### Chapter 311 – Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (33)
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[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)]
Date: Day 135
Current Location: Level 2, Room 204 – Mission Room, ‘Hotel Cinema’
Sage’s Advice: 0
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– Han Kain
When did it start? The control of my body returned to me.
Thanks to that, beads of cold sweat began to trickle down as Doh In-ho’s face got closer.
He seemed amused by my nervousness and smiled slyly as he said, “Relax. Your story has already ended, hasn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
Thinking back, he was right.
The process of the ‘scary story’ is pretty straightforward. When the storytellers start narrating, we get possessed by that content.
Then, if we resolve it, the storyteller wraps things up. Lastly, the writer checks for narrative consistency, and if all’s good, we pass.
By that protocol, my story was already over. Right now, the writer was just confirming some odd parts in the narrative, so there was no need for me to step into the story again.
…
So, what’s the purpose of this procedure then? It was as if Doh In-ho read my mind when he replied.
“As you said, you and the hotel companions are busy surviving day by day in this treacherous hotel, right? You probably haven’t had the leisure to ponder the hotel itself. So… I’m here to point out the parts you might have overlooked.”
“Something we overlooked… I’m all ears.”
“From here on, let’s turn off the cameras.”
“Huh?”
— Pfft!
There was a sound resembling something being turned off. At least from my perspective, nothing seemed to be switched off.
… What was turned off was the ‘screen outside.’
Now, the conversation wouldn’t be heard by my companions.
“First question. It seems you and your hotel colleagues remember a different reality?”
“Yeah. The time we were dragged here is different after all. At first, I thought it was just a difference in time zones, but after hearing the stories from two agents, no matter how I think about it, the world I envision is too different.”
“Kim Ahri and Kim Mooksung have lived in a world different from yours. What about the others? You’ve talked about this before, haven’t you?”
“… Sometimes it feels a bit different, and other times I wonder if we just have different memories.”
“A bit different? Specifically, what parts?”
“…”
“Perhaps the names of famous politicians differ or bits of common sense about the world are slightly different? For example, I could imagine Songee having a laser turret in her house.”
“… Did I just say that?”
“Ha, just a guess. Anyway, it seems you all originate from different worlds.”
What a guess!
I couldn’t help but recall how Ahri almost fell into Doh In-ho’s trap earlier. This guy clearly knew about the conversation I had with Songee over coffee that I hadn’t even mentioned.
He definitely knows everything happening inside and outside the hotel like the NPCs!
“Parallel worlds?”
“Parallel worlds? Oh my! That could be one scenario. But…”
With a significant expression, Doh In-ho continued.
“They say the first floor of the hotel is in the sky of Earth, right?”
“There’s no guarantee it’s Earth, though.”
“If you can escape by flying, then it should be considered the sky of Earth, right?”
“… That might be true.”
“Then whose world is the only reality outside the hotel, beyond the front door?”
He’s talking to me.
Many of the hotel companions seem to remember different worlds. Perhaps everyone was pulled from different parallel worlds.
However, outside the hotel, there appears to be ‘one reality.’ Whose reality is that?
Seeing me at a loss for words, the writer looked intrigued.
“It seems Ahri and Mooksung already know the answer. Didn’t the escaped guests from the hotel mention something about an organization called ‘Administration Bureau’?”
“… That was the case.”
“Think about this part. Let’s move on to the second question.”
“Alright.”
“Building on what we just talked about, the people from the Administration Bureau come to the hotel seeking mystical items to save their reality, right?”
“That’s what I’ve heard. Apparently, something big is going down in reality…”
“What do you think that mystical item is?”
“They said they didn’t know either. They came with something like a prophecy.”
“How can they search for something they don’t know? It sounds like a perfect setup to get scammed by the hotel!”
“Scammed?”
“You don’t know what it is, so if the hotel doesn’t give it to you or if they do give you the wrong item, how would you know?”
“Well…”
“What do you think?”
“… I don’t think the hotel would deceive us regarding rewards.”
“The hotel deceives? No. Did the hotel ever promise to provide the guests from the Administration Bureau with items to save the world? They just overheard some strange prophecies outside and came barging in, didn’t they?”
I had no words to counter that. Honestly, the writer was right; the hotel never promised anything to the Administration Bureau.
“Looks like you’re unaware of this issue. Now let’s jump to the last question.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard that all of you can escape when the second floor ends, right?”
“That’s the understanding.”
“Will you stay in that situation?”
“Of course… I’d want to leave?”
“That’s the norm. Even if you could gain a great treasure by breaking through the hotel, facing an endless risk with your life on the line sounds crazy. Besides, if you lose at the hotel, you end up trapped somewhere worse than hell, right?”
“In Ice Hell. It feels like the worst moments of your life repeat over and over.”
“Just hearing that sounds horrible. Besides, you’ve already obtained a great treasure, haven’t you? There’s no need for you to be greedy again. The Grimoire? If used correctly, it doesn’t sound like immortality is just a dream.”
“….”
“You don’t have to think only of taking over someone else’s body to be wicked.”
At that moment, I flinched! I never said that! So, we’re not hiding it anymore!
“If you get a job at the Administration Bureau and show off your abilities, don’t you think they’ll endlessly create clones just for you?”
I fell silent again, having no words left.
“Since Han Kain here has already gained wealth and immortality, it makes sense that he’d want to leave… and the others would feel the same. The strong people have already gained enough to want to leave, and those who haven’t gained much would feel too uncertain to stay.”
That’s a fair point. The strong obviously got their fill, so they’d leave, while the weak wouldn’t have the confidence to go further.
“But there’s another problem. The collapse of the moral obligation to stay at the hotel.”
“The collapse of moral obligation?”
“By now, you’ve already acquired a means to escape, haven’t you?”
“If it’s the protective suit, then yes.”
“And the reason you haven’t attempted to secretly escape is due to that moral obligation, right? If I sneak off with such an important tool, it’s essentially telling everyone else to die.”
“…”
“Excellent! That selfless attitude is admirable. However, all this logic only holds because the protective suit is designed for one person’s escape. After the second floor ends, you all could leave without such issues.”
“That’s correct, I’ve heard.”
“When that time comes, the situation will change. From the perspective of those wanting to leave, won’t the others who remain just be staying because they want to?”
“Exactly.”
“In the case of the protective suit, say Han has it and runs away. If everyone else dies while he’s still in the hotel, he could be responsible for that tragedy.”
“…”
“Escaping after the second floor is entirely different. If the ones left behind choose to stay, then even if they end up dying during their journey, it’s not the responsibility of those who have left.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“Personally, there’s no reason to stay, nor any obligation to stay for a teammate. So most likely, everyone will leave, and only two or three at most will stick around.”
“Maybe the ones from the Administration Bureau will choose to stay.”
“Let’s say that. If everyone has left, then what happens on the third floor? This issue may have arisen before, right? If no one is around to continue, why would the hotel create the third floor?”
A brief silence fell upon the coffee shop.
I had been so busy thinking about the next room that I hadn’t considered what came after the second floor. Perhaps because of that, this entire discussion was throwing up plenty of food for thought.
Doh In-ho’s three questions could be summarized as follows:
First, while all hotel companions come from different realities, there exists only one world outside the hotel. Where will we end up once we escape?
Second, Ahri and Mooksung entered the hotel to gain power to save the world. What is the nature of that power? Is it even in the hotel?
Third, once the second floor ends, everyone will return to reality. Surely most of us will choose to escape. Then, how will the third floor play out, and why was it made in the first place?
I looked around to see what the others were doing. Everyone seemed deep in thought about Doh In-ho’s questions.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Um… Han Kain! Can I share my thoughts?”
I nodded at Park Sumi’s words.
“I’m all ears.”
“I might not grasp the latter half, but I feel I know the answer to the first question.”
“The first question is about what reality we go to once we escape the hotel, right?”
“I’m not really sure about the complexities of reality and parallel worlds. But wouldn’t the important issue for you, Han Kain, be quite clear?”
“An important issue for me?”
“Will your family be in the world you arrive at after escaping? That’s the most important question!”
My breath caught in my throat.
What if I go through all this suffering and reach reality, only to find the place is entirely different from what I knew? Beyond scary monsters, there isn’t even a single family member or friend?
Seeing my expression filled with pity, Park Sumi spoke soothingly, “I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.”
“… What do you mean by that?”
“I’m certain that tragic endings won’t occur. As long as you overcome all the trials, you’ll see the ending you want.”
“….”
“I believe in that.”
I was left speechless. From what I could tell, Park Sumi’s words didn’t seem to be grounded in logic.
Next, Cha Eun-pyo opened his mouth.
“I’ve liked toys since I was a kid, so I guess that’s why? But now that I mention it, it isn’t very relevant anyway. I think I might know the answer to the second question.”
“The second question relates to the treasure the Administration Bureau is seeking to save the world, right?”
“It’s just a vague thought, but that treasure? The power? It doesn’t have to be just one, right?”
“Well… the Bureau itself doesn’t really know anything for sure.”
“What if it’s two treasures?”
“Two?”
“One might already have been given.”
At this point, I felt an unease creeping in. The questions the writer posed and the answers coming from the storytellers were too specific!
Could it be? Were the discussions happening now part of the rewards? Was the hotel revealing secrets to us?
“Could you elaborate a bit more precisely?”
“The hourglass, doesn’t it seem like a pretty random item? The hidden place also sounds absurd… Maybe it’s something the hotel suddenly put in ‘for you guys.’”
“One is the hourglass? And what’s the other?”
“If the other treasure holds the power to save the world, it makes sense it would be found in the most difficult curse room, doesn’t it?”
“The legacy of Room 206?”
“Just my conjecture.”
— Thud!
I felt a tremor. Not a physical shaking but a distortion of space itself. It was an event that manifested whenever the hotel had experienced ‘room disappearance’ before!
I quickly turned my gaze to Han Yoori.
Now the last questions remained: After the second floor ends and most leave, how will the third floor proceed? Why was the third floor created in the first place?
“Last! Last question!”
Han Yoori seemed to find it amusing as she laughed and answered.
“Why are you in such a hurry? It’s as if everything will end soon…”
“Just hurry up already!”
“Years ago, I often dreamed about my past self. Back then, I endlessly pursued goals that seemed almost impossible.”
Is she talking about the humanization of the nine-tailed fox? No, in this context, it’s a metaphor.
“Honestly… I was willing to do anything for my dreams. No matter how tough or painful it might be. Now, I don’t even remember what that dream really was.”
“Details! Give me details!”
“So, I—”
— Thud!
Just as the space quaked again, Doh In-ho next to me chuckled and struck the table.
“Ha-ha-ha! Great! The finale was the most entertaining. Alright, let’s wrap up today’s meeting here.”
“Hey! You never finished answering the last question!”
In the crumbling space – Doh In-ho smiled.
“I think I’ve given you all of it. I hope you ponder the questions and answers carefully. Congratulations.”
—
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