Chapter: 647 – The First Wish (3)
—
– Kim Ahri
—
After escaping from Kim Sanghyun’s dream, everyone fell into a moment of silence.
What did Sanghyun see when he made his First Wish before experiencing the Deep Sea Hotel?
“Huff! Huff…!”
“Hyung, are you okay?”
“Hey! The doctor doesn’t look so good!”
“Grandpa, we need to get Sanghyun-hyung out of here.”
“Right. I’ll calm the doctor down outside and see if he remembers anything more.”
“I’ll step outside and think a bit.”
“Go ahead.”
Naturally, Mooksung, Sanghyun, and Jinchul each leaped into their respective dreams and exited the Dream Kingdom.
“Should we head out for a bit?”
Kain shook his head in response.
“No. The Owl said to help our companions as soon as they wake up.”
“…”
“Some people must be suffering through painful nightmares.”
A prime example being Kim Sanghyun, who had been gasping for breath in terror right before we exited the Dream Kingdom.
“Could being in a nightmare for too long affect the mind?”
“Perhaps. Let’s move quickly. The next person is—”
“Let’s go to Miro. Seeing Sanghyun, I think Miro might have two wishes as well.”
“Got it.”
*
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!
The snowflakes drifting down and the lively carols ringing out.
Gaiin’s eyes widened at the music he hadn’t heard in a while.
“What place is this?”
“It’s Miro’s school days.”
In the next moment, a boy and girl playing in the white fields appeared.
Miro and Gaiin, looking like they were in their early to mid-teens, but when I saw them together, it hit me.
“I’m here too, so this isn’t Miro’s true past.”
“It seems like we’re in the Ice Hell time.”
After failing at the Deep Sea Hotel, Miro was trapped in the Ice Hell, eternally replaying her most painful memories.
Mooksung, myself, and Gaiin had previously entered the Ice Hell to rescue Miro.
This is the memory of when we saved her.
“Should I go in first?”
“Really, you’re leaving me behind?”
“…”
“You like me too, don’t you? Everyone likes me!”
“I told you it’s useless.”
Distant, youthful banter filled the air.
For the parties involved, especially Miro, it must have been a thrilling moment…
“…”
As an observer, I felt my face flush with embarrassment!
Miro, come on, even for your age, isn’t this a bit much?
‘You like me too, right? Everyone likes me!’
Saying such things with a straight face!
*
Meanwhile, the surrounding scenery seemed to zip by as if on fast-forward.
Most of it consisted of ‘Monster Santa’ attacking teachers and children.
A school filled with screams and horror.
A boy desperately running while holding the hand of a beautiful girl.
Young Gaiin and Miro sat inside a red Cadillac, but upon hearing the nearing carols, he realized they couldn’t escape.
In a life-or-death crisis and overwhelming despair, the young Miro was about to scream in terror.
The boy turned to look at young Miro, like a scene from a movie.
“Miro, do you think you’re a good girl?”
“… I’ve never done anything bad.”
“Really? I don’t think you’re that good of a girl.”
“Don’t start picking a fight!”
“But even for a monster like that, you’re not a villain worth dying for. Let’s try again.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
The boy, smiling, glanced at the confused Miro.
“See you later! Everything will be fine. May these words hold magic as well!”
At that exact moment, Miro’s second wish was born.
*
“…”
“…”
A silent calm.
Gaiin kept his head down, unable to look up, while I couldn’t stop chuckling awkwardly.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“Wow! Gaiin, you’re amazing!”
“…”
“Isn’t that so cool? No wonder Miro fell for you instantly.”
“This was a failed attempt, though.”
“Looks like when you escaped from the Ice Hell, you regained this memory! The moment you fell in love!”
“…”
“Looks like Miro is still out of it. How deep was she immersed?”
“…”
“I need to go outside and ask Miro how she felt at that time.”
“Please don’t…”
I teased Gaiin to lighten the mood, but my own feelings were more complicated than I expected.
It was definitely not as enjoyable as it seemed on the surface.
Miro, seriously, why did you have to like this guy?
Physical age might be meaningless here, but at least pick someone with a similar mental age—
“…”
Then again, that seems a bit unreasonable.
It’s not easy to liken Seungyub to a love interest.
That would require some serious hypnotherapy for Seungyub.
Shaking my head, I said,
“Ugh… Given the circumstances, this seems to be the second wish. An empty wish at the Pioneer.”
“…”
“Considering Kim Sanghyun, it looks like he would’ve made his first wish before the Deep Sea Hotel. The content will come out soon—”
“Here we go.”
— Splash!
This time, unlike Sanghyun’s moment, the background didn’t change.
*
“Uh? Still at school—don’t tell me?”
“The first wish was also made at the dorm.”
Miro made both her wishes during her time at the dorm she attended as a child.
Of course, location is the only similarity; the times are completely different.
The time we saw her second wish actually corresponds to the ‘Ice Hell timeline.’
The first wish reflects her real past when young Miro actually attended school.
A significant difference between the two timelines.
“Gaiin, you’re not here.”
“You’re not here either, and neither is Grandpa.”
Neither I nor Gaiin nor Mooksung were present.
In the actual timeline, nobody saved Miro and her friends.
A long sequence of visions filled with tragedy and pain unfolded.
Chaos disaster—the Santa sang maniacally while slaughtering all survivors in the school, and Miro hid, panic-stricken.
The moment she hid under the bed, hearing screams from outside.
The moment she slipped, stepping on a friend’s entrails while running for her life.
The moment her frail arm broke from being caught on the scarlet Rudolph’s antlers.
“…”
Even Gaiin and I grimaced, just imagining how terrified Miro must have been back then.
I wanted nothing more than to stop the dream several times, just to make Miro feel comfortable, but Gaiin held me back.
He probably thought there might be some additional information we could uncover.
In some ways, he can be quite a cold individual.
Miro didn’t awaken until the second dream ended.
“Gaiin, doesn’t it seem like it’s over?”
“Maybe. Looks like she made her First Wish while escaping from Santa.”
“…”
“Why should innocent people like us have to suffer this pain? It’s so unjust. If there’s order in this world, we should eradicate evil and save the innocent—what kind of wish would that be?”
“… Perhaps. Besides the Santa disaster we’ve already heard, I don’t see any new elements surfacing.”
“There might not be, or there might be ones we missed.”
“…”
“Let’s wake Miro up.”
As I approached the timid, gasping girl, I found myself saying something I hadn’t even realized.
“… Thank you.”
“Hmm?”
“If it weren’t for you, Miro would still be trapped in this hell…”
Gaiin smiled as if asking what I was talking about.
“Haha! If anyone heard that, they’d think I was the only one who rescued her.”
*
Awakening from the dream, Miro didn’t remember any of the contents.
Considering how much of a backlash Sanghyun faced after being deeply immersed in his own dream, that’s undoubtedly Miro’s uniqueness.
Could it be the unchanging blessing harmonized with Miro?
Or is it simply a reflection of her personality?
I didn’t know the exact reason, but I was glad.
“Ugh! Why can’t I remember anything?”
“… It’s okay. We saw it.”
“What was my wish? What was it?”
“…”
Gaiin, who had been awkwardly smiling, peered at me and threw out a ridiculous remark.
“That story Miro had in the coffee shop, remember?”
“Hmm?”
“… She decided to save humanity while conversing with her inner horror.”
“That! Did the coffee shop thing come up?”
“Yeah.”
The silent exchange of glances between the two of us meant only one thing.
How embarrassing would it be for Miro to realize we saw that moment when she fell for Gaiin?
She’d definitely create a ruckus for at least a week, exhausting everyone.
So let’s just bury it deep in the memories of Gaiin and me.
“Did you see it too? The coffee shop scene?”
“… Yeah. Wishing for humanity’s salvation, Miro is really something!”
“Oh please! Don’t tease me.”
Watching Miro blush was genuinely hard to handle.
“… Gaiin, let’s move on to the next dream.”
“Sure. Next up is—”
“Seungyub!”
Hearing Miro cheerfully shout made me lose my words again.
I wonder if we’ll be seeing another embarrassing scene?
“Right. Let’s head to Seungyub’s dream.”
*
“Welcome to Summoner’s Rift.”
From the very start, it was hard to breathe.
Gaiin muttered with an expression of disbelief.
“No way…! Seungyub, say it isn’t so?”
“…”
“Hehe! I’m really in a weird headspace—”
“Look at the time. It’s dawn. Looks like he’s been gaming all night.”
“… He really is.”
He must be in middle school, but seeing him game all night was frustrating.
“Damn it! Why do my teammates keep sabotaging me! I said not to mess it up while I’m playing!”
As Gaiin started to stumble, I couldn’t help but feel impressed by Seungyub.
Even a prehistoric prince from the ancient apocalypse or Aleph from an eternity of ruin wouldn’t be able to fluster Gaiin as much as Seungyub did.
I decided to speak my mind at this point.
“Honestly, could Seungyub’s wish possibly be to get better at games? Or maybe to have impressive team luck?”
“Don’t underestimate the companions. No matter how childish Seungyub is—”
Just then, as if anticipating us, Seungyub at his computer shouted,
“Why does my team luck suck so badly? Why am I so unlucky?”
As I was at a loss for words, Miro said with a cynical expression,
“No way it isn’t what it seems, he’s like a rank one at Bangbae Middle School!”
“… Aren’t you guys degrading Seungyub too much?”
“We’re not degrading Seungyub; we just know the degraded state of him too well.”
After Miro’s unfiltered assessment, dawn broke, and school time edged closer.
Having gamed all night, how could he be clear-headed enough for morning school?
Naturally, Seungyub staggered into class, barely able to open his eyes.
Seeing Seungyub’s parents worry over him left me exasperated.
“Why are you two so lenient with your son?”
“…”
“Shouldn’t you whip him into shape?”
“Ariya, that was a very ‘grown-up’ comment you just made.”
“Miro, do you want to face a reprimand from me?”
“Oh no…”
The fleeting school life seemed anything but smooth.
I mean, a small guy who always looks dazed would find it strange to have good relationships.
However, that’s not saying Seungyub was bullied in a crossing-the-line manner.
Ever since coming to the hotel, Seungyub had hardly revisited his past stories.
That can’t mean he harbors a huge grudge, right?
By the time class was almost over, Seungyub’s eyes started to flicker back to life.
“Is he going to game again?”
“Definitely.”
“Wow! He must have wished for good team luck!”
“Hah! What crazy thought went into the hotel’s selection to pick someone like him?”
“… Both of you, chill. He might hear you.”
Gaiin already had a half-defeated look, but at this point, everyone accepted the thought.
He must have wished for something like ‘please, grant my team luck!’
As everyone laughed it off at distinct levels of relief, suddenly—
– Swallow!
Seungyub began to follow someone sneaky.
“… What’s this about?”
“Looks like he’s tracking someone—oh my goodness.”
Soon, a boy with a flushed face called out to a rather cute girl.
“S-Soyeon!”
Ain’t this just great!
There’s more embarrassing things coming ahead!
“Ah, please!”
“Gaiin! Wake Seungyub now!”
“Let’s just wake him; this is for Seungyub’s rights.”
As always, Gaiin remained unfazed in such moments.
“No way. There might be hidden information—”
“Seriously, you’re not even human.”
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