Chapter 2
“No.”
Day 11 of being trapped in the hotel.
Judging that he had somewhat adapted to his new body, Lee Yeon-woo began the tutorial. It wasn’t easy, but for a player with 26 years of experience, it also wasn’t too difficult.
First: Understand the building structure.
Second: Greeting guests.
Third: Cleaning.
Fourth: How to use employees.
The fifth was learning how to use the power generator…
“This hotel doesn’t have a single part that runs legally.”
“No.”
“My little partner sure has a generous standard. Which part isn’t illegal? From my point of view, this is clearly a violation of labor laws.”
He wasn’t talking about himself. As the operator—owner and general manager—it couldn’t be helped. But the fact that the ‘employees,’ who were monsters, worked nonstop was genuinely terrifying.
“To think I’m the owner of a company like this… what a terrible joke.”
It was the perfect example of a black company.
“No?”
“You seem unaware that this isn’t a game.”
Or maybe you just don’t care.
“Of course, when it was a game, this was normal. The developer wasn’t someone with the time to implement rest animations for every NPC. But what I’m trying to say is… this is reality.”
If he wasn’t actually in a coma.
“To apply game logic directly to a proper hotel—what a lack of flexibility. This isn’t work, it’s exploitation. Don’t you have any solution?”
“Yes.”
“What a hopeless company.”
“Yes.”
“I’m surprised you admit that.”
Coco rolled around in his arms as if it wasn’t her concern.
She purred softly—an annoyingly cute cat. Her body was squishy like slime, her fur soft like a carpet, and her lukewarm warmth felt nice.
“This makes me uncomfortable.”
Lee Yeon-woo calmly admitted it and left the power room.
“I’m a co-operator, yet there’s nothing I can do. This is awkward.”
“No.”
“Don’t you think my situation is quite difficult?”
This hotel had extremely high difficulty in certain areas.
One of them was the power generator room. Just breathing there would contaminate the mind and increase the operator’s chance of suicide. In a situation where he couldn’t even take care of himself, worrying about employee conditions was impossible.
“…That was a shameful complaint.”
First, he needed to secure enough stability to look around.
Day 27.
“….”
Lee Yeon-woo finally reached his limit.
“The door won’t open.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve worked this far in a field that isn’t even my major, in the body of a minor, unpaid at that. Shouldn’t that at least earn me some sympathy? Since I didn’t get paid, how about opening the door instead?”
“No.”
“That answer interests me. Let’s be precise, partner.”
He looked down at the four-legged creature.
“Are you unwilling, or unable?”
“Hello.”
“My mistake, wrong phrasing. Are you unwilling?”
“No.”
“Ah… I see.”
Lee Yeon-woo rolled his eyes.
“…Even my only friend here doesn’t have the authority to open the door. What a disaster. So where am I supposed to negotiate now…?”
He had long finished all the tutorials.
He did everything required. Learned almost all hotel functions.
Even though it had become reality, things were still the same as he remembered—even bugs. He even received high-difficulty monster guests that shouldn’t appear in tutorials.
But there was one step he couldn’t complete.
“…Coco.”
He called the monster he knew perfectly.
“Bringing a real human here has many problems.”
“No.”
“I know the process. After monster guests, you learn how to deal with human guests.”
“Yes.”
“I know. But that’s not acceptable. I’m human. Humans have moral lines. Do you know ethics?”
“No.”
“I see. Is today the third day I die from high blood pressure?”
“No.”
“I was talking to myself.”
“Yes.”
Guests were divided into two types: monster guests and human guests.
And human guests were… just humans.
“Let’s sit, Coco.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s talk.”
“Yes.”
“I have no intention of bringing another person here. Some things are only possible in a game—and this game especially. Why would I bring someone here to suffer?”
“Yes.”
“Did you just say that’s exactly what I should do?”
“Yes.”
Fine. Even if he forced himself to accept that—
“Then can that person revive?”
“No.”
“Let me confirm. Are they like game characters? NPCs? Or normal humans who go to school or work, eat meals, and live ordinary lives?”
“Yes.”
“So a normal person who can’t revive like me has to stay here? And I must learn how to serve them?”
“Yes.”
“Push an unrelated person into suffering for my sake?”
“Yes.”
“…You must be insane.”
This kidnapper was now trying to turn him into a murderer.
Of course, Lee Yeon-woo refused to deal with real humans.
He gave up on doing things the proper way.
Better to find another way than become a killer.
“There must be another method.”
Day 34.
“It’s unpleasant that I’m getting used to this.”
“No.”
It wasn’t so bad anymore.
“I wonder what happens when I finish the tutorial.”
This game worked differently. Even the interface only appeared after the tutorial.
And it had many bugs.
“If I leave it alone, resources pile up endlessly.”
Normally, the tutorial ends in 4 days. But if dragged beyond 13 days, the system overloads and bugs occur.
First: high-level monster guests appear early.
Second: resource accumulation.
Without an interface, there’s no storage limit.
“…I can’t see exact numbers.”
“Yes.”
“But it’s definitely a lot.”
Normally, excess resources reset after the tutorial.
But due to poor error handling, the system converts them into experience points.
“I once reached level 666 like that.”
Normally, you need special items every 5 levels. But this bug skips everything.
“…I’m curious how high it’ll go this time.”
“I’ll be honest—it excites me. And that makes me uncomfortable. My 26 years of attachment are clouding my judgment.”
“No.”
“It’s troubling that I’m starting to enjoy this… You’d have to be crazy to enjoy this situation.”
“Yes.”
“….”
He looked at Coco.
“Sometimes I feel like you want to fight me.”
“Yes.”
“I shouldn’t get used to this. I’ll reflect on it.”
This was a game he played for over 20 years. He even acquired its rights.
He couldn’t deny his attachment.
No risk of death. No need to worry about survival.
Even if kidnapped, it almost felt like a vacation.
Like staying in a theme park or haunted house.
“Still… I want to return to my old life.”
“No.”
“Firm answer. I understand. In this 19-year-old body, returning won’t be easy.”
“Yes.”
“Can I even live a normal life again? Will the government capture me? Will people recognize me…?”
“No.”
“That makes me even less confident.”
“…When will that door open?”
Day 52.
“Now, repeat after me.”
A perfect smile appeared on his face.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
He nodded.
“Good. Remember—intonation expresses a lot.”
“Yes.”
“You can also nod to show understanding.”
He began interacting with the hotel more actively.
Since the game became reality, why not aim for more?
Mostly because he was bored.
“If the tutorial feels boring, it means I’m at ease.”
In the real gameplay, he’d be overwhelmed.
But not now.
“Hello!”
“Excellent, Coco.”
He still hadn’t finished the tutorial.
He couldn’t become a murderer just to survive.
