In the House (18)
Eldia's story was a familiar one. To me, it wasn't even particularly special.
She was better than those who killed for sport, but far worse in that she had taken vastly more lives.
...Assuming the people here could even be considered 'human lives' in the first place.
I asked her,
“So, how is the data?”
“What did that truck say?” Eldia replied with a question of her own.
“She said you were a smart person, so you would accept it.”
Julione had curated the data specifically for Eldia. It proved that the path to immortality she sought was impossible. At the same time, Julione had asked me a favor—to show this data to Eldia.
That was one of the reasons Eldia was still drawing breath.
“She also said thank you. Apparently, she graduated from university thanks to your scholarship.”
“...What a tragedy,” Eldia muttered.
Julione had believed that once Eldia saw this data, she would accept it. That she would admit she was wrong and willingly pay for her sins.
I didn't think so.
In fact, I believed the exact opposite.
Once someone crosses that line, they can never go back. They can no longer look at their own corrupted reflection.
So right here, right now, Eldia would personally prove that she didn't deserve a second chance...
That was the extent of my curiosity.
“This data might seem meaningless right now. But if I just had six more months—no, even three months—and if I could secure more test subjects—”
Bang!
I pulled the trigger. Eldia tried to resist once more, but I infused the bullet with mana.
“Agh!”
Pierced through the abdomen, she stumbled back like a grotesque dancer before slumping against the wall, sliding down to leave a dark streak of blood behind her.
“Haa... haa... cough!”
She gasped for air, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Clutching her wound tightly, completely refusing to accept reality, she spat out utter nonsense.
“I... did... nothing... wrong.”
With unblinking eyes, Eldia stared into her past, counting the days she still yearned for.
“Why... at such... a young... age...”
Her fingertips slipped, brushing against the cold steel floor.
Slowly, the light in her irises faded.
“What on earth... did I do... wrong...”
Her voice cut off. All vital signs ceased completely.
Now, it was time to wrap things up.
I placed my hand on the supervisor's console. With a final hack, I set the coordinates for the Wormhole Generator.
The destination: a black hole.
> Wormhole Coordinates Configured.
> Destination: Black Hole [CLASSIFIED]
I opened the gate to the supervisor's office. Leaning on my cane, I began to walk out when the view suddenly caught my eye.
The vast expanse of space stretching beyond the research facility.
Staring at it, I couldn't help but wonder.
If even this immense space was fake... If the people here were nothing more than illusions woven from mana...
How could I be sure that I was real? How could I ever be certain?
I pondered it quietly for a moment, but—
“...Ha.”
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped my lips.
There was no need to worry.
If I ever turned out to be fake, I would simply put an end to myself.
Trust yourself, Ha-woon.
I returned to the Esmos.
[Survivor identified. Please proceed inside.]
[Survivor identified. Please proceed inside.]
Robots were processing the boarding procedures. They were the security units from the Escort. After all the zombies had been cleared out, Julione had restored their data, turning them back into good friends of the civilians.
[Total Civilians: 223. Total Explorers: 39. Boarding complete.]
Eleven explorers had been eliminated in this labyrinth. They were probably waiting in the lobby by now.
Oh, right. If this was their third elimination, they would be kicked off the program entirely.
“Ssaboo~!”
Right on cue, Im Hae-jun approached. Julione was with him.
She gave a broad grin.
“Good work out there.”
“Yes. Are you leaving now, Julione?”
“Yeah. I'm going to take a shuttle and go call for rescue. With this guy.”
Julione slung an arm around the Robot's shoulders.
“Whoa~ That's so cool~! As expected of the Captain~!”
Im Hae-jun's flattery was as natural as breathing. He wasn't literally rubbing his hands together, but his entire body language screamed sycophancy.
“And... I was originally planning to keep this.”
Julione picked up the toy truck at her feet. By now, the truck's front bumper felt more familiar to me than Julione's actual face.
“But since you gave me the Robot, I'll give you this instead. It was yours to begin with, anyway.”
I stared at the truck she held out.
Most engineers have a strong attachment to machinery, and Julione seemed particularly prone to that. But if she was willing to give it to me, I would gladly accept.
“Yes. Thank you.”
I took the truck. Julione looked a bit reluctant to let it go, but she soon offered a bittersweet smile.
[Vessel separation preparations complete.]
“Shall we watch?”
She pointed toward the massive glass window of the Esmos.
“Let's go.”
I walked over and stood beside her.
“...A tedious sight,” she muttered.
Before us lay the cosmos—a view she was utterly sick of, but one that felt incredibly foreign to me.
[Separating the Esmos.]
Psssshhhh.
A sound like a steam engine hissed through the ship. The mothership and the evacuation vessel uncoupled. The Esmos broke away from the Cosmos.
[Mothership initiating wormhole generation.]
The mothership's energy surged. Silently and gracefully, it warped a single point in space, folding dimensions to create a gateway.
The Cosmos fired its thrusters and entered the rift, while the Esmos drifted further away in the opposite direction.
I looked back. Quite a few people were standing just like me. Not only the numerous survivors, but also Seo Ji-woo, Lee Jun-ho, Yun Hwa-rim, Im Hae-jun, Kate, and Kang Hyun...
Before long, the mothership, teeming with zombies, vanished beyond the wormhole.
[Process complete.]
The Robot addressed everyone.
[Congratulations on your survival.]
Cheers erupted. Hundreds of people embraced one another, tears of joy and sorrow filling the ship like floating bubbles.
Yet, I felt as if I were drifting away from them, momentarily detached from the vanishing point.
I took a step back. Kang Hyun was standing there, his gaze fixed on me.
His eyes were devoid of emotion. The reflection of myself in his retinas was no different.
My eyes, and yours, were remarkably alike.
A thought crossed my mind.
Perhaps, in some ways, we were very much alike.
The reconstruction of the living quarters began. The robots and survivors joined forces to restore the apartments. Just as Julione had said, there were no issues with drinking water or oxygen. They would easily last at least three years until a rescue team arrived.
“Are you guys going back now? To where you came from?” Julione asked, twirling her helmet strap around her finger.
“Yes. We're going back.”
“...Captain. Where do you think that place is?” Im Hae-jun, standing beside me, asked tentatively. I cursed him silently with a side-eye.
Julione stroked her chin as she answered.
“Well. Probably another world, right?”
“...W-What?” Im Hae-jun gasped in shock. Julione smiled and continued.
“At the very least, it must be a world with far more advanced mana-tech than ours. That would explain how fifty of you arrived all at once. The reason is likely the Substance on this mothership—something we could never hope to handle at our current level.”
With an incredibly solemn expression, Julione made a brilliant, yet completely incorrect, guess.
“Could it be... that you're from the future?”
“Ah... haha.” Im Hae-jun let out a hollow laugh, while I shook my head.
“We just came from a very distant place. That's all.”
“...Right. I suppose so.”
Right then—
The Labyrinth will close in 10 minutes.
Please prepare for departure.
I signaled Im Hae-jun with my eyes. He nodded. Julione, too, seemed to sense what was happening.
“I guess this is goodbye?”
“Yes. You should head inside first.”
“Alright. Take care.”
I shook hands with Julione.
[Agent Seol Ha-woon. Farewell.]
The Robot, who had been watching from the side, also extended its hand.
“Yeah. You too.”
I shook its hand as well. Julione watched with a warm smile.
“...I hope we run into each other again sometime.”
I didn't reply. Julione didn't expect me to, either.
“Take care.”
“Yes. Safe travels.”
Julione entered the supervisor's office with the Robot. I walked out to the lobby of the Esmos with Im Hae-jun.
The graffiti that had once covered the walls, screaming that everyone would die, had been completely washed away.
“Excuse me, mister! You can't just throw that in the trash! We don't have a waste disposal ship, so we have to recycle everything!”
The survivors were cleaning the lobby, chatting and laughing with one another. It wasn't just them; the explorers were also pitching in and helping out.
“...”
Then, I spotted a wild Lee Jun-ho. He was alone, sitting in the lobby, lost in deep thought.
I sat down next to him.
“I'm sorry about that.”
Lee Jun-ho kept his eyes fixed on the tips of my shoes.
“For what?”
“For killing you without a word.”
“...Ha.”
He let out a dry laugh and looked up.
“It's fine. I don't care. You... would always do that anyway, Hyung.”
“Always?”
The title 'Hyung' still seemed awkward on his tongue, but he smacked his lips and continued.
“Yeah. Even if your comrade was in that position, you would've done the exact same thing.”
“...Probably.”
If Julione had been in James's position, I would have.
“So it's fine. Just... don't change. Nothing is more annoying than someone who suddenly changes.”
“People naturally change.”
“There needs to be someone who stays consistent, at least once in a while. Someone who remains exactly the same even when everyone else changes. If everyone changes, how the hell are we supposed to survive in this shitty world?”
Lee Jun-ho pointed to the truck tucked under my arm.
“By the way, what's with that toy? You're carrying it around like it's some sacred relic.”
“My trophy.”
“...That? Really?”
“Yeah. I'm taking it home.”
Lee Jun-ho shook his head in disbelief.
“I didn't know the great 'MyWordsAreRight' had such a childish side.”
What the hell is 'MyWords'?
Bzzzt!
Right then, a flash of light flickered in the air. The overhead lights of the spaceship blurred unnaturally, like running paint.
Lee Jun-ho clicked his tongue.
“Looks like it's time to go.”
I silently closed my eyes.
Whoosh...
The sound of wind wrapping around my body. The sensation of my feet lifting off the ground. Floating along this mysterious current, I slowly opened my eyes.
Right in front of me was the panel of the hibernation capsule.
Psssshhhh.
The lid slid open.
I pushed myself up.
“Great job, everyone~!”
On the familiar spaceship set stood a beaming PD Kim A-rang. The rest of the staff had gathered as well, clapping their hands.
She seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
“Thanks to you, this labyrinth is going to be a massive hit~!”
I looked for my cane first. AC-0308 was leaning against the side of the hibernation capsule.
“Long time no see.”
But my other trophy was nowhere to be found.
I raised my hand toward Kim A-rang.
“Excuse me, PD Kim. Where is my truck? I was holding it under my arm when I came back.”
“Ah~ Everyone's personal belongings from the labyrinth are treated as trophies, so they have to go through settlement. You can bring them back by spending coins.”
“...Coins?”
“Yes. So, we're moving straight to the next schedule.”
“...”
To be honest, even if the truck was a trophy, I couldn't sell it anywhere. It wasn't particularly useful, either. It's not like I could ride it during labyrinth raids.
Was there really any need to spend coins to bring back something like that?
“I know you're tired, but please head over to the settlement room.”
I returned to my quarters. Flicking on the light in the dark room, I set the truck and the pistol down on the desk.
The room felt strangely empty, so I turned on the TV.
“Oh Dong-jun! Actor Oh Dong-jun!”
A variety show was playing a celebrity photo quiz. A corner where they flashed a picture and the contestants had to guess the person's name.
I was watching mindlessly when suddenly—
“Alright, next!”
“Huh?”
My photo flashed on the screen.
A long-haired Seol Ha-woon. It was a heavily photoshopped best-cut photo.
“Ah, ah, this person! MyWordsAreRight! MyWordsAreRight!”
The contestant frantically shouted my nickname, but the PD cut him off with an amused tone.
“Not the nickname! Real name!”
“Uh, uh... No, MyWordsAreRight, ah, no, no, no. What was his name again? Uh... Seol Song-yi?! Seol Chan-song?!”
❌ BUZZER: WRONG! ❌
“No, no, wait a second!”
“Wow...”
My jaw dropped. Seriously, how could they know the nickname but not my actual name?
I never realized it when watching variety shows as a bystander, but being the subject of it felt bizarre.
“Ah, seriously, Hyung... It's Seol Ha-woon. Seol Ha-woon...”
The other guests stared at him with genuine disappointment, and he grabbed the back of his neck, burying his face in his hands.
“Hyung, you're in big trouble. Seriously. He's literally the hottest topic right now!”
“No... Ah~ I know him! I really do! MyWordsAreRight, Seol Ha-woon! I'm a huge fan! I watched him in the theater and was totally amazed. I even voted for him! I'll show you. Let me show you my phone. Look at this. Look at this!”
I let out a dry chuckle at the celebrity's desperate excuses, when suddenly, my eyes drifted.
I looked at the truck.
I stared at it intently.
Quietly, blankly, piercingly.
The truck stared back at me. Its wide, flat front bumper seemed to face my direction.
Would it say something?
Clack, clack. Would it swap out its wheels?
“...”
But no matter how long I waited, the truck remained silent.
It just sat there, completely motionless.
“...Ridiculous.”
I lay down on the bed and activated Dream Bubble.
Staring up at the droplets dripping from the ceiling—droplets that somehow resembled the stars in the cosmos—I drifted into a deep sleep.