Chapter 721 – Prologue Meeting for Room 302, Night Before Entry
—
— Park Seungyub
Two hours ago, my sisters, Eunsol and Songee, returned from their struggle in Room 301.
As soon as they got back, I heard there was a little party, but I couldn’t attend.
Recently, I’ve been feeling really off, so I’ve spent a lot of time alone.
“…You…”
— Hiccup!
“…”
Alright, let’s get out of here.
I can’t keep sulking in my room.
*
My friends were gathered around the snack table on the first floor, laughing and chatting.
It felt like Eunsol and Songee were showing off about something.
“Oh, Seungyub’s here! You good?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
As I approached, I spotted Miro with wide eyes, looking curiously like a snowy hare with an obsidian crystal tilted to the side.
Honestly, she seemed like the most adorable creature on this planet at times like this.
“What’s this, Eunsol?”
“I told you, it’s a fragment of a prisoner.”
“Yeah, I heard that, but what does that even mean?”
“Hmm…”
“Will eating it make me strong? Or is it a magic tool? Does it shoot lasers or something?”
“I’m still not sure.”
“It looks really interesting—”
— Whack!
Just as Miro attempted to touch the fragment without a care, Ahri suddenly slapped her wrist like lightning.
“Ow!”
“Don’t touch it. It might be dangerous unless Eunsol says it’s safe.”
Wow… Is Miro really that foolish?
How does she act so recklessly every single time?
Every time I see her, I can’t help but feel an infinite respect for the Administration Bureau.
How did they manage to raise ‘someone like her’ into ‘that witch’?
“Ugh! You could just say not to touch it!”
“You don’t listen even when someone tells you.”
Miro stood there with her mouth agape, clearly exasperated.
Of course, I totally agreed with Ahri’s verdict, but still.
While Ahri and Miro were bickering, Han Kain walked over to Songee.
“Songee, can I take a quick look at yours?”
Songee gave a slight smile and pulled out a wiggling piece of flesh.
“Isn’t it interesting? A bit gross though…”
“Is a mini duke about to wake up here?”
“Probably. But when it’ll wake up is anyone’s guess.”
At that moment, Eunsol spoke up.
“I realized while talking with Songee that neither of us knows how to use what we’ve got.”
The obsidian-like fragments left after the prisoner vanished.
The wiggling piece obtained when the duke shattered.
Looks like neither of them knows how to utilize their treasures.
While inheritances come with their usage instructions, perhaps these are different?
“What do we do? Should we eat them?”
“Let’s try asking for advice.”
While handling the hotel affairs, a million questions pop up.
From experience, about 800,000 of those can be answered with the sage’s guidance.
Thanks to that, we frequently sought out Han Kain, and I often felt like he was a living wiki site.
Soon, he tilted his head and replied.
“Wait for the right moment…”
Songee nodded immediately.
“I figured that. This feels somewhat like the golden egg before Pero woke up. It’s about waiting for it to be reborn.”
— Squeak!
“Why? Is it because you think I’m comparing you to this?”
— Desired…
“Ugh!”
Elena, who was nearby, reacted.
“Seungyub? What’s wrong? Is your head hurting?”
“… No.”
As Pero and Songee messed around, Eunsol displayed a puzzled expression.
“Yeah, it’s natural to wait for the duke fragment to awaken because it feels like an egg… but what about my fragment?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, thanks anyway. I guess I’ll have to keep it in a drawer for now. By the way, we’re definitely moving to the next room tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Ugh…! It feels like we’re jumping straight into another one without a break! That’s awful!”
Eunsol’s complaint got Songee nodding repeatedly in agreement.
“Totally! It felt like we just trudged through Room 301 not too long ago!”
“How can we possibly continue to the next room like this?”
It was like both sisters were protesting as if they were complaining to the hotel management.
To them, it felt like “We had a party time, but now it’s gone!”
Of course, a good number of people had relaxed times.
“Well, many probably took it easy, right?”
“What do you mean, Kain?”
“When we were looking for people to rotate in the observatory, Miro was often the only one there. Am I right?”
At Kain’s words, several people flinched and turned their gaze.
It seemed like after finishing Room 301, the usual tension didn’t hold as firmly.
It’s inevitable in human nature, I think.
Amidst all that, was Kain, glued to the telescope, both impressive and bizarre?
Just then, Miro’s face lit up with arrogance.
“I was always with Kain! Right?”
While Kain observed the colleagues descending from the observatory, Miro had indeed always been by his side.
I hadn’t noticed due to my problems with the auditory hallucinations, but judging by the reactions around me, it seemed to be true.
“… That’s right.”
Of course, I wasn’t entirely sure if having only Miro beside Kain truly helped.
“But where’s Sanghyun?”
“You wouldn’t know, Eunsol, but Sanghyun’s in terrible shape recently. It’s best to keep your distance.”
*
By evening, various topics arose around the next Room—302.
Since the first attempt hadn’t even started, discussing specific details was a bit much.
But there was one fact about Room 302 that we discovered.
“So the next room means you’re going in there?”
I immediately responded to grandpa’s inquiry.
“Yes. Given what happened that night, the patron is definitely—”
“Did the patron state that directly?”
“Uh, well, not directly, but based on my interpretation—”
“Your interpretation?”
Wow…!
Grandpa, did you just say that?
Your interpretation?
Your interpretation?
What’s wrong with my interpretation!
“I mean, are you doubting me right now?”
“… My apologies. You’re one of the people I trust most in this world.”
Complete BS!
“Liar!”
“Isn’t it strange for you to not trust me, while you keep saying to trust you?”
“Uh, uh, that’s…!”
Before I could respond, Ahri sighed and shook her head.
“Can you two stop being childish? Combined, your ages probably exceed a thousand, right?”
“Combine with the Fortuna era and you’re way over!”
“Muksung, I’m inclusive of you in that statement.”
“Hey! I actually trust Seungyub! I just…”
Muksung trailed off, and Miro jumped in.
“I trust Seungyub’s instincts, but calling it ‘interpretation’ makes it hard to believe! Right?”
“… Seungyub, that wasn’t me saying it; it was Miro.”
“How do you expect to believe that clueless brat’s interpretation?”
At this moment, my blood pressure was rising, and I wanted to hit Miro with the Ultimate Technique!
It was infuriating for Miro, and I was the one listening!
— Slap!
Kain spoke calmly.
“302 should indeed be Seungyub’s room. My judgment echoes that.”
“Wow… What an unusual occurrence. Is this a courtesy from the patron?”
It was something I experienced firsthand…
I literally went through it, and Kain simply heard it from me and interpreted it.
And yet when I mentioned it, no one believed while Kain spoke, and they all believed without question.
That felt slightly off.
“…”
Just then, an inexplicable gaze pierced through me, scraping my very soul.
I instinctively tried to suppress the childlike emotions and chuckle, but it didn’t appear to work.
Kain suddenly pushed a piece of chocolate from the table toward me.
“Are you okay? You seem a bit worn out. Can you still hear those strange voices?”
— Desired…
“Whoa!”
“Eh? Did you hear that?”
To tell the truth, I did hear it.
“Yeah, I have been hearing it, but lately, the messages are so muddled I can barely understand them.”
“It’s probably your memories from the past; it seems you’ve always had these disjointed sounds.”
As the conversation naturally flowed into different topics.
“Speaking of, Seungyub, you seem to hail from an older loop than I initially thought. Isn’t that right?”
“An older loop?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Ahri added an explanation.
“You seem to recall a pretty peaceful world. As you know, this world has gone crazier as the loops continue.”
“Hmm…”
“How did you feel when you saw Songee’s laser turrets at her house?”
“Bizarre?”
“What about three-headed pigeons flying in the sky of Seoul?”
“Totally monstrous!”
“See? Even the ordinary becomes weird.”
I thought Ahri, who called laser turrets and three-headed pigeons ordinary, was way odder.
I knew our worlds and common sense were different, but still.
“Let’s ask a few specific questions.”
Soon, Ahri began asking a series of questions related to the memories before joining the hotel.
Unfortunately, I could scarcely answer the questions overflowing with confusion.
“Hmmm… I have forgotten quite a bit about my memories before the hotel.”
“Sorry.”
Kain came to my defense.
“No, you’re not alone in this; everyone forgets. Every day spent in the hotel packed a huge punch.”
“Is that so?”
“A dense flurry of memories can leave previous ones fuzzy.”
Even two people who had already remembered their pasts agreed.
“Thinking back, even I met my secretary and had to ask, ‘Who are you?’ Meaning I totally forgot her.”
“I experienced that too! I met high school friends but couldn’t remember who they were, so it felt like they were strangers.”
Grandpa scratched his head.
“But you’ve got something impactful to share, don’t you? If you can recall something like that, we could have a lot to discuss.”
At that moment, one of the better-understood auditory hallucinations popped into my mind.
“Let’s run away together!”
“Whoa!”
“What’s wrong? You good?”
“Seungyub? Why’s your face so red?”
“…”
Actually, I do have something.
An unbelievable, shocking memory!
Do I… have to say it?
I really don’t want to!
But hiding the information I discovered while advancing in the room of curses isn’t an option.
“…”
Noticing my dilemma, my companions started looking at me with keen interest.
In the end, I had no choice but to spill it out.
“Uh… I think… I had a girlfriend before coming to the hotel!”
A silence enveloped the room, followed by Ahri’s firm voice ringing out.
“Sorry, but that sounds like delusion.”
“No! You promised you’d believe me—”
“Had you said you were the son of a god, I’d believe it.”
“I-I’m serious! I was definitely with a girl—”
“You’re being deceived. The odds are high that she’s an adversary, so explain more!”
“…”
In that instant, an unintelligible auditory flood washed over me.
“…Do it…”
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