NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
Chapter 14
When I was younger, I often searched for videos of exploring abandoned cities on the internet.
Back then, it looked so much fun.
“Ah… Ah!”
“No, seriously, follow me properly!”
Yu Da On was pulling Jang Chae Yeon’s hand while I was pushing Chae Yeon’s back from behind.
Now that I’m in the position of actually exploring, it’s a whole different level of suffering. Not to mention, I have to drag around someone who’s turned from a half-wit into a full-on idiot.
“Huff, huff… If we keep dragging her like this, it’ll never end!”
“Right?”
How am I supposed to carry her again?
We stopped for a moment, and both Yu Da On and Jang Chae Yeon were staring at me.
“Honestly, this isn’t working. We can’t even cover 1km in an hour.”
“That’s true, but what are we going to do about it?”
“Let’s talk it out.”
I locked eyes with Jang Chae Yeon, who slightly bent her knees and mumbled to herself.
“Let’s have a chat. What’s over there?”
“…Nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m afraid of nothing.”
What the heck is she talking about?
But whatever it is, we need to move forward to figure it out.
“Staying here won’t change anything. If you want to get out, you need to help me a little.”
“…I left it behind.”
With her increasingly nonsensical responses, my head began to throb, and I had no choice but to focus on what she said next.
“I left it there.”
“What did you leave behind?”
“Important things. I need to find them.”
“What are they?”
“I don’t know.”
Jang Chae Yeon answered with a blank look. Ugh, if only someone could stick some intellect onto her; the aggression could stay behind.
“But I’ll know what it is once I see it.”
“…”
“Help me find it… then I’ll be quiet.”
Is she secretly a genius? Is she just pretending to be an idiot to make us do her bidding?
However, I couldn’t refuse her request.
In the end, I nodded in agreement.
“Okay. But you have to follow quietly. When I ask for help, you help.”
“Okay.”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded calmly and started walking as if she had never whined at all.
Seeing that, Yu Da On came up to me and whispered quietly.
“I’m starting to get a little angry. Is that normal?”
“Perfectly normal. But since we can’t win if we fight, let’s forgive each other.”
What’s the point, even if the two of us team up against her?
Yu Da On frowned for a moment but soon closed her mouth and followed behind.
*
“…This is tough.”
Walking through the ruined city was harder than I expected.
My feet were stuck on sharp stone pieces, and the ground was uneven.
“It really is tough.”
Yu Da On said while wiping her face with her sleeve, although she seemed okay.
And…
“Heh… Heh…”
Jang Chae Yeon, on the other hand, was just gasping for air, seemingly having lost her ability to speak.
“…Are you okay?”
Why is her stamina so terrible?
“Heh… Heh…”
It seems like she doesn’t have the energy to answer.
After repeatedly inhaling and exhaling for several minutes, Jang Chae Yeon finally calmed down.
“…Aren’t you from the Isolation Team?”
“I’m struggling.”
“No, weren’t you from the Isolation Team?”
“…Struggling is still struggling.”
She avoided my gaze as she replied.
“By the way, Da On, you seem fine?”
“I’m from the Security Team.”
Yu Da On struck a pose, flexing her right arm to show off her muscles with a grin.
“I’m probably on the stronger side among girls my age.”
“Now that you mention it…”
I recalled the first time I met Yu Da On.
“What does the Security Team do?”
“The Security Team?”
Yu Da On made a thoughtful sound before pondering.
“Uh, maybe something like… security?”
Maybe?
As if she sensed the doubt in my eyes, Yu Da On shook her head rapidly.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’ve only worked one day, okay? To be honest, I’ve worked more with Kim Jae Heon in the Human Resources Team.”
“Considering that, you’re pretty good at shooting a gun.”
“Of course, we get trained. The first thing I learned when joining the Security Team was how to shoot.”
“So, what did you do before coming here?”
“Um… just went to school… that kind of stuff?”
Her last answer trailed off. Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it.
It’s hard to dig into every detail; everyone has their own privacy.
“…We’ve arrived.”
Hearing Jang Chae Yeon’s faint voice, I looked ahead.
“…Woah.”
Up close, it was overwhelming—literally, a gigantic abandoned city unfolded before us.
“Do you know how to find an exit?”
Jang Chae Yeon’s eyes darkened at my question.
“There’s no exit.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can’t leave without permission.”
“Who from?”
“…This thing.”
With a gloomy expression, Jang Chae Yeon pointed at the city.
“…You mean the Cube?”
Jang Chae Yeon nodded.
She spoke as if the Cube had a will of its own.
“Then how did you get out? Wait, why did you even come in the first place?”
“I… I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
“…Understood.”
If she can’t remember, I probably won’t gain anything by asking more questions. For now, I needed to keep checking our conditions.
“Da On, do you feel anything odd, like your head itching or…?”
“That’s something I would say when I was possessed, right?”
Yu Da On muttered grumpily while trying to examine her body with closed eyes.
“…I still can’t tell. But what worries me is that if I’m being mentally controlled, I don’t think I’d notice it…”
“If it gets too severe, I might figure it out. Probably.”
I just hoped my eyes would function properly in time.
With that, as we got to know each other and shared unspoken conversations, we successfully entered the city.
“Ah, you have a younger sister?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t see her often.”
“How old is she?”
“There’s quite an age gap. She just became a college student.”
We shared a bit about our family history.
“You’re an only child?”
“Yeah, well, there are circumstances…”
I listened to Yu Da On’s family story.
“I’m also an only child.”
“…Oh, really?”
I heard about Jang Chae Yeon’s family too.
As we exchanged such trivial conversations, I found myself continually surveying the surroundings.
[Name: Cube]
[Age: Manufactured in the 2000s]
[Specialty: Reality Modification]
[Talent: X]
[Background: This Cube was made in the 2000s, but how? Was it really made back then? Do you really think you saw it made in the 1900s? Is what you’re looking at reality? Or is it inside the Cube? Only the Cube knows.]
[Weakness: An unknown force has cracked the Cube, and it has entered self-repair mode. Nonetheless, remember: You are still you.]
To be honest, I found it incredibly concerning that this text appeared everywhere I looked.
What if I ended up missing something essential or failing to react to a danger in time?
My eyes even began to hurt.
As I blinked repeatedly, Yu Da On looked at me with a worried expression.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“…”
Should I tell Yu Da On about this?
It’s not that I don’t trust her. But I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere with such talk…
“I’m fine.”
Yu Da On placed a hand on my shoulder and met my gaze.
“I’ll believe whatever you say, so don’t just hold it in! Don’t worry! I can handle any torture without saying a word!”
“…There’s no need to go that far.”
In the end, I had no choice but to explain the current situation to Yu Da On.
“Mhm, mhm,” she nodded, listening intently as I spoke.
“So it seems like we are entirely inside the Cube, and that’s why Jae Heon’s eyes are in a state that’s not right.”
“You could say that.”
“Then I’ll keep a close watch on things!”
Yu Da On said confidently. To be honest, it didn’t seem like she would be much help, but hearing her say that was somewhat reassuring.
“…Found it.”
At that moment, Jang Chae Yeon, who had been quietly walking, mumbled and started moving toward somewhere.
“Where are you going?”
“I found it.”
Despite my and Yu Da On’s confused questions, Jang Chae Yeon confidently walked towards a certain place.
“…Should we follow her?”
“I guess we have to.”
In the end, Yu Da On and I were merely following Jang Chae Yeon as if we were enchanted.
Soon, she stepped into a building.
Amidst the shabby ruins, this building at least looked somewhat intact.
She navigated through the debris with ease and suddenly stopped somewhere.
In the crevice of the ruins was a neatly written note on a white piece of paper.
Jang Chae Yeon picked it up and handed it to me.
“Read it.”
“Me?”
She nodded.
“I can’t read it.”
“…Alright, fine.”
I took the note from her and began reading it aloud.
[I’ve been stranded here for two days. I was clearly looking for items that pose a risk of reality modification. How did I end up here? For now, I must find a way out. There are no issues with using my abilities, but I'm overwhelmed with unease. Are my teammates okay? I wonder if something has happened to them. If others are stranded with me, I need to find them first. I’m the only one with abilities, so I have to take charge.]
“…”
Jang Chae Yeon opened her eyes as I read the memo with my eyes closed.
“I’ve remembered.”
“What memory?”
Jang Chae Yeon looked at me.
“A long time ago… I’m not sure exactly, but I’ve been here once before. And… I made a deal with something. I was told that if I could resolve the Cube, I would be allowed to leave… and that’s how I got out.”
She paused for a moment before continuing again.
“And with the terms of that deal, I bet my memory and… something else. The reason I’m here now is that… I failed.”
“Failed? Bet? With whom? The Cube?”
Isn’t the Cube an inanimate object? My eyes were at least saying so.
At my question, Jang Chae Yeon nodded.
—Rumble…
A thunderclap echoed from somewhere,
—Swish…
Rain began to fall.
It was pitch-black tar-like rain.
“I need to find more of the notes I left behind. If we understand the content of the deal and why this phenomenon is happening, we can get ahead.”
Jang Chae Yeon met our eyes as the rain poured down on us.
—Boom!
Thunder roared in response to her words.