Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 304

298. Still special

 

If only Kim Junsoo had come, that would have been fortunate, but after that, uncles and aunts started arriving one after another. 

 

Hwang Misoon shouted as she slapped the back of Kim Junsoo’s head, who was making a fuss, crying and screaming. 

 

“You crazy brat, move! I want to hold my baby too!”

 

Hwang Misoon reached out her hand toward Junghyo. 

 

“No, why do you say Junghyo is your kid? She’s my daughter, you fools.” 

 

Lee Semyung shouted as he separated Hwang Misoon and Kim Junsoo, who were fighting over Junghyo. 

 

“Shut up. Then why didn’t you know when Junghyo said she was quitting the hotel?!” 

 

I’m quitting the hotel?

 

‘I didn’t exactly say it like that, though……’

 

Only then did Junghyo feel a ringing sensation in her head. 

 

No way. 

 

Junghyo quickly searched for the general manager with her eyes. 

 

Then, Kang Miyeon, who was hiding near that pillar, caught her eye.

 

“….”

 

With tears welling up in her eyes.

 

The way she was half-hidden behind the pillar, sticking out just the tip of her nose, looked just like Hyeyu when she was sulking, which was kind of funny.

 

‘You sometimes tend to underestimate your own influence.’

 

Merlin’s words echoed in Junghyo’s ears. 

 

‘Could it be that they’re making that face because of what I said about leaving the hotel?’

 

Her prediction was spot on.

 

“I told them.”

 

Kang Miyeon muttered softly. Her voice was cute and far from her usual dignified demeanor.

 

“Even if I’m not S-class, I’m still a fan of Junghyo… As a fan of Junghyo, I told the BJF about it.” 

 

“What?”

 

“You’re saying you’re leaving the hotel.”

 

Lee Semyung, who was standing nearby, spoke with a troubled expression.

 

“Are you really quitting your job?”

 

“N, no… That’s…”

 

‘It was just an attempt to catch two reptiles, but somehow other people got caught instead.’

 

When Junghyo looked troubled, Hwang Misoon, misunderstanding her expression, asked with a worried look.

 

“That… it’s because of the memories, right? Because the memories at Gyeongseong Hotel were bad enough to make you fed up with the hotel.”

 

Bad memories?

 

Junghyo was even more flustered.

 

Those memories were precious to her.

 

But what was even more disconcerting was—

 

“Boss… are you really quitting the hotel…?”

 

Geumdong, who was passing by the lounge, suddenly dropped the reservation book he was holding and sat down with a thud.

 

Geumdong, as if his legs had given out, collapsed onto the marble floor and spoke with tears welling up in his eyes.

 

“This… this can’t be… The boss is quitting… This bellboy will probably miss the boss forever now…”

 

No, that’s not it.

 

Get up! All the other guests are watching!

 

Junghyo reached out to the bellboy with a perplexed expression.

 

Tears streaming down his face, and before long, a tail had grown—he could feel the gazes pouring down around him.

 

“The owner is quitting the hotel.” 

 

“Really? So does that mean Yeongchun Hotel is going to disappear?”

 

 “Where will I drink coffee now\…?”

 

Hearing the murmurs of the guests, Junghyo felt a chill run down her spine.

 

‘The hotel is going to disappear? The rumor must be getting twisted…!’

 

Just as Junghyo thought things might get dangerous, the elevator doors opened once again right before her eyes.

 

Inside the elevator stood Han Minhyuk and Moon Heeyoung.

 

“Bellboy, please take the BJF members and wait downstairs for a moment. Please.”

 

She whispered, and Geumdong grabbed her arm.

 

“I don’t want to. I won’t leave the boss.”

 

“No…”

 

There’s no other way.

 

Junghyo quickly asked Merlin for help.

 

Merlin, who understood the situation just from the glare, took the BJF and went downstairs.

 

“I made a ton of dried sweet potatoes to give to the boss…!”

 

“….?”

 

Dried sweet potatoes? 

 

Junghyo recalled the countless boxes of sweet potatoes Geumdong had been gathering all this time.

 

And she also remembered Geumdong’s expression, who was so sad like someone who had lost their country when the manager said it was too troublesome and hid them away.

 

“You said your mouth gets bored while working, so I made this many snacks…!”

 

Geumdong went to the kitchen as if to prove it, holding and shaking several neatly vacuum-sealed bags of dried sweet potatoes.

 

Just as Geumdong said, there were not just ‘a lot’ but ‘overflowing’ bags of dried sweet potatoes.

 

“You’d have to run the business for another hundred years to eat all this…!”

 

No wonder she thought he’d go bankrupt just buying sweet potatoes all the time.

 

Junghyo stared quietly at the bellboy, utterly dumbfounded.

 

At that moment, Kim Euihae suddenly poked his head out from the kitchen.

 

“Boss, what’s going to happen with my contract? I just boldly sent a text to the landlord saying I’m moving out.”

 

Kim Euihae, who was already wearing the uniform Geumdong had given him, was baking fresh cookies after receiving praise from Louisa.

 

Originally, he thought he wasn’t worthy enough to work at such a five-star hotel, but after hearing Louisa’s words, his mindset changed a bit.

 

The best birthday present ever.

 

A place where the cake he made could become someone’s birthday gift.

 

If it was a place like that, it didn’t necessarily have to be Happy Bakery.

 

He came to really want to work at Yeongchun Hotel.

 

‘The boss said we could continue selling cakes to the neighbors of Jeongcheon-gun at affordable prices.’

 

Junghyo had hinted to Kim Euihae that if they were to run a “new hotel,” it might be in Jeongcheon-gun.

 

Of course, the huge signing bonus was also an attractive perk.

 

‘Is it really okay to accept such a large amount?’

 

‘Of course. Pastry chef Kim Euihae’s cakes are worth every bit of it.’

 

‘My cakes aren’t as fancy as those from other hotels.’

 

‘But they’re still special.’ 

  

 

And looking at the owner with that friendly smile—

 

‘The true measure of a good cake is if the recipient feels touched. When I ate the boss’s cake, I felt like I received a special gift. I wondered why that was, and I think it’s because the pastry chef made the cake with the heart of giving a gift to their childhood self, right?’

 

He truly began to feel like he was creating something special.

 

‘So I think the recipients can also find the pastry chef’s cakes special, because the pastry chef understands their hearts better than anyone else. Please, definitely work with us.’

 

So Kim Euihae was already almost accepting his contract with Junghyo as a done deal.

 

But what if Junghyo were to disappear…?

 

“If you want, you can just sign a contract with Yeongchun Hotel. Like a steamed bun without filling, a red bean bun without red beans, or Yeongchun Hotel without the boss.”

 

While Kim Euihae was hesitating, the general manager interrupted with a sulky voice from beside him.

 

“The boss may abandon us and leave, but the hotel won’t change.”

 

Kang Miyeon shot Junghyo a somewhat resentful look.

 

She felt that if she didn’t let go of her lingering feelings like this, she would regret it later.

 

So she gathered all the BJF together.

 

It wasn’t so much that the boss was leaving the hotel because of the devoted fans, but rather that the boss wanted to be acknowledged by them.

 

That Yeongchun Hotel is a special place because the boss is here.

 

“I understand what you mean.”

 

I wonder how long I had been staring like that.

 

The calm black eyes blinked slowly.

 

Junghyo, clutching the pile of dried sweet potatoes Geumdong had brought, briefly showed a faint expression before her face deepened into an unreadable look.

 

“But it was all a misunderstanding.”

 

“…?”

 

“How could I leave the hotel? It was just a mishap that happened while trying to deceive Merlin and the Demon King.”

 

“….!”

 

“How could I give up on the hotel? The hotel is a special place to me.”

 

“The guests who come to the hotel, the people I work with, and all the memories I’ve made here—they’re all very precious to me.”

 

“Then…really…” 

 

Seeing Kang Miyeon on the verge of tears, Junghyo firmly grasped her hand.

 

“Let’s work together again tomorrow. The general manager, Geumdong, and also… Head pastry chef Kim Euihae.”   

 

At the words “head pastry chef,” Kim Euihae’s eyes widened.

 

At the word “head,” his heart raced so fast that the world seemed to spin before his eyes.

 

The ‘head pastry chef’ was losing his mind!

 

Junghyo looked at the halo floating above Kim Euihae’s head and thought to herself.

 

‘Now, let’s just take care of the BJF.’

 

“All right, now please show me your phone, General Manager.”

 

Junghyo gently patted the general manager’s shoulder and reached out her hand to her.

 

The general manager looked at her with a pitiful expression once again and spoke.

 

“Um… I’m not going to get scolded, right?”

 

“It depends on what you said.”

 

“…”

 

* * *

 

Title: Even if it’s not S-Rank, it’s still a Junghyo fan club.

 

Master Hwang Misoon

 

Whose idea was it to pretend not to remember in the first place?

 

President of the Association Kim Junsoo

 

Is this the time to be arguing?

 

Master Hwang Misoon

 

So it’s you. 

 

President of the Association Kim Junsoo

 

No, everyone agreed. Han Woohyun was the one who agreed the most! Where is this guy!

 

Guild Leader Han Minhyuk

 

I’m on my way down now. Keep Junghyo there, Lee Semyung.

 

President of the Association Kim Junsoo

 

That brat who never listens to others…

 

Hunter Lee Semyung 

 

No, you know… I really don’t think Junghyo is going to quit the hotel because of you guys… There’s some kind of misunderstanding…

 

Hunter Han Woohyun

 

I’m going down now.

 

Confirming the chaos in the chatroom, Junghyo grabbed the elevator door.

 

As expected.

 

Everyone remembered.

   

I had more or less expected it ever since I realized Han Woohyun remembered that moment.

 

That everyone would remember everything clearly, not just vaguely like a dream.

 

Junghyo was scrolling down her phone screen when she suddenly stopped at a particular sentence.

 

 

Hunter Moon Heeyoung

 

Stop fighting. We were all wrong from the start. Painful memories aren’t meant to be covered up, they’re meant to be shared and moved on.

 

Sharing memories.

 

In a way, she felt like that was the word she’d been missing the most.

 

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and the BJF who had been waiting for her looked up.