Day 6: The Fox's Stomach
A day had passed. It was now the sixth day. The sixth day since Ryu Harin had failed to wake up.
"...Why won't she wake up?"
I shook her body, even gave her cheek a light slap, but there was no response. Ryu Harin was still deep asleep.
"Should we send in another agent? We might get some intel that way."
"Ah, no... It's a dangerous place, so I think it's best if I keep trying for now..."
That's what I said. You can remember things from dreams in reality. Of course, unless you jot them down somewhere, you tend to forget the details from the dream... But recalling dream events after waking is pretty common.
On the flip side, perfectly remembering real-world events inside a dream isn't easy. That's why my memories got fuzzy every time I entered Ryu Harin's dream. I could vaguely recall the important stuff—me, the Cute Girl Mod, Ari and Lisa, Ryu Harin—but everything else was a total blank, like it never happened.
Still, since I'd dived into her dream multiple times, I was at least somewhat familiar with it. But if we threw in some rookie agent with no experience... they might just get devoured by that monkey monster and die for real.
'People dying is a bit much...'
The Foundation had this vibe where human lives were treated pretty lightly... And Ryu Harin was just a newbie who'd been there for three months. Even if we sent in a veteran, who would sacrifice one to save a rookie? It'd just mean more deaths. Better for me to handle it somehow.
Honestly, I was getting a bit stubborn about it too. After all this effort, I didn't want some other agent swooping in for the finishing blow.
"If that's your call, Liriri, we have no issue with it."
Park Jong-cheol didn't finish his sentence. Probably because of This Man. Every time I went into Ryu Harin's dream, I needed him, so checking him out repeatedly must be a hassle for Park Jong-cheol too.
We couldn't drag this out forever. Next time, I had to save her for sure.
'...But diving in like this won't cut it.'
I had a few theories, but the dream's nature made it hard to pin down the monster's identity. The clear condition seemed to be escaping the building... or so I thought.
Horror games with monsters were all about jump scares, and escape was usually the answer. But both Ryu Harin and I had gotten out of the building—why did only I return to reality?
Until I solved that mystery, there was no saving her. And one more thing.
'If I run into that monster again... can I even survive?'
My Bond Effect with Taemi—the ability to generate light sources—was exposed. Same with Lisa's—cutting through anything. The monster kept learning. The monkey dream urban legend, the crunching sounds legend. Like dreams that adapt and eventually devour the person.
Two of my cards were already out, so the monster would have countermeasures ready now.
'The unexposed ones are...'
Ari's Bond Effect: the ability to deceive about one fact. And "Cute Girl Punch," I guess... Could I pull it off with just those two?
"...Can't I bring Ari and Lisa after all?"
I asked. The man replied, "Those two girls don't dream. How could we drag them into a dream?"
This Man. The creepy guy who triggered Unpleasant Valley vibes. Was he a human who'd somehow gained dream-entry powers? Or a dream monster that took human form? Either way, he flashed a sleazy grin.
"My power's weakened compared to before. I miss the old days."
"Ugh..."
Apparently so. Maybe because Ari and Lisa were former monsters. They were beings incapable of dreaming, so This Man couldn't pull them in.
"Want me to assign another agent?"
"No... If I can't bring Ari and Lisa, I'd rather go solo. It's easier."
The Cute Girl Mod's power might get exposed... Ryu Harin was prideful, so she'd probably keep it secret from the Foundation, but other staff? They might label me a monster and lock me up like This Man.
Was there a way to make Ari and Lisa dream...? Probably not. The Cute Girl Mod was basically slapping cute girl skins on things. So maybe Ari and Lisa were just skinned on the outside. Slice open their bellies—no guts. Crack their skulls—no brains...
Plus, mammals dream, but insects like flies probably don't. Made sense why Ari didn't dream. Her brain structure had to be totally different from mine. Lisa's too, likely.
Hmm...
"Still, maybe worth a shot..."
An idea hit me. Nothing to lose, so I told Park Jong-cheol I'd head home for a bit.
Suddenly, I realized I was in a bathroom.
...Huh?
"Where is this? Not our office bathroom."
I was sitting on the toilet. The lighting was busted—no light, just darkness pouring down.
...What the hell. I tried retracing my steps, but... nothing came up.
"Hmm...?"
Really, total blank. Memories all hazy... No clue how I got here.
Hand in my pocket—no phone. But I grabbed a memo slip and... Taemi.
"..."
"Huh? Taemi...?"
For some reason, she was in my pocket. Staring at me with a sulky face.
"I'm humoring you, specially."
She said it with a sigh-mixed tone.
"Humoring what?"
"Your pathetic lie. That you're my owner, so I'll play along."
"..."
I started to ask what she meant, but a memory flashed by. I moved Taemi to my shirt breast pocket and unfolded the memo she'd been with.
I had a hunch what it said before even opening it.
[Get out of here with Ryu Harin]
Right. This was Ryu Harin's dream. After repeating it so many times, I could tell now. Though I still sucked at realizing I was dreaming.
Memories were still fuzzy in spots, but the key ones surfaced. Like using my Bond Effect with Ari to trick Taemi.
—"You can dream now too."
Ari herself couldn't be tricked, probably because it was her Bond Effect. Can't deceive the source. Lisa failed too—she was already deceived by one fact from me, so no stacking Ari's effect.
Taemi was my only option. So only she came along.
'Better than solo, but will Taemi even help?'
I glanced at her nestled in my chest pocket. She gave me that "what're you looking at?" sulk. I stroked her head with a finger; she shook it off like it was annoying.
Everyone agrees I'm the cutest girl in the universe, but Taemi's even more doll-like. Can't be helped—she's only 10-15 cm tall. Size screams doll first, looks second. Physically, no way she'd help like Lisa...
"Smells like beast."
As I headed out the bathroom, Taemi piped up.
"Beast?"
"Beast stench everywhere. Like being inside a fox's stomach."
"Fox...? Not monkey?"
"You doubting my nose? Think you know better?"
"N-no... Not doubting, just..."
I found myself shrinking against a 10cm girl...
Moon's Fall was Artemis-motifed, with beast-mutation powers. So her animal knowledge wasn't weird. She was obedient to me anyway—no lies there. Her words rang true.
But a fox...? A dream-related monster tied to foxes...?
"Kinda rings a bell..."
I muttered, stepping out of the bathroom. Red letters greeted me.
"..."
I froze at the blood-scrawled words. One thing was clear: either the monster eats me, or I end it. No coexistence. One of us was finishing this for good.
Definitely.