In the House, Part 7
[Tairung]
The story of the East progresses.
Lee Jun-ho's party gathers the city's explorers. They convince those who have already filled their WP quotas and recruit those who haven't, preparing for a large-scale raid.
— Lee Jun-ho: ...It'll appear soon.
The dragon's nest. Everyone watches the lake, where a vicious imugi dwells, with tense eyes.
— Seo Ji-woo: Everyone, get ready.
About a dozen explorers, each sweating, grip their weapons...
Flash—!
The dragon reveals itself.
"Gasp."
It looks terrifying. Incredibly terrifying.
It is two to three times more hideous than the dragons we are familiar with.
— Seo Ji-woo: It's an evil dragon!
— Lee Jun-ho: Get ready, everyone!
The East, too, is rushing toward its climax.
[Raynos]
Raynos.
What is happening in the 'labyrinth within a labyrinth' where Seer imprisoned the explorers is not shown on the screen.
Perhaps it is a space the camera cannot enter? Or is it part of the direction?
Swoosh—! Whoosh—! Shhh—!
Thanks to that, Kang Hyun's solo dance of death unfolds.
Boom, boom, boom—!
A blue gun muzzle sprays buckshot. A relentless baptism of mana and bullets.
Yet, Kang Hyun deflects, pushes back, and swiftly cuts down anyone who dares to approach.
It is swordsmanship bordering on the divine. His movements have already far surpassed those of an ordinary human; it feels as if he alone is moving at seven or eight times speed.
The flow, as beautiful as a butterfly's flutter, is like a smooth brushstroke, making the true meaning of the term 'sword dance' visually clear to the eyes.
Whoosh—
The hand gripping the sword and the legs sweeping across the ground embroider the space.
But Kang Hyun won't be able to hold out for long. Humans have physical limits.
By simple mathematical calculation, moving like that for just an hour would burn tens of thousands of calories.
Tick. Tock.
A soundtrack resembling a second hand ticking down his limit fills the theater.
Tick. Tock.
Kang Hyun's sword rages, and the screen shakes violently.
It is a moment where the audience cannot even breathe, let alone drink their cola.
Hiss.
The sound of a capsule opening.
Kang Hyun looks back.
— Im Hae-jun: W-where is this?
Im Hae-jun wakes up inside the capsule!
— Kang Hyun: Im Hae-jun.
He looks at Kang Hyun with dazed eyes.
— Im Hae-jun: Hyun-hyung?
— Kang Hyun: Come and help.
— Im Hae-jun: ...Ah!
Im Hae-jun quickly assesses the situation, gets up, and backs up Kang Hyun with his mana bow and arrows.
Hiss...!
It isn't just Im Hae-jun. Next is Lee Shin-hye, Lee Young-su, Kim Dong-ha, and finally Ryu Yeon-hwa.
Their allies are growing.
Seol Ha-woon has succeeded.
— Kang Hyun: I don't think we need to negotiate anymore.
Kang Hyun catches his breath, lowers his sword, and stares at Seer.
— Kang Hyun: Thanks to you gathering all the explorers for us.
Yet, Seer remains strangely relaxed.
Could it be that he still has a card left to play?
— Seer: Mr. Kang Hyun. You probably already know this, but occasionally, there are people who are exceptionally influenced by the labyrinth. We say they have high resonance.
Belatedly, the camera pans over the capsules one by one.
— Seer: This labyrinth of the subconscious captured her. No, rather, she captured the labyrinth.
Setting Kim Du-gyeom aside, Kate is nowhere to be seen. She isn't in any of the capsules.
Could it be?
— Seer: Yes. Her physical body is inside.
Just like Seol Ha-woon, she entered the ritual labyrinth with her physical body.
— Seer: So, I believe we can request negotiations once more.
Seer's face fills the screen.
— Seer: To those who are watching us from afar...
The 'those' Seer is referring to must be us in the theater.
Lee Si-ah unconsciously bites her lip.
[Tairung]
Back to the East. It's a welcome return. A breather of sorts.
Lee Jun-ho's party and the explorers fight the dragon desperately. If Seer is the boss of intellect, the dragon is the boss of physical power.
Roar—!
The dragon's breath scorches the earth. Jo Woon suffers burns from the intense heat while trying to save another explorer, and Lee Jun-ho and Seo Ji-woo are not in top condition either.
Most of them seem exhausted, but the dragon is still full of energy.
— Seo Ji-woo: ...Ah. Dammit. We won't actually die anyway. Let's fight until we die.
— Lee Jun-ho: Are you talking sense or just talking out of your ass...
Just as they let out hollow laughs in the face of this desperate situation—
— Taoist Master: It is not over yet!
The Taoist master has arrived.
He, who had only been using the people of the East so far, has come to support them along with his disciples.
— Taoist Master: Pull yourselves together, everyone!
Several Taoist monks in pure white robes fly into the air, drawing the dragon's attention. Bam! Bam! The qi blasts they unleash strike the dragon's body.
Roar—!
The enraged dragon shrieks, and Lee Jun-ho stands up, using his sword as a cane. It's a rather cool scene, with the hems of his robes fluttering in the wind.
Behind him stand Jo Woon and Seo Ji-woo.
Though covered in dirt, blood, and ash, they refuse to give up.
— Seo Ji-woo: Get ready.
At Seo Ji-woo's words, Lee Jun-ho grips his sword once more.
— Lee Jun-ho: ...I've been ready from the start.
— Jo Woon: Let's go.
With a battle cry, they fly toward the dragon, their backs illuminated by the camera...
And the scene shifts back to the far West.
Spark—!
Sparks fly across Seer's rimless glasses.
— Seer: ...Oh dear.
He grits his teeth. His face stiffens completely.
— Shindra: What's wrong?
— Seer: Something unexpected is happening.
— Shindra: Unexpected?
— Seer: Yes.
What could this unexpected event be?
Seer measures the waves of the labyrinth within a labyrinth through his glasses. He detects a fluctuating rift.
At the same time, Seer himself is shaken.
— Seer: If the opponent can twist the very foundation of my plan...
He lets out a hollow smile.
— Seer: Perhaps I have no choice but to accept defeat.
In that instant, the camera pans to the entrance of the subconscious labyrinth.
Crackle— crackle—
It is being destroyed. The very thing Seer declared impossible is happening.
All because of a single spellcaster.
— Shindra: Then what do we do now?
Shindra asks Seer.
Seer looks at Shindra.
— Seer: ...Sister.
— Shindra: Are you crazy? Since when did you start calling me that?
At the title 'Sister', Shindra rubs her arm as if getting goosebumps.
— Seer: Enjoy today.
Has he accepted defeat? Or did he never intend to win from the start?
Boom—!
A massive spark erupts from within the ritual labyrinth.
The screen shifts back to the research lab.
— Im Hae-jun: Ah, Hyung! Kate!
Beyond the crumbling labyrinth, Kate and Seol Ha-woon walk out.
— Im Hae-jun: Are you okay?!
Im Hae-jun runs toward them.
— Kate: Yes, I'm fine.
— Im Hae-jun: ...What about you, Hyung?
He belatedly checks on Seol Ha-woon.
— Seol Ha-woon: ...You're already too late.
— Im Hae-jun: Huh? Why, why?
Seol Ha-woon is sulking again. Seol-sulks-again.
At any rate, all the Western explorers have gathered. Every single one of them glares somewhere in a battle stance.
Seer.
Appearing on the monitor, he looks back and forth between Kate and Seol Ha-woon, then lets out a sigh.
— Seer: It is my defeat. I admit it. My struggles were meaningless. I will release you. I won't interfere with you either.
— Im Hae-jun: I'm not falling for that!
Im Hae-jun shouts at the top of his lungs. His front tooth is completely broken.
— Seer: Fulfill your purpose. If you find something valuable in our world, take it to yours.
Seer's gentle tone makes the explorers' expressions complicated. The same goes for the theater audience.
— Seer: If you do that, we might leave at least a trace of our existence on the other side.
Seer isn't just a simple villain. Maybe he isn't a villain at all.
Perhaps he was a hero who fought for his own world.
— Seer: I will be satisfied with that. I gladly give it to you.
Suddenly, Seer smiles.
— Seer: But please remember one thing.
It is not a voice begging for sympathy. Dryly, as always, he simply conveys his wish.
— Seer: That this place where we live... was a world just as precious as yours.
Static.
The frequency shakes, and the video cuts off.
A brief silence falls.
— Im Hae-jun: ...Hyung. This is kind of sad.
The same goes for the theater. Sighs can be heard here and there.
Because it isn't just a movie. It isn't fiction.
They... 'once' actually existed.
— Im Hae-jun: Hyung, how much WP did you collect? I got all 10,000. The deadline is in three days, right?
— Seol Ha-woon: Yeah, I saw. You got caught trying to draw a ticket.
— Im Hae-jun: ...What! You saw all that and didn't help me?!!
— Seol Ha-woon: Ugh, so noisy. Did you swallow a megaphone?
Leaving the complaining Im Hae-jun behind, Seol Ha-woon leaves the lab.
Just as Seer said, there are no blockades or troops. Seol Ha-woon leans against the empty lab wall.
— Seol Ha-woon: ...
Seol Ha-woon's face is filled with complex emotions. A bittersweet look.
He probably felt like he met a true rival after a long time. A 'match' worthy of pouring all his skill, logic, and experience from his active duty days.
— Kang Hyun: Good job.
Beside him, Kang Hyun approaches. The two stand with some distance between them.
They look close, but to Lee Si-ah, there is still a line.
A line where they don't cross into each other's space.
Why? Because they are rivals? Or because...
They don't want to 'reveal' themselves?
— Seol Ha-woon: You too.
Seol Ha-woon squints at Kang Hyun, crossing his arms.
— Seol Ha-woon: You worked hard.
Kang Hyun bows slightly and smiles.
The camera angle has Seol Ha-woon on the right edge and Kang Hyun on the left. Lee Si-ah remembers this scene, this composition.
If made into a GIF, it would easily get thousands of upvotes.
[Tairung]
Roar—!
While the West wraps up, the East is spectacular. They fight, flashily unleashing their mana.
The Taoist master, dozens of Taoist monks—Labyrinthins—and explorers unite. Finally.
Groan...
The evil dragon falls with a dinosaur-like shriek.
— Seo Ji-woo: We got it!!!!
— Lee Jun-ho: Phew...
Explorers jump for joy, and the Taoist master smiles with tears in his eyes.
— Taoist Master: Everyone... you worked so hard—
— Seo Ji-woo: We got it, we really did!
— Jo Woon: We won!
Seo Ji-woo and Jo Woon hoist the Taoist master into the air for a celebratory toss.
The Taoist master laughs heartily, bouncing in the air.
— Lee Jun-ho: Everyone, no time to rest. We need to distribute the loot and go.
With not much time left to leave, Lee Jun-ho points to the date on the boarding pass.
If the West uses tickets, the East uses boarding passes.
— Lee Jun-ho: The ship is leaving soon.
— Seo Ji-woo: ...Ugh, seriously, he really knows how to ruin a mood.
Seo Ji-woo glares at Lee Jun-ho, and Jo Woon coughs awkwardly, looking displeased.
Lee Jun-ho scowls.
— Lee Jun-ho: Then don't distribute the loot. Leave it all behind—
— Seo Ji-woo: No, not that! Let's go distribute the loot!
They run back to the dragon's corpse.
[Raynos]
What follows is daily life. The Western explorers spend their remaining time leisurely.
Seol Ha-woon donates all his earned money to the orphanage, receiving only tea leaves in return, which is barely compensation. So he has a ridiculous amount of tea leaf sacks.
— Seol Ha-woon: ...Take care.
On the last day.
He turns away, leaving words that won't reach the orphanage children waving from afar.
— Children: Goodbye~!!!!
Thanks to Seol Ha-woon, the children ate well and grew chubby. Their voices are loud.
Lee Si-ah smiles warmly.
— Seol Ha-woon: I'll use my ticket.
At the exchange booth, Seol Ha-woon speaks to the android-like employee. The employee smiles and guides him to the elevator.
— Seol Ha-woon: ...
Climbing into the elevator, Seol Ha-woon quietly closes his eyes. He is silent.
What is he thinking?
— Kang Hyun: I'll use my ticket.
Next, Kang Hyun enters the elevator.
Kang Hyun doesn't close his eyes. He just looks straight ahead.
Whirrrrr.
In the endlessly rising elevator, the cross-cutting of the two is the final scene...
— Seer: The sky is clear.
Suddenly, Seer's voice is heard.
— Seer: It's a beautiful day.
He is whispering to someone.
— Seer: On a day like this, you could just take a walk alone, go to your favorite restaurant, or spend time with someone you love.
The camera passes the elevator, goes higher, and reaches the sky. A bird flying between the sun and clouds is shown on the screen.
— Seer: You have time. You have freedom. The most precious things of all.
Lee Si-ah bites her lip. Emotion wells up in her chest.
— Seer: So... I hope you look forward to a better today than yesterday, and a better tomorrow than today. I hope you make it so.
Seer. Because he was too smart, he accepted that he was a Labyrinthin. He accepted that their future was doom.
— Seer: It might sound cliché, but...
The bird soars freely out of the camera's view, and the angle pans down to capture someone inside a high-rise building's glass window.
Seer's face.
— Seer: The today you take for granted is the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday so desperately wished to see.
Sniffling, nose-blowing, wiping tears.
Echoes of emotion spread through the theater.
— Seer: Well then...
Farewell.
With a quiet goodbye, the screen fades to black.
Exiting NaN World.
The credits roll, leaving a strange sense of emptiness and futility.
Even though the movie had already ended, people remained in their seats for a long time.
Lee Si-ah was no exception.