[29]
[28]
[27]
[26]
… The moment I finished reading, the countdown started. 'There is no right answer'; math disagreed with that completely.
If I chose to adhere to logic, my choice was obvious. I should save the family. Not only they were four people, but there were children—Both Hana and Hyeon were grown adults, and Hyeon was almost thirty.
But it was Hana. It was Hyeon. The only people in the world that had actually listened to me when I needed it, that gave me their support, helped me when I was at my lowest point. How could I ever condemn them?
[16]
[15]
[14]
But there were children, little kids! How young were they, six years old? Five? Two? Would I really choose to save my sister and my friend and let two innocent, hopeless children die?
[9]
[8]
[7]
No, I shouldn't be thinking that. That was nothing but a test; it was not real. If they wanted to make it more dramatic, if that system wanted to push me to the edge, it would've shown me the train and the tracks, but there wasn't even a photo of them. It was only a question, a hypothetical and ethical question. Who should I save?
[3]
[2]
[1]
"Yes, I will save the family." The words rushed out of my mouth, letting go a breath I didn't even know I was holding. The clock stopped, the letters fading into the white screen and all I could hear during that small break was the sound of my own heart. Why was I so desperate when that was only the first stage? It would likely get harder with each stage I cleared. I shouldn't let emotions affect me that way.
'Don't be stupid, Eun-Woo.'
I had to keep my focus. I only had thirty seconds to answer each scenario, and I could lose my new life as Park Eun-Woo if I messed up. That was not something I could lose, not anymore. I had to be smart about it; wasn't Hana always so happy and eager to talk about those guys? Kant, Plato, Hume, she spent years abroad majoring in Social Studies or something alike. She would always call me at night to talk about all the books she was reading, all the classes she was attending—why I couldn't remember anything?
'Because things were not good after she left'
That voice inside my head was not from Eun-Woo. It was from the old me, a person that carried everything I loathed and lacked everything I needed. Someone I never wanted to see again, a "me" that was better off dead and forgotten.
Yet it was right.
When Hana left… Things stopped being okay; they stopped being bearable.
[Stage 2#]
The new letters began to appear, my heart calmer, my mind more focused. That time, I was ready.
[A train is heading toward three tracks. On the right track are all of your life savings and possessions.]
[On the left track there are five strangers while on the middle there is one old woman.]
[Will you sacrifice your possessions to save the old woman's life?]
A smile appeared on my lips—that system was quite the snob one. It didn't even consider the chance of someone taking the left track, as if that option should not even exist. It was all about the old woman and my money. But somewhere deep inside my mind, I kept wondering why it did even bother to put that third option.
"Yes." The clock was not even on twenty-five seconds when I answered, the text disappearing almost instantly. But it was strange. The clock was the only thing that remained on the screen, without stopping the countdown. The new stage only appeared a few moments after the thirty seconds were up.
That's odd… Did I have to wait for someone else right then?
[Stage 3#]
After that, I kept completing the stages without any problems. Although there were some situations quite controversial, most cases were obvious which option was the 'right' one. Stage 4#, Stage 5#, Stage 6#—as I progressed and answered each scenario, the more it looked like I was not the only one being evaluated. Sometimes I would have to wait until all the time had run out, and others would clear out before the clock reached 00:20. It was almost too random. It reminded me of online games where you had to wait for it to find matches, and the match would only start after all players had accepted.
In a way, that made sense. It would be quite unusual if I was the only person transported to this place, the only person being given that opportunity. I knew myself well enough to be certain; I was not that special. There was nothing about me that was unique or spectacular in any way, I was mediocre in every aspect of my life.
After high school, I took the CSAT.
I graduated from an average college, got a boring office job. I didn't even remember my major's name, nor which company that was.
At some point, Hana left to study abroad. I cannot remember our last day together—maybe there wasn't one.
I stayed for three years in that company until I got fired. After that, I did not search for another job.
Then, I started working as a part-timer in a convenience store. It was bad most days, but I loved when it rained. The world got quieter, somehow, leaving me to my own thoughts; my mind was the only place where I felt safe and free.
When Hana came back, I didn't even visit. Actually, I never even gave her my new address or asked for hers. I wish I could say I was a great, selfless person, yet deep down I resented her—even when I knew I had no right to.
And just like that, pieces of my life began to flash in my mind. Moments I would rather burn and hide the ashes so I would never have to look at them again. But as I recalled those moments, it became clearer to me how insignificant and mundane my life had been. How my existence was bland and unimportant to the world.
Then why had I been chosen? Why give me a chance to become Park Eun-Woo? Had someone been listening to my prayers and pleas all those years and finally took pity on me? Or had I been simply too lucky for my own good? In either case, I would not complain.
I would live my new life as Park Eun-Woo happily. I would become someone that could create a mark in the world, someone that could change things. I recalled the words that had appeared before, 'the hands that will help shape a new World'. Yeah, perhaps I would do just that.
But then, a new stage started.
[Stage 13#]
As the new phrases appeared, I cursed my own stupidity for forgetting one of the most important rules.
[A new rule has been added.]
I cursed my own pretentiousness for forgetting one of the most important things regarding those fantasy stories.
[Those who chose the less voted option will be eliminated.]
I cursed my selective memory for I had forgotten that in those stories, "winning and losing" meant "life and death".
[The time limit has been reduced to 25 seconds.]
Another screen lit up on my side, showing a panoramic view from above. There was this giant arena filled with small cubicles, side by side. I did not even have to guess what each cubicle meant.
I was not choosing based on what was ethical to me anymore.
I was choosing what was the most acceptable choice by all those people.