Chapter 30
How much time had passed? Her mind was slowly returning.
“Ugh….”
Breathing was rough. She couldn’t tell if it was the humidity or if her lungs had simply exhausted themselves.
Even so, a wave of instinctive relief washed over her.
‘―I’m alive.’
Well, alive in the sense that she was still breathing—but whether she was truly alive or merely barely surviving, she didn’t know.
The madman had chased her like a lunatic, so she ran like a lunatic. Stretching out time like that finally slowed his pace. In that gap, she escaped the line of sight of the knife-wielding lunatic.
“…Huff… huff… huff….”
She forced herself to quiet her breathing and calm down.
“…Phew….”
Lee Seonhae clenched her lips.
‘Hiding in the passageway alone wasn’t enough!’
She had been far too careless. She should’ve smashed her head against the wall and written an apology or something.
There was one thing she had overlooked. Suspicious as it was, the information given by a meticulous, cunning presence at the start usually proved correct. But the radio had said:
“Pipes or tunnels.”
‘It said it was safe to speak freely inside the tunnel, not that it would be safe forever.’
That was what it meant.
‘Still, I didn’t expect him to squeeze that huge body inside!’
She had stayed put in the tunnel, when the footsteps suddenly halted, only to surge forward unexpectedly. Panicked, she had darted to the opposite side. Remembering that, she moved carefully.
“…….”
…Come on, get it together.
‘No point wasting mental energy if my body can’t keep up. This is when I need reason. Keep focus. Move fast. Don’t get distracted.’
Every step splashed the water painfully against her legs. Her pace was sluggish. Even the splashes made noise. Absolutely terrible.
Lee Seonhae frowned.
“…Ugh….”
She hadn’t been caught yet. Just… not yet. If she kept moving this clumsily and loudly, her position would be revealed in no time.
‘…Where can I hide… Ah, right. Pipes? Where’s the pipe? Did the radio mean the water pipes? Too narrow for a person to enter? Then was the “pipes” info a lie? If it wasn’t a lie, then where exactly are the pipes?’
She hadn’t dashed out recklessly. The radio said, “pipes or tunnels.” If the alternative was a space as safe as a tunnel, she just needed to hide there.
The problem was: she had no idea where that was!
‘Ugh, this is bad!’
The aqua park was ridiculously vast. Even the pamphlet at the information desk was worthless. Most of it was a trap. Nothing worked.
‘My stamina is running out…!’
Her breath was up to her throat. Footsteps were closing in. He was looking for her.
‘I need to get to the nearest… Ah!’
Timing was perfect.
She spotted a slightly larger utility box behind the tank.
‘Is it open?’
Thank God—it was open.
Lee Seonhae immediately opened the box and slipped inside. It was so dark she hadn’t even noticed it existed. Please, let the knife-wielding lunatic not notice it either.
“…….”
She held her breath.
“…….”
Splash,
Splash,
Splash.
“…….”
Splash….
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
…Splash.
Splash, splash, splash.
‘…Wow.’
She had survived.
‘This time, I really thought I was done for.’
Holding her mouth shut and holding her breath had paid off.
She didn’t know if it was luck or if he truly hadn’t seen her. Either way, she was alive, and she gave thanks to the heavens. Thank you, God.
‘Why is he chasing me like this? What exactly did I do wrong? Did he take offense at Gyeongyeon blocking his way? Is he the type who cannot tolerate someone moving ahead?’
But he started it first.
He came at my writer with a knife—my writer, the one I coaxed and nurtured.
“…….”
Being tired and hungry made her thoughts wander. A wave of self-doubt flickered.
‘Not now.’
Whatever desire for revenge or frustration she felt toward the knife-wielding lunatic would have to wait until she was safely out. Now, it served no purpose.
Lee Seonhae pressed her eyes shut. They ached from lack of sleep.
“…Ha….”
She needed to survive. Keep moving.
‘…This isn’t a pipe or tunnel.’
She racked her brain.
‘The radio could have misled me, or maybe it just never mentioned the actual place. In that case, it might be safer. But thinking of tunnels, there’s no guarantee this utility box will remain safe.’
She remembered the direction she had come from. She needed to move in the opposite direction. The chance he was deliberately toying with her was high.
‘Avoid this spot.’
Creak―…
She slowly and cautiously opened the box door.
“…….”
No one was around.
‘Those ghost fish respond well to me, though….’
A faint light reached her eyes. It was light, but it carried a sense of emptiness.
‘Compared to other monsters, these are almost harmless.’
Relieved, she quietly stepped out of the utility box.
‘They just float in the void, don’t react to me. Creepy, but not scary. They deserve a “good monster” award.’
The dark void. Ghost fish drifting gracefully.
“…….”
She didn’t want to waste more time, but…
“…Wow….”
Honestly, it was worth risking her life to watch.
They swarmed high above like stars. She felt as if she were submerged in the sea. Their glow was transparent, soft, ethereal—like a deep-sea spectacle.
A sense of vastness and awe washed over her.
“Beautiful.”
Lee Seonhae smiled awkwardly.
‘So strange.’
She knew this wasn’t the time, yet her heart raced.
A den of monsters that could easily swallow a person. Yet it was unexpectedly beautiful. Almost like this aqua park truly existed for visitors.
But she knew better.
“…….”
The faint light of the ghost fish illuminated the darkness, revealing…
“……!”
A massive presence.
Huge. Massive. Too massive to perceive in full.
It was so immense that she couldn’t remember seeing the whole thing, yet just glimpsing a part of it made her brain ache. Her heart pounded—or perhaps stopped altogether.
It was pale. No trace of blood… no. The concept of blood didn’t even apply. Wet, bloated, flesh-like, and yet not.
It hung silently above her.
‘Watching?’
Yes, it seemed to watch. It sensed her.
‘I can see it, but…’
Countless slender eyes pierced her mind. She felt it.
This was not safe.
‘It cannot be safe.’
This was a tank where something forbidden slept.
“…….”
…But, whatever.
‘It’s not my problem.’
She wished it simply didn’t exist.
Still, thanks to it, she got a good view. She had felt guilty for not helping Mr. Lee earlier, so sneaking into this hotel had some merit.
‘Ah, my eyes hurt….’
Rubbing her bloodshot eyes, she lowered her gaze, knowing there was nothing good to see, yet still drawn to it. Negativity can be addicting, she thought.
Lee Seonhae carefully moved forward.
‘Oh.’
She discovered a usable crutch.
It was likely the staff break room, or maybe the infirmary. A small bed, a simple first aid kit. Everything looked old, but serviceable.
“……?”
The crutch was one thing, but she saw medicine she had never seen before.
“What is this?”
The packaging looked commercial, but…
Lee Seonhae knew most types of medicine. Yet this one was unfamiliar.
‘Should I use it?’
She thought for a while, then left it be.
‘I’m not dying yet. No need to gamble.’
You only gamble when you have a chance. Confidence or hope is necessary. She had none for this unknown medicine.
“Ugh.”
Footsteps again. She ducked into a locker.
‘This isn’t a puppy training exercise… He’s just toying with me, right?’
She didn’t even know if he was human. After seeing all these monsters, “human” was not certain.
‘But his actions are definitely human-rejected.’
She stuffed a few medicines into her pocket. Lucky she hadn’t slept in pajamas with no pockets—otherwise hypothermia would’ve gotten her, and she wouldn’t have grabbed anything.
“…….”
The footsteps moved away.
‘Guess he just passed by.’
And then, as she came out of the locker…
Thunk.
“…….”
A strange sound, very close to her ear.
“…Uh….”
She slowly turned her head.
A red handprint was on the door she had just pushed.
‘A hand?’
Precisely at her eye level.
“…What the….”
The mark seemed to have been pushed out from inside.
Red liquid dripped silently, yet vividly in the dark.
‘This is….’
What could it be?
“Left for me to see…?”
It seemed intentionally placed for her to find. Too perfect a position.
‘Well, this is hardly abnormal…’
Still… wow.
“…….”
Wow!
A late appreciation.
She smoothed her pounding chest. Her tongue was dry, stuck to her palate.
“Typical horror movie stuff….”
This was the essence of thrill.
‘Felt like my heart would jump out.’
She wondered where to go next.
Opening the room door, she finally saw him.
“…….”
Their eyes met.
A long slit of a mouth. Blood-red sclera. A hand drenched in blood.
“…….”
That hand.
The hand.
It had left the mark on the locker just moments ago.
“…Ah.”
Complete disaster.
Lee Seonhae reacted instinctively. She didn’t even think. She moved.
Her hand held some medicine.
“…Aah, damn it—!!”
Thwack—!!!
She hurled the medicine at the eye.
“Get lost!!”
“……!”
He flinched, but didn’t blink. Seizing the moment, she turned and ran. The crutch was a godsend.
‘But what good does it do?!!!’
Her body was in no condition to run. Naturally, she barely got a few steps before he grabbed her.
“Argh…!!”
His bloody, damp hand was huge and cold like a corpse. She felt worms crawling on her neck.
Ah, just like that.
“Ugh, hngh…!!”
Bang—!!
She hit the floor.
“You… bastard…!”
“…Ugh, huff, uggh…!!”
“…….”
“Ugh…!!”
“…….”
The man silently stared down at her.
It was pure death. The madman looked at her with a deranged face. Breathless, fading.
‘Sometimes I could breathe if I played it right.’
He was a pro at cutting off oxygen. No trace allowed.
She scratched at his gripping hand, but he didn’t budge.
‘Damn it, damn it…!!’
Death was imminent. Escape invisible. Reason fading.
“……!”
“…….”
“…Ugh….”
The last bit of breath in her lungs stiffened. At the threshold of death, her thoughts focused on one thing.
‘…If I die, what happens to our writer?’
That wasn’t the only problem.
‘I worked so hard to save him… and if I die here….’
Through blurry vision, she saw the man raising his knife. Eyes unnaturally red, almost inhuman. The crescent-shaped pupils were grotesque.
―No.
“Hgh…!!”
She squeezed the remaining strength and grabbed the crutch.
“……!!!”
Thwack—!!!
She smashed his head.
As he hesitated, she didn’t pause. She struck again and again with the crutch. It finally snapped with a shriek.
She jammed the sharp broken end into his eye.
―Squish!!
The wet pop of the eyeball echoed in her ears.
“Ugh…!!”
Disgusting, grotesque. Yet her adrenaline roared, her breath burst like laughter.
“Hack, cough, gag…!! Huff, ugh…!!”
“…….”
“Ugh, cough, cough…!!”
“…….”
“Gasp, huff… ha….”
She forced herself to stay conscious. Only that would let her survive.
Of course, the crutch hadn’t penetrated his skull. Her strength was nowhere near enough. But she made sure the eye was destroyed, escaped his rigid grip, and crawled free.
She barely stood using the wall.
‘I can’t handle him.’
Her prior training in martial arts and self-defense meant nothing here.
Her body was battered, and he was in perfect condition. Could she kill him? She had no proper means. Someone who kills knows how to kill efficiently.
“Ugh, ugh…!”
She had never murdered before. The worst she’d done was injure in self-defense. Lack of experience meant hesitation.
Hesitation meant death.
‘I’m not gambling on that.’
She had to run. Immediately.
“…Ugh, ugh…ugh….”
“…….”
“Ughhh… gag, cough…”
Her stomach churned.
“Guh…ugh….”
Bile surged.
Her vision wavered, her head spun. All senses were battered. Her throat burned, her lungs heavy as wet cotton. Fingers cold, damp, dull. She realized her hands were pressing the water on the floor. She had fallen. Most likely.
“…….”
Her ragged breath was pierced by an unusually clear sound.
Footsteps in water.
‘Please, no…’
Splash.
Splash, splash….
She barely turned her head and saw him: the knife-wielding lunatic, guest of Room 703.
“…God.”
His crushed eyes leaked flesh. Blood poured, yet his face showed no pain. She laughed without realizing it, and then, she understood.
“He was a real monster.”
No wonder he didn’t feel pain. Her struggles were meaningless to him.
He was smiling, eyes not simply bloodshot but dark red, both eyes and crescent-shaped mouth twisted.
‘Ah….’
The knife fell.
…No pain.
“…….”
“……?”
He froze.
‘Why?’
Before she could question, a strange déjà vu swept through her body.
‘Seventh floor.’
He had reacted the same way before. Her frozen mind unlocked that memory fragment.
‘Yes, when Mr. Lee rang the bell—.’
Sssssss―
“……!”
Blood spread thickly across the water.
From the supposedly dark pool below, something slowly rose. The water on the floor pulsed like a heart, reacting to it.
It wasn’t just blood—it was alive. A massive, moving puddle of blood. Thin streams seeped through cracks, trembling, forming shapes.
Uncannily vivid life and intelligence. Too small to see, but undeniably… moving with consciousness.
【■■】
It spoke a word.
Amid the noise, had it sensed a living breath? Or did she wish it so? From the pitch-black water, a scarlet tendril shot up like a root.
“…….”
The tendril changed direction.
Raising like a head.
Looking at Lee Seonhae.
And above all…
…As if it knew everything.
【Guest?】
At the same time, countless tendrils surged above the surface.
‘No way.’
Veins entwined, spines grew, arms attached. Broken bones found their places. When eyes formed…
“…….”
She was certain. She had seen those eyes before.
“Guest.”
“…….”
“Director Lee Seonhae.”
From the carefully crafted lips, her name came.
Here, now, among all these red things, though it should have been a welcome greeting, her heart plummeted.
Had it noticed?
Mr. Lee’s eyes blinked slowly, like a cat. As if to say, Don’t worry. You’re not in danger.
“…Seems like a dangerous situation.”
He spoke gently, like coaxing a small, fragile creature. The tone human, polite. Watching over her, seeking permission, with a practiced smile beyond his reborn form in blood.
It was uncanny.
“…Do you need help?”
“…Ah….”
Ironically, this being reborn in blood, unnatural as it was, asked with such human care. She laughed at the contrast.
“Ah ha, ha… ha….”
It was Lee Yeonwoo.
“Amazing.”
His hair perfectly combed back, glasses catching the light. Three-piece suit, shoes. Familiar face, yet surreal in this context.
Maybe not human.
‘But he looks human.’
The concern in his eyes, the fatigue in his voice, the practiced smile—all human. The awe and humanity coexisted, absurdly.
She grabbed the lifeline lowered like a miracle.
“Mr. Lee, I’m really sorry, but…”
“Yes.”
“…Please, let me survive.”
With that, the last thread of consciousness snapped. As she teetered on the edge, one thought remained:
This hotel is seriously insane.