### Chapter 135 – Room 107, The Gate Room – ‘Perfect Life’ (26)
—
Kim Ahri
— Drrrring! Drrrring!
I woke up to the loud alarm.
Yawning and dragging myself out of bed, I finally realized I couldn’t put it off any longer and stepped out of my room.
As always, I had a hearty breakfast while getting sent off by Mom on my way to school!
Ah, the peaceful routine felt like it could go on forever.
Stepping out the front door, who should I see but Dasul!
“Ahri!”
“Yeah. Haaaa~ I’m yawning so much.”
“Feeling sleepy?”
“Not really. Just a bit. Ugh, I wanna skip school.”
“Aren’t you having headaches lately?”
“Headaches?”
“You’ve been grabbing your head a few times every day, going ‘Something feels off~ something feels off~.’”
“Did I? I think I’m okay today?”
“Better take some medicine, just in case.”
Fortunately, we arrived at school without being late.
As soon as I entered, I opened my shoe locker –
— Whoosh!
“…”
Letters poured out the moment I opened it. Dasul looked at me in disbelief.
“Are you trying to show off to me by overflowing your locker with letters?”
“I think I need to lock it up. Can’t let any weird stuff slip in.”
“Otherwise, won’t the boys just shove things in your locker whenever you’re away?”
“…”
We both started cleaning out the junk from the shoe locker.
While we were tossing trash in, I heard a voice calling out from the other side.
“Hey! You’re Ahri, right?”
It was a second-year senior I met last week. Her name was Yu Songee. A girl carrying a birdcage approached us.
“Hello~ You brought your parrot again today?”
I found it a bit strange. Can you really bring animals to school like that?
“Yeah! The teacher allowed me! Isn’t it super cute?”
The teacher really gave the green light? What kind of school is this?
I was trying to contain my disbelief as I looked at the birdcage she was holding.
What the…? Did I just see that?
The parrot inside was wearing a bizarre outfit that looked like a little straightjacket.
Was its name Pero? Pero flew to the outside of the cage, staring at me and letting out a somewhat mournful cry.
“What’s with that outfit?”
“Oh, Pero kept causing trouble, so I put this on for training. Now she’s safe.”
When her hand reached into the cage, Pero simply lowered her head submissively.
That “now she’s safe” sentiment made me feel oddly unsettled.
It was a different vibe – something a bit self-righteous.
The parrot seemed to cower in fear of its owner.
…
Weird thought, that.
I hardly knew her well enough to be making such observations.
I definitely can’t read a parrot’s mind either.
So, more boring classes passed by as lunchtime approached.
Haaah! If only I could burn this dreary school down!
While I lay sprawled on my desk, my friends came over and started chatting away.
As usual, the topic was the hot new drama, “You Who Fell from the Sky.”
It’s been about two weeks since it started airing, right?
The drama was a massive hit, perfectly fitting the description of a “national drama.”
The star, Elena, was everywhere in commercials daily.
There’s no way I’d know a celebrity like her, but strangely, every time I saw her, I felt a sense of familiarity.
Ugh, this is so boring.
I think I wished for this peaceful atmosphere, but now that it’s here, life is— yawn!
Strange thought, though. Like I’ve been on some grand adventure before.
Just then, a loud noise caught my attention, so I peeked out the window.
I saw a bunch of noisy boys gathered outside.
One guy in the center had a cast on his leg, looking like he just got discharged from the hospital.
They were joking around, playfully messing with his cast.
!
In an instant, our eyes met.
The moment we locked gazes, I felt that strange familiarity again, just like I had a few times before. He seemed puzzled as well, tilting his head.
— Ding dong ding!
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunchtime, snapping me back to reality.
*
As the school day wound down, Dasul and the others came up to me.
“Have you watched any movies lately?”
“Movies? I can’t recall. Seems like it’s been a while?”
“Then let’s watch one tonight!”
As she said that, everyone started giggling and chattering.
“What movie?”
“‘The Secret of Esper Ho’! You’ve heard of it, right?”
— An ominous feeling immediately washed over me just hearing the title.
“Just the title feels weird. Isn’t it bound to sink?”
“Wow, you’ve heard about it! It’s a huge deal with over ten million viewers.”
“No, this is the first I’m hearing of it. Is it famous?”
“Yep! It stars the female lead from ‘You Who Fell from the Sky.’”
“Who even calls it that?”
“‘You Who Fell from the Sky’!”
“Come on… stop with the weird abbreviations. I don’t get it.”
“Seriously, boomer vibes!”
Hearing that, my mood plummeted, and I kicked Dasul’s chair.
She promptly kicked mine back, and we both ended up tumbling to the floor before chatting resumed.
“So, when did that drama’s lead actress film this movie?”
Dasul just tilted her head, giving me no answer.
Was it possible she filmed a blockbuster movie while shooting a hit drama? Timing-wise, wouldn’t the movie have been filmed first?
But if she became popular through the drama, how could she be the lead in a blockbuster filmed prior to that? Logic is such a bizarre beast.
I let the thought slide.
What do I know about celebrities’ lives? Maybe she was already famous abroad before hitting it big here in Korea.
The school day wrapped up without any incidents, and I hoped the evening movie would be a hit!
*
Disappointingly, ‘The Secret of Esper Ho’ turned out to be just a run-of-the-mill rom-com.
Honestly, the plot was predictable and dull; it probably succeeded just because the main actors were good-looking.
It felt almost identical to Titanic, if I’m being honest.
With the addition of a captain who commands zombies, of course.
Thinking about it, that was quite the shake-up.
I dozed off for almost half the movie, and before I knew it, the climactic ending began.
…
“Wow~ that was fun!”
“She was a total goddess! Elena was stunning!”
“Do you think Ahri will ever star in movies like that?”
“What do you think, Ahri?”
With playful nudges, they poked at me in delight.
“…”
“Ahri?”
“Ahri is crying, isn’t she?”
“You were that emotional? The second half was indeed impressive.”
“When the mother saved the daughter while drowning, I almost cried too.”
“Hey, Ahri?”
Reality began to hit me.
I started waking up from a long dream.
Memories I must never forget began bubbling to the surface.
I stood up and looked around; my friends wore confused expressions.
Dressed in those old school uniforms and baker hats that are oddly familiar yet bizarrely out of place.
This is abnormal.
It’s been over 40 years since those types of uniforms were last seen.
I bolted out of the cinema. Someone behind me called out, but I didn’t care.
I had no desire to continue chatting with my friends. It wasn’t worth it.
As I looked around, groups of people crowded the streets, chatting away.
This is unsettling.
The failed early containment of the red plague had led to 30 million casualties globally.
After that, it became rare to see citizens gathering without masks and gloves.
Walked slowly, I began spotting more oddities.
Food alleys were filled with bars and izakayas everywhere.
A fungal parasite that breeds on alcohol had caused over 400,000 casualties in South Korea alone.
Afterward, 70% of the nation’s pubs vanished. Now, alcoholic beverages undergo strict control during production and distribution.
I turned my gaze and saw religious folks shouting about hellfire for non-believers.
In the South, seven self-proclaimed messengers of Jesus gathered in Gwanak District to recruit “those who pray to the skies.”
Afterward, street preaching—especially those enticing people with money—is heavily controlled by the police.
Looking back at the building where the cinema used to be, its exterior looked immaculate, and there weren’t any robots in sight.
After a carnivorous pigeon infestation originating from China spread throughout Korea, locations suitable for nesting became high-risk areas.
Subsequently, most larger buildings began utilizing surveillance drones to prevent the nesting of these predatory pigeons.
All the abnormal things in this strange world had one thing in common.
Normal landscapes from a long time ago.
But those landscapes don’t reflect the social changes born out of unleashed chaos disasters!
As I strolled home, I glanced up at the night sky.
The bright full moon illuminated the darkness, confirming my suspicions.
Because in the real world, there’s no longer a moon.
*
Lost in thought, I realized I had arrived at my home.
…
I just need to go inside.
I can simply open the door, chat with Mom, and forget about today’s strange memories.
I grabbed the doorknob.
It’s just a matter of opening this door to step inside.
Why am I stuck in these weird thoughts all day?
In my home is the “wonderful Mom” I’ve always dreamed of, and at school are friends that make me smile just by seeing them.
I’m blushing to say it, but I’m cute! Maybe I’ll even become a celebrity! Someday I could meet a handsome, cool guy and live a happy life.
If I stay here, I’m sure I can achieve all that.
This is my perfect life, the ideal of my existence.
I crumbled in confusion. From the other side of the door, I heard a voice I missed so dearly.
“What are you doing standing outside?”
“Mom….”
“Do you have some worries you want to share?”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t know what to do? Is it because you have multiple options? When that happens, always go back to basics.”
“Back to basics?”
“What’s the one thing you absolutely must achieve? Focus on that one goal and forget the rest.”
The thing I absolutely must achieve.
Blurred memories began boiling in my mind.
I grabbed my trembling legs and stood up.
With much effort, I opened my mouth.
“I’ve come back to save the ‘real’ you.”
In response, the woman on the other side threw an object into a room where milk was delivered instead of answering.
That object, a smartphone of murky color, triggered a moment where Mom spoke for the last time.
“I love you.”
I didn’t answer.
Someone is still waiting for my response!
*
As midnight approached, I stared at the smartphone in my hand.
How did I authenticate it? Ah, I remember now.
I placed my left pinky on it, and the screen shuddered like it lagged. Then I did the same with my right thumb.
At that moment, the screen lit up, and the ‘Administration Bureau Application’ started running.
/Welcome, Agent Kim Ahri. Click on the service you desire -/
I promptly skipped past it and pressed 1, 3, and 2 in order.
/I will guide you to the nearest Administration Bureau headquarters./
‘Barum Publishing House.’
It’s not far from here. I looked up at the night sky again.
Now the radiant light of the absent moon embraced the earth.
Did I long for that bewitching sight?
Letting out a sigh, I advanced to the path ahead.
Tonight, I awaken from a false world.
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