Chapter 431
Chapter 431
I took a deep breath.
…Let’s get this straight.
Over the intercom, Bae Se-jin is holding the mic, and on the drone screen, I can see VTIC’s Ju-dan.
Is this a joke?
There are only 12 minutes left until the collapse, and I’ve got one guy in the basement and another guy—I don’t know where—making announcements.
It’s not like the managers and staff are all total idiots; how did they manage to evacuate everyone except for the idols?
[DING-DING—]
“The broadcast has ended…”
In the midst of that, Bae Se-jin’s voice cut out.
In that case…
First, I’ll quickly lure the one I can actually see. If I just stand here fumbling around, we’re all going to die.
I gritted my teeth and stared at the laptop screen.
Wait… where did Ju-dan go?
“Where did this guy go now?”
“…! H-He probably went into a room…?”
Fortunately, the guy reappeared on the screen.
He was holding a sheet of A4 paper with writing on it.
—Are you a survivor inside the building??
It was an attempt at communication.
“Gasp!”
“T-This drone doesn’t have a voice transmission function, so what should we do…?”
“Tilt the drone up and down.”
“Ah.”
Following Kim Rae-bin’s controls, the drone’s field of vision bobbed. Seeing this, Ju-dan scribbled something new on the paper and held it up.
—Are you looking for an exit?
Kim Rae-bin nodded.
“Hmm. Since we are looking for people, strictly speaking, the correct answer would be to say no first…”
“Wait.”
That won’t work.
“It’s weirder for someone trapped not to be looking for an exit. Let’s just say we are for now.”
“I see!”
I had to start there and lead the conversation quickly.
He’ll probably ask if we’ve had any luck or try to guess who we are.
I mapped out the conversation in my head, listing potential responses for his next move.
Meanwhile, the guy, seeing the drone move up and down again, scribbled on the paper once more and held up the finished sentence.
…It was a sentence I hadn't even dared to hope for.
—There is an exit here, in the staff area of the basement.
“…?!”
“O-Oh.”
The sentence didn't end there.
—There is a door leading outside, and it works because the emergency power is on.
“T-Then…”
“Preventing the collapse is important, but since there isn't much time left, securing an exit seems just as vital!”
“Yeah, you’re right!”
It was true. If it came down to it, we had to get the remaining people out.
The problem was…
I need to ask how long it’s been running.
In a building this size, even emergency power wouldn't last an hour. I had no idea how much time was left.
And if there’s a door, why hasn't this guy left yet?
One more thing.
…Usually, you just open a door; you don't need power for it.
Watching the bobbing drone, the guy added one more line to the paper in real-time.
—However, a staff pass is required.
I knew it.
There was a catch.
It seemed he had found a staff-only door that required a security key to open.
—Please find a staff pass and come to the basement.
The stairs are blocked, you jerk.
I didn't know how he ended up stranded in the basement alone, but in the end, the mission just updated.
…Find a staff pass and go to the basement.
And do it.
[00:10:34]
Within this time.
“…….”
“A staff pass… I don’t think there was one in the editing room earlier… but I’ll go look one more time…!”
“Then I will find a way to get to the basement… Moon-dae hyung?”
I set the laptop down on the floor.
“There are 10 minutes left. Both are impossible.”
“…….”
“I’ll have to use another method.”
“Pardon?”
Since it’s come to this, I have no choice.
I stood up and grabbed the curtain rope I had set aside earlier.
*
Ju-dan looked up. A single beam of bright light from the end of the dark hallway shone on him.
[Whirrrrr~]
It was a drone, an element now familiar in modern disaster apocalypse content.
“Ho-oh.”
He rested his chin on his hand and nodded. It seemed the survivors trapped in the building were finally finding ways to get out.
Then I should respond in a traditional manner.
He quickly turned around and entered the room.
“Hyung, could I borrow the smartphone you’re holding for a second…?”
“…….”
There was no answer.
Indeed, what had he expected?
He quickly changed tactics and grabbed a sheet of A4 paper.
—Are you a survivor inside the building?
The drone moved up and down vigorously. Oh, it was someone who knew how to respond. Ju-dan, intrigued, shared the information he knew quite sincerely.
As for me going to find them… hmm. That’s a bit much.
One must live within one's means. Ju-dan shrugged, then watched as the drone, which had been staggering at the shocking information, suddenly dropped to the floor.
There’s a more than fifty percent chance they’re looking for a staff pass out of shock.
With this, he had fulfilled his human duty.
“Hyung, a drone just came by and we had a brief conversation. They aren't rescuers, but other survivors trapped in this building.”
“I see.”
And then there was his companion, who showed no interest even in such an anomaly.
The facility management room in the basement.
Standing there, Cheong-ryeo was operating a device with an expressionless face.
Ju-dan thought they wouldn't be able to see the CCTV because the power was out, but Cheong-ryeo had used some wirelessly charged portable security device to force a few clips of the most recent CCTV footage onto a small screen.
It was something an idol would normally have no experience with and no reason to know how to do.
I guess that’s the kind of experience you stack up while regressing.
Ju-dan concluded that since Cheong-ryeo might have lived as a killer at least once in his many lives due to the crushing pressure, he should continue to treat him politely.
Regardless of what Ju-dan thought, Cheong-ryeo’s hands moved mechanically as he quickly flipped through the CCTV feeds.
Dark screens where the lights were out, one after another.
“…….”
Then.
“Ah.”
There he was.
Thanks to the light from a lightstick, Cheong-ryeo spotted the figure he was looking for beyond a hole in the wall of the second-floor emergency staircase.
Park Moon-dae.
Immediately after, he watched without moving as the storage room where Park Moon-dae had been collapsed entirely.
“…….”
He realized that his deduction, based on experience, had been startlingly accurate.
There was no particular joy in it.
It was merely confirming what he already knew.
The storage room had spilled onto the collapsed stage. Since that area was originally captured by broadcasting equipment, there were no CCTV cameras there. So, it was impossible to confirm from here.
Although there had been no bloodstains when he checked with his own eyes earlier… he could have been buried underneath.
“…….”
Cheong-ryeo lowered his hands.
He knew he could check the surrounding audience seats with the remaining battery.
But he felt a sense of repulsion.
Because…
It’s quiet.
If Park Moon-dae were alive, unreasonable disasters should still be pouring down.
But the silence meant… it was over.
“…….”
Why do I need to confirm that this deduction was also correct?
Cheong-ryeo stared down at the equipment blankly.
And Ju-dan was watching him. Somewhat vacantly.
“…?”
Is he having a flashback or something?
It was then.
Creeeeeak—K-K-Boom!
“…!!”
From above—no, from somewhere further up—a massive vibration and noise slammed down, striking all the way to the basement.
It was the third collapse.
“Ugh!”
Objects fell, and everything shook.
Ju-dan immediately ducked under a desk to protect his head and thought:
Is this foreshadowing?
The role where you give good information to the protagonists who sent the drone, only to be found dead when they actually get to the basement.
That would be problematic.
He resolved to be fully prepared and, out of conscience, looked up at his companion.
And he was surprised.
“…!”
Cheong-ryeo… was faintly smiling.
Standing still and smiling amidst the shaking equipment and flickering lights, he looked almost surreal.
…Does he feel a sense of being alive because of the danger?
It was a wild guess.
And amidst the roar and the collapse, Cheong-ryeo’s murmur could be heard.
“Should I go find him?”
*
8 minutes before collapse.
“M-Moon-dae?”
“Wait.”
I returned to the collapsed stage and carefully climbed back up onto it.
Where we came down earlier.
I looked around at the structure of the place again, including the stage.
The second-floor area was divided exactly in half, left and right, in a ‘U’ shape because of the stage occupying the center space.
The place we dropped into using the curtain as a rope was the waiting room area on the right.
On the right, the collapsed wall was visible.
And the second floor on the opposite side was the office area used by the broadcasting station staff and officials.
A place where you could go upstairs. But a place we couldn't reach.
Phew.
I caught my breath and turned to the two of them.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“W-What is it…?”
“I need to get back up there. Can you give me a boost?”
“…!”
They looked clearly flustered at the suggestion of going back to the waiting room hallway.
“Are you… going to look for the staff pass?”
“Something like that. But there’s no time to explain.”
I spoke quickly.
“I-I’ll go instead……”
“I don’t have time to explain how to find it, hurry!”
Seon A-hyun bit his lip. He looked like he was about to scream no at any moment, but soon he nodded with a firm expression.
“O-Okay. …I’m doing this because I trust you.”
“……Right.”
Dammit.
To avoid leaking unnecessary guilt, I turned away and tied the curtain rope around my waist.
If I hooked it in the middle while climbing, I wouldn't die even if I slipped, and once I got all the way up and tied one end to the wall, these guys could use it to climb up later.
“You have to lean on us completely…!”
“You must step on us comfortably!”
“Got it.”
I stepped on their thighs and shoulders and leaped, reaching my hand into the air.
Got it…!
Success.
After grabbing the rebar, I used my arm strength and momentum to get my other hand onto the second-floor floor.
My stomach slammed hard against the broken concrete.
Thud.
Damn it.
It hurt like hell. But the important thing was…
I made it…!
“Huff.”
I rolled onto the second floor and untied the curtain rope from my waist. I heard shouting from below.
“A-Are you okay?!”
“Yeah! It’s sharp and dangerous, so get off the stage and stay near the center pillar! I’ll call you when I’m done!”
“Understood! How many minutes are left?”
[00:04:31]
“…8 minutes!”
That way, they wouldn't panic even if it felt like 4 minutes had passed.
After confirming they heard me, I moved my feet.
I turned on my flashlight and checked a few rooms for a staff pass, but as expected, I couldn't find one.
It made sense. This was a space used by outsiders.
[00:01:57]
There were no staff passes backstage either.
As expected, the right place to get one was the space where the staff had been. I had to go to the office area on the opposite side of the second floor.
But what if there’s no path?
…I’ll have to make one.
Gauging the position of the stage, I circled around and headed toward the end of the hallway.
“……Phew.”
Here.
Beyond this small waiting room wall is the opposite area. Probably.
“…….”
Of course, I don't have the ability to break this wall. It might be more realistic to clear the front of the emergency stairs below… but there’s no time.
In that case.
Doesn't this thought occur to you?
Let’s see.
It’s a certain fact that the building will collapse targeting me before long. But even if the building collapses again, the debris piled up in the already collapsed areas won't disappear.
However, a perfectly fine wall can be brought down…!
[00:01:03]
I started moving heavy objects from around the waiting room to the front of the wall.
Earlier, the wall definitely fell targeting me precisely.
If so, this disaster, which Big Moon (presumably) renamed ‘Mission Failure’ after discovering a contradiction, was likely to have become more localized and moderate.
Doesn't it even kindly tell me when it’s going to collapse?
I’ll use it to my advantage.
Fuck, I’ve survived twice, so I’ll do even better this time.
I took a deep breath, pulled myself together, and prepared.
The countdown began.
[00:00:03]
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
Snap.
The sound of something breaking.
I was leaning against the wall.
[00:00:00]
I threw my body to the side.
“…!”
At the same time, with a tremendous explosion, the room shook. And the heavy furniture and metal props I had piled up in front of where I had been standing came pouring down.
Creeeeeak—K-K-Boom!
Even the heavy ceiling lights.
Fuck.
For a moment, a flash of regret for doing something so crazy passed through—no, shut up, this is it. This is right!
Move!
I rolled to the side.
“Ugh,”
I slid my body under a vanity.
Sharp debris grazed my cheek, making it sting.
Screeeech—
And when the roar of the collapse and the shaking subsided a bit.
…A sound I hadn't expected began to ring out loudly.
“Aaaaah!”
“Oh my god!”
Screams and shouts.
“…….”
I staggered out from under the vanity.
All sorts of things were smashed and rolling on the floor. And from beyond the half-collapsed wall, light and sound were leaking through. I walked slowly.
Stepping over the debris, what I saw beyond the wall was…
“H-Here, a person… M-Moon-dae??”
More than ten people were sitting in front of the elevator.
That wasn't all.
Sounds were coming from here and there in the connected hallway, dimly visible by the flickering emergency lights.
“Who is it?”
“What’s happening right now?”
“…….”
The people who weren't in the audience seats were all here.
What?
I blinked. And because of the shock, a beat late… I saw it.
[Management Office]
The nameplate on the open door, where I could see the intercom equipment with a microphone.
And the guy who came running out of there as if falling.
“…Park Moon-dae?”
It was Keun Se-jin, wearing his stage outfit.
He looked at me as if he couldn't believe it, then ran over and grabbed my head with both hands.
That wasn't all.
“Moon-dae??”
“What?”
Beyond the door, the other guys came out one by one.
“Moon-dae hyung!!”
“You…, you…!!”
Cha Yu-jin with his harness torn, Ryu Cheong-woo with his sleeves rolled up.
And even Bae Se-jin, who had been doing the broadcast earlier.
…No.
It was the worst. The fact that all these guys stayed here was nothing short of a nightmare.
And yet.
I’m so damn glad to see them.
I struggled to open my mouth.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You crazy, crazy bastard…!”
“…….”
It was the first time I’d heard Keun Se-jin use that kind of language. And in front of the fans, no less.
But I wasn't angry. Even the pain in my ribs when he hugged me was bearable.
You’re heavy, you jerk.
I pushed aside all my questions and things to confirm for a moment and accepted the reunion.
However, the pop-up was updating once again.
[Sudden!]
Mission Failure: Building Collapse
-Disaster of the collapsing building (Complete)
: 00:29:59 until the final disaster