Surviving Among the Letters

On the way to the infirmary with Mr. Han.

“Do you think Remy will be okay?”

“…”

“You’re not one to give false reassurances, are you?”

Honestly, I prefer it this way.

It’s better than holding on to false hope.

Remy’s condition is currently critical—so dire that it’s a wonder she’s held on this long.

“But she seemed alright this morning. Do you think she might regain consciousness, sister?”

I asked as I opened the infirmary door.

“Remy. I’m here…?”

But the only thing in sight was an empty bed.

Wait.

Where is she?

Could she have… not even lasted a day?

I haven’t even had a proper conversation with her yet.

No.

It can’t be.

“It’s not, right?”

Mr. Han, flustered by my words, tried to reassure me.

“That… that can’t be. She’s not dead yet. Otherwise, I would’ve been contacted. Let me check. Just a moment.”

Mr. Han quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket.

After a few taps, he held it to his ear.

In the silent infirmary, only the faint sound of the dialing tone could be heard.

“Yes, Director? Where’s Subject 14? What? Oh, I see. Sure, I’ll pass the phone.”

He handed me the phone.

I steadied my trembling heart and answered.

“…Hello?”

[Number 13?]

“Yes.”

[Don’t worry about Subject 14. A cryonics company was called, and they arrived earlier than expected.]

“…What?”

[Usually, it takes about a week after contacting them. But since I reached out to someone very influential, they came within a day.]

“Ha…”

Hearing that, I collapsed to the floor, my legs giving out.

“So, Remy is safe?”

[Of course. FutureIce is handling the procedure, so there’s no need to worry.]

“…Where is that?”

[You don’t know? It’s a subsidiary of Avio Genesis. They’re the top in the cryonics industry.]

Avio Genesis?

Then I can relax.

In the original story, it’s a company described in great detail—a leading conglomerate that dominates the fields of biotechnology and medical science.

Not to mention, the final boss of Chapter 2 in the original story is none other than the chairman of Avio Genesis.

“Then that’s reassuring. When can I see her?”

[Well, about that. She’s already been frozen, you see.]

“Yes.”

[So, let’s say there’s been a sort of advance payment in our arrangement. This means I’ll have to add one more condition.]

“What is it?”

[You won’t be able to see Subject 14 until your abilities fully manifest. It’s not an unreasonable condition, right?]

That’s acceptable.

Previously, they held Remy’s life as leverage. Now, it’s the prospect of seeing her.

This is a far better situation.

“Yes.”

[Good. Now, I’d like to hear your thoughts on today’s experiment.]

This is unexpected. I didn’t think they’d be curious about something like this. Have they had a change of heart?

Either way, given that they froze Remy quickly to prevent her condition from worsening, I should answer earnestly.

“It went well. I thought they’d dismiss me for being a twelve-year-old, but they were surprisingly respectful.”

[Of course. How could anyone dismiss a little kid walking around in an oversized lab coat, leading experiments? They probably found it adorable. Besides, everyone volunteered for the experiment, so there’s nothing to worry about.]

“Ah, I see.”

[That said, how did it feel to use kids your age as test subjects? Didn’t you feel guilty?]

Why are they asking this?

I wasn’t the one who suggested using them as test subjects, was I?

“Of course not. Why do you ask?”

When I countered, I heard faint murmurs from the phone.

[See? I told you she’s like us… Wait, no, I was just curious.]

It seems there’s someone with them, curious about me.

I have no idea who it could be.

[They want me to ask why. But if I keep prying, it’ll look suspicious.]

Are they unaware that I can hear them? Even the Director makes mistakes, it seems.

“You can just tell whoever’s with you to ask me directly.”

[Huh? You heard that?]

“It was pretty clear.”

[This is your fault. Ugh. Here, take the phone.]

The next voice I heard was female.

[Hello? Are you Blanco? Nice to meet you! I’m… uh… the Director’s close younger sister?]

That “uh…” pause spoke volumes. Clearly, she’s not just a simple younger sister.

Anyway, she seems curious about me.

“So, what do you want to know?”

[Hmm… just one thing. Why don’t you feel guilty? You’re not someone who’s used to this like we are, right?]

That’s all?

Well, if someone saw me from the outside, I’d probably look insane.

There’s no grand reason—it’s just that this is a novel, after all.

I’m the only real person here.

But I can’t exactly say that.

How should I respond?

“…”

[Hello?]

“Let’s suppose this world is like a novel. And I’m the reader of that book. A reader might treasure the book itself, right?”

[That’s true.]

“But just because you treasure the book doesn’t mean you value every single line in it or even the parts that aren’t mentioned, right?”

[That’s also true.]

“Exactly. The ones used as test subjects are on that same level.”

[…Hahahaha! You’re really out of your mind, aren’t you?]

“Out of my mind? Please.”

Who wouldn’t lose their mind after being reincarnated into a novel?

[Then let me ask you one more thing. That girl, Remy—where does she stand in that book? She was a test subject too, wasn’t she? Just another expendable life destined to die without meaning.]

Exactly.

In the original story, Remy wasn’t even worth a single line of mention. She was just a nameless extra.

But so what?

Value is something I assign.

If Remy hadn’t been there to pull me out of my confusion after I reincarnated, I probably wouldn’t have survived.

When I was lost in the darkness, she reached out to me.

Pure and wise, more than anyone else, Remy has become the most important person in my life—even surpassing reality itself.

“Remy will be mentioned in a single line of the book.”

[A single line?]

“‘This book is dedicated to Remy.’ That one line.”

[Alright, you’re in! I’ll help you out when the time comes. Those old geezers… Oh, hey, don’t grab that!]

It seems Messier had snatched his phone back.

[Apologies for the pointless chatter. Let’s end the call here.]

“Understood.”

The moment I responded, the call ended.

I handed the phone back to Deputy Han.

But Deputy Han seemed to have more questions for me.

“Do you always think like that?”

“…No?”

Of course not.

Until a few weeks ago, I had been a university student in the real world.

But those few weeks had been enough to change my entire worldview.

“…Well, it’s not my place to say anything. Let’s go eat with your sister.”

“Yes, sister.”

With that, I left the infirmary and headed for dinner.

Side: Messier Atreia

“Apologies for the pointless chatter. Let’s end the call here.”

“Hey! Don’t hang up! I wasn’t done yet!”

Luca reached for my phone.

But I turned it off and looked at her.

“It’s already disconnected.”

“Tsk…”

“We almost got caught. Watch what you say.”

“Huh? Didn’t you mention anything about the Star Cluster?”

“I decided it’s better to let Subject 13 finish the experiment quickly rather than complicating things with unnecessary details.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yeah. Subject 13 is already charging ahead with the sole goal of saving Number 14. Adding unnecessary factors would just get in the way.”

And besides, if Subject 13 proposed a deal with me, it’s best to leave it at that.

Entangling things with the Star Cluster would only make it messier.

“Then it would’ve been fine to reveal my name, wouldn’t it? Geez, you could’ve told me earlier.”

“It’s better not to. They might catch on.”

“Huh? Catch on to the Star Cluster?”

“Yes. Do you think someone that talented could have come this far on their own?”

“…”

Even Luca seemed to find it improbable.

Fluent in three languages by age twelve?

Korean spoken at a native level?

And her knowledge—especially her deep understanding of history—was beyond her years.

In particular, she knew obscure details about gates that are hard to come by, such as the failed Siberian Gate offensive by the Soviet Union and European countries in the 1970s.

That incident is considered a dark mark in history, classified as top-secret because of the heavy losses it caused.

No ordinary twelve-year-old could possibly know such things.

“There must have been an extraordinary mentor—a retired figure from a high-ranking position. There’s no other way to explain the kind of information she knows.”

“Then…”

“It’s highly likely that someone has already told her about the Star Cluster. That’s why I didn’t bring it up.”

Luca fell silent, deep in thought, before suddenly standing up.

“That’s up to you to figure out! As for me, I approve of her joining the Star Cluster.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yup. I’ll convince Grandpa and those old fogeys!”

If Luca persuades them, it’ll work to my advantage.

Her grandparents have watched her grow up, so her arguments will likely carry weight.

“Anyway, I’m off now.”

“Alright, Lady Cortez. Do disappear quickly.”

“Yes, yes… Oh, Jamie! I’m heading out now. I’ll wait for you out front.”

At some point, Luca had grabbed her phone and was calling her chauffeur.

She left the director’s office, leaving the room quiet once more.

I glanced at the calendar and started counting the days.

“Six more days until Blanco’s research is complete. If only time would move faster.”

And that marked the first time I addressed Subject 13 by name.