HHH | Chapter 003

Episode 3

“…Huh?”

Did I… see that right?

I pressed “Clock Out” again. My trembling finger caused the same pop-up to appear twice.

《This function is currently disabled!》

《This function is currently disabled!》

What the hell does that mean?

I kept pressing “Clock Out,” but the pop-up stubbornly repeated the same message.

Disabled. Disabled. Disabled…

It felt like my brain was cramping. So, this means…

“I… can’t leave this place…?”

A loud thumping echoed in my ears, a booming sound of unknown origin. It took me a moment to realize it was my own heartbeat.

Looking down, I saw the pocket watch I didn’t even remember dropping rolling on the floor. With a click, its cover snapped shut, and the holographic screen vanished with it.

I stared blankly at it, my cold hands clenching tightly.

‘What is this?’

I can’t quit the game. I can’t escape this bizarre hard mode.

I can’t return to my body, to my life…

‘No way, this can’t be.’

Why can’t I leave the game? Is something wrong with my real body?

What if… I’m dead?

“Noooo.”

No. That’s impossible. My family could never handle such a tragedy.

Why is this happening in the first place? How did it come to this?

‘I haven’t played HelloHappyHotel in ages. Why me?!’

Everything was going so well. I had no complaints about my life. I finally got into university, a hard-earned victory. How could it all be snatched away in an instant?

There’s still so much I want to do, so much I need to do…

My breathing grew ragged. I rubbed my trembling hands over my face repeatedly. For the first time since waking up in this world, an undeniable wave of fear crashed over me.

Fine. Let’s face it.

Ever since I opened my eyes here, I’ve been acting carefree, like I was strolling through a flower garden. I hadn’t deeply considered the gravity of my situation.

But now, staring at the inescapable cliff before me, I finally grasped the severity of being possessed.

It was a sharp, merciless reality, like a blade.

* * *

I sat frozen in place for a while. But soon, the harsh truth hit me: sitting here in a daze wouldn’t solve anything.

‘Calm down.’

I pressed my throbbing temples with my palms. Steadying my breathing, I slowly gathered my scattered thoughts.

‘If you don’t give up, a path will always appear…’

It was something my taekwondo instructor had drilled into me since childhood. I took a deep breath and lifted my head.

Let’s think this through calmly. Let’s assess my situation.

I’ve been possessed into the hard mode of the hotel management simulation game HelloHappyHotel. The quit function is currently disabled, meaning I can’t leave the game right now.

‘But the fact that it’s disabled rather than nonexistent is something to be optimistic about.’

It likely means I can activate it by meeting certain conditions.

‘So, what are those conditions?’

How do protagonists in possession stories typically handle this?

Most of my knowledge about possession stories comes from my romance-fantasy-obsessed younger sibling, so naturally, a conversation we once had came to mind.

“So, if you get possessed, you can never return to your original body?”

“Usually? It’s often because you died before getting possessed. But it’s not like there are no cases of returning! Especially in game possession stories, most start with the condition that you can go back once you reach the ending.”

Right… the ending.

Since I’m possessed in a game, there’s a chance I can return to my body by reaching the ending.

It’s definitely possible!

‘The ending of HelloHappyHotel.’

What kind of ending would a management simulation game have? If I had to pinpoint one for HelloHappyHotel, one thing came to mind.

Achieving the maximum hotel rank.

Once you upgraded the hotel to a 7-star luxury hotel, a short celebratory animation played, followed by the ending credits. That could reasonably be considered the game’s ending.

The problem is…

‘No one ever figured out the ending for hard mode.’

As mentioned before, in the base game of HelloHappyHotel, you start as the hotel’s general manager, working to build it into the best hotel possible.

But in hard mode, the player is just a regular employee. Worse, an entry-level worker with no proper department or authority.

The so-called “content” consisted of wandering the vastly expanded hotel or handling minor guest interactions. Step on a bug, and the game would force-close, or you’d lose your game data—or your phone entirely.

Players had tried exploring the hotel map and researching strategies. At one point, gaming communities were flooded with “HelloHappyHotel Hard Mode Guides.”

But the results? Well, just a pile of tips on avoiding bugs.

‘Can I figure out the strategy now?’

A flicker of doubt crept in.

But what choice do I have? I have to try my best. Especially since “reaching the ending” is the only path I can see right now.

‘It’s fine.’

I don’t know what the developers were thinking when they created “hard mode,” but a game is a game. There’s no such thing as an unconquerable game.

If I keep moving forward, I’ll find some kind of clue.

‘And the situation isn’t all bad.’

The biggest headache in hard mode was that bugs popped up almost every step you took.

But who am I? A veteran player who spent my entire middle school years—when my brain was at its most malleable—obsessed with HelloHappyHotel. I remember most of the tricks to avoid those bugs.

In other words, I’m confident I can progress several times more smoothly than others.

‘Alright.’

In the early stages of hard mode… there’s one thing I absolutely have to do.

I dusted off my skirt and stood up, carefully picking up the dropped pocket watch and slipping it into my dress pocket.

Then I surveyed my surroundings.

“I’m standing in the center of the main lobby, so…”

Over there, against the shadowed wall, there’s probably the reception desk.

I have important business there too, but first, there’s something else I need to handle. I turned toward the opposite side of the reception desk.

There stood three massive doors.

In the center was a revolving door, adorned with a lush, leafy tree motif. Like the rest of the facilities, it appeared broken, not budging an inch.

To its left was a double wooden door carved with blooming flower patterns, and to its right, another double wooden door etched with vine motifs. They looked intact, but they were heavily scuffed, as if someone had kicked and pounded on them repeatedly.

Now, the one I need to focus on is the door on the right.

I cautiously stepped back, keeping my eyes fixed on the right door.

And then, finally, the sound I’d been dreading began to creep in faintly.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

The sound of rusty metal joints, like an ancient machine stirring to life after a long slumber.

‘It’s here.’

Let’s put the full-on speedrun to escape this game on hold for now.

It was time to face the first bug of HelloHappyHotel’s hard mode.