Escaping the Mystery Hotel-Chapter 242: Room 202, Cursed Room - ’The Little Mermaid’ (20)

- Elena

“Elena, are you okay?”

Suddenly, I came to my senses.

Sitting in front of me was a familiar face.

“Oh, Mr. Suho… I just had a bit of a headache.”

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“Was it that nightmare again?”

“I don’t think so.”

Where am I…?

A restaurant.

Memories came flooding back—this was a high-end restaurant catering exclusively to VVIP clients.

In the elegant atmosphere, a beautiful melody played in the background.

The food on the table was arranged with precision and care.

“Take care of yourself. You have important responsibilities on the island.”

“My sister is the one doing the important work.”

“That may be true now, but who’s to say that will always be the case? Even King Taejong of Joseon wasn’t the eldest—“

“Enough. That’s not even remotely funny.”

There it was again, his awful sense of humor.

Does this man really think Serenade and I are political rivals or something?

This isn’t the Joseon Dynasty.

I decided to be more direct today.

“Every time I hear nonsense like that, I feel like slapping you and walking out.”

“…My apologies. I’ve been told I’m not very good with words since I was young.”

“It’s not that you’re bad with words, Mr. Suho. The problem is that you’re under the illusion you’re good at being funny.”

“This sharp tongue… it’s been a while since I’ve heard it. Feels nostalgic.”

“I didn’t say it to make you feel nostalgic.”

“My apologies. Unfortunately, it seems today will be the last time we have a conversation like this.”

“What?”

What is he talking about now?

Another strange joke—

“Elena, I’m sorry, but we don’t have much time for reminiscing. Please, pull yourself together.”

“…”

“Focus and think carefully about what was happening just before this.”

What happened today?

I woke up in a hospital after being drugged for a long time.

My body was weak, and my colleagues from the Hotel—

The Hotel.

That was when it hit me.

- Clang!

Startled, I shot up from my seat, knocking over plates and forks in all directions.

Suddenly, the space around me shattered, revealing a vintage-style café.

“Haha! This place is nostalgic too.”

“What… What on earth is going on!”

“It’s nothing extraordinary. Elena, you’ve been rendered unconscious by the Administration, and I’m using the power of ancient scripts to send you this message just before I die.”

“Just before you die?”

“Apologies, but I’m about to die. There’s no avoiding it. My opponent was simply too well-prepared.”

With those words, Lee Suho wore a resigned expression.

Strangely, deep within me, I felt a wave of intense sorrow.

Is this how the “Second Daughter of the Sea God” feels?

From her perspective, having her lover declare an inevitable death would indeed shake her to the core.

I drank the ice water on the table to regain my composure.

After all, from “my” perspective, he was just another NPC within Room 202.

“Do you have something to say? You didn’t come here just to say goodbye, did you?”

“Of course not. Please, listen carefully. Everything stems from an event 21 years ago, instigated by the former Saintess of the Deep Sea, Imelda.”

What exactly is a Daughter of the Sea God?

Politically, they were the leaders of Sea God’s Island.

With the island having embraced the culture of the mainland and being integrated into South Korea, the Saintess of the Deep Sea officially held the title of “Governor.”

Biologically, or perhaps supernaturally, the Daughters of the Sea God were what kept the merfolk as “human”.

Without them, the merfolk would naturally transform into sea creatures incapable of living on land.

Given this, how could the merfolk ever “rebel” against the Daughters of the Sea God?

The title of Governor was nothing more than a borrowed name to mimic democracy.

In reality, the Saintess of the Deep Sea, the highest-ranking Daughter of the Sea God, was the de facto queen of the island.

At the same time, they were the most tragic figures on the island.

Every Daughter of the Sea God must accept a grim fate from the moment of awakening: they would endure unbearable mental torment every night for the rest of their lives.

There was no escape, and the ability to endure it was limited.

Most didn’t live past the age of 40, succumbing to madness and being confined to a hospital or ending their own lives.

This explained how Serenade rose to power at the absurdly young age of her late twenties.

Only the Daughters of the Sea God, who biologically held the merfolk’s lifeline, could assume power.

And because they never lived long, being in their late twenties was more than sufficient.

Twenty-one years ago, the Saintess of the Deep Sea, Imelda, despaired over her wretched fate.

That was when salvation arrived from the mainland.

And thus, the greatest sin in the history of the merfolk was committed.

***

“…So that’s how it is. Do you understand? Time flows differently in this place, so take your time to think it over. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

I understood.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult story.

The confusing part wasn’t in the information I had been given—it lay elsewhere.

“I’m more curious about what you’re thinking. And what is it exactly that you want me to do?”

Instead of answering, Lee Suho simply smiled.

With that smile, his body began to disintegrate.

The scales that had initially covered half his body now enveloped him entirely, and then even his form started to distort.

That was enough of an answer.

…After awakening as the Saint of the Deep Sea, he had delved so deeply into primordial memories that he had lost his human identity.

Now, he was no longer the human Lee Suho but merely a “Rudah” holding faint echoes of Lee Suho’s memories.

He had asked me to avenge his kind.

When I woke up, three days had passed.

***

“Elena, don’t stress. Take it slow. It’s not about using force but rather letting it go. Should I demonstrate again?”

“…No, it’s fine.”

“Don’t be shy. Just watch my hands carefully.”

Imelda’s hands, gently touching the tank in front of me, were delicate and refined.

From her hands, a strange vibration, as if resonating with a heartbeat, rippled out subtly.

“Did you see?”

“…Like this, maybe?”

“Oh look at that! Much better than before! That’s how it’s done.”

A few days ago, during my final conversation with Lee Suho, he confidently predicted that the Administration wouldn’t harm me.

In fact, they would go to great lengths to recruit me.

That prediction was accurate.

Technically, I was abducted to a mysterious research facility, but the treatment I received was remarkably polite.

From the staff to the researchers, no one dared to treat me lightly.

After finishing my morning “Rudah management” tasks, I sat down in a break room.

Years ago, Imelda, despairing over the tragic fate of the Daughters of the Sea God, struck a deal with the Administration, handing over all the secrets of the merfolk.

In doing so, the Administration discovered the existence of the supernatural creature known as “Rudah”, which could transform humans into merfolk.

This revelation gave the Administration monumental inspiration.

The limitless possibilities of a creature that could transform humans—regardless of age, gender, or physical condition—into fish!

If it could turn people into fish, surely it could cure mere “diseases”.

But that wasn’t all.

Could humanity overcome the inherent fragility of the human body?

Could we, as a species, become faster, and stronger?

What advancements could we achieve by slightly enhancing memory and cognitive speed?

To accomplish this remarkable “leap,” one indispensable element was required: a Daughter of the Sea God, the host of the “Queen Rudah”, who could communicate with the Rudah and control the pace and direction of its growth and mutation.

Of course, as Director Park would put it, this “Great Leap,” akin to pioneering space exploration, faced several obstacles.

The first obstacle was, unsurprisingly, the Rudah’s god, Kadaru’dah.

In the Administration’s view, particularly its Control Faction, the deaths of a “few mysterious snails” during experiments with Rudah for humanity’s great leap were insignificant.

Park did acknowledge, however, that the Sea God might see things differently.

The second obstacle was the petty prejudices of people.

What were a few scales sprouting on one’s body, or a bit of “mild pain” at night, or the occasional mental link to an unknown deep-sea god compared to the glory of humanity’s “Great Leap”?

Yet some individuals were sensitive to these “minor issues”, so secrecy was paramount until the plan was completed.

“…”

“Ah, the more I think about it, these people are truly insane.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Let’s start again.”

“I’m here to assist you, Miss Elena.”

“Assist? Not monitor?”

“…I’m sorry.”

There was no point in bothering the research staff.

It was better to think realistically.

Several questions came to mind.

First, why hadn’t an “Escape” or “Resolution” objective appeared yet?

The Administration’s lofty ambitions aside, wasn’t the Sea God the source of the curse?

For whatever reason, the Administration had successfully eliminated Lee Suho, halting the Sea God’s descent.

As a result, I was now stuck watching poor sea snails being tortured in the Administration’s lab all day.

It was hardly a world-ending catastrophe.

Why, then, hadn’t an escape or resolution event triggered?

Second, what should I do next?

Blow up the lab and escape?

Honestly, if I wanted to escape, I could have done so long ago.

The Administration only seemed aware of my “Ominous Imagination” ability.

In the scenario, it was recognized as a power I awakened as a Daughter of the Sea God.

But they were completely unaware of my “Justice”.

A while ago, I might have been unsure, but after dealing with a prisoner in Room 104, who perfectly understood and countered Justice, I could tell the Administration hadn’t figured it out.

For instance, many of the soldiers present at the hotel execution party were now here in the lab.

Each of them was a trigger for Justice.

If the Administration knew about Justice, they would’ve removed those soldiers and filled my surroundings with minors to counteract me.

But what was the point of escaping?

If leaving this lab were enough to trigger the Escape event, it should have already happened.

My head began to ache.

For now, it seemed best to stay here, gather more information, and wait.

Third, were any of my comrades still alive?

When I asked one of the soldiers who participated in the hotel party execution, they casually stated that everyone present had died.

To them, I was just the Daughter of the Sea God, and the hotel party members were Administration agents.

They never imagined I’d harbor any resentment or anger over their deaths.

I subtly inquired about Seungyub and Perro.

It seemed Seungyub had managed to leave early and wasn’t targeted for elimination because he knew nothing about the “project.”

As for the parrot that had been at the scene, it had disappeared without a trace.

“Elena, you forgot to take your ‘Dreamless’ dose.”

“Thank you, Imelda.”

I downed the small cup of medicine Imelda handed me.

Ever since taking it, I haven’t had any nightmares.

As she held my hand warmly while giving me the medicine, I reflected on something Lee Suho had said: Imelda was a timeless witch.

To me, Imelda seemed utterly human.

Her desperation to escape the nightly, relentless psychological torment was entirely understandable.

Selling “mystical sea snails” as research subjects to the Administration might seem cruel, but humanity has always survived by sacrificing other creatures.

Imelda even displayed a profound empathy for other Daughters of the Sea God, like Serenade and me, who shared her suffering.

In short, if only Imelda remained, I felt I could act freely.

The real problem was Director Park Jinseong, who practically ran the lab.

If I could deal with him, I could turn this lab upside down.

The next day, news came that Park Jinseong had died under mysterious circumstances.

I knew my moment had come.

***

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