Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 152
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Silence lingers.
Yoo Daon finishes putting on her gloves and turns her gaze to me.
"What should we do, Jaeheon-ssi?"
"Wait a moment."
If it comes to it, we'll have to fight.
But how should we approach this?
...
...
I meet the eyes of the two elderly folks.
Think.
Fighting them here wouldn't be difficult.
The problem is what comes after.
It won't end with just breaking through by force.
I clear my throat and glance at the two of them.
Do they even have human hearts?
It's already been proven they don't.
The translucent window visible to my eyes confirms they are no longer human.
Even so, the past I read could confuse them.
"Come to think of it."
...
I slowly shift my gaze away from the two corpses.
"When did the two of you arrive?"
"The two of us?"
The grandmother's head—no, her jaw—no, the mouth located where a normal person's head would be mutters at my words.
"Yeah, when did we get here?"
"I can't remember."
This is it.
"Didn't this person call you mother or father?"
"What?"
The old man furrows his brow.
"Now that I think about it, maybe they did."
"What are you saying, old man? Our son and daughter haven't arrived yet."
"No?"
I gesture to Yoo Daon, and she stands up from her seat.
"No, but thinking about it, maybe they did call us mom and dad."
"Old man, is it because you're getting old? You can't say things like that."
"No..."
Listening to their conversation, Yoo Daon and I slowly stand and walk away.
Are they focused on the talk? Neither seems to notice us moving.
"No, but they do look a bit like our kids..."
-Kwachik!
Before the old man finishes speaking, a crushing sound comes from behind.
-Ududuk... Ududuk...
Soon, along with the sound of something being chewed, the old man's voice falls silent.
...
...
Yoo Daon and I exchange glances.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
We tiptoe forward slowly.
We reach the front door quietly without a sound,
turn to close it,
and lock eyes with the grandmother staring at us, her face flipped upside down.
The grandmother, blood dripping from the mouth on her head, staring at us.
-Ududuk... Ududuk...
Her jaw keeps moving as if she's endlessly chewing something.
I slowly close the door.
-Kkiiik...
The door shuts,
"Kyaaah!!!"
a scream rings out,
and
-Thud!
the door shakes.
"Daon-ssi!"
"Yes!"
Yoo Daon and I quickly brace the door with our bodies.
-Thud! Thud!
Endless pounding from the door.
The force is immense, making our bodies jolt involuntarily.
"C-Can we hold this?"
"They weren't going to let us leave anyway, so we have to do something!"
I shout to Yoo Daon as we keep bracing.
How many minutes pass like this?
The sounds quiet down.
...
I exchange glances with Yoo Daon.
*Gone?* she mouths.
Honestly, I have no idea.
I open the manual with one hand.
[Office Manual]
[Myeongil Apartment]
[4-10. If you successfully step out the door, normal elderly couples won't follow.]
This "normal" word bothers me a lot.
But I have no choice.
I slowly peel my back from the door, and Yoo Daon follows suit.
We quietly watch the door.
I'm drawing my gun, ready to shoot, while Yoo Daon clenches her gloved fists.
...
...
How much time passes?
The door doesn't open.
But I need to update it.
No old man there anymore.
I turn my gaze to another room.
A nameplate reading [Room 403] is right in front of me.
Before entering, I open the manual.
[Office Manual]
[Myeongil Apartment]
[6-1. You can pass Room 403 even if the door is open. Here are examples.]
[6-2. If there's a single stick of incense lit, light it and go.]
[6-3. If the incense is scattered, enter the room straight ahead and greet the one lying there.]
[6-4. If something is lying at the entrance covered by a blanket, turn around immediately and leave the 4th floor. Walk as quickly as possible. Do not run. It hears footsteps.]
"That's what it says."
"Somehow, it feels like someone's lying there, doesn't it?"
"Daon-ssi, don't say ominous things."
We exchange not-quite-conversation with Yoo Daon as we eye the door.
The incense is scattered.
"This level is like second place."
"We've really gotten used to it. Back when it was just the two of us, we were trembling in fear."
"Honestly, Butterfly's Dream was scary."
Yoo Daon smiles at my words.
"Yeah. It was creepy enough for me too."
We slowly step forward together.
The house looks untouched for ages, covered in dust, walls moldy.
The room straight ahead has a brown wooden door, hinting it's a really old apartment.
"I'll open it."
"Yes."
Yoo Daon slowly opens the door.
Before us lies a small something covered by a blanket.
Like a child playing hide-and-seek inside.
We bow our heads politely, and Yoo Daon follows.
Can we go now?
I back away slowly.
-Chwararak!
The manual opens.
[6-5. During the Myeongil Apartment incident, parents left their 5-year-old child alone for just a moment to buy ice cream. When the incident broke out, the child hid under the blanket.]
I back out of the room and slowly close the door.
-Clunk.
With the door shut, we finally reach Room 402.
[Office Manual]
[Myeongil Apartment]
[7-1. Room 402 is the most common escape route. Known as the children's room, it's relatively very safe.]
Yoo Daon opens the door.
Cute rooms fit for children appear before us.
[7-2. Upon entering the children's room, you'll see cute rooms. First, check the walls. If there's a photo of a person, leave immediately. If there's a flower painting, proceed.]
Flower painting confirmed.
Yoo Daon nods and steps forward.
[7-3. The exit from the children's room is through watching television. It takes time to watch, so escape slowly.]
It takes time?
Murmurs come from the living room, and Yoo Daon and I exchange glances.
I draw my gun, Yoo Daon reclenches her fists, and we advance.
If needed, I'll shoot.
The TV noise grows louder as we head to the living room.
In the dark living room, someone sits hugging their knees, watching TV alone.
Watching?
The screen shows only static noise.
It's a person.
Someone I know well.
A translucent window floats above their head.
[Name: Song Arin]
[Age: 21]
[Talent: Hypnosis]
[Talents: -]
[Background: Is this an illusion of the past, or was I really dragged into Myeongil Apartment? She simply uses the escape method she knows.]
[Weakness: You already know.]
"...Arin-ssi."
At my voice, Yoo Daon widens her eyes, and the shoulders of the person on the sofa twitch.
She slowly turns her head.
Her usual confident face is gone; she looks at us with hollow eyes.
She scans my expression, then meets Yoo Daon's eyes and her own widen slightly.
She flinches and looks back at me.
"Why is she here?"
Yoo Daon tilts her head, mutters "Ah," smiles brightly, and answers Song Arin's question for me.
"Because Jaeheon-ssi called her?"
...
"Because Jaeheon-ssi said he needed her."
"...Fine. Fine."
Song Arin bites her lip.
"Arin-ssi."
"Yeah."
"How did you end up here?"
"...Beats me."
Song Arin sighs and stares at the TV.
Only static crackles fill the room.
Black-and-white noise illuminates her face.
"I guess I got too absorbed in the painting."
...
Song Arin straightens up, looks at us, and bows her head.
"Sorry."
"...It's okay."
I approach Song Arin.
What should I do?
-Tap tap,
I pat her shoulder.
Song Arin looks up at me.
"It's okay. No one stays fine every day."
Everyone has tough times. This is just hers.
Song Arin's face twists slightly.
At the same moment, her eyes glaze over briefly then refocus.
"...Yeah."
She nods slowly and looks at Yoo Daon.
Yoo Daon's smile hasn't faded.
Song Arin averts her gaze from Yoo Daon as if avoiding it and turns back to the TV.
"Keep watching this, and you can get out."
"Ah, this noise?"
"Yeah."
"I thought something was wrong with you, making you stare at the TV."
"Don't say nonsense."
She seems in better spirits now, chuckling and lightly hitting my arm.
"This noise lasts an hour. As long as it doesn't stop, you can escape."
"So Song Arin-ssi, you've been trapped here before."
"...Yeah, pretty much."
Song Arin nods.
"We can talk details after we get out—"
-Beep...
The noise stops.
A black screen appears.
-Beep...
"Arin-ssi, what's this?"
"I don't know."
Song Arin mutters, backing away.
"Our names."
Yoo Daon mutters.
-Chwarararak!
The manual flips open wildly.
[Office Manual]
[Get out of the room right now.]
-Beep...
The sound echoes loudly.