Labyrinth Exploration 101 - L.E Chapter 88 (Part 2): An Ordinary Day (4)

*Tok. Tok.*

The hem of his coat swayed as he approached, limping more than usual today. He gave a polite nod to Lim and Kim A-rang. Lim nudged Kim A-rang forward.

“…What is it?” she asked him.

“If there’s no separate shooting schedule,” Seol Ha-woon asked carefully, “may I take two or three days’ leave?”

A polite request. They both looked a bit surprised—especially Lim, who half-expected him to make some snide remark like, ‘Serves you right for coddling Kim Doo-gyeom.’

“…Sure. Honestly, even if you had something scheduled, we’d cancel it at this point. Go ahead. Just three days, starting today.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

He turned and walked away. The writers watched his retreating figure—limp and all—with a kind of subdued sympathy.

“Vacation… I thought he had the kind of mental toughness you could cut with a knife and it wouldn’t leave a mark. Guess this one hit him hard.”

“Probably because his past and personal life got made public,” another said. “Someone like him would hate pity more than anything.”

An orphan from an orphanage. Lost his grandmother at five, entered the system.
Became a soldier the moment he turned adult. Earned the country’s recognition of his abilities—only to lose everything.
His life was steeped in misfortune.

“He must be hurt,” someone murmured.

Kim A-rang frowned, turning sharply toward them.

“If that was going to stop him, he wouldn’t have come out here in the first place.”

He had his reasons—his goals—for showing himself to the world. Pity was useless. Nothing was more pointless than wasting time pitying someone else. Worry about yourself instead.

“The public will put a price on his misfortune. All we do is help make that price as high as possible.”

She jerked her chin at the writers.
“Get back to work. We’re moving forward as scheduled.”

—

I left the *NaN* lodging and sat at a bus stop.

│Kim Doo-gyeom Scout Foul-mouthed Tirade│
770,000 views · 1 hour ago

Someone had uploaded the leaked *Labyrinth-in-Progress* audio to YouTube. The comments were chaos.

– Wow, so Doo-gyeom was acting the whole time?
– Man, give that guy an Oscar.
– Seol Ha-woon’s getting major reevaluation.
– Doo-gyeom, don’t go far. Just get lost.
– Did Always-Right see through this too?

As I read the comments, a rustle came from the bushes—someone appeared and sat next to me.

“Where you headed?”

It was Seo Ji-woo. I pocketed my phone.

“Vacation.”

“…Phew. You’re not dropping out, right?”

“Why would I? It’s over.”

It was. Kim Doo-gyeom was finished, and I had survived.
Yet… I felt strange. Not entirely happy—almost melancholy.

The help had been unexpected.
Kim Jun-seok—too old and not fit enough to inspire much confidence.
Lee Do-hyun—the younger orphanage kid whose baby face I could just barely remember, and whose voice I couldn’t recall at all.

Did I really deserve help from them? Was I the kind of person worthy of it?

“…Hey, you know what?” Seo Ji-woo suddenly said, rubbing her hands together.
“What you said earlier—I think it’s not a bad idea.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What, you don’t remember your own words?”

That brought it back instantly. I brushed my hair back casually.

“…Oh, that? My head’s been all over the place.”

“Well, can’t blame you for that.”

“So?” I prompted.

She clicked her tongue, staring at the road, then nodded like she’d made up her mind.

“Let’s try it. On camera.”

…What?
I was caught off guard, but didn’t show it.

“I mean, it feels a bit like deceiving the viewers, but in the end, it’s entertaining, right?”

She meant fake dating.

What the hell was she thinking?
But turning it down wouldn’t fit my image.

She probably suspected me. This kind of suggestion was her way of probing.
If I refused, I’d lose.

“Fine by me.”

“Right? Then—shh.”

She put a finger to her lips and motioned somewhere with her eyes. A camera was approaching. She swung her legs idly, then spoke.

“You okay?”

The mood shifted instantly. Camera action—acting mode.

I adjusted my tone.
“…None of your business.”

“Well, yeah. It’s not my business.”

She shrugged. She was good at this.

Fiddling with her fingers, she murmured, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not calling.”

She brushed her hair back, unable to keep still like she was embarrassed. This wasn’t acting—her palm was damp with sweat.

“I guess… I was scared. Maybe I didn’t trust you. I thought you couldn’t be that kind of person, but…”

Even if it was just acting, saying lines like this was embarrassing enough to make it method acting.

“…It’s fine,” I told her.
“I’m used to it.”

With a wry smile. Used to being the villain…

Just then the bus arrived. I stood up quickly, but she caught my sleeve with a finger.

“When are you coming back?”

“Two or three days.”

“For what?”

“…Just. Something I’m a little worried about.”

The bus stopped in front of me. She finally let go, watching me until the doors closed. I didn’t look away either.

‘Great. Just great.’

I took the very back seat. Outside, the VJ was filming me, and Seo Ji-woo waved. Her lips moved—”Take care”.

*Vroooom.*
The bus pulled away.

When they were out of sight, I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth. I leaned back, massaging my throbbing temple.

“…She’s not normal either.”

No surprise, considering she’s Seo Ji-hyuk’s sister.
One more headache added to the pile.

Dangun

I'm currently Translating the following novels: "Labyrinth Exploration 101" & "The Monarch Who Levels Up by Devouring " If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

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