Chapter 657 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’ (4)
—
– Yu Songee
After arriving in downtown Gangneung that morning, I strolled around for quite a while.
A girl with a parrot perched on her shoulder and a middle-aged man carrying a cat cage in one hand.
Seeing those two wandering around Gangneung, it was a bizarre sight indeed!
Mr. Kim really seemed like the quiet type, just like Eunsol said.
It took him two long hours before he finally spoke up with a question he could barely understand.
“Songee, what are you looking for?”
“The house where the cat lived.”
“Besides the fact that it’s in Gyeongpo-dong, do you have any other leads? There are plenty of apartments around here.”
“Uh, maybe the cat can recognize it?”
“…”
Mr. Kim fell silent for a moment, then carefully replied.
“Even if we pass by the house, would a cat really have the intelligence to distinguish its home?”
This cat definitely does!
…
Wait, doesn’t it?
Why hasn’t it reacted since earlier?
“Uh… if I had another clue, it’s that the cat owner’s name is Park…”
“Park?”
“Park Jinho, Park Jiho, or Park Jihu—one of those.”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to ask for their names directly?”
I had thought about that too, but outright asking for names felt…
a bit too dangerous.
Why dangerous, you ask?
If someone asks me why I want those names, I wouldn’t really have an answer.
Just a feeling? A sharp intuition?
I wasn’t sure.
I really missed having Kain-hyung or Ari around to help legitimize my instincts.
If I start making things up, the other person might catch on that we’re searching for someone.
“…”
Why are only Eunsol and I here, anyway?
Is this truly the luck of the draw?
Did Seungyub just pick poorly?
“Alright… let’s go about it this way.”
After changing our search strategy, it took less than 20 minutes to get the exact name and address.
“Park Jinho? Park Jiho? I don’t know those names, but Park Jiho lives just off the main street behind the Pyeonghwa Restaurant—”
“Thanks a bunch!”
*
As we walked along the street, I instinctively came to a halt.
“…!”
Sensing an indescribable discomfort, I glanced around, and Mr. Kim looked puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“… Didn’t you just feel a strange gaze?”
“I didn’t notice anything unusual.”
Was I imagining things?
After a few steps, I paused again.
That unnameable discomfort or spine-chilling feeling, like a centipede crawling across my skin.
Could this be the heightened sense Kain-hyung sometimes talks about?
This time, it was Mr. Kim who reacted first.
“Did you feel something again?”
“…”
“Songee, I’m originally from the presidential security team. My rank was quite high.”
Well, it wouldn’t be odd for someone from the presidential security team to know a thing or two.
“What do you mean?”
“Given my experience in presidential security, I don’t feel anything unusual at all.”
“…”
“But if you’re sensing something, it must mean there’s definitely something there. Perhaps it’s a supernatural watchful eye.”
“…”
“What will you do? If you think it’s too dangerous, we can turn back and ask for support from the headquarters.”
Mr. Kim’s suggestion to retreat and seek help from the Bureau was sensible in his view, but there was a serious issue.
Everyone else was outside, and there was no support from the Bureau!
“… If you want to catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger’s den.”
“If that’s how you feel, then let’s go.”
*
When we arrived at the old house, it was Gray who reacted for the first time.
— Meow! Meow!
Mr. Kim slowly nodded and approached the front door to ring the bell.
— Ding Dong!
“Is anyone there?”
Soon, a somewhat twitchy-looking woman in her early fifties appeared.
“Who are you?”
“Is this the home of Park Jiho?”
“Who are you looking for Jiho?”
After hearing the previous resident’s reaction, I had a gut feeling, but it became clear with the woman’s response.
Park Jiho was still alive and even socially active.
If that’s the case, then what on earth is stuck in Gray’s body??
I motioned Mr. Kim to get closer.
“Hello! I’m, um, Song, a college mate of Jiho’s.”
Considering her age, she looked like she could be a freshman or sophomore.
Anyway, the woman who had looked so tense in front of Mr. Kim seemed a lot more relaxed with me, a teenage girl.
“Oh my gosh! A college mate?”
“Yes! We were supposed to meet nearby today, but he hasn’t answered my calls. Oh, and this is—”
“Oh my! I’m so sorry for making such a cute student wait!”
I was trying to cover up Mr. Kim’s identity, but before I could, the woman rushed forward.
“Hey! Jiho! What are you doing? Come out right now!”
Mr. Kim commented with interest, “It seems that lady thinks you’re Jiho’s girlfriend.”
“…”
“Of course, it seems she wants to believe that.”
“…”
“When Jiho comes out, what will you do? I’ll need a heads up to handle it appropriately.”
“… I honestly don’t know.”
“I see?”
It hit me then, I hadn’t really thought about what to do next.
I didn’t come up with a plan; it felt more like I was there to create a plan.
Thus, when asked what we should do, I couldn’t give a proper answer.
If Kain-hyung could see us now, he’d surely be feeling pretty frustrated…
Just then, Mr. Kim calmly remarked.
“You seem to lack confidence in yourself.”
And then he added something rather impulsively.
“Usually, I don’t make plans myself. It’s often someone else who does.”
“Is it hard to take on a role you don’t usually do?”
“… Yes.”
“Then focus on what you’re good at.”
“Huh?”
“Concentrate your mind and let your instincts guide you.”
— Creak!
Just then, a rather neat-looking young man approached from a distance.
Tall and reasonably handsome.
With looks like that, he probably didn’t have much trouble finding himself a girlfriend.
Though, not quite like Kain-hyung—oh wait, that guy struggled dating, didn’t he?
As I opened my mouth to speak, he beat me to it with a grin.
“Songee! How’s it going?”
At this point, both I and Mr. Kim were taken aback.
“… You know my name.”
“What do you mean? Didn’t we plan to meet today?”
“…”
“Haha! Sorry, sorry! I overslept big time. To make up for it, I’ll treat you today. My mom was lecturing me for leaving such a pretty girlfriend waiting!”
— Beep!
At that moment, Pero let out a warning growl.
“Ha!”
Mr. Kim made a low sound as he scanned the area.
“…”
Only then did I realize what that strange feeling I’d sensed on the road meant.
Crows high in the sky, cats in the alley, dogs on the roadside—dozens of animals were casting sinister glances from all around.
No wonder even someone who had previously protected the president would say, “I have no idea!”
In all his life, he’d probably never paid any mind to animals watching him!
Trying my utmost to stay calm, I said, “Am I the king of all animals or something?”
At that moment, the other’s demeanor shifted.
The relaxed eyes and playful voice washed away, replaced with a cold, unreadable gaze.
The real identity of the soul of Park Jiho residing in Gray’s body—an unknown entity had claimed Jiho’s vacant body.
“You’re not an animal. But you must know this, right?”
Suddenly, even though it was still before lunchtime, the atmosphere seemed to darken.
Some strange, ominous cloud appeared in the sky.
“Be honest. What are you? Are you an agent or something?”
“…”
“I know that’s a lie. You’re no agent. The Bureau wouldn’t be involved in this….”
At his words, Mr. Kim flinched beside me.
But what was the source of his certainty that the Bureau wouldn’t intervene?
“What are you really? Why did you come here so unprepared? Hahaha! Do you know who I am—”
In an instant, his tone changed to one filled with mischief.
Maybe sensing the unsettling vibe, Mr. Kim trembled.
Was I supposed to?
Suddenly, I recalled the advice I had just gotten.
“Then, why not focus on what you’re good at?”
“Concentrate on your mind and let your instincts take over.”
“I didn’t know about you before, but now I do.”
“… What do you mean?”
The next words slipped from my mouth instinctively.
It could very well have been a reaction born from the crisis!
At least, I hoped so.
Taking a step closer, I whispered.
“How do I look to you?”
You’re going to love me from now on.
「’The Beloved One’ has activated.」
*
Things are getting extremely chaotic, aren’t they? Kain, do you see anything?
This is such an impulsive move, it’s tough to predict both intention and outcome.
What the hell kind of development is this? Songee, what are you thinking?!
Haha! Ari, do you still not get it? My thought that she’s being thoughtful is just a delusion. She’s just going with the flow!
What?
She’s in trouble and went ahead, regardless of danger!
What’s next?
Looking at the opponent, I see he’s a chaotic entity who’s also taken on a human form, so at least I used my ability!
Phew! No brain, things are a complete mess here.
Well, looking at it from a different angle, since it’s fundamentally chaotic, maybe there’ll be some enlightenment here. The rootless root, huh?
What are you talking about?
Honestly, I have no idea—ugh!
What’s happening?
There’s an issue with Eunsol-noona too.
*
– Lee Eunsol
Around lunchtime, I felt uneasy and called Song and Mr. Kim to check on how things were progressing.
“… Why aren’t either of them picking up?”
Both of them had gone dark on me.
Could it be that both of them fell into something while I wasn’t looking?
“…”
In a heartbeat, I felt a sense of doom creep up, making it hard to breathe!
At this point, that nagging sense of wariness of the Bureau changed into needing their help more than anything.
After all, wouldn’t the Bureau at least act to prevent chaotic disasters?
Suddenly, they wouldn’t just kill the youngest daughter of the Daeyang Group!
Ultimately, I pulled out my phone and dialed the Bureau’s direct line, which was inaccessible to ordinary folks.
“…”
Once I press call, I’ll be connected directly with an internal staff member.
In those last three seconds of hesitation.
— Clunk!
Out of the blue, a book in the office fell to the floor.
“What the—”
— Clunk! Clunk!
Before I could even get up, suddenly, an ‘Emerging Young Entrepreneur’ trophy and an award from some unnamed association also crashed down one after another.
“…”
What is going on?
What the heck is this?
Why is there a poltergeist-like phenomenon happening just as I’m about to report to the Bureau?
“Phew….”
Ah! I totally saw that coming.
Whatever it is, this feels like an intimidation to stop me from contacting the Bureau!
You really think I’d fall for this sort of trick?!
— Beep!
I hit the call button immediately.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.