IN GAMAND
NO. 21
W. Seolha
*The portion is a little short....
I ran toward the main gate of the Ligiaine residence, oblivious to the heels of my uncomfortable shoes. The carriage had already arrived. Even as I saw the carriage door firmly shut, I still harbored suspicions that Min Yoongi's signal might have been a mistake. The suspicion began with the question, "Who else but us 'players' would need those ancient records?" But the moment I boarded the carriage, sat down on the chair, the hem of her voluminous dress tickling my ankles, and saw Min Yoongi's expression, I had no choice but to admit it. Ah, really, Min Yoongi had failed.
"Why?"
"Why?" was the first question that came to mind. As soon as Jeon Jungkook closed the carriage door, the boy who had taken Min Yoongi's place in the coachman's seat whipped the horse. With a "Iya," the carriage began to move, rattling. Min Yoongi, who had witnessed the carriage completely leave the Lizian duchess's residence, washed his face with a tired expression and opened his mouth. "Nothing."
"Someone took the record faster than me. I don't know who. I even released the ghost to check, but there's not a single trace."
Min Yoongi said as he handed me the key, which had become warm from his body temperature after holding it in his hand the whole time. Perhaps my expression clearly showed that he wasn't entirely convinced, as he glanced at me and Jeon Jungkook from the corner of his eye before continuing. He said that the records had existed at Ligia's residence until they arrived and dropped off Jeon Jungkook and me. However, while Min Yoongi was searching the annex for the records, someone else had already tampered with them and taken them.
[Quest Failed] The notification popped up after Jeon Jungkook and I had danced around and escaped to the balcony, so Min Yoongi's explanation made sense chronologically. However, the question was, 'who' had tampered with the records? Vivian's records were a forbidden book. Even so, a forbidden book so old and well-hidden that most of the empire didn't even know of its existence. For 'players' like us, the only reason we tamper with the forbidden book is because our escape from this world depends on it. Otherwise, it would be worthless to go through the crazy trouble of sneaking into the duke's residence and stealing it.
If it weren't for a scene that suddenly flashed from a corner of my memory, I might still not have been convinced that someone else had stolen Vivian's records. That is, if I hadn't remembered the day I first checked the "old map" Jeon Jungkook had received, the "X" clearly drawn across the words "Crea Empire: Imperial Palace."
"…ah,"
A final groan escaped my lips. Jeon Jungkook pulled out an "old map" from his inventory.
Three clear "X"s among countless "O"s. Min Yoongi seemed to understand the map's meaning without Nana or Jeon Jungkook's explanation, as the bright red marker above "Duchess Ligia's Residence" appeared. This wasn't the first time records we'd never taken had disappeared. Someone had already obtained the palace's records.
[Main Quest: Cooperation]
Required Quest
Excluded Players : 1
The silence grew longer.
That's only two out of ten or so records. Yes, only a fifth. To be a little more optimistic, these "excluded players" simply didn't cooperate with us, and perhaps, when we meet again later, they could help each other, playing a role similar to that of an ally. But, what if it were the other way around?
I couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario for us would be to cling to the memories of our "true selves," which could vanish at any moment, while ultimately losing them all and living as someone else. To live our entire lives in this empire, unable to return to the world we once inhabited. Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.
It was a palpable fear. It was only two records, but to me, who remembered the original world more vividly than anyone else, it was nothing.
The carriage was filled with silence. None of the three spoke first. The edge of the old map Jeon Jungkook held was badly crumpled. No one spoke, but the thoughts filling their minds were probably similar. It was a vague fear, a terror. The tiny possibility that we might not be able to return to our original selves was like a huge wall for us "players." It was hopeless. In this heavy atmosphere, we remained silent all the way back to the academy.
IN GAME
[Main Quest: Search (2)]
Required Quest
The quest entry conditions have been met.
[Main Quest: Search]This continues.]
Crea Empire: Northern RegionThe search continues.
.
.
.
By achieving the quest completion conditions
You can receive compensation.
Would you like to receive your reward?Y / N
"Sorry, I'm embarrassed."
It didn't take long to tell Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok, who had completely destroyed the source, that I had failed to retrieve Vivian's records. I couldn't believe how many times I'd told them I was so embarrassed, so I kept my eyes fixed on my toes and explained the whole story to him. While Jeon Jungkook and I were attending the party at the banquet hall, what Min Yoongi had been doing, why it had failed, where Vivian's records were, and so on. Every time I glanced at Kim Taehyung, he would wear a strangely subtle expression, and I felt like crying. The despair, loss, despair, and anxiety I'd felt on the carriage ride back to the academy—the very thought that Kim Taehyung and Jung Hoseok might be feeling those same overwhelmingly negative emotions—made my head drop.
"Really? I guess there's nothing I can do."
That's why Kim Taehyung's answer was so unexpected that I couldn't help but raise my head, which had been hanging low. What can I do? Did I mishear? Or did Kim Taehyung actually understand what I just said about our failure? All sorts of thoughts swirled around in my head. That perfectly calm answer wasn't even 1% similar to what I had expected from Kim Taehyung.
"Where should we go next? There's a festival coming up in the capital soon, so if possible, it'd be nice to go somewhere nearby," Kim Taehyung muttered, his expression slightly blank. Jung Ho-seok's reaction wasn't much different. "It's fun to see the festival," he replied, his calm demeanor unwavering.
"You just have to find the next record first."
I was thinking of the worst rather than the best. It felt like the rules I'd lived by my entire life were being shattered. It was because of Kim Taehyung's words, which made my worst-case scenarios seem like nothing. He spoke as if the current situation wasn't our reality, but a well-made virtual reality game. It was light. His tone was so casual, his reaction so casual. That's why it truly became nothing. The worst-case scenarios I'd assumed.
Haha, Kim Taehyung raised the corners of his mouth as he watched me burst into laughter. Jeon Jungkook, who had been watching Kim Taehyung with a blank expression just like me, eventually laughed too. I saw the corners of Min Yoongi's mouth slightly rise as he continued to frown as if he didn't care about something. Yeah, it's nothing. This was just another game, and my character wouldn't suddenly die just because I failed one quest. If I failed one, I just had to succeed in another. It was that easy.
"But what are those clothes you're wearing?"
"It's called a party, so you can't just pick up anything and wear it."
“Just because you draw lines on a pumpkin doesn’t mean it turns into a watermelon…, Hey! Hey! Hey! You crazy, it hurts!”
Everything was fine, but I finally got a kick out of it. I gathered up my flowing skirt with one arm and threw the shoes I had carelessly tossed around at Kim Taehyung. The dress Jin had packed for me, telling me to dress up since I was going to the party anyway, was now a total mess. My shoes, muddy from running so fast on the dirt road, left a mark on Kim Taehyung's clothes and fell. Hey!! Kim Taehyung's face was tinged with resentment as he quickly shook off his clothes, yelling, "Pfft!" It was understandable that my favorite clothes had been ruined with just one word. Who would have picked a fight with me? I swatted the snack Kim Taehyung threw at me with one hand and stuck my tongue out. It was quite amusing to see him almost die from frustration.
After that, I don't really remember much. I wasn't even drinking, but I felt like I was in a daze. I think it was probably because we were running around so much that our faces turned bright red. It started with Kim Taehyung's cookie attack, and then Jeon Jungkook, who took the cookie I had thrown in his face instead, threw a cookie in front of me in revenge, and the chocolate inside the cookie flew everywhere, staining Min Yoongi's sleeve. Jung Hoseok, who was stuck between me and Kim Taehyung and covered in cookie crumbs, exploded, turning my room into a complete mess. We had been fighting childishly, not knowing how old we were, but after throwing cookies with all our might, we collapsed on the floor in a mere 30 minutes. Today was too long a day to just run around and play.
/
The other four boys grumbled and cleaned up my messy room, spurred on by my threat that if a bug came out of my room, they'd trespass. They roughly cleared away the snack bits and crumbs, and only after Jung Ho-seok chuckled and cast a cleaning spell at my whining, did my room finally regain its former glory. I hurriedly chased them away. "Go, go and rest!"
“I don’t want to lift a finger….”
While the other three returned to their dorms relatively obediently, Kim Taehyung showed no intention of cleaning up his body sprawled on the sofa in my room. He didn't even seem to hear me when I asked him to just leave, which was so annoying that I kicked his foot, which was poking out of the sofa. The short, "Ah!" scream was worth hearing.
Kim Taehyung swung his foot, intending revenge, and that marked the second battle between him and me. Only after a melee that left me so exhausted I couldn't even lift a finger did we finally lie stretched out side by side on the sofa. I let out a hollow laugh. I realized that since being suddenly thrust into this world, this was the first time I'd been so nonchalant and playful.
"Like most high school boys in Korea, I loved games so much that I spent all my allowance at PC cafes."
Kim Taehyung, who had been leaning against the back of the sofa, catching his breath, opened his mouth. I, also catching my breath, glanced at him, out of the corner of my eye. Kim Taehyung, who had been staring at the ceiling, opened his mouth again.
"There was an RPG game that was popular at the time, but the story wasn't that great, so it became a fad and passed quickly."
“…I think I know what it is….”
“You played it too? Surprisingly… Anyway, I really enjoyed that game. My friends quit it because it wasn’t fun and started playing other games, but I was the only one who kept playing it for a long time.”
"……."
"There was a really difficult part of that game... I think it was about defeating a boss within a time limit? But that time limit was really tight. I kept falling behind."
I remember being unexpectedly hooked on a game. It was a brief, fleeting fad, then forgotten RPG. Perhaps because it was a new release from a famous game company, expectations were sky-high, but the mediocre gameplay led to more and more people quitting. Still, there were a few who stuck with the game until the very end. Perhaps it was people like me and Kim Taehyung. The fact that Kim Taehyung and I had played the same game struck me as a newfound wonder, and I blinked.
"I must have died 100 times because I lied a little. Of course, I couldn't complete the quest... But after dying about 100 times, I got the hang of it. I tried 100 times and died, and tried 101 times and completed it."
“You’re crazy…”
"This is the same."
A thick, warm hand rested on my chin. Lacking the energy to react, I left the hand still. Perhaps it was because I enjoyed the slow, gentle strokes of my hair.
So, don't be so anxious. Kim Taehyung's words, which I'd thought were too embarrassing to say out loud, were conveyed through his hands. Tears welled up in my eyes. I knew if I shed a tear here, I'd be the butt of a lifetime of ridicule, so I held them back with all my might. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened, and I didn't shed a single tear. Kim Taehyung's hand remained on my head for a long time afterward.
“…What is the western part of the empire famous for?”
“I don’t know… Is there anything in your memory, Bante Lumian?”
"Don't be ridiculous, this kid is a real rascal. All I remember is him playing."
“It suits you well….”
“I’m dying….”
Kim Taehyung, who had placed a peck on my forehead while I was giggling, slowly took his hand away.
"If there's a festival or something like that in the West, should I go and take a look?"
"Good."
"I wish they sold things like chicken skewers there too."
"Tornado potatoes too,"
"I really don't think that's possible."
"Honestly, if you started a business here selling Korean street food, you'd be a hit."
"I'll make a lot of money and still have some left over."
Throughout our exchange of idle chatter, we didn't turn our heads or even glance at each other. Our heads, tilted toward the ceiling, remained fixedly fixed, staring straight ahead. Our gazes focused on the pristine white ceiling. Or, more accurately, not on the ceiling, but on the translucent blue system window blocking our view.
[Main Quest: Search (3)]
Required Quest
[Main Quest: Search]This continues.
Crea Empire: Northern RegionThe search has been completed.
Crea Empire: Western RegionWe begin our search.
In the western part of the empire
Existing in an area where 'abnormal phenomena' occur
Destroy the 'source'.
player: Julia Bian Orte / ? Hye ?
The number of remaining sources : 3
Progress : 0%
Success Reward : ???
In case of failure: Player death
[Main Quest: Finding Materials (3)]
Required Quest
[data]I confirm that I have acquired some of the .
[Main Quest: Finding Materials]It continues.
One of the players you collaborated with
[Old Map]has been obtained.
Existing on the continent[data]Gather them all together
Complete 'Vivian's Record'.
-Fourth [data] acquisition
-Fourth [data] View
Success Reward: Some of Vivian's records
"I'm just saying, but if I can't go back, let's do some business here."
"Chicken skewer business?"
"Tornado potatoes too."
"good night."
Kim Taehyung, who had been blankly staring at the quest window, stood up, saying he should go. He lifted his arm, which was dangling on the sofa, and gave a vague wave. The large, calloused hand shook in return, then disappeared behind the door. Silence fell. It was hard to believe that the space had been filled with meaningless conversations just moments before.
I slowly got up. The tattered hem of my dress was bothering me, so I slowly began to remove the outer covering. I sat on the sofa in my underwear for a while, then walked to the bathroom to wash my body, which was a mess from sweat and crumbs. It didn't take long for me to return to a fresh, dry state.
I squeezed the water out of my golden, silky hair with a towel. It was still so bright I couldn't get used to it. Suddenly, I looked up and saw a face in the mirror that I could now say was familiar. The girl in the mirror had bright golden hair, snow-white skin, and eyes as blue as the ocean. That's what Julia Bian Orte looked like.
I slowly closed my eyes. I drew "me" on the pitch-black background. What color was my hair? Oh, it was black as night. And my skin? It was tan because I loved playing in the sun since I was little. What color were my eyes? Were they brown, like my mom's, or black, like my dad's? Brown. Did I have double eyelids? What was my nose like? What did my lips look like? Yes, that's right. I had double eyelids, and my lips were slightly thin. That was my face.
I slowly opened my eyes. Blue eyes appeared. I carelessly tossed the damp towel into the laundry basket and slowly combed my hair to keep it from tangling. I could faintly hear the swish, swish, swish of the comb.
Well, maybe my return to my original world would be a long time in the future. One year later, three years later, five years later. Or even further in the future, decades later, when I'd already become a fully grown adult here. Seriously, maybe I'd never return to my original world. I'd have to try, but you never know what happens in life. It was like I'd been dropped into this world. My habit of always thinking the worst wouldn't go away, so I naturally imagined myself unable to return. That is, living as "Julia Vian Orte" until I died.
"…hmm,"
One curious thing was that, despite thinking about it, I barely felt the same negative emotions I'd felt on the carriage ride earlier: fear, dread, a sense of hopelessness, and anxiety. The suffocating fear that had weighed on me was no longer there. All I could think of were jokes like, "Should I start a chicken skewer business? Or sell tornado potatoes? Or maybe tteokbokki wouldn't be so bad."
Perhaps it was because she truly felt that living here as "Julia Bian Orte" wasn't so bad, or perhaps it was because she had a strong belief that, as Kim Taehyung had said, not being able to return to her original world would be so unlikely that it would be dismissed as "just a rumor." She couldn't tell. She gathered her half-dry hair neatly over one shoulder and threw herself onto the bed. The soft mattress enveloped her tired body in comfort. Whatever it was, it was fine. The mere fact that she was no longer anxious was enough to relieve her.
Ah, what should I do tomorrow? First, I need to make plans to head west. I'll check out old maps to see where the data is, and I'll also look for possible sources. And then... I'll also find out what the west is famous for. I hope there's a lot of delicious food. Ah, for now...
The day was long.
✨