Surviving Among the Letters

After lunch.

The long-awaited first experiment began.

“Number 13!”

The researcher called out the number assigned to me.

I, waiting in front of the hallway, finally entered the laboratory.

“You’re number 13, right?”

“Yes.”

“You must be scared because it’s an experiment. But it’s just a quick shot, and it’s over, alright?”

The researcher showed me the syringe in their hand.

But no one knows what’s actually inside that syringe.

At the very least, it’s not a normal medication.

“If it hurts after the shot, call immediately. If you feel nauseous or uncomfortable, tell the nearby researchers right away.”

The needle pricks into the vein of my right arm.

And the substance in the syringe enters my body.

Maybe a second passed, and the syringe was withdrawn from my arm, and they used a cotton pad to stop the bleeding.

“Keep the pressure on for five minutes. Then you can go rest.”

I opened the laboratory door and went back into the hallway.

Waiting for me in the hallway was Remy.

“How was it? How was it?”

“It was just a shot. That’s all.”

“Ugh… shots hurt…”

“Number 14!”

“It must be me… I’ll be back quickly!”

At the researcher’s call, Remy went into the laboratory.

A few minutes later, screams could be heard from inside.

“AAAHHHH! AHHEHEHEHEHEHE!”

“Just a little prick and it’s done. It’s a quick one—ready? One, two, three!”

“Uuuuuuhhhhh!”

“Okay, done. It wasn’t too painful, was it?”

“Ughhhhhh…”

Even Remy, who was used to death, didn’t seem to have changed much as a 12-year-old child.

Who would have thought that she would hate shots this much?

The sound of Remy’s crying grew closer, and finally, the door opened.

“Blanco!! Huuuuhhh!”

With a loud scream, Remy threw herself into my arms.

“I was so scared!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s okay. You did well, Remy.”

“Uhhhhh!”

I had a feeling as if I were a mother taking her child to the hospital to get a shot.

I comforted the crying Remy, and we returned to our quarters.

◆◇◆◇◆

Good morning! Ding ding ding! Pah pah pah! Pah! Pah pah pah pah! Good morning!

“Shit.”

When I heard this alarm on the first morning, I thought I had finally gone crazy.

“Why is ‘Good morning pah pah pah’ ringing? Is this a hallucination?”

But the ‘Good morning pah pah pah’ was really playing.

According to researcher Hanari, it was a bell sound that dominates with fear in both Korea and Paradise.

As detailed as the reality may be, there was no need for this bell sound to be in the novel.

Thanks to that, I woke up feeling like crap again today.

After changing into my lab coat and washing up briefly, I headed to Room 14, right next to mine.

I had to wake up Remy.

Beep!

When I placed my bracelet near the scanner, Remy’s room opened.

The sight I saw inside was Remy sprawled out, sleeping face down.

“Wake up!”

I quickly threw off the blanket and started waking her up.

How could she sleep through this god-awful alarm?

The first night had passed, and by the time I had gotten over the shock of the ‘Good morning pah pah pah,’ I looked at Remy, who had forgotten about it.

But she wasn’t anywhere in the dining hall for breakfast.

Could she have collapsed in her room? I called the researchers, and we opened Room 14.

Fortunately, the sight that greeted us was Remy quietly sleeping.

It seemed that even the researchers hadn’t imagined there would be an experiment subject who wouldn’t wake up after hearing the ‘Good morning pah pah pah,’ and they looked a bit flustered.

Afterward, I asked the researchers to give me access to Room 14, and now I go there every morning to wake up Remy.

“Umm… Hmm… I don’t want to get up…”

“You need to eat breakfast.”

“I’ll skip it.”

In the end, I grabbed Remy and dragged her out of bed.

Finally, she stretched and got up.

“Go wash up. Change your clothes.”

“Okay.”

Up until now, I was unsure, but I’ve finally come to a conclusion.

Lately, Remy has started treating me like a mother.

“I’m done washing!”

Remy had just rubbed her face a few times and splashed some water on her hair.

Now I understand why mothers nag so much.

To avoid getting caught up in Remy’s pace, I decided to just let her be.

Remy changed into her experiment clothes.

Then we headed to the dining hall for breakfast.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Ugh, I’m so full.”

In the morning, all 98 test subjects gather to have their meals.

This is because there will be a roll call right after breakfast.

So even after the meal is finished, we have to stay seated and not leave immediately.

However, during today’s meal, a group that usually makes a lot of noise was quiet.

And it seemed like today’s roll call would answer my questions, as it was unusual.

Until Hanari Researcher Appeared Before Us.

However, the words that came out of Hanari’s mouth were shocking.

“Are all 97 of you here? Roll call begins.”

97 people?

Not 98?

Where did one person go?

“Alright. Something bad happened last night. It seems like Number 46 was sick, but they hid it. Their condition got worse overnight. We tried our best to save them, but… in the end, they passed away.”

They died?

“Don’t be foolish by hiding your illness because of pride. If you’re sick, speak up right away so we can treat it. Understand?”

“””Yes.”””

The other kids seemed to pass it off, thinking it was just a normal sickness.

But I know the conclusion of this research lab.

It’s definitely the drugs.

The ones injected into my body.

◆◇◆◇◆

After roll call, the researchers headed towards the dining hall.

I secretly followed them.

“──── ────── ── ───.”

“── ──────. ─── ── ────.”

As expected, it wasn’t a malfunction with the translator.

It’s being censored.

The researchers’ mouths moved, but I still couldn’t hear their voices.

However, one question arose in my mind.

‘Why was it only me who noticed?’

I had figured it out just from their lip movements and the awkwardness in their conversation.

This kind of discomfort is one of the easiest things to notice.

There must have been other kids who noticed as well.

But no one, including Remy, seemed to have questioned it.

What’s different between me and them…

I turned back toward the dining hall.

I found Remy, who was having her second breakfast.

“Remy. Do you know Korean?”

“Korean? Um… I don’t.”

“Then, do you think any of the other kids might know Korean?”

“I don’t think so. Honestly, most of the kids here don’t even know how to read…”

I found it.

It’s Korean.

“Uh? Why?”

I was sure that the translator had some kind of signal-blocking magic on it.

That’s why the researchers tried to censor the conversation so that no one could notice the lip movements.

But I can still use Korean.

It must have caused a problem in the translation process.

Thanks to that, I noticed.

“Yeah. It helped a lot.”

“What…?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Uh…”

Remy frowned at my words, but I put her aside and started thinking about how to break the translator.

I can talk to Remy in Spanish.

It doesn’t matter if I can’t communicate with the other kids who speak different languages.

The researchers mostly speak Korean, and some who don’t speak Korean use English.

So I don’t need the translator that much.

“Ugh. You’re obsessed with something again… I don’t know. I’m just gonna eat.”

In order to listen to the censored conversations of the researchers, I need to break the translator.

But there are many problems with that.

This bracelet has many functions besides the translation function.

It tracks locations for subject management, and it’s even used to open doors.

It’s also used for most experiment management tasks.

So, I can’t just break the bracelet.

There’s only one thing I need to do.

Break the translation function.

How?

“Let’s go, Blanco.”

There must be a way.

“We need to get going. Time for breakfast revenge.”

I will find it.

While I was lost in thought, Remy dragged me to the floor.

I hit my back on the threshold and couldn’t do anything but get up from the floor.

“Remy.”

“You said something about breakfast revenge?”

“That’s because you didn’t wake up.”

“I was saying it over and over. You didn’t get up.”

Was that so?

I don’t remember hearing that.

“Anyway, we need to go now. Experiment time is coming. I think it’s on the 3rd floor.”

◆◇◆◇◆

Today’s experiment was in a different location.

The drugs I had been injected with must have been for this.

When Remy and I went up to the 3rd floor, the researchers greeted us.

“Number 13, Number 14?”

“”Yes.””

“Go over there and sit. When we call your number, you can go in.”

“── ─ ──────?”

“──. ──── ─── ───── ────.”

“─?”

“─?─”

It was the same as before.

The researchers around us were talking, but I couldn’t hear anything.

It seemed like Remy hadn’t noticed either.

I need to break the translator function soon.

But since I couldn’t find a good way to do it, I decided to use my last resort.

While Remy and I were sitting on the bench, I called over a nearby researcher.

“Hey.”

“…?”

“Researcher, I have a question.”

I can’t believe I said “Hey” to a researcher.

What has the world come to?

“Hmm… What is our little one curious about?”

I got him.

“It’s about the translator. How does it work? The sound comes through the ears, but it goes straight to your head, right?”

“That? That’s magic.”

“How?”

“If you look closely, there’s a tiny hole here. Can you see it? Through that, it sends out a magical signal. Then the magical signal enters your head and translates it. Does that clear things up?”

“Yes. Thank you, sir.”

I waved goodbye to the researcher, and he waved back as he disappeared.

Remy seemed speechless at what she had just seen.

When this happens, you have to act with confidence.

“What? Why? What?”

“No… um… uhh…”

“You didn’t see anything. Got it?”

“Y-yeah… um…”

I spoke directly into Remy’s eyes, and she seemed to understand.

A friend knows when you’re being sincere.

Anyway, I learned how the translator works.

The little hole in the bracelet sends out the magic signal.

If I poke it with something like a toothpick, it should break.

I’ll have to go back to the room and look for something.

“Number 13!”

In the middle of all this, my number was called.

“Blanco, have a good time.”

“Yeah.”

With Remy’s encouragement, I opened the door to the laboratory and went inside.