episode_0111

This is the reality I wanted to see. A peaceful and uneventful daily life.

But everyone in the elevator had this reaction.

‘It must be a trap.’

There’s no way we can find a way out so easily.

That thought was making everyone hesitate.

“It’s not a trap.”

“What?”

“That’s definitely reality.”

Jeong Hae-won stood up in surprise at my words that seemed to be a conclusion.

“Wait a minute. Didn’t you say a disaster happened in reality earlier? Nothing happened there?”

At first, he raises his voice loudly, but then he looks around cautiously.

“But since it’s my older sister and not someone else who said that, it seems right… … .”

“Dabin, do you see anything? If you do, tell me.”

This is an ability that I have.

Insights from a librarian.

You can tell to some extent whether the scenery in front of you is an illusion or not.

Of course, there is a weakness in that there may be confusion if the standard of reality changes, but in cases like now, it has become more certain.

[Search terms: floor name, image, time zone, and more]

[Search Complete]

[Show search results.]

I searched for information about the scenery in front of me and the results came out quickly.

Very clean, without any unnecessary information being mixed in.

“It’s not a fantasy, it’s reality. It’s probably in the past.”

“Then. Did we time travel?”

“Yeah.”

Jeong Hae-won still reacts in disbelief.

“Really? Does that make sense?”

“I said that at first too, but it all made sense.”

Dan moved to sit next to Jeong Hae-won and responded.

His voice was calm, as if nothing had happened.

“These people are crazy. This world is crazy. Everything is going crazy, what the.”

“Dabin, can you explain?”

Heo Yun asked calmly.

“Yes. Can I use just one page of notebook?”

“Here it is.”

Robin handed over the notebook he was holding.

I tore a blank page from the end of my notebook and showed it to everyone.

“This is the special structure of the apartment that makes time travel possible. It’s like doing origami. ”

As I explained, I folded the four corners of the paper inward.

Four points that were in completely different places come together in one place.

“Spacetime is folded and twisted and gathered into one point. That’s why even if you move the elevator just a little bit, the time zone changes drastically.”

“If you move just a little bit from that one point, it will move to a completely different place on the original plane.”

“That’s right.”

“What do you mean?”

Yoon Da-ju tilts her head and asks.

“Sister. Please give me just one pen.”

“Here it is.”

This time, Robin hands over the pen instead of Heo Yun.

“Ah. I keep forgetting. Sorry.”

“Okay. Continue explaining.”

I put my pen down at one of the points and drew a straight line down to the left.

A short straight line drawn on folded paper.

At the end of the straight line, another point is marked.

“The elevator’s movement can be explained like this. The center is the starting point, and the left side is the destination.”

“Yes.”

“Then, even though it’s crumpled like this now, think about what it would look like if you unfolded the paper.”

“It seems like you can travel a really long distance.”

“Yeah.”

I briefly unfolded the folded paper.

Clearly, the length of the straight line was less than 1 cm, but the dot had moved to the opposite side of the paper, even to the back.

“That’s why it’s possible for time zones to change. In fact, it’s something I’ve experienced here before. In the first place, the people here all came from different time zones, right?”

Palak-

A cool breeze blows outside the elevator.

The scent of spring.

The front door on the other side. The street outside is covered in cherry blossoms and forsythia flowers in full bloom.

Heo Yun and Seok Hyeon-min. Choi Se-rim and Yoon Da-ju.

I didn’t have to ask to know what the ‘survivors’ who had been exploring this place for a long time felt like.

Something has changed.

I’ve been on countless expeditions, but this is a first.

You must be thinking that.

The reason we were able to get closer to reality was because the story had moved forward a step.

So that we can prepare for the fight ahead.

“Then I have a question too. Can I join in?”

This time Robin raised his hand and asked a question.

I nodded, ready to be asked questions.

“Thank you.”

Robin looked at the paper I was holding and opened his mouth with a stern face.

“No matter how much of a disaster it may have caused, space-time cannot be distorted to this extent. It is true that the fifth apostle is the one who causes the disaster, but he cannot touch the concept of space-time. No matter how destructive the activity may be, it is still something that occurs within the same space-time.”

“… … That’s right.”

“Something. Is there more?”

I nodded.

“But,”

“I think I know what it is. Let’s stop talking here.”

Robin cut him off abruptly.

Her face, which usually looked calm, turned pale in an instant.

“Oh my god.”

“What? What’s going on?”

“Brother?”

As soon as the conversation ends, Rico and Yun Da-ju both raise question marks at the same time.

But I can’t tell you right now.

Just mentioning that name brings vivid images of the apocalypse to mind, making me want to gouge out my eyeballs right away.

“Later. I’ll explain it slowly.”

“Is it like a meme killer? Information that harms people just by hearing it.”

As expected from a researcher at the foundation, Rico brings up the topic of meme killers.

“No, it’s just, it’s a terrible story.”

I’m already starting to feel anxious.

Before I knew it, I was out of breath.

Se-rim, who noticed the change, grabbed my hand tightly.

Yebin looks up at me with a worried face.

Thanks to that, I was able to find some stability.

“I’ll explain this slowly later. When things have stabilized a bit.”

“… … It’s like trauma.”

“Yes.”

“I know that feeling too.”

Rico nods.

Because she was abandoned by her professor and almost died in an elevator, she reacts violently to words like “abandonment” or “betrayal.”

“The fifth apostle. And if we can’t stop the professor, it won’t end in a simple disaster. For now, I’ll just say this.”

“There’s something more, but the goal itself hasn’t changed.”

Seok Hyun-min summarized my words neatly.

“First of all, this floor. Are you planning on exploring it?”

Seok Hyun-min is getting ready to go out, adjusting his glasses.

Heo Yun-do stopped thinking and quickly joined Seok Hyeon-min.

Everyone is getting ready to go out of the elevator.

“Rather than exploring, I think we can just settle here.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I was lucky.”

Was I just lucky, or was this even fate?

Even I don’t know that.

One thing is for sure, there is no better floor to settle down on.

“After looking around for a bit, I’ll unpack and stay here if possible.”

Contrary to the bleak outlook for the future, things were going very well for the time being.

“It’s exactly like reality, and although there are some risk factors, it’s on the very safe side.”

“Wait a minute. Even though it’s real, there are still risks?”

Yoon Da-ju pointed out the parts of my words that she found strange.

“Yeah. We’re not the only ones using the elevator. There could be monsters flowing in from other places. And we have to think about the side effects that occur when we put a specific point in the past like this.”

“Oppa, you’ve been talking about difficult things since a while ago. I’ve been feeling dizzy since a while ago.”

“Really?”

To put it a little more simply, it’s like this.

“This floor itself is safe. Of course, it is a past reality, so there is no danger. But the problem is, what purpose was this floor created for?”

Outside the elevator door.

A glass front door visible from afar.

I looked into the distance at the scenery with sunlight and the scent of flowers streaming in.

Now, going further than that.

I used the librarian’s ‘insight’.

You begin to see more than just what meets the eye.

The most noticeable thing is the boundary dividing space and time.

The cut surface is so clean that it looks as if it was cut with a sharp tool.

“Someone, with some purpose, has torn up a point in the past.”

[Snapshot]

Snapshot.

This refers to a file that preserves the data status of a specific point as if taking a photograph.

Sunlight pours in through the elevator door.

Rico says, stretching out like a lazy cat.

“Is the purpose to leave a history for others to see? That would be nice.”

“They might have been trying to use it as a secret place to conduct some kind of experiment.”

Yoon Da-ju provides quite a sharp analysis.

Even Rico, who had been pestering Da-ju, was impressed.

“Oh.”

Of course, it didn’t last long.

“Is it because I often do secret experiments that I can do such analysis?”

“Ah, ah, really! That story! Stop it! Say it!”

Rico laughs as he sees Yun Da-ju panicking for a moment.

I don’t know what happened between them, but they seem to have been quite close in the past.

“Let’s go now. I think I’ll get kicked out if I stay a little longer.”

Heo Yun organized the chaotic atmosphere.

As the saying goes, the elevator is shaking and giving off a suspicious vibe.

Because you’ve been holding the elevator for too long, a ‘penalty’ is being prepared to appear.

Heo Yun was the first to step outside.

The luggage must be heavy, but he lifts the large bag and carries it with ease.

Robin and Seok Hyun-min also followed, each carrying their own luggage.

“Let’s go!!! Everyone, follow quickly!”

Rico runs out of the elevator as if he’s dying of excitement.

Yoon Da-ju was usually like that, but this time she looked gloomy.

“Oh my gosh, I’m going crazy… … .”

What kind of experiments were you doing in the past?

Judging from the reaction, it doesn’t seem like it’s just some dark history.

In the end, Jeong Hae-won took Yoon Da-joo out, who was drooping.

“Ahhhh… … .”

“Sister. Let’s go first.”

Yebin is now standing at the entrance.

After everyone left, only Dan and I were left in the elevator.

“What was his name? Dabin?”

I nodded.

Dan seemed to have been waiting for this opportunity all along, and as soon as we were left alone, he grabbed me and started crying.

“It’s just that you seem to know a lot. Please tell me something. I’m going crazy, seriously.”

“Ah… haha… … .”

Unlike the others who are associated with the Foundation or have at least some experience surviving in apartments, this man is a completely normal person.

No matter where you look, it’s just confusing.

“Don’t just laugh it off!!! Robin, that guy is the same. Why aren’t you telling me anything? Why???”

But when I look at it, for some reason I find myself laughing.

I can’t stop laughing when I see that bearded old man struggling.

“Excuse me, can I call you sir?”

“I don’t care what you call it, just explain it properly. Please.”

“What is the current situation… … .”

“Yes.”

“The world is about to end right now, so we have to stop it. That’s why.”

“So?”

Dan nods, completely absorbed in my story.

I can’t stand this.

I picked up my bag and ran out the elevator door.

“I’ll let you know later!”

“No, hey! Hey!!!”

The old man calls me with eyes full of bewilderment, and his eyes are really wide.

If I do it wrong, my eyes might pop out.

“Ah seriously, why am I the only one who doesn’t know this!”

I stepped into the apartment hallway and turned to face Dan, who was grumbling.

“You may not know this, but you are needed here too.”

“So why???”

“I don’t know either… … . Anyway, that’s it!”

I smiled and headed toward the glass door.