Welcome to Dungeon Hotel – Chapter 274

Author: rolypoly

I can’t resist airplanes.

A typical trauma response.

Since it was a reaction coming from a child barely six or seven years old, everyone was at a loss for words.

Kim Junsoo and Han Minhyuk froze on the spot, while the Manager and Geumdong also wore sullen expressions.

Hwang Misoon, at a loss for what to do, hastily removed her goggles and covered the bloodstain on the table with a bowl.

But that didn’t mean the child would crawl out again.

I looked down at the little boy.

The small hands trembling violently and the eyes filled with fear.

That child wasn’t just any child.

It was little Han Woohyun.

I silently stared at the satisfaction score marked in red, lost in thought.

If that boy were Han Woohyun, what would I need to do for him? It was impossible to imagine someone as big as Han Woohyun crawling under a table like that, but in this moment, if it were him—what would be the right thing to do?

How did I usually comfort Han Woohyun?

Han Woohyun wasn’t someone with much of a personality or particular tastes.

When he kept his mouth shut, he looked cold and intimidating, as if he had picky tastes and a fierce temper. But the moment you got a little closer, you’d realize that wasn’t the case at all.

So I don’t know much about Han Woohyun’s personality, but I tried to comfort him.

And when I thought about what I did back then—

“….”

The answer came simply.

I stopped Kim Junsoo, who was about to reach out and pull the child out, unable to wait any longer.

And then I crouched down under the table.

Han Woohyun’s eyes widened when he saw me like that, and he slowly turned around.

He looked flustered.

The moment the child turned to look at me, without saying anything or trying to pull him out, I simply spread my arms wide toward him.

“….?”

The child, curled up like a frightened animal, silently watched me.

I thought he was asking me what I was doing, so I answered.

“Come here. It’s okay.”

As I stayed like that until my arms started to ache, the child hesitantly inched closer to me.

He seemed to be slowly approaching me, and then he suddenly hugged me.

Even then, his trembling body couldn’t be helped, and the hand gripping the back of my neck couldn’t gather any strength.

I could tell that I had gotten close to the right answer while holding his small body.

Waiting.

It was the method I had used most often when comforting Han Woohyun.

And another one—

‘Skinship.’

I recalled Han Woohyun, who had always softened at my warmth.

Of course, this one was a younger Han Woohyun, but I figured he might still like physical affection just the same.

After something big like that, there must be a sense of relief that a strong hug gives.

I hugged Han Woohyun tightly.

‘I’ve wanted to do this all along.’

I remembered the sensation of being embraced by that massive body.

When I felt a power that seemed to overwhelm me, I felt like I would be safe forever in that embrace.

I was like that too.

You’re safe now.

I hugged him tighter, pouring my feelings into the embrace, and with that, the trembling in the boy’s body stopped.

I waited a bit longer after the trembling in his body stopped, then gently lifted him up as he buried his face in the nape of my neck.

Carrying a young lover in my arms felt a bit strange, but honestly, looking at him, this little one was so small and cute that it didn’t really feel like he was someone like Han Woohyun.

I looked down at the boy, who turned his head toward me while sniffling.

Red cheeks, pouty lips, big eyes.

What is it?

I muttered as I felt a sharp pain in one side of my chest.

“…Cute.”

When I heard that, the boy looked up at me and his face gradually turned bright red.

Then, as if asking to be put down, the boy’s body squirmed in my arms.

I silently put him back down.

Then he quickly went under the table and hid again.

What is it?

What was the satisfaction boost from when you just hugged me?

But my satisfaction didn’t decrease at all.

In fact, it went up a little.

I found it hard to understand the boy, who would peek his face out, look at me, and then avert his eyes when our gazes met.

‘The heart of a man is like a reed…’

It was when I had that thought that the manager tapped me lightly, as if realizing something.

“Wait a minute.”

“….?”

The manager leaned into my ear and whispered,

“Everyone else, please go upstairs for a moment.”

Everyone else?

I looked at the manager with a puzzled expression, but since the manager gave me a firm look as if saying, “Just do as you’re told,” I had no choice but to whisper the instructions to the others.

After everyone had received the instructions, Geumdong said in an awkward voice,

“Oh my, it looks like the water pipes have burst upstairs. Is there anyone who can help?”

“If that’s the case, then of course I should help.”

I also added to Hwang Misoon’s awkward acting.

“T, then me too.”

Kim Junsoo awkwardly acted along, making some noise as he followed Geum Dong and the manager upstairs.

Han Minhyuk looked at me with a displeased expression when he saw that. However, when I gestured, he groaned and went up to the second floor with me.

As we went up to the second floor, we couldn’t see what was happening at the lounge table on the first floor because the angle of view was cleverly blocked.

We just looked at each other with blank expressions.

“Your acting was really bad, you.”

“You’re worse at running than the robots I built. At this rate, aren’t you going back to before Homo Erectus?”

“What are you saying? Homo… what…?”

“Why the hell do I have to do this stupid thing? Being with idiots makes me feel like I’m getting stupid too.”

“That guy always talks like that when we’re together.”

I was a little surprised to see the three of them bickering.

When did they become so close?

Geumdong asked me cautiously.

“It seems like the guests aren’t getting along. Shouldn’t we take some action…? I’m scared…”

“They’re not fighting.”

Although it seems like they’re bickering on the outside, if you look closely at their facial expressions, they’re not actually angry.

On the contrary, they feel close to each other.

I could definitely feel it because I’ve been watching them for over twenty years.

“But he seemed really surprised earlier.”

At that moment, Hwang Misoon spoke with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

It seemed that the image of Han Woohyun trembling under the table earlier was still lingering in her mind.

“…He was so small and young. It was the first time I’ve seen a kid cry like that.”

“Me too.”

“….”

Kim Junsoo added a supportive comment, and Han Minhyuk had a similar expression.

The moment I heard those words, I felt a bit strange, and the reason was simple.

I’ve heard those words before.

It was because those words were what Aunt Misoon had said while carrying me after I had collapsed from crying upon hearing the news of my father’s death.

“You’re so small and light… I’ve never seen a kid cry like this before.”

I fell fast asleep as soon as I heard those words, and I didn’t realize it because I was on her back, but that must have been the expression she had when she said those words.

It was when I was quietly looking at her expression.

100

…?

I saw the red number on the ground going up.

It was Han Woohyun’s satisfaction level.

“Ha… Shouldn’t someone go down and check? From the silence, it seems like things aren’t going well.”

Uncle Junsoo said anxiously.

But to say it’s not going well…

110

135

150

The satisfaction level is going up?

Clank.

Everyone froze at the sudden loud crash from the first floor. The sound was sharp and unsettling, like something heavy had fallen, followed by a brief silence that made the tension in the air even thicker.

The three people, already on edge, turned their gazes toward the staircase leading down to the first floor, their senses heightened by the unexpected sound. The silence that followed the crash felt heavier, as if they were waiting for something else to happen.

“Ah, this isn’t working. I’ll go down…”

“No. I’ll go.”

I stopped Hwang Misoon and went down the stairs.

160

170

185

And when I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard Kang Miyeon’s voice whispering softly.

“Whoosh whoosh~ It’s an airplane~ Aaaah, I’ve hit turbulence~”

Clank.

I could tell what the loud noise was.

It was the sound of dishes falling.

As the manager dropped the spoon loaded with cake, the boy, whose back was the only thing visible to me, trembled slightly.

Are you scared…?

As I tried to approach, the boy who heard the footsteps turned to me.

The boy, who had chocolate cake all over his lips, mouth, and cheeks, opened his eyes wide as soon as he saw me.

190

No matter how I looked at it, his face didn’t exactly scream fear.

As soon as the boy saw me, he put down the small plastic spoon he was holding and hid his hand behind his back.

He seemed to be trying to pretend not to have eaten, but there was too much of a mark on his face for that to be the case.

‘I guess he still can’t use chopsticks…’

I remembered the heavy, long adult-sized chopsticks and spoon that had been on the table earlier.

The manager, seeing the shy boy, quickly took the cake on the spoon and put it in her mouth, then spoke.

“I, I was eating it all because I was hungry.”

When I hesitated, not knowing what to say—

“Wow, wow. I see. The manager ate all the cake.”

“W, was it delicious?”

I heard awkward voices behind me.

It was Hwang Misoon, Kim Junsoo, Han Minhyuk, and Geumdong, all gathered on the stairs.

‘When did you come down?’

Despite their awkward acting, the manager smiled at the boy and said.

“Yes. It was delicious.”

After hearing that, the boy looked up at the manager with bright eyes.

200

They say that raising children is a matter of item.

It’s all a lie, and parenting is all about gaining experience points.

The boy quickly moved to sit next to the manager.

Thanks to that, Han Minhyuk, Hwang Misoon, and Kim Junsoo, who were around me, also saw the boy’s face covered in chocolate.

“…Crazy.”

“Cute.”

“….”

The satisfaction of the three people who saw that also increased at the same time.

Gyeongseong Hotel: ★★★☆☆

Remaining satisfaction for a 4-star hotel: 1,200

‘….’

I realized as I looked at the window that appeared next.

So, it was that guy who made these three people close.

Just like the three of them became close because of me at one point.

When I realized that, I felt strange.

Author's Thoughts

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