Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Big Decision
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Do you finally get that I'm a woman?
I'll believe you... Dr., you are definitely a woman....
Of course you should believe me. I even personally certified it with a selfie.
So? Are you done testing the waters now?
Huh? Testing what?
What else? Toss me some healing potion, gauge my reaction, then decide whether to cut ties or not. That's what you were mulling over, right?
Did you... install something in my house...?
At this point, I was seriously wondering if the Doctor had pinpointed where I live and was watching me through CCTV or bugs.
I glanced around, but all I saw were my cute daughters with their eyes sparkling, glued to the movie.
My alchemist's intuition wasn't picking up on anything suspicious.
I've been active in Climber Gallery for 9 years straight. Patterns like this are obvious lol.
Um... isn't 9 years in the gallery something you shouldn't brag about...?
(Very angry Doctor con)
(Doctor con leaving through the door)
Ah, wait! Take it back! Take it back! I take back what I said!
Thanks to the Doctor's 9 years of dedication in the gallery, countless climbers have saved their lives!
...Then say you're sorry to me.
Sorry to myself.
You're a total lunatic?
What? I apologized just like she said, so why is she mad?
They say you think you understand a woman's heart until you don't.
This must be what they call woman-speak.
Fine. What am I even chatting with you for.
Anyway, you gonna trust me now? I even did the selfie certification.
I've always trusted you, Dr....?
Then when are you dropping the private mode?
Well... after we get to know each other a bit more....
No, why keep "getting to know" me. What, planning to marry me or something?
No, Dr.!!! Men and women should keep their distance—how can you say something like that so casually! A woman shouldn't say things like that so easily!
Yeah, I believe you. You're definitely a total solo dude.
I was on the fence earlier, but now it totally clicks.
Ha, unbelievable.
Even as a joke, how can she toss out something like that between a man and a woman so carelessly!?
But that thought didn't last long.
The chill ran down my spine at the Doctor's next message.
But you know what?
What now.
If I wanted to, I could track you down right now.
...Pardon?
For real. I have a magic spell to find people, and you've already met the conditions.
Ah... Doctor...
You... traitor...!!!
No wonder you act like you're inside my head!
You already installed CCTV and bugs in my house to spy on me, didn't you?!
You peeping tom! Stalker! Trash! I trusted you! I trusted you, Doctor!!!
As if.
Why would I bother with CCTV or bugs in the first place?
For someone like you, I could just overpower you with magic and kidnap you.
"Huh?"
Uh... well, that's true?
Someone with 9 years in the gallery like the Doctor must be a high-floor Climber.
Why wouldn't she have done that?
I'm a Climber first, but more importantly, someone who values human rights.
And I've seen what disasters happen when hidden Climbers get forcibly dragged out.
You've seen it on the news too, right? Climbers fed up with the Management Bureau naturalizing abroad.
But that's the lucky cases.
Already in the shadows, there are groups enslaving and exploiting Climbers.
"What the..."
Such inhuman acts happening in the underbelly I never knew about?
In this day and age, treating humans... people like that?
What do they even think people are to commit such atrocities?
Dr., I really don't get it, but...
Isn't the whole world already stretched thin just climbing the Towers?
Yeah, true. If a Tower explodes, that whole area starts a war with the monster hordes.
Even then, when we're short on manpower, why does the government or Management Bureau turn a blind eye to those groups running rampant?
Because parts of the government and Management Bureau are in bed with those groups?
Pardon?
You just awakened recently, so you wouldn't know.
Korea's currently split between "trash trying to cash out big and emigrate before it all collapses" vs. "we have to stop the collapse."
That's why I'm helping and trying to win you over.
I'm on the side trying to prevent the collapse.
Ah... this is bad.
The peaceful daily life I believed in...
...might be cracked enough to shatter at any moment.
So keep that in mind and prepare countermeasures.
It'd be great if you could hide your identity forever, but you know that's impossible on this tiny peninsula.
The best is finding reliable backing and joining a specific group... but honestly, I don't know.
Without knowing how amazing your abilities are or their limits, no group can guarantee your safety.
After that, the Doctor left the chat with those final words.
She said she'd give me time to think and to start a 1:1 when I decided.
I collapsed to the floor, stunned by this harsh reality I hadn't expected.
'...What do I do now...?'
Korea's situation was worse than I thought.
And my value as an existence was more precious than I'd imagined.
If I revealed myself and asked for help, plenty would offer aid out of goodwill at first.
But that wouldn't last.
Soon, blinded by greed upon realizing my true abilities, they'd try to exploit me.
Who could I trust, and who shouldn't I? I had no idea.
'I just... awakened as a Climber and wanted to live comfortably without job worries...'
My alchemist's intuition was telling me.
This choice would decide my future.
And the endpoint was just two options: bad ending or happy ending.
And then.
~♫...
"Nyaaangh... That was such a touching story, nyaa. But Puss in Boots dying made me so sad, nyaa..."
"Yeah... Thanks to Puss in Boots' efforts, everyone got their happy ending... but he himself wasn't happy. That's so regrettable..."
The movie ended, credits rolling.
Sad BGM played along with my daughters' voices.
'Did the movie end on a sad note...?'
Come to think of it, modern kids' educational movies try to teach not just fun and emotion, but important lessons.
The lesson here was probably something like "our daily life exists because of someone's sacrifice."
'Somehow... it feels similar to my situation right now...'
Sacrifice... sacrifice...
Yeah, maybe that's it.
If someone told me sacrificing just one other person could make everyone happy,
I'd do it without hesitation.
It wouldn't be my misfortune or pain I had to endure.
But conversely,
If sacrificing myself was the only way to make the world happy...
'What choice should I make?'
And at that moment.
~♬-!!!
"Nyaa?! Arin-nyaa! Puss in Boots is alive, nyaa!!!"
"How...? He clearly died in the last scene... Gasp! Lulu-unnie! Puss in Boots became a hero cat at the last moment and got 9 lives!"
"Lulu believed in him, nyaa! After all that effort, nyaa! Puss in Boots deserves happiness too, nyaa!"
"I think so too, Lulu-unnie! Puss in Boots saved everyone, so who else should be happy if not him!?"
The credits suddenly cut to a new scene.
The sad BGM shifted to upbeat and cheerful tunes,
leading into footage hinting at a sequel with the cat's revival.
'It wasn't a sad ending...?'
I thought it was a sad ending preaching that the present exists due to someone's self-sacrifice.
Why throw in that contrived revival plot twist?
Startled by the sudden mood shift, I slowly turned toward the tablet.
And there, I saw the large ending credits text.
- I wanted an ending where a meteor destroys the world, but someone stopped it, so I left it like this.
- Don't take someone's sacrifice for granted!
- If everyone can only be happy by sacrificing someone, that world deserves to fall.
- by the Director
"...Ha. A world like that deserves to fall..."
This crazy director.
What kind of nonsense is this for a kids' movie?
But... thanks to it, I've made up my mind, at least.
Dr., I've decided.
Yeah. What's your plan?
I thought it over carefully. With my abilities, I feel like I can do anything.
So I'll try moving toward normalizing Korea, like you.
But I'm not handing stuff out like a sucker. I'm not nice enough to help strangers.
I'll only help the people I trust.
Yeah, smart thinking. Honestly, if you said you'd naturalize elsewhere, I couldn't have stopped you. Glad you didn't.
So here's the thing.
You're the person I trust most, so I'm thinking of dropping private and requesting a 1:1?
Um... don't be too shocked?
Yeah? Why would I be shocked? Anyway, got it.
With that, revealing my identity to the Doctor was set in stone.
Just as she said, I couldn't hide forever.
I needed at least one reliable person in my corner.
"Time to start living like a person."
I couldn't keep hiding in this tiny studio forever.
Alone, maybe, but now with Lulu and Arin, even more so.
With resolve, I went into gallery settings, dropped the anonymous nickname,
and requested a 1:1 with the Doctor.
The result:
First time... meeting you.
?
Please take care of me from now on, Dr.
???
It's... kinda awkward chatting with my name out like this. Feels like I'm naked.
????????
The Doctor clearly hadn't expected my identity at all.
The chat filled with question marks for a while,
followed by hurtful messages that scarred my heart.
That total loser mentie Jobbie was Ssu-tong2????
So the beauty potion turning him into a hot guy wasn't delusion but fact???
No wait... thinking about it, it all makes sense now!
No one but a true loser mentie Jobbie would act that stupid!
Even explains the solo dude vibes instantly!!!
Dr.... my heart hurts so much right now...
Can I leave the chat and cry for a bit...?
Ah, sorry. Got too shocked lol.
"Lulu. Arin. Daddy's so sad... my heart hurts so much..."
"Did Daddy-nyaa find the movie sad too, nyaa?"
"Come here, Daddy. Lulu-unnie and I will hug you."
In the end, I was KO'd by the Doctor's fact bombs and went into groggy mode.
Only after some petting from Lulu and Arin could I recover.