Chapter 3: Cleaning Room 305

As the saying goes, one trouble after another.

Even though I answered her question, the first meeting ended awkwardly due to my overwhelming compliment.

On top of that, I sent her to Room 305, which the manual explicitly said is under repair or cleaning and shouldn’t be assigned.

How am I supposed to recover after tanking her affection so badly in our first encounter?

Moreover, unlike the earlier instructions—

“Wear the eye mask” or “Don’t give the answer the guest wants,” which provided clear ways to handle the situation—

The line “Never let her enter Room 305” had no follow-up guidance.

The only hint was a warning not to go to that floor, but…

Either way, it seems I can’t avoid her affection dropping further.

‘Too bad, but what can I do? I’ll just do better next time…’

…No, wait.

Why should I wait for “next time” to do better?

No other guests will come for a while, and I’ve got two hours of downtime.

Since the previous owner seems to have neglected Room 305’s cleaning, why not go up now, swap her room, and clean it?

‘Yeah, that makes sense.’

After two consecutive affection drops, sitting around won’t fix anything.

I need to take action to resolve this.

Sure, the manual said not to go to that floor, but it’s probably not a big deal.

Before heading to the third floor, I open the manager’s manual to find cleaning tools.

3. Cleaning and Facility Management

└Cleaning tools and spare bedding for rooms are located in the storage closet next to the elevator on each floor.

└Open the cleaning toolbox to gather a broom, dustpan, cloth, and mop to thoroughly clean the room.

└We recommend rinsing the cloth and mop with water before use.

└If the toolbox contains anything that could be considered a weapon, such as an awl, return to the counter immediately and broadcast: “Due to a restroom issue outside the rooms, lobby access may be inconvenient, so please avoid coming to the lobby.”

└Then, place a “Under Repair” sign on the lobby restroom door, enter the last stall, lock the door, and wait 15 minutes.

3-2

└Bedding quantities are fixed for each room.

└Each room must have exactly two blankets and two pillows.

└We emphasize: Each room must have exactly two blankets and two pillows, with no exceptions.

└However, Room 203 is an exception. Place five blankets in that room.

└However, Room 203 is an exception. Place five blankets in that room.

‘Hmm, this is complicated.’

As expected of a manager’s manual, there’s a lot to memorize.

But for now, the other details don’t seem urgent.

I quickly review the cleaning tool section, leave the counter, and take the elevator to the third floor.

Beep—

I press the third-floor button, and the elevator smoothly ascends.

—Third floor.

—Doors opening.

As the short announcement plays and the doors open, I can’t help but hold my breath.

‘Ugh? What the…?’

A foul, nauseating stench fills the dark hallway.

It’s the smell of something rotting, left neglected inside a room for far too long.

‘God, how long has it been since this place was cleaned…?!’

Did the previous owner even care about running this motel properly?

How lazy and pathetic do you have to be to let an entire floor of a small motel get this bad?

And to think they wrote “never go up there” in the manual to scare people off?

And I, in my haste, sent a guest to this floor without checking, just because it was awkward?

‘Insane. The previous owner and I are both lunatics.’

I berate myself again.

Stepping out of the elevator, I enter the storage closet next to it, where I find the cleaning toolbox and neatly packed, dry bedding as described in the manual.

‘Let’s grab the cleaning tools first.’

Bedding can wait; cleaning the neglected room comes first.

I open the toolbox as instructed and gather the neatly arranged cleaning tools.

‘Mop’s here… cloth and dustpan too… huh? What’s this?’

While collecting the tools listed in the manual, I spot a sharp kitchen knife lying at the bottom of the toolbox.

‘Who leaves a dangerous thing like this in a cleaning toolbox?’

No doubt it was that previous owner, saved as “Motel Owner.”

I’m not even surprised anymore.

‘Wait, didn’t the manual say something about what to do if there’s a weapon in the toolbox?’

A faint memory of a red-highlighted line in the manual flickers in my mind.

Hmm.

I try hard to recall, but it doesn’t come to me, so it probably wasn’t that important.

Pushing aside the vague memory, I grab the knife and hurry to Room 305.

‘I can’t let a guest stay in a place this foul.’

Arriving at Room 305 after crossing the long hallway, the putrid stench grows even stronger, stinging my nose.

It’s bad enough to make anyone gag and run.

How could something rotting be left this long?

I can’t stop thinking the previous owner was beyond lazy—utterly incompetent as a motel manager.

Knock knock knock.

“Ahem, anyone there?”

No response.

“I’m the motel manager. May I have a moment?”

Standing in front of Room 305, I call out again and raise my hand to knock once more.

Creak…

“…”

The cute guest with bangs covering her face slowly opens the door and peeks out.

“Oh, hello? Haha…”

“…”

I try to lighten the mood with a bright smile, but it’s no use.

Yeah, who am I kidding trying to break the ice?

Let’s just get to the point and clean.

“I think I gave you the wrong room key. If it’s alright, I can give you a key to another room so you can move there.”

“…”

Silence persists.

Even my offer to change rooms gets no response.

I’d understand if she’s too annoyed to reply.

If I were her, stuck in this filthy room with a manager who doesn’t even clean and just tosses out keys, would I respond kindly to “I’ll clean now, please leave”?

“If you like this room, I can clean it and give you the key back if you step out for just a bit—”

Even if it’s not about raising her affection, cleaning is necessary, so I try to plead again.

Grab!!

“Come… in?”

With a cold, bloodless voice, her pale hand shoots out and grips my wrist.

“—You’re. Really. Coming. In?”

“Yes, but could you let go of my hand fir—?!”

“Don’t. Try. To. Escape.”

Clank.

Clank.

“Don’t. Abandon. Me. And. Run.”

One hand roughly holds the chain locking the door, while the other refuses to let go of my wrist.

From her inescapable grip, I feel it.

The vivid emotion radiating from her thin, pale hand.

It’s—

‘She’s really angry…!!’

Anger.

The fury of a guest assigned the wrong room.

Maybe because I empathize with her anger, I can’t resist her pull and step into the room.

And in the next moment, I’m faced with—

“…What is this?”

The horrific state of Room 305.

The inside of Room 305 is a disaster.

Blankets and beds stained with bodily fluids, no longer white.

A shattered drawer and wooden wardrobe, broken from some violent impact.

A pillow completely flattened, its fluff gone.

A bathroom reeking of rot and decay.

And rusty chains and ropes tied to the bedposts, their purpose unimaginable.

‘Why hasn’t this place been cleaned up?!’

Curses for the previous manager rise to my throat, but I swallow them.

Cussing out someone who’s already gone changes nothing.

As I suppress my frustration, a clear voice comes from behind.

“You. Came. In?”

Squelch.

“…”

Squelch.

“You. Came. In.”

The sound of stepping on something sticky accompanies her voice as it draws closer.

“…One moment.”

Dizzy from the sight and situation, I make a decision.

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

“You. Came—!?”

Flash.

1. Lift the guest.

“Wha—?!”

“I’ll clean up quickly. I’m so sorry.”

2. Apologize, open the door, and set her outside.

Bang!!

“Wha—??”

Finally, grab the cleaning tools and close the door again.

Alright, Room 305.

Time to clean.