Chapter 1
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in front of a front desk.
“……”
The first thing he perceived was exaggerated splendor, and a level of tidiness so perfect it felt alien.
A scene too refined to be reality. He defined this place as a familiar hotel lobby. Though it bore a classical style rarely seen in modern times, its essence was unmistakably that of a hotel.
“……?”
…He found an error.
“A judgment without logical basis.”
His consciousness awakened rapidly.
“Why… did I think it was familiar?”
Even unconscious judgments always have reasons. This time, stripped of emotion, only visual information served as the basis.
“……”
He felt familiarity from things he had never encountered before.
Marble tile flooring.
Classical pillars and walls.
No people in sight.
A massive chandelier.
Vases and potted plants.
“And… a cat.”
Wait.
“A cat?”
A lump of shadow draped across the front desk.
Eyes unnaturally round and a crescent-shaped smile. Too black to be called a cat, its form soft and undefined, its expression extreme.
Lee Yeon-woo knew its name. The Co-owner who jointly owned this hotel with the operator.
“Koko.”
Its official name was Coco.
As if responding to the call, it tilted its head halfway with a smile. The head did not follow the gaze; rather, the gaze seemed to drag the head into position. An unsettling discomfort mixed into the air.
The not-cat answered.
“Yes.”
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“……”
He reached the correct conclusion.
“This is a hotel inside a game.”
A horror hotel management simulation game, Hotel One: Eden Within the Nightmare.
Abbreviated as Ho-One.
Why was he dreaming of this game now? Was this even a dream? As if answering, a recent exchange crossed his mind.
—We’re close, right?
—Who are you?
“……”
Update in progress
—Excuse me?
Restarting the game
“……”
It did not seem to be just a dream.
Therefore, the conclusion was that he had been abducted.
“…Conversation…”
“Yes.”
“Let’s talk.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
The world runs in a surprisingly sloppy way while pretending it does not.
Lee Yeon-woo’s life had been the same. His life plans were often invaded by unexpected luck or misfortune. Not only his life, but all human lives were likely the same.
Lee Yeon-woo called these variables.
“And unless there is a problem with my memory.”
“Yes.”
“In dictionary terms, a variable refers to an element that can change depending on circumstances or conditions. It also refers to unpredictable factors or fluctuating situations.”
“Yes.”
“Therefore, no matter how meticulously one plans life, it does not proceed as intended. I know that well. My life so far has been influenced by variables both large and small, beyond my will and prediction.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve spoken at length, but what I want to say is this.”
Lee Yeon-woo asked the cat.
“Even so, isn’t this a bit excessive?”
The Vantablack cat, Coco, answered.
“Yes.”
“You’re saying it isn’t excessive?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have the will to converse?”
“Yes.”
“I’m starting to worry I might be insane.”
“No.”
Day 44 of confinement inside the horror hotel game.
Lee Yeon-woo had just failed his 172nd attempt at persuasion.
A researcher in his forties wakes up to become a nineteen-year-old game hotel CEO.
“……”
Any sane person would understand how absurd that sentence sounded.
Day 1 of confinement. Upon realizing the above premise, Lee Yeon-woo grabbed his cat partner Coco and fired endless questions.
“A minor cannot legally register a business. Are there legal issues?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a risk of human rights organizations protesting incidents occurring in this hotel? The conceptual resources used here likely violate narcotics control laws and medical law.”
“No.”
“The horror phenomena here could result in charges of negligent homicide and assault. Additionally, this building does not comply with building codes or fire regulations and violates labor laws.”
“No.”
“Do you believe the 귀묘 stands above modern law?”
“Yes.”
“You must be insane, sir.”
What a dreadful cat.
As expected of a horror hotel, its perspective on the world was astonishingly bold. Naturally, his opinions were not reflected.
Thus, Lee Yeon-woo became a criminal. It was one of the most bewildering events of his life.
“If left alone, I would have lived comfortably… and now this situation…”
The cat only stared at him without answering.
Even so, Lee Yeon-woo made many efforts to escape. Trusting only his rejuvenated body, he attempted to flee through windows or the rooftop.
“Huh?”
But it was impossible to leave physically.
“Don’t tell me… the windows won’t even open because the tutorial isn’t finished?”
“Yes.”
“If I complete the tutorial schedule like in the game, will the hotel doors open?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean I can permanently leave the conceptual and physical domain of this hotel?”
“No.”
“Do you hold a grudge against me?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Even scraping together all the karma he had accumulated would not justify this. Perhaps the universe had pooled together sins from a previous life he did not even remember.
“……”
But it did not end there.
Ho-One was an unfriendly game. A game learned through dying. Even with Coco, the embodiment of the hotel itself, beside him, he died and revived countless times.
“…I’m not at an age to be senile.”
On the honor of his research career, he felt he might be losing his mind.
By now, he had suspected for the 89th time that he was in a coma or suffering cognitive impairment. Rejuvenation followed by resurrection—none of it made sense.
“But this situation goes far beyond nonsense.”
He could not deny the reality pressing in through his five senses.
“When I escape… I’m contacting NASA immediately. This cannot be possible without extraterrestrial technology. I must contribute to humanity and carve my name into history.”
“No.”
“Did I really die from overwork? Or fall into a coma? Unless I’m a vegetable dreaming this absurdity, there is no way to explain my situation.”
“No.”
“I hope I’ve been reported missing. I’d call the police for rescue if I could, but I can’t even make a phone call, and I’ve rejuvenated into a nineteen-year-old… returning to society won’t be easy.”
No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd—so absurd he could barely speak.
“Do you wish to fight me?”
“No.”
“If you do not wish to see me die of hypertension, I suggest you add more sincerity to your answers. I feel as though I could die purely from elevated blood pressure.”
And on Day 4 of confinement, Lee Yeon-woo learned that a person could indeed die purely from blood pressure.
“……”
“……”
As a human being, he was speechless for half a day at such a humiliating death.
“……”
“Hello.”
“……”
“No, no. Hello…”
“……”
“Hello…”
It was a very weak cry for a cat.
“Hello, yes, no, hello…”
As Lee Yeon-woo sat in shock, Coco circled him anxiously.
The face still smiled like the Cheshire Cat, but its restless movements and fidgeting paws revealed the anxiety of this monstrous cat.
Like a child watching someone’s mood. Soon, Lee Yeon-woo returned to normal.
“…It is true I was flustered by an unexpected situation, but you need not worry. I simply needed time to understand something that defies common sense.”
“Hello.”
“That’s a question asking if I’m okay, isn’t it?”
It was considerate, but honestly, he was not okay.
“Can a creature this fragile even be defined as human?”
If he had to compare, perhaps acorn jelly.
Unlike normal organisms, this body absorbed external shocks completely. Internal shocks as well. It was impressive he had endured four days under the threat of vascular destruction.
“But… when I behave like a game character, there is no problem functioning.”
For example, dying due to the hotel’s horror elements. Walking or running at a constant speed. Situational norms for a game character.
In those cases, there was no pain, and stamina and strength did not decrease.
“But if I perform actions not defined in the settings, problems occur.”
Crouching was one such case.
The game had crouching, but not standing up after crouching. That function did not exist.
Thus, Lee Yeon-woo became someone who felt dizzy when standing after crouching.
“……”
“Yes, no, yes, no… hello…”
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“Is there any reason my body’s durability is like this?”
“Yes.”
“No… I apologize. That was an improper form of questioning.”
Coco knew very little human language.
“So,”
The most plausible hypothesis was that the bodies of human Lee Yeon-woo and operator Lee Yeon-woo had merged, causing abnormalities. Otherwise, it could not explain how he lived and breathed in such a body.
“If I behave like a game character, at least I will not feel pain?”
“Yes.”
“I see… thank you for the kind answer.”
“Yes.”
“The fact that my kidnapper is starting to seem cute suggests I may be going insane.”
“No.”