Ch.93Reuse, Reduce, Recycle Movement (4)

I held a book in my hand.

Choi Serim read the title aloud.

“Character Directory?”

“Yes. I used my Librarian authority to leave our records in the Library.”

“What exactly did you do with this?”

Flip-

I explained while turning the pages.

The pages contained records about us.

Profile photos, brief personality descriptions, and even notable abilities.

“By leaving records like this, a person’s existence will remain forever.”

“I suppose so. This isn’t an ordinary library after all.”

“Then.”

Thud.

When I removed my hand from the book, the pages closed again.

The black leather cover was fully visible.

“Maybe we don’t need to be recycled anymore?”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“There are two rules here. The first is what you mentioned earlier. This is a painting that extends infinitely to the vanishing point.”

“And the second?”

“Useless things get recycled. And here, ‘useless’ means things that will eventually disappear without meaning.”

Going outside means death.

Dead people can’t leave any traces. Even if someone remembers them, that person will eventually die too.

That’s why the space demanded recycling.

It insisted we should create eternal art in exchange for lives that would disappear anyway.

That a moment of pain was worth enduring.

But I suggested a different path.

Using the Librarian’s authority.

This is even more immortal than artwork.

Records preserved in a book. Especially one stored in an infinite archive would probably remain until the end of the universe.

“I presented a new purpose through these records. So there’s no need for recycling anymore.”

“Is that why everyone else came back right away?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Surprise spread across Choi Serim’s silent face.

“Wow.”

Her lips seemed to curl up before her expression completely opened.

“I’m glad I passed the Librarian authority to you, Dabin.”

“Actually, it was thanks to you. Once I realized this was inside a painting, my thoughts reached that conclusion.”

I held the book and waved it through the air.

The thick book instantly disappeared.

“Hey, Lim Dabin.”

“…Yes?”

“Come here.”

Choi Serim pulled me into a tight embrace.

“Dabin!!!”

Before I could step back, her warm, soft body enveloped me.

It was almost suffocating for a moment, but once I adjusted my posture, I could stay comfortably.

“Thank you, really. I thought none of us would get out of here. Thank you.”

Heartbeat. I could even feel her breathing at this distance.

Warm breath touched my cheek. I could feel her heartbeat through our pressed bodies.

“But you know.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you say you could read thoughts? I thought you already knew everything.”

“Ah, well, actually.”

Choi Serim suddenly trailed off.

“You can’t read my thoughts at all now?”

“Actually… Yes. That’s right.”

She seemed a bit flustered, but still held me in her embrace.

“I mentioned this before, but your resistance has gotten stronger, Dabin. My abilities won’t work on you anymore.”

“So even if I deliberately let my guard down like this, you still can’t read my thoughts?”

“Probably not.”

“Even now?”

Choi Serim nodded lightly.

“That’s a relief.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m never going to tell you.”

Even though I’m in a woman’s body, my mind is still a man’s.

In this situation, it’s inevitable to have at least one strange thought.

If she had caught it, things would have gotten awkward.

Strange thoughts…

Is that right?

Somehow it just feels comfortable. Warm and pleasant.

A sudden uneasy premonition flashed through my mind.

Have I forgotten what it’s like to be turned on?

Come to think of it, it was the same when bathing.

At first, I spent a long time looking in the mirror, but now I hardly look at all.

Maybe I’ve adapted to being a woman.

The feeling of excitement comes from unfamiliarity.

With a female body always in front of me, the thrill has disappeared.

I’d rather believe that’s the case.

The idea that my mind has become completely female, forgetting what turns me on…

Who knows, maybe soon I’ll start being attracted to men.

“Can I just do something for a moment?”

“Hm? What is it?”

I buried my face in the fabric in front of me.

A soft feeling.

There’s a sense of satisfaction like resting on a pillow, but that’s it.

“…”

“Dabin. What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just, ah. Aah…”

“Yes?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

I need to think about this.

After we get out of this wretched open space.

“Let’s wake the others now.”

“Right!”

I carefully grabbed Daju’s shoulder as she slept soundly.

“Yoon Daju. Wake up.”

Daju rubbed her eyes as she woke up.

Then Heo Yoon, Seok Hyunmin, and the AI all woke up too.

“We can’t use this floor anymore. Let’s move quickly.”

“Yeah…”

Heo Yoon answered with a subdued voice.

“But is there a way out of here?”

“Right. I don’t see an elevator.”

Seok Hyunmin pushed up his glasses and chimed in.

While everyone was making comments, I quietly stared into the distance of the open space.

My mind is complicated.

Not because of finding a way out, but because of what I just realized about my body.

Getting out itself is simple.

This is inside a painting. If you want to get out, you just break through.

I picked up a rusty nail lying on the ground.

“Wait a moment. Don’t go anywhere else.”

Swish.

This is something only someone who knows we’re in a painting can do.

The tip of the nail, extended into empty space, caught on something.

Without releasing pressure, I dragged it downward.

Riiiiip-

Space tearing like paper.

Like a hidden door revealed behind wallpaper, the corridor with the elevator appeared through the gap.

“Huh.”

“Wow. This is seriously unbelievable.”

Heo Yoon and Seok Hyunmin let out incredulous laughs at the surreal scene.

I pulled open the dangling piece of reality.

With a ripping sound, a piece of paper came off.

I stepped through to the other side.

“Everyone can come out this way.”

As we exited the painting, the AI delivered an awkward concluding remark.

“Once again, Dabin found the answer.”

People responded to such comments.

“Indeed.”

“I always believed in Dabin. I knew she’d figure it out even if we all disappeared.”

“Isn’t our Dabin really smart?”

And Choi Serim with the finishing touch.

This is really dizzying.

“Ah. Please stop.”

“Uh, junjju. Jubleuh.”

Seok Hyunmin started mimicking me.

“Are you imitating me right now?”

“Juh-geum juh ddeu-ruh-neun guh-ye-oh?”

We nearly died just now, and he’s acting completely insane.

When I first met him, he seemed like such a sensible person. Or maybe recent events have changed Hyunmin too.

Sighing, I walked toward the corridor outside.

Looking back one last time, I saw a small painting.

A palm-sized picture in a frame hanging on the wall.

The scene of an open space filled with waste converges and disappears at the vanishing point.

We must have been sucked in there as soon as we arrived on this floor.

It feels strangely empty.

“So we were trapped inside a painting that small.”

“Juh-meun-han geu-reum suk-eh-“

“Stop it.”

Thankfully, Heo Yoon played the role of restrainer.

Seok Hyunmin was dragged away by his sideburns.

Daju, uncharacteristically quiet for a while, finally spoke up with one comment.

“This is really unbelievable.”

“Yoon Daju, are you sure you’re okay?”

“…Yes.”

“Somehow it feels like Hyunmin hyung caught your quirkiness.”

Everyone’s mentally unstable right now.

They might seem harmonious now.

But fear has been accumulating beneath the surface, ready to explode if someone makes a wrong move.

And in this situation, should I really be worrying about “not being turned on by women” anymore?

“Haah…”

I just sighed more.

I have many concerns, but no luxury to address them one by one.

Just as I was about to head back to the elevator.

“Noona!!!”

Jung Haewon’s voice echoed loudly through the corridor.

“Are you really okay? Answer me!!!”

It might seem like Jung Haewon is just being dramatic, but this is actually a safety measure.

First, he confirms if we’re in our right minds, and if we’ve gone insane beyond help, he was told to escape alone.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

Daju was the first to enter the elevator.

Heo Yoon, Seok Hyunmin, and Choi Serim passed through the corridor in sequence and entered.

And when everyone had returned,

I remained in front of the painting.

There was still one thing left to do.

– Draw the observer into one’s artistic world.

This painting. I wonder if I could use it somehow?

I’m certain that time will come. I had that intuition.

But where exactly?

While I examined the painting from various angles, I could hear others worrying behind me.

“Dabin! Come quickly!”

“Oppa, what are you doing over there?”

“Wait. I should go get her.”

“Just a moment!”

I answered in the loudest voice possible and continued examining the painting.

A nail protruding from the corridor wall.

A small frame hanging there.

The painting is torn.

We had exited through that thin slit.

Thud.

I removed the frame and separated the painting inside.

Though torn, it still emanated an ominous energy.

It seems like it could be useful, but taking it as is would surely cause problems.

“What are you doing there?”

Heo Yoon suddenly appeared behind me.

“I’m trying to take this.”

“This painting? Isn’t that too dangerous?”

“I feel like it will definitely be useful somewhere.”

“Hmm…”

Heo Yoon crossed her arms and nodded slightly.

That’s her habit when thinking deeply.

“I’m not sure. But since it’s something you’re doing, Dabin, I’ll trust you.”

“Then, do you happen to have something like a pocket knife?”

“A knife? Would a survival knife work?”

“Yes.”

“I put it in my front pocket for just such an occasion!”

Heo Yoon rummaged through her bag and tossed a black dagger.

“Here! Catch!”

“You shouldn’t throw something like that!”

“You caught it, didn’t you?”

Heo Yoon grinned as she watched me fumble.

Everyone’s really strange.

Anyway, I caught the knife. Now I just need to do some simple work.

“But what are you going to use this for?”

“I’m going to modify the painting a bit before taking it.”

Like removing poison from a pufferfish, I plan to cut out only the dangerous parts with the knife.

Holding the dagger, I took out a water bottle from my bag.

Glug glug glug-

Water streamed refreshingly from the bottle’s mouth.

The paper with the painting got thoroughly soaked.

Then I carefully scraped the surface with the knife.

The hardened, settled layer of paint began to peel off in front of the blade.

“Now it’s done.”

What remained was clean paper.

There were still some stains here and there, but I suppose that’s unavoidable.

“It needs to be dried separately.”

“Yes.”

“Put it between book pages to dry. So it doesn’t get too wrinkled.”

“Do you have a book?”

“No.”

“I guess I’ll just put it between our belongings.”

I returned to the elevator, chatting with Heo Yoon about various things.

As soon as we returned, Jung Haewon immediately thrust his phone at me.

“Noona! Want to see the video I took?”

“What is it?”

“If I post this online, I’ll get at least a million YouTube views.”

Tap.

The video started playing.

– Good. We’ve arrived.

– Grab your stuff!

The video showed us, of course.

This was right when we started our exploration.

Up to this point, it matches my memory…

“This is where it gets really interesting.”

As soon as we exit the elevator, we get sucked into the painting with a whoosh.

“What? Is this really what you saw?”

“Yes. I was really shocked. Amazing, right?”

“Yeah. This would definitely get a lot of views on YouTube.”

“How should we split the profits?”

“What? We get a share too, right?”

“Me too! Just give me a million won.”

Centered around Jung Haewon, the topic instantly shifted to YouTube.

Not just me, but Heo Yoon and Yoon Daju too.

Everyone jumped into the conversation trying to secure their share.

“But we don’t need to decide this now.”

The AI, of course, was the one to pour cold water on the discussion.

“We can’t post anything if we can’t get out of here anyway.”

The matter-of-fact tone is really annoying.

The silver hair poking into his eyes, yet he doesn’t even brush it away.

“And you don’t need to record everything individually. I’ve been recording everything, you know?”

He glanced toward my phone.

“Dabin. Check your KakaoTalk.”

“What’s this?”

There were lots of files in my KakaoTalk.

All video files. Records of our previous explorations.

“I recorded everything just in case. I was inside your phone before, remember? I took some permissions then.”

“Huh.”

I can only laugh in disbelief.

“Why are you telling us this now?”