Deepening Conflict

The atmosphere between Han Yuna and me had grown even more awkward than before.

Well. Honestly speaking, I'd been acting suspiciously from the start.

The fact that Han Yuna was the protagonist of this horror story was something only I knew. Treating that as a given would naturally seem strange from her perspective.

But acting suspicious of her now would be just as weird.

The situation… was just stacked against me in every way.

Then again, that had been a foregone conclusion the moment I got dragged into a horror story in the first place.

She'd been staring silently into empty air for a while now. Growing uneasy, I spoke up.

"What are you looking at?"

"…Nothing."

"…Want to talk for a bit? I think the stuff on this recorder is really weird."

"Weird? How so?"

"That line about not trusting the person you woke up with. That… that doesn't make any sense. There's no way one of us is a monster."

Even as I said it, I could feel myself getting impatient. I couldn't help it. Honestly, I was the one who needed her more.

Without Han Yuna, I was in serious trouble.

"But other than that, is there anything on the recording that was wrong?"

"…."

…She was completely suspicious of me now.

When I fell silent, Han Yuna let out a shallow sigh and spoke.

"Honestly, I don't know what to believe. Nothing's been confirmed for sure yet. So until I'm certain, I need a little time to think."

"…We're not even dating. 'Time to think.'"

I said it with pure incredulity.

Of course, I'd just blurted out whatever came to mind in my panic, and Han Yuna looked embarrassed.

"Th-that's not what I meant. Anyway, I also think it's weird how easily you trust me."

"I'll say it again — I'm grateful you saved me first, and… that's why I trust you. There's no guarantee everything on that recording is true. If you start looking for reasons to doubt, there's plenty of weird stuff in there too."

"Hmm…."

Han Yuna made a low sound without any real answer. A gesture that said she had nothing left to be suspicious about.

"…."

"…."

After a long stretch of deliberation, Han Yuna finally opened her mouth.

"Then I'll go outside alone for now."

For a second I thought I'd misheard, and asked again.

"Alone?"

"Yeah. To verify the recording, I need to face a monster."

"…You can handle a monster by yourself?"

"I should at least check the one right outside the door first."

Han Yuna looked at the firmly shut break room door.

Beyond it would be the Gopdeung-i Monster we'd run into just a moment ago.

"I want to confirm whether it really freezes when you stare at it. If it does, I should be able to walk past without breaking eye contact… or at least have time to attack first."

"And if the information is wrong?"

"Then I'll come straight back in. And… I'll believe what you said."

She spoke like someone trying her hardest to sound reasonable.

"I'm the one taking the risk alone, so you don't really have any reason to complain, right?"

I couldn't tell if she was reckless or brave. Probably both. Han Yuna was clearly the type who didn't scare easily.

Until a moment ago, that had felt reassuring. Now that same fearless streak was working against me.

She was genuinely planning to leave me behind and go alone.

And if the monster really didn't move as long as she held its gaze… from that point on, her suspicion would spiral completely out of control.

…I was screwed.

I'd been backed into a corner with no good options left.

"You're really going?"

I never expected to sound like a dumped boyfriend clinging to his ex — but given the situation, the words just came out.

"…."

Han Yuna looked at me for a moment.

Something like guilt seemed to flicker in her eyes.

But her decision didn't appear to change.

Her expression hardened again, and she gave a firm nod.

"Yeah."

The word sounded so cold.

Han Yuna didn't add another word. As if there was no point in wasting time, she turned immediately and began gathering the gear she'd piled in one corner of the break room.

She pulled the protective suit's zipper all the way up to her neck, then tightened the drawstrings at her wrists and ankles one by one. After grabbing a lantern, she picked up the baseball bat.

Gripping the handle with both hands, she gave it a light swing.

Whoosh.

A heavy sound cut through the air.

"…Can you really do this alone?"

"Whether I can or not, I'll find out once I'm out there."

Han Yuna approached the door with her grip tight on the bat. She pressed her ear flat against the door first and stayed completely still for a while.

The break room went quiet.

Then, having heard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠something, she slowly straightened up. Baseball bat in her right hand, she seized the doorknob with her left.

"If anything happens… shut the door right away."

"…."

"This is my choice."

The moment she said it — click — the doorknob turned.

She carefully opened the door, scanned the outside, and then slipped her body through.

From my vantage point, all I could see was the open doorway and Han Yuna standing on the threshold. She glanced around, then locked onto a direction and went rigid.

…She'd found it. The Gopdeung-i Monster.

She began to move forward, step by careful step. As she drew farther away, I edged closer to the door and took hold of the knob.

Only then could I see it clearly.

Han Yuna was locked in a standoff with the monster, still standing exactly where we'd first discovered it, holding its gaze. Even so, she was gradually closing the distance. And the monster truly wasn't moving an inch as long as their eyes met.

…The information on the recorder had been real. The moment that sank in, my heart dropped. Han Yuna seemed to have reached the same certainty.

She stopped in front of the monster and raised the bat. Both hands came up beside her head. Tension coiled through her back and shoulders.

No way.

The instant I realized what she was about to do—

Whoosh!

The bat sliced through the air.

Thud!

The sound of something hard yet wet being struck hard rang down the corridor.

Then a grotesque shriek erupted.

"Kiiiiiik!"

A bone-chilling high-pitched wail reverberated through the space. I clutched the doorknob without thinking.

But Han Yuna didn't stop.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Gritting her teeth, she swung the bat again and again. The sickening sound of flesh being pulverized filled the air. Black fluid sprayed from the unseen monster's body, spattering her bat and protective suit.

Crunch!

After one final, massive downward strike, the surroundings fell silent. The monster made no more screams.

Han Yuna had actually taken down a monster by herself.

She stood there breathing hard, bat still in hand, then spun around at once and came toward me. I hurriedly opened the door ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wider.

The first emotion that hit me was relief. That the monsters could be killed. That nothing else had gone wrong in the meantime.

"Thank god. Come inside first and close the door—"

But Han Yuna's steps stopped right at the doorway.

"…What's wrong?"

She didn't answer.

She was close enough that the lantern wasn't needed. Her face was perfectly clear, and the moment I saw her eyes, I understood.

She had no intention of coming inside.

"Yuna…."

"I confirmed it."

Her voice was low and even.

"I confirmed that what the recorder said was true."

"That just means the information about that monster was accurate. It doesn't mean I'm a monster."

"…."

"…Come in. Please."

Han Yuna's expression wavered. For the briefest instant, something like guilt or hesitation flickered at the corners of her eyes.

But she never stepped closer. Instead, she reached into the pocket of her protective suit.

What she pulled out was a crumpled wad of paper. She held it out to me.

I took it and smoothed it open. Bold lettering was printed across the cover.

"I found it in a drawer."

"…You hid it?"

"I didn't hide it on purpose. There was just too much content, so I figured we'd look through it together later."

"Then come inside now and we can look at it together."

"…."

She had no answer.

Fear surged up all at once — the fear of being left alone. Alone in this dark water park, with monsters that could appear at any moment. All of it suddenly felt real.

"…Are you abandoning me?"

I knew how childish the question sounded, but I had to ask.

Han Yuna averted her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She turned away.

In the end, all I could do was stand in the doorway and watch her walk off. Han Yuna's figure gradually sank into the darkness.

Eventually, I had no choice but to close the door.

Creeeak. Clunk.

The sound of the lock engaging rang out unnaturally loud.

Only then did the reality of being truly alone sink in. I stood there for a long time with my forehead pressed against the closed door. The crumpled cover of the manual rustled in my hands.

"…I'm screwed."

My voice alone echoed pathetically through the empty break room.

Blue Island Water Park Staff Operation Manual.

I flipped past the cover. Looking at the table of contents:

The rest was ordinary stuff you'd find anywhere. I flipped back and forth between the "Closing Procedures" and "Water Quality Purification" sections.

Is this place… currently closed?

The power was out, and the only things roaming outside were monsters.

The real question came next.

Then what about water quality purification?

That meant the purification process probably hadn't been carried out at all. The closing procedures hadn't been fully completed.

The reason I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠latched onto this was the emergency protocol listed under the water quality purification section.

If I do this, wouldn't all the Black Water drain out?

I couldn't be sure, but for now it was the most plausible lead I had.

One thing that bothered me: if all the water drained away, what would happen to the monsters inside it? Would they get sucked down the drains along with it? Or would they be left fully exposed on the empty pool floors? If it was the latter, things could get even more nightmarish than they already were.

I unfolded the water park floor plan from the first page and laid it on the ground.

It showed a simplified layout of each floor, and from the looks of it, I was currently on B1 — the level with the staff locker room, the break room, and the Kids' Pool.

From the locker room where we'd first woken up, following the corridor the monster had taken led to the showers. On the break room side where I was now, there was a Lost and Found, and further in, two staircases were marked.

One led up to the interior first floor. The other descended to the B2 Machine Room.

Han Yuna took the stairs leading to the interior first floor.

She was probably planning to check out the first floor. That made sense — there was a snack bar up there, and it connected to the outside. And if she'd zeroed in on the closing procedures the same way I had, that route also led toward the second floor, where she could shut down the circulation pumps.

…Can she manage on her own?

The worry crossed my mind, but now that I was alone, I had no other options. No one left to rely on. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Starve to death sitting here, or go out and fight and maybe die. At least the latter still had a chance of survival.

I needed to pull myself together. I couldn't just sit here paralyzed by fear forever.

Then—

Tap.

A small sound. I froze.

What was that?

Tap. Tap.

Someone knocking on the door.

Han Yuna?

…No chance.

And it wasn't a monster either. No monster would knock like that.

…Then who?

Just as the thought formed—

"…Is anyone in there?"

A man's voice. Young-sounding, cautious, and somewhat exhausted.

Instead of answering, I held my breath.

The woman's voice from the recorder resurfaced vividly in my mind. That if you happened to meet a companion in this place, you were lucky. That you should find a way to cooperate somehow.

Like I'd believe that.

If I'd taken the recorder at face value, I should have been suspicious of Han Yuna from the start. And now someone showed up the second she and I split up? As if they'd been waiting for me to be alone — a new person arriving at exactly that moment. Too convenient to call coincidence.

Which left one remaining possibility…

…A monster pretending to be human.

I picked up the baseball bat leaning right beside me.