Chapter 175

Lee Yeon-woo was that kind of child.

"Why do you all,"

live as though nothing is wrong?

Why can you accept and live within a world humans built?

And that question.

"......"

Became pain.

***

He'd always known he was far from an okay person.

"Hello?"

"Yes."

"Hello...."

"Yes, of course."

He could never be a 'good person' or a 'kind person.'

The best he could manage was a hypocrite. A life where the most he could do was judge 'this will make me look okay' or 'that will make them happy,' then act accordingly.

And yet all that remained now was his reason as 'the General Manager.'

"...Naturally...."

And a nature left unsightly by the absence of its finest part.

"...If I get angry,"

"Yes, no, yes. No...."

"If I get angry, that shouldn't happen. How strange."

"Hello, yes, hell...."

"Why am I so displeased?"

Black pupils ate into the irises like a disease.

"Why?"

Even though the situation was flowing in the desired direction, even knowing this was the correct answer. Merely because 'I did not have full control over the process,' the General Manager was in anguish.

Revulsion surging from the soles of his feet. Anxiety. Unease. And the irritation that encompassed all of it. In that moment, he perceived that 'Lee Yeon-woo's' wretched nature had overwhelmed 'the General Manager's' reason.

"This is absurd."

"Hello?"

"I'll try."

He should be sufficiently numbed to emotion by now, and yet it had come to this. How deficient and frail a person was he? Having let his guard down thinking all was well, his insides churned all the more.

"It's not difficult."

I can do this.

"Of course."

I can do this.

I will, once again, as in childhood, repeat that same behavior.

Learning what others feel naturally, storing thousands of reactions based on their expressions, words, and context as data, formalizing them, mirroring them, recalling that this must be done, managing risk, adhering to the laws and rules established by state and society, observing social ethics, setting models, objectifying myself to manage emotions, yielding as needed, listening to what I love, listening, listening, listening more,

and that suffocated him.

"......"

"......"

But once again, the 'emotion' could not accumulate.

"...Hello?"

"...Yes, not bad."

The General Manager returned to his usual face.

"Splendid."

Wasn't it convenient, after all?

"I nearly forgot my duty as General Manager and subjected my precious guests to unnecessary hardship."

"Warning. Warning."

"Even though the initial objective of this project was to calibrate difficulty to a level users could clear without strain."

"Yes. Coco, agree."

"Work and personal matters must be kept separate. My self-management was lacking. I'll reflect."

"Hello."

"That is something I'll need to work on continuously."

No matter how old he got, 'Lee Yeon-woo' was someone with a severe fixation on what was 'his.' Having judged that controlling others was wrong, he'd lived confining that compulsion to what lay within his own hands.

And this hotel was indeed his.

"But the guests are not mine."

He had to know that.

"I'm not a child, am I?"

"......"

"Why no answer?"

Coco simply flopped over.

"Coco?"

"Eeing."

The co-owner exercised its right to silence.

***

"The Sensitivity Bureau...."

"The Sensitivity Bureau?"

The civilians huddled and whispered.

"She looks more like an actual civil servant than I expected."

"Technically, she is a civil servant."

"I thought there'd be some kind of special uniform, but she's just wearing a suit."

"Given her age, she gives more of a high-ranking executive impression than your average bureaucrat."

"I'm not sure about uniforms, but earlier she was wearing something like a dragon robe."

"Wow, a dragon robe?"

"Like a durumagi...?"

"I want to see it."

Under the unabashed stares of Seon-hae, Gyeong-yeon, and Do-heon, Director Dan-cheong of Gangwon Province made a peculiar face.

"Why are there so many civilians in this labyrinth?"

How in the world.

"These are all un-Offered people? Really?"

"Goodness, my nephew's perfectly alive, why such morbid talk~"

"Sorry, but your word as a blood relative carries no weight."

The Director turned to Do-hyeon.

"Well well, quite the assortment."

"Long time no see, our dashing Director~ Miss me?"

"Are they all confirmed un-Offered?"

"Obviously. They're all perfectly fine."

Do-hyeon waved his hand with a grin. Gyeong-yeon watched him with a puzzled look.

"Why... why are you acting all... cutesy...."

"If you haven't fully committed to The Gaps like me, you can't afford to get on the Bureau's bad side."

"What could an actor possibly do to offend a civil servant...."

"There are things. You'd get hurt finding out."

Do-hyeon grinned, then walked over to introduce the Director.

"This is the Gangwon Province Director of the Sensitivity Bureau! She's 115 this year, so everyone please show proper respect."

"This blood-hasn't-dried-yet punk is spreading a Gaps elder's personal information?"

"Ow."

Hair seized, Do-hyeon continued.

"She's, ah, sharp-tempered and fierce as she looks, so let's all be careful."

"Sounds like he just talks recklessly and gets rightfully scolded...."

Do-heon muttered, and the ever-silent Hyeon Si-gyeong spoke.

"She is a Total System Artist, like Mr. Cha."

"Oh, our Inspector friend speaks."

"A rare case of a mage who became an Artist."

At that, Do-heon raised his hand.

"I still don't get that. What's a mage? You talk about them like they're not people."

"A mass of spiritual energy."

The answer came not from Hyeon Si-gyeong but the Director. She shrugged her bony, angular shoulders.

"Nicely put, they're elemental spirits in human form. Young Artists from mainstream society tend to have strange romantic notions about 'mages,' but in The Gaps, mages aren't exactly well-regarded, kid."

"Kid? I'm 18."

"? I'm 115."

"Oh. Right."

Accepting this, Do-heon belatedly asked.

"But, not well-regarded...?"

"They only recently started getting treated like people?"

Gyeong-yeon frowned at that.

"Is it like... racial discrimination?"

"Conveniently put, yes."

The Director glanced at the white owl on Do-heon's head.

"There are historical reasons tied to the Golden Grotto."

"I don't know what the Golden Grotto is, but you all sure use a lot of insider terms."

"Explaining that would take another day and a half. Anyway, after The Foundation was dismantled, the Gaps' atmosphere stabilized enough that mage treatment improved. It's just that Artists get more respect these days."

"I heard The Gaps have no human rights."

"Still better than before. Just that Artists are treated better, that's the extent now."

Do-hyeon smiled and added.

"Even so, a mage who became an Artist actually has great standing among Artists. Our Director's ability is extremely rare even in The Gaps."

"Commonly called 'Sovereign Command.'"

Hyeon Si-gyeong elaborated.

"An evolved form of Word Spirit."

"Word Spirit...?"

"An ability where divine energy dwells in speech, making words transcend mere communication and become reality, determining fortune or misfortune."

"What does 'fortune or misfortune' mean...."

"Good and bad things."

"You really do try every time."

Do-heon nodded.

"But is it okay to just share this? Isn't it personal information?"

"An Artist's ability grows in persuasive power the more widely and precisely it's known, so there's no discourtesy."

Do-heon mulled that over, then said.

"Simple version, please."

"The more you blab about it, the better it works."

"That I understand."

"Therefore, publicly detailing an Artist's individual ability is generally not a concern."

Hyeon Si-gyeong added.

"Of course, disclosing their age without consent can be rude."

"I'm the only one getting scolded?"

Do-hyeon's grievance was ignored. Hyeon Si-gyeong continued.

"Gangwon Province Sensitivity Bureau Director Dan-cheong's ability forces the target to accept her speech the instant the speaker holds superiority over them. A Word Spirit of authority."

Seon-hae asked with interest.

"What exactly counts as 'superiority'?"

"This isn't a hearing, what are you doing in a labyrinth...."

Director Dan-cheong pulled a face but answered.

"What's there to overthink? Age, rank, presence, information. Find anything you're better at than your opponent."

"Isn't that a catastrophic ability in the civil service?"

"I've told everyone repeatedly: come cut my head off if it bothers you."

The Director picked at her ear.

"There are restrictions, naturally."

"Oh, there are?"

"Nothing in this world comes without conditions."

Hyeon Si-gyeong supplied the 'restriction.'

"It doesn't activate with profanity or informal speech."

"Huh."

Seung-jae blinked.

"First time hearing that."

"You just never cared."

The Director clicked her tongue.

"Everyone who needs to know, knows."

"But the Director's a notorious potty-mouth?"

"This human butcher is trying to tank my reputation in front of these soft civilians."

"Goodness, whatever I do, I make it look much prettier than butchery."

"The nerve of this wretch, saying that in front of your nephew and a Bureau Director."

"Oops, slipped out."

Do-heon buried his face in his hands. Gyeong-yeon silently patted his hunched back. There might have been a sniffle.

"Please tell me this is all bullshit...."

"I have that thought sometimes too, Mr. Kwon Do-heon."

Seon-hae, rubbing her dazed face, asked.

"So she's... a Total System?"

"That'd be right."

The Director shrugged.

"Three? Roughly."

"Domination of nerves and psyche makes Resonance System, forcible distortion of physics makes Phase System, and the instinct to detect superiority makes Detection System--three total, according to Gaps scholars."

At Hyeon Si-gyeong's words, Seon-hae asked.

"Scholars... speculate? It's not confirmed?"

"The six fundamental systems are exactly that--foundational concepts. Applying them to reality is endless. Art isn't neat math."

The Director said casually.

"Most people here don't know how they do what they do. I just go with 'seems like the longer and fancier I talk, the better it works.'"

"The Artist mechanism seems awfully hand-wavy."

"Gaps-related stuff tends to be. You've got a sharp eye for the thesis, young lady. My turn to ask, then?"

She was, after all, the most baffled person present.

"What the fuck is this place??"

***

"General Manager."

After attending to a Monster Guest as usual, the vampire approached.

"I came to discuss business matters, but you're so busy it's hard to find a window. Perhaps we should build a conference room where staff can strategize."

"A conference room."

"Talking in your quarters or the monitor-filled Central Control Room every time isn't the tidiest setup. If you intend to grow this 'hotel,' it wouldn't be a bad suggestion."

"I'll gladly take note."

The General Manager smiled and asked.

"What did you wish to discuss? Though we're in the lobby, I'm happy to hear the business you've prepared."

"I sent invitations under my name."

"Grand Banquet Hall business, then."

"I understand the picture you're painting, but I thought we could enhance the 'game's' backdrop and effects. Although in that case...."

The vampire curved his eyes.

"It's a bit beyond what I can manage alone."

"A fair point. I'd originally planned to decorate it myself based on your input...."

"Naturally, securing your permission and input as the owner is expected. But since this banquet bears my seal, shouldn't I also contribute fully?"

"May I hear the substance?"

"Haha."

He placed a thick stack of documents before the General Manager.

"I've brought a 'proposal.'"

"......"

"Unlike the Drenched One, I have experience with what humans call 'corporate life.' It's not my preference, but paperwork is hardly difficult."

The vampire grinned.

"Does it please you?"

"May I be honest?"

"By all means."

"You're starting to look a bit pretty to me."

"What an honor."

Despite the considerable emotional dulling, the General Manager appeared unusually pleased. Behind those transparent lenses, the signature golden eyes were full of life. The vampire felt something peculiar.

'Never expected to be doing this kind of work in a den of specters.'

This labyrinth was growing stranger by the day.

"As you'll see, it's a staffing supplement proposal."

"Resources have accumulated nicely, but I was planning to use them for facility maintenance."

"I didn't quite catch that, but you needn't worry. Surely you weren't planning to pay the new recruits a salary?"

The General Manager asked.

"Are you trying to make me a crooked boss who can't even meet minimum wage?"

"Next you'll be enrolling them in the Four Basic Insurances."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Please."

What an insufferable rationality.

"They're my children. They'd have no need for salary or insurance."

"Passion pay?"

"Similar, but the concept itself...."

The vampire decided to compromise with reality.

"We provide food and shelter in exchange for labor."

"I'll consider it."

"Performance bonuses beyond that."

"I'll consider it positively."

"I'm spoon-feeding you and you're still this difficult."

"I have no intention of becoming a Black Company."

"You already are."

As black as that little devil you cherish.

***

"By now, the blood creature should be blinding and deafening our friend."

That moment, Room 444.

"Go, little one."

"Yes!"

"Make it very interesting."

"Interesting!"

"So a sparrow can't pass a mill without stopping!"

"Can't pass!!"

Coco and the Drenched One began their work in earnest.