Escaping the Mystery Hotel - Chapter 579
Only Krnovel
EP.579 Episode 579 – A Trip Down Memory Lane (3)
Episode 579 – A Trip Down Memory Lane (3)
– Maze
A popping sound.
A rustling noise.
The sound of people moving without anyone knowing.
Is Songi sneaking out of the bedroom without me knowing?
“…”
I also carefully got up and got out of the blanket.
I peeked my face through the open door and saw Songi passing by in the distance.
That direction is the room of the ‘other colleague’.
“…”
Although Songi couldn’t help but feel curious, she quietly followed behind her.
— Squeak!
My thoughts of ‘that can’t be true’ were rendered meaningless as Songi entered Gain’s room… .
Are you just talking about the travel itinerary?
…except me?
Isn’t it just a story about a grand plan like the management office or the light that calls for the end?
…except me?
I keep having strange thoughts.
I thought I could just call it a day and go back to sleep, but it seemed like I would never be able to sleep.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore and quietly approached the door, where I saw a slightly open gap.
Hey, this isn’t peeping!
Songi didn’t do a proper job of locking the door, did she?
Let’s just check what the two of you are doing.
…
Eww!
“Gyaaaah!”
The moment when a shock that makes your heart burst takes hold of your soul!
I felt dizzy and my consciousness became blurred.
*
“User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: 115th day
Current location: 42 Jangcheon 9-gil, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do
Wise Man’s Advice: 0”
– Han Ga-in
The moment the dark blue fog started to pour out from Miro’s body, Songi and I shouted at the same time.
“It’s out! It’s out, right?”
“It seems like it was a success!”
thank god!
By the way, do I have to do this show every time I sing Ghost Story Maze?
“Wow… That’s amazing?”
A maze that seems to be half-conscious and a living fog writhing around.
Soon, an eerie aura began to gather and consume Miro’s body.
After about 3 seconds, Miro’s eyes, which had become hazy, regained their focus.
“… What are you guys doing – Aha! It was a welcome.”
This was my first encounter with the ghost story maze.
*
Looking back, it has been a very long time since we became aware of the existence of mazes.
After the two agents who were serving their sentences in Room 102 joined us, how many months did it take for Ari to truly come to us?
If I remember correctly, it was the day Seungyeop was possessed by a strange butterfly.
That day, Ari and I had our first honest conversation in Seungyeop’s mental world.
Anyway, my first impression of the maze was not good at all.
Ari, who tried to save Miro, did not deny that Miro had personality problems.
The stories that Sang-Hyeon, who joined later, told greatly increased my sense of alertness.
Still, we agreed to Miro’s resurrection because we didn’t want to lose Ari.
…
The resurrected Miro was completely different from the sinister Miro she had been wary of until now, and was closer to a pure girl.
It was questionable how the administration raised such a girl.
Of course, there was still a darkness called the ‘Midnight Maze’ for the innocent girl, but it was not enough to obscure her innocence.
And now, with so many, many things happening, a maze of ghost stories has appeared.
She is now the final destination of the deep-sea hotel or midnight maze that she has been wary of for a long time.
The ghost story maze has lost a lot.
Since they are closer to demons, spirits, or ‘phenomena’ than living beings, the summoning process is essential.
Although still monstrously strong, he is significantly weaker than he was in his prime when he wielded the Blessing of Justice and the three Legacies.
Above all, it is said that the blessing of justice has been lost permanently.
As such, it has become so weak that it is no different from a shadow of its prime… .
She achieved her most important goal.
Eventually, he succeeded in escaping back to reality, free from time constraints.
In any case, if you don’t compare it to his prime, he is an extremely powerful being.
*
After listening to Songi and I’s explanation for a long time, she answered.
“I have three questions. First, what did I see in the past and what was my specific purpose? Second, what about the regressor? Last, what is your advice for the future?”
“that’s right.”
“…”
After a moment of silence, she looked at me with a strange look in her eyes.
“Do you think I’ll answer your questions honestly?”
“I think so.”
“why?”
From now on, we need to put aside unnecessary war of nerves and persuade them to cooperate with us.
A justification for this has also been prepared.
“First of all, you are now half-subordinate to Young Miro. Young Miro is my colleague. So, it is right for you to cooperate for your own sake.”
“Tell me more.”
The corners of the lips are drawn with a curve.
It’s more of a fun attitude than a serious one.
“Second, we intend to establish a relationship with the Administration, and furthermore, to prevent an incomprehensible disaster in reality. I think your goal is similar, isn’t it?”
“… Yeah, that’s right.”
I think this is a more relatable reason than the first one.
But it still didn’t seem enough.
A time to ponder how to persuade.
“Foot!”
Suddenly, Miro laughed.
“Okay, okay. I was going to tell you anyway.”
“You’re telling me?”
“I trust you now.”
“…!”
No kidding, I’m seriously surprised by this answer!
What? Who do you trust? Miro trusts us?
Did something called ‘trust in others’ exist in this woman’s head?
Songi also muttered with her mouth half open.
“Hey, don’t say things like that all of a sudden!”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Me, in my head, you were the person who brainwashed your parents and offered them up as sacrifices to the Management Bureau as soon as you could speak at the age of five!”
This time, Miro made a sour expression.
“… Knowing my past, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
That’s right.
Because the childhood of the ghost story maze is that of the young maze that just collapsed with a whoosh!
Soon, Miro took on a somewhat sentimental expression.
“ari….”
“ari?”
“My precious daughter. The most perfect piece of work. My everything…”
A voice that trembles to the point of being pitiful.
Songi and I were both surprised at the same time because the weight of emotion contained there was considerable.
Is this your original personality?
The personality may have changed as it became a ‘ghost story’.
Because evil spirits tend to be extremely obsessed with their past stubbornness and resentment.
“You think I’m being sentimental.”
“…”
“That’s not wrong, but I know Ari better than anyone in the world.”
We spent much more time with Ari.
But, can we say that we know better than the ‘creator’ just because we have spent a long time together?
“That child’s nature is the same as mine.”
As expected, Songi refuted it.
“Honestly, our personalities are very different?”
“I’ve worked on a lot of my character flaws. In a way, I’m the person I wanted to be.”
Ari, another maze that wanted to be a maze.
“That kid… has finally gotten further than me.”
“…”
Unlike the maze, I managed to break through the second floor of the hotel and escape.
Unlike Miro, he became the top manager of the administration and became the silent one.
“Someone who is like me. Someone who keeps my strengths and eliminates my weaknesses. Someone who loves me and I love them.”
“…”
“And the one who went further than me. That’s Ariya.”
“…”
“That’s why I trust Ari’s judgment. I believe Ari’s judgment is more accurate than mine.”
I vaguely understood what Miro was trying to say.
“That Ari risked her life to find you. That’s why I believe you are also qualified.”
It’s a story about the right to know secrets, something that Miro has often told.
Now we believe that we too are worthy.
It’s not that the sense of being chosen has disappeared, but the attitude of believing that hotel parties are also chosen is there.
Was that why?
Miro conveyed information that he would never have conveyed in the past.
“What I experienced in the past. I will skip the complicated background explanation. It is all in the past. To put it simply, I learned that many of those who remain silent are not human.”
I can guess up to here.
“It wasn’t just that they weren’t human. It was much worse than that. The purpose itself wasn’t the prosperity of humans.”
It’s not just that they’re not human, but their purpose itself isn’t for the sake of humanity?
This is even more serious than the ‘Reptilian Princess’ in Room 207.
At least Aidy loved humanity.
“I wish I had worded it correctly. If ‘a significant number’ of them are not human, does that mean there are humans too?”
“maybe.”
“Then, can we see them all as traitors -”
“That’s the same answer as an ordinary person.”
“…”
Miro is a celestial agent, so think of him like an agent.
It is common sense to cut out only a portion of a loaf of bread that has mold on it.
If mold is visible in some places, there is an invisible infection spreading in the surrounding area, which is the management’s way of thinking.
So the agents cut it out extensively, almost as if they were going to throw away half the bread if there was a difference.
If the same standard is applied to the top level of the management, then it is only right that all of them be cut out when some become corrupt.
In Miro’s view, this is what a ‘consistent attitude’ is.
Now that I understand this, I can understand a little bit about Miro’s attitude, which was so secretive that it seemed excessive.
Who on earth can you trust when the target of your sword is none other than the leadership of the Management Bureau?
“So you volunteered for the hotel infiltration mission? To use the power you gained from the hotel to fight against the Silent Ones?”
“It was similar. But it failed.”
The first question and its answer are now complete.
“… Up until here, it’s just thoughts of the past.”
It’s not the end?
“Now I’m thinking, why didn’t Ari warn you?”
“ah?”
“Ari knew all the secrets of the Administration. She knew more truths than I do now. If the silent ones were corrupted, Ari would have known.”
“…”
“And I warned you. The Administration is the enemy and must be stopped. In addition, I gave you information that could be used to keep them in check.”
“… That’s right. Ari didn’t say anything like that.”
“She didn’t think the Administration was the enemy. So now she’s not sure.”
Miro now trusts Ari’s judgment more than his own.
Because it is a being that resembles oneself, yet has gone further than oneself.
…
Many of those who remain silent are not human.
Their goal is also not the prosperity of humanity.
Yet Ari saw that these people were not enemies.
I think I know something, I think I saw a similar situation in the Room of Curses… .
It didn’t come to mind right away.
“The next question is about your memories. I have a thought as soon as I hear it.”
“Tell me.”
“The easiest explanation is that you are a ‘poor regressor.’”
A clumsy regressor.
“How do agents survive the loop? I don’t know exactly about this part. I can only guess that it’s because their souls are of a higher level. Anyway, let’s say agents are 10 and regular people are 1.”
“Are you saying there is a being that corresponds to 3 or 4?”
“Huh? You already know?”
If the agent is 10, they are ‘poor regressors’ born with talents of 3~4.
I heard it from Sang-Hyeon hyung in the past.
In reality, he met a being called ‘Mama’, and she vaguely remembered Sang-Hyeon’s past, which had already been erased in reality.
“I was a clumsy regressor?”
“If you think about it that way, it makes sense, right? The reason your memories of your younger sibling are different is simply because they were different people each time. The name and appearance would be of one of the ‘several younger siblings’ you had during your regression process that you remember relatively clearly.”
“…”
“This can also explain the mixed memories of being killed by an agent in middle school and taking the college entrance exam.”
“…”
“Not recognizing regression and mistaking contradictory memories as one life are common characteristics of poor regressors.”
The person named ‘Mama’ that Sang-Hyeon met was the same.
I didn’t recognize the regression, and I didn’t even notice the contradictory memories.
The moment I was about to nod my head, thinking that it made sense.
Miro’s eyes became sharp.
“But, while listening to your story, I discovered one ‘really strange thing.’”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t I remember going to college?”
“what?”
“It’s strange. Let’s say you lived several lives before coming to the hotel as a clumsy regressor. Even if you died young a few times, you probably lived until you died of old age in most cases.”
“…”
“But why don’t I have any memories from after I turned twenty? By the way, I have almost no memories from when I was young, and this is usually normal.”
“…”
“You look like you’ve never been over twenty in your entire life.”
Since my conversation with Miro, there has never been a moment as eerie as this.
If I felt doubtful about the memories that existed, Miro felt doubtful about the memories that did not exist.
This part may literally be a difference in experience regarding regression.
“I think that’s enough to answer the second question. The last question was, what should we do going forward?”
“that’s right.”
“Easy. Forget about your childhood memories and focus on memories from when you were around twenty.”
“…”
“If someone had somehow killed you before you turned twenty, then ‘Han Ga-in, who is almost twenty’ is extremely dangerous in the eyes of your enemies. In other words, when you were around nineteen, they would have done all sorts of crazy things to kill you.”
“…”
“You must have done something noisy. Try to recall that memory. You say you have gained the power of insight, so try to actively use that power as well.”
“…”
“Is that enough?”
“Thank you. I mean it.”
“Thank goodness. I was starting to find it hard to bear it!”
At the end of the conversation, the ghost maze turned into fog again and returned to the realm of nothingness.
The innocent girl who once again found control of her body… .
“Gyah! I, I really hate Gain~!”
He grabbed my neck and shook me, tears streaming down his face!
Go, all of a sudden?
“What did you do to Songi!”
“Kick! Aww! Look how cute it is!”
Miro is extremely excited and Songi giggles at the sight!
Wasn’t the plan to surprise them with horrible hallucinations while they were tense and off guard?
What kind of welcome did Songi show him?
“…”
Miro is crying, and Songi is there to comfort her and clear up any misunderstandings.
I thought as I felt the vibrations of my body shaking aimlessly.
If someone has been killing me repeatedly, if there has been an instance where I can’t accept that I’m turning twenty… .
I ‘must’ kill that person!