Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 318 - Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (13) 

Side Story 1. An Ordinary Romance (13) 

 

It was morning when I sat up, wrapped in a soft, fluffy blanket.

 

To be exact, I wonder if it’s around noon? 

 

‘I’m… hungry.’

 

Checking the clock, I realized it was definitely time for lunch.

 

I want to order delivery, but since Dad packed a bunch of side dishes, I guess I should eat those.

 

If I suggested eating something else, Han Woohyun would definitely say this. 

 

‘….’

 

Wait, it’s not that he’d say anything—this isn’t about words.

 

‘If you don’t like it, just say no.’

 

‘It’s not that—I just feel it would be a waste. It’s food Dad made.’

 

Why am I already living the life of a woman moving to her husband’s house?

 

Isn’t it technically not even a real husband’s house…? 

 

I turned off my phone screen and pulled back the blanket. Feeling the chill, I layered on some clothes and looked around.

 

Han Woohyun isn’t here. 

 

What’s going on?

 

Usually, he wouldn’t disappear before me when I was still under the blanket. 

 

I left the room, thinking, ‘Maybe it’s because I slept exceptionally long today’

 

The familiar smell of doenjang-jjigae wafted through the air.

 

Dad’s scent.

 

On the table, the side dishes Dad had packed were neatly laid out.

 

I saw a large back partially hidden by the fridge. On it was a back with a small, cute apron awkwardly tied—somehow it didn’t suit him.

 

“…Uncle?” 

 

“Are you awake? Junghyo, Junghyo!” 

 

Uncle Junsoo greeted me with a bright smile. 

 

“Why are you here? What about Han Woohyun?”

 

“You’re not happy to see me? I missed you so much, though.”

 

Uncle Junsoo stuck tissues to the corners of his eyes to imitate the ‘ㅠㅠ’ crying emoji. 

 

“No, it’s not that… isn’t today a weekday? Even coming out like this…”

 

“I took a day off. Hehe.”

 

Oh, wait.

 

I opened my phone to check my messages.

 

There was a message from Secretary Myunghan. 

 

Secretary Lee Myunghan

 

Are you with the President right now…? ㅠㅠ

 

There are a lot of documents that need to be signed…ㅠㅠ

 

(Photo)

 

He disappeared, leaving only this behind ㅠㅠㅠ

 

When I tapped the photo, a table was displayed under the title “Leave Request Form.”

 

Mark

 

I’m going to get some fresh air… okay…?

 

What… is this kind of leave request form…? 

 

“Mister.” 

 

“Mister…?” 

 

Uncle Junsoo let the ladle he was holding drop with a clatter. 

 

“If you slacken off like this, what will happen to the employees below you?”

 

The secretary was already in trouble.

 

“I already finished all the work before coming!” 

 

Uncle Junsoo pouted and said.

 

“I clearly told him to take it easy since our Jeonghyo came to Seoul, but I hate you, Myunghan! Hate you, hate you! In the name of love and justice, I won’t forgive you!” 

 

Making a strange “hing” sound, Uncle Junsoo went into the room.

 

No, why…

 

I picked up the dropped ladle and began scooping up the soup.

 

‘You’re just pretending to be upset.’

 

Clearly, Uncle is pretending to sulk because he doesn’t want to work right now.

 

‘Then you didn’t have to drop the ladle…’

 

Then, I heard a tapping sound from behind me.

 

“Aunt.” 

 

It was Aunt Misoon, without doubt. 

 

“My kid! You’re finally up? Hehe, I haven’t slept yet.”

 

Aunt Misoon was sitting on the sofa, playing on the PlayStation connected to the TV.

 

Now that I looked, her eyes seemed a bit bloodshot.

 

“This came out yesterday. I’ve been waiting so long to play it! Soon, I’ll complete all the routes.”

 

“…Wait, where’s Han Woohyun?”

 

“Oh, that guy? A raid came up suddenly, so he got called to the Hanwoon Guild. They said they couldn’t leave you alone, so we came!”

 

“It would’ve been fine to leave me alone…”

 

I fiddled with my phone.

 

But why didn’t he contact me beforehand?

 

That’s never happened before.

 

What did I do yesterday?

 

I couldn’t help but trace back yesterday’s memories in my mind.

 

‘…Really!’

 

‘Really?’

 

‘Can I really take off my shoes!’ 

 

?

 

I think I just had a strange memory.

 

“You can’t be alone. You still have lingering symptoms of the addiction, right?”

 

Aunt even put down the console and spoke to me seriously.

 

But right now, that wasn’t what was important to me.

 

Clang.

 

“Why did you drop the ladle?”

 

“Ugh…”

 

I groaned in pain and ran to the sofa.

 

Then I snuggled into Aunt Misoon’s arms.

 

“Don’t you have something like a memory-erasing machine?”

 

“W, what’s wrong?” 

 

There is.

 

There is.

 

‘Hmm… uh… I don’t think I can walk?’

 

I really can’t stand it anymore.

 

“I think I shouldn’t get drunk anymore, Aunt.”

 

Aunt held me in her arms and murmured, stroking me like a cat.

 

“Did you cause trouble after drinking?”

 

“Just a little. Very little…”

 

If only my memory could be erased, it would be nearly perfect.

 

I muttered something like that and then got up.

 

This just won’t do.

 

I sent a message to Yoojun.

 

I’ll come see you now. Please wait for me.

 

No matter how I look at it, I think I really need to know exactly what’s going on with my body.

 

The reply came quickly.

 

Yoojun

 

??

 

Now???

 

At this point, it means yes.

 

As soon as I got the answer, I looked toward the room. Through the crack in the door, I saw Uncle Junsoo’s face peeking out.

 

“Uncle.”

 

“…”

 

I said to Uncle, who was about to sneak in.

 

“If you don’t come out now, I’ll go with Aunt Misoon.”

 

“Me? Why me…? Where do I have to go?”

 

Aunt Misoon asked, holding onto the console.

 

She’s completely absorbed in the game right now, but if I actually asked her to come along, she’d get up.

 

That’s because she’s Aunt Misoon.

 

“I’ll go, I’ll go, I’m going out~!”

 

Seeing Uncle Junsoo rush out, I nodded.

 

“But where are you going?”

 

“To the Baekho Guild.”

 

“…?”

 

“You brought your motorcycle, right?”

 

I pointed to the helmet on the shoe rack and spoke.

 

That was definitely something she had prepared secretly without Aunt Mikyung knowing.

 

* * *

 

In front of the Baekho Guild building.

 

A motorcycle with an engine that resonated like horse hooves arrived.

 

Doon-doong, doo-doong-doong…

 

As the motorcycle came to a stop, a rider wearing a helmet got off.

 

She was a woman with her long hair tied tightly, wearing a sweatshirt and jeans—dressed comfortably.

 

The guard standing at the building’s entrance was momentarily taken aback at the sight of the woman.

 

The main duty of the guard protecting the building was managing who came in and out.

 

Especially after the incident with the Baekho Guild, various people—disguised reporters, YouTubers trying to attract attention, and the like—attempted to sneak in, so this guard had received strict instructions from his superiors.

 

Still, people sometimes cut corners once or twice. Last time, when a man without a pass tried to enter, the guard let him through without asking any questions—and of all people, that man happened to be Yoojun, which caused trouble.

 

‘Do you have any idea how many weapons are in my bag right now?’

 

Yoojun grinned as he spoke the menacing words.

 

‘If I’d been a Black Guild member, I would’ve stormed into this building right away, killed a few guild members, and stolen Korea’s crucial dungeon intel. If I’d been an illusionist, I could’ve even extracted biometric data.’

 

‘I’m sorry!’

 

‘Not only that. I would have taken your life on my way out, just to kill myself. Like this.’

 

Yoojun pulled a pistol from his bag and showed it to the guard.

 

The guard felt his life threatened, and the hairs on his head stood on end.

 

After that incident, the higher-ups distributed glasses-shaped detectors that could, in a limited way, determine whether someone had Hunter abilities or not.

 

It was a warning to behave properly.

 

Recalling that moment, the guard quickly activated the detector.

 

[Ordinary Person] 

 

The detector identified the woman as a civilian.

 

So, she’s not a guild member.

 

The guard was an F-rank Hunter, capable of easily subduing ordinary civilians.

 

If it were a disguised reporter or YouTuber, they’d pull out a camera—and that’s when you’d immediately take them down.

 

Just as he was thinking that, the woman took off her helmet.

 

As the guard moved closer, the woman pulled something out from the back of the stationary motorcycle. The guard flinched, tense, keeping a close eye on her movements.

 

But—

 

“…?”

 

What the woman was holding in her hand was coffee.

 

Coffee in a takeout cup.

 

Then the woman walked straight towards the guard.

 

With an unreadable expression, the woman held up her coffee.

 

“Delivery here.”

 

“Yes?” 

 

The guard frowned.

 

Inside the Baekho Guild, there’s not only a cafeteria but also a franchise coffee shop.

 

Hardly anyone went through the trouble of having outside food delivered.

 

“Top floor. The Guild Master ordered it. You can check for yourself.”

 

And on top of that, the possibility that it was actually the Guild Master approached zero percent.

 

“Our Guild Master doesn’t eat street food like that.”

 

“…Yes?” 

 

The woman looked down at the coffee she was holding, seeming a bit flustered.

 

“She only orders famous-brand coffee. If you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it—” 

 

It was then.

 

Someone brushed past the guard’s shoulder and approached the woman.

 

He quickly snatched her coffee and spoke incredulously.

 

“Can’t you just come here normally? You said you’d send a driver.” 

 

The guy standing there at a slant was Yoojun.

 

The guard had also come to clearly recognize his distinctive odd eyes after the recent incident.

 

But why is S-rank Hunter Yoojun carrying the belongings of a regular person?

 

Originally, Yoojun had a personality that showed almost no interest in other people.

 

He only acted like a dog for Guild Master Shim Jiyoon; everyone else around him, as long as they didn’t cross his line, was treated no differently than a stone on the roadside.

 

It was the first time someone had treated Yoojun so familiarly, almost like his own little sister.

 

“Why is that considered coming ‘normally’…? And pick one—either speak casually or formally.”

 

“You’re the same.”

 

“You and me.”

 

It was a conversation that was either friendly or cold.

 

“Oh my. What’s this coffee? What’s the delivery?”

 

“I just remembered that Shim Jiyoon asked me to bring any leftover coffee. There were even some cups that got delivered to the wrong house.”

 

“What? So this is coffee from the Dungeon Hotel? Do you have one for me too?”

 

“Do you think there is?”

 

?

 

So just now, did he call that cheap coffee “Dungeon Hotel Coffee”?

 

The guard was confused.

 

Behind the two of them, Kim Junsoo took off his helmet and joined them.

 

“Are we really allowed to go in? That person’s been treating our Junghyo Junghyo like a street vendor since earlier.”

 

Kim Junsoo tilted his head at the guard, puzzled. 

 

She looked completely clueless, but in reality, it was a remark meant to put him in his place for treating an ordinary person like a street vendor without even properly checking.

 

The guard realized that fact and, at the same time, recognized Kim Junsoo’s face.

 

Kim Junsoo was the Hunter Association President of South Korea, someone even he—more familiar with TV than the internet—often saw on the news. 

 

The guard’s face paled at the realization.

 

Wait.

 

That means, that ‘street’ coffee—

 

No, to be precise, that woman who was called a “ordinary person”… could it really be…? 

 

“Let’s go in, Boss.” 

 

Boss.

 

Watching Yoojun’s final words and the icy glare in his eyes, the guard had a gut feeling.

 

That the street vendor he had just spoken to carelessly was none other than the owner of Dungeon Hotel.

 

The top hunter of South Korea, who personally supplies that famous coffee to Guild Master Shim Jiyoon. 

 

Lee Junghyo. 

 

And he had treated such a woman like a mere street vendor.

 

“Let’s talk later.”

 

Yoojun spoke coldly and then led the two of them into the building.