Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 141



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Episode 141 – No. 107, The Gateway Room – ‘Perfect Life’ (32)

– Han Ga-in

Four days have passed since I absentmindedly drank coffee every day at the cafe near the Gangneung coast where Ari sent me the photo.

Will Songi’s method of stimulating Elena’s sensitivity really work?

It was difficult, but I followed it because I couldn’t think of any other way.

In the first day or two, Songi and Ari seemed to be preparing something.

However, from the third day, the two naturally started playing at the beach as if they had just come to have fun.

I thought it was absurd, but at the same time, I understood it.

Resting in ecstasy in this precarious ordeal? To say that, ever since entering the hotel, there has been a series of crises, and the march of hardship is repeated every day.

Even when war is in full swing, people need to sleep and eat. Of course, you also need to relieve stress.

The idea that today is a crisis and you shouldn’t take a break makes no sense in a hotel.

Because tomorrow will be a crisis and the sand will also be a crisis.

While I was drinking coffee while thinking about various things, the person I was waiting for finally arrived.

— Ding dong!

As soon as I heard someone coming in, I turned my head toward the cafe entrance.

It’s hot weather, and people are wrapped in clothes and their faces covered with masks.

Nevertheless, there was no difficulty in identifying him based on his overall body shape and flowing blonde hair.

How do I get you to my place? The same worry was unnecessary.

As soon as Elena entered the cafe entrance, we made eye contact, and her eyes widened at the same time.

Elena absentmindedly looked like someone possessed, ordered a cup of cafe latte and sat down in front of me.

“…Do you have something to say to me?”

“Rather than me saying it, I think it would be better for Miss Elena to say what she wants to say.”

“As expected, you recognized it right away. “She came dressed in clothes and a mask.”

“…”

“Sometimes I had strange dreams. A dream of meeting unknown people and wandering around strange places full of monsters. All I knew was that the place was a hotel somewhere. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I feel like I’m almost waking up. Our plan to create conditions in which people could come up with ideas on their own rather than overtly stimulating them was successful.

“I understand. “Tell me more.”

“Before, I thought it was just a vague dream, right? I’ve been interested in things like the occult since I was young, so I thought I was having a dream that reflected that aspect. Then I recently had an incredible experience. She saw a bird that seemed to have come down from the sky and a girl who felt like a wizard. Since seeing them, the content of my dreams has become clearer. The bird and the girl started appearing in my dreams. and… .”

“and?”

“And you saw it too. He looked a little different than now… .”

“Now you almost have your memory back.”

“After all, that wasn’t just a dream, right? What is it? explain it to me please.”

Ugh~! The last ordeal is almost over. He explained it in detail to Elena, who seemed ready to accept the truth.

We are ascending from a strange place called a hotel, fighting against indescribable and alien beings.

It was also announced that this place was a place of trials prepared by the hotel and a fantasy world that reflected Elena’s wishes.

Elena’s expression showed emptiness as she listened to me.

…

Is it because I realized that the success I thought I had as a celebrity was all an illusion?

Fortunately, there was no atmosphere of disbelief in what I said.

We drank coffee in silence and looked out at the beach.

Outside, Ari, whom Elena had called a ‘witch’, was throwing sand into Songi’s mouth and then being kicked by Songi, causing her to fall backwards.

Pero, who was said to have come down from the sky, was being chased by the owner of the stall while stealing chicken skewers from a food stall on the coast.

… What on earth are they doing? Why am I the only one working?

“They’re playing so lively.”

“Iknow, right. “Looking at what he’s doing, he really looks like a middle school student, and he’s like a chicken.”

Elena’s reaction was different from mine. She was looking outside with a somewhat vague expression.

“Can you listen to me for a moment?”

“You’ve been listening since a while ago, right? “I’m sure there’s no man in the world who doesn’t want to listen to Elena, right?”

Elena also chuckled and then began a rather long story.

“Actually, my parents were very successful people when I was young. “Even back then, I vividly remember going to our suburban villa with my parents every summer.”

Elena’s story that began with those words was one I had vaguely heard about for a long time.

Elena’s father was on the path to success in public life when Elena was young.

The family was harmonious and wealthy. At that time, there was not a single bit of misfortune in Elena’s world.

One day, something incomprehensible started.

Suddenly, my father lost his job, and both the villa and the house disappeared overnight. The problem is that losing one’s job and property was only the beginning.

Every day, suspicious people started hanging around Elena’s father. The more times Elena’s father met with reporters, the more incomprehensible things happened.

Finally, when people who were close to Elena’s father began to be imprisoned and taken to the hospital one by one, her long exile began.

I had nothing to add, so I listened in silence. Honestly, this is a story you only see on the news.

In Russia, there was news every day that the dictator, who was said to be half a tsar, was purging his opponents, but when I saw the actual case in front of my eyes, I didn’t know how to react.

Vaguely, it will get better in time? It’s a lie.

I heard that the dictator is still going strong and has a huge approval rating in his own country.

While Elena was talking for a while, Songi and Ari, wearing swimsuits and thin clothing on top, sneaked in. The two watched Elena and I talking and sat quietly in the compartment opposite us.

… What are they really doing? Is that why you hide? As soon as she first came in, Elena already flinched.

Thanks to the two people, Elena’s mouth closed for a moment.

“They’re fun kids, right?”

“Iknow, right. “I wish I had a time like that.”

“A time like that?”

“I… . ‘hotel’? When I get out of the hotel and go back to the real world, I will probably pursue my dream of becoming an actor. “If I do my best and have some luck, I might be able to achieve great success that no one in the world can envy.”

“I’m sure you can succeed.”

This is true. She believes that Elena’s acting skills are not bad, although she has only experienced them fragmentarily.

Above all, it looks amazing! Isn’t it the best weapon in the world of actors?

I thought it would be even weirder if I failed. Honestly, Elena herself probably knows. It’s a lie if you don’t know.

But Elena’s expression did not brighten much.

“No matter how successful I become in the future, there are some things that can never be undone.”

“yes?”

“Time wasted just running and hiding. How about Mr. Gain? “You said earlier that you were a high school student, right?”

“I was caught before I entered school, but I passed, so I think I’m half a college student… .”

“I’m sure you had a pretty happy teenage years. Make a lot of friends and make a lot of memories.”

“Life as a middle and high school student in Korea is not that fun. “In fact, I only have a lot of memories of studying for entrance exams in my mind.”

“Isn’t it at least time invested for self-development? “You didn’t spend half the day hiding in the closet like I did, or you spent time fearing that your parents might be dead every time they came home later than usual, right?”

weird.

Something is strange. Isn’t this it?

I could feel the emotions starting to boil more in Elena’s voice.

Songi and Ari across from us, who sensed an unusual atmosphere, looked at us in confusion.

Ari eagerly gestured with his hands to send the message, ‘Do something!’

No, what are you going to do with me? Elena was talking to herself and she went into the tunnel alone?

“I know. It’s not that I’m very old, and when older people who have suffered throughout their youth hear this, what do you mean when you’re only in your 20s? You might do it. But who cares? “My heart is filled with despair that I have wasted more than half of my life running away!”

“excuse me… . Elena? Calm down a little and first-”

Elena no longer listened to me.

“Why is my life like this? I also wanted to live happily. Like Ari! Like a bunch! I also wanted to go to the beach in the summer. I also wanted to go skiing in the winter. On the weekends, I wanted to watch movies with my family and raise a dog or cat. While going to school, I wanted to make a lot of close friends from when I was young. I also wanted to hear the stories of my mom’s friend’s son and my dad’s friend’s daughter!

Have you ever crossed the border five times in one month? Have you ever felt scared every time you drink a cup of tea? Have you ever run into a man wearing a hat on the street and get goosebumps when you think about it for a while and realize that he is the same man you saw on the side of the road two months ago before crossing the border? Have you ever thought about how it would feel to see on the news that the person who ruined my father’s life and made me run away was the leader who went on to win and saved the country?”

Ari, embarrassed, intervened from the side.

“that! “I think I misunderstood something, but I didn’t have such a happy teenage years either.”

“No, you idiot! “Try to say something persuasive!”

“El, Elena? Try to calm down. “You can swim and ski at the hotel, right?”

“You call that comfort?”

“Then you can say something too!”

“Eh, won’t the dictator eventually be shot to death when the time comes?”

“and! What a comfort! “He nagged us like this!”

Elena looked at the sight of us chatting among ourselves for a moment with a vague expression.

???

Just now, I felt an inexplicable sensation.

Elena walks away from us.

I definitely had the feeling that Elena in front of me was blurring like a mirage and leaving for a place I couldn’t catch.

Ari’s expression turned pale as he felt a similar sensation.

Elena made a wish to the world once again.

The world granted Elena’s wish.

*

– Han Ga-in

I was caught up in a huge shock that shook the whole world, like a person being washed away by a tsunami, not knowing what to do.

I realized it only after I barely came to my senses.

Literally, ‘the creation of heaven and earth’ has happened once again!

I looked around blankly. Everything from the hanging signs to the exotic scenery.

Around them, children with exotic looks are rushing and entering the white building.

… After seeing the appearance of the kids around me, I wondered if it could be possible, and it was only after I looked at myself in the side mirror of a car parked on the side of the road that I realized it.

The second world created by Elena’s wish.

I went back to being in my early teens.

In front was a golden girl with a bright smile that seemed to capture the sun.

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