Why is the dead Dongbaek suddenly here...? Ah, the self-awareness too!
Well, of course. There's no way they'd wait for us! Hold on, the script...
While a few quick-witted prisoners were checking their own lines, the first to speak was Sinclair.
"M-m... right, Gakryong, don't act like some country bumpkin. You want to at least live up to your name?"
"...? What the hell are you... what?"
"(G-gah, no, Mr. Heathcliff, it's the script, the script...! That's what it says on the paper I picked up.)"
Heathcliff, you clueless bastard, what the hell...
The role assigned to Heathcliff, according to Sinclair, was "Gakryong."
Since he was just standing there without doing anything, Dongbaek, who seemed to be a character within the self-awareness depth itself, said with a displeased expression, "What are you all whispering about?"
That did not look good at all.
When Heathcliff still couldn't get a grip on the situation, the only real savior who could get them through this mess, Dongrang, stepped forward.
So he got cast properly, huh. Amazing.
"Well, you see, Dongbaek. Gakryong's been reminiscing about how we all ended up gathered here at T Corp."
"That's annoying... hey, don't call me that name."
...Is that supposed to be acting? No matter how I looked at it, that wasn't in the script.
He's in a place this important and still can't get his head straight. Is that guy really a freelancer?
"That's nice. Gakryong always said the same thing, too. Not to call him by his real name."
What. That was good acting...?
...Wait, does the casting actually reflect our personalities a little? Ah, if this is self-awareness depth, I guess it's not impossible.
"..."
As the atmosphere grew chaotic and the story failed to move forward, Yi Sang looked to the next person in line to continue the self-awareness depth.
"It is your turn to speak, Sangheo."
The target was Otis, who had remained silent.
Sangheo. So that was her role.
Still, Otis... somehow she looked like she'd be good at acting. I'm looking forward to this.
"Ahem. Ah... so... our homeland. T Corp, as you know—many things were broken—ing and changing in a turbulent—! state."
...What is wrong with this person? He's always so good at groveling, so why does his acting tone wobble like this only now?
No, come to think of it, even when he usually slips up a little...
"Because of the dreamers in the upper ranks spouting pretty words and the corrupt petty officials, the people's lives and the economy were unstable and warped every single day... and with the inter-Wing accords, employment... nothing was guaranteed. For researchers like us, who wanted to pursue knowledge and study, even getting a single simple screw was a struggle.
That was when Brother Yeongji gathered us together."
Oh. Never mind. Once he got into it, he was good.
That was acting with no visible flaws. Then I should try to put in some effort too...
Wait, something's weird about the script.
Yi Sang is from the Guhuinhoe. Dongrang is from the Guhuinhoe. The other prisoners are all Guhuinhoe too.
Dante doesn't even have a role assigned, but... that person is an exception, so I'll let it slide. But normally, in this flow, shouldn't I also be assigned as a member of the Guhuinhoe?
The role I was given, oddly enough, belonged to some completely different faction all by itself.
The name was... Seosan? Never heard of it. Sangheo, Gakryong, those people aren't all that different either, but...
In the end, they'd all be Yi Sang's companions, but... why am I the only one with a weird role?
While I was processing the question that had suddenly risen in my head, Dongrang opened his mouth.
"Ah... I was the one who called Yi Sang and Dongbaek. They grew up in the same neighborhood, after all."
"...Right, Brother Yeongji and Dongrang gathered us together."
...Did he just correct the earlier line about Brother Yeongji gathering everyone?
And Otis—no, Sangheo—just went along with it?
Dongrang's personality really is something...
Anyway, with Otis's final correction, that long-winded explanation came to an end.
At this point, it should have been Brother Yeongji's turn to speak, but Brother Yeongji's role was... Hong Lu.
"I said it. That T Corp, a Wing where dazzling technological progress was in full swing, was pouring generous support into the invention of machines and technology. So obtaining parts was no trouble at all, and the people there all lived by making invention their trade.
So those of us who shared the same ideals risked everything and fled here with nothing but our own bodies."
Mm-hm, I see. So that was the origin of the Guhuinhoe. That's a pretty interesting fact.
Maybe because he grew up in a wealthy household, he's surprisingly good at acting? Honestly, I hadn't expected much.
Anyway, the next line was... Meursault's.
"As everyone wished... we were able to continue our research here.
Though we had to give up the colors within it, so there was no brilliance to be seen."
According to someone in the Guhuinhoe speaking through Meursault, this place, T Corp, had no such thing as color.
Because of matters related to T Corp's Singularity, color did not exist here.
Some of the prisoners knew that, but others did not.
And naturally, Dante was among the ones who didn't, so someone who knew it well would start explaining. Of course, that wasn't me.
"In T Corp, having color is a kind of privilege."
"They take away color?"
"Color is identity. If you want to strip away uniqueness, there's no better way than that. Don't you think?"
"Yes."
Faust explained, Sinclair asked back, Ishmael added to it, and Faust confirmed it again.
It was the usual question-and-answer format inside the bus, even when the speaker wasn't fixed. Someone always had something to ask.
Still, uniqueness... I know that taking color in T Corp isn't just for that reason, but... I can't remember the details. Probably because it's important information buried deep in memory.
Even though I knew I'd remember it someday, a contradictory part of me wanted it to stay forgotten forever.
If you know dangerous information like that, you'll get quietly snuffed out somewhere no one can see. Ah, well, if you're under the company's protection, maybe you can survive that much.
"...And it was at least something the one with nothing had once possessed."
That was what Heathcliff said, suddenly lowering his voice as he listened to our conversation.
Oh, so Heathcliff was from T Corp's back alleys.
At that point, it would make sense for him to hate it. There probably aren't many people in District 20 who like that system, aside from nouveau riche fools who love luxury.
I get that much... but I wish he wouldn't suddenly drop his energy and say it like that. The mood has gone all avant-garde.
"..."
While the prisoners were lost in their own thoughts, a sharp female voice snapped us back to attention.
"Hey, are you going to keep talking forever? Today's Nangsulhoe, isn't it? Watch closely, I brought a hell of a game."
Boom! Boom-boom!
"See? Doesn't it pop better than before?"
Fireworks. If it was Ahnung... was that Sinclair's role? Mm, I suddenly wanted to memorize everyone in the Guhuinhoe, but that was probably impossible. I'd deal with that later.
Seeing the small fireworks display indoors, Ishmael—or someone borrowing her body—said with an expression that said she couldn't help herself, "Why on earth were you obsessed with explosions... no, fireworks, Dongbaek..."
"You can't see the stars here because of all the bright lights and steam even at night. Back home, the stars were really beautiful, so it was fun for everyone to look up at the sky together. There isn't even any color here. At least where we were, we could still see the colors of flowers.
So... I wanted to see them like this, even if only a little."
Boom! Boom!
"See? Even without color, you can still see it, right? Fireworks are such a warm color."
Oh... what a romantic reason. A rare talent in this absurdly fucked-up society.
Of course, by the end she'd been infected by some strange ideology and gone completely wild... but that wasn't relevant right now.
Listening to a story filled with a dream that was rarely seen in this City, Dongrang continued acting with an awkward smile.
"How embarrassing. I still don't have any real skills."
"And you say that so cheerfully?"
"Haha, just treating injured animals on the street already takes up all my time.
I keep thinking about the yellow dog I left back home, and I can't bring myself to move."
"It was really attached to you. What did it even like about you?"
"Because it was abandoned by its mother. Looking for somewhere to lean and feel warmth is an instinct of living things."
"Well, by now... maybe it's had puppies?"
"Mm, probably not. It was a calf."
"..."
The two of them, who had grown up in the same neighborhood as Yi Sang, continued their banter with practiced ease, proof of the long time they'd spent together.
...So those two had a time like that too. Something warm and youthful.
While the prisoners watched the scene with fascination, "that thing" suddenly appeared.
"Ah... ueeiia..."
<...!>
Members of the Liberation Alliance. More precisely, those things that had died and regenerated their flesh. Perhaps not just them, but everything else as well.
For some reason, they had arrived at the self-awareness depth.
It was an obviously alien and unpleasant situation. Fearing that the self-awareness depth would collapse, I looked toward Dongbaek... but strangely enough, Dongbaek didn't find the phenomenon odd.
No, more precisely... it seemed like they, too, found it natural?
"Sigh... here we go again. Gakryong, it looks like the tavern owner who wants to collect your tab came looking for you again. Why don't you go out there already?"
"What the hell, those bastards... why did they come all the way here?"
Heathcliff spoke an ambiguous line that I couldn't tell was acting or real.
If it was acting, it was a fine ad-lib. If it was a question, then the person who always explained things would explain it.
This time, it seemed to be the latter.
"Because of the strong resonance between the Golden Bough and Yi Sang, the entire K Corp research lab is being affected by the Bough.
Thanks to that, they got dragged in as well, but they have no connection to Yi Sang at all.
Since they were never given any role... they'll try to damage this place. The more unstable the self-awareness depth becomes, the worse it will get."
"So what you're saying is that we need to move this story along quickly.
The more you dawdle and fail to read the script on the paper like some idiot, the more enemies will come after us."
When she finished speaking, Ishmael loosened her body with a series of cracking sounds.
She was right. Maybe I should smack Heathcliff on the head later. People like that are easier to convince with action than with words.
"So for now, let's focus on the enemies in front of us."
At Ishmael's words, the prisoners all raised their weapons at once.
...So rest will have to come after death.
Ah, right. You get dragged out even when you die. Damn it.