Chapter 46.1

Chapter 46.1

On the second floor—

Go Yeongeun, now accustomed to the process, posed her question to the usher machine.

“Have guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this floor gone downstairs?”

Nod.

“......!”

It was over.

This essentially provided the answer they were looking for.

‘If the exit is on the ground floor and below the second floor...’

The only possibility left was the first floor.

“Then, if we just go to the first floor and ask for the location of the entrance...!”

“Let’s hurry!”

“Yes!”

For the first time, Go Yeongeun and Baek Saheon were in complete agreement.

‘So the entrance really is on the first floor, just like modern logic would suggest. What a coincidence that everything lined up this way.’

A faint sense of exhaustion crept in at the thought of how roundabout their journey had been, but the excitement of finally finding the exit outweighed it. I hastened my pace.

All that remained was to pinpoint the entrance and relay the information to my superiors waiting on the terrace.

– Oh dear, is your exhibition tour over already? That’s a shame. It seems like you’ve barely seen five of the halls.

Hoho. Keep looking, and you might lose your eyes, nose, or mouth.

You might faint before then too!

‘Even now, the three of us are sticking together under the candlelight to survive.’

I tapped the pocket where I kept Braun, as if soothing him, and continued walking.

Go Yeongeun, carrying the candle, walked with renewed confidence. That determination didn’t falter, even when she faced the usher machine on the first floor. Her desire to leave seemed to overpower any lingering fear.

“Hello!”

Once again, the machine, influenced by the candle, responded politely. Taking a deep breath, Go Yeongeun made a firm request.

“Please guide us to the entrance!”

But...

......

Silence.

The machine remained motionless.

“......?”

No response.

“N-No way...”

With a face turning ashen, Go Yeongeun glanced nervously at the candle, as if worried it had lost its power.

The flame flickered steadily, still shining brightly.

After checking it a few more times, she spoke again in a trembling voice.

“Please... guide us to the entrance.”

Again, silence.

“......”

“......”

The atmosphere dropped to a glacial temperature.

‘We’re fucked.’

I broke the silence.

“...Ms. Goral.”

“Y-Yes...”

“Huu! I’m sorry. In times like this, it’s important not to get lost in emotion. There must be a solution.”

“Yes.”

It might look like a contradiction, but there was something we hadn’t figured out yet.

Just as we were deep in thought...

“Hey.”

Baek Saheon spoke, looking at me with a peculiar expression.

“Your doll.”

“Braun?”

“Yeah. What does... Braun say?”

– I’m waiting for my brilliant friend’s answer!

Of course, that wasn’t because Baek Saheon thought Braun could actually speak. He probably asked because he thought I was a lunatic for talking to a little plushie.

‘I get it, you want some unconventional ideas.’

I deliberately stared at Baek Saheon before responding.

“How would a doll talk?”

“......”

“Think before you speak, yeah?”

Baek Saheon clenched his fist tightly.

“But throwing out ideas like this isn’t a bad thought.”

“......!”

“Ms. Goral, do you have any ideas?”

“Ah, umm...”

“As positively as possible. Let’s assume there’s definitely an exit nearby.”

“Then... a secret space, maybe?”

Go Yeongeun furrowed her brow.

“Like how attics are sometimes above the top floor, maybe there’s another space between the basement and the ground floors? A parking lot, perhaps...”

There’s no record of such a secret space in this exhibition hall. But it’s still a possibility.

After all, experiencing something firsthand is different from reading about it. Sometimes, even with prior knowledge, things don’t match up perfectly.

‘We didn’t know the window was actually a terrace door, after all.’

But... I felt the exit would be in a more obvious location.

‘Conceptually, it’s strange for an official pathway to be in a secret space.’

So, the exit likely exists in plain sight, but we’re failing to notice it due to biases, thought patterns, or cultural factors...

“......!”

Wait a moment.

“M-Mr. Roe Deer?”

I stood up abruptly.

Baek Saheon looked at me in surprise, and Go Yeongeun, unable to turn around due to the candle’s effect, glanced downward anxiously.

“Do you have enough stamina to go up and down the stairs a few more times?”

“What?”

“I-I think so.”

“Then let’s move.”

“Huh?”

I got to my feet.

“We need to climb to the top floor.”

“......??”