Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 386
Only Krnovel
EP.386 Episode 386 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2)
Episode 386 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2)
– Yoo Song-i
A multiverse of chaos! No, a hotel!
As I was coming out of the Sanctuary of Blessing and my mind was starting to wander, I finally realized that there were two other sane people besides me.
“So, Gain and that guy jumped out of the hotel?”
“That’s right!”
“Miro and Elena are… . So, confess?”
“yes.”
“These days, kids! No, isn’t Miro the kid of these days?”
“Grandpa, what does that matter?”
Is it because the absurdity has gone too far?
Grandfather’s expression became calmer.
“hmm….”
“Grandpa -”
“Seungyeop, tell me again what happened yesterday.”
“yes.”
Another normal person, Seungyeop, told us about what happened last night.
Grandfather nodded and said.
“I understand one thing. It seems like the drinking party is the cause of everything. Aren’t the people who didn’t participate okay?”
Seungyeop tilted his head.
“I participated, right?”
“You punk, you drank a beverage? That means you didn’t participate!”
“Is that so?”
“A strange event has occurred at the hotel. The condition for this to occur is that you pass out drunk?”
There was a point that was difficult to understand.
“Grandpa, this isn’t the first time you’ve had a drink at a party. My sister has made cocktails for you many times.”
“This isn’t an event that happens when you drink enough to the point where you black out and pass out, but rather when most people drink enough to pass out.”
Even if I understood the situation a little, nothing changed.
The grandfather muttered comfortingly.
“It won’t be a big deal. It’s party time right now, so there’s no way something dangerous could happen. Besides, my sponsor said, ‘Have fun.’”
“My sponsor said it would be dangerous to go out now?”
“…”
Seungyeop Lee briefly summarized the sponsors’ contradictory statements.
“It’s risky for us, but it’s fun for our sponsors.”
“…”
“What should I do?”
“What about the other people?”
According to what Seungyeop, I, and my grandfather have checked while walking around, it is as follows.
Kim Sang-hyun, Han Ga-in: Going out of the hotel.
Miro, Ari, Elena: Sprawled out in a daze near the desk on the first floor.
Cha Jin-cheol: Lost in thought at the table on the second floor.
Eunsol Lee: ?
“Where did Eunsol go? It’s time to play the flute and wake up my colleagues!”
“I’ve never seen it before, but I don’t think even a flute can wake it up. I couldn’t wake it up with a bracelet, and all the blessings that prevent mental contamination have also been rendered useless.”
“… I think I know something.”
When told that the legacy and blessings had become foolish, the grandfather responded with an understanding of something.
“This is a dream.”
“yes?”
“yes?”
While Seungyeop and I were both flustered, the grandfather explained further.
“While working as an agent, I’ve caught many monsters that cause nightmares in humans. Seungyeop, have you ever been hit by a ‘nightmare butterfly’?”
“Yes. It was really hard.”
“The state of my colleagues is similar to dreaming. Immersed in their own world? Of course! The essence of dreams is to create and delve into your own world.”
“The reason why the blessing of heritage and others became foolish -”
“Because this place is halfway out of reality. Or, dreams aren’t mental illness.”
“The hotel itself is not a reality, but a space where ‘everyone’s dreams’ overlap?”
“yes!”
“Then what about us?”
“I’m like an outsider invited into everyone’s dream.”
Seungyeop asked urgently.
“Then what should I do?”
“We need to wake up the sleepwalkers!”
“Oh, how? You said that inheritance doesn’t work either?”
“Well, I guess I know how to wake up one of them.”
*
Grandpa took us to the ‘costume room’ in the basement.
As expected of a hotel’s costume shop, it is not an ordinary place, but a place where the clothes we want will pop out.
A moment later, my grandfather came out, dressed in a black suit and a checkered tie.
However, the changes did not end there.
“grandfather?”
“Song-ya, help me out. It would be easier if your bracelet worked, but if it doesn’t, I’ll have to put on some makeup.”
“yes.”
While Seungyeop and I were helping, Grandpa explained the plan.
“Agents of the Administration often fight monsters that wield dreams as weapons, such as the Nightmare Butterfly or the Nightmare Demon. The key to dealing with these is to realize that ‘this is not reality, it is a dream.’”
“Is this like how to wake up from a lucid dream? A reality check?”
I’ve heard similar stories in movies, although they may be different from the agents’ experiences.
“Similar. Usually, you do things that you can’t do in real life.”
“Or bend your fingers back?”
“But, there are people who find this method difficult.”
“Is this Ari’s story?”
“Ari can do almost any movement.”
“yes?”
“Ari can normally bend her fingers back, and for a short while, she can even cut off her neck and carry it around -”
Seungyeop was startled.
“Ugh! Sister, you don’t usually do that!”
“Because you’ll be surprised.”
A normal person can perform actions that are impossible in reality, realize that it is a dream, and wake up.
However, Ari cannot wake up in this way because there are very few movements that are impossible in reality.
“So Ari wakes up using this method.”
And then Grandpa’s ‘disguise’ was over.
The old man standing in front of the mirror did not have the muscular, confident physique I usually saw.
A plump belly, a relaxed expression, and facial features that have changed somewhat.
He looks like a rich, retired grandfather.
“Is this the way?”
“A person Ari trusted deeply. However, he no longer exists in reality.”
“Who is it?”
“He is the head of the Korean branch of the Management Office that Ari first met.”
*
When the disguised grandfather appeared in front of Ari, something strange happened.
Ari’s eyes, which had been leaning against the wall with a dazed expression, suddenly cleared up and she began to look around with a shocked expression.
“Agent Ari, wake up.”
“…”
“Eww! How foolish of you! Are you dreaming in this important place?”
“Mukseong-ah.”
“It’s pathetic. I’ve been feeling pathetic ever since I started crying every day because I wanted to see my mom -”
“Mukseong, I’m awake.”
“… ”
“I’ve never cried because I missed my mom.”
Ari, who woke up from her dream, began to sort out the situation from a different perspective.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding. It’s not like we can’t communicate, nor is it like our blessings or inheritances have been turned off.”
“Even if I wear a bracelet, it doesn’t work?”
I couldn’t move when Ari smiled lightly and grabbed my arm.
“Come to think of it, Ari, you were really strong earlier. Were you using your legacy?”
“While dreaming, we become ‘self-centered’.”
“Self-centered?”
“React only to the topics you want to hear and ignore the rest.”
“Hmm….”
“In terms of conversation, if you start talking about a topic that doesn’t interest you, they either ignore you or drag you into their own topic.”
I remembered how Ga-in oppa arbitrarily changed the keyword ‘love’ to ‘let’s jump’.
“It’s the same with inheritance and blessings. They work in the way you want them to. The reason you can’t wake up from a dream is because you don’t even think about the current situation as a dream.”
“Okay, okay, I understand the situation, but how do you wake up other people? They’re not trained to wake up from supernatural dreams like you are.”
“First of all, I know how to wake Miro up.”
As I moved to wake up Miro, Ari looked at me with a complicated expression.
“When I wake up from a dream, the events in the dream will never have happened. Ga-in and Sang-hyun’s escape will also never have happened. So… .”
I understood what Ari was trying to say.
“I’ve already forgotten everything.”
“… thank you.”
What happens in dreams should remain dreams.
I forgot everything I saw earlier.
I decided to forget it.
*
“maze.”
“…”
“Miro, do you want to see Gain?”
Miro, who had not reacted no matter how seriously Ari spoke, raised her head at the name ‘Gain’.
“Gain? Did you go to the audition?”
“Where did you go?”
“I think I like Gain! I want to ask her out!”
“… It’s tiring work.”
“But, but!”
“however?”
“What if I confess and he rejects me? He just disappeared after saying weird things earlier!”
“…”
I had an epiphany from a brief conversation.
Isn’t this something everyone experiences at least once in their lives?
I like someone, but I’m scared to confess.
At least now we can laugh and chat together, but if you confess and get rejected, even that will become impossible.
Of course, Miro had similar thoughts, so he didn’t usually confess.
But when I fell into a dream, I lost my self-control and acted like I did before.
Other people are similar.
Actions that we desperately want to do, but have held back for practical reasons.
I can’t stand it in my dreams.
“Miro, then check it out.”
“huh?”
“There’s a time zone in Miro, right?”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Summon Gain here and ask her.”
“Again, you’re just going to say weird things again -”
“No. Not this time.”
I guess so.
The ‘real’ Ga-in oppa from earlier ignored Miro’s confession because he was lost in his own dream.
The brother who will be called here is not affected by dreams.
Miro took out his watch with a trembling expression.
The moment Gain oppa appeared, I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him back.
Arido also quickly cooperated.
“Huh? Huh? Why Ga-in-”
“Miro, you shouldn’t do important things right away. Have you thought about what you’re going to say?”
“That, that!”
“I’ll help you.”
While Ari was killing time, I quickly explained the situation to Gain oppa.
“The hotel is playing another ridiculous prank.”
“Brother, do you understand what I said?”
“Just about. More importantly, a confession out of the blue… .”
My brother’s expression looked more bewildered than happy.
“I talked to Arirang, and she said that if her wish comes true, she will wake up from the dream.”
“okay?”
“So if Oppa confesses to you, you’ll probably wake up filled with joy. Don’t worry too much about what happens next. Once everyone wakes up from their dream, this event itself will be over -”
“Everyone forgets today’s memories?”
“That’s it!”
My brother made a subtle expression.
“My thoughts are a little different.”
“yes?”
“What is the purpose of this event and why was it held?”
“Annoying hotel pranks?”
“Hotels are a hotbed of activity, but this event can’t be a joke.”
“…”
“As always… there will be risks and rewards.”
Risk and reward.
“I can imagine the danger. Someone might not come to their senses by the end of the party. Then we’ll have to take the sleepwalker to the cursed room.”
“What about the compensation?”
“information.”
“information?”
“What happens in a dream disappears when the dream is over. That is, we can now do things ‘without thinking about the future.’ For example, what would happen if we escaped through the elevator or the front door?”
“…”
“Is there really a reality outside that we expect? Is your family there? Is reality okay?”
“…”
“If information is the reward, then memories won’t completely disappear. They’ll remain vague, like dreams.”
“Is that so…?”
At that moment, Miro came closer, shivering.
I was much more nervous than when I confessed to him earlier.
Maybe you realized it intuitively.
Because confessing to Gain oppa when he’s not in his right mind and confessing to him when he’s in his right mind are completely different matters.
“Go, Gain.”
“…”
“I am -”
The moment when a girl in love opens her mouth with the courage of a lifetime.
That moment when Seungyeop, my grandfather, and even Ari behind us were extremely nervous.
My brother’s mouth opened.