Chapter 137 |
A sharp boom jolted Seome back to her senses.
Reflexively, she reached behind her back, but grasped only air. The familiar weight of her sword was gone. The chill of empty hands snapped her bleary mind awake in an instant. Seome's brow furrowed as she took in her surroundings.
She was inside an elevator.
'...An elevator?'
She traced her memory. A phone ringing in the living room. She'd picked up the receiver thinking it might be related to the Contract--and immediately after, everything went dark.
The trajectory of the force was wrong for a hotel prank. It was unmistakably the Lover of Dawn's doing.
'In that case, there's a strong chance Mr. Yeon-woo has lost his memories.'
Seome's gaze moved to the floor indicator. Only the number '25' was lit with a cold glow. The rooftop. The place Yeon-woo had explicitly warned her never to go.
Seome pressed the other buttons, but the machine gave no response. The vibration of the ascending elevator traveled through the soles of her feet. She had to accept that she was being offered up as a sacrifice.
Seome took a deep breath and began piecing together fragments of memory. Yeon-woo had surely told her something for exactly a situation like this. But before she could organize her thoughts--
"......"
Ding--
The doors opened.
The thick smell of blood hit her.
***
......
......
"The Lover of Dawn is going to consume me."
"Ah, yes. Pardon?"
"To make that happen, I'll need to provoke the Lover of Dawn--no, the White Crow--using every clue I've gathered so far."
"No, wait."
Seome knew a little about the White Crow--the classical labyrinth said to have existed since the sixteenth century--in the way any mercenary would. But even she couldn't comprehend what Yeon-woo was saying.
"Is there... is there truly a reason it has to be that way?"
"If things continue like this, the White Crow will ruin me regardless."
He added.
"That's been the repeating cycle in this hotel over the years you haven't been here. It's not in my own memory, but it is in the records."
His voice was, as always, dry yet composed.
"Previously, there was no penalty for being killed by a hotel guest aside from loss of time and resources, and I'd thought the physical problems that emerged afterward had been recently addressed...."
Seome didn't understand, but 'previously' referred to the tutorial period, and 'recently' meant after the tutorial--specifically after the synchronization following the pursuit with the Guest Without Taste.
"After bringing you all up from the underground and checking, I confirmed that something had changed in me."
"Changed... that sounds ominous."
"Once I die, I'll fully assimilate with the 'General Manager.'"
"What does that--"
"At that point, you should assume you won't be dealing with the personality known as 'Lee Yeon-woo.'"
He also added that "it appears to be a result of the hotel intervening during the improvement process."
"It's not welcome news, which is why I've been trying to shield you from the Lover of Dawn while avoiding death as much as possible. But staying this course is disadvantageous for all of us."
Yeon-woo said 'all of us,' grouping Seome and Rawi together with himself.
"Now that the White Crow has entered the hotel's rules under the name 'Lover of Dawn,' it's difficult for me to exercise force against her."
"...Then, that sounds dangerous."
"Yes. If this continues, it'll be nothing more than a war of attrition where she gnaws away at my memories, and I'll inevitably hit a wall. Even if I don't die, I'll gradually stop being who I am now."
"That's bad news for us, too."
"Better than becoming the General Manager outright, but I could lose my memories of you, or my personality could deteriorate. We can't afford to drag this out."
Seome, lips parting hesitantly, spoke.
"...You're being unusually forthcoming today...."
"Naturally."
He might have smiled then. A dry, clouded smile, devoid of moisture like a fallen leaf.
"I can't keep my mouth shut when things have gotten this bad."
"......"
"Being in this hotel makes me strangely long-winded."
"...It's because you've been alone."
When a person is trapped alone in a labyrinth, that's what happens. They either become very talkative or very silent. For someone like Yeon-woo, you could say he'd gone mad in a remarkably graceful fashion.
"There's no one beside you to chatter with."
"That too."
Having said this, Yeon-woo looked at Seome.
"But there is a way."
"This... contract?"
"A recruitment ticket, but you're not wrong. However, the method I'm referring to is separate from that. There's no need to tie yourself to this hotel just yet."
He said he would buy as much time as he could. And when the truly unforeseen moment arrived and he hit his limit, there was a 'method' to create just enough breathing room for Seome to sign the contract.
"I'll turn the White Crow's habits against her."
"Habits, as in... wandering around at dawn?"
"She seems to have a preference for consuming the attachment figures she's targeted."
Seome was silent for a moment, then asked.
"Is that canni--?"
"Accurate, but let's stop there."
"R-right."
Then again, labyrinths that devoured people were a dime a dozen. 'Offering' was essentially a form of consumption, too. Labyrinths had a nature that compelled them to endlessly devour concepts smaller than themselves.
'Still, a human-shaped labyrinth literally tearing a person apart with its mouth would look a bit different.'
Even in The Gaps, that was frowned upon. Her stomach churned. Yeon-woo said:
"You saw it yourself not long ago."
"I'm not sure I can say I 'saw' it, given I wasn't in my right mind."
Rawi, at least, seemed to have gotten a proper look.
"I heard she demanded parts of your body. Rawi was tearing his hair out over it, all the way up to the heart. And his hair's already short."
"He must be resourceful."
"He's got some dexterity."
A talented junior, that one.
"So that was a habit... I see. I didn't know."
"It checks out when I review the memories."
"Never thought I'd think this, but Blood Magic is really convenient...."
"It has its uses when handled well."
"Though I'm sure the hardships are their own beast."
It wasn't shunned as a discipline for nothing.
'I'd heard that the technique of inserting part of yourself to read the target's memories was extremely high-level.'
She found herself newly appreciating the caliber of the person sitting before her.
"So what's the method for turning that against her?"
"I've been feeding her bits of myself here and there."
"Please don't say that like you're packing snacks for a child."
"I'm fairly nutritious, to be fair."
"Stop that."
Yeon-woo shrugged.
"If the situation becomes truly irreversible, I feed her my entire body."
"......"
Radical to the point of horrifying, but.
"...So that's what you meant earlier."
That he'd be consumed by the Lover of Dawn. That he'd need to provoke her for it. That she'd ruin him at this rate regardless.
"And you said you'd fully assimilate with the General Manager afterward."
"That's the biggest drawback of this plan."
"Then what happens?"
Would he be bound to this hotel forever?
"If the General Manager truly overwrites you...."
"I didn't mention this before, but, Seome."
He said with a faint smile.
"I can leave this hotel."
"...What?"
"I thought there might be a misunderstanding."
A misunderstanding that had driven her to try to kill him.
"In the end, I'm still tethered here, so even if I step out briefly, I can't escape for good."
"But you just said you can leave...?"
"Simply put, I'm now in a state where outings are possible. And precisely because of that, 'Lee Yeon-woo' can't completely vanish from this hotel, either."
"...That too, in the end...."
"Whether I can fully break free of this place, and whether the person called Lee Yeon-woo can persist--those are entirely separate questions."
Yeon-woo added.
"I've already made it so. Despite the process of assimilating with this hotel, whether by luck or by force of will... I'm still here."
That was such, such a relief.
"...Then you'll come back?"
"That's certainly how it will go."
"Even if you become the 'General Manager,' the original...."
"I'll return to my original self."
Yeon-woo added.
"It won't happen just by breathing, but if certain conditions are met, it can be done. I've already drawn up plans for that, too."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're insanely obsessed with planning?"
"I heard it from time to time."
Seome reproached herself.
'So I'm relieved, looking at a Dokkaebi chained in place.'
If Yeon-woo was right, he wouldn't disappear. He wasn't being 'preserved alive' like an Offering swallowed by any other labyrinth. He was truly, living, bound to this hotel forever.
But even that one thing alone made Seome feel grateful.
Her stomach churned.
"...So unlike before, you're going to make her consume your entire body, not just parts."
"I've been steadily feeding her pieces of myself since you and Rawi arrived, but that alone won't be enough to control the Lover of Dawn. That's why I judged this volume of input would be necessary."
"Control for what purpose?"
"To ensure, at minimum, that you--specifically Rawi--have at least one way out of this hotel alive."
Yeon-woo continued.
"The White Crow consumes the candidates she suspects of being ■■■, and the people she finds whose love pleases her, she turns into retainers. She transforms them into white birds and merges them into herself...."
"...Sorry, what did you say just before that? It was about three syllables, I think. My ears hurt. My head's swimming. These are typical contamination symptoms. What did you actually say?"
"I'm freshly reminded of how far from human I've become with each passing day. My apologies--just because it's fine for me doesn't mean it's fine for you."
Then Yeon-woo had her consume some of his ■, and her mind cleared.
"Uh... what was I just saying? I can't remember where I left off."
"Best not to try recalling it. Just continue listening to my explanation."
He said.
"Besides this method, I also considered temporarily storing you inside the Drenched One's body."
"Aren't you taking liberties just because I'm a water attribute?"
"It would certainly be a human rights violation, and I thought in that case, the being called 'Seome' might cease to exist. It would be safer to gain control of the White Crow and keep you as at least a separate entity."
In terms of preserving the self.
"I bear responsibility for leading you here, so I'd like to see you all out safely, but since that's not possible--use this contract to plan for the future, and help Rawi escape this hotel safely."
Then,
"I'll gain the upper hand in my contract with the Lover of Dawn and claim you under my authority."
"...I won't be able to do much alone. If I'm turned into a bird, I'll barely be able to move...."
"Before long, you'll encounter the colleagues who came looking for Rawi. Just guide them so they don't lose their way."
This was the first step toward all of it.
"I'll provoke the White Crow for that purpose. I'll shake her from within, and in the process, die and become the General Manager. And then, Seome...."
"I understand."
What I need to do from here on.
"Once Mr. Yeon-woo gains the upper hand in his relationship with the White Crow, you'll be able to claim ownership of me, even if I've been 'stored' in the form of a white bird."
"Then I'll find a way to restore you to your original form."
He said with a transparent gaze.
"I'm not a good person."
He might have been smiling awkwardly.
"You don't know me well yet, but... I'm really not a good person."
"Why are you saying this?"
"The General Manager is built on me."
He added, "'Built on' is a bit off since a lot of things are mixed in, but still."
"Simply put, my worst self will be laid bare."
"How terrible could your worst self be?"
"I wanted to disappoint you in advance, so you won't be too shocked later."
"I have a feeling I won't be disappointed, which is the problem."
"I'm saying this out of genuine concern."
His tone was far too composed for a confession.
"I'm selfish and arrogant. I've become more so during my stay in this hotel, but my nature itself was never kind--I'm a terrible person. I had to shave away what I was born with just to become someone who fit into the world."
Strange words.
"What does it mean to be someone who fits into the world?"
"At minimum, a pro-humanity being, wouldn't you say?"
"I don't think that's necessary."
With Yeon-woo having become a Dokkaebi, what did it even matter? The one or two Dokkaebi reportedly left in all of Korea didn't even particularly like humans. They were closer to indifferent.
But Yeon-woo seemed to think differently.
"You thought highly enough of me that you wanted to save me even at the cost of killing me. Seome."
"So... are you worried?"
"Honestly, yes."
"I truly have no idea why you're suddenly saying all this."
"As I mentioned, the first reason is a kind of inoculation."
He continued.
"And the second is the need to introduce you to the roommate you'll be living with for a while."
"An introduction...."
"It won't be long now."
Until the day that 'limit' was reached.
"Best prepare yourself."
"Should we... make it as soon as tomorrow night?"
By the window where dawn's moonlight streamed in, Seome asked whether she could take the blow early, but he declined.
"Let's wait just a little longer."
Yeon-woo spoke to Seome, who was staring at the paper.
"We might find a better way."
Seome's gaze moved to the notebook he'd handed her alongside the paper. It was packed tight with neat handwriting. She realized it contained organized information on the White Crow and much else besides.
'So this is what he meant when he asked me to guide Rawi and his people so they don't lose their way.'
Then Yeon-woo extended his hand as if in offering.
"So you should hold onto these."
"If things get hectic and I lose them, that would be a disaster either way."
"I'm confident in my ability to safeguard things, of course, but my memories will certainly be read."
"In that case, there's nothing to be done."
"Indeed."
And he added.
"I'm sorry this is the only method available."
"No."
Seome lifted her head from the neatly written documents and smiled.
"It's more than enough."
For a mere mage living by stealing her sibling's body and life, it was far more than she deserved.
"See, you are a good person after all...."
Silence stretched until Rawi arrived.
......
......
***
Even so, she hadn't expected it to be this bad.
"Ms. Seome."
"......"
"Seome."
Drip,
Blood fell from a severed neck.
"Let's play."
...A monster had been playing with dolls.