Surviving Among the Letters

[“Dimensional travel, you say? Hahaha! You’ve really chosen an impossible goal.”]

Everyone fell silent, except for Chairman Alec, who was laughing on the screen.

Breaking the silence, Director Messier spoke first.

“Blanco.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Your previous goal was to create an ability to save Remy, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you decided to change that goal because you judged it to be achievable?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think this new goal is a bit… disconnected from the context?”

“Just hear me out. I’ll explain.”

At my words, everyone quieted down and began to listen intently.

“My primary goal is still to save Remy. That hasn’t changed.”

“Wait. Who is Remy?”

Ah, some of them don’t know about Remy.
I should explain that first.

“Remy is my dearest friend. She has a brain tumor so large that it’s beyond saving and is on the verge of death. Right now, she’s in cryogenic preservation.”

After hearing my explanation, Dongbaek gave his opinion.

“Then it’s not really an impossible goal. You just have to wait for a cure.”

“I don’t intend to wait that long. I need to treat her as soon as possible. That’s why I turned to Director Messier’s ability creation. I plan to embed a healing ability into Remy.”

“You think creating an ability will be faster than finding a cure for brain tumors?”

“Yes. And I’ll make sure it happens.”

With the help of the Iras fragments, of course.

“Hah… What a remarkable child you are. Very well.”

Dongbaek gave me an admiring look, and Cielo followed up with a question.

“Blanco, do you believe Director Messier’s ability creation is possible?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, that’s your opinion, and I understand it. But then, why does dimensional travel come into the picture?”

“Before coming to Dongbaek Island, I had a conversation with Chairman Alec.”

The other members turned their attention to Alec on the screen.

[Yes, since I couldn’t make it to Dongbaek Island, I spoke with her beforehand.]

“He gave me the same advice. He said, ‘Your goal isn’t impossible, but think about what comes after waking Remy.’”

What I fear most is waking Remy only to return to reality alone.

Once the original story concludes, I might be sent back to reality, or the higher-dimensional being who brought me here might return me against my will.

That’s the biggest problem.

Even if I don’t return, it’s still an issue.

It would mean living in this fictional world until I die.

Even with Remy by my side, it would be a tremendous struggle.

Returning to reality and staying with Remy—
I can’t give up on either.

So, why not aim for both?

“I find this world to be hell, not as a metaphor, but literally. Before meeting Remy, I was planning to escape on my own.”

“Escape the world…?”

“Yes. On my own, it might be possible. But I can’t give up on being with Remy. So, I have to find a way.”

In the story’s setting, gates connect to other dimensions.

Reality, in this novel, is also considered another dimension.

So, I need to find a gate that leads directly to reality.

“That’s why I’ve turned to dimensional travel—to find another world and escape with Remy.”

It’s an overwhelmingly daunting plan, no matter how I think about it.

“This is… an impossible goal, isn’t it?”

…

“Messier Atreia acknowledges Blanco Atreia.”

“Luca Cortes acknowledges Blanco Atreia.”

With the first two acknowledgments, the other members began looking around for cues.

Eventually, Cielo smirked and spoke up.

“Cielo Candelario acknowledges Blanco Atreia.”

Then it was Chairman Alec’s turn.

[I, Alec Cortes, acknowledge Blanco Atreia.]

Even the intimidating Kim Chunsoo joined in.

“I, Kim Chunsoo, acknowledge Blanco Atreia.”

That left only Dongbaek.

“Are you all not verifying the other rules?”

“As long as she doesn’t use magic, it’s fine.”

Kim Chunsoo was still adamantly against magic, which worked in my favor.

[If Luca acknowledges her, so do I. Isn’t she my successor?]

“I’ve seen enough during the conversation. At her age, knowing three languages proves she has the capability. If I’m part of this group, why not her?”

“Alright, it seems everyone acknowledges her. But I’m different.”

Dongbaek didn’t seem as willing to acknowledge me as the others.

Sitting up straight, Dongbaek fixed his gaze on me, and the atmosphere shifted.

“Do you have the resolve to give up everything?”

“…Yes.”

“Then let me ask again. For dimensional travel, could you give up even your friend Remy?”

“No.”

“…Earlier, you said you had the resolve to give up everything.”

“Remy isn’t included in ‘everything.’ She’s always my top priority.”

“Then between your friend and dimensional travel, which would you give up?”

“Why would I give up either? I’ll have both. That’s why it’s an impossible goal, isn’t it?”

“…”

Dongbaek was at a loss for words.

Noticing my contradictory determination, he seemed a bit flustered.

After a long pause, Dongbaek finally spoke.

“You… have given up on yourself, haven’t you?”

“…Maybe?”

Strictly speaking, I had indeed given up on myself.

This fictional world held no value for me in the first place.
It wasn’t something I could give up or cling to.

All that remained was me.

“I see…”

Dongbaek trailed off, then continued.

“I, Dongbaek, also acknowledge Blanco Atreia.”

Dongbaek had acknowledged me.

With that, all the members of the Star Cluster had accepted me.

“Welcome to the Star Cluster, Blanco,” the Director said, patting my head.

In response, I gave him a bright smile.

◆◇◆◇◆

Late into the night, past 1 a.m.

I stepped outside for some fresh air.

Inside, the atmosphere had become unbearable, with the air heavy with the scent of alcohol, making it impossible to stay sober and comfortable.

Cielo oppa, who also couldn’t drink, claimed he was fine, but he must have been tired from the long flight. Before long, he had retired to his room to sleep.

Left alone, I decided to escape the chaos.

“Brr, it’s cold.”

The cold February sea breeze bit into me as I stood outside in the dark.

The only light came from the villa, and though I knew the sea lay ahead, the pitch-black night obscured everything.

There wasn’t even moonlight to brighten the surroundings; tonight’s moon was apparently a new moon.

In its absence, countless stars sparkled in the sky.

A sight I could never experience in reality.

It was nothing like the city skies, where seeing even one or two stars was a rarity.

I didn’t know much about constellations, but something caught my eye—a line of three stars aligned perfectly in a row.

Orion’s Belt.

It was my first time seeing a constellation so clearly, and while it was thrilling, the excitement quickly faded.

“That’s just part of the narrative, too… sigh.”

In this world, even the stars in the sky could be created by a single sentence from the author:
“The constellations twinkled brightly in the sky as Arwin looked up.”

Still, it gave me an idea for something I’d like to do when I return to reality:
go on a trip to a place where I can see the stars.

Of course, with Remy by my side.

It seemed my list of goals was growing again.

Hmm…

After some thought, I summed it all up in one sentence.

“Treat Remy, return to reality together, and stargaze. Perfect.”

With that, I quietly gazed up at the starry night sky.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Luca unnie! Goodbye!”

“You too, Blanco. Stay healthy!”

I was back at the headquarters of AvioGenesis, boarding the same helicopter I had arrived in.

Since most of the members needed to leave early in the morning, the drinking party had ended surprisingly quickly, and everyone had gone to sleep.

By morning, the Director and I were heading back to Pyongyang to retrieve the clothes we had purchased before returning to the lab.

Bang!

The Director shut the door, and the helicopter took off toward the lab.

◆◇◆◇◆

About 30 minutes into the flight, Director Messier called my name.

“Blanco.”

“Yes, Director?”

“What’s your plan now? Up until now, you’ve only been running forward blindly.”

Looking back, I realized that my actions had always been dictated by necessity.

As a test subject, I had focused on survival.

When Remy collapsed, I had worked to gain recognition and secure her cryogenic preservation.

And joining the Star Cluster had just been completed.

For the first time, I had some breathing room.

And one thing was certain.

“I’m going to focus on strengthening my foundation for the next five years.”

“Building your foundation, huh… Well, at 12 years old, there’s not much you can do yet. But why five years? Wouldn’t 17 be an odd age to aim for?”

“I just decided on it. No particular reason.”

I couldn’t exactly say it was because the original story starts in five years.

In the prologue of the original story, the protagonist, Arwin Casa, is 14 years old.

The main storyline begins when Arwin enters Paradise Academy at age 19, leaving about five years until that point.

So, I have five years to prepare.

My existence in this world will undoubtedly distort the original story.

Even now, by joining the Star Cluster, I’ve formed relationships with key figures from the original narrative.

As I grow, even more changes will unfold.

Amidst these distortions, I must guide Arwin toward gathering all six Iras fragments.

Thus, these five years will be crucial for laying my groundwork.

“Then, shall we start with studying?”

“…What?”

“With that genius brain of yours, you won’t need to attend school. But your linguistic intelligence seems high, so I predict math will be a struggle for you.”

“…Why… me…”

“Why? You need to assist with experiments. Don’t forget our deal.”

“Ah.”

“You said five years, didn’t you? We’ll make it rigorous. You can’t take it back now.”

I realized I had made a mistake.

My five years of “foundations” were a pipe dream.

Save me…!