Episode 207 < Easter egg. (3) >
4.
When I said, ‘I want to talk to you,’ Tapju looked at my face blankly.
Has a minute passed?
Tapju nodded and guided me.
“all right. “Follow me.”
I walked according to the tower owner’s words.
“Come this way.”
A decaying alley.
Old tile-roofed houses lined up along the alley.
It does not have a neat atmosphere like Hanok Village.
The roof tiles were old and eaten by weeds. The stone wall, which was already torn down a long time ago, has never been repaired and has withstood the gravity of time in its collapsed state.
‘What kind of hanoks do that?’
It was a moment when I felt uncomfortable and wanted to ask.
“These are mansions that were built during the Japanese colonial period.”
Step by step.
Topju walked ahead and spoke quietly.
“When the war broke out, this city was overrun almost instantly. Because of that, traces of the past remain more intact than in other places.”
“War?”
“6.25.”
There was the smell of summer rotting in the sewers.
“These are houses that missed their time to die.”
“…….”
A row of tile-roofed houses with owners with long genealogies looked at us.
Rather than looking old-fashioned, the sight resembles a face covered in age spots.
We walked along a stone wall that rose like a boil, opened a gate with peeling lacquer, and passed through a yard where not even weeds grew.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
I sat on the main floor and waited.
There is no air conditioner or even a fan, so the only place to cool your head is the shade of the eaves.
Me, me, me, me… to… …
A cicada cried under direct sunlight.
A moment later, Tapju returned carrying a tray.
“I don’t have anything to serve you.”
“No, I’m sorry for coming here so suddenly.”
I politely accepted the cup with both hands.
The stainless steel cups that would be used in a school cafeteria contained water.
“This will probably be my first time seeing you.”
The head of the tower sat down and bowed his head.
“I’m Amethyst, 3rd grade class A at Shinseo Middle School.”
“ah.”
Come to think of it, I didn’t even introduce myself.
“My name is Gongja Kim.”
“Yes, Gongja Kim. “What do you want to talk to me about?”
“…….”
How should I say it?
You seem to be the owner of the tower, but I wonder why you are here?
Would you mind telling me how you came to create the tower?
but.
“excuse me.”
The questions that came out of my mouth were of a completely different kind.
“You said your name was Amethyst… .”
“yes.”
“May I ask what it means?”
“I use Mr. Joongwon Ja.”
Topju took out a notebook from his briefcase.
Amethyst.
A sharpened pencil made black embroidery on white paper.
‘This is the name of the owner of the tower.’
Perhaps it is a name that is only used in this world.
Still, this was the first time I saw the tower owner’s name in our tower.
‘amethyst.’
I repeated the pronunciation in my mouth.
Let us never forget.
“Are there any other family members here?”
“Yes. I lived with my uncle until last year, but now I live alone.”
“Excuse me, but what happened….”
“A gunman broke in and killed my uncle. The three men who were with my uncle at the time were also killed. As the investigation is not yet complete, it is difficult to tell you much.”
I couldn’t sense a single emotion in Topju’s words.
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no. She had an expressionless expression the whole time.
From when we first met until now.
“Do you know anything about [Tower]?”
“Which tower are you talking about?”
“The Tower of Babel. One day, it suddenly appears in our world, and as long as you decide you want to go there, you can go through a few procedures and enter. Once you enter, a new world unfolds… Hmm.”
I felt a little embarrassed while speaking.
This seems like a complete pseudo-religion.
I cleared my throat.
“Anyway, don’t you know?”
Topju quietly shook his head.
“yes. I don’t know.”
“What about the word [pillar]? Have you ever heard of [Hunter]?”
“I would guess that the words you just spoke, Mr. Kim Gong-ja, have a different meaning from their usual meaning. “I just understand the words pillar and hunter as common nouns.”
“… … “I see.”
What can I say?
As the conversation continued, the feeling of discomfort became stronger.
‘I don’t have any memories of being the owner of the tower.’
The girl in front of me really doesn’t know the tower.
‘Just the voice is the same, but the atmosphere is completely different.’
A god who has lost his memory.
I don’t know what the inside story and circumstances are hidden, but the child sitting in front of me does not have the power of the tower owner and does not even have any memories.
He is just quietly living the life assigned to him.
“…….”
There would be no benefit in asking her now about the tower.
I redirected my curiosity.
“You’re answering all the questions I asked earlier. Is that okay? I heard there was even a time when a gunman broke in. hmm. “What would I do if I were a criminal with evil intentions towards Amethyst?”
“are you okay.”
Topju slowly opened his lips.
“If Gongja Kim was a criminal, he would have tried to make contact somewhere else rather than at the intersection.”
“yes?”
“I cross the underpass twice on my way home from school. One of them is deserted. The lighting is broken, so it’s dark and there are caves here and there. “The person who planned the crime will either attack me in the underpass or lie in wait and attack me.”
Topju spoke while sitting still.
“When I saw Gongja Kim’s face, there was no sign of committing an accidental crime. Gongja Kim’s eyes stayed on my face the whole time. Especially eye contact. If he was worried about me running away, he would have looked at my lower body, if he expected me to resist, he would have looked at my hands, and if he was targeting me, he would have looked at my body, but Mr. Kim only observed my face. “That’s typical of someone trying to find someone they know.”
“uh… … .”
“What Gongja Kim paid attention to just now was my name. This is proof that they are curious about my personal information. Even when I left to fetch water, Gongja Kim did not look around the inside of the house in detail. If you are a criminal, you should take your time to check whether there is a third party in the house and how it is structured.”
Topju held a stainless steel cup with both hands.
A sip of water wet Tapju’s mouth.
“All of Gongja Kim’s actions are not consistent with those of a criminal. Therefore, I believe that Gongja Kim is not a criminal with malice toward me.”
“…….”
“So to answer Gongja Kim’s question, yes, I’m fine.”
Meeeeeee-
The sound of cicadas rang from the main hall.
I absent-mindedly listened to the sound of summer stretching out.
‘… … Huh!’
I came to my senses.
“Wow, you speak very well. “You’re smart.”
“yes.”
Top owner calmly agreed.
“I am smart.”
“…….”
I realized.
Even if she has lost her memory, the girl in front of her is not ordinary.
“I’m sorry, but is it okay if I go to the bathroom for a moment?” ?”
“It’s there if you go around the back of the house. “Be careful when you come back.”
As I was going to the Puse-style restroom, I found out later why the owner of the tower said, “Be careful when you leave,” instead of “Please be careful.”
It was when I left the bathroom.
“huh?”
I could feel faint signs of presence coming from a warehouse built in one corner of the backyard.
There was no sign of the person moving.
Just quietly crouching beyond the warehouse.
“…….”
what?
Even though it was a hot summer, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
When I looked at the old warehouse door, In-cheok remained silent, as if he wanted to meet my gaze directly.
‘What is it really?’
I looked closer.
Every time I took a step, I felt stronger.
The feeling of a cold hand groping the back of my neck became clear.
‘hey. No, what are you?’
Just in case, I shot the auror, but there was no reaction.
Rather than decreasing in popularity, we got closer and closer.
One step.
One step.
‘What the f*ck?’
I swallowed my saliva.
The moment I carefully held the doorknob of the warehouse.
“No.”
Something grabbed the hem of my clothes from behind.
“Do not go in.”
When I turned my head, I saw the owner looking at me expressionlessly.
When did you come here?
“yes… … ?”
“When Gongja Kim enters, [the children] are surprised.”
children.
“Uh, if it’s kids… What kind of children are they… ?”
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Top owner opened the warehouse door.
After the door opened, the crowd grew rapidly.
Until now, it felt like I was stroking the back of my neck at best, but now it has completely changed to the feeling of scratching with my fingernails.
“…….”
“I’m sorry. We have a guest.”
There were bundles of curtains scattered around the warehouse.
When the owner of the tower turns over the curtain, there is only a full-length mirror.
As soon as the mirror was revealed, the pretense of popularity disappeared as if it had been washed away.
“Stay calm.”
Topju picked up the towel lying nearby and wiped the surface of the mirror.
I had no choice but to stay behind and watch the owner.
“Uh, that mirror. Isn’t there something strange or something?”
“Yes. He’s a strange kid.”
“I think it will harm people….”
“This child no longer harms people.”
The owner of the tower took the mop away and covered the mirror with the curtain again.
I still felt like I was popular, but it wasn’t as fierce as before.
It felt like I was curled up quietly.
“It might cause harm in the future, right?”
“It’s the same for humans too.”
“…….”
Meow.
I heard a cat meowing under my feet.
Before I knew it, [Dog Doll] was at my feet.
“…….”
Nyah.
Unmistakably, clearly, the sound of a cat crying came from a dog doll that had no mouth or vocal cords.
“Hey, what about this?”
“It’s meow.”
It was a name that should not be given to a stuffed dog.
“You should never pat a child’s head just because it’s cute.”
“What happens if you pet me?”
“It will continue to meow every six seconds in Gongja Kim’s head until the next owner is found.”
“… … “Really?”
“yes.”
“crazy.”
“Now he is quiet because he is placed in a stuffed dog. Because they are worried about whether they are a cat or a dog, they are putting off finding their owner. He is a child who first considers his own identity before relying on others. “He is sincere.”
“I guess this is dangerous enough, right?”
“are you okay. Once the identity is established, we plan to move it to a squirrel doll.”
“yes… … ?”
“Then you end up worrying about whether or not you are a squirrel again for about a year. It is safe as long as you change your body every 10 to 13 months. Come on, Meow. You must not cause any inconvenience to the guests. come here.”
Topju grabbed the puppy doll by its neck.
Nyaoong.
A doll contemplating its own identity was placed on a shelf.
“oh my god.”
I was mesmerized and looked around the warehouse.
There were countless items on display on the shelves.
There was a picture frame hanging on the wall, and when I looked at it, the picture in the frame changed to an image of Raviel.
“… … “What is that?”
“He is a child who reflects the person he loves the most.”
Topju was calm, as if it was no big deal.
“Don’t watch too long. The more I look, the more my memories of my loved one fade. Just as memories fade, photos become more vivid. Eventually, all memories of the person you love disappear, and then the second thing you see is a picture of the person you love.”
I quickly looked away.
“Why are you collecting these things?”
“If I’m in a different place, it’s a nuisance to people.”
“W-Isn’t it scary? “After all, aren’t they like ghosts?”
“That’s a strange question.”
Tapju tilted his head.
“If it’s a ghost, then Gongja Kim also has one with him.”
I blinked.
“… … yes?”
“excuse me.”
Top owner raised his finger and pointed behind me.
“There is a ghost with bulging muscles in Mr. Gongja Kim.”
“…….”
Where her finger pointed, Bae Hu-ryeong was floating.
-uh?
Bae Hu-ryeong was startled.
-what? Are you sure you can see me now?
A sight that only I can see and a voice that only I can hear.
However, Topju answered Bae Hu-ryeong’s question as if it were obvious.
“yes.”
She was the first person other than me to see Bae Hu-ryeong.
etc,
