Memorize - Episode 24
24 The City of Traps
The next morning dawned. After talking with Ahn Hyun at dawn, I returned to the room and was able to take over the night watch and nursing duties. Even though I said it was fine and that he could sleep more, he kept insisting on pushing me, so I had no choice. Since it turned out this way, I lay down in a corner of the living room intending to catch a little sleep, but it seems I fell into a deep slumber. I decided to reflect a little.
Even if there was nothing to be wary of now, it was dangerous to let my guard down. Of course, I might be abnormal. However, I was the type of person who had to push myself to the extreme in whatever I did to feel satisfied. After 10 years of habit, I tended to deliberately avoid sleeping deeply and eating my fill. Just as I was thinking I should gradually pick up the pace and was about to get up, I sensed movement around me. As I slowly opened my eyes, surprisingly, a figure was sitting demurely next to where I was sleeping. That figure was none other than Ahn Sol.
"Ah!"
Ahn Sol, who had been tilting her head back and forth with a restless expression, suddenly made eye contact with me and her eyes widened like saucers. There's no need to be so surprised. I'm not your enemy. So I won't harm you, I conveyed this meaning as I greeted her gently.
"Hello. Are you feeling better?"
"Ah, good morning."
Seeing her politely greet me while flustered made me smile involuntarily. Ah, I really shouldn't be like this. Why do I feel my heart softening whenever I see this child? Looking at her, who stimulated an endless desire to protect, I slowly got up. Seeing my actions, she hesitated and fidgeted before opening her mouth towards me in a tiny voice.
"O-oppa."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry..."
"Huh?"
What nonsense is she spouting again? It seems I've heard a lot of apologies yesterday and today. I looked at Ahn Sol with a face that didn't understand, and she lowered her head and continued speaking.
"Um... I heard... Because of me... You had a hard time..."
Her words were so abbreviated that someone who didn't know the situation might misunderstand. Even setting that aside, seeing Ahn Sol stumble over her words made me suddenly worry about this child's future. How on earth will she be able to endure living with the extraordinary people of the Hollow Plane when she stumbles over her words with others? This child later becomes the Priest of Brilliance, equivalent to the Shadow Queen or the Princess of Execution who are representatives of female users? That seems like a far-off story. I answered with an indifferent face.
"There's no need to be sorry. Rather, you did very well. I heard that you saved everyone's lives, didn't you?"
"Ah, no! I don't remember that well either!"
Knowing that showing my true thoughts would only deflate her further, I shook my head with a kind expression. She must have clearly heard my praise, as her expression brightened and she began waving her hands with a grinning face. It was a conclusion that her thoughts were clearly visible on her face, literally a natural type. I was really curious how they raised a child to be so pure and natural. At that moment, I could hear someone calling me from behind.
"Su-hyun orabeoni. If you're awake, come eat."
"?"
"What? Orabeoni? Why are you looking at this young lady with such questioning eyes?"
"?"
"Why are you looking... Damn it, fine. I'll do it normally. Ahn Hyun told me you nursed Sol and kept watch instead of us last night. I made breakfast out of gratitude. The rest have already eaten, so don't worry."
"Hmm. Definitely Lee Yoo-jung. Thanks."
I nodded and reached out my hand, and she placed a plate in front of me with an annoyed face. The menu was the same tuna crackers as yesterday. I wanted to tease her, asking if this was all she knew how to make since the menu was the same, but seeing her cold gaze, I thought it better to just keep my mouth shut.
"..."
"..."
I reached out and bit into a cracker. Lee Yoo-jung and Ahn Sol sat quietly, watching me eat. As I was thoroughly chewing a cracker, I put down what I was eating with a disgruntled face. Seeing me like this, Lee Yoo-jung blinked her eyes as if telling me to eat more, while Ahn Sol was still grinning with an innocent face, seemingly pleased about something. Have they all gone crazy today?
"Do I look like a monkey in a zoo to you?"
"Not to that extent. Just your eating method is interesting."
"My method?"
Not to that extent, huh. Hmm. Did I eat that strangely? Just like I usually eat... As I was thinking carelessly, a thought suddenly crossed my mind and I realized my mistake.
"Ahn Hyun just chews a few times and swallows, but you're completely opposite. You bite off small pieces like a rabbit. And you chew them very slowly and finely before swallowing little by little. But you don't eat much either. Why do you eat like that?"
I couldn't answer right away. Lee Yoo-jung's observation was unexpectedly sharp. To tell the truth, there was a time when I was short on food while being chased by fairies in the Fairy Forest. I split and split the remaining food, eating just enough to be active for a day, and that's when I developed this eating habit. Besides that, when I'm preparing for battle, such as organizing a caravan or participating in an expedition, I never eat my fill in order to maximize my senses. A feeling of fullness can dull sensitive senses.
However, I couldn't tell her these facts straightforwardly, so I decided to subtly change the subject.
"It's just a usual habit. I eat, but in situations like this, I tend to eat a little less. By the way, I don't see the other two. Where did they all go?"
"Ahn Hyun and Kim Han-byeol? Ahn Hyun went out alone to look around the surroundings, and Kim Han-byeol seemed to have gone up to the rooftop."
Seeing Lee Yoo-jung answer without any particular suspicion, I inwardly sighed in relief. Then suddenly, feeling a gaze on me, I turned my head to see Ahn Sol looking at me with clear eyes. When our eyes met, she smiled broadly again with a face still tinged with awkwardness. What on earth is wrong with her today?
I felt that Ahn Sol was similar to a young child. When a young child first sees a stranger, they instinctively become wary. They fear and feel anxious that the stranger might harm them. If you approach thoughtlessly at that time, children show their dislike and burst into tears.
The way to become friends with such children is simple. At first, you keep a certain distance and don't do anything, making them recognize that you at least won't harm them. Then, as the child's curiosity arises, they toddle over to express their interest, and that's the appropriate time to become friends with them.
As I was briefly contemplating... no, just having trivial thoughts about Ahn Sol, I chewed on another cracker Lee Yoo-jung had made and fell into different thoughts. If we count a day based on 24:00, today is the second day since we entered the Trap Point. In other words, today until 24:00 was the safe day. Although no one said anything, they all seemed to like this place quite a lot.
"I hope they come back early. There are things to talk about."
"What kind of talk? Like how we should proceed from now on?"
"Something like that."
"What kind of talk is it, oppa? Tell me and Sol first."
Lee Yoo-jung, sitting with her knees together and arms wrapped around them, asked with a curious face. Ahn Sol also seemed surprised as the talk of the future came up, her face becoming slightly tense. Although this might provoke a big reaction, I decided to confront it head-on. No matter how difficult it was to say, it was a fact that everyone needed to know anyway.
"I think it would be good to leave this city today."
As soon as I finished speaking, as expected, both their faces instantly hardened.
"I just went on a short patrol. As you said, hyung, it's eerily quiet."
Ahn Hyun's first words as he opened the front door were that the city was suspiciously quiet. At my words that there was something to talk about, all of my companions, including myself, had gathered in the living room. Kim Han-byeol seemed to have regained her usual cold and calm face, perhaps having cleared her mind while getting some fresh air. After scanning everyone's faces, I immediately opened my mouth.
"I think everyone has things they heard from the angels before coming to this place called the Trial of Passage."
"Well, I don't remember much. I was too busy having a big fight with that winged woman to hear anything."
Seeing Lee Yoo-jung tilt her head, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Setting her aside for now, I turned my head to Ahn Hyun and Kim Han-byeol. They thought for a moment and then began to speak one by one.
"I did read the precautions, but there were so many... Not providing water or food so we have to find it ourselves, death in this space means actual death so be careful, survival conditions are going to the central warp gate and... what else was there?"
"Enduring for 7 days, right?"
Kim Han-byeol complemented and received Ahn Hyun's words. And that was exactly the words I had been waiting for.
"That's right. Enduring for 7 days. Han-byeol, do you remember any other clauses attached to that provision?"
At my question, Kim Han-byeol briefly made a face of inexplicable dissatisfaction before opening her mouth.
"I remember. I think I heard directly from the angel not to settle in one place under any circumstances. They said to keep running away for 7 days or go to the center."
I nodded at her words and was about to open my mouth again when Lee Yoo-jung quickly stood up and beat me to it.
"But oppa, isn't it safe here? There's plenty of food, we slept well, there are houses. Don't you all remember yesterday? We suffered terribly as soon as we came out of the forest."
"That's true. Hyung, really, is there any need to leave this place? We don't have to believe everything those angels said, right?"
As Ahn Hyun followed up supporting her words and asked me, Lee Yoo-jung looked at me with a much brighter face. She seemed quite unwilling to go outside. Receiving their gazes, I opened my mouth in a quiet voice.
"I think everyone is thinking too complacently because it's comfortable right now. Let's try thinking the opposite way."
"The opposite?"
"Yes. As Hyun just came back from looking around, you know that this city is too quiet now. When we were in the forest, it was a series of tensions, and even after coming out, you were attacked. If we go outside, it will probably be like that again. But..."
I paused for a moment before continuing.
"The angels don't want us to act like that. They actually warned us. Survive for 7 days or go to the central warp gate, and never settle down. We need to understand well what the angels want. If we combine the meaning of the Trial of Passage and our current situation, it goes against the intention. Doesn't the current situation look strange? Compared to outside, the facilities are comfortable, there's plenty of food, and no monsters. I think this is a trap. I have an ominous feeling that something might happen if we stay here longer."
"...So in the end, oppa, you're saying we should leave because you have a bad feeling."
"I know it's hard to accept based on just a feeling. But it's true that there's a really uneasy atmosphere. I think the most efficient thing to do in a place like this is to rest just enough, take what we need, and leave. If possible, I'd like us to leave today."
Although I was trying to persuade them, honestly, I wasn't confident if I could convince them. The success rate of persuasion is drastically different between situations of imminent danger and safe situations. Moreover, this time, even I thought my argument lacked persuasiveness. It wasn't completely illogical, but it relied heavily on predictions or intuitions. But that part couldn't be helped. There was bound to be a difference between those who knew the Hollow Plane and those who didn't.
Everyone was silent for a while, but they all had displeased looks on their faces, seeming unwilling to leave. Of course, I could handle something like a boss monster if it came to that, but I wanted them to follow the standard course as much as possible, given that this was a place prepared by the angels. The more comfortable they were now, the more they were bound to suffer in the Hollow Plane. Ahn Hyun raised his head, looked into my eyes, and then opened his mouth, looking at everyone.
"Since everyone seems to have different opinions... let's decide by majority vote."
"Majority vote?"
"Yes. But I'll set two conditions for this majority vote."
"What kind of conditions?"
I felt intrigued by this unexpected statement. Majority vote. It felt like a long time since I'd heard those words. Kim Han-byeol also showed a fresh reaction and asked back, to which Ahn Hyun nodded slightly and answered.
"The conditions aren't much. First, each person can exercise their right to choose one among agree, disagree, or abstain. However, they must state the reason for their choice. And second, regardless of which way the conclusion goes, we'll follow that decision without complaints or dissatisfaction."
At Ahn Hyun's words, Lee Yoo-jung, confident that staying here would win, spoke in a bubbly voice.
"Agree, agree! I have no objections. Majority vote, I like it. Let's do it right now. Can I go first?"
"Well, it's better to do these things quickly. I'll count one vote in favor for Su-hyun hyung. Since he's already stated his reasons."
"No objections."
"Then... does anyone have a different opinion? If not, we'll proceed like this."
As Kim Han-byeol, Ahn Sol, and I agreed, Ahn Hyun also nodded and turned his gaze to Lee Yoo-jung. Eventually, her mouth slowly opened, and everyone focused on what she was about to say.