Chapter 318
Chapter 318
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 318. Inspiration
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Anyway, our goal was set.
I had no idea how we were going to do it, but for now, it was subduing Aestheticism. It wasn't the top priority, but it was still a necessary task.
"Shall we organize this?"
"Huh?"
At my words, the three of them stared at me blankly.
I grabbed a random piece of paper nearby and wrote <Aestheticism> on it.
"I'm trying to organize the dangers we'll have to deal with going forward."
First up was Aestheticism.
What came next?
"Extremists."
As I wrote it down on the paper, Song Arin sighed and spoke up.
"Right."
I wrote <Extremists> on another piece of paper.
From what I'd heard last time, the play had three acts.
The Extremists that Song Arin and I had scouted was Act 2.
We had to stop the third play from opening, or resolve it if it did.
Of course, we might not get dragged into it...
But after getting caught up twice, what were the odds we wouldn't a third time?
Better to prepare ourselves mentally in advance.
"And finally..."
As I wrote <Hospital>, Yoo Daon widened her eyes.
"I don't have anything! I already escaped the hospital!"
"That's true. But just in case."
I cleared my throat and looked at the paper.
Honestly, Yoo Daon wasn't wrong.
We'd taken care of the hospital director, and more importantly, we'd learned that her regeneration worked by locally rewinding her own time.
But what worried me was Yoo Daon herself.
The Extremist leader, the Observer—they'd all been strangely concerned about her.
There might be something about Yoo Daon that I didn't know.
"Come to think of it, Daon."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind."
No, it felt wrong to ask her something like, "What are your parents like?" even if I was curious.
I knew what kind of life she'd lived, and I had no desire to dig into those wounds.
"Uh, I could answer anything if you asked, Jaeheon..."
"No, it's nothing. I'll ask later."
"Okay!"
I tore my gaze away from the brightly smiling Yoo Daon, tapped the paper with my pen, and added one more.
[Little Sister]
My little sister's behavior at the church. That was a problem too.
And so, I looked at the four keywords.
Excluding my little sister, every single one was massive in scale.
I was the only normal one.
"Everyone has one problem each."
"Mine isn't a problem."
"...If 'problem' here means I'm insulting your little sister, I won't say anything..."
At my mutter, Song Arin sighed, looked at me, and shook her head.
"So, what are we doing now?"
"Gathering information."
This time was really different. It wasn't something we could just charge into and resolve with brute force.
Every single one was dangerous.
Aestheticism, the Extremists.
Should I ask the Branch Chief after all?
I'd said we wouldn't accept her help, but she wasn't the type to ignore me after hearing that.
As I pondered,
-Flutter!
The Manual flipped open.
Looks like her sulk was over.
She always got over it with time anyway. Some things needed time to resolve and observe.
"Don't be too hard on her. Everyone's tired. Chaeyeon is a good person. The others too."
-Flutter!
The moment she heard me, the Manual that had been about to close forced itself open and started reading an entry.
[Aestheticism - Recorded by Office Team's Kim Jaeheon]
1. This entity exists outside of cognition.
2. It fundamentally uses people as materials to create artwork, and ordinary people who view this work feel immense ecstasy or, conversely, great fear.
3. In cases of ecstasy, they sometimes attempt to imitate the art, which can have horrific effects on society, so it's best to check the mental state of those who have viewed the entity's art.
4. However, exhibitions are an exception. These are simply for boasting its art, and participants usually lose their memories.
5. After an exhibition, it always holds one massive exhibition.
There was nothing written after that.
"That's it?"
At my question, the Manual didn't flip to any other page.
Was that really the end?
If so, did I encounter this as an office worker and die?
Then there was way too little information.
Guess I had to ask the Branch Chief.
No choice.
I called the Branch Chief.
-Ring...
After a few rings, a mechanical voice came through.
[Unable to take the call. Beep after the to-]
Soon after, a text arrived.
[Arriving soon]
And no further contact.
If I knew she'd reply like that, I wouldn't have sent it that way. Why act like such an old lady?
For now, should I talk more with the Manual?
"What about the Extremists?"
The Manual didn't move.
Was she sulking again?
"Sorry. What do you want? Food?"
"Wow, seeing you straight-up talk to a book is kinda weird."
"Yeah."
"B-But... it has a literary vibe...?"
Their words poked at me.
"Hey. Please."
At my plea, the Manual slowly began to open, and at the same time—
-Bang!
The HR Team door flew open as the disheveled Branch Chief entered.
"...Branch Chief?"
"Kim Jaeheon!"
She parted her messy hair and looked at me.
"Why did you call?"
"Uh... Branch Chief, what's wrong with you?"
It wasn't just her hair—it was a mess. Her clothes were torn in places too.
"I was working."
What kind of work?
"I saved the world a bit."
Hearing the Branch Chief say it made it sound real.
"So, what's the problem?"
She raked back her messy hair with her hand and looked at me.
"Ah, I want to go to a hotel."
"Why ask me about going to a hotel? Taking me along?"
"No, don't think weird."
Like any old person, she was no different from a grandma, spreading the charm.
"I heard there's a hotel related to Aestheticism."
"...Where did you hear that?"
Her hand stopped mid-comb as she smiled, and she stared at me.
"Uh..."
"It's the Response Team, huh."
The Branch Chief let out a deep sigh.
"What am I going to do with you? Diving headfirst into danger by digging into things you shouldn't know..."
She sighed repeatedly while combing her hair, then looked at me.
"So, you want to go there?"
"...Well, not right away—"
"Not right away means you're preparing to go. You've got some plan, don't you?"
"..."
She was usually oblivious, but today her insight was sharp.
"What is it? I won't get mad, so tell me."
With her hair somewhat tidied, the Branch Chief smiled gently at me, and in the end, I had no choice but to come clean.
"I'm going to kill Aestheticism."
"Wow, you're actually crazy."
Her eyes flashed as she stared at me.
Chills ran down my spine.
"You're mad."
"Of course I'm mad hearing that. Wouldn't you be?"
"Why me?"
"You're really pissing me off."
The Branch Chief glared with red eyes, sighed deeply, and closed them.
"Why?"
"There are a few reasons, but..."
"Jang Chaeyeon's sister?"
"...Yes."
She nodded, and the Branch Chief sighed again.
"I know it's regrettable. Tragic, even. Losing a loved one to a containment object."
"..."
"But impossible is impossible. You know what could happen—"
"...I think Aestheticism is going to wreck the world big time."
"...Where did you hear that?"
I cut her off, and she stared at me.
"Can you believe me?"
"..."
Her gaze shifted from me to the Manual in my hand.
"..."
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them.
"I'll give you the info. Not sure if I can go with you."
"If not, at least assign Oh Sanghyeon."
"He's on a business trip."
Always unavailable when needed.
The Branch Chief, eyes closed in thought, suddenly spoke.
"Hotel Inspiration."
"Inspiration?"
Inspiration, huh? A very artist-like name.
"Navigation won't find it. Go to a video site and search for Inspiration Hotel."
She cast her eyes downward.
"There should be a deleted video. Enter 9040 and wait ten seconds, and it'll play..."
"Got it."
"Watch it, then contact me. Or think things over for now."
She dusted off her clothes and stood.
"I'll think about it too. You're not the type to say the world is ending without reason."
With that, the Branch Chief slowly walked out.
"..."
I watched her go, then grabbed my laptop from my desk.
I opened the video site and searched for [Inspiration Hotel].
On the site everyone watched, there was a black-screen video titled [Inspiration Hotel Entry Guide].
I clicked it.
Static crackled, and I entered the password.
Soon, the video began to play.
A man's voice came through.
[Ah, is this recording properly?]
The one piece of info we had right now.
All four of us stared at the screen.