Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 372 - Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (43)

Webtoon Side Story: Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Branch 4 (43)

 

“How about it? Do I look pathetic to you like this?”

 

At Jean’s question, Vincent merely looked at him without answering.

 

He stared for a long time at Jean’s unwrinkled face, a face so much younger than him, almost the same age as his own sons.

 

“I have a son too.”

 

Above his head, the numbers were decreasing moment by moment.

 

Time travel.

 

Vincent couldn’t be certain whether that word was true or false.

 

But if it was real.

 

If this was really his father from the past.

 

Vincent clenched his fists tightly.

 

The things he wanted to say to his father flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope.

 

Father, because you weren’t there, I grew up lonely.

 

I am now afflicted with a terminal illness, and I will close my eyes without ever forgiving you till the very end. 

 

Such words swirled in his head.

 

But in the end, what Vincent opened his mouth to say was…

 

“Even if it were me, I wouldn’t spare my life for my son’s sake. You’re doing great work, young man. Your son will also… remember you that way.”

 

It was something else.

 

At those words, Jean’s face stiffened.

 

Only then did Jean scan Vincent’s face.

 

The eyes hidden by wrinkles.

 

The strangely familiar shape of his mouth.

 

A strange thought crossed Jean’s mind.

 

It was an absurd thought.

 

He asked with a trembling voice.

 

“What is… your name?”

 

“Vincent. Vincent Jourdan.”

 

With those words, the man on the chair disappeared.

 

Seeing that, Jean’s eyes widened.

 

He stared at the empty chair before falling to his knees on the spot.

 

Vincent Jourdan…?

 

It was the moment his mind became complicated.

 

His comrade, who had run out just before, entered the chapel calling out to him.

 

“Jean! Jean!”

 

“……”

 

Jean was too shocked by the scene before his eyes to even answer.

 

However, his comrade, who seemed even more shocked than Jean, spoke to him with a pale face.

 

“Y-you saw that woman just now, right?”

 

“The woman you followed?”

 

“Yeah. That woman!”

 

The comrade pointed with a trembling hand at the chair where she had been sitting.

 

“She was sitting right here, clearly!”

 

“Yeah. She was sitting here.”

 

“I chased after her, and I thought I had almost caught her at the end of the third-floor hallway…!” 

 

The comrade slumped down next to him.

 

“She suddenly disappeared. Just like dust, without leaving a trace.” 

 

Saying that, the comrade shook his head and clutched his own head.

 

“This makes no sense… How could this be…” 

 

The comrade rubbed his arms, which had broken out in goosebumps.

 

Watching that, Jean furrowed his brow.

 

“They said ghosts live in this castle, and I guess it was really true. Really…”

 

Listening to those words, Jean reached for his own chest. 

 

His hand grasped the pendant.

 

He took out the pendant and opened it.

 

Inside were pictures of the people he loved most in the world.

 

His wife and… his son.

 

He looked at the faces in the pictures as if he couldn’t believe it.

 

‘You’re doing great work, young man. Your son will also… remember you that way.’

 

The words spoken by that strange man wouldn’t leave his mind. 

 

* * *

 

The next morning.

 

A white limousine arrived in front of the Liber Hotel.

 

The ones who got out of the white limousine were two men who looked so much like Vincent and Jean that they could almost be called carbon copies. Though their styles were completely different.

 

One had his hair slicked back stiffly, wore glasses, and was dressed in a suit, while the other had a free-spirited style with tousled hair, a leather jacket, and an earring.

 

“Father…!” 

 

And the man with the free-spirited style called out to Vincent with a rather folksy voice as he entered Liber.

 

“Robin, how on earth did you get here?” 

 

Vincent called the man’s name with a bewildered face.

 

The man called Robin was already shedding tears as he answered.

 

“What do you mean, how did I get here! They said Father vanished from the hospital… so I searched everywhere… sniff… They said you disappeared while receiving treatment for your heart condition! My heart literally dropped all the way down to the soles of my feet before coming back up!” 

 

“Robin. Is that something to say to a father with a heart condition?”

 

The neatly styled man clicked his tongue at Robin.

 

Then he looked at me and bowed his head.

 

“Are you the hotel boss? Thank you for contacting us.”

 

That’s right.

 

I was the one who contacted them.

 

I had thought there were some strange points.

 

For instance, the fact that Vincent wasn’t contacting anyone despite being so sick, or the fact that he secretly brought only his driver when he came here.

 

Vincent didn’t seem to have a bad relationship with his family.

 

In that case, if his family knew he was somewhere other than the hospital, it would be normal for them to keep calling to check on him, but—

 

‘I haven’t seen him make a single phone call.’

 

The conclusion I reached that way was this.

 

‘He came here in secret.’ 

 

He came without saying anything because he was worried his family would fret.

 

If that were the case, it was better to contact them as soon as possible.

 

As soon as the time travel was over, I used Vincent Jourdan’s phone to contact his son.

 

I don’t know what conversation Jean and Vincent had during the time travel, but I could clearly tell there was an instance where Vincent had to take his medicine.

 

Because the returned Vincent was holding his medicine bottle with a blank face.

 

‘Are you alright?’ 

 

‘What on earth did I just go and see?’ 

 

‘…W-well, I’m not sure.’

 

‘I shouldn’t talk about it, right?’

 

‘Probably.’

 

Of course, it was clear that the pain in his heart wasn’t the only thing he gained from the time travel.

 

The number above his head proved that.

 

100

 

Thanks to that, the hotel level had gone up too, but… 

 

I took a step back, gauging Mr. Vincent’s reaction.

 

‘I feel sorry because it feels like I deceived him again somehow.’

 

But instead of sending a resentful look my way, Vincent let out a sigh and frowned at the man who had greeted me.

 

“Thomas, you…”

 

“Father. Even so, you should have at least contacted us before coming.” 

 

“If I had told you I was coming here, you would have stopped me, wouldn’t you.”

 

“…..”

 

Thomas couldn’t answer.

 

Indeed. Who would want to send their sick father to a hotel alone.

 

‘They really did have a good relationship.’

 

I swallowed a smile inwardly as I looked at the three men with faces that looked like carbon copies across generations, from the grandfather.

 

Vincent said he couldn’t understand his father even more after having sons, but I felt like I vaguely understood the meaning of those words.

 

‘He truly raised them with love.’ 

 

It seemed he raised his sons by generously giving them the love he hadn’t received from his father.

 

“It’s truly fascinating…” 

 

Grey muttered from behind my back.

 

“What is.”

 

When I asked, Grey bit his lip.

 

“Mr. Vincent said he suffered because he didn’t receive his father’s love, but to think he has such a good relationship with his sons.”

 

“That’s just how humans are.” 

 

“Pardon?” 

 

“Just because you received love doesn’t mean you can give it, and just because you didn’t know love doesn’t mean you can’t give it.”

 

Saying that, I smiled warmly at Grey.

 

Then his face flushed slightly.

 

And then the number above his head skyrocketed.

 

90

 

I smacked my lips looking at that number.

 

What happens when that reaches the end.

 

Having already tasted the time-running wine, I became anxious.

 

‘Because that ‘task’ thing was way more incredible than I thought…’

 

It was when I was thinking that.

 

Vincent detached Robin, who had thrown himself into his arms, and said.

 

“You brat. I still have things I left upstairs. I couldn’t even pack all my luggage.”

 

“Huh? Then let’s go pack them right now! We have to go home immediately! Mom is waiting!”

 

With those words, Robin clattered up the stairs.

 

Watching that, Vincent let out a sigh.

 

Vincent said toward Thomas.

 

“They are belongings I need to go up and check myself. I have to go up with him.”

 

“Yes. Let’s go, Father.”

 

I went up behind the two of them along with Manager Kang Miyeon.

 

To help carry the luggage if there was a lot.

 

Manager Kang Miyeon tilted her head as she looked at the faces of the three men going up.

 

“But those three all have faces I’ve seen somewhere before…”

 

“Where?”

 

“I can’t exactly remember where I saw them, though…”

 

The manager kept tilting her head the entire way up to the 5th floor.

 

It was when we all arrived at the 5th floor like that.

 

Vincent began packing his belongings one by one.

 

Vincent’s belongings were very simple, as if there was no need for the manager and me to even come up.

 

Just in case, I thoroughly searched the room.

 

I would check everything during housekeeping anyway, but Vincent’s original home was said to be quite far from here.

 

It could be tricky to return any lost items.

 

And it was then.

 

Vincent said with a troubled face.

 

“Ah, my medicine bottle… I think I left it in the chapel…”

 

Hearing Vincent’s words, Robin quickly replied.

 

“Ah, is that place next door the chapel by any chance?”

 

“Yes. That’s it.”

 

Hearing Vincent’s words, Robin walked swiftly to the chapel.

 

He looked around here and there in the chapel and tilted his head.

 

“Father, it doesn’t seem to be here…” 

 

It was then.

 

Robin, who was searching all over the chapel, let out a cough and scrunched up his face.

 

It seemed he had even opened the cupboards while searching for the medicine bottle.

 

Robin took something out from inside and tilted his head.

 

“What is this?”

 

What he took out was an old pendant and a note inside a glass bottle.