125 million won.
'The old man... was loaded with cash.'
I'd wanted to sell it as quickly as possible, but having the money deposited immediately still left me dazed.
"What, regretting it now?"
"No."
The old man handed me his business card and said,
"It does not seem likely that gold coin was the only thing you inherited. If you have anything else to sort out, come see me again."
"Yes. I understand."
I wondered whether I'd ever get that lucky again.
But this wasn't an ordinary hotel.
The moment I stepped out of Cheongpa Bookshop, I could no longer keep my lips from twitching.
"Pfft...!"
Laughter kept slipping out.
Song-i tilted her head as she watched me.
"Dad, what's wrong?"
I must have looked strange to her.
I rubbed a hand over my mouth and said,
"Song-i, Dad will buy you anything delicious you want today. What do you want to eat?"
"Strawberry cake!"
She answered immediately without even thinking.
"All right. Let's do that."
I took Song-i and Hwanggeum to the supermarket.
Every now and then, 'those things' showed themselves along the way....
"Woof! Woof woof!"
And with Hwanggeum's barking, they disappeared again.
I had no idea what was going on.
But I was even less hesitant about buying things for Hwanggeum now.
'Just for today, let's spend without holding back.'
I filled the cart with Song-i's favorite snacks, fruit, meat, and vegetables.
Then came premium dog food and treats for Hwanggeum, a soft cushion, a collar, and more.
I piled the cart until it was overflowing.
I even added a strawberry cake for Song-i.
And the entire time, I never looked at a single price tag.
On the way back to the hotel.
As I drove, I thought about how I should run the hotel from now on.
'Goblin Land really does exist...!'
I'd heard the old saying that living on Goblin Land could make you rich.
But making this much money....
It still didn't feel real.
Then something suddenly came to mind.
"They also say that if you get on a goblin's bad side, you'll go bankrupt instead...."
A chill suddenly ran down my spine, and my hair stood on end.
No.
Absolutely not.
The Goblin Hotel was Song-i's and my precious home.
I changed direction and headed for the market.
I held Song-i's hand with one hand and carried Hwanggeum in the other.
I'd bought a harness and collar at the supermarket, but Hwanggeum refused to wear them, so I hadn't forced it.
A VIP guest had refused.
It wouldn't be proper to force the matter.
Especially if that VIP might be the reason Song-i could live in peace.
"Dad, why did we come here?"
"I want to buy some snacks for the goblin... but I don't know if they sell any."
"The goblin?"
I leaned close to Song-i's ear and whispered,
"Our hotel is the Goblin Hotel, remember? There might really be a goblin there...!"
Song-i's eyes widened.
Then she whispered back,
"Really?"
"It's our secret. Got it?"
Song-i pressed her lips tightly together and nodded as if making a solemn promise.
"Ma'am, do you happen to have buckwheat jelly?"
"This is buckwheat jelly. These here are acorn jelly and mung bean jelly. They are all good."
"Three blocks of buckwheat jelly, please."
"Looks like you are treating someone. Try this too."
The elderly vendor generously added a block of mung bean jelly for free.
"Thank you."
Now I'd even prepared buckwheat jelly to offer to the owner of the land.
Everything was perfect.
I followed the winding mountain road and entered the hotel grounds.
"Huh...?"
Then I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
In just a few hours, the hotel's exterior had changed.
The weeds that had been lying across the yard were completely cleared away, and the rusted iron gate and sign gleamed like new.
【 Automatic Maintenance in progress. 】
【 Lobby cleaning and repairs: 98% in progress… 】
【 Guest room cleaning and repairs: 92% in progress… 】
【 Landscaping maintenance: 100% complete 】
Song-i pressed her cheek against the car window and shouted,
"Dad! Our house got prettier!"
Our house.
The safest and coziest refuge in the world, the Goblin Hotel.
This place was our home now.
***
I neatly put away all the groceries we'd brought.
We had enough food to last a comfortable two weeks without worrying.
Grrrrr—
I'd only had a few snacks for lunch, so I was hungry.
"Song-i, you're hungry, right? Just wait a little. Dad will make you something."
"Can I go outside and play with Hwanggeum?"
"Don't go far. Stay in the front yard. Got it?"
Song-i nodded and called Hwanggeum.
"Hwanggeum, let's play!"
After sending Song-i outside, I looked over the ingredients.
'Something as quick as possible.'
After a brief thought, I put strips of dried pollock into water to soak.
While they softened, I beat some eggs.
SSSSIZZLE—
I oiled a frying pan and spread a thin layer of beaten egg across it.
When little bubbles began to rise, I folded the egg sheet over at even intervals.
Pour, fold. Pour, fold.
A giant rolled omelet was complete.
"Song-i will love this."
I smiled with satisfaction and set a pot of water on the stove.
After rinsing the dried pollock strips several times under running water, I dropped them into the boiling water.
Bubble, bubble.
Once it had simmered enough, I scooped out about half of the dried pollock.
"This is for our VIP guest."
I poured beaten egg into the pale, bubbling pollock broth.
A sprinkle of chopped green onion, a few shakes of salt.
And just like that, the savory dried pollock soup was done.
"Ah...! I forgot to make rice."
Only when I started setting the table did I realize there was no rice.
How could I do that?
'I wanted to give her a proper meal....'
Disappointed, I heated up some instant rice instead.
"Song-i! Time to eat!"
Hearing me call loudly, Song-i and Hwanggeum came running inside.
"Pant... pant... pant... pant...!"
At the smell of food, Hwanggeum's tail spun rapidly in circles.
I held out the premium dog food.
"Eat this first. Then you get the special dish."
"Woof!"
Hwanggeum barked while staring toward the dried pollock, but I didn't budge.
"No. This first."
CRUNCH— CRUNCH—
Hwanggeum chewed the kibble with its face scrunched up in displeasure.
Song-i returned after washing her hands and threw both arms into the air when she saw the rolled omelet.
"Wow! A giant rolled omelet!"
I put one piece of omelet into Song-i's mouth, filling her little mouth completely.
"Mmmmm...! It's delicious!"
Hwanggeum, having already finished its food, barked.
"Woof!"
(Bring out the special dish at once!)
"Your special dish, dear guest."
The moment I set out the dried pollock, Hwanggeum jumped up and down in excitement.
Hwanggeum's tail spun in circles.
And Song-i's twin ponytails fluttered from side to side.
***
Starting today, we decided to use the room on the left side of the lobby as our living space.
Song-i and Hwanggeum were rolling around together on the living-room floor.
I was watching them with a satisfied smile when words appeared before my eyes.
【 Automatic Maintenance complete. 】
【 Lobby cleaning and repairs: 100% complete 】
【 Guest room cleaning and repairs: 100% complete 】
【 Landscaping maintenance: 100% complete 】
Every item on the hotel's Automatic Maintenance list had reached 100%.
"It even cleans and repairs itself automatically. This place really is amazing."
As I marveled at the hotel's mysterious system, another message appeared before my eyes.
【 Automatic Maintenance: OFF 】
"Huh? It turned off...? Does it shut down automatically once everything reaches 100%?"
Then when would it turn on again?
Could I switch it on myself?
"Automatic Maintenance, turn on."
"Automatic Maintenance. ON."
"Status window!"
"System!"
I tried everything that came to mind, but there was no response.
I heard Song-i whisper to Hwanggeum.
"...Hwanggeum, Dad's acting weird."
"Woof!"
Did it perform maintenance automatically once a day?
It was only our second day here.
There was still so much I needed to learn about this hotel.
***
I had been trying to figure out the hotel for quite a while when Song-i, who had been drawing in a sketchbook, came over carrying it.
"Dad! Do you think the goblin will like this?"
Her crayon drawing showed a cute goblin.
It had round eyes and a round face.
'So this is what a goblin looks like in Song-i's imagination.'
<Hello, Goblin. Let's be good friends.>
There was a short letter written beneath the picture too.
"I think the goblin will like it. Should we leave it with the buckwheat jelly?"
"Yes!"
I wondered where we should leave the buckwheat jelly and decided on a spot beside the fireplace.
I folded Song-i's picture-letter in half and propped it up next to the buckwheat jelly.
There was a custom of giving rice cakes to neighbors when you moved into a new home.
But we couldn't exactly give a goblin red-bean steamed rice cake.
"Please look after us from now on."
How much time passed after that?
"Rrrumble-"
"Pheeeeew-"
Woo-jin, Song-i, and Hwanggeum were fast asleep in the room.
WHOOSH—
A blue ball of fire suddenly appeared in midair beside the fireplace.
It drifted toward the buckwheat jelly, then pulled away.
Then it approached again and backed off, repeating the motion several times.
FSSSS—
A moment later, the blue flame went out, and wisps of smoke rose and took on a human shape.
The smoke soon transformed into a blue-skinned goblin with horns and a face full of mischief.
The goblin picked up one block of buckwheat jelly.
Munch, munch. Smack, smack—
The buckwheat jelly vanished in an instant.
It had been a very long time since the goblin had eaten buckwheat jelly this delicious.
The goblin found the newly moved-in Mr. Kim quite to its liking.
"Hmm...?"
The goblin's gaze shifted toward the drawing beside it.
<Hello, Goblin. Let's be good friends.>
The corners of the goblin's mouth twitched as it looked at the crooked handwriting and drawing.
Then it folded the picture-letter and slipped it inside the front of its clothes.
The goblin transformed into a blue ball of fire.
WHOOSH—
It flared brightly and vanished.
On the plate where the buckwheat jelly had been,
a gift from the goblin remained.
***
Early the next morning.
Maybe because I'd slept so well, I woke up early.
I opened the front door and stretched as I breathed in the dawn air.
'The air really is refreshing in the middle of the forest.'
Then I noticed that the buckwheat jelly I'd left on the plate was gone.
And it wasn't the only thing missing.
Song-i's picture-letter had disappeared too.
"...Is there really a goblin here?"
I rubbed my eyes and checked again, but the plate was empty.
There was no way Hwanggeum had eaten it... right?
There was no chance picky Hwanggeum would eat buckwheat jelly.
"Hm...?"
Looking more closely, the plate wasn't empty after all.
There was a lump gleaming yellow.
The moment I picked it up, a message appeared before my eyes.
【 Service Fee settled. 】
【 Service Fee Settlement Details: Gold Beads x 3, Tree-Hollow Honey 】
【 Estimated value: Gold Bead - 1,600,000 won 】
Yesterday I'd gotten a gold coin, and this time it was gold beads.
Three blocks of buckwheat jelly had earned me 4.8 million won in return.
Would I keep receiving rewards if I offered buckwheat jelly from now on?
'Going down to the market every time would be a pain... I should learn how to make buckwheat jelly.'
This time, I picked up the small earthenware jar beside the gold beads.
【 Estimated value: Tree-Hollow Honey - Cannot be converted. Instantly restores vitality. 】
A rich forest fragrance, completely unlike ordinary commercial honey, spread through the entire lobby.
Song-i, awakened by the smell, approached while sniffing the air.
"Dad, something smells really good!"
"You're up early."
"Hwanggeum woke me up."
I put a spoonful of honey into Song-i's half-asleep mouth.
Her cheeks flushed peach-red, and healthy color returned to her fair face.
'So that's why its value couldn't be converted...!'
"Wow...! It's delicious. Give me more!"
"Song-i, this is... um... medicine for days when you're really, really tired or sick."
"It's medicine?"
"Yeah. How do you feel after eating it? You feel stronger, right?"
"Huh...? You're right! I feel full of energy!"
"Exactly. So let's save it and only eat it when we really need it, okay?"
I wanted to give her as much as she wanted too.
But the earthenware jar was small.
Really, extremely small.
Suppressing my disappointment, I licked the empty spoon Song-i had used.
The subtle fragrance of the Tree-Hollow Honey melted across the tip of my tongue.
'Maybe just one spoonful for me...?'
I was still debating when—
BANG, BANG, BANG!
The sound of someone pounding on the hotel's iron gate echoed loudly.
"Please save me! Please, open the gate!"
A desperate woman's voice.
A scream-laced cry shattered the peaceful dawn air.