Chapter 681 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of the Species’ (25)
—
Late at night, as Sanghyun, who had been on guard for a long time, stepped away for a quick nap.
Sitting in front of Kain were Miro and Seungyub.
“So, is Eunsol still stuck to that prisoner like glue?”
“Well, not 24/7, but the King of Is has definitely got control over her surroundings.”
“Is Eunsol even going to work?”
“She’s already taken leave.”
“Ugh! Why is she so out of it?”
Kain explained with a bitter smile.
“What can we do? We never even suspected her ‘mother’ until we actually experienced it ourselves.”
“That’s true, but…”
“She’s the same. She doesn’t even think to doubt, so we’re at a dead end.”
“…”
“All attempts to snap her out of it with poltergeist antics have failed. Lesson learned. If it’s a prisoner, they can block interventions from the observatory to some extent.”
“This is tough.”
In the first place, the abilities are skewed in favor of the King of Is, and with the enemy manipulating the situation right next to Eunsol, it was hard to fight back.
“It feels kinda odd…! This is the first time I’ve seen a prisoner act so freely.”
Kain nodded as if he agreed and responded.
“I’ve got two thoughts. First, the King of Is isn’t the type to just want to kill us like some Demon King. He has some sort of objective and needs participants for it. He’s done a lot of prep for this.”
“So that’s why he doesn’t put strong restrictions in the hotel? He’s not trying to kill us?”
“Or, second, there’s likely a clear weakness. We just don’t know what it is.”
“A weakness?”
“Think back to what the Count said when he approached the chairman. No matter who you are, there are areas you should never touch! Remember?”
“Now that you mention it, I do.”
“The things the prisoner is doing underground in Gangwon are dangerous, even to the Is species.”
“…”
“Maybe this situation is quite overwhelming for the prisoner too.”
Up until then, Seungyub hadn’t said a word but finally spoke.
“Then, shouldn’t we just fight next time?”
“…”
“If Kain hyung could just kill Eunsol’s mom—”
“Talking like that makes it sound really callous. Anyway, let’s think about the next round after we finish this one. Hah…”
While speaking, Kain let out a sigh without realizing it.
His teammates had started mentioning a ‘next round’ as if it were a given.
The atmosphere among them suggested that solving anything this round was quite hopeless.
Maybe there were too many depressing discussions?
Miro spoke up as if comforting Kain.
“Still, look! Ahri is really smart!”
“…”
“Right? Seems like she’s catching on to the situation!”
“That’s a relief.”
At that moment, Kain secretly hoped fervently.
Even if it was impossible to resolve things in the second round…
He hoped that at least Plan B, the ‘first realization of Eunsol and Songee’s wishes,’ would succeed.
—
– Yu Songee
“Songee, why are you just standing at the entrance?”
With my head hung low, my heart was like a raging volcano about to erupt.
I wanted to tear apart that repulsive being imitating my mom right in front of me!
The reason I had to hold back was simple.
Even if that thing’s soul and mind were a detestable alien, its body belonged to my mom.
If I just went ahead and killed it out of anger, where would my mom’s soul, shivering in pain somewhere, go?
At that moment—
—Slam!
Out of nowhere, Pero climbed onto my shoulder and began biting my ear mercilessly!
“Ahhh!”
“Oh my goodness! Pero, what’s wrong with you!”
“Ahh! Mom!”
“Songee, just hold on! No, seriously, what’s going on!”
As I screamed in pain and made a scene at the entrance, the ‘other’ acted like a mom and pulled Pero away.
“Oh dear! Make sure to put on disinfectant and ointment before going to bed, okay?”
“…Okay.”
I suddenly felt a sense of amazement.
The Is species really knows how to act.
—
Once I was alone in my room, lying on the bed, my sanity gradually returned.
Plan B involved me acting like a high school girl while Eunsol unnie acted like a Senior Executive of the Daeyang Group, reenacting past events!
Through this, the two participants were supposed to realize their first wish.
What was I like just earlier?
I remembered the anger and murderous intent I felt when I caught on to the Is species. Such typical participant behavior.
The acting skills of the Is were incredibly high; it made no sense for an ordinary human to see through them!
Thanks to the experiences I’d accumulated in the hotel, the application of blessings, and the mysterious sensations provided by diverse perspectives, I managed to catch on immediately. Without that help, it wouldn’t have been normal to notice.
Paradoxically, the alien that seized my mom’s body also didn’t suspect me in the entrance.
They probably thought a ‘normal high school girl’ wouldn’t instantly see through their disguise.
Realizing this, I felt grateful for Pero, who had returned to the cage.
He had prevented me from doing something even weirder.
“Thanks.”
— Squeak!
The thought of ‘You can’t do without me!’ from Pero made me smile without realizing it.
“Yeah, good job.”
My heart was still boiling to a point it was unbearable.
I had no idea there was this much love for family left in me!
Suddenly, I thought of my teammates who had made families in reality.
Back then, it was hard to understand the doctors and grandfathers obsessed with their families…
But now, I understood their feelings.
The reason I’d been indifferent to reality was that I hadn’t met a ‘real family’!
“Phew…”
I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and sent a security message to Ahri through Teleotalk.
– Come nearby quickly. I have something to ‘communicate.’
I was worried about sending more messages through the app.
I felt like there were watchful eyes in my room even now.
In this situation, the only thing I could trust was the blessing of communication.
I wanted to discuss important matters through the conversation tab, so I quoted ‘communicate’ here, thinking she’d get it, right?
Ahri is pretty perceptive!
In just a minute, the chat tab blinked.
Kim Ahri: What’s up? Is something wrong?
I was honestly surprised.
Considering the limitations of physical distance in chat tabs, it meant Grandpa and Ahri were already somewhere near the house.
Thinking that way made me feel slightly reassured.
Yu Songee: … My parents have had their bodies taken over by the Is species.
It seemed to shock Ahri too, as there was a slight pause before her next response.
Kim Ahri: What a coincidence. I actually had something to tell you too.
Somehow, the chat tab seemed to respond too quickly. Was she already on her way to me?
Yu Songee: Something to say?
Kim Ahri: Don’t go near Eunsol.
Yu Songee: Why?
Kim Ahri: Something feels off. You shouldn’t get close. If possible, don’t contact Eunsol either.
Did something happen to Eunsol unnie too?
Of course, according to Plan B, there shouldn’t be anything to discuss, so it wasn’t a huge problem.
It would be normal for a typical high school girl not to contact the third daughter of a conglomerate.
Yu Songee: Understood—
Just then, suddenly the chat tab flickered!
“What the?!”
It was the kind of bizarre situation that felt like a bug in the messenger app.
As I was confused about what was going on, an even stranger reply came back.
Kim Ahri: Don’t be shocked. Mooksung’s blessing has become slightly unstable. It’s not unusable, though.
Yu Songee: What do you mean by that?
Kim Ahri: I suspect it might be a side effect of the One More Chance…
The side effects of One More Chance? Is that referring to the price of reversing fate?
Did Grandpa’s blessing become unstable due to the price of reversing fate?
I was about to question the chat tab in surprise when Grandpa’s resolute message appeared.
Kim Mooksung: Songee, this is not something you need to worry about.
Yu Songee: How come—
Before I could even type a few characters, more messages from Grandpa popped up.
Kim Mooksung: Now, this behavior itself is typical ‘participant behavior.’
“…”
Kim Mooksung: Plan B, reenact past actions to realize the first wish. Isn’t that the plan you set? With a decent plan set, you shouldn’t just crumble it.
Yu Songee: Then what should I do?
The response was relayed for Ahri.
Kim Ahri: Act like a high school girl. Would past-you have been able to see through the disguise of the Is species?
Yu Songee: Not a chance.
Kim Ahri: Then go outside and shout “Mom~!”
Yu Songee: … Every time I see her, I want to shoot her with a gun.
Kim Ahri: But you don’t have a gun anyway, right?
—
As I lay on the bed, sighing, Ahri pointed out an important detail.
Kim Ahri: Remember that morning in the first day? That mysterious fog appeared at your house.
Yu Songee: Of course, I remember.
Kim Ahri: It seems that was the Is species trying to take over your parents’ bodies.
Yu Songee: Does the consciousness before possession look like fog?
Kim Ahri: I think so. They must have either failed on the first day or just confirmed the house structure before retreating.
At that moment, the chat tab crackled again, cutting off the conversation.
As Ahri said, it wasn’t unusable, but it was pretty awkward to deal with.
Kim Mooksung: Songee, you said Room 301 feels like the real world you lived in?
Yu Songee: Yes.
Of course, this part still wasn’t confirmed.
Eunsol unnie, who shared equal standing with me within Room 301, had shown a somewhat skeptical reaction.
Could it be a real world for me but not for her? Is that too strange a thought?
I wasn’t sure. I still didn’t have enough information about the third floor, Room 301, to speak easily.
As these thoughts crossed my mind, Grandpa pointed out something I hadn’t considered.
Kim Mooksung: So, the fact that your parents had their bodies taken away also means it happened in your reality?
—
Stepping out of the room, I found my parents having a quiet chat in the living room.
What on earth could they be talking about?
If they’re disguising themselves as humans, would it be a typical conversation between an ordinary human couple?
Or would they be mocking the ‘lowly human’ that was the original owner of those bodies—
Stop it! Participant behavior halted!
I’m just a naive girl who knows nothing.
“Yawn…!”
With a huge yawn, I moved naturally into the living room.
“Are your ears okay now? Did you put on disinfectant and ointment?”
“…Yes.”
“Why are you so late today?”
“I lost track of time playing with friends…”
“No way. Even I used to have so much fun playing with friends back in the day. But from now on, please let us know in advance. We were worried.”
“I’m sorry.”
As we chatted, a chill went down my spine for some reason.
Every word and action was the quintessential ‘mom’ itself.
In many ways, more ‘mom-like’ than my actual mom.
As I struggled to hold on in this unbearable situation while pretending to be the good daughter, an incomprehensible faint vision slipped through my mind.
Something I had said in the past.
— “You two seem to be getting along so well today. You should’ve talked like this earlier!”
“… You two seem to be getting along so well today. You should’ve talked like this earlier!”
In that moment, an eerie silence filled the living room.
At my sudden outburst, the two ‘entities’ froze, their gazes exchanged for a fleeting moment.
As if trying to grasp the context behind my words.
Was that why? Their next reactions were natural.
“Ahem! Songee, Mom and Dad are always trying their best.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. We’ve made it seem like we’ve hurt you too much. We apologize.”
The two outsiders were increasingly immersing themselves in their assigned ‘roles.’
I too, realized.
Something like this had happened before.
Back then, I wasn’t a participant or in a state of grace, so I didn’t feel any oddness at all.
I would have merely thought, “Wow, my parents seem to be getting along better than usual!”
In this context, how do the first wishes get fulfilled?
As I pondered this, I discreetly glanced around and something dawned on me.
“…”
I wasn’t the only one who felt out of place around my parents.
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.