Chapter 777
Chapter 777 – Room 302, Cursed Room – ‘Brave New World’ (43)
— Park Seung-yeop
The divine being entangled with the Son of Dawn, Feather of Twilight.
The mysterious girl presumed to be the owner of the feather, Soyoun.
We want to obtain information related to the feather from Soyoun.
To this end, I instructed Soyoun to recall her old memories, but Older Sister Yusong, who was hiding nearby, sent a peculiar illusion message.
Up close, this girl seems strange. Why didn’t I notice this before? Seungyeop, can you sense Soyoun’s presence?
“….”
Are you asking if I can feel Soyoun’s presence?
It was a puzzling story, no, an illusion message.
Because I could feel her presence very clearly.
The presence of a person is ultimately a matter of whether it can be seen or heard, right?
Ah, there is also the movement of air I’m feeling on my skin.
In any case, presence is there when it can be seen, heard, and touched.
A girl with a pure white neck and brown hair cascading over her shoulders.
Soyoun’s appearance was very clear.
“… What are you staring at so intently?”
A slightly annoyed voice was heard clearly.
“What? Why are you poking me with your finger?”
“I’m just checking if I can touch you.”
“Are you an idiot?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
When I pressed down, my finger sank right in.
At that moment, I was tilting my head, unable to comprehend the illusion message sent by Older Sister Yusong.
Soyoun seemed to have made some sort of decision.
“I’ve been thinking for a while, but I’ve gone through the loop a crazy number of times!”
“That sounds about right.”
It’s said that the kids from Banpo-dong were kidnapped into this Brave New World nearly 10 years ago.
It also seems that Soyoun has been stuck here for about that long.
“So, standing still and thinking won’t work.”
“You mean we should roam around?”
“Yeah!”
The process of Soyoun recalling her memories was similar to how we realize our First Wish.
Thinking this way, wandering around important places that linger in our memories felt meaningful.
SDVIMVFoanVzY1YwSVhjamMzUkt1WUd6VERlTytsZWdoNGpQTUM1ZjF6bkRRQVQ3NVVYdnVxRDM4ZHREd1BoaQ
… As time flowed.
*
On the first day, the place Soyoun found was the overpass.
“I used to come here every morning and look down at the road.”
“Why?”
“Watching the cars pass by made me feel like everyone was living really hard.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“… It’s just meaningless effort, though?”
For a moment, I was perplexed by what she meant.
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it? This world keeps cycling on a weekly basis. There’s no such thing as next week.”
“Ah—”
“Why go to work? Why do a job? Everything resets before you even see the results… It feels pointless to live hard, yet everyone seems to be living so vigorously.”
“… The effort and the process itself have meaning—”
“Do you really think so?”
“….”
“Do those people think so too?”
After realizing that the world resets every week, would people still maintain their current lifestyles?
I doubt it.
“At first, other people seemed funny. They looked like fools, like fake people. I thought I was the only real one.”
“….”
“But then, at some point…”
“….”
“I realized I was similar too. I put in a lot of meaningless effort. What on earth did it mean?”
“….”
“That was kind of scary and sad.”
In moments like this, I wished I had better conversational skills.
Older Brother Gain would probably have said something cool to comfort her, but nothing came to mind.
So I just stood silently next to her.
About 20 minutes went by in silence when Soyoun suddenly smiled.
“Thank you.”
Just by being quiet, I was helpful?
“I kept thinking, but nothing else came up. Let’s try again tomorrow.”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s try more tomorrow.”
The first day ended just like that.
*
“Nothing particularly came out at the overpass. No, it didn’t. I think I only heard about the fears and sadness that Soyoun felt while repeating the loop.”
“That’s still a success.”
“Really?”
“You became closer. It’s not like we need to reach a conclusion in a day or two, so just take it easy.”
*
Love and intimacy are not synonyms, and Soyoun and I are definitely not close.
That’s what Older Sister Yusong told me.
When I first heard it, I found it hard to grasp, but now it seems to be slowly making sense.
After experiencing several places with a feeling similar to the overpass, I felt that Soyoun and I had grown somewhat closer.
… According to Soyoun, my past self went through all kinds of trouble after realizing that the world was repeating.
“Hey, you threw water balloons at your math teacher over there.”
“Hey! Don’t lie!”
“It’s not a lie! You said it was fine to forget by next week, didn’t you?”
“Stop making up fake pasts just because you can’t remember.”
“If you won’t believe me even if I tell you, then why did you tell me to recall my old memories?”
“Ugh!”
You were throwing water balloons here and hitting kids with chairs over there – wait, is this really not a lie?
“Wow! This is so not true!”
“You don’t believe me again. Even if you forget, I remember everything.”
“… Soyoun.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever heard of something like ‘feather’ or ‘angel’?”
Soyoun shrugged her shoulders and pointed at a pigeon in the sky.
“There’s a feather up there. As for angels… Ah, are you trying to say I look like an angel? That sounds too clichéd.”
“Ugh! Don’t say weird things.”
The second and third days went by like this.
*
“I’m recalling memories, but… I’m not sure if they’re meaningful.”
“Have you mentioned the keyword Feather of Twilight?”
“Yeah. I did, but it seems like she has no idea. Before the awakening, she probably didn’t know anything about the Son of Dawn or anything like that.”
“Hmmm…”
“…”
“I saw you and Soyoun hanging out earlier, but it didn’t seem like a date.”
“Hmph!”
“… What’s with that laugh?”
“Ha ha! Remember what Older Sister Ari said before we started Room 302? What? That you couldn’t possibly have a girlfriend? Ah, that sister… I let it slide too much.”
“…”
“What does she know being Older Sister Ari? Ha… who are you to lecture me about what love is?”
— Bang!
“Ugh!”
“… I realized what the greatest mystery of Room 302 is.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s the fact that Soyoun likes you.”
“….”
“The more I see it, the more ridiculous it seems. Did you learn hypnosis or something?”
“That’s something Older Sister has… Does Yusong want to experiment with those who are loved—”
— Bang!
“Shut up. Hey, if we’re going to go on a date anyway, take her to the gym tomorrow.”
“Gym?”
“I think that’s where you first confessed to Soyoun. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
*
The next afternoon, I took Soyoun to the gym.
From the moment it was suggested we go to the gym, Soyoun already had a smile on her face, probably thinking of teasing me.
As expected, as soon as we arrived, I was hit with a flood of unknown past that I couldn’t remember.
“This is the place, right? Seungyeop, you were curled up in a corner—”
“Don’t, don’t lie! Who curls up when confessing?”
“Maybe not now, but you were always curling up back then. Anyway, you were here saying, ‘Soyoun, I, I, I, I—’”
“How many times are you going to repeat ‘I’?”
“I, I, can you go out with me? At that moment, all the kids nearby laughed, and your face turned bright red, shaking like this—”
… It was unbearable.
“… So, did you get kicked to the curb?”
“Yeah. Honestly, it’s only right to reject someone who suddenly confesses when you don’t really know them. Isn’t that right?”
“Really? You’ve been in the same school but don’t know each other?”
“Unless you’re in the same class, how can you know everyone in the same school?”
That’s a fair point.
“I rather want to ask. What were you thinking when you confessed to me? Normally, it’s the custom to get to know each other better before confessing, right?”
“….”
“Why start the relationship with a confession?”
It was painful.
It hurt to see Soyoun interrogating me right in front of my face, and the messages sent by Older Sister Yusong, who was hiding behind the other podium, were horrifying.
What did you say to her yesterday?
You were going to tell her what love is?
Looks like I need to have an honest talk with Ari!
“Please don’t do that…”
“What?”
“It’s not directed at you.”
“But I’m the only one here!”
“W-well! The important thing isn’t about recalling my past!”
“Is that so?”
“What do you mean is that so? You’ve been talking about my story for days!”
“….”
“What we’re trying to figure out isn’t my story, but your story, Soyoun. We’re trying to find out why you are different from others.”
“I just thought of something strange after hearing what you just said.”
“Hmm? What did you think of?”
“… I was recalling what I thought when you first confessed to me.”
“And?”
Soyoun’s next words were a bit intriguing.
“… I thought, ‘As expected.’”
“Yeah?”
“I thought as expected. It wasn’t surprising or shocking; I think I knew you would confess.”
From the second or third confession onwards, it wouldn’t be strange to predict my confession.
However, according to Soyoun’s memory, she knew about it even from the ‘first confession.’
“What do you mean by that?”
“…”
The girl had a bewildered expression for a long time, unable to figure out the answer.
*
“This is kind of interesting. You knew even from the first confession?”
“She says so herself.”
“Looking at it simply, your actions probably were quite visible. When a boy walks up awkwardly, blushing, pretty girls can see that. It’s not like it’s your first time receiving a confession.”
“… Is that a story about Older Sister?”
“Ahem! But I don’t think it’s such an obvious situation.”
“…”
“I was listening to that girl too, you know?”
“Right.”
“Her tone was slightly fatalistic.”
“Fatalistic? Is that the tone Older Brother Gain uses when he’s being serious?”
“… Not exactly.”
“Ugh… it feels like I’m on the verge of understanding.”
“…”
“What should we do? Ah, I keep forgetting that you said to use informal speech.”
“Seungyeop.”
“Yeah?”
“Go to that girl’s house tomorrow.”
“Yikes! Sudden, right?”
“Where do you think would be the first place she realized the world reset weekly?”
“Uh…”
“Her house. She must have woken up Monday morning, looked at the calendar, and thought, ‘What is this? Yesterday was the 7th, and today is again the 1st?’ before realizing.”
“R-really?”
“Let’s go to her house. Also…”
“And?”
“This time, we need to use shock therapy.”
*
It was the first time I met Soyoun’s parents.
“Oh my, are you Soyoun’s friend?”
“I-I’m Seungyeop.”
“Oh my, oh my,” the friendly middle-aged woman gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.
Just looking at her expression made it clear what she might be thinking.
‘My daughter has grown up! Bringing a boyfriend home!’ Isn’t she thinking something like that?
“Oh my! Oh my! I’ve heard so much about you from Soyoun for a long time!”
Ha ha! Soyoun has been telling her parents about me all this time?
“Mom! Don’t say weird things!”
Of course, Soyoun’s face turned bright red as she waved her hands.
“D-don’t think strange things! I just came to pick up some things from home!”
“I got it~ I believe you.”
“Ha ha, you too. Stop joking and come here.”
A cheerful male voice was heard from the living room.
That must be Soyoun’s father, and I could faintly guess from whom Soyoun inherited her playful nature.
— Bang!
As soon as we entered the room, Soyoun slammed the door shut.
“Ugh! This is why I didn’t want to bring someone home!”
“….”
“It’s your fault~! Why did you suddenly decide to come home?”
“I told you it’s because you—”
“The place where you first realized something was off was probably home?”
“Yeah.”
“… But you didn’t need to come here too.”
“Since you couldn’t realize it by yourself, let me help—”
“Okay, okay, just be quiet.”
With a mixture of embarrassment and a hint of annoyance, the girl looked around the room.
“Don’t touch anything!”
“I’m just standing still, you know?”
“W-where are you looking? Why, why is your gaze going over there?”
“I’m just looking at the air.”
“Don’t lie.”
Like most girls’ rooms, it was a bright and cheerful space.
Friendly and humorous parents.
A warm and bright home.
A picture-perfect happy family.
At that moment, Soyoun was repeatedly sitting up and lying down on the bed.
Was she trying to recall the first Monday when she became aware of the loop?
“Do you feel anything?”
“….”
“On that very first Monday when everything began, I woke up, turned on my phone, and when I looked at the date, I noticed something odd—”
“Stop being so dramatic and be quiet. I can’t think of anything.”
“You can’t think of anything?”
“Yeah. I can’t remember a single thing.”
“Hmm…”
“…”
“That’s strange. When we were wandering around the school, you remembered various things.”
“… But what if I don’t remember anything?”
The first place that she realized the world looped would be her own bed at home.
This was a hypothesis Older Sister Yusong made, and both I and even Soyoun seemed to find it quite convincing.
She probably wanted me to come to her room at the cost of her embarrassment.
High expectations often lead to disappointments.
As Soyoun’s expression darkened, I felt uneasy too.
Is that why?
I remembered the conversation I had with Older Sister Yusong last night.
*
“This time, we need to use shock therapy.”
“What do you mean by shock therapy?”
“If Soyoun can’t think of anything at home, try saying this.”
*
“… Soyoun.”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever thought something like this?”
“Something like what?”
I slowly moved my gaze around the girl’s cheerful room.
I also thought about the thoughts of those who would picture a delightful scene featuring their daughter and her boyfriend.
“… What if all of this isn’t real?”
“Yeah?”
“You said it yourself, right? This world is like one big movie…”
“….”
“If you and I are the characters, then so are your parents. They’re not really existing; they’re just actors playing the roles of your parents—”
Right at that moment.
Soyoun’s expression turned to stone.
As if she realized something shockingly profound.
“Did you figure something out?”
“….”
Instead of answering, the girl looked at me with trembling eyes.
I could sense the emotional turmoil churning within her, too complex to decipher.
“Are you okay? If you realized something—”
“I-I…”
“Yeah?”
“I-I’m going to use the restroom for a moment. Stay here.”
— Bang!
Suddenly, the restroom?
Before I could even process my shock, the ding-dong of the doorbell echoed.
The sound of the door opening.
Not the bathroom door, but the front door.
“Eek! Soyoun!”
Surprised, I opened the door and stepped into the living room to find the house door wide open.
In that brief moment, Soyoun had escaped without me!
What’s happening? What the heck is going on?
Thinking I should chase after Soyoun, I stepped outside when—
— Grab!
A familiar hand rested on my shoulder.
It was Older Sister Yusong.
“S-Sister! Soyoun suddenly ran outside—”
“Quiet.”
“What?”
Older Sister Yusong’s expression had gone pale with alarm.
“Were you with the girl’s parents just a moment ago?”
“Y-yeah.”
“What did you talk about?”
“W-well, I think Soyoun’s mom sees me as her daughter’s boyfriend. So she welcomed me saying I’ve heard a lot about you from Soyoun for a while—”
“And?”
“She said she’s heard a lot about me from Soyoun for a long time—”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Excuse me?”
“We’re in a world that resets weekly, yet she’s saying she has heard about you for a long time?”
“….”
I was having trouble grasping the situation.
“The hotel tends to place participants in appropriate locations… Is that why I was placed in this Brave New World?”
“What do you mean?”
“… After gaining various perspectives, I’ve developed an odd sense. Senses perceived by sentient beings like sight, hearing, smell… It all feels like intangible information floating around me.”
“Excuse me?”
“It could be the process of inheritance changing me. To put it simply, I can perceive the flow of real information while disregarding fake sensations. And!”
“And?”
Sister looked at me with sharp clarity.
“Since a while ago, the bracelet has been sending me consistent signals.”
“… What does that mean?”
“There’s no one in this house right now. Since the moment you stepped out, it’s been an empty house.”
“….”
When I opened the door again.
— Creak!
The door opened once more.
There was nobody in the house.
Neither Soyoun’s smiling mother who welcomed me nor her father who chided softly…
Not a single person was present.
“…”
As I stood frozen in shock, Older Sister Yusong murmured softly.
“Parents, house, even herself… She’s like a mirage in midsummer.”
“….”
“Let’s follow her. I have a feeling that soon everything about your ex-girlfriend will be revealed.”
