Chapter 23
“Anyway, that’s how it turned out!”
Lee Sun-hae spoke with hearty confidence.
“I’ve finished my self-reflection, so I think it’s about time we leave the hotel!”
“Ah, I see.”
Lee Yeon-woo nodded.
“I’m glad it became a meaningful time for you.”
He had no idea what exactly had “turned out that way,” nor what kind of self-reflection it had been.
‘Did they lose sleep?’
Whether they had agonized or suffered nightmares, in any case Lee Yeon-woo was simply grateful for their voluntary departure.
“If you check out at your convenience, I will assist you.”
“It feels like we’ve been a nuisance until the very end. I truly don’t know what to say.”
Then Lee Sun-hae jabbed Hong Gyeong-yeon lightly in the side.
Startled, the writer lifted his head. He hesitated, as if unsure how to begin, then finally opened his mouth.
“…I am truly sorry.”
“You need not trouble your heart over it.”
“No. We shouldn’t have acted so rashly….”
“It only proves how thoughtful the two of you are.”
“No, we behaved carelessly and only caused you to be hurt more, Mr. Lee Yeon-woo. You must be busy, yet we stirred up trouble in this hotel. I wanted to apologize for that.”
Though his tone was calm, the guilt was unmistakable. He must be seeing me as some twenty-year-old kid. As if reproaching himself for burdening a child.
“This incident was entirely due to our underestimating the situation. You warned us, and we sensed something was wrong, yet we did what we shouldn’t have done. Because we wanted to know more, because we thought perhaps we could do something… we acted recklessly.”
“…….”
“And we made you pay the price instead. I’m sorry. By stubbornly pushing the issue, someone really could have died. I’ve written scenes like that countless times, yet when I stepped inside one myself, I suppose my judgment faltered.”
Perhaps it was because he was a writer. It was clear he had refined these sentences for a long time before speaking them aloud. An apology composed with both sensitivity and structure.
“If I hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have been injured to that extent. We know we were a heavy burden to you. I’m truly sorry.”
“And we don’t intend to apologize with words alone.”
Lee Sun-hae smiled and extended a business card. It was black, with numbers embossed in gold foil.
“It’s my personal card. I’m active as a director right now, but I have a fairly wide network and can do quite a lot. If you ever need anything in the future, I’ll help you sincerely.”
“A personal card? That is a precious gift.”
“Well… I’m not sure if something like this can even count as compensation… I’m sorry, this is about all we can offer right now.”
“It is more than sufficient compensation. Thank you.”
He examined the card. Firm yet smooth matte material. Delicate gold-embossed numbers pressed into its surface. Clearly not something mass-printed and casually handed out.
“…It is indeed a fine card.”
…The feeling was strange. To think that in life he would receive Director Lee Sun-hae’s personal card.
‘I thought they were people unrelated to me.’
Remaining in an isolated place for too long distorts a person. Much of “daily life” gets severed. Not only life, but oneself as well.
This palm-sized sheet of paper made reality feel even more distant.
‘Wasn’t Team Leader Kang next door an ardent fan of Director Lee Sun-hae?’
He was a director whose name had even been mentioned in conversations about Nobel Prize candidacy. Saying he had a wide network was no exaggeration. As a joke, people even said he had connections at the White House. A famous and capable man in many fields.
‘It’s more than I deserve.’
And it was uncomfortable.
‘It looks as though I staged some self-inflicted extortion.’
Of course, he knew. To him, it was similar to a game. To them, it was a bottomless, boundless reality.
‘They must think an innocent young man suffered because of them. As for my damaged reputation, there’s no way to restore that. Setting aside such personal feelings… receiving compensation of this level is perfectly reasonable.’
It was only Lee Yeon-woo who did not feel entirely at ease.
“…I will gratefully accept this gift.”
“Ah, I was worried about what we’d do if you refused.”
“One must not refuse a gift filled with such sincerity.”
Lee Yeon-woo smiled softly and tucked the card into his inner pocket.
He was not a fan of the two, yet he personally supported them. Though trapped in this hotel, he doubted he would ever receive such “help,” but it felt somewhat like collecting the autograph of a celebrity.
Yes, and because of that, he felt like saying something unnecessary.
“May I speak personally for a moment?”
“Personally?”
“There is something I wish to say, but it is too personal to say to guests I am meant to serve.”
“Well… you may say whatever you like.”
“I wonder whether it is appropriate coming from me, but—”
It was merely a modest impression.
“This time, the circumstances were poor.”
“Pardon?”
“Ha ha, which makes me feel even more apologetic.”
The world does not turn solely because every action bears meaning and achievement.
“The situation, the timing, the place—everything was poor. But you are good and upright people; it was simply that, in this place, that became poison. Whatever reflection or deliberation you undertook, there is no need for more than that. So if I may add one personal remark….”
As in films, sometimes it is merely an appreciation.
“Thank you.”
“…….”
Lee Yeon-woo liked this kind of drama.
“…I don’t think we did anything deserving of thanks.”
“Director Lee Sun-hae, are you a person who evaluates only by results? Imagining such coldness makes me laugh, though I must say, I did not see you that way.”
“I didn’t realize, Mr. Lee Yeon-woo, that you speak so well. But if goodwill becomes a nuisance, then people will naturally have much to say about the ‘result.’ That’s only natural.”
“I agree with that opinion.”
How could he not know?
“There are those who step forward with good intentions and still ruin matters, and those who clasp hands in cooperation yet fail even to fulfill their own portion.”
“That’s true.”
“Therefore, I will not deny the existence of real harm witnessed by the world through that ‘goodwill.’ Whether great or small, how could I deny the clear fact that loss occurred?”
“You really….”
“However, if I may add, how surprising. Of all the countless words available, the one you chose was… ‘nuisance.’”
A laugh escaped him.
“Is there a sharper word with which to drive oneself?”
“…….”
“Who said that? The general manager before your eyes? The silent staff? This troublesome hotel? Or perhaps the many scenes you ran into with a camera in hand?”
“…Uh….”
“That a documentary director should not be a nuisance.”
Director Lee Sun-hae muttered quietly.
“…Why are you so good with words…?”
“Ah, such excessive praise. I shall take it to mean you have nothing left to say.”
“It’s more that I’m at a loss for words… You speak better than I do.”
“It is the honor of my family.”
His manner of speech, truly. Older than him, yet living youthfully all the same.
“As you said, if goodwill became a nuisance, then perhaps it is because the dignity of the situation was low. To fail to bear even one invisible goodwill—how foolish and pitiful that would be.”
“Hah.”
“It would be mistaken to assume that every component of the result belongs solely to you, Director. God has said that all before Him are sinners, and an ancient sage spoke of existence and nonexistence giving birth to each other.”
Whether positive or negative, every result contains more than one process. Thus there are no true heroes or villains in this world, yet at the very least, love exists.
If so, what a lovely talent that is.
“Judgment can be improved, but I believe the will to be good and to walk the right path is a talent. I assure you, had it not been here, your goodwill would have shone far more brightly.”
How often does a horror hotel management simulation game manifest in reality?
“Far more people than I are likely waiting desperately for the careful attention and touch you showed here. So please, do not change. The strange thing is this hotel, not you.”
“…….”
“I am not someone who resents the desire to be good, nor the effort to be right.”
He had watched their documentaries. He had heard the stories behind them. They had moistened the throat of a selfish young man caught in greed, and willingly captured lowered voices on film.
Some called them foolish and self-righteous. Arrogant. A documentary director records reality, not changes it. So they criticized.
‘But what of it.’
In the end, someone must have been saved by them, and been grateful.
It is an individual choosing to extend goodwill with personal conviction and will. Lee Yeon-woo was not so accomplished as to interfere with how others lived. Most people were not.
Whatever it was, as long as it did not block his path, he respected everyone’s way of survival. And if it contributed to humanity’s prosperity, why condemn it?
“Why would I not have found comfort in you as well?”
Another’s goodwill was precious, and conversation with people was enjoyable.
“I will not tell you not to feel uncomfortable. You will grow more cautious through that process. But at the very least, I wished to say that I did not see your actions as so bad.”
“Even though you were hurt?”
“It was not a severe injury.”
He knew they would not believe that.
‘It would be difficult to assume the person before you is a game character.’
So Lee Yeon-woo did not emphasize it further and changed the subject.
“That was presumptuous of me. My apologies. I have shared too personal an impression with guests.”
“…I’m not sure where to begin in responding….”
Lee Sun-hae’s gaze blurred. He was not avoiding Lee Yeon-woo’s eyes; he simply looked terribly tired. As if struggling to bear the weight of what he had just heard.
Then he spoke slowly.
“Someone… said that the fact we are standing here alive right now is a miracle. That the owner of this hotel showed us great consideration, and that such cases are rare.”
“……?”
…Someone?
“I still don’t understand how this hotel exists, why, or how it’s maintained. But I do know one thing. Mr. Lee Yeon-woo, you seem… like a very special person.”
“…….”
No, wait. Who?
“I even find myself thinking it might have been better if you were a little less special. But if you weren’t, we probably wouldn’t be as unharmed as we are now. I’m truly sorry and grateful.”
“…I….”
“We won’t trouble you further.”
“…….”
Excuse me, what did you just say?
‘Who knows about this hotel?’
What person? How?
‘Why do they know something even I don’t?’
It could simply be a misunderstanding. Perhaps they had heard of a similar facility elsewhere. Or merely guessed it was dangerous. Even so, he was curious enough about the source of that perspective.
But Director Lee Sun-hae concluded calmly.
“We plan to check out at dawn tomorrow. You must be tired from yesterday and from this conversation, so I’m sorry for keeping you. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“…….”
Had it already become occupational habit? The reply came automatically.
“…Have a good night.”
Lee Yeon-woo was, truly, bewildered.
So who, and why, and how does someone know about this hotel…?
Could it be… they know it better than I do?
“…Hmm….”
A robust old man stroked his chin.
“…It seems Sun-hae has stepped into a labyrinth.”
He could not guess the being the child had encountered.
‘The master of the labyrinth showed consideration.’
A person?
Or perhaps a goblin.
Whichever it was, it was rare.
“…….”
I suppose I must give thanks.
And the hotel.
All of this—
did not please it.
“…….”
It did not please it.
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It did not please it. It did not please it. It did not please it. It did not please it. It did not please it!
It did not please it. It did not please it.
It did not please it.
It did not please it.
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“…….”
“…….”
“…No….”