### Chapter 314 – The Perfect Child (2)
—
– Park Seungyub
“Give it your best shot! Fighting!”
It was Songee’s cheer.
“… Thanks.”
Ahri, usually so composed, tightly held my hand in gratitude.
“Don’t forget the command, okay? Make sure to include breaking the mirror, no matter what!”
Even Kain’s voice, filled with disbelief until the last moment. Honestly, this is my first time experiencing my hotel siblings trusting me so much!
Because of that, my racing heart began to calm down in front of the mirror.
According to Songee, to enter the Mirror Room, you face two mirrors in the personal bathroom of Room 105 and stand between them.
She went on to explain just how dangerous that place is, but to be honest, I thought it was kind of pointless.
After all, I’ll be using the primal human immediately, right? So it’s not up to me, but ‘another me’ to handle this well.
Even as I thought about it, it’s pretty funny; this mindset is essentially my source of courage. Sure, I’m doing something dangerous, but it feels like it’s not really me doing it.
Isn’t it like someone else is taking over my body to handle the tough stuff?
Maybe that very comfort is another effect brought on by the primal human. As it dawned on me that I wasn’t the one facing danger, I found I wasn’t truly afraid.
[Primal Human: Ready for Use]
“Primal Seungyub! Can I just trust you? You better do well!”
Of course, the primal Seungyub was yet to make an appearance.
After setting the mirrors facing each other, I stood in between. I thought about the Mirror Room and my wish.
— Ding!
A clear, ringing sound made my vision blur, as if I were suddenly anesthetized.
…
When I regained consciousness, I awoke in a place filled with sparkling mirrors.
“Participant Park Seungyub, congratulations. You have discovered the hotel’s hidden secret, ‘The Mirror Room!’”
After that, a bunch of notifications popped up.
To make a wish, you need a ticket, but the first person to find it can make a wish without one. I already knew that.
Since Songee had given up her chance, it had returned to me.
Gradually, shimmering images started to arise from the mirrors around me. The longer I delayed, the riskier it became!
[Will you use the Primal Human?]
…
…
…
I could feel another me awakening.
*
– Park Seungyub (Primal Human)
I snapped to attention in a space filled with glimmering stones. It was so magical that I extended my arms to touch the shimmering stones around me. What is this—
In that moment, a revelation struck.
“Make a wish to restore the spirit of Miro, Ahri’s mother. If any incomprehensible issues arise, immediately cover your hands and smash the mirror with your fist. If you succeed in making a wish or break the mirror, the Primal Human will end.”
… That’s quite long.
And complicated. Luckily, the meanings of the unfamiliar words began to automatically pop into my head.
The Mirror Room is the place I’m in now. The shining stones all around are mirrors.
I also remembered the approximate appearances of Ahri and her mother, Miro.
The Primal Human refers to the power that created who I am now.
However, I still wasn’t sure what “incomprehensible problems” meant. From the phrasing, it seems the being that gave me this revelation might also not know what could go wrong?
The wish part also confused me. “How” am I supposed to make a wish?
As I pondered on what it means to “wish,” the meaning of the word seeped into my mind. Usually, one kneels and speaks to achieve something.
“So it’s like kneeling and saying, ‘Please restore Miro’s spirit!’”
The mirror began to ripple.
However, the figure that started appearing in the mirror didn’t look like Ahri or Miro. Maybe my voice was too soft for the mirror to understand? Should I shout louder?
“Restore! Miro’s! Spirit! Please!”
The mirror didn’t respond to my voice at all. It didn’t seem to care what came out of my mouth.
Finally, the image displayed in the mirror became clear enough to distinguish its form. And it wasn’t Ahri or Miro.
It was ‘me.’
Countless versions of Park Seungyub appeared in the mirrors sparkling from every angle.
In one scenario, I was a leader captivating people with a single word.
In another, I was lecturing Kain to think before he acts.
Somewhere, I was teasing Jinchul, asking if this monster couldn’t be beaten.
Or perhaps I was a mysterious master hiding my identity, being confessed to by a girl named Rilinga.
In another reality, I had become the living legend of the world’s top game—
“What the heck is this?”
What the hell? I really have no idea!
As I touched the mirrors in confusion, I gradually began to understand the general meaning of the possibilities they were showing. Maybe the mirror was trying to convey something, but I couldn’t grasp even that.
Who is Kain? Who’s Jinchul? And who’s Rilinga that is confessing to me?
And what does it mean to be the living legend of the world’s most popular game? And why does being good at that make a person a goat?
Just when my head was spinning, the revelation appeared before me once again.
“If an incomprehensible problem arises, immediately cover your hands and smash the mirror.”
“… This must be what they meant by an incomprehensible problem!”
After pulling off my shirt and wrapping it around my fist, I smashed the mirror repeatedly.
— Crash!
*
– Park Seungyub
When I came to, I found myself back in the bathroom. At the same time, the experiences of being the Primal Human flooded into my mind.
“Ahh!”
What the heck? Going into theMirror Room and summoning forth a ‘true wish’ only led to that? Is this for real?!
And what was that nonsense about Rilinga confessing!?
If I asked for that, how would that even work out? Would Rilinga manifest as a superpowered version that only loves me, just like in Room 202?
…
Wait! Oh no!
The moment I thought about having a beautiful superpowered girl that only loves me, my hand automatically reached toward the mirror, trying to enter the Mirror Room again. Snap out of it! This isn’t right at all!
*
– Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 136
Current Location: Level 1, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 0]
—
– Han Kain
“So it happened like this.”
Sadly, Seungyub failed. According to him, no matter what he said to the mirror, it only reflected the image of the “great Park Seungyub.”
Hearing that, Songee looked like she started putting two and two together.
“Ah… thinking back, the Mirror Room doesn’t actually care about what you say regarding your wish. It’s the place that finds the true desire within your heart. In that context, the reason for the failure seems clear.”
I realized it too.
“If we consider the Primal Human as some sort of ‘external persona,’ then the Mirror Room completely ignores that and just sees the true desire of the real Seungyub.”
Once we understood why Seungyub failed, things grew more complicated. This wasn’t something that could be solved by just trying multiple times.
As the atmosphere quickly turned somber, Jinchul, perhaps wanting to lift the mood, teased Seungyub.
“By the way, Seungyub!”
“Yes?”
“What exactly did the ‘great Park Seungyub’ look like?”
“… I made a ton of money and became a world-famous celebrity.”
“Money? Dude, you’re already making money as a middle schooler?”
“Hahaha…”
The doctor chuckled softly.
“What’s absurd about that? I wanted to be wealthy since childhood myself. But don’t worry about money, Seungyub. If we escape, we won’t have to worry about finances for the rest of our lives.”
Grandpa chimed in with a smile.
“If you all join the Administration Bureau, I guarantee you’ll never have to worry about money. However, becoming a world-famous celebrity would be pretty hard.”
“I’ll keep that in mind!”
As the situation lightened a bit, Eunsol lightly complained.
“It seems even as the Primal Human, wishing for what you want is impossible? It just showcases the true desire of ‘Park Seungyub,’ ignoring all abilities!”
“True.”
“Kain, your advice is a bit disappointing. If this is indeed the cause of failure, then there’s no way he could succeed. You shouldn’t have let him go in.”
Right, thinking back, the Owl must have known already that the Primal Human would fail in this room.
But why did it still advise him to try entering? I think I could guess.
“Separated from Seungyub’s failure, we’ve learned more about the Mirror Room. And we’ve also picked up an unexpected feature of the Primal Human.”
“An unexpected feature?”
“Songee mentioned the temptations of the Mirror Room are immense?”
Songee nodded.
“I don’t think I would’ve snapped out of it without the power of the bracelet.”
“But the Primal Human smashed the mirror without getting swayed at all?”
Seungyub nodded.
“I basically thought the Mirror Room’s temptations were ‘nonsensical gibberish.’”
“That means it disregards all temptations and absolutely follows the command we perceive as ‘revelation,’ huh? That could have various applications, I think.”
Just then, the doctor cautiously interjected.
“Kain’s insight is always remarkable. You make a valid point. But ultimately, the issue at hand is Miro’s recovery, right? If even the Primal Human is useless, what are we supposed to do to make a wish?”
“…”
“…”
The room fell silent. No one could come up with an answer.
Then, staring blankly at the ceiling, Ahri muttered.
“I think I understand.”
As everyone’s gaze shifted toward Ahri, she began speaking with a casualness that struck us all as unusual.
“I considered it from the perspective of the hotel that created the Mirror Room.”
“The hotel’s… perspective?”
“It reads the true desires of human nature. By that principle, it neutralizes my surface psychology manipulation. ‘Desire’ isn’t a mental illness; thus, various mental attacks won’t work, not even the kind of ability that creating a new personality like the Primal Human. It can penetrate through to the genuine desires of one’s real self.”
“That’s kind of tricky.”
“Way too tricky. It’s basically a ‘cheating prevention’ measure.”
“Cheating prevention?”
“What do you think the hotel had in mind when designing the Mirror Room? They created complex conditions and then intended for us to find ways to circumvent those conditions.”
Slowly, I began to grasp what Ahri was getting at.
“We thought like that. Believing we could somehow study various mental manipulation methods to circumvent the dangers of the Mirror Room. Yet, when even the Primal Human fails….”
“Are you saying that trying to evade the Mirror Room’s dangers through mental manipulation itself was misguided? That going through the front door is the answer?”
“Exactly. The Mirror Room isn’t a place designed for supernatural means to escape danger. It’s a place for those who are desperate enough to take the risks to enter.”
With those words, Ahri glanced over at Seungyub with a slightly somber expression.
“Seungyub, do you understand the reason for the Primal Human’s failure?”
“W-what, noona?”
“The Mirror Room can see through the ‘true Park Seungyub’ and his desires, disregarding the Primal Human. This means… your true wish for Miro’s recovery wasn’t genuine.”
“… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. You’ve never even seen Miro, right? To wish earnestly for someone you’ve never known? That’s obviously impossible. It’s not just you; it’s impossible for anyone else too.”
In that moment, no one other than Ahri could wish for Miro’s recovery in the Mirror Room. For the rest of us, that wish wasn’t a true desire.
“I forced you to take on the impossible, so I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry.”
This task was only ever meant for one person from the very start.
“Thinking about it, it’s only natural. The one wishing needs to be the one who desires it. Why did I even try to hand that over to someone else? Trying to tackle the Mirror Room like I would tackle the Curse Room was completely misjudged. Next time, I’ll go myself.”
With those words, Ahri lightly bowed her head to everyone and headed for the second floor. It seemed like she planned to gather her thoughts in the snowy plains.
In the silence, Songee muttered.
“So, um… does that mean for a wish to be granted in the Mirror Room, the person must have an incredibly strong desire? A desire that cleanses all distractions in the heart?”
Grandpa sighed.
“If you don’t know, who would? That might just be a new interpretation. I hope this interpretation is correct.”
—
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