Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 345 - Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (16)

Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (16)

 

A transformation as a reward for reaching 15% intimacy.

 

Looking at Gray, now in human form, I realized something.

 

‘Spirits grow through affinity.’ 

 

Geumdong and Toto had said they could feel themselves growing stronger as the hotel grew stronger. It seemed to be a similar principle.

 

I grew curious whether other abilities besides transformation would manifest if I filled that affinity to 100%, but for now, there were more important matters at hand.

 

“Wow, that was really fun.”

 

“I’m telling you, something weird happened to me! A human hand suddenly came out from under the bed…!”

 

“They said that person was this gentleman over here.”

 

After finishing the game, the guests returned to the lobby.

 

At first, they murmured to one another about who the seeker had been, then turned pale upon realizing none of their own group had filled the role, and shortly afterward seemed a bit disappointed upon seeing Gray appear.

 

“He’s this hotel’s chef. He just returned from vacation, and I asked him to play the seeker for the sake of the game.”

 

“No way!”

 

“How did you get under the bed? I’m sure I saw it clearly!”

 

The man named Matthew clutched his head and shouted.

 

“I was under the bed from the beginning.”

 

Gray replied with an unenthusiastic expression.

 

Contrary to expectation, Gray in human form had become a young man with a pale face and gray hair.

 

However, calling him a man felt slightly off—he was rather small and slight, giving him the impression of a boy.

 

“No, that can’t be. I clearly saw that nothing entered the room, so how…”

 

“Matthew, were you really possessed by a ghost or something?”

 

“Actually, I saw something strange on the fourth floor, too.” 

 

The group’s disappointment at Gray being the seeker was short-lived; they soon began rattling off the strange phenomena they had encountered. 

 

Furniture had moved, windows had rattled and flashed ‘Get out’ in Morse code, an unknown shadow had slipped behind the tapestry.

 

All of it was vague eyewitness testimony, but the folklore club members seemed genuinely delighted as they exchanged their stories.

 

200

 

300

 

310

 

Their satisfaction levels were hitting the ceiling. 

 

And, of course, that satisfaction was my handiwork.

 

‘Stay by the leg of the sofa and just move a tiny bit. If it’s hard, move the carpet instead.’

 

‘…Why must we follow a human’s orders…’

 

‘Didn’t you see Gray grow stronger? Ever since he became human, he’s been lifting oak barrels like nothing.’

 

‘We can lift them together!’

 

‘If you become human, you won’t have to do overtime.’

 

‘…!’

 

The method had been simple.

 

I had utilized the spirits who were exhausted from working overtime.

 

‘…So after that, I just send ‘Go Away’ in Morse code, right?’

 

‘Exactly.’

 

It felt as though this had turned less into a hotel event and more into a haunted house attraction, but good service is never fixed in form—it must be tailored to the recipient.

 

In this case, the customization was a perfect fit.

 

‘Everyone is satisfied.’

 

I was watching with a sense of pride as the club members huddled together, sharing their ghost stories, when someone spoke up.

 

“Let’s continue talking over dinner.”

 

“Chef, may we order a meal?”

 

The moment had arrived.

 

Gray took a small step back, still awkward about humans addressing him.

 

“Uh… um…”

 

He looked like an adolescent boy, the way he fidgeted. His cheeks and ears were red too.

 

“I-if you don’t mind, how about having dinner with wine? A well-aged batch just came in!”

 

Gray recommended the wine with his neck veins standing out, as though he were angry.

 

‘He’s shy….’

 

Watching him flustered made me feel embarrassed as well.

 

Yet, this was the moment Gray had looked forward to most.

 

The moment to properly watch people enjoy the wine the spirits had made.

 

Of course, it wasn’t just Gray; there were spirits watching the guests from within old furniture, eerie portraits, and suits of knightly armor. 

 

5%

 

6%

 

7%

 

Their affinity numbers floated above their heads, making them easy to spot even from a distance.

 

‘Their affinity is climbing little by little….’

 

Regardless, all the spirits were watching the guests with expectant eyes.

 

And the guests, meeting those expectations, nodded.

 

“Of course! You can’t leave wine out of an evening like this.”

 

“Is it the same wine we had yesterday? It was delicious!”

 

“I-it was… delicious?”

 

The moment he heard that, the flush that had pooled in Gray’s cheeks and ears spread across his entire face.

 

His face turned into what looked like a red balloon about to burst.

 

And it seemed his face wasn’t the only thing about to burst.

 

“Aaah! A spirit fainted over here!”

 

“My heart’s about to explode too!”

 

“CPR! CPR!”

 

Urgent voices calling for emergency services echoed from inside a suit of armor. 

 

Matthew’s eyes rolled back.

 

“Did something just make a sound over there…?”

 

“It must be a mouse. My apologies, guest. Even though we are strict about cleaning, this is an old castle…” 

 

I quickly covered the mouth of the knight’s armor while offering an apology.

 

Matthew adjusted his horn-rimmed glasses and muttered,

 

“So it was a mouse…”

 

* * *

 

The folklore club members drank and ate heartily, excitedly recounting everything they had experienced.

 

This time, instead of retort foods, I cooked proper dishes from the groceries we had bought earlier that day.

 

I even prepared a few slightly experimental dishes, and they were better received than expected.

 

“This is called Royal Tteokbokki. It’s a popular dish in Korea. I thought it paired well with wine, so I gave it a try.” 

 

“It’s really delicious.”

 

“It goes well with white wine.”

 

“E-excuse me, another serving here!”

 

“Ah, more wine too!”

 

With the warm atmosphere and hot, flavorful dishes added to the mix, the wine disappeared at a speed incomparable to yesterday.

 

Watching the scene, Gray looked utterly entranced.

 

The number above his head had changed as well.

 

17

 

I had thought the way he looked at me was different.

 

It seemed trust was beginning to build.

 

And it wasn’t only Gray who had changed.

 

300

 

350

 

There were two people whose satisfaction rose sharply whenever their eyes met.

 

Olivia and Lloyd.

 

I had intentionally guided them to hide together.

 

Just as Lloyd was interested in Olivia, I had sensed that Olivia also had feelings for Lloyd.

 

‘Their satisfaction levels were different whenever they looked at each other.’

 

Somehow, hide-and-seek had become a turning point in their relationship, and now the two were openly exchanging smiles.

 

It felt satisfying.

 

To see someone’s genuine smile through the use of my abilities.

 

Of course, receiving the wine recipe, shopping for ingredients, and planning the hide-and-seek event had kept me busy.

 

Leaning back in my chair, I recalled the hectic day. Hunger seemed to creep in.

 

It was then. My chair slipped back slightly, and I lost my balance. A large hand reached out from somewhere to catch the chair.

 

“…?”

 

I looked up to see Han Woohyun.

 

He stood above me, holding a plate of pasta in one hand.

 

“Careful.”

 

“Ah, mhm.”

 

I readjusted myself.

 

Seeing this, the club members looked at Han Woohyun with sparkling eyes. 

 

“Wow, wasn’t that incredibly fast just now?”

 

“I could have sworn you were facing away and cooking.”

 

“Is that a hunter’s reflexes…?”

 

At their comments, Han Woohyun set the food down, sat beside me, and said,

 

“It’s not really that… it’s just…”

 

“Just?”

 

“…I’m always paying attention.”

 

I did not turn to look at him, but somehow I could picture his expression.

 

The look of someone who naturally worries about me.

 

As though he had been born for that very purpose.

 

Feeling a tickle in my chest, I raised my wine glass.

 

“Shall we toast?”

 

“You’re changing the subject.”

 

“…Your face is red.”

 

“That can’t be.”

 

I shook my head vigorously, but no one seemed convinced.

 

At that moment, Han Woohyun leaned his face closer to mine.

 

“Is it red? I’m not sure….”

 

Seeing his face suddenly so close, I instinctively leaned back in surprise.