Chapter 818
Episode 818 – Room 303, Cursed Room – ‘Time Machine’ (7)
— Kim Muk-seong
“This is Alpha, Agent! Maintain a safe distance—”
“I’ve already subdued him.”
“Eh? Already— really? He seems to have lost consciousness.”
“Lock him up and send him to headquarters. And…”
As he trailed off, the team leader in charge of Alpha team nodded.
“Understood.”
“…”
“Since there’s a lot more information we need to ascertain, I will ensure he is not disposed of.”
That meant they would do everything possible not to kill Su-ho. The team leader was quick-witted.
“If there’s any problem—”
“I will take full responsibility.”
If someone at the team leader level could not stop the disposal of Su-ho, it meant he would invoke my name to halt it.
“Understood.”
“… Please.”
“I will do my best.”
The transport vehicle departed with the fainted Su-ho.
Once again, there was peace.
Of course, it was only outwardly peaceful; inside my heart was filled with more confusion than ever.
Just before Su-ho lost consciousness, the voice of ‘True Heart’ echoed in my mind.
“You killed my grandfather, you killed my mother, and now you’re trying to kill me too!”
What in the world does that mean?
It was such an absurd statement that I couldn’t possibly understand it.
“Hey guys, you’re all shocked, right? I’m really in shock too.”
So, looking up at the sky, I began speaking to my comrades.
“It doesn’t make sense. It really doesn’t make sense. Why would I have a reason to kill my father-in-law and my wife?”
I had not a single reason to kill my father-in-law or my wife.
“Moreover, it’s fundamentally impossible. My father-in-law passed away when my wife was still in high school. He had never even met me when he was alive.”
The more I explained, the more I felt my excitement slowly calming down. I realized my son’s words were logically impossible.
“More than anything, my wife died peacefully in bed. She wasn’t murdered by anyone. She left a little earlier, but she was never a healthy person to begin with.”
At the same time, an ominous possibility began to emerge in my mind.
Could it be that my memory itself has been distorted?
In this world filled with chaos, there are countless beings that toy with human memories like they’re mere toys.
“If my memory itself has been tampered with… I need to check.”
*
After a long period of listening to my story, the first words from Manager Park Hyun-min were simple.
“Agent, let me summarize what you said.”
“…”
“According to Kim Su-ho’s claims, you killed your father-in-law and wife, and you are now trying to kill Kim Su-ho himself. So you accepted the power of chaos to survive. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“…”
“The cause of death for your late wife, Ha Su-yeon, was heart disease and complications. She had a weak heart since a young age.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Are you saying this medical record has been tampered with?”
— Flap!
“Look at this. It’s not just a single diagnosis before death. Ha Su-yeon’s health had been problematic since the early 2000s, so this is a minimum of 15 years of medical records.”
“…”
“Are you saying all this is fabricated? Who would have fabricated it? Could it be you?”
“…”
“If we follow Kim Su-ho’s words, then it must be you. You killed your wife, tampered with the 15 years of medical records, and finally erased your own memory.”
“…”
“Do you think it’s possible for a single agent to manipulate all these records and deceive the Management Bureau?”
“…”
“You’ve been quiet since earlier.”
I didn’t have much to say.
My thoughts matched Park Hyun-min’s exactly.
Because my wife had married me, an agent, all her various health check records remained with the Management Bureau.
Did I alter all these records myself?
That was impossible.
Leaving aside the motives, I didn’t have the ability to pull that off in my past.
“Agent, I have a much simpler hypothesis; would you like to hear it?”
“… I’m listening.”
“Your son has gone mad.”
“…”
“In the process of gaining the power of chaos, his ego and memories have twisted.”
“…”
“A twisted mind tends to create all sorts of delusions. Perhaps there was resentment towards his father.”
“There were no issues in the relationship between Su-ho and me.”
“Outwardly, perhaps, but who can know what’s inside? Maybe he envied the fact that you are a reincarnator.”
Was it because my expression was not good at this point?
Manager Park Hyun-min made a statement that seemed out of place.
“If I’ve said something too harsh, I apologize.”
“No, we need to consider various possibilities.”
“Agent, look at the situation objectively.”
“…”
“Is today the first time you’ve seen someone swept away by the power of chaos descend into madness?”
“Impossible.”
“Your son is just experiencing the same phenomenon. That’s a warning not to heed the ramblings of a madman.”
My head was aching.
Because the manager’s words seemed very reasonable.
Thus, paradoxically, I recognized that ‘this path is wrong.’
“I probably thought like this in the past.”
“What?”
“I would have ignored Su-ho’s words. I would have considered them the nonsensical ramblings of a madman…”
“Agent, it seems you don’t understand my words—”
“No, I understand. I just have one question.”
“… What is it?”
“I’ve seen my wife’s medical records. But, are there no records regarding my father-in-law?”
“Ha Su-yeon’s father is Ha Jin-seong.”
The name of my father-in-law, Ha Jin-seong.
“I know that.”
“He passed away in 1973. Your wife was in her second year of high school at that time.”
“I know that too. What I mean is, how did my father-in-law pass away—”
“What I just told you is all there is.”
“What?”
“There are no additional records related to Ha Jin-seong.”
“What do you mean? There are no records?”
Manager Park Hyun-min shrugged and replied.
“Is it strange that there aren’t? If it were your wife, Ha Su-yeon, I can understand, but Ha Jin-seong was just an ordinary person.”
“That’s…”
“Do you really think the Management Bureau’s database contains detailed causes of death for every human throughout history?”
“…”
“The death reports of that time simply noted it as a soldier. I suspect it may have been heart disease.”
“Like Su-yeon?”
“It could be a type of genetic issue.”
It seemed conversation with the manager wouldn’t lead to any progress.
“Alright… I’m going now.”
Just before I exited the office.
“Speaking of which…”
Manager Park Hyun-min said with an expression as if he recalled something.
“While listening to you, I remembered. You said Ha Jin-seong passed away in 1973?”
The next story was truly bizarre.
“There was a terrorist incident directed at headquarters during that time.”
“Terrorism?”
*
— Observatory
After Muk-seong received shocking information from Kim Su-ho, the people at the observatory began discussing various opinions.
The first thing brought up was, ‘Does this even make sense?’
“It’s shocking content, but doesn’t it sound absurd?”
In response to Cha Jin-cheol’s voice, Eunsol nodded.
“Grandfather killed the father-in-law and wife… It’s provocative, but the more I think about it, the stranger it gets. Why doesn’t he realize it?”
Song-i replied blankly.
“Um, there might have been memory manipulation.”
“But Grandfather has received the help of the pipe countless times, hasn’t he?”
“Couldn’t the memories related to the First Wish be something the pipe is unable to restore?”
Cha Jin-cheol exclaimed with a frustrated expression.
“No. Let’s think about it logically. Just how much manipulation would be needed for Kim Su-ho’s claims to hold true? Manager Park Hyun-min is saying the same thing right now. He claims all medical records must be manipulated.”
At that moment, Lee Eunsol realized that Cha Jin-cheol’s experiences as an agent were not in vain.
While Song-i and herself had vaguely thought, ‘Could it be possible for an agent?’…
Cha Jin-cheol, having experienced being an agent, could conclude it was difficult to deceive the Management Bureau.
Song-i cautiously responded.
“What if the Management Bureau was behind the manipulation? What if the Management Bureau ordered the killing of people like Ha Su-yeon and then manipulated the data afterward?”
If the culprit were the Management Bureau, then the difficulty of manipulation was not an issue, she argued.
Cha Jin-cheol replied with an expression that questioned the validity.
“Song-i, the 303rd episode is closely tied to the reality outside the hotel, you know?”
“Right. Isn’t it right before the previous episode?”
“Then, do you think it makes sense for Ari not to know information from that time?”
“Oh? That’s true?”
It would make sense for Ari not to know about events occurring in Rooms 301 or 302.
That’s because there is a tremendous temporal distance between the 301st and 302nd loops and the reality.
However, the 303rd room is presumed to be a loop just prior to reality.
For the Management Bureau to order Muk-seong to kill the father-in-law and wife during that period and manipulate various medical records?
Cha Jin-cheol pointed out that Ari could not possibly be unaware.
“Oh my, upon hearing, it seems like what Oppa said is correct.”
Unlike Song-i, who seemed to agree and step back, Eunsol quietly countered.
“I understand what Jin-cheol is saying. Manager Park Hyun-min said the same thing as you. I find Kim Su-ho’s claims to be absurd.”
Logically thinking, Kim Su-ho’s assertions did not hold water.
Many people arrived at the same conclusion.
However.
“But if we end the discussion here, we’d be missing something important.”
Jin-cheol tilted his head.
“Sister, what are we missing?”
“Why did the hotel grant Grandfather the ability called ‘True Heart’?”
“…”
“Kim Su-ho is insane, and everything he said is nonsense. If this is truly the answer, why did Grandfather acquire the ability to hear Kim Su-ho’s inner thoughts?”
— Tap!
At this point, Gain slammed the table.
“Let’s summarize. First, logically, Kim Su-ho’s assertions do not make sense. Secondly, if we’re going to disregard his claims as nonsensical, there is no reason for the hotel to grant the ability of True Heart.”
Elena asked with a slightly expectant expression.
“What do you think, Gain? I mean, I’m not so sure about this topic.”
“I don’t know either.”
“What?”
“I lack enough information to draw a conclusion. That’s my judgment. And!”
“And what?”
Gain said in disbelief.
“If the content of the chaotic room is secondary, isn’t 303 also a cursed room?”
“Uh… that’s right.”
“A cursed room is a room just before the end, isn’t it?”
“Typically, yes.”
“Do you feel any signs of an impending end right now? I’ve been alternately checking on Grandfather and Ari since earlier.”
“…”
“What kind of fiend is ultimately ruining the world?”
The observatory fell silent.
*
— Kim Ari
“The person who killed my father. That person is trying to kill me too.”
A voice full of fear.
“After my father passed away, my mother and I spent every day in terror. There seemed to be no escape.”
“Did you report it?”
“Report? Of course! But the others didn’t believe me when I said someone unknown had killed my father and was trying to harm me as well.”
“Hmm… is that why you used the boarding pass?”
“Yes. I used the boarding pass. Holding a white piece of paper, I earnestly made a wish. Then, a message appeared about where to come at a specific date and time.”
“When you went there, the train appeared, I suppose?”
“Yes.”
Ha Su-yeon naturally began sharing her travel story.
“To be honest, I don’t have much to say about the trip.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t really know what I did.”
“… Tell me as you understood.”
“A person claiming to be a train employee gave me a note. It was a note saying to do this, do that.”
“…”
“Get off and go straight for about 50 minutes. Then you’ll see a sign saying ‘Bountiful Tea House.’ Go into the tea house and wait for about 15 minutes. Then a man in a top hat will come in.”
“…”
“When the man in a top hat enters, accidentally spill coffee all over him. Apologize and shed some tears. Breaking the cup would be even better. Keep him occupied for more than 30 minutes like that.”
“… What strange instructions. And then?”
“When it gets dark, go to a place called Frost Flower Park. A police officer on nighttime patrol will come out around 11:15, so hide behind the largest Zelkova tree.”
So terribly strange and specific instructions.
“Hide behind the Zelkova tree and wait for the police to pass by. Wait another 30 minutes. Then, people in black clothing will gather.”
“And next?”
“When six of them gather, jump into the nearby stream. Splash around and scream as loud as you can. If the people in black disappear, it’s half a success.”
“What do you even mean by half a success?”
“I don’t know. I just did as the note said.”
Filled with confusion about what was happening.
Suddenly, Aleph spoke up.
“Do you know the butterfly effect?”
“The butterfly effect?”
“Earlier, while waiting for my senior, I had a bowl of udon. It was quite delicious. When I told the manager that he was skilled, he said that such compliments motivated his business.”
“…”
“What would have happened if I had cursed instead? The disappointed manager might have closed the udon shop. His finances would have declined, and his young son wouldn’t have been able to pay for university tuition.”
“…”
“This incident would remain as a lifelong regret for that boy. He would grow up resenting the world, and one day, eleven years later, he would hear a bizarre voice by the seaside.”
“…”
“When the boy heard the voice of the grim reaper, he realized: I’ve lived for this moment. For the great Oompa-Loompa has bestowed a revelation; I will set this weak world ablaze to a handful of ash.”
“…”
“Aren’t you surprised? My judgment after eating a bowl of udon is what swings the fate of the world. Yesterday, I saved the world.”
“I can feel you’re overly self-aware in an absurd way. So?”
“Miss Su-yeon, you mentioned your father didn’t understand his actions, right?”
“Yes…”
“Of course he wouldn’t understand. In that story, your father’s role is to ‘eat a bowl of udon and give a judgment.’”
“…”
“He simply ate a bowl of udon and said he had never seen such awful udon before. From there, the butterfly effect occurs and the world is ruined? How is anyone supposed to know that?”
“…”
“The reason Ha Su-yeon doesn’t understand what she did is for the same reason. This is just how the train handles matters—”
At this point, Aleph stopped talking.
First, because I felt my gaze growing more and more chilling.
“Uh… Senior?”
Second, he himself must have felt uncomfortable.
“Aleph.”
“Yes?”
“How did you acquire this information?”
Aleph’s gaze began to lose its clarity.
