Chapter: 49
Chapter 49 – Intermission, Happy Interrogation Time
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 19
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Advisor’s Note: 2]
Hah… hah…
I woke up feeling dizzy.
What on earth just happened? I met the ‘Lord.’ The hotel’s announcement had twisted. Was it like during the Animal Farm? No, it’s different.
The changes in Animal Farm felt like the Hotel was simply renaming itself since we were moving on to ‘Phase 2’.
This time, it felt almost as if it had been ‘hacked.’ This was clearly a first.
What exactly did I witness? The heavenly throne. The ruler of the world.
And – the golden light seeped into me. Light. Light. Light.
A storm of light raged in my head. Holding my head with both hands, I trembled.
That was when someone took my hand.
“I don’t know what happened, but for now, don’t think about anything.”
“Ari… you made it out.”
“You can’t even imagine the trouble I went through, right? I was gonna smack you again as soon as I got out, but seeing your state, I guess I’ll let that go.”
Another person grabbed my hand as well. An invigorating sensation washed over me, like pulling my head out of icy water, and the headache began to dull.
“Oh my, how did you do that? Is it a function of the bracelet?”
“Ahri, what are you going to do now that you know?” Songee asked, her voice frosty as she released my hand.
“Thanks, Songee. But I’m curious too. What did you do to me?”
“It’s not much. Let’s just say your senses were a bit tilted, so I set them straight. I don’t know what it means ‘medically,’ though.”
“I can guarantee you that’s far more amazing than any doctor.”
As the confusion began to ebb, I stood up and looked around. Everyone, including Songee and Ari, watched me with concern in their eyes.
People quietly headed towards Room 105, seemingly aware of my headache.
Even on the way, I suffered through spasmodic headaches and confusion, with Songee repeatedly stabilizing my mind.
Just how long was this going to last?
When we were nearly at Room 105, a thought struck me. Were the others alright? It might seem trivial now, but didn’t everyone else face agonizing deaths too?
“Are you guys okay? Seungyub might be fine since he seemed spaced out, but Jinchul-hyung and Songee, for instance, could’ve fought hard and died!”
“Well, I don’t know. I’m actually more curious about your condition, Kain,” Jinchul-hyung replied.
“What? Are you okay, hyung?”
“Think about everything we’ve been through. Each of those experiences was terrible enough to leave anyone traumatized. Yet here we are, seeming perfectly fine most of the time. I wonder if the Hotel actually automatically heals trauma or PTSD.”
“To be honest, I think similarly to Jinchul. We may not say it, but haven’t you all noticed? Even after dying horrifically to the point of wanting to throw up, it feels like it’s someone else’s experience the moment we exit the hotel room. It’s like we’re merely reading text from a book.
Of course, it’s not a pleasant memory, and I’d rather not recall it, but I’ve never had symptoms as severe as yours before, Kain.”
“I have a bit of a theory…”
It was Ahri who spoke up.
Not surprising. The only people I’d expect to respond to these “supernatural events” would be Ahri or Grandpa Mooksung.
“The Administration has spoken with survivors from the Hotel several times. They’ve all told similar accounts, like those of Jinchul-oppa and Eunsol-unni: ‘No matter how dreadful the experience, once you leave, it’s just a jumble of letters in your mind with no trauma or lasting emotional scars left.’
After all, even if limbs are severed or organs are pulverized, the hotel sends doctors for treatment, and it resurrects us from cursed rooms, so I’d say it likely heals our mental injuries too.”
“So, Kain-oppa, your current pain isn’t due to trauma from the Hotel.”
“Then what is the cause?”
“You probably have a guess already, right? I’ll be frank. I can feel a disturbingly potent power surging inside you. What exactly did you gain?”
I gained something. That appeared to be the source of this seizure.
‘I have beamed light upon you.’ The moment I heard those words, light began to flood into me.
“Alright, enough of this. Let’s pause here. It looks like Kain doesn’t even know what’s going on, and we’re not likely to get any solid answers by pressing him right now. It’s almost dinner time, so how about we munch on something while we talk?”
“Unni is right. Also, we need to establish the order. Isn’t there someone who should answer before Kain-oppa?”
Songee’s statement thickened the air with tension. Ever since Animal Farm, she had always seemed wary of Ari, and now I was having similar thoughts. I had been wanting to avoid potential conflict in the Hotel due to the repeated trials we faced, but this was the limit. Hiding information now would only break our trust.
Naturally, six pairs of eyes turned towards Ari and Grandpa Mooksung.
It felt like a 2-to-6 showdown. The atmosphere was tense.
“Puhut. What’s with this vibe? I was already planning to lay everything bare today, so drop the intimidating looks! How about we step inside and grab a bite first?”
“Right. Let’s eat something first. We’re not trying to fight here, right? It’s just about sharing what needs to be shared. Let’s go in.”
Fortunately, Eunsol-noona’s interjection eased the tension.
*
Eunsol felt like the Hotel always soothed the participants’ grievances with food.
Even after badmouthing the Hotel 30 times a day, all complaints vanished by mealtime. How could every single dish taste so good?
The hotel meals varied between a mix of everyone’s favorite foods and cohesive themes. Tonight’s dinner happened to be a barbecue theme. Massive grills sizzled with various types of meat cooking, which turned and cooked themselves, leaving us only to eat our fill.
Plus, after weeks of living in the hotel, we developed some tricks.
For instance, the clever use of the “shy staff.”
Initially, when food or drink ran out, we’d awkwardly excuse ourselves and leave together. At some point, we realized there was no need for that discomfort. All we needed to do was remove ourselves from everyone’s “line of sight.” If someone wanted a refill on drinks or dishes, just tilt the cup or plate subtly beneath the table and bring it back up.
After indulging in the perfectly pink, medium-rare lamb chops served with mint jelly, I couldn’t help but marvel at the taste.
Born as the Daeyang Group’s daughter, I thought I had experienced all the world’s culinary delights, yet the food served here was on an entirely different level.
Thanks to that, the tension in the room eased. It felt wonderful. I knew that I would eventually have to have an open-hearted conversation with the two agents from the Calamity Administration Bureau.
However, ‘conversing’ couldn’t lead to a fiasco. The hotel is far too dangerous.
Our division alone was a serious issue, and on top of that, the two agents were beings with unknown capabilities. We had to find some way to avoid conflict.
It seemed like now was the time. Great food makes for happy hearts—when the conversation gets tough, it’s easier to handle over a good meal, right?
“Alright! Everyone seems to have satisfied their hunger, so how about we share the curiosities we have about each other?”
As if waiting for the cue, Ahri set down her spoon.
“Hmm. Is it finally time for the interrogation with Grandpa and me?”
“Interrogation? Let’s avoid that term. We’re not running around picking ministers here; it’s merely about emptying our hearts a bit.”
“Sounds good.”
And so, the interrogation commenced.
*
Ahri was the first to speak.
“First off, it would be better if I summarize things myself. After that, you can all ask your questions. I’m guessing you have three main inquiries, right? 1. Who am I? 2. What is my purpose? 3. What powers do I possess?”
“First, I was born in the Hotel.”
…
Everyone went speechless from that bombshell.
“My mother was chosen by the Hotel a long time ago and gave birth to me here. No need for weird assumptions; she absolutely wanted to give birth. Growing up, I gained several powers, escaped, but then came back.”
“Why would you return to this ridiculous place?” This leads to my second answer. I want to free my mom from the Hotel. If possible, I wish for her resurrection; if that’s not feasible, then at the very least, I want to liberate her from her pain—grant her peace.
“As for the third point, you most likely have an idea about what my ‘Blessing’ is, right? I don’t think anyone here is unfamiliar with hypnosis. It has various mental effects, and a stronger manifestation requires my blood. We even have someone here who’s drunk my blood twice already.”
“So, I’ve laid it out there. Any questions?”
“I get the first and second; I wish you strength and hope you can save your mother,” Songee said. “But the third feels a bit under-explained. I clearly remember you ‘flying in’ to grab me by the neck. If I’m not mistaken about the meaning of hypnosis, then I can assure you, ‘flight’ isn’t part of that.”
“Let’s just say I have my own ace up my sleeve.”
“Who gave you the right to decide that?”
“Well then, are you intending to explain everything to me every time you level up your bracelet? After healing Kain earlier, you didn’t mention that at all, did you?”
“Why are you suddenly shifting the topic back to me? I’m not intentionally hiding it; I’m also figuring this stuff out in real-time while using the bracelet!”
“First of all, why should I disclose all my capabilities to you? Have I been consciously threatening you all this while?”
——-Bang!
“Wait a second! Songee, Ari, both of you, be quiet! We’re not here to fight; this is a conversation for us to share what we need to talk about to build trust. That’s the purpose here!
Everyone, please don’t forget: this Hotel is hell, and we’re all eight sailors on the same boat. It’s tough as is to survive together in this hell, so what are we aiming to gain by battling with each other?”
Silence descended upon the dining table following Eunsol’s shout.
“Ahem. Awkward vibes here. First off, I apologize for Ahri’s rough tone; she didn’t mean any offense. I hope you understand: Ahri isn’t hiding anything out of malice.”
“Our Administration, understandably, has many secrets, which includes the abilities of our agents.
If it’s hard to trust us, then please trust the Administration. At least we’ve significantly contributed to calming the chaos since the Great Calamity.”
“I’d like to add something too,” Jinchul spoke up. “In the grand scheme of things, I understand where Eunsol-noona is coming from. We definitely cannot fight in here. However, the more secrets we have from each other, the harder it becomes to build trust. Grandpa Mooksung, it’s about time you shared a bit too.”
“Alright. I’m on board with that. Like Ahri, I’ll walk through who I am, what my goal is, and what powers I possess.”
“I wasn’t born in the Hotel like Ahri. I was just a normal person living life until I happened to join the Administration.”
“My goal is straightforward as well. I’m acting on the orders of the Administration. I don’t possess any personal motives like Ahri; my goal aligns directly with the Administration’s goals and purpose.”
“The Administration discovered that the Hotel holds a ‘power to stabilize reality.’ I don’t know whether it’s an Inheritance or a Blessing, but my goal is to somehow obtain that.”
“A power to stabilize reality? What on earth is that?”
“I already said I don’t know. This isn’t about hiding from you; the Administration doesn’t have that information either. Just that there was a prophecy stating it would be incredibly valuable to us,”
“Somehow, it feels like we’re learning more of what we don’t know as you talk more.”
“And regarding my abilities, let me be honest. I have none. Except for the communication tab you all know about.”
In contrast to Ahri’s response, everyone nodded in understanding. Eunsol chimed in.
“Honestly, I had a feeling it’d be something like that. In this ‘School’ while working alongside you, I often observed you.”
“You were stalking me? How disgraceful!”
“Especially on that last day, I noticed that you just dropped dead the moment the enemy appeared with a gun pointing at us, and I thought one word: Ah, this man has got nothing.”
“That’s a little depressing, isn’t it? You’re implying that the reason you trust me is that I’m incompetent?”
“Can you stop contorting my words?”
“If I were to defend myself… wait, that’s odd! I feel like I’m having to justify my incompetence! Anyway, let me put it this way: it’s actually quite rare for someone in the Administration to have special abilities like Ahri. Most of us are simply ordinary individuals with suitable training.”
“By the way, I’ve had something I’ve been meaning to express all this time.”
“Seungyub, go ahead.”
“Kain-hyung looks strange.”
The gazes that had been focused on Ahri and Mooksung since the flood of information suddenly shifted towards Kain.
At the end of their gazes was a boy radiating a soft, ambient light from his entire being.
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