Chapter 682 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of the Species’ (26)
—
– Yu Songee
Ding dong~!
With the loud bell ringing, first period language class began.
I sat there, expressionless, staring ahead while recalling last night’s events.
“…”
After my parents’ bodies were taken over by the Is species, the house turned into a chilling land of invasion.
The shocking thing was that I wasn’t the only one feeling out of place!
Not just the dogs like Happy, but even the parrot and cat were highly suspicious of my parents.
You know the saying? If a dog stares into thin air, it’s likely seeing a ghost! And there have been tales since ancient Egypt about cats being able to see the dead.
If you think about it scientifically, maybe the animals sensed a change that humans couldn’t perceive due to their sharp instincts.
Even more surprising than my pets’ suspicions was what happened to me afterward.
Memories buried in forgetfulness started surfacing like a shimmering illusion!
“Hmm…”
I saw my past self in the illusion.
A long time ago, I had watched Happy, scared and confused, and asked my dad to check on him.
Of course, Happy, clearly agitated, caused chaos all around when he got too close to my dad.
Back then, Dad—no, the Is species—was incredibly awkward with Happy.
It was as if it had read the vet’s “memories” while occupying Dad’s body, but it hadn’t quite mastered the natural behaviors expected of a vet.
At that time, I wondered, “Why is Dad so awkward with Happy?”
In other words, my past self felt unease while observing my pets’ wariness and Dad’s odd behavior.
Right at this moment, my memory cut off.
So—
—Whoosh!
The teacher threw chalk at me again.
“Ah.”
“Ah, what do you mean by ‘ah’? Yu Songee, are you not focusing on class?”
“Sorry.”
“And what was that? Did you dodge it?”
“… Instinctively.”
The teacher’s incredulity was matched by the giggles from classmates nearby.
In the past, I might have felt embarrassed about it!
But now, it was just a nuisance.
If it weren’t for Plan B, I wouldn’t even be in school!
—
During lunch, I met Ahri on the rooftop.
“What do you think?”
Ahri shrugged and replied, “Isn’t Plan B running smoothly?”
“Not that!”
“Actually, you’re starting to see past memories like it’s an illusion. In reality, Kain had a similar experience. I thought it was all due to insight, but guess not.”
“Didn’t Kain say it was different from usual insight though?”
“Right. And it seems something similar is happening to you. And…”
“And?”
“If what you said is true, it looks like we’ve all forgotten memories related to our wishes. Did the hotel make us forget?”
“… Probably.”
“Why would it want us to forget?”
“Oh—so that—”
“Ah, never mind. I’ll handle these concerns myself; you should focus on your wish.”
Ever since Plan B started, both Grandpa and Ahri have consistently adopted this attitude.
They want to ensure I don’t think about anything aside from my wish.
Basically, they’re guiding me to stop with the participant behavior and dive into the role of ‘high school girl Yu Songee.’
Ahri, who had been nodding, opened her mouth again.
“Hey, got something you want to say?”
“… I’ve been thinking, the more past memories I recall…”
“What’s that?”
“… It’s possible I noticed something before coming to the hotel.”
Last night, I had pondered this deeply.
Before coming to the hotel, could I have intuitively picked up on the strange occurrences with my parents?
Ahri tilted her head, “But didn’t you say normal humans can’t see through the Is species’ disguise?”
“Normal humans, yes.”
“What?”
It felt a bit embarrassing to say, but I continued.
“Maybe I’m not exactly normal?”
“….”
“It’s not like I’m a Management Bureau agent like you—”
“Fair point.”
To my surprise, Ahri reacted positively.
“From a hotel participant’s perspective, we’re far from ordinary. Perhaps we all had at least a bit of the extraordinary before becoming participants.”
“….”
“I have some evidence too.”
“Evidence?”
“First, look at that!”
Ahri pointed at a laser turret on the far side of the rooftop.
“Installed on the rooftop of an ordinary high school, that turret is a security system designed to ward off predatory pigeons or anisotropic translucent wasps.”
“… Anisotropic what now?”
“Your world! A reality where calamity disasters and civilian responses are widely acknowledged. In the past, you must have had at least basic knowledge about such disasters.”
“Right?”
“Sure, you might not have known the specific concept of the Is species. But you could’ve suspected some unidentified evil spirit had taken over your parents.”
Considering the characteristics of Room 301 or the world my past self lived in.
Yu Songee was someone who had basic knowledge of calamity disasters even before coming to the hotel.
So, if she felt suspicious of her parents, she could have potentially thought of it as something malicious.
Then, Ahri continued, “The stories about animals were interesting. And quite persuasive, too.”
“Persuasive?”
“No matter how impressive the Is species might be, think about this: in their eyes, dogs and cats are just alien vermin.”
“That’s true.”
“They likely studied human habits for their invasion, but did they also learn the behaviors of dogs, cats, or parrots?”
“… I doubt it.”
While the adversary is an alien species transcending human capabilities, they aren’t omnipotent gods.
“Is it just a coincidence that the body they chose to possess was a vet, and they ended up with several pets at home? And their daughter is used to catching animals’ reactions? Just the odd scenario. Even a thorough invader might slip up! And you, who were familiar with animals since childhood, could have sensed that something was off.”
“….”
“Unlike now, where you could have detected it with the blessings and heritage powers. Rather, through days or weeks of observation, your suspicions could have grown.”
Ahri summarized after explaining.
“To sum it up, the Yu Songee before coming to the hotel sensed her parents had been possessed by something unknown. Is that right?”
“Right.”
“Then what comes next? Did you recall the subsequent development?”
“….”
Staring silently at the sky.
Ahri looked at me with a puzzled ‘What’s up with her?’ expression but soon figured out what I was getting at.
“Oh my god.”
“…”
“Could it be? No way, it’s not what I think, right?”
“…”
“Are you seriously remembering your past?”
“No, I only recalled until that part where Happy barked at Dad, and Dad was being awkward.”
So the “next development” isn’t something I concluded after recalling past memories.
It was simply a logical thought flow.
Ahri couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “Are you planning to report it to the Management Bureau?”
“Isn’t it odd?”
“…”
“Think about it. I was a pure and adorable teenager back then. And one day, I suddenly realized my parents had been possessed by an evil spirit.”
“…”
“What’s the most natural action I’d take? Reporting it to the Management Bureau. When there’s a crime, you call the police, and when a calamity disaster occurs, you report it to the Management Bureau. That’s common sense…”
Ahri’s mouth was agape, almost in disbelief, and she finally whispered in my ear.
“But you know reporting it to the Management Bureau is a trap now. The lower echelons of the Bureau were long ago eroded by the Is species.”
“But I wouldn’t have known that back then.”
Reporting to the Management Bureau is indeed a trap.
This fact had been uncovered by Eunsol during the first round attempt.
Would I really need to report, saying, “I think my parents are possessed by ghosts!” even though I know it’s a trap?
I just couldn’t conclud, not at all.
At that moment, Ahri took out her phone and gazed up at the sky like I did.
As if questioning someone far away beyond that blue sky!
“Are you watching? Songee is about to call the Management Bureau. We’ve got plenty of time left in lunch breaks to think. I’ll act in 20 minutes.”
—
*
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 11
Current Location: Floor 3, Observatory – Room 301
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
“Ah.”
Suddenly, arrows of choice came raining down on me.
Before I knew it, both Ahri and Songee started looking up at the sky silently.
Seeing them outright question me was awkward, but on the other hand, I understood.
No matter what, my colleagues tend to trust my judgment over their own at times.
“… Hold on a moment.”
In an instant, both positive and negative reasons came rushing to me.
First, let’s consider the positives?
First, according to the manager, the first wish is closely tied to each room on the third floor.
Second, after following the trails of the past, Songee actually began to recall the memory of her forgotten wish.
Third, if the past Songee noticed her parents’ oddities, the likelihood of her reporting to the Management Bureau would be over 99%.
In short, if we want to faithfully adhere to the Plan B of ‘reproducing past actions to realize the first wish,’ Songee should report it to the Management Bureau.
As for the negatives, they’re quite straightforward.
The lower echelons of the Management Bureau have been contaminated by the Is species, meaning reporting is a trap.
What happens if she does report it?
Far from saving Songee’s parents, the Is species might just come to kill her instead.
As I took a moment away from the telescope to think, Seungyub reacted.
“Kain, what’s up?”
After I conveyed the situation, he summarized,
“So, it’s a dilemma of whether to dive into an obvious bad ending to realize the first wish?”
“Exactly.”
“Basically, you’re half surrendering to the second-round resolution in exchange for Songee realizing her first wish.”
“I hope she does realize it.”
“I have two thoughts about that.”
“I’m all ears.”
“First, honestly, isn’t the second-round resolution already tough?”
“…”
“I’ve long since prepared my mind for a post-apocalyptic world. Thinking like this, giving up on solving the second round isn’t that great a loss. Rather, the realization of her wish could hold even greater value.”
“…”
“You’ve already invoked One More Chance. The price of reversing fate needs to be confirmed gradually. Given the heavy cost paid, resolving the room seems challenging. If resolution is tough, we should at least gain valuable information.”
Seungyub appeared to have some resolve on this matter.
Even if Songee’s choice triggers the second round resolution party to explode, he’d wish for her to realize her first wish.
“What about the second thought?”
The next statement from him carried some weight.
“… Rationally speaking, past Songee likely reported to the Management Bureau.”
“That makes sense.”
“If she reported, it resulted in a bad ending.”
“True.”
“So, past Songee must’ve undergone something horrific after reporting.”
“…”
“I’m increasingly curious. What on earth happened to past Songee? I might actually want to see what happens next.”
Right before making my decision, with a hint of hesitation, I penned down one last piece of advice.
Advice: 3 -> 0
“Is it right for Songee to report to the Management Bureau now?”
The response was simple.
“High Risk, High Return.”
—
– Yu Songee
Twenty minutes later.
If Kain oppa wanted me to raise a poltergeist, I slowly extended my hand toward the phone.
I extended my hand so slowly that even Ahri, next to me, looked astounded.
“What are you doing? Are you scared or something?”
“….”
“Isn’t this the conclusion you reached after all night of thinking? But now that you’re doing it, you’re getting anxious?”
“Of course.”
“Well, don’t overthink it.”
“….”
“Ultimately, the worst that could happen is dying at the hands of the Is species, right?”
“Shut up.”
Until I grabbed the phone, the poltergeist didn’t manifest.
It felt like Kain oppa had signaled me to “Go for it!”
“Well, just to be clear!”
“Yeah?”
“What if you’ve been focusing on Eunsol unnie instead and missed this situation?”
“Stop jabbering and just report it. I told you I’d keep an eye on things. I wouldn’t have just focused solely on Eunsol for over 20 minutes.”
“What kind of situation is Eunsol unnie in now? She’s probably piecing things together too, right?”
“Probably.”
Finally deciding to dial the Management Bureau’s number and hit the call button.
As soon as I naturally heard, “Welcome to the Calamity Disaster Report Center,” my heart sank.
“… Ah.”
I hear it. It’s coming!
Old memories long buried in forgetfulness floated to the surface like a hazy illusion or an echo!
“—Welcome to the Calamity Disaster Report Center.”
“—Ah, hello! I’m Yu Songee, a high school sophomore. So, um, I’ve been…”
Before I knew it, my mouth started moving on its own.
“Ah, hello! I’m Yu Songee, a sophomore at xx High School. Um, I’ve been having… that is, so…”
My voice was trembling, stuttering.
I sounded like a terrified teenage girl in sheer panic.
“—Songee, please speak calmly.”
“—I’m sorry! Lately, strange things have been happening at home…”
On the other end, the voice echoed, just like I remembered it.
My answers came out identical to the responses of my past self.
“I’m sorry! Strange things have been happening at home…”
Thus, I reverted to the terrified and weak girl, explaining my family’s eerie happenings for quite a while.
— Thud!
As I closed the call with trembling hands, Ahri spoke, worry etched on her face.
“You may have guessed but…”
“…”
“The Management Bureau, or the Is species, may begin to hunt you from now on.”
“…”
“Do you want me to help?”
“No, I’m good.”
“But—”
“Past me wouldn’t have had a helper like you, so just leave me be.”
“…”
“Ahri, just go and leave me. You can watch from a distance.”
She nodded grimly and walked away.
“…”
Sitting alone on the school rooftop, I slowly reflected on the recent events, and again, a hazy remembrance flashed through my mind.
It must have been something I experienced a long time ago.
I had knelt in front of someone, longing for something.
“If there is a god in this world, please… grant my wish.”
Stop right there.
Not yet, not yet enough.
There’s still a bit of a process left before fully recalling my wish.
…
Suddenly, I realized a fearful fact about my past self in the faint memory.
“…”
When I first made my wish…
I wasn’t even human anymore.
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