Chapter 397
Chapter 397
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: No.
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"..."
"..."
Yoo Daon and I walked down the endlessly stretching pipe-lined corridor, carrying the two of them on our backs.
There was still that gaze—or presence, maybe. Whatever it was, we could feel it.
That's why neither Yoo Daon nor I said a word. We just kept scanning our surroundings, staying on high alert.
"Jaeheon."
"Yeah."
And, as if by some unspoken agreement, we stuck close together.
"...Aren't the two of them taking a bit too long to wake up?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
Sure, their stamina might be about average for a normal person, but in a situation like this, they weren't the types to stay unconscious for so long.
I wanted to set them down and check on them, but...
"..."
With that intense feeling of being watched still bearing down on us, neither Yoo Daon nor I could suggest taking a break.
A strange impatience was weighing on us.
"...Jaeheon."
"Yeah, Daon?"
Then, Yoo Daon called out to me again.
"Should we... take a short break?"
"..."
Take a break?
She knew something was going on as well as I did.
I looked at her with that expression, but Yoo Daon met my eyes for a moment before groaning and sitting down right there.
"My legs hurt so much... Just a quick rest!"
"...Got it."
She must have some plan. Thinking that, I sat down across from her, and Yoo Daon gently lowered Song Arin to the floor.
Song Arin's unconscious body lay flat on the ground, and I slowly set down the passed-out Jang Chaeyeon as well, still keeping my guard up as I scanned the surroundings.
What the hell is this creepy feeling?
Yoo Daon, who had been sitting and resting, spoke up.
"I've been thinking."
"Yeah."
"There hasn't been any direct attack yet, right?"
I immediately understood what Yoo Daon meant.
"...No, there hasn't."
"..."
Yoo Daon and I locked eyes.
Was it just messing with our heads, making us feel that way?
Something that deliberately corners you psychologically before devouring you. That was definitely a possibility worth considering.
Ah, if only Song Arin were awake right now.
In a fit of frustration, I lightly patted Song Arin's cheek.
"...Ugh..."
Song Arin groaned and furrowed her brow, and Yoo Daon's eyes went wide.
"Will slapping her wake her up? Jaeheon, should I do it?"
"You don't need to express your grievances like that."
I replied calmly to Yoo Daon as I patted Jang Chaeyeon's cheek too, and she furrowed her brow and let out a groan as well.
"..."
Was it really just reacting to the impact?
-Pat pat.
"Ugh..."
-Pat pat pat...
"Uuuugh..."
The harder I patted, the more groans came from Jang Chaeyeon.
"Should I really give it a try?"
Yoo Daon raised her hand, and for a moment, I thought it might actually work.
No, honestly, I was pretty convinced.
So.
"...If she doesn't wake up after you hit her, I'm seriously not taking responsibility."
"I'll say I did it! Jaeheon didn't do anything!"
"No, that's not the issue."
Wouldn't that make me look like total trash?
As I hemmed and hawed while looking at Yoo Daon,
"Here goes!"
Yoo Daon swung her hand and slapped Song Arin's cheek.
A sharp *smack* echoed through the corridor,
and
"Ow!!"
Song Arin clutched her cheek, letting out a yelp as she shot upright and stared at us.
"W-What? How are you guys awake?"
What kind of nonsense is that?
Before I could even ask her,
Yoo Daon pulled her hand back and swung at Jang Chaeyeon's cheek,
-Smack!
An enormous sound rang out, and Jang Chaeyeon's head snapped to the side.
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon glared with wide eyes, and Yoo Daon beamed brightly.
"You're awake!"
"Chaeyeon, just a second. Calm down first. Arin too, calm down. I'll explain."
Jang Chaeyeon stared blankly at Yoo Daon while cradling her cheek, and Song Arin looked at her in disbelief before raising her own hand. I hurriedly intervened.
If I just stood by here, things were going to blow up.
"I-I asked her to..."
"No. I insisted on doing it."
Yoo Daon cut me off with a bright smile.
"I'll take the hits instead!"
"..."
"..."
Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin looked at each other, and Song Arin spoke up.
"Hang on. I'm a little confused right now. You said you and the black-haired one were passed out until just now. So the white-hair one and I were dragging you around."
"...Yeah."
"What are you talking about? You two were passed out, and Daon and I were carrying you."
"...No, wait. You and the black-haired one passed out, and when the white-hair one fell, the black-haired one and you hit your heads..."
"Daon fell last, though."
"...Yeah, she did."
After hearing the two of them, I gaped in disbelief, and Yoo Daon muttered with a perplexed look.
"And there's no way I'd pass out. I'd just die, end of story."
"...True."
"..."
Song Arin shut her mouth with a confused expression and looked at me and Yoo Daon.
"What the hell, then? What happened?"
"..."
I gave Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin a quick explanation.
Their blackouts, the length of the pipe corridor, and finally, whatever was watching us.
"..."
Song Arin furrowed her brow as she listened and looked at the two of us.
"...So we were the ones getting played?"
"I don't know. Did you two feel..."
I glanced back at the now-overt presence, but still, nothing was visible.
"...anything like this before?"
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon looked at each other.
"Kinda, maybe."
"...Yeah."
"What do you mean 'kinda'?"
Why are they so unsure?
I stared at them in exasperation, and Song Arin cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing.
"What can we do? The white-hair one and I were busy."
"Busy?"
"...Yeah. You know how it is."
The two of them averted their eyes at my question, and Yoo Daon stared at them before speaking.
"Anyway... I was the one who hit you."
"Right. I got slapped."
Song Arin touched her cheek at Yoo Daon's words, mumbling before glaring at her.
"Hey, but if you're gonna slap, can't you do it lighter? I think my lip split."
"I tried light, and you didn't wake up. And your lip didn't split. Chaeyeon's neither!"
"..."
She probably could have held back a bit more, but I didn't point it out.
Song Arin fiddled with her lip and sighed.
"Fair enough. Otherwise, we really would've thought it was legit and been doing all sorts of weird crap."
"What the hell were you two even doing?"
Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon exchanged glances, and Jang Chaeyeon slowly opened her mouth.
"Nothing happened."
"..."
Fine, whatever. No time to nitpick right now.
"...Anyway, for now."
I slowly spoke up.
"Arin, do you sense anything?"
"..."
Song Arin closed her eyes and focused at my question, then slowly shook her head.
"You're right about the presence, but no human energy or... whatever weird stuff."
"This is driving me insane."
"What if we're just being toyed with? Like a mental attack or something."
"If it was mental, I wouldn't have been affected."
"...True."
Song Arin nodded in agreement, and Jang Chaeyeon stared straight at me.
"...You're getting a bit snappy."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"..."
I touched the corner of my mouth. Was I?
"Stay calm."
Jang Chaeyeon stood up calmly.
"As long as no attack comes, this could just be psychological—"
Before she could finish,
-Psssh!
Steam burst from countless pipes, and thick fog instantly obscured our vision.
"Cough, cough!"
"Everyone, group up!"
The word *ambush* flashed through my mind,
and
-Whoosh!
Something flew toward us with a whistling sound, and someone shoved me aside.
"Urk!"
I tumbled to the ground, and soon something warm splashed onto my arm.
The metallic stench of blood assaulted my nose, followed by a thud as something hit the floor—then grotesquely rose and returned to its place.
"Behind me!"
Yoo Daon shouted urgently.
Something's there.
I looked around, thinking that, but the fog made it impossible to see clearly.
All I knew for sure was that something unknown lurked beyond the mist.
-Slice!
Once more, a cutting sound rang out, and Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon came to my side. Yoo Daon shouted again.
"I'll take the front, it's fine—"
-Slice!
A chilling sound, and something fell again before returning.
"—now!"
Yoo Daon cried out in a blood-boiling voice, and Jang Chaeyeon stepped slightly forward to shield me and Song Arin.
"Can't see it."
"...Me neither."
"I can't see either."
So,
-Slice!
Another gruesome slicing sound, and Yoo Daon stifled a groan.
We can't stay like this.
"Let's break through."
"...How?"
Jang Chaeyeon grabbed my arm as she asked,
"Chaeyeon."
"Yeah."
[Coordinate Rip: 3 uses remaining]
The world turned into graph paper.
"Can you rip just the fog?"
"...You can even do that?"
I ignored Song Arin's words and looked toward where Jang Chaeyeon should be,
"...Yeah."
A tearing sound ripped through the air.
-CRACK!
And with it, the fog dispersed.
Yoo Daon, sweating bullets as she looked at me, and Song Arin clutching my collar.
And between us, staring at us...
was a bizarre monster.
Teeth lined its belly, its face utterly blank. Yet somehow eerily human.
A translucent window popped up.
[Name: Kim Jaeheon]
[Age: 27]
[Talents: None]
[Abilities: None]
[Background: Kim Jaeheon is a young man working in the HR Team at the Gangseo Branch of the Management Bureau. He has a unique gaze.]
[Weakness: He isn't Kim Jaeheon to begin with.]
"..."
Me?
As I stared at it in shock, Yoo Daon staggered.
"No wonder. It bit into my leg with those teeth."
Yoo Daon muttered, brow furrowed, and I yelled outright.
"Run!"
And so, we bolted backward.
My head was a mess.