### Chapter 136 – Room 107, The Gate Room – ‘Perfect Life’ (27)
—
Kim Ahri
Walking under the vibrant city lights, I pondered.
Who on earth am I?
My groggy mind began to murmur that this place is a false world; there’s another location where I truly belong. I have goals to achieve.
But my awakening isn’t complete yet.
Why was I embroiled in this deceptive world? What was I doing before this?
First off, who am I? The hazy identity that surfaced was that of an agent from the Calamity Administration Bureau.
So, am I currently caught up in some mysterious illusion while on a mission?
I have no idea. Just dismissing it as an illusion feels absurd considering this world’s level of detail.
If we simplify things, the power to handle illusions means inserting false visual information into a brain.
Regardless of the means, modern humanity’s VR technology essentially has the same basis as handling illusions.
How much processing power does it take to simulate the entire world convincingly, just like what I see now?
Lost in these thoughts, I arrived at ‘Barum Publishing House.’
The publishing house building looked pretty ordinary. Since it was late, most of the lights were off, and the doors were locked.
As I debated my next move, I heard a ‘click’ and the door swung open.
As I stepped inside, the guard briskly nodded towards me.
How do I get in here? Each branch has different approaches, and I’m a bit lost.
As I stood idly, the guard spoke up.
“Are you lost?”
“…”
“Need a guide?”
“How did you know I’m an agent?”
The guard looked at me as if I was speaking nonsense.
“You’ve activated agent mode on your phone, haven’t you?”
“… True.”
“They’re already waiting for you inside.”
I made a foolish mistake.
The guard led me to the elevator and punched in a few buttons on the panel.
Soon, the elevator began moving horizontally.
— Clank! Wheee!
… Shouldn’t the elevator have gone outside the building by now?
Knowing that the Bureau is a place where ‘sensible’ questions don’t hold any meaning, it’s bizarre how I still find myself thinking this way.
“Whoa!”
As soon as I stepped off the elevator, I let out an involuntary gasp.
How on Earth is a place like this situated right in the middle of Seoul!
The space was vast, nearly impossible to take in at a glance. At least a hundred employees in white garments were bustling around.
Somewhere, a cart carrying a car-sized item was on the move.
Somewhere else, a sphere shooting lasers was kept in an opaque box, rolling by.
And somewhere, a man labeled ‘13th Reincarnated Jesus’ was being dragged away.
Why are they all about reincarnated Jesuses? Where are the reincarnated Buddhas or Allahs?
Sure, 99.9% of those folks probably lack any real powers, but they keep the Bureau busy for that remaining 0.1%.
As I sighed and looked around, the long-forgotten memories started to resurrect.
From a distance, the Bureau seemed like a wondrous, transcendent organization.
Up close, it felt like a disorganized mess, akin to a neighborhood convenience store!
From afar, it appeared to be an organization of geniuses comprising humanity’s finest resources.
But upon closer inspection, I found a lot of clueless folks who probably fished their way into the job!
Just an ordinary Bureau.
*
Strolling through the vast corridors, I was greeted countless times.
Yet, my memory was so hazy that I couldn’t recall any of them, while everyone clearly recognized me.
Eventually, I found myself lost, so I decided to grab someone randomly.
“Hey! You there!”
“Yes? Agent Kim Ahri?”
“Who’s the top boss around here?”
At that, a male who looked like a researcher scrutinized me with a puzzled expression.
“Are you a bit out of it?”
“I’m feeling a bit loopy due to my mission.”
As I fumbled through my explanation, the researcher tilted his head and replied.
“Are you talking about Manager Park? His office is just down the hall to the right—”
“Lead the way; I can’t remember the layout.”
“I’m a bit busy right now—”
“Hey! Tell the resurrected Jesus it’s time for him to get lost. Why do you keep dragging the self-proclaimed Jesus every time? Next time, bring in someone claiming to be Buddha or Allah.”
“There really are true monsters hidden among hundreds of others…”
Grumbling, the researcher began to guide me through the winding corridors.
After walking for a while, I was glad that I had someone to show me around.
He brought me to a large, lavish office door before disappearing.
— Click!
Inside the office, it looked quite barren. There weren’t any decorations, with just a single orchid pot in the corner.
“Don’t stand there; come over here.”
The man, who looked middle-aged—maybe in his 40s or 50s—turned from his desk and beckoned me from the window.
“What should I call you? Manager Park?”
He turned his head and sighed.
“Did the report come in already? Did I really lose my memory?”
“Has the report already been submitted?”
“You’ve been walking around wearing your memory loss like a badge of honor; it was impossible not to report it.”
“Is that so…”
“Very inconvenient. Drop the ‘-yo’ honorific. When did I ever ask for that?”
“Fine. What should I call you then?”
“Just call me Park Hyunmin.”
“Hyunmin, I think something’s off with me.”
“… Hyunmin feels a bit too casual; just Park Hyunmin’s fine.”
“I’ll stick with Manager Park.”
After that, I shared everything I sensed was odd.
From the clues I’ve begun to notice about this world: overflowing bars, drone-less buildings, and the shining moon above.
And one insight: this entire world is fake. I feel an inexplicable certainty.
While the manager listened quietly, he finally replied.
“I’ll give you my honest answer. You’re insane. The bizarre elements you mentioned? As the Bureau chief, I’ve never heard nor seen any of them.
A world where pigeons are out to eat humans? That’s a story I’d never even think of in my wildest dreams. Phrases like alcohol fungi parasites, or a red plague? Never heard anything like that.
And there’s no moon? That’s incomprehensible.”
“Rather than the whole world suddenly changing, it’s more likely you’ve lost your mind. You’re already acknowledging your shattered memory, correct? Perhaps you encountered some strange chaotic entity during your mission.”
“That just makes me curious. According to the records here, what was I working on before?”
“That’s a good question. I reviewed your mission profile before you arrived. The results were shocking; my clearance level doesn’t allow me access.”
“Not even yours can access it?”
“Not being able to access even your profile is clear. It means the only people knowing what your mission entails are folks at the Earth Council Command.”
Did I really go insane on some secret mission?
…I shook my head. That’s not what’s important.
“Let’s assume everything I said holds true. This entire world is a fabrication! I’m not just spewing nonsense; I’m adamant that this world is fake!”
“Even the 13th reincarnated Jesus we just captured believes he’s the resurrected Christ.”
“This isn’t just my thought! My ‘Mom’s’ response was bizarre too. It felt like she was cheering me on and sending me down my path!”
“That’s a typical parental response when a child enters the rebellious phase.”
“Who is my mom in terms of the Bureau? She’s way too special in appearance! Given your reaction and my dim memories, I should be old, yet she looks like a youth. Doesn’t it feel odd?”
“Your mother was a former agent of the Bureau. She’s currently on a sabbatical, but in terms of age, she’s probably older than you and me combined.”
Just that brief conversation drained my energy.
Finding the logic behind the absurdities of this world is tougher than I thought.
Even the seemingly mystical mother fits snugly into the already well-constructed paradox of this world.
While there are many strange things here, I sensed through that conversation that each has its own logic. Whatever point I bring up, I feel as if Manager Park could provide an explanation confirming this world’s authenticity.
… Am I really just going insane? Did I meet some strange entity during a secret mission that twisted my mind?
As I wrestled with confusion, the manager spoke again.
“Let’s try looking at this from a different perspective.”
“A different perspective?”
“Let’s assume, just for now, that your entire world is a fabrication as you said. Generally speaking, the power managing illusions falters rapidly when the person under the illusion begins to doubt it. Why do you think that is?”
“I have no idea. I thought I’d have known originally.”
“Simple — managing illusions means inserting simulated information into a person’s brain.
This explanation feels eerily familiar. I’ve heard something like this before.
“The twist is that constantly feeding the brain simulated information is tougher than you’d think. It requires tremendous processing power. Eventually, the illusion caster can’t handle it alone, so they rely on the imagination of the person experiencing the illusion.
Simply put, the caster pushes the message ‘You’re going to school now,’ and after that, the victim’s mind imagines themselves going to school, forming the essence of this illusion. Sound familiar?”
“I get it. It feels like I already knew this information.”
“In simpler terms, illusions are rather similar to making someone lucid dream while they’re in a clear mind. So, when someone under the illusion starts to doubt, it inevitably falls apart. After all, the one who created the illusion is the very person immersed in it.”
“If that’s the case, why hasn’t this illusion broken if I’ve started to doubt?”
“There are two possibilities. First, this theory I mentioned only applies to casters without enough processing power. If the caster is extraordinarily powerful, they can endlessly feed real simulations of the world into the person, regardless of whether that person realizes it or not. There’s no escaping.
When you think about it, it resembles VR technology! Though it’s still maturing, the visual information conveyed through a VR device is crafted entirely by the device itself without factor from the user’s imagination. Shouting ‘This is all false!’ while wearing a VR headset doesn’t change anything!”
“In that case, it sounds like there’s no way for me to wake up…”
“Frankly speaking, you’d be stuck in that situation. The sheer presence of such a transcendent being as the caster means that waking up would only leave you as easy pickings for them.”
“Let’s set aside that possibility since there’s no solution there. What about the second hypothesis?”
“The second one is that you yourself lack certainty. Human minds are complicated. Some part of you seems to have awakened and begun questioning reality, but somewhere deep inside, you might still believe this place is real.
Or you might even hope it is real. According to your explanation, this true reality seems to be in a state of grim demise, so there’d be plenty of reasons not to want to wake up.”
Did I think I had awakened when a part of me still lay mired in the darkness of this world?
Or did I harbor a desire to linger here, somewhere deep in my heart?
This issue boils down to persuading myself.
I quietly stood up and gazed out the window.
Observing me, the manager spoke again.
“A thought just crossed my mind.”
“An idea?”
“If this world is indeed the happy ideal you’ve envisioned, it would be impossible for it to correctly simulate something you can’t imagine. The more horrifying and unhappy the thought, the harder it is to represent.”
A horrifying and unhappy thought. One came to mind easily.
In the end, I asked one last question.
“Aren’t you scared? If this world is entirely fake, then you’re just a fake as well.”
“Why would I be fearful? Two possibilities arise: You might be insane, or this world really could be a dream or illusion of yours. If you’re insane, I have no reason to fear. If this is your dream, I’m just part of it too.
Didn’t Descartes say, ‘I think; therefore, I am’? Even if this whole world is a facade, the fact that you are real remains. And I—that which was born from the real imagination—is part of you, so what’s there to fear?”
What a confusing person. I felt some hazy sensation.
If this entire world is a mere illusion crafted from my mind, then out there exists the authentic original of Manager Park that brought forth this version.
The real Manager Park must be a truly baffling person as well.
A breakthrough occurred. Through our lengthy conversation in this place, I grasped the genuine method to awaken from this illusion.
I can’t properly simulate that which is something I truly can’t imagine.
I found the answer to that ‘something.’
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