Chapter 24
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Not Falling For It
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Not falling for it.
Fwoosh!
Potato chip crumbs scattered through the air, sticking to its head.
The chips, salty enough to make your tongue tingle, were working.
“Gahk! Keck! Hiiik!!”
Byeong-cheol thrashed its head around in agony, struggling violently.
It bounced around the entrance to the school store, throwing a fit.
Crack!
The aftermath left the area in chaos—glass shattered and cracks spiderwebbed across the wall.
‘This isn’t enough.’
I’d managed to inflict some real damage, but a handful of crumbs wasn't going to cut it.
I dumped the entire bag of chips right onto Byeong-cheol’s head.
“Eat your fill and get lost.”
A blizzard of crumbs rained down, like a heavy snowfall. Only then did Byeong-cheol’s face twist into an expression of utter agony.
“Gahk! G-gagagak!!”
Its head, trembling violently, jerked and jumped without pause.
The entrance to the school store vibrated and shook as if hit by an earthquake.
“Ehehehehehek!! Ihihihek!!”
Finally, with a grotesque, mouth-splitting laugh, Byeong-cheol melted into a puddle.
An unidentifiable liquid, presumably what was left of Byeong-cheol, pooled on the floor.
I quickly stepped back, not wanting to get my shoes wet.
“Whew.”
I had defeated Byeong-cheol using the method from the diary. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief…
Crack, cr-crack.
Cracks appeared on the outer wall near the store's entrance, then began to spread.
The consequences of Byeong-cheol’s head thrashing about were only now becoming apparent.
The area around the entrance rumbled and shook. I could instinctively tell it was about to collapse.
“W-what the.”
“Watch out.”
Dayeon, seeing me hesitate at the entrance, shoved me hard. I tumbled out of the store.
A moment later, the ceiling cracked apart, and the entrance to the school store came crashing down.
I’d nearly been buried alive under the collapsing rubble.
“Gasp…”
“You okay?”
Dayeon peeked her head through a gap in the rubble. She seemed unharmed, but the situation was far from good.
The entrance to the school store was completely sealed off.
Dayeon was trapped inside, all alone.
We were separated.
“Can you get through?”
“No, not unless there’s some other way out. It’s completely blocked.”
I tried to move the debris, but the fragments and steel beams wouldn’t budge. Dayeon shook her head as if to say it was no use.
“I’ll just stay here. You go on ahead.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to finish searching this place. Who knows? There might be a secret passage.”
The collapsed door was the only conventional entrance. Dayeon was effectively stranded inside. Yet, far from being concerned, she spoke casually.
“There might be a way to clear this rubble somewhere in the school, right? I’m counting on you.”
In short, she was saying:
You go do all the hard work.
With Dayeon practically imprisoned in the school store, I was the only one left who could freely explore.
Meaning, from now on, I had to navigate the school without her.
Just like when I first woke up in the classroom.
“Heeh, I feel like a princess captured by a devil.”
“Must be nice to have time for jokes.”
Dayeon stretched leisurely, as if it were no concern of hers. The sight of it grated on my nerves.
Still, I couldn’t really blame her.
She hadn’t gotten trapped in here on purpose, after all. This was all Byeong-cheol’s fault.
‘My life, seriously…’
I managed to calm my churning stomach.
The thought of having to explore the rest of the school alone made my head spin.
Just as I reluctantly turned to leave,
“I’ll be waiting, Champion.”
Dayeon waved from beyond the rubble.
A farewell gesture.
“…Alright, I’m going.”
With her farewell ringing in my ears, I left the school store behind.
We were two when we entered, but I was alone on my way out.
“…”
The hallway was cloaked in silence.
Just moments ago, Dayeon had been chattering away beside me, leaving no room for boredom.
Now, being alone felt strangely awkward.
I stood absently at the end of the hall, taking in the school’s atmosphere.
It was dark, eerie, and chilling. I almost couldn’t believe it was the same hallway I’d just walked down.
The reason for such a drastic shift in atmosphere was simple.
I was alone.
We had been separated for less than three minutes, yet her absence was keenly felt.
She wasn't just a partner in escaping; she also served to lighten the oppressive atmosphere of this creepy school.
Perhaps that was why, without her, the school felt heavy and desolate.
The hallway was suffocating.
For a moment, I found myself wondering what it would be like if Dayeon were here.
‘I must be going crazy.’
The thought startled me.
Missing Dayeon.
And it hadn't even been five minutes.
Get a grip.
I slapped my cheeks with both hands. The sharp sound echoed through the silent hall.
I felt like my head was finally clearing.
I could explore the school just fine without Dayeon. That’s how it was at the start, wasn't it?
With renewed resolve, I started walking.
Thud, thud.
My faint footsteps echoed in the deserted hallway.
It reminded me of when I’d first escaped the classroom.
Back then, I thought simply escaping the classroom was the goal.
Now, I was combing through the entire school.
“So, where to now?”
I stopped when I reached the main entrance.
Normally, I’d have a key to the next classroom or something, but I had no clues at all.
First, I should see what I have.
I opened my inventory to check the items I’d collected.
[ITEM]
1. Book That Kills You When Read
2. Jin Dayeon's Plaster Statue
3. Jin Dayeon's Photo
4. Jin Dayeon's Gym Clothes
5. Jin Dayeon's Recorder
6. Can of Coke
7. Diary
8. Ink x1
…More than half of them were related to Dayeon.
It made me feel like some kind of Jin Dayeon stalker.
If Dayeon saw this,
she would’ve definitely spouted some weird line like, ‘Heeh. I didn’t know you liked me *this* much?’
As I shook my head, a strange question popped into my mind. One of the items I’d acquired was missing.
“One of the ink bottles is gone.”
If I remembered correctly, I’d picked up one bottle of ink in the science lab and another in the school store.
That meant I should have two.
But my inventory only showed one.
“Where did it go?”
I looked around, wondering if I’d dropped it somewhere. Just then, the diary fell from inside my jacket. It was strangely damp.
The cover was stained a glossy red. Just as I’d feared, it was ink. A broken bottle had soaked the diary.
“Ugh.”
Careful not to cut myself, I gingerly pulled out the broken ink bottle. I had a good idea when it had shattered.
When the store entrance collapsed, Dayeon had pushed me out of the way of the falling debris.
The bottle must have broken from the impact when I fell.
“Don't tell me it saved the game...”
I opened the ink-stained diary. The save point was set to just a few moments ago.
To be precise, right after the store entrance had collapsed.
My worst fear had come true.
The spilled ink had seeped into the diary, creating a new save point.
“Dammit…”
I shook the red drops from the diary and put it away.
The situation had taken a turn for the worst.
This meant that if I died, I wouldn’t return to my last manual save, but to the moment right after the entrance collapsed.
Even turning back time wouldn’t save Dayeon from being trapped.
So I really have to navigate the school on my own, no matter what.
I couldn’t rely on Dayeon anymore.
I had to brave the dangers of this school alone.
That being said, where am I even supposed to go?
I checked the map on the wall of the main entrance.
The main building had four floors in total.
I still hadn't been to the second or third floors.
The lack of a key was a problem, but it was worth checking out.
‘Guess I’ll start with the second floor.’
I decided to head for the second floor first and was about to make for the stairs.
Then, I heard faint footsteps in the distance.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
It was the security guard. It would be disappointing if he didn’t show up.
As if he couldn't miss an opportunity to show his face, he just had to appear now.
“Dammit, doesn’t that guy ever get tired…?”
You’d think he’d have given up by now.
Muttering to myself with a sigh, I slipped into the cleaning supply closet.
**
“He won't follow me up to the second floor, will he?”
I tiptoed up the stairs, focusing all my senses in case the guard suddenly appeared.
Thankfully, I didn’t sense anyone.
I carefully climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The second and third floors were for the sophomores and juniors, so I’d rarely ever been up here.
Maybe that's why it felt so unfamiliar, even though it was the same school.
“Huh?”
When I finally reached the second floor, a sign stood in my way.
[Do not run in the hallway.]
The message was simple and clear.
A warning: ‘Don’t run in the halls, or you could fall and get seriously hurt.’
There didn't seem to be any hidden message.
Even if something happened if I ran, all I had to do was not run.
‘I’ll just keep going for now.’
I easily ignored it and continued down the hall.
Then another sign appeared.
[Do not look back.]
Don’t look back?
As a warning, it was a strange one.
‘This is strange.’
This felt very different from the ‘Don’t run’ sign. I had a bad feeling.
A chill ran down my spine for some reason. I felt like I absolutely should not look back.
‘Ha, you think this will scare me?’
I took a deep breath and took a confident step forward. In that instant,
“Found you.”
A familiar voice spoke from behind me.
To my surprise, it was Dayeon’s. The sound of footsteps followed, drawing closer.
“…What the hell.”
“I found a shortcut in the store. That’s how I managed to get out.”
“Why are you here…?”
“I ran into the security guard on the way, but I hid in a supply closet to avoid him, just like before. Pretty smart, right?”
Dayeon calmly explained what had happened while I was gone.
She ignored my questions and just kept talking.
“…Are you really Jin Dayeon?”
“It’s a good thing there was a shortcut. I barely escaped through a secret passage under the vending machine.”
“Just answer my question.”
“As soon as I got back to the main building, I came straight to the second floor. I’m not late, am I?”
The Dayeon behind me was spouting nonsense. But I couldn't bring myself to believe a word of it.
There’s no shortcut in the school store. And Dayeon has no way of knowing I’m on the second floor.
The chance that she could have escaped through a gap in the rubble was also slim to none.
‘In that case,’
…who is the Dayeon behind me?
My steps faltered. The voice was still speaking right behind me.
“And I found the key to the basement stairs in the store. We can just go to the storage room and get the bolt cutters now, right?”
Listening to the voice alone, it was unmistakable.
That mysterious tone, that blunt yet alluring way of speaking—only Dayeon could sound like that. However,
that thing wasdefinitelynotDayeon.
‘*Gasp*…’
I bit my tongue, hard. A sharp pain shot through it, a jolt that reminded me I was alive. I didn’t know what it was, but the voice behind me was not Dayeon. It had to be a ghost trying to trick me, whispering in my ear, pretending to be her. I couldn’t fall for it.
‘Calm down.’
Deep breaths, swallowing hard, counting prime numbers—I did whatever it took to stay calm.
Keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, I spoke without turning around.
“Get lost.”
“Heeh, cursing at a lady? How rude.”
Even its reaction was a carbon copy of Dayeon’s.
The perfect imitation of someone I knew sent a shiver down my spine.
But I couldn't let myself fall for it.
I even pushed aside the doubt that whispered, ‘What if it really is her?’
The person behind me was a ghost. I was sure of it. I kept walking straight ahead.
Then, another sound reached me—the frantic thudding of footsteps from a distance.
Thudthudthudthudthudthud!
The sound of someone racing up the stairs, running in my direction.
It was unmistakably the security guard’s footsteps.
‘The security guard?’
I froze on the spot.
Were those footsteps the real guard, or was it another one of the ghost’s tricks?
It was an impossible choice.
But I couldn’t run, and I couldn’t check.
According to the signs, I couldn’t run, and I couldn’t look back.
Staying perfectly still was my only option.
‘Don’t be fooled.’
The mind-numbing sound of footsteps was relentless. Needing a distraction, I opened my inventory.
[Jin Dayeon's Photo]
【A photo of Dayeon making a double peace sign.】
I pulled out the perfect item for a distraction. I stared at Dayeon’s goofy face and tried to calm my racing heart.
‘Just go past me, just go past me…’
Before I knew it, the guard’s footsteps were right behind me.
ThudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudNotFallingForItthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud