He wasn't going to eat it.
"…Honestly, I really don't want to eat this."
"No."
"I'm not being fickle—I an I truly don't want to."
"No."
"Look at . I'm asking this out of genuine concern: was this body's physiological chanism of nutrient intake actually designed within 'normal paraters'?"
Lee Yeon-woo pinched the bridge of his nose, looking at the plate of steak and the beef-vegetable porridge on the table.
He'd brought it on himself, but in the end it had been received as the sa kind of room service request. The dish had appeared in the 21st-floor dumbwaiter. He'd carried it up to his quarters just as it was.
"It is the most basic preset dish available at the tutorial stage, granted…."
As one pushed into the later parts of the ga, 18
recipes that abandoned all human decency would appear, but right now this was the tutorial. Visually, it looked like an utterly ordinary—almost excessively tidy—"al."
What mattered was that it looked consumable even by an ordinary person.
"……."
…And Lee Yeon-woo, at present, was not an "ordinary person."
'Honestly, the first thing to worry about in consuming this hotel's food should have been , not the human guests. I volunteered for the clinical trial, but now that the food is actually in front of , my confidence is flagging.'
Not an enjoyable business.
"Is it really safe to eat?"
"Yes."
"No risk of regurgitation after consumption, or unfortunate damage to innocent organ walls?"
"Yes."
"The functions of mastication and deglutition…… yes, they exist. I know that much with my head."
"Yes."
The system definitely had the related "motion." It was closer to the concept of a "potion" that restored status ailnts than of filling one's belly for survival, but at any rate, this body had the act of swallowing food defined within it.
Yeon-woo finally brought a spoonful of porridge to his mouth.
'…I can actually taste it.'
He'd considered the possibility that the function of tasting might have been lost. Given this body's shoddy durability, it wouldn't have been strange if parts of the five senses had turned out incomplete.
But it was needless worry. The flavor was vivid to the point of stinging sharply on the tip of his tongue. His defensive chanisms were a wreck, yet his sense of taste alone had apparently been warped into sothing provocatively acute.
"Why is this…… so well-made?"
A strange doubt, and at the sa ti a strange pride.
'I had no idea the food in Hoone was designed with this level of quality in mind.'
It felt like stepping into a fully-committed imrsive pop-up café produced by a major corporation. The virtual imagery he had only seen as crude clumps of pixels beyond a screen—existing now in so elaborate a form.
"A basic 1-star grade dish is at this level?"
"Yes."
"…Have you ever eaten it?"
"No."
"Ah."
"Ah."
Lee Yeon-woo calmly cut the steak into bite-sized pieces and offered so to Coco.
"……."
"No reaction."
"Ah."
"There it is."
Coco's expression remained fixed in that smile reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. It was hard to read any emotion from that unblinking face, but well.
The motion of opening its mouth wide every ti he offered at was an unmistakable expression of intent.
"Always the sa face—it does make feedback hard to interpret."
Lee Yeon-woo muttered in a dry tone, as though organizing finicky experintal data. His hands kept slicing the steak all the while.
"Ah."
"One mont, custor. Your order is in preparation."
"Ah."
"Here cos the airplane~"
"Ah. Ah."
"Good boy."
The plate was emptied in no ti. If one had to work out the shareholding, ninety percent had disappeared into Coco's stomach. It ate everything without discrimination—at and porridge alike.
"……?"
He was starting to wonder whether this monster cat's appetite had any limit at all.
'…It's a good thing when the little one eats well, whatever else.'
Having reached that conclusion, Lee Yeon-woo continued.
"You eat well, Coco."
"Yes!"
"May I rely on your help from ti to ti?"
"Yes!"
"Thank you."
"Yes!"
Having consud it himself, no physical abnormalities were found. But biological safety and personal preference were separate matters. Lee Yeon-woo didn't particularly enjoy the act of eating.
So the conclusion was—it was fortunate to have gained a dependable dining companion.
"Well, since my body's taken it in without issue, it doesn't seem to be poison."
"Yes."
"Seeing that even an old body like mine can handle it is reassuring, but on the other hand there are a lot of untested factors, which makes
uneasy. However this place may be, putting sothing uncertain on a guest's table isn't to my taste."
"Old body?"
"My apologies—I was rejuvenated. But apart from that, the older one gets, the more the worries pile up, you see. There's no food safety testing kit here either. So—what to do…. There's still no guarantee this isn't so poison."
"Guarantee."
Coco lifted its head and looked Yeon-woo square in the face.
Its mouth still held that eerie smile, but a curious certainty settled into those pupils. That clear articulation which landed firmly without so much as a twitch of mouth muscle was strange to witness each ti.
Soon Coco spat out, as though declaring:
"Guarantee!"
"…Ha,"
Yeon-woo adjusted his glasses fra and let a low laugh slip.
"Who do you an is guaranteeing it?"
"Coco."
"To think such a normal conversation is possible—tears are blurring my view…."
No logical grounds, no docuntary proof, yet the attitude of stepping forward with its own na as collateral was rather admirable. Wasn't it like a young nephew stubbornly insisting to ease his uncle's worries?
And…
"……."
Setting that endearing quality aside, this co-Operator was, surprisingly, not the sort to lie.
"…You intend to put up nothing but 'personal credit' as collateral within this opaque system? As a fellow businessperson, it's a truly crude thod, but—well."
"Coco, guarantee."
"Not bad."
The effort of teaching it language was paying off.
"Let
try trusting that groundless confidence of yours."
"Yes!"
"If our distinguished guests later complain of stomachaches, you, as co-Operator, will have to share in the cleanup. Understood?"
"Guarantee!"
"How reassuring."
Yeon-woo slowly reached out, took the cat's squishy front paw, and shook it lightly.
"I'm counting on you, Coco."
"Yes!"
"Yes."
***
The director said:
"Fucking delicious."
The writer chided her.
"Please speak in a more adult manner."
"The flavor was excellent enough to draw spontaneous admiration."
"Director."
"The mont I took a bite, a restrained depth and harmony unfurled across my palate."
"Oh, co on."
"It has been a very long ti since I encountered such an exquisite taste. This incomparable, refined flavor has captured even my heart."
"I was out of line. I apologize."
"That's what I thought."
The director grumbled.
"It's delicious, so I said it's delicious—why's my speech vulgar or childish or what have you…."
"I'm losing it, honestly. Don't fra —I never said any of that."
"Seriously though, this is really good."
"Right? Honestly, I just wanted sothing easy on the stomach, so I wasn't expecting much."
"You ca to a hotel like this and didn't have expectations?"
"No, I thought about it a bit yesterday. If the guests here are packing their own food personally, maybe they even brought along private chefs. These guests here?"
"Er… probably?"
"So I figured maybe there are no shared chefs here. That's why I find it impressive that the quality is this good during a soft opening."
"Soft openings co in all sorts."
So places are rely checking whether things run; others have everything prepared and are making sure before formally receiving guests. This place seed closer to the latter.
The director looked out the window.
"Still raining."
"Isn't it less than yesterday, though?"
"Let's get moving."
They had a purpose in coming here, didn't they. The scouting had to wrap up within a week.
"Need to get out before our writer faints from fright."
"You're teasing
again. This is so unfair, I can't work with you anymore."
"The money's already gone in, can't take it back. You finished the contracts with the actors, right?"
"You know your personality's really awful, right?"
They soon gathered their things and ca out. Since they were only here to scout, they had little luggage.
The corridor was lined with elevators. The numbers were many, but not one had its light on. It ant the guests here didn't move about much.
The director's group checked their keys as they boarded the descending elevator.
"You brought the key with you, right?"
"Yes, Director."
"Let's go, then. The rain's thinned out a good bit—perfect conditions for soaking in the atmosphere."
"We'll need to make the most of this gloomy weather."
"Most of the filming will be indoors, but we absolutely have to finish the outdoor shots before sumr ends."
"I hope the monsoon lasts longer."
They reached the lobby quickly.
Humid but empty air. The staff could be felt surveying the lobby. The director was doing the sa. This place had no shortage of intriguing details.
"Ah."
The figure of the General Manager, standing near the front desk, ca into view. As immaculately composed as the day before, but his silhouette, bathed in the faint morning light, held a curious clarity.
Perhaps because of the sound she'd made without aning to, he turned his head and t their gaze.
"You've co down."
A smile of just the right temperature—neither too light, nor oppressively heavy.
He approached with his hands clasped behind his back, at a leisurely stride that kept from being too close. It was a walk steeped in practiced skill—respecting another's space while naturally taking the lead of the conversation.
…He was soone who knew how to capture another's gaze.
"Did you have a comfortable ti?"
"It was so wonderful. Breakfast was incredibly delicious too."
"I am glad to hear you say so. I had been concerned about the shortage of kitchen staff, but it seems our guests' generous tastes have saved our face."
"Oh my, listen to how well he talks."
Lee Seon-hae, noticing that Writer Hong Gyeong-yeon had gone stiff during the exchange, soon continued.
"We were thinking of heading out now…. We have several places we need to look at."
"I see. The weather is foul, and the fog is deep—please drive safely."
"Thank you."
After that light conversation, the group stepped outside the hotel. Rain and fog blanketed everything around them.
"No wonder the ground was so soaked…."
One of the staff, looking up at the sky with a worn-out expression, said,
"Director, I'll drive today."
"You won't get us lost like yesterday, right?"
"The signal's working again now."
"True. Start the car for ."
"Yes."
Two staff mbers got into the car. The engine started up with a low rumble. The director stood near the hotel door.
"……."
…The writer looked back at her.
A cautious voice erged.
"Did you see it?"
"Yeah."
The director recalled her conversation with the General Manager.
"His hands were badly injured."
Enough to drip blood.
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