Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Night Duty
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I stared at my reflection in the mirror, racking my brain hard.
How the hell did things end up like this?
I recalled what had happened just a little while ago.
*
The duty room was on the third floor.
"Damn it, night duty? What is this?"
Song Arin grumbled as she straightened out the blankets in the duty room.
"Do we really need four people for this?"
"Yeah, right."
Come to think of it, that was kind of funny.
I looked around the cramped duty room.
Did elementary schools even have facilities like this?
After a brief school tour, the duty room we'd be staying in was like a tiny studio apartment.
There were two bunk beds on either side, and in the farthest corner from the door, just a single microwave.
It was a shoddy setup where a window should have been, blocked by a wall instead.
"No mold on the blankets, I hope?"
"It's duty, so why are you only thinking about sleep?"
"Isn't this supposed to be like a night watch?"
Song Arin gave me a look like I was asking the obvious.
"Yeah, that's right."
"Exactly. You're the patient, so go first or last. White hair, black hair—no complaints?"
"None!"
"...None."
At Song Arin's words, the other two nodded, and she shot me a triumphant look.
"That's how it happened. So help me sort these blankets."
With that, she started shaking them out briskly, not even giving me time to argue.
Unlike Yoo Daon, who was meticulous but slow, or Jang Chaeyeon, who just plain sucked at it, Song Arin's movements—shaking out the mattress and folding the blankets with swift efficiency—marked her as a clear pro at housework.
"Song Arin."
"What."
"You're good at housework."
"Yeah, lived alone for a long time."
She said it casually, then turned back to me with a mischievous grin.
"What, you into girls who are good at chores?"
"Teasing you gets me nothing."
"Boring."
She clicked her tongue and went back to neatly folding the blankets with practiced ease.
Thanks to Song Arin, we finished up quicker than expected, and in the silence, the four of us just stared at each other.
Looks like I'm briefing again.
I cleared my throat to get their attention, and all eyes turned to me.
"First, let's go over what needs doing."
I started listing out what we'd been told.
"Lock the front gate first. Then check that all the classrooms are secured."
The three of them nodded.
"It's a small three-story school, so it'll be quick."
Let me see, what else was there?
"Right. And sometimes kids or outsiders wander in, so just talk them down nicely and send them off."
"So the one who's awake keeps patrolling for that?"
"No need to circle the school constantly. Do one round, wake the next person, or sleep more if there's time."
"Yes!"
Not sure if we all need to take a turn patrolling though.
"But just to be safe, everyone stay cautious."
At my words, all three nodded.
"Alright, since you've been considerate, I'll gratefully take the first watch."
They nodded again and lay down on their beds, watching me.
Feels like I've reenlisted for no reason.
"See you~"
"Be careful."
"Turn off the light when you go."
"Yes. I'm off."
I switched off the duty room light, tucked the pistol and classroom keyring in my pocket, grabbed a flashlight in one hand, and stepped out.
Better safe than sorry.
I shone the flashlight down the dark school hallway as I walked.
I never noticed as a kid, but elementary schools are built to kids' eye level, huh.
Everything felt low. The doors, the water fountains—all of it.
And I never knew night schools could feel this eerie.
I walked the dark corridor straight out of a horror flick, relying on my single flashlight.
First things first.
Check the classroom doors.
I started with the one right next to me.
The lock was solidly in place.
Good.
After confirming all the classroom doors were locked, I headed down to the first floor and out to the playground.
How are all elementary schools so identical?
Tiny playground, a statue, and even a creepy one.
I swept the flashlight over every corner of the playground, checked the perimeter, then shut the front gate.
-Creeeak.
Whether it was unlubricated or what, it let out an unpleasant metallic screech as it closed. I locked it and checked the time—barely 20 minutes had passed.
Did we really need four people for this?
Working field jobs like this has made me suspicious and distrustful of everything now.
But who would approve bringing in better guns from the Management Bureau armory just because I was scared and anxious about volunteer work? We're not even Containment Team.
Nothing around. No warning signs.
I glanced at the outdoor school clock.
8 p.m.
Time to head back, rest a bit, and wake the next person.
I opened the first-floor hallway door and stepped in.
"...Huh."
A child's voice.
The overwhelming sense of wrongness froze me in place.
The whole world seemed to grow taller.
And the school hallway I'd just seen was gone.
It had definitely been a modern concrete corridor, but now a wooden first floor stretched out before me.
Something was wrong.
Somehow, my clothes had become a black T-shirt with a cartoon character and jeans.
What the hell.
I reached into my back pocket at the heavy sensation—my hands closed around a pistol so heavy I could barely lift it with both, and a manual that still fit perfectly.
This felt bad.
I grabbed the door handle to go back outside, but
-Rattle!
The door wouldn't budge.
Should I shoot?
I drew the gun, finger on the trigger.
-Da-da-da-da-da!
The sound of footsteps running on the floor made me freeze.
I listened closely.
-Da-da-da-da-da!
Someone running.
But not in shoes. Barefoot.
I quickly lowered the gun and ducked behind what I guessed was a shoe rack, a wooden shelf.
The footsteps stopped near me.
Instinct screamed not to get caught—I clamped my mouth shut and held my breath.
Moonlight streamed through the window, and in its dim glow, I made out the shadow.
A woman crawling on all fours.
Freakishly long hair, beast-like elongated torso, and finally—
Teeth chattering came toward me.
"Yummy, yummy, yumyumyummy."
Her neck stretched out toward me.
Should I shoot?
I gripped the oversized pistol from my pocket with both hands.
At that moment,
"Over here! This way!"
A little girl's voice—like Yoo Daon scared—echoed down the hall. Its neck whipped around and bolted toward the sound.
Head to the duty room first.
I sprinted the opposite way.
I climbed stairs higher than expected, reached the third floor, and ran toward the duty room.
Old stairs, entire corridor made of wood.
I sorted the situation while running.
This place is some otherworld or equivalent. And judging by my hands, feet, clothes, and the gun's weight—terrifying thought—I've been turned into a kid.
No time to confirm.
The duty room was in sight. What about the other three?
I flung open the door.
This place was the same as before. Two bunk beds, one microwave.
The difference:
"...Where'd they go."
The three of them were gone.
I scanned around urgently. Any notes?
Soon, I found a scrap of torn paper on the bed, scribbled hastily in neat handwriting.
[If you see this note, get out of here now!]
Get out now?
A creak made me slowly turn around.
It was a human with long black hair.
The differences: crawling on all fours, mouth torn grotesquely wide, eyes sewn shut with black thread.
Reflexively, I looked above its head.
Nothing.
As I hesitated, its neck lunged at me. I raised the gun and shot its forehead on instinct.
-Bang!
"Urk!"
The recoil sent a bone-shattering shock through both arms.
"Kiiiaaak!"
A hole punched through its forehead. Seizing the moment it screamed, I bolted sideways out into the hall.
Where the hell are the other three? Did something happen?
That's how the game of hide-and-seek went.
I'd hide, it'd chase—just like before, repeating.
The good news: I had the keyring, so no issue opening classroom doors.
The problem: no sign of the others.
And that last glimpse—an image of a kid dangling from hair—nagged at me.
Who got caught?
Even if I wanted to understand better, my rejuvenated eyes barely worked, and the gun was hard to aim.
Think of another way.
I quickly opened the manual.
[Employee Manual]
[JL - If you feel physical abnormalities]
1. If you feel physical abnormalities, it's probably already too late—commit suicide. If suicide is difficult, check [T - Suicide Methods].
2. If suicide isn't necessary, assess the situation: is it a bodily change or an otherworld-wide alteration?
2-1. If it's a bodily change not requiring suicide, seek Management Bureau aid immediately. They cover any resulting physical defects.
2-2. If it's an otherworld change, prioritize escape. Prolonged exposure risks permanent physical defects or alterations.
I looked around.
The ancient hallway and building screamed otherworld.
I walked, deep in thought.
How do you escape an otherworld?
School-related? Gotta be a school ghost story.
Fight head-on and win? Would brute force work?
Doubt it—that thing kept going even with a hole in its forehead.
-Da-da-da-da-da.
Running footsteps again.
The difference: mixed in were smaller running sounds.
"Hah... hah... You damn... freak...!"
Familiar voice and speech.
Ignoring my aching arms, I drew the gun and ran toward the sound.
Long purple hair gleamed in the moonlight.
It was Song Arin.
The difference: she looked even smaller than me, like a little kid, panting in a purple dress.
"Song Arin!"
"Hey! Save me!"
"Get down!"
Without hesitation, she leaped and flattened herself on the floor.
I aimed the gun with both hands.
Insanely heavy, but I could land one shot.
It swung its hair—
-Bang!
Flames spat from the muzzle, piercing its forehead again.
At the same time, its hair whipped my hand, sending the gun flying far away.
"You mothe—"
Before I could finish, Song Arin spun around, squeezed her eyes shut, and the thing tripped over its legs, slamming into the wall.
In that gap, I yanked Song Arin up and we ran.
How far did we go? When my breath grew ragged and Song Arin was on the verge of passing out, we finally hid in an empty classroom.
"Hah... hah... What the hell's going on."
"...Hah... heek... Suddenly... we all turned into kids..."
Song Arin clutched her chest, gasping out her words.
A kid panting like that felt off-balance somehow.
"That thing earlier... heek... came in... the three of us... ran together... then the black hair... drew its attention..."
Was that Yoo Daon I saw in the classroom? Anxiety surged.
"...More importantly... ...I found this first..."
Song Arin pulled a crumpled paper from her pocket.
"...What's this?"
"Hoo... ...It's weird."
I unfolded the paper.
Scrawled in crude handwriting:
[Escape Method]
First, gather its hair.
Head to the gym and burn the hair.
If a child follows along the way, shake it off somehow.
Physical impact doesn't work properly.
After burning the hair, open every classroom door and sing hide-and-seek song.
If not everyone gathers, the rest will wander this place forever.
...
...
Song Arin and I stared at each other.
"First up, cut that ghost's hair, huh?"
"You've gotta be shitting me—"
Song Arin spat a heartfelt curse, and I gripped the paper, deeply agreeing inside.
First things first—find the other two.