Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Cheongak Mary Hospital # 2
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I opened the door, and a wide lobby came into view.
It looked just like the first floor of a large hospital in a big city. The lights were blazing bright, and it was impeccably clean, as if it had been thoroughly tidied up.
But.
There were no people.
Not a single one.
"..."
A hospital this vast and spotless, without a soul in sight? On top of that, it was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat—no other sounds at all.
An utterly silent space.
A scene so utterly alien.
It felt like everyone in the world had vanished in an instant... No, it went beyond that. If people had suddenly evaporated, at least their belongings would be scattered around.
But it was too clean.
How could they run a massive hospital like this without patients or nurses? Was it funded by blind taxpayer money? These days, local governments sometimes pour billions into building shiny centers that sit empty.
I took a few steps and was peering around the reception desk when—
*Ring ring ring ring!*
"Ah, damn."
The phone on the desk suddenly rang, startling me.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
Was this the phone calling the nurse who should normally be stationed here? If so, that meant there used to be a nurse at this spot.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
*Ring ring ring ring!*
*Ring ring ring ring!*
I waited quietly, but...
The phone kept ringing.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
*Ring ring ring ring!*
No nurse appeared.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
*Ring ring ring ring!*
It just rang endlessly.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
The shrill ringtone drilled into my ears, stabbing at my brain. Whoever was calling really ought to hang up by now—it's been going on forever.
*Ring ring ring ring!*
And yet, no one showed up.
"Fine."
I had some interview questions anyway, so I picked up the receiver. They'd understand if I explained no one was around. It was the absent worker's fault.
"Hello."
- ...
Should I mess with them and pretend to be the nurse?
The thought crossed my mind briefly.
- Come up to the 9th floor office. Now.
"Huh? Wait a sec. I'm not a nurse."
*Click.*
The line went dead.
"9th floor office? Who the hell do they think I am?"
Well, at least it proved someone was here... What a bizarre situation. A deserted hospital with a 9th floor.
Might as well check it out.
I headed straight to the elevator and pressed the button. It was parked right on the 1st floor, so the doors opened immediately. I stepped in and hit 9.
*Whirr.*
The elevator ascended slowly.
"..."
The mirror made it feel creepier for no reason. Especially with the empty hospital. Maybe because I was already on edge. My stomach churned.
It reached the 9th floor.
I stepped out and headed right, where I found the office.
"Anyone here?"
I knocked lightly a couple times, opened the door, and went in. The first thing I saw was human skin. Perfectly peeled human skin, stretched out and hung on the wall.
"Eek?!"
Skin?!
Human skin?!
Not some anatomical model like you'd see in a doctor's office—this was actual skin draped on the wall? In my shock, I wondered if I was hallucinating again, lost to madness.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again.
"Shit!"
It was unmistakably human skin!
Yellowish hide. Empty sockets for eyes and mouth. They'd skinned a human completely, stretched it out, and hung it up.
I had to run.
Right now.
"Don't go."
The door in front suddenly swung open, and something emerged.
"You, you! You!"
A monster?!
A human without skin!
A creature stripped to raw muscle was speaking!
"Eeek!"
I collapsed in place, scrambling to my feet. I had to escape, fast. This hospital was no normal place. That skin on the wall was definitely this thing's.
"Quiet. Please, be quiet. I beg you. If you want to live, please. Don't go out."
"Huh...?"
But.
It wasn't as frantic as I'd thought. The skinned figure spoke in a human, almost soothing tone, like it was trying to calm me.
It sat down naturally.
"We don't have much time for your interview... Ah, ah! Already?!"
"Huh? Huh?"
"The Rulebook! Follow the Rulebook exactly! Please! You can't run away!"
"W-Wait! That's your skin!"
"Go! Hurry! To the security office! Now! Before it's too late!"
*Crack!*
Its mouth split wide open top to bottom, unleashing a guttural roar. I was already paralyzed by terror, my judgment gone.
I bolted up as ordered, flung open the door, crawled across the floor, then sprinted desperately into the elevator.
"Wha—what? What the hell!"
What was that?
What the fuck was that?!
What was that skinned thing, and what the hell was it doing here?!
"I-I have to run!"
The moment I hit the 1st floor, I bolted. No matter what, I couldn't spend another second in this insane hospital. As I yanked the door open, I spotted the attached security office right next to it.
'You can't run away!'
That's what the skinned man had screamed.
Can't run away...?
If I just dashed out there into the fog, I could escape this hospital. But those words stuck in my mind too strongly.
If I ran... would I end up like that guy? No, could I even trust that monster's words?
My hesitation was brief. Sweating bullets, I entered the security office.
"Huff! Huff!"
I locked the door behind me. I'd met that security guard earlier—that's why I made this choice. If running was an option, he wouldn't have looked so panicked.
Stay here for now.
I took deep breaths and pulled out my phone.
"What the fuck...!"
No signal.
"Damn it! Why?!"
In horror movies, cell phones always crap out when shit hits the fan. Not again! I was losing it. Still, I forced down the fear and assessed the situation.
"Am I caught up in another clusterfuck?!"
This crap again!
Just like running into that vampire bitch and the Management Bureau assholes, I'd stumbled into this madhouse of a hospital!
"What the hell...!"
Why me? Why always me? Who posted that job on the site anyway? And how is a shitshow hospital like this operating in Korea without anyone shutting it down?
I didn't have long to vent my frustration.
"Oh. The Rulebook."
The skinned guy's words suddenly hit me: Follow the Rulebook.
"That crazy shift guy."
He'd been thrilled to see me, then ditched. And he'd told me to follow the Rulebook. Did I need a replacement to leave?
No time for more muttering. I yanked open the drawers and grabbed the Rulebook.
"Where is it? The Rulebook."
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