Escaping the Mystery Hotel-Chapter 258: Party Time - The Ultimate Girl (4)

- Han Kain

Even after searching late into the night, we found nothing.

After dinner, I continued searching the second floor with the doctor, and later, Grandpa and Eunsol-noona joined in.

We combed through every painting and decoration, but nothing stood out.

“This hotel is way too big!”

“Seriously. Why the hell is this place so endlessly vast...?”

The biggest issue?

The Hotel was absurdly huge.

The first floor was manageable—one could walk through the entire area in about ten minutes, but the second floor expanded significantly, with countless empty rooms that seemed to serve no purpose.

And the basement?

At this point, it was ridiculous.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the space in Hotel Pioneer was expanding in real-time.

It was impossible to even count the number of rooms down there.

“Maybe we’re exhausting ourselves too early. Ahri will wake up tomorrow morning, anyway.”

“Yeah, Eunsol’s right. Let’s just call it a night. When Ahri wakes up, she can just pop her way to the answer with her blessing. Oh, by the way, Kain, did you try using your Sage’s Advice?”

“Not even a response. If the question crosses the line too much, the system doesn’t react at all.”

“What do you mean by ‘crossing the line’? Give me an example.”

“One time, I asked what kind of being Buddha was....”

“Dumbass! Even I know that’s crossing the line. You might as well ask for the ultimate secrets of the universe while you’re at it!”

“It’s the same when I ask about the location of the Mirror Room. No answer at all.”

Noona, listening quietly, chimed in, “Can’t you try wording it differently?”

“Differently?”

“Like, I don’t know—‘a mysterious location’ instead?”

“Yeah, that’s definitely not going to work.”

I tried it just in case, but obviously, such a cheap trick didn’t get past the system.

Just then, Elena approached from across the room.

“Kain!”

“Yeah?”

“Songee’s been missing for a while. Can you check her location?”

I wasn’t particularly worried.

It wasn’t like some intruder could break into a floating hotel.

What could possibly happen?

So, without any concern, I casually checked the party’s Location Info from my Status Window.

Teammate Location Information (*)

Yu Songee: Mirror Room

- Clatter!

The coffee in my hand slipped and spilled onto the floor.

“Uh? Kain?”

“What are you doing?”

...Looks like it’s going to be a long night.

***- Yu Songee

- Swoosh!

“Ahh~ This is nice...! Wait, does this make me sound like an old lady? But it is nice, so who cares?”

“Peroo!”

“...You being around makes me talk to myself a lot. You do understand me, right?”

“Peroo!”

“Hey! Don’t bring sunflower seeds into the bathtub!”

Seriously, why is this bird so lacking in common sense?

I quickly pulled Perro out of the tub.

...

Then again, why would a parrot have common sense?

Maybe it was my mistake for bringing Perro into the bathroom in the first place.

But Perro had been unusually clingy today.

Normally, Perro stuck to me when we were in the Hotel, but today Perro had been glued to me like a second skin since morning.

Even when I tried to push Perro away, Perro clung to my fingers, dangling pitifully like some desperate little thing.

Seeing that, I ended up bringing Perro into the bathroom with me.

“Perro~ You’re not a male, are you? If you are, I might just pluck out all your feathers.”

“Peroo!”

Perro finally managed to sneak a sunflower seed into the bathtub.

By the way, how do you even tell a parrot’s gender?

I remember that some species could be distinguished by their feather colors, but...

That was useless in Perro’s case.

There were no other parrots to compare Perro to.

If it laid eggs, it was female, but Perro hadn’t done that yet.

I heard that if a parrot sang or did mating dances, it was usually a male, but Perro had never done anything like that.

Perro does build nests, though.

Does that mean Perro’s male?

I didn’t know.

There was a white furball nest in my room, which was kind of creepy since it was made entirely of human hair.

I left it alone because Perro put so much effort into making it.

...Why am I even thinking about this?

Parrot gender doesn’t matter at all.

“Alright, time to dry off. Stay out of the way.”

There were plenty of things dangerous to animals, but having an electric device running in a humid bathroom while an animal was present was pure recklessness.

Actually, even bringing a bird into a bath was a questionable decision.

“Why the hell won’t you leave me alone? Are you some obsessive, clingy, tragic lovebird?! Let me go!”

The second I said that I immediately felt embarrassed.

It’s fine.

No one heard me anyway.

I wrapped Perro up in a hairband and tossed Perro onto the bed.

Perro let out a pitiful cry in the midst of landing.

After quickly drying off and fixing my hair, I stood in front of the large mirror, reflecting on myself.

...A little, just a little, disappointing.

What if my nose were a bit sharper? What if my eyes were slightly bigger? What if my irises had a more striking color? What were these blemishes?

I never used to think about these things much.

Honestly, I got plenty of confessions back in school.

But this was the hotel.

Ever since I arrived here, these thoughts kept creeping in.

I couldn’t help it—not when I saw Elena and Ahri every day.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

As I stared blankly, the faint blemishes on my cheek disappeared.

My nose sharpened a little, and a golden flame flickered in my irises. I adjusted my body shape slightly...

“...Teacher, if you’re watching me from the afterlife, please don’t think I’m an idiot for playing ‘plastic surgery’ with my bracelet.”

But honestly, this is way too much fun.

I guess there’s a reason people edit their photos.

It’s like dressing up dolls, except it’s an infinitely upgraded version.

Because the doll is me.

What? deepfake videos?

That’s weak. My bracelet can project my imagination in real-time.

“Perro. I kind of feel like killing myself.”

“PERROO!”

“Wanna join me in the bathtub and see how long we can hold our breath?”

“...”

“Oh? No answer? Should I just tie your beak shut and toss you in instead?”

“Perro...”

“Perro, is there a way to get prettier in the hotel?”

“Pero?”

“I’m not asking for much, just enough to be like Ahri. Oh, that’s too greedy, even for me. Fine, I’ll give up on the gemstone-like, glowing eyes.”

As I chatted away, my body dried naturally.

When I glanced at the mirror again, an interesting thought popped into my head.

“Perro, let me show you something fun!”

I glanced around and found a small hand mirror near the vanity.

“Look, you see this big mirror and this small one?”

I positioned the two mirrors to face each other and stepped between them.

There was a mirror.

Inside that mirror was another mirror.

And inside that mirror, yet another mirror.

An infinite cascade of reflections stretched into eternity, filled with countless versions of me.

I stared at the endless versions of myself.

And within them, I saw an infinite magnification of my flaws.

The faint blemishes on my skin became unbearable.

The plain color of my irises felt depressingly dull.

The slightly delicate curves of my body seemed fragile.

The reserved nature of my personality frustrated me.

Imperfection.

My countless imperfections seemed to multiply infinitely within the mirrors.

...A sudden wave of discomfort washed over me, and just as I was about to move the mirror away, a thought struck me.

Can I overcome imperfection?

Can I transcend all the weaknesses of Yu Songee, the person?

At that moment, from the depths of the infinite mirrors, something reached out to me.

Of course! In Hotel Pioneer, you can achieve anything!

My consciousness blurred...

When I came to, I found myself in a bizarre space filled with mirrors.

- Ting!

Everywhere my gaze landed, there were mirrors.

Even the floor beneath my feet and the ceiling above were mirrors.

They all reflected me.

Overwhelmed, I collapsed onto the floor as a notification popped up.

Congratulations, Yu Songee! You have discovered Hotel Pioneer’s hidden secret, the Mirror Room!

“...Mirror Room? This place?”

The Mirror Room is a place where wishes are granted. Of course, every wish comes at a cost. To make a wish, you need a ticket.

I don’t have a ticket.

The one I earned from Room 107 was used to revive the doctor, and the one from Room 201 was still incomplete.

But shouldn’t the first person to discover the Mirror Room receive a special privilege? Rejoice! A special first-time service just for you! As the first to find the Mirror Room, you may make one wish without any cost. Unfortunately, from the second wish onward, tickets will be required.

A wish... A real wish.

My heart pounded violently.

A wish. A real, actual, wish.

This wasn’t some childish wish upon a shooting star.

This was the hotel. A place where anything could truly be granted.

- Thump! Thump! Thump!

What was that sound? Ah, of course—it was my heartbeat.

The moment I heard the word wish, my heart had already raced beyond control.

What should I wish for? There are just too many things I want!

Money? Maybe enough to buy the world’s most expensive Apple company?

No-money is nothing.

I should aim for something bigger, like immortality!

Ooh, what about being the President of the United States?

A lifetime presidency!

Wait, that sounds exhausting... too much work, too many people criticizing me.

What if... I had an irresistible charm that could captivate anyone?

Beauty?

Or perhaps, a supernatural charisma?

No—let’s think bigger! Maybe something for the world’s benefit?

From what Ahri and Grandpa have said, terrible things are happening in our world.

We all pretend not to notice because it’s easier that way.

My desires bubble over.

Like foam rising endlessly, my desires expand without limit.

Humans are creatures of endless greed-there isn’t enough ocean water to fill the cup of our wants.

I look at the mirrors. I stare at the infinite reflections of myself.

And within them, I see limitless versions of me.

A wealthy girl swims atop a treasure hoard beyond value.

A powerful girl stands at the center of a grand white building, saluted by countless subordinates.

A famous girl shines on a massive city screen, idolized as the ultimate superstar.

And beyond them all, I see...

The perfect me.

A version of me who could bring anyone to their knees.

A version of me that everyone would love.

A version of me that even I would fall in love with.

Enchanted, I step forward.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

As I stretch my hand toward the shimmering mirage of my ultimate self-

A notification appears.

Would you like to make a wish?