Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Anatomical Model
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Anatomical Model
The back of the painting had a mirror attached.
The painting in the archive across from me was the same.
Dayeon stared blankly into the mirror that appeared when she flipped the painting over.
“Who’s this pretty girl?”
“…It’s you.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Stop talking nonsense and just hang it on the wall.”
I hung the mirror on the wall. Dayeon matched its position on her side.
It seemed we had roughly achieved symmetry.
But the door didn't open.
“What’s the problem this time?”
“Because it’s not symmetrical?”
“But I made the rooms symmetrical.”
“I guess it’s not *perfectly* symmetrical.”
Perfect symmetry.
The rooms definitely had parallel structures.
The only difference was Dayeon and me, separated into our respective archives.
“Does the scope of symmetry include us?”
“In that case, we could just split ourselves in half and put one piece in each archive.”
“You’re not King Solomon. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Even if I wanted to create symmetry, a person can't be split in two like Dayeon said.
I immediately started searching for another way.
‘The mirror must be here for a reason.’
I looked at the mirror on the wall again. It was a full-length mirror, showing me from head to toe.
I stood blankly in front of it.
The mirror reflected my entire body.
‘In most games, this is when a ghost would jump out.’
Fortunately, that didn't happen.
As I gazed at the mirror, the words on the paper suddenly came to mind.
[Face each other.]
If “face each other” had another meaning besides making the rooms symmetrical, maybe it was meant to be taken literally.
“…So that’s what it meant.”
Unlike the one on the other side, I moved my mirror slightly to the side. Then I stood next to it.
“You stand next to your mirror, too.”
“Hmm, should I or shouldn’t I?”
Dayeon sat on a chair, arrogantly tapping her leg.
Her slender, pale legs were clearly visible.
Before my brain could even process it, I had already glanced over.
“I'm asking you nicely, so get over here…”
I hurriedly turned my head, but Dayeon had noticed my gaze long ago.
Dayeon pressed down on her skirt to cover herself. Then she frowned with a look of contempt.
“Pervert.”
“…Give me a break.”
I didn't even get a good look.
After soundly berating me, Dayeon got up from her chair.
Finally, Dayeon stood next to the mirror.
The mirror in my archive reflected Dayeon's image perfectly.
The mirror in Dayeon's archive reflected my image perfectly as well.
It created the effect of us standing side by side in each other's archives.
At last, symmetry was achieved.
-*Click*
A door opened somewhere.
It was the door to the secret archives.
“We finally solved it…”
Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief, the mirror on the other side changed grotesquely.
“Jesus, that scared me.”
The me in the mirror was crying tears of blood.
On top of that, my face was contorted in enough pain to make me want to die.
The horrific wounds caked with blood and flesh here and there were an added bonus.
Even though it was my own face, it was so ghastly it was hard to look at.
“This is a sick joke.”
I shuddered and looked away.
Meanwhile, Dayeon was staring intently at her reflection in the mirror.
Like mine, her reflection had also changed grotesquely.
The Dayeon in the mirror was dangling, a rope tied around her neck. What's more, blood was pouring from every orifice on her face.
“Ugh.”
It was a sight that made me want to gag.
But Dayeon was fixated on the sight, as if her own miserable death was fascinating.
“What’s so great about that that you’re staring at it?”
“I don't know. She looks happy.”
Happy?
Dayeon muttered something incomprehensible.
“Happy, my ass. She looks like she’s in agony.”
“The me in this mirror is finally at peace.”
“I guess you could see it that way.”
Was it because, unlike her who couldn't die, her reflection had hanged herself?
She seemed faintly envious.
Dayeon's idea of happiness seemed to be a far cry from the conventional definition.
“Stop talking and come on out.”
I turned the mirror around so she couldn't see it.
Dayeon let out a small "Ah" of disappointment but quickly came back to her senses.
“By the way, I don't see the key for the next classroom. You don't have it over there?”
“Yeah, nothing.”
It wasn't grammatically incorrect, but for some reason, it rubbed me the wrong way.
‘Anyway, where’s the reward for this puzzle?’
Usually, when you solve a puzzle, a path to the next area opens up.
But all that happened now was the secret archive door opening.
‘Did I miss something?’
I decided to think about it after I got out and opened the door.
And an unexpected scene unfolded before my eyes.
The library, which had been so still just moments ago, was now a complete mess.
Bookshelves were smashed or toppled over, and books were scattered everywhere.
While we were solving the puzzle in the secret archives, someone had broken into the library.
“What the…”
I was so dumbfounded that I was about to mutter to myself.
Dayeon brought a finger to my lips.
And whispered softly.
“Shh.”
Dayeon's slender finger touched my lips. It felt strange.
Soon, I sensed a presence somewhere inside the library. It definitely wasn't a friendly one.
“Follow me.”
Dayeon whispered, her voice low enough for only me to hear. We carefully hid behind a bookshelf, avoiding the presence.
“Let’s hide until it leaves.”
“What the hell got in here…?”
“If you’re curious, take a look. I think you know them.”
“Someone I know? No way.”
A sinister thought crept into my mind.
*Nah, it can't be.*
I repeated the thought to myself as I carefully peeked my head out. I cautiously surveyed the library, trying not to be seen.
*Thump, thump, thump, thump.*
The footsteps that now induced irritation more than fear.
A man in familiar clothes wandered aimlessly through the center of the library.
Just as I'd feared, it was the security guard.
‘Why the hell is that guy popping up here again…’
The moment I saw him, a curse naturally escaped my lips.
That's how deeply our ill-fated relationship was intertwined.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
The footsteps were getting closer.
It seemed he was heading this way.
“Aren’t we going to get caught?”
“Looks like it. We should hide somewhere deeper.”
It was a tense situation where getting caught could mean losing my head to the guard.
Dayeon let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes.
“I’m sleepy.”
“Is this really the time for that?”
Right now, with the guard having barged into the library.
There was a small gap under a toppled bookshelf.
“We can hide in here.”
Dayeon stealthily bent down and slipped inside. Then, she gestured for me to hurry up and join her.
“No matter how I look at it, that space seems way too small.”
“You can make it if you try.”
The space under the bookshelf was big enough for one person to fit comfortably. But it looked impossible for two.
I hesitated, unable to make myself move. But as I stood there, the footsteps grew closer.
“Hurry up.”
“…Alright.”
I had no choice but to squeeze myself under the bookshelf. The opening was so narrow that even getting in was an ordeal.
“Having trouble on your own? I’ll help.”
Dayeon gently placed a hand on my waist and slowly pulled.
Grunting, I finally managed to get under the bookshelf.
But the situation was far from ideal. It was much more cramped under the bookshelf than it had looked from the outside.
Thanks to that, I ended up pressed right up against Dayeon.
“Aren’t you a little too close? Do you like me that much?”
“It’s not like that, so stop talking nonsense.”
I could see Dayeon's face clearly.
I wanted to look away, but the space was so tight it was hard to move.
On top of that, we were so close I could even feel her breath.
It was awkward to just stare at her face, so I closed my eyes instead.
“Oh? Trying to sleep?”
“I’m not sleeping.”
“Then I’ll sleep too.”
Dayeon gently lifted my arm and placed it under her head. An arm pillow.
She lay down, using my left arm as a pillow.
“What are you doing?”
“It was uncomfortable just lying here.”
To me, this whole situation was nothing but uncomfortable.
If I'd known this would happen, I would have run out of the library and hidden in a cleaning closet.
Dayeon's breath was far more oppressive than years-old dust.
Perhaps my feelings showed on my face, because Dayeon tilted her head.
“What, you don’t like being with me?”
Even as she said this, her breath touched me directly due to our proximity.
What's more, the guard's footsteps had reached our vicinity.
Even whispering softly, we might be discovered.
In this situation, the best course of action was to ignore Dayeon.
“Hey, hey.”
“…”
“Are you really sleeping?”
“…”
“I guess you are…”
My acting must have been convincing, because Dayeon's pestering subsided.
Just when I thought things would finally get quiet.
I felt Dayeon's breath right in front of my face. Since I was pretending to be asleep with my eyes closed, I had no idea what she was about to do.
Then, I felt a soft touch on my cheek. My mind snapped awake.
Startled, I opened my eyes. Dayeon was staring at me blankly.
“Sleep well?”
“…”
I wanted to say something, but my tongue wouldn't move.
The guard's footsteps were right in front of us now, so I didn't respond.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
I could see a sliver of the guard's feet past the bookshelf.
I instinctively held my breath.
I remained silent until the guard left.
The guard passed by without noticing us under the bookshelf.
After that, he wandered the area for a while longer before finally leaving the library.
The guard's footsteps gradually faded.
But I couldn't bring myself to come out just yet.
It wasn't because I was scared.
“What are you doing? Not coming out? I think the guard’s gone.”
“…What did you do to me just now?”
“Hm? Oh, that.”
Dayeon pressed two of her fingers together and touched my cheek. I felt a soft sensation.
“I did this.”
“…”
The sensation on my cheek earlier was, in fact, just her fingers.
“Don’t lie.”
“Why? Were you afraid I did something weird?”
I swallowed my next words.
Arguing with Dayeon was a waste of time, as it would clearly end in my defeat.
Without another word, I crawled out from under the bookshelf.
“You get out, too.”
“Help me. It’s hard to get out on my own.”
Dayeon held out her hands and wiggled her fingers.
Reluctantly, I took her hands and pulled.
Maybe because she was a girl, she was much lighter than I expected. I pulled Dayeon out from under the bookshelf.
“What a mess.”
“Who?”
“What do you mean, who? The library.”
I scanned the library, which looked like it was on the verge of collapse. The guard had wrecked the place so badly that there wasn't a single undamaged bookshelf.
“Ah, this book was fun. It’s torn.”
“Find the pages and tape them back together.”
“Should I?”
I scanned the cluttered floor. A few shiny objects caught my eye.
I quickly went over and dug through the books.
[You have obtained Ink.]
[You have obtained Ink.]
‘Oh.’
I found two bottles of ink.
I could use one now and save the other as a spare.
[Your journey so far has been recorded.]
After securing the spare ink, I continued searching the area.
‘There’s bound to be an item in a place like this.’
Something shiny glinted near some footprints that the guard must have left.
He probably dropped it.
[You have obtained the Science Lab Key.]
‘Found it.’
[Science Lab Key]
【Used to open the door to the Science Lab.】
“Did you find the key?”
“Yeah, for the science lab.”
The science lab.
Fortunately, it was one of the classrooms on the fourth floor.
No need to go out of our way.
“Let’s go, then.”
We immediately headed for our next destination, the science lab. It was only two classrooms down from the library, so we got there quickly.
“I wonder what’s hiding in here this time.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll suck.”
[You have used the Science Lab Key.]
*Creeak.*
I cautiously entered the science lab.
*Thud.*
As soon as I stepped through the entrance, a human-sized object fell over onto me.
“…That scared me.”
For a moment, I almost fainted from shock.
I was lucky I didn't scream.
If I had, Dayeon would have teased me about it endlessly.
‘Phew.’
I breathed a sigh of relief. I checked the object that had just fallen on me.
The figure of a person with their organs exposed.
It wasn't a corpse, but an anatomical model, the kind you'd expect to find in a science lab.
“An anatomical model?”
It must have been propped against the door and fell over just as I opened it.
“…Something’s weird.”
The model's condition seemed strange.
The internal organs. The lungs, liver, heart, etc.
The organ models were strangely lifelike.
As if they were from a real person.
Just then.
“*Cough!*”
A sudden cough burst out of me.
“*Cough, cough!*”
The coughing was uncontrollable, and blood trickled from my mouth. It was more than a trickle; it was pouring out.
“*Ugh…*”
I spewed blood like a fountain, just like in an arcade shooting game.
‘What’s happening?’
The moment I entered the science lab, my body's condition took a sharp turn for the worse.
Without knowing why, I staggered and collapsed in front of the anatomical model.
My consciousness faded.
In my dimming consciousness, I could vaguely see the anatomical model.
For some reason,
…the anatomical model was looking down at me, smiling broadly.
[You have died.]
[Restarting from the last checkpoint.]