Chapter 60
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Subway Dream (2)
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*Clatter.*
The door connecting the subway cars opened. And a swarm of what looked like dwarves appeared.
In their hands were sashimi knives, the kind you’d see in a Japanese restaurant.
What on earth were they planning to do? Ju-hee watched the situation unfold with anxious eyes.
In front of the connecting door stood the man who had been next to Ju-hee, just standing there blankly.
He was the first in line. The dwarves sliced at the man with their sashimi knives.
The man’s flesh was carved away in uniform slices. It was like watching the exquisite knife work of a sushi chef with forty years of experience.
The dwarves carved up the man as if each was determined to do its part to perfection.
Soon, all the flesh was peeled away, revealing his organs. Blood gushed out, soaking the floor.
Ju-hee took in the scene with her own two eyes. And she stood frozen in place.
She even began to wonder if the scene before her was actually real.
The blood flowing from the man’s body pooled on the floor, soaking her shoes.
Only then did Ju-hee grasp the reality of her situation. She let out a high-pitched scream that threatened to shatter the subway car.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
But no one on the subway said a word in response.
They didn’t even glance her way. They ignored Ju-hee as if she were invisible.
They just stood silently in a line in the center, waiting for their turn.
“This… this is insane…”
Ju-hee fell into a panic. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing with her own two eyes.
The man, who had been alive just moments ago, had been brutally murdered.
His flesh and organs were scattered throughout the subway car.
The red-stained lumps of meat were too gruesome to look at.
At the same time, Ju-hee felt something rising in her throat and clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Ugh…”
She scrambled to a corner of the car and threw up. Even though she hadn’t eaten much that day, Ju-hee emptied her stomach completely.
She only came to her senses after heaving up a mixture of saliva and stomach acid.
“Hah, hah…”
Ju-hee gasped for breath. But she couldn’t calm down.
This is a dream.
Repeating that to herself, she slowly backed away. Escaping was the first priority.
But she couldn’t escape. Suddenly, all the strength drained from her body.
“Huh…?”
*Thud.*
Ju-hee collapsed on the spot. Her legs were numb, as if she’d been anesthetized.
A chilling dread washed over her entire body. She was so terrified that her mind went completely blank.
“I have to… run away…”
While Ju-hee was panicking, the dwarves continued their work without a pause.
*Stab.*
They kept swinging their sashimi knives. The subway car was splattered with blood and viscera.
The long, long line was already about half its original length.
What would happen when the remaining turns were all over?
An indescribable anxiety washed over Ju-hee. At this rate, with people dying one by one, the line would soon be gone.
Then there would be only one person left.
The last turn on this subway belonged to Ju-hee.
“No…!”
Ju-hee screamed in despair. But her body was so weak that no sound came out.
She could only lie crumpled in the corner of the subway, sobbing and denying it.
A dream.
This has to be a dream.
Ju-hee bit her finger. But nothing happened.
She only felt a stinging pain.
Ju-hee couldn’t believe it. She bit down until blood seeped from her finger.
It hurts.
Droplets of blood fell from her fingertip.
Still, she didn’t wake from the dream.
Ju-hee couldn’t escape this terrifying, bizarre nightmare. She was still left all alone in the middle of the subway car.
“Hic, sob…”
Ju-hee lay on the floor, weeping endlessly. Overwhelming fear gnawed at her mind, leaving her more and more devastated.
Please, someone help me…
Ju-hee thrashed in a swamp of despair. She knew full well that no one was coming.
Still, she cried out for help. And in her mind, someone’s image flickered.
Lee Hyeon.
Whenever she was in danger in her dreams, he had always extended a helping hand.
Now, more than ever, she desperately needed his help. She whispered his name under her breath.
“Lee Hyeon…”
Did her prayer reach the heavens?
Out of nowhere, the subway doors burst open.
“It… it opened?!”
Her surprise was brief; there was no time to waste. Ju-hee crawled out the door.
It was truly a miracle.
As soon as she was outside the subway, it felt as though a brilliant light was shining down.
“Hah!”
The light was bright, radiant, and warm. Hope filled her lifeless eyes.
“Ughn…”
And with that, Ju-hee woke up.
**
After sending Ju-hee off, we went straight to school. We were late, of course.
Still, we didn’t get any demerits, nor was it marked on our student records.
The excuse of reporting Ju-hee’s collapse and the injury on my hand from dealing with the devil worked in our favor.
So, we headed to the nurse’s office to treat the hand I’d cut with the kitchen knife.
“Ugh!!”
“Just bear with it.”
Of all people, the one treating me was a quack.
Dayeon grabbed my scarred palm and generously slathered it with disinfectant. Each time, a pained groan escaped my lips.
“A little gentler…”
“This is how first aid is supposed to be.”
“Gah!”
My palm stung and burned. This was all because of that damn devil.
Forgotten anger slowly began to rise. I made a firm resolution to toss it in the washing machine on the heavy-duty cycle soon.
“There, all done.”
Dayeon wrapped my hand tightly in bandages and patted it a few times. Only then did the torture, otherwise known as first aid, finally end.
“Phew, thought I was going to die.”
I wiped the sweat and tears from my face. I sighed in relief, feeling a sense of liberation.
“Amazing. You didn’t even cry. What a brave boy.”
Dayeon patted my head as if I were a child. Then she pulled a lollipop from her pocket.
“Here, a reward for taking your treatment so well.”
“Do I look like a kid to you…”
I grumbled but took the lollipop anyway. It might come in handy somewhere.
[You have acquired a Lollipop.]
And so, we arrived at school safely. But my anxiety didn’t disappear.
I was extremely worried about Ju-hee, left alone at the hospital.
Getting caught up in a paranormal event must have been a huge shock, and I desperately wanted to check if she was physically okay.
As I was debating whether I should leave school early, Dayeon gave me a knowing smile.
“You’re thinking about another girl right now, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“How can you have eyes for another girl when I’m right in front of you?”
“It’s not like that.”
Just as we were bickering back and forth, engaged in pointless chatter…
The nurse’s office door suddenly burst open. Do-yeon rushed in, out of breath.
“Hey.”
Dayeon offered a casual greeting, but Do-yeon had no time for pleasantries. She slammed her hand on the desk and shouted.
“Is it true?!”
True about what? There was only one thing Do-yeon could be asking us about here.
‘Ju-hee.’
It seemed she had heard the news about Ju-hee collapsing and being hospitalized from somewhere.
It wasn’t something we were trying to hide, anyway.
I silently nodded. Do-yeon’s expression immediately filled with sorrow.
“I see…”
Thinking Ju-hee’s collapse was her fault, Do-yeon burst into tears.
“It’s my fault… I’m her friend, and I didn’t even take proper care of her.”
Seeing her like that, I couldn’t find the words to say.
When you got down to it, my mistake of leaving the devil unattended was the biggest cause.
But Do-yeon was blaming herself, taking all the responsibility for what happened. Watching her made me feel guilty instead.
Before that guilt could swallow me whole, I quickly comforted her.
“It’s not your fault.”
I took a handkerchief from my inventory and handed it to Do-yeon. I never thought I’d use it here.
“Thank you…”
Do-yeon took the handkerchief with reddened eyes. After wiping her tear-filled eyes, she seemed to come back to her senses.
I could feel a sharp gaze on me from somewhere, but I figured it was just my imagination.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
Do-yeon forced a smile, looking embarrassed. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“So… would you guys like to visit her at the hospital with me?”
A hospital visit. I was actually planning to go today after school to check on Ju-hee’s condition.
“I don’t have the courage to see her alone…”
Do-yeon rambled on with excuses, though no one had asked. She seemed anxious that we might refuse.
“Well, I guess we can go.”
“Really?”
Hope filled Do-yeon’s tense eyes. She was back to her usual self.
“Then I’ll be waiting after school! See you then!!”
Do-yeon scurried out of the nurse’s office. She really had a personality that didn’t mesh with mine.
Her mood swings were so drastic, I never knew which beat to follow.
“Don’t you think so?”
“…”
“Jin Dayeon?”
I glanced to my side. For some reason, Dayeon was completely ignoring me.
Her eyes were fixed on the retreating figure of Do-yeon. She watched her back and muttered something incomprehensible to herself.
“So that’s his type?”
Anyway, Do-yeon and I made plans and waited for school to end. Then we headed to the hospital where Ju-hee was staying.
According to the doctor, her condition wasn’t serious, thankfully.
She had just fainted from excessive stress.
Moreover, he said she had just woken up when we arrived at the hospital.
So there was no reason not to see her.
I wanted to see for myself how Ju-hee was doing.
We finally found Ju-hee’s room and barged in.
“Ju-hee!!”
Do-yeon threw the door open and rushed to Ju-hee’s bed.
“D-Do-yeon!?”
Ju-hee, who had been leaning blankly against her bed, was startled. Do-yeon, her face a mess of tears and snot, practically lunged at her.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”
“I’m sorry…”
Ju-hee skillfully calmed Do-yeon down.
She took the full force of the tearful assault, they hugged, patted each other on the back, and held each other tight.
At last, Do-yeon regained her composure.
So this is what best friends are like.
“Are you feeling okay?”
I asked without much thought. Upon seeing me, Ju-hee began to freak out.
“Wh-why are you here!!”
“What, can’t a classmate visit a friend in the hospital?”
Seeing her reaction, she seems fine.
I worried for nothing.
Still, I asked about her well-being, just in case.
“Are you hurt or uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Wh-what’s it to you!”
“So, are you or aren’t you?”
“Well…”
Ju-hee was slightly taken aback.
She probably didn’t expect me to be so forceful.
But I couldn’t help it. This incident wasn’t just a simple accident.
Now that Ju-hee had been caught up in a paranormal phenomenon, I couldn’t help but worry.
I needed to know her current condition to prepare for any potential mishaps.
Ju-hee hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
“Actually… I had sleep paralysis earlier.”
Hearing that, Do-yeon asked with concern.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Yeah, it was so scary… I feel like my heart is still pounding.”
A nightmare.
I’m not entirely sure, but it seems the day’s events became a trauma that triggered sleep paralysis.
“You’re fine otherwise?”
“Yeah…”
Aside from the sleep paralysis, Ju-hee seemed to be okay.
Nightmares and sleep paralysis were related to the mind, so there wasn’t much I could do.
It was all up to Ju-hee’s state of mind.
Still, hearing there were no other problems, I let out a sigh of relief. Now that the devil had been turned into a cat doll, the means to harm her were gone.
Only then did I feel at ease. With this, Ju-hee wouldn’t get hurt or die anymore.
“Wait a minute, what’s that?”
I happened to notice Ju-hee’s finger. There was a shallow cut, as if from a scrape.
“It’s nothing, I just hurt it while tossing and turning…”
“Can I drink this?”
While Ju-hee was stammering, Dayeon suddenly started rummaging through the fridge.
She opened the fruit juice set we had brought as a gift and, without waiting for an answer, took a sip of orange juice.
“How can you drink that before the owner does?”
“Oh, right. You drink first.”
“Uh, huh?! Thanks…”
“Me too, me too!”
And just like that, the mood was lifted.
After that, we chatted with Ju-hee about various things.
However, the cut on Ju-hee’s finger was long forgotten.
She probably just got it by being clumsy.
I didn’t probe into every little thing and let it slide. Other than that, Ju-hee’s body was perfectly fine.
Thankfully, she wasn’t hurt anywhere and would be discharged tomorrow.
I was somewhat relieved. Now that we had defeated the One-Man Hide-and-Seek, it was more peaceful than ever.
And for that reason, a part of me felt anxious.
When would Chapter 2 begin?
‘I hope it’s not anytime soon…’
Just as that negative thought crossed my mind, Dayeon pressed a bottle of grape juice against my cheek.
The cold glass against my skin snapped me back to reality.
“…What was that for? It’s cold.”
“Have a drink.”
I took the grape juice without another word. And I tried my best to shake off the ominous feeling.
Right, worrying isn’t going to make Chapter 2 show up any sooner.
There was no need to spend this peaceful time on edge.
To prepare for the future, it was better to rest as much as I could now.
That way, when Chapter 2 actually began, I might be able to face it calmly.
If I wasted mental energy during my daily life, I might just go crazy.
For that reason, I cleared my mind. If I’m going to rest, I should rest properly now.
And so, we savored a happy respite that would not come again.
Never even dreaming of the tragedy that would soon unfold.
**
After Do-yeon and her friends left, Ju-hee felt much better.
Was it because of the nightmare she had today? For some reason, she felt a sense of relief when she saw Lee Hyeon in particular.
“I must be crazy…!”
Ju-hee kicked her blankets. Even though it was just her own feelings, she felt a wave of shame.
It’s just because the sleep paralysis left my mind jumbled.
Rationalizing it that way, she collected her thoughts and closed her eyes to get ready for school tomorrow.
Was it because she had a fun time with her friends? The feeling of fear had completely vanished, and Ju-hee fell into a pleasant sleep.
And then,
-Ksshh. Ksssshhhh. Ksshh. Ksshh.
She had a dream again today.
After the background noise filled with static, a chilling announcement played.
[Ah, we’d like to inform all passengers. Our train will soon be arriving at the next destination. There are no doors to exit from.]
…It was the same dream.
[This next station is Carving~ Carving Station.]