Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 306 - Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (1)

Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (1)

 

“It’s the effect of being poisoned by Lamia’s venom, B. o. s. s.”

 

I frowned as I looked at Yoojun smiling right in front of me.

 

You seem really happy about the fact that I’m poisoned, huh?

 

‘That human…’

 

Anyway, Lamia poison?

 

As expected, was it really that time?

 

There was a time when a guest got into trouble and I had to go into a cave-like dungeon.

 

It wasn’t difficult to find the guest from Room 201 who had gotten stranded there.

 

Because they were surrounded by a swarm of Lamias.

 

In the past, just seeing a horde of monsters would have terrified me and made me run, but these days, even seeing monsters didn’t stir much feeling.

 

No, that’s not quite right. Saying I didn’t feel anything would be a lie.

 

Swoosh!

 

I took the sword Uncle Minhyuk had gifted me and cut through the Lamia’s body, then thought to myself.

 

‘Can Lamia be eaten as meat too?’

 

I can’t help but think of a full dinner course whenever I see monsters.

 

As a hunter, I’ve practically reached max level, so the level I most want to raise is my cooking level.

 

It must have been after I had taken down about ten of them.

 

The guest from Room 201 shouted at me.

 

‘Down there! Be careful!’

 

 

My reaction was quick, but the problem was that by the time the guest shouted at me, the Lamia’s venomous tail had already left a shallow wound on my ankle. 

 

“I treated them quickly, though.” 

 

I sighed as I recalled that moment.

 

Then Yoojun, still smiling, spoke to me.

 

“You just had bad luck. You got hit by one that takes a while to neutralize. No matter how many potions you take, your condition will stay unstable for a while. P. a. t. i. e. n. t.”

 

Yoojun’s heterochromatic eyes sparkled when he said the word “patient.”

 

“Why on earth are you so happy?”

 

I asked irritably, and Yoojun answered with a bright smile.

 

“Because, from now on, I’m using my authority as an S-rank healer to recommend that you take complete rest for the next two weeks.”

 

“….?”

 

Two weeks? What? That’s longer than I thought.

 

The hotel was fully booked, making it hard to rest even for two days, let alone two weeks.

 

It was because the aftermath of the world ranking announcement was still lingering.

 

I glared at Yoojun in disbelief and confronted him.

 

“You’re an S-rank healer, right? How can you tell me to rest for two whole weeks? Han Woohyun recovered quickly even after being hit by a Lamia—”

 

“I told you. You just had bad luck. Even with all these healing potions and a rare healer like me by your side, what can you do? It’s just bad luck.”

 

Yoojun emphasized the words “bad luck” as he looked at me.

 

I sighed and said,

 

“There’s no need to take complete rest—”

 

“You just heard me, right? C. o. m. p. l. e. t. e. r. e. s. t.” 

 

Yoojun spoke while somehow looking over my shoulder. I turned my head, sensing something was off.

 

And there, listening in on our conversation, was my dad.

 

Why, of all people, my dad! 

 

“Junghyo, even if you’re away for about two weeks, the hotel won’t stop running.”

 

“Dad.”

 

“There’s no choice if you don’t take complete rest.”

 

“If there’s no choice, what are you going to do?”

 

“I guess I’ll just have to tell the BJF.”

 

Ugh.

 

Dad knew my weaknesses well.

 

If they hear that I’m showing “poisoned” symptoms, Uncle Junsoo will be in tears, Uncle Minhyuk will stop at nothing to prevent the hotel from closing, and Aunt Misoon and Aunt Heeyoung will join in as well.

 

I tried to urgently convince my dad, but he shook his head. 

 

In truth, the so-called poisoning symptoms weren’t really anything serious.

 

It just meant I got tired more easily than usual, and my body felt stiff when I woke up in the morning—symptoms I had routinely experienced even before my awakening.

 

It was the kind of thing anyone with not a single gram of muscle in their body would experience.

 

“Unlucky,” Yoojun explained that the Lamia that poisoned me had a toxin that inflicted stat debuffs.

 

He said I was quite unlucky.

 

“You’d better be careful. Right now, your body is basically no different from a normal person.”

 

Yoojun advised me seriously.

 

His last words carried a certain force.

 

Of course, that’s only natural.

 

Even back when I wasn’t that famous, I was kidnapped by the Witness of Salvation—now I’m in a powerless state.

 

‘There might be some people targeting me.’

 

My dad seemed to think the same way and spoke to me. 

 

“It’d be best to have someone watching over you for the next two weeks to keep you safe.” 

 

Hearing that, I naturally thought of my dad as the one who would watch over me.

 

But my dad shook his head, saying he had to stay and oversee the hotel.

 

Instead, the person he recommended was a surprising one.

 

* * *

 

“This one’s your favorite meat side dish, this one’s the perilla leaf pickle you like, and this one’s the secret base for the soybean paste stew…”

 

I tilted my head, watching my dad pull endless ingredients out of the trunk.

 

When on earth did you finish all this?

 

Shouldn’t I have cooked this myself, or ordered it in?

 

But Han Woohyun listened to each explanation of the ingredients my dad pulled out as if engraving them into his very bones. 

 

‘Why is he listening so seriously? This isn’t New York—why did he bring all of this?’

 

I touched my forehead.

 

Han Woohyun was the very person my dad had recommended as my bodyguard.

 

I felt that I wouldn’t be able to rest properly in Yeongchun-myeon, so I decided to stay in the place I had bought in Seoul under Han Woohyun’s protection.

 

According to Dad, Han Woohyun isn’t a hotel employee, and he’s someone that none of the BJF members would feel jealous of.

 

When I said I thought they’d be incredibly jealous, Dad shook his head.

 

‘We’ve grown a bit more mature now, too.’

 

It seemed like “we” referred to the BJF members, but it wasn’t exactly a reassuring statement.

 

But it was true that Han Woohyun and the BJF members had grown closer.

 

After the fake time-travel incident, thanks to the Demon King, the BJF members began looking out for Han Woohyun rather than being wary of him. 

 

I sometimes felt uneasy, thinking he was being dragged around needlessly more often, but watching Han Woohyun sitting there, surrounded by the BJF and loved like a puppy, didn’t feel so bad. 

 

I don’t know about maturity, but this kind of closeness is nice.

 

Thinking that, I just left Dad and Han Woohyun alone as they shared recipes in the parking lot.

 

“Think of it as adding two spoonfuls of this secret base to a cup of water—” 

 

“Two spoonfuls.”

 

“Right. And our Junghyo likes salty food, but it’s bad for their health, so don’t ever cater to that.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“….”

 

“At this point, I think the recipe is all set, so let me give you one last reminder.”

 

“Yes.” 

 

“If you so much as touch a single hair on our Junghyo’s head, I won’t let you off easy.” 

 

“….?”

 

“Dad.” 

 

You said you’d matured just now.

 

I felt my face flush and grabbed Dad’s hand.

 

“I’ll give you a warning. With everything I have on the line, our Junghyo…!”

 

“What about me.” 

 

When I just stared at him, Dad spoke in a smaller voice.

 

“If our Junghyo doesn’t give permission, then it’s absolutely not allowed.” 

 

Ha.

 

I chuckled.

 

Right. Let’s just say this counts as being more mature. Before, he used to act like he still saw me as an elementary school kid.

 

“Yes. I’ll make sure to get her permission.” 

 

What are you talking about?

 

I glared at Han Woohyun and quickly gave Dad a push on the back.

 

“Travel safely, and if anything happens at the hotel, make sure to call me. I’ll enjoy the side dishes you packed.”

 

I gave Dad one last piece of advice and gave him a brief hug.

 

He got into the car with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

 

“That fox…”

 

Muttering something strange under his breath, Dad took hold of the steering wheel.

 

Watching Dad’s car drive away left me with a strange feeling.

 

So this is what it feels like—being left all alone in Seoul.

 

I think I understood why Dad insisted that I should rest in Seoul.

 

If I had stayed in Yeongchun-myeon, I definitely wouldn’t have felt this sense of rest.

 

It’s been a while since I’ve been on vacation, right?

 

As I quietly smiled, Han Woohyun, solemnly picking up the side dishes, asked.

 

“You look happy?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“…That’s a relief.”

 

“Mhm?”

 

“I thought you were a workaholic.”

 

Han Woohyun said, seemingly genuinely relieved.

 

And then, after pressing the elevator button and setting the side dishes down, he placed a hand on my shoulder and spoke. He examined me closely, as if he were conducting an immigration inspection.

 

“Does anything hurt?”

 

Is it really necessary to ask that question so seriously?

 

I chuckled and shook my head.

 

“There’s nothing wrong. I’m completely the same as usual. Just like before awakening—an ordinary person.”

 

He had a look on his face like he couldn’t understand at all.

 

It seemed this guy, who had awakened at a young age and lived his whole life with the diamond spoon of an awakened body, couldn’t even comprehend that state.

 

But since I remembered perfectly well what it was like to be in the state of an ordinary person, it didn’t really matter to me.

 

No, to be precise—

 

“I’m actually glad.”

 

“What?”

 

I smiled as Han Woohyun tilted his head.

 

Without answering, I got into the elevator, and the moment the doors opened, I spotted a pile of delivery boxes waiting in front of the door. I quickly hurried over and tried to pick one up.

 

But the boxes weren’t easy to lift.

 

‘Is this… a symptom of the poisoning?’

 

If I try to lift the box like I usually do, I’ll probably throw out my back.

 

As I pondered that, Han Woohyun easily picked up the box with one hand and frowned. 

 

“Valentino?”

 

Han Woo-hyun read the text incredulously.

 

“12 bottles…?”

 

I told you so.

 

It’s actually good.

 

How long has it been since I’ve been drunk?

 

I haven’t gotten drunk at all in a while, so drinking hasn’t been fun.