Our Hotel Is Open for Business as Usual Chapter 109

"You're the General Manager."

"......"

The Aqua Park, where the sound of flowing water rang crisp.

"What kind of ga is that?"

"For this person to be the one raising doubts—how depressing."

"I asked what kind of ga."

"Ha...."

Lee Yeon-woo, seated in a chair the staff had set out, placed his coffee on the table. The staff had set that out too.

Adjusting his glasses, he muttered.

"The people here clearly intend to eliminate every task I have to do."

"What a strange worry."

"I'm concerned I'll start taking other people's service for granted at this rate."

"Your children?"

"Yes, the staff."

Lee Yeon-woo continued, addressing The Drenched One who was perched on the pool's edge.

"But calling them 'children' does make it sound like a cozy family business."

One wouldn't normally start a family business with 'children' that age. As The Drenched One watched Lee Yeon-woo murmur to himself, she rolled her eyes and said.

"The 'family businesses' I've known were usually anything but cozy...."

"For soone so worldly, why do you normally act so childish?"

"You're supposed to be on my side."

"That's precisely the kind of thing I an."

Immature, is what it was.

Lee Yeon-woo, who had been writing sothing, tapped the closed book and fixed his gaze on The Drenched One.

"I plan to personally make those two experience 'Nightmares' before sending them out. So unless I'm the one orchestrating it, nothing in this hotel should harm my guests."

"Hmmmm—...."

A slow hum that could pass for laughter.

The Water Wraith rested her chin on the pool's edge and curled the corners of her eyes. Water and fish were one body—she read Lee Yeon-woo's intentions without difficulty.

"So in the end, you're going to stuff the 'General Manager's' terror into them with your own hands."

"Good heavens, that's rather aggressive phrasing."

"When they eventually learn that the dreadful villain is the sa person, I wonder how those little rats will react. When that ti cos, do show ."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Once you've extracted the Nightmares on schedule and kicked them out, their mories will be wiped clean anyway, so there won't be consequences."

"This is a plan without so much as a proper script yet."

It was a barb worthy of a Water Wraith, but Lee Yeon-woo deflected without so much as a ripple.

"I'll need to start by figuring out the specifics."

If anything, this worked in his favor. If the guests could shed their misplaced attachnt to him and leave this deranged hotel without lingering, that would actually be more efficient.

And The Drenched One, hearing that—

"......"

"Why are you looking at like that?"

"No reason...."

She thought it looked a bit entertaining.

"Can I join in?"

***

It was a dood plan.

'It's bound to go wrong sowhere.'

Water and fish were one body. They couldn't help but know each other well. This was less intuition than sothing rawer—the domain of instinct. It was rarely wrong.

Which was precisely why it intrigued her all the more.

"You say all that, but...."

She continued.

"You don't actually want to dirty your hands enough to blow your cover."

"You're being awfully sweet."

"Even numbed to pain from being trapped here, having those children co to loathe you would sting quite a bit."

"Get to the point."

"So let help. You don't have to be the only villain."

The Water Wraith sweetly whispered her offer to take the blood on her own hands.

"I'll just do a tiny bit of 'mischief' like in the Hunting Grounds, and you can stay the kind person to your heart's content."

"You know how to sche."

"So cold."

"That'd be your story."

Lee Yeon-woo let out a brief, sardonic laugh.

"I have no intention of turning my friend into a criminal for my own purposes. Getting dirty and getting blood on my hands—I can do that alone."

"......"

"Everything that happens in this hotel is under my control, and I take responsibility for all of it. Your casual pranks are lethal to humans, so please—keep your hands off my guests."

"......"

"Our house's Water Wraith ought to start growing up."

He couldn't not know how absurd that sounded.

"Don't you agree?"

"......"

After a long pause, The Drenched One spoke.

"You really do live an exhausting life."

The Water Wraith sneered.

"It'd be so much easier to just compromise, tell yourself it couldn't be helped, and move on. Why do you always get prickly about 'choices' and 'decisions'? I can't understand it."

"How could I dare glorify a compromise made in such an unethical, abnormal place as the best I could do? I'm not shaless enough for that."

"That too is your choice, isn't it? Refusing to the very end to say 'it was the best I could do.'"

An ordinary human, in the act of becoming a hypocrite to save young ones, might well fra it as 'holy sacrifice' or 'salvation.' But her friend never spoke that way.

"You know exactly what state you're in."

"...What state?"

"Insufferably proud and stingy."

He knew. That his moral purity had been compromised. The proof was his refusal to glorify the act of deceiving and frightening others within his damaged ethics as 'the best option.'

"That revolting patience of yours—never dodging the guilt, diving into filth willingly, yet clawing to hold a line no matter what...."

"......"

"I can sll well-refined self-loathing."

And the scent of cold reason, too.

Did he know that this was exactly what provoked a being like a Water Wraith's urge to destroy? She suspected he did. And still he'd endure. Simply because it didn't sit right with him.

The Water Wraith poked Lee Yeon-woo's ankle with a waterlogged finger.

"Pretending to be clean all by yourself in polluted water will only tornt you."

CRUNCH....

A nail dug into the ankle.

"If only you were a little weaker, I'd have dragged you under just like this."

Blood beaded and overflowed, but Lee Yeon-woo didn't so much as furrow his brow. He rely looked down at the Water Wraith holding his ankle with indifference.

"Let go."

"Don't act like you don't know pain."

"I'm bleeding."

He rolled his eyes toward the pool.

"The water will get dirty."

"—...."

The Drenched One, montarily lost for words, soon smiled and asked.

"Shall I go to hell with you?"

"Must've lost your mind."

"But you understood what I said."

"I won't."

"Heh."

She gazed at Lee Yeon-woo.

"......"

This was, truly, a headache of a problem for the Water Wraith too.

She'd befriended him because he was strong, but for that very reason, she couldn't drag him into the water. Had he been weak, she could have—but then he would never have beco her friend.

Ah, as expected....

"...The living are loathso."

Lee Yeon-woo played favorites sothing fierce.

Enough to make her spiteful.

"Friend?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Friend."

"Go ahead."

"If I say it, will you actually listen?"

"I am listening."

"You'll only listen."

Her friend said dryly.

"I'll say it one more ti. Let go."

"......"

"Enough with the spite. You've gone too deep—your fingers reached bone a while ago."

"......"

"Are you serious? Have you actually lost your—"

"......"

"...Ah."

***

Imdiately afterward, Lee Yeon-woo rushed to the two students' room.

"You'll need to be careful around water."

They were startled by his sudden visit but asked.

"...Oh, yes? Water?"

"The Drenched One might act out."

"The Drenched One—that's the Dokkaebi from underground, right? She's here too?"

"You've understood correctly. I should have handled things better."

Lee Yeon-woo felt like he was losing his mind.

"I'm sorry."

This hotel was truly full of nothing but embarrassnts.

"Bathrooms included—you should be cautious around sinks for the ti being. And absolutely do not visit the Aqua Park...."

"Um, excuse ."

"...I've been doing all the talking."

Lee Yeon-woo dragged a hand down his face. He'd only thrown on fresh clothes before rushing over; his mind was in shambles.

"I apologize for barging in like this. You must be rattled—allow to apologize again."

"That's not it."

"Yes? Yes."

"Your ankle—why is it...."

"......"

Oh no.

Looking down, he saw a pool of blood at his feet. Tracing his gaze, a trail of bloody footprints led all the way here.

'...Was I that out of it?'

He'd forgotten to heal it.

***

...

...Forgotten?

【?】

***

"Karel!"

The middle-aged cook Henri urgently sought out 'Karel.'

"Damn it, Karel! There you are!"

"What's the matter?"

"I thought you'd vanished entirely."

"Not entirely inaccurate."

Karel answered with a smile.

"I've decided to leave this place, and today's the day."

Henri fumbled before asking.

"Why did you make that choice?"

"I've closed my mouth several tis, and yet you ask again."

"I know this is a very personal question, but I also know you've contributed no small amount to this restaurant. You were here before I even arrived...."

"If you're asking about the duration—I've been here since the beginning."

"Right, the opening team. The head chef won't want to let you go. I never imagined you'd leave."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Henri...."

Karel wore a smile tinged with genuine regret.

"But I'd like you to know this was a decision made after long deliberation."

"Of course, because it's you, Karel. I have not a shred of doubt that it was a careful choice."

"I can't tell you how grateful I am for that level of trust."

"But I didn't want to just let you go like this. You're our sous chef. If you disappear, everyone will be so confused...."

Henri hesitated, then asked.

"Is there a health issue, perhaps?"

Having said it, Henri hastily waved his hands.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked sothing so rude."

"There's no need to be so hard on yourself. Henri, your question is perfectly reasonable. But both the head chef and I trust you."

"Karel...."

"Which is why the head chef would have told you first."

"You won't tell the exact reason to the very end, will you?"

Henri said, half-resigned.

"Damn, I'm already dreading what the bloody magazines will say. I believe our restaurant has that kind of influence."

"In the end, you just don't want to say goodbye."

"You know so well, and yet...."

"I truly am sorry."

Karel drew a bittersweet smile across his face.

"I can't go into detail, but a personal matter has co up."

"Oh, dear God, don't tell ...."

"It's not as dramatic as you're thinking. It's just that so family circumstances got tangled in, and staying here has beco... untenable."

"Please tell you're opening a new restaurant sowhere else."

"I'm planning to rest for a while."

"Oh, that's...."

To Henri, whose face crumpled with so sad thought, Karel said with a smile.

"And once I've rested enough, I'll have to get back to work. A chef's delicate hands mustn't stiffen, after all. Don't you agree, Henri?"

"...! Of course—you're absolutely right."

With a slightly brighter expression, Henri said.

"Please, if that day cos, invite . Or co back here. I'll strangle the head chef if I have to, but I'll make sure your place is waiting."

"Oh, poor head chef. I'd always thought she'd end up hanged in a coup by her subjects. She was a difficult assignnt even for ."

After that grim joke, Karel shrugged.

"But Henri, the seat I'm leaving behind will soon be yours."

"Karel."

"If I had to co back, I'd have to steal your position—and unlike the head chef, I'm too soft-hearted to be that competitive."

"By then, I might be a better chef than you."

"Dreaming is a fine thing, isn't it?"

"You're insufferable to the very end...."

Even saying that, Henri laughed, and in the end, pulled Karel into a tight embrace.

"I'll trust that you're really not unwell, Sous Chef."

"Though I suspect I've already accumulated plenty of the chronic ailnts every adult carries."

"You won't concede a single line, will you?"

With a sigh, Henri asked.

"...You're leaving just like this?"

Karel's hands held only light luggage. He'd moved all his personal belongings the day before; what he carried now were photos taken with the staff and farewell gifts.

"...Hmm, if you don't mind, let go fetch the others. They're passed out drunk, but we can't let you leave like this. Just wait a mont...."

"Henri, is there really a need to make such a fuss?"

"But."

"The quicker the farewell, the better."

He shrugged.

"It's not as though we'll never see each other again."

"...I'm not sure you'd pick up if I called."

"I didn't realize our trust was that shallow."

"You should have been less cold, then."

"That's certainly my fault."

Karel studied Henri, then spoke.

"Send off lightly."

Since I went to the trouble.

Of not killing any of you.