Chapter 19
4:26 a.m.
“……”
The bright glow of the monitor illuminated the writer’s face.
“…As expected, this isn’t enough….”
Since it was the rainy season, the road conditions were poor. There were many unpaved roads. Considering the actors’ schedules, it would be best to film as much as possible in a single house—but they still hadn’t found a suitable location.
‘If it comes down to it, we’ll have to move from place to place while filming… but thinking about the actors’ condition, shouldn’t we schedule it so we shoot most scenes in the same location?’
There were still a few houses left to check, so she decided not to rush. Instead, she marked down houses and positions that matched each cut. That way, even if they failed to find the perfect filming site, they could still proceed.
‘It’s gotten really late.’
Director Lee Seonhae had gone to bed at 1 a.m. this time, saying she would drive tomorrow and needed to manage her stamina.
‘Well… there were plenty of headaches today.’
The writer stretched with difficulty.
“Ugh….”
Her joints cracked audibly.
‘I guess I really am getting old.’
She was thirty-six this year. It was hard to expect the condition she had in her twenties.
‘I never thought I’d still be crawling into danger like this at this age.’
Was she immature? This industry was particularly bad at letting people grow up—but there was a faint trace of self-reproach. She found herself thinking about cigarettes, which she had quit long ago.
“……”
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, she could see the rain-soaked mountain.
“…The scenery is nice, at least.”
To build a hotel in a mountain like this, someone would probably have to go to prison. Still, it was good for zoning out while staring at it. Though she couldn’t hear the rain.
‘Is it because the soundproofing is good?’
The thought of soundproofing brought a chill.
“……”
She scratched her head roughly.
‘Sleep’s out of the question.’
She was more used to staying up all night anyway. If she tried to sleep, she would probably just have a nightmare. It was better to kill time and wait for sunrise.
“Maybe I’ll take a walk.”
A night walk while staying at a hotel like this.
‘It does sound a little crazy… but if I smoke one cigarette before going back in, my head might clear up….’
Writer Hong Gyeongyeon rubbed her stiff neck. After some hesitation, she entered the room where Lee Seonhae was sleeping. She gently shook the deeply asleep director.
“Director.”
“…Ugh, huh? What?”
“I’m going out to smoke one.”
“Uh… a cigarette? Didn’t you quit?”
“I’m enduring it. That’s how everyone lives, right?”
“That’s true, but… are you feeling that bad? Did you have a nightmare?”
“No, I didn’t sleep. Just… couldn’t.”
“I honestly don’t recommend it….”
The director sat up, hair tousled.
“Should I come with you? Isn’t it dangerous to walk around alone?”
“Then it might look like we’re scheming.”
“It could just look like a cozy little date.”
“Ugh.”
“You’re funny. I don’t like that idea either.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I really don’t recommend it.”
The director scratched her chin, still heavy with sleep.
It was before sunrise. The hotel was already remote and inherently dangerous. Walking alone carried risks.
“But you have a point, Writer Hong. There’s no way a hotel like this doesn’t have CCTV, and there should be staff managing things even at dawn… If the two of us, who are already under scrutiny, move together….”
“It might only draw more attention. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but in a place like this, it’s better to be overly sensitive.”
“Still, it might be safer to move together. Better to get warned than to die. Though I’m not sure the staff would care much about the safety of outsiders like us.”
“Ah, about that.”
The writer hesitated before asking.
“Wouldn’t it be fine because of your maternal family, Director?”
“…Ah… that’s sad. I can’t deny it.”
“I was thinking that might be why Mr. Lee Yeonwoo let us stay at this hotel so easily in the first place.”
“That’s possible. Someone like him probably knows about my family.”
“Exactly.”
“…Hmm….”
The director let out a deep sigh.
“If it feels like we’re about to die, drop my uncle’s name.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll handle the aftermath.”
“Then I’ll use it well.”
“Yeah.”
The director got up fully, as if sleep had left her.
“You’re not going back to sleep?”
“I’ll stay awake, just in case.”
“This reminds me of when we went to Syria.”
“It should be better than there. At least our name carries weight here.”
“It carried weight there too.”
“There’s no one openly holding guns here.”
“You never know.”
“Writer Hong, you have a talent for triggering my fear.”
“I do make a living off that.”
“Anyway, be careful.”
“Yes.”
The writer picked up her precious cigarette pack.
“I’ll try not to die.”
“Wow, how tough.”
“……”
It felt a little awkward.
“…Nothing’s happening.”
Well, what would happen from stepping outside to smoke? The only places she passed were the hallway, elevator, and lobby. She hadn’t encountered any other guests.
Leaning against the front entrance wall, she looked at the scenery. Unlike earlier, now the sound of rain filled her ears.
“Phew….”
Her breath mixed with cigarette smoke in the rain.
‘I’m screwed.’
She had barely maintained three years of not smoking. How long would it take to pretend to quit again? Amid such unhurried thoughts, a faded memory surfaced.
“È tutta colpa tua.”
“……”
It’s all your fault.
“…Ah….”
A hollow laugh escaped her.
‘I didn’t even dream. Why does it feel so vivid?’
She was tired. Maybe because she was staying somewhere thrilling for the first time in a while. A corner of her brain throbbed. She smiled like someone making excuses and pulled out another cigarette.
‘Maybe I’m out of it because I didn’t sleep.’
They call it benevolent violence.
It hadn’t been like that from the start. But the principle of documentary is to capture what is there—not to break it. In words, in photos, in footage, people had died.
It had been terrifying. The guilt of not saving someone she could have saved. Blood, flesh, screams.
“……”
That became an obsession.
‘I’m a pathetic adult.’
Obsession breeds selfishness.
The helping hand extended to others is often stretched for oneself—and that unrestrained hand eventually turns the water muddy. She had already learned that.
Carved it deep into her bones.
‘I thought I’d learned restraint. Maybe I was just quiet because I never faced a situation like that again….’
Director Lee had said it.
‘People don’t change that easily.’
She described her meddling as rude.
That might be true. For herself as well. Unwanted help—or help that invites greater disaster—that’s what it is.
‘…But still….’
The last cigarette burned down.
‘If you can help someone, shouldn’t you?’
It wasn’t even a question. More like doubt.
‘No… I don’t know.’
This problem was always difficult.
Human life is precious—but being alive isn’t everything. If you can’t take responsibility, you shouldn’t interfere. Even thinking you can take responsibility is arrogance.
And yet, if you still want to help someone—is that hypocrisy?
“…Ah.”
A raindrop fell with a plop, extinguishing the cigarette.
“…What a waste. It was a good one.”
She had deliberately put only two in the pack, knowing she wouldn’t restrain herself. Cursing and praising her past self, she decided to stop. She could relight it, but a rain-soaked cigarette tasted awful.
“Ha….”
After picking up the trash, she went back inside.
‘I feel better.’
As she tucked the butt into the pack, Hong Gyeongyeon leaned against a pillar in the lobby. Maybe because she hadn’t slept, her head felt slightly fuzzy.
Outside, it had been so humid it felt like being underwater. The hotel, however, was less damp. It must be carefully maintained. It probably cost a fortune.
‘The lobby is still quiet.’
Well, it was dawn, so of course—
“Yes.”
“……”
“I see.”
No, someone was there.
‘…Lee Yeonwoo?’
She cautiously peeked out from behind the pillar.
A neatly dressed young man entered her view. Black hair slicked back, glasses, impeccable attire. It was unmistakably the general manager.
‘Who is he talking to?’
Unlike his usual gentle demeanor, his voice was rough and devoid of laughter.
“I’m simply tired.”
“……”
“Anyone would be less than refreshed if summoned in the dead of night. Especially to be called out repeatedly like this… There are clearly many issues.”
“……”
His unsmiling face felt unfamiliar.
‘So that’s what he looks like when he doesn’t smile.’
She had thought him fox-like and affable. Perhaps that had been crafted.
‘His expression… is blank.’
The unadorned face was still neat—but cold. At the very least, he didn’t look like someone naturally prone to smiling.
Hong Gyeongyeon listened carefully while tracking his movements.
‘…Was there a separate passage behind the counter?’
He had definitely appeared from beyond the counter. Now he was heading toward the elevators.
“Perhaps this is better. I don’t know why I was called, but rather than letting those guests grow interested in them, it’s much safer to draw attention toward me instead.”
“……”
“No.”
His voice turned firm.
“…I can’t agree with that.”
“……”
Agree?
“I won’t stand by and let innocent people die in this hotel.”
“……”
“Don’t force me. I only follow your words when our interests align. And right now, I have no reason to choose such an inefficient option. It may be a game you created—but I’m the one running this hotel.”
“……”
“If you disliked that so much, you shouldn’t have dragged me in like this from the start. Forcing someone into such a filthy criminal act… Don’t you have any conscience?”
“……”
“…Ha….”
He grimaced. The dry expression bore no trace of his usual self.
“…Instead of getting angry, listen to me. Even if I insist on this method, you lose nothing, do you? The outsiders don’t need to get hurt. I’m already taking that burden onto myself.”
“……”
“Yes. That means I’m handling my role quite competently. Don’t you rather like that about me? At the very least, you must think I’m ‘useful’ enough to cling to this stubbornly.”
“……”
“…I’m truly honored to hear that.”
A dry sigh.
“I still wonder why it had to be me. But considering how this place operates, if it were anyone else, the damage would have been uncontrollable.”
“……”
“That much, at least, I can accept. So… yes. I understand.”
Understand?
‘What is he understanding?’
Even while hiding, she was dumbfounded. He looked barely an adult—what was he understanding?
‘This situation? Or this hotel?’
She strained to hear his fading voice.
“I would appreciate it if these events could be restrained during dawn hours. But given the caliber of guests here, expecting such manners is likely unreasonable. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“……”
“It’s most likely a room event… If it’s the bathroom again, that would be rather amusing.”
“……”
“…I see.”
“……”
“This will be tiring.”
Then his voice stopped.
After a long silence, the elevator doors opened.
“Is someone there?”
Hong Gyeongyeon realized.
‘…I took the elevator down.’
Since hardly anyone used it, it must have been resting on the first floor. And by coincidence, it was the one Lee Yeonwoo approached.
She held her breath. Silence followed again.
“…No, there’s no problem.”
His tone was as if calming someone.
“Yes.”
With that short reply, the elevator doors closed.
“……”
Hong Gyeongyeon slowly sank to the floor.
“…Ha….”
What.
What is this.
What is going on here?
“Is someone there?”
“Yes.”
“……”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.”
“……”
“There are many problems.”
“…No.”
This wicked cat dares to quote me like that?
“There’s no problem.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
If you had told me earlier someone was listening, would it have killed you?
‘It probably would have.’
Truly, an untrustworthy cat.
“Next time, if someone is listening, at least give me a hint in advance. Understood?”
“No.”
“That was fast. As expected, you never disappoint.”
“No.”
“There’s no cat more wicked than you.”
“No.”
As the elevator rose to the seventh floor, Lee Yeonwoo kneaded Coco’s cheek. The cat did not resist and instead seemed to enjoy the rough handling. An utterly shameless, detestable cat.
‘Did I say anything strange?’
He replayed it in his mind. Not particularly.
‘At worst, both my image and the hotel’s have plummeted together.’
Those remarks alone wouldn’t reveal the hotel’s truth—but it was embarrassing and irritating. At this point, he would be grateful if she didn’t simply think of him as some modern-day slave.
‘It must have looked like severe human rights abuse. And I can’t exactly explain that this is a game….’
Even if it was a game, now that it had become reality, it was indeed a serious crime. Hadn’t he worried about that at the beginning? It just happened to be less threatening because he was inside a character body from a game he knew.
‘Most of all, grabbing a complete stranger and explaining that my situation involves game data isn’t normal to begin with. Even if I tried, I wouldn’t know where to start.’
He would look… like a complete nerd.
‘It wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us.’
Better to hide the truth.
“I have just sold my pride and dignity at a bargain price.”
“Yes?”
“If Writer Hong discovers the identities of the other guests as well, I’ll fall to a level beyond refund. Just imagining it is horrifying.”
The longer time passed, the more of his image he had to give up.
‘Expecting this place to look like a normal hotel at this point is already hopeless.’
Lee Yeonwoo wasn’t stupid. He had already let the situation spiral this far. It would be shameless to expect him to appear mentally sound.
‘Fine.’
Let it be that.
It sounded far more realistic and persuasive. At this point, even if he told the truth, she would probably think he had gone mad from hardship.
‘Since I’ve already left the realm of normalcy, as long as the essence of this monster hotel isn’t exposed… I can somehow manage the rest of the misunderstandings.’
That was usually how people got caught—but he wouldn’t let it happen. He would grit his teeth and endure.
He stepped onto the seventh floor.
“….”
If you hadn’t summoned me in the first place.
‘Calm down.’
The incident had occurred. He had to resolve it. If his blood pressure rose, he might actually die. He was softer than tofu now. He had to be careful.
“…Good dawn, Guest. I came to check after hearing the call bell.”
Perhaps he should buy a master key after the tutorial ended.
“Is there anything I may assist you with?”
The door opened ominously. He was too tired to appreciate the horror atmosphere. The mental blow had already been heavy. He stepped inside at once.
And saw.
“……”
Submerged in the bathtub, the Wet Person looked like a drowned corpse.
Event name: Beneath Shallow Waters.
‘Is the bathroom cursed?’
Well, if the Wet Person had checked in, it probably was. He admitted that much. Still, for someone just awakened, it was hard not to feel annoyed.
“Guest.”
He approached the bathtub.
“You truly… like water.”
“……”
“To be honest, I’m not sure I can pull you out right now.”
“……”
“I’m as fragile as soft acorn jelly at the moment. If you tap me with chopsticks, I might break. Will you take that into consideration? Of course, you likely have no interest in a hypocrite’s health….”
“……”
“…This is driving me insane.”
Should he pull them out—or not?