Chapter 654 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’ (1)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 2
Current Location: Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’
Sage’s Advice: 1
—
– Han Kain
I woke up in an extravagant room.
Surrounding me were my bewildered companions, all looking equally lost.
Jinchul Hyung’s panicked voice broke the silence.
“Did it already start? Does everyone begin at the same place in Room 301?”
“…”
In that moment, I too thought this Room 301 was already in motion, and this was just my starting point, but I quickly realized that was a misconception.
“Doesn’t seem like it yet.”
“Everyone, look at this!”
In the center of the room was a small table, and Ari was pointing at something on it.
“There’s an entry list!”
The entry list—a clear term that everyone immediately grasped.
Only those whose names were written on that list could enter!
Grandpa nodded, adding,
“I heard from the manager that starting from the third floor, you can choose your entry members, but— huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at this. There are already two names written!”
As Grandpa mentioned, at the top of the list were already two names.
1. Yu Songee
2. Lee Eunsol
In an instant, everyone’s eyes entangled, and soon Eunsol sister spoke what everyone was pondering.
“I figured there would be at least two people’s wishes connected, based on the number of rooms we saw in the early morning. The first room…”
Songee picked up from there.
“Looks like my wish is intertwined with my sister’s.”
“True. This is surprising. Was there a link to our story?”
“Hmm… The link could be between a chaebol’s youngest daughter and a talking golden retriever?”
“Hearing it like that makes even less sense. Kain, did anything like a room title pop up?”
“Yes. It’s ‘Origin of Species.’”
Origin of Species.
The name of the famous book written by Charles Darwin, the founder of the theory of evolution.
Yet, at this level, it was still difficult to speculate the scenario.
“Origin of Species? The ambiguity is only growing. Ugh! Let’s cut out the vague discussions and start pondering who to write down on the entry list.”
The question of who gets written on the entry list directly relates to who enters Room 301.
Sanghyun Hyung offered a reasonable thought.
“Based on the circumstances, it’s essential that only necessary people should enter instead of everyone.”
“That seems right. The manager also hinted at considering the appropriate number of participants.”
“Well, Kain should be a must-have, right? Your strength and your ability to decipher the scenario.”
“Right? Should we write Kain’s name first?”
Just as my name was about to be written naturally, a sense of foreboding made me wave my hands.
“I don’t think it will be that straightforward.”
“Hmm?”
“If only a fixed number of people can enter, what happens to the remainder?”
“….”
“Just waiting outside, munching on snacks?”
Everyone immediately shook their heads.
No matter how one thought about it, this hotel wasn’t that type of place.
“Definitely does not seem like that.”
“There must be roles in place for those left behind.”
“… I think I get what you mean.”
This scenario essentially boils down to the issue of personnel distribution.
Dividing who goes into Room 301 and who stays outside to perform different roles.
If I forcefully enter Room 301 as a valuable resource, that could cause trouble.
Might I not be more useful outside?
“How should we classify it?”
Songee gave me an exasperated look.
“Hey, why not use your last piece of advice now?”
I considered Songyee’s suggestion for a moment but quickly shook my head.
“No way. In this sort of situation, any advice I get will likely return a riddle instead of a real answer.”
“Eh? Is it because there’s not enough basis?”
“Exactly.”
Long ago, the Owl taught me about the essence of wisdom.
“Making a correct choice from ignorance isn’t wisdom. Even the wisest need at least a minimal amount of information to make a smart decision.”
In a situation where information is nearly zero, simply guessing isn’t wisdom; there’s a different skill for that.
Naturally, my gaze shifted toward Seungyub.
“Seungyub, come here.”
“Hyung?”
— Shiing!
I tore off a blank sheet at the bottom of the list and divided it into eight pieces.
On these, I wrote the names of the eight companions, excluding the confirmed names of Yu Songee and Lee Eunsol.
At this point, Seungyub understood my actions but wore a slightly anxious expression.
“So, we’re relying on luck to draw lots?”
“Yep.”
“… Hyung, you know luck has a long cooldown, right?”
“I know. It usually lasts over ten days. Sometimes it can even approach a month.”
“Can we use it now?”
If using luck now, we would effectively render it useless within the cursed room.
I agreed with Seungyub’s anxiety, but I could only think this was the most pivotal moment.
“I believe now is of utmost importance. Does anyone have a different opinion?”
Everyone nodded as if they agreed with my stance.
At that moment, a question flickered in my mind.
“Should we write down Pero’s name as well?”
As if waiting for such a moment, the parrot perched on Songyi’s shoulder squawked, “Peep!”
Songyee lightly tapped Pero, shaking her head.
“Isn’t Pero classified as a tool in the hotel? If I write Pero on the entry list, then I’d also have to write down protective suits and wing boots, and that feels weird— Ah! Ah! Don’t bite! I said don’t bite!”
“…”
“I didn’t mean to say you were a tool! That was the hotel’s classification— Stop biting!”
While Songyee and Pero were wrestling, I spoke to Seungyub.
“All right, close your eyes and pick.”
“How many should I grab?”
Behind him, Ari chimed in.
“Just do it as you see fit!”
Grandpa chimed in too.
“Don’t overthink it, just follow your instincts!”
As always, Seungyub approached the table, his expression showing uncertainty as he closed his eyes.
“…”
Instead of picking right away, he hesitated.
Lost in thought on what felt right, it seemed.
“Ugh… I can’t decide!”
“Right, just pick.”
“Okay.”
As Seungyub reached out, his hand flailed through the air.
“Ah? Let me try again.”
— Tap!
This time his hand collided with the table.
Because he had closed his eyes well before, it felt as if he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the paper bundle.
Just as Seungyub squinted and was about to reach out again—
“Stop!”
Everyone’s voices thundered in unison.
In that brief moment, numerous eyes crossed.
Everyone seemed to share the same thought, recognizing others were thinking alike.
The lucky choice had already been decided.
Seungyub’s attempt to grab the paper would only distort this fortunate selection.
“Wait! I lost track of the paper’s position—”
“No, it’s fine! Just step back!”
The boy descended still looking bewildered, not fully grasping the situation.
In contrast, Eunsol sister wore an incredibly complicated expression.
“Should we first go with no one else joining, just me and Songyee?”
“Let’s do it that way.”
“… I thought I’d at least bring Jinchul with me.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“I think we need at least one person who can contribute. Besides, I’ve thought about it; my combination with Jinchul’s abilities can be pretty good.”
“Uh…. I guess that’s true.”
Lee Eunsol lacks physical strength, while Cha Jinchul is vulnerable to mental attacks.
The combination of those two abilities certainly sounds good, but at this point, it doesn’t matter.
The lucky choice was ‘no one else should be chosen.’
In the end, Eunsol sister and Songyee stood nervously before the entry list.
“Do we just say it? That we’ll go in together?”
“Most likely…After all, we’ll just watch from the hotel.”
Her eyes trembled slightly.
An endlessly anxious expression washed over her face.
Looking at Songyee’s expression, Eunsol sister smiled.
It was as if, being the elder, she felt the need to boost morale.
“Alright! Let’s go! The hotel must think two of us is sufficient, right? Don’t be scared.”
“… Sis, stop shaking your hand.”
“Aah… It’s too much for me to take care of this.”
“Hmm, Songyee, if you’re having doubts, trust the ticket.”
The ticket of desire—a reward obtained from solving the entrance of Room 207 on the second floor.
You could use it to grant a wish or reclaim a lost legacy in the room of mirrors.
However, more importantly, its vital use is for revival.
Unlike the first and second floors, the cursed room on the third floor definitely wouldn’t allow everyone to enter at once.
Some might die, and others might live.
Thus, we all agreed to keep the ticket as our last line of defense unless something truly extraordinary occurred.
“Ticket! That sounds reliable.”
“I can’t trust it?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“I’m heading in. Here we go!”
As Eunsol sister declared she would enter, a mystical swirl of lights enveloped us, and then Eunsol sister and Songyee vanished.
The two had entered Room 301.
And then….
— Kabuung!
A massive door materialized where there had previously been nothing.
“…”
As if suggesting that those remaining should come forward.
“Let’s go. We’re probably supposed to do something over there.”
“Yeah.”
Beyond the door was a familiar space.
“It’s the observatory, right?”
“It is the observatory!”
— Click!
A loud sound echoed, as if the door were locking shut.
Jinchul Hyung dashed toward the observatory entrance, wearing an expression of disbelief, but as predicted, the door wouldn’t budge.
“It’s locked!”
At this point, we understood the basic structure.
“I see roughly how the third floor will proceed. Only those whose names are written on the entry list can enter, while the rest are kept in the observatory.”
“Does that mean we can’t leave the observatory during the proceedings of the cursed room?”
“That’s correct. Hence, we’ve got a bedroom, bathroom, restroom, and a table for meals.”
As if waiting for the cue, a sound echoed in the air.
— Weeeing…!
Sanghyun Hyung gazed meaningfully at the observatory’s central telescope.
“Doesn’t that sound like the focusing adjustment?”
“… It does.”
When the sound ceased, I slowly approached the telescope.
This time, there was no warning appearing to tell me to refrain from observation.
*
– Yu Songee
I awoke on a fluffy bed.
With a feeling of ‘swish! swish!’ I opened my eyes.
“…”
As I peered down, I spotted the adorably fluffy Happy.
“… Good morning, Happy.”
– Bark!
Happy truly resembled a big ball of cotton candy.
Unconsciously, I reached out to embrace Happy at that moment.
“Help me, I’m scared, pained, and suffering. Get me out of here.”
“Ah!”
I suddenly recalled the chilling whispers, and instinctively shoved Happy away.
– Bark?
Happy looked bewildered, as if trying to assess what just happened, and I felt slightly bad about it.
“… Sorry.”
Songee, now is definitely not the time to lose your cool!
Deep breath. I scanned my surroundings.
The place was the apartment 203 in the Seochogu’s Blue Damian building, where I’d lived since young.
My appearance looked much like usual.
Wasn’t I supposed to be a helpless child in the first wish-related dream?
I was worried my form might be that weak in the cursed room, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.
Next, I hugged the dog and concentrated.
“Happy, stay still.”
– Bark! Bark!
Happy squirmed a bit, looking far too restless.
However, no voices came through.
“… Sorry, but I need to check for sure.”
I shoved a finger into the mouth of the wriggling Maltese.
If Happy could speak, he’d probably shout, “Wow, this girl has flipped her lid!”
But instead, Happy clamped down around my finger without hesitation.
“Ow! Ow! Open up!”
It hurt like a cliché, but this confirmed something.
The ‘sympathy’ ability to read the intent of the chaos entity wasn’t working.
Happy biting my finger without hesitation was the evidence.
That means Happy is still a ‘normal’ dog… for now.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from outside.
“Songee~! Is something wrong?”
“…”
“If you’re awake, go wash up and come for breakfast!”
“… Mom.”
As I stepped into the bathroom, I couldn’t help but feel a tied knot in my heart.
Hearing my mom’s voice only intensified that gloomy feeling as the warm water poured from the showerhead, cascading from my neck to my waist.
“Ah.”
The reflection in the mirror showed my face seemed slightly… ‘lacking.’
Is the power of dreams ineffective inside the cursed room?
“… Time to stop the futile thoughts.”
*
– I’ll break everything!
Stepping into the living room after a wash, I heard the voice of the beast.
Thankfully, it was not some peculiar phenomenon tied to the narrative.
Pero often spoke to me in riddles that only I could hear.
Pero, mixed in with the ordinary “dumb” parrots, seemed to be trapped inside a cage and ready to unleash his rage, on the verge of transforming into something grotesque and smashing the cage to bits.
He’ll be fine, right?
He’s just making noise.
Pero’s clever; I can endure a bit of his frustration.
– If you don’t open it soon, I will smash everything to pieces!
It’ll be okay, won’t it?
Just then, I heard a voice from behind me.
“Songee, if you’ve washed up, why are you loitering in front of the cage?”
As I turned to meet my mother’s gaze,
“…”
I spaced out.
Just looking into her eyes told me everything.
This person, this woman is….
“… The real deal.”
“What?”
“Y-You’re really my mom!”
“Oh my, child. So does that mean there’s a fake?”
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