93. Escape Room Cafe
93.
Click...
Somehow, we'd cleared the first room.
Na Yu-na stepped into the second.
"...She's not going to answer the phone, is she?"
"Probably not."
Na Yu-na covered her sweat-damp white blouse with her black blazer as she began looking around the second room.
What kind of room was this?
I followed her lead and let my eyes wander as well.
"Hm..."
"..."
The wallpaper was pink with a heart pattern.
Painted in the kind of vivid shade that manly men supposedly love.
Staring at that pink for too long, though, made me feel like my head was going to get fuzzy.
'There's nothing special on the walls.'
Just like in the first stage, the only thing there was the telephone you could use to call a staff member.
The second room had the same setup: a strange object in the center, just like the previous room.
Na Yu-na seemed to have spotted it too, because she pointed at it and spoke.
"...Han Si-jun. There's a chair over there."
"Yeah. But why would a chair be there...?"
"..."
The one employee who could answer that question was currently away from their post.
Why was there a chair in the middle of the room?
We had no choice but to solve this mystery ourselves.
"Haah..."
"Phew..."
We let out deep breaths and headed toward the chair in the center.
There was a sign there, just like in the last room.
Na Yu-na crouched down in front of it.
She started reading the words written there.
"Prove... what your relationship is... and we'll give you the key...?"
"Prove what, exactly...?"
"Beats me."
Na Yu-na agreed with my confusion.
Then she shouted something, as if inspiration had struck.
"We're just friends...!!"
"..."
That seems a little off, doesn't it?
Na Yu-na clicked her tongue in a 'Tch.'
She'd been trying to cheat because she didn't want to sit in the chair.
There was only one chair.
And therefore, only one person could sit in it.
In my mind, the answer was obvious.
The one who would sit was already decided.
"Na Yu-na. We have to get out of here fast. Sit down."
"Why... why do I have to sit...! No...!"
No.
Why should I have to sit there?
Na Yu-na was desperately refusing that seat.
But can you really just refuse because you don't want to?
There are some things in this world you just have to do, like it or not.
I reasoned with Na Yu-na calmly.
"Didn't I do almost everything in the last stage...?"
"Th-That was...!"
"Na Yu-na. You didn't do a thing inside that cabinet."
"..."
Na Yu-na fell silent.
She hadn't lifted a finger to help find the key in the previous stage.
Maybe because she has difficulty dealing with men—
in the previous stage,
she'd just closed her eyes inside the cabinet and done absolutely nothing.
"You did nothing, so now you're telling me I have to do this one too? Really?"
"..."
Na Yu-na kept her silence at my provocative tone.
I could tell she was definitely seething inside.
Na Yu-na had grown up constantly hearing about duty and responsibility.
Could she really stay quiet after I said that?
It was nearly impossible.
"F-Fine, I'll just do it...! I'll sit down...! Then it's okay, right...?!"
Unable to contain her frustration, Na Yu-na shouted.
Thankfully, she acted exactly according to my plan.
'...I didn't want to sit there either. Lucky me.'
I was of the same mind as Na Yu-na.
Who would actually want to sit in a chair placed all alone in the center of a room?
A room escape cafe that locks a man and a woman in a cabinet together.
The cafe's credibility was already rock bottom,
so the only person who'd want to sit in that chair was clearly some kind of pervert.
'Could the owner of this room escape cafe be just as bad a pervert as me, or even worse...?'
While I was lost in such thoughts,
Na Yu-na was staring blankly at the chair.
"...I can do this."
She was starting to make a dramatic resolution just to sit in a chair.
Still tense, Na Yu-na lowered her hips onto the seat without losing her dignity.
Fwoosh—
"Kyaa...!"
Along with the sound of something powering on, Na Yu-na's scream rang out.
The sound must have been a hologram activating.
A screen flickered to life in front of her.
"What the heck is that..."
Why was there suddenly a hologram?
The words 'Balance Game' were written on the holographic display.
And then the screen began explaining the conditions for getting the key.
-A Balance Game in 3 stages! The participant must perform one of the two given options without fail! Pass all of them, and we will give you the key! You really want to escape, don't you? ^^
"Are... are you making fun of me right now...?"
Na Yu-na was getting angry at the hologram.
The moment she finished speaking, the hologram started the Balance Game, as if to deny her any chance to argue.
-Alright, let the Balance Game begin! Simply choose one of the two options and perform the action!
Say 'I love you' to the person next to you! VS Press your lips to the cheek of the person next to you!
"I'm... I'm leaving..."
The second Na Yu-na heard the hologram's voice, she bolted for the wall.
She pressed her ear desperately to the phone receiver, but the part-timer apparently had no intention of picking up.
After a short while, Na Yu-na returned to the chair, looking utterly lost.
"Han Si-jun. I'm going to curse you."
...That's terrifying.
Na Yu-na's gaze was fierce, not her usual calm expression.
I shrank back a little under those resentful eyes.
Still, I had to say my piece.
"Na Yu-na. What are you doing? Let's hurry and get out of here."
"...I'll handle it myself."
She snapped back at me, a bit peevishly.
Now then, which one would Na Yu-na choose?
Personally, I was rooting for the cheek kiss.
Just as I was secretly hoping for that,
Na Yu-na stared at me with her distinctive yellow eyes, looking like she'd made a decision.
"...Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only doing this because I have to..."
I nodded.
I gave her that affirmative signal.
And then she immediately lowered her voice and spoke.
"I... I lo...ve... you..."
Na Yu-na's face went red.
With a temperature that high, I wouldn't be surprised if her damp blouse had already dried.
I spoke teasingly to the embarrassed Na Yu-na.
"Sorry. I can't return your fee—"
"Didn't I just say not to get the wrong idea...?"
Ahem...
Na Yu-na was radiating a murderous aura, so I immediately averted my gaze.
The look in her eyes just then was genuinely that of someone who wanted to kill me.
Just then, the hologram, having finished its voice recognition, declared the next stage.
-Now, onto the next stage! Please perform one of the following two actions!
Give a back hug for 10 seconds! VS Take off one item of each other's clothing!
"B-Back hug! The back hug, absolutely!"
Na Yu-na shouted, frantically clutching her top.
Taking off one item of each other's clothing wouldn't have been bad either, though.
I felt a little regretful from my position.
I decided to bring up an important point to Na Yu-na.
"So, Na Yu-na. Who's going to stand behind?"
"...Just a moment."
Na Yu-na told me to wait.
She was muttering something to herself, lost in thought.
"If I'm behind... then I put my hands forward and he stays still... if I'm in front... then Han Si-jun puts his hands forward and...?"
Na Yu-na was mumbling to herself.
She flinched in surprise and then looked at me.
It was the kind of look you'd give someone who'd just shown you something filthy.
Covering her chest with her hands, she spoke to me.
"I'll go behind you."
"...Sure."
Just what had she been imagining?
Seeing how offended I felt, she must have imagined something pretty unpleasant about me.
I didn't know exactly what scenario played out in her head,
but Na Yu-na had regained her composure and stepped behind me.
"Phew..."
She tried a deep breath.
Na Yu-na's slender arms appeared right in front of me, without touching.
"...Na Yu-na."
"...What?"
"This isn't a back hug. You're just making a fence."
"..."
Na Yu-na was deeply bashful.
She seemed too embarrassed to actually touch me.
Instead of a hug, her arms were forming a barrier around me.
"Na Yu-na. At this rate, we won't escape the room, and you'll be late for the company."
"...!"
That got a reaction out of her.
Good.
Now she'd give me a nice, affectionate back hug, right?
But contrary to my expectations, Na Yu-na's response was far more intense.
"Na Yu-na...? I think you're squeezing a little too hard...?"
"I... I can't be late..."
"W-Wait... ack..."
A 10-second back hug.
It felt less like a hug and more like a countdown you'd hear in a wrestling match.
A ten-second period that was actively strangling my breath.
3...
2...
1...
"Gahk...!"
"D-Did we succeed...?"
If her goal had been to kill me, then yes, it was definitely a success.
Still, the hologram must have registered our action,
because the word 'Success!' was displayed on the screen.
'...My ribs aren't broken, are they?'
After I saw that text, I felt my own ribs with my hand.
Thankfully, they seemed intact.
Once the brief hugging time was over,
the hologram started announcing the final 3rd stage.
-And finally! Stage 3! We will give the key to the next room to those who complete this!
Alright! Kiss your partner for 5 seconds! VS Kiss your partner for 10 seconds! Choose!
"Th-This is..."
5 seconds and 10 seconds.
It was basically telling us to kiss, plain and simple.
The Balance Game was clearly just for show at this point.
"Na Yu-na, I think 10 seconds sounds goo—"
"No! I... I can't do it...!"
She yelled that it was absolutely impossible.
Could she really not do it?
Harboring that thought, I pointed to my watch.
"We don't have much time left. Are you sure you're okay with that?"
We had no clue how many stages were left.
If we wasted time here and she ended up late for her company,
Na Yu-na's image would be severely damaged.
'Nice timing.'
She has no way out.
And Na Yu-na, who knew that all too well,
was also realizing that there was no room to retreat.
"...Han Si-jun. If you spread rumors about this, I'll use the full power of my company against you."
With no other choice, Na Yu-na stood in front of me.
She couldn't afford to be late.
A slight tremble at the corners of her eyes, she drew closer.
"...C-Close your eyes. I'll take care of it..."
"Got it."
Was this how my lifespan gets extended?
I hadn't expected to reap this kind of reward today.
It seemed I'd gained an unforeseen harvest.
I closed my eyes and waited for Na Yu-na to come to me.
"..."
Silence hung in the room.
The sound of Na Yu-na's breathing drew nearer.
"..."
The scent of her shampoo touched my nose.
That was a sign she was getting close.
Just as I felt the soft touch of her lips lightly brushing mine—
BANG!
"Hey, you've had a ton of missed calls. Are you guys okay in there?"
"Ah..."
That damn part-timer...
Why now, of all times...?
I inwardly cursed this cruel trick of fate.
A perfect moment.
A perfect mood.
Having this chance ruined did nothing for my temper.
"..."
"Uh... why are you glaring at me like that...?"
Are you seriously asking because you don't know?
And so, Han Si-jun and Na Yu-na's chance to kiss vanished into thin air.
And later,
Na Yu-na rushed back to her company before it was too late.
"I think... our lips did touch..."
What was this feeling?
For Na Yu-na, it left behind a bittersweet aftertaste.
A small ember was flickering in her heart as she headed back to work.