘I’m exhausted.’

 

At the sensation of his internal organs being forcibly ripped out through his mouth, Lee Yeonwoo’s legs buckled reflexively. Just before collapsing to the floor, a hand with thick knuckles roughly gripped the counter to hold him up.

 

“Ah….”

 

An exclamation like a sigh. Veins bulged taut over the forearm supporting his collapsing weight.

 

‘Nothing ever goes right.’

 

Everything in the world is really not easy. Furrowing his brows irritably, he spat out a dry cough. It was a troublesome process, but frankly, he was used to it now. 

 

However, the surroundings didn’t seem to be. 

 

“—No!!!”

 

Coco gasped in horror, and the dining staff swarmed over. Some held onto Lee Yeonwoo, trying to lift him up, while others repeatedly wiped his mouth.

 

‘Such undeserved attention.’

 

It was so overwhelming he wanted to sink straight into the ground.

 

Before gratitude could even register, he felt suffocated at an instinctual level. To call it purely a touch of concern, the obsession imbued within it was too palpable.

 

‘To be frank, it’s creepy.’

 

He could feel a worrying heart, but well. Rather than that, a bit more…. 

 

“No…!!”

 

“I’m fi—”

 

His mouth was blocked by a white handkerchief. If the goal was to plug a hole leaking blood, this was the right thing to do, but.

 

‘Is it just my imagination that I hear a sound telling me to shut up and not speak?’ 

 

It felt like concern that one shouldn’t speak in such a state, yet it also felt like an inability to bear seeing a scratch on a precious object. He wasn’t sure which was the truth.

 

‘Either way, it’s equally burdensome.’

 

Lee Yeonwoo simply decided to vomit up the water filling his lungs.

 

“Cough, hack, urgh… bleeaargh….”

 

“No! Hello! No! No!”

 

“Urgh, phew.”

 

Yet in the midst of it….

 

‘What is this unpleasant feeling?’

 

It felt as if he could hear the ‘Wet Person’ welcoming him with open arms from the Aqua Park on the 23rd floor. Whether it was just his imagination or intuition, he wasn’t sure… hm.

 

No, indeed. What a pity.

 

[Sixth Sense]

 

‘The Wet Person welcomes you, who have fallen into the water.’

 

It hadn’t just felt audible; he had genuinely heard it.

 

‘What an absurd thing to say.’

 

Whether his friend was sick or not, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered? Even while surrendering his body to the grip of the staff firmly holding him, irritation flared within him. Once they got a little closer, he would definitely grab him by the collar.

 

‘If only the bug during the event had worked properly, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.’

 

But water once spilled cannot be gathered again.

 

After vomiting blood for a good while, Lee Yeonwoo wiped his mouth with the bloodless back of his hand. Brushing away the hands of the staff holding and touching him, he staggered to his feet.

 

“….”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

Faces still merely smiling without a word.

 

‘Something is being shared. A feeling that is rather ambiguous to explain.’

 

It wasn’t simply an anxious demeanor. A boiling impatience to somehow cover up and erase the fact that something that should be perfect and noble had collapsed while vomiting imperfect filth. 

 

‘Just what kind of emotion is that?’

 

He considered looking into it more closely, then stopped. Lee Yeonwoo couldn’t conceal his repulsed expression.

 

“…Yes, I see.”

 

“….”

 

“Thank you.”

 

In any case, if this was goodwill, I suppose goodwill it was.

 

‘Still, in terms of convenience, it almost feels like before the tutorial was better.’

 

Back then, they were far more businesslike. Weren’t they the ones who wouldn’t move at all outside of duties unless the bell was rung? This, too, was a distinctly different aspect compared to the tutorial.

 

‘Or perhaps it’s the influence of having become the official manager.’

 

As Lee Yeonwoo swallowed a tired breath and lowered his gaze, the staff finished straightening his calmed attire. Calm and quiet as always, yet somehow… it was a fastidious touch.

 

Stripping away the bloodstained gloves and coat, dressing him in a brand-new coat without a single wrinkle, and tightly fastening the necktie neatly over it. It was an exquisite, persistent neatness.

 

“….”

 

Even so, after about five years, he had grown accustomed to this as well.

 

‘Though it wasn’t quite this obsessive back then.’

 

The adjustment of his attire was completed swiftly. Pulling taut the white cotton gloves to check the fit, Lee Yeonwoo saw a staff member standing hesitatingly with a mop and a rag.

 

“…Ah.”

 

He understood why. Originally, they were reluctant to clean up blood spilled on the floor. Because even the spilled blood was a part of their superior, ‘Lee Yeonwoo’.

 

‘I suppose they feel as though their superior’s body has been sliced like a planarian, strewn across the floor.’

 

Yet that wasn’t the only reason for their hesitation right now. Lee Yeonwoo raised his hand.

 

“Wait, please do not clean it yet.”

 

No sooner had he finished speaking than the staff stepped back, and Lee Yeonwoo looked intently down at the floor.

 

“….”

 

“Ing?” 

 

Coco tilted his head around the puddle of blood. Lee Yeonwoo nodded.

 

“Yes, it seems I made a bit of an error while emptying my stomach.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It wasn’t intentional. Don’t look so blatantly pleased.”

 

“No-yes.” 

 

“How firm.” 

 

Swallowing a sigh, he lowered his head toward the pool of blood.

 

“…It’s all right to come out.”

 

At that, two eyes blinked from within the pool of blood.

 

It was smaller than Lee Yeonwoo’s palm. Having looked around restlessly, it cautiously lifted its head. A head as round as its eyes. A small crimson lump.

 

It was a piece of the monster from Room 14.

 

“It’s all right, can you come over here?”

 

“….”

 

“Fortunately, it seems you can move.”

 

Judging by how it only nodded, it seemed unable to speak, though.

 

‘Is it close to a slime?’

 

The small, round slime commonly seen in games. He felt that if the form of Room 14 were simplified to the extreme, it would take this shape.

 

Dragging a trail of blood, the slime approached, gripping the toe of Lee Yeonwoo’s shoe with a trembling body. Then, with great effort, it crawled up onto his hand.

 

Lee Yeonwoo spoke to the staff.

 

“You may clean up the rest.”

 

At that, the startled slime leaped from his hand right back to the floor.

 

‘What’s this?’

 

While the action was not without puzzlement, Lee Yeonwoo didn’t bother grabbing it.

 

“….”

 

“….”

 

Splosh.

 

Submerging itself in the pool of blood once more, the slime curled up its body.

 

“…?”

 

He had let it go for now since it seemed to want to, but what did this mean?

 

Lee Yeonwoo looked back at the staff, but they shook their heads as well. Meaning they didn’t know either. This time, he looked toward Coco. The monstrous cat merely stared at the slime without answering.

 

Ah, wait.

 

“Coco, stop.”

 

“No.”

 

“Now, now.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo picked up Coco, whose pupils were dilated and whose hindquarters were wiggling.

 

“Our friend from Room 14 is not your prey.”

 

“No.”

 

“Tsk, you may not.”

 

Even if you’re stubborn, what’s not allowed is not allowed.

 

‘So he isn’t just a cat in appearance.’

 

With wide eyes and wiggling rear, he was the spitting image of a cat right before a pounce. Above all, they said cats were excited when their pupils dilated.

 

“….”

 

Coco’s pupils were dilated all year round.

 

“….”

 

“Yes?”

 

Lee Yeonwoo locked eyes with him for a moment.

 

Whenever he met those black eyes, Lee Yeonwoo had to firmly suppress a certain instinct with reason. This was an NPC he had watched through the screen for twenty-six whole years.

 

Treating people like toys,

 

habitually lying,

 

always stingy….

 

‘—We are frie■ds, ri¿ht?’

 

Suddenly, a bizarre voice seemed to brush past his ear.

 

“? Hello?”

 

“…No.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo offered a faint smile and added.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

He decided to bury this for now.

 

Hoisting Coco onto his shoulder, he looked at the slime. At that, the tightly crumpled slime blinked its eyes cautiously. It seemed to want to do something.

 

“If there is something you wish, I will assist you.”

 

“….”

 

“Is there anything you need?”

 

Then.

 

“…?”

 

The slime began to heave oddly. Wondering what on earth it was doing, Lee Yeonwoo and the staff exchanged glances.

 

The first to comprehend its meaning was Lee Yeonwoo.

 

“Oh.”

 

It was sucking up the blood.

 

‘No, rather than eating it.’

 

It was containing it within its body.

 

‘Similar to what I did. Did it learn that while it was inside me?’

 

With every gulping movement, the blood on the floor steadily dwindled. In no time, the floor was clean. Once the movements ceased, Lee Yeonwoo extended his hand again, and the slime cautiously climbed onto it.

 

“…?! Wait…!”

 

And then, crawling up his arm in an instant, it burrowed straight into his ear.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

“?! No! No! No!”

 

“The feeling is truly….”

 

It was of a different nature from pain. Lee Yeonwoo furrowed his brow helplessly. The vivid sensation of the lump of blood squelching through the narrow ear canal and spreading through his blood vessels into his entire body.

 

And gradually, his expression relaxed. More accurately, he made it do so.

 

“….”

 

At the bizarre pressure and tickling sensation, he touched his ear and chuckled softly.

 

“…It truly feels strange.”

 

It seemed there had been no ill intent.

 

As the lump of blood returned inside his body, its emotions were vividly shared. The terrified shock of being swept away by a typhoon while hibernating, and the blind relief of having returned to a safe ‘home’.

 

“Thanks to this, the danger of collapsing from anemia has passed, so it might be best to leave it like this for the time being.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yes.”

 

That was how it felt.

 

‘I was worried it might feel like it was trapped somewhere again, but with this kind of reaction… leaving it like this for now would be best.’

 

It seemed to recognize Lee Yeonwoo’s interior as a safe haven.

 

“If we communicate well, it might even assist me until I learn the skill of bloodsucking. Whether that moves me further from or closer to human dignity is ambiguous… but at least it won’t churn my stomach as much.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Only now does our Master Cat seem to have softened his heart.”

 

Having treated it like a parasite normally, he seemed to have decided to exercise some patience upon hearing it could be useful.

 

“….”

 

Mischievous cat.

 

‘They even look similar.’

 

“No?”

 

“Well, squishy with round eyes, especially….”

 

“No?”

 

“Is it really something to dislike this much?”

 

He couldn’t fathom why Coco was generous toward monster guests yet so stingy toward the hotel’s internal monsters.

 

It was then.

 

“Ah.”

 

The hall staff guarding outside the door approached and bowed politely.

 

“….”

 

“I see.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo nodded, smoothing his disheveled attire.

 

“I will be right there.”

 

The ‘Guest Without a Sense of Taste’ had finished his meal.