Chapter: 652 – Meeting, Exploration (3)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 1
Current Location: Third Floor, Lobby
Sage’s Advice: 0
—
– Han Kain
After a moment of silence filled with the sorrow of everyone’s painful memories, it was Songyee who cautiously opened her mouth.
Thanks to that, I could temporarily forget the painful memories surrounding my confession.
“Looks like it’s just me and Sister Elena left? I’ll go first. My background is from when I was about 6 or 7 years old. My parents were busy and often came home late, leaving me, the poor girl Yu Sonjee, to spend lonely times with cute animals.”
“Pft! That’s a fun description. Keep going.”
Eunsol sister chuckled as if looking at it from a third-person perspective.
“Since I had no friends, I used to think of dogs like Happy and Somi as my friends. Just like any kid, I believed that animals could talk. I told adults this, but they all thought it was just a cute misunderstanding from little Songyee.”
“And then?”
“But here’s the surprising part! The animals actually spoke human language! Little Songyee shared the truth with a pure heart, yet no one believed her.”
Listening to her story spun this way was both entertaining and a bit amusing. It seemed like Songyee was intentionally going for that vibe.
However, when she experienced it firsthand, it was terrifying, and that memory still lingers vividly.
Soon, various colleagues started to share their thoughts.
“Could a person’s soul be trapped inside Songyee’s dog?”
“Or perhaps the animals’ intelligence has increased! If powers like those from the inheritance of Room 203 were at play, it could be possible.”
Eunsol sister and Sanghyun’s hypotheses.
“It might not even be a dog. Maybe an unidentified monster disguised itself as a dog?”
“According to little Songyee’s memory, other animals spoke too, right?”
“Those creatures could also be monsters!”
“Now that’s a plausible theory.”
Elena nodded along, agreeing with Mooksung Grandpa. Various stories started popping up sporadically.
At that point, Songyee turned to me and asked,
“What do you think, Kain Oppa?”
“I feel like we don’t have enough information to discuss something meaningful yet.”
It’s a common occurrence to have meetings when information is lacking. When there’s too much gap in knowledge, people fill it with their imaginations, and while it can be creative, it often leads to baseless speculations.
“I actually want to ask you, Songyee. What do you think?”
“… Well, um, I was focused on other thoughts.”
Other thoughts?
“That sounds interesting. Go ahead.”
“Why did Somi say… she felt scared and hurt?”
“Huh?”
“Why is it a torment? Is it because she’s in a dog’s body? What did she mean by wanting me to take her out of here? Does she want me to transfer her soul into a human body?”
That’s indeed an intriguing approach.
So that’s why she mentioned different thoughts?
In Songyee’s past memory, there’s this bizarre phenomenon of animals talking like humans, while our comrades were stuck on the cause of this occurrence.
Meanwhile, Songyee seemed more concerned about the content and meaning behind those words.
Eunsol sister nodded, summarizing.
“That’s a great point. But as Kain said, it might be tough to discuss further. Let’s leave it at that.”
Yu Sonjee: Contemplate the reason why animals can speak human language and the content of their speech.
—
The last person was Elena.
“My memory isn’t that complicated either. I was at the theater with my mother and sister when my mom sensed something strange and rushed out. By the time we got home, my father had already collapsed after drinking poisoned tea.”
Eunsol sister checked in.
“Your father didn’t die then?”
“No, he didn’t. Although he got quite unwell afterward, he didn’t pass away until I ended up caught in the hotel.”
Elena glanced at me and Ari.
“I think you two know the hidden secrets in that memory better than I do. I never witnessed the scenes myself…”
Ari shot a look at me as if asking, “Do you want to say it?”
Then she opened her mouth.
“The first time Kain and I felt something was off was at the theater. With Elena’s mom’s reaction, it seems like the hotel showed us that scene for a reason.”
“Right.”
“But Kain and I couldn’t find it. Isn’t that strange?”
As soon as those words came out, Mooksung Grandpa nodded repeatedly.
“That is peculiar. Russian dictator – what’s the name again?”
“Alexander Vasiliev.”
“Ahem, not sure how impressive Alexander is. But even a seasoned KGB agent wouldn’t escape the watchful eyes of Arena and Kain.”
Ari continued explaining.
“I saw the specifics at Elena’s house. They rounded the whole family up in the bedroom, and Kain and I waited outside.”
I picked up the last part.
“The TV announcer suddenly turned their eyes unnaturally. It was like someone was looking for something.”
Listening to it again sent chills down Elena’s spine, evident in her displeased expression.
“That’s gross. If Kain’s right, maybe what mom saw in the theater was something beyond the screen?”
“Probably. Maybe the characters in the movie suddenly rolled their eyes to search the theater.”
“I didn’t feel it.”
“Neither did Ari and I. Honestly, who’s going to suspect a bit of weird eye movement from a movie character?”
“… True, I suppose. Usually, we’d just think the actor is bad at their role.”
“Elena’s mom has probably gone through similar situations multiple times.”
“Why didn’t she mention it to me or Natalia? Did she think we wouldn’t believe her?”
Mooksung Grandpa answered that question.
Thanks to his experience as a field agent, he could easily anticipate the general public’s reactions.
“I guess she felt sharing it would be pointless?”
“…”
“She can’t avoid the screen her whole life, can she? Speaking about it might only create anxiety.”
“…”
“And I’m betting your mom wasn’t certain either. She probably kept thinking, Am I going crazy?”
“… I see.”
While Elena wore a somewhat gloomy expression, our comrades began to share their thoughts.
Compared to when Songyee spoke, the content was much more concrete, likely because there was a clear enemy in the dictator Alexander.
“That Alexander guy must wield some magical powers, huh?”
“What? He’s not Rasputin or anything!”
“Did he make a deal with a demon or something?”
“That’s possible, or maybe he just got lucky with some strange artifact. Either way, I can guess what his goal is.”
“Oppression and surveillance of the opposition. Very clear.”
Eunsol sister and Grandpa came up with plausible stories.
With a clearly defined enemy in Alexander the dictator, the backbone of the stories stood out more than Songyee’s time.
At that moment, Sanghyun shared a sharp remark.
“If they can use televisions and theater screens as surveillance tools, it raises one question. How did Mikhail escape from such an absurd wizard?”
It was an excellent question—how did Elena’s family manage to escape from a supernatural dictator like that?
A most logical question, yet an answer came to mind quickly.
“There were probably organizations similar to the Management Bureau in Elena’s world.”
Elena nodded, seeming unsurprised.
“Even Alexander must’ve had to keep appearances.”
“He couldn’t outright use demonic powers against the opposition.”
“Hmm… That makes sense.”
Ari added her two cents.
“Mikhail’s survival might not have been a coincidence.”
“Are you saying he didn’t intend to kill him from the start?”
“Maybe he kept a baseline to watch out for the Management Bureau. Don’t stir up dissent within Russia. But we’ll let them escape abroad.”
“…”
“But if they got out of the country, they were probably told not to speak nonsense on public broadcasts. Keep quiet and you’ll stay alive. That tea with poison? The first time’s a warning. You’d better live the rest of your life like a mouse, taking secrets to your grave.”
The room fell silent for a moment, and Ari shrugged.
“So, what do you think of my theory?”
I responded.
“It makes sense. It aligns quite well with actual dictators’ behavior.”
Just then, a thought hit me.
If Alexander, as Ari said, was a type of dictator that kept a low profile with the Management Bureau…
Then I bet he isn’t the “main villain” here.
There’s probably a true enemy at the center of the Curse Room scenario.
Eunsol sister lightly chuckled, tapping on the whiteboard.
“Okay, here’s a quick summary about the first wishes. Read through it and think about it when you have time.”
1. Kain: Overcoming
2. Mooksung: Almost overcoming?
3. Ari: Galactic train riding through the universe. There’s an unidentified enemy.
4. Jinchul: Gym. No additional info.
5. Sanghyun: Unidentified exoplanet. Faced with incomprehensible entities and feared. Issues include location and context of traveling to space.
6. Eunsol: The chairman of Daeyang Group’s status as a regressor. Its connection to the scenario.
7. Miro: Mass slaughter by monster Santa. The wish is to execute justice.
8. Seungyub: Insufficient information. Some suggest it sounds convenient.
9. Songyee: Talking animals. Contemplate the reasons and conversation content.
10. Elena: A dictator observing through screens.
As the meeting wrapped up, Ari spoke up.
“Let’s quickly check the hotel situation.”
Eunsol sister immediately countered.
“Are we planning to search? It’s not even midnight yet.”
It was a warning about how dangerous it is to explore without sage advice.
Ari clarified the misunderstanding.
“I know. We’re not planning to raid the perilous third floor; we’re headed to the first and second floors.”
“Ah, is that what you meant?”
—
Current Location: Third Floor, Lobby -> First Floor, Lobby
— Ding!
The moment the familiar scenery of the first floor appeared, all tensions in my shoulders relaxed.
I realized I had been rather tense up on the third floor.
Others began to smile for no particular reason, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at how different the third and first floors felt.
“Wow! I didn’t expect the first floor to feel this comfortable.”
“Haha! Kain, you were right. Wow! It’s just two floors down and why does it feel so easygoing?”
“That’s true.”
Walking down the familiar corridor in front of the elevator, I was met with a snack table, front desk, and other recognizable sights.
“Hey, there’s Protective Suit!”
“They’ve placed it right in front of the front desk! How considerate. What about the wing boots—”
“I’m still wearing them.”
With the scale and intensity of the fights escalating, the relevance of protective suits had diminished compared to before.
But how useful might they be on the third floor?
“The protective suits will surely play a major role on the third floor.”
“True. The galactic train traveling through the cosmos and that unidentified exoplanet…”
“We’ll likely have many opportunities to venture into space.”
Most comrades among us could barely last ten seconds in the vacuum of space.
The protective suits would be crucial lifelines.
Sanghyun was scouting outside the first-floor main entrance and spoke up.
“The outside view looks the same. If I put on wing boots and jump down, is it real?”
Mooksung Grandpa found it amusing and asked.
“Why? Planning to go out?”
“Haha! Agent, if I was just going to go out, why bother coming in? Besides, I can’t even use wing boots.”
As the atmosphere lightened, Ari couldn’t hide her hesitance.
“Um, Kain.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve been watching us since before, right?”
“…”
“Did you see something?”
Everyone seemed to involuntarily shift their gazes towards me at Ari’s words, mixing worry and anticipation on their faces.
“…”
A small hint.
Chaotic assumptions.
Bubbles of possibilities frothing up.
Many speculations that couldn’t easily converge into one.
“I’ll let you know if necessary.”
“Wow~! That’s super kind.”
I fully understood Ari’s half-serious tone laced with a bit of protest.
Despite that, I couldn’t just drop whatever I thought right then.
“Let’s eat and ponder the first wishes a bit more. Let’s all meet in the third-floor lobby at midnight.”
—
Date: Day 1 -> Day 2
Sage’s Advice: 0 -> 3
—
Midnight.
Usually, many would be fast asleep at this hour, but not today.
Everyone gathered in front of the elevator.
“Let’s head to the third-floor rooms!”
⇧ Guest Rooms
Once we arrived at the guest room area, it hit us hard.
As soon as we began our exploration, a surprising piece of information popped up.
“Oh? There are fewer guest rooms than I expected!”
Sister Eunsol’s voice echoed in surprise, met with the responses of the comrades.
No one outright mentioned how many cursed rooms were on the third floor, but surely everyone thought it couldn’t be less than nine.
The first wish and the third floor are closely related; that’s why.
So anything outside of Sanghyun and Miro’s wish at the Pioneer shouldn’t count as the “first” wish and would therefore also be excluded from mine.
Therefore, counting the first wish, that makes nine in total.
If each wish forms a unique scenario, there should be nine cursed rooms as well.
Yet, the actual number of guest rooms we confirmed on the third floor was six.
Songyee pointed out another odd detail.
“… The sixth room doesn’t have a number on it.”
“True. We only see rooms 301 to 305. So what about the sixth room?”
“Could it be the Gate Room on the lower floor?”
“But there’s no next floor. Why would there be a ‘Gate’?”
“That’s true.”
“Also, the Gate Room did have numbers. Rooms 107 and 207, right?”
“Exactly.”
Ari was growing increasingly flustered as more questions piled up in her mind.
That last room felt like something distinctly different from any room we had encountered so far.
Sanghyun muttered to himself.
“Then there seem to be a maximum of five cursed rooms. That suggests…”
All eyes gravitated towards him, and soon we all reached the same conclusion.
“The wishes and cursed rooms aren’t one-to-one.”
“There are probably two or more wishes mixed in each room?”
That was unexpected.
Looking at our comrades’ memories regarding the first wish, I had never considered that these memories could be intertwined.
The moment I thought they were entirely different stories, only to find out they connected after all.
At that moment, an ethereal image of a prism flickered in my mind.
“… One light.”
“Kain?”
“One projection, and the dispersion of light caused by it.”
“Can you put it in simpler terms?”
“Let’s say there’s a fundamental cause A. It could be a demon, or an anomaly. In the realm of reality, it corresponds to something like a mirror or an ark.”
They looked at me with pondering eyes as they absorbed this idea.
“The fundamental cause is just one! But in reality, it can appear as various phenomena. Just like a single beam of light can divide into seven colors.”
Sanghyun nodded in agreement.
“Could it be that the anomalies in our memories, which seemed entirely distinct, are truly one?”
“Not everything is one. For example, the guest rooms are certainly not just one.”
“Understood. So if Ari and I’s wishes belong to one room… it could mean riding a galaxy train leading to my memories of the unidentified exoplanet.”
“That can be possible.”
While everyone nodded along, Miro’s voice interrupted.
“Look here!”
“Huh?”
“There’s writing on the ceiling!”
—
“Inside, you cannot see the whole. Outside, you can’t touch the inner. There is only one answer.”
—
“…”
In the midst of silence, realization hit me once more.
A place filled with riddles and bathed in enigmatic answers—this truly is the hotel!
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