The Best-Laid Plans
We ended up calling roadside assistance.
And so, in the dead of night, we had no choice but to hitch a ride back to our hideout in the cab of a tow truck.
Dangling behind the tow truck as we were dragged along, we looked utterly pathetic.
The first ambitious plan of the "World-Saving Team" had ended in such a hollow, anticlimactic failure.
Back at the hideout, we collapsed onto the sofa in heavy silence.
The scenario notes taped to the wall felt like they were mocking our defeat.
“...In the end, we have no choice but to face it head-on,” Seyeon said, her voice carrying a trace of disappointment, tinged with a slight edge of fear.
I nodded calmly.
“What we have to do is simple. We just have to fight at the designated time, on the designated stage.”
It would be the same going forward.
Our only way.
To have every preparation complete so we could respond with maximum efficiency the exact moment the disaster struck.
I stood up, peeled the old scenario notes off the wall, and replaced them with a summarized action plan.
I needed to shift the mood.
We had cleared the last quest without any real trouble.
As long as we kept our wits about us this time, we would be fine.
“Alright. Let’s start the real briefing. We’re going to pull through this time, too.”
The look in everyone's eyes shifted.
The helplessness of our failure vanished instantly.
I booted up my laptop and pulled the scenario up on the screen.
“Let’s go over the brief one more time. We have to know our enemy inside out to win.”
I once again explained the three stages of the curse in detail.
The Temptation that lures visitors in,
The Synchronization that worms into their minds,
And the Transcription that erases their very existence.
And our two solutions:
The Flash Barrage to buy us time, and the Transmission of Truth to end the curse.
It was a far more concrete and daring plan than before.
As soon as the briefing ended, Seyeon was the first to speak.
“For a definitive resolution, we absolutely need the confession of the former hospital director, Oh Jung-soo.”
She turned her laptop screen toward us.
On the screen was a photo of an elderly man with a full head of white hair.
“He’s eighty-seven this year. Records show he’s currently admitted to a nursing hospital in Gangwon Province. Although he was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s, the data suggests there’s a high probability he’s faking it to hide behind a dementia diagnosis. Tomorrow morning, I’ll disguise myself as a caregiver or a social work trainee to get close to him. I’ll coax a confession out of him and make sure to record it.”
There was no hesitation in her voice.
Going undercover.
It sounded like something straight out of a spy movie, but if it was Seyeon, she might actually pull it off.
Next was Deokhu.
He was already sketching a complex schematic on his laptop.
“According to your scenario, Hyung, the 'Flash Barrage' is the key to controlling the site. But won't just popping off a few cameras be insufficient? If we had more time, I’d look into modifying several drones to remotely trigger powerful industrial strobes simultaneously, but...”
“No, let’s stick to triggering as many cameras as possible for now.”
We weren't some elite tactical unit from a Hollywood movie.
All we had was a bit of knowledge, a tight budget, and sheer desperation.
I pondered for a moment before making a decision.
“If we can't go for quality, we overwhelm them with quantity. I know some guys from the lighting crew I worked with during my photography part-time jobs. I’ll contact them and scrape together whatever usable secondhand strobes or camera flashes they have. Then, you just need to build a detonator that can trigger them all remotely at the same time. Can you do it?”
Deokhu's eyes sparkled.
“Yes, Hyung! That’s totally doable! I can wire the power of each flash to a single wireless controller so they all detonate at once with the press of a button. I’ll also prepare high-output speakers to broadcast throughout the entire hospital, along with a small radio transmitter that runs on emergency power. I can scrape those together using my own gear.”
Okay. This was realistically the best we could do.
Finally, I looked at Minhye.
“Minhye, you and I are the infiltration team.”
“Yes, Sunbae.”
“We’ll slip inside the hospital just before midnight on Monday. Once the curse begins, our job is to set up the equipment Deokhu prepared and control the situation so no unsuspecting victims wander in.”
Minhye nodded silently.
The operational plan was set.
It was surprisingly systematic and professional.
The next morning, we scattered to carry out our respective tasks.
Seyeon packed her expertly forged documents and trainee uniform before heading out to Gangwon Province, informing me she was posing as a one-day volunteer. Meanwhile, Deokhu reported that he had rushed over to the Yongsan Electronics Market to sweep up all the necessary parts.
The brief window of time flew by in a blur.
Left alone in the hideout, I mapped out our tactical plan, combining the blueprints of Namyeong Psychiatric Hospital taped to the wall with the real-time updates Seyeon sent over.
The countdown numbers on my smartphone were ticking down relentlessly.
Seyeon's first report came in.
Deokhu sent over a test video.
The flash in the video was so intense that it was blinding even in broad daylight.
I typed out the final sentence of our completed operational plan.
Every variable had been calculated, and every possibility accounted for.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the curtain to rise.
I took a deep, steadying breath, mentally preparing myself.
Ten minutes before midnight on Monday.
Outside Namyeong Psychiatric Hospital, a bleak wind swept through the darkness.
For the past two days, we had moved like madmen in our respective roles.
And finally, the hour of battle had arrived.
Seyeon held out a small digital recorder.
“Do you want to hear Director Oh Jung-soo's voice?”
“No, what’s the point...”
I let out a dry chuckle, prompting her to speak in a quiet but cheerful tone.
“It wasn't as hard as I thought. I approached him under the guise of a social work volunteer, and the old man was practically dying to brag about what a great doctor he used to be. Faking dementia, my foot. The moment I flattered him a little, he started rambling about his past research papers and hospital management philosophy. I just cleverly edited the specific sentences we need for the scenario out of all that rambling.”
She pressed the play button, and an old man's voice rasped from the recorder.
“Whether he actually believed that or not, only he knows...”
“Exactly. There's no need for us to dig into his psyche. We just need to focus on stopping this absurd, bizarre curse.”
A voice dripping with the arrogance of a man who had buried the truth.
There was no key more perfect than this to unlock Room 404.
Next was Deokhu.
He set two large duffel bags down on the ground.
“Gear is ready, Hyung.”
He unzipped the bags, revealing a chaotic tangle of wires and equipment.
“This is the 'Flash Barrage' system you asked for. I pounded the pavement in Chungmuro and Yongsan to scrape together twenty secondhand strobes and camera flashes. I’ve wired them all so they can be triggered simultaneously with this single wireless controller.”
He showed me a palm-sized detonator.
“And these are the high-output speakers for broadcasting and the radio transmitter... Well, I think we'll be able to secure maximum volume.”
Finally, Minhye and I.
We were already fully prepared for infiltration. We didn't have any expensive tactical gear. Just dark clothing, silent sneakers, and athletic tape wrapped tightly around our wrists and ankles.
A collapsible baton hung at Minhye's waist, and my backpack held the wireless gear Deokhu had prepared.
It was the absolute best preparation a bunch of broke college students could manage.
I looked around at my team and spoke one last time.
“The curtain is about to rise. Once it starts, there's no telling what will happen. Keep your wits about you. This is our first official mission, and we're going to finish it together.”
Everyone nodded silently.
Minhye and I approached the hospital's dilapidated wire fence.
I pulled a pair of wire cutters from my backpack and snipped through the rusted wire.
A gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through. Through that small opening, we finally stepped onto the cursed hospital grounds.
“Deokhu, Seyeon. Keep the perimeter secure from here on out.”
—Understood, Hyung. We'll standby here, guiding you and keeping the comms open.
Deokhu's voice crackled through my earpiece.
Deokhu and Seyeon would support us from a safe location outside using their laptops, acting as our eyes and ears.
Minhye and I kept low, moving toward a shattered window of the main hospital building. On my smartphone screen, the countdown was ticking away as always.
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs.
Deokhu's tense voice came through the earpiece.
—Hyung, one minute left. The first task begins now.
I locked eyes with Minhye.
Avoiding the jagged shards of the broken window, I stepped inside.
The pungent stench of ancient dust, chemical disinfectants, and damp mold assaulted my nose.
The moment my feet touched the cold floor of the abandoned hospital's first level, the countdown hit exactly zero.
The scenario has begun.
Simultaneously, as the text on my smartphone screen shifted, from the far end of the hallway up on the fourth floor—
Clack.
The sharp sound of an old typewriter echoed through the dark.