Welcome to Dungeon Hotel Chapter 94

90. I’ll be your hotel.

 

Graduation day.

 

Students wearing school uniforms gathered in the auditorium.

 

It was a graduation ceremony, but it had been almost three months since the CSAT ended, so everyone was standing in the auditorium with their decisions about whether to enter college or get a job.

 

They haven’t taken off their clothes yet, but it’s been a while since they wore their school uniform, so it looks a little awkward. 

 

And among them was Han Woohyun. 

 

Han Woohyun is the youngest S-Class awakened person and even came back alive from a B-Class dungeon.

 

Han Woohyun, who was just one of their classmates just a year ago, was now a person who, the moment he left this auditorium, would no longer be tangled up with the countless non-awakened people here, or even those who were awakened but would only be in the B or C-Class. 

 

Since everyone knew that fact, the area around Han Woohyun was crowded with children trying to get a picture with him.

 

Han Woohyun took pictures for each of them, but he could only say ‘thank you’ to the compliments he received from friends whose names he couldn’t remember at all. 

 

There is only one reason he came here.

 

It was because he was wondering if he could see her face for the last time.

 

However, since he didn’t see ‘that child,’ it is possible that she was included among the students who did not participate in the graduation ceremony.

 

Eventually, unable to bear the crowds of people, he sneaked out in the middle of the ceremony and went to an empty classroom.

 

“….?”

 

There was ‘that child’ in an empty classroom filled with only children’s bags.

 

Junghyo.

 

Lee Junghyo.

 

A name that makes his throat tingle even if he just thinks of it. 

 

Junghyo, who brought a Polaroid camera, was taking pictures of an empty classroom. 

 

Junghyo, who was trying to take a picture of the blackboard with a camera, lowered the camera and saw him.

 

As usual, she looked at him with a slightly frightened face.

 

She said as if making excuses.

 

“Ah… I want to take pictures of a classroom with no one in it.”

 

Why are you taking pictures of an empty classroom?

 

Sometimes, she was a child that he couldn’t understand. 

 

He… The one he likes is Jeonghyo.

 

Anyway,

 

She meant to ask him to leave because she wanted to take pictures of an empty classroom.

 

But it was okay since he saw her face.

 

He tried to leave the classroom thinking so, but he stopped. 

 

He walked toward her and held out his hand for hers.

 

“You should take a picture of you, too. Still, this is the last time.”

 

“No… I…”

 

Junghyo seemed about to refuse, but then held out her camera.

 

She realized that it would take longer to refuse.

 

A person who seems kind but has a wall around everyone.

 

Still, she is a person who doesn’t frown at people climbing over walls.

 

Therefore, she is the one who makes it impossible to go over that wall.

 

That’s Junghyo.

 

…Click.

 

With a short sound, the camera captured Junghyo in school uniform.

 

Junghyo, who placed the printed photo on the desk before it had even formed its shape, said as she put away the camera. 

 

“Then I’ll leave.”

 

Junghyo passed by him.

 

What he wanted to say kept tickling the tip of his throat.

 

Don’t die.

 

That word, he kept it.

 

She was the only one who said that.

 

If it’s okay… 

 

If it’s okay with you, can I keep following those words?

 

“Congrats on your graduation.”

 

Junghyo hesitated and said before closing the classroom.

 

He nodded his head.

 

He couldn’t say congratulations on graduating. Because he doesn’t really want to do it.

 

This is the last time, how can I celebrate it?

 

He remained alone and quietly looked down at Junghyo’s photo on the classroom desk.

 

* * *

 

‘I don’t know why that picture is there. All I know is, team leader… No, it’s just that Han Woohyun carries personal items like that photo with him.’

 

I remembered what Yoojun said as I saw Han Woohyun walking towards me.

 

If it’s a photo of me that Han Woohyun might have, is it the photo he took at the graduation ceremony?

 

Actually, I didn’t want to leave a picture of myself standing in an empty classroom.

 

I took a picture because I was too lazy to refuse, but I didn’t even take it properly.

 

When I came back from the ceremony, I thought it was a relief that it disappeared.

 

It was like that for some reason at the time.

 

All I could think about was that I had to move out of my house in Pyeongchang-dong once I decided on a university, and it was a time when a lot of things changed in my life…

 

I felt like having that photo would just make me feel sad.

 

I feel like I left something behind from my high school days.

 

Because people with a burden on their minds find it difficult to move forward.

 

“Did you come down here by car?”

 

I pointed to the parked car.

 

It must have been a long drive from Seoul, but he only got here because of a few words from Yoojun…

 

…I guess he didn’t come here because of that. 

 

Because my news spread on the Internet, causing a stir in the world.

 

I guess he came down because he was worried.

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

Han Woohyun’s voice was low.

 

“About what?”

 

“I tried to wait. I tried not to bother you. For making me worry like this again.”

 

Does he really think of me as an emotionless wise cat?

 

“It’s not that I couldn’t contact you because it was annoying. I had some things to take care of with Yoojun and the association. I was already trying to contact you by now…”

 

I briefly told Han Woohyun about the text I saw in the Goblin Forest and the story about the fallen goblin asking ‘whether it is salvation or sacrifice.’ 

 

“Do you have any idea?”

 

Han Woohyun shook his head.

 

“I requested an investigation from the Association regarding the Witness of Salvation, but nothing much came out of it. If a church is really using that kind of magic, it’s such a big deal that the International Hunter Federation needs to investigate…”

 

There was no way to prove a direct connection.

 

Even when I think about it, there were too many deviations to be related to certain religious groups and cases where the ratings of existing dungeons were changed.

 

 Especially when it comes to the question, ‘What benefit does this bring to a specific organization?’

 

Since it’s not clear, the Hunter Association doesn’t even have an excuse to expose the religious group.

 

I was convinced.

 

“Anyway, if anything else comes to mind, please tell me more. The professor said she would do more research, so I’ll let you know when I hear the results.” 

 

In fact, it may not be related to me, but I feel uncomfortable no matter how much I think about it.

 

The fact that I got caught up in a rating adjustment dungeon that only happens twice a year shows it had anything to do with me.

 

Whether this was a ploy by the ‘system’ to try to make me grow or if there was some other reason, I needed to dig deeper.

 

Han Woohyun seemed to have similar thoughts.

 

“If the religious group is involved, they must be held accountable.”

 

There was anger on his face that I had never seen before.

 

The anger that his cousin couldn’t stand even if he was in trouble is now coming.

 

But it was the same for me to be engulfed in anger.

 

“I think so, too. Considering that Uncle Minhyuk and Hyejin were in danger after you…”

 

Han Woohyun was silent for a moment.

 

His brown eyes were dropping.

 

“You’re… not hurt anywhere, right?”

 

Han Woohyun looked at me with a nervous expression, as if he had barely been holding back what he wanted to ask earlier.

 

It was a face that said that if I was hiding my wounds, he would have to reveal it and find out. 

 

You should ask from the beginning. 

 

“I’m fine. Thanks to our manager’s thorough raising plan, we are eating very well…”

 

Ah, that’s right.

 

“Did you eat before coming down?”

 

However, Han Woohyun’s face was still tense.

 

“I was worried about you getting hurt, not anyone else. Junghyo, do you remember that the dungeon you entered this time was an A-Class dungeon?”

 

I remember.

 

The fact that I am only a C-Class hunter. 

 

On top of that, I cleared an A-Class dungeon through solo play.

 

Uncle had already warned me about this incident.

 

That I might be included in the top 100 rankings announced at the beginning of the year.

 

He said that the fact that the awakening machine failed to measure my grade was not an error, but may have been because my grade, which was only displayed as ‘hidden’, actually had infinite possibilities.

 

It is also said that a hunter’s grade is not determined solely by stats.

 

“…There will be a lot of troublesome things to do in the future.”

 

I was prepared.

 

But it is also true that I am a little nervous.

 

I just dreamed of YOLO, but somehow I ended up becoming a ranker.

 

Until a few months ago, I was just a civilian who checked the news about Han Woohyun occasionally and waited for him to come back alive—.

 

But how come this guy in front of me is now worried about me.

 

Han Woohyun reached out and took my hand.

 

I didn’t know until the moment the hot hand touched me.

 

It wasn’t that Han Woohyun’s hands were particularly hot, but my hands were cold.

 

Blood turned to my white hands.

 

I bit my lip without realizing it.

 

It’s hot.

 

He looked up at me with a somewhat devoted look on his face that didn’t fit his enormous size.

 

It’s not the height to look up at me. Well.

 

“Do you want me to let you run away?”

 

It was funny.

 

This guy is copying what I said.

 

‘I’ll help you run away. How is it?’

 

But—.

 

My heart is pounding.

 

My heart was pounding so hard that it felt numb. 

 

I wonder if Han Woohyun was like this when he heard what I said.

 

I looked at Han Woohyun’s hand, which was holding mine, and asked foolishly.

 

“Where?”

 

Where can I run away?

 

I had already run away and come to the hotel.

 

I decided to no longer run away and take care of the hunters who run to this hotel.

 

So where?

 

When I shifted my gaze to look at Han Woohyun, Han Woohyun looked at me intensely and said, as if he couldn’t miss even a single glance. 

 

“You can run away to me.”

 

Han Woohyun has narrowed his distance from me. 

 

“I… I’ll be a hotel where you can rest.”

 

He stopped at a distance where Han Woohyun felt like he could touch my forehead if he lowered his lips just a little.

 

“So that you can come and rest at any time… I’ll wait for you.” 

 

He stopped like that and stared down at me.

 

Han Woohyun is waiting for me.

 

Can I break down my walls?

 

Even though he seemed like he would never move until I gave him permission, I could see the impatience on his face.

 

So much so that even I, watching it, became impatient.

 

An unknown impatience made me thirsty to the point that the end of my throat was stinging.

 

I want something to happen.

 

Right now.

 

Three minutes are left.

 

Then we’ll be passing Christmas night.

 

I held Han Woohyun’s hand tighter than before without realizing it.

 

As if it were a signal, Han Woohyun’s other hand caressed my cheek.

 

It seemed like every hair on my body stood on end when his hot fingers touched mine.

 

The air was this cold, but my body was so hot that it felt like a fireball had formed in my chest, so I couldn’t stand it and closed my eyes.

 

The breath reached me before my lips.

 

The lips fell with a short sound.

 

I opened my eyes unknowingly with a burning thirst.

 

Then I saw Han Woohyun looking down at me with a painful face because he couldn’t help but feel the unfulfilled desire.

 

“…I feel like I’m in a dream…”

 

Han Woohyun couldn’t finish the sentence and wrapped his hands around my face.

 

It felt like he was holding something that would break even if he applied a little bit of force, so he couldn’t even apply enough strength to his fingers. 

 

His impatient lips searched for mine with a roughness that was incomparable.

 

It was a movement focused solely on sensation, as if to confirm that it was not a dream.

 

My heart was racing as if it was going to explode.

 

Because I realized that we were passing an irreversible moment.

 

Han Woohyun’s hand grabbed my hand and brought it to his waist.

 

As if he couldn’t bear it without getting closer.

 

Please tear down the wall a little more.

 

Let me get closer.

 

It was as if his whole body was saying that.

 

Even though our bodies were touching each other closely, he felt like something was lacking.

 

Without realizing it, my hands wrapped around his waist.

 

All thoughts seemed to stop at the sound of heavy breathing.

 

A moment when not only thoughts but also time seem to stop—.

 

‘Wait. Time stops…?’

 

I opened my eyes wide and pushed his chest out. The solid rock-like body retreated unexpectedly obediently.

 

“…W, what time is it now?”

 

I took out my cell phone from my pocket.

 

Manager

 

The kids are sleeping.

 

Where have you been?

 

ㅠㅠㅠHyeyu was giving me a pillow so I couldn’t go out

 

I’m losing my mind… Please come back… 

 

So they’re sleeping.

 

That’s a relief. 

 

“It’s almost one o’clock.”

 

Han Woohyun took out his cell phone from his coat pocket, looked at the time, and answered.

 

With a calm expression on his face, as if nothing had changed much from when he got out of the car an hour ago.

 

Surely something just happened, right?

 

Not just now, but for an hour.

 

But why did this guy look so normal, as if an hour had been deleted?

 

“If you have to go in, go in.”

 

“…You want me to just go in like this?”

 

“I told you. I don’t want to bother you.”

 

As he said that, Han Woohyun wiped his glossy lips with the back of his hand.

 

Then he wiped my lips with his gentle hand.

 

I flinched as I felt my face getting hot.

 

“I won’t even ask you to take responsibility.”

 

“….!”

 

…Take responsibility for what?

 

“Now that I have permission, I can wait as long as I want, right?”

 

A boyish smile spread across Han Woohyun’s face. 

 

To smile like that with red lips is really… It was a foul.

 

This is what he shyly said next.

 

“I like you, Junghyo. I… I’ve wanted to say this since eight years ago.”

 

…Damn it. 

 

It was a Christmas night with no piety at all.