NOVPUB
Chapter 207: The Easter Egg (3)
When I told her I wanted to talk to her, the Tower master stared at me. After about a minute, she finally nodded.
“Okay. Follow me. This way.”
So I followed.
Old hanoks[1] lined up the sloping alley. They didn’t look as neat as those that could be found in hanok villages[2]. Weeds were eating away the old roof tiles. The remainder of stone walls, which had already crumbled down long ago, had never been repaired despite bearing proof of the passage of time.
What kind of hanoks are these?
I felt a sense of disharmony and was just about to voice my confusion.
“These hanoks were built during the Japanese colonial period,” the Tower master said in a quiet voice as she continued walking. “When the war broke out, this city was wiped out almost immediately. Because of that, traces of the past are more intact here than in other places.”
“War?”
“I’m talking about the Korean War. These houses missed destruction by pure luck.”
The smell of stale water came from the sewers. I felt watched by the row of the hanoks, whose owners had nothing but a long family tree. Rather than looking classy, they resembled a face covered in age spots. We walked along a crumbling stone wall, opened a gate whose lacquer coat was peeling off, and passed through a barren yard where not even weeds grew.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
I sat on the daecheongmaru[3] and waited. There wasn’t even a mechanical fan, let alone an air conditioner, so the only place to cool off was the shade under the roof. Cicadas continued crying under sunlight.
A moment later, the Tower master came back carrying a tray. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything to serve a guest.”
I politely grasped the cup of water with both hands. “No, I’m the one who barged in. I’m sorry.”
The cup was stainless steel, like those used in school cafeterias[4].
The head of the Tower sat down and bowed her head. “This is probably my first time seeing you. I’m Ja Su-Jeong from Year 3 Class A of Shinseo Middle School.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t even introduced myself. “Oh, yeah. My name is Kim Gong-Ja.”
“Yes, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja. What do you want to talk to me about?”
What was I supposed to say? She seemed to be the Tower master, so I wanted to know why she was here. I hoped she could tell me how she had come to create the Tower. But an entirely different question left my lips. “You said your name is Ja Su-Jeong.”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask what it means?”
“My surname means that my family clan is from Joongwon[5].”
The Tower master took out a notebook from her briefcase. Her sharpened pencil embroidered the white paper black as she inscribed the hanjas that made up her name.
This is the Tower master’s name.
Perhaps this was the name she used in this world. Still, I was the first person from my Tower to see the Tower master’s name.
Ja Su-Jeong.
I repeated the name in my head so I would never forget. I asked, “Are there any other family members here?”
“I used to live with my uncle until last year, but now I’m alone.”
“May I ask what happened?”
“A stranger broke in and killed him. Three men who were with my uncle at the time were also killed. The investigation is still ongoing, so there isn’t much I can tell you.”
I couldn’t sense a single emotion in her voice. No, she had been like that the whole time since we first met. “Do you know anything about the Tower?”
“Which tower are you talking about?”
“The Babel Tower. It showed up in our world one day. To get to the Tower, all you have to do is think that you want to go there, though you still have to go through a few steps. When you enter it, a brand new world unfolds... Ummm...”
I felt a little embarrassed talking about this. The more I ran my mouth, the more I sounded like a religious cult follower. I cleared my throat. “Anyway, do you not know about it?”
The Tower master shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“What about Pillars? Have you ever heard of Hunters?”
“I feel like the words you speak of have different meanings from what I’m used to. I just understand those words as common nouns.”
“I see.”
As the conversation continued, the sense of disharmony became stronger. The girl in front of me really didn’t know anything about the Tower or had any memories of being the Tower master.
Only the voice is the same. She feels like an entirely different person.
I didn’t know what the Tower master’s backstory was. However, the girl in front of me had neither the power nor the memories of the Tower master. She was just quietly living the life assigned to her. Even if I pressed her about the Tower, I wouldn’t get anything.
I redirected my curiosity in a different direction. “You’ve been answering all my questions so far. Can I ask you something else? You told me there was a break-in recently. What if I’m also a malicious criminal, Miss Ja Su-Jeong?”
“It’s okay,” the Tower master answered. “If you were a criminal, you would have initiated contact elsewhere, not at the intersection.”
“What?”
“I cross two underpasses on my way home from school. One of them is deserted. The lights are broken, so it’s dark and there are gaps in the walls. A criminal would wait to attack me at one of the underpasses.”
The Tower master barely moved as she spoke.
“You didn’t look like you were going to commit a crime compulsively. Your gaze has been fixed on my face the whole time, especially my eyes. If you were worried about me fleeing, you would have looked at my legs. My hands, too, if you were worried about me fighting back. Or my entire body if you wanted me. But you have only been looking at my face. That’s a common behavior among people trying to recognize someone.”
“Uh...”
I didn’t know what to say. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
“You were also more interested in knowing more about my name just now. This is proof that you’re curious about my personal information. Even when I left to fetch water, you didn’t look around the inside of the house in detail. If you were a criminal, you would have taken your time to check if there are any other people in the house, or how the house is structured.”
The Tower master drank some water from her stainless steel cup.
“All your actions don’t fit that of a criminal, so I believe you aren’t a criminal that harbors malice toward me. So, to answer your question, no, I don’t think you have any bad intentions.”
The sound of cicadas rang in the daecheongmaru. For a second, I lost myself in the sounds of summer.
Snap out of it!
I came to my senses. “Wow, you’re very eloquent and smart.”
“Yes, indeed,” the Tower master agreed.
I realized that even if she lost her memories, the girl in front of me wasn’t ordinary.
“I’m sorry, but is it okay if I go to the bathroom for a moment?” I asked.
“You’ll find it if you go around the back of the house. Be careful when you come back.”
I headed to a pit latrine. Only after I left it, I understood why the Tower master had said “Be careful when you come back,” instead of “Please be careful.”
“Huh?”
I could feel a faint presence coming from a warehouse built in a corner of the backyard. It didn’t move, but something seemed to be quietly crouching beyond the warehouse door.
What?
Even though it was a hot summer day, the hair on my nape pricked up. When I looked at the old warehouse door, the presence stayed still, as if it wanted to face me head-on.
What is it?
I approached it. Every time I took a step, the presence got stronger.
Sssssss...
The feeling resembling a cold hand grasping the back of my neck became clear.
Hey, what are you?
Just in case, I tried shooting a ray of aura in the direction of the warehouse, but there was no reaction. The presence remained strong no matter how many steps I took toward it.
What the fuck?
I swallowed as I gripped the knob of the door to the warehouse.
“No.”
I was grabbed by the hem of my clothes from behind, so I turned around. The Tower master was looking up at me expressionlessly.
“Don’t go in.”
When did she make it all the way behind me?
I frowned. “What?”
“If you enter, you will startle the children.”
“Uh, children?”
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The Tower master opened the warehouse door. With the door now open, the presence grew exponentially stronger. Up until now, it had felt as if someone was stroking my nape, but now fingernails were clawing at my skin.
“I’m sorry. We have a guest.”
She wasn’t talking to me. Bundles of curtains were scattered all over the warehouse. When the Tower master lifted a curtain, I saw only a full-length mirror behind it. As soon as the mirror was revealed, the presence vanished.
“Stay put.”
The Tower master picked up a towel lying nearby and wiped the surface of the mirror. I had no choice but to listen to her as she got to work.
“I-Isn’t there something strange about the mirror?”
“Yes, it’s a strange child,” the Tower master answered.
I narrowed my eyes in concern. “I think it’ll hurt people...”
“This child no longer harms people.”
She put away the towel and covered the mirror again with the curtain. I could still feel the presence, but it wasn’t as fierce as before. It felt like a cat that had curled up to sleep.
“That can always change in the future, right?”
The Tower master shrugged. “The same can be said about humans too.”
Meow.
I looked down. A dog doll was lying on top of my foot. It didn’t have a mouth or vocal cords, but it unmistakably meowed like a cat.
“W-What is this?”
“It’s Meowy.”
This name definitely didn’t seem suitable for a dog doll.
The Tower master added, “You should never pat its head just because it’s cute.”
“What happens if I do?”
“It’ll continue to meow in your head every six seconds until it finds its next owner.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“The hell...”
“Now it’s quiet because I placed it in a stuffed dog. It’s wondering whether it’s a cat or a dog, so finding the next owner became a second priority. The child tries to figure out its identity on its own before relying on others. Isn’t it diligent?”
“I-I think it’s still dangerous.”
“It’s okay. Once it figures out its identity, I’m going to move it to a squirrel doll.”
“Huh?”
“Then it’ll start to wonder whether it’s a squirrel or not. That child is safe as long as I change its body every ten to thirteen months. Come on, Meowy. You can’t disturb the guest. Come here.”
The Tower master grabbed the dog doll by its nape and placed it on a shelf.
Meooooow.
“Oh my god.”
I looked around the warehouse in a daze. Countless mysterious lined up the shelves. There was a portrait on the wall. When I looked at it, the picture changed to that of Raviel.
“What is that?”
“That child shows you the person you love the most,” the Tower master answered calmly. “Don’t watch it for too long. The more you look, the more your memories of your loved one will fade. Just as the memories fade, photos become more and more life-like. Once the memories disappear completely, it’ll show the person you love the second most.”
I quickly looked away. “W-Why do you collect these things?”
“When they’re out there in the world, they can cause problems for people.”
“A-Aren’t they scary? They’re like ghosts.”
The Tower master tilted her head. “That’s a strange question. You also have a ghost by your side, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja.”
I blinked. “What?”
She lifted her hand and pointed behind me. “Over there, a ghost with bulging muscles. He’s right next to you.”
The Guardian was floating right where she was pointing at. His mouth was agape.
—Huh? What? Can she see me?
I was supposed to be the only one who could see and hear him. However, the Tower master nodded and said, “Yes.”
She could also see the Guardian.
1. A Korean traditional house Image. ☜
2. Hanoks nowadays tend to be found in clusters and form their own village, separate from western houses and apartments. The villages are good tourist attractions nowadays. ☜
3. Image ☜
4. Image. ☜
5. An old district in Korea. It doesn’t exist anymore. ☜
