Chapter 725 – Room 302, The Cursed Chamber – ‘Brave New World’ (3)
—
– Miro
Right now is the first attempt in Room 302.
The objective is for the doctor and the dimwitted Seungyub to become aware of their past memories.
So, I shouldn’t interfere with their affairs.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I’m just going to lay around in bed doing nothing.
— Tap! Tap!
It reminds me of a story Aria once told me.
People, no matter the era or loop, always end up making some sort of wiki-like site on the internet.
It’s said that while you can’t really get specialized or accurate knowledge there, it’s quite useful for common sense.
Thanks to that, I found myself lost in a rabbit hole of keyboard clacking for hours.
“Yawn…!”
I gathered quite a bit of information, and during that process, one particular question got cleared up.
— Swish!
I slightly opened the curtain to look at the now darkening sky outside.
The beautiful sight of the glowing white moon caught my eye.
…
The doctor viewed the moon as a symbol of fear and dread.
Meanwhile, Seungyub thought of it just as Earth’s satellite hanging in the sky.
Despite both being from the same loop, why were their recollections of the moon so different?
The answer was simple.
The common knowledge of the world had changed.
According to the information site, until just about ten years ago, it was deemed unsafe to look at the moon with the naked eye.
It was considered as risky as looking at the sun directly, and children were actually taught not to gaze at the night sky.
Back then, the Administration Bureau announced the moon as an alpha-grade calamity disaster.
…
One day, the madness of the moon was lifted.
No one knows why.
It’s just a guess that the Bureau might have used some sort of trick to make it happen.
Naturally, such secret operations by the Bureau couldn’t be discovered by just a few minutes of browsing the internet.
Now, twelve years after humanity was freed from the terror of the night sky, the new generation has forgotten that fear of the moon and sees it simply as a white stone in the sky.
“I think I’ve figured out quite a bit.”
Before entering Room 302, Aria had said to call her if I felt I gathered enough information.
I know why she wanted me to call.
She thinks I won’t be able to interpret the information I gather properly!
It irked me how she subtly underestimated me, but…
“…”
Right now, I really wanted to see Aria.
I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
— Clack!
Soon, a girl in a pretty white blouse, remarkably resembling me, appeared.
“…”
Let’s just say it took about two seconds for Aria to grasp the situation.
“Oh, it’s not an emergency. You were going to ask me something?”
“Yeah. Here’s all the information I’ve collected so far! This is the articles, and this is what you told me to verify—”
Without even waiting for me to finish, Aria flipped through the pages.
“Have you found Seungyub and Sanghyun yet?”
“Um, the doctor was actually quite famous.”
“That’s an impressive background.”
“Look, here’s an article, right?”
“… This is from 12 years ago.”
“Uh?”
With her mouse clicking away, Aria picked up on something I had missed in just three seconds.
“There are no recent articles. A special forces member, doctor, astronaut—someone with that kind of resume should have some recent news out there.”
“Uh—”
“Since he’s in America, contacting him is tricky. Anyway, how about Seungyub?”
“Um, so Seungyub seems a bit off.”
— Tap!
“I thought he mentioned living in a villa, but it looks like there’s an apartment where that place used to be. The reconstruction is finished. So where is he living now?”
“Also, regarding the school… look at this.”
“School? Ha! Even the school is in the Bureau’s control area?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that strange?”
“His residence doesn’t exist anymore, and the school he attended is under the Bureau’s control…”
“What should we do? Should I sneak into the school tomorrow?”
“You?”
“Um… I was about to feel a bit offended.”
With that, Aria chuckled and lightly tapped my cheek.
It was a meaningless gesture, but oddly enough, it uplifted my mood instantly.
“I’m just joking. While both situations seem strange, you don’t need to involve yourself. As planned, let’s just observe from afar for the first attempt.”
“Got it. By the way, check this out.”
I showed her the page with information regarding the moon.
Soon, Aria summarized it briefly.
“It was odd that their memories of the moon were different, but neither of them was entirely wrong.”
“Exactly! The doctor spoke about the fears of the past, while Seungyub mentioned more recent knowledge.”
For a moment, Aria slightly furrowed her brow.
She seemed to sense something strange in my words.
“Wait a second.”
— Swish!
Just like I did earlier, Aria gazed out at the night sky.
“It really is just a glowing white satellite of Earth. There’s no pressure at all.”
“Isn’t it fascinating?”
“It’s more bizarre than fascinating.”
“Bizarre?”
“…”
After about ten seconds of silence, Aria typed something in her notepad, as if insisting I look.
“This traces the division of significant points in human history based on the moon.”
1. Prehistoric Civilization – Aedia, the Prince
2. The Era of the Prince’s Imprisonment by the Bureau – Han Kain (Aleph)
3. The Era of the Prince Gaining Power through the Moon’s Corruption and Unification – Park Seungyub, Kim Sanghyun
4. The Era of Unknown Harmony where the Prince was Imprisoned Underground – Lee Eunsol, Yu Songee, Cha Jinchul, Elena
5. Just before the Prince’s Awakening, the Doomsday Era – Kim Ahri, Kim Mooksung
6. Present: Resolution of issues 1-5. Future information is unknown.
The six distinct eras with names of allies noted beside them.
“Are those the names next to them?”
“It indicates they came from the respective loops.”
If we are just considering the hotel party, there were a total of nine names listed.
“My name isn’t there.”
“You can’t be sure of where you exactly fit in. Regardless, the point of view for Room 302 is 3.”
“Okay, got it.”
“Whether it’s the Bureau, the Church, or Humanity Preservation Agency, any organization that leads humanity during that era has always tried to resolve issues concerning the moon.”
“That makes sense.”
“To resolve it, what should they do?”
“Eh?”
“Let’s rephrase the question: Why was resolving the moon issue so difficult?”
“Because it’s incredibly strong?”
“Don’t forget, the moon wasn’t always incredibly powerful.”
The prince from point 1 was just one of the returners.
The prince from point 2 was imprisoned by the Bureau until Aleph liberated him. Meaning, the Bureau was capable of keeping him in check.
It’s a notion that the prince and the moon were not initially godlike strong.
“The moon gained its power over an extensive period. In other words, the further back you go, the less strong it was. If now is point 3, then…?”
“Then what?”
“When the prince descends upon Earth, it’s possible the Bureau could hunt him down. Although, he probably wouldn’t come down.”
It dawned on me what Aria was trying to convey.
In this current era, the moon is significantly weaker than it’ll be in the far-off future of point 5.
So, perhaps the reason the Bureau cannot deal with the moon isn’t just a power issue.
“It’s because they can’t reach it in space?”
“Exactly. The fact that it’s in space serves as the prince’s shield. Unfortunately, humanity struggles immensely even to launch a single rocket into the night sky.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ll summarize my thoughts thus far.”
Based on the information we’ve gathered, Aria’s hypothesis.
In terms of perspective, it outlines the significant framework and worldview of Room 302.
“This era still believes the Bureau can handle the moon. And so, they’ve likely taken action. Given the moon’s placement in space, they probably conducted operations there. My guess is that Sanghyun is somehow involved in this.”
“…”
“It appears the attempt has at least outwardly succeeded. The madness of the moon has vanished, and the world has calmed down. But…”
“But?”
Aria shrugged her shoulders.
“To the people of Room 302, we would seem like future humans. Coming from the future, we know the answer. They have yet to resolve the moon’s issue by the time the doomsday hits.”
The reason why points 4 and 6 can coexist.
Because the situation didn’t finish at point 3.
“The moon was somehow suppressed. However, something strange is bound to have occurred during that process. That might’ve resulted in…”
“The downfall of Room 302?”
“Exactly.”
“Hm, I think I kind of get it now. I might even have a inkling about what the doctor got involved in… But what about Seungyub’s situation?”
Making a good point, Aria lightly nodded.
“Now, that’s the key point you need to discover.”
“…”
“Do well. And now would be a good time for you to send me back to save my time.”
“Understood.”
As the clock hand approached noon, just before Aria could vanish, she muttered.
“By the way, the crime rate indicators are ridiculously high. It’s not like we’re in a civil war or anything. Miro, be careful when you’re outside.”
*
– Kim Sanghyun
The person residing in Room 403 at 237 Aston Ave was a middle-aged woman of Asian descent named ‘Jennifer.’
“Johnny! I’ve been waiting for weeks! Aren’t you a bit late?”
Exuding an excessive amount of friendliness, her tone welcomed me.
In the ensuing fifteen minutes of conversation, I realized one thing.
No matter how I looked at it, she was just an ordinary person.
I’d entertained various theories about her being some sort of Bureau employee, or a NASA colleague, but she seemed to be nothing more than an everyday person with a bit of wealth.
Was there a chance she was a seasoned Bureau agent, cleverly deceiving me?
It’s not impossible, but I also recognize that I’ve strayed far from being ordinary myself.
Despite appearances, I didn’t just role-play as a prince for a few decades at room 203.
She was an ordinary person.
After a few exchanged words, it sounded like we met and bonded randomly at a Texas Hold’em pub.
However, her home environment seemed to be filled with anxiety.
“Jennifer, there are… um, quite a few guns hanging on the wall.”
“You know? Nowadays, this world is really strange… After nightfall, it’s just filled with crazy people. Especially men—Oh, I’m not referring to you, Johnny.”
“Looks like you enjoy tea with a unique aroma. The calming ingredients seem to be in abundance. That medicine looks like it too.”
“Oh my, can you just tell by looking?”
“I do have some knowledge on the subject.”
“Well, I heard Johnny’s a licensed doctor. Anyway, these days, people are like that. When they get angry or sad, it can be hard to control one’s emotions…”
“Is that so?”
At this point, a thought crossed my mind.
From the outset, there’s no way Jennifer could be a special person.
Since the Bureau is erasing my memories periodically, they’re definitely surveilling me.
Considering there’s no restriction on outings, it might be a loose form of monitoring, but still…
In a situation like this, would I personally reach out to a Bureau employee or a NASA colleague?
I should be cutting off contact completely.
Therefore, Jennifer is indeed an ordinary person.
Since she is, the Bureau isn’t restricting contacts with her.
It seems that ‘my past self’ was aiming for this and used Jennifer as a kind of tool.
Thus, Jennifer herself isn’t the key…
“Jennifer, do you happen to have the item I entrusted you with?”
“Pfft! When did I ever say that? You just remembered, didn’t you?”
… The item I previously entrusted to this woman is the key.
Soon, with a smile, Jennifer stood and walked up to the drawer.
“Was it about three weeks ago? That day, Johnny, you got all reckless while gambling at the pub and ended up losing badly.”
“… No way…”
“Oh my, are you pretending not to know? You borrowed 500 dollars from me.”
“Excuse me?”
“No need to be so polite! 500 dollars is nothing. Considering the kindness you showed me at the pub—”
I heard I saved Jennifer from the excited folks while gambling.
Of course, I had no recollection of it.
“That day, you apologized by giving me an old camera, right? You said you’d come back later with the 500 dollars!”
“… Looks like I must’ve been a bit tipsy that day.”
“Everyone has those days.”
Soon, Jennifer pulled out a digital camera from the drawer.
At this moment, I realized one flaw in the situation.
“…”
I don’t have cash on me.
I didn’t expect the situation to turn out like this, having only brought my card.
As I rummaged through my wallet, possibly realizing my predicament, Jennifer chuckled lightly.
“You don’t need to pay for it. 500 dollars is really nothing… You can just take the camera. It seems valuable to you. Oh, I didn’t open it, by the way.”
As I received the camera and was about to leave, Jennifer smiled brightly and said, “You seem busy these days? I haven’t seen you at the pub.”
“…”
“See you next time at the Merisica pub!”
Just before parting, I made a rather sad realization.
This woman… seems to have some fondness for me.
The past me must’ve clicked that Jennifer could be someone the Bureau wouldn’t monitor.
That’s why I entrusted her with the camera.
Because she wouldn’t just sell it off at a pawn shop instead of keeping it safe for when I returned.
She’d likely wait to see if I’d come back to reclaim the camera or, if I didn’t show up, find an excuse to seek me out.
So, she’s someone that would hand the camera to me.
The only thing I could say was.
“Sorry.”
“Oh my, it’s nothing.”
I swallowed the rest of my words.
The fact that I am already married and have children.
…
Upon opening the camera, three photos were visible.
The back of the photos had my past self’s intricate writing, seemingly from my time working at NASA.
And then…
I heard a strange echo.
“… It’s hard to understand your words. Isn’t it akin to bringing in tigers to deal with wolves? If things don’t work out, do you have any countermeasures? …”
“… Of course, Johnny. We always have a plan. If things don’t go well…”
“… If things don’t work out? …”
“… The pure shall live in a Brave New World…”
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