7
Chapter 7
Walking down the narrow concrete corridor underground.
Dr. Kim led the new employees somewhere, her voice rising with passion and academic zeal.
"Culture. It drives people crazy. It makes them laugh, cry, be moved, burn with passion, and even die."
Her fervent voice echoed through the gray hallway. It felt alien. From what he'd seen, she didn't seem like this kind of person. The rookies widened their eyes and stepped back a few paces.
Dr. Kim, walking far ahead, was lost in her own world, pouring out words rapidly.
"Movies, songs, idols, dance, paintings, statues, novels, poetry, literature, dramas, musicals. What do all these have in common? What kind of power does this thing called culture possess?"
"Do you mean it provides the audience or reader with a new experience?"
When Lee Seo-yeon answered cautiously from behind, Dr. Kim shook her head without even looking back.
"No. No. That's not it."
Then, beneath the nameplate of Experiment Room 1, she suddenly spun around and stared at the rookies with wide, manic eyes. Lee Seo-yeon flinched and stopped in her tracks. The other rookies following her stopped as well.
From a short distance, a voice that was not just high, but sharp, pierced through.
"It manipulates people."
"...Excuse me? Manipulates?"
Unexpected words followed.
"When people see a great work of art, many feel the same emotions. Why? Because art manipulates people that way. It manipulates the human soul, the brain, and the body's reactions."
"You mean... like how people cry during sad movies and laugh during funny ones?"
As Kang Yeol spoke, struggling to understand, Dr. Kim smirked. Her hand reached for the door handle of Experiment Room 1.
"You'll understand once you see it for yourself."
She swung the door wide open and spoke.
"Now, rookies, you will witness the power of culture that can drive a person to death."
Dr. Kim disappeared beyond the open door. From a few steps away, it was impossible to see what lay inside. Only the bright lights of the lab cast a rectangular shadow onto the hallway.
The new employees stood frozen with stiff expressions. It felt like facing something alien, like a mouse encountering a snake. Their bodies refused to move.
Just then, someone pushed through the crowd of rookies filling the narrow corridor. It was Lee Yeon-woo, who had been at the back.
Biting his lip, he strode forward.
'Think of this as being evaluated. Move proactively and actively. This is the company I'll work for, and these are the anomalies I'll encounter. Don't be afraid. Adapt.'
Lee Yeon-woo hesitated for a moment at the sight of Experiment Room 1, then approached Dr. Kim with a determined step.
"Let's go in."
"Were you referring to the Werther effect...?"
"Let's enter."
Following him, the other rookies snapped out of it and crowded inside.
"...."
"...."
They were speechless at the sight of the laboratory. They simply stood there, dazed.
"Is the experiment ready?"
"Ah, Dr. Kim. We can start now. Are these the rookies?"
"They're here for a tour. Seeing it once is better than hearing it a hundred times."
"That's true, but..."
Hummm—
A laboratory vibrating with the sound of computers and mysterious machinery.
A researcher in a white gown sat before a computer, tapping away at the keyboard. Suddenly, the young researcher glanced toward the glass window.
"Won't it be too much for them to see this right away? They might even quit."
To the left of the lab, a large glass window served as a wall.
Inside the containment room beyond the glass, a person was tied up tightly and restrained against the concrete wall. Wires dangled and swayed around their head, but their face was hidden.
A tall bookstand rose in front of the face, standing vertically, obscuring whatever was placed upon it.
"Anyone who runs away over this wouldn't have lasted long anyway."
"I suppose you're right. Well then, shall we start?"
It was the moment the researcher reached out to pull the microphone in front of the glass toward them.
Han Chang-seong, a former police officer, raised his hand and interrupted.
"Is this human experimentation? Why is that person tied up?"
"There are no legal issues. We've obtained consent."
"Consent?"
"So don't worry. It's perfectly legal."
"I'm not worried... never mind."
Deciding to just watch for now, Han Chang-seong crossed his arms and stepped back.
Lee Seo-yeon looked around the machinery before staring at the subject, while Kang Yeol stood by the door. The other rookies each found their own spots.
Lee Yeon-woo stood close to the glass, observing the demeanor of Dr. Kim and the researcher. They were businesslike, as if this were a routine daily task.
'Their way of handling the anomaly is so natural. Right, there's no reason to be afraid.'
Then, the experiment began.
"Commencing the 23rd experiment on Anomaly Entity '36 Reasons Why I Must Die.' The purpose is to analyze the elements of the Cultural Disaster and measure the entity's changes. The test subject is..."
The researcher holding the microphone paused briefly, glanced at the new employees, and spoke softly.
"The test subject is a plea bargainer. Subject, can you hear me?"
- I hear you.
A middle-aged man's voice came clearly through the small speaker. The researcher spoke while staring only at the monitor.
"Just read it once we open the book for you. Let us know when you're finished, and we'll turn the page."
- I get that. But are you sure my sentence will be reduced just for reading this?
"Yes, of course. Starting now."
Click—
Rustle—
As the researcher pressed a button, the sound of a page turning echoed through the high-performance speakers. Though invisible, it seemed a page had turned beyond the bookstand.
The time it took to read one page passed. The test subject spoke.
- I've read it. But is this like a suicide note? It's giving me a bad feeling.
"Continue reading."
Click—
Rustle—
Another page turns. This time, enough time for two pages passes.
- This sounds like someone else's suicide note. Anyway, I've read it. But if it's like this, why not just untie me? I can turn the pages myself.
"That's not allowed. Tell us when you're done, and we'll turn it for you. Keep reading."
The new employees watched with questioning eyes, wondering what kind of experiment this actually was. No matter how they looked at it, it didn't feel dangerous. They were simply tying someone up and making them read a book.
Considering how much they had been scared with talk of death and anomalies...
- Tsk, I've read it.
"Yes, next."
The pages continue to turn. There was no change. Read, turn, read, turn. A tedious repetition.
The rookies' postures relaxed. They leaned against the wall, shifted their weight to one leg, slid their hands into pockets, and their gazes grew vacant as their focus drifted.
- I've read it. Turn the page.
"Understood. Please let us know if you start feeling anything strange."
- Just keep turning the pages.
Click—
Rustle—
The speaker delivers the sound with crystal clear quality. There isn't a hint of noise.
However, Lee Yeon-woo's eyelids trembled. For reasons different from PTSD, his mouth went dry, and eerie imaginations began to bloom in his mind.
Dr. Kim's words and the name of the anomaly entity.
'They're testing an anomaly that kills people on a human? Killing a person? Really?'
He didn't want to believe it. Lee Yeon-woo glanced at Dr. Kim and the researcher. Their faces looked perfectly ordinary. There was no sign of madness.
'It can't be. This isn't the kind of company that would do something so insane. They said it's a company meant to protect humanity.'
Lee Yeon-woo opened his palm and rubbed it against his trousers. He wiped away the cold sweat that had formed.
Click—
Rustle—
How many times had the pages turned now?
- I've read it. Turn the page.
"Do you feel any strange sensations, or have any specific thoughts come to mind? Anything special?"
- Nothing. Turn the page.
"Are you sure?"
The researcher asked again while staring at the computer monitor. A human brain was displayed on the screen, and red warning indicators were flashing.
- I said nothing. Just hurry up and turn it.
Beyond the glass, the test subject shook his head from side to side. The wires of the brainwave monitor attached to his head swayed like waves. After checking the values on the monitor several times, the researcher pressed the button.
"Then let's look at just one more page."
- Hurry up!
Click—
Rustle—
Not even enough time for two pages had passed. The test subject shouted.
- I read it! Next!
"...."
The researcher looked at the red-tinted brain model and let out a small sigh. He spun his chair around and stopped facing Dr. Kim.
"It's for sure. After it consumed one more person last time, a new trait was added."
"Not only does it make people kill themselves after reading to the end, but now it has a trait that makes them want to keep reading... I don't know how much further it will change. We should stop the research for a while."
"Then we'll end today's experiment here. Any more and the subject will actually die."
The researcher spun the chair back and looked at the convulsing test subject.
- Turn the page! Quick! Quick!
Restrained tightly, the man writhed desperately. He bent his head toward the bookstand, reached his hands toward the book, and stretched his legs to get closer.
But the restraints on his joints and the chains connected to the wall didn't budge. His desperate voice echoed, nearly tearing through the speaker.
- Why won't you let me see! I told you I read it all! Turn the page!
"Today's experiment is over."
- Stop bullshit and turn the page! I said I want to see it!
"Yes, yes. Experiment is over. Send in the security staff. Administer the sedative and isolate him."
Clang—
The sound of a heavy steel door opening pierced through the glass. Then came the rhythmic thud, thud, thud of combat boots, as two armed men, looking like main gate guards, entered the containment room.
- Administering sedative.
- Right. I'll look for the chain key.
Syrings were drawn, keys were pulled from pockets; the experiment in the containment room was wrapping up.
Standing in the center of the glass, Dr. Kim turned to look at the rookies. Puzzled, slightly distrustful, and confused faces awaited her. Dr. Kim's expression slumped.
"I wanted to give you a firsthand experience if the new trait was weak, but given the situation, that won't work."
"...Did that man become like that just by looking at a book?"
Lee Seo-yeon asked, pointing toward the glass.
The face of the slanted, collapsed test subject became visible. His neck was bent and muscles slack from the sedative. Yet, his eyes remained fixed solely on the bookstand.
A completely incomprehensible situation.
"At this point, he's like a drug addict."
Han Chang-seong muttered. Dr. Kim shook her head.
"This is the anomaly we study at our laboratory. Just as culture manipulates people—"
While Dr. Kim's explanation continued, Lee Yeon-woo secretly let out a sigh of relief.
'So encountering an anomaly isn't always fatal. And the experiments aren't some crazy human torture.'
Prepared safety measures. Ethical operations.
The worry about how to adapt to the company seemed to vanish. His racing heart began to beat at a comfortable pace, and the sticky cold sweat stopped.
The light breeze from the lab's climate control felt refreshing. It was just as Lee Yeon-woo was relaxing his stiff shoulders.
Rustle—
The sound of a page turning echoed. No button had been pressed.