Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 012
Chapter Title: The Room You Can Only Exit By Doing ○○
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I cleared my throat awkwardly and decided to first search for another way out.
"For now, let's look for any other methods. It might be a trap, just in case."
All personal belongings like my phone had vanished. It seemed everything got stripped away during the transfer to this space.
"Step back a bit."
I pushed Seo Ji-yoon aside and grabbed the doorknob. Pulling with all my might, the heavy iron door just creaked feebly without budging an inch.
Even with my strength that once crumpled a steel door like paper, it wouldn't open. This place clearly operated under rules entirely divorced from the laws of physics in the real world.
I tapped the wall with the back of my hand instead of the door.
Tap, tap.
A dull, solid thud echoed back. From the sound and feel, all sides were sealed with reinforced concrete at least 20cm thick. Even for me, smashing through walls that dense without a sledgehammer was out of the question.
An hour passed like that. The clock now read [01:07:12].
Inside the room, we'd tried everything except kissing.
Was that childish command really the only way out? A sigh escaped me. Frustrated, I slumped into the chair.
"Looks like you don't have any gut instincts for this. I haven't got a clue how to escape."
Seo Ji-yoon, perched on the bed, let out a small chuckle at my grumbling.
"How'd you end up joining the Bureau, Woojin? With that build, you look like special forces material..."
I shook my head.
"Not special forces. I majored in Korean Literature."
"What? Korean Lit?"
Her eyes widened. Fair enough—my appearance didn't match the stereotype. Broad shoulders, over 190cm tall. Who'd believe a guy my size pontificating on poetry or novels?
"Ever heard it called the 'starvation major'? Professors wax poetic about souls, while seniors clutch NCS prep books. No future in sight, so I prepped for the civil service exam. Then I ran into an anomaly by chance. A ghoul—sucks human blood."
I recalled smashing that monster's head into pulp with a fire extinguisher at the convenience store. The first time I'd faced an opponent where I didn't need to hold back. No worry about breaking it or killing it—just pure, liberating release.
"After beating it down, it hit me. This monstrous strength had a use. That's why I joined. At least here, I don't need to pull punches. What about you, Ji-yoon? You don't strike me as ordinary."
My words darkened her expression. She stared silently at her fists on her knees. Hard calluses covered her knuckles.
"Me... I went to a sports university. Kendo major."
Her voice sank low.
"I had a junior I was close to. Talented, and above all, a good kid. Then one day, she vanished. Police ruled it a runaway... but later I found out. She'd been taken by an anomaly."
Faint sorrow clouded her eyes.
"I didn't know a thing. Couldn't do anything. Someone died, and I was clueless... I just never wanted it to happen again. Wanted to become someone who could actually do something. That's why I joined."
I listened quietly, then murmured softly.
"Not revenge... more like a sense of debt, huh. Well, unlike you, I don't have some grand mission. Pay's better here than elsewhere, job security, good benefits. Might as well get paid well when you're risking your life anyway."
The air in the room grew heavy for a moment. People who'd walked into this monster den with their own baggage. Everyone had some twist in their life story.
"You're... pretty calm about it, Woojin."
Misreading my silence, she spoke cautiously.
"Most people panic or get angry when suddenly thrown into an anomaly."
"No point raging—it changes nothing. Some psycho set this up, and we're stuck figuring a way out. Wasting emotions is a luxury."
To lighten the awkward mood, I tossed out a lame joke.
"Anyway, kendo and Korean Lit—if we hadn't made it into the Bureau, scraping by would've been tough for both of us."
She let out a small laugh at my half-joking remark.
The brief chat eased the tension a bit, but nothing was resolved. The writing on the wall, the ticking clock.
As a deep sigh welled up, Seo Ji-yoon spoke.
"......Let's just do it."
"Pardon?"
"The kiss."
I stared blankly, and she averted her gaze, face red as a tomato, mumbling.
"Look, no matter how I think about it, this seems like the only way out. The others might've escaped already. Being the last ones would be embarrassing—and it'd affect our evaluations..."
She wasn't wrong. Nothing to lose by trying, so I replied casually.
"Sure."
Seo Ji-yoon approached hesitantly. Her tense reluctance showed in every step. She lightly pressed her lips to my cheek.
Mm.
A soft touch brushed past.
Of course, the door didn't open.
"......Guess it has to be lip-to-lip."
"Th-that..."
After hesitating, she squeezed her eyes shut. She slowly brought her face closer. A faint shampoo scent wafted over.
Finally, her lips met mine. Softer and warmer than expected. Awkwardly pressed together, hot breaths mingled between.
Her long lashes trembled faintly. I carefully parted her lips, our tongues entwining. A chill ran down my spine at the sensation.
...Snap out of it.
Forget for a second that we're in the heart of an anomaly.
Less than five seconds after our tongues met,
Clunk.
The lock disengaged with a sound, faint light leaking from the door.
Seo Ji-yoon jolted back in surprise. I said calmly,
"Let's go."
I opened the door.
But it wasn't the outside. Another identical room.
The difference? This time, the wall read:
Unpleasant as it was, a sense of wrongness hit me the moment I saw the text.
First, Ahn Sang-sik might be a psycho, but he's still a government employee. No way he'd cross the line forcing strangers to have sex. He wasn't that stupid to take the risk.
Second, this space defies real-world physics. Doors and walls I couldn't break proved it.
Third, everything was unfolding too conveniently in my favor. Locked alone with an attractive woman like Seo Ji-yoon, conditions escalating blatantly. Too contrived.
Suddenly, Ahn Sang-sik's words about not being bound by common sense echoed.
Without hesitation, I gripped my left index finger with my right hand and snapped it backward.
"W-Woojin! What are you doing?!"
Seo Ji-yoon cried out in shock.
Crack. A gruesome bone-snapping sound, but no pain. The finger returned to normal against my hand.
Reality check complete.
Just as I thought.
I grinned and addressed the door.
"Hey, bite me."
"Pardon? Wh-what..."
Seo Ji-yoon didn't finish.
Thud!
My fist smashed deep into the door's center.
-Uwaaaagh!
Suddenly, a mouth formed on the door, spewing pink vomit like a fountain.
Simultaneously, the surroundings shattered like glass.
I opened my eyes.
The lecture hall from before I lost consciousness.
On the podium, a woman with pink skin, two small horns, and a heart-shaped tail clutched her stomach, screeching.
"Aaaagh! How, howwww! My dream...!"
She frothed at the mouth and collapsed. Bureau staff waiting nearby loaded her onto a stretcher.
The other trainees, now awake, looked around in confusion. My watch showed just 10 minutes had passed.
Ahn Sang-sik on the podium clapped alone, beaming with satisfaction.
"Figuring out the anomaly was a dream demon and ending it in a mere 10 minutes—this is a Bureau record that won't be broken!"
Trainees scanned for who did it. Ahn Sang-sik laughed.
"Trainee Kim Woojin, please come to the podium."
I stood and walked up. He rummaged in his pocket, handing me a small box.
"What's this?"
"A gift for the first trainee to neutralize the anomaly. Instructions are inside."
I returned to my seat amid envious and jealous stares. Opening the box labeled Soma (SOMA), I found a small auto-injector stick and a simple manual.
A high-concentration painkiller as a 'gift.' One that could kill if misused.
The Bureau's inscrutable vibe was mind-boggling. Still, no way I'd toss a freebie.
I pocketed the injector, hoping I'd never need it.