17
Chapter 17
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The world is stained a burning red. The sunset sky, and the mist reflecting the orange glow of the sinking sun. Even the faces of the people standing in the middle of the mist are flushed red.
*Gasp— huff—*
Lee Yeon-woo trembled all over. With a gaunt face and a deathly complexion, he looked as if he had aged half a lifetime in just half a day. Barely suppressing the nausea that rose with every breath, he spoke.
"Why... are we... still..."
"I don't know. I told you, I don't know."
Yu Ji-yu shook her head, her face equally haggard. Her sweat-soaked workout clothes clung tightly to her neck and arms. The mobile phone held in her sticky palm had gone completely black.
"My phone died. I don't know anything."
"Mine's about to go out too."
Choi Jae-min had taken off his school blazer and was wearing only a white t-shirt. Clenching his blazer into a ball like a rice ball, he held out his mobile phone with his other hand.
3 percent battery remaining.
The screen was dim, having entered power-saving mode, showing a glimpse of a map and their current location. That location was...
"This place. This is..."
Yu Ji-yu hurriedly swung her bag to the front. After fumbling with the zipper several times, she pulled out the report. The paper was damp with hand sweat and wrinkled from being held so often.
Struggling to flip through the pages, Yu Ji-yu froze. She murmured with trembling lips.
"Why did we... come here...?"
"Where... is this... exactly?"
"A valley. A valley where someone died."
"Here? This is that valley? Noona, stop joking."
Choi Jae-min forced a laugh. After looking at the phone screen, he gestured toward their surroundings.
"Come on. No way. We've come deep into the woods, but look. How could this be a valley?"
No slopes were visible. Because of the white mist, only a standard hiking trail could be seen. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like a path dangerous enough for someone to die from a single misstep.
"Wait a second."
Yu Ji-yu took a deep breath, regulating her breathing. She closed her eyes and muttered something to herself for a moment. Opening her eyes, she spoke calmly.
"It's hard to see, but there's a slope nearby. We can't afford to trip on a tree root and fall. Got it? Just be careful."
"For real? No, seriously."
*Ding-ring-ring—*
At that moment, Choi Jae-min's phone made a cheerful sound and shut off. Choi Jae-min stopped talking, his face turning pale. *Click-click*, he hammered the power button, but the dead phone would not turn on.
"No. Not without this."
"Calm down. Just watch your step—"
Just as Yu Ji-yu approached Choi Jae-min to calm him down, Lee Yeon-woo cut in.
"No. It's not just our footing we need to worry about."
Yu Ji-yu and Choi Jae-min both looked at Lee Yeon-woo. With his head bowed, he was checking his mobile phone notes.
- 12:35 PM: Memory Loss confirmed. Descend with caution.
- 12:50 PM: Took a wrong turn. The descent was actually a path leading toward the summit. Keep checking the current location on the map to confirm direction.
- 1:30 PM: Will the battery hold? What if it runs out? I have no writing utensils. I need something to record this. I'll save the phone battery as much as possible.
- 2:55 PM: Memory Loss confirmed. Realized belatedly that time has skipped. Unaware, I walked right into a path leading to another peak. The map is fine, but no one here is experienced enough with mountains to find the trail.
- 3:20 PM: I feel a presence. Is it a person? An animal? Shaking branches? Or am I just being hypersensitive?
- 4:50 PM: It's certain. Something is here. A cry like a water deer. Could it actually be a water deer?
- 6:10 PM: That shadow in the mist. It's herding us like prey.
There had been two instances of Memory Loss. There were records of danger, not just memory loss.
"Something lured us here. The people who died before didn't die by accident."
"That means there's something around us right now trying to kill us."
"Fuck, we're screwed!"
Having approached and read the notes beside Lee Yeon-woo, the two of them began scanning their surroundings frantically. Eyes darted incessantly through the mist, from shadow to shadow.
"If the Risk Level is 2, it's truly dangerous. There's something that kills humans—that kills us."
"Ugh, seriously. I really didn't want to come today."
They trembled and kept glancing around, unable to stay still for a single second. The world they lived in had made them that way. It left no room for any other thought.
*Rustle— snap— slither—*
An unfamiliar mountain. An ominous mountain. A mountain shrouded in thick mist.
The sound of brush rubbing in the wind, the sound of branches and pinecones snapping and falling, the sounds of insects, frogs, or snakes passing by; sounds that were usually refreshing.
Now, they carried a chilling omen, rattling the human psyche. Normal thinking became impossible.
Having narrowly escaped death three times, Lee Yeon-woo spoke through his exhaustion.
"I think there are three things we can do."
"What are they? Tell us, quickly."
Before speaking, Lee Yeon-woo pulled out a water bottle to wet his throat, then threw it away. The empty bottle clattered and bounced out of sight. The sound was similar to a stone rolling down.
The slope was nearby.
Lee Yeon-woo suppressed his emotions as much as possible. Thinking fiercely for a way to survive, he spoke.
"First, I can call 119 or 112. I still have about 20 percent battery left, so it's possible."
"...It's impossible. Even if they come, they'll lose their memories and get lost because of the Anomaly."
Yu Ji-yu spoke while continuing to scan the shadows beyond the mist. Then, she spoke with the professional attitude of an employee.
"And even if it were possible, shifting the burden of damage to civilians would negatively affect my performance review—"
"Survival should come first. Safety first. That's what my senior told me."
"...That's true, but calling for help won't necessarily save us."
Yu Ji-yu spoke, and Lee Yeon-woo nodded in agreement.
To resolve this situation and actually survive, they needed specialists. Police officers or firefighters weren't the kind of experts required here.
Therefore, Lee Yeon-woo proposed the next method.
"How about starting a fire? Whether it's the mist or a monster, I doubt they can withstand a forest fire."
"Right! Mister, I learned this in school a long time ago! Heat rises. I'm sure the mist will just blow away!"
Choi Jae-min shrugged his shoulders and pulled a lighter from his back pocket. It was a turbo lighter. He started looking for a branch, as if he were about to ignite it right then and there.
Yu Ji-yu swung her hand and smacked the back of Choi Jae-min's head.
*Whack!*
"Ow! Why! If we start a fire, the monster and everything else will just die!"
"We'll die too! We don't even know where we are—how could we avoid a forest fire! And why do you even have a lighter! Do you smoke, despite being a student?"
"No, that's..."
While Choi Jae-min hesitated, Lee Yeon-woo turned on his phone and brought up the final solution.
"Since reporting it doesn't work and arson is out, there's only one thing left."
"What is it?"
"Let's request support from the company. Tell them we've confirmed an Anomaly with a Risk Level of 2."
He wasn't entirely sure, but if he reported that level of danger, wouldn't real experts from the Rescue Team or the Special Task Force be dispatched?
Lee Yeon-woo pressed the buttons with hope. Choi Jae-min and Yu Ji-yu also looked at him and the phone with hopeful eyes.
Lee Yeon-woo turned on the speakerphone. A clear sound echoed.
*Ring... click—*
- Hey, Rookie. What now?
"Chief. This is new employee Lee Yeon-woo. I've confirmed an Anomaly Entity rather than just mist, and the entity's Risk Level is 2. I'd like to request support—"
- ...Rookie. I told you about that earlier.
"Excuse me?"
Lee Yeon-woo couldn't finish his sentence. His mind went completely blank. Instinctively, he switched screens to check. He saw a call record he had unconsciously overlooked.
[Recent Calls]
- Chief (Outgoing call / 30 mins ago) : 2 min 23 sec
Another call he had no memory of.
Within his lost memories, Lee Yeon-woo had done the best he could.
"Ah."
- ...Rookie, turn the speaker on so everyone can hear.
"Yes, yes. It's on."
With his mind completely blank, Lee Yeon-woo mechanically followed the Chief's order. Having already forgotten that the speakerphone was active, he almost pressed the button again, but caught himself and lightly tapped the microphone.
The Chief spoke.
- Listen carefully. The Korea Branch flew in drones to collect the mist and assess the environment.
"And...?"
He spoke, clinging to a faint glimmer of hope.
- They said it can be used as a material for Memory Erasers. So, they've advised us not to touch that Anomaly. Those bastards. They're making a huge fuss, saying we must preserve it since the Anomaly you identified might be what's causing the mist.
"Ah."
- *Sigh*. They're forming a Research Team and dispatching the Maritime Response Company, but that's for later. There are no personnel available to help you right now.
The Chief, and the Humanity Protection Company, completely severed the hope of the investigators in danger.
The Chief spoke in a low voice.
- An investigator has to take care of their own life. The company doesn't have that kind of luxury.
Lee Yeon-woo understood the meaning all too well. He had to blaze his own trail to survival.
"...Yes. I understand."
Lee Yeon-woo hung up immediately. The gazes of the three crossed in the center. Lee Yeon-woo spoke.
"There is no rescue. We have to do something ourselves. Even if it's something we shouldn't do."
If the best option is impossible, go for the second best; if that fails, take the least worst. As long as they could avoid the absolute worst—being murdered by the Anomaly.
"You're right. It's not the time to be picky..."
Sighing, Yu Ji-yu beckoned Choi Jae-min. Choi Jae-min flinched and stepped back.
"What, what is it?"
"Give me your cigarettes."
"What, what are you talking about? I don't smoke. I'm a student."
"Tsk. Hurry up."
Choi Jae-min reluctantly pulled a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. Yu Ji-yu put one in her mouth and lit it with a *click*. She took a deep drag. The cigarette smoke blended into the mist.
*Toss!*
Yu Ji-yu flicked the ash and threw the remaining cigarette toward the spot where Lee Yeon-woo had thrown the water bottle. The lit cigarette landed on the slope.
"No matter how much they lose their memory or how the monster drives them, they won't walk into a fire. Let's get far away from this valley first."
Under the sky of the crimson sunset, they set the mountain ablaze. Using dried leaves, branches, and the report as kindling.
A scream echoed within the truly burning mist.
- KREEEEEKKK!