Chapter 25
“…Ugh….”
Cough, cough…! Cough!
Lee Seon-hae spat out water noisily and sat up.
“Ugh, ah… my nose is blocked… water got in my ears….”
She vigorously rubbed her ears to get rid of the unpleasant sensation. Not satisfied with that, she thumped her head repeatedly, but the water drained too slowly to feel any relief.
“Ugh, seriously….”
Perhaps the years of flying around in her youth paid off—her mind quickly regained clarity.
‘I’ll really… just go and deal with that crazy bastard.’
For a brief moment, she raged toward the guest in Room 703, hurling insults. Then she noticed the floor beneath her: excessively damp and heavy.
…Huh?
“……?”
She realized just how humid the area around her was. Maybe due to continuous exposure to water or the low temperature, her body was cold.
“…….”
Wait a second… this is strange. “Water temperature”?
“…Where am I?”
When she lifted her head, there was no hotel wall in sight—only an immense darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly.
“What….”
Then, simultaneously, light.
Beneath a ceiling so high it was impossible to tell if it was a roof or the night sky, a vast surface of water stretched out. Too expansive to call it a swimming pool, too calm to call it a sea. Each ripple radiated a faint blue glow from beneath the surface.
A surreal view that could belong to a distant exotic beach. Beautiful, yes, but chilly, alien, and unsettling. Just looking at it gnawed at the very bottom of her mind with a grotesque sensation she couldn’t shake….
How long had she been staring at it?
“…….”
Suddenly, Lee Seon-hae snapped back to her senses.
‘…No, I can’t think like this now. Could it be that that lunatic dragged me all the way here?’
She squeezed the water from her soaked clothes.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
It wasn’t just one.
In every dark crevice of the ceiling, behind invisible pillars, in shadows deep beneath the water where not a single ray of light reached…
Something. Many somethings.
“…Huh?”
…They were looking at me.
Lee Yeon-woo had always thought:
It would be better if I died.
My death. My injuries. My pain.
All of these were things within his control. Entirely his. Constant variables that didn’t need to be excluded from any calculation.
“…….”
…And so he was angry at the variable in front of him.
“…Ah.”
He was pretty, really angry.
“So, you’re saying…”
“Yes, yes.”
“So, Director Lee Seon-hae has gone missing?”
“Yesterday, no, even until the early morning, she was talking with me… There’s no way she went out on her own. Her phone? Still there. Her shoes? Still there.”
“Thank you for cooperating in explaining the situation.”
It was within the realm of possibility. The “wet person” who began tracking would, within three days, kidnap a human guest and bring them to the aqua park. If twelve hours passed, the victim would die.
The phrase “within three days” defines the maximum. The minimum is undefined. The fastest Lee Yeon-woo had ever confirmed was one minute. This guest had no boundaries, no limit.
“I… I didn’t know what to do. We were using separate rooms. Something must have happened in the early morning, but I couldn’t check. I… I just slept through it….”
At Hong Gyeong-yeon’s self-reproach, Lee Yeon-woo lowered his eyes briefly before offering a faint smile.
“Resting in the room is a guest’s right. This is not your fault. Based on what you’ve told me, Director Lee Seon-hae’s absence is likely not of her own will.”
“Yes, yes, that must be it. Calm down, calm down.”
“Yes, you’re doing fine.”
He calmed Hong Gyeong-yeon’s anxiety. More information was needed.
“When was the last time you spoke with the director?”
“The last time I saw her… around 2 a.m. More precisely, maybe around 1:50 a.m.”
“I see. And when did you notice her absence?”
“At 7 a.m. She had packed her things before bed… just as planned to leave in the morning. Seven a.m. Exactly.”
So the gap was about five hours. That meant she had been kidnapped within a maximum of five hours.
‘If only there were no tutorial. With a system upgrade, I could have estimated exactly what time she was taken. Without the interface, as a user, I feel completely handicapped. Very inconvenient.’
Now.
‘What should I do?’
Getting angry would serve no purpose. The golden time was limited.
‘The timing is too coincidental. The hotel may have manipulated this. Coco’s reaction yesterday felt off. If they encouraged the wet person, it’s reasonable to assume she was taken immediately after falling asleep at 2 a.m.’
Then the remaining time?
‘At least seven hours.’
The problem: he was still in the tutorial.
‘…I cannot move to the 23rd floor yet.’
Thoughts. Thought. And more thought.
Through the long dawn, beside his bed, he spared no sighs as he considered countless possibilities. Even this worst-case scenario had been accounted for.
He doubted the setup could be this irrational. Still, he kept the probability low, wishing sincerely for their safe departure.
“…….”
…Yet the stage had already been set.
“…Hong Gyeong-yeon.”
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
“If you don’t mind, could you assist me?”
“Oh! I’ll do whatever I can…!”
“This place is called Hotel One.”
Lee Yeon-woo wrote in the guest log. The pen’s tip moved over the paper with precise, deliberate strokes.
“The standard tutorial completion criteria are as follows. For human guests:”
After finishing the last signature, he looked up.
“You must acquire nightmares from the guest and follow the proper checkout procedure to the main entrance to achieve a complete ‘completed’ status.”
“…What? What does that mean….”
“However, in situations like the current ‘tutorial bug,’ exceptions apply. If the scheduled stay ends, there’s about a 60% chance that only some of the party can check out and still be considered complete.”
“…I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Furthermore, there are cases where only the nightmares are acquired, achieving completion with similar probability. Combining these two variables results in about an 82.4% to 85.6% chance of conditional completion.”
“That’s….”
“Excuse me.”
He handed over the guest log and contract.
“Please sign here.”
“…Would you not explain a bit more?”
“In the end, you’ll forget. As with all guests who visit this hotel.”
“……”
Hong Gyeong-yeon looked at Lee Yeon-woo, bewildered. Lost. A human who had stumbled into the unreal.
The man, staring at the pen’s tip, asked:
“Then… what changes?”
“Director Lee Seon-hae’s chance of survival will rise dramatically.”
“And…?”
“You will pay the lodging fee.”
“You said you wouldn’t accept it.”
“That was my plan, but regrettably, this task incurs a separate fee. I hope for your understanding.”
“…….”
“…If you complete the tutorial via bug….”
Lee Yeon-woo paused, then spoke. Adding words they would forget anyway, his final courtesy as a hotelier.
“If an accompanying guest has a specific event triggered, completion immediately transfers the event, allowing continuation. Without variables, you can move directly to the 23rd floor.”
“…And if we’re extremely unlucky?”
“I’ll employ a slightly risky method. Foolish and inefficient, but there’s no surer way to save a person. Of course, if luck favors us, such a situation won’t arise.”
“…What should I do…?”
“Please sign, guest.”
Ah. It was a game prompt. Only then could ‘nightmares’ be collected.
“Have you had a bad time at our hotel?”
“…….”
After a long moment.
“…Yes.”
Hong Gyeong-yeon signed with trembling hands.
“…Here.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Yeon-woo bowed with a smile.
“Have a good day.”
“Have a good day.”
“…….”
Hong Gyeong-yeon blinked. A vacant feeling surfaced briefly, then vanished.
“…Hm? Ah, yes. You too.”
“How shall we transport your luggage from the room?”
“Luggage… right. Sorry, I didn’t bring it down. I must have forgotten.”
“It’s common if exhaustion hasn’t worn off. Don’t worry. If you like, our staff will collect it directly from the room to the lobby.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Providing the best service to guests is our duty.”
Lee Yeon-woo summoned the staff with the small golden bell. Their methods still left an unsettling impression, but she turned her head.
One selfish interference causing harm was enough.
“…….”
“By the way, Director Lee Seon-hae…”
“…Ah, something urgent came up, so she went to Seoul first.”
“Oh, to Seoul?”
“I’m not sure what happened, but probably an issue with her maternal family. I heard she consulted her uncle previously, so likely that.”
‘Perhaps she got scolded for meddling in too dangerous a place.’
He felt guilty. If she hadn’t gone to the seventh floor, this wouldn’t have escalated. Thirty-something, causing trouble like this.
“Then the work in Gapyeong… we’ll handle it ourselves for now. She likely won’t return soon. If she comes alone, we’ll escort her out.”
“Ha ha, that’s quite a troublesome request to hotel staff.”
“Oh, no, not like that…”
“A small joke. I understand your concern. If she comes alone, I’ll personally ensure she returns safely.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“Then, worry not.”
The general manager’s smile was sly.
“…Always smiling like a fox.”
Charming, polite, kind—but utterly unreadable. Director Lee Seon-hae had judged him ‘physically adept,’ and he indeed was.
He knew perfectly how to draw attention to himself.
“I’ll do everything to ensure nothing troubles you.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
What was it?
‘…Did I forget some luggage?’
For some reason, the unease lingered until she got into the car.