Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Before My Breath Stops
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"Damn it, try harder."
"What do you want me to do? It just won't work."
Song Arin grabbed my head and groaned in frustration, but I was just as pissed off.
"My migraine's killing me...!"
"I can't just turn my mental barrier on and off like a switch...!"
After our brief discussion, Song Arin and I concluded that running away wasn't an option for now.
Sure, we could leave during the intermission, but we didn't know the exact limits, and there were still people around.
In the end, following the theory that two heads are better than one, our best bet was to both enter the play together.
We were trying her theory of assimilating my mind into hers, cooperating as much as possible.
But now my temples felt like they were splitting open.
Song Arin sweated profusely, spat out a curse, shook her head, and stepped back.
"Goddamn it, this isn't working! Your barrier's rock-solid for no good reason!"
"I only found out I even have a mental barrier recently?"
This was so unfair.
Song Arin started muttering something under her breath.
She was probably trying to figure out a solution in her own way.
Either way, this wasn't my problem to solve.
So I should think about what I could do once inside.
First, let's consider the location.
It was a road, a small village, and a forest.
The biggest issue was that it might not be accurate.
So even if I strained to memorize the layout, it wouldn't help much.
On the flip side, what had I seen there with my own eyes?
Surprisingly, nothing.
I'd encountered beings that hid information before, and ones that dangled info to strike up conversation, but this was the first time the information itself was invisible.
...
On the other hand, if the information isn't visible from inside?
"Hey, Song Arin."
"Shut up, I'm thinking."
What a brat.
Should I ditch her?
I stood up, ignoring Song Arin as she snapped back sharply and muttered to herself.
I needed info on what we were dealing with.
Time to check the manual.
I pulled it out from my pocket and started reading.
[Manual for Office Workers]
G. Incorporeal Containment Objects
1. The Management Bureau manages and monitors various Containment Objects.
2. Some naturally lack a physical form, making them far trickier to handle than those with one.
3. In such cases, please contact the Containment Team. If they're not around, keep these three things in mind:
3-1. Stay alert. You might already be tainted or devoured by the Containment Object without realizing it.
3-2. Stay calm. A cool head is essential for dealing with invisible Containment Objects.
3-3. Stay suspicious. What you think is true probably isn't. Question everything and don't jump to conclusions.
I snapped the manual shut.
"Invisible... invisible..."
Something that harms despite being beyond my sight.
No physical form. Could it be an information contamination phenomenon?
Everything my eyes had worked on so far had at least a physical presence. The Cube, the adult form, the basement.
Conversely, this 'musical' might lack one.
Because a musical is just a script. Seeing the act of performing it wouldn't reveal anything.
"...A script?"
Why hadn't I thought of that?
I jumped to my feet and looked around.
Maybe finding and reading the script would lead to a real solution.
"Hey..."
I called over the staff member whose head had twisted 90 degrees.
"Yeeees, customer?"
"This play's so captivating. Is there a script I could see?"
...
The staff stared at me for a long moment.
"Um..."
"Customer, there is no script."
The staff spoke in a suddenly straight voice.
"Our 'Red Lady' is a musical without a fixed script, which is why it enjoys such popularity. As I said, there is no script."
"...Got it."
"...No prooooblem at aaaall..."
I nodded slowly, and just like that, the staff stretched their words again and shuffled off.
I couldn't tell if there really was a script, but they clearly weren't handing it over easily.
[2 Minutes Until Intermission Ends.]
The speaker announced.
"...Damn it, no choice."
During that time, Song Arin, who had been muttering with a fierce expression, sighed and grabbed my sleeve.
"I'll match it."
"Match what?"
"Your mind to mine."
"Will it work with your childish mental age?"
"You wanna die?"
Song Arin raised her fist. But she's just a kid. Did I say something wrong?
"Just tell me. What do I need to do?"
"Nothing."
Song Arin sighed and continued.
"I'll handle it all myself."
Soon, she began gesturing and explaining.
Tough words swirled in my head, but the gist was: the original 'easy method' involved assimilating my mind into hers, but my barrier was too strong.
So we'd go with the 'hard method' of fully aligning her mind to mine for assimilation.
"So I just sit tight?"
"Yeah."
She scowled, muttered something, placed her hands on the back of my head, pulled me toward her until our foreheads touched.
Song Arin met my eyes, forehead to forehead, and muttered something.
Her purple eyes felt almost hypnotic—stupid thought—as that crossed my mind.
[The performance begins. Please take your seats.]
The world went dark.
*
"...Ugh."
I opened my eyes and looked around.
We were in a forest.
Dim light filtered through the trees, thick fog blanketing a creepy woodland.
"I'm gonna die..."
A familiar voice came from beside me. Song Arin clutched her head and sat up.
"You okay?"
She probably wasn't, I thought as I asked. She glared at me, eyes wide.
"You thought, 'She probably isn't,' didn't you? Just now?"
"...How'd you know?"
"I'm assimilated to your mind. Your thoughts pop up in my head like the answer key."
That's why I didn't want to do this. She grumbled as she brushed off her pants.
"See anything?"
I squinted and scanned around.
No translucent windows appeared.
"...Nothing."
"As expected. No physical form for a conceptual Containment Object, so it doesn't work. Got it."
Tsk. She clicked her tongue and started bending her fingers backward.
"What're you doing?"
"Reality check. I suicided in a rush earlier, but it could be a dream."
Unfortunately, her fingers didn't bend freakishly.
"Not a dream. Another world then?"
"If it were, we wouldn't have come back after dying."
"True. Some weird in-between space that's neither dream nor otherworld."
"Those exist?"
"They do, or we wouldn't be in this mess."
Fine, she's answering all hypotheses positively, but could she drop that tone?
I'll really punch her later. Or get Yoo Daon to do it? Last time she nearly killed Jang Chaeyeon.
...
...
So what now?
"No idea."
"Don't read my mind. It's creepy."
"Then lower your mental barrier properly. I don't wanna read yours either."
Song Arin and I bickered as we started walking aimlessly.
"First, let's summarize what we know about the 'Red Lady.'"
"Scary. Probably looks like a total wreck if we meet her. Anything else?"
"Nope."
So our goal: escape without meeting the Red Lady, or find an exit.
But how do we find one?
"An exit, huh."
Song Arin tapped her chin thoughtfully. Stop reading my mind already.
"Let's walk for now. No other options. Got your gun?"
I rummaged in my inner pocket. Only the manual came out.
"...Why do you have that?"
"Huh?"
"I brought mine too, but it's gone."
Song Arin patted herself down.
"Beats me."
If even you don't know, whatever. But it's weird. Keep it in mind.
She said that and started walking, leaving me no choice but to follow.
But the forest path never ended.
Weird.
"Shouldn't a new area have appeared by now?"
"Yeah?"
Song Arin responded curiously to my words.
"Not for me."
"Really?"
"I only wandered near the cliff till the end."
"...Weird."
The moment I finished speaking, the forest changed.
Now it was a mountainside with a stream.
The fog was still thick, the eerie vibe even stronger.
"Huh, it changed."
"No way. It actually changes?"
Song Arin muttered in wonder, looking around.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached.
...!
Song Arin and I locked eyes like we'd planned it.
"Run!"
I yelled. She nodded and bolted in the opposite direction of the steps.
Thud. Thud.
No matter how fast we ran, the footsteps didn't fade behind us.
Should I look?
Maybe something shows up.
"You're really doing it?!"
Song Arin yelled sharply, reading my thought.
"You know what it is!"
"No choice!"
Seeing it might reveal something.
Not seeing guarantees nothing.
That was the pro and con of my eyes.
I spun around, stopped dead, and stared toward the sound.
The Red Lady appeared and—
Eyes went blood-red. Something flowed.
Pain hit a beat later.
Soon, everything went black.
Someone grabbed my nape and started running, dragging me.
In the darkness, I writhed in agony.
-Thud.
After who knows how long being hauled, someone tossed me aside and panted heavily.
"I told you... not to... do it...!"
Song Arin's voice.
...
A sigh, then something climbed onto my stomach.
Hot breath.
Soon, slender hands wrapped my throat and squeezed.
"Guh, ack..."
"Hang on. This isn't suicide."
Song Arin's voice.
If I die, what about her?
"I'll manage."
Laughter tinged her voice.
Total bravado to anyone listening.
"I've been at the Management Bureau longer than you. Think I can't handle this?"
"Ack, urk—"
My breath stopped. Death neared.
Wait.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps.
'Don't forget the exit.'
The kid's voice from before echoed.
Finally clicked.
Musical, script, exit.
She hadn't pointed at empty air.
To end the script—
"Hurry... die... please...!"
With her desperate plea, my consciousness faded into pain.
Right before dying, I think I heard someone's scream.
