I Cleaned Up After the Neck-Snapping Statue
The simplest way to tell humans apart is to memorize their names. Every person in this world is given one by their parents the moment they’re born. There is no such thing as a person without a name, and unless something truly extraordinary happens, they will be called by that name until the day they die. In that sense, a name is like a unique serial number that represents one’s very existence.
My name is Woo Suho.
“Hey, One-Three-Eight!”
Even though the man glaring at me with clear displeasure calls me by the number 138, my name is still Woo Suho. That fact does not change.
“Yes.”
For the record, I am not a prisoner locked up in jail, nor am I some villain whose very humanity deserves to be denied. The reason I obediently wag my tail like a dog even when addressed with the rather humiliating title of 138 is simple: the man standing in front of me is my superior.
“Didn’t I tell you to clean the H-01 isolation chamber by today? I specifically said a week ago that an important project was starting, so make it as spotless as possible. But when I just checked the surveillance camera, the place was a complete mess?”
“Ah…”
“You had an entire week. It’s not like the task was beyond your ability. Your entire job is cleaning isolation chambers in the first place. If you can’t even do that properly, what exactly are you here for? Have I ever asked you to do anything unreasonable?”
The man’s name was Kwak Dupal, a researcher in his mid-thirties. Despite his gentle-looking face, he had apparently been harshly scolded by professors during grad school; his personality was prickly and sensitive.
“I’m sorry, Senior Researcher Kwak. I did clean it two days ago, but it seems to have gotten dirty again. I’ll go take care of it right away.”
Kwak Dupal, who always relieved his stress on me whenever something went wrong, held the serial number [0_1_18] just like me. However, I could never casually call him “Eighteen.” Not only did he belong to the highest rank within the institute, he also held my performance review for April in the palm of his hand.
“One-Three-Eight, I’ll be watching you. Go clean it immediately. I’m giving you one hour. Make it perfect before Naram arrives. Got it?”
‘Son of a bitch.’
I swallowed the roar I wanted to unleash in order to protect my precious salary.
“Yes, sir.”
Kwak Dupal glared at me for a long moment before finally disappearing down the corridor. A sigh escaped me automatically.
I had cleaned the place until it sparkled two days ago. Why was he nitpicking and throwing a tantrum? Did he get rejected on another blind date? If it were me, instead of wasting time yelling at the janitor, I’d go get a hair transplant at the dermatologist.
“H-01 isolation chamber, huh…”
What a pain in the ass. Damn it.
The security of the research institute I worked at was airtight. Every facility was a controlled zone, so personal electronic devices were strictly prohibited. Thick, wall-like doors had to be opened every time you moved between sectors.
I placed the miniature computer on the lock mechanism out of habit. A dry, mechanical voice rang out.
Serial Number [0_4_138] — Woo Suho verified.
I walked down the pure-white corridor and reached Sector H. The H-01 isolation chamber was at the far left end. I approached and peered inside through the thick glass wall.
The chamber was about seven pyeong in size. The entire room was painted white, and of course there was no furniture. In the center stood a massive plaster statue. It wore a tunic like those favored by the ancient Greeks. It resembled an adult male, and three pairs of enormous angelic wings sprouted from its back, making it look as if a famous sculptor had modeled it after a real angel.
Now I saw why Kwak Dupal had thrown a fit. There were black lumps inside the chamber that hadn’t been there two days ago.
“Hmm.”
Still, no matter how much the daily dose of curses from Eighteen annoyed me, it didn’t make me like him any better. Before entering the isolation chamber, I checked the statue’s data on the miniature computer.
Designation: H-I-01
Access Level: Grade 4
Serial Number: H-I-01
Entity Name: Neck-Snapping Statue
Hazard Level: Harmful
H-I-01 was discovered on the evening of May 10, 2033, in Pennsylvania. According to the testimony of the first witness, Sergeant James, the entity was found calmly standing amid twenty-two corpses while clutching the neck of a young child. Every corpse had a broken neck, and it was confirmed that H-I-01 was responsible for all of them.
Special agents were called in, the proper procedures were followed, and the entity was secured without incident. One month later, it was transferred to the Supernatural Research Institute and placed in isolation.
Although H-I-01 appears to be an inanimate object, it belongs to the biological category like other entities. Its outer surface is covered in a chitinous layer resembling plaster. Unless certain conditions are met, it is an extremely static creature. It also excretes waste. Feeding occurs once every 15 to 30 days; it has been confirmed to absorb nutrients through hemoglobin in the blood. It grows through feeding and, once it reaches a certain size, reproduces via binary fission. To date, three instances of reproduction have been observed. All entities other than the main body have been terminated according to protocol.
The reason H-I-01 snaps human necks has not yet been fully identified. It is unrelated to feeding behavior but appears closely connected to “human breathing.” No instances of it snapping the necks of animals other than humans have been observed. Investigation ongoing. Probability of successful identification: favorable.
Recorder — [0_1_100] Kang Naram, [0_1_18] Kwak Dupal
I finished reading every line of the holographic text and turned it off. The reason I double-checked data I had seen dozens of times was to remind myself to stay alert. In front of a monster that could snap a person’s neck in an instant, familiarity was the most dangerous thing of all.
Although I was a veteran who had cleaned every isolation chamber in the institute for an entire year, letting your guard down inevitably led to rookie mistakes. Even monkeys fall from trees, after all.
Dying hurts. Especially dying at the hands of H-I-01—it came with truly excruciating pain. I wanted to avoid it if at all possible.
The method for cleaning H-I-01’s isolation chamber was simple. Anyone could do it if they followed two rules.
Rule One: Do not breathe inside the isolation chamber.
Rule Two: Strictly adhere to Rule One.
If you fail to follow them, you die.
I took a deep breath and held it.
Huuup. Let’s go.
I gathered the cleaning supplies.
Serial Number [0_4_138] — Woo Suho verified.
The door to the isolation chamber opened. H-I-01 did not greet me. In contrast, entities like S-O-07 would cheerfully say hello whenever I came in to clean. My conclusion was that harmful-grade entities fundamentally lacked basic manners.
I swallowed the saliva that had pooled in my mouth and picked up the black lump with a gloved hand. The texture was squishy and unpleasant. According to the kind explanation from Naram noona, this was H-I-01’s excrement.
Among the Hwanjong, there were some that looked like thick books no one would ever read, and others that looked like inanimate objects like the one before me. The shock I felt when I learned they were all living creatures that ate and defecated just like me was nothing short of sensational. That must be why they were called Hwanjong—phantasmal species.
Life forms so far removed from the rules of this world that it was impossible to tell whether they were humanity’s enemies or allies. An utterly ambiguous, unknown form of life. A mere cleaner like me could never figure it out, but perhaps brilliant minds like Eighteen and Naram noona—who had graduated from prestigious universities—would one day uncover their true nature.
While my mind wandered with such thoughts, I tossed the excrement into a plastic bag and diligently wiped away the stains on the floor. Even a dung beetle has its talents, and cleaning is mine. My lung capacity is also much better than that of cigarette-stinking Eighteen (age 35). I finished organizing the isolation chamber quickly and thoroughly, not leaving behind a single speck of dust. At this level, even Eighteen would have a hard time finding fault.
I gathered the cleaning tools and the plastic bag containing the waste and was about to leave the chamber when someone beyond the thick glass wall shyly waved at me.
Long black hair that reached all the way to her hips glistened like polished jewels. She was shorter than me, but possessed a voluptuous figure. Her face looked somewhat timid, yet the shy smile hidden beneath that timidity was fatally charming. She was Kang Naram noona, the person I liked most in this entire institute.
She was like the very model of a modest princess from a fairy tale.
‘Suho.’
Naram noona was calling me. I couldn’t hear her voice, but my heart began to race.
She was incredibly beautiful today too. Her lips moved like a squirrel nibbling on something, and the sight was so adorable that I unconsciously answered.
“Haa~ Hello.”
Creak.
The statue moved.
The moment I exhaled with my words, the statue’s eyes turned toward me. I realized my mistake and tried to hold my breath again, but its hand was already in motion. I hadn’t meant to greet it, but at this point there was nothing I could do.
I stared directly into the statue’s eyes and greeted it.
“Hello.”
Looks like I’m dying today too.
H-I-01 preferred action over words. Along with the plaster statue’s vigorous greeting, my neck snapped with a clean crack.