Chapter 7 - Room 101, Room of Curses - 'Strange Family' (2)
[User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 2
Current Location: Layer 1, Room 101 (Room of Curses – Strange Family)
Sage's Advice: 2]
Today is truly strange. I'm clearly hungry, and I haven't eaten anything since morning... yet I had no appetite at all. To think I wouldn't even take a single bite of the duck meat for lunch? Considering how, ever since I was a kid, I used to scarf down meat so hard that my mom would scold me asking if I had a demon in my belly whenever we went to a duck restaurant, it's quite remarkable that I spent lunch just having a staring contest with the duck.
Now until dinner is free time. The family seemed to be off doing their own things as well, nowhere to be seen. Walking alone, separated from my family, I felt... something like my mind clearing. It feels like I'm forgetting something. But I can't remember what. Maybe if I think about it a bit more, it'll come to me?
Faintly... from within my submerged memories, strange faces surfaced. A man with an impressive build, a career-woman-type older sister who gave off the impression of "I'm rich," a squirrel-like female student who made me think "Wow, she's cute!", and a somewhat shy, quiet boy.
And — a young lady of such beauty that the moment I recalled her, my mind went dizzy. Who is she? Have I ever seen a movie with an actress like her? It felt too vivid to be a memory of a movie. Moreover, it felt like I had conversed with her about something. I had a conversation with this incredibly beautiful blonde actress? Just as these endless questions were spiraling and I was focusing my mind, I heard footsteps from across the way.
"Oh! Han Ga-in, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, you're here. Where's Mom and Dad?"
"Mom and Dad went to see the aquarium. They said there's a shark show?"
"Shark show?"
"It's this resort's famous attraction. They say employees in swimsuits go in and play tag with great white sharks by grabbing their tails! If you pay a little extra, tourists can go in and play too!"
"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"
"What does it matter? That's the whole point of the fun! Besides, Mom and Dad can't swim so they won't go in. I really wanted to see it too, but I got rejected for being a minor! I can't believe it."
After a brief conversation with my sibling, the distracting thoughts clouding my mind vanished in an instant. I really am being peculiar. Is it the lingering effect of the nightmare I had this morning? Since this is a family trip, I should stop being pretentious and just enjoy the sights.
Also, something flickered somewhere in my vision. I must be really hungry since I haven't eaten in a while.
[Separate from your sibling immediately]
Dinner was a lavish buffet.
Upon entering the restaurant on the hotel's first floor, beautifully crafted dishes were flying through the air, carrying food. Ah, so this is the trendy food-catching-from-the-air thing! I feel like I've seen celebrities do this often on TV. Chefs in white outfits appeared and, with bright smiles, hurled plates loaded with food like frisbees. As the plates flew, half the food fell off, but people joyfully and without hesitation licked the food off the floor.
Every so often, someone with good reflexes would leap up and catch a flying plate with their mouth. The plate would shatter instantly, turning their entire face into a bloody mess, creating chaos, but it was truly a delightful moment. I tried it a few times myself... and let me tell you, catching a flying plate with your mouth is not easy. After repeatedly headbutting them, I got a bit stubborn and skipped eating altogether, just trying to catch plates.
It wasn't until the meal was nearly over that I luckily succeeded in catching a piece of fruit. Unfortunately, the plate had already fallen, and I only managed to catch a sliced mango piece flying through the air. Ah... catching the plate is the whole point, but there's no plate and only mango! Still, the mango was incredibly delicious, so that was satisfying.
As I was chewing the mango with a satisfied expression, my sibling, who had been eating braised wild rabbit across the room, approached. That braised wild rabbit—the rabbit was still squirming even with its limbs tied up; how does one eat that?
"Hyung, you haven't eaten a single expensive thing all day, and you're just eating a dead mango. Is that even edible? It doesn't even have garnish on top?"
"Strangely, this is the most delicious thing I've had today."
"Really?... You didn't eat anything today, so I feel bad for you. Here, take this."
My sibling held out a plate. Was it because they saw me eating only mango? Several pieces of mango were on it. The slightly disappointing part was that each mango piece had a cow's eyeball attached to it with a toothpick. I had heard that eating them together was delicious... but for some reason, I didn't like it, so I plucked off the eyeballs and only ate the mango.
It had a slightly fishy smell, but the mango was quite delicious.
After finishing this somewhat dizzying meal, I returned to the resort room, casually watched a Netflix show, and lay down on the bed. Maybe because I hadn't eaten properly all day... I was so hungry that sleep wouldn't come. Lying in bed away from my family, my head started hurting again and distracting thoughts began to creep in, just like earlier.
That young lady. Her name was... Elena. The name suddenly came to me clearly. Did I see her in a dream? Truly... it was a face I could never forget for the rest of my life. Hair that sparkled more than molten gold, eyes that seemed to hold crafted gemstones... And she definitely possessed a kind heart. I want to see her again. A few other people also vaguely surfaced in my memory, but honestly, I couldn't remember them clearly.
Something... feels distant. I gathered with people, and we decided to do something. A dangerous room. A beautiful and great treasure. Did I have a dream about going on an adventure? And... 'Hotel Pioneer'. It suddenly flashed into my mind. What is this? I feel like my mind is snapping wide awake.
At that moment, a KakaoTalk message came from my sibling. Ah, Mom and Dad are fighting again over something trivial. Those two have seemed like they've been bickering over nothing at travel destinations for decades. Is that what all married couples are like? Snickering and chatting over messages, the complicated thoughts completely vanished, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
[User: Han Ga-in (Jihye)
Date: Day 2
Current Location: Layer 1, Room 101 (Room of Curses – Strange Family)
Sage's Advice: 1]
Morning came and I woke from sleep. Strangely, it felt like I had only slept for about 3 seconds. There are times when you're exhausted from working hard and get such deep sleep that you feel like you wake up the instant you lie down, but even so, isn't this a bit extreme? No joke, it literally feels like I didn't sleep at all, yet it's morning. I suppose yesterday was a truly exhausting day.
I changed clothes, finished washing my face, and geared up for skiing. Since it was quite cold when I briefly stepped outside yesterday, I made sure to wear my down parka snugly.
As always, the moment I thought of it, I was at the top of the ski slope in just 1 second. My family was all gathered there too. However, I noticed they were dressed a bit differently from me, which struck me as odd.
"Huh? Mom? Hee-kang? Aren't you too cold dressed like that?"
"Phew... look at your brother. Mom is seriously going crazy sometimes, crazy!"
"Hey, Han Ga-in! No, never mind. Who even wears that many layers in winter these days?"
"Um... if I don't dress like this, it's cold... That's why I wore so much..."
"Ga-in. Winter is supposed to be cold. Spring is warm, summer is hot, autumn is cool, and winter is cold. That's the law of nature. Have you never thought that taking off clothes because it's hot and layering up because it's cold goes against the natural order?"
Listening to Dad's words, thinking about it, he was indeed right.
What, after all, is the law of great nature! South Korea has four seasons; being hot when it's hot and cold when it's cold is the way of the world. Isn't it a foolish act to try to change what is natural with something like clothes? Furthermore, these are times of environmental protection. Doesn't environmental protection mean adapting to the environment? Following the logic of the world is correct.
Immediately, I stripped off my clothes. Only then did my family's expressions relax, and we all laughed happily together. I felt tremendous, immense cold, but it was nothing. Winter is originally cold, so why be surprised? As I laughed, I felt the edge of my vision flickering.
[Your body temperature is dropping. You must put on clothes immediately]
Enjoyably, I skied. I was happy. Truly, a joyful moment. Gathering with my beloved family, playing in the arboretum, tearing into delicious duck meat, enjoying the grandeur of the splendid resort for dinner, and skiing all together the next day. When would such a happy moment come again!
I felt my mind gradually growing hazy. It's nothing. Winter is originally cold. While skiing, I fell in an instant. I felt my skin sticking, and I couldn't get up.
Ah... actually, is there even a need to get up? Looking around, I saw everyone lying down comfortably. Ah, so lying naked on the ice floor is the trend these days. My vision slowly faded to black. At some point, I was no longer cold. I felt the happy trip coming to an end......
/You have failed!
A good son, a good older brother. Filled with love for your family, you failed to notice the anomaly of the strange family, and in the end, after being with them, you crossed a point of no return.
You neither escaped the curse nor resolved the curse's source. It is unfortunate.
However, there is still a chance! Wait for your companions
...
...
...
...
A companion has successfully escaped! Congratulations! With a successful escapee among the companions, all members return safely./
Han Ga-in felt his submerged consciousness slowly floating......