NOVEL NEXT Chapter 215
Song Ah-Rin walks alongside the dark corridor.
To be precise, it feels like a wooden puppet and Song Ah-Rin are walking through the dark corridor.
“You made quite a fascinating entrance.”
“What’s more fascinating is me. …No, I mean, how did the theater company chief find you?”
“That’s something I find fascinating too.”
According to Song Ah-Rin, there are threads attached to my body.
That means it’s no different from saying the theater company chief has already found me.
“Hey, do you have some kind of pheromone that containment objects are drawn to?”
“No, A-Rin. Don’t say ridiculous things like that. There can’t be…”
“…”
“…I hope there isn’t.”
Thinking back on my past, it seems quite likely and that scares me. All I can do is pray it’s not true.
“But didn’t the manual state there’s no attack function?”
“Indeed.”
The red light that just illuminated me.
It’s never been used on me at all.
“…Could it be that you intentionally didn’t show this ability when I’m around?”
“…No way?”
If that’s the case, I’d feel utterly betrayed.
I fix my gaze on the manual held by Song Ah-Rin.
If that’s true, I have to reconsider my thoughts on the manual.
Did she feel my gaze or something?
Suddenly, the manual in Song Ah-Rin’s hand starts to unfold.
– Whirrr!
The manual unfurls at an unusually fast pace.
[Manual for Office Staff]
[SCR – Auxiliary Ability of Management Agency Manual (Incomplete)]
1. Since the owner may face various crises, the manual is currently developing its own defense system.
2. This function is still under development, so it has not been used haphazardly.
“Wait. So what am I?”
Song Ah-Rin, holding the manual, mutters as if she finds it absurd.
3. The rare aftereffects experienced after trials include nausea, dizziness, tremors, respiratory distress, and organ dysfunction.
4. Due to the potential for side effects to manifest, the manual has not activated its self-protection system until now; your understanding is appreciated.
5. Additionally, when using this function, a small amount of the owner’s
“Hey! This book is insane!”
Song Ah-Rin threw the book onto the floor and glared at me.
“You’ve never shown me this function once, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
If such a function existed, it would’ve already been used.
“So, does that mean I can be experimented on?”
Song Ah-Rin, looking incredulous, kept shouting “Hah, seriously” while peering at the manual.
“What if I end up dead from this?”
“First… Are you feeling nausea, dizziness, tremors, respiratory distress, or organ dysfunction?”
At my calm inquiry, Song Ah-Rin started feeling her body here and there before shaking her head.
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s a relief.”
Then, I gazed at the manual.
“Anyhow, it’s not good to do such things to others. And if needed, I can use it myself.”
The manual did not unfold.
“Should I just throw it away?”
“…”
– Whirrr!
[Manual for Office Staff]
A book that showed nothing unfolds.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it gave no response. Or maybe it’s a sign that it has nothing to say.
I sighed.
“Just look at it once. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”
“…Responsibility?”
“Yes. Well, if it’s an emergency, like nursing care or hospital bills, all of it can be entrusted to me.”
After all, I am the owner of the manual. So the responsibility is mine.
“…Well. If that’s the case.”
Song Ah-Rin trailed off as she bent her waist.
“Then I have no choice. I’ll let you see it.”
“Thank you.”
“…But.”
Picking up the manual from the floor, Song Ah-Rin looked at me.
“Where do you plan to find your body?”
“First, I’ll need to explain what I went through.”
While walking through the dark corridor, I started explaining what I experienced to Song Ah-Rin.
Being trapped in a small house, and the broadcast and the host too.
“…So you were trapped on stage.”
“I believe so.”
Song Ah-Rin placed her hand on her chin, murmuring after hearing my words, and I nodded in agreement.
“But how is that related to looking for your body?”
“A-Rin, how long after I disappeared did you come in?”
“…Hmm, around five minutes?”
“…Five minutes?”
Five minutes, you say?
I recalled what I had experienced.
It felt like at least half a day, or maybe a day had passed.
“…Looks like there’s a slight discrepancy in time?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain later.”
There’s no time to explain every little thing right now.
“Okay. Let’s say you can find my body.”
Song Ah-Rin nodded her head.
“The problem is, how do we do that?”
“The person who can solve that is right in front of you.”
“…Me?”
Song Ah-Rin pointed to herself.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“What can I do?”
“You’ll find it.”
“…”
Song Ah-Rin looked at me as if lacking confidence.
“Me? You?”
“More precisely, it’s my body.”
“…What’s the method?”
“Sync.”
The theater company chief and Song Ah-Rin. They share a lot.
To be honest, saying they share does not even do justice. They are the same person.
“A-Rin can understand the theater company chief better than anyone. After all, you’re the same person.”
“…”
“Of course, if you’re having a hard time, you don’t have to do it.”
Requesting something from others should never feel obligatory.
At times like that, one can just find another way.
“…Alright.”
But soon enough, Song Ah-Rin nodded her head.
With her gaze directed downward, she continued to speak.
“Honestly, I’m not sure if I can do it well, but if I can find your body, I should try.”
“Thank you.”
“Before that, though, there’s something I’ve been concerned about.”
Song Ah-Rin slightly frowned.
“The theater company chief… Honestly, I thought she looked ridiculously strong.”
“Yes.”
“But, how should I put it? It seems she lacks hypnotic abilities?”
“…Hypnotic abilities?”
“Yeah. She seemed to have reinforced her mental barriers, but I didn’t feel anything from her.”
“…”
I mulled over Song Ah-Rin’s words.
What had come to mind when I saw the theater company chief earlier?
[Name: Theater Company Head]
[Age: -]
[Specialty: Manipulation]
[Talent: Manipulation]
[Background: Let’s sing. For a world where everyone is happy, for a world where everyone enjoys, for a world where no one suffers.]
Her weakness was… what I couldn’t understand was dancing.
Thinking about it, it was true.
Her specialty and talent were the same.
Comparatively, Song Ah-Rin…
I looked at Song Ah-Rin.
“…What? Why are you staring at me all of a sudden?”
“…It’s nothing.”
I can’t see it.
Have I lost my eyesight after transferring into a puppet’s body?
If that’s the case, then I currently can’t use Critical and cannot utilize the joint prayer either.
If syncing is difficult, I’d thought of using a method to fuse Song Ah-Rin and the theater company chief, but that seems tough.
I must navigate this purely with situational adaptability and Song Ah-Rin’s ability.
But I felt no worry.
“Let’s give it a try.”
“…Okay.”
With her eyes closed, Song Ah-Rin concentrated.
If it’s Song Ah-Rin, she can do it well.
Somewhere along the line, I felt she shifted from having confidence to self-doubt, but I completely believed in Song Ah-Rin without a hint of doubt.
“…”
With eyes still closed, Song Ah-Rin continued to focus.
The atmosphere around her gradually changed.
From being nervous and a little lighthearted…
“…”
To a heavy and spine-chilling atmosphere.
Before long, Song Ah-Rin opened her eyes.
“…”
Her eyes, devoid of any emotion, stared at me, and she muttered,
“Let’s go.”
In a short murmur, she stood beside me.
“…Aren’t you going first?”
“Just because I synced doesn’t mean I become the theater company head.”
Still speaking in an emotionless tone, Song Ah-Rin gazed ahead.
“If anything, it means understanding increases. In the end, right now I am the theater company head.”
“…”
“Well, if it were me…”
Song Ah-Rin paused her words for a moment.
“This way.”
Then, she boldly walked ahead.
“Wait, do you know the way?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why?”
“…”
Song Ah-Rin merely turned her head slightly to look back at me.
“In the end, the one we’re confronting is just a person.”
“Yeah?”
“Though pretending to be strong or not, they are still human.”
She muttered, as if it were no different from any monster. She looked ahead once more.
“All those actions stem from a single emotion.”
“…”
“Loneliness.”
Song Ah-Rin looked at me.
“A lonely person has come seeking someone.”
“Yes.”
“And then toyed with that person while discarding the body?”
“…”
“That’s unlikely.”
Song Ah-Rin slowly shook her head.
“Let’s go.”
“So, where to?”
“To the center.”
Her strides remained steady.
*
Supporting the man or puppet, Song Ah-Rin thought with a cold head.
The theater company head.
This is shockingly similar to herself.
Was it because she saw the footage from that time, or is it simply the fact that it’s still her?
“Did she say she was overflowing with inferiority complexes?”
The black-haired woman had said to her.
Now it seemed she had no choice but to admit it.
She had a good understanding of Song Ah-Rin.
Not perfectly, of course.
It’s just that she didn’t fully grasp the black-haired woman either.
The white-haired one also perceived herself well.
Based on aspects of her own personality or behavior, the white-haired one managed to predict sometimes alleviating her burdens, while other times even assaulting her with those very responsibilities.
“…Handle your own business.”
“Yeah?”
“…No.”
The whispered words of the black-haired woman.
She had purely known herself.
The ugly parts she showed, and the aspects she didn’t want to reveal.
“…”
Of course, she felt she understood now.
The black-haired woman was, unfortunately, a sad person.
“Here.”
“A bit of contemplation wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
As the man grumbled, Song Ah-Rin slightly raised the corners of her lips and moved forward.
Continuing to go in.
Further inside, and deeper.
Soon, she stopped in front of a door.
“…What is this place?”
“As you see.”
Song Ah-Rin lightly replied as she gazed ahead.
The door labeled [Warehouse] was stared at intently by the man.
“Is this what you mean, A-Rin?”
“Yep.”
“You said to treat it preciously, right?”
“Is this how you treat it preciously?”
Slowly, she opened the door.
– Creak…
With a small sound, the door swings open.
“…This is maddening.”
Leaving behind the man’s sigh, Song Ah-Rin smiled.
See? I was right.