Fakes Among Friends
"Aren't they just students coming up?"
"This building only has the staff room. Why would students come here? You're not a teacher."
"No, just evacuating..."
"No evacuation order's been issued. If you're gonna spout nonsense, shut up and find a weapon."
Tak, tak, tak...
While Ma Yu-hyeon and Yeo Min-seo traded pointless banter, the footsteps kept drawing closer. I held my breath, straining to listen. I didn't know who they were, but it wasn't just one person. The steps were irregular and too numerous. Definitely two or more.
But we had three. Yeo Min-seo would handle it if she could; otherwise, I'd step in. Plus, Ma Yu-hyeon could detect taxidermy dolls, so most enemies wouldn't be a threat.
"They're starting to come into view... Ah."
Yeo Min-seo, who'd been peeking over the railing, jerked back and looked at Ma Yu-hyeon.
"Get ready. You know, that eye thing."
"'Eye thing'? It has a proper name, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. Just prep it quick."
"Treating me like a damn tool..."
Ma Yu-hyeon grumbled as he drew a circle around his eye. I didn't know the blessing's name, but it let him spot taxidermy dolls.
I wonder if he used that blessing during 'Night Without Stars' to pick out the Voodooists.
Probably not. Survivors said he did it with his naked eye.
Doesn't matter.
We tensed up, ready for the two climbing the stairs. Kim Jin-seo and Seong Ha-yeon. Familiar faces, but we couldn't let our guard down. In this situation, anyone could be a taxidermy doll.
Ma Yu-hyeon stared at Kim Jin-seo first.
"Kim Jin-seo... fake. Seong Ha-yeon..."
Crackle!
A spark flew from the circle around his eye. The glowing ring crumbled to ash. Ma Yu-hyeon grimaced, clutching his right eye with his palm.
"Ah, shit! Overused it!"
"What? You crazy bastard! Warn us if there's a limit!"
"I didn't think it'd hit the limit now!"
"You fucking psycho... So Kim Jin-seo's a doll, right?"
"Yeah, but Seong Ha-yeon's still unclear. My eye fucking hurts, ah..."
"Fine. I can take fake Kim Jin-seo barehanded."
Yeo Min-seo assumed a stance. Down the stairs, Kim Jin-seo looked up at us, eyes vacant. She held the practice sword from the holy training ground in her right hand. It looked more menacing than a real blade in her grip.
Even knowing it was a doll, it creeped me out.
"Yeo Min-seo."
Kim Jin-seo said that, slowly walking toward us. The sword dragged across the floor, scraping sharply and coldly.
Yeo Min-seo smirked, drew a blessing circle, and spat at Kim Jin-seo midway up the stairs.
"Don't call my name. It's gross."
"...We're not fighting each other right now."
"Shut it, you orphan bitch. Nice knowing I can talk shit since you're a doll."
"Huh? Why are you suddenly picking a fight... Aren't you gonna stop them?!"
Seong Ha-yeon, watching the standoff, spoke in a trembling voice, trying to intervene. Her actions seemed genuine, but also totally off—like she wasn't Seong Ha-yeon at all.
"..."
I observed, thinking it through. Fake Kim Jin-seo dragged her sword toward Yeo Min-seo, who stood ready. Could Yeo Min-seo win? If yes, great. If not, I'd have to fight.
But blessings alone wouldn't beat her—I'd confirmed that in morning sparring. With Bosu's power, sure. But I'd just used it, and the backlash scared me.
I'm no coward, but I didn't want unnecessary strain. Waiting for Yeo Min-seo to lose and jumping in late wouldn't change much.
I needed a way to beat fake Kim Jin-seo without Bosu. Synthesizing all info: taxidermy habits, Ma Yu-hyeon's ability, Kim Jin-seo's personality.
I pieced it together.
"...Ma Yu-hyeon."
I called him. He was still groaning, clutching his eye. He looked up at me with his bloodshot left eye.
I gave him an order.
"Why do you always pick fights when you look at me?"
"Beats me. Ask your mom. Oh, wait—you don't have one?"
I wedged between their vicious exchange, mediating.
"Don't fight."
Fake Kim Jin-seo looked startled, sheathing her sword. Her actions matched the real one's perfectly.
But it was just a doll. I couldn't forget that.
Yeo Min-seo glared at me, brows furrowed ridiculously high.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"No need to fight. Like Kim Jin-seo said, not the time for infighting."
"What bullshit is this? You possessed or something?"
I ignored Yeo Min-seo's mockery and approached fake Kim Jin-seo, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her body twitched.
But she didn't shake me off or show disgust.
My hand slid from her shoulder to her slender neck, stroking it.
She bit her lower lip, gazing at me.
"W-wait. Not here, it's too..."
"It's fine."
I reassured her flustered self, then suddenly gripped her throat.
"Guhk...!"
My fingers dug in. Her face turned blue, lips purple. Her bloodshot eyes stared at me.
I lifted her off the ground by the throat. She flailed in midair, kicking me and clawing my arm with her nails. It hurt, but bearable.
"Ma Yu-hyeon—!"
"Y-yeah!"
I signaled him. He pointed at Yeo Min-seo. The blessing light flowing from her body followed his finger to me.
Strength surged through me. I channeled it with Mighty Strength Blessing into my right arm, squeezing harder.
Crack!
Something snapped—the sound of her neck breaking. Sawdust sprayed from the fracture, cotton poking out. I reached in and yanked out the hair.
It was black and thin.
Thud.
The doll finally collapsed, lifeless. It evaporated like smoke, leaving her clothes and sword.
"...Hoo."
I sighed, slumping before the vanishing doll. The plan worked, but mentally exhausting. That bloodshot gaze right before death burned in my mind.
I hadn't felt this killing Bae Seong-hyeon doll. But fake Kim Jin-seo? It weighed heavy.
The method, probably. Piercing the heart quick versus slow strangulation. Obvious which felt guiltier.
Actually, even killing fake Bae Seong-hyeon turned my stomach a bit. I just hid it.
"Ah, ugh. Eek...!"
Seong Ha-yeon, who'd watched, made a weird noise and collapsed. She alternated glances between the vanishing doll and me, then bowed her head, dry-heaving.
Ma Yu-hyeon paused approaching her; Yeo Min-seo stared blankly, coming over.
"Why butt in? That thirsty to choke Kim Jin-seo? You're a total psycho."
"...Shut your crap. It was safer."
Taxidermy dolls mimic personalities. Fake Jeong In-ah cried like the real one. Fake Kim Jin-seo should be friendly to me.
So I pretended to mediate, lulling it, then gripped naturally.
But blessings alone might not snap the neck. So I ordered Ma Yu-hyeon: 'Transfer Yeo Min-seo's blessing to me when I call her name.'
With her blessing plus Mighty Strength, instant neck snap. Leveraged Ma Yu-hyeon's blessing control talent.
My way guaranteed victory. Trusting Yeo Min-seo risked variables. No reason to.
"Safer my ass. Just satisfying your fetish."
"Who gets off on choking?"
"You, psycho. Right?"
"No."
Targeting the throat over heart had reason. Jeong In-ah and Gabriel dolls left hair: brown for hers, white for his.
Dolls made of leather, cotton, sawdust. But behavior? Hair.
Put Jeong In-ah's hair in a doll mimicking her, it acts like her. Remove hair, neutralize.
A gamble based on thin evidence, but it panned out.
"No my ass, you psycho..."
Yeo Min-seo muttered, approaching Ma Yu-hyeon.
"Ma Yu-hyeon. Eye cooldown—how many seconds?"
"Hey, don't call it 'eye'!"
"Ha, ah... haa..."
Seong Ha-yeon still hung her head, recovering from dry-heaves.
Ma Yu-hyeon, squatting, eyed her with one eye.
"Like... 30 minutes?"
"Fucking long. Hey, Seong Ha-yeon."
Yeo Min-seo nudged her shoulder with her toe. Seong Ha-yeon jolted up.
"Y-yes? H-haa... What?"
"You saw, right? Kim Jin-seo who came with you was a doll. So what are you?"
"...I'm me! Not some filthy doll...!"
"Prove it then. But how? I thought about it."
Yeo Min-seo paused, catching her breath.
To prove not a doll: blood. Cut, check for blood or sawdust/cotton.
"Strip."
...What the fuck?
Arms crossed, Yeo Min-seo smirked sleazily, scanning Seong Ha-yeon up and down.
Seong Ha-yeon scooted back on her butt, eyes wide with shock and fear.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Dolls gotta have seams or awkward patches from the leather. No weird spots? Human. Right?"
"That's ridiculous..."
"Quit stalling and strip. Embarrassed? We'll cover the guys' eyes. Or should I do it?"
As Yeo Min-seo stepped forward, Seong Ha-yeon trembled, retreating.
Why strip her? I was about to suggest cutting for blood when Ma Yu-hyeon, staring at Seong Ha-yeon, suddenly grabbed her hair.
"No need to check. This one's a doll."
Bam!
He slammed her head into the floor with his thick forearm. She lost consciousness without a scream.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
He repeated: lift, smash. Too sudden to stop.
Ma Yu-hyeon and Yeo Min-seo—totally unpredictable.
Sawdust poured from her burst skull. Her head ballooned like it might explode.
Ma Yu-hyeon casually tossed the doll under the stair railing.
Pssshhh...
The swollen head deflated like a leaking balloon, black smoke billowing.
Ma Yu-hyeon watched calmly. Yeo Min-seo and I stared, stunned.
Feeling our gazes, he grinned sheepishly.
"Nah, she had a scar that wasn't there before. So I killed her."
"Scar?"
"Long one on her left palm. Real Seong Ha-yeon's got no scars. So, yeah."
He showed his palm.
Last time, Seong Ha-yeon cut her palm for Purification Blessing; I healed it poorly, leaving a scar.
So real Seong Ha-yeon has it too. Good—Ma Yu-hyeon killed a doll.
But if real? He'd have smashed anyway, then laughed: Oh, real? Sorry, but why the scar?
Chills.
"Scar, huh... Hm."
Unlike nonchalant Ma Yu-hyeon, Yeo Min-seo frowned seriously at the doll.
It vanished in smoke, leaving uniform and white hair.
"Guess they're not perfect copies? Like that scar."
"Yeah, seems so. Like spot-the-difference. Kinda fun."
Right—no rosary. Real Kim Jin-seo always wears the one I gave her, even training.
Dolls fooled at a glance, but details differed.
Why the slip-up from Satanists pursuing 'perfect dolls'? Digging in might yield clues.
But my head wouldn't turn. The choke sensation lingered; disgust at Ma Yu-hyeon's enjoyment too.
He grinned creepily at Yeo Min-seo.
"Why make her strip? Just stab and check blood or stuffing."
"Oh, that."
Yeo Min-seo shrugged lazily.
"Just... wondered if albinism makes her whole body white."
"Ooh, yeah, curious."
Ma Yu-hyeon nodded eagerly.
"Ah..."
I clutched my head, bowing it. Stuck with these lunatics, I felt my sanity slipping.
(To be continued next time)