Ch.121Don’t Think of an Elephant

When the wish was granted, the room returned to its original state.

A white room, waiting for a new wish.

“Ah… ugh…”

Beside me, Heo Yoon was biting her lip tightly.

Just when she had barely composed herself, Dr. Chen appeared before her eyes once again.

“Noona. Take a deep breath first.”

I slowly approached Heo Yoon.

Dr. Chen’s corpse was hanging from the ceiling. In a much more horrific state than what we saw at the hardware store.

It was dried up like a mummy.

His body belonged to this space, not to the bacteria that cause decay.

“Don’t think about anything and try to calm down.”

I know it’s difficult, but it must be done.

Even the smallest stray thought gets greatly amplified in this place.

The next moment.

“Ahhh!”

With a small scream, Heo Yoon’s body shot up toward the ceiling.

“No! Grab her quickly!”

Seok Hyunmin, who was nearby, barely managed to grab her legs.

“What? Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

“I told you. You shouldn’t think about anything. That’s what we need to do…”

Heo Yoon was still suspended in midair.

A black rope that wasn’t visible before was now wrapped around her neck.

“Huk, kuh.”

Heo Yoon struggled, making painful gasping sounds.

I grabbed her arm and painfully met her eyes.

“Noona. Please. Don’t think about anything. That’s how you’ll be freed.”

Seok Hyunmin asked instead.

“What are you talking about?”

“This is the floor that grants wishes! You shouldn’t wish for anything!”

“What…?”

“Why are you only telling us this now?!”

Seok Hyunmin snapped at me angrily, but it didn’t last long.

The moment he finished speaking, a rope appeared and tried to wrap around his shoulder.

Thud!

Pushed by me, Seok Hyunmin fell to the floor.

He looked at the rope in the air and then at me with an incredulous expression.

I emphasized once more:

“You shouldn’t wish for anything.”

This is the floor that grants wishes.

Just thinking of a wish in your mind makes it come true, and the price is immediately demanded.

I deliberately didn’t mention it because of the “frame.”

If you tell someone “don’t think of an elephant,” ironically, they will think about elephants.

Because the elephant frame has already started working.

“That’s why I hid it. If I tell you not to think about something, you’ll think about it more.”

So I deliberately concealed the part about wishes.

Did Heo Yoon unconsciously make a wish?

Maybe I should have told her in advance after all?

Creak-creak-creak-

The white room, about the size of a classroom.

The room that has received a new wish begins to shake and expand.

“No…”

Heo Yoon’s body is being pulled up more and more.

Up close, Heo Yoon looked even more miserable.

Her neck had red and purple abrasions.

Blood vessels had burst in her eyes, and bloody foam was dripping from her lips.

If she goes any higher, she’ll be strangled to death.

Everyone is holding onto Heo Yoon and trying to resist, but the upward pull is too strong.

“Daju. Can you cut the rope?”

“I’ll try! Can you hold on while I open my bag?”

“Yes.”

Daju opened her bag and took out a survival knife.

It was a weapon I hadn’t seen before, probably one of the weapons stolen from the Foundation facility.

Daju confidently struck down with the knife, but,

Clang!

“This is impossible. It’s like a metal chain!”

“…”

The blade aimed at the rope bounced right off.

Meanwhile, Heo Yoon’s body was being pulled up higher and higher. Her feet, suspended in the air, twitched painfully.

“Do something!”

Seok Hyunmin shouted while clinging to Heo Yoon’s legs.

I tried to concentrate as much as possible in the chaotic situation.

“Wait a moment. I’m thinking.”

The best solution would be for Heo Yoon to stop thinking and come down on her own.

But given her mental state, that’s not easy.

Then?

“Dabin!”

I heard Choi Serim’s voice and quickly ducked.

Another black rope brushed past above my head.

It was because the wish “I must save Heo Yoon” had manifested too strongly.

“…”

What’s left is Choi Serim’s ability. It’s not that I hadn’t thought of this.

The problem is that if we do this, Choi Serim will be in danger.

The moment she manipulates someone else’s thoughts, she herself is affected.

With emotions this intense, she would be completely swept away.

In the end, she would just end up hanging in Heo Yoon’s place.

Thud.

Something fell not far away.

I reflexively turned my gaze.

Dr. Chen’s corpse had come down to the floor.

And.

Blink.

Blink.

The doctor opened his eyes wide and blinked a few times.

Sunken eye sockets.

His dried eyeballs were stuck to the inside of his skull.

“Grrrrrr.”

Dr. Chen made a chilling sound as he moved his creaking joints.

His fingers, moving for the first time in a long while, looked like they might break at any moment.

‘I want to bring Dr. Chen back to life.’

Heo Yoon’s wish was coming true.

At the cost of her breath as she hung in midair.

“…”

I didn’t know it would turn out like this.

I thought we’d have enough time to get back to the apartment and take care of Heo Yoon.

The space-time of April 11, 2011 that we had cut out collapsed much faster than expected.

“Dabin. There’s a way.”

Yebin, still expressionless.

“What is it?”

“In the bag. There’s a book.”

“A book?”

“Yes. The one we brought from the library.”

I recalled at Yebin’s words.

A few books we had brought from the library for later use.

If there’s something useful in this situation among them…

“Got it.”

I took out the book I had put in the bag and opened the page with the bookmark.

Being careful not to look at the contents directly.

What’s written on this page is a memetic kill agent with a powerful memory-erasing effect.

It can erase memories immediately, and the success rate is close to 100%.

However, it’s volatile, so it can only be used once.

There’s also a side effect that can cause memory distortion.

Do I really need to use this?

If used, it can definitely erase Heo Yoon’s memories.

No matter how intense her feelings about Dr. Chen are, she’s likely to forget even the sight of Dr. Chen she saw here.

The problem is the side effects.

The human brain is not a computer.

Memories can’t be divided into units like files, and they’re stacked like Jenga blocks, each relying on the others.

If memories are artificially erased, problems will inevitably arise.

Moreover, these characteristics become more pronounced the better the amnestic’s performance.

The cleaner and more perfectly the memory is removed, the larger the empty space left behind, causing problems.

“…”

“Dabin. We’re running out of time.”

“Okay. I got it.”

I tore out the page with the memetic kill agent and held it in my hand.

Heo Yoon was on the verge of suffocation.

Everyone was holding onto Heo Yoon with all their might, but the rope was much stronger.

Heo Yoon was already floating in the air, and even the others holding her were being lifted.

“Should we support her from below? So she can breathe?”

“No. If we do that, she’ll be pulled up completely.”

Such conversations were going on among the group, showing how increasingly difficult it was to hold on.

I called Jung Haewon.

“Hey. Come here.”

“Yes?”

“Lift me up a bit.”

“Noona, you have a plan, right?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, Jung Haewon immediately took action.

He approached with quick steps and lifted me up with both arms.

“Wait. You could have just bent down…”

I lost my balance momentarily at the unexpected situation.

“Ah!”

“Noona, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just keep holding on!”

Fortunately, I was able to grab his neck with my arms and position myself on his shoulders.

The process was a bit messy, but I was able to get up on his shoulders as planned.

Carefully maintaining balance, I cautiously raised my head to look ahead.

Heo Yoon hanging with her eyes closed.

Now we’re at eye level again.

“Everyone close your eyes.”

“What?”

“I’m going to use a memetic kill agent. Everyone close your eyes!”

Using both arms while riding on someone’s shoulders was much harder than I thought.

Even moving just one arm made me wobble constantly.

First, I plan to force her eyes open and make her read the memetic kill agent.

With my legs firmly wrapped around Jung Haewon, I slowly bent and leaned forward.

I was able to lean against Heo Yoon’s body. Now I can use both hands.

With one hand holding the paper open, I use the other to lift Heo Yoon’s eyelids.

I don’t need to open both eyes. One is enough for her to see.

Snap.

The rope that seemed impossible to break snapped easily.

Along with Heo Yoon’s body falling down, I could see the used memetic kill agent dispersing into the air.

Thud!

The fall made quite a loud noise, but it wasn’t fatal.

At worst, it was a height that would only cause bruising.

It should be okay now.

“That’s done… Put me down.”

I slowly got down from Jung Haewon’s back.

Heo Yoon was lying there in a miserable state, with wounds all around her neck.

“Noona. Noona, are you okay?”

“Is she breathing? Check quickly!”

People around were anxiously checking her condition, but she herself was sleeping with a peaceful face.

I pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

“She’ll be fine.”

My voice lacks strength.

Questions about my brother. Some kind of contract. Dr. Chen’s death. Even seeing Heo Yoon suffering.

There have been many difficult things, but this time I feel completely drained. Mentally.

In the corner of my vision, Dr. Chen’s corpse was weathering away and disappearing.

“…Let’s go back now. To the elevator.”

The floor that grants wishes.

I once thought it could be a place to stay, but it was a much more unstable space than I expected.

“We can’t stay here.”

Rustle.

I hear Daju picking up her luggage.

Dan and Riko are also gathering their things.

I put my bag back on my shoulder and grabbed Seok Hyunmin’s carrier.

“You take care of Yoon noona.”

“…Okay.”

Seok Hyunmin carries Heo Yoon on his back.

“…”

“…”

Until we left the narrow room and settled in the elevator, no one spoke.

Scratch. Scratch.

Only the sound of Choi Serim writing in the exploration journal could be heard.

[Memo]

Obtained: New weapons seized from the Foundation facility

Danger: The price of a wish = life!

Countermeasure: Try not to think about anything

Especially thoughts like wanting something…

***

The elevator’s guidance voice sometimes plays, sometimes doesn’t.

[The door is opening.]

This time, an emotionless male voice announces our arrival.

As the door opens, a new floor begins to appear.

“…Let’s stay here for a while this time.”

A corridor of some hotel, with purple carpet laid out.