Escaping the Mystery Hotel

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 95

Current Location: 2nd Floor, Snow Globe Tundra

Sage’s Advice: X

- Han Kain

The Patron’s “defense” of Dr. Kim Sanghyun painted him as a diligent man and, at the very least, not evil. Jinchul-hyung’s reaction to this was skeptical.

“Can we trust that? From what I know, Patrons always want their participants to climb higher in the Hotel. It doesn’t sound like an unbiased opinion.”

“That’s true. The problem is we don’t really know who we’re bringing back.”

“Exactly.”

“Should we perform the Prayer of Rest for Kim Sanghyun, too?”

Jinchul-hyung, who had lost 10kg after the last Prayer, fell silent at the mention of that grueling ritual.

Ahri sighed lightly.

“I think I finally understand another reason why the Hotel made the ‘Prayer of Rest’ a requirement. It’s a way to learn more about the person before resurrecting them.”

“And what a brutally exhausting method it is. Even if we wanted to, we can’t do it today.”

I glanced at Jinchul-hyung, who looked too weak to endure another prayer.

Honestly, I’m not sure if we’ll have enough leeway to perform the Prayer again in the future.

When we did it the first time, we didn’t know the risks, and we were desperate to restore the Hotel to its original state.

“Not only is it tough, but even when you do the prayer, you don’t learn much about the participant.”

Ahri’s observation was spot on.

Even if a participant entered the Hotel in their 40s, if their trauma occurred in their teens, the prayer would show them as a teenager.

Knowing what they were like in their youth didn’t necessarily tell us what they like in their 40s.

It was an unanswerable dilemma.

Finally, Ahri asked the guide, who had returned to normal after the Patron’s departure, “Can you tell us the extent of Kim Sanghyun’s healing abilities? For example, can he perform at the same level as the healing available in Room 105?”

“Kim Sanghyun’s personal abilities are the same.”

“Personal abilities?”

“The tools provided to the NPC in the doctor role will no longer be available.”

With that, the guide signaled it had no more information to provide and disappeared into the sky.

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 95

Current Location: 1st Floor, Room 105 – Room of Rest

Sage’s Advice: X

“This is the information we’ve gathered. What does everyone else think?”

At lunchtime, I shared the details we had learned in the Frozen Hell with the others.

As soon as I finished, Grandpa spoke up, “Based on the mechanics of the ‘Diligence’ Blessing, Kim Sanghyun’s healing abilities are likely those he developed through years of experience as a doctor, enhanced by the Blessing’s power.”

“Exactly.”

“It’s still a bit unclear. Without the Hotel’s tools, his near-divine healing abilities will be reduced. But among the candidates we’ve found, he still seems like the best option.”

“Considering the nature of the Blessing, he might have other strengths too. The Blessing isn’t specifically tailored for medical skills, after all.”

“True. His physical abilities or marksmanship could be better than expected.”

Eunsol-noona chimed in, wrapping up the discussion, “We could debate endlessly, but none of the candidates are perfect. At some point, we just have to decide. We should bring him back by this afternoon, so we have time to introduce ourselves and get to know each other before tomorrow.”

By tomorrow, we’d be entering a Cursed Room.

It would be risky to go into the Cursed Room with a new companion we knew nothing about.

At least one day of getting acquainted was necessary.

In the end, we decided to hold an anonymous vote to make the final choice.

The voting slips had five options: the four candidates and the option to save the ticket.

The result was immediate.

Kim Sanghyun: 5 votes

Miro: 1 vote

Estavio: 0 votes

Cha Seungjin: 0 votes

Save the Ticket: 2 votes

Surprisingly, someone besides Jinchul-hyung voted to save the ticket.

Is that one vote for Miro from Ahri?

But Ahri seemed startled and quickly spoke up.

“I voted for the doctor!”

Noona cut in immediately, “It doesn’t matter who voted for whom. If we wanted to debate that, we would’ve used an open vote. The important thing is that Kim Sanghyun got 5 votes.”

The final meeting about the resurrection was over.

***As we walked toward Frozen Hell, an unspoken tension hung in the air.

After months in the Hotel, we were about to recruit our ninth companion, Dr. Kim Sanghyun.

What kind of person would he turn out to be?

Shortly after entering the Frozen Hell, the drone descended for the second time today.

“Have you made your decision?”

With a collective nod, we indicated that we had chosen to resurrect Kim Sanghyun.

Moments later, an ice statue rose from the ground.

At the same time, the ticket in Noona’s hand floated up into the air.

“Once more, I must ask, this decision is irreversible. Do you wish to resurrect former participant, ‘Kim Sanghyun’?”

“…Yes.”

The ticket burst into flames.

The fire started hovering in the air like a will-o’-the-wisp but soon descended onto the ice statue below.

The ice began to melt, and we focused on the man inside.

He looked to be in his early 40s, not too old.

His build was solid, suggesting he wasn’t out of shape.

Despite his physique, his overall appearance gave off the impression of an academic.

Though judging people by appearances was rather superficial, seeing his scholarly demeanor gave me a sense of relief.

Next to me, Eunsol-noona turned to Ahri.

“Now that we can see his face, you don’t recognize him, do you?”

“I don’t. Even his name is unfamiliar.”

“His face is all contorted.”

“He’s probably in his own personal hell. It’ll end soon.”

At last, the ice fully melted, and the man’s body began to stir for the first time.

Kim Sanghyun opened his eyes.

***The first reaction of a man who had spent a long time trapped in his personal hell, reliving the worst moment of his life, was to cry.

He cried.

He cried and cried, like a child, tears flowing endlessly.

Watching him, we were left speechless.

Even Jinchul-hyung, who had been the most opposed to reviving the doctor, seemed moved by the sight and approached to grip his shoulder.

After nearly 10 minutes of wordless sobbing, the man finally spoke, struggling with his words. “Th… Thank you. Truly, thank you. No words in this world could express the gratitude I feel right now. I really…”

His voice trailed off, and suddenly, he grabbed my hand tightly, the nearest one to him.

“Thank you! I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

Is it just my imagination, or is there something odd about his pronunciation and word choice?

It felt slightly off, almost like he was a Korean living abroad.

Maybe it was just because of all the crying.

“Ah, no, it wasn’t just my decision—”

“For so long. I was trapped in hell for such a long time. Until you arrived at this Hotel, I had no hope of salvation.”

“Did you become the ‘doctor NPC’ when we arrived?”

“Yes. But… I have almost no memory of my time as the doctor in Room 105.”

I had expected that.

NPCs inevitably learn the Hotel’s secrets.

It made sense that their memories of those secrets would be erased upon resurrection.

“However, I do remember a few things clearly. For instance, I remember begging you for salvation as vividly as if it happened yesterday. If you hadn’t remembered my wish, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

I didn’t know how to respond.

A middle-aged man was holding my hand and crying, thanking me profusely.

What am I even supposed to say?

In the awkward silence, Eunsol-noona jumped in.

“Okay! Kim Sanghyun? Let’s go down to the first floor and grab something to eat while we talk. This atmosphere is way too tense, right?”

“Okay… okay.”

With that, Kim Sanghyun slowly began to compose himself.

His childlike weeping gave way to a more composed and dignified demeanor, which suited him better.

He started looking at each of us, one by one.

Just as we were curious about him, he must have been equally curious about us.

Then his gaze landed on Ahri.

At that moment, the expression on Kim Sanghyun’s face became indescribable.

Joy and despair, a faith-like devotion, a heart-wrenching fear, regret, and attachment—every emotion a person could feel was swirling chaotically in his eyes.

Like someone struck by lightning, he trembled and muttered in a daze.

“How… how are you here… again?”

He recognized Ahri—or rather, he recognized Miro.