An Unannounced Guest (5)

**

I couldn’t believe my ears.
Pass?
As I stood there baffled, Joo Bada chuckled.

“You’re really something… You were actually going to Floor 3?”
“You said it was a test.”
“Pfft. That was a lie, of course!”

For a moment, I was speechless.
A lie?
Joo Bada shamelessly continued as though it were nothing.

“The real test was something else. Namely! ‘How will Kim Yohan respond if we tell him to go to Floor 3 alone?’”
“…”

I felt like I’d been smacked in the back of the head.
The test had already begun the moment she’d made the proposal.

“Sorry for tricking you~ But there was no way to know if you were sincere without going this far~”

Joo Bada’s face lit up with delight. Her eyes looked like those of a child who had discovered an entertaining new toy.

“I never expected you to take me up on it. I thought you’d obviously refuse to go.”

She looked me up and down with open curiosity.

“But you! You were really going to Floor 3 by yourself… There was no way that was an act.”
“…”
“We’ll have to wait and see whether you’ve completely changed… but I’ll at least admit you’ve got enough resolve to risk your life just to keep up a bluff.”

Joo Bada smiled brightly.
As befitting an actress, she’d seen through whether my actions were genuine or merely an act.
Her conclusion was simple.

“Kim Yohan, I think Gyeong-ah was right. You really have changed.”

…I’d passed the test.
It amounted to tacit permission for Kim Yohan to remain on Floor 1.
Gyeong-ah looked even more relieved.

“Thank goodness… So he doesn’t have to go alone anymore, right?”
“Of course not! I never intended to send him to Floor 3 in the first place. I do have a conscience, you know. You really think I’d make him do something that reckless?”

Joo Bada went “Ahem” and proudly placed a hand over her chest. So even telling me to go alone had been part of the act…
The outrageous request had simply been bait to test my reaction.

“Honestly, just hearing the story earlier wasn’t enough to convince me. But after this, I can’t exactly deny it anymore.”

Watching her, a question suddenly occurred to me. What if I’d refused to go to Floor 3…?
How would she have reacted?

“Let me ask you one thing. What would you have done if I’d refused?”
“Well… do you really need to know what would’ve happened in a situation that never came to pass?”

Joo Bada dodged the question with a meaningful smile.

“Hehe. Knowing might get you hurt.”

I wasn’t sure…
but I doubted the atmosphere would have been nearly this friendly.
Either way, I could finally relax.
Agreeing to go to Floor 3 had left everyone with a better impression of me.

“Unni…! If that was the plan, you could’ve told me beforehand! Do you know how badly you scared me…?!”
“Sorry~ You know what they say. If you want to fool the enemy, fool your allies first.”

Joo Bada patted Han Gyeong-ah’s shoulder to calm her down. Not telling Gyeong-ah had been an excellent choice.

‘Since Gyeong-ah can’t act.’

She would’ve given it away immediately. If anything, Gyeong-ah’s genuine panic had helped fool me.

“Jeez, what kind of bullshit was that…?”

Only then did Kang Se-rim’s expression relax slightly. She’d looked unhappy with the whole thing from the start.
Now she was back to normal.
Apparently, she’d been worried despite trying not to show it.
Then again, her face always looked so fierce that it was hard to tell.
Our eyes happened to meet. Kang Se-rim offered me some words of comfort.

“What are you looking at, dumbass?”
“…Nothing.”

Still as charming as ever.
Meanwhile, Shin Nam-jae still hadn’t let go of his suspicions. Clearly unconvinced, he objected to the result.

“Bada, are you sure about this? Just because of something like that…”
“But that’s how the test turned out~ Let’s try to look on the bright side~”

Joo Bada casually touched Shin Nam-jae’s shoulder. He practically melted on the spot.

“R-Right?! Now that I think about it, that does make sense…”

What an easy guy to handle.
Was that why Joo Bada kept him around?

‘That aside…’

Shin Nam-jae wasn’t entirely wrong. This alone wasn’t enough to completely clear everyone’s suspicions.
It was only one brief incident.
Even if I’d shown that I was different from before, it was still only a small change.
Kim Yohan’s reputation was one hell of a stain to wash out.

If I compared it to college grades, I’d gone from an F to a D.
Like a student who should’ve failed and retaken the class but barely scraped through after begging the professor.
That still wasn’t enough.
A lingering sliver of suspicion would continue following me around like a tag.
At this rate, I’d never escape my current situation.
My ultimate goal was still to reach the top of the Tower.

‘And to do that…’

I needed to become actual teammates with the people here.
As Floor 2 had shown me, cooperation was everything.
I couldn’t stay under surveillance forever.
It wasn’t enough to merely erase their suspicions. I needed to earn their trust.
Enough that they wouldn’t even suspect I was only pretending to be remorseful.
I needed them to believe without a doubt that I’d truly turned over a new leaf.
It was time to break out of this stagnant situation and drive the point home.

“Hey, you. It’s over now, so come out here.”

Gyeong-ah gestured for me to leave the elevator.

“I don’t have to go to Floor 3?”
“Did you not hear a damn word? She said the stupid test is over.”

Kang Se-rim grumbled.
I ignored her and remained where I was. Joo Bada looked puzzled.

“Hm? What are you doing?”
“Nothing. I just don’t think stopping here is enough to prove I’m sincere.”
“Wait, you. Don’t tell me…”

Having made my decision, I firmly pressed the 3F button. The elevator doors slowly began to close.

“I’ll be back.”
“Hey, you…!”
“Just wait a little.”

It happened so quickly that no one had time to stop the doors like before.
The last thing I saw was Joo Bada’s startled expression.

“I’ll make sure I come back alive, so don’t worry.”
“Kim Yohan─!”

She reached out too late. The elevator doors closed, and silence settled around me.

Clunk-!

My reasoning was simple.
If I was going to climb the Tower and overcome whatever trials waited ahead, it wasn’t enough for Kim Yohan to simply regret his actions.
I needed to become someone the others could rely on as a teammate. This was the first step toward proving that.
Would they understand that I meant it?

They were probably all shocked.
I could picture the scene on Floor 1. Gyeong-ah probably pacing around in panic…
and Kang Se-rim exploding in irritation. I could see it clearly just imagining them.
Hoping my intentions had gotten through to them, I rode the elevator alone toward Floor 3.

“…”

Clunk, clunk-!

The elevator was quiet. It had been so noisy just moments ago, but now everything was silent.
Only the crackling mechanical hum of the elevator filled the space.
It felt lonely being by myself.
Maybe I should’ve at least said a proper goodbye to Gyeong-ah.
I’d deliberately rushed things because I knew they’d stop me if I gave them an opening.
Just as regret began creeping in, the elevator stopped.
That was fast.
We were already there?

Ding-!

[Arrived at Floor 3 - Archive.]

With the cheerful notification, I arrived on Floor 3.
Completely alone.

**

**

When I came to, I found myself somewhere unfamiliar. I’d definitely been inside the elevator just moments ago…
My consciousness had suddenly cut out as though someone had switched off the power, and when I opened my eyes, I’d been transported elsewhere.
Sure enough, it was the same thing that had happened when I arrived on Floor 2.

Figures…
I didn’t need anyone to tell me.
This was Floor 3 of the Tower.
My blurred vision gradually cleared.

“Where am I this time…?”

I was a little tense.
I wasn’t asking for much.
As long as it wasn’t another creepy place like the Floor 2 Mansion, I’d be happy. Nervously, I looked around.

The first thing I saw was a book.

“A book?”

It was an ordinary book. Next to it was another book. That one was ordinary too. Next to that was another book. Also perfectly ordinary.
Anyway…
There were a lot of books. Shelves packed tightly with them, and rows upon rows of those shelves filling the space.

“Is this… a library?”
“It’s the Archive.”
“Whoa!”

The sudden voice startled me. I hurriedly turned around and found someone standing behind me.
A neatly tailored suit.
He was a tall, handsome man. Looking at me, he spoke in a stiff, emotionless tone.

“It is also called a library, but its official name is the Archive.”

Who was this guy?
I was so dumbfounded I didn’t know what to say. Needless to say, I’d never seen him before.
But more importantly, an archive?

A system message flashed into view. Just as the man had said, this place was the Archive.

‘He wasn’t kidding.’

I stared uneasily at the man in front of me. He stood there blankly like a wax figure.

“…”

Why wasn’t he saying anything?
After an awkward staring contest, I finally spoke.

“…Who are you?”
“I am the Librarian of this place.”
“Librarian?”
“It refers to an occupation responsible for maintaining the Archive, organizing its books, and providing information to its users.”

He introduced himself as the Librarian. It was an extremely strange answer.

“Are you the Floor 3 Administrator?”
“Correct. This location is Floor 3 of the Tower, and I serve as its Administrator.”

The Librarian gave a dry nod. His mechanical manner made it feel like I was talking to an AI.
An unfamiliar place, an unfamiliar person…
I felt a sense of déjà vu. It was the same routine as Floor 2.
I raised my guard and faced the Floor 3 Administrator. He simply stared back at me.

“…”

What did he want me to do…?
An awkward silence settled between us. He kept his mouth firmly shut.
Come to think of it, he’d done the same thing earlier. He only answered my questions and never spoke first.

“Why are you just staring at me without saying anything…?”
“I am waiting for a question.”
“Can you say anything besides answering my questions?”
“I can.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“To encourage users to acquire information independently.”

I felt like I was dealing with a stupid AI.
Despite being the Floor 3 Administrator, he didn’t feel hostile. I couldn’t read him at all.

“Are you a robot?”
“No. I am human.”
“Do you have emotions?”
“They exist.”
“Do you have any intention of speaking first?”
“If you wish.”
“Please, stop just answering my questions… I’d like to have a normal conversation with you.”
“…Understood. At your request, I will actively participate in the conversation from this point forward.”

He could’ve done that from the start.
The Librarian fixed his dull eyes on me and spoke.

“Welcome to Floor 3.”

His voice was cold and mechanical.

“From this point forward, you must participate in the game I present and clear this floor.”

It was simple and direct. Just like on Floor 2, another life-or-death game was about to begin.

“Are you ready?”

His eyes remained empty and indifferent as he spoke.