Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Jin Dayeon
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Jin Dayeon
'It's a person.'
I hid behind a bookshelf and watched her.
The girl was sitting at a desk, calmly reading a book.
Does she even know what's going on in this school?
The crazy security guard is roaming the first floor alone.
Most people would be busy sneaking around like me or hiding and trembling in fear.
Yet she was reading as if this situation wasn't the least bit frightening.
What is she thinking?
As I secretly watched her from behind the bookshelf, I caught a glimpse of her face.
Black hair with a bluish tint and sharp eyes.
Overall, she had sharp, cat-like features.
Suddenly, I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before.
'Ah.'
I remembered.
She was the girl who had been watching me through the window in the art room.
Back then, she looked so unreal that I thought she was a painting.
Seeing her moving around normally, unlike before, felt a little strange.
'So she was here.'
She vanished from the fourth-floor hallway in an instant, and I'd wondered where she went.
To think she was right next to the art room all along.
I stopped staring at the reading girl and snapped back to my senses.
Why am I even doing this?
Now that I knew the presence I'd felt upon entering the library was a person, not a ghost, there was no reason to hide.
But for some reason, I hesitated.
How should I put it?
It felt like an unapproachable, enigmatic aura was flowing around her.
I observed her closely.
Slender, pale fingers turned a page.
It was clear she was reading, but her expression was utterly indifferent.
Her face showed no emotion as she read.
Expressionless.
The corners of her mouth didn't lift, nor did any interest flicker in her eyes.
It looked less like reading and more like the act of forcibly stuffing text into her head.
That's how indifferent the girl's face was.
Why even read it then?
Just as I thought that.
"...This is boring."
The girl closed the book she was reading.
And let out a faint sigh.
Her expression remained stiff.
It must have really not been to her taste.
*Thud.*
She set the book down. Then she glanced at her watch, as if waiting for someone.
Is she about to move?
I held my breath and watched.
"Why don't you come out now."
The girl muttered to the wall. But for a mumble to oneself, it sounded like she was addressing someone specific.
'Me?'
I flinched.
I tried to pretend I hadn't heard and remained silent.
No, it can't be.
I've been hiding this whole time.
There's no way she noticed.
The girl's gaze shifted somewhere.
To the bookshelf I was hiding behind.
Our eyes met between the books.
There was no mistake. Her apathetic eyes were clearly aimed at me.
'Ah, seriously.'
For some reason, it was as chilling as running into the security guard.
I thought my heart had stopped.
I reluctantly crept out.
"Hi...?"
I offered an awkward greeting.
A strange sense of shame pierced my lungs.
"..."
The girl stared blankly at me.
There was no reply.
Her burdensome gaze shot up and down my body.
'I'm so screwed...'
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
After ten seconds that felt like ten hours, the girl finally spoke.
"I was waiting."
"...For me?"
She nodded and continued.
"But you've just been hiding since earlier instead of coming out."
"That's..."
I was at a loss for words.
"Do you like spying on people? Are you a pervert?"
"No, that's not it..."
The girl shot back, her face expressionless.
I hurriedly tried to make an excuse, but she wasn't listening.
"Let me give you some advice."
She got up from her chair and trudged over to me.
She extended a slender finger and poked me in the chest.
"If you don't want to die, brace yourself. This school is no place for a fool like you."
She spoke calmly in a chilly tone.
For once, her face held some emotion.
I could tell this wasn't just a passing remark, but a sincere warning.
'By the way, maybe it's because this is a game.'
Her lines sound like something out of an RPG Maker game.
The terrible thought crossed my mind for a moment. Then, I felt a sharp glare.
"Are you even listening to me right now?"
"...Of course."
The girl looked at me with contempt.
I averted my gaze, afraid of giving her something to pick on.
Then I happened to see the name tag on her uniform. I read the name engraved on it.
"...Jin Dayeon?"
It felt strangely familiar. It was the name I'd found on the recorder and the gym clothes.
Which means,
"That's right, it's my name."
Dayeon replied nonchalantly.
Her expression was still impassive.
It seemed like she didn't want to talk to me anymore.
"Wait a minute."
"What, is there something you want to say?"
You bet there is.
In fact, I had a mountain of things to say.
Swept up by Dayeon's overwhelming presence, I'd been stammering like a loser.
I was just about to ask what was going on.
*Fwaat!*
[1. What's happening at this school?]
[2. Who in the world are you?]
Two choices appeared.
It was obvious why this was happening.
You want me to ask questions RPG Maker-style, is that it?
I chose the first question.
"What's happening at this school?"
"Well, it's not so much that something 'happened' as it's always been like this."
Dayeon answered as if it were obvious. But the content was nothing short of shocking.
"This school has always transformed like this at dawn. Every day, 365 days a year."
"...What?"
"Don't ask why, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
My mind was a mess from her incomprehensible answer.
Dayeon shut her mouth, offering no further explanation.
It was clear she wouldn't give me any more information, no matter what I asked.
There was nothing I could do.
That was it for questions about the school.
I immediately asked the next question.
*Fwaat!*
[1. What's happening at this school?]
[2. Who in the world are you?]
I chose number 2.
"Who in the world are you?"
"It's a secret."
Dayeon brought her index finger to her lips.
Unlike before, her attitude was forceful.
"But don't worry, I won't hurt you."
Dayeon whispered as if to reassure me.
Her faint breath touched my ear.
My whole body cringed, and goosebumps broke out.
I hastily pulled away from her.
"You think I'll fall for that?"
"I thought you'd like it."
"Why would I?"
"Because you're a pervert."
"...I am not."
We continued our meaningless argument after that.
Of course, we got nowhere.
Not knowing Dayeon's true identity, I couldn't let my guard down.
"Don't look at me like that."
"It's not like I want to. How do I know what you're plotting?"
"I see. I suppose you could think that."
Dayeon muttered something meaningful.
"I'm not plotting anything. In fact, I'm the one who needs your help."
"You need my help?"
"Yes."
She answered with a blank face.
Thanks to her characteristically emotionless face, I couldn't tell if she was telling the truth or lying.
"But there's no proof."
"Proof..."
Dayeon rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought.
After pondering for a while, she rolled up her sleeve as if she'd thought of something.
"Will this do?"
She abruptly held out her wrist.
Dozens of red lines were clearly etched onto her pale white skin.
'What the...'
...They were self-harm scars.
They were horrific wounds at a glance. How many times must she have hurt herself to get like this?
The scars, starting from her wrist and extending up her arm, were too gruesome to look at.
"Looks like you're a little more willing to talk now."
"You..."
"I'm trapped in this school, just like you. For ten long years."
Dayeon spread both her palms to show the number 10. Looking closely, I saw her left hand was scarred just as badly as her right.
Words wouldn't come easily. Dayeon shrugged as if it were no big deal.
"I can show you all the proof you want."
She said, thrusting both hands toward me.
I couldn't help but frown.
"I don't need it, put them down."
I grabbed her arms and turned them away. Only then did the scars disappear from my sight.
"What, are you scared?"
"So what if I am?"
She'd been completely expressionless until now, but she was now wearing a faint smile.
I got a dangerous feeling, like I shouldn't get any closer to her.
"Once you're trapped in this school, you can't die even if you want to. You just live on forever."
The countless scars on her arms proved it. What Dayeon said was clearly true.
But when I die, I just go back to before I died.
In Dayeon's case, it seemed she didn't experience death at all.
"Do you want to be trapped in this school forever, like me?"
"Not at all."
"Then help me."
She wasn't giving me a choice.
Her tone, closer to a command than a request, sparked a feeling of defiance in me.
"Why should I?"
"Well, there are many reasons. But to put it simply, my goal is the same as yours."
"Escaping the school?"
Dayeon nodded.
Then she explained the whole story.
"You're the first person to set foot in this school in ten years."
"So you want us to escape the school together?"
"You catch on quick. You can't escape this school on your own. Neither can I. So let's team up."
Dayeon clasped her hands together.
It seemed to signify joining forces, but it didn't really resonate with me.
I could see scars here and there between her wrists.
They were hideous to look at again.
'Ten years, she said. It must be true.'
I felt like I was starting to understand why Dayeon always wore a blank expression.
I wondered if I'd end up like that too after spending ten years in this crazy school.
"If you're ready, follow me. There's something I need to show you."
Without asking my opinion, Dayeon started walking.
What should I do? I was unsure whether I could take Dayeon's words at face value.
'Still, I've got nothing to lose.'
In my current situation, I had no one else to rely on anyway.
Even if she was lying, what's the worst that could happen? I'd just die.
The pain of death was frightening, but as long as I had the diary, I had nothing to fear.
I followed Dayeon as she slowly walked away.
"You're slow."
"I'll take my time."
We arrived at the center of the library.
Dayeon rummaged through a drawer.
"To escape the school, you have to solve the riddles hidden in the classrooms."
"I know that much."
I recalled the places I had visited so far.
Every place in the school, except for the bathroom, was filled with puzzles.
"This library is no exception. There's a puzzle hidden here."
"Then you must have solved it. You said you've been in this school for ten years."
Dayeon didn't answer.
She muttered quietly, her face blank.
"...You'll see."
Dayeon took a key from the drawer.
The number 1 was written on it.
"What the. You did solve the puzzle."
"..."
Dayeon deliberately ignored me.
She seemed uncomfortable, so I quickly shut my mouth.
"Follow me, there's one more place."
We then headed for the archives.
The musty smell of old books filled the air.
On top of that, it had a winding, maze-like structure.
Dayeon, having apparently memorized the layout, strode forward without hesitation.
A key was hanging at the end of the archives.
"Take it."
She handed me the key she'd acquired.
The key had the number 2 written on it.
[You have acquired Key No. 2.]
Then we immediately left the archives.
When we returned to the library, Dayeon asked a cryptic question.
"Do you know why I haven't been able to escape this school for over ten years?"
"...I don't know. Why?"
Instead of answering, Dayeon raised her hand.
And pointed somewhere.
"A bookshelf?"
Where she pointed, two bookshelves stood alone.
Dayeon trudged over to a bookshelf and inserted a book into an empty spot. Then,
*-Rumble!*
The two bookshelves split apart to the sides, revealing a hidden door.
Two secret doors, standing side by side.
A warning was posted between them.
[When two minds become one, the door shall open.]
"Because I couldn't solve this puzzle."