Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Cheongak Mary Hospital # 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"What the fuck is this?"
I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me.
"This doesn't make any goddamn sense, you piece of shit!"
I jabbed my finger at the Rulebook, unleashing a torrent of scathing criticism. In all my life, I'd never seen such a bullshit set of rules. It looked like a normal work guidelines chart at first glance, but when you really dug into it, the contradictions piled up like nobody's business!
No wonder this shitty hospital has rules to match!
I could feel my fear turning into rage. Even if you follow the rules, they have to make sense first— so what the hell am I supposed to do with this crap?
♫Ring ring ring!♫
"Ack!"
As I fumed, the phone suddenly rang.
Was this it?
It felt like I'd be fucked if I didn't pick up, so I grabbed the receiver right away.
-Today's work hours are from 14:00 to 20:00.
♫Click.♫
The line went dead immediately.
Was that a real human voice?
Six hours of work, though... No time to waste. I checked my phone— ten minutes until shift start.
"You want me to go back in there for real?"
I didn't agonize long. I yanked my security uniform from the locker and changed into it. No telling what would happen if I didn't.
Then, as instructed, I pulled the name tag from the drawer and pinned it to my right chest.
"Alright. It's on."
From now on, I was Lee Seung-cheol.
The rule about hiding your real name made perfect sense. This wasn't a normal hospital. It felt like one of those horrific places crawling with ghosts— the shady underbelly of the world kind of hospital.
Waltzing around with your real name in a place like that? You'd end up with your bones picked clean. Hell, I wouldn't have given my real name even without the rules.
♫Gulp.♫
I swallowed hard.
I skimmed the Rulebook right up to the wire. It was packed with incomprehensible contradictions, but for now, I'd just have to play along. Had to memorize it as fast as possible.
Time was up.
I stashed the Rulebook in the drawer, left the security office, and opened the hospital doors.
"...!"
The moment I did, I nearly screamed, forgetting Rule 4 entirely. I'd assumed it would be empty, of course.
But there were 'people'— tons of them.
Nurses bustling about. Patients in gowns wandering the halls. I fought to calm my pounding heart as I scanned the surroundings.
They all looked like 'people.'
Your standard, everyday folks you'd see in any hospital.
But were they really human? If they were, how did the place go from deserted ten minutes ago to swarming like this?
Unless they'd been hiding in bathrooms or rooms and pulled a surprise motherfucking party the second I stepped out, it didn't add up.
They definitely weren't human.
"..."
The thought hit me, and I spotted the wrongness right away. The lobby was full of people, but there was no sound. No one was talking.
Fucking terrifying.
But freezing up now could get me in who-knows-what trouble. I had to move somehow.
Alright... Let's just start the shift like the Rulebook says. It was eerie as hell, but everyone was just standing around, so it seemed kinda safe— until something went wrong, anyway.
My job: patrol from floor 1 to 9, collect the Black Boxes in front of patient rooms, and stack them in the warehouse next to the first-floor desk.
No patient rooms or Black Boxes on 1F. Head to 2F?
No.
First, check out that warehouse by the desk.
♫Step... step...♫
Slowly.
I walked to the desk without acting suspicious. Two nurses sat there— ordinary-looking women in uniforms.
They were typing away at something.
♫Tap tap.♫
Peeked over— screen was black...!
What the fuck.
What were they typing at?
I shoved down the creeping dread and turned away. The nurses ignored me.
Reached the warehouse.
♫Creak.♫
Door opened to stacks of Black Boxes.
This was my job— collect and stack them.
What was inside?
There was a rule about answering the phone if you checked the contents. But nothing saying you had to check them.
Better not touch... Wait.
The phone?
There was definitely a rule against making or answering calls...?
No time to get confused. Box collection had to be done in 30 minutes. Luckily, there was a green cart inside the warehouse.
♫Roll roll.♫
Pulled it out. Even this ghost-hospital shithole had all the amenities. I eyed things carefully and took the elevator to 2F.
Doors slid open slowly.
"...Hoo."
Nothing off. Just corridors stretching left and right. Looked like the whole line was patient rooms. Lots of inpatients.
"Let's see."
Black Boxes— five in total. Regular delivery-box size; cart could hold them all.
Started with Room 201. Collect down the line and head back. Grabbed the Black Box in front of 201.
♫Slosh.♫
"Huh?"
What...?
Something inside? Felt like liquid. No— something box-half-sized floating in liquid filling it halfway.
No smell. An irrational urge to peek inside hit me.
Don't open it.
Loaded it onto the cart.
"Whew."
Set it down, stood, glanced across—
"Ghuh?!"
Th-there!
At the end of the hall, by the window— something insane was plastered outside!
A head five times normal human size, eyes and mouth sewn shut, staring right at me!
♫Gasp!♫
Realized I'd screamed and clamped my mouth shut.
What the hell? What was that thing outside?
A monster with sewn-shut eyes and mouth staring at me...!
Heart racing, terror flooding from my toes up. Right then, I realized I'd broken one rule.
What happens now?
Dire imaginings filled my head. I wanted to scream again.
No. No time. Hurried, loaded all the boxes onto the cart. Didn't dare look at the window thing.
♫Ding!♫
Elevator had gone to 5F somehow. Jabbing buttons irritably, waiting. So anxious, one second felt like an hour.
♫Whirr.♫
Jumped in the second it arrived, rode down to 1F.
Doors opened.
I had to cover my mouth again.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Every patient and nurse stared at me.
All of them.
Blank faces.
Sending looks my way.
Cold sweat poured; back and pits soaked. Did screaming do this?
No, it was weird from the start.
Rulebook said do the box collection— no, it contradicted itself. One part says do it, another says don't— what was I supposed to do?
No way...!
Did doing the collection summon that freak outside? Then screaming made these 'people' stare?
♫Thump thump!♫
No clue what to do. Took their stares and slowly wheeled to the warehouse.
All eyes on me.
Dead silent.
Wanna run.
What if I bolt? Some horrific fate? If I die, do I wake in my room again?
♫Slide.♫
Carefully stacked the Black Boxes. At least they weren't following into the warehouse.
♫Woooeeeoowoowoo!♫
Last box stacked— emergency siren blared.
Assembly...?
Didn't it say ignore this?
No, fuck— didn't have time to memorize the whole Rulebook! I read it all, but can't recall shit!
Ignore for now!
"Hey, Security Guard Kim Geunhong!"
"Yes?"
Turned— guy in security uniform calling me.
"Hurry to the director's office!"
Ordinary-looking man.
Name tag: Lee Seung-cheol.
Lee Seung-cheol?
That's supposed to be mine.
"Ah."
Somehow, my tag now read my real name.
Kim Geunhong, not Lee Seung-cheol.
No one touched it.
"Come on."
"...!"
The guard's face changed.
Like the window monster.
Eyes and mouth sewn shut.
"Come on."
"Come on."
"Come on."
Patients and nurses crowded in.
Their faces sewn too.
"Ah, ahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Laughter spilled out. Then all lights died. In the dark, I laughed— lights flicked on, and I stood before a door marked 'Director's Office.'
Opened it and went in.
"..."
A doctor sat there.
Eyes and mouth sewn shut.
Suddenly, my face itched like mad. Like bugs crawling— couldn't stand it, scratched hard with nails over and over.
Metallic blood scent wafted.
The smell triggered memories of that vampire-killing agony...
My mind snapped clear.
"Huh, huuuuh?!"
This hospital was insane already! No more normal facade! Walls! Ceiling! Floor! All sewn up!
"Hya aaaah!"
Screamed and fled. Burst through the door, bolted down emergency stairs like a maniac.
Back to 1F.
That 1F full of sewn-up things!
"Hic, hiiic!"
Terror brought tears. No idea what to do. Just ran and ran.
Out of the hospital, charging toward the mist ahead.