WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 120: The Ultimate Mimi Paradise of Blissful Heaven

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Ratatatatat...!

The moment I printed the meal-ticket receipt, a strange sound came from the separate kitchen area, and something black sprang out.

"Wh-what is that?!"

A camera.

The black tripod legs of a broadcast camera tapped rapidly across the floor like a spider robot as it approached me.

The camera itself remained perfectly level, without trembling even an inch, while only its legs skittered along. The mismatch sent an unpleasant chill down my spine.

Tap...

The camera stopped in front of me.

Motionless, as though it had never been alive and moving. Like a living thing mimicking an object.

"......"

The huge lens stared at me like an eyeball.

Blink.

A small red light came on.

[#UiwiGuild#Jaelae#Visitor#Mukbang｜• Live]

[⚉ Delicious｜⚇ Not Delicious]

[Currently 2,109■ watching　Streaming began: 0 minutes ago]

The stream had begun.

"Have you two calmed down?"

Clatter.

When I turned toward Kim Hee-sook and Yun Geon-min with my tray in hand, both of them flinched and darted their eyes around.

They still weren't looking kindly at each other, of course.

"If I start acting strange later, please stop me with Hyeon Je-won. You can knock me out if you have to."

I glanced at the researcher, who had taken refuge near me to get away from the two of them and was trembling.

Even then, they couldn't stand too close to me because physical contact was difficult for them.

"But if it's too much, don't force yourselves to stop me. I don't know how I'll act."

It seemed that if I let my focus slip for even a moment while eating, I would completely lose my reason.

There was a high chance I would become aggressive if someone interfered with my meal.

Swipe.

First, I needed to get food.

What side dishes should I have?

Tap...

As I slowly looked over the food in the serving area, Hyeon Je-won trailed a few steps behind me alongside the camera.

"Seon... Yu-han..."

"Hyeon Je-won. Do you know what you need to do once I start eating?"

"Ah, um, I..."

Their face was pale as they looked in my direction without quite meeting my eyes.

"Ask questions. You need to check my condition by asking whatever you're curious about. Like Yu Mi-rae did."

"Ah. Ah...!"

Once I gave them some direction, the researcher's complexion brightened a little.

Tap.

From the Western food line, I took salad and salmon steak. Just a little dressing and sauce.

From the Japanese food line, I took udon broth. There was rice, so I left out the noodles.

From the Korean food line, I took seasoned acorn jelly. No cucumbers.

"Kim Hee-sook?"

"Huh? Y-yes, what is it...?"

Kim Hee-sook looked at me awkwardly, her expression incredibly complicated.

"Thank you. For getting angry on my behalf."

"Ah... Mm-hm, no, it's nothing..."

The tip of Kim Hee-sook's nose was red as she waved her hands.

She knew.

That this was my way of saying goodbye.

"Yun Geon-min."

Yun Geon-min looked at me without answering, his expression stiff.

"That woman was my family. The person who raised me."

Yun Geon-min's bloodshot eyes widened a beat too late.

"Even now, I'm still hoping that she'll come back alive."

Yun Geon-min's face twisted.

I didn't know what meaning he took from my words.

Any meaning would be horrible, filthy, and miserable.

Tap. Scrape.

I settled into a seat.

The camera took the seat across from me and aimed its lens at my face like the barrel of a gun.

After staring back into that cold, single eye, I took out my phone again.

[#UiwiGuild#Jaelae#Visitor#Mukbang｜• Live]

[⚉ Delicious｜⚇ Not Delicious]

[Currently 6,913■ watching　Streaming began: 13 minutes ago]

There were disgustingly many viewers.

I had no idea what kinds of beings were watching, or why.

There were no chats or donations, and it didn't seem like the viewer count had anything to do with life and death.

Were they just watching?

Just to make whoever was being watched feel worse?

This was a Labyrinth. That was entirely possible.

"......Thank you for the meal."

I gave up and picked up my chopsticks.

The salad first.

The crunch of fresh vegetables echoed inside my skull.

I couldn't remember ever having a salad this fresh.

The mild sweetness of romaine and iceberg lettuce, the bitter taste of chicory, all harmonized with the refreshing, nutty dressing to become a complete dish.

Crunch. Craaack. Crunch.

"......"

When I looked up after finishing half the salad, the three of them were staring at me in deathly silence.

"Is it... good?"

"Yes. Manager Kim was right. It's the most delicious thing I've ever eaten."

But somehow, something...

Maybe I imagined it.

This time, I ate a piece of salmon steak.

The crisp exterior had been seared over high heat, while the rich, tender flesh was infused with butter and herbs.

A sauce with a bright lemon flavor cut through the salmon's oiliness and heightened the flavor.

"How is it...?"

"It's also the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. There's a smell that only grilled salmon has, not raw salmon. I don't like it, so I chose it deliberately. But it's delicious enough to be surprising."

If I'd known, I would've taken more.

"Th-then, could I have a bite too?"

Hyeon Je-won admirably imitated Yu Mi-rae.

"I still feel like giving you some, but I think it would be better if you got your own tray and ate it later."

"Ah, okay... Um, but isn't that possibly your subconscious finding some excuse not to give it to me...?"

"......That does make sense."

I carefully spooned the acorn jelly into my mouth, then immediately picked up rice with my chopsticks.

The savory, warm udon broth made me keep eating rice.

"Hey, isn't th-the speed picking up again...?"

"I'm still f-fine."

My spoon scooped up a large mouthful of rice on its own and fed it to me, while my chopsticks kept carrying side dishes over.

It was delicious.

So delicious that it felt wasteful for it to disappear the more I ate.

So delicious that it was a shame I would never be able to eat it again once I left this place.

Then I could just keep eating.

Once I finished, I could eat again.

"What do we do? They've already finished it all..."

"Seon Yu-han, are you... are you going to eat more?"

But still...

Something felt lacking.

Why?

I had just eaten the most delicious meal in the world.

What could possibly be missing?

"Yes. I think I need to eat more."

"N-no, you can't..."

"Wh-what do we do... What if Seon Yu-han gets l-like that too...?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? That's why they said earlier that we could knock them out."

"B-but... They still look fine, don't they?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't take much before, so I'm not full enough."

"See? They're f-fine."

"Damn, that sounds like bullshit..."

Scrape.

I successfully filled another tray and returned to my seat.

A spoonful of shrimp fried rice lightly mixed with black bean sauce filled my mouth.

The soft egg and the pop of shrimp made my tongue even happier.

"Seon Yu-han, are you st-still okay...?"

"No. Something is lacking."

Fluffy bread entered my mouth, once spread with strawberry jam, once dipped in cream soup.

Bread heavy with the scent of butter melted on my tongue.

"S-see?! They said something's missing! They're already out of it!"

"No. It's delicious. It is, but... still, something..."

It still felt like this wasn't enough.

Even though it was so delicious. Why?

I needed to eat more.

"Seon Yu-han, you n-need to stop...! This is your th-third tray now...!"

"N-no. We need to t-try knocking them out now."

"How are we supp-sed to knock them out?!"

"I-I don't know either! H-hit the back of their neck, or... if that doesn't work, maybe ch-choke them..."

Incomprehensible whispers.

Smack!

A fierce heat spread through the back of my head.

"Did th-they pass out?"

Crunch.

At the tip of my bitten tongue, red, fishy liquid flooded out and overwhelmed the taste of the food.

"Wh-why... why aren't they p-passing out...?"

Tap.

A firm pressure and warmth settled onto my shoulder.

"Isn't th-this what you told us to do?"

Squeeze.

The sensation of my whole body being restrained, my neck tightening.

"B-both of you, c-come over and grab them! Hurry! Keep them from b-biting! If we can't knock them out, we're all going to die!"

Die?

What?

Me?

Chomp!

"Aaaagh!"

When I bit down hard, a salty taste touched my tongue.

Chew. Chew.

Slightly tough skin.

Crack!

A sound like a celery stalk breaking.

"Ahh, my hand...!"

"Seon Yu-han, aaagh...!"

Wrong.

That wasn't my name.

"Ah..."

I found it.

What had been missing.

I understood why it had felt lacking.

The food on this tray was clearly the most delicious food in the world.

But delicious food alone wasn't enough.

I already knew what made me happiest.

A long time ago, I had tasted it.

'Happiness.'

And I still hadn't forgotten the taste of happiness...

【This is the land of happiness we dreamed of】

A cheerful song echoed through my mind.

【A place where no one suffers, where no one is bound, where no one cries, where everyone is freely liberated】

Red tears streamed down my face as I hummed along.

"■, ■■■ ■! ■■...... ■ ■■ ■■......?"

The amusement ride spoke.

"■■, ■■■■■■―!"

As it happened, chatty amusement rides were the ones I liked most.

"■■■ ■! ■■! ■■ ■■■■!"

Especially the ones who trembled stiffly despite their size, desperately trying to escape.

Screech, thud!

"Ugh..."

I dodged a flying chair while chasing it, then slipped on a puddle gathered on the floor.

Far away, its face was twisted in fear.

I knew my slipping hadn't been an accident.

A laugh slipped out of me.

An individual with poor coordination for its build, but enough brains to make up for it.

Its pale face was wet with saltwater.

I would become happier.

I would gain greater happiness.

"■..."

The other two were still breathing, but that was all.

They were toys I had already caught.

"■■■ ■, ■■......"

That one over there.

"■...! ■■■!"

The one that hadn't given up.

"Ugh."

"■■ ■■■■■!"

The one struggling.

"■■■, ■―"

"―Got you."

The one in my hands right now.

I would clutch this happiness tightly in both hands...

"■! ■■, ■......"

And make it mine.

Ah...

I was such a happy person.

Footnotes:

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