Elevator (2)
The elevator plummeted. No safety mechanisms kicked in at all. Gravity yanked us down in an instant, and then—boom! The crashed elevator shook violently. A brief silence followed.
"Mr. Kim! Are you okay?!"
"I'm... okay for now..."
Yeon Dae-ri's frantic voice came from beside me. In reality, I was completely fine, but I couldn't exactly show that, so I faked a strained tone. She fussed over me, asking if my back hurt or if I'd sprained anything.
[Ding! The doors are opening.]
Just as I was calming her down, the elevator doors suddenly slid open. But what lay beyond wasn't the familiar office.
"What the...?"
We were still in some kind of office, sure. But the layout was bizarre. Endless corridors stretched out, lined with countless doors. Strange noises echoed from farther in. The lights kept everything bright, but they revealed nothing useful.
"...."
"Uh, should we close the doors first?"
I turned to Yeon Dae-ri, her face grim, and hit the close button. Who knew—maybe shutting them would take us back to the normal office.
[Ding! The doors are closing.]
The chime sounded, doors shut, and I pressed the first-floor button. When they opened again—voilà!
"Still the same."
"...."
Just the infinite corridor again. I sighed and stepped out. Yeon Dae-ri stuck close by my side. We stared down the hall, lost in thought.
"Am I dreaming or something?"
"No. This is definitely real."
I know that, dummy. I was just playing the innocent civilian. She countered my act with a calm tone, then took the lead.
"I'll go first. Don't fall behind, okay?"
"In a situation like this, as the guy, I should—"
"Just listen."
She strode ahead without a hint of hesitation, not even bothering to hide her secrets. I followed as instructed, and she methodically tackled the anomaly.
"This one's empty. And this... don't go in."
The corridor seemed endless, doors spaced evenly along the walls. She checked each one, peeking inside.
"This is a bathroom."
"This is a kitchen."
"Solo scouting is dangerous!"
"It's efficient. If something happens, you can run that way."
"Ugh..."
The rooms varied wildly—some tiny like closets, others vast like auditoriums. But they all shared one thing: they were empty. Occasionally, there'd be an item symbolizing the space.
"Snacks here."
"Don't eat them. Put it down."
"Got it."
I had no choice but to leave them despite her protests. No anomalies from the items, but no need to risk it.
This Ma-an is useless trash.
Worse, my Ma-an hadn't detected this anomalous elevator. Sure, it transformed right when we boarded, making it hard to spot—but I was still annoyed.
"Hold up."
"What's wrong?"
"Look at that one."
She stopped me suddenly, pointing at a door. Peering over her shoulder, I saw it was ajar.
"It's open."
"Yeah. Feels dangerous."
Every other door had been shut tight—this was a clear anomaly. And sure enough, right after we noticed, something stepped out from inside.
"Heh heh heh."
"...."
A suited mannequin, alive, shambling toward us. Sharp nails meant it planned to shred us.
Time for me to step in.
If no hostiles had shown, I'd have kept my power hidden. But now? No choice. She seemed like an industry pro anyway—good excuse, and she'd understand.
"I'll handle it...?"
I started forming hand seals for a spell, but she bolted at the mannequin first. And damn, she was fast!
Slash!
The mannequin swung its arm at her—fast and sharp enough to rip a normal person apart. But she vaulted into the air like a gymnast, dodging effortlessly. She spun a full rotation midair, then slammed a heel drop from the ceiling, shattering the thing to pieces.
"Evil spirit, begone."
She muttered, pulling a paper talisman from her pocket and dropping it on the debris. It ignited, incinerating the remains to ash in seconds.
She turned to me. "What're you doing? Let's keep going."
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
I knew she was in the biz, but this professional? No idea. And rumor had it she was usually bubbly and cute. Reverse charm, huh? Her charisma left me no room to argue—I just followed, focusing on the exploration.
"Heaven and earth spirits, grant me the power to exorcise evil."
Occasional doors revealed more mannequins greeting us. She didn't run—faced them head-on.
"Hah!"
Bam! Thud! Crack!
She wrapped her loosened tie around her hand like brass knuckles, smashing them barehanded. They clawed back, but she danced like a butterfly, evading every strike while countering.
"Burn away with your grudges."
One minute later, they were rubble. She methodically burned them away. Seeing her warrior spirit, I decided not to mess with her anymore.
"Hoo..."
"...Wanna take a break?"
"Yeah? I'm feeling it a bit."
No matter how strong, she was human—she'd tire. Spotting her heavy breathing, I suggested a rest. She nodded, and we slumped against the corridor wall.
"...."
"...."
Silence settled. I replayed her fights in awe; she side-eyed me, gauging my reaction.
"Something on my face?"
"N-no?"
"Spit it out if you have something to say."
Her awkward guilt was killing me. I went straight for it. What'd you do to act like such a criminal?
"Just... sorry."
"For what?"
"We ended up here because of me, probably."
Surprising answer. Her fault? Did she trap me on purpose?
"What do you mean?"
"...I'm kinda unlucky. Weird stuff like this happens to me a lot."
"Ah..."
She sighed deeply. I got it: she's jinxed, and it rubs off on people around her.
"Thought I'd shaken it off..."
"What?"
"N-nothing!"
Something more there, but she clammed up and stood.
"Let's go. Gotta escape creepy places fast."
"Right."
Questions burned, but if she wouldn't share, I couldn't pry. She walked silently; I followed.
Same corridors, different rooms. Exploration dragged on—no exit in sight.
"Isn't that an elevator?"
"...Looks like it."
"Shall we check?"
Tucked slyly between office doors—an elevator screaming "exit." We rushed over and hit open.
[Sublevel > d31-22 > CORRUPTED]
"...."
"...."
Weird floor names flashed on the screen, then vanished. After a while...
[A3-11]
[Ding!]
Doors opened—no ambush. Inside was spotless.
"Go in?"
"Yeah. Let's."
She nodded. We boarded; doors closed on their own. It started moving without input.
"...."
"...."
Chime. Doors opened to... not corridors, but a long cave with bizarre structures scattered about.
"What the fuck?"
"Where's the elevator?!"
Stepping into the cave, it vanished—replaced by a door-shaped graffiti. She poked it futilely.
"Keep moving."
"Yeah. No other choice."
Freaked out, but standing still wasn't an option. We explored the cave.
"Damp. Coastal cave?"
"Bad vibes. Stay sharp."
Mossy, humid. She inspected a structure, then yanked her hand back like it was filthy, frowning.
"Pretty cool sculpture."
"Huh? Where?"
I checked it out—two fish devouring each other. Nice craftsmanship, I thought. She looked baffled.
What's up? Am I seeing wrong?
Rubbed my eyes—still fine. But social rule one: follow the crowd. I played it off.
"Never mind. Let's hurry—no point lingering."
"...Okay."
Exploration resumed. The cave twisted endlessly, dotted with statues, murals, altars.
"Cool—"
"Evil spirits retreat, purify us, heavenly gods."
"...Nothing."
They looked cool to me; she chanted in horror. Okay, now I felt off. Mind control? But my head was crystal clear.
Nope.
Test: smashed a statue. Broke fine, if regrettably.
"Your mind's back!"
"Uh, yeah..."
Her face lit up. Couldn't deny it. We pressed on.
Suddenly, she froze.
"...."
"What is it?"
Like before—something ahead. I tensed, approached. She whispered:
'Hear that sound?'
'What sound?'
'Shh. Focus.'
I listened. Faint...
Deep, rumbling breath of something alive. She gripped a crimson talisman, on high alert. Made sense—the vibe was ominous just from the sound.
"Um..."
But I could only awkwardly scratch my head. Because... that sounded a lot like my wife.