The 67th Security Guard
Whether it was to prevent anyone from missing the Gallery rules, the number one rule on the guard room regulations posted by the door was emphasized in large print. Tension crept up my back again, but I tried my best to stay calm. Nothing had happened yet. Believing I had a composed expression on my face, I opened my mouth.
"Um… Ha-yeon-ssi?"
"Yes?"
"Is it okay if I check the annex door later?"
I desperately hoped the atmosphere wouldn't suddenly turn icy. If it did, I might just piss myself. And that wasn't a joke at all.
"Go ahead. It wasn't urgent anyway."
Thankfully, no catastrophe occurred. Song Ha-yeon nodded politely and walked down the hallway. Once she was gone, I slowly sank into the chair and let out a deep sigh. I survived. That was my only thought.
Once I'd calmed down a bit, I checked the regulations on the guard room door again.
<Guard Room>
1. While the sun is up, do not leave the guard room under any circumstances.
2. Do not invite entities into the guard room. If uninvited, they cannot enter.
3. Do not provoke entities. This may affect the difficulty of your duties.
It was simple. In short, the guard room was a safe zone? As for "inviting," what kind of lunatic would invite a monster in anyway?
Speaking of monsters, one question arose. Song Ha-yeon. Was she really a monster? Aside from that first knock, I hadn't felt any chill from her at all. She looked completely like an ordinary person. The knock might have just been my overreaction. Was I just freaking out by myself?
The scenery outside the guard room was surprisingly serene and peaceful. But I wasn't brave enough to open the door and check. Since I couldn't leave the guard room while it was bright outside, I just sat in the chair. The monitor in front of me was pitch black, just like the one inside, without even a power button.
I opened the file labeled "Guard Log." On the left was a notice, and on the right, a single duty log fluttered.
I started with the notice.
<Guard Log>
1. Duty hours are from 7 AM to 6 AM. Main task is securing doors.
2. Once the sun sets, stop by the Admin Office to pick up the key bundle.
3. First, quickly close the Main Gate.
3.1. The Main Gate is across the Playground. Cross the Playground straight.
3.2. Do not leave school grounds. The moment you do, you become an outsider.
4. After closing the Main Gate, eat dinner by 8 PM, then secure indoor doors.
5. Lock the Annex Building doors first, then lock any unlocked classroom doors.
6. Once door securing is complete, submit the key bundle and duty log at the Admin Office.
6.1. The duty log is already filled out; no need to write anything.
6.2. Do not add anything to the duty log.
7. For facility details, refer to the Guard Rules Booklet.
The duties were simpler than expected. No, simpler to the point where I wondered if this was even a security guard's job. Close the Main Gate, eat, secure indoor doors, done. It felt more like a janitor than a guard. A janitor who closes doors but doesn't stand watch. Whether that qualified as a janitor was beside the point. Anyway, it wasn't bad. No patrols? Great for me.
I nodded and looked at the duty log on the right. Strangely, some parts were blacked out. The covered spots were today's date and duty time. Come to think of it, there was no clock here. I jumped up and checked the break room, but there was no way to tell time anywhere.
Did that mean I just had to wait blindly until sunset? Outside was still blazing bright. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I examined the duty log more closely. I understood why no writing was needed—it was already completely filled out. In the name field, "Choi Kyung-bi" was neatly written. And in the special notes:
Discovered 1 student who didn't go home on the 3rd floor. Name: Kim■■
What the hell? I hadn't experienced this yet. Was the duty log some kind of prophecy foretelling what I'd encounter? In other words, during door securing, this student would be wandering the 3rd floor. Why was a student sticking around after hours to mess with me? From today, your name is Kim Eat-Chil. Naturally, I didn't want to run into them. No one seeks out horror on purpose.
But this time, I had to dive into the horror myself. Why did this have to happen to me? Boredom brought all sorts of random thoughts. Nothing else notable in the log. I'd seen everything here, and I couldn't go outside the guard room. I went back to the break room and flopped onto the bed. Time to prep by reviewing the Guard Rules Booklet.
★ When unexpected events hit, the time it takes to pull out the rulebook and find the relevant rule is a weakness. I tried to memorize them, but they were too long to stick. English vocab was torture enough; pitying myself for cramming rules here was just sad. Who would pity me anyway?
Suddenly, the monitor in the room flickered on. At the same time, the familiar school bell began to ring. Ni-na-ni-na-ni, gorilla-ya! Beethoven's tune felt especially mournful and creepy today. I closed the rulebook and approached the monitor. There, a familiar internet community UI greeted me. At the top: Gallery. No specifics, just Gallery. Touching the screen with my finger made it scroll. A touchscreen, no less. Pushing aside my awe at the modern tech, I scrolled down to check the posts.
[4]
[2]
[1]
Only three posts. A bit absurd, but I clicked one.
[1st Place]
I never expected ranking games even here. When I backed out, new posts had appeared.
[Man, It's So Noisy]
Lots of lamenting posts, but the vibe was mostly lighthearted. Were these humans like me, trapped victims? Honestly, I was bored and lonely. Craving connection, I made a post.
[What Is This? The Thing I Think It Is?]
Suddenly, my post flooded with "RIP" comments. Bewildering. I felt dropped into a collective madness. I quickly posted again.
[What the Hell, You Psychos]
Unbelievably, no comments on this one. Backing out, no new posts either. It felt like they were all silently staring at me. No eyes, but still. Humans thrash to escape abnormality. I spammed nonsense for escapism, and a comment appeared.
One normal comment calmed my excitement a bit. Maybe that's what humans need—tiny bits of attention.
They paused on my question—no immediate reply. Then someone else clarified.
The shocking truth hit. I repeated the question.
66 people. No small number. All dead here? I stared blankly at the screen. As I raised my trembling hand to touch it, I realized it was shaking. Death felt unreal, but fear was all too real. Was this what a blank mind felt like? My thoughts lost direction.
Then another comment.
My hand reflexively replied.
Ah. Like a bucket of cold water over my head. Survival instinct overrode the shock. I snapped to attention and stood. About to dash out, I hesitated and returned to the monitor.
I stopped typing more. Couldn't waste time. As I pulled away and stood, another comment popped.
The small cheer comforted me a little. As they said, I wasn't going to die. Mustering courage, I opened the door and stepped out. By then, the outside had been swallowed by darkness.