READ NOVEL ONLINE Welcome to Dungeon Hotel
Chapter 169
‘I love you, Junghyo.’
There were many reasons why I couldn’t answer that question. Of course, the main reason was that Han Woo-hyun covered my mouth as soon as I could finish saying that. ‘No, don’t answer. Just…’ Han Woohyun spoke with lips as red as his face. ‘Just stay here. Just like this…’ He wriggled and held my hand. ‘Just don’t go anywhere.’ He just fell asleep like that The sight of him lying down with my thigh as a pillow was kind of… cute, I guess. Maybe it was because it was so pitiful, like young children sleeping while tightly holding onto their favorite dolls with their mouths tightly shut. How is that cute? There’s one more body than mine. I tapped Han Woohyun on the cheek without realizing it. It seemed like I was thinking this way at the time. With that much feeling, I could have said ‘I love you’. Because foolish vows to never love anything mean nothing anymore. As I began to feel a desire to make the guests at this hotel happy, I realized that, much like Merlin Grey, I had come to love this hotel. Yeah. It was such a light-hearted feeling. Until I stepped into the corner suite of Room 205 and saw that guy standing still with his eyes closed against the wall of Room 205. – Just don’t go anywhere like this. The moment I heard a vivid voice in my ear, I couldn’t go any further and froze. This screen shows what I want to see the most right now. That means that what I want to see the most right now is Han Woohyun. What I always longed to see the most was the sea. The unchanged West Sea. No matter how much I love it, it will never leave me and therefore will never hurt me. But since when did I… To this extent… – Oh, your face turned red. Do you also like the West Sea? The Dragon King, seeing me like that, excitedly pointed his finger at my face. I covered my face. “To, to the extent of loving it…” – Huh? I asked if you liked it? “O, of course, I like it. I always thought I liked it.” My mind was so busy that I couldn’t hear what the Dragon King said properly. What remained with me after the realization was a slight sense of panic. Right now, I feel a conflict between wanting to tell Han Woohyun about this situation and the fear of getting caught. It was a contradiction. Just because my love for him grew inside me and took your place, I suddenly felt anxious and fearful. Only then did I understand Han Woohyun, who felt love and fear at the same time. I have come to understand the saying that it is better to reveal one’s feelings. – I love you. As I listen vividly to his voice echoing in my ears, emotions that seem impossible for me to voluntarily bring out keep arising within me. I mean, even for someone like me, it feels impossible to express my feelings. So maybe he is even more amazing for putting those feelings out there without hesitation. You were a very courageous person. I buried my flushed face in my hands. Then something cold touches my neck. I suddenly raised my head. – Since you love the West Sea so much, I will give you a seashell necklace from the West Sea as a gift! Did this come from the Dragon King’s arms? The Dragon King was smiling with a proud expression. I don’t know why something like that came out of his arms, but I couldn’t help but think of it as some kind of goods. And it seemed like I was making an effort to trigger someone else’s “fan accident” by making them think I liked the West Sea. Hyejin said, that having a ‘fan mate’ is precious. So, if I function well here as a ‘West Sea fan mate’, will the Dragon King’s satisfaction increase even more? I looked at the Dragon King’s satisfaction level, which was neither rising nor falling from the number 40. My head still feels fuzzy because of Han Woohyun, but let’s pull ourselves together. Because I’m the hotel owner right now. I nodded with as happy a face as I could. “Yes. I also really love the West Sea. That’s why I deliberately booked a hotel here…” However, whenever I tried to focus, Han Woohyun’s face would cloud my mind and blur my words. The Dragon King heard me and his eyes sparkled. At the same time, the numbers went up. 42% It is a slight increase, but it is effective. – As expected, when it comes to the sea, it has to be the West Sea, right?! I really like the atmosphere of this tavern! Cough, cough…! “I’m so glad you like it…” It was then. – I will continue to love the West Sea a lot… Cough! Cough…! Was it due to excitement that he started coughing so harshly, as if struggling to catch his breath? The Dragon King, whose face was frowning from the non-stop cough, took out his handkerchief from his arms. One side of the silk handkerchief had a shell pattern embroidered on it. – Cough…! Cough…! The Dragon King’s breathing became unusually rough and he slumped down. “Guest!” It seemed like the Dragon King couldn’t hear my voice at all. He continued coughing, using a handkerchief to cover his mouth. I could see his handkerchief turning red. Coughing blood…? What is this? It’s usually not that serious. I should have looked into it from the moment ‘sickly’ was in the name. “Are you okay, Dragon King? Can you hear me?” – I, I can hear… C, cough! Cough! It didn’t seem like he couldn’t hear me, but rather that he was unable to respond. Seeing the Dragon King in danger, I ran into the bathroom. Our hotel has an S-Class healing potion, so let’s use it to provide first aid first. While the bathtub was filled with water, the Dragon King’s coughing had stopped a little, but he was sitting leaning on the bed as if he had no energy. “Dragon King, let’s relax in the warm water.” – Ugh, I’m fine! I am the master of water. There’s no need for me to go into the water again. This human—No, this reptile is being stubborn again. But what about this? I expected this situation to happen and took measures in advance. “Do you see this? It’s a shell-shaped soap, a whale-shaped shower gel, and a mud pack infused with the essence of the West Sea. If you take a bath now, I will give you all of these as amenities one by one.” This time, it was a product using the ‘West Sea’. As soon as I finished speaking, the Dragon King’s eyes lit up. – Are you really giving this to me? Really? 43% It went up again. I don’t think it would be difficult to increase satisfaction, right? Just before the Dragon King’s hand could snatch the soap, shower gel, and pack from my hand, I quickly pulled away and said. “If you take a bath now, I will give it to you. Right now.” When I opened my eyes, the Dragon King flinched. – This woman… It’s quite scary. The Dragon King quietly rose from his seat. Then, with a coughing sound, he pointed to the bathroom. – Can I go this way? I sighed and nodded. Is it okay for a subject as high as the Dragon King not to have a sense of self-preservation While I was thinking that, I heard the sound of the Dragon King taking a bath. I quickly left the room. Having tasted the healing spring water of our hotel, I thought there was only confirmation of the increase in the Dragon King’s satisfaction left to do. But exactly one hour later. I realized that my expectations were completely wrong. “Keuggh! Boss! The guest in Room 205 has fainted!” This was because the Dragon King, holding a blood-stained handkerchief, came down to the lounge on the housekeeper’s back. “….?!” And the number on the Dragon King’s head had decreased. 39% * * * Kang Jiho had two names. One was the name given to her by her grandfather when she was born, and the other was the name given to her by those around her when she opened her own practice after graduating from college. Jeongcheon-gun’s doctor. “Oh my, it’s because of Director Kang that I drive here from far away in Ganju-gun every day!” She, who specializes in the internal department, which is rare in a small town like this, was like a ‘physician’ to the grandmother and grandfather who lived in Ganju-gun, as well as Jeongcheon-gun. Every day, patients lined up with their queue tickets at the doctor’s hospital. All sorts of delicacies brought by those patients for our “physician” were stacked in boxes at the entrance, with each box urging, “Please accept this, Doctor.” She’s very grateful, but sometimes the favor feels burdensome. It’s been 10 years since the clinic opened. Director Kang studied every day along with the rest. Just because she ran a hospital in a small countryside didn’t mean she wanted to treat patients in a careless manner. Are there any new medications or have any helpful treatment methods been updated? Although not as much as her classmates who became professors at university hospitals, she often looked up academic papers. As much as that, Director Kang wanted to do her job “well.” Is there a doctor in this world who wouldn’t want to treat patients well? Director Kang was one of them. It may have been because she treated the grandmothers and grandfathers she had known since she was a child, in the neighborhood where she grew up. “Director Kang! Thank you~ If I don’t get treated and prescribed here, I won’t get better! You have to keep this hospital running for a long time. Otherwise, where will all these grandmothers and grandfathers go for treatment?” But more than anything else, the moment her frowning face brightened in pain, she felt that her heart also brightened. So today, even after work, Director Kang put her hands on coffee to read a few more papers. It had been barely a month since she received the advice from her teacher to quit coffee after being diagnosed with acid reflux, but she couldn’t help it. ‘If I don’t drink coffee, I won’t speed up.’ For tomorrow morning’s appointment, she needed to finish organizing her papers by midnight, but even in her mid-20s, when her mind was sharp, Director Kang tended to take a long time to read and organize papers. So now that she’s over 40, it’s only natural that it takes even longer. Even today, Director Kang was trying to touch the franchise coffee that was stored in the refrigerator, but her gaze rested on the tumbler in the refrigerator. ‘Ah, right. The boss gave this to me.’ A coffee shop she happened to stop by while driving to visit her relatives’ house. From preparing for university entrance exams to medical school pre-med, undergraduate, internship, and residency. Director Kang, who had slow hands and slow memorization, drank coffee countless times. Because she couldn’t study without the stimulating effect of coffee. Thanks to that, Director Kang became capable of blind-tasting coffee and identifying which coffee shop it came from. Of course, she wasn’t impressed with most coffees. Because of people who wanted to try the coffee from Yeongchun Hotel, which had gained fame in various places, Director Kang reluctantly went into Yeongchun Hotel and was shocked after drinking the coffee. ‘It’s so delicious!’ Even a vitality potion? After drinking it, she felt energized all day long. A side effect of coffee, which has a stimulating effect, was insomnia. But this coffee didn’t even have those side effects. After that, Director Kang went to Yeongchun-myeon every weekend and whenever there was no afternoon treatment. She knew that her father harbored deep-rooted resentment towards Gangju-gun, but it didn’t matter to her. This coffee was something that couldn’t be tasted anywhere else in South Korea except Gangju-gun. Slurp. Director Kang remembered the taste of coffee and drooled without realizing it. After wiping her saliva, Director Kang picked up a tumbler. Opening the tumbler, she was surprised to find that the cream she had expected to have gone bad was still fresh and lively. ‘How…?’ Bubbly Whipped Cream (D) —The breath never dies. It was a natural question for Director Kang, who didn’t know what kind of cream it was. The foamy whipped cream maintained its fluffy texture as Director Kang carefully drank the Einspanner, and entered Director Kang’s mouth in harmony with the fragrant coffee. A smile spread across Director Kang’s lips as she took a sip and put down the tumbler. As expected…it’s delicious. However, Director Kang soon learned that the coffee wasn’t just delicious. Thanks to the power of that coffee, she finished organizing her paper, originally planned to be completed by midnight, by 9:30 p.m. And from that day on, she became addicted to the coffee at Yeongchun Hotel. Director Kang, who felt this kind of love for the first time since middle school when she liked a certain five-member girl group, stopped by the hotel every day after that, and on the weekend, with difficulty, succeeded in getting tickets to the Yeongchun Hotel. The regular guest rooms at Yeongchun Hotel were always fully booked due to their limited availability. That challenging ticketing process. Director Kang, who visited the Yeongchun Hotel every day, managed to accomplish that difficult task. ‘I did it!’ She was so happy when she did it. She burst out in joy, even more excited than when she got accepted to medical school. And the day she entered the Yeongchun Hotel lounge with such difficulty. Director Kang encounters another piece of luck. “Excuse me, could you please take a look at a patient? I’m really sorry for disturbing your break, guest. If you help us, I’ll offer you a reservation voucher for Yeongchun Hotel. Of course, I’ll make the reservation for the date you prefer. Please bring your family along as well.” …! The owner with calm eyes resembling a cat approached Director Kang and proposed a huge deal. Fans not getting lucky is a lie! ‘Unnie, I joined Holy Holic too!’ Of course, she knows she’s not the older sister. But still, if she’s pretty, she’s an ‘unnie’! Jeongcheon-gun’s doctor stood up, trying to keep her face as calm as possible. “Where does a doctor get a day off? We have to go wherever there are patients. Where is it? Where the patient is.” Hello! You can also buy the advanced chapter in Ko-fi now, just click the ko-fi button and look for the title of the novel in shop. Thank you for your support!
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.