Morning sunlight shone into the hotel lobby.
I sat up and yawned.
'...I slept really well.'
Song-i was still asleep.
It had been a long time since she'd slept this deeply too.
Because of those things whispering in our ears every night, neither of us had been able to sleep soundly.
But they hadn't appeared yesterday.
I opened the tent and stepped out, then looked around the lobby.
The puppy that should have been sleeping on the blanket was nowhere to be seen.
"Did it leave...?"
We'd only spent one night together, but I still felt a little disappointed that it had disappeared without even saying goodbye.
'Song-i will be upset when she finds out.'
I let out a small sigh and prepared a simple breakfast.
The yellow scrambled eggs came out nice and fluffy.
"Done."
"Woof!"
Just then, the puppy appeared again.
"So you didn't leave...! Where have you been?"
The puppy stood at the hotel entrance, wagging its tail briskly from side to side.
'Why isn't it coming in?'
I approached the puppy.
As if it had been waiting for me, the puppy nudged an object lying on the ground toward me.
"What's this?"
I picked it up.
'A coin?'
Wet dirt clung to it as though it had just been dug out of the ground.
I gently brushed the dirt away with my fingers, revealing the hidden inscription.
Twenty Hwan
"Twenty won? Hwan...?"
At that moment.
Strange words appeared before my eyes.
【 Goblin Hotel Administrator Authority has been transferred. 】
【 First lodging fee received. 】
【 Loading…… 】
"......!"
【 Loading…… Complete 】
【 Dormant status lifted. 】
【 Automatic Maintenance setting: ON 】
【 Lodging Fee Settlement Details: Korean Empire gold coin, twenty won (Twenty Hwan) 】
【 Condition: Minor scratches 】
【 Estimated value: 120,000,000 won 】
The words appeared in front of me like a hologram, then vanished.
"Am I still half asleep?"
Maybe this was a dream.
"Woof!"
As if telling me it wasn't a dream, the puppy barked sharply at me.
The feel of the coin in my hand was unmistakable.
The rough texture of the dirt and the cold touch of the coin.
"This is really a Korean Empire gold coin?"
I needed to check.
I gently washed the coin with clean water.
As the dirt came away, a golden circle emerged.
No way....
'Is this actually real gold?'
Search.
Let's search it.
With trembling hands, I tapped at my smartphone.
'Korean... Empire... gold coin... 20 won.'
The first thing that caught my eye was a photograph at the top of the screen.
Its shape matched the coin I was holding.
A string of related articles appeared.
<○○ Auction: 150,000,000 won.>
<New York ○○ Auction: 168,000,000 won.>
I found articles about the coins selling for staggering prices.
"My God...! A twenty-won coin is worth over a hundred million won?"
I had no choice but to accept it.
The words that had appeared in midair a moment ago hadn't been a hallucination or a dream.
I hadn't even known Korea had ever issued gold coins.
It wasn't something my crude imagination could have made up.
If this coin really was a Korean Empire gold coin....
Before I knew it, I was looking at the puppy lying on its belly atop the blanket with entirely new eyes.
That was an enormous lodging fee.
Had it known how much this was worth?
While I was distracted by the unexpected income.
Rustle, rustle—
Ssswish.
Small sounds tickled at my ears.
I turned my head and looked around the lobby.
'What is this...?'
Strange things were happening around me.
The hotel was gradually becoming cleaner.
So slowly that it would have been easy not to notice.
The mold stains were fading whiter and whiter.
Layers of accumulated dust were creeping out through the door.
"What kind of magic is this now...?"
Right on cue, words appeared before my eyes and explained what was happening.
【 Automatic Maintenance in progress. 】
【 Lobby cleaning and repairs: 15% in progress… 】
【 Guest room cleaning and repairs: 8% in progress… 】
【 Landscaping maintenance: 12% in progress… 】
The weeds that had overrun the hotel's front yard cut themselves down and fell flat against the ground.
The dusty windows were gradually becoming transparent.
"Ha... ha... ha……."
How could I even describe what I was feeling?
Amazed.
Dumbfounded.
Confused.
Happy.
Countless emotions swept through my chest.
And what remained at the end was—
'I'm looking forward to it.'
The corners of my mouth twitched on their own.
I couldn't stop the little laughs escaping me.
I was looking forward to today and tomorrow here with Song-i.
I was looking forward to one year from now.
Ten years from now.
***
I gave the puppy a boiled egg for breakfast.
It ate every last crumb.
'Looks like its paw doesn't hurt anymore.'
Song-i watched the puppy running around the hotel's front yard and asked,
"Dad, what do you think the doggy's name is?"
"Doggy."
Song-i's lips stuck out in a pout.
"That's not a name."
"Then should we give it one?"
We couldn't keep calling it puppy or doggy forever.
It was a guest who'd paid an extremely generous lodging fee.
I had no idea how long it planned to stay here.
"Yes! I want to name it."
What would be a good name?
Doggy... Doggy... Mongmong?
"Then how about Mongmong?"
"That's weird."
Song-i looked miserable.
"Haha, then... how about Hwanggeum?"
"Hwanggeum?"
"The puppy brought us gold this morning."
"Really?"
I showed Song-i the gleaming gold coin.
"This. What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
Song-i threw both arms into the air and shouted,
"Wow...! Hwanggeum's the best. Hwanggeum found treasure!"
So Song-i liked gold too.
I nodded and smiled with satisfaction.
And just like that, the puppy's name became Hwanggeum.
A name that sounded like it might bring us good fortune with money in the future too.
I looked at Hwanggeum and muttered quietly,
"Sorry. You just look way too Korean to call you Gold...."
***
"Song-i, should we give Hwanggeum a bath first?"
Hwanggeum's fur was uneven, caked in dirt, and covered with grass seeds.
Our VIP guest was this filthy.
Unacceptable.
"Hwanggeum! Come here!"
At Song-i's call, Hwanggeum came running over, its tail spinning like a propeller.
"Got you!"
I picked Hwanggeum up and headed to the bathroom in the manager's quarters on the first floor.
"Dad, I want to soap Hwanggeum up!"
The moment I opened the bathroom door, I couldn't help but marvel.
The black grime and dust that had been lodged between the tiles until yesterday had vanished without a trace.
The mirror was spotless, and the faucet gleamed like new.
Warm water poured from the tap, steaming as it gushed out.
I filled the bathtub, and once the water reached a suitable temperature, I poured some over Hwanggeum's back.
"Whine... whine...."
Song-i held Hwanggeum's body and spoke in a firm voice.
"No. You have to wash properly so you don't catch a cold... and don't get sick."
With her little hands, Song-i rubbed Hwanggeum's fur until it foamed.
White bubbles rose as the scent of shampoo filled the bathroom.
Hwanggeum seemed to get used to it quickly, resting its chin on my palm and narrowing its eyes.
Once we rinsed away the foam, light brown fur emerged beneath it.
FLAP-FLAP-FLAP—!
Before we could even dry it with a towel, Hwanggeum shook its whole body and sprayed water everywhere.
"Eek! Hwanggeum. What was that? Hmph."
Song-i scrunched up her face after getting showered with water.
"Pant... pant...."
Hwanggeum stuck out its tongue and wagged its tail with a refreshed expression.
"Heh heh, looks like Song-i needs a bath now too."
"I don't want to wash...."
"Didn't Song-i just say you have to wash properly so you don't catch a cold?"
"Hmph...."
"After you wash up, let's go buy Hwanggeum some treats and the things it needs."
"Hwanggeum's treats?"
"Yeah. And we'll buy some snacks for Song-i too."
The word snacks made Song-i move at once.
A little while later.
Song-i's round eyes sparkled.
"Dad, let's take Hwanggeum with us too."
"It's too dangerous. Hwanggeum might move around inside the car...."
Song-i asked Hwanggeum,
"Hwanggeum, you'll stay still in the car, right?"
"Woof!"
"Dad, Hwanggeum says it'll stay still. I'll hold it... Can we still not take it?"
Ah... those sparkling eyes were completely unfair.
I saw them every day, yet every time they met mine, all my defenses crumbled.
"Song-i has to keep a close eye on Hwanggeum. Got it?"
"Yes!"
I emptied out a box that had held camping supplies and placed a cushion inside.
Then I secured the box in the back seat so it wouldn't move around.
"You have to stay still. Got it?"
When I placed Hwanggeum inside, it quietly lay down as if it understood me.
'This really is amazing.'
Judging by the way it behaved, it truly seemed to understand what we said.
Song-i had even buckled her own seat belt and was wiggling her shoulders excitedly.
"Go! Dad, let's go!"
"All right, let's go."
As I prepared to leave Goblin Land, my heart began pounding rapidly.
'We'll take care of everything as fast as possible and come straight back.'
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I made the promise to myself.
I had no idea how long I'd been driving when it happened.
We were already quite a distance from the Goblin Hotel.
'Damn it... I'd forgotten about them, even if only for a little while.'
Pure-white eyes with no pupils.
A ghost appeared on the road.
I'd expected we might run into one....
But actually seeing it still sent a chill down my spine.
The moment 'that thing' met my eyes, it began coming closer.
But then.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
'That thing' stopped and looked at Hwanggeum.
Then it vanished in an instant.
As if it were running away.
Hwanggeum barked even louder, looking triumphant.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Dad, I think Hwanggeum is protecting us!"
Had Hwanggeum really driven those things away?
A puppy that brought us a gold coin and chased away lesser spirits.
"You... what exactly are you?"
Hwanggeum looked at me, panting with what almost seemed like a smile.
***
Thanks to Hwanggeum, I reached my destination without any trouble.
I folded the large wrapping cloth I'd brought into a triangle, tied the two ends together like a sling bag, and placed Hwanggeum inside.
It was good enough for temporary use.
"Stay still."
I stroked Hwanggeum, whose head alone poked out of the cloth.
"Dad, do they have Hwanggeum's treats here?"
"No, Dad has something to take care of here. You can wait for a little while, right?"
Song-i nodded and took my hand.
Cheongpa Bookshop, Insa-dong.
After checking the sign, I pulled open the door.
The bell attached to it jingled.
The musty smell of old books rushed into my nose.
Song-i pinched her nose.
"Ugh... it smells."
"Who is it?"
An elderly man with graying hair came out from the back of the shop and asked as he removed his reading glasses.
"Excuse me. Do you offer appraisals?"
The old man glanced at Hwanggeum in my arms, then spoke in a blunt voice.
"Keep a close eye on that puppy. If it runs wild in here, we will have a real problem."
"Yes, I'll keep it under control."
"What do you want appraised?"
I held out the gold coin wrapped in tissue.
"Here. I think it's a Korean Empire gold coin... I'd like to know whether it's genuine."
At the words Korean Empire gold coin, the old man shook his head.
"There are a lot of counterfeits of those.... I do not know what bastards keep making this stuff. Tsk...!"
Even as he declared it was probably fake, the old man put on white gloves and accepted the coin.
Then he put on his magnifying glasses and turned the coin over and over for a long while.
"Hmm...?"
Tilting his head, the old man took out a loupe and examined the coin in detail.
"Well...! Would you look at that."
Then he pulled a notebook from a drawer, opened it, and compared the coin with the notes several times.
The old man lowered the loupe, raised his head, and asked,
"...Where did you get this?"
"I inherited it."
It wasn't a lie.
It was a gold coin I'd received from the puppy who was the first guest at the hotel I'd inherited.
Same difference.
"It is genuine. Well...! There are only a few of these in the country."
The old man was honest.
I'd heard there were plenty of people who would lie and call a genuine item fake.
"How much would you appraise it for?"
"At least 120 million won. If you sell it at auction, you could get 150 million."
'It really was genuine.'
I stroked Hwanggeum's head in my arms, feeling its warmth.
"What are you going to do with it? If you walk into Daehan Auction with something like this, they will welcome you with open arms."
"Would you be able to buy it from me directly, sir?"
The old man's eyebrow twitched.
"Did what I just said go in one ear and out the other? I am telling you, you will get more if you put it up for auction."
It wouldn't do me any good to leave the hotel often.
And taking Hwanggeum in and out of high-end auction houses would be awkward too.
"I have circumstances that make it difficult for me to come into the city often."
The old man gave a dry laugh when he saw me scratching my head with an awkward smile.
"Good grief! You really will not regret selling it here?"
"No. It's fine."
"...I will buy it for 125 million won. How does that sound?"
My heart pounded violently at the enormous sum, but I gave a small smile as though it were nothing.
"Yes."
A few minutes later.
My smartphone vibrated.
[Deposit: 125,000,000 won]
It was a number I couldn't believe even while looking straight at it.
With fingertips trembling faintly, I stroked Hwanggeum and sent it a message through sheer telepathy.
'Hwanggeum, bring me another one. I'll treat you like the VVIP you are.'