I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 82

Chapter 82
Rotten to the Core, Ready to Collapse
***
“Haha, an unfamiliar ceiling, huh? It’s just the room Noah showed me yesterday, so it felt strange…”

I felt my pupils trembling as I swallowed dryly.

“Right…?”

The reason my words ended in a question was because the color and shape of the ceiling were different from what I remembered before falling asleep. Not to mention, the texture of the blanket covering me was different too.

‘Stay calm.’

Isn’t there a saying that even if you’re caught in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you might marry a decent tiger?

I managed to calm my confused mind and rolled my eyes around.

The gray ceiling I saw before falling asleep had turned into a dark brown wooden ceiling, and the single bed had transformed into a queen-size bed.

The white blanket was as soft as silk and thick, making the touch against my skin feel incredibly good.

I slightly moved my head to observe the changed surroundings more clearly.

“Gasp…!”

The room I had originally fallen asleep in was a ‘studio’ in terms of size. Comparing it to this place would be an insult; this room was incredibly spacious, about the size of an apartment with three rooms (38 pyeong).

The floor was covered with a soft carpet, and there were two large terraces at either end of one wall. A large window between the terraces let in enough light to keep the room bright without additional lighting.

The breeze from one slightly open terrace made the white curtains flutter.

In the center of the room was a sofa and a table, and along one wall were expensive-looking drawers and bookshelves. A luxurious wooden desk was also set up in one corner.

Bed – Sofa, Table – Bookshelf, Desk.

The room was divided into three zones, with different carpets separating each space.

‘What is this expensive-looking room? Did I possess someone else’s body?’

I urgently pulled my hair to check the color. Seeing my shoulder-length white hair reassured me. I then checked my hand. The mark of the demonic sword was shining brightly.

‘Phew… Luckily, I didn’t possess someone else’s body. But… when did this start glowing?’

The demonic sword, which drank blood daily, had developed various strange functions. After looking at the softly glowing mark, I sighed slightly and got out of bed.

‘I’ll think about the mark later. First, let’s figure out where I am.’

I began to cautiously inspect the room.

“Oh! My bag, here it is!”

Fortunately, my bag was in one corner of the room. Since I couldn’t walk around in pajamas, I took out clothes from the bag and changed.

Worrying that someone might come in, I quickly dressed, but luckily, no one did. After changing into regular clothes, I headed towards the terrace.
T his wa s c o p ie d f r om k i ngm tl . o r g

‘It would be troublesome if I ran into an enemy by going through the door. Let’s get a rough idea of where I am.’

I didn’t know where this place was, so I couldn’t move recklessly.
T h i s w as c o p i e d from k i ng m t l .o r g

From inside the room, it looked like there were two terrace entrances, but the terraces were connected and quite spacious. I passed by the tea table and chairs and looked outside.

“Where is this?”

Everywhere I looked, there were trees with dense, dark green leaves. It didn’t look like the headquarters of Nest.

‘Hmm, wait? I think I see something far away?’

Apart from the forest, there seemed to be something in the distance. I leaned forward against the terrace railing to get a better look.

“It’s not a building… It’s a huge wall?”

A seemingly endless high wall appeared to be in the distance. Squinting, I realized the wall was semi-transparent. Leaning further forward, I mumbled.

“It’s not a wall; it’s—”

“Lian!”

As I was about to say something else, a scream-like shout came from behind. I was so startled that my body froze, and I naturally leaned forward.

“Huh…!”

While thinking, ‘Oh no? Am I falling?’ someone grabbed me from behind with a swift tug.
Th i s w as co p ie d f r om k i n g m t l . o r g

Wobble, thud.

Thanks to the pull, I fell backward instead of over the railing, collapsing onto the terrace floor. The sudden change in perspective left me dizzy.

Just as I regained my senses and was about to thank my rescuer.

Grab!

A rough hand gripped my shoulder.

“What were you thinking, standing there?!”

“Huh?”

T h i s wa s cop i ed fr o m k i n g m t l. org
Facing Noah’s contorted face made me feel like I had done something terribly wrong. I rolled my eyes.

“Well, it was dangerous, but I wouldn’t die from that height. It’s not that high, right?”

‘I’m sorry, it was my mistake.’

Ah.

I realized too late that my thoughts and words had come out backwards. Glancing at Noah’s face, I saw her staring at me in shock with her mouth agape.

Th i s was c op i e d f r o m k ing m tl .or g
It was the expression of someone facing an incomprehensible mystery. I quickly waved my hands.

“No, it’s not that! I was used to bungee jumping! It was a reflex!”

***
“Bungee… jumping? What’s that?”

The fact that Lian had been leaning out of the terrace was shocking, but his nonchalant dismissal of it as nothing was even more shocking.

Suppressing the scream rising in her throat, Noah waited for Lian’s explanation. With patience, Lian began to speak horrifying words without hesitation.

“It’s a game where you tie a rope to your body and jump from a high place.”

“What?”

“I was forced to do it the first time, but it wasn’t as scary as I thought.”

For the Gag Residents, who could be sent flying by a single punch, bungee jumping was no different from swinging on a swing as a child.

Th i s w a s co p ie d f r o m k in g mt l . o rg
The problem was that, randomly, the cheerful jump could become a death photo.
T h i s w as c o p ied f ro m k i n g m t l .o r g

“I forgot I didn’t have a rope this time and stupidly leaned forward. Sorry for scaring you.”

“…”

Thi s w a s cop i e d f r o m ki n gm t l . o r g
Noah couldn’t say anything in response to Lian’s apology.

‘This isn’t right.’

Noah realized that Lian truly thought the near-accident was no big deal.

His apology seemed to mean only, ‘Sorry for worrying you, Noah,’ and nothing more. Noah quickly understood this.

‘Tying a rope to your body and jumping from a high place? And being forced to do it?’

His words, spoken as if recounting a mundane day, revealed his deep scars. Yet, he wore a calm expression, unaware of his own wounds.

It was like seeing a severely injured child obliviously smiling. Noah felt her throat tighten and her eyes burn.

She couldn’t find the words, not knowing where he had started to break.

Tying a rope to one’s body and jumping from a high place is something that should never be done. Saying it’s okay because one can endure the pain is never acceptable. These thoughts swirled in her mind, but she couldn’t voice them for fear of hurting him further.

She didn’t want to wound an already bloodied person.

“By the way, Noah, where are we? I was surprised because this isn’t the room I fell asleep in.”

“…The place you slept in yesterday is where the regular members stay. Executives all live in this building. Since it’s a place that must be kept secret, we moved you here while you slept.”

“Oh! I didn’t know, so I was startled! I thought I’d been kidnapped! Haha!”

Trying to lighten the mood, Lian laughed heartily. But Noah’s spirits sank even further.

‘So, he thought he was kidnapped, and that’s why he leaned over the terrace?’

Noah’s mind flashed with images of horrific experiments. Realizing why Lian had leaned over the terrace, she understood that he hadn’t been okay at all.

Lian always said he healed quickly and that he was fine. That he wasn’t in pain or suffering.

Noah had always believed his bright smiles. But it wasn’t true. It had never been true.

Inside, he was already rotten to the core, ready to collapse.

“Noah, the floor is cold. Let’s go inside.”

Despite everything, he always extended his hand first for others. Unaware of how anxious those around him were, he hid his wounds from everyone.

Noah bit the inside of her cheek, stood up abruptly, and refused to take his hand.
T h i s w a s c o p ie d f ro m k i n g m t l. o r g

T h i s w as c op i e d f r o m k i n gmt l . or g
She would be someone he could rely on, not someone who relied on him. The scared girl who only cried no longer existed.

Her eyes sparkled with determination.

***
‘She must be really angry…’

Feeling awkward, I wiped my hand on my pants and rolled my eyes. Noah’s eyes were fierce, and it seemed she was very angry.

‘Ugh, I need to be more careful next time.’

It’s better not to wander around someone else’s house recklessly. With that thought, I headed back into the room.

Soon after, Lily, Jess, and Iris came to see me. Iris quickly nestled beside me, as if it were her designated seat.

Jess sat down next to my leg, resting her face on my knee and purring. As I petted Jess’s head, the meal was set on the table.

“Oh, if you’d told me, I would have gone to the dining room.”

“It’s more comfortable to eat in the room.”

Lily swallowed her words, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to eat in the room from now on? There’s no need to go out anyway,’ and smiled.

End of Chapter