Chapter 10

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Translator: True Detective

Chapter: 9

Chapter Title: And Then There Were None

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19-year-old college entrance exam student Han Ye-rim.

After studying late into the night at the reading room, she packed her bag at 1 a.m. to head home.

While preparing for her university entrance exams, she could only return home at such late hours every single day.

With school classes already overwhelming her, juggling academy lessons and the reading room left her perpetually short on sleep, her body wracked with chronic fatigue.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Han Ye-rim wondered if she wasn't pushing herself too hard lately.

The endless repetition of her daily routine was slowly wearing her down.

Even on holidays, she couldn't rest and just kept studying, her motivation for the college entrance exam steadily waning.

"Hey, Ye-rim!"

"Huh? Oh, it's Se-eun."

While packing her bag, her mind foggy as she stared blankly at the textbooks on the desk, her friend Kim Se-eun approached with a smile and handed her a vitamin drink.

Kim Se-eun, her frequent reading room companion from a neighboring school and a top student.

She always smiled brightly, cracked fun jokes, and was a great friend who brought energy to those around her.

"Don't you usually listen to music while studying, Ye-rim?"

"Yeah? Mostly stuff without lyrics. Lyrics distract me. But why?"

"Well, I found this awesome app! Ever heard of Subsound?"

"Subsound...? First time hearing it. Is it a music streaming platform?"

"Yeah! It's a new app that just launched this month. They're running a two-month free event for students, so I wanted to tell you about it. I tried it today, and the sound quality's great, tons of songs too."

"Really? Free sounds perfect."

At Se-eun's recommendation, Han Ye-rim downloaded Subsound.

Most music services charged nearly 10,000 won a month these days, making events like this a godsend for cash-strapped teens like her.

"Oh, and they have themed playlists here."

"Yeah. There's even a collection for focus-enhancing music?"

"Yep! That's the one. It's seriously good. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠All the song titles are new to me, but it helps me concentrate better than those YouTube lo-fi mixes."

"Oh. Pretty nice."

Han Ye-rim bobbed her head slightly to the music flowing through her earphones, tapping along to the rhythm.

Perfect beats with just the right groove. Ideal songs for focusing.

True to form from her friend with similar music tastes, they were all great tracks.

"Thanks. I'll let you know if I find anything good next time."

"Sure! Good work today! Get home safe, see you tomorrow!"

"You too. See you tomorrow."

Since Kim Se-eun, waiting for her parents' car, lived in the opposite direction, Han Ye-rim set off home alone.

It was a familiar route she took often, so she felt no particular fear.

The usual scenery, the usual path—she could probably walk it with her eyes closed, it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that routine.

"Whoa, they even have this song."

Han Ye-rim checked Subsound's song list while building her own playlist.

Even super niche genre tracks were all included on Subsound.

Feeling a strange joy from rediscovering nostalgic tunes after so long, she popped wireless earphones into both ears and headed home.

For a student pulling all-nighters to study, it wasn't that late yet, and plenty of people were still around.

With so many folks on the streets, what could go wrong? Han Ye-rim reassured herself.

"Hum~"

Humming along to the song leaking from her wireless earphones, Han Ye-rim turned into the alley leading to her home.

The streetlights were out today, making the alley darker than usual.

A chill ran through her, but turning back would take longer, so she decided to push through.

Thud. Thud.

About two minutes into the alley, a sound of footsteps reached her ears.

Footsteps matching her own pace, following her. Goosebumps prickled her skin, a wave of disgust washing over her.

'Who is it...'

Maybe because of all the recent scary news, her mind raced with possibilities.

A stalker, perhaps. Or someone harboring a grudge against her.

The footsteps grew closer, her heartbeat quickening in tandem.

Thump thump thump thump...

Overcome with fear, Han Ye-rim broke into a run, but the footsteps didn't fade.

This was definitely being tailed. No, she was being chased.

The moment she realized someone was following, she sprinted full-tilt to escape the alley.

It might not be just a stalker—could be human traffickers aiming to kidnap her.

Having seen news about women victimized this way recently, she imagined the worst.

"Hah. Hah. Hah."

Han Ye-rim ran and ran. Even her cries for help went unanswered.

In fleeing the pursuer, she somehow reached the alley's exit.

After sprinting to the end, the pursuing footsteps gradually receded. Having shaken the tail, she clutched the wall, gasping for breath.

"Hah... H-hello? Help! Someone's chasing me..."

She immediately pulled out her phone and called the police.

She gave her location ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and reported the pursuer.

Then, footsteps echoed from behind again.

"Ah... Ahh..."

With no strength left to run, Han Ye-rim slowly turned to face the source.

"Huh...?"

No one was there.

The footsteps continued, yet no follower—an ironic twist.

Suddenly, it hit her.

She still had her earphones in.

And the music had stopped at some point.

Right—she'd been hearing footsteps from the earphones all along.

No one had been behind her from the start.

A man's unpleasant, creepy whisper slithered through the earphones toward her.

And just like that, Han Ye-rim vanished from the alley.

Even CCTV couldn't track where she'd gone.

The only clue: her dropped cell phone.

"I'd like to place a request."

"So, you want us to find the owner of this phone."

"Yes. It's been three days already. The police found no leads. Please, find my daughter."

The day after claiming management rights by clearing all seven building legends.

A middle-aged man visited the office.

His request: find his missing daughter.

"Day three of disappearance. You've considered the worst, I assume?"

"...Yes. In any form. My daughter. Please, bring her back, whatever it takes."

The man bowed deeply, pleading even for her remains.

He clearly knew where to turn for such cases.

Yes, this was an anomaly incident.

"Understood, Mr. Han Kang-rok. In any form. I'll find your daughter."

"Thank you... I'll search in my own way too. Please, Fixer."

They signed a simple contract, and I sent Mr. Han Kang-rok home.

Three days since his daughter vanished.

The father looked like a walking corpse.

He'd probably spent the last three days sleepless, scouring for her.

And through inquiries, heard about the Fixer Office that handles such matters.

Truth be told, the golden hour had passed.

But since the request wasn't strictly for "recovery alive," it was worth a shot.

"CCTV shows her vanishing into the shadows without a trace."

I reviewed the CCTV footage Mr. Han Kang-rok got from police contacts.

In the dark alley, as Han Ye-rim turned while fleeing something, she disappeared clean.

Only her phone remained.

A quest popped up, but it wouldn't help pinpoint clues for the incident.

No info on which anomaly took her. Just "search," as if deliberately withholding details.

For now, unknown if she was alive or dead.

I unlocked Han Ye-rim's phone. The lock was already off—probably from the investigation.

"Just landscape photos in the gallery. Few contacts. Hmm. Messages are all ads. Narrow social circle."

Definitely an introverted kid.

"Doesn't seem off at first glance? You think so too?"

"Yes, Master. I don't see anything."

"No issues with the phone, then."

The White-Faced Bride, emerging from the ring, confirmed no problems with the phone either.

If an anomaly haunted it, she'd have sensed it immediately.

'No reaction even when I stare it down. Not possessed by an anomaly. So what? What did Han Ye-rim see? What spooked her?'

This was the first request after securing building management.

They say get the first button right. I really wanted to nail this one.

No solid leads? Time to ask those in the know.

I posted on the World of Doom Gallery Q&A just in case, but solid answers seemed unlikely.

Too many similar anomalies—info overload would just confuse things more. Still, gleaned one fun tidbit.

I called the number I'd gotten yesterday.

"Hello, is this Agent Park Jae-hyeon?"

-Yes, Fixer. What's up? Considering joining Central Safety Bureau...?

"No. A kid went missing. Han Ye-rim, 19-year-old high schooler. Any recent cluster of underage disappearances?"

I emphasized age, per the gallery tip about age-preferring anomalies.

If it targeted 19-year-old girls pre-adulthood, others her age might be missing too.

-Uh, yeah. Yes. Four disappearance reports lately. And a 19-year-old high schooler... Do you have her phone? Or can you get it?

"I have it now. Her father left it when placing the request."

-Ah... Got a commission, huh. Check her phone—is there a music app called Subsound installed?

"Uh... Yeah, there is."

-All victims' phones had that app. Biggest common factor besides defaults.

Agent Park Jae-hyeon said the Anomaly Management Department was sniffing something out.

They respond fastest to anomaly cases—good call contacting them.

'Anomaly selects kidnap targets via app, drags them into shadows.'

From talking with Agent Park Jae-hyeon, this seemed like a "media-type" anomaly.

Different from typical thought-forms or possessions.

Media-types specialize in modern tech, intelligent, often with quirky tastes or preferences.

"Gotta recreate the exact situation to summon it."

Requisites: young woman, dark alley.

And using Subsound with earphones in.

Four confirmed victims so far.

Plus Han Ye-rim makes five.

If no new victims yet, she might still be alive.