Chapter 753 – Room 302, The Curse Room – ‘Brave New World’ (23)
—
– Miro
“… You…”
“Huh? Ahri, it’s really cold in here—oh?”
The second attempt in Room 302 has started!
Not long after awakening, I realized.
Am I alone again?
“… What the heck?”
The start is just like the first attempt.
A huge standalone house, and I’m living alone.
My legal family, like my parents, only exist as a setup; if I tried to contact them, they’d be nonexistent.
In the morning, Kain was only worried about Seungyub managing things solo, and it seems like I’m stuck in the same situation.
For now, I’ll summon Kain.
“… I wish…”
“Would you keep it down?”
— Click!
With the sound of a needle moving, Kain appeared.
“Everything okay yet?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as Kain came out, he began prodding into the status window, checking this and that.
“Hmm… Location is pretty clear.”
“…”
“Kim Sanghyun, Kim Mooksung, Lee Eunsol. Those three are in America. Must mean they’re supposed to work together.”
“…”
“Park Seungyub, Kim Ahri, Yu Songee. Those three are tagged for Bangbae Middle School. Looks like Songee’s starting in the Brave New World too.”
“So, I’m the only one left by myself?”
“Yup. It’s just you here, me, Jinchul, and Elena are in the post-apocalyptic world.”
I buried my face in the table, slightly annoyed.
“Ah~ why am I the only one here?”
“…”
“Not like I’m helping Dr. in America or scolding Seungyub at school!”
“Why would you scold Seungyub…?”
“What am I supposed to do all alone here? Middle school students like Ahri and Songee aren’t me, right?”
As I grumbled, Kain chuckled and replied.
“Anyone can play a middle schooler, but there’s a job only you can do here. That’s why the hotel put you in this spot.”
It’s a cliché attempt to cheer me up, but it still felt nice to hear.
Plus, I was curious about what my role was.
“What’s my role?”
At that moment, Kain’s gaze drifted to the air.
He was reflecting on past memories.
The beginning was somewhat abstract and vague.
“Last night, I asked Owl for advice. If it’s hard to logically guess the process, I was told to think back from the result.”
“Hmm…”
“At first, I thought it was only about Seungyub, but upon more thought, it seemed to encompass all of Room 302. It’s kinda three-part advice too.”
“…”
I had no idea what he was talking about…
Maybe sensing my cluelessness, Kain smiled and simplified the explanation.
“Simple. How should we proceed in Room 302? While pondering, several questions arose. Why? Because there was insufficient information regarding the Brave New World.”
“And then?”
“I thought, let’s look at it from the opposite end. What are the conditions for a happy ending? Let’s think of the conclusion first and build our plan from there.”
“Uh-huh…”
“First, obviously it’s preventing the Son of Dawn from descending.”
“I get that.”
“Second, it’s about eliminating the negative impacts of the Son of Dawn on the world.”
“Got it.”
Preventing the Son of Dawn from descending isn’t enough.
The prisoner is sending an invisible message to the entire world of “Do whatever you want.”
If we don’t eradicate that influence, the world will face a terrible conclusion.
“Thirdly… I honestly hadn’t thought this far until I heard Eunsol’s words yesterday. We need to get rid of the Brave New World.”
“Isn’t the Brave New World a terrible place?”
“Right. If you want to be blunt, it’s akin to imprisoning numerous innocent people in a false world for the sake of humanity’s preservation.”
So is that the three basic conditions for a happy ending?
1. Stop the Son of Dawn from descending.
2. Remove the negative influence of the Son of Dawn.
3. Eliminate the Brave New World.
“Number three relates to you.”
“Huh?”
“What does getting rid of the Brave New World mean? By the end, Seungyub and the residents of the false world must all come outside.”
“That’s true.”
“Can they escape on their own? They’re under the Bureau’s control!”
I slowly started to grasp what Kain was getting at.
As the conclusion approaches, the residents of the Brave New World, including Seungyub, Ahri, and Songee, must all escape.
But the residents of the false world can’t escape by themselves.
Why?
Because before Seungyub died, an invisible eraser-like power wiped out the contaminated citizens in an instant.
Seungyub felt utterly helpless against that power.
Most likely, Songee and Ahri wouldn’t be able to handle it either.
They can’t oppose the control of the Bureau from within.
Therefore, someone on the outside needs to help.
Someone has to break into Bangbae Middle School and punch out all the staff inside!
“That’s my role, huh?”
“Soon, the time will come. Until then, just take it easy. And…”
And?
Suddenly, Kain frowned slightly while muttering.
“There’s something strange written about understanding the scenario.”
“Huh?”
“Miro.”
“Uh!”
“G-Kain?”
The last question caught me off guard.
“… What is true love, it asks. Ponder over it.”
True love?
—
– Kim Ahri
I arrived at the classroom early in the morning, deep in thought.
Recreating Seungyub’s first “heart-wrenching life” while bullying him in middle school.
Is this really my role?
“…”
I may look like a quiet person, but the hotel probably thinks of me as some corner shop owner or something.
Well, let’s cheer up.
Looking back, the stuff I did in the first attempt in 104 wasn’t all that different.
For now—
As I thought that, a blurry silhouette began to materialize before me.
Good morning!
There’s only one person who could show me this.
— Click!
Soon, the classroom door opened, and a familiar face appeared.
“Looks like you’re starting here too.”
“Yeah.”
Songee was slightly smiling, and it seemed like she was pleased with the role she got in the second attempt.
“Hehe! Ah~ I’ve come up with tons of ideas while coming to school!”
That’s a bit too playful, isn’t it?
Just because a few years got knocked off her age doesn’t mean her intellect dropped too, right?
Middle school Songee was certainly cute, but if she started thinking cutely, we’re in trouble.
“What’s up? You should let your guard down.”
“…”
“No need to be stiff, right? Your role itself is comical.”
“After hearing that, I suppose you’re right.”
The bigger picture is about expelling the prisoner and saving the world, but our smaller picture, involving Songee and me, is kinda comedic.
If the role is absurd and silly, then maybe a light and cheerful mindset fits better.
Especially when it comes to serious and dangerous tasks, both body and mind need to be light.
“Hehe… I gotta show Seungyub just how terrifying I can be as an older sister.”
But wait, isn’t that too lighthearted?
“First, the desk! Where’s Seungyub’s desk?”
“… Over there, second from the right.”
“Did you check the lockers?”
“… Third from the left on the top.”
Suddenly, I realized Songee had subtly had a spat with Seungyub yesterday.
Is she low-key holding a grudge?
“…”
I pondered over the ridiculousness of the situation while shaking my head, but Songee suddenly got serious and muttered.
“But, Ahri, don’t you feel a bit worried?”
“I’ve got tons of worries! Too much to handle!”
“… What I mean is, originally, Seungyub’s life didn’t have us in it.”
“That’s a big worry.”
Before Seungyub could make it to the hotel on his own, we had to create a scenario for him.
But if you switch perspectives, we weren’t in Seungyub’s original life.
“There might be parts we can fix by helping him, but…”
“There will also be parts that get distorted. It can’t be helped. We’ll have to adjust according to the situation.”
“….”
“Think of it like we’re filming a movie. Pondering what the actual scenario was and recreating it.”
“Recreating the scenario… now you’re making me feel more anxious.”
“What?”
Suddenly, I didn’t get Songee’s vibe.
“Ahri.”
“Yeah?”
“… Have you ever truly been in love? Not as an agent, but real love.”
— Gulp!
Where did that question come from?!
“Wh-what kind of question is that?”
“I thought you probably haven’t.”
“Hey, how does that even relate to the current situation?”
“It was just a thought I had on the way…”
Songee had a somewhat complicated expression.
There was a vibe of ambiguity, as if she didn’t quite know how to express what was on her mind.
“What are you thinking?”
“Love…”
“What on earth?”
“… Never mind.”
Wow, that was so “Kain-like” of her.
So, I immediately launched into a flying kick aimed at Songee’s upper body.
“Gyaah! Are you insane?”
“You’ve caught a dangerous disease. I’ll cure you before it worsens.”
“Ugh! I’ll tell you, but if you honestly say anything, you’ll get even angrier!”
“What the heck is it?”
“… Who do you think has dated the most among us?”
“Well, that would be—”
Just as I was recalling some of our colleagues who were married and had families, I suddenly grasped what Songee was getting at.
When Songee says “dating,” she’s talking about a purer form of young love.
So…
“… It’s Seungyub.”
“Exactly.”
“….”
“But here we are, two girls who’ve never even properly dated, trying to reenact the bittersweet sweet school life of a boy with a crush.”
“….”
This feels unnerving.
“Well, if it’s something we’re both good at, we’ll just have to do our best.”
“Good at what?”
“Bullying someone!”
“….”
“Let’s give it our all. I’ll start by coloring on Seungyub’s textbook first.”
“… I’m going to trip Seungyub on his way to school so he’s late.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.