Chapter 89
The Entrance Exam (3)
‘“I went through the trouble of sending you back, and here you are again”…?’
Those words could be interpreted in far too many ways.
It sounded as if he were claiming that he had been the one to send me back.
As though he knew I had been here before.
Keeping my guard up, I slowly rose to my feet.
“What do you mean, you went through the trouble of sending me back?”
When I asked, he was the one who looked puzzled.
After appearing to think for a moment, he gave a soft laugh and gradually lowered the altitude of his hoverboard.
“Judging by the fact that you don’t know what I mean, I guess that guy called Stay-at-home Wifey really didn’t tell you.”
“What?”
‘Why is Stay-at-home Wifey coming up here?’
Could the reason Stay-at-home Wifey had known about this cave have been connected to this guy?
While I frowned and sank into thought, “Dopamine Addict” stepped off his hoverboard and strode toward me.
I instinctively reached for the knife at my waist, then stopped.
Just like last time, he didn’t seem to have any intention of harming me.
I relaxed my stance and asked,
“What exactly did Stay-at-home Wifey not tell me?”
Stay-at-home Wifey had claimed that he was able to send the rescue team because he already knew about the cave, but even then, something about his explanation had felt suspicious.
Still, there was no point pressing him for an answer. He would never explain himself properly.
That was why I had returned to the cave to investigate it myself.
I never expected the Dopamine Addict from the Unicorn District to appear here.
Between Stay-at-home Wifey and the other Dopamine Addict—
No, that was too long. From now on, I’d just call him Other Dopamine Addict.
Anyway, if there really was some connection between Stay-at-home Wifey and Other Dopamine Addict…
Why had he kept it secret from me?
Instead of answering my question, Other Dopamine Addict stared into empty space for some reason.
Then he looked at me and smiled.
“Check your message.”
At that moment, a message window popped up before my eyes.
[Dopamine Addict: Stay-at-home Wifey, send a rescue team here. The exact location is…]
A message written under my game nickname had arrived.
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
‘So he really did achieve the additional unlock.’
He had probably purchased a note from the shop, allowing him to send me a message despite not being my friend.
Once it seemed I had read the message, Other Dopamine Addict continued.
“I sent Stay-at-home Wifey a note with exactly the same contents.”
‘He sent Stay-at-home Wifey the same note?’
If that was true, then he had sent it before I unlocked Stay-at-home Wifey’s system.
That meant notes could be sent to any player, regardless of whether their system had been unlocked.
‘Come to think of it, the item description did say “a player who is not on your friend list,” not “a player whose system has been unlocked.”’
But judging by the message…
Other Dopamine Addict had impersonated me and sent Stay-at-home Wifey a note.
Stay-at-home Wifey had fallen for it completely and sent a rescue team to the location he specified.
Still, several things didn’t make sense.
“How did you know to tell him to send a rescue team? No, more importantly, how did you know I was here now and come find me?”
Even after I asked, Other Dopamine Addict merely stared down at me with a smile on his lips and dark circles beneath his eyes.
“And… if you sent that note, why hasn’t Stay-at-home Wifey mentioned it to me until now?”
“That, I can answer.”
So he had no intention of answering the first two questions.
Other Dopamine Addict looked into empty space again.
A moment later, another message arrived.
[Dopamine Addict: Also, don’t mention receiving a message from me to anyone, including me. TaejeongtaeseBeyoncé must not find out. This is a secret between you and me.]
I was speechless for a moment before asking,
“So… he didn’t tell even me because of this childish message?”
“He looked like a kid desperate for attention at first glance.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“Still, even after sending that, I thought someone like him might go around telling everyone. Yet it seems he still hasn’t told you. He’s more tight-lipped than I expected.”
I was also surprised that Stay-at-home Wifey hadn’t shown even the slightest sign of receiving such a message.
What surprised me even more was that Other Dopamine Addict had spent one hundred points just to save me.
‘No, the fact that he spent another hundred points from the shop just to explain this to me is even more surprising.’
I had no idea how many points he had accumulated.
But one thing was certain.
He truly had no intention of hurting me.
If he had come here to harm me, there would have been no reason to waste points just to answer my question so kindly.
And judging by the first thing he had said—
“I went through the trouble of sending you back, and here you are again”—
he had clearly come to confirm that I was safe.
‘Why does he keep checking whether I’m growing up properly?’
Until now, I had deliberately tried not to think too much about him because there had been no way to learn anything.
But now that he had appeared before me of his own accord, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.
I asked him,
“You. Are you really ‘Dopamine Addict’?”
“You still don’t believe it even after confirming it through the system?”
Other Dopamine Addict looked genuinely puzzled, making me frown.
“How could I believe it just because the system says your name is Dopamine Addict?”
“Why not?”
Why not?
With that mad-scientist character customization, he looked genuinely insane asking the question.
I answered honestly.
“Because I’m ‘Dopamine Addict.’ It’s strange for you to be ‘Dopamine Addict’ too.”
“What part of that is strange?”
“It means you’re… ‘me.’”
At that, Other Dopamine Addict began laughing as though he found it amusing.
Was this bastard really role-playing as a mad scientist?
“That’s exactly right. I am ‘you.’”
“What?”
“I don’t think I ever tried to hide that. Last time, I told you that if I had started in the Cola District, I would have poisoned Meursault first.”
He had indeed said that.
That was why I had found his use of pronouns strange.
“Are you an AI?”
“Interesting. But wrong.”
“Then am I the AI?”
“An intriguing theory. But that is also incorrect.”
Other Dopamine Addict lowered his gaze as though he were beginning to grow bored.
“When I say I am ‘you,’ I mean exactly that. Neither you nor I is a copy or an impersonator.”
I stared at the man claiming that both of us were the real “Dopamine Addict,” then asked,
“Tell me my name.”
“Your name?”
“My real name. If you’re ‘me,’ then you should know it.”
“Ah… I see. You want to check whether our memories match. If we do that, you’ll stop doubting me. Good…”
Other Dopamine Addict stroked his chin as though it were a good idea, then said,
“My real name is… Idam.”
My heart seemed to drop.
Idam.
That was indeed my real name.
‘No, but…’
He could have obtained my name from the registration information connected to my game account.
If he intended to impersonate me perfectly, he might have investigated that much.
However—
“My name is Idam, but it carries neither my father’s surname nor my mother’s.”
He continued without hesitation.
“The reason I came up with the illegitimate-child route for the Cola District was because of that name. Haydam. When I saw it, I felt it resembled mine.”
There was no deception in what he said next.
Not about my surname.
Not about the illegitimate-child route.
I had never told anyone else either of those things.
“What else do I need to say for you to believe I’m you? That our mother neglected me because she was busy running a game company called the Salvation Project? That I don’t even know our father’s name and can’t be certain he was our biological father? Or that the reason I chased dopamine was actually because I wanted to become happy, just as I promised Mother—”
“Stop!”
I shouted before I could stop myself.
Then, flinching at my own voice, I spoke again in a low tone.
“Stop talking. That’s enough.”
I didn’t think I needed any further proof.
This guy was me.
Without question, he was me.
“I don’t understand.”
At the words I barely managed to force out, Other Dopamine Addict gave a soft laugh.
“So now it’s not that you don’t believe me, but that you don’t understand?”
“If you really are me, then why were you transmigrated in an adult body?”
“Hmm… That part belongs to a realm I can’t explain.”
He could say without hesitation that he was “me.”
Yet he couldn’t explain why he had been transmigrated in an adult body?
“Are you perhaps a version of me from a parallel world where I chose the unicorn doll at the convenience store?”
When I asked, he widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise before shaking his head.
“I suppose I’m clever because I’m me.”
Ha…
Listening to him speak made me understand why other people found me so irritating.
After responding smoothly, he erased some of the amusement from his face and spoke quietly.
“But the game of twenty questions about my identity ends here. I only proved it because you looked like you would waste time on pointless speculation.”
So he had answered because he thought I might waste years doubting whether he was me?
Why did this man want me to “survive” so badly?
It seemed like there was some other purpose behind it beyond simply wanting himself to live.
He probably wouldn’t answer even if I asked.
“Now that our conversation is over, return to your district. This place isn’t safe.”
This place wasn’t safe?
“I find you more frightening. You somehow know exactly where I am every time and come flying over on a hoverboard.”
“Haha.”
He claimed to be me, but our personalities seemed rather different.
This bastard genuinely seemed a little unhinged.
“You’re not going to tell me why this place is dangerous either, are you?”
He merely smiled at my question.
I let out a small sigh.
After hesitating briefly, I said,
“If you really are me, there’s something you need to know.”
“Something I need to know?”
If he truly was me—
If he was truly “Idam”—
then the Idam of the Unicorn District needed to know too.
Lunamoon.
About my—
Our mother.
“I think Mother was transmigrated into this world.”
“Ah.”
He answered without the slightest sign of surprise.
“You mean Lunamoon.”
I was the one left dumbfounded.
‘He knows even that?’
When I thought about it, perhaps it was only natural since he had achieved the additional unlock before me.
But the district he had been transmigrated into was the Unicorn District.
I had been able to approach the truth about Lunamoon only because I had been transmigrated into the Cola District.
How had he discovered in the Unicorn District that Lunamoon was my mother?
Yet the strange part didn’t end there.
He asked me a question instead.
“If you know that much, did you awaken hyung too?”
“What?”
“You know, the one whose consciousness is supposedly inside the ring…”
‘He even knows that the ring belonging to Lunamoon contained a consciousness.’
But judging by his wording, it didn’t seem as though he had personally confirmed Luna’s existence.
Still, the fact that he also called him hyung made it seem increasingly likely that Luna truly was Haydam.
“How do you know about Luna?”
“Luna?”
Only then did he cover his mouth with a horrified expression.
“Don’t tell me… you named hyung Luna? Isn’t that too cruel? Are you a psychopath?”
It was absurd hearing that question from someone with that character customization.
“I didn’t know he was my brother. Is he even really my brother?”
“You seem to be wearing the ring… but I suppose you didn’t bring him with you. You should have. I wanted to see him once.”
“How do you know about Luna?”
“Then have you already achieved the additional unlock?”
He changed the subject, clearly having no intention of explaining any further.
It was extremely irritating that he ignored all my questions while asking only the ones he wanted answered.
But since he was also me, insulting him would be like spitting in my own face.
Maybe I had a much worse personality than I thought.
“I didn’t expect you to achieve the additional unlock so quickly. Was it because you awakened hyung…? You’re faster than I was.”
“What are you talking about? You unlocked it first.”
He gave me an unreadable smile.
That was the kind of smile I used when trying to cover up a slip of the tongue.
I stared at him for a moment before speaking.
“If you know Lunamoon was our mother and you’ve achieved the additional unlock, then you must know this too.”
“What are you referring to?”
“The person who transmigrated us through Safe Zone was…”
Other Dopamine Addict nodded as though he understood exactly what I meant.
Then we spoke at the same time.
“Our mother.”
“Our father.”
A brief silence followed.
“What?!”
“What?!”
Our startled voices echoed through the cave at the same time.