Inhuman Outing...! # 4
Inhuman Outing...! # 4
The fear starts to sink in.
Kitty, who I'd taken for a mischievous little kid, suddenly looked like something else entirely. This terrifying presence in front of me... what the hell is she?
What have I been hanging out with?
—drip.
Cold sweat pours out of me as every possible horrible scenario floods my brain. I was so scared I was shivering and feverish at the same time, like I was about to have a seizure on the spot.
I couldn't stop thinking about the gate. Kitty made a gate? Why? Is that her power? Or is she a monsterkin?
But even then, instead of screaming and making things worse, I forced my brain to work for the sake of survival.
"What kinda face is that? Anyway, Kitty. Let's head back soon. If a monster shows up here... we're gonna get really messed up."
"Fufufu, Geun-cheol. Wipe the sweat off your forehead first, then talk."
Why are you being so creepy about it?!
Please, just act cute like you did earlier...!
If I could turn back time to that moment, I'd do anything. If it were Mun Min, I'd toss him out as a sacrifice and tell him to choke on it!
"Whoa, that's a lot of sweat. It's been hot lately, right? Look. I sweated buckets carrying you on my back. Hehehe."
Even as I spoke, pretending everything was normal, I had to suppress the scream that was threatening to burst out of me.
—slink, slink.
A vague, shapeless terror began constricting my heart. It almost felt like a black hand was crawling out of Kitty's shadow to caress my heart.
"Hmm, Geun-cheol."
"What."
Kitty was smiling, but it felt so ominous... Could it be that she saw through my act... and got pissed off?
"I'm glad I got to see a different side of you today."
"Huh?"
"I thought I'd like to see more sides of you, Geun-cheol."
"Oh, yeah? Wanna hang out again sometime?"
"Let's."
Behind Kitty, who was smiling brightly.
—fwoom.
Without any omen.
—crackle.
A purple gate began to form.
"Son of a...!"
It looked like Kitty was consciously manipulating it into existence. As evidence, Kitty showed no trembling, no sign of wariness. As if a gate opening behind her was the most natural thing in the world, she just spoke, perfectly relaxed.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body and my balls shriveled up.
My legs wouldn't stop shaking now.
—tremble, tremble.
I shoved my hand in my pocket and tried to fumble with my phone somehow.
"Actually, Geun-cheol. When I told my sister about you, it wasn't a joke."
The act was over.
I felt pure, absolute terror. Where did it all go wrong? Why did Kitty target me? Was all that time we spent hanging out just an act?
"K-Kitty. Let's stop with these jokes, okay? We had something good...!"
"I liked it too, Geun-cheol."
"Don't use the past tense!"
"You used the past tense too."
"Oh, come on! Kitty! You can't do this to me!"
I'm out of options!
"What little sister in the world does this to her brother!"
I wailed and collapsed to the floor! And as if that wasn't pitiful enough, I crawled on my belly toward Kitty and grabbed her ankle!
"Oh."
If I can get out of here alive, I'll be your brother, your servant, whatever you want. I'm a man with that much guts. A man like me can't go out in some awful way!
"Fufu, Geun-cheol. That tickles. Good boy."
Good boy, my ass!
Even with me clinging to her ankle and begging, Kitty didn't change expression at all. She just reached out and patted my head.
This little brat is treating me like a dog...!
"Anyway, Geun-cheol. Let's go now."
"G-go where?"
"Somewhere nice."
"It doesn't feel like somewhere nice, that's the problem!"
Usually, "somewhere nice" at a time like this just means hell or Namsan Underground.
—grab!
I went all in and threw my arms around Kitty's calves, begging her to spare my life. Kidnapping. Kidnapped in a place like this! I treated her so well and she's kidnapping me! What the hell does this little shit think I am, pulling this crap?!
"Were you playing with me this whole time, Kitty?! I'm asking if you were playing with me!"
"That's not it, Geun-cheol."
"I really thought of you as a little sister, Kitty!"
"Fufufu, I really thought of you as a brother too, Geun-cheol. But I couldn't help it. When I told my sister about you, she said she wanted to meet you. If my sister orders it, I can't refuse."
That damn sister of hers!
"So I was wondering when to bring you, and I just decided today would be the day."
"I'm not mentally prepared for this!"
"Geun-cheol. My sister will be waiting. You shouldn't make her angry."
"No!"
What am I, some kind of survivalist?!
Of course I don't plan on making her angry!
No matter who Kitty's sister is, the only thought in my head is that I'll have to get on my knees, grovel, and spill every single thing I know.
But should I talk about stuff like my condition down there too? If I do, she'll think I'm insane, right? This bitch might think I'm just pretending to be crazy to change the subject.
"But don't be too scared. I've taken a liking to you, Geun-cheol. You really felt like a brother, and I liked that a lot... I hope my sister likes you too."
"What happens if she doesn't like me?"
"I dunno. Stuff."
Kitty said it way too casually.
"Let's go now. You carried Kitty around all day today. This time, Kitty will escort you, Geun-cheol."
—whoosh.
"Gwah!"
Suddenly, my body floated into the air.
Even in that moment, Kitty was looking at me.
"Who the hell is this sister of yours?! Kitty!"
"Hmm, you'll know when you see her?"
"How am I supposed to know that?!"
Wait, is it someone I know?
As far as I can remember, I don't know a single woman who looks like Kitty...! Her golden hair is kind of similar to Instructor Kawar's, but the shade is noticeably different. Kitty's is brighter, more like actual gold.
"Ah, it would've been nice to go while riding on your back, Geun-cheol."
"Then let me loose from this thing!"
And so, bound by intangible force, I floated in midair like a helium balloon and was dragged along by Kitty.
"Kyaaaaack!!!"
Straight into an unknown gate.
* * *
—whoosh!
The moment I entered the gate, I felt my senses weirdly stretch and magnify. It felt like my body was being pulled long and thin. I tried to say something, but my voice echoed terribly, and my vision was a jumbled mess, too bright to make anything out.
But even in the middle of all that, I could still clearly tell I was being dragged somewhere. Kitty is dragging me off to Namsan right now. They say even if you're dragged into a tiger's den, you can survive as long as you keep your wits about you? Like hell that's possible...!
—thud.
"Gahk!"
A sense of falling somewhere.
"Hoo!"
I exhaled and opened my eyes. It felt like I'd been asleep in the darkness for a long time, then opened my eyes in a bright place. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried hard to adjust to the light.
And what I found out was that this place wasn't bright at all.
"Huh?"
A floor covered in a dark crimson carpet that looked like it had soaked up old blood.
The background was dark, and there was only one source of light: a fancy chandelier hanging up above.
"Kitty...?"
The combination of dark red and black made the whole space feel sinister. I looked for Kitty on instinct. She's the only one I can cling to now. I have to beg Kitty for my life, somehow.
Even though Kitty is the colossal bitch who kidnapped me, right this second, with no one in sight, I was so terrified I thought I might lose my mind.
"Please don't leave me alone in a place like this!"
I feel like I'm going to die of sheer terror!
That was when it happened.
—flash!
Ahead of me, a spotlight shone down. And what I saw... was a red staircase. Wait. A staircase? Slowly, I lifted my eyes to see what was on top of those stairs.
"Ah."
I see a woman's feet in high heels.
She's sitting with her legs crossed.
The chair she's sitting on is, literally, a magnificent throne.
"How darre you raise thyy head without perrmission?"
A tone brimming with mockery and anger. At the same time, an archaic, old-world aristocratic manner of speaking.
At the sudden voice of a woman, I instantly slammed my head against the floor!
"Oh, great one! Spare me, please! I'll tell you everything I know! Please, let me serve you! I, Kim Geun-cheol, will divulge everything I know, openly and honestly!"
At times like this, you just have to beg like hell and ask for your life!
If I show an attitude of unconditional cooperation and a fierce willingness to become their loyal dog if necessary, I might just get hired as a spy with my head held high and go home. Then I'll go straight to Chairwoman for counseling. That woman loves her students and despises otherworldly bastards, so she'll find a way to save my life.
...
No answer came.
Nothing but an uncomfortably stifling, settled calm.
—murmur, murmur.
I can hear whispering from above me. Listening closely, it sounded like Kitty's voice and the voice of the woman sitting up there. Right. Kitty's here. As long as Kitty's here, I can find a way out alive...!
I clung to that hopeful thought and tried to get a grip on my mental state. If I lose my mind here, that's even more dangerous.
I have to survive, no matter what.
Just looking at them, those two are clearly monsterkin disguised as humans. They wouldn't have kidnapped me just for fun.
"Raise thyy head."
I reacted instantly and raised my head.
"Yes, ma'am!"
And what I saw was a mature woman sitting on the throne.
"Uh."
A woman at the absolute peak of her feminine allure. A spectacularly gorgeous woman of that age. If Kitty grew up, would she look like this? Her hair, like molten gold... matched her crimson dress perfectly.
I thought she might be some kind of queen... Wait a second. I feel like I've seen this woman somewhere before.
"Hoh?"
Suddenly, the woman looking at me spoke.
"I see that we have succeeded at last?"
Succeeded at what?
"Ah-ha! Ahahaha! Ahahahahahaha!"
Just as the question hit me, the woman clutched her stomach and let out a huge laugh. The sound echoed in my ears so loudly I felt like I was going to go crazy.
