Three Doors to Hell
The door slammed shut with a bang—! All sounds cut off in an instant. The sticky friction from behind, the ear-splitting cackle of the grotesque—it was all perfectly blocked by the door.
"Ha…! Hic, haa…"
Yoo Se-rin slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. Just moments ago, the terror of death had risen to her chin.
Meanwhile.
"Miss! Are you okay?!"
The middle-aged woman rushed to the door without a moment to catch her breath. There, Han Yujin was rolling on the floor, clutching her head.
"Aaaah!"
"Wh-where… Is it your f-foot? H-hold on."
Her eyes hurriedly scanned Han Yujin's legs. But they were fine. The pain was somewhere else entirely.
"My hair! It's gonna get yanked out!"
Only then did they notice Kruru gripping a fistful of Han Yujin's hair. In the heat of the moment, Kruru had yanked her inside by the hair and hadn't let go.
Kruru released her hand and proudly thrust out her chin.
"If this body hadn't grabbed your hair and saved you…! Heh heh heh. Worship me!"
Her bright yellow eyes sparkled with pride.
"……."
Han Yujin rubbed her throbbing scalp and glared at Kruru.
"Next time… grab my clothes, you furball."
"Nyang! How dare you command this body…!"
Nyang my ass. That really fucking hurt.
Tears welled up in Han Yujin's eyes. So this was why women grabbed hair in fights. No tolerance for this pain at all—it felt like she was dying.
"Phew. Good thing everyone's here in one piece."
Yoo Se-rin had already regained her composure and flashed a smug grin. Was she an infinite optimist, or just overwhelmingly capable? This was why smug types were the worst. Impossible to read.
Han Yujin let out a deep sigh and asked,
"What the hell was that thing?"
"That's the 'Grinning Grotesque.' One of the trickiest bastards in this sector?"
Yoo Se-rin's voice trembled faintly.
"Once it marks a target… it never lets go. And everyone it catches… ends up the same."
"The same?"
"Yeah."
Yoo Se-rin hooked her fingers into her mouth corners and forcibly stretched them into a grin.
"Like that… smiling faces. It forces you to smile until your jaw dislocates and your facial muscles tear. Then… your whole face rips apart, and you die."
The middle-aged woman let out a small groan at the horrific imagery.
"Know what's the worst?"
Yoo Se-rin whispered in an exaggeratedly eerie tone.
"It passes through walls. Locking doors does jack shit. A smiley face just pops up on the wall… and out it comes."
No sooner had she said it—
—Screeeeech!
The door they'd just shut. Its surface began to warp inward ever so slightly. As if some massive thing was licking it from outside, sticky liquid seeped through the cracks.
And then.
—Sliiiiide…
Black cracks spiderwebbed across the pristine white metal door. Forming a grotesque leer.
:)
Exactly like the one on the wall earlier. Luckily, it didn't fully form this time.
"This place safe or what?"
Han Yujin scanned the cramped room. Sealed off by smooth white walls on all sides.
But if Yoo Se-rin was right, even these walls were pointless.
"Yes. This is a perfect safe zone. But…."
Yoo Se-rin nodded toward an empty corner with her chin.
"As you can see, no food or anything. Means there's a limit to holing up here."
In summary.
Crazy stalker grotesque behind them.
Starvation and thirst inside.
They had to move somehow.
"Other exits?"
"Yes."
Yoo Se-rin pointed to each wall. Up close, faint lines outlined three doors.
"This is one of Unique Company's mapped mid-hubs. Those doors lead to other sectors. I have the rulebook."
Yoo Se-rin pulled a slim datapad from her pocket and tapped away. Her fingers drummed urgently on the screen.
"Three options from here. First: B3 parking garage. Our safest known escape route."
She showed the screen to everyone in turn. Her voice dropped only when showing Han Yujin.
She whispered quietly,
"Not in the rules, but it's classified… Needs a toll. Rule 11: 'Only half can exit the elevator. The rest stay and pay the fee.' Means leave half behind. A… sacrifice."
Yoo Se-rin's eyes bored into Han Yujin.
Blatantly dividing 'us two' from 'those two.'
Hmm.
Han Yujin showed no reaction, so Yoo Se-rin stood and continued to the group.
"Second: B7 incinerator. Barely any info. 'Some survivors returned'? Pure gamble. Bad luck, you're roasted."
Whoosh.
Her fingers wiggled like flames.
"Third… worst. 1F logistics checkpoint."
Yoo Se-rin's face hardened openly.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Send or receive packages. Problem? The fee. Currency here's… our bodies. Pays in body parts. Who knows what they'll take? Better not risk it."
Han Yujin silently took the datapad. Unique Company's version of the rules filled each sector densely.
"Can I post this to the gallery?"
"Are you insane?!"
Yoo Se-rin snatched at it in horror.
"Unique Company secret! Leak this, you make enemies of the whole company! Me too!"
"Tch. Fine, just summarize and Q&A then."
"…That much, okay."
Han Yujin smacked her lips regretfully and opened the gallery window.
1. Option 1: Supposedly safest, but sketchy af.
2. Option 2: Unknown spot, but some survivors made it back occasionally.
3. Option 3: Pay with body parts to escape, but no clue what exactly.
Where to go? Urgent. Grinning perv chasing us.
The gallery was unanimous: '1F is suicide.'
"Heh heh. See?"
Yoo Se-rin shrugged annoyingly.
"Smart folks in the gallery too. 1F is just nuts."
Han Yujin nodded. She didn't care about the comments. Just bait for aggro.
She already had the rulebook. Master it herself—why listen to randos? They'd foam at the mouth if they heard that thought.
Anyway, hadn't fully parsed it yet. A bit more reading.
"Alright~"
Yoo Se-rin clapped to wrap up.
"Time to decide. We're a team—democracy! First, Lulu."
"……."
Kruru shook her head vigorously. Then clung hard to Han Yujin's leg.
Only her yellow eyes gleamed warily at Yoo Se-rin.
"Hmm. Following that one's lead?"
Nod nod.
"One vote for gumdrop."
Yoo Se-rin chuckled amusedly.
"Auntie? Obviously B3?"
All eyes turned to the woman. She'd shaken off despair, face calm with resolve.
"No."
"…Pardon?"
"I'll… go to 1F logistics."
The room froze. Yoo Se-rin's smile stiffened.
"A-Auntie? Gallery says… 1F is death…"
"Doesn't matter!"
The woman yelled. Her sudden outburst from her usual gentleness startled everyone. Tears brimmed in her eyes.
"I… have something I must do there."
Han Yujin watched her too. She'd saved her out of curiosity about this normal woman's 'purpose' for entering hell willingly.
"What is it?"
"S-secret. But I can do it there… Heard from some nobles."
Yoo Se-rin saw the mad glint and knew persuasion was futile.
Tch, crazy.
She inwardly clicked her tongue, classifying the woman as 'discardable.'
"Haa… Choice is yours."
Yoo Se-rin eyed Han Yujin. One for 1F, one with her. She'd push B3, so Han Yujin held the vote.
"Decided? B3 parking, right…"
She was confident. No idiot picks 1F after that body collateral horror.
Then B3. She and Han Yujin team up, sacrifice the deadweights, escape. Perfect.
Then Han Yujin looked up from the rules, a smug, confident smirk on her lips.
"Nah, not going there."
"…Huh?"
Yoo Se-rin blinked in confusion.
Han Yujin stood, walked to the woman.
"1F: three votes. B3: one. 1F wins."
Yoo Se-rin's smile vanished.
"…What??"
Her voice cracked in shock.
"Crazy? You sane? 1F is death! Gallery! Me! Rules say body collateral!"
"Shut up."
Han Yujin ignored her, strode to the '1F Logistics Checkpoint' door.
"No!"
Yoo Se-rin lunged, blocking the handle. Her face pale with terror.
Must guide to B3. Safe, and company deal sealed: capture Han Yujin on exit.
Her plan. 1F? Unknown escape, maybe impossible.
So stall. Persuade.
"Outside! That grinning grotesque! Still there! Never lets go once marked! And… it phases through walls! Opening door ain't end!"
She whispered, voice trembling like real fear.
"Please, let's wait here… Yeah? Till it gives up… Talk slow…."
A sly smile curled Han Yujin's lips.
"Oh, that thing?"
She shoved Yoo Se-rin's shoulder, gripped the handle.
"Won't chase us."
"Wh-what basis…!"
Bang.
Han Yujin flung the door wide without hesitation. Cold fluorescent light poured in.
"Kyaaah!"
Yoo Se-rin screamed, scrambling back. But…
"……."
Just silence. Nothing else. No creepy friction, no torn smile on the wall.
The stalker that should've been there—gone.
"H-how?"
Han Yujin shrugged. When tossing the briefcase at the grinning grotesque, she'd slyly lobbed a 'Forget-Me Pill' too. Landed right in its mouth.
Effect kicked in late but solid. Lost an hour's memory—forgot the chase.
Works on grotesques too, huh.
Han Yujin toyed with the pill bottle, smirking. No way she'd reveal it, so she stepped toward 1F first.
"Let's go. Delivery pickup's waiting."