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Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Escaping the Mystery Hotel ◈

Episode 65: Room 101, Curse Room - ‘Strange Family’ Re (3)

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* * *

Third Attempt

* * *

[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)

Date: Day 22

Current Location: Level 1, Room 101 (Curse Room - Strange Family)

Sage’s Advice: 3]

Let’s put together what we knew and what we suspected.

After searching the internet, it was clear that all kinds of media content had become abnormal. Where was media content produced?

Broadcasting stations, for the most part.

Of course, these days, plenty of content was created through personal streams and countless other outlets.

But if I considered all of those, there’d be no end to it. For now, I’d put broadcasting stations on the list of likely candidates. If I was wrong, I could look elsewhere.

Should I go to a broadcasting station?

A few questions came to mind.

1. There was more than one broadcasting station. Which one should I go to?

There were far more than one or two terrestrial broadcasters alone. If I counted general programming channels, news channels, and cable networks, there had to be dozens.

2. How was I supposed to get there?

If I left the house and ran for around ten minutes while keeping my distance from Strange Family, the escape condition would trigger. Normally, that escape was our lifeline, but if I needed to relocate in order to resolve the scenario, it would get in the way. The scenario would end before I even reached the broadcasting station.

3. What about someone who couldn’t leave their starting point?

If progress required leaving each person’s starting point and traveling to a specific location like a broadcasting station, what was A-ri supposed to do when she couldn’t leave in the first place? Was progress impossible because the hotel was her starting point?

I didn’t think so. The hotel was unfair, cruel, and hard to understand, but it had never subjected us to an impossible trial by releasing some absurd monster the moment we started and wiping us all out within three seconds.

...

It was hard to tell. Still, I wouldn’t find an answer by standing here and thinking. Rather than remain still until I’d resolved every question, I decided to act first and judge as I went.

I’d find the answers one at a time. First, I had to decide which broadcasting station to visit.

After thinking for a moment, I sat back down at the computer and began digging through old articles.

“Ga-in! Are you about done? If you are, come help me bring in the laundry!”

So Strange Family’s “interference” was beginning. All I could do was stall for time.

“I need to look something up about school! I’ll come out soon!”

Fortunately, unlike videos, browsing articles that contained only text didn’t put much strain on me. The articles were full of absurd nonsense too if I looked closely, but compared to actual people or far more vivid videos, they seemed much less capable of infecting me with the curse.

I continued changing the date as I searched for the place where abnormalities had first appeared in this stage.

It was only after going back nearly eight months that I found a likely candidate.

ABS.

It was a relatively recently established public broadcaster, wasn’t it? Around thirty articles were harshly criticizing ABS’s extremely provocative broadcasts. Dozens of critical articles had appeared in just one or two days.

Then, as if the curse had spread across the world, or perhaps all of South Korea, during those one or two days, there were no more critical articles. It seemed every broadcasting station had gone insane after that.

For now, I decided to go to ABS.

The next question was how.

...

One very simple method came to mind.

Why did the escape condition trigger in the first place? Wasn’t it because I had recognized Strange Family’s abnormality and put physical distance between us?

Then I just had to avoid putting distance between us. I could go to the broadcasting station with my family.

...

My thoughts came to a halt.

Even when I quickly passed by my family or spoke to them briefly, the curse’s influence reached me, and a fierce headache swept over me. Even that was only possible with the help of Filter Mode. Without it, there was no way to endure except by closing my eyes and covering my ears.

Could I really endure traveling with my family for an extended period?

As I sighed and searched the internet, I found articles about COVID treatment.

Ah. COVID was a serious problem in this “stage” too. Naturally. This stage had been created based on reality.

The moment I saw them, a solution came to mind.

* * *

“Ah! Are you a complete idiot? Why did you make a reservation for a COVID treatment at a hospital this far away?”

“What did you say?”

“Ah! Idiot, take those earplugs out. Why have you been squinting this whole time?”

“Y-yeah! You! Don’t come closer. I told you I’ve been feeling strange since earlier, didn’t I?”

---Whoosh! Thud!

My sister threw a hand axe near my head.

...

When I met my real little sister again, I should treat her better. Watching this sister throw a hand axe she’d gotten from God knew where just because she was irritated made me miss my real sister.

It had been around half a year since COVID spread across the world.

The Type-3 Treatment developed by the Management Bureau had begun calming the world’s chaos with its groundbreaking effectiveness. Naturally, even the Management Bureau found it extremely difficult to distribute enough treatment when the entire planet demanded it.

As a result, securing an appointment for the treatment had become as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.

I claimed that I’d been feeling unwell since that morning and had booked treatment at a hospital near the broadcasting station, then set out with my sister.

My sister complained, but she agreed to go to the hospital with her “sick brother.” Up to that point, she seemed like a truly considerate sister. If only she didn’t keep throwing bladed weapons at me.

I set out while keeping about ten meters between us.

I was worried she’d catch COVID too, so I told her not to come too close. But I also asked her to go to the hospital with me.

Even I thought it was a ridiculous contradiction. Even my insane sister found it absurd, but once I promised to give her 100,000 won in allowance, she started following me.

What did it matter? It was money from a fake world. I could’ve given her a million won.

The moment we left the house, I hailed a taxi.

A taxi was the best way to get near the broadcasting station while avoiding contact with as many curse-infected people as possible.

Still, would a taxi operate normally in this bizarre world?

I got in.

* * *

“I’m telling you, those xx Party bastards are the problem these days. I just can’t understand them. What on earth are those Yeouido bastards thinking? I know a lot of people are dying now that everyone is acting so ‘freely,’ but they want to ban battle royale? Do they have any idea how much battle royale helps build students’ mental strength these days?”

Why were taxi drivers so talkative even in an insane world?

“Talking about this reminds me of my college days. I really don’t like saying this, but ha! I graduated from Y University! When new students enter Y University, we send them through a round of Russian roulette first thing, you know? It weeds out the ones without enough backbone. They say around 130 died this year, but so what? There are plenty of people in this country.”

It felt like my brain was melting. The taxi driver was saying nothing but insane things. Even with my ears covered, their voice kept seeping in.

That was the biggest problem with the taxi. There was no way to put distance between us.

No matter how tightly I pressed myself against the door, my sister was beside me and the taxi driver was in front. I could feel the curse constantly encroaching on me. Without the Status Window’s Filter Mode, I would’ve gone insane long ago.

Even with Filter Mode, I felt like I was about to pass out.

“I really don’t understand those xx Party bastards. The Earth has seven billion people. This country the size of a palm has fifty million people living in it. Isn’t that too many? We need to cull them. Three billion, twenty million. Wouldn’t that be enough?”

Please kill yourself first. After I get out of this taxi, of course.

“But those xx Party bastards call it a problem and talk about regulations and the need for laws to protect ordinary people. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculous! They’ve never even heard of survival of the fittest. In a capitalist world, it’s the ones in the red who survive, isn’t it? They’re all filthy communists.”

I endured that for thirty minutes.

In the end, I dug at my ears with my fingers until they bled, leaving them numb and muffled because I couldn’t take it anymore.

---Screech. Click.

The moment I got out of the taxi and put a little distance between us, I finally felt slightly better. As I panted for breath, I heard the sound of something being stabbed.

“Ha ha ha! Thank you. You’re a very brave young lady!”

I blankly turned around. My sister had buried her hand axe in the taxi driver’s stomach, and the taxi driver was thanking her.

...

Let’s just go. I didn’t even have the energy to be surprised anymore. I just hoped she wouldn’t throw that thing at me.

As I trudged along, my sister followed.

“Brother? This isn’t the way to the hospital, is it?”

“I want to take a quick look around ABS before we go to the hospital.”

“Why are we suddenly going there?”

“...”

“Brother?”

I came up with an excuse.

“I saw on my phone earlier that ABS is filming ‘Black Hole Princess’ right now. You like that, don’t you?”

“Huh! Really? Why didn’t I see it?”

Because I made it up.

If I waited any longer, she looked like she’d actually check her phone, so I ran straight toward the broadcasting station.

We were almost there anyway.

After running for about five more minutes with my sister, I finally arrived.

Thinking about the difficult journey, I really wanted to praise myself.

I had actually thought of bringing my family to the broadcasting station in this hell!

As I sighed and approached the station,

someone lightly tapped my shoulder.

A chill ran down my spine.

Since entering Room 101, I’d acquired an ability of sorts. Whenever someone infected by the curse approached me, the curse, weakened by Filter Mode, caused headaches and ringing in my ears. Thanks to that, even with my eyes closed, I could tell when someone was approaching me.

Just then, I’d felt nothing.

In extreme tension, I turned my head.

A familiar face appeared.

---Bang!

My sister’s head exploded.

* * *

“So, you brought your ‘family’ all the way here?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s truly impressive. The thought briefly crossed my mind too, but I never expected anyone to actually put such a crude method into practice!”

“...”

“Didn’t it seem strange? Other than you, with your filter, and Miss Song-i, with her bracelet, no one could use that method.

None of us could remain sane while staying near our families for that long. If A-ri tried it, the strain would kill her.

The hotel wouldn’t separate everyone and force us into ‘solo play,’ then make the way to clear the scenario something only one or two people could use.”

“I did think something was strange.”

“You thought it was strange, but it was a method that worked for you, so you tried it anyway. I’d like to praise your initiative. No matter how you got here, you reached the broadcasting station. That’s fortunate for me too. Honestly, I was wondering if I’d have to do this alone because I didn’t think anyone else could reach the station. One person is better than none.”

“But... how did you get to the broadcasting station, Elder Mook-seong? You don’t have a filter like I do or a bracelet like Song-i. How did you bring your family here?”

“I used an easier method than you did. It’s a method anyone can follow if they learn it.”

“What is it?”

Footnotes:

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