Chapter 57
Icebreaking
In the lobby of the elusive hotel.
As Goeunbi and I entered the lobby, we could spot Yeonha standing by the window.
She was admiring the garden outside when she noticed our approach and perked up like a rabbit.
“You’re here?”
“Oh, sky, did you receive my heart well? I put in a lot of effort to gather that! We did well, right?”
Goeunbi rushed to Yeonha, confidently taking the seat next to her.
Then, she gently embraced her, running her fingers through her hair.
“Good job…”
“Oh, nice! It feels so healing.”
Yeonha, caught off guard by the sudden embrace, seemed surprised but didn’t push Goeunbi away.
She just awkwardly accepted her antics.
‘It seems Yeonha likes it.’
It felt like praising a puppy asking to be petted.
Because Goeunbi was shorter than Yeonha, it made her look even more so.
Or was it just my perception?
“Yes, yes, good job…”
“Yeonha, you worked hard too!”
Yeonha cautiously stroked Goeunbi’s head with a hand that hesitantly roamed the air.
Upon feeling Goeunbi’s head, she suddenly relaxed and quietly enjoyed the touch.
I chuckled as I watched that sight and took a seat across from her.
“No one was tailing you?”
“There were, quite a few. Do you know how hard it was for me to deal with them?”
Continuing to stroke Goeunbi’s head, Young-ha looked at me with a somewhat sulky expression.
It seemed like Goeunbi was asking me for praise, just like she did to Young-ha.
Her face was just so adorable.
“Still, I believed you could handle it well. Without you, I wouldn’t have even thought of this plan. Good job. Any injuries?”
“None. And you?”
“None for me either.”
“Me neither!”
“Chip? Did you change them all?”
“I changed them all before you guys arrived. Eunbi, hold on a moment.”
“Oh, sure…”
Young-ha gently detached Goeunbi from her and placed the chips from her hip pocket onto the table.
We counted the chips.
“133 in total.”
Indeed, we had gathered quite a lot.
It felt rewarding to dash through the forest.
“Alright, let’s divide the chips as promised.”
“Okay.”
Fifty chips were needed to book a Sweet Room.
I sent five rows of ten chips each to Young-ha and three rows to Goeunbi, enough to book a Deluxe Room, two grades below the Sweet Room.
It was because she had promised to only take enough chips to book a Deluxe Room.
“This is Eunbi’s share. But are you sure this will work?”
“Yes. It might take a bit longer, but we could book a room higher than the Deluxe Room…”
With just seven more chips, we could book a Premier Room one grade higher.
To confirm once more, Young-ha and I asked Goeunbi.
She answered, twirling her brown hair.
“I’m fine with this. I’m content. I know my abilities well.”
“…”
“With your help, you might be able to book a Sweet Room. But I might not be able to reach the level to book a Sweet Room, and if I aim for the highest grade room and fail the 4th practical exam, it could be a disaster. So, I’m satisfied with this. Thank you for your concern!”
Just as she had initially said, Goeunbi politely declined again this time.
Her words made sense.
I might not know what the 4th practical exam was, but it was undoubtedly an exam where one chose the difficulty level themselves.
Instead of blindly choosing a difficult test, one needed to know how to adjust to their own level.
“If Eunbi’s level might not be suitable for a Sweet Room, she could at least book a Premier Room one grade lower…”
But if that was Goeunbi’s intention, then it was to be respected.
I decided not to insist any further.
The gaze of Yeonhaneul also seemed to agree.
She spoke up.
“If that’s what you think, then there’s no way around it. So, what should we do about this?”
Me 50, Yeonhaneul 50, Goeunbi 30.
Even distributing the chips like that, we still had three chips left.
We didn’t need them anymore.
“Yeah. What should we do? Just leave them here, or give them to someone else? Maybe they’ll need help from that person later on.”
“Or what about giving them to the twins? They seem to be struggling to collect chips too… “
“That won’t work. How can we give what they’ve struggled to collect to someone else?”
“….”
What to do with these chips?
There was no need to ponder.
I grabbed the chips in front of me.
And with force, I smashed them.
“If they’re not needed, they should be destroyed. Why should we care about others? Tell the twins to toughen up a bit.”
“Wow, you’re really…”
“Turns out you’re a wicked person, huh?”
Yeonhaneul and Goeunbi exchanged glances.
I decided to act like I hadn’t heard anything.
◈
At the lobby desk, there was an evaluator collecting chips.
After submitting the chips to the evaluator, we were assigned rooms.
“Congratulations to all three examinees on passing the third round exam. Here, take your room keys.”
The evaluator handed us our room keys.
Each of us took the key assigned to our respective rooms.
“When you enter your room, you’ll find an information sheet on the table. It contains the rules you must abide by during your stay at the Hotel of Dreams today. Be sure to familiarize yourselves with the information. If you violate the rules, consequences will follow.”
“….”
“It will also be mentioned on the information sheet, but please make sure to attend the banquet at 7 p.m. There will be an explanation about the fourth practical exam at the banquet. Failure to attend will be considered as forfeiting the exam.”
The evaluator warned us.
After listening to his explanation, we nodded and headed towards the elevator.
The elevator door opened.
“What do you think?”
“About the exam?”
“Yeah. What kind of exam are we here to take at this hotel?”
“True….”
As the elevator ascended, we watched the floors change, lost in thought.
There was no corner untouched by my thoughts.
Before I knew it, the number on the elevator display stopped at ‘6’.
“I’ll head off for now! You both really worked hard today. Let’s team up again if the opportunity arises.”
“Sure, take care.”
“Take care.”
Go Eun-bi, who had booked the deluxe room, got off the elevator.
As the doors closed, both Yeon Ha-neul and I waved our hands to her.
The elevator continued without stopping until it reached the top floor where the suite rooms were located.
“Where should I go?”
“Oh, there’s a floor guide over there.”
“Hmm… I’m on the right.”
“I’m on the left.”
“Then let’s part ways here. The banquet is at 7 p.m., so how about resting in our rooms until then?”
“I’m in agreement. Shall we meet here 10 minutes before? Or should I come to you?”
“Why bother coming to my room. Let’s just meet here.”
“Okay. I guess we can shower in our rooms too?”
Considering that the third practical exam is scheduled until 7 p.m., the fourth practical exam will likely be held afterward.
So, it’s time for a break until then.
After checking the floor guide, Yeon Ha-neul and I decided to spend our time freely.
I moved to the right corridor to get to my room.
“Is this it?”
My room was at the end of the corridor.
Using the key received at the desk, I opened the door and stepped inside.
“It’s incredibly spacious.”
The room was divided into a bathroom, toilet, bedroom, and a living room.
Even with multiple people, there was ample space left.
It was a luxury to have it all to myself.
“I bet Ha-neul will be surprised.”
Her reaction involuntarily came to mind.
I chuckled and calmly looked around the interior.
There was nothing lacking in the room.
It seemed to have almost everything one would need for daily life.
Truly befitting a suite room.
“…There’s even this.”
In the bathroom, there were shampoo, body wash, towels, a gown, disposable toothbrush, razor, and…
There was even something resembling Vitamin C.
“I guess I won’t need this.”
This was also provided at the hotel where Yeon Ha-neul and I stayed.
But I never got a chance to investigate further due to her keen observation.
At times, she could disappear without a trace.
Surely, what the sky has cast down is the youth.
Since then, I have never seen it.
“….”
But now, the youth is gone.
Finally, I removed the wrapping paper to satisfy my curiosity.
And I made a water balloon.
“Oh….”
The water balloon grew endlessly.
Trying to fill it with more water seemed like it would burst into a disaster.
I closed the tap just in time and let the water flow out.
Curiosity satisfied.
There seem to be many wonders in the world.
Although many thoughts came to mind, the moment I tried to express them, the realization tended to fade.
But I can say this much.
The truth was far away yet very close.
As a still underage, I peeked at a fragment of truth and decided to keep that realization in my heart.
“By the way, what is this painting?”
Coming out of the bathroom, I approached a painting hanging on the wall opposite the bed.
The painting depicted an old man with a head reminiscent of a musician from the Baroque era.
“Ugly.”
His skin was as pale as a sick person’s, and he was extremely thin.
An unimpressive old man.
“I shouldn’t age like this.”
Staring through the portrait.
I made a promise to myself.
Fortunately, with the blood of the royal family flowing through me, I won’t age like that.
I won’t hesitate to train.
I may not become a muscular old man like the grandfather, but I’ll age gracefully.
Engaged in a staring contest with the old man in the portrait, I turned around.
“Is this a guide?”
There was a coated paper on the table.
I checked the contents.
[Guide to the Fantasia Hotel]
1. All examinees staying at the hotel must attend the banquet at 7 p.m. The banquet will be held in the Grand Ballroom on the 5th floor of the hotel.
2. An improvised grocery warehouse is available on the hotel’s basement 1st floor. Examinees are encouraged to use the improvised grocery warehouse at their discretion. The use of the grocery warehouse is free of charge.
3. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., passage is restricted unless otherwise instructed. Examinees must not leave their rooms during this time. Depending on the situation, they may face elimination or point deductions.
The items provided in the room were freely available…
There was nothing strange to be found.
If there was anything puzzling, it was the existence of restricted access times.
Is it related to the Fourth Trial?
I don’t really know.
“Let’s think after washing up first.”
* * *
Ding-dong.
By the time I finished washing off the sweat from darting through the forest, the doorbell rang.
I had a hunch about who it might be.
“Probably Haneul, I guess.”
Roughly drying my hair, I put on clothes and opened the door.
To no surprise, Haneul was standing outside.
She looked up at me and asked.
She seemed a bit flustered for some reason.
“…Were you showering? Can I come in later?”
“I just finished showering. Just need to dry off. Why did you come over?”
“We haven’t even had lunch yet. There’s a grocery store downstairs, so I thought we could go together.”
“I was actually planning to go visit you. Come in, wait inside.”
“Yeah… Also, I keep feeling awkward. Can you help me with the buttons?”
“Buttons? What buttons?”
“The buttons on my shirt.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about it in a rush. But why make a fuss about this? We’ve seen each other in the Academy City all the time.”
“Could you please refrain from making comments that could be misunderstood if others hear? What do you mean by ‘seen each other’…”
“But you’ve seen my upper body.”
“That, that was a mistake…”
“Was it? How many times has it happened?”
“Ugh…”
“Are you still sneaking glances at me now?”
“No, I’m not!”
“My childhood friend turned out to be a pervert.”
“Why am I the pervert!”
“Anyway, come in and wait. The living room is quite spacious.”
“Ahem! I’ll excuse myself.”
Teasing Haneul was fun.
With a flushed face, I ushered the flustered Haneul into the room.
She waited for her in the reception room and finished dressing up.
“Let’s go see if there’s anything to eat. After that, we can get some rest.”
“What if we miss the reception time?”
“You make sure to wake me up so we don’t miss it.”
“Even when I was in elementary school, middle school, I used to wake you up all the time… How would you survive without me?”
“I wouldn’t survive without you.”
“…Cheesy, just words.”
“But what floor did they say it was on?”
“They said the grocery warehouse is on the basement 1st floor.”
Nara and Yeonha took the elevator down to the basement 1st floor.
Soon, they headed towards the makeshift grocery warehouse.
“Wow… It’s bigger than I thought? I thought it would be like a middle school store…”
“Yeah. It’s almost like a mart.”
It felt like stepping into a warehouse-type store.
From Noble mtl dot com
I thought we might find simple ready-to-eat retort food, but we could also look at frozen meat and fish.
It truly lived up to its name as a makeshift grocery warehouse.
As we scanned the food in front of us, we were purely amazed.
“They might have your favorite strawberry milk.”
“Oh, really? I should look for it.”
“Let’s browse around first.”
“Okay!”
There were shopping carts nearby.
I pulled the shopping cart and carefully looked around the shelves.
“If it becomes a no-passing time, we might not be able to go outside, so we should at least stock up on food.”
“Even with the reception later?”
“Don’t you get hungry at night?”
“Well… I do get hungry. I just gain weight.”
“Hunters are naturally active, so eating snacks at night won’t make you gain weight.”
“Is that so?”
“Put in everything you want to eat, everything.”
“You sound like you’re treating me to all of this.”
“I’ll treat you today.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll enjoy it—. Oh! Is that the dairy section over there?”
“I’ll be looking at which ramen to choose, so go ahead.”
“Okay!”
Is strawberry milk really that good?
Yeonha, with her rabbit ears perked up, dashed off upon spotting the dairy section.
I pushed the shopping cart towards the ramen section, leaving her behind.
“There are so many types of ramen here….”
There was someone there before us.
The woman standing in front of the shelf seemed deeply lost in thought.
“…I think it’s here.”
Her striking blonde hair and blue eyes.
With her long hair braided and resting on her left shoulder, the woman exuded elegance and an exotic aura.
It was only natural.
She was the princess of the empire.
Grace Lisa.
She was a character in the empire of Grace who had crossed over from one world to another.
“But how do you eat this? 550ml of water? 2 and ¾ cups? Hmm…”
Lisa Grace.
She was a character who played a significant role in the story, right after Strong Star in the game.
She could even be considered the main heroine.
“That was just her role; Strong Star had someone else she liked.”
At the same time, she was a party member belonging to the support class.
Heading towards her…
“It worked out well. I should talk or walk over. She’s not as dangerous as Nam Yuri.”
I changed my steps.
She was narrowing her blue eyes while looking at the recipe attached to the shelf.
“Jjapaghetti… How do you make this? Mix Jjapaghetti and Neoguri? …Neoguri? Can it be…?”
“That’s not real Neoguri.”
“What?”
“This is Neoguri. Jjapaghetti is this.”
“Oh… Neoguri is ramyeon.”
“By the way, it’s just the name that’s Neoguri. It doesn’t actually have Neoguri in it.”
According to the game’s setting, a life as a princess receiving care left her with almost no immunity or experience in living.
“It’s said that things will get better as the story progresses, but not now.”
At a point where the story hadn’t even begun, she was no more than a plant just out of the greenhouse.
There was plenty of room for me to dig in.
“Thank you for letting me know. So, if I pack it like this, it should be fine.”
“But I think Jjapaguri might need more than just that.”
“Huh? What else…?”
“You need to add chaeutgal.”
“Chaeutgal?”
“I think frozen meat is over there.”
“Oh… I need to add that too…”
“Can you measure the water properly?”
“550ml? There’s a measuring cup in the room, so if I use that…”
“You have to get the water right.”
“….”
“You also have to time it well. Ramyeon gets soggy if you miss the timing.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Can you do it? I can’t stand insomnia.”
“…I think making ramen might be difficult for me.”
Swoosh.
Lisa was about to put back the ramen packets I had picked out on the shelf.
I stopped her in her tracks.
“I was just about to have some ramen too.”
“…”
“Do you have someone to eat with?”
“No.”
“Well, that works out. Since we’re in this situation, how about we have ramen in my room before you go?”
“Huh?”
“I’ll make Jjapaguri.”
Lisa blinked her blue eyes.
She was trying to figure out my intentions.
I was about to push forward like this…
When it happened.
Far away…
“Ky, woo, ya?”
Yeonha, holding a strawberry milk and chocolate milk, was approaching.
But for some reason, she seemed angry.
“Why is she acting like that…?”
I don’t think I did anything wrong.
It’s oddly uncomfortable.
I cautiously took a step back, wary of her.
“Ha, Haneul… Have you picked everything out?”
“What did you just say?”
“Have you picked everything out?”
“Before that.”
“Ha, Haneul…?”
“Stop fooling around.”
“…I’ll make Jjapaguri?”
“That’s not the issue, but there was something before that. Why do you keep pretending not to know?”
“…How about we have ramen in my room? Oh, Haneul, this kid can eat with us too….”
“Ky, woo, ya?”
“…”
Luckily, the savior appeared at that moment.
“Haneul! Kyunwoo! Nice to see you guys here again! Are you also looking for something to eat? How about we eat together this time? Oh, there’s a lot of ramen here!”
“…”
“Are you guys going to eat ramen? I can make it delicious… Haneul, how about ramen in my room before you go? I’ll make rice and eggs! Kimchi too!”
“…”
“…But why is the atmosphere like this?”