The music box touches my hand.
From between its decorations, black as ebony and intricate as a skeleton, a rich and lovely sound flows.
The sound of heaven, which brings vitality, happiness, and heals wounds, surges between my fingers like a stream.
Like a fragment of audible light.
But at the same time, I can sense it from the creature inside the cocoon—the mass of Kim Soleum and the civilians.
The sense of the advent of a 'world without ghost stories.'
It's pressuring to erase the existence of Flower Golden Mascot, a being from a ghost story!
My body is melting.
'I know.'
Here, people go mad and ghost stories disappear.
It's a double trap.
The elaborate malice of the one who planned this strangles me no matter which path I choose. A mental limit that keeps me from moving an inch. My body, having barely escaped that murderous malice, takes the music box….
Tududuk[1].
From the cocoon,
I completely remove it.
The last thread of the cocoon that was holding on, Kim Soleum's left index finger, falls away, and the music box comes completely into my melting hand.
It settles.
....
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
SOUNDSOUNDSOUNDSOUNDSOUNDSOUNDSOUNDSTOPTHEPEACETHEMUSICBOXGIVESMELTINGMELTINGINTHETHEMUSICBOXTRUTHOHCALMPURE[2]…
I closed the music box.
Thump.
....
....
Silence flows through my head.
At that moment.
Something tries to crawl out from the crack of the music box.
"…!!"
[Clatter.][3]
I held shut the music box that was trying to open again.
[Clatter, clatter.]
The music box moves.
[Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter.]
Something is squirming inside the music box. It's trying to open wide again to let out the sweet Angel's Sigh. It's trying to return to its host, to the Kim Soleum inside the cocoon. I….
[Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter.]
I frantically slammed my hand down on the music box.
CRASH! CRASH!
The Mascot's powerful strength shatters the box.
[Clatter-AAAAH! Clatter, clatter. Aah-clatter, clatter. Clatter, clatter-aah-clatter, clatter. Clatter-aah-clatter-aah. Clatter-cla-aack. Clatter, clatter-aah. Clatter, clatter-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.]
A bar or two of the melody escapes, but it ends like a death rattle as the silver gears and parts break and scatter onto the floor.
[Aah-clatter-clatter-aah-clatter-aah]
Something slimy flows out from the cracks of the broken music box. Like red tar, the parasitic creature flows out, mashed to a pulp. Bruises and wounds cover my hand, but I don't even breathe, desperately striking it again and again.
CRASH!
I strike.
CRASH!
I strike!
CRASH!
And, and….
It grew quiet beneath my hand.
"..."
I lifted my hand.
Beneath my fist, covered in bodily fluids and bruises, the completely shattered remains of the music box were revealed.
'Ah.'
The box that once held the Angel's Sigh had stopped moving, its traces scattered in pieces on the floor.
Biological tissue, blood, bodily fluids, and sparkling silver parts.
Only a single part remained intact.
A cylindrical, pure silver cylinder.
The core component that formed the melody, with braille-like bumps protruding from it, rolled across the floor and came to me.
"..."
I picked it up.
Inventory… no, I can't put it in the tattoo that no longer functions, so I barely manage to stuff it into my suit pocket.
My hand is trembling.
'…I did it.'
What's left….
Is just one thing.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Inside the cocoon.
The moment the peace-inducing melody was cut off, the civilians of Segwang Metropolitan City, clumped together in a mass, are screaming in agony.
Before they mutate again into some unpredictable, bizarre existence, I must end this disaster….
To do that,
'The finishing touch… is what's left….'
The core host inside the cocoon.
The mutated Kim Soleum.
Dealing with that will be the last step.
I drag my melting body forward.
The Potion Maker's panel flashes.
[I actually]
Don't look.
[I actually know everything]
Don't read it.
I didn't look before, either. Don't be deceived. Those are messages sent by the Kim Soleum in the cocoon to stop me. Don't read it.
Don't read….
[There is no 'Kim Soleum in the cocoon']
"..."
[It's myself]
Ah.
[I already know that the Kim Soleum in the cocoon is not a separate personality]
No.
[I know. Right?]
"..."
Actually.
The truth is….
'There's no way I couldn't have known….'
A truth I could have inferred but chose to ignore.
The Kim Soleum inside the cocoon.
Me, the Good Friend, Kim Soleum.
Different, separate souls and beings….
There's no such thing.
Because 'Good Friend' doesn't work that way.
I already knew from Host Braun, who burst out from the Rabbit Doll's body…!!
–The Good Friend ritual wasn't about summoning just a part of a non-human entity and trapping it in a doll to make a friend.
It was that the entity was only partially and restrictively revealed through the filter of the plush doll.
Filtering!
Good Friend is just a filter and a translation tool that strains the other's consciousness to make it easier for the inviter to communicate!
So there is no separate 'original Kim Soleum's mind' inside that cocoon.
It's just....
Me.
The crazed mind that was suddenly summoned here, listened to the music box with a bare body, and became the host inside the cocoon.
That is fundamentally me.
I'm just here, projected in a well-adjusted state that allows for normal thought.
That's what I'm explaining.
To myself.
[So if I destroy the Kim Soleum in the cocoon]
"..."
[It's effectively suicide.]
[It's destroying my real body that I'm supposed to return to!! And after that, I don't know what will happen to my mind or where it will go I'll be trapped in this Good Friend's body I'll have to keep living in a non-human body I don't want that! Isn't there some way to recover and use my original body isn't there something I can do maybe there's a way to reverse this I got rid of the music box so if I go back to my original body now I can return to my original body, let this city take care of itself]
I reached out my hand.
[No!]
Just as I tore off the music box, I prepare to tear Kim Soleum's body off the mass.
Just like Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who chased after me when I fell from the train, tore me off the mass when I was stuck in a loop.
Of course, I died right after that, left with only my upper body.
That's exactly what I'm aiming for.
[No! Please!]
A human body truly couldn't survive with only its upper half. Especially now that the music box is gone.
[Please]
There's no time.
I'm still melting.
The Mascot that swallowed the entirety of that distorted ghost story, which flowed separately from the surface in the subways of Segwang Metropolitan City, and built a beautiful resort.
By the bloated identity of Flower Golden, by the ghost stories of Segwang Metropolitan City that still haven't stopped.
'I have to hurry.'
Even if my hesitation is expressed through the panel, nothing changes.
The initiative of consciousness is with me. With me, who can think and act with a clear mind.
I plunged my hand into the cocoon.
[I'myouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyouyoume me me me me me me me me me me meoneandthesameyou'reyouonlyoneit'syouI'mtalkingtomyselfrightnowI'msoscaredwhy amIlikethislet'sstopthisistoo cruelIknowI'mthesameIcan'tdothisIdon'twanttodieIdon'twantittoendIwanttogohomeIwanttogohom][4]
I grabbed the upper body inside the cocoon with both hands as if to pull it out,
"Just a moment."
....
"Have you perhaps considered another way?"
I stopped my hands.
A voice comes from behind me.
"Patient-nim."[5]
* * *
A few minutes earlier, in front of the maintenance track.
"What is it now?"
Reporter Eunhaje realized that some kind of commotion was happening far away, on the roof of City Hall.
Probably at the destination of the 'Agent' who had suddenly reappeared from the maintenance track.
Curiosity and worry intersected.
Both awakened her professional instincts.
But….
"Do not stare."
"I got it, Mr.Researcher."
Because of this advice, and because the situation was so insane it was hard to believe it was real, she didn't look back at the rooftop.
Still, her mind tried to analyze with all five senses.
'…A vibration?'
And for some reason… a chill kept running down the back of her neck.
'What in the world is happening?'
As the desire to investigate and the instinct for survival intersected, creating a surge of dopamine, Reporter Eunhaje reflexively gave a bitter smile and swallowed.
And just as she was about to ask a question to her temporary companion who (frustratingly) had some information….
"Mr.Researcher?"
'Researcher Lee Jaheon' stood stock-still in front of the track.
Just like before, when he received the 'note' from the Agent from beyond the empty tracks.
"What are you doing….?"
Just then.
The shape of a door emerged from the shadows of the maintenance track.
"…!"
It was a fantastical moment.
The exquisite, ivory-colored door glittered with gold decorations, and a soft light shone down from a glass-like crystal lamp in its arch.
Antique and magnificent.
And it completed its nameplate.
* * *
FLOWER
GOLDEN
Flower Golden?
"What is this…? Do you know what this door is? If you know, tell me."
"Yes. It is the door to the Resort."
"Resort…."
She was so dumbfounded she was at a loss for words.
"How do you know that?"
"I have work experience at said resort."
What kind of explanation was that….
Eunhaje could only sigh.
And Ryu Jaegwan, the high school student who had been watching the door form with wide eyes, carefully asked.
"Should we go in?"
"Yes."
…!
"After entering, you must act with proper etiquette within the Resort area."
And Researcher Lee Jaheon really did grab the gold-wrought doorknob.
Click.
Without the sound of a hinge, the door opened smoothly, revealing the interior….
"…!!"
A dazzling interior revealed itself.
As if exploring a corridor in a fairy-tale palace or castle, it was made of sparkling crystal lamps, golden pillars, and exquisite, antique wooden walls.
There was no trace of the maintenance track's musty appearance.
"What is this….?"
"Hello."
"…!"
Ryu Jaegwan reflexively took a step back.
At the start of that fantastical space.
A person standing right next to the door was looking at them.
An adult male.
The man, wearing a slightly shabby blue jacket, had a rough and worn-out feel to him, as if he had been cut out and pasted alone into this dazzling space.
He could see a rather old blue jacket.
And bright blue pupils… and a large scar on his neck.
The person's eyes met his.
For a moment, he was about to become wary….
But the adult with the scar on his neck, upon seeing him, widened his eyes in surprise for a moment… then smiled warmly.
"…Nice to meet you, Jaegwan."
"You know my name?"
"I do."
The next moment, the high school student Ryu Jaegwan realized that the blue jacket he was wearing was the mark of an 'Agent.'
Ah.
"Are you, by any chance, a colleague of the Agent? I mean… the Agent who just went into the city."
"That's also correct."
The person, approaching him with a smile, answers in a warm voice while examining the group with eyes that seem to be examining the group for their condition and injuries.
"This Hyung is an Agent on the same team~ I'm his superior."
His eyes looked at the golden door that had opened and closed.
Ah.
"Are you perhaps… going to help now?"
"Yep."
"..."
"I'd really like to. I really…."
As the Agent was about to grab the doorknob with a scarred hand.
"This door is for employee use only, and is restricted for guests. Please use the gate."
"..."
The Agent let go of the handle and smiled with a shrug.
"Of course. Understood. Wait for the gate it is!"
"Yes."
"Are you going to meet the Mascot?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Then let's go together, quickly~"
With that, the Agent began to walk in front of Ryu Jaegwan.
As he walked in silence, to keep from freezing up with tension in the new, bizarre environment, Ryu Jaegwan swallowed and caught his breath….
"You okay?"
"...what?"
A calm, warm voice came from the Agent, whose back was turned.
"You must have been surprised by all this happening so suddenly."
"Ah, no. I'm fine…."
"Hey. …It's okay not to be okay."
"..."
"You're still a student, but you've come this far so calmly."
A reassuring voice.
"Don't worry. You, student citizen, will be able to return home safely. Don't worry. You, student citizen, will be able to return home safely. …My hubae, too."
Ryu Jaegwan realized that, embarrassingly, he was tearing up with relief.
"…Yes."
The Agent in front turned his hand and patted his back.
And he heard him exclaim.
"Alright, we've arrived."
At the end of the promenade… was a monorail boarding station.
If you wish to board the monorail
Please push the button
"Button?"
"He means press this. Ugh-cha!"
When the Agent pressed a thick button with a horned cat drawn on it and waited a moment, an antique and elaborate monorail appeared from the other side.
"…!"
♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
The monorail stopped, its doors opened, and a resplendent passenger car, wider on the inside than the outside, revealed itself.
"This is insane."
Reporter Eunhaje's words echoed in the air.
The Agent shrugged his shoulders and spoke like a guide.
"Well, you civilians have pretty much chartered the whole thing. If you take this and get off not at a stop but at a place called a station…."[6]
His voice stopped.
"..."
"Agent?"
"Hm?"
And Reporter Eunhaje, looking inside, muttered.
"There's someone else inside."
"Yes?"
Ryu Jaegwan also reflexively looked inside.
Inside the monorail train that seemed to have popped out of a story, sitting in a cute and elegant passenger seat was….
"We meet like this."
A very pleasant-looking young man in a gray suit.
"…!!"
Ryu Jaegwan recognized him at once.
He was someone he had been with just a few hours ago.
"Counselor!"
"…!"
A surge of relief once again washed over Ryu Jaegwan's heart.
"I'm so glad you're safe…."
"Wait."
The Agent blocked the high school student's path.
As if to protect him.
"…How are you here?"
...?
The 'Counselor' sitting in the cabin turned his eyes to look at them.
And Ryu Jaegwan felt a sense of dissonance.
Something….
"You speak very threateningly."
Unfamiliar.
"But I'll answer you. It's because I have an employment contract with the Mascot here."
"..."
"I can enter as an authorized person, you see?"
A smile filled with ecstasy spread across his lips.
"You…."
"Unfortunately, it seems you are not qualified, Agent. It happens."
Ryu Jaegwan reflexively realized two things.
The Agent and that 'Counselor' were not on good terms.
And….
"But I, in many ways, am qualified."
That Counselor had decided on something.
[1] something being ripped away
[2] SOUND SOUND SOUND SOUND SOUND SOUND SOUND STOP THE PEACE THE MUSIC BOX GIVES MELTING MELTING IN THE THE MUSIC BOX TRUTH OH CALM PURE
[3] red text
[4] [I'm you you you you you you you you you you you you you you me me me me me me me me me me me me one and thesame you're you only one it's you I'm talking to myself right now I'm so scared why am I like this let's stop this is too cruel I know I'm the same I can't do this I don't want to die I don't want it to end I want to go home I want to go hom]
[5] apparently how the counselor used to address Soleum
[6] kirikirinki: well, you could almost say you have the whole place to yourselves, citizens. If you ride this and get off at what they call a