Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 297

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 297

Our Night(3)

The monitoring room was filled with sniffling sounds before anyone knew it. The explorers’ pasts that even the production crew didn’t know about. Their journey through their most precious memories was diverse and quite moving.

PDs and writers alike focused carefully without distinction.

The team watching Seol Ha-woon was especially more serious.

What started as Kim A-rang alone monitoring Seol Ha-woon had become a big family of one Kim A-rang, one assistant director, and three writers as a dedicated team was formed.

“…Ha-woon is really strong.”

The assistant director looked at the monitor with reddened eyes and sobbed. The writers were the same.

Kim A-rang silently kept her gaze fixed on the screen and thought.

“We’ll need to get interviews in between, so prepare for that.”

“…Yes?”

“Start by contacting the orphanage director.”

We need to get interviews with the people around him. Such small elements will richly enhance our story.

“Just in case there might be more behind-the-scenes stories related to Seol Ha-woon’s grandmother. Focus on digging into that part.”

Kim A-rang is a T. She’s super T when it comes to work. In her mind, only methods to portray the current Seol Ha-woon come to mind.

“This might become the most important labyrinth. Go quickly and start casting from now.”

“Wow… Yes.”

Several writers and assistant directors nodded while looking at Kim A-rang with admiring eyes, and the junior writer left the monitoring room almost being pushed out.

Kim A-rang was serious.

The Apocalypse Maze, Bok Mal-ol showed Seol Ha-woon’s mindset and aspects as an explorer.

In this labyrinth, he will show the appearance of Seol Ha-woon the human, not the explorer.

It’s an extremely important scene for that reason. The public sometimes treats explorers with difficulty. It can’t be helped. Explorers are ultimately different beings who could kill ordinary people with their bare hands, broadly speaking.

However, that Seol Ha-woon is also human. Not just Seol Ha-woon, but other explorers are the same. They experience the same sadness and pain as us, and feel joy and happiness.

Except for a few, they are people like us who don’t harm ordinary people and can’t even carelessly think of doing so.

“But do labyrinths like this actually exist?”

The assistant director asked while wiping tears with tissue.

“They say they do.”

A labyrinth that always comes up when surveying explorers. The most troublesome and most unwanted, but one they want to experience at least once in their lifetime. This very type of memory labyrinth that makes you trace your memories and look back on your past.

“They also call it a reflection labyrinth. Because the memories the labyrinth shows are incredibly accurate.”

Kim A-rang continued.

“Human memories get beautified or worsened over time, right? No, the memories stay the same but our emotions change them. But not in the labyrinth. The labyrinth’s magic power accurately projects everything from that moment. Emotions, smells, even the air.”

Therefore, the explorers are all traveling through their complete memories.

What precious things do they cherish? What aspects do they want to show the public?

Of course, if it’s too embarrassing or scary and they want editing, we’ll gladly do that. But if someone is precious to me, it might be better to proudly show them rather than hide them for fear of getting hurt.

“…Prepare for filming as soon as the interview schedule is set.”

“Yes.”

Kim A-rang watched Seol Ha-woon with a T’s mindset. What background music should be added at this moment to maximize this emotion? At what timing and how should we close-up to burst the viewers’ tear ducts?

Put slow motion here. Add a brief flashback here. Flow in interviews like narration too…

Kim A-rang deliberately thought of all the editing points.

When Seo Ji-hyuk was laid to rest, people said many things.

That it was a glorious death. That there were many children he saved. That those children would grow up and come here someday. That he would be remembered forever.

“…Remembered forever.”

It might be my selfishness, but I would have preferred if he wasn’t remembered forever. It would have been better if he was alive and with us.

I looked beyond the grave.

Young Seo Ji-woo was there. She must have been around middle school age. Among the black clothes of the funeral, her blue hair stood out particularly coldly. Her blank face staring into space with empty eyes was pitiful.

Not far behind her was young Seol Ha-woon.

‘Please take care of my sister.’

At that time, that guy’s last words were probably echoing in my ears.

But I couldn’t bring myself to approach your sister.

It was the day I first became afraid of something.

I was afraid of the promise I made with you.

“…”

I approached while leaning on my walking stick. Instead of my young self, my current self placed a hand on young Seo Ji-woo’s head.

“Your brother loved you very much.”

Come to think of it, that’s too obvious. There’s no way he would have disliked you.

“Hmm…”

Then and now, I can’t think of much to say to this kid. As I always say, Seo Ji-woo is not Seo Ji-hyuk.

Still, it would have been quite fun to have a younger sister like Seo Ji-woo.

“…So live hard, kid.”

I chuckled while speaking.

Well, whatever I said in this situation wouldn’t have been comforting anyway.

‘…’

Seo Ji-woo suddenly moved. She walked away limping and left the National Cemetery.

I looked around the National Cemetery. Whoooosh— A clear wind blew and disturbed the grass. It passed by like our memories.

‘Truly. He was heroic.’

‘Indeed he was.’

‘Hahaha. Truly. We need more young people like this.’

The old people’s words that we need more young people dying in the line of duty were absurd to me. The people spouting such words moved away one by one.

The reporters who came for coverage, the politicians who came for the purpose of being photographed all left too.

The night that had become empty before we knew it.

There, one person returning again.

It’s Seol Ha-woon.

He sat in front of the tombstone. I also sat beside him. We sat side by side looking at the tombstone engraved with the name Seo Ji-hyuk.

After staying like that for a while, young Seol Ha-woon got up from his seat first. He walked somewhere on his two legs. I also slowly followed behind him.

Seol Ha-woon stood in front of other tombstones.

When Seo Ji-hyuk’s burial ceremony was being conducted grandly at the National Cemetery, my other comrades who had already been buried silently before that.

Late Jin Si-jun

Their tombstones were here. The scenes of them being buried flowed like flashbacks.

I was there for every moment they were laid to rest. I had heard the cries of mothers and fathers grieving their children’s deaths.

…I turned on the travel log.

Click

I took photos of them.

Late Go Seok-hyeon

There were other heroes besides Seo Ji-hyuk. They were sacrificed because of Seo Ji-hyuk, but for that very reason, they should have been remembered equally.

Late Jeong Seon-a

“…They definitely. Should have been remembered.”

Click

Tombstones with their names written on them.

I take photos of them one by one.

Click

I hold their names, which should have been remembered, in my heart.

Click

So that people all over the world watching this broadcast can see them.

Late Yoon Jeong-hyeop

“You’re going to be on TV, Jeong-hyeop.”

He was the guy who once dreamed of appearing on New Quiz. The guy who dreamed of heroically rescuing a scene, sitting in that cramped chair, and having a talk with the nation’s top MC.

“It’s not New Quiz, but.”

It’s not that kind of talk show, but I’ll let you be seen on a program that’s even more popular than that.

Click

Click

…Click

I photographed their tombstones. Before I knew it, pure white particles began rustling down from the sky.

It was snow.

I let my arms hang down as I was hit by the falling snow.

“…”

Suddenly, again.

I looked around this cemetery.

Young Seol Ha-woon had left at some point, and now I was alone.

“Hah…”

In this place full of my old comrades, I quietly knelt down. I felt the snowflakes caressing my skin. I closed my eyes and sank into deep memories.

‘Wow~ This is unbelievable. Sergeant Seol! You’re really bad at soccer.’

‘Sergeant Seol, no, Staff Sergeant. Congratulations on your promotion~ You didn’t get passed over.’

Their voices suddenly spread. Are these hallucinations tangled in my memory? Or is this real, caused by this labyrinth?

‘Staff Sergeant Seol. Is this really ramen? It tastes terrible. Oh, no. I’ll just eat it. Don’t take it away.’

‘Don’t you smoke cigarettes, Staff Sergeant?’

‘This is really tough, but it’s bearable. Still… we’re doing good work, aren’t we?’

Their words flow into me. Those voices and faces become clear again.

‘Ha-woon. Still, the kids are pretty good. Sometimes let’s guide them well.’

‘Staff Sergeant. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. When I go back this time, I want to propose to my girlfriend… What? You’re saying I shouldn’t say things like this?’

‘…I’m dying from how hard this is, Staff Sergeant.’

Every time you who used to say something to me come to mind, one drop.

‘After we finish this job, let’s definitely go on New Quiz together, Staff Sergeant.’

‘As for us, well. We all trust you, Staff Sergeant.’

‘Infrared headset… Oh, it’s not a headset, it’s a telescope.’

Every time I recall you whom I had been trying to forget, one drop.

‘Staff Sergeant, loyalty!’

‘Staff Sergeant. We’ve been waiting!’

‘Staff Sergeant Seol Ha-woon!’

One drop, one drop.

Tears flow.

“…I’m sorry.”

Right now, that’s all I have in my heart.

Just someone like me survived, and this is all I can say to you.

But there were words I had never once let out of my mouth.

Because if I said them myself, I felt like I’d become weak, like I wouldn’t be able to endure anymore.

There were words I had to swallow down.

“I miss you.”

If possible, I want to meet you all again, even just once.

I want to talk about the path I’ve walked.

About the process of Soldier Seol Ha-woon becoming Mage Seol Ha-woon, about the process of almost everyone in South Korea getting to know me.

“I want to…”

I want to embrace you who aren’t here until I die.

“…He’s crying. He’s really crying.”

Murmurs spread like waves. Before she knew it, quite a few production staff had gathered behind Kim A-rang.

Everyone had temporarily abandoned their own monitors and was looking at just one person’s screen. As if amazed. Or as if they couldn’t believe it.

“Seol Ha-woon is crying.”

It was the voice of the Junior Writer who had returned at some point. Kim A-rang answered briefly.

“…I know. I can see it too.”

In the labyrinth, Seol Ha-woon was crying.

He was always calm. Also dry. He smiled occasionally, but Kim A-rang had cut most of it out for more dramatic character development.

She had saved and saved Seol Ha-woon’s emotions, making them very precious, so that the expressions he occasionally showed would penetrate the viewers’ hearts.

However…

Even Kim A-rang was surprised by this moment.

Through countless labyrinths, explorers had cried from joy and cried from sadness. There were moments when they collapsed from a comrade’s elimination, or extreme pain, or fear. The explorers were like that.

Seol Ha-woon was not.

As the eldest brother, as the most calm explorer, he maintained his composure in all those situations. He never wavered even a little.

He became a shoulder for the young explorers to lean on. He became a solid pillar.

A person who, even if stabbed, even if blood came out, tears would not come out.

That was the world’s assessment of Seol Ha-woon. Kim A-rang couldn’t even imagine Seol Ha-woon’s tears. It never formed in her mind to begin with.

But now he was…

“God is really helping. God is helping.”

At the most precious moment, at the most necessary moment, at the end of this labyrinth exploration, Seol Ha-woon couldn’t hold back his emotions.

He looked handsome crying. He became an even more, much more pitiful face than when smiling.

“Where, where is it──!”

PD Im Hyeong-uk came running with a clatter. He had been in charge of Kang Hyeon, and when he saw Seol Ha-woon’s monitor, his mouth fell wide open.

“…Is it real?”

Even he, who had always mocked Seol Ha-woon in everything, stared blankly at the screen.

“He’s really crying. Seol Ha-woon is. That’s not actually Seol Ha-woon, is it?”

“Hey.”

Kim A-rang and the other production crew members glared at him sharply. Im Hyeong-uk flinched and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“No, well… I was just thinking that Seol Ha-woon is human too, you know. It’s humanizing. Good.”

Anyway.

“Yeah. This, this is the final blow.”

Kim A-rang was certain.

The end of Labyrinth Exploration NaN.

Seol Ha-woon had definitely delivered the final first-place finishing blow.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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