To be honest.
"......"
I thought it was beautiful.
'It wasn't exactly a situation I should have been admiring.'
But the instinct drawn to beauty weighed heavier than anything else. Lee Seon-hae saw it. It was primal life and an exquisitely rational form—a process of reassembly so intricate it was pitiful.
Streams of blood surged above water that radiated an entrancing light. It looked like a lotus blooming from a frost-covered pond, or perhaps it resembled a classical illustration she had seen somewhere before.
Frozen blood.
A twisted body.
The dissolution of self.
And reassembly.
"Do you need help?"
"......"
I saw your eyes.
You were looking at me, too.
I felt fear. Fear of the unknown.
I felt awe. Awe of suffering.
Was it like those sinners who, trapped within ice and twisted, were gradually losing their identities?
Those who suffered so desperately to maintain their forms. The scene before my eyes was a collapse of self that surpassed even that suffering—and a miraculous restoration.
'If you layered ecstasy over that terribly hollow illustration.'
Lines so cruelly precise, shaped by preserving each grain of suffering without destroying it. That was exactly what it would look like.
I saw that in some book....
"......"
...Where did I see it?
***
The place they arrived at after barely shaking off the Drenched One was an emergency treatment room.
"......"
Lee Yeon-woo sat in silence for a moment beside the unconscious Lee Seon-hae.
It wasn't for any grand reason. He simply felt the current situation was a bit unfair and was asking himself where, exactly, his life had started going wrong.
'If only I hadn't been abducted.'
No, more than that.
'Is it normal for the tutorial to be this brutal?'
Even if this hotel had manifested in reality, its essence was still a game. In that case, it ought to maintain at least a minimum of coherence.
'No matter how notorious this game was for its difficulty....'
If it had been realized in the real world, shouldn't there be some degree of leniency? His body had been through hundreds of tutorials, but it had never been this harsh.
"...Hmm."
Then again, there was no comparing the "difficulty" to when it had been a game.
'Until the Human Guests showed up, I'd just thought of this place as some kind of Hoone-themed theme park. What a shame things turned out this way.'
People really do have to face reality.
"......"
Yeon-woo fell silent again, then checked on Director Lee Seon-hae once more.
'She looks a bit more comfortable now.'
Just moments ago, she'd been on death's doorstep. The mere fact that an innocent person caught up in this absurd situation hadn't died was, from Yeon-woo's perspective, a genuine relief.
'It was also a relief that the treatment room was exactly as I remembered it.'
The Aqua Park on the 23rd floor had an emergency treatment room for guests. Even though circumstances had changed, the basic emergency supplies were still intact.
'I only administered medicines with no side effects for Human Guests, but since it's become reality, I was worried I might have made a mistake. Seems I wasn't wrong after all.'
Hoone was a pixel-art game, so the item graphics were crude. There was bound to be confusion given how different they looked from their vivid real-life counterparts, but he seemed to have managed to identify them by color and name.
Perhaps it was the high humidity—his vision felt hazy, and he adjusted his glasses.
"...I should keep watching her a little longer."
Whether it was mental shock or accumulated fatigue, Director Lee Seon-hae wouldn't wake up despite the medicine.
'But her breathing is gradually evening out.'
Her complexion was much better than before, too.
'Seeing how her muscles are slowly regaining tension... looks like she's past the worst of it. Then again, the items were known for their potency even in the game. Seems that instant effectiveness works here, too.'
Yeon-woo leaned deep into the backrest.
"......"
...I'm exhausted.
Perhaps because he'd pulled one insane stunt after another, he was truly, miserably exhausted. On top of that, the aftereffects of the Crimson Core Commentary ritual still had his head spinning.
He quietly tilted his head back. The dark ceiling came into view.
"......"
To be honest, his judgment had been a bit clouded at the time.
'...Even so, climbing up through the pipes was a bit much.'
He'd been too desperate in the moment. In theory there were no problems, and above all, he'd believed it was the most efficient method. He simply couldn't find a reason not to.
'To be fair, there weren't many ways to get around the rules in my position.'
The 23rd floor—off-limits during the tutorial by the rules. But the plumbing pipes had never been implemented in the game, so no rules governing them existed at all. Exploiting that gap was the only option.
So he'd used them. The pipes.
'By grinding my body down.'
Reduced to a bloody fluid,
turned into a liquid state,
traveling through the pipes....
"......"
Yeon-woo reflected for a moment.
'—That was insane.'
It was absolutely not something a sane person would do.
But what could he do? It was the only method that came to mind.
'The water tank in the Power Generation Room happened to have the right equipment attached. It was a structure that had been depicted in the game. A multi-layered grinder installed to prevent other debris from clogging the pipes....'
Fortunately, the game system's conditions for "death" didn't include that equipment. Thanks to that, it hurt quite a lot, but he survived. Though the situation had been so frantic he barely registered the pain.
When someone's one step from dying, trivial things like pain don't even reach the brain.
"......"
Still, it seemed like some reflection was in order.
'Setting up an automated imprint later would make it easier than today, but it was still insane. Director Lee Seon-hae would've died if I hadn't done it, but it was still insane....'
Once this whole ordeal was over, he truly needed to rest.
'I should've sent the guests out sooner.'
It was a flimsy regret, meaningless in hindsight.
Bound by the rules as he was, he wouldn't have been able to say a single word to the guests anyway. He'd tried countless times, but his lips wouldn't even part.
But he couldn't help looking back. The thought that maybe he could've succeeded if he hadn't given up and pushed harder. The thought that perhaps he should've been more diligent in searching for workarounds.
"—......"
He swallowed his regret with a small sigh.
'...Still, it was easier to find the pipes thanks to Director Lee Seon-hae sending that signal.'
She probably had no idea what she was doing and was just fiddling with things.
Turns out the plumbing in this hotel is horrendously tangled. Finding his way this quickly was something to be grateful for. Just three more minutes, and the Drenched One would have finished the execution.
"......"
Even so, right now, Lee Seon-hae was alive.
"......"
"......"
"...Ugh...."
After waiting a while longer, Director Lee Seon-hae stirred groggily to consciousness.
'...Oh, good lord.'
He wanted to make a fuss about it. Sudden as the situation was, it was a perfectly natural reaction from Yeon-woo's perspective.
'The hotel's medicine actually works.'
As an earthbound spirit chained to this game for twenty-six years, a corner of his heart even fluttered with excitement.
'If only it weren't a matter of someone else's life, I could've been purely happy about it.'
This was a game that had never seen merchandise—or even an update—in its entire existence. Wasn't this the most vivid piece of merch imaginable? An item that had actually appeared in the game, now made real.
It felt like casting real magic with a Harry X-tter wand. Like a Star X-rs lightsaber toy turning out to be a real beam of light. Like catching a stray cat with a PokXmon Monster Ball.
"......"
"Ugh, Yeon-woo... sir?"
"Yes, Director."
But he gave nothing away and waited calmly.
It was image management. For the sake of social functioning. Nobody in the world would want to hear about Yeon-woo's twenty-six years of devotion to Hoone. A perfectly natural courtesy.
"Are you feeling a bit more lucid?"
"...Where is this?"
"This is the emergency treatment room. Have you been here before?"
"Uh, no.... I've been somewhere similar, though...."
"Then you must have visited the employee break room."
"So that was a break room after all. There were only these weird signs everywhere, so I couldn't tell what anything was."
"I see...."
...Weird signs?
'In the game, they were clearly labeled, weren't they? The sign for this treatment room, too... Ah.'
Then he realized.
'Just because it reads as Korean to me doesn't mean it looks the same to everyone else.'
The true identity of Hotel One's General Manager had always been unclear.
There were interpretations that he was human, but plenty of theories that he was a ghost or a monster. And so today, Lee Yeon-woo drifted one step further from the category of human.
'I'm getting the sinking feeling that my modest dream of returning to society is growing more distant by the day.'
But now was not the time to dwell on such trivial concerns.
"I sincerely apologize for not being able to help you sooner."
"Pardon?"
"You must have endured so many frightening and painful ordeals. I am truly grateful that you held on until now. I treated your urgent injuries while you were resting, but is there anywhere else that's bothering you?"
"Injuries... injuries, oh. This...! Huh? Wait, they're all healed?"
"How are you feeling physically, and in terms of your mental state...?"
"Both are fine. I didn't notice while I was running around, but wow, I really was in bad shape. My head was ringing before, but that's gone now too... my vision's clear."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"......"
"......"
The conversation lapsed, and a short while later, Seon-hae shot upright from the bed. She grabbed Yeon-woo by the shoulders.
"What on earth are you doing working here?"
"I am employed as the General Manager."
"This place is crawling with monsters!"
"They are a type of employee under my management."
"What kind of employees try to beat their guests to a pulp like this?"
"It may be somewhat easier to understand if you think of it as a sort of extraterritorial zone."
It had taken him a very long time to adjust to this place, too. This hotel denied the constitution and common sense by its very existence. The term "extraterritorial zone" had been half in jest, but it wasn't entirely wrong, either.
But Director Lee Seon-hae's expression as she listened was not good.
'Just a moment ago, her eyes were full of fear, but this is unexpected.'
He'd expected her to be far more frightened, having directly witnessed his Emergency Restoration Protocol. Yet what crossed her face was not fear, but a mix of confusion and sympathy.
'Is she holding back her fear for my sake?'
This whole situation had been caused by his failure to manage properly, and yet the victim was the one showing him consideration. As a human being, there was hardly a more humiliating position to be in.
Yeon-woo set aside his exhaustion and awkwardness, and smiled the way he always did. If the person in charge showed weakness now, it would do neither of them any good.
"I am truly sorry."
Director Lee Seon-hae waved her hands.
"It's not like you built this hotel, Yeon-woo."
"If I had the authority and ability for that, I certainly would not have created a situation where everyone suffers like this. A real shame, truly."
"No matter how I look at it, you don't have the personality to be working in a place like this."
"You flatter me."
"Seriously, why did you come here? Why are you working here? Did someone drag you in?"
"Haha."
That's something I've been wondering myself.
'All I can do is suspect it was Coco's doing. Nothing's certain.'
Having faced one surreal situation after another, he'd even started to think that maybe this was something like an unavoidable natural disaster. Like a typhoon, or an earthquake.
"...Alright, who am I to pry into something like that? Sorry for asking about something sensitive."
Once again, Director Lee Seon-hae reached her own understanding. A welcome and fortunate thing.
"Not at all. The fact that you survived with all your limbs intact is something I'm grateful for in itself."
"...Do a lot of people die here?"
"That hasn't been the case."
Since becoming reality, not a single person had died in this place.
Even during the game era, deaths only occurred during the initial adjustment period. After that, he'd managed to keep everyone alive, one way or another. Partly because he'd adjusted the hotel's disposition to take in almost no Human Guests.
"I should tell you in advance that you have nothing to worry about from here on. As long as I am with you, Director Lee, there is no longer any risk of death or injury."
"......"
"However, remaining trapped on the 23rd floor would be harmful to your mental health. I know the way out, so please rest assured."
"...Um...."
Director Lee Seon-hae smiled awkwardly. After a moment of deliberation, she asked.
"...You are Yeon-woo, right?"
A faintly trembling voice.
"......"
What exactly was she asking?
'...Is she asking whether the grotesque lump of blood she saw before losing consciousness and the me sitting here now are the same being? Or did she encounter a monster imitating me while wandering the Aqua Park?'
Yeon-woo had no desire to become an object of fear. Rather than take the risk, he chose to deflect her wariness onto the monster employees.
"Did you happen to encounter a being that looked exactly like me?"
"Oh, that... yes."
The hesitant director smiled.
"I ran into something close."
"Something close?"
"You know, that thing... a voice on the walkie-talkie that sounded exactly the same...."
"Did that voice try to lure you somewhere dangerous?"
"There was a killer right outside, and it was urging me to leave my hiding spot."
"Then... you were rather unlucky."
"What happens if you're lucky?"
"It connects to the walkie-talkie I carry."
Yeon-woo tapped the in-ear piece plugged into his ear. It was a feature actually described in the game.
"On the 23rd floor, walkie-talkies are occasionally found. Half the time, they connect to the real General Manager, but the other half, a fake General Manager answers."
"...At first, the imitation was really clumsy...."
"That's how it puts you at ease. It deliberately shows you an awkward imitation at first, then from the second or third time onward, it mimics you meticulously. Because that makes you easier to deceive."
Looking at the game logs, he could see exactly how guests trapped on the 23rd floor had died because of those walkie-talkies. By all accounts, they'd been tricked by fake instructions and lost their lives.
"In that case, it's perfectly understandable that you'd have doubts about who I really am."
She wouldn't be sure whether Yeon-woo was real or fake. Her position was different from his own, someone who knew Hoone inside and out. Even if he explained the rules, it would be hard to fully trust him.
"How about this? I was able to pinpoint your location through the signal you sent via the plumbing pipes, Director Lee."
"...Me? I never did anything like that."
"Did you not press your ear to the sink?"
"Huh? The sink.... That thing where water and monsters came surging back up...?"
"Exactly—a survival signal."
In practical terms, it was a device to signal that someone was alive. In game-system terms, it was a mechanic that actually allowed your position to be tracked. Either way, it was excellent judgment.
"The fact that something backflowed through the sink pipes means the plumbing signal was successfully sent. In fact, the pipes in the Power Generation Room were rumbling."
"How is that a signal...?"
"Were there any other unusual occurrences beyond that?"
Yeon-woo recalled the three possibilities of Survival Route B. The walkie-talkie, the sink, and....
"For example, a landline phone at the information desk ringing. It must be a landline, not wireless. If it rang without anyone touching it, that means the preparation for sending a rescue request was complete."
"...I did see it, but... it felt ominous, so I just ignored it. Didn't pick up...."
"...That was wise. It's precisely that kind of caution that kept you safe until now. As for the anguish you endured over those hours, that was due to my delayed arrival, so please don't blame yourself."
The rescue request becomes available only after the landline rings six times, but picking up the receiver prematurely spells disaster. It was a dangerous trap that could destroy someone's brain.
'Watching a perfectly sane person reduced to a mindless shell isn't something I'd welcome, either. In this hotel, it's actually better to be excessively wary of your surroundings, like Director Lee Seon-hae.'
That said, for someone who'd been that cautious... she'd certainly been... quite....
"......"
...Hmm.
Having roughly pieced together the situation, Yeon-woo spoke with a note of quiet admiration.
"You really did get around quite a lot."
"Oh, yeah... things just sort of happened that way."
"I see."
So this was the nerve of a director who specialized in horror.