Chapter 698 – Room 301, The Cursed Room – ‘Origin of Species’ (32)
—
– Lee Eunsol
“Haah…!”
Early in the morning, as I woke up on my fluffy bed, I saw the familiar ceiling of Room 105.
The sweet rest day provided by the hotel under the pretext of repairs on the third floor ended yesterday.
Well, I couldn’t just keep playing around, could I?
Just when I was finishing my morning wash, I realized something quite perplexing.
“What’s going on?”
Today marks the start of the third attempt in Room 301.
I’m sure we all discussed until late last night how to carry out the third attempt.
But… I can’t remember a thing!
What plan we made, how the initial stages were supposed to go, and what the final goal is—
I don’t know anything!
Instead, I recalled a conversation I had with Kain during the meeting.
*
“Sis, I’ve been thinking… it might not be necessary for everyone to join the meeting.”
“Huh?”
“If the King of Is takes over your body, it could be a variable, right?”
“That’s—”
“If that happens, the plan could leak through your memories.”
“Oh, I see, I get it. But isn’t it me and Songyi playing the lead roles in Room 301? Leaving out my opinion feels a bit…”
“Your opinion will be reflected actively.”
“What? But you told me to skip the meeting!”
“Another version of you from a different timeline will be at the meeting.”
*
So, because of security concerns, I’m absent from the meeting, while a past version of me summoned by Miro participates?
“…”
Feeling slightly bewildered, I stepped outside to find my comrades already awake and chatting.
Well, to be precise, they were only chatting until I approached.
As I got closer, everyone went quiet.
“… Aren’t you all being a bit much?”
Ahri smiled sweetly.
“Sorry! But, you know, Eunsol might have a spy in her body, right?”
“…”
“By the way, Eunsol, here’s a gift!”
Ahri suddenly handed me a small piece of paper.
It read:
—
“As a result of our late-night meeting, we’ve come to one conclusion.
‘Mother’ has many vulnerabilities in her plans.
During the second round, we were helpless due to lack of information.
It’s incredible how much power playing through rounds gives us.
A very tricky plan has been devised.
Sometimes, we may even need to deceive our teammates before deceiving the enemy.
I have come to accept this fact.”
—
“That’s my handwriting.”
Ahri nodded as if it were obvious.
“It’s your letter, after all.”
She probably showed me the letter to let me know, “You agreed to the plan!”
*
Finishing breakfast quickly, I headed toward Room 301.
.
..
…
Soon, I woke up in the lavish interior of Room 301.
Just as I began wondering what kind of plan they came up with, my comrades suddenly approached the sign-in table.
Only those whose names are written on the sign-in sheet from the third floor can join the problem-solving party.
I was curious about who would write their names—wait, what?
“What’s going on, guys?”
Each and every one of them went and scribbled their names on the sign-in sheet!
“Wait, are you all entering? Is no one staying for the escape party? Are you planning to leave the observatory empty?”
My comrades didn’t answer.
“I figured you all decided during the meeting, but… is it okay to completely clear out the observatory? Isn’t that against the rules—”
As I said this, I directed my gaze at my comrades, only to realize.
“Ah.”
I was mistaken.
Not everyone was entering.
Just a moment ago, a few of them got close to the sign-in sheet without actually writing their names.
My comrades were hiding from me who the problem-solving party was and who the escape party was!
“…”
I understand.
It’s a complicated plan thought out carefully by smart ones like Kain and Ahri.
Seeing that it was a tricky plan, it seems something outrageous will take place with lots of deception involved.
However, at this point, it honestly felt a bit unsettling.
“B-but… isn’t 301 supposed to feel like me and Songyi are the main leads? It seems like not knowing at all would be a bit problematic.”
With a mysterious light casting as the third attempt in Room 301 was about to begin, Songyi looked at me and said reassuringly.
“Sis, you might feel confused, but there’s one thing you should know. This plan was mostly set up by you.”
“What?”
*
.
..
…
I woke up feeling fluffy again.
This time, not in Room 105, but in my cozy bed in the mansion of the Daeyang Group family.
“… How absurd.”
I currently have no idea who’s entered Room 301.
What to do from now on? Naturally, I don’t have the slightest clue.
I’ve started the third attempt knowing absolutely nothing.
The ridiculous part is that a considerable portion of this absurd plan was set up by ‘me’.
Another ‘me’ who devised a plan to deceive me.
“…”
I could feel that the ‘other version’ of me, summoned by the time transfer device, was very different from who I am now.
Suddenly, I understood the meaning behind the time transfer device’s rule—originals and summons must not meet.
Seeing another version of myself would be… quite terrifying.
“Phew…”
Let’s stop the philosophical musings here.
I don’t need to dwell on this; that’s something smart folks like Kain do all the time.
More importantly, I should summon the flute first.
That mysterious power left by ‘Mother’ in the mansion might distort my thoughts.
— Buuuu…!
As I blew air into the Flute of Rest, I contemplated the current situation.
Right now, neither Big Brother nor my younger sister is in the mansion. Naturally, Mother isn’t around either.
According to what Kain figured out at the end of the second round, Mother can only fully intervene after I’ve delved into Father’s memories.
Since I haven’t explored Father’s memories in this third attempt, Mother cannot intervene.
Thus, in the mansion, there are only three of us left: Father, me, and my second brother.
At first, I thought of the house as a busy one where Mom and Dad would live along with four siblings, making it feel lively.
Realizing it consists of just three people makes the mansion feel rather desolate.
“…”
My Big Brother and younger sister already perished during my childhood.
And Mother? I reckon she probably didn’t show herself in reality but only appeared when necessary.
Despite the fact that we lived together for more than a decade, none of us, including Father, me, and my second brother, realized it.
For over ten years, we’ve lived believing in the existence of three other people who don’t even exist.
“What the hell…”
This is dizzying.
At this point, Mum’s power to rattle the human mind is turning from fear to awe.
With a sigh, as I stepped into the hallway, I spotted my second brother already dressed in his suit, ready to head to work.
“Hey, hey!”
“What’s up?”
“Why are you making strange sounds inside your room from the morning? It sounded like some flute music.”
“Just a hobby.”
“Ha~! You’re really strange. Anyway, you should head out early too. You’ll have a hard time at work today, I think.”
My second brother grinned playfully.
In the past, I may have found him very annoying…
But now, I even feel warmth from such moments.
“Big Bro.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know where the eldest brother is?”
“Huh? Hyung? He should be at work already.”
“… What about Heeyoon?”
“I think she went to work too? Hey, hurry and change your clothes. I’m leaving first!”
I was grateful.
I was thankful for my only sibling still being alive.
*
Even reassessing this absurd fact, I really have no idea what to do during the third attempt.
As much as I can think of, shouldn’t this feel illegal?
Not knowing what to do, I thought about just heading to work.
Grumbling in my mind, I headed to the parking lot—Eek! As soon as I opened the car door, Kain appeared!
“Eek!”
“Good morning!”
“Why the surprise?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean why! Why are you in my car?!”
No, isn’t this the mansion of the esteemed Daeyang Group?
What are the bodyguards doing getting paid for doing nothing—whatever, whatever.
If Kain puts his mind to it, he could stroll around the Administration Bureau like it’s his living room; a chaebol must feel like a neighborhood corner store to him.
“Eunsol, don’t you see anyone besides me?”
The one sitting in the passenger seat was my grandfather, Mooksung!
At this point, it felt pointless to question them, and I could only chuckle.
“… Good morning.”
“Yeah, good morning.”
Kain has joined the ‘problem-solving party’ now.
I felt a bit reassured.
Knowing that my most advanced comrade was on the same page as me brought me a sense of comfort.
Of course, the thought that Kain wouldn’t exist in a post-apocalyptic world filled me with anxiety.
“Okay, Kain. Since you’re here, you must have already understood the scenario, right?”
“Nah. It’s not a big deal. Understanding the scenario is useful at the beginning, isn’t it? But since we’ve already been through a lot in Round 1 and 2…”
“Oh… really?”
Whether he genuinely finds it simple or is hiding information regarding scenario understanding from me, I couldn’t tell.
Meanwhile, I realized we were heading somewhere other than the company.
“… Do I not have to go to work?”
“Yeah. For now, we’re just picking up Miro.”
Picking up Miro?
Shouldn’t my grandfather and Kain just bring Miro along?
Ah, the time transfer device was in the ‘Duke’ category!
It feels like Miro must have confirmed the situation related to the Duke.
In any case, not clearly knowing what’s going on leaves me feeling somewhat anxious.
“Is it okay to act like this? You know, I’m a regular employee, and I’m also the chairman’s daughter. If I suddenly skip work without contact…”
It’s quite certain that Daeyang Group would raise eyebrows.
To be precise, the ‘Is race’ lurking within the company might find it suspicious.
Kain’s response was decisive.
“Doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
“Yesterday, during the midst of our meeting, we discussed this.”
The meeting I actively participated in but was unaware of.
“Knowing how many traps the King of Is has buried in Room 301, we can only do our best.”
“That’s honestly terrifying.”
The biggest trap is, of course, ‘Father’s memories’.
The trap I discovered for myself at the end of the second attempt.
There surely must be more.
When setting traps, people usually don’t just set one, right?
“The longer we take and the more we wander around, the more perilous it becomes; that’s our conclusion.”
The most dangerous thing to do in a minefield is to linger and wander aimlessly.
Thus, my comrades reached a simple conclusion.
“The response to that is simple: ultra-speed, straight as an arrow.”
“Ultra-speed, straight as an arrow?”
“We won’t waste time. We won’t wander around and step on any traps.”
“What does that mean—”
“Success or failure of Room 301 will be decided by today or at the latest, tomorrow. So, we don’t need to worry about the reactions of the employees at the company.”
“I got it.”
“Also, by the way!”
Kain smiled brightly.
“Please don’t use the flute until we arrive at our destination.”
“…”
At that moment, I understood.
Manipulation has already been applied to the very reality I’m seeing and experiencing.
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