Jin Sun-mi's Hell 1
"Ah… my head."
Jin Sun-mi's consciousness slowly surfaced, struggling like it was being pulled from a swamp. A splitting headache throbbed as she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. No, it wasn't unfamiliar. This was definitely the company where she worked—the secret bedroom inside the president's office. The very space where she used to enjoy clandestine meetings with President Kim Myeon-hyeong.
Did I… pass out?
Her last memory was Park Woojin's mocking sneer and the sharp jolt at the nape of her neck. He'd clearly knocked her out.
"That fucking bastard…"
Jin Sun-mi spat curses as she pushed herself up. Her joints creaked like they were screaming in protest. But something felt off. The air had a different texture than usual—heavy, murky. Like the underground parking lot at dawn shrouded in thick fog.
"What the hell is that smell…"
A faint, ominous stench wafted in, unidentified and foreboding. It was like moldy basement mixed with rusted iron—a nauseating reek.
Jin Sun-mi wrinkled her nose and slid off the bed. Her body seemed fine. But her mind was still a whirlwind.
Park Woojin… what the fuck is that guy's deal? How did he know all my plans?
Rage boiled up. The fact that a mere B-rank hunter scrub had her by the balls shredded her pride. Thinking about getting reamed out for losing President Kim Myeon-hyeong's data made her head spin even more.
"Just you wait, Park Woojin… I'll make you pay with my own hands…"
Vowing revenge, she yanked the curtains open. And in that instant, Jin Sun-mi doubted her own eyes.
"……!"
The view outside the window was no Seoul she knew. The sky was drenched in an eerie blood-red, like the world had spilled its guts.
"What… the fuck…?"
It looked like a massive inferno about to swallow the entire world. Terror of the unknown. For the first time, a helpless dread cracked her mental defenses to pieces.
She hurriedly turned on the TV in the president's office. The familiar news channel. A prim anchor delivered the broadcast with a serious face. But the words coming from her mouth…
[BoramaeParkNiSaxCatMeLongSendTry]
[SuddenlyGiraffeWingsShortenedSex]
"Fucking insane…"
Jin Sun-mi flipped channels. Home shopping, variety shows, dramas… Every live broadcast was filled with nonsensical word salads and bizarre sentences. The people on screen all stared blankly into space with unfocused eyes. And occasionally, their lips twisted into ear-to-ear, spine-chilling grins.
Joker Smile.
"What the hell is going on?"
With trembling hands, she grabbed her smartphone. The internet portal was the same. Under the headlines, alien script crammed the pages.
[EMERGENCY] asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;asdfjkl;
[BREAKING] mnialreaimnalreaimnialreai
"What… why are there no saved numbers? I… I don't remember any by heart?"
No contacts in her phone at all.
"This isn't my phone? No… it is mine…"
Jin Sun-mi scratched her head at the bizarre situation and headed to her desk. On it, she found an envelope labeled [Jin Sun-mi, read this if you want to live.].
1. This is hell. Hope you survive.
2. Everyone around you is a demon. The moment you talk to them, all the demons will come to kill you.
3. Joker Smile keeps you safe.
4. After midnight, never go into the fog. It's suicide.
5. Memo left for your dumbass brain. Remember if you wanna live.
"Deputy Park Woojin… that crazy fucker…"
She dismissed it as mad ramblings. But the surreal scene before her proved every word true.
"No fucking way…"
Jin Sun-mi staggered to the window. Outside, people moved as usual. But their motions were unnatural. Like actors in a scripted play, following fixed paths mechanically. And their faces—all blank. Then, when eyes met, lips curled up in unison, eerily.
Joker Smile.
Park Woojin's survival signal for staying alive.
"Do I… have to do that too?"
With shaking hands, she touched her cheek. In front of the mirror, she desperately tried to twist her lips up. But the grotesque smile she'd never made before wouldn't come. Her facial muscles spasmed, creating only clownish, distorted expressions.
"No… I can't… not like this…!"
She went down from the 8th floor to the 6th—where Deputy Park Woojin worked. But the 6th-floor office door was shut, and bold red blood scrawled on the glass.
Jin Sun-mi… just go home… you're gonna die.
"What… the fuck. Shit."
The blood writing dripped like fresh ink. At the same time, she glimpsed a massive bear monster pacing inside the office.
"Eek!!"
Startled, she bolted to the elevator.
I need to go home…
In the elevator, she practiced the Joker Smile nonstop. It was supposed to keep her safe.
It has to be… a nightmare. This can't be real…
On the way home, she faced a few close calls, but confirmed exchanging Joker Smiles kept her safe. Every encounter with the shells required it, and locking eyes with their hollow gazes felt like her soul was being devoured.
By the time she reached home, she was nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Too much mental strain, maybe? She crashed into bed without even washing.
How long had she slept? Cheongdam-dong's upscale neighborhood was always quiet. Drunks yelling occasionally, but just passersby.
"KyaAAAAAAAHHHH!!"
An unending scream pierced the night. That must've woken her.
"What the… crazy bitch."
Rubbing sleep from her eyes, Jin Sun-mi got up. The scream kept shredding the silence. Pissed, she flung open the front door.
"Crazy bitch, if you're drunk, shut the fu—"
Her shout cut off. Thick fog billowed inside like a living thing. Her front yard was engulfed in unidentified mist, straight out of a horror flick.
After midnight, never go outside. Horrific ghosts and monsters swarm the fog…
Park Woojin's warning flashed. Clutching her pounding chest, she slammed the door shut. She'd hoped it was a dream in her sleep haze, but that was just wishful thinking.
"Not a dream… definitely… people all had those creepy smiles…"
Jin Sun-mi cranked all the lights and headed to the bathroom.
"…Did I leave the bathroom window open?"
The bathroom was fog-filled. Only pale fluorescent light gleamed from the ceiling somewhere. Waving her hands, she barely managed to close the window. The fog vanished like a lie.
An inexplicable terror gripped her heart. Her eyes went to the toilet. Lid closed, but long hairs poked from the gap.
"Hell? Get real, you crazy bitch. Snap out of it. You don't even do drugs. Why the meltdown…"
Staring at her reflection, Jin Sun-mi slapped both cheeks.
Clunk.
The closed toilet lid rattled slightly, and the hairs slithered.
"Fuck… this can't be. Nothing's in that toilet. Right?"
Muttering affirmations, she approached. Gulping, she lifted the lid.
"KYAAAAA!!!"
Jin Sun-mi screamed and fled the bathroom. She couldn't endure the severed head in the toilet staring up—the Crawling Head's gaze.
Jin Sun-mi's hell had just begun.
###
She huddled on the living room sofa through the night. Water sounds leaking from the bathroom door crack, occasional clatters—every nerve was on edge. Only when dawn's red sunlight filtered in did she muster courage to open the bathroom again.
The toilet was spotless. Not a single hair left. Like last night was all a hallucination.
But Jin Sun-mi knew. It wasn't. This was truly hell.
She stared blankly at her reflection. Overnight, she looked ten years older—haggard face, deep dark circles.
I have to survive… somehow…
She clenched her fists. To survive this hell, follow Park Woojin's rules. And… meet him again. Only he knew more about this place.
Jin Sun-mi changed and left home. To the company. That's where she'd find Park Woojin.
If I don't go to work… the demons come? Should've listened closer…
Yesterday's terror lingered, but now her eyes burned with survival ferocity.
The path to the company was worse. Endless parade of Joker-Smiling shells, their empty eyes like soul-sucking black holes. She desperately averted gazes.
Entering the building, the familiar space felt alien. The lobby displayed dozens of mannequins in various poses and outfits. But all with lifeless eyes staring into nothing.
They weren't here yesterday…
Chills crawling, she headed to the elevator. Passing the mannequins, she felt dozens of stares on her back. Like they were turning to watch. She quickened her pace.
The elevator doors opened. As she stepped in—
Creak—
A nauseating sound from behind. Like rusted hinges.
Jin Sun-mi couldn't turn. Heart pounding wildly, she dove in and mashed the close button.
Just before the doors shut, she saw it. One lobby mannequin, neck twisted 90 degrees, slowly reaching out an arm toward her.
"Hic…!"
Doors closed. She exhaled held breath. Legs buckled; she nearly collapsed.
8th floor—president's office level. The hallway was deathly silent. That quiet amplified the dread.
She went to her office. Empty. Park Woojin hadn't arrived yet.
Sitting at her desk, she caught her breath. But unease lingered. Knowing those creepy mannequins lurked somewhere moving made her skin crawl.
Then.
Creak… creak…
From the far hallway, the sound returned. Growing closer.
Jin Sun-mi hid under the desk. Glass office door showed everything inside clearly. Hand over mouth, she held her breath.
Creak…
Finally, it stopped at the door. A woman's lower body. Smoothly severed at the waist, nothing above. Standing unnaturally on reverse-jointed legs.
What the fuck is that?
A monster made of a woman's severed lower half! Shock froze her; she stifled a gasp.
It lingered at the door, then seemed to move away. The creak faded.
"Hoo…"
Jin Sun-mi sighed in relief, starting to emerge.
BAM!
The office door shattered. The lower-body monster lunged in. Not one—dozens filled the hall, charging her.
"KYAAAAK!"
Her scream filled the office. She hurled her chair in desperate resistance, but outnumbered.
One grabbed her leg, toppling her. As she hit the floor, hordes swarmed over her. Sharp teeth gleamed from between their ass cheeks—anuses.
"No…! Stay away!"
Thrashing, she witnessed the horror. On the lead monster's severed waist, something clung—a woman's head with long hair dangling. The hairs writhed like snakes toward her neck.
Simultaneously, the anal teeth neared her thigh.
"Someone… anyone… save me…!"
In despair, one face flashed in her mind.
Park Woojin…!
As she tried to scream his name, the office door exploded again—this time from outside.
And there he stood.
"Noisy as hell."
Park Woojin scanned the wrecked office, muttering lowly. His eyes were cold, ruthlessly serene.