Chapter 672 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of the Species’ (16)
—
– Yu Songee
—
It’s hard to believe, but two days have passed since I first met C, the agent in Room 301, at the traditional Korean restaurant.
In the meantime, C promised to introduce us to the Pioneers—the upper echelons of the Administration Bureau.
There was a clash happening between the Administration Bureau and the great Is race for some reason, making every hand count for the Bureau.
Just a day later, we received the meeting time and place from the Pioneers.
And guess what? The promised date is today!
So, all the members, except for Eunsol, gathered and piled into a van to head over.
While driving, Grandpa grumbled a bit.
“Jinchul, make sure to set the navigation properly.”
“I’m following it exactly.”
“Why on earth is the meeting place in some mountain valley in Gangwon-do? Has the Bureau decided to go farming together or what?”
“Isn’t it obvious why it’s in Gangwon-do? There’s some weird ruin buried underground there.”
Ahri chimed in.
“Eunsol found out from the chairman that the place where the former chairman met the king of the Is was at the Gangwon research center.”
“Looks like something did happen in a mountain valley in Gangwon-do… By the way, the Project ‘Origin of the Species’? The name sounds eerily similar to the room title.”
“For real.”
At that point, Elena brought up something about Eunsol.
“Out of nowhere, the chairman has started the succession process.”
“What?”
“According to Eunsol, the person who has been bestowed with a great destiny must lead the Daeyang Group.”
“Oh boy! So that’s why Eunsol has been so busy lately.”
“Honestly, it’s hard to be apart from the chairman. As you know, he still has some information that’s quite mysterious.”
“Hmm…”
While I was navigating through the secret base -> C -> Pioneer timeline, Eunsol was stalling at the chairman stage.
She was caught in a rather awkward situation where there was more concealed information with the chairman, and figuring that out could be dangerous.
What should we do? Just then, the chairman unexpectedly began the succession process for the Daeyang Group.
Everyone fell silent for a moment when Ahri let out a chuckle.
“It seems the chairman is mixing up the genres of Room 301.”
“…”
“If Room 301 were a modern drama centered around chaebols, Eunsol would have achieved the ultimate goal of her life by now.”
Listening to that made me curious.
What genre does this world fall under beyond Room 301?
No matter how I think about it, it feels like some kind of bizarre genre like a divine rescue story?
Either way, it’s clear.
The chaebol succession is nothing more than an insignificant obstacle for us.
Just then, Elena turned to me and asked.
“She was wondering, are your parents really ordinary folks?”
Naturally, I glanced at the two agents who had been bothering my parents for the past two or three days.
Grandpa shrugged and replied.
“I think so. Just normal citizens, a kind-hearted couple of veterinarians.”
Ahri cocked her head skeptically and countered.
“But I heard there was some strange fog entering their house that night.”
“I heard that story too and focused on it, but honestly, I have no clue. Even Jinchul and I had our eyes peeled but saw nothing.”
“Hmm… so that incident wasn’t caused by your parents?”
The claim that my parents are just ordinary people rang through my mind.
When I first heard it, my emotions were mixed.
Relief at not being the betrayal of humanity;
A sense of emptiness as the doubts from outside Room 301 dissipated so easily.
Finally, disappointment as my hopes for a special and mysterious background crumbled!
“…”
Honestly, the disappointment was pretty substantial.
It’s awkward to admit, but I had high hopes.
I thought perhaps I might be a ‘mysterious being from birth’ like Ahri, Miro, or my brother Kain, or even the current Eunsol!
All my fanciful imaginations evaporated in an instant!
While I was lost in these slightly embarrassing thoughts, Jinchul awkwardly spoke up.
“Hey, Songee.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could persuade your dad?”
“…”
“Uh, I mean, it’s just that your dad—”
“Are you talking about when Dad reported you?”
“…”
The revelation that my dad filed police reports and civil lawsuits against Jinchul for assault, threats, property damage, and various other reasons!
It was a known story among us, but Elena, newly joined, widened her eyes in shock.
“What are you talking about? A lawsuit?”
With a deep sigh, Jinchul explained.
“Uh… your dad created a bit of chaos while confirming whether he was a normal human.”
“What? Apparently, a huge guy drunkenly barged into the hospital and started causing a scene.”
“…”
“He suddenly wrecked the hospital and even grabbed Dad by the collar.”
Hearing this, Ahri chuckled.
“It’s totally reasonable to file a police report. A civil lawsuit is definitely necessary.”
Grandpa sighed and added.
“Hey, we had no choice. We were getting desperate since we couldn’t find anything, and that’s when Jinchul came up with the idea.”
“Were you thinking about threatening his life?”
“If the veterinarian had some hidden evil power, they would use it when their life is at risk, right? So we figured it was worth checking.”
“And the result?”
“I told you! Even Jinchul was too scared to move a finger, just crying out in fear.”
The more I heard, the more I shot Jinchul a disbelieving glare.
“It was your idea?!”
“…Sorry.”
Jinchul awkwardly laughed and then abruptly shifted the blame.
“I was just saying it offhand. But Mooksung said it was a good idea!”
“Wait, what?!”
“Hey! Wild boar, what are you talking about?”
“Did I say something wrong? If Elena is here, you should be honest!”
At this point, Grandpa, who was driving, flinched and threw out another name.
“Hey, if you come to think about it, I’m a victim too. Who do you think was behind the plan to spy on Songee’s parents? Ahri.”
“What? Where did that come from?”
“Ahri, was I wrong? If push comes to shove, you should do whatever it takes to get the information! And now that Elena is here?”
Around this time, Elena let out a deep sigh.
“I’m not using a lie detector for such bizarre matters.”
Meanwhile, Ahri, who had no idea she would get called on, suddenly looked flustered.
Of course, Ahri quickly redirected the arrows.
“In a way, the one who bears the fundamental responsibility is someone else.”
At that moment, a bemused smile crept onto my face.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Kain.”
“Ah?”
“Do you know who first brought up the idea that your parents might be suspicious? It was Kain.”
“Really?”
“Ha! Elena, back me up! My words are the truth!”
“…I don’t use lie detectors for petty matters.”
“Seriously? Kain was the first to start doubting?”
“That’s right! Kain planted the seeds of discord.”
At this moment, my jaw dropped!
To be honest, it felt like a joke until just a moment ago.
The whole debacle about Jinchul threatening my dad?
Ahri and Grandpa crafting the operation?
Kain doubting my parents?
I can understand it.
Since everyone’s lives are on the line for resolving Room 301, it makes sense.
But what’s honestly baffling is what follows.
“… Guys, this is beyond absurd.”
“What is it?”
“Before the second attempt, I had a pretty long conversation one-on-one with Kain, you know?”
At this point, sensing something profound, all eyes were on me.
“That night, he mentioned that the idea of spying on my parents came up in a personal conversation with Grandpa.”
“What? What do you mean?!”
“So, naturally, I thought it was Grandpa and Ahri who started this discussion first.”
Suddenly, the interior of the van fell silent.
Grandpa, Ahri, Jinchul, and even Elena were momentarily at a loss for words.
Soon, Ahri muttered, looking somewhat impressed.
“That’s Kain for you.”
“…”
“You can never let your guard down for a moment. At this rate, if Aleph comes back, Kain would get stabbed in the back.”
From then on until we arrived at the Gangwon Research Center, we just vented about Kain.
—
‘… What is going on here?’
‘As planned.’
‘…’
‘You see, after grabbing the collar of a beloved family member and threatening them, even if it’s logically understandable, it can leave emotional remnants, right?’
‘…’
‘But if it eases up like this, everyone outside will curse me, so there won’t be any hard feelings inside.’
‘Is this really part of the plan?’
‘Haha! Hyung Seung-hyun, you have to trust me.’
‘Kain is truly clever!’
‘Miro, no matter how you look at it, that’s a lie.’
‘Hmm! Anyway, I have this thought. There must have been something extraordinary for Songee even before arriving at the hotel.’
‘That statement, I agree with. After all, the initial wish strongly hints at a mysterious fate. It just wasn’t rooted in the parents.’
‘If Eunsol’s fate were orchestrated by some unknown entity….’
‘And Songee’s?’
‘It’s merely a coincidence, a fateful event perhaps?’
‘Is that a feeling? Or is it insight?’
‘For me, the boundary between feeling and insight is blurry. Still, I’m fairly confident that before 301 ends, we will uncover the wishes of those two individuals.’
—
After arriving at the pre-arranged location, only Ahri and I got out.
The other colleagues kept a certain distance, just within earshot of Grandpa’s conversation window.
Thus, even if Ahri and I got into trouble, we could alert the others via the conversation window.
In the evening, we finally met with someone higher up in the ‘Pioneers,’ thanks to C.
She was a middle-aged woman with half-gray hair, and at a glance, she didn’t seem particularly special.
With a mystifying air that could confuse you about whether she’s human or an evil spirit, C was just an agent, yet her superior, the Pioneer, blended in perfectly with normal people on the street.
As I soaked in this strange irony, Ahri began her conversation with the Pioneer.
“I heard from C. A has recently gone rogue beyond five loops?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Normally, we would issue a light reprimand for such an infraction—”
“I’m sorry.”
“But given the circumstances, there’s not much we can do. It’s a time when hands are precious. C told you, right?”
“Yes. He mentioned that clashes with aliens possessing body-snatching abilities have been ongoing.”
“C told me you have a certain level of mental defense abilities?”
“I do, and the agent behind is also equipped with that. You’ve heard of—”
The Pioneer turned her gaze towards me, smiling sweetly.
“Isn’t she a candidate for new agents?”
“Y-yes.”
“Welcome! You’re prepared to dedicate yourself to humanity, right?”
“Of-course.”
“What a cute and lovely lady. I like it.”
At this point, I was feeling rather flustered.
This Pioneer felt incredibly ordinary.
I had imagined someone with an overwhelming charisma, someone who could crush you with a glance…
But upon meeting her, she looked like an affluent matron who had aged gently.
I mean, her appearance was so normal that it felt oddly out of place.
I knew she straddled the line between human and monster, but she felt like a figure wearing a human skin.
While I awkwardly smiled, Ahri brought up something crucial.
“I heard about Project ‘Origin of the Species’ from C.”
“Oh really?”
“On the way, I started to think that this project might be the root cause of everything.”
“…”
“Could it be the catalyst for the interaction between humans and the Is race? Essentially, the very beginning of it all.”
“That is one way to see it.”
Suddenly, flashes of information gathered from the post-apocalyptic world crossed my mind.
For some reason, the collision between the Is race and humans had begun.
The King of the Is had died, and now the Is race was seeking to resurrect him.
“I want to know more about the project.”
Honestly, even as I listened to Ahri’s question, I didn’t really expect an immediate answer.
After all, from the Pioneer’s perspective, we still might be suspicious beings, right?
Even though Ahri appears to be an ally, it doesn’t mean we’re close enough to receive confidential information right away.
That’s what I thought.
“I see. That’s correct.”
“Um…?”
“You are all going to act as key personnel in combating the Is invasion. You’ll definitely need to know the information. Let’s head to the ruins; I’ll share while we go.”
At this point, Ahri raised an eyebrow slightly.
Although there was no conversation, I could see what Ahri was thinking.
Things are going ‘too’ smoothly!
In the midst of that peculiar sense of unease, the Pioneer uttered something bizarre.
“Oh by the way, have you heard the purpose of the Origin of the Species project?”
“… C said he didn’t know.”
“Ascension.”
“Huh?”
“We aim to elevate humanity’s destiny to a higher realm.”
—
‘… This is too strange.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘You’re going to share something with someone you just met today instead of C, who has been faithfully serving for a long time?’
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