Hotel Mortis - Chapter 1 Part 13

Part 13

As he thought about it, he could understand 304’s attitude when he saw him being dragged under the bed. Apart from saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ he remained silent. It made sense to him now.

He had likely planned to sacrifice him from the beginning to ensure his own safety.

‘I wonder if the mismatched and ill-fitting clothes he was wearing have something to do with the person he sacrificed.’

Se-oh recalled 304 continuously pulling up his falling pants. Perhaps the clothes he wore were not his size because he was wearing the clothes of the person he had sacrificed.

Then, suddenly, a question arose in his mind. A common and repeatedly mentioned time in both 304 and Guwon’s stories was 3:33 AM, in the early morning.

“Why is 3:33 AM mentioned so frequently? Does it have any significance?”

In response to his question, Guwon turned his head to look at him. His gaze was complex, filled with a multitude of emotions. After pursing his lips for a moment, he finally spoke.

“At 3:33 AM, something happens… At that time, everything in the hotel resets.”

“Re… set?”

Slowly, Se-oh pronounced the word ‘reset’. It was an expression that he couldn’t understand at once.

‘Reset?’

‘Does it mean that the order or structure of the rooms changes? What else could possibly reset? The furnishings in the rooms?’

Se-oh, who was puzzled, received an answer.

“It means that everything inside the hotel, including humans and creatures, returns to their original state.”

“Returns to their original state…”

“That’s right. It even reverses wounds and deaths. A dead person will resurrect in the same room number with lost memories, and the body of someone who was injured will regenerate, returning to the state it was in when they woke up. Even the disappeared creatures…”

Guwon turned his head to look at Se-oh.

“Se-oh, after 3:33 am, you’ll return to an uninjured state, just as you were when you woke up.”

Se-oh moved his lips as if in disbelief.

“How… is that possible?”

“Surprisingly, such things happen inside this place.” 

Guwon calmly explained.

He continued explaining. There were numerous rules in this place, starting from the main premise of 3:33, to countless minor rules that couldn’t be all told at once…

Se-oh, while listening to his explanation, suddenly realized that the reason he woke up with lost memories was that he had experienced death in his previous life. He murmured softly.

“But waking up with lost memories means… I’ve already died more than once, hasn’t it?”

A chill ran down his spine.

‘Ah…’

There were deaths that he couldn’t remember. He didn’t even know how many times it had happened. He faced the creatures in the hotel countless times, dying repeatedly without realizing the pattern or the exact number of times it had occurred.

“Se-oh.”

Guwon reached out towards Se-oh, and his large, firm palm blocked his vision. It went dark, but Se-oh wasn’t afraid. His hand felt warm and incredibly safe. Although they had known each other before, it felt somewhat strange to him that he could feel such comfort from someone he had only recently met in his current memories.

“Don’t dwell too deeply on the deaths you can’t remember. It will only bring you pain.”

“But how can I not think about it? Can you do that?”

“I also know how it feels…”

“How… ah.”

Finally, Se-oh could recall the words Guwon had mentioned in passing. Guwon had also said that he had met Se-oh before with no memory.

‘So, does that mean he has experienced death more than once, and just like he is now, I too looked for Guwon and helped him?’

“That’s right. You found me again and saved me. You called me ‘Guwon,’ but you were my salvation.”

He could read everything from Se-oh’s expression alone. Putting aside the deep sincerity in his confession, Se-oh needed to take a moment to consider whether he was someone who wore his emotions and feelings so openly on his face.

“… Are you helping me, just like I did in the past?”

“Yes. I suppose so. You’re the one who asked me to return the favor, Se-oh. And know that even if your wounds don’t heal, I won’t give up on you.”

It seemed like Guwon was paying attention to what Se-oh had said earlier. He repeatedly emphasized, ‘No matter what happens, I won’t abandon you.’ Se-oh had to nod his head again and again at his words.

“Then, why did you keep him captive like that? Was it for revenge, perhaps?”

Se-oh pointed with his chin at the man from room 304. Guwon shrugged his shoulders in response.

“Well, he may be a bit too big and old for this, but he’ll be our canary for a while.”

“Canary?”

“It’s a role based on the canaries¹Just as Guwon said, Canaries were sent into mines to detect the presence of toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, which could be deadly to miners. that used to be sent into mines. They would die first, warning the miners of dangerous gases.”

“…..”

Understanding the metaphor, Se-oh fell silent. 

In the end, it seemed like Guwon was saying he would do the same thing that 304 had done to him.

He didn’t want to blame 304, who had driven him to death. But he didn’t want to become the same kind of human as him either. It was not hypocrisy. It was like the last thread of conscience left when risking a person’s life.

Guwon, reading Se-oh’s expression, opened his mouth as if to justify himself.

“Se-oh, death means nothing in this place.”

“Then why didn’t you let me die?”

“Because you are a special presence to me.”

However, Se-oh found it difficult to understand. Did that mean his life had no value just because he wasn’t considered special?

“But if life and death don’t matter, then what does matter?” 

In response to his question, Guwon didn’t hesitate for even a second and answered straight away.

“Memories. Memories are the most meaningful.”

Guwon leaned his upper body over the bed, bringing himself and Se-oh a bit closer together.

“No matter how painfully you die, once 3:33 passes, all memories of suffering vanish, and you resurrect in a blank state. Life and death repeat endlessly. Not remembering how you survived or how you were killed, everything is forgotten. What’s more important than not dying is leaving a mark in someone else’s memories. Otherwise, your existence would be completely forgotten, leaving no trace of who you once were.”

His finger grazed Se-oh’s cheek. It was incredibly intimate, yet it felt so natural, as if it was meant to be, that Se-oh didn’t even think to pull away. He closed his eyes, feeling the gentle touch of the fingertip against his skin.

“I can’t help but think your words are contradictory. No, they’re complete nonsense.”

The hand that had been tickling his cheek stopped abruptly. With his eyes closed, Se-oh continued to speak towards him.

“In the end, memories can only exist if there’s life. That applies to you too. What’s the meaning of saving a person like me who can’t even remember myself? Without memories, I might be an entirely different existence from the ‘me’ you knew.”

Guwon quickly denied it. 

“No, it’s not true. Your essence is the same.”

But Se-oh shook his head.

“What you said is not entirely wrong. Memories make a person unique. However, even if it’s the same ‘me,’ if we go through different experiences and accumulate different memories, we won’t end up being the same person. The element that makes up those two ‘me’ is completely different.”

As he spoke, perhaps he might abandon Se-oh and leave. He might realize that his feelings were merely longing and attachment to the past ‘Se-oh.’ However, Se-oh wanted to tell the truth.

‘If he leaves now, I might regret it.’

However, he didn’t want to play with people’s lives. The betrayal of 304 hurt him deeply, and in the end, he even cursed him. Not only that, but it also planted deep suspicions about humanity in his heart.

However, he hadn’t experienced enough betrayals to use people as mere tools. 

If his past self had been capable of using that person in such a way, he would have likely endured as much hatred and hardship.

Even if he eventually becomes that kind of person in the future, it was not the case now.

“Even if you think that the past me and the current me are the same, I haven’t changed enough to be willing to take your word for it…”

He replied with a choked voice, and a sigh was heard from beside him.

“I knew you were delicate and meticulous, but I never knew you were such a soft-hearted person.”

“… Then you must have misunderstood me. This is closer to what you call my true nature.”

He retorted, prepared for the response, but to his surprise, Guwon’s reaction was much more composed than he had anticipated.

“That’s true.”

Opening his tightly shut eyes, he stole a glance at Guwon’s expression. Guwon had his chin resting on the mattress, lost in thought. His eyes were on Se-oh, but his gaze seemed to be focused on something far beyond.

“… We spent 613 days together, but there are still so many aspects of you that I don’t know.”

“We spent 613 days together?”

Se-oh was greatly surprised. 613 days was over a year and six months. Does it mean they experienced the 3:33 AM of Hotel Mortis together for 613 times?

“Yeah. We survived 613 days together. And from now on, we can spend an even longer time together. I swear.”

Guwon’s oath made Se-oh shake his head. The weight of their friendship built over 613 days felt a little heavy to him, who had just woken up today.

And…

“… The current me might be very different from the ‘me’ you knew. Even now, and in the future.”

Then Guwon’s gaze, which had been looking at something distant, returned to the present and regained its brightness. He spoke with a confident tone.

“But it’s okay. I will remember you, Se-oh. Both the past Se-oh and the present Se-oh will be connected as one in my memories.”

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  Just as Guwon said, Canaries were sent into mines to detect the presence of toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, which could be deadly to miners.