Settlement (3) - A Mother's Desperate Gambit
A dry, emotionless voice leaked from the wall.
Item match. Target confirmed.
In front of it, the mother huddled, stifling her tears.
"...Hic, hngh."
The sound of her forcing back sobs echoed lowly through the settlement counter. They seemed closer to joy than sorrow. Han Yujin tilted her head.
Why react so intensely to that cold confirmation of a target's mere existence? It wasn't even proof her daughter was coming back—just that something presumed to be her daughter existed.
In truth, the reason families of the missing suffered so much was hope. As long as death wasn't confirmed, they clung to that threadbare strand, enduring what was essentially hope's torture. But that was an emotion Han Yujin couldn't comprehend. She had no family to speak of, after all.
While Han Yujin pondered the mother's feelings, trying to understand them, Yoo Se-rin sidled up beside her and whispered.
"It'd be better if nothing came at all."
"...What?"
"The mother's missing daughter. She must've gotten dragged into a horror story, right? For two whole years."
That made sense. From their time together, Han Yujin had sensed the mother's survival skills in these horrors were too high for an ordinary person. It almost felt like she was pretending to be ordinary. She was clearly someone with a lot of horror story experience.
She must've dived into tons of them to find her daughter.
Yoo Se-rin bit her lip and continued.
"If so, that daughter survived two years inside a horror story without dying? You think she's still sane? She's probably completely broken mentally—or not even human anymore."
It was a logical point. If someone told Han Yujin to survive here for two years...
Hmm.
Would she take a job as staff? It didn't sound half bad, actually. Han Yujin entertained the thought casually, the kind that would've gotten her labeled insane if overheard.
Anyway.
Tension naturally thickened in the air. Yoo Se-rin stepped back. Kruru clung tightly to the hem of Han Yujin's clothes, as she'd been doing. A few steps ahead of them, Lee Kanghyeok stepped forward, wrapping leather straps around his fist. Spiked metal studs protruded from the leather—clearly battle-ready.
Then.
Clank—
A sudden noise drew everyone's gaze to the ceiling. A square section slid open.
Received item has arrived.
And.
Thud!
With a loud crash, something dropped from the ceiling. A delivery box. Medium-large, about 60cm per side. Han Yujin's eyes narrowed. It was too small for a human inside, even crumpled up. At best, it could hold a young child.
"......"
Everyone's eyes locked onto the box. The mother staggered forward a step.
"Si... ah... Sia...?"
Her desperate voice reached out as her hand stretched toward the box. Yoo Se-rin watched, shaking her head and muttering.
"No way. That's not Sia in there."
"Can we watch quietly, Se-rin?"
"...Yes."
Gulp.
Han Yujin swallowed. Something felt ominous. An instinct beyond words or senses screamed warning. Whatever was in that box should not come out.
That instant.
"...Ink?"
On the box's rough kraft paper surface, a black ink blot spread like a drop had fallen. Then another black, round spot beside it. Below those two points, a creepy curve stretched long—like lips torn from ear to ear.
A ripped smile. :)
An unforgettable shape. The horrific form that had burst from the wall. The Laughing Abomination.
"R-Run! Run away!"
Before Yoo Se-rin's scream finished, Lee Kanghyeok—who'd been watching intently—sprang into action. He kicked off the floor and charged ferociously at the box containing the Laughing Abomination.
"No!"
The mother shrieked, blocking his path.
"It's my daughter! Please!"
"Out of the way."
Lee Kanghyeok's voice was ice-cold. His scarred face held no emotion. Han Yujin hesitated. Should she help the mother? But what she protected was the problem. She had no desire to aid Lee Kanghyeok either. A sticky unease lingered in her mouth, so she just observed a bit longer.
"W-Wait a second!"
Then, Yoo Se-rin shouted as if realizing something.
"That abomination... maybe it...!"
Her face drained pale, she pressed on desperately through her shivers.
"It... it might've swallowed a Cthulhu fragment—an Outer God fragment!"
Lee Kanghyeok's movement hitched. His gaze turned to her.
"...What did you say?"
"Otherwise, no human could become such a perfectly intact abomination! It's not simple mutation! That ability to burst through walls isn't normal!"
Wow, Se-rin really is sharp.Her brain works fast for tricks like that.
Han Yujin couldn't help but admire it. At Yoo Se-rin's cry, Lee Kanghyeok's eyes changed. His gaze shifted to the box—not with enmity, but greed.
His earlier words flashed in her mind. He'd come here for a Cthulhu fragment.
"The Broken Clock's prophecy never misses, as expected."
Lee Kanghyeok's lips curled as he continued.
"Activating contract condition. Obey my orders—temporary hire."
The moment he tried commanding the mother.
Flutter.
The mother pulled something from her bosom and threw it.
"...Paper?"
Han Yujin's eyes narrowed. Yellow paper with red writing. A talisman, in other words.
"......!"
[Halt ()]
Lee Kanghyeok's massive frame froze mid-charge. The characters on the talisman glowed faintly, then vanished.
"...Insane."
Yoo Se-rin muttered. Han Yujin agreed. What was that? Total cheat. I want one.
But the admiration was brief.
Kikikikik—kikikik!
With grotesque laughter, the smile etched on the box tore wider.
"No, Sia. No."
The mother frantically rummaged in her bosom again and pulled out a small cubic wooden box. Its surface was densely carved with intricate patterns—a coffer. The moment she placed it atop the delivery box.
Kikikikik—kikikik!
The box vibrated violently, smiley faces : ) : ) : ) etching and fading across its surface repeatedly. Pressing down with all her might, the mother chanted through trembling lips.
"I gather the three disasters, suppress the four demons, bind the souls scattered across the six paths. All evils that set foot here shall seep into this coffer. Seal, town, bind."
Black light poured from the wooden coffer, wrapping the delivery box like tentacles. :/ The box's smile twisted as if screaming.
"Sia... Mommy... Mommy will definitely..."
The mother choked back sobs but didn't release her grip. :< =< Like a vacuum, the delivery box was sucked into the coffer. And finally.
Thud.
The coffer dropped into her palm. Rattle. Rattle. Still vibrating. She pulled a red talisman from her bosom and slapped it on without hesitation.
Click.
With that sound, the rattling stopped.
"......."
Her movements were flawless, as if planned from the start without a single error. Clutching the coffer, the mother stood.
Han Yujin stared at the woman before her.
"Miss..."
Her trembling hand grasped Han Yujin's.
"That favor I mentioned before. Shameless as it is, let me ask again."
"......"
"This child... please... make sure she survives."
Han Yujin couldn't reply. She hadn't promised to save an abomination. The mother hadn't asked to save an abomination either, so this silence wasn't bad.
Thus, the mother.
"Please."
Said it, stuffing Han Yujin's pocket like a bribe. With countless talismans. And small coffers. Life sparked in Han Yujin's eyes. This... isn't so bad.
"Just one question."
"...Yes. Anything."
"Did you know I'd help you, so you helped trick Kim Jah-ha at the disposal site?"
It was the mother who'd spotted Han Yujin hiding in the waste bin but played along and cooperated. Without her, Han Yujin might've been done in by Kim Jah-ha. That lingering doubt was why the mother had helped back then.
"I told you."
The mother smiled at the question.
"You reminded me of my daughter, so I wanted to help."
Cough!
With her answer, she vomited dark red blood. It splattered onto Han Yujin's hand and the cube. The mother staggered, looking down at her chest.
"...Ah."
Her left chest, where her heart should be... was caved in.
Receipt fee settled: Human heart 276g
The machine's voice rang coldly. But the mother, confirming her own death, smiled serenely instead.
"You'll... take the request, right?"
Han Yujin nodded. Squeezing out her last strength, the mother staggered back to the [Settlement] slot.
Drip drip drip.
Blood and flesh trailed her steps. She raised the coffer containing her daughter toward the slot.
"My... shipment..."
She whispered.
"Please... send this child."
[...]
Additional fee required. Item change incurs extra charges.
The mother nodded as if she'd known.
"Any amount... is fine."
Calculating fee...
Payment due: Everything
"Stop!"
A thunderous shout made Han Yujin whip around. The talisman's effect must've worn off—Lee Kanghyeok was freed from paralysis. He charged creakily toward the coffer.
But.
Shipment complete
Clank, the coffer entered the box and vanished beyond the slot. Watching until the end, the mother turned to Han Yujin. Her lips moved soundlessly.
Please... miss...
Crunch—
Before Han Yujin could respond.
Something burst from the slot, devouring the mother's body whole.
Fee settlement complete.
Clink—
Where the mother had stood, only a single hairpin lay abandoned.