Chapter 2 - First Day at the Hotel, Meeting the Party (2)
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 1
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Room of Rest)
Sage's Advice: 2]
As I headed toward the dining room, aside from me and Eunsol, three people were already seated.
A boy who looked much younger than me, probably around middle school age.
A girl with a cute appearance who seemed roughly my age, anxiously glancing around.
And......
A foreigner with an unbelievably stunning appearance that I'd never seen in my life.
No joke, looking at this person makes you feel like you've been struck.
Golden hair cascading over shoulders as if molten gold had been poured, eyes like emeralds set in jewelry.
And seeing that body part which surely contained a heart full of kindness, I was rendered speechless.
Weren't people like this only supposed to exist in movies?
5 seconds? I must have stared blankly for about that long, because the other person smiled somewhat awkwardly, and only then did I realize I'd committed a major faux pas.
Flustered, I bowed my head and went to sit at the dining table. Shouldn't I at least apologize somehow? I forcibly constructed an English sentence in my head.
"I'm so sorry, but..."
"It's okay. I lived in Korea for 6 years, so I speak Korean well. I'm not American or British to begin with."
"Ah. I'm sorry..."
"You were lying in bed? Are you okay? Are you hurt perhaps?"
"No, not at all. I was just tired and meant to close my eyes for a bit but fell asleep."
"We did all go through something exhausting... This kind of strange thing is a first in my life too.
Thank you for shouting earlier, telling us to come to Room 105."
"Ah, no. When I arrived, that well-built person was already blocking them so well."
"Jincheol definitely saved us. I should thank him again when we meet. I'm Elena Ivanova. You can just call me Elena. And you?"
"I'm Han Gain. W-we should probably all introduce ourselves properly. It seems the others already did while I was dozing."
"I'm Yoo Song."
"I'm Park Seungyeop."
Click—the sound of a door opening, and the man I'd seen earlier entered the room.
His bleeding arm was tightly wrapped with soft cloth, though I had no idea where he'd gotten it.
As the man approached, I could truly feel what an incredible physique he had.
Height at least 190cm? He looked even taller than that.
And it wasn't just his height; his body build was that of an athlete itself.
With this kind of physicality, could he actually fight those monsters?
While I was marveling anew, a heavy voice flowed out.
"I'm Cha Jincheol. Ah, is it okay if I speak casually? You seem like a student."
"That's fine. You can just call me Gain."
"Right, right. Gain, thank you so much for telling us about this room. Ah man, those fucking dog-like monkeys really hurt like hell.
What kind of beast creatures won't die no matter how much you bash their heads in, and don't even run away.
What the hell is this. I didn't expect to end up like this just from catching two monkeys, not even leopards."
I was a bit flustered at the moment he so casually called me 'Gain' right after I agreed, but I let it slide.
Honestly, I had no intention of nitpicking such a minor issue with someone who looked like they would have dreamed of a dynasty's military career if born in the Joseon era!
And hadn't I told him to speak comfortably first myself?
The moment our mutual introductions finished, the 'Status Window' flickered and a change occurred.
[User: Han Gain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 1
Current Location: Floor 1, Room 105 (Room of Rest)
Companion Info (!)
Sage's Advice: 2]
Companion Info?
Having tried it once before, I felt somewhat familiar with it. I focused my gaze on Companion Info and thought, Open! A new window popped up.
[1. Han Gain (20) - Wisdom
2. Cha Jincheol (31) - Courage
3. Yoo Songi (17) - Affinity
4. Elena Ivanova (23) - Justice
5. Park Seungyeop (14) - Fortune
6. Lee Eunsol (32) - Wealth]
The names were written in front. Were the numbers behind their ages? But what were these words like Wisdom and Courage after them?
First, to confirm, I spoke to the cute-faced girl who seemed easiest to talk to right there.
"Um... Songi, are you perhaps 17 years old?"
"? That's right. How did you know?"
"Ah, can you see the numbers next to the names on this window? I thought those might be ages."
As soon as I finished speaking, not only Songi across from me, but everyone at the table wore bewildered expressions.
Seeing them looking puzzled at the direction I was pointing, I realized.
This window was only visible to me.
"Ah, this... it seems this window is only visible to me."
"Window? Is there something unusual appearing in your eyes? You were looking at empty air and mumbling, so I wondered what you were doing. Is our age written there?"
"Uh... let me explain."
Afterward, through some conversation, I informed them that this bizarre status window was only visible to me, and that current situations, dates, locations, and such were displayed on it.
Given the circumstances, I thought that things related to this 'Status Window' might be the true identity of what had been mentioned as 'Wisdom' since earlier, so when I brought it up, one or two people gradually began to speak.
"Wisdom... So since it's the blessing of Wisdom, does it grant you some kind of knowledge only? Actually, I received something similar.
You said yours says 'Courage'? I roughly get what that means. Mine seems to make my body somewhat stronger."
"Your body got stronger? In what way?"
"Well... I'll have to see over time, but I was a bit surprised myself while fighting those monkeys earlier.
I did work out a bit, but even so, my arms were extending unbelievably.
Moreover, even after brawling for over 30 minutes, I barely felt tired.
My strength seems to have increased and my stamina improved too. Oh, and looking at my arm, it seems to heal faster as well."
"Me too... Do I have something too? I don't know what Affinity means. I don't have any window or strength."
"I think I have an idea what Songi's might be."
"Eunsol unnie, did you see something?"
"Earlier when the monkeys attacked, Songi was just collapsed face down next to the tree, remember?
I thought 'we're going to die like this' and was so scared... but strangely, the monkeys didn't attack Songi's direction.
At the time I just thought it was luck? But thinking about it now, that was probably 'Affinity.'"
"Then what do you think I am, unnie?"
"Seungyeop... I'm not sure. 'Fortune.' Has anything lucky happened to you?"
"If I had good luck, I wouldn't have come to a place full of monsters like this, right."
"True..."
"Hmm... mine is 'Justice' then. I really don't know. Will some kind of power like a righteous hero appear later? Eunsol-ssi is 'Wealth,' do you have any sense of what it might be?"
"Well... I'm not sure. If it just means being in a state of having lots of money, it's not like I'm a person without money, but given the atmosphere now, it seems like it's talking about some kind of ability rather than that...
Will I get like a Midas touch? If I touch someone, they turn to gold or something?"
Saying that, Eunsol unnie playfully patted Songi with her hand, and Songi, perhaps thinking it was real, shrank her body instantaneously like a turtle.
Of course, being patted didn't turn Songi into gold.
"What in the world is going on. I wanted to properly enjoy my life as a high school senior who just finished the CSAT, supposedly the happiest time in the world, even if just for a few months.
I never expected something like this to happen. There's less than 2 weeks until school starts."
Eunsol unnie showed a somewhat intrigued reaction.
"School starts? Which foreign university?"
"Huh? No, nothing like that, just Korea."
"There are universities in Korea that start school at this time? What university exactly?"
"Excuse me? They all generally start in early March, don't they?"
Just like before, the surroundings were filled with silence. A heavy voice resonated throughout the room.
"It seems... we really have a lot to talk about today. So Gain, you think it's the start of the school year right now.
For reference, I remember yesterday as November 24th."
"My yesterday was May 3rd... it hasn't been long since midterms ended."
"My yesterday was March 9th."
"Mine was May 16th, but with all this, I'm curious—what year was 'yesterday' for everyone? And... seeing each other's outfits, I think we need to ask about 'location' too."
Through a brief conversation, we were able to confirm a few facts.
1. Everyone's memory of 'yesterday's date' was different. It was clear we were 'kidnapped' on different days.
2. Everyone's memory of 'where they were yesterday' was also different. Some, like me, woke up after sleeping in a hotel, while others woke up after sleeping in their own homes.
What in the world was this? What had happened to us, and what were we supposed to do now?
A brief silence stretched out long. So many question-filled pieces of information swirled through my mind like a storm, and now it felt like thought itself had stopped.
Grrrrrrrrumble!!!!!!!
Songi, the owner of the sound, became greatly flustered and flushed red.
"Ah! A-ah! S-sorry... I'm sorry. Why suddenly..."
"Hehe... Well, there's nothing to be sorry about, it's natural. Actually, I've been incredibly hungry since earlier too. Doing such intense exercise since morning.
This is the button to call for food, right? For now, let's all just eat together. Thinking works better on a full stomach, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. Let's all eat first. I'm curious what will come out. And 'how' it will come out. I wonder if there are even staff to carry food in a place like this."
"Then, I'll press it."
Elena, who happened to be sitting next to the button, pressed it, and the button began flashing red.
And then nothing happened. We all waited silently for about 5 minutes, and right around when there was still no change, Seungyeop detected something.
"Um... could everyone please look at that display? Something was added."
Welcome, customers gathered at Hotel Pioneer!
There are a few notices for your reference. Notices may be added, and you can view them again at any time on the hotel's display.
1. Hotel Pioneer always loves its customers.
- However, the hotel staff are somewhat shy, so they work diligently when customers are not looking.
2. The elevator is broken, please take note.
3. The hotel always protects customers' privacy. However, wouldn't it be nice to have meals together? Please be sure to observe meal times.
New text appeared beneath number 1.
'The hotel staff are somewhat shy, so they work diligently when customers are not looking.'
What in the world was this? While I was thinking blankly, a 'could it be' thought crossed my mind, and when I looked up, I met eyes with Eunsol unnie, who seemed to have had a similar thought.
"Unnie, I have a really wild guess, but is this telling us to"
"Telling us to step out for a moment. Literally, because they're 'shy,' they can't set up food in front of us. Isn't that what it means?"
Only then did the others who understood what was being said pour out incredulous reactions.
"What kind of restaurant is so shy it can't serve food in front of customers? With that level of shyness, they should just close down the restaurant!"
"Well, what's the point of nitpicking now? It feels more and more like we're doing some kind of play, which is actually a bit fun. If monster-like things don't appear, I'd consider it a novel experience."
"Elena unnie, you're really good at Korean."
"I told you, it's been 6 years? I'm practically half Korean now."
"Um, then how about we all step out for a moment? I'm sorry, but I'm really hungry too."
"Let's do that."
We all stood up and went outside the dining room, closed the door, and after about 10 seconds, opened the dining room door again and went back in.
Just as Elena said, it felt like we were filming some kind of play.
Upon returning inside the dining room, small gasps escaped from everyone's mouths.
Was this some kind of magic school dining hall that you'd enter between subway stations?
The entire table was filled with splendid and appetizing food.
While it would be hard to call it flawless, it was literally a borderless dining table with food from numerous countries mixed together, apparent at a glance.
Some were familiar dishes like spaghetti, steak, and stir-fried pork, while others were foods I'd never seen in my life, making it difficult to even guess what the ingredients were.
While everyone was standing with their mouths agape, Jincheol hyung made a decision.
"There's a ridiculous amount of food, and looking at the clock, we only have about 40 minutes left for the meal.
Let's just each grab a plate we want and eat up. At least if we eat, we'll have the energy to talk."
Day 1 at Hotel Pioneer. For the first time, I discovered one advantage of this hotel.