### Chapter 294 – The Secret of the Wing Boots Ingredients and the Final Movie Meeting
—
[User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 133
Current Location: Floor 2, Corridor
Sage’s Advice: 3]
—
– Han Kain
After somehow finishing up until the second part amid all the chaos, I finally got to reunite with Doctor and Jinchul hyung. While the doctor seemed a bit prideful yet grateful for being rescued, my brother’s reaction was pure ‘emptiness.’
“Wow… Seriously, what the heck? I thought this was the pinnacle of my life, and I was totally absorbed in it…”
We could sense how deeply Jinchul was invested in the movie, especially since he thought it was a shining moment in his life. But with that sudden hair loss product ending, what was he supposed to think?
Grandpa chuckled lightly as he comforted Jinchul, then decided we should head down to the first floor for some rest.
“Hyung! By the way, what was that transformation during the movie? You suddenly turned into some kind of black panther. Was that the Emperor’s blessing?”
Jinchul turned to me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
“What are you talking about? What transformation?”
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
*
Talk about bizarre!
Hyung had completely forgotten he ‘transformed,’ and when I brought up how his skin turned into black scales over Kurta’s body, he looked even more shocked.
“Wait, so that ridiculous hair loss ad at the end was because my body transformed and lost hair?”
Sister nodded in agreement.
“I think so.”
“Damn it! So that’s why they ruined the ending? And why don’t I remember a thing?”
“We did feel like something was edited midway through, but I didn’t expect you to have zero recollection.”
In situations like this, there’s only one useful ability to rely on.
[Advice: 3 -> 2]
‘Why did Cha Jinchul lose his memories related to the transformation?’
[It’s just futile nonsense from a narrow-minded individual. Don’t worry about it.]
“What’s with this response?”
As eyes turned towards me, I relayed the information verbatim. Everyone pondered for a moment before Ahri perked up.
“Let’s go eat!”
“…”
“Don’t fuss! It means it’s not a big deal, according to the sponsor.”
*
During our meal, Ahri, with an amused expression, piped up.
“Guys, listen up! Any changes we experience in the Curse Room reset as soon as we step outside. Jinchul’s change vanished because it happened in the movie!”
“Looks like the Mission Room shares some similarities with the Curse Room in that regard.”
“If hair will grow back once we’re outside, then why go through the hassle of inserting a hair loss product ad?”
… Right?
Hearing Ahri made sense. Let’s say that at the point when Kurta was defeated, we were qualified to obtain the ‘Fur of the Warrior Who Withstood Thunder.’ If the scales caused hair loss, they could’ve just given it after we got outside! No need for a forced ad during the movie’s runtime.
“It’s simple. The reward must be given during the movie for some rule. So what could that rule possibly imply?”
If there’s a rule requiring the Wing Boots reward to be during the film, then the next question arises: what’s the purpose of such a strange rule?
As I was considering this, Eunsol suddenly put down her utensils with a disgusted look on her face.
“… I just had a horrific thought.”
Ahri immediately chimed in, “If it’s a horrific thought, that’s probably right. I’m thinking the same thing.”
Grandpa sighed, tiredly, “Don’t just keep it to yourselves; let me in on it too.”
“Grandpa, the materials for the Wing Boots… might all be ‘our bodies’?”
A sudden silence enveloped the area. Sister continued with a gloomy expression.
“The fur that withstands wall-shattering thunder is, after all, Jinchul’s hair that he kept while being struck by lightning from Kurta.”
Songee muttered with her mouth half-open, “The wings of a bird soaring through a typhoon are Feather’s feathers?”
I was caught off guard and blurted out, “Wait, how about the eyes? Are you saying we need to pluck out an eyeball?”
Sister gloomily continued, “So, the principle of what Ahri realized exists. Rewards must be given within the movie, specifically in a ‘location where injuries don’t persist.’ You’d need to pluck out the eyeball inside the movie or the Curse Room. That way, they’ll recover the instant we get out.”
I got it. If the reward is delivered outside, while feathers or hair might be okay to remove, an eyeball is a no-go. Of course, we do have ways to treat injuries sustained outside—and those are Room 105 and the doctor.
But we’re talking about plucking out eyes, not chopping off fingers. Relying on Room 105 or the doctor to extract eyeballs feels way too risky.
… Somehow, I had a hunch about ‘whose eyes’ we’d need to pluck.
There’s only one person among us who possesses ‘special eyes’ worthy of such a reward. With that ominous feeling in mind, I looked at Sister, who had her head hung low, while the rest of us hesitated to speak, until a lively voice pierced through the tension.
“Let’s try it out!”
“Grandpa?”
“Let’s not pluck an eye right away. And if Eunsol’s theory is correct, we need to do it while ‘observing everything at its peak.’ The requirements are complicated.”
“That means…”
“Let’s find out if the theory holds! You see that snarky parrot over there? Toss it into the storm!”
— Squeee!
The parrot, which had been dozing off throughout the movie, suddenly startled and squawked. Grandpa had the happiest face I’d ever seen.
“I’ll throw it as soon as I see something resembling a storm, so don’t worry. Just pluck as many of my hairs as that brat has pulled all this time!”
“G-Grandpa! That’s extreme animal cruelty!”
“Songee, did you forget how this brat has tormented my hair all this time?”
Songee lapsed into silence.
*
As evening fell, we discussed whether we should enter the movie again the next day, especially since the guide had expressly warned that horror films are on a whole different level.
Eunsol chimed in with her opinion. “The guide seemed quite threatening, but honestly, going into the Curse Room is just as dangerous. Plus, we still have a lot of people left!”
I immediately responded. “Exactly! It’s just me, Ahri, Seungyub, Sister, and Grandpa left—five of us!”
“Despite everything, isn’t ‘Hotel Cinema’ a bit easier? I feel that way. We managed to get through both the first and second movies in just two tries.”
Ahri nodded in agreement. “Right! I agree that Hotel Cinema feels on the easier side. I think I know the reason why.”
“Reason?”
Ahri glanced over at the doctor before speaking. “All nine of us are still alive and kicking.”
The doctor chuckled softly. “Indeed. That really makes a big difference. Just imagine if, like in the old parties, two people died on the first floor, then two more in the second; only four or five would have gone into the cinema.”
Nods of agreement spread around the table.
“True, we thought it was a solo game with no way to help each other, but in this aspect, we’re working as a team. If relationships are good, the chances of survival increase, making it easier?”
Elena added another observation. “The fact that we can persuade the judges is also significant. After all, both times were originally fails, yet we managed to push through with our words. The souvenirs girl is surprisingly communicative, and the guide cannot just pull nonsense outright.”
Grandpa sighed. “In that sense, the merchant was the most of a jerk. He’s impossible to convince.”
“Well, as long as the other two judges pass, we’re good to go.”
Everyone seemed to lean toward the idea that Hotel Cinema wasn’t as hard as expected and that we should go in again tomorrow. With some advice still left, I asked one more question—not about the movie’s content, since I didn’t think I would get an answer anyway.
[Advice: 2 -> 1]
‘What are some cautionary notes for the final film? Not asking about the content.’
[Ask the guide in detail why horror films are difficult.]
“Eh?”
“What did the owl say?”
“He said to ask in detail why horror movies are hard.”
“Hmmm… What does that mean?”
I pondered but couldn’t come up with an easy answer.
“Since he told us to ask, let’s just ask tomorrow. That’s all we can do.”
Since we wouldn’t get anywhere just worrying amongst ourselves, we decided to save it till tomorrow. The last topic of our meeting was, ‘Who should go in first?’ This time Grandpa appeared quite gloomy.
“I’ll go in first.”
“…”
“By now, we’re starting to figure this out. The ones who can break through are better off going last. The ones less likely to break through should go in first and gather some info before dying.”
Sister interjected, “Well, Kain and Ahri are definitely one thing, but Seungyub’s ‘luck’ screams useful in horror movies, so you should go in last. So should I and Grandpa, it makes sense if we go in first, but I could just as well go first.”
“You have that inheritance, don’t you? So you should go in behind you.”
“Is that inheritance guaranteed to be useful?”
“In horror movies? No way that inheritance that nullifies mental attacks isn’t useful! Putting yourself down is too much!”
“Is that really true?”
So it was decided that Grandpa would be the one to enter first. With that, today’s meeting was finished.
*
Later that evening, while gazing out at the snowy landscape from the second floor, I noticed, though less often than before, a snowstorm that was fogging up my vision, and a peculiar thought crossed my mind. Isn’t snow also a type of storm?
By chance, I still had one advice left.
[Advice: 1 -> 0]
‘About the Wing Boots ingredients, what if we just toss Feather and pluck his feathers from over there?’
I mean, can’t we pluck his feathers as they seem permissible? Isn’t it a hassle to have to go through the trials of the Curse Room just to pull a parrot’s feathers?
[… Give it a shot.]
That didn’t seem right.
*
The next day, we entered Room 204 again to resolve the final movie. Following the owl’s advice, we asked the guide why horror films are difficult, and he responded readily.
“Huh? You’re asking suddenly?”
“Haha! Eunsol, what’s wrong with you? Is it really that odd of a change? Don’t you think the previous situations were a privilege?”
“A privilege?!”
“Absolutely! In the previous two movies, you all received ‘excessive benefits’ that wouldn’t exist in the Curse Room. Now, we’re simply taking those privileges away.”
“…”
“You have no need to be so afraid. Isn’t it more familiar to you guys? The Curse Room has always been like this.”
The final movie, ‘Scary Story,’ is conducted in ‘real-time.’
“For a while, you’ve been able to gauge where you are based on the movie’s runtime. When ordinary-looking scenes play, you could predict a hidden crisis. But now, all those benefits will disappear.”
“…”
“Outside audiences will see the edited film, but those who enter will experience real-time. It could take 5 hours, 10 hours, or even a week. There will be no scene cutting, so there will be no easy way to tell if we’re facing a crisis or not.”
“…”
“However, this is the Mission Room. You still have the option to retreat; would you like to retreat instead? How about going to another room?”
“We’ll just go in. What do you mean by changing?”
“If so, let’s start. Kim Mooksung participant, please enter.”
As promised, Grandpa stepped in with a serious expression. The movie ‘Scary Story’ was about to begin.
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