Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Blind Date, Maybe... (2)
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*I’ve never been to a place like this before.*
The moment I stepped into the escape room cafe, I felt like I had entered another world and found myself looking around.
People were constantly coming and going, either booking one of the various escape rooms available or taking commemorative photos.
In a way, this was a type of offline-based game, and it was a fresh sight to see so many people who enjoyed such experiences.
Just then, Seol Rokhui spoke to me.
“Hyunsoo, have you ever done an escape room before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Then you should give it a try. It’ll be fun.”
To book a room, we first looked at the pamphlet.
Horror, mystery thriller, fairy tale, adventure, and so on.
Escape rooms of various genres were listed one after another, with short stories written out neatly in the form of loglines.
*This looks pretty interesting…*
Each logline was so well-crafted, with such a good hook, that I could tell they were written by someone with a knack for storytelling.
*Hmm… this one looks good.*
But among them, one theme in particular caught my eye.
It was called ‘Bibo’s Dream,’ and the description said it was a story about a robot that, after only ever working, suddenly develops emotions and sets off to find its dream.
It seemed to have some overlap with the next game I was planning, and it felt like it would suit my tastes, so I wanted to give it a try if I got the chance.
“Is there a theme you’d like to try, Hyunsoo? Since it’s your first time, feel free to pick one.”
When I turned my head, Seol Rokhui was looking at me.
The thought that she had been staring at me all this time made me feel a little embarrassed.
“Oh, no. I don’t really know what’s what, so you all should choose whatever you want to do.”
“Should we?”
At that, Seol Rokhui’s lips curled into a smile as she spoke.
I couldn’t quite put it into words, but I had a strong feeling from her expression that she had read my mind.
“Then how about ‘Bibo’s Dream’? It looks like it would be fun.”
“Aww, come on. What about ‘Hometown Legends’ or ‘High School Ghost Stories’? Horror themes are the best part of escape rooms…”
Yoon Byeongjong replied to Rokhui’s suggestion with a sly grin.
Knowing him for as long as I have, I suspected he was trying to use a horror-themed escape room to advance his relationship somehow.
Oh, Byeongjong…
- Hey, Hyunsoo. You know about the suspension bridge effect? -
- What’s that? -
- It’s a theory that when you’re with someone of the opposite sex in a dangerous or unstable situation, like on a suspension bridge, your attraction to them increases. You know, like when people start to have a thing for each other after watching a scary movie together. -
I remembered him saying something like that once while we were drinking.
My longtime friend’s intuition told me I was 99.9% right.
Well, the primary goal for today was to help him escape his single life, so I guess I had no choice.
Just as I was about to say something to back Byeongjong up…
“Oh, I really can’t handle scary things. I once fainted while watching a horror movie, so I’d rather we skip the scary ones.”
“Ah, well, then let’s go with Bibo’s Dream.”
Seol Rokhui shut down Byeongjong’s opinion flatly.
In the end, we told the staff we would play ‘Bibo’s Dream.’
“Alright, you’ll be playing ‘Bibo’s Dream’ in 30 minutes. Please wait in the cafeteria until then.”
Byeongjong looked as pathetic as a drenched puppy, but once we sat down and started chatting in our small groups, his mood seemed to lift, and his expression quickly brightened.
It was truly a mystery how a guy who was usually so strict, stern, and serious could turn into the world’s biggest idiot when it came to love.
“We will begin ‘Bibo’s Dream’ in five minutes. Please sign this information protection agreement, and one of you, please wear this timer necklace. Then, everyone put on your blindfolds, hold onto the shoulder of the person in front of you, and follow me.”
A moment later, following the staff’s instructions, we entered the room.
It was a strange feeling, walking through the darkness with my eyes covered by a blindfold.
“Okay, you can take off your blindfolds now.”
As we removed them, a small gasp escaped everyone’s lips at the same time.
Gears turned here and there, a Tesla coil crackled with electricity, and the intricately decorated set was, at a glance, of high quality.
Any doubt I had about whether this would be fun vanished in an instant.
I was ready to immerse myself in this world and play the escape room seriously.
“I think this is the puzzle. If we match the pattern here, it seems like that machine over there will move.”
Seol Rokhui and Writer Kim Yeon, being familiar with escape rooms, led us well.
By the time we had solved the first two or three puzzles and moved on…
*Even though it's a game, I'm starting to see the patterns.*
At some point, I also got the hang of it and started solving puzzles.
The difficulty was so exquisitely balanced that it was quite fun to solve them.
*I thought it would be amateurish, but I can really feel that this was made by professionals.*
Honestly, I was quite surprised.
With every puzzle solved, various effects delighted my eyes, and I was quickly able to immerse myself in the story.
It made me wonder why I hadn’t tried this sooner.
<<Boop, I want to go to Mars… but everyone says I can’t because I’m an old model, boop…>>
I also found myself easily getting attached to the robot character, Bibo.
Bibo, a robot who had dreamed its whole life of becoming a Mars exploration robot, but gave up that dream to stay by the side of the owner it loved.
After its owner dies, it sets off to find its dream, but the world no longer accepts Bibo, as it has become an outdated model.
To become a new robot and achieve its dream, Bibo remodels itself.
At first glance, it might seem simple and childish, but Bibo’s design, the voice actor’s tone and speech…
Every element made it easy for the player to empathize with Bibo and follow the same emotional journey.
<<10… 9… 8…>>
<>
The final scene was particularly impressive.
Bibo sacrifices itself, using its own parts for a space probe heading to Mars.
And as it travels toward Mars, it thinks of its memories on Earth and delivers a simple narration about its dream.
[I… I dreamed my whole life of going to Mars. Boop… And now, I think I’ve achieved that dream. Boop…]
It was more than enough to bring a lump to the throat of this man in his thirties.
“Congratulations! You have successfully escaped!”
In the end, we succeeded with about 15 minutes to spare.
It was thanks to a fantastic combination where Seol Rokhui and Kim Yeon solved about 70%, I solved about 28%, and Yoon Byeongjong’s enthusiastic cheering filled the remaining 2%.
“We’ll take a commemorative photo!”
The staff member took a Polaroid picture of us and hung it on the wall.
It was a strange feeling to have a group photo with people I’d just met today hanging where others could see it.
“Wow, that’s amazing, Hyunsoo. How are you so good at this for your first time?”
“Haha… I’m glad I was helpful.”
“Helpful? You were a total ace. If you hadn’t solved that last puzzle, we might not have escaped.”
As we left the escape room cafe, the two of them showered me with praise.
But…
“…You did great. I couldn’t even get one.”
“Hey, don’t get all down about something like this.”
Praise is always nice, of course, but seeing Yoon Byeongjong with his head hung low beside me, I couldn’t exactly show how pleased I was.
“Writer Byeongjong, the third round is on us. Let’s have a drink and cheer you up!”
“Sh… Should we?”
For the third round, we moved to a nearby lounge bar.
The interior was decorated entirely in purple, and the tables were spaced far apart, making it feel quite comfortable.
We each ordered a cocktail.
Then, Writer Kim Yeon awkwardly rose from her seat and looked at Byeongjong.
“Writer Byeongjong, would you like to go for a smoke?”
“Ah, sure.”
*Ah, so she’s a smoker too.*
The two of them seemed to have some interest in each other, and in many ways, they seemed like a good match.
*Hmm… anyway, now that they've left, it's a bit awkward.*
As I was trying to think of a topic to break the uncomfortable silence, she spoke first.
“Did you enjoy the escape room?”
“Oh, yes, very much. To be honest, I was really inspired. I even thought it might be helpful for my next game.”
I wasn’t just saying it to be nice; it was true.
The story of this theme, the direction, the message…
It felt almost too contrived, how everything seemed to align with the next game I was planning.
*Wait… could this be?*
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
“I’m just asking, but… Ms. Seol Rokhui, did you choose the ‘Bibo’s Dream’ theme on purpose?”
“Oh… was it that obvious?”
Rokhui stuck out her tongue slightly, as if she’d been caught.
Then I remembered how Rokhui had solved the puzzles at strangely perfect moments.
I hadn’t noticed it at the time since I was focused on the puzzles, but thinking back now, that too was quite odd.
“This escape room… have you played it before?”
“Yes, I have.”
Rokhui didn’t deny it and answered honestly.
I was so taken aback that my mouth hung open for a moment before I finally found my words.
“Uh… why? If you had told me you’d played it, we would have chosen something else.”
“How could I, when you were so obviously staring at just that one? It’s hard to find friends who enjoy escape rooms, so making the first experience fun is important if you want to reel them in. If we get the chance, let’s play another one together next time.”
“Ah… thank you…”
Before I could finish, Rokhui cut me off again.
“And, as a fan of the developer of *Forgotten Andersen’s Story*, I wanted to be helpful in some way.”
For a moment, my heart pounded.
I didn’t know the exact reason, but it was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Just then, the other two returned from their smoke break.
“What were you two talking about?”
“Oh, just about the escape room.”
“Haha, looks like you both had fun.”
At Writer Kim Yeon’s words, Seol Rokhui and I stared at each other at the same time, exchanging glances.
Then, pretending to scratch near her mouth, she raised a finger and, when our gazes shifted for a moment, brought an index finger to her lips, mouthing ‘shh.’
I gave a barely perceptible nod.
“So Hyunsoo was asking to join us next time we do an escape room.”
“Wow, really? We were having a hard time finding members, that’s great!”
I had never said that, but somehow, I had become a member of their escape room group.
Well, it wasn’t an unpleasant experience for me either, so I wrapped things up with a noncommittal reply: “I’ll join if I have time.”
After that, the cocktails arrived, and we had a great time, chatting about the escape room and our daily lives.
Even though I had just met them today, it felt as familiar as if we had known each other for years.
After we had a cocktail or two…
“We should probably get going. I think we need to leave before the last train.”
“Ah, yes. Are you taking the subway? We can probably all go together.”
It was about that time.
We got up from our seats and walked toward the subway station together.
“I think we have to part ways here. Byeongjong and I have to take the Shinbundang Line.”
“Oh, okay. See you next time.”
Byeongjong and I saw the two of them off in front of the Line 2 gate.
Just as Seol Rokhui was about to take a step down the stairs…
“Excuse me… Writer Rokhui!”
“Yes?”
At my call, Seol Rokhui turned her head.
I honestly said the words that were on my mind.
“If it’s okay with you, could I have your number?”