Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 36

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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 036

Hate you(3)

“Hyung~”

Im Hae-jun approached me with a beaming face, holding out something.

“What is it?”

“I think I cleared this Survival Labyrinth thanks to you, hyung!”

I was about to gladly accept it, but Im Hae-jun suddenly took a step back.

“Come here, come here.”

Then he gestured for me to come over.

“What’s this about.”

I went out into the corridor to receive it. There was an unmanned camera in one corner of the corridor.

Ah, he wants to get a shot of giving me a gift? This guy is pretty calculating too.

“It’s shoes! They’ll be comfortable if you wear them. They have magic processing!”

Veronica. A luxury brand that everyone knows. For a simple gesture of goodwill, this would cost about 2-3 million won per pair.

Well, Im Hae-jun is from a wealthy family. His father is some kind of land tycoon.

“Oh. Thanks.”

I didn’t refuse. I needed shoes too.

Then Im Hae-jun whispered very quietly.

“…Hyung. But you’re amazing.”

“What do you mean.”

“You got hit with a proper villain edit but you’re acting like nothing happened. Haven’t you looked at the internet?”

The internet. Communities. SNS.

It’s a different kind of blow from my military days. Unlike simple verbal abuse, it’s cyberbullying filled with mockery and sarcasm.

But maintaining composure is my specialty. I haven’t revealed my inner feelings very often.

“I can’t do anything about the editing.”

Even if I went to Kim A-rang and grabbed her by the hair, nothing would change, and more importantly.

“Even if they distort the process, the results don’t change.”

Even if they portray me as a self-righteous person, they can’t erase my achievements. That wouldn’t be a villain edit, it would be spreading false information.

“…Hyung.”

Im Hae-jun suddenly looked up at me with a serious face.

“What.”

The guy clenched both fists and shouted.

“Can I serve you as my master!”

“No. Go away.”

* * *

I came to the interview room. In the pitch-black room, there were about two writers and three cameras set up.

“Seol Ha-woon’s performance in this Survival Labyrinth became a huge topic even in the Monitoring Room. You built a cabin. Was there a particular reason?”

The interview itself was simple. They showed footage from inside the Survival Labyrinth and asked why I did this then, why I did that then…

“It reminded me of the old days. Building a base camp was also an important role for the advance team.”

I answered while deflecting appropriately. I couldn’t exactly say it was because I’m a regressor and planned ahead.

“Ah~ I see. Then at this moment.”

The writer played another video.

“You happened to discover Seo Ji-woo just before her elimination. Was there a particular reason you went out of your way to save Seo Ji-woo?”

“Going out of my way… to save her, you mean?”

“Yes. It’s still a competition after all. It would be more beneficial for you if a strong competitor failed… Even though there was nothing to gain, you even formed a team together.”

Labyrinth Exploration NaN has elimination conditions.

Fail the labyrinth 3 times and you’re eliminated. During the first tally period, those ranked below 50th place based on vote count are eliminated.

“Well… At the time I had food supplies and shelter, but it would be good to have one more team member in case of unforeseen circumstances. Actually, Mage Seo Ji-woo was helpful in the latter half. Without Mage Seo Ji-woo’s magic power, it would have been difficult to maintain the fireplace.”

“Hmm. What are your personal feelings about Seo Ji-woo?”

“I just think she’s a decent person.”

The writer raised an eyebrow.

“Good. Oh right, you discovered the Labyrinth People in the middle, didn’t you? Your deduction was pretty cool then. I thought you were Sherlock Holmes, you know? Are you naturally good at observation?”

At the sudden praise, I smiled faintly. In an era where modesty is a virtue, such words weren’t very familiar to me.

“Yes. A little.”

“Aha~ So about that. When you faced those Labyrinth People, what were you thinking?”

Labyrinth People. When I encounter such immeasurable enemies, the first thing that rises in me is killing intent that hasn’t been filtered through reason.

Because if I don’t kill them, I’ll die.

“…I’m not sure. My memory is hazy because of the adrenaline. I just fought wildly.”

I spoke in appropriately softened terms.

“And~ three days before the end, Lee Jun-ho joined you too. Why did you help Lee Jun-ho?”

“It’s simple. He helped me, so I helped him back.”

“Hmm~ After the blizzard stopped, you were playing around with Seo Ji-woo. Was it because you thought you’d become close?”

“No. I just wasn’t thinking about anything.”

The writer asked quite a few more questions after that. I tried not to give any material for a villain edit, and there weren’t any questions that deliberately pushed things in a bad direction.

That was fortunate.

* * *

Kim A-rang smiled while watching Seol Ha-woon’s interview.

Good programs need narrative. Here, ‘good’ means high viewership ratings and high topic value, and right now a narrative is building around Seol Ha-woon.

Of course, he’s getting cursed at right now.

But reversals make for very appealing narratives. Brief filth and criticism actually become nourishment for what comes after.

Eventually, skill and capability will overturn public opinion.

“…More seasoning has appeared.”

Going one step further from there, Kim A-rang turned her attention to the relationship between Seo Ji-woo and Seol Ha-woon.

[Labyrinth Exploration NaN] isn’t just some dating show. People don’t vote for those they like or have good first impressions of, and suddenly a bunch of troublemakers don’t come pouring in. In reality, there are cameras in almost every place except the dormitory, making romance impossible.

However, such ‘chemistry’ definitely helps with the program’s impact.

In Kim A-rang’s view, Seol Ha-woon and Seo Ji-woo have potential.

Seo Ji-woo seems to have no interest in Seol Ha-woon, but Seol Ha-woon, who seems unlikely to do such things, is strangely adding fuel to the fire.

The “it’s cold outside” comment, and going out of his way to save and nurse Seo Ji-woo.

Thanks to this, Seol Ha-woon’s interview is being reconstructed in Kim A-rang’s mind right now.

In a much more ‘favorable’ direction.

Q : You found participant Seo Ji-woo just before her elimination. Was there a particular reason you went out of your way to save participant Seo Ji-woo?

A : Going out of my way… to save her, you mean.

Q : Yes. It’s still a competition after all. It would be more beneficial for you if a strong competitor was eliminated. You even formed a team together?”

A : ….

Seol Ha-woon doesn’t answer.

Without saying anything, he stays quiet for a long time, then speaks with a shy, flowing voice.

A : I’m not sure.

Seol Ha-woon’s long answer of ‘At the time I had food supplies and shelter, but in case of unforeseen circumstances~’ becomes,

was replaced with the innocent words ‘I don’t really know.’

Q : After the blizzard stopped, you were playing pranks on Seo Ji-woo. Was that because you thought you’d become close?

A : …Yes. A little.

At that moment, Seol Ha-woon smiles brightly. It’s the first scene of him showing a gentle smile.

Kim A-rang had been editing out all of Seol Ha-woon’s pointless chattering to himself, his undignified actions, and so on.

Because of that, this single smile creates impact.

There was definite charm in his smile.

“…You.”

Kim A-rang looked at Seol Ha-woon on the screen.

Even his face seems to be getting more handsome.

“Go climb anywhere.”

At first, she thought success meant just making it into the debut team, meaning the top 8.

But deep in Kim A-rang’s heart, ambition keeps spreading. Irrepressible greed rises like flames.

If Seol Ha-woon, you also have similar feelings to mine….

“I’ll send you there somehow.”

It wouldn’t be entirely impossible.

Kim A-rang picked up her cell phone.

“Seo Ji-woo, please call her back. I have more to interview about.”

* * *

…Seo Ji-woo is a mage. She’s a genius who entered Magic School at 17 and has consistently been diagnosed with the potential to become a mage. But she’s never once harbored the thought of wanting to become a mage.

Rather, she vaguely despises the tribe called mages.

She hated even the word ‘mage’ itself, and found their vulgar pretense of acting noble while being the same people disgusting to look at.

It was probably because of her father.

Her father’s long-cherished wish was to become a mage.

It was a worthless dream. His lifelong aspiration, the wish he wanted to achieve with his entire life, was just to receive a single business card saying ‘mage’ from the old monsters of the Magic Association.

Her mother left, exhausted by such a father. Seo Ji-woo also left with her mother, but her mother soon fell ill and died, and Seo Ji-hyuk brought her back when she was left alone.

To Seo Ji-woo, Seo Ji-hyuk was her father.

He was her older brother, her dad, and her friend.

So when he said he would become a soldier, she felt betrayed. Soldiers had to be in the military, not at home.

Still, it was her brother’s dream. Not that being a soldier itself was the dream, but his wish to become a soldier to protect and save many people.

Seo Ji-hyuk eventually became a soldier. He circled through terribly harsh battlefields, but received leave every year to return to her. Seo Ji-woo liked how he became more impressive as the years passed.

Perhaps she had grown accustomed to thinking of it that way.

It was a mistake.

One day, Seo Ji-hyuk returned enclosed in a coffin. Stroking his cold cheek, Seo Ji-woo belatedly realized that her brother had always been risking his life.

He had always walked the threshold of death, but this time he couldn’t cross back from there. A single failure was immediately his death.

Seo Ji-woo’s world collapsed. Her daily life crumbled into pieces. Reality felt like a dream. She desperately hoped all of this was false, but the death before her eyes was absolute.

…No matter how much you grieve and suffer, the dead don’t return.

Seo Ji-hyuk too wouldn’t want her endless sadness. He wouldn’t want her to break while suffering endlessly.

With such feelings, Seo Ji-woo managed the impossible farewell, but a large part of her heart was torn away.

Probably, the emotion called affection had fallen away entirely as well.

─After the blizzard stopped, you were playing pranks on Seo Ji-woo. Was that because you thought you’d become close?

─…Yes. A little.

So, she finds the present confusing.

Kim A-rang showed her Seol Ha-woon’s interview that she had appropriately reassembled. Seol Ha-woon wore a bright smile when talking about Seo Ji-woo. It was an expression Seo Ji-woo herself was seeing for the first time.

“What do you think? Seol Ha-woon seems to think you two built emotional rapport with each other in that cabin.”

PD Kim A-rang asked. Her tone was euphemistic yet direct. Seo Ji-woo felt like her brain had stopped.

“Well, I wonder. Seol Ha-woon happened to save me….”

“Even if the first time was by chance, it doesn’t seem like the times after were.”

Kim A-rang played a different video.

─You found participant Seo Ji-woo who was on the verge of elimination. Was there a particular reason you went out of your way to save participant Seo Ji-woo?

─Going out of my way… to save her, you mean.

─Yes. It’s still a competition after all. It would be more beneficial for you if strong competitors were eliminated. You even formed a team together.

─…I don’t really know.

The answer that he didn’t know. Seo Ji-woo was startled by his words that seemed to contain a hint of shyness.

The reason Seol Ha-woon had unknowingly looked after her. It was the moment when the possibility she had thought least likely became probable.

Seo Ji-woo somehow moved her mouth.

“I….”

“You?”

Kim A-rang urged her on. Seo Ji-woo scratched the back of her neck and gave a bitter smile.

“I don’t, I don’t have any thoughts about it.”

“You don’t have any thoughts?”

“…Yes. We haven’t known each other long. Probably he also….”

She didn’t know what she was saying. After roughly babbling whatever came to mind, she swallowed.

“We came here to become explorers, right?”

She asked as if seeking agreement from Kim A-rang. We gathered not for romance or anything like that, but to become explorers.

Kim A-rang also smiled and nodded.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“I, I… that’s all there is to it… ahem.”

“Good. Then, let’s end the interview here. Go back and rest.”

Kim A-rang grinned and gestured with her hand.

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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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