Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 60

“The recovery of our Section Chief Hong’s body was completed just yesterday.”

 

Inside the conference room. Scanning the section chiefs from each department and the members of the two newly formed teams, the Director continued.

 

“I keep telling you, you shouldn’t look down on goblins. Mr. Lu-whatever is a neat freak, so he usually just pops his head and calls it a day, but that doesn’t mean there’s anyone here who doesn’t value their own life, right?”

 

“We tend to be a gathering of folks who don’t hold our lives too dear, Director.”

 

“Uh-uh, Special Team, shut it. It’s dear to me, that’s why. Do you know how much budget goes into training just one of you, or do you not? Of course you don’t, you little shits. Do you even realize our higher-ups do all your year-end tax adjustments for you every single time?”

 

“We are always grateful, Director.”

 

Watching the employees bow in unison, the Director let out a deep sigh.

 

“What grand thing am I supposed to achieve with these idiots…” 

 

“Ah, if by any chance you plan to stage a coup, please send a request our way. We’ll be waiting.”

 

“Special Team Leader, stay behind after the meeting, you bastard. Every time you open that mouth, it’s just bullshit after bullshit.”

 

“It’s fine, Director. I checked before entering to make sure there are no wiretaps here.” 

 

“Mr. Lu-whatever is watching, exercise restraint. Let’s live with dignity.” 

 

“If dignity is the issue, it might be a bit difficult for you, Director.”

 

The Director turned to one of the section chiefs beside her.

 

“Can’t we just replace those punks over there?”

 

“They are masterpieces crafted alongside Section Chief Hong, who left us not long ago, but it can’t be helped. I’ll replace them.”

 

“Lord have mercy, these brats are framing me as a total b*stard now?”

 

Unable to bring herself to replace Section Chief Hong’s precious, irreplaceable successors, the Director returned to the main point.

 

“As to why I gathered all our busy department heads in one place…” 

 

“Because you’re bored.”

 

“If the Special Team keeps their mouths shut for today’s meeting, chicken is on me.”

 

“Is that one chicken per person?”

 

“Three chickens.”

 

“….”

 

“These field guys love food no matter what.” 

 

She tapped the specially treated documents with her finger.

 

“You section chiefs remember ‘that thing’ you’ve been busting your asses over since five years ago, right?”

 

“Ah… are you referring to the Korean Peninsula dokkaebi saturation phenomenon?”

 

“If you read it, you’ll see, but it seems to be connected.”

 

A different section chief from the one who asked stroked his chin.

 

“To the point where even the ‘White Crow’ crossed the sea…?”

 

“The Korean Peninsula is f*cked, kids.”

 

“Director, our kids are here with us today.”

 

“I’m always the only trash here, you b*stards.”

 

“Please use gentle, polite words.”

 

“Yes, my lovely Bureau of Resonance employees, lend your Director an ear, won’t you?”

 

“We will listen closely.” 

 

“This is really dangerous.”

 

To the faces swallowing grim groans or wiping their faces, the Director added.

 

“Over the past five years, the dokkaebi that crossed the sea alone already exceed five. That’s just the observed incidents; when you consider how damn wide the Rift is, there’s no telling what other bastards might be out there.”

 

Just then, Section Chief Min, a man of sturdy build, raised his hand high with a grin.

 

“Why don’t we just accept the cooperation request?”

 

“《Twist his shins.》”

 

“Gaaagh!!”

 

At the vivid pain crushing his joints without any physical form, Section Chief Min howled.

 

“My calves, beaten to perfection by Pilates—!!”

 

“Have you reflected on your actions, Section Chief Min?”

 

“B-But no matter how much I think about it, fuck, Korea alone can’t handle—”

 

“Look at that traitorous b*stard, he really won’t do.”

 

“Kyaaaagh￪￪￪!!”

 

“Ugh, where is that pterodactyl sound coming from?”

 

Rubbing his stinging calves, Section Chief Min whimpered.

 

“Aah, my muscle soreness is gone…!!”

 

“Isn’t it good that it’s gone? Why the fuss?”

 

“That muscle soreness the day after working out is the real deal, you know.”

 

“Muttering about folk remedies right in front of the Director of the Bureau of Resonance?”

 

“It’s not that, if it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t feel like I worked out!”

 

“I really can’t communicate with fitness freaks….”

 

“A proper muscle soreness is a reward.” 

 

“Ugh, completely out of your mind.”

 

At that, the corpse cleanup crew leader quietly pulled down his mask and asked. 

 

“May I speak, Director?”

 

“Speak, Crew Leader.” 

 

“Section Chief Min has a point as well.”

 

He continued.

 

“If it concerns the ‘Concentrated Domestic Influx of High-Risk Entities’ from five years ago, I understand it is an issue that the entire Bureau of Resonance is currently addressing in cooperation with private enterprises.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“I’ve also heard that the section chiefs of the Gangwon Provincial Bureau here have been conducting related operations together but failed to find traces of the influx of dokkaebi. If so, this is not an issue Korea alone should bear.”

 

“It’s not that I haven’t considered that either, but….”

 

Section Chief Min, whose shins had just been twisted, mumbled, “Huh? Then why did I get punished?” but was ignored. Stroking her chin, the Director continued her reply to the Squad Leader.

 

“I’m truly sorry to say this to the mages, but in the first place, most of the population in the Rift doesn’t have human rights, now do they?”

 

“Every time I hear that, I experience cognitive dissonance.”

 

“I understand how you feel, Section Chief Yoon. Folks from the outside always say that. Anyhow, no matter how wildly most labyrinths run amok among themselves, they don’t openly touch those on the outside… that is to say, ‘the folks with human rights’.”

 

“Please correct that, they do mess with them.”

 

“Because they don’t do it openly, on the official records it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other anyway. Stop interrupting me; ultimately, that’s why overseas won’t be of much help.”

 

Since no proper ‘law’ holds sway in the Rift, and no matter how much it breaks, it restores itself with time. The Director shrugged.

 

“Rather, they’ll probably pull bullshit trying to trap them in our Rift.”

 

“However, I heard an official request for cooperation came from the British Coalition.”

 

“That’s why I’m saying it’s the exact same thing.”

 

Between rift agencies, one shouldn’t rely on each other’s conscience. They are bastards who counter ‘would they really go that far?’ with ‘yeah, we will.’ It’s because, for the most part, their conscience is a vestigial organ. 

 

At best, saving face for one another is a luxury reserved for sizable organizations in the cities. Short of that scale, they hardly even bother hiding their dark, murky intentions. Those in the know know all too well.

 

“Given the nature of the Rift, the more you pioneer and develop it, the wider it gets, and if push comes to shove, there are ways to sever paths and isolate it. Crucially, above all, what happens here is mostly devoid of anything ‘illegal,’ isn’t it?”

 

“Of course, generally speaking, it has such characteristics, but….”

 

“Which branch did our Squad Leader hail from? Seoul? Gyeonggi-do?”

 

“I was summoned from Gyeonggi-do.”

 

“Things are… quite different here at the regional bureaus. Even domestically, we get pushed to the back burner for being low priority, so when it comes to going abroad… do you… get a sense of what happens?”

 

“I understand what you mean.”

 

The crew leader nodded without persisting further. Having mainly handled work in the metropolitan area, he hadn’t known well, but he knew at least that the local rift environment was poor. 

 

‘If she goes so far as to say that, the treatment of mages here is all too obvious.’

 

As someone who commanded several mage team members, it was a bitter reality.

 

Given the nature of their specialized duties, they were prepared for a filthy death. But if the cause turned out to be fellow humans or mages… it would be utterly miserable.

 

“….”

 

“I’ll go fetch an executive directive from the Chief Director in Seoul, so don’t worry about that part.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

When referring to the Chief Director of the Bureau of Resonance, there was naturally only one person. That was how much influence a document stamped with his seal exerted, even in the provinces. With that, they wouldn’t have to witness anything excessively foul.

 

“So turn away all incoming cooperation requests, and if they say they’re sending personnel, tell them to f*ck off even harder.”

 

Another section chief wearing glasses asked.

 

“Director. Can we truly not receive even a modest subsidy from overseas agencies? When their goblins are all over our land.” 

 

“You little shit, how many times do I have to tell you they have no conscience?”

 

“Irresponsible b*stards…!!”

 

“Look at the bloodshot eyes on him. Why is that b*stard so obsessed with money?”

 

A patriot was a patriot, but somewhat warped, which was scary at times.

 

“You think I don’t want to get help? Still, wait a bit, you brats. Your trustworthy Director of the Gangwon Bureau keeps inquiring with the GBC. And they’re responding, too.”

 

“Ah, I don’t think our Director is quite at that level?”

 

“I poked the main bureau’s side like crazy, so I basically made the inquiry too.” 

 

“That’s how I should live my life.”

 

“Take note and live like that, then.”

 

Global Boundary Council (GBC).

 

Known in the Rift as the GBC, or simply the Council, it was a private syndicate that coordinated or intervened in incidents related to spiritual power. The largest and most influential private organization in the Rift.

 

Whenever an incoming dispatch piqued their interest, they would sometimes dispatch an agent all on their own.

 

“There are relatively many Tarot folks on that side, so at least one should take the bait.”

 

At that, the Squad Leader spoke again.

 

“Pardon me, but isn’t there an Arcana Member formally registered with the Korean Bureau of Cultural Resonance?”

 

“Crew Leader, have you ever even seen that person’s face?” 

 

“Ah… no, my apologies. I have not.”

 

“No, I’m not scolding you, it’s a reasonable question, but.”

 

The Director smiled wistfully.

 

“That fellow is a bit too open-minded.”

 

“Does that pose a problem?”

 

“Open-minded to labyrinths, too.”

 

“Ah… ah-ah. Ah.”

 

“That’s why we entice him, rather than summon him.”

 

Those commonly referred to as ‘Arcana Members’ were far removed from common sense.

 

“I don’t know his exact criteria for action, but even when we first sent an official dispatch five years ago, there wasn’t much movement. Seeing how there hasn’t been a peep since, I wonder if he has no interest, or if he’s waiting for the right moment….”

 

“I wasn’t aware of that much, but it seems the two of you know each other well.”

 

“It’s definitely not that close of a friendship. I was just so desperate that I went up to Seoul a few times to cling to his pant legs and beg him to save us. Whenever our situation was dire, I’d go visit and treat him to a warm meal.”

 

“I… see.”

 

“He has good taste, being quite fond of gukbap. Keep that in mind if you ever need to.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Maybe he hasn’t stepped in because there hasn’t been significant damage yet? He might be officially registered, but we don’t even know whether he’s Upright or Reversed. Well, what can you do?”

 

For an Arcana Member, the mere act of registering with an organization was already doing more than enough. In a world where all sorts of petty lowlifes commit filthy deeds, one had to be thankful he hadn’t turned into an outright villain.

 

“Well, let’s look on the bright side. It’s not like he’s an outright villain card like ‘The Devil’.”

 

At that, one of the section chiefs pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

 

“Words have a way of coming true. Please refrain from using that name, Director. I’m terrified the master of that card might show up in this already chaotic Korean Peninsula. We can’t handle anything more.”

 

“Would this tiny patch of land really hold two Arcana Members? Put that thought away. The Earth is vast.”

 

“Yet it can be surprisingly small….”

 

“Seriously, it’s not like he’s Vol○emort; that allergy to the Basic Foundation sure lasts a long time.”

 

The Director rubbed his rough chin.

 

“Those goddamn b*stards.”

 

“Director, I forfeit my three chickens and speak.”

 

“Well, look at that. Did you not hear me tell you to keep your mouth shut, Special Team Leader?”

 

“Wasn’t it exactly five years ago that the Basic Foundation collapsed as well?”

 

“Ah, f*ck, I really need to drown that b*stard.”

 

“Ah, wait a—”

 

“《Twist his shins.》”

 

“Kuuuuaaaagh—!!”

 

As Section Chief Min nodded with a sympathetic “I know how that feels,” the Director spoke against the backdrop of his screams.

 

“Fine, that could be the case. Maybe ‘The Devil,’ who was thought to have died alongside the Basic Foundation, snuck into the Korean Peninsula and orchestrated something, and that’s why high-risk entities are gathering here.”

 

“Then why am I being punished right now?”

 

“That fellow was so elusive, and perhaps because his deeds were so eerie, he got along exceptionally well with dokkaebi. Not that anyone knows his true face, either.”

 

“Exactly, that’s what I was trying to say.”

 

“Except that probably isn’t it.”

 

The Director waved his hand.

 

“It’s what I heard from the Tarot person while buying them rice soup,” 

 

“Why didn’t we know about this?”

 

“You little shits, I sent the dispatch up to my superiors, so don’t bitch at me because the main bureau didn’t inform you.”

 

“Then isn’t this classified?”

 

“My kids are about to all die, is classified the issue?” 

 

“It is an issue. I’ll go get my brain washed later before leaving.” 

 

“Anyway, so what that fellow told me was,”

 

He shrugged.

 

“There’s nothing.”

 

“Nothing of what?”

 

“That fellow’s main ability is that, right? The 『Scales of Black and White』.”

 

Once a reference point is set, it weighs the subject’s good and evil karma based on that reference and conditions.

 

“They say there hasn’t been any meaningful change on the ‘pan of sins’ targeting the entire population of the Korean Peninsula.”

 

Had the notorious ‘The Devil’ come to the Korean Peninsula, the sins should have grown heavier.

 

“Just in case, he weighed various foreign countries too, but said there were no major changes there either. ‘The Devil’ fellow is truly dead. Unless the Tarot fellow lied.”

 

“Then what about the opposite?”

 

“I didn’t ask that, though?”

 

The filth of this business is always the same anyway.

 

“This too was learned while buying that person rice soup out of my own pocket every day, so be grateful.” 

 

“Does that person eat only rice soup for three meals a day?” 

 

“F*ck, don’t look down on it, they ate meat rice soup, blood sausage rice soup, and bean sprout rice soup, I’m telling you.” 

 

“At this point, I think it’s right for me to get a brainwash before leaving too. I don’t want to make an enemy of an Arcana Member.”

 

“Go right ahead, you little shit. Even when I worry about you, all you do is bitch.”

 

The Director let out a deep sigh and scratched the back of her head roughly.

 

“Anyway, regarding the cause, we’re dispatching personnel here and there, so our Special Team and Cleanup Squad, keep that in mind. If there’s an issue, contact any of the section chiefs; I’ll try to resolve it at my level without having to go to the main bureau.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

“To our section chiefs, thank you for your hard work every time. When the chance comes, I’ll scrape the main bureau’s budget team to the bone and secure some incentives, so let’s hold out a bit longer. They said they’d replenish new recruits for the provinces too, but let’s discuss that at the next meeting.”

 

“Yes, Director.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Also, a funeral will be held this weekend for Section Chief Hong, who passed away in the line of duty. I’ll send an official dispatch separately, but keep it in mind for now. The bereaved family will be attending, so dress properly, everyone. And….”

 

It was then.

 

Riiing—

 

“….”

 

“Uh-huh, pick it up, pick it up. Gotta work. We’ll all shut up.”

 

“Excuse me for a moment, then.”

 

Section Chief Yoon stepped into the corner to listen briefly, then announced without even hanging up the phone.

 

“The whereabouts of the high-risk labyrinth ‘Count Dracula’ have become unaccounted for in the mainland.”

 

“Section Chief Yoon, why do you blurt out such news without even catching your breath? How can you be so merciless?”

 

“While the movements of his ‘attendant disciples’ remain regular, traces of some senior disciples tracking him have been found, leading us to determine this as the Count acting alone.”

 

“Wait, that damn vampire abandoned his own flesh-and-blood brats and ran off…?”

 

They really were like his own blood, after all. A certain section chief thought so. The report continued.

 

“My apologies in advance.”

 

“F-F*ck, hold on a second, let me take a calming pill.”

 

The section chief politely asked again.

 

“Have you taken it?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“His last trace was discovered on the Korean Peninsula.”

 

“Following the White Crow, the Count as well?”

 

“You understood right away.”

 

“Uh-huh, right.”

 

“Are you all right?”

 

“Wake me up in exactly three hours.”

 

The Director’s head snapped back with a thud. It was a clean faint.

 

“Director—!!”

 

The section chiefs cried out in unison. It was because a mountain of paperwork waiting for her approval still remained.

 

* * *

 

“Do you like the aroma?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“That’s a relief.”

 

Lee Yeonwoo took out a small pot, filled it with water, and turned on the heat.

 

“What I’m making now is Ottoman-style coffee.”

 

“Ottoman-style.”

 

“It might be a little different from the coffee modern people drink. There’s no separate filtering process for this.”

 

Finely ground coffee beans are added and gently simmered with water.

 

‘How should I introduce a variation?’

 

Though the guest didn’t seem to particularly enjoy sweetness, he added a bit of sugar. After all, sugar in that era was the exclusive privilege symbolizing an aristocrat’s wealth.

 

To this, he added cinnamon.

 

“Shall we add a little cardamom as well?”

 

“Yes? Yes.”

 

“The developer fellow here really delved into all sorts of ingredients, wouldn’t you say?”

 

“Yes.”

 

A complex flavor profile that seemed an exquisite blend of lemon, eucalyptus, and mint. Lee Yeonwoo had learned of this spice’s existence through Hotel One. As it mingled with the coffee, a pungent yet sweet aroma wafted up sharply.

 

When the coffee boiled up, he lowered the flame and let the grounds settle.

 

“The aroma isn’t bad.”

 

Just like this, without filtering, only the clear liquid from the top would be poured into the cup.

 

“Though I’ve practiced a few times, this is my first time serving it directly to a guest.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“It would probably be better to add some cream, too….”

 

It was a far cry from the espresso Lee Yeonwoo usually drank as if taking a blood transfusion.

 

A sweet yet exotic scent of spices. A heavy, piping-hot beverage that warmed the stomach. Beside the teacup, Lee Yeonwoo neatly arranged biscuits and pretzels to cleanse the palate.

 

He handed the silver tray with the preparations to a staff member.

 

“Please take care of it.”

 

“….”

 

Even while bowing deeply, the staff member swept a gaze over Lee Yeonwoo’s attire past that perfect smile. As always, there wasn’t a single flaw in his appearance.

 

Coco hopped lightly onto the shoulder of Lee Yeonwoo, who casually brushed off that gaze out of habit.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Yes, thank you for your concern.”

 

“Hee-hee.”

 

“Shall we go, then?”

 

“Yes!”

 

It was time for a talk.