WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 202: Party Time - The Ninth Companion (4)

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[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 95

Current Location: Level 1, Room 105 - Rest Room

Sage’s Advice: X]

- Han Ga-in

The story of what had happened at the Hotel of the Deep Sea was more interesting than I'd expected. Everyone focused on Kim Sang-hyeon's words, committing the secrets of the past to memory.

“...”

“Excluding Mi-ro, the group split into three factions. Two Management Bureau agents who knew everything from the start, so they didn't feel betrayed. Three people who learned the truth, were shocked, and began to turn hostile. Then two people who, despite their shock, felt that a place this dangerous required strong leadership. That makes seven.”

“And you?”

“I was one of the last two. Has anyone here ever experienced war? Naturally, I'm excluding the Management Bureau agents, who must have experienced a hell beyond war.”

Other than Grandpa and A-ri, there was no way anyone here had been through a war. Naturally, everyone fell silent.

“In extreme environments like a battlefield, strong leadership is essential. Fear and excitement paralyze people's reason, so someone capable of making cool-headed decisions even then must lead the rest. It's no coincidence that organizations like the military are strict hierarchies.”

I'd never served in the military or taken part in a war, but I understood what he was trying to say.

“So I believed Mi-ro's attempt to firmly control everyone was a necessary evil. But...”

“But?”

He carefully glanced at A-ri before muttering.

“I thought her approach was wrong. I hoped she would lead us through proper discussion and the expertise she'd built up as a Management Bureau agent, not suspicious supernatural powers.”

Was it because I, too, came from an ordinary background? Honestly, I understood what he meant.

Kim Sang-hyeon cautiously spoke again.

“But Mi-ro seemed to think differently. She preferred ‘coercive methods.’”

Someone swallowed audibly. Had Mi-ro oppressed her companions back then? Counting Mi-ro herself, there had been three Management Bureau agents. It had been three against five, so it seemed difficult for three people to suppress five, but considering their Inheritances and supernatural abilities, it was entirely possible.

Grandpa asked cautiously.

“This may be difficult for you to answer, but I'd like you to.”

“Please ask.”

“How did you die on the first floor? A-ri told me it was because of internal conflict, but...”

A complicated emotion briefly crossed Kim Sang-hyeon's face. The way he clenched his teeth made him seem angry, while the sigh that escaped him in that instant seemed filled with regret.

“It's a simple story. I believed I was in a position to mediate between the two sides in conflict, but when a conflict intensifies, those stuck in the middle are attacked by both sides.”

“... That's unfortunate.”

“I still don't know who killed me. One day, there was an extremely heated discussion, or perhaps a clash, and when I came to my senses, I'd already fallen into Hell.”

A-ri murmured, looking as though she didn't know what to say.

“I'm sorry.”

Silence filled the room for a long time. He seemed to think deeply, then fell quiet for a moment before bringing up something else.

“If I may speak, there is something I'd like to say apart from your questions.”

“Go ahead. Eun-sol said it earlier, but we revived you because we wanted you as a companion. Of course you should say what you need to say.”

“If you ask more about what happened with Mi-ro, I can answer as much as you wish. Still, all of this is only a story from the past.”

“You mean it's all over?”

“Of course. Is there any point in arguing over what happened during the first party now? I want to become your companion now. I only say this in case you're concerned, but I'll never bring the discord I had with my former party into this one.”

Grandpa summarized it clearly.

“Can I take that to mean you don't intend to take out your resentment toward Mi-ro on A-ri?”

“That is correct.”

A-ri seemed too uncomfortable to bring up something important, so I stepped in.

“Mr. Kim Sang-hyeon, this may be an uncomfortable subject.”

“Please, go ahead. I'm still deeply grateful to you, Han Ga-in.”

“We may revive Mi-ro someday. I think she's an extremely capable person.”

Perhaps because Mi-ro had already come up, and because Mi-ro's daughter was here, he had already guessed. His expression barely changed.

“If.”

“If?”

“Even if Mi-ro was the person who killed me, I won't vent that anger in the Hotel. I want to leave this place. That much is completely sincere. For that purpose, I can forget any grudge and do anything.”

“You won't settle it in the Hotel?”

“With that beautiful lady back there watching, I don't wish to lie. If I'm given the chance after leaving the Hotel, I'd like to pay her back. Still, as I said, I don't know who killed me.”

What happened after we left wasn't something I needed to involve myself in. I only hoped that whoever had killed Kim Sang-hyeon in the past had been someone else.

The long conversation had exhausted everyone, and it seemed we needed time to sort through all the new information in our heads. He was already a revived companion. There would be more than enough chances to talk in the future. Afterward, we briefly explained what Inheritances and blessings we possessed, then everyone began to rest.

* * *

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 95

Current Location: Level 2, Snow Globe Snowfield

Sage’s Advice: X]

After my conversation with Kim Sang-hyeon ended, I returned to the snowfield on the second floor and decided to resume the Grimoire training I'd planned to do earlier.

--- Thud!

“Hey! Why are you so bad at dodging?”

“... How am I supposed to dodge snow flying at me from behind?”

“A-ri and Grandpa said your hearing was better than a rabbit's.”

“Even if I had senses like that, they wouldn't work against snowballs you throw. Did you want to say something?”

“Ah, nothing major. I was wondering what you thought about the conversation earlier. I asked the others too. You were on the second floor, so you were hard to find.”

“Was there anything particularly strange? In terms of ability, he seems more versatile than expected. Considering his blessing, that versatility probably went beyond the realm of an ordinary person. That's about all that comes to mind.”

“I've already confirmed a few things about that. He's really good with a gun. His skills as a doctor are on a supernatural level.”

“Supernatural?”

“He's in the middle of a diagnosis, so come with me. Oh, what did you think about the other parts?”

“The other parts? Relationship-wise, it seemed like he and Mi-ro weren't on good terms before. It also sounded like he had no intention of bringing that into our current party.”

“That's the summary.”

“It didn't seem like he was lying. Elena said it was all true too.”

“I think everything he said was true as well. He's capable, and from the way he speaks, he's very intelligent. He also seems like someone who can keep personal feelings separate from official matters. But that's not what I'm talking about.”

“Then what?”

Eun-sol briefly looked around as if checking whether anyone was watching, then stepped closer to me.

“His attitude. What did you feel from it?”

I recalled what he'd said to me earlier. The one emotion he couldn't hide, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

‘I want to leave this place. That much is completely sincere. For that purpose, I can forget any grudge and do anything.’

“... Desperation.”

“I felt the same way. That man is completely desperate. He never says anything that might even slightly offend us, and he makes himself so thoroughly deferential that he seems almost servile, just in case we might feel wary of him. Look at how he speaks. Is it easy to call the daughter of someone who may have killed you ‘miss’?”

“He said he wasn't used to Korean.”

“That only applies to pronunciation. Anyway, I think everything he said was true. His remarkable career gives us every reason to believe that his abilities and intelligence are outstanding. And it's probably true that he has no intention of bringing past conflicts into the present.”

“But it seems like something still worries you.”

“His desperation itself worries me. He doesn't seem like someone who would lose control over something as trivial as an old grudge. To Kim Sang-hyeon now, past conflict is probably something he can easily forget. There is only one word filling his head.”

“Escape.”

“He's different from us. He's already failed once, and the price of that failure was being dragged into Hell and suffering pain beyond measure. More than anyone else, he knows what it means to fail in the Hotel.”

By then, I understood what Eun-sol was trying to say.

“Are you planning to hide the Escape Tool from him?”

“Is there any point in hiding it? This isn't his first day at the Hotel. He's already been here once, so there's a good chance he knows Escape Tools exist. The Protective Suit is obviously no ordinary item at a glance. Besides, there's a strong chance we'll soon obtain a second tool through the Mysterious Craftsman.”

“What should we do?”

“I talked with Grandpa. Escaping through the elevator requires the Protective Suit and a password, right? You remember the password? Don't say it out loud.”

87439124. I'd never forgotten it, not even once.

“We decided not to share the password. A-ri usually manages the Protective Suit anyway, so that shouldn't be a major problem. As for the Wing Boots from the Mysterious Craftsman, we'll think about that after we obtain them.”

“...”

“Do you have any other thoughts?”

“Nothing comes to mind right now. But I think this approach is only a temporary measure. We can't spend our time in the Hotel playing psychological games with him forever.”

“I think so too.”

After that, Eun-sol and I returned to the Hotel without saying anything more, intending to watch Kim Sang-hyeon's ‘diagnosis.’

No matter who had been revived, it would have caused its own difficulties. Still, Kim Sang-hyeon's revival made it feel as though the party's unity had weakened somewhat. What should we do? I needed to think about it more.

Footnotes:

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