Midnight Flight (3)
"I Am a Murderer" couldn't be solved through ordinary means. It wasn't designed to be solved in the first place. If the "Serial Killer Hotel" was an anomaly that lowered the game's difficulty, then "I Am a Murderer" was the complete opposite. It was an anomaly that ramped up the difficulty.
From the perspective of rotten water users—those hardcore veterans—the game got boring if it was too easy, so they'd deliberately take on the restrictions of "I Am a Murderer" as a self-imposed challenge run to reach the ending. But contrary to the developers' intentions, some user discovered a way to actually clear "I Am a Murderer."
At first, people thought it was a glitchy exploit, but the devs officially acknowledged it, turning it into the standard strategy for solving "I Am a Murderer." And that strategy was ridiculously simple. You just needed to get your hands on one specific item.
"Gonna have to drop some cash..."
I scoured various trading sites and finally found it. The price? A whopping 7 million won. That was like two months' salary for an office worker. But considering the item's true value, it actually seemed like a bargain. Plus, I had money to spare these days. I'd made a tidy sum resolving recent incidents.
Still, shelling out 7 million in one go gave me psychological resistance, but what could I do? It was a necessary expense to resolve the anomaly, and with Ryu Harin's strong pride, she'd probably pay me back later.
I sent a DM saying I wanted to trade.
[Available for same-day trade]
[In-person only]
[Time: 3 AM]
The reply came back. I got up.
"Lisa, let's get out of here."
"Leaving right away?"
"Made a trade appointment. And sticking around Ryu Harin's place is just asking for trouble."
Someone was bound to come looking at Ryu Harin's house. Neighbors, police, maybe even Foundation staff. But the worst would be her family showing up. Lisa had seen through me in an instant—how was I supposed to fool Ryu Harin's family...?
"Where's the trade spot?"
"Gangwon-do, I think." I said as I opened the hyperlink from the DM. An in-person trade in Gangwon-do. That alone might not be suspicious, but at 3 AM in the morning? It screamed shady, but I had no other options.
It didn't make sense. We had three cars, and yet we had to take public transport? And I was a cute girl who even owned a private train! Sure, people might have planes or yachts, but a personal train? Probably one-of-a-kind. And yet here I was, trudging to the intercity bus terminal. It just didn't compute.
"Lisa, any idea how many crew members we have?"
"Not sure. Last time I glimpsed them, it looked like at least three digits."
"Way too many..."
I hadn't called anyone but Lisa out of fear they'd get suicidal urges. No way was I riding that train with hundreds—maybe thousands—of crew members.
The train might not even go to Gangneung in the first place.
The cute girl train used to be the "Hell Train." A train that roamed hell probably couldn't handle a normal trip to Gangneung. I figured it was specialized for places cars couldn't reach. At least, that's what I thought.
"Not taking the KTX this time?"
"Tickets were sold out... So we have to go to the intercity bus terminal."
"Intercity bus? Didn't know that was an option."
We chatted like that as Lisa and I headed to the terminal. The suitcases rumbled along—clunk, clunk—with every step.
An adult woman's weight is about 50kg. That's like two bags of rice, but Lisa hauled the suitcase effortlessly. It made me feel like a criminal, even though I hadn't killed anyone.
No helping it. Moving a body wasn't exactly above-board. What if blood leaked from the suitcase? What if it broke suddenly? I couldn't help grim thoughts like that.
Turn the whole world against me, and it'd feel like this, huh.
Not a pleasant vibe. But one small comfort: I had allies like this. Without Lisa, I couldn't have moved the suitcase...
I lacked the strength. Hauling 50kg wasn't easy. Whether disposing of the body or dragging the suitcase, I'd have ended up calling Lisa for help anyway. Excluding Ari, she'd been with me the longest, so she was the most trustworthy employee.
"Lisa, when did you figure it out...?"
"Figure what out?"
"That I tricked you..."
I had to ask.
—"I realized something."
—"That Mayuri-nim never ate my food."
How the hell did she know? Could she detect Ari's Bond Effect? It was impressive she'd figured it out, but what puzzled me most was her lack of reaction. Even knowing I'd deceived her, Lisa stayed calm. No different from usual. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying our walk.
"You've tricked monsters a few times before, Mayuri-nim. Probably borrowed that power from Ari, right?"
"Yeah, spot on."
"So I figured you might've used the same on me. You were really wary of me that first day we met."
Damn, Lisa was smarter than I thought... I caught myself glancing at her. I didn't regret that day. Tricking the "Carnival Chef" was the best choice. If I hadn't, I'd have eaten human flesh, gone mad, and that'd be that. Back then, I never imagined we'd get along like this...
So no regrets about deceiving her, but still.
"I tricked you, and you're... not mad? No sense of betrayal?"
"A bit disappointing, maybe. But not angry."
Lisa said, "The present matters more than the past. I'm enjoying now, so the form of our first meeting doesn't really matter."
"Enjoying now?"
"Yes. I am."
"Hmm..."
Did enjoying now mean she liked living as a human? Relief washed over me. I'd worried she might turn hostile, but she didn't seem to care about the past.
"Still, I'd love for you to try my cooking someday."
"Uh, yeah, someday... Sure..."
I nodded ambiguously.
Surprising fact: Since becoming human, Lisa hadn't cooked once. Humans who ate the "Carnival Chef's" food went insane. So Mayuri lacked confidence to try it, and ordering Lisa to cook risked disaster. All meals had been delivery or Mayuri cooking herself. Lisa didn't mind.
A chef who doesn't cook.
Back then, she'd have thought a chef without cooking had no value. She hadn't quit entirely, but she felt unprepared. One thing was certain: she'd never revert to "Carnival Chef."
The human flesh chef urban legend. But no human flesh, no cooking. Soon, the "Carnival Chef" legend would lose all life. It might evolve into another tale, or Lisa might live as human forever. Facing that future, Lisa felt little emotion. She didn't care how she was defined—what she wanted to do mattered more.
"Oh."
Thud.
The suitcase bumped slightly, and a man's voice echoed softly inside the intercity bus. She'd been careful moving it. The man in the front seat had his knee jutting into the aisle. Lisa noticed it felt intentional.
"Sorry."
"No problem. Why carry it on board instead of the cargo hold?"
The seated man asked curiously. His eyes were sharp. Lisa clocked it immediately. Ah, he's a cop. Plainclothes, like detectives from dramas.
"It has fragile, delicate items. Better I keep it with me."
Smiling, Lisa passed him and headed to the backmost inside seat. She felt eyes on her back. The cop was watching suspiciously.
Is this the anomaly?
A cop among passengers. Too coincidental to be chance. As Mayuri explained, probably the anomaly putting her face-to-face with police.
"Mayuri-nim, I recently learned the term 'midnight flight.' Do we look like we're eloping to others?"
Maybe that's why the cop was eyeing them. But Mayuri looked horrified.
"Why bring that up out of nowhere...?"
"Feels like we're doing a midnight flight."
Mayuri muttered, "Lisa needs more Korean studies..."
The cop's gaze lingered. It didn't matter. Mayuri hadn't noticed yet.
Soon, the bus departed. In the last row, Lisa shoved the suitcase by the window and sat beside it. Mayuri took the aisle seat. Moments later, Lisa felt weight on her chest. Mayuri was asleep.
"......"
Tired, huh. Silently, Lisa wrapped an arm around Mayuri's shoulder, letting her lean more comfortably. The weight increased, but Mayuri slept easier.
Time passed like that. Cop glancing occasionally. Corpse in the suitcase. Compared to the warmth and weight against her, it all felt trivial.
She'd recently learned she liked travel. Joy from new sights, sounds, experiences. But alone? Probably not fun.
"Excuse me."
A voice snapped Lisa back. She glanced down. Mayuri still slept. Confirming that, Lisa looked up. A man was talking to her.
"Do you ride this bus often? First time for me, kinda confused."
Snake-like eyes, predatory. Lisa tensed. Anomaly-related? The body might get exposed.
Glancing at the suitcase, Lisa replied, "What is it?"
"Well, truth is... You're my type. Mind chatting a bit?"
Oh, not the anomaly. Lisa tsked inwardly. Answer was obvious—why ask?
"Sorry, but I have someone I've promised my future to."
Lisa whispered low so Mayuri wouldn't wake. "Besides, you're not my type. Sorry."