Chapter 302: Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (24)

– Han Kain

While a battle was unfolding on the screen between the gumiho Eunsol-noona had entered and the special forces dispatched by the Vatican, my companions started a heated discussion.

Songee seemed a bit flustered, “Didn’t Unni make a bit of a hasty decision? Couldn’t she have considered other methods more?”

Elena showed an attitude of understanding but incongruity, “Although the scenes passed by quickly on the screen we’re watching, I think Eunsol-unni must have agonized for more than half a day… More importantly, what was that just now? It’s not like she’s some magical girl.”

Ahri was glued to the screen, examining each “spell used by the gumiho” one by one while discussing with the doctor, “So she makes gestures with her hand movements to cast spells? There’s a delay right before casting. That’s why she’s being targeted.”

“If Miss Ahri goes in, could you fill that delay with Ancient Blood? If you could subdue the Vatican’s special forces, the progression might be quite comfortable…”

“I need to watch a bit more. It feels like Eunsol is using various things in turn to show us?”

“What about that movement just now? It seems to have generated a shockwave?”

Amidst this atmosphere of everyone doing their best, I just leaned back on the sofa and thought.

Let others analyze the details like the gumiho’s abilities and the time it takes for the Vatican’s special forces to arrive. I’ll ponder more fundamental issues.

How on earth are we supposed to solve this?

Looking at it purely within the movie, the appropriate scenario seemed clear. Kill 28 humans and transform into a human.

After that, casting the secret technique of oblivion to wash away the past, or creating a fake identity to adapt to the human world, Han Yuri herself would figure that out.

Eunsol-noona couldn’t accept this scenario and refused, asking the next person to find another solution, seemingly making an ethical consideration.

I…

Well, I didn’t really relate to such concerns. They were people in a movie within a movie. Was there a need to think of such beings as complete humans?

However, apart from ethical concerns, there was indeed a problem with the civilian hunting scenario. Honestly, anyone could see it wasn’t a “happy ending,” right? It was obvious the guide would shake his head.

Could there be a scenario where both gumihos and humans alike smile at the same time? How on earth can this have a happy ending?

Just as I felt my head throbbing, Ahri tapped my shoulder.

“Ah. Ahri. Have you finished analyzing the movie details? I saw you and the doctor going like ‘haiyah!’ in front of the screen.”

“We weren’t going ‘haiyah’ or anything like that, we were just imitating the spell movements while you were sleeping in the back.”

“I wasn’t sleeping, I was just having deep, philosophical thoughts.”

“What thoughts?”

“Can we make a happy ending for this?”

“Hmm…”

“A happy ending without sacrifices, if that’s possible, I think no one but you, an Administration agent, would know. Since Grandpa is gone and all.”

“There is one, but it’s difficult to realize.”

“Tell me in detail.”

“Don’t lie half-sprawled on the chair and ask me to speak. Sit in a respectful posture.”

I straightened up and knelt on the chair.

“Ahri Sensei, please speak. Look, Songee and Elena are perking up their ears too.”

Songee flinched and knelt down too.

Ahri smirked and explained simply, “They said it themselves, didn’t they? Monsters like gumihos are bound by folklore. The reason they need to eat 100 livers to become human? It’s because such folklore actually exists and has been reproduced in creative works. In this case, if it’s not a very famous folklore, you can just erase the folklore itself or change its content.”

Songee asked, “But gumiho folklore is extremely famous. Can you change it all?”

“It’s difficult. It requires a lot of time and resources. In fact, there’s no reason for the Vatican to do that. Why would they do such a thing when they can just kill two gumihos and be done with it?”

I was at a loss for words because it was too correct. Even if I were a high-ranking official in the Vatican or the Administration Bureau, I’d just kill the two gumihos and end it rather than doing such nonsense.

“Is there no other way?”

“There’s also a method of changing them into beings from similar but different in detail folklore. But this is extremely difficult, too.”

“Hmm…”

“In my view, the standard scenario for that story is indeed eating people. Other scenarios are all either forced or impossibly difficult.”

“But how can that be a happy ending?”

With Songee’s point, the theater fell silent. Even Ahri seemed not to know the answer to this part.

As time passed, the movie naturally ended with Noona’s death, and a signal appeared for the next person to enter. Around that time, I had my own thoughts.

“It seems like a simple problem too…”

Ahri looked at me.

“A simple problem?”

“We don’t need to satisfy all three from the start, right?”

Ahri understood immediately.

“Give up on the guide and just get votes from the merchant and the souvenir girl?”

“Shouldn’t we go for something plausible yet bizarre and horrific? Give up on the happy ending.”

“A plausible yet bizarre and horrific plot, what on earth—“

Ahri, who had been speaking up to this point, suddenly raised her eyebrows slightly.

“One thing came to mind. Listen.”

After hearing Ahri’s explanation, not only my expression but everyone around closed their mouths tightly.

After a while, Jinchul-hyung barely offered an opinion, “T-the merchant would probably like it. So you’re planning to go in this time, Ahri?”

“That would be good. It seems like it would be difficult for anyone else, anyway.”

Ahri, standing up in the theater, shouted as she approached the screen, “Guide! I’ll take my Blessing with me!”

“Huh? Blessing?”

Songee showed signs of confusion as Ahri usually had a very low dependence on Blessings. However, the doctor, who had analyzed the gumiho’s abilities with Ahri in front of the screen, put his hand on Songee’s shoulder.

“This is the conclusion we reached while discussing with Ahri earlier.”

“Is that so? If that’s the case…”

– Kim Ahri

When I closed my eyes and opened them again, I started in the same bustling place where Mooksung and Eunsol had started. But the time seemed a bit different. With a “Could it be?”, I entered 25 Hour Black Cafe, and it was as expected.

– Ding dong!

“Ah! You’ve come? I was wondering if something happened because you were late.”

“…I guess I was late.”

“It’s alright. It must have been a difficult confession, so you probably agonized until the end. Oh, Ms. Park Sumi has already ‘confirmed’ her story. It’s Miss Yuri’s turn now, would you like to come this way?”

“Alright.”

When Do Inho suddenly looked at the theater and said “confirmed”, I thought “Could it be?” and it seemed the first scenario ended with the content Eunsol completed. From now on, I should proceed from the second scenario.

“Ahem! Then, now—“

“Wait a moment!”

I quickly approached Han Yuri and grasped her hand strongly. While the girl with surprisingly beautiful looks was greatly flustered, I examined her eyes, hair, and so on in detail.

“…”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Ahri? Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“I’m sorry. You look so much like someone I know… I was rude.”

When I bowed my head a couple of times, everyone laughed awkwardly. They must all be thinking that they called someone to tell a scary story, but a crazy girl came instead.

I wanted to check if Han Yuri was definitely human now. The conclusion is that she’s human with a very high probability. As expected, it seems I need to proceed according to the scenario we set up outside.

Soon, Han Yuri began to reminisce about the past and entered the play within the play.

– The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho

– Ding dong dang dong!

With the loud bell sound, an unexpected event occurred. Immediately, I strongly grabbed the arm of Saerom, who was chattering beside me, and whispered in her ear.

“Yuri! Do you have time tomor—uh?”

“Take me outside.”

“Huh? Huh?”

“There’s a problem with the secret technique of oblivion.”

Saerom’s expression froze for a moment, then she quietly nodded. As the secret technique of oblivion suppressing the gumiho’s mind was touching my memories like an eraser in real-time, I needed to break the technique itself.

While moving quickly, I strongly grabbed Saerom’s arm again in front of the shoe locker.

“Yuri?”

“You, there!”

The idiot behind the shoe locker was silent.

“Tonight at 8, on the rooftop.”

With those words, I moved to the playground. Saerom was puzzled.

“Who were you talking to?”

“The confession killer.”

“Eck?”

As soon as we arrived at the playground, my head cleared and the wisdom and power of the gumiho began to seep into my head. With this, I had passed the most dangerous timing. I chose my Blessing instead of Ancient Blood, trusting in the power of a gumiho.

Also, if a story came up later where I couldn’t freely use supernatural powers like in the first story, it seemed easier to use “Unnoticeable Girl” or “Compass” rather than Ancient Blood, which was clearly a superpower.

“…”

Saerom, looking around, approached quietly.

“Unni, are you okay? If you break the technique here, you’ll be very hungry.”

“That’s right.”

I understood why Eunsol almost went half-crazy. To exaggerate a bit, would it be understandable if I said that every student walking in the school smelled like well-grilled steak and hamburgers?

“Lunch time will end soon. Shall we go in now?”

“You go in first.”

“Unni?”

“I’ll be in soon.”

Perhaps because I was different from the usual Han Yuri, Saerom tilted her head and returned to the classroom alone. Instead of entering the school, I went outside through the main gate. To proceed with the plan I’ve set up, I needed quite a lot of preparations.

“Y-Yuri!”

There’s a baseball team boy on the playground at this time.

“…Senior Jiho.”

“I, I, I, I—“

“8 PM tonight.”

“What?”

“I’ll see you on the school rooftop then.”

The baseball team boy looked at me walking quickly towards the main gate with a confused expression.

Come to think of it, this current “moving time” was a scene without much significance. It wouldn’t be included in the edited movie that my companions were watching. They’d probably just show a cut that instantly moved to the next location. Thinking about this, various thoughts started to come to mind.

“…”

When was it? 30 years ago? 50 years ago? I don’t remember well.

After coming out of the Deep Sea Hotel, the first person I met. It was the director of the Korean branch of the Administration. He died so long ago that even his face remained only as a blurry image now.

“…”

— Agent Kim Ahri, do you think people are equal?

— That’s what I learned in school.

— It’s not wrong. Human lives are equal. In most situations, we believe so as well. We try to save as many people as possible without discrimination.

— I see.

— But there are exceptions. There are people who are not equal. Who do you think they are?

— Exceptions? Um… People possessed by evil spirits? People infected with neural parasites?

— Those aren’t people, they’re just targets for elimination.

— High-ranking politicians? Chaebols?

— We don’t care much about civilian world status.

— …I don’t know then.

— The answer is simple. You.

— What?

— People who can fight against monsters and ghosts, fanatics and evil gods. If you, an agent of the Administration, were to die, who would protect the world? So we are unequal beings. Repeat after me. All humans are equal. Except us!

— …

— Repeat it.

“All humans are equal. Except us!”

I was surprised by the voice that suddenly came out of my mouth. To think that this ridiculous, supremacist sentence I learned long ago would come out of my mouth again…

“…”

But this statement was 95% true. To make it 100%, a slight expansion of the concept was enough.

All humans are equal. Except Administration agents and those who will become agents!

That was why, unlike Eunsol, I didn’t hesitate at all.

Even if the people here were real humans and not NPCs in a movie, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I had already experienced countless similar situations to hesitate now of all times.

“Can I have a lighter, please?”