CHAPTER 312: ROOM 204, MISSION ROOM - 'HOTEL CINEMA' (34) FIN

0% – Theater

When the screen turned off, the people in the theater couldn’t hide their confusion. Cha Jinchul looked around at his companions with a bewildered expression.

“W-what? Wasn’t Kain’s story still in progress?”

Kim Sanghyun also showed a puzzled reaction.

“To be precise, the story itself seems to have ended... It looks like Do Inho was about to ask a few questions about Kain’s story, but it suddenly ended.”

“Could Kain have been attacked in the coffee shop?”

“There haven’t been any attacks in the coffee shop so far, have there?”

After a moment of confusion passed, the lights in the theater came back on. Shortly after, a familiar voice was heard.

“Dun~ da~da!”

Only after seeing the guide entering while spinning around did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Although they didn’t know exactly what was going on, the guide’s entrance meant that the horror movie had somehow ended.

Now only the final judgment remained. Kim Sanghyun looked around at the remaining people, feeling somewhat anxious.

Including Kim Sanghyun himself, there were only four people left: Cha Jinchul, Elena, and Yu Songee. As many as five people were still caught in the horror movie—Kim Mooksung, Lee Eunsol, Kim Ahri, Park Seungyub, and Han Kain.

Recalling past experiences, the final “judgment” section was a part where one must push through using sophistry and forced arguments. However, there didn’t seem to be anyone who could do that well.

I guess I’ll have to make an effort.

Kim Sanghyun quietly closed his eyes and prepared for the second round with the judges.

***Before the three judges began their evaluation, Kim Sanghyun raised his hand high.

“Participant Kim Sanghyun, do you have a question?”

“The horror movie ‘Scary Stories’ is a combination of four short films. However, unlike the first three stories, the fourth story doesn’t have the process of Kain being placed inside the story. How do you evaluate—“

“The fourth story passes.”

When the guide nonchalantly said that the fourth story passes, Kim Sanghyun was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Didn’t you listen together? Since Kain’s story is about what actually happened in the Hotel, there’s no need to argue about its plausibility. The detailed content is also full of extraordinary stories. The other two, you agree, right?”

The souvenir girl and the merchant nodded as if it was obvious.

“Finally, you’re all alive, so isn’t it a ‘happy’ progression at least until now?”

“T-that’s right.”

“Does participant Kim Sanghyun have any other thoughts?”

“No.”

“Then let’s evaluate the other stories.”

As if she had been waiting, the souvenir girl held up an O sign.

“My criteria are similar to writer Do Inho inside the story. Plausibility is the most important, and I think they all had it roughly.”

Hearing those words, Songee nodded. The criteria Do Inho used to “confirm” inside were similar to the souvenir girl’s judgment criteria.

On the other hand, the guide showed a complicated expression and couldn’t easily hold up a sign. It seemed there was a story he didn’t like, and everyone instinctively knew which one it was. It must be The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho.

Kim Sanghyun carefully raised his hand.

“It seems there’s a story that bothers you?”

“Let’s say two pass. ‘Newlywed Memories’... Although I like happy endings, it’s a bit forced to take issue with killing serial killers. ‘Home Alone’ is a perfect happy ending by anyone’s standards.”

Fortunately, he was saying he wouldn’t take issue with Eunsol, who played the role of Park Sumi in Newlywed Memories, killing the serial killer family. However, The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho was clearly not a happy ending, no matter how one looked at it.

“The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho, I really don’t know about this one. I still remember Park Saerom’s tragic end. You were good at sophistry, why don’t you try to persuade me?”

Kim Sanghyun nodded and began his persuasion, “Judge, I’d like to say two things. First, the reason there’s no happy ending in The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho is not due to the participant’s lack of skill, but because the script itself makes a happy ending impossible.”

“It’s a problem with the script itself?”

“When you judged the second movie, The Guardian of the Wall, didn’t you criticize Cha Jinchul for killing the emperor and say there were other methods like going into seclusion?”

“That’s right.”

“Is there such an ‘alternative plot’ in The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho? There isn’t. From the moment a man-eating monster is the protagonist, the sacrifice of either the monster or humans was inevitable!”

“Hmm... Let’s say the sacrifice of humans is understandable. Why did you have to kill Park Saerom?”

Kim Sanghyun was at a loss for words.

There was no answer for this part. The reason Kim Ahri killed Park Saerom at the end was an effort to match the merchant’s taste after giving up on the guide’s taste.

“...Let me tell you the second reason. Didn’t you say two out of three stories pass?”

“2/3 satisfactory, 1/3 unsatisfactory, so combined it’s satisfactory?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s do that.”

The guide didn’t argue further and held up the pass sign. Seeing that, Kim Sanghyun tilted his head for a moment.

It’s easier than I thought? I thought I’d have to use much more forced arguments... It’s as if the result has already been decided.

The tense atmosphere in the theater suddenly eased. This was because the souvenir girl and the guide declared passes in succession.

At this point, the evaluation of the last judge, the merchant, became irrelevant. Perhaps because of that?

The merchant rather showed a comfortable expression.

“Phew! Rather, it’s fortunate. Since the two before me have already given passes, I can speak freely. Honestly, except for The Tale of a 21st Century Gumiho, they were all mediocre! Newlywed Memories? Home Alone? Aren’t both endings too cliché? There were many scenarios that could have gone in more interesting directions?”

In the relaxed atmosphere, Cha Jinchul asked curiously, “What other interesting directions were there?”

“Good question! Taking Newlywed Memories as an example, would the brother raised in a family of serial killers be normal? Isn’t there a clear possibility of falling to the dark side? Like Miss Park Sumi taking that kid and becoming a hitchhiking murder duo—“

“Oh my! Is that fun for you? What about Home Alone?”

“Aren’t Kevin’s parents a bit suspicious? That model house was probably bought by Kevin’s parents, and they left the child alone at home with various excuses?”

Songee tilted her head, “I did suspect the parents once in the middle.”

“There were more secrets in the model house, too. Isn’t that object something with a mechanism that sucks in humans? How about using it well to suck in other humans?”

“...”

The hotel people listening to the other possibilities suggested by the merchant had their mouths half-open.

This was because they couldn’t even imagine developments like corrupting the victim who had been kidnapped by the serial killer family again, or actively using a suspicious object imbued with unknown power to kidnap ordinary people.

Kim Sanghyun asked with an expression of utter incomprehension, “Why on earth would you do such things?”

“Isn’t it fun?”

“...”

“No, when such a good opportunity arises, isn’t it stranger not to—“

“Silence at once! Let’s stop here.”

Around that time, the guide shouted for silence and moved to the front of the screen.

“Congratulations! You have solved all the movies prepared in Hotel Cinema. Now, shall we welcome your hardworking companions with enthusiastic applause?”

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 135

Current Location: Floor 2, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 0

– Han Kain

Consciousness slowly returned.

As I was recalling the complex conversation I had in the coffee shop until just now, a cheerful voice was heard from beside me, “Yay! We succeeded in the end! Who was the last one? Was it Kain as expected?”

“Well, that’s right.”

“Wow! That tone just now is a bit unpleasant?”

“...”

A moment of joy celebrating everyone’s reunion!

The guide spoke words adding to the joy for the first time in a while, “Now then, we’ll end Hotel Cinema like this!”

“...”

“...”

Everyone looked at the guide with expressions asking what he was talking about.

As the guide showed a confident attitude as if asking why, Ahri finally pointed out, “Wait, what about the reward? There’s always a reward when we clear a mission room! When we cleared Room 106 on the first floor, there was some kind of drawing event, right? Isn’t there anything similar?”

“Reward? Haven’t you already received it?”

At the words asking if they hadn’t already received it, the others were all flustered. I had a feeling I knew what it might be.

I already knew that the conversation itself that I heard from writer Do Inho and other storytellers in the coffee shop was a kind of reward.

But is that all?

I admit it was nutritious information with a lot to chew on, but if that information was the entire reward, wasn’t it too disappointing?

“Miss Eunsol, why don’t you go to Room 105 and open the drawer?”

As Eunsol-noona was widening her eyes with an expression of disbelief, another familiar sound was heard.

“Boom!”

“...”

“...”

“Why do you keep making sound effects with your own mouth?”

With Grandpa’s last words, Room 204, The Mission Room - ‘Hotel Cinema’ that had tired us out for days was concluded.

...Should I tell them about the conversation I heard in the coffee shop?

***

User: Han Kain (Wisdom)

Date: Day 135

Current Location: Floor 2, Corridor

Sage’s Advice: 0

– Han Kain

After coming out of Room 204, everyone moved towards the refreshment table.

“Where did Eunsol go?”

“Noona went to Room 105 as the guide said earlier.”

“I wonder what they gave her?”

After a while, Eunsol-noona returned to the table. The expression on Noona’s approaching face was incredibly complex.

Our expressions became similar when we saw the shining object in Noona’s hand. The 0.5 ticket we had obtained as a special reward from Room 202 was completed.

Finally, the second ticket came into our hands!

In the silence that fell over the entire refreshment table, the doctor carefully opened his mouth, “It seems... It’s time to bring up the conversation everyone has been putting off.”

“...”

“I mean the revival of Miss Ahri’s mother, Miss Miro. I heard you had a conversation on this topic once before waking me up.”

“...”

“I heard you said you’d use the ticket when you found a way to restore Miss Miro’s mind? Couldn’t we restore her mind through the Mirror Room? We’ve obtained the ticket now.”

“That’s... right.”

Ahri looked at us somewhat nervously. We had actually made a similar agreement. Everyone started carefully offering various opinions.

Strangely, I felt my head clearing. Was it because I recalled the memory of a familiar girl laughing cheerfully and throwing snowballs from behind?

“Let’s research how to use the Mirror Room. I had one idea while watching the movie... Seungyub?”