Found You, Newbie Nying Nying
Newbie Nying Nying, Unique Company on-site dispatch team employee. Kim Jah-ha pressed his temples firmly in the underground 13th-floor waste disposal plant.
He had confirmed a few days ago that Han Yujin had been retrieved by the All-Purpose Shop delivery guy and shipped off to a horror story. Right after retrieval, the target had been dumped into a [RECYCLE] box and plunged into mental contamination. Everything was going exactly according to Kim Jah-ha's plan. He was just waiting in the underground 13th-floor processing center for the target to arrive via the [RECYCLE] line.
But then.
This crazy bitch had overcome mental contamination through gallery trolling and was now strutting through this hellhole, getting real-time feedback from the gallery old-timers. Of course, no matter how much she strutted, there was only one way out of the horror story she was in right now. Via the [RECYCLE] or [WASTE] conveyor belt, straight to this place. Either way, Han Yujin's ending was set in stone.
"Hng~."
A sudden nasal hum. Kim Jah-ha turned his head, spotting an employee leaning against the wall. Yoo Se-rin. A member of the on-site 13th team and his direct junior. She grinned slyly and spoke up.
"Shouldn't we prep a bit more?"
"Prep?"
"Like grabbing a pipe or something. So when that Han Yujin pops out, we can smash the back of her head."
Kim Jah-ha chuckled at her words.
"That's overkill."
"Why?"
"Because there's only two ways out of that waste sorting facility."
The first was riding the [WASTE] line conveyor belt. It was the line for disposing of boxes that had been marked for destruction for some reason in the logistics center.
— Thud!
Its end was a massive hydraulic press. The moment you chose it, only a gruesome death awaited—a dead end.
And the [RECYCLE] line. It looked safe on the surface. But what waited at the end wasn't a merciful exit. Blackout the second you emerged. Then total disassembly. No intelligent being that passed through that line could come out intact, no matter what. An absolute loss of memory, like your brain had been reset, followed by vegetation. That was the horror story's rule—no one could defy it. Ever.
And besides.
"Han Yujin's already hit with mental contamination."
Kim Jah-ha had read every single post from ''. So he knew the recent changes in ''. Especially the sharp drop in intelligence—it was easily explained by mental contamination. She seemed to have some instincts, relying on the old-timers to scrape by somehow.
"Doesn't matter. It's just thrashing around. I don't like how it's dragging on, though."
Time was almost up now. The moment Han Yujin posted about the [RECYCLE] line, she'd arrive soon. He pressed the button on his radio.
"Auntie."
The woman trembling in the corner jumped and looked up. She was a day laborer hired as bait by the Unique Company on-site dispatch team.
"Go stand in front of the [WASTE] line now."
"Y-yes, yes!"
"No need for anything fancy, but if something like a person pops out of a box, just scream. Simple, right?"
"A-alright!"
Kim Jah-ha glanced at the woman heading to the waste line, then turned back to the conveyor belt. Han Yujin would arrive via the recycle line any moment now. No matter how she flew or crawled, she couldn't escape the mental death forced by the rules. Everything was perfect. Kim Jah-ha smiled in satisfaction at his plan.
That was the moment.
"Kya!"
Kim Jah-ha whipped his head toward the scream. The auntie was screaming, her face pale as a ghost.
"What the hell?"
Kim Jah-ha bolted toward the waste line. No way that Han Yujin bitch took the waste line? But the gallery clearly said recycle... Whatever, he had to check! His gaze locked on the box the auntie was pointing at.
And there...
Human organs—or what seemed like them. Fingers, toes. Heart, guts, and more. Rage flickered in Kim Jah-ha's eyes as he took it in.
"I said call if a human comes out! Why the fuck are you freaking over this shitty box and letting people come and go?!"
"S-sorry! I'm sorry! But there's something inside the box."
"...What?"
No way that Han Yujin bitch hid in the corpses? Kim Jah-ha frowned but leaned toward the box anyway.
"What is this? Just normal human—"
That instant.
A small white figure shot out of the box on the floor like a bullet.
"!"
Too late to react.
Splat!
"Guhk...!"
Kim Jah-ha's head snapped back with neck-breaking force. Agonizing pain as his jawbone shifted, vision flashing white.
"S-sunbae!"
Yoo Se-rin cried out in panic, but Han Yujin didn't stop. She slipped behind the staggering Kim Jah-ha, whipping out tough rope from her money bag and wrapping it around his neck and arms in a flash, subduing him.
Thud.
It was all over in less than three seconds. Amid the stench of waste, Kim Jah-ha knelt on the cold floor, bound and choking in pain.
"......"
Han Yujin dusted off her filthy clothes and flashed a grin at the glaring man.
"Found you, Newbie Nying Nying."
Smashing the man's head from behind, Han Yujin tilted her head. Huh? Why does this feel so good? The solid weight in her money bag. The crack of bone resisting her strike. The gush of blood. The air warming from its heat. As she tied up the rolling man, Han Yujin realized it.
This feels damn good.
The bound man's upward gaze was off. Shouldn't it be groveling? Eyes staring at something terrifying. She crouched in front of him, grinning ear to ear, before the thought hit: Don't I seem kinda psychopathic?
Nah, no way.
Shaking off the stray thought, Han Yujin looked down at the man.
"I-I'm sorry..."
The man muttered. Han Yujin ignored him lightly, picking up the employee ID spilling from his pocket.
[Unique Company Employee. Kim Jah-ha]
"Ah. So you're Kim Jah-ha."
Gulp.
Kim Jah-ha's eyes trembled. Wrinkles deepened, eyebrows twitching.
"...P-please."
Han Yujin savored his face for a moment, then smirked. To an outsider, she looked like a pleasure killer reveling in suffering. No wonder Kim Jah-ha bowed and begged.
"I-I'm sorry. P-please, sp-spare me."
Han Yujin's brow furrowed at that.
"What do you take me for? I just need some answers first."
She'd never planned to kill him. Just subdue and ask questions. But to Kim Jah-ha—who'd been blindsided, slammed down, and tied up—it looked different. Like a psycho killer threatening if he didn't talk.
"Y-yes, yes! If you spare me, I'll answer anything!"
Han Yujin smiled in satisfaction at his frantic nodding.
What a beautiful smile. In any other situation, it would've drawn eyes, Kim Jah-ha thought. But not now. Blink—head-splitting pain crashed in. Blink—whole body bound and stuck. He thought he'd been hit by a monster, but a girl was crouched in front of him. And her eyes weren't normal.
Deep purple irises. Thin red threads writhing ominously inside. Savage, foreboding aura. Not a normal person. Felt like a decade-old gallery vet from the horrors. Like a lunatic or a monster—
Suddenly, she spoke.
"Listen up?"
She set something down in front of him as she said it.
...Money bag?
The red-stained edge—yeah, that's what hit me. No wonder the pain was so thick and throbbing. Total intimidation. Kim Jah-ha nodded frantically.
The girl spoke.
"I thought I had schizophrenia, y'know."
...Fuck.
Mouth went dry. No sane person starts stories like that. Kim Jah-ha forced an awkward laugh.
"Haha... If you're feeling down, just go to a psych ward, why tell me..."
"No. Listen."
"Y-yes."
Her hand moved toward the bag; Kim Jah-ha nodded fast. Horror survivors were sharp. Whatever she wanted to talk about, he'd play nice.
"I'm a newbie, been in horrors not long, right?"
Sure, you look insane vet... No. Why's she staring?
"Answer."
Cold sweat poured under her blank stare.
"...Sorry. Yes. You're a newbie."
"Good boy. Can't have me talking alone, makes me awkward."
"...Yes."
Definitely a crazy bitch.
"Anyway, something's off. I'm a newbie, but horrors keep dragging me in. Escape, dragged back. Escape, dragged back. Four in two weeks? Then wake up here. What do you think?"
Sudden question. Kim Jah-ha rolled his eyes internally. Four horrors in two weeks? Impossible. Getting dragged that much was nuts, but clearing them? Crazier. She's insane. Fuck, how to answer?
His brain spun.
"U-um... Bad luck?"
"Yeah, too bad. Like the world's screwing me over?"
He got the vibe. Crazy bitch wants empathy. Nod frantically.
"Y-yes. The world is screwing you over."
"Narcissist much?"
"Huh?"
"World's busy. Why single me out? Unless some god's watching me like, hm, need more screwage?"
Fuck. Which is it? Kim Jah-ha bit back a yell, calming himself. Hands tied—no items. Empathize, get loose, then she's done.
"Haha, I must be the crazy one."
"Yeah. You need the psych ward."
"...Haha."
I'll kill her. Soon as hands free, dead.
"Anyway, if not screwing over, what is it?"
"...Pardon?"
"If not screwing over, why so much misfortune hitting me? So much. Hard to explain all. Why so much?"
How the fuck should I know?
...Pretty words came out instead.
"Haha, I'd love to hear what misfortunes. Tell me?"
"Fine, since you asked. Listen good?"
"Yes. I will."
The girl beamed and started.
"First horror, gender swap. Barely escaped, ran into newbie hunters."
"Ah, those guys are vicious."
"Right? Then escaped again somehow. Figured prep for horrors. Bought stuff."
"Items?"
"Yeah. All-Purpose Shop—buy, they deliver. Great platform."
...What? Wait...
"But weird. Heard email confirmation, but none. No replies to inquiries. Like someone intercepting?"
This bitch.
"Answer."
"...Ah, I see."
"Yeah. Thought no email was fine. Then monster bursts in? Wake up here."
Her unblinking eyes bored into him. Kim Jah-ha's mouth burned.
This girl. Han Yujin. Why notice now?
He stared blankly at the beaming Han Yujin.
Realized it then. She was playing crazy. Even the gallery's mental contamination act... all fake? To cloud his judgment.
— "Dealing with her's worse than you guys. Or flee to a horror."
Kang Ye-rin's words hit him. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. How's this a newbie? Terror of facing the incomprehensible with a human brain.
She's not human. She's the horror.
Kim Jah-ha choked, then deep-breathed. No. Still fine. Han Yujin might be genius newbie in horrors, but tailing? Newbies can't think that way. Block it, no suspicion on him.
That moment.
"Y'know, if this ain't the world screwing me, what is?"
"...Pardon?"
"Misfortune pouring in, not screwing over? Then what?"
Fuck. Kim Jah-ha rolled his eyes. Answering admits it...
"Answer."
"S-someone... deliberately setting it up."
"Bingo! Right? If I'm not crazy, someone's doing this to me?"
Han Yujin clapped happily, so innocently it eased him. Maybe she just wanted proof she wasn't crazy? Could escape.
The moment hope sparked.
"Newbie Nying Nying agrees, right? Answer."
"Yes."
Answered without thinking. Then replayed it.
Newbie Nying Nying. Gallery nick. She... knew. Why.
Creaking turn—Han Yujin's lip curled grotesquely on one side.
"Found you, Newbie Nying Nying."
Her low voice made Kim Jah-ha's eyes shake wildly.
Newbie Nying Nying. After endless acting, Han Yujin gazed down at the face she'd finally cornered. See? I'm not crazy—someone was stalking me. Culprit clear.
Horror Survivor Gallery. Rotten from the start. Clear a horror, rankings update live. Proof of success, but also a megaphone yelling "I'm here, got this reward!" to the world.
And success breeds envy. Just like IRL psychos track haters online, same here.
Hypothesis easy. Someone's tracking me. And monitoring the gallery live.
"......"
So she played contaminated newbie. Most users normal. [PackedTooMuchButMakeItLight] worried genuinely, [BuyOnlyToday] gave advice then begged dopamine, [LogicCircuit] analyzed coldly.
But one. 'Newbie Nying Nying'. Off. No rescue, no hate, no analysis. Just vague nudges to specific actions.
When she opened the [RECYCLE] box, he freaked. When she roamed outside, outright pissed. Like a player watching an NPC stray from path. Herding her to this [Waste Processing Center] endgame—where he waited.
Han Yujin stood and approached Kim Jah-ha.
"Fun, Newbie Nying Nying?"
"How the hell did you..."
"Shut up. Answer my questions from now on."
She grabbed his collar and yanked him up.
"Got a lot I wanna ask anyway."