Chapter 585 – The Calm Before the Storm – Rapture (4) Fin
—
– Park Seungyub
— Tap! Tap!
“Ugh! I told you not to bite me!”
“…”
— Tap!
“Wow! You’re all talk, but can’t play for squat? You guys are toast today!”
EE Mid, you absolute moron!
Q If you’ve got some sense –
W Don’t step out next to the tower
R –
– Chomp!
Out of nowhere, Eunsol noona, sipping coffee nearby, suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Uh? Noona?”
“… Stop it.”
“Huh?”
“Think of Sophia. She comes here sometimes.”
“Excuse me?”
What does playing LoL have to do with considering Sophia?
“Can’t you just turn it off?”
“I-I’m in a game right now—”
“Isn’t there a surrender vote underway? If Seungyub agrees, that’s four votes.”
“I can still win, why would I surrender?”
“In my opinion, that party is already too divided to win.”
“No—”
“It’s because of your chat that you can’t win.”
“…”
The doctor has been picking up game knowledge lately because of Jin-Sol, it’s kind of annoying.
Soon, my noona moved the mouse without a word and clicked the surrender button.
Ah~! So frustrating!
I just took a step back from my dream of reaching Master.
Songee noona, who was quietly watching this unfold, spoke up with a smirk.
“Seungyub, are you really that dumb?”
“What are you talking about?”
“How can someone who has mastered martial arts still suck at games?”
“Oh! I’m not bad, okay? I rank in the top 1.3%—”
“Wow~, so mastering martial arts makes you top 1% among regular folks, huh?”
I got tongue-tied.
Then the annoying doctor chimed in.
“I’ve said it several times, but right now, it’s not Seungyub’s physical ability that is lacking. His reflexes are beyond human, after all.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“His bizarre stubbornness and poor judgment stemming from insufficient theory, fighting with a keyboard—”
Whoaa! Why’s that guy so salty?
Where’s the ‘World’s Greatest Master’ to throw a punch?
“Seungyub, you wrote a wish earlier, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Why not wish for something like, ‘Please make me the best gamer in the world~’?”
Ha!
Now it’s my turn to strike back.
“Like you, the Empire High idol Songi noona?”
“… Y-Yeah!”
“What does that even mean?”
“What?”
“Isn’t it meaningful to earn your position through effort rather than using a wish? It’s cheating otherwise.”
“Um—”
“A Chinese cheat code turning into a hotel cheat code.”
“…”
“I’d rather ask you, noona. Whether it’s dancing or singing, shouldn’t there be some baseline skill for just jumping straight into being the Empire High idol?”
“Ugggh!”
“Wow~! This silly storyline even elementary school kids would roll their eyes at—”
“Whew…”
Eunsol noona let out a big sigh and covered my mouth.
“I think you should both stop hurting each other. And you, Sanghyun, keep quiet too.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I just learned recently that Seungyub seduced Jin-Sol aggressively into gaming addiction.”
“…”
And that’s true.
Playing games with Jin-Sol was kinda fun.
This is how we’ve been spending our time lately.
I remember getting mad when the internet cut off while playing LoL at the Delight Hotel’s underground PC room.
Chatting with Jin-Sol in Texas about the latest trending FPS games only to receive side-eye from the doc.
There’s also the memory of swimming in the warm water filled underground pool during winter.
Everyone adhered to one principle:
Stick together as much as possible to prepare for any potential threats!
“Kain will probably come to his senses soon!”
Elena noona joined us two days late, but luckily nothing had happened during that time.
“Uhm… I don’t want to say anything mean, but it’s not all happy news.”
Everyone secretly agreed with the doctor’s words.
Since my older brother fell into a coma, he felt that “the punishment will end when something big happens.”
*
In the evening.
I warmed up lightly at the outdoor gym with Jinchul hyung and Grandpa Mooksung.
“Wow~! Eunsol noona’s hotel is something else. An outdoor gym too!”
Jinchul hyung looked at me as if to say ‘What do you mean?’
“A gym?”
“This isn’t an outdoor gym?”
“It’s not a gym; it’s a parking lot. No 5-star hotel in the heart of Seoul can have an outdoor gym. The paint must’ve fooled you.”
“A parking lot?”
I’m not exactly well-versed in parking lots, but there’s not a car in sight? I soon realized it.
For a few days, we were the only guests in this hotel, so of course, there wouldn’t be any cars.
“Oh! I couldn’t see the paint, so I got confused!”
“That’s right.”
“…”
“…”
At that moment, I spotted a hazy silhouette approaching the parking lot, and my mind blanked for a sec.
Long chestnut hair fluttered beneath the shoulders, slender but with volume—
Grandpa, observing my attitude, nodded.
“What’s up? Why the face? That’s Songee, isn’t it?”
“Oh.”
Whoa! Is that really Songee noona?
As soon as this hit me, I was let down and snapped back to reality.
My second look revealed her hair was closer to black than chestnut, and her body had some differences.
The person I actually wanted to see… okay, let’s admit it, she didn’t have all that volume.
“Um, did you mistake her for Yumi?”
“…”
“Oh~! From a distance, I can see how you’d mix that up! The lengths of the hair are similar!”
“… No way.”
“Whoever said what doesn’t matter now!”
More than getting called out for my internal thoughts, I was more annoyed by the glimmer in Grandpa’s eyes for finding something to tease me about.
Seeing Jinchul hyung looking genuinely moved made me want to hide in a mouse hole.
“Everyone says to come in! I called, but you didn’t pick up!”
“Hey! If you come all the way here, don’t shout and just use the chat tab!”
“Ah! I forgot since I hadn’t used it in ages! Grandpa’s ability has no presence~!”
“Whoa…! Just you wait, Songee! I’ll show you the spicy version!”
The moment Grandpa rolled his eyes in disbelief.
“AAHH!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Wha… what the hell is this?!”
Did he send a weird video via personal message?
I see those guys online all the time doing this sort of stuff, now Grandpa’s doing it?
“Songee! Do you still think my abilities lack presence?!”
“Ugh!”
This is turning into a fight at an elementary school level with the blessings from a great patron and an alien magical tool from a sci-fi saga…
“Ugh… these people are seriously childish.”
Jinchul hyung clamped his mouth shut.
“I really feel like I’m going to lose my mind hanging out with them. You too, right?”
He looked silently at me.
“… Let’s go back to the hotel. Looks like they want us for dinner.”
*
While enjoying the buffet at Delight Hotel, Eunsol noona, Grandpa, and Elena noona sat in front of me, holding their plates.
Noona’s first words were:
“I heard from Grandpa.”
As soon as I heard that, I glared at Grandpa.
I know exactly what he said!
“Do you miss Yumi?”
“Grandpa….”
“Why the evil eyes? Are we in the legendary realm of ‘Heart is Death’ here?”
Elena noona even made a slightly touched expression.
“They say you fully became lovers in Room 207! Nothing to be shy about.”
That made me even more embarrassed.
“We have a ticket too.”
The ticket I got for escaping from Room 207 along with the dream was our reward.
Eunsol noona pinpointed the problem.
“The issue is we need to go back to the hotel to use the ticket.”
If I want to revive or gain additional inheritance with the ticket, I need to return to Hotel Pioneer.
“Noona, to do that, we at least need to know where the hotel is, right?”
“That’s true.”
“First floor somewhere in the skies of Korea, second floor is, uh, inside what’s it called? The snow globe, right?”
“Sno globe? Was that Minseung? I heard it’s at his house.”
“Wasn’t that Minyoung?”
Grandpa interjected.
“Apparently, this was a story before Ahri went missing. Ahri directed the administration to look for the hotel on the first floor. It would be convenient to know its location in advance.”
“Oh?”
“Failed.”
“Excuse me?”
“Think about it. If an ordinary person could find it, wouldn’t planes flying over Korean skies be able to locate the hotel every day?”
“Oh… So an ordinary person can’t find it? There’s no way to utilize ordinary people?”
“If we look for it ourselves, maybe it’ll be different.”
I briefly tossed in my opinion.
“Isn’t it definite that there’s a way to go back? There’s a third floor.”
“Right, but let me ask you. Are we thinking about going back to the hotel?”
“…”
In an instant, the surroundings went quiet.
Sure, there are only four of us, but the reaction would be similar even if there were ten people present.
At the point where we became regressors, it was as if we had gained an immortal life along with wealth and fame.
For us to throw all this away and face the terrifying hotel again, we need a solid reason to “climb to the third floor.”
I wondered how many of us would have that.
I had a vague thought.
If, someday, we manage to conquer the reality crisis and challenge the third floor again….
I wondered if we would all be able to ascend together like before.
But I wished we could all be together for as long as possible.
*
As days passed, everyone fell silent, preparing their minds for what was to come.
I may not know exactly what day or time the hotel announced, but I had my suspicions.
Six months have passed since yesterday, and Kain hyung is almost awake, so it’s really close now.
“The Stolen World….”
The name of the scenario announced by Kain hyung!
I still don’t know the specifics.
“Just hearing that word sends chills down my spine.”
“I’m curious about the meaning behind the title. Eunsol, stealing refers to when someone who isn’t the owner takes something from the owner, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Who is the owner of the world, and who is the thief?”
Could this be the core of the scenario?
In that moment.
— Laaaaa!
A voice so beautiful it could belong in heaven pierced through the air!
— Thud!
The comrades who had gathered immediately sprang to their feet, looking around.
“Outside! It’s coming from outside!”
“Let’s head out—”
“Stop! Stop!”
Eunsol noona quickly halted a few hasty comrades and summoned the ‘Flute of Rest.’
This is it!
What do you think will be outside, just jumping out there?
“Stick to my side!”
Listening to the gentle sound of the flute, everyone walked outside in sync.
“…”
The voice of the heavenly song rang continuously without pause.
It was truly, unbelievably wonderful.
Elena noona murmured.
“I’ve never heard such a beautiful song before.”
“… Since Eunsol is playing the flute, it must not be supernatural.”
“It just sounds like pure beauty.”
“Seventh floor! We can see outside from the restaurant there!”
As we reached the seventh floor and glanced down at the view of Yeouido, everyone fell speechless.
“What the…?”
People who heard the heavenly song were pouring out into the streets, tears in their eyes.
Desperate prayers.
Voices united as one.
Cries directed towards the sky.
They looked just like innocent sheep welcoming their savior!
At that moment, Jinchul hyung approached the window.
Could he hear the voices of the people below? We were on the seventh floor, after all.
Soon, Jinchul hyung wore a somewhat strange expression.
“It is time. Salvation has arrived.”
The voices from outside?
“If two people lie in one bed, one will be taken and the other left.”
What’s this—
“Isn’t that from the Bible, Jinchul?”
“Listen to the heavenly cries. Hear the angel’s voice and the sound of God’s trumpet. The time of revelation has come; you shall be taken up in clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
At that moment, the doctor started to scream like a maniac.
“Look there! The person near the palm tree!
They are rising.
A multitude of unspecified people is slowly ascending into the sky!
Lee Eunsol: Rapture, it’s the Rapture! One of the doctrines of the Protestant end times—
Eunsol noona’s message suddenly cut off.
Simultaneously, the flute sound that had been resonating non-stop also stopped.
“Whaat!”
“Eunsol!”
Eunsol noona’s body began to rise into the sky!
“What the—!”
The moment Jinchul hyung tried to get to noona – he started to rise too!
“…!”
I subjected myself to that sensation too.
I felt the overwhelming hand of greatness, guiding me toward salvation!
“Se-Seungyub!”
Eunsol noona, Jinchul hyung, me, and Miro.
Although only the four of us were being lifted?
What’s the difference between us and the others?
Grandpa widened his eyes and pulled out the ‘Hourglass.’
No clue what it is, but he’s trying to turn the hourglass to stop the ‘Rapture’ that’s happening to us!
And—
「Heavenly luck activated!」
「From now on, the cosmic energy shall be with you.」
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