Chapter 321
Chapter 321
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 321. Front Desk
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[Inspiration Hotel]
A hotel that looked like it had been built around twenty years ago stretched out before us.
The only difference was that everywhere we'd gone before had always been rundown and decrepit...
"They must've maintained it."
"Figures, with them being artists and all."
Eileen snorted in response to my mutter.
She was right.
It was decently well-kept, like someone had put in the effort.
You couldn't stop the flow of time, but the exterior maintenance felt deliberate.
And then there were the flowers painted on the walls here and there.
...
The branch chief looked around without losing her smile.
"Have you been here before, Branch Chief?"
"No. I met the Aesthetes somewhere else."
"When was that?"
"When was it... In The Hague, 118 years ago...?"
The branch chief furrowed her brow slightly as she muttered.
Looks like even she didn't know much about this place.
Time to check the manual again, then.
"Right, Kim Jaeheon."
"Yes?"
"You probably can't take the manual inside."
[Employee Manual]
[Inspiration Hotel - Response Team Member Yoo Yeohyeon's Record]
1. For detailed information on Inspiration Hotel, refer to the pamphlet outside.
2. If you take the manual inside, the Aesthetes may read its contents and access Management Bureau facilities. Therefore, place the manual in the collection box on your way back and retrieve it then.
3. If you die during the mission, the collection team visits biweekly and will retrieve the manual.
Ah, so we have to leave the manual behind.
I turned my gaze forward, and sure enough, there was a pitch-black collection box just as described.
"What a pain."
Song Arin clicked her tongue and tossed her manual into the box.
*Thunk!* The manual hit the empty container with a clatter, and soon the others followed suit one by one.
...
Should I do it too?
I stared at the branch chief, and she nodded.
"Go ahead and put it in."
"...Understood."
If she says so.
I slid the manual inside as instructed, and mine landed with a *thunk!* too.
At that moment, a heavy weight settled in my pocket.
...
No way. I reached into my pocket and pulled out... the manual.
"...That's creepy."
Jang Chaeyeon muttered with a slightly disgusted look as she watched, while Yoo Daon let out a dry laugh beside her.
"I had a feeling that'd happen."
The branch chief sighed and shook her head, as if she'd expected it.
"Just take it with you."
"Is that okay?"
"If it came back to you, it means it'll help you out if you die or face equivalent danger—or let you survive."
She sighed like she knew all about the manual.
"So take it."
"...Understood."
Fair enough.
I slipped the manual back into my pocket.
Then I looked at the paper in front of us.
Faded, worn writing greeted our group of five.
Beneath it sat a matching rickety drawer.
All five of our gazes turned to the paper.
[Inspiration Hotel Survival Guide]
[1. If you've come here, you're either a Management Bureau employee or someone here to film a haunted spot video.]
[2. If you're a Management Bureau employee, good luck. If you're here to film, note that no escape personnel are assigned, so please keep that in mind.]
[3. The drawer contains supplies restocked biweekly by the collection team. Please check it.]
I slowly opened the drawer.
Inside was a single revolver and a laminated sheet of paper.
*Click!*
Checking the cylinder, there were three bullets loaded.
"For intimidation, resistance, and suicide."
Eileen stared at the gun and stated flatly.
"More wouldn't make a difference and it'd just waste budget."
"That's a bit cold."
"They warn you not to come and even set up safety measures. Anyone who breaks through is at fault. We've done all we can. This is the extent of it."
She wasn't wrong, thinking about it.
I put the revolver back in the drawer.
We were already fully equipped anyway.
"Branch Chief, want the gun?"
"My fists are stronger than any gun."
"Understood."
Come to think of it, she stops speeding cars with one hand—what good would a gun do her?
I picked up the laminated paper and started reading.
[Inspiration Hotel Survival Guide]
[1. The hotel has a total of five floors.]
[2. Confirmed exits number only two: on the third and fifth floors.]
[3. The highly dangerous entity known as the Aesthete primarily appears here. If discovered by it, suicide is strongly recommended.]
[4. This floor and the fourth are highly unstable and thus not detailed here. Note that all information in this guide pertains to floors 1, 3, and 5.]
"Let's head in."
Time to go inside.
The branch chief and Yoo Daon took the lead, with me and Eileen in the middle, and Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon bringing up the rear.
Pushing open the dilapidated glass door revealed a fairly spacious lobby.
"...Paint smell."
Yoo Daon wrinkled her nose slightly, and Song Arin closed her eyes in concentration.
"Nothing else stands out."
...
I didn't see anything either.
I unfolded the paper again.
[Inspiration Hotel Survival Guide]
[Lobby]
[1. Normally, no staff will be waiting in the lobby.]
[2. Occasionally, however, a mannequin may stand at the check-in counter. In that case, you must check in and take the key—failure to do so brands you an intruder.]
I looked up at the check-in counter.
No mannequin.
I kept reading.
[3. If there's no mannequin, a key will be on the counter. Keep it safe at all costs. It's the only place you can stay securely.]
"Daon."
"Yes."
Yoo Daon approached while scanning the surroundings and picked up the key.
"Room 108."
"Got it."
So Room 108 is our safe haven.
[4. We don't know what brings you here, but the higher you go, the greater the chance the Aesthete resides there. Proceed with caution.]
[5. Additionally, stairs do not lead upstairs. You must ascend via artwork inside the rooms. Be careful.]
Guess we'll have to search every room.
"Let's go."
At my words, we all moved forward in formation.
"Branch Chief, sense anything?"
"I'm not good at sensing things. I just punch what I see."
"Understood."
At least she'll handle things if they go south. With that vague reassurance, we pressed on.
We passed the front desk and entered the hotel lobby proper.
Rooms lined up ahead, welcoming us.
The doors were spaced out, so thankfully there weren't too many.
My eyes fell on the nearest room.
Marked [Room 101].
The door looked like it would open with a card key but was already broken ajar.
I unfolded the paper and read on.
[6. Each room has unique features, so wisely allocate personnel before entering.]
[6-1. For Room 101, those with strong mental fortitude are ideal. Alternatively, those highly resistant to gruesome scenes are recommended.]
Starting with 101, huh.
...
"We're assigning personnel."
The branch chief nodded beside me as she read the paper.
"Strong mentality or high tolerance for gore..."
"I'll go!"
Yoo Daon shot her hand up, and Eileen and Song Arin followed suit.
"...Daon, me, Eileen, and maybe the Branch Chief?"
"Hey! Why exclude me!"
"You're out."
Song Arin bristled and yelled, but Jang Chaeyeon grabbed her by the scruff.
"No, why me...!"
"Why not say that after putting on some eyeshadow like at the broadcast station incident."
"...!"
Song Arin's face turned beet red as she froze, and Yoo Daon and Eileen nodded and stepped up beside me.
"But I'm not sure my mental strength is that great..."
Yoo Daon muttered worriedly.
"You handle gruesome stuff fine."
"Oh, yeah, I do watch that stuff no problem!"
She beamed and nodded at my words. Eileen rolled her eyes around, sighed, and drew her gun.
"Fine. I'm good at that."
And with the branch chief, we'd be set.
I glanced at her, but she shook her head.
"I'm not going."
"Huh?"
Why not?
I gave her a puzzled look, and she smiled faintly before continuing.
"We don't know what might happen to the ones left behind."
"...True, but..."
"With Yoo Daon going, it'll be fine. Come on, hurry up."
She gave my back a light shove.
Hard to argue when she's that confident.
"...Going in?"
I slowly opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Yoo Daon and Eileen.
*Thud!*
As Eileen entered, the door slammed shut.
*Click!*
And locked.
"...I didn't lock it."
"Figured."
Not surprised. As if it wouldn't happen.
Eileen chambered a round, and Yoo Daon drew her awl.
I quickened my pace with my pistol at the ready.
It was a standard hotel room.
Except...
"It's pretty big."
As Yoo Daon said, it felt more like an apartment layout than a hotel room.
Still, we could search it quick.
As we looked around, Yoo Daon suddenly covered her nose.
"Ugh... the smell..."
"...Yeah..."
Eileen covered her nose with her sleeve, and soon I had to pinch mine against the acrid stench.
"What the..."
...
...
At the same time, my eyes caught a chunk—no, a mound of flesh.
A person bound to a stake, and below, maggot-like lumps scuttling around on toothless gums, clacking.
*Rustle!*
The curtains dropped, trapping the person and maggots behind a bare frame on wires.
Then a golden plaque descended, and as our eyes turned to it,
[The Title You Assign.]
An inscrutable title gleamed there.
My gaze shifted to the person.
Covered head to toe in blood, injuries so severe they were unrecognizable.
His chest rose and fell faintly—he was still alive.
He opened his mouth.
"P-Please... save me!"
[The Title You Assign]
The plaque shimmered once more.