Chapter 80
Chapter 80
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Girl in the Red Robe
-----------------------------------------------------------------
80.
Static-
Tiny particles floated endlessly through the air.
The particles vanished and reappeared, repeating an endless cycle.
Static-
And now.
The figure before me was emitting those tiny particles from every inch of their body.
Countless particles blanketed their entire face, yet through them, they stared right at me.
The sensation of that gaze held no certainty.
Just a simple guess.
An illusion, as if an inexplicable, dissonant gaze were watching me.
Instead of the voice rising from my throat, a harsh mechanical screech scraped against my eardrums.
Static-
"Ask your question, Employee Park Yeon-jeong."
"……."
Even though I sat in the chair, Noise's towering physical presence and voice stabbed into my ears as they looked down at me.
…Gulp.
I swallowed my silence.
And faced the situation head-on.
Before entering this white room.
I replayed what Noise had said to me.
-I trust you'll ask a question that won't disappoint me.
Revisiting those words, the only thing that came to mind right now was this.
This is totally.
'A predetermined answer,' isn't it?
They'd clearly implied they'd answer whatever I was curious about, but given the current setup.
Noise might as well have been saying:
'Please ask the question I want to hear, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.'
Exactly that!
Is this really the reward, Noise?!
Now, even the primal doubt crept in—whether what I'd received was truly a reward at all.
Static-
A ripping voice tickled my ears, urging me to hurry.
"Employee Park Yeon-jeong? Still working on it? Outstanding employees always prepare lists of every possible question in advance. Moreover…."
Whoosh-
Noise swung their arms this way and that, launching into a grand lecture on what made an excellent employee.
…As if they'd been waiting for this exact moment. The words poured out smoothly.
Not just the usual speaker voice. Watching Noise gesture passionately, brimming with vitality as they explained to me.
It felt somewhat novel. Truly fresh.
Static-!
"Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Are you listening?"
"…Yep."
…….
Their expressiveness had grown, but so had the nagging—doubled, it seemed.
"And to become an even more outstanding employee…"
Watching Noise still sharing their wisdom.
I slowly shut my mouth.
And their lecture?
In one ear, out the other.
Right now, more than the boss's advice on becoming a top employee.
Figuring out a question for Noise took priority.
And honestly.
When I'd first gotten this question privilege.
The first thing that popped up was.
-How to get out of here.
An escape route from this world.
That was my ultimate goal. No reason not to ask.
At first…
But on the other hand.
I didn't want to tip off Noise with an obvious vibe that I was dying to escape.
Plus, even if I got the escape route out of them right now.
Noise wouldn't just sit idly by while I bolted from here.
They'd probably been subtly blocking any escape attempts all along.
Of course.
If no leads on an exit ever surfaced, I might have to ask then.
But that's a problem for later.
Words were precious now.
Save the escape question for after checking that room linked to the real world—the one in the ghost story [Check-in is at 666 o'clock].
So for the moment, over escape routes, what I needed to ask Noise was.
'Probably… that.'
The thing lately stirring my curiosity.
My eyes fixed on Noise ahead, my voice sank calmly.
Echoing low through the entire room.
"The girl in the red robe…."
Static-!
Static burst just then.
Noise stared silently, but the rippling static was unmistakable in my sight.
Noise was rattled.
Keeping an eye on their reaction, I cautiously spoke up.
"Lately, a boy has shown up in my dreams too."
"……."
Noise's silence stretched on.
No interruption meant I read it as permission to keep going.
I put a little more force into my voice.
To Noise, staring blankly at me, I pressed on without reserve.
"Ever since you took my left arm, I've been stuck in these weird dreams nonstop… I was curious about them."
"……."
About that bizarre dream.
I voiced the story I'd wanted to hear specifically from Noise—not anyone else.
Static static-
"This is the 'curiosity' I wanted to ask you about."
"……."
Once my question wrapped up.
Noise straightened their posture.
And.
Swish-
They gently placed their right hand on their chest, palm of the other facing me, in a motion without a single flaw.
Static-
Noise.
Deeply admired.
"As expected, Employee Park Yeon-jeong. You never disappoint… Impressive."
Their voice swelled louder.
"Excellent… Excellent! How perfectly you've grasped the hidden meaning behind my words!"
Static-!
Noise's excited voice slammed into my skull like a direct hit.
[You really are an outstanding employee! Employee Park Yeon-jeong!!]
They shot up.
From their seat. Arms thrust sky-high, praise for me nonstop.
"I have a feeling you'll soon become an outstanding superior just like me."
"…Thank you."
I gave thanks.
Felt like the right moment.
After my gratitude, Noise's fervor gradually ebbed.
They settled their agitated form, sat back down. Voice emerged.
Static-
"If that's what Employee Park Yeon-jeong is curious about, I'll explain it with utmost sincerity."
Smile creeping across their lips.
Noise snapped their fingers.
Snap-!
Into our white room.
A girl in a fluttering red robe appeared in my view.
And she was.
'The kid from my dreams.'
The exact girl in the red robe I'd seen in my dreams.
For an instant, I thought it was her for real.
Static-
"It's just a finely crafted statue… And this must be the child you encountered, Employee Park Yeon-jeong."
"…Yes, that's right."
My frank reply came.
Noise's voice settled calmly.
But… why was that.
Maybe just a feeling, but Noise's gaze felt absent.
More precisely.
Not on me right in front.
Like their attention had been stolen by something else.
Noise's voice came slowly.
Excruciatingly slowly…
The words reaching my ears carried nonchalance.
"It's more accurate to call that child my creator. We were so close, we didn't bother with labels like 'friends.'"
"……Huh?"
"Think of it as you creating her (Soi), Employee Park Yeon-jeong. That'll make it easier to grasp."
Noise casually spoke of being born from that red-robed girl.
Utterly matter-of-fact.
As if it were commonplace.
So breezily.
I nearly blurted out, "Ah~ Got it."
"So those dreams you've had, Employee Park Yeon-jeong, are like boring documentaries packed with memories from my past life."
Hearing Noise liken their history to dull documentaries.
-
You
▓▓▓
.
-
A voice pierced my eardrums, rapping against my skull.
I… didn't recognize it.
Just voiced the most obvious question.
As if…
Enthralled by something.
"Then… what happened to her?"
"What happened? She was human, not so different from you, Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Of course she's dead by now."
Such a natural question.
Even in hindsight, no clue why I asked it then.
Along with the persistent tingle in my left arm.
I wanted confirmation.
Or rather, it felt like I did.
As if someone else demanded it. A foreign voice grazing my ears hijacked my mouth.
Spoke what they wanted.
-
You killed her
.
-
"Noise, why did you kill that girl?"
"!!"
…!!
I clapped a hand over my mouth.
For a split second, swore I was possessed.
Noise, hearing me, flickered too—facial outline flashing briefly through the static mass.
Faintly, in the static gaps.
Noise.
Jaw dropped, visibly flustered, caught in my sight.
We stared at each other's faces.
Seeing me hand-gagged, Noise's churning static soon normalized. A low voice leaked out.
"Oh dear… Too much contact with me? Or has my left arm already fused with you…."
Not phrased as a question to me.
Just a quiet murmur.
Muttering aloud, though not meant for my ears.
Swish-
Their gaze hit me again.
Noise spoke toward me.
"…Yes, Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Just as you said, I killed her. Reason? …'Mistake,' let's call it."
"……."
"Just plain bad luck. A mistake."
The voice this time.
Dripped with the same nonchalance.
Casual as ever.
Thud-
Noise wrapped it up fast with a closing line.
Static-
"I hope this consultation proves truly valuable for you, Employee Park Yeon-jeong… Ah. And by the way, this space was made thanks to your Bear Dolls' hard work. Don't let their efforts go to waste—use it often."
No way—that's why they swiped our two Bear Dolls back during 'Jackpot'?
Silently thanking our secretly diligent Bear Dolls.
Shruk-
!
Noise hunched their lanky frame, shoving their static-shrouded face toward me as they spoke.
"Today was truly enlightening. Now that the consultation's done, please handle today's duties well too."
"…Huh?"
Noise's smiling lips.
They snapped their fingers.
No asking my input.
"No, wait a—"
…….
Hey, give me a breather too!