Chapter 29
The people who are meant to survive, survive no matter what they do.
It wasn’t really the right moment for such a saying, but anyway, that was what happened. Lee Yeon-woo had tried and failed the ritual, only to fail at failing it and end up succeeding, tearing his hair in frustration at the absurdity of it all.
Somewhere, someone was still clenching their teeth and enduring to survive.
It was Director Lee Sun-hae, of course.
I want to see our kids.
Where am I, and who am I?
The first thought that came to mind was of the filming crew working without her, and the second was just a curse.
Damn it.
Even if I try to live a good life, the world, huh?
She almost felt like crying. Every chaotic thought in her head seemed to scream to survive, and that made it all the more terrifying.
The sensation of her brain and self separating was dizzying.
Save me, really.
What the hell is this hotel’s concept?
It felt less like reality and more like a hidden camera prank. Her brain had started interpreting the moment as a sitcom.
Was this one of the survival mechanisms when the happiness circuit spins to its extreme?
But no, the hotel came first.
It was so unfair and frightening she couldn’t even survive properly. She had thought the world was scary before, but this was something else entirely.
Someone is watching me, she thought. How can such a thing like life-detecting appear even in this pathetic body?
At first, it was just a gaze. Even if the swimming pool water glowed with plankton, it was fine. But in the dark, she felt a bizarre awareness of being watched.
She quickly realized the source.
Squelch.
A horrifying noise, unrecognizable, gnashing.
Ah.
Mom.
The swimming pool housed a living monster.
It really lived. It breathed, crawled, and even flew. It was total chaos.
She had never imagined seeing a siren with a fish-like lower body and a human female upper body. Its skin was slick and slimy, and its eyes were either absent or multiplied.
It didn’t matter what it was called. The important thing was that she wasn’t going crazy just seeing it.
She needed to regain her focus.
Around the tunnel were other monsters: octopus-like creatures, probably a kraken, a smashed flesh-like unicorn, ghostly fish, barely visible slimes, and jellyfish with human eyes. Her mind couldn’t keep track of them all.
Lee Yeon-woo, were you watching?
What kind of workplace is this? She would have quit long ago if it were her.
Or perhaps she would have died already ignoring the safety rules.
If this place were only a haunted house or theme park, she might have wandered around enjoying it. But now wasn’t the time for fun. The film had to be made while alive.
Lee Sun-hae had hidden behind the tunnel of the exhibition tank. The ghostly fish floated by but didn’t attack. She was safe here as long as she could breathe.
She let out a hollow laugh. She had already been caught in trouble hiding somewhere else.
My legs hurt, she thought.
Something had pierced her calf. No blood, just cold dryness around the wound, and a faint, wavy sensation beneath her skin. It was disgusting and painful.
Walking on two legs was now impossible. If the monsters entered here, she would have to crawl to escape. What should I do?
She scratched the wound but stopped before it bled.
This place seemed to make monsters induce mental disorientation or contamination.
There had been a strange sink, too. In the restroom, water in the basin started wriggling, and suddenly creatures crawled out of the pipes.
It was horrid in every possible way.
But even worse, she glimpsed something at the bottom of the swimming pool, like the depths of the ocean. A gigantic eye slowly opened.
It had been buried deep and massive. She almost died after being mesmerized by the siren.
The facility itself was strange. It pulsed like it was alive. In the darkness, she could barely see something pale and massive above.
Was this what they called cosmic horror? She didn’t specialize in that genre, but a colleague who sold only cosmic horror abroad had familiarized her with the basics.
It was huge. She realized she could make a cosmic horror film even if it were a genre she had never attempted.
If she could survive to escape, it was worth a try.
She forced a bitter smile. She didn’t want Lee Yeon-woo to see her corpse.
If she had brought the others, they would have fainted. Even Hong Gyeong-yeon, who usually couldn’t resist, joined later, but it was always the beginning that was the problem. The problem was her.
She could feel someone observing her. She didn’t know who, but there were many monsters that could see her.
Hours passed, judging by her hunger. She hadn’t been idle. Director Lee Sun-hae had been busy.
She shook a radio.
Hmm.
The sound coming out was strange.
She had found a frequency chart in the staff room lockers. Following it, she couldn’t reach anyone.
All she heard was crying, vibrations, layered voices.
Human voices were there, but weird. She caught Lee Yeon-woo’s voice, but only fragments: “Requesting rescue… received… you cannot… you rescue… impossible…”
She also found a wired telephone at the reception desk, but it wasn’t connected anywhere. Her experience as a director meant she didn’t answer it first.
There was no correct solution.
She tried to escape, hide, pray, curse, and cry. She had tried everything. Her mind was empty from the eerie thrill and resignation.
If she survived, it wasn’t because she had done well. It was just that the crazy guy with a knife delayed killing her.
Feeling sorry to beg Lee Yeon-woo to save her seemed embarrassing.
Even though resigning to die felt unfair, she had done enough struggling. Sitting here staring blankly wasn’t so bad.
Am I taking this too lightly? Should I try more? But if I act rashly, I might get hurt like before.
Her leg had only been injured once, without blood. Next time, it could be her head. Acting recklessly with no information would be foolish.
So, perhaps it was best to just let go. This might be a decent way to die.
There couldn’t be a more abnormal place than this, right?
At that moment, something happened.
The radio beeped.
Director Lee Sun-hae heard a voice.
“Director Lee Sun-hae?”
“…!”
“Are you there?”
Her voice was muffled inside the tunnel.
“You can speak freely if you are inside a pipe or tunnel. If there is a monster nearby, do not mention it and tap the radio twice.”
“…No, I’m inside a tunnel.”
“Good. Then speak freely.”
“Are phantom fish swimming nearby?”
“Yes. Ghost fish, right? Do they bite?”
“No, they don’t. They are ghosts.”
“Hmm. That doesn’t exactly reassure me.”
“Somewhat, yes.”
She was nervous, not upset.
“I just heard your voice through this radio.”
“You sounded a bit foolish compared to now, right?”
“Yes. Faint and crackling, hard to hear.”
“Did you ignore it?”
“I turned it off immediately.”
“Good. You are indeed a horror thriller director.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Communications were strange. The voice crackled and buzzed. She opened her mouth.
“I need to tell you, I don’t know how long I can hold on. My body is cold, I’m injured, and there’s a killer searching for me.”
“You are in critical condition. Confirmed.”
“Wait, so…”
“Director?”
“I just want to say, don’t blame yourself if you see my corpse here. I feel like I’d just cause trouble. I’ll try to survive, but I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
“You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t choose this situation. Apologies are for the doer, not the innocent victim.”
“Ha, thanks for saying that.”
“We could locate you quickly thanks to your request. We’ll be there soon.”
“Really, I survive?”
“Most likely, yes.”
“You must have a lot of questions. We’ll talk in person.”
“…Ah, so I was caught trying to ask.”
Awkward laughter escaped her.
“What about the radio? Can I just wait quietly here?”
“How long have you been there?”
“A few hours, I think.”
Footsteps clattered.
“Do you hear footsteps?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can leave now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
“…Eugh.”
The killer passed her. It was meaningful information.
‘Horror films have rules,’ she thought. Early clues from suspicious entities are usually the truth.
Even the cute ghost fish appeared safe.
I guess I’m not ready to die yet.
She forced a smile. She would endure a little longer.