If You Don’t Become the Main Character, You’ll Die [bl]13.95%

Searching in the Dark (12)

1. Over Lap (오버랩)

This technique refers to when one scene overlaps with another. The previous scene gradually fades away. It is often confused with the dissolve technique and, in acting, refers to the moment when an actor cuts off the previous line and transitions directly into the next one.

2. Fade Out (페이드아웃)

A common technique in theatre or film, where the lighting dims, signaling the end of a scene or transition to a new one. This moment can also serve as a chance to skip intermediate processes or rearrange the stage setup. As the stage darkens, the image transmitted to the audience halts, creating an effect of temporarily breaking the narrative.

***

I stared at the scar clearly left on my right wrist. The words echoed in my mind, repeating as if they were bouncing back. Thoughts crossed my mind, and slowly, I began to piece together a conclusion.

A wound I don't remember. And then a fade-out.

'Does this mean there's a point where my memory cuts off?'

The last time I checked my arm was just before noon today. After feeding Leonardo, I went to the fountain to wash my hands, rolling my sleeves up to my elbows.

Until then, there had been no scratches or blemishes on my body. So, the wound must have happened sometime between then and the afternoon.

I took out the dagger, which I suspected to be the tool that caused the wound, and checked its blade. There were no traces of blood or greasy smudges. It was in the same condition as it had been when I first got it.

When I held the tip of the blade against the wound to compare, the width of the blade roughly matched the size of the gash. So, it's highly likely that the tool used was indeed the dagger. If it had been something like a shard of glass or some sharp object lying around, the surface would have been rougher.

This time, I set the dagger aside and turned my sleeve inside out. There were no bloodstains on it. Even though the sleeve was loose, a few drops should have stained it when it brushed against the wound, but there were no signs of red at all.

Despite the stiff fabric that tends to crease easily, there were no small wrinkles or rough tears in the cloth that might have formed when the wound was made.

I didn't suddenly go mad and cut my arm for no reason. I don't like pain, and unless there's a good reason, I wouldn't hurt myself.

Without having the chance to look for paper, I must have been desperate… or perhaps I judged that leaving traces on objects would be pointless.

Or maybe both reasons are true.

The absence of traces on the dagger and my sleeve bothered me. It was as if everything except my body had been erased. As though everything had been replaced with new things.

'…Overlap.'

The term for when one scene overlaps with another. Why would I leave this as a clue? I mulled over the fact that the wound carved into my body remained, but the memories and objects had reverted.

'Could it be that while I was in the state, time didn't actually go backward?'

If time had been reversed, the past record of me leaving the wound should also have been erased, leaving only clean skin. The absence of memory or objects can be explained, but the wound itself can't be.

While I was agonizing over this, my gaze subtly shifted.

The slashes drawn in the middle. Perhaps they were just left as markers to differentiate words, making it easier to identify the clue, but wasn't there also a reason why the long, painful slash was made instead of a quick, short dot?

If interpreted theatrically… those slashes might represent "beat" division. It was a notation frequently used when analyzing scripts.

Even within a single scene, when a character's thoughts or actions shift, the tempo of the performance is adjusted by dividing the beats like this.

For example: .

So, how about interpreting it as if reading a play?

Let's try to expand on . In that case, it could be interpreted as: .

Now, if I bring this back to my own position, living in this world within the play…

This would mean that another scenario was added on top of the current one, and in the process, my memory was washed clean. Immediately after, the world went dark. Could this be the meaning?

The props were replaced with new ones, but my body wasn't replaced—only my memories were wiped. So it's more like a re-shoot. In other words, an 1NG cut occurred, and the scene was filmed again.

Props can always be swapped out, but there's no spare for the actor's body. If only my memory was cleaned, it makes sense. This may be a patchwork deduction, but it's the only thing that comes to mind right now.

A sense of discomfort began to creep up from my feet. Ever since realizing that some unidentified force had been playing with my self-awareness, I couldn't feel anything pleasant.

Before I saw the wound, I had no reason to doubt—it had been such a flawless scheme that it even frightened me.

Still, I had to remain calm.