Chapter 11: Ugh,where are you all going, leaving me behind?
‘…Why am I so tired when I’ve only dealt with two guests?’
Sitting back at the counter, the fatigue from handling guests hits me all at once.
Sure, it’s my first day on the job,
But to feel this exhausted after dealing with just two ‘ordinary’ guests?
As a motel manager, I can feel how much I still have to learn.
The one silver lining, as noted in the 2 a.m. guest protocol,
Is that no more guests will arrive today.
It’s 2:40 a.m. now, giving me about four hours to rest until closing at 6 a.m.
‘Resting in the staff break room would be nice… but I can’t waste this precious time. Let’s do something productive.’
Four hours is too short for a proper rest,
But it’s enough to study and master something.
To improve my skills as a motel manager, instead of taking a break in the staff room,
I decide to sit at the counter and read the essential management rules for tomorrow’s shift.
[Warning: Any consequences arising from not reading this manual or failing to follow its instructions are the sole responsibility of the manager.]
[Table of Contents]
└1. Operating Hours
└2. Safe Return Policy
└3. Cleaning and Facility Management
└4. Guest Interaction Etiquette and Rules
└5. CCTV Rules and Management
└6. Emergency Exits and Staircase Management
└7. Appendix
‘Hmm, this warning still feels unsettling no matter how many times I see it.’
I’ve already familiarized myself with the operating hours and cleaning protocols while handling the two guests,
So this time, I turn to the section that’s intrigued me since I first opened the manual: Item 2,
‘Safe Return Policy.’
‘I get the returning part… but what’s with the ‘safe’ part? Are there ghosts around here or something?’
[2. Safe Return Policy]
[Subsections]
└2-1. Mandatory Tasks Before Leaving the Motel
└2-2. Safety Rules for Returning Home
└2-3. Nearby Service Facilities
Compared to other sections, this one has a lot of content, with detailed subsections.
‘Let’s start with the mandatory tasks.’
2-1. Mandatory Tasks Before Leaving the Motel
└ This section outlines the essential tasks the manager must complete before leaving after 6 a.m.
└ Please complete the ‘mandatory instructions’ listed below before safely returning home.
Mandatory Instructions:
(1). At exactly 6 a.m., a bell will ring in the lobby to signal the end of the shift. Immediately after the bell stops, turn off the light switch.
(2). After turning off the light switch, before leaving the motel, use the intercom at the counter to ask guests if they wish to extend their stay.
└ If a guest wishes to extend, respond with ‘Understood,’ then exit the motel and return home quickly. You must return home within ‘30 minutes.’
└ If no guests wish to extend, lock the motel door and return home. We recommend purchasing a bento with meat from a nearby convenience store.
(3). This item has been removed per motel policy. The instructions in the appendix are also false and must not be followed.
(4). Item 3 has not been removed. If it appears to have been removed, refer to the instructions in the appendix and follow them.
(5). After 6 a.m., check if the motel sign is lit.
└ If the sign is lit, re-enter the motel and wait until it turns off.
└ If the sign is off, you may safely return home.
Items 3 and 4 aside, the rest make sense.
The problem is those two.
“What’s this? Why are they contradicting each other?”
Did the previous owner half-edit this, or fall asleep while writing?
It’s unclear which instruction is the truth.
‘Checking the appendix won’t take long… If it doesn’t seem right, I’ll assume it’s been removed.’
Honestly, if the previous owner was going to revise the rules, they should’ve done it clearly.
Thinking about that useless predecessor makes me sigh.
As I prepare to check the appendix rules, as mentioned in Item 4—
Beep!!
Beep!!
“…?”
The intercom at the counter starts blaring.
Beep!!
Beep!!
Startled by the loud intercom, I close the manual and stand, approaching the device.
Thinking it might be a room service request, I cautiously pick up the receiver.
“This is the motel manager. How may I assist you?”
“…”
No response comes from the other side.
“Hello?”
“…”
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
“…”
After calling out a few more times with no answer, I’m about to hang up when—
“…I’d like to check out early.”
A hollow, whispering female voice, like a despairing scream echoing in the void, pierces through the receiver into my ears.
“Early checkout? Uh, wait, who is this—?”
Click.
My urgent question goes unanswered, and the call cuts off.
“What the…?”
It definitely wasn’t the voice of the ‘Timid Guest’ in Room 305.
That leaves only the guest in Room 104—the Doll Lady.
But she’s a lifeless ‘doll.’
There’s no way a doll that can’t move on its own could use the room’s intercom.
‘What’s going on…?’
For the first time in the three hours I’ve worked here, I feel an unsettling unease.
Anxious, I hurry out from behind the counter and head to Room 104.
Knock knock knock.*
With a light knock, not waiting for a response that won’t come, I enter the room.
As expected, the Doll Lady, who should be by the bed, is gone.
Did a thief steal the doll and mock me over the intercom?
Or… is the doll actually moving on its own?
‘…Something’s off.’
Unable to make sense of this eerie situation, the growing sense of unease intensifies.
Then, my eyes catch something on the bed.
‘What’s that?’
Approaching closer, I see a single black anemone flower on the bed,
Along with two gold coins that look expensive at a glance.
‘Wait… no way…?’
The gold coins on the bed, the missing doll, and the intercom call about an early checkout—
It all starts to click together.
According to my flawless deduction, this situation points to one thing:
‘The doll’s owner came and took her!’
The mysterious high-class client who left the Doll Lady here retrieved her for ‘some reason.’
Sure, the sudden retrieval might seem odd,
But thinking it through step by step, it’s perfectly logical.
First, the gold coins and flower on the bed.
Only someone from high society could afford to leave such expensive-looking coins as payment for a motel stay.
Plus, the fact that they used the intercom to notify me of the early checkout.
A thief stealing something valuable wouldn’t bother calling the manager, right?
‘Yeah, what kind of thief has such a beautiful voice…?’
—That’s just my personal bias talking, so let’s move on.
Next question: why didn’t they come through the front entrance and instead snuck into the room to take the doll?
That’s easy to answer too.
‘Why would a high-class person want to reveal their identity to an ordinary motel manager like me?’
As seen in movies, it’s only natural for high-society types to avoid disclosing their identity.
Especially someone with such peculiar tastes would be even more cautious.
So, this high-class client used the intercom to notify me of their checkout and slipped out the window like the wind.
Why the sudden checkout?
No need to dwell on that.
Everyone has their reasons, and it’s not my place to pry.
‘Phew, I got worked up for nothing.’
It’s not like an expensive doll was stolen,
Nor is it some cursed doll like Chucky calling me.
No worries left.
‘Alright, problem solved. Let’s finish reading the manual…’
With light steps, I return to the counter.
“Uh, miss?”
“…Ugh.”
At some point, the Timid Guest had come down to the counter and was waiting for me.
“Is something wrong? Do you need help with—?”
Hurrying back to the counter to assist her,
“Take it—”
“Huh?”
With an even paler hand than before, the Timid Guest slowly hands me the room key.
“Why are you giving this to me now…?”
“Today—I’m done—”
Before I can voice my confusion about the sudden return of the key, she says she’s done and,
With stumbling steps, walks out of the motel.
With two guests who were staying perfectly fine suddenly checking out early,
I stand blankly in the lobby, thinking,
‘Did I… do something wrong?’