Memorize Chapter 221

“So, yeah. The Room of Summoning… is that what you’d call it? After waking up there, I was led by the angels into the Rite of Passage. When I came to my senses, I saw Yuna, and there were a few other people sitting in a circle in a clearing.”

Baek Hangeol began speaking in a quiet voice. He stumbled over his words a bit, but as I listened to his clear tone, I started piecing together the situation in my head.

“There were a bunch of people there. Even though we’d been given some explanation, everyone was confused and anxious. But among them, there was this one guy who was unusually calm. He stepped into the center of the nervous crowd and instantly grabbed everyone’s attention. That was my first encounter with Park Hwan-Hee.”

When he mentioned Park Hwan-Hee, Baek Hangeol gritted his teeth briefly before letting out a small sigh.

“And then…”

What followed about the first and second days was, honestly, nothing special. It was just Park Hwan-Hee leading the group, escaping the forest, finding a point, meeting other survivors, and acting together with them. The only notable thing was that Park Hwan-Hee’s leadership shone through it all.

“That’s how we made it through the second day. Up until then, everyone, including me, trusted Park Hwan-Hee completely. We believed this guy could lead us to survive in this place. The only reason we could endure that hellish situation, despite our mental instability, was because of the hope that we could survive—and that we would survive. And at the center of that hope was Park Hwan-Hee. That’s how we got through those hellish two days and reached the third day.”

As he continued, he explained that, starting from the initial group in the clearing, they had encountered three more groups of survivors. Park Hwan-Hee managed to bring all those survivors into his team. On the surface, his reasoning was that they should band together to survive, and his unique charisma probably helped a lot.

As long as discord could be managed, growing the group’s size wasn’t a bad idea. After all, the more people, the stronger the fighting power.

But even setting aside potential discord, there was one critical issue in the Rite of Passage: food shortage. With one or two teams, it might’ve been manageable, but with four teams combined, the food at a single point wouldn’t last a day, let alone a couple of meals.

“At that time, our team had a really high ratio of men. We rationed food as much as we could, but it was barely enough to keep everyone fed. Strangely, we kept running into survivors during the second day, but we only found one point the entire time. We tried to hold out, but by the third day, we completely ran out of food.”

“Then you had to find food.”

“Yeah. Up until then, Park Hwan-Hee had prioritized safety as much as possible, except when we ventured deeper in. But even he finally said we needed to go farther to find food. He started recruiting volunteers to go out. But with monsters crawling everywhere outside, who’d want to volunteer? I was hesitant at first, too. But then something surprising happened.”

“Something surprising?”

At my question, Baek Hangeol nodded once and continued. The surprising thing was none other than Park Hwan-Hee volunteering first.

“Everyone was grumbling about the food situation, but they still trusted Park Hwan-Hee. After all, he was a flawless leader, and the results spoke for themselves. Maybe inspired by his self-sacrifice, people who had been holding back started volunteering one by one. And Yuna noona and I were among those volunteers.”

“You volunteered to go gather food?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I was one of the youngest guys, and Yuna noona was one of the few women. It’s embarrassing, but we were practically dead weight. I did hesitate a bit, but I wanted to help in some way.”

Baek Hangeol’s response was, in a way, appropriate. In a survival scenario like the Rite of Passage, where large groups gather, complaints are bound to arise at some point. And those complaints often target the least contributing members of the team. I organized my thoughts and kept listening to him.

By volunteering first, Park Hwan-Hee managed to gather enough people to search for food. Over ten people, armed with the weapons they’d collected, went out to find food. After half a day of exploration, they fortunately found a new point and managed to secure just enough food to last a day, Baek Hangeol said.

“We decided to remember that location. The save point we found on the second day had a rule that you couldn’t stay there for more than a day. We considered leaving a few people behind but decided it was better to stick together, so we divided the food and headed back to our original spot.”

“Oh, a save point. You guys did well to figure out that rule.”

“Yeah, Park Hwan-Hee was meticulous about checking those things. Anyway, on our way back, someone raised a concern. The save point’s safety only lasted for a day. Since it took half a day to find food, considering the time we spent in the morning, they thought the people waiting might be in danger. Park Hwan-Hee thought it was a valid point and, after a lot of deliberation, decided to change our route.”

“Change the route… Hmm.”

“We went around the mountain on the way there, but on the way back, we decided to cross it directly. That would significantly cut down the half-day journey.”

‘That’s insane. No, after experiencing the forest, wouldn’t most people want to avoid that route?’

As if responding to my doubts, Baek Hangeol immediately continued.

“Of course, those who had been in the forest from the start were reluctant to go in. They argued that even if it took longer, we should retrace our steps… But there was no guarantee that path was safe either, and everyone was on edge, exhausted. Plus, we were somewhat armed, and in the worst case, we had food to hold out, so we thought we could manage. In the end, we went into the mountain. And that turned out to be the worst decision.”

Baek Hangeol, who had been talking nonstop until then, finally paused. His face was filled with a somber expression, as if he still hadn’t shaken off the trauma from that moment. I took the opportunity to make him another drink, like the one I’d made earlier. When I handed him the cup, overflowing with foam, he accepted it with a slightly brighter expression.

After taking a sip of the drink, he spoke in a low voice.

“I still don’t know how those monsters gathered like that. Suddenly, these monkey-like things started chasing us, and then they began picking us off one by one, like they were toying with us. Three people were taken by the monsters in a row, and only then did we realize the situation and start running for our lives. The screams coming from behind as we fled… they were truly horrific.”

“Didn’t you think about fighting?”

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t think we could. The moment Park Hwan-Hee started running at the front, we all just followed him mindlessly. That was the first time I saw him look desperate. He kept muttering to himself as he sprinted forward—thinking back, it might’ve been cursing. We kept running, but one by one, our group dwindled. Some were caught by the monkeys, others probably fell while running. By the time we crossed half the mountain, the ten people we started with were down to just five.”

“And three of those were Park Hwan-Hee, you, and your girlfriend?”

“Yeah. Call it luck in misfortune, I guess? Yuna noona and I were in the middle of the group for protection, so we managed to stay alive. Even though over five people were taken, those monkeys were relentless. But as we crossed the peak and started downhill, we began picking up speed.”

“Still, shaking off the Mankis must’ve been tough. They’re really good at navigating mountains.”

At the mention of “Mankis,” Baek Hangeol tilted his head for a moment. But then, as if something clicked, he let out an “Ah” and spoke.

“Mankis? Oh, those monkeys. Yeah. It wasn’t like they were toying with us anymore, but I could feel them steadily closing the distance. Yuna noona, who wasn’t as strong, kept falling behind. I was dragging her along, barely keeping up with Park Hwan-Hee running ahead. I kept shouting for us to stick together, to help. He must’ve heard me because he gradually slowed down. I thought, ‘As expected of our leader,’ and felt genuinely grateful. But then, something unbelievable happened.”

“Something unbelievable?”

At my question, Baek Hangeol paused again. He closed his eyes tightly, as if trying to recall the moment exactly, then opened them, repeating the motion a few times. After about three or four repetitions, he spoke in a biting tone, enunciating each word clearly.

“Yeah. Park Hwan-Hee slowed down and came up beside me, then stuck out his leg and tripped me while I was running. So subtly that no one else would’ve noticed.”

“What… Did you say?”

“I fell instinctively, and Yuna noona, who was with me, crashed to the ground too. Naturally, the Mankis’ attention turned to us. And in that moment, Park Hwan-Hee picked up speed again and bolted forward like a shot.”

“What about the others?”

“Despicably, the moment our screams drew their attention, Park Hwan-Hee stretched out his arm toward us. He made a show of hesitating, then turned and ran. But I still remember it clearly—the mocking look in his eyes as he glanced back at me.”

Baek Hangeol finished speaking and calmly sipped his drink. Perhaps the act of chugging it helped, because his voice was fairly steady as he recounted the critical parts. But his eyes were burning with rage.

I looked at him for a moment, then decided to gently probe further. This wasn’t a question out of genuine curiosity—it was more of a test. But before I could open my mouth, a cold voice shot toward Baek Hangeol from the side.

“I have a question.”

“Yes? What is it?”

Kim Han-Byeol was staring at Baek Hangeol with her sharp eyes. It was as if her old personality had resurfaced, sensing something off about his story.

“If what you’re saying is true, how did you survive among those monsters? If you fell, you’d have been the primary target for the Mankis.”

“That, that’s…”

Baek Hangeol’s gaze dropped from Kim Han-Byeol’s face to her chest. The moment he saw the golden lion emblem glowing above her prominent chest, his Adam’s apple bobbed with a gulp.

“Just… pure luck. I barely survived. I don’t remember it well.”

‘Tch. Does Kim Han-Byeol not believe him? Well, it doesn’t matter to me.’

Kim Han-Byeol frowned slightly at his response. She then turned to me, and Baek Hangeol, perhaps unnerved by her question, also looked at me. His gaze carried a pleading tone, as if begging me to believe him.

Kim Han-Byeol spoke again.

“If you say it like that, it’s hard to take your word at face value. You could be lying.”

“It’s not a lie!”

“Then, can you call that new player, Park Hwan-Hee, here for a three-way confrontation? Are you confident?”

“I can! B-but…”

“Enough.”

‘What’s with her today?’

Kim Han-Byeol’s tone carried an inexplicable dislike for Baek Hangeol. I didn’t know the exact reason, but I stepped in to stop their argument. I immediately signaled to Hanbyeol to “watch her mouth” and not interfere further.

Receiving my signal, Kim Han-Byeol shut her mouth with a subtly frustrated expression. When I turned to Baek Hangeol, he was biting his lip, his eyes teary. He looked back and forth between me and Kim Han-Byeol, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.