Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: National Central Library
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Thinking back on it, this place holds quite a significant meaning for me.
To obtain the Label Library, I caused all that commotion—and thanks to it, I exist as I am today.
And just like that, I've ended up coming back here again.
Honestly, I had no desire to return if I could avoid it.
Returning the Label Library as a replica still gnawed at me, and to begin with, I hadn't felt any need to come back.
"To think I'd end up here again..."
I never imagined the books in this place would aid me once more.
My left wrist bore the watch that marked my growth, displaying the current time.
Let me recall the rules after so long.
1. Library hours are from 9 AM to 6 PM. - Exits are processed until 6:10 PM. If you remain after that, please review the rules below.
2. Please maintain silence in the library. - Excessive noise inconveniences other patrons.
3. Do not force open the doors for a late exit. - The outside is not the world you know.
4. All other patrons besides yourself are not human. - Do not speak to them, look at them, or think deeply about them.
4-1. If they speak to you, follow the rules below. - Never look at their faces.
- Respond appropriately without revealing your identity or that of your family.
- After some conversation, they will leave satisfied to read their books.
5. Do not read any books in the library, including those on the shelves. - Viewing the contents will shatter your sanity.
6. If you follow all rules faithfully and reach 9 AM, you may exit. - Occasionally, a patron may tamper with the library clock, so check your own watch if possible.
7. For book loans, ask the librarian. - The librarian waits near the entrance.
- They are not human either, so exercise caution.
- Return within two weeks. Failure to do so will result in a home visit from the librarian.
8. Enjoy your reading. Back then, I'd strained to follow every single one to the letter, but honestly, they no longer applied to me.
In truth, there was no reason left to follow them at all.
"Fraud."
"Why'd you return a fake book?"
"Bad! Let's be good together!"
The library patrons were already venting their rage, surrounding me.
"Did I do something wrong, perhaps?"
"Book return!"
"Why'd you copy it?"
"Caught! You're caught!"
"You broke the rules! And now you're back!"
They posed no threat to me whatsoever.
Even early on, it was just their numbers that wore me down—I could dispatch them.
So now, I could brush them all aside with ease.
"If only that were the case."
Just like when I'd claimed the Label Library, the books here weren't something I could find on my own.
Normally, you'd rely on a patron's help, but that approach had utterly failed.
Now it looked like I'd be playing tag with these things until closing time.
"Haa..."
In that instant, one patron charged at me.
But could that even be called a charge?
To me now, it was little more than a brisk walk.
I flicked it away like swatting an ant—no effort required.
Even a thousand ants would be dangerous, sure—but these numbered barely a hundred.
They were playthings, plain and simple.
If anyone was furious, it should be the librarians causing a stir, not the patrons. I couldn't make sense of it.
"Tch. Might as well wander around for a bit."
Staying put to deal with them sounded tedious, and moving might shake something loose.
I swept aside the patrons blocking my path with a whip-like lash.
Gliding through the gap, I leaped atop the bookshelves.
A full circuit might clear my head enough for a bright idea.
Twenty minutes of prowling later, the patrons lagging far behind were downright comical.
"Hm...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Far off, one library patron stood motionless, all alone.
"What?"
As one might expect, every patron ought to be chasing me.
Looking closer, it was staring intently at a locket's photo.
Let me think—I kept very narrow company in this world.
Patrons who might be here...
"Ah!"
The very first time I'd visited the National Central Library, the patron who'd begged me to find their lost locket.
Kim Hyuk-jung, if memory served.
Had that locket somehow affected him?
No way to tell right now, but it beat endlessly fleeing. Time to check.
I gauged the distance of my pursuers, then dropped down to Kim Hyuk-jung.
Worst case, I'd eliminate him.
Drawing near, I caught a murmur.
"Can't remember the name... my son. Can't remember his name."
The moment I opened my mouth to speak, Kim Hyuk-jung seized my shoulders with crushing force.
I moved to counterattack on reflex—but froze at the sight of him.
You weren't supposed to look at the patrons here.
They weren't remotely human to begin with, and staring led to mental collapse.
Yet I could see Kim Hyuk-jung from head to toe, clear as day.
His expression struck me as that of a single, bewildered human.
"My son! D-do you know who this child in the photo is?"
His frantic tone betrayed his desperation.
But I had no way to help this man.
The photo inside the locket was too faded to identify anyone.
Even if it weren't, how would I know the child's name?
If only I could get him to find my book.
Better to leave quickly otherwise.
"Please... the child's name—at least his age!"
A reaction like that wasn't easy to brush off.
"You're a Kim, right? Let's see, Kims I know... Kim Do-hyun, maybe."
Unlikely as that was—and as I'd said, I had precious few connections here.
"Uh... Kim Do-hyun."
"Sorry, but I don't know anyone here. Could you help me find a book?"
"Kim Do-hyun, yes! That's my son's name!"
What?
"Pardon? That Kim Do-hyun?"
"It's all coming back now—my beloved wife, my son. Ah...!"
Was I hearing this wrong?
His speech had even normalized.
"W-we have to get out now! H-how long have I been trapped here? A year? No, longer... Could it be two years?"
What in the world was going on?
Truly Kim Do-hyun's father?
Do-hyun had no father, it was true—but what were the odds?
"My son... he hasn't forgotten me, has he? Raising him alone must've been hell for my wife! Two years—at least two years must've passed."
If Kim Hyuk-jung really was his father, it'd actually been around twenty years since he got trapped here.
Should I tell him?
After stewing a moment, Kim Hyuk-jung turned to me.
"Ah, thank you so much... I-I can't repay you. Th-thank you... hic, sob."
He was unmistakably human.
As if his tale-warped body had reverted to flesh and blood.
"Kim Hyuk-jung."
"...Yes?"
"Help me, and I'll get you out of this library."
Honestly, I wasn't sure if this was the right call.
Was he truly human again? Safe to release outside?
I could just ask for the book's location and ditch him.
But... somehow, that didn't feel right.
"There's a book I need to borrow. Do you know where they are?"
"Y-yes! Th-they're all etched in my memory."
"Good. The one I'm after is called The History of 4500 BC."
"Ah! I know it!"
From there, it was straightforward.
I casually fended off the pursuing patrons while Kim Hyuk-jung located the book in short order.
"I think this is it!"
As he'd said, it was exactly the one I sought.
I checked my wristwatch, swallowing the bitterness on my tongue.
About three hours left, then.
Traveling with Kim Hyuk-jung had revealed a few things.
He'd regained his wits, but he was still no human.
The other patrons had only chased me.
Of course, as a tale myself, I had no intention of harming him.
My promise to see him out still stood.
"Do-hyun hasn't forgotten me, right? No, my wife must've told him about me every morning. Of course he wouldn't forget. He'll run up shouting 'Dad!' when he sees me."
Kim Hyuk-jung trembled with nervous anticipation.
"He's probably started elementary school by now? Please... let him be doing well..."
There was no way I could tell this man his son was pushing thirty.
I lightly scratched one of his arms with a tentacle.
"Ah! Wh-what is it?"
Red blood welled up in beads.
That settled it—he was human enough.
Once I'd fully assessed Kim Hyuk-jung, time flowed without incident.
The librarians had me marked anyway, so no need to bother with checkout.
Separately, realizing they couldn't beat me, the patrons stopped approaching.
And just like that, three hours passed.
"Then let's go."
"Pardon? Ah, yes... thank you so much."
The moment we stepped out the door, thick darkness surged in alongside sticky air.
At my side, Kim Hyuk-jung rolled his eyes in evident tension while I stared straight ahead.
It was that same red doll from before.
"Don't come back."
"Hm?"
With those words, the darkness receded—and reality returned.