### Chapter 306 – Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (28)
—
– The Theater
After the furious roar of Dollyphant interrupted the movie, the screen flickered ominously, signaling that it was time for the next person to step in.
With two opportunities left, Park Seungyub and Han Kain exchanged deep sighs, secretly hoping that Kim Ari would do something spectacular so they wouldn’t have to take their turn.
In the quiet theater, Kain cautiously scanned the surroundings. With Eunsol and Ari both engrossed in the horror movie, there weren’t many who could lead the discussion.
“Let’s break down the villains. We have Happy Happy the clown-doll chasing us in a game of tag, Thomas the train laying down tracks as he roams the mansion, and Dollyphant the elephant obsessed with tea time. So that makes three.”
Elena chimed in.
“I noticed while watching that the three monsters aren’t very cooperative. Thomas will mercilessly strike Happy Happy if he obstructs his path, and Dollyphant destroyed both Thomas and Happy Happy out of anger.”
“It seems like inciting discord among them could be a useful strategy. In that light, we should also assess the strengths of each monster. Dollyphant is the strongest, followed by Thomas. Happy Happy seems the weakest.”
Cha Jinchul nodded in agreement.
“Why don’t we go right for Dollyphant from the get-go? It seems fixated on tea time. If Thomas or Happy Happy interfere, Dollyphant might just take it out on them.”
Kain pointed out a flaw.
“The problem is, we don’t know Dollyphant’s exact location. They say it’s on the second floor, but as the mansion contorts, it’s grown to palace-like proportions. It’s bound to be vast up there.”
“With Happy Happy and Thomas chasing after us, taking our time to search for Dollyphant won’t be easy either. Ari barely escaped with her life and got caught by Dollyphant.”
Kim Sanghyun, deep in thought, finally spoke up.
“If we start on the second floor right from the beginning, it might be a bit easier to find it. But… we’ll need to consider how safe it would be near Dollyphant. While it may keep Thomas and Happy Happy in check, it’s bound to act strangely itself.”
Kain nodded immediately. While Thomas and Happy Happy had vague characteristics, there wasn’t enough information about Dollyphant. Would that ‘tea time’ really be a normal one?
“Exactly. Dollyphant will surely do something odd.”
Elena picked up the whiteboard that Eunsol frequently used and started writing.
“Let’s summarize our doll traits. Happy Happy is the tagger, right? Since the rule is to touch its back, I think if we slap its back as we enter, something will happen.”
Silence…
More silence…
“Thomas is the train that lays down tracks as it runs. If you obstruct its path, it gets furious! So, uh… no one wants to say anything?”
Feeling awkward, Kain chuckled and approached Elena.
“Elena, let me write it down.”
Yusong bluntly added, “Sister, your handwriting is… um, very artistic. It’s like some splendid fusion of Arabic and Korean, or something?”
“What?! My teacher who taught me Korean said I wrote well!”
Cha Jinchul was convinced that the man who taught Elena Korean must have been quite the character. He probably told her her Cyrillic was top-notch too.
Kain took over the pen and continued writing.
“Thomas gets really mad if someone steps on the tracks. It doesn’t just charge; it’ll backtrack just to chase after them, so we can utilize this behavior depending on the situation.”
“Uh, that was what I was about to write.”
“And finally, there’s Dollyphant… the phrase ‘If you don’t touch the tea time thrice, Dollyphant will come to ‘kill’ Kevin’ is all I’ve got.”
Everyone dove into deep contemplation about their counter-strategy. While Cha Jinchul chatted with Kim Sanghyun about things to consider, the two who needed to enter next sat facing each other.
“Um, who’s going in first?” Kain asked hesitantly.
After a moment of thought, he openly stated, “Wouldn’t it be better if you went first?”
Seungyub nodded decisively. “That’s right. There’s still a lot we don’t know, and in situations like this, luck seems like a better bet. And…”
Silence…
“Honestly, if I go in last, it’ll terrify me too much…”
Kain understood that sentiment. The scariest situation in a hotel would be being the last survivor—your death would mean the end of everything.
“Seungyub, listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”
“Yes.”
Kim Sanghyun approached and began relaying the strategies they had devised with the others. At that moment, Kain instinctively thought about stopping him.
“Is it really right to share such complicated knowledge with Seungyub?”
However, not telling him would be equally strange. Would Seungyub really just go in without any clue about the dolls?
Ari had sacrificed her life for crucial information. By that logic, they ought to have skipped the movie altogether, right?
… Kain realized just how exhausting the ‘luck’ ability could be.
Just before Seungyub entered the screen, Kain grabbed his arm.
“Hyung?”
“You have both Destiny and the First Human, right?”
“Yes. I’ll probably use them both?”
“You should. But you still have no clue what the First Human can do, right?”
“I haven’t used it yet…”
“Well… I hope it works out for you.”
Kain sincerely wished for his luck. After Seungyub, it would be his turn.
— Beep!
Since stepping into the theater, Pero, who had spent most of the time sleeping, finally let out a sound. Seungyub felt that noise was ominous as he entered the screen.
*
– Park Seungyub
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Calm down! Calm down, Park Seungyub! You’re the bravest middle schooler in the world, Let it go!
Trying his best to steady his nerves, he entered the coffee shop. Sure enough, he overheard that Park Sumi and Han Yoori’s stories had already been revealed.
A while later, Cha Eun-pyo started to narrate his tale.
“This is a story from my childhood…”
*
– Home Alone
“Kevin!”
The beginning mirrored what Ari had narrated. Kevin’s parents chatted for an eternity before leaving, and before that, he asked one thing.
“Mom!”
“Hmm? Is there something you want to ask?”
“Will you be locking the house?”
Looking back, the house itself was strange. The sudden massive growth was odd, right? Can’t I just go out? Ari tried to leave before, but failed.
Kevin’s mom didn’t answer but chuckled softly while pulling him into a hug—no, lady, answer me!
“Are you locking it?”
“Mom just worries, thinking you might accidentally head out.”
“I’m not going out, so why can’t you just leave it open?”
That line stumped her for a moment. Kevin’s mom laughed lightly, clearly finding him adorable.
“Kevin, as I always say, it’s very dangerous to go out alone. Just the other day on TV, they said carnivorous deer and infectious spore butterflies—”
“Dear, don’t scare Kevin with those stories. Let’s head out already.”
At those words, the couple locked up the house and departed.
In this world, deer eat people, and butterflies spread weird spores. No wonder parents would lock everything up before going out.
Now it’s time to hustle. I remembered the doctor’s instructions and began moving quickly.
“Let’s rush to Dollyphant. If we can just meet it, Dollyphant should help with Thomas and Happy Happy. The problem is we don’t know where that pink elephant actually is; it’s definitely on the second floor. Let’s head on up.”
“What if Dollyphant tries to kill me?”
“Could be. Let’s figure that out when we get there.”
“…”
He bolted toward the second floor.
He tried to memorize the layout as he roamed around, though honestly, it felt a bit pointless. The mansion was likely to grow massively, sprouting rooms and decorations that weren’t there before.
“Thomas is a train. It doesn’t jump or fly. Also, tracks aren’t laid in midair. If my feet don’t touch the ground, Thomas would probably think I’m not obstructing its track work. Not that I’m suggesting flying.”
While briefly checking out his surroundings, he noted the positions of tables and wall decor. He reorganized items like tables in the center of the room to make as much space for ‘running over furniture’ as possible.
It made him feel exhausted trying to pull off such feats with a twelve-year-old’s body.
“Stick close to Suji. Sorry, cute dog, but Seungyub needs to survive. Your loyalty is impressive. You could hold off Happy Happy at least once.”
“… Suji, stay close to me.”
“Bark!”
“Will you fight for me?”
“Bark?”
“Nope.”
“Kevin! We’re starting the New Year’s party just for you!”
Around that time, a cry announcing the start of the party echoed, and the entire house began to shake.
Chills washed over him, and without realizing it, he squeezed his Golden Retriever tightly, wedging himself between the furniture to brace for impact.
*
“It’s tag time now! The rule is touch the back!”
Like something out of a teleportation fantasy, Happy Happy suddenly appeared behind him.
“Now~ it’s time to start! Kevin, you better run fast! Get moving!”
“Woof! Woof!”
As Suji barked loudly, Seungyub recalled what the teacher had said about Happy Happy.
“Happy Happy will do anything to touch its back, right? Staring him down like Ari did is one approach, but honestly, a better one just came to me. Ari was probably too frazzled to think of it.”
Instead of running, he moved toward the wall, sticking his back against it and began sidestepping along it. Seeing him do this, Happy Happy frowned.
“…You’re kinda pulling a sneak move here.”
“Is that a compliment?”
In an instant, Happy Happy’s twisted face began stretching his hands like elastic.
Ari had struggled due to the long arms of Happy Happy. But if he’s plastered against the wall, it wouldn’t matter how far those arms stretched!
‘What if Happy Happy forces me off the wall?’
‘If that were possible, there’s no reason Ari wouldn’t have had him stop right in front. Just bull rushing me and forcing me aside would do the trick. Forcing me to expose my back would violate the tag rules, right?’
The only frightening possibility was if Happy Happy did indeed grab him and spin him around. Fortunately, it didn’t act that way. So far, the doctor’s predictions had held true.
“Dolly dolly! It’s tea time!”
He heard Dollyphant’s shout echo in the distance. Should he exit this room and go right? He knew the direction, but the distance seemed quite far.
Stuck to the wall, he shuffled towards the door, while Happy Happy glared at him ominously without making any move to attack.
Just then, he heard a horn blaring from somewhere.
“Thomas is setting off! Clear the way for the tracks!”
*
– Theater
“Oh wow! This is going quite well, isn’t it? We’ve certainly found a proper countermeasure against Happy Happy!”
Hearing Sanghyun’s upbeat voice, Kain nodded. He had felt uneasy about explaining complicated strategies to Seungyub, but it was worth it.
If they could respond appropriately and reach Dollyphant, they would at least evade the threats from both Happy Happy and Thomas.
The real problem would then be Dollyphant, who hadn’t provided a clear countermeasure…
“Since both the abilities of Destiny and the First Human are usable, we’ll figure something out, right?!”
Kain decided to trust in that.
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