Chapter 8
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 8Object Head (7)
March 5th, before evening.
Although less than yesterday, YouTubers came looking again starting from the morning. Thanks to noticing and hiding even this time, there was no need to drive them out or worry about being caught.
As expected, I can't live like this every moment. If the monk doesn't like the temple, he should leave. I'm done with just making verbal resolutions.
I am leaving right now.
'I've packed everything.'
Honestly, there isn't much I packed as luggage either. The suitcase left behind by the man who tried to commit suicide and ran away, and a few necessities. A hand mirror so I don't fall into the illusion that I am human while looking at my reflection. The megaphone I have as a substitute for conversation just in case. This is all of it.
'I truly don't have a single item I can consider my own.'
Without even clothes or underwear. From the moment I realized my existence completely naked until now. In the meantime, I didn't have the time or leisure to obtain something purely mine.
'Come to think of it, has it been a week since I woke up?'
I expressed it as 'waking up', but in reality, the expression 'born' is accurate from my perspective. It's only been a week since I was born.
For that one week, I lived in this place saving people, hiding, and threatening. Looking back like this, I sure did a lot of things that are hard to experience. It's right that it's my turn to leave now.
'I grew quite attached. Goodbye now.'
Dragging the suitcase, I came out of the abandoned house. I, who was about to descend the mountain, could only take one step before having to stop again. Again, again, again, someone is coming.
'They're coming until I'm sick of it.'
To my surprise, a bus is coming this time. The people boarded inside it are also roughly a little over ten.
'A filming crew? Did terrestrial broadcasting bite on this incident too?'
It's a bit unexpected for terrestrial broadcasting to make a move. To think they would move as a team when the story of the incident hasn't even spread for that long. Should I hide again. Or should I run away behind the mountain so we don't cross paths.
People get off the bus.
"Let's get off quickly, quickly. If we finish the job fast, I'll make a big decision and treat us to a company dinner." "Ooh, really, Chief?" "Our Chief is so generous! Everyone applaud!"
The posture of the personnel pouring out is suspicious. Not a single person is holding filming equipment.
What they have are weapons. Tasers, batons, flashlights. And a dog? The number is about 12 personnel.
"Now, now, everyone focus. From now on, the personnel will be split in half into two teams."
A man who looked somewhat older. He stood in front of the lined-up personnel and skillfully distributed roles. The half-bald man had quite a reliable aspect contrary to his appearance.
"Everyone check your radios and suppression gear immediately. Seo Young-jun! Hey, you useless punk! You're not focusing and messing around again?" "I-I'm sorry!" "You're kicked out to Lieutenant Choi's team, you fucker. Change seats."
The personnel giggled, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
"Seeing the sun slowly setting, it's going to get dark soon. You'll have to write another incident report if you trip or get hurt while searching, so be careful." "Understood!" "Alright, role assignment is to take your positions as instructed before we left. Lieutenant Choi's team board the bus again and come up from the path on the opposite side." "Um, Chief?"
The second oldest-looking man, who seemed to be Lieutenant Choi, raised his hand and asked. The man, whose entire demeanor looked oddly clumsy, sneakily pointed his finger at the ground.
"Isn't that dog your dog, Chief?"
A Jindo dog lying flat on the ground and acting cute. The Chief lifted his chin and asked back.
"Why? Do you not like our Bbobbi? Lieutenant Choi." "No. It's not a police dog, and you brought your own dog for search purposes…… I was just wondering if that was okay." "My man. Our Bbobbi is a genius dog whose nose is so amazing she can smell soybean paste stew five houses down." "Ah… I-I see. Also, with all due respect, how about splitting into three teams? Splitting into my team, your team, and Sergeant Jeong Ho-yeon's team."
At that, the Chief suddenly shouted.
"Ahem! If I say split into two teams, it's two teams! Sergeant Jeong Ho-yeon goes with me. That's what I decided, so don't raise objections!" "Eek… Understood." "Now, move out. Lieutenant Choi, hurry up and take the kids to the entrance on the opposite side." "Understood. Salute!"
Half of the personnel got on the bus and set out onto the road again. The remaining 6 personnel, including the dog, are coming up the mountain path where I am.
'That man.'
Among the 6 personnel, a man who looks exceptionally dispirited and exhausted. It's the police officer who frequently came here on patrol. Seeing that he gathered personnel and came, he must have made up his mind to catch me.
'But the real problem is that person called the Chief.'
Chief. A plump man who is half-bald. Overall, his middle-aged image is strong, but seeing his distinct features, he seems to be a quite young figure compared to his appearance. However, that's not the part I'm focusing on.
'His spirit is strong.'
His spirit is incredibly strong. The beneficial energy he emits casually splits apart the dark energy thickly laid on the mountain. Thanks to that, even the evil spirits don't dare think of approaching carelessly. If it's at that level, there's a high possibility he won't be scared even if he encounters me.
'I shouldn't step forward this time.'
I have to run away quickly before the back path is blocked. It was the moment I turned towards the back path.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
The sound of a dog barking is heard. The Jindo dog was running up fiercely.
"Ho-yeon-ah."
Chief Go Jin-tae taking the lead, and Sergeant Jeong Ho-yeon following behind. Jeong Ho-yeon raised his terrified eyes and looked at Go Jin-tae's back.
"You're not alone, so don't worry."
Go Jin-tae's comfort, repeatedly offering warm words. Perhaps feeling his sincerity, the dispirited Jeong Ho-yeon slowly began to regain his energy.
"Yes, understood. Chief." "Yeah. You have to answer energetically like that! That's exactly the blockhead Jeong Ho-yeon I know." "…Thank you. Chief." "Thank you my foot. Let's finish the search quickly and go eat roasted meat. It's been a while since we hiked a mountain."
Even though the shower rained so much yesterday, there is no feeling of dampness. Go Jin-tae, who placed his hand on a tree while going up, looked at his palm at the dry feeling.
"Why is everything so dried up?" "Yes? What did you say, Chief?" "This mountain is truly strange. I don't think it originally had this kind of atmosphere either."
It was definitely just an eerie mountain when he came in the past. Although it was a place people occasionally came to die, even so, a mountain is a mountain in the end. It was a place where people once lived too, but in the few years he hadn't seen it, a bizarre air was circulating.
"Is there really something here?"
It was when he was muttering.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
Bbobbi barks fiercely. Having grasped something humans cannot detect all by herself, Bbobbi began running up with fearsome momentum.
"Chief! Bbobbi is going up!" "That's right! As expected of our Bbobbi. Let's follow her!"
The personnel, having gained momentum, waddled and chased up after Bbobbi. In the meantime, the sun that had been lingering on the horizon completely set. Darkness arrives along with a chill. Go Jin-tae spoke into the radio.
"Ah, ah, this is the Chief. It's gotten dark now, so everyone must turn on their flashlights and be careful not to get hurt." "Bzzzt- Understood, over."
The personnel who struggled their way up discovered an abandoned house not long after. Because it was a single small building sitting alone in the dark mountain, it was eerie, but Go Jin-tae nonchalantly entered the inside of the abandoned house.
"Chief? Are you not scared?"
Jeong Ho-yeon, who was scared but trusted Go Jin-tae and followed him in. Go Jin-tae, who was looking around the inside with his flashlight, turned his eyes with a serious look.
"Someone lived here." "Pardon? Here?" "Look at the floor."
Jeong Ho-yeon, who shined his flashlight on the floor, didn't notice anything strange. It's just a yellow linoleum floor. That's it.
"There's no dust." "Why does it matter that there's no dust?" "It's been decades since this house was vacated. No matter if someone comes in occasionally, it can't be cleaned this neatly. Someone cleaned it up while living here."
Jeong Ho-yeon, getting goosebumps for a moment, stroked his goosebump-covered arms and wiped his cold sweat.
"Who would live here?" "Probably a homeless person." "A homeless person?" "It's just a guess. If not a homeless person, who would live here?"
However, Jeong Ho-yeon's first thought was the guess that it wasn't a homeless person. No matter how he thought about it, what he saw that day was not a homeless person. It was another living creature, not a human.
"Chief, but…." "I know. You don't think it's a homeless person, right?"
Go Jin-tae, who came outside, made a Tsk tsk sound and went up further towards where Bbobbi had run.
"I called it a homeless person too, but I don't think a homeless person is the real culprit." "May I know the reason?" "Neither you nor the YouTubers have seen a homeless person."
A transmission came from the radio saying Lieutenant Choi's team, who arrived at the path on the opposite side, is beginning their search. Along with that, they also received a report that no other suspicious person had been discovered yet.
"The back path is blocked too, so keep going, you punks. How far up did this little shit Bbobbi go?"
How far had they gone up? A Corporal from the search team following behind urgently shouted.
"Chief! There is something here!" "What is it! What is it!"
Go Jin-tae, who was going up, turned back and came down. A suitcase hidden behind a tree. Seeing that it is clean without a single dirty spot, it is not an item that has been neglected for long.
"Man, it's just a suitcase." "E-even a suitcase is something, isn't it?" "Whose is it? Even if you leave things behind, who leaves a suitcase behind. Hey, open it."
The two youngest open the suitcase and check the inside. Even so, there are only ordinary clothes and simple necessities. There is absolutely nothing particularly suspicious.
"Isn't it something one of the YouTubers left behind?" "There isn't even filming equipment, and they only need one camera, so there's no need to bring a suitcase. This must be……."
Go Jin-tae and Jeong Ho-yeon quietly made eye contact. Jeong Ho-yeon also nodded as if agreeing that seemed right.
"It must be the item of the bastard making us work overtime instead of letting us go home. It's a good thing we let Bbobbi loose." "He was probably chased by Bbobbi while trying to escape." "Now, now, he seems to still be around here. Let's push a little harder!"
It was the moment they cheered up and were about to search again.
"Heo-eok!"
Jeong Ho-yeon let out a choking Kkeok-kkeok sound as if his breath was blocked and fell flat on his back.
"Ho-yeon-ah?" "Sergeant Jeong Ho-yeon!"
The surrounding people urgently supported him and checked on him, but fortunately, he was just startled. Jeong Ho-yeon, whose complexion had turned pale blue again, took an item out of the suitcase.
A megaphone. It is the megaphone Constable Kim Sung-woo lost yesterday.
"This is that megaphone Sung-woo left behind yesterday, right?" "Yes, Chief. I'm certain." "This bastard is carelessly trying to take police property? Arrest him for property damage. Geez, you punk. You should be scared of something scary. Why are you surprised at seeing a megaphone?" "B-but. Sung-woo is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric ward because of this megaphone."
That thing which reportedly produced a voice even without using the receiver. As the juniors also slyly read the room, seemingly scared, Go Jin-tae snatched the megaphone and boldly turned on the power.
"Ch-Chief!" "Stay still. I will prove to you that it's a delusion."
Bzzzzz-
Only static rings out. As expected, a voice doesn't come out. Go Jin-tae boldly put his mouth to the megaphone's microphone and shouted at the mountain.
"Ah, ah, to the nameless punk who's probably on the mountain. Yeah, you who's listening! Crawl your ass out here while I'm speaking nicely."
At his confident remark, the juniors giggle and laugh. Intoxicated by that atmosphere, Go Jin-tae continued speaking.
"We have the mountain surrounded right now, you see? You can't escape. If you come out obediently, we'll let it slide with just a lecture. We want to get off work early too." "Would he come out just because you said that? Pfft." "He can come out. If he has a brain." "Hurry up and come out, you punk..."
Bzzzzzz-
A static noise popping out so loudly it hurts the ears. The police officers, who had their guard down, freak out and cover their ears. However, Go Jin-tae was only glaring at the megaphone with a serious face.
Bzzzzzz-
Go Jin-tae's head turns slightly. His gaze landed on the radio hanging on his shoulder. Only then did Jeong Ho-yeon realize that the exact same static was being heard from the radio as well.
Bzzzzzzzz-
He thought a voice would come out, but only the static repeated, and there was nothing. Rather, the static cut off and it became quiet.
Silence. A gentle terror softly presses down on the shoulders of everyone present here. An unidentified fear slowly creeping up their feet and striking their spines. The juniors, who had been giggling and laughing until just a moment ago, were also slowly getting a complexion similar to Jeong Ho-yeon's.
"Ch-Chief?"
Jeong Ho-yeon mustered up the courage and broke the silence. Go Jin-tae, who hadn't moved an inch from his posture earlier, turned his fierce eyes to Jeong Ho-yeon and belatedly came to his senses.
"Yeah, what." "J-just now, the radio and the megaphone simultaneously……." "It's an illusion." "Yes?" "I said it's an illusion. We were just mistaken because it was loud."
They just believe it like that. What we just heard was an illusion. It was simply a bizarre coincidence that the exact same static occurred. There is no other reason. That's just how it is.
"D-do we continue the search?"
Perhaps wanting to go down, one of the juniors asked that. Go Jin-tae looked around at the police officers and stubbornly turned back up the mountain.
"We have to." "Mmm……." "Just trust me and follow me, you cowards. I'll solve everything for you."
Even in this situation, Go Jin-tae's bold words became a source of reliance for the police officers here. Even though it might look like a bluff and stubbornness, even such a thing is the most necessary emotion at this moment.
"Whimper. Whimper! Whimper!"
Bbobbi's voice heard from up the mountain. The startled Go Jin-tae flailed his thick arms and ran up.
"Bbobbi! Bbobbi! Daddy is right here!"
Bbobbi pops out from the darkness. Bbobbi, who approached whimpering, swiftly jumped up to Go Jin-tae and clung to his shoulder.
"Whimper…. Whimper. Whimper." "What's wrong with you, you little punk? Why are you suddenly scared?"
This is Bbobbi, who wasn't intimidated even in front of fierce dogs, and whose spirit was strong even when wild dogs swarmed. Although she had a lot of aegyo, she was a girl who showed off her majestic figure to protect her owner, yet in the brief moment he didn't see her, her fur and tail were drooping completely and she was terrified.
"Is she hurt? Ho-yeon-ah. Shine the light a bit."
With Jeong Ho-yeon's help, he checked Bbobbi, but fortunately, she wasn't hurt. Being terrified is all there is to it.
"What did she see to be acting like this? It's not like she's human, so I can't even get a report from her. This is driving me crazy."
He pats and soothes her like comforting a child, but Bbobbi showed no signs of calming down easily. She just keeps desperately trying to burrow into Go Jin-tae's embrace. As if she is desperate because she really wants to run away.
Did he realize that these strange flows were not happening because of coincidence after coincidence overlapping? Even Go Jin-tae, with a serious face, faced a situation he shouldn't think of lightly.
"…This is strange." "Chief." "I have a feeling, Ho-yeon-ah. Something is wrong right now."
His police intuition is signaling danger right now. That we have stepped into an extremely dangerous situation.
"Chief." "Let's wait a bit and then go." "Chief…!" "Why do you keep calling me?"
Annoyance flaring up in an instant, Go Jin-tae looked back irritably. Jeong Ho-yeon, who had turned deathly pale, pointed without taking his eyes off the mountain path.
"Chief……."
Only then did Go Jin-tae see it too. A single blue flame running down the mountain. An entity weaving through the dark mountain like a will-o'-the-wisp. The physique of a man wearing a suit illuminated under the firelight. That thing, feeling bizarre due to its long arms and legs, is not human.
Swoosh.
Above all, a speed outside human perception befitting its bizarreness. That thing, which came down in a single breath, stopped abruptly at a spot seven steps away from Go Jin-tae's search team.
"Heo-eok……."
A silence where even Go Jin-tae couldn't dare to let out a breath. The only thing that can be heard is the sound of one junior breathing heavily.
What is it? Is this human? Is it a ghost? Or is it an unidentified living creature that hasn't been observed anywhere?
An entity with a human body but no head. A blue flame replacing the head.
A fake? Makeup? It's neither of those.
In a situation where no one could make the judgment that they had to move, the only person whose hands moved was Go Jin-tae. The moment his hand touched the taser hanging on his waist. He drew it and aimed in one breath.
"Stop…."
Will words get through? Since it has no head in the first place, can it even hear a voice? No, wait, since it has no head, he should first think about whether it can even see him in the first place. If you think about it that way, shouldn't the judgment that it's strange for it to be alive come first.
Due to his disorganized mind, a normal judgment cannot be made. Only his unconsciousness and the police actions his muscles remembered substituted for his judgment.
"Halt! Stop!"
It was already stopped, so it was meaningless.
"Put your hands up!"
It doesn't put its hands up.
"You're… You're……! Y-you're……!"
Words don't even come out properly. There is no appropriate response method for the current situation in any manual. Even in his long police career, countermeasures for such unexpected situations did not exist.
"What is your true identity!"
This was the only remark he could make to the unknown entity.
And the silence that followed. Since it has no head in the first place, it can't speak either.
Just around the time Go Jin-tae was getting sick of himself constantly making foolish judgments. A sound came out of the radio.
Bzzzzzz-
The same static noise as earlier. Go Jin-tae felt an urge to reflexively brush this off his shoulder.
"Zzzz- An entity───."
He can't breathe. The sound of breathing can't be heard either. The dog can't make a sound either, and the bugs quietly fall silent. A dark forest where all the noise in the world has been turned off. Only the loud static of the radio answers.
"Zzzz- You do not── understand──."
The muzzle of the taser shakes. Along with the muzzle, his pupils shake too. The extreme terror he had never felt in his life makes even Inspector Go Jin-tae, whose very humanity is strong, pathetic like a child. His scattered mind drew out anger, fear, and clouded judgment from Go Jin-tae.
Humans become helpless in the face of fear. A helpless human comes to reveal two reactions to fear.
Flight caused by fear. That is running away and the phenomenon of the body freezing up.
And another action. That is an attack.
"You son of a bitchhhh-!"
The pulled trigger. Two prongs fired from the muzzle. The prongs flowing with high-voltage current lodged into the Object Head's chest.
Bzzzzzzzzzz-
A static noise representing pain bursts out loudly from the radio. Did it work? The body that had naturally shrunk back flinches.
But there was no movement beyond that.
Fwoooosh-
The blue flame erupts uncontrollably. His memory was up to there.