Chapter 70: Room 101, Cursed Room – ‘Common Sense Renovating Media’ (4)
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 23
Current Location: Floor 1, Corridor
Sages Advice: 3]
After everyone finished their breakfast, they all gathered in front of Room 101 with determined expressions on their faces.
This was already our fourth attempt.
It was about time to call it a day.
It starts to turn bizarre from the fifth attempt.
While I was somewhat curious as to what that meant, there was no need to risk our lives just to find out.
Everyone must be thinking that it’s best to wrap this up today.
Even Jinchul-hyung kept checking the red capsule in his pocket. He probably thought about popping it if things went sideways.
*
Fourth Attempt
*
– Han Kain
At this point, I was used to starting off by covering my sight with the filter; I came up with a reason to hole up in my room, using course registration as an excuse.
I immediately started searching on the computer, typing in New World Hospital, Lee Hyukjin, and Kim Sangmin.
What on earth happened?
…
Was it about forty minutes later?
I began to grasp the heart-wrenching tragedy behind the curse. The nightmare that painted this entire stage with despair, surprisingly, started from just a small sorrow that could be found anywhere in the world.
I didn’t understand everything, but I think I might have an idea about who the ‘villain’ is.
Everyone must be waiting.
I spent more time than I expected looking for clues about the scenario, and unlike those teleporting people, I planned to take a cab with my family.
It seemed like I would be quite late. Off we go. I’ve got plenty to share.
*
– Lee Eunsol
The information I gathered painted a rough picture. It was more cliché than I had anticipated.
I’m unsure how the world got messed up, but I have a pretty good idea of who did it.
Let’s get going.
I recalled the meeting we had last night about teleportation.
Isn’t it an incredibly unconventional method? For sure, if it works, I can just ignore all the dangers of this annoyingly big house and teleport straight to the broadcasting station.
However, there’s no such thing as a perfect plan. The issue we discovered in the “Teleportation Plan”?
Apparently, after being cursed, “another me” could change the schedule.
To prevent this, I’ve been busy since morning creating a detailed “broadcasting schedule” on my smartphone and informing my secretary and directors.
Just sending a few texts gave me the creeping feeling that the curse was seeping in. Truly diabolical.
I figured this was enough. With updates sent to the secretary, directors, and several others, including family, I’ve officially set the “broadcasting visit schedule.”
This should suffice, right? Now, let’s pray that my future self can get to the broadcasting station without issues.
I opened the door. People approached from the other side.
… I can feel my consciousness fading.
Senior Director!
*
– Cha Jinchul
After gently pushing my mother aside, I told her I had an interview scheduled at the TV station.
Is this enough? After being cursed, wouldn’t I just go to the TV station for the interview?
Just in case, I also sent a text to the dojo master.
I’ve informed several people that I’m going somewhere, so I figured I’d most likely stick to the plan even after getting cursed.
I approached my fake mother.
And my consciousness slowly started to fade.
Jinchul!
*
– Elena
…
It’s dark. I can hardly hear anything.
From the third attempt onward, encountering Songi’s ability to block senses, this was to be expected.
Thanks to that, despite my sister’s touch beside me, my sanity still holds.
Unfortunately, I can’t search for any clues.
Since I started right next to my sister, with no choice but to use Songi’s help, I had to start without my vision—impossible to navigate a computer or my phone.
I opened the wardrobe and began taking out clothes to change.
…
Ugh, this is hard. Changing while blind, relying only on touch? Tougher than expected.
I told my sister I’d soon be leaving for ABS. I couldn’t hear her reply, but I’m usually visiting broadcasting stations anyway! This level of planning should flow naturally.
Slowly, my sight and hearing started to return. Things began to clarify.
I saw my sister munching on something strange.
I felt my consciousness starting to fade.
…
A flash!
I was startled awake, and as I looked around, someone patted my shoulder.
“Are you awake?”
“Grandpa?”
“I’ve been waiting. You got here pretty fast, didn’t you?”
“Have others arrived too?”
“Songee should be making her way here soon. It seems like everyone is pretty much here, judging by the conversation tab.”
“So, we’re just waiting for Kain, Jinchul, and Eunsol!”
“I bet it’s gonna take Kain a while. He’s taking a cab with his sister. As for Eunsol… she might not make it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Check your phone and look at the news. This world is in chaos right now.”
Startled, I fumbled with my smartphone, and a barrage of articles on the top, proclaiming that the Chairman of Daeyang Group died during a human hunt, caught my attention.
… Human hunt?
Well, if that’s true, he got what was coming to him.
Though we hardly share deep topics in front of each other, most of us somewhat knew each other’s identities. I’d even heard that my sister was the daughter of the Chairman of Daeyang Group.
In this situation, she wouldn’t be able to come. Any schedule would likely be canceled.
Thunk!
The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed.
Turning my head towards the sound, I saw Jinchul appearing.
…
Uh oh, this seems like a disaster waiting to happen.
Jinchul didn’t come alone.
Next to him was an older lady—surely the “mother” he often mentioned. Seeing her caused my breath to hitch.
Even Grandpa Mooksung was losing his cool, frantically running his hands through his hair.
“What the hell, you stupid pig! Why’d you bring your mom along?”
What do we do? With her around, Jinchul would never escape the curse’s grasp.
The situation was going from bad to worse.
The mother and son began moving towards the broadcasting station.
What now? At this rate, we’re all going to lose our minds because of her!
“Elena! Stick to the wall! Let’s try to keep our distance from those idiots. Songee should be arriving any minute now. If Songee uses her illusions properly, she should be able to separate them.”
We pressed our backs against the wall of the waiting area.
Soon, Jinchul and his mom stepped in. They looked cozy, chatting about interviews, jobs, and such.
Hang in there! Hang in there! Songee will figure something out.
…
Suddenly, his mom spotted me.
“Oh my! Look! Isn’t that young lady from Non Summit*?”
Oh man. I’ve only been on that show four times, but somehow she recognized me.
In another context, I’d be grateful, but not in a place like this. Not now!
Panicking, she fished out a piece of paper and started toward me.
…
She’s even a fan? How nice of her. Out of so few fans I have, it’s astounding that Jinchul’s mom is one of them.
Thanks, I guess? But right now, I feel like I’m about to lose it!
Pressing myself against the wall, I attempted to shuffle sideways, but there was no escape in this cramped waiting area.
With no option left, I braced for the oncoming fate.
Click!
Suddenly, the cold metallic sound froze everyone in place.
I turned to Grandpa, who now had a gun in his hand. What’s he planning?
“Grandpa! Who are you trying to shoot?”
“Sorry, but I have to kill that dumb pig’s mom.”
“What if Jinchul freaks out? He’s probably thinking of her as his real mom right now!”
“I’ll just hold on a bit longer. If I do shoot, only we’ll be around Jinchul, so he’ll snap out of it soon. I just need a few seconds.”
Grandpa’s face turned stone-like.
Even with a gun in hand, holding off someone who could smash concrete walls felt pretty much impossible.
“Grandpa, wouldn’t it be better to shoot Jinchul instead?”
From repeated experiences, we had learned—separate from his insane strength, Jinchul’s resilience wasn’t enough to shrug off a bullet.
“Even if we take him out, it would make things harder. We need to keep him alive for as long as possible to wake up.”
…
Grandpa aimed at the mom.
Upon seeing the gun, she, who had been approaching me, suddenly cartwheeled out of the way.
BANG!
Blood sprayed from her shoulder.
…
“UAAAAAAHHHH!”
Jinchul’s roar shook the entire first floor of the TV Station.
Ah, we are really in trouble now.
*
– Cha Jinchul
Is this a dream? A nightmare?
Today was supposed to mark the start of a new life—an interview. My mom insisted on accompanying me for support. I urged her repeatedly not to, but she wouldn’t have it, so I eventually told her to enjoy lunch while I wrapped up the interview.
We entered the TV Station, heading toward the lobby.
There were a couple of people inside, but for some reason, they looked pressed against the wall, and I couldn’t really see their faces, so I let it go.
“Oh my! Look! Isn’t that lady from Non Summit?”
“Huh? Who are you talking about?”
“That lady! Oh wow! I need to get her autograph!”
Just as my mom hastily walked toward the lady…
A big old dude in a suit stepped up. There was a gun in his hand.
What the—
Before I could react, blood splattered from my mother’s shoulder.
…
Rage surged through me like a tidal wave.
I kicked off the ground with all my might and lunged at the old man. Hearing my sudden approach, curse words escaped his lips as I covered a distance of 10 meters in a heartbeat.
The gun swung toward me in an instant.
A chill crawled down my spine. Was this how it all ends?
“Stupid pig! Just wake up already!”
The old man shouted something incomprehensible as he lowered the gun.
My fist, filled with all my strength, aimed for the old man, who readied himself to deflect my punch.
Or rather, he tried.
Pathetic attempt. With that little strength, there was no way he could redirect my fist.
Even so, in an almost miraculous feat, he twisted his head just enough to send my fist crashing into the wall.
THWACK!!!
The sound of a hammer crashing into the wall echoed as a large chunk of the TV station’s lobby wall crumbled.
At that moment, the old man, seemingly giving up, lifted his gun again, but—
I wasn’t giving him a second chance.
Swiftly, I kicked him, making him drop the gun. One kick shattered one of his legs as he fell groaning on the ground.
Got it! Now I can just take my mom to the hospital and—
Click!
Another gunshot sound rang in the air. Startled, I glanced up.
At the end of my line of sight was the foreigner, the one Mom said was on Non Summit.
I nearly lost my mind for a second.
She was unbelievably gorgeous. Was she a celebrity? Still, what mattered was that she held a gun in her hands, having snatched it up during the scuffle.
She aimed the gun at my mom.
What on earth is going on today? Why are these crazy people trying to kill my mom?!
BANG! BANG!
All her shots missed.
Unlike the old man, this lady seemed hopelessly bad at shooting. Her bullets went way off target.
But that still meant I should disarm her.
However, I paused.
The lady was crying.
A strange sensation crawled over me. Why did it feel like I was the one doing something horridly wrong? My mom and I were the victims in this mess!
BANG!
The bullet zipped past me instead of striking my mom.
She was really terrible at shooting; still, being hit by a stray bullet to the face is no picnic.
Pushing off the ground again, I soared forward to snatch the gun away—but just then, someone else entered the TV Station. A schoolgirl? Dressed in a uniform.
Her arm suddenly glimmered, an extraordinary light washing over my vision.
The moment I felt that overwhelming sensation wrap around me, everything around me vanished.
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