Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 012
Chapter Title: If You Fall Asleep, You Die (10)
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A dozen meters ahead from where the woman sat, a narrow side path branched off beside the wide mountain road.
It was a dark and cramped path, densely packed with trees.
'It's just a dream anyway, so whether that woman's human or ghost, it's none of my business. But is she really only visible to me? What if she attacks me? Should I strike first with this frying pan?'
While Byung-su mulled it over, the woman's humming continued.
Her tune was a familiar melody.
"Little bunny, where are you going? Hopping along, where are you going?"
A plaintive song poured from the woman's lips, echoing along the silent mountain path.
'It's that children's song from my childhood, "Little Bunny." I remember learning it with the hand motions—hands on head, hopping along. It was cute and fun back then, so why does it sound so heartbreaking now? Can Corporal Kim not hear this song? And why the hell did they build the ammo depot at the top of the mountain? Man, I'm out of breath.'
Byung-su cursed the decision to place the ammo depot on the peak while staying alert for the woman's sudden moves as he walked.
Even as Byung-su and Corporal Kim passed by her side, the woman just kept rocking back and forth, singing away.
"Little bunny, where are you going? Hopping along, where are you going?"
'It's no children's song—more like a funeral dirge. What a talent, singing it so creepily. That woman's gotta be a ghost planted by Pan. Can I take her on with this frying pan?'
Byung-su shuddered at her song and peered into his frying pan.
Corporal Kim shuddered too, as if hearing something, but trudged on silently.
Byung-su was so fixated on the woman that he missed Corporal Kim's momentary reaction.
He passed the woman and reached the side path.
Her mournful song grew fainter as the distance increased.
"This is the shortcut. It'll get us there faster, so let's take it."
Corporal Kim's voice came from behind.
The dark, ominous path felt foreboding.
Somehow uneasy about the side path, Byung-su turned back to Corporal Kim.
"Corporal Kim, this doesn't seem right. Let's stick to the main road."
When Byung-su turned, Corporal Kim was nowhere in sight.
He scanned toward where the woman had been sitting.
The woman with frost-covered long hair was gone too.
Crunch, crunch. The sound of footsteps trampling snow came from behind Byung-su.
He spun around to face the wide mountain road leading up.
There was Corporal Kim, silently climbing ahead once more.
Corporal Kim had been leading the way the whole time.
'Damn it! Corporal Kim was always in front of me. So what was that voice from behind just now?'
The woman was gone, and her singing had stopped.
Byung-su sensed things were going south.
He bolted toward Corporal Kim, grabbed his wrist, and ran.
Cold snow slipped into his slippers, stabbing his toes like awls.
"Corporal Kim, run! There's an outpost straight up this road, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. Keep going up and we'll hit the outpost. But why are we running? Whew, out of breath."
Corporal Kim panted as he asked.
As Byung-su turned to answer, the woman's song rang in his ear.
It was as close as if she were singing right beside him.
"Hopping along, where are you going?"
Byung-su whipped his head to the side, but no woman.
He picked up the pace.
In his haste, he kept a firm grip on Corporal Kim's hand and pulled him along.
Even in a dream, he couldn't abandon a comrade.
The woman's voice lingered in his ear.
Cold breath tickled it.
"Bunny! Where you going? Play with me here."
"You nuts? It's freezing—why would I play with you here?"
Byung-su bellowed, and Corporal Kim, running beside him, startled.
"Who're you talking to? You crazy?"
"Shut up! Just run!"
Byung-su snapped, raising the frying pan in his right hand.
Seeing Byung-su swing the black pan wildly, Corporal Kim shut his mouth and followed his lead.
"Little bunny, where are you going? Hopping along, where are you going?"
As Byung-su sped up, the singing came from behind.
Feeling the distance grow, Byung-su pushed even harder.
"Little bunny! Where you going! Running scared, where you going!"
The gap widened, and the song turned into a shrill scream.
Byung-su ran faster.
Sharp snow dug between his toes.
Ignoring the pain, he raced toward the outpost at the summit.
The woman's panting song pursued, until cold fingers grazed his nape.
She was clearly grabbing for it.
Byung-su released Corporal Kim's wrist with his left hand, seized the woman's wrist at his neck, spun around, and swung the frying pan in his right hand through the air.
It unleashed explosive power.
Thwack, thud, rip.
A strange impact echoed.
The woman's head flew from the frying pan blow, landing in the snow.
The shock ripped her left arm from her body, still clutched in Byung-su's hand.
The strike had drawn qi powerful enough to tear limbs.
"Ack! My arm, my head!"
The severed head screamed, and the headless body scooped it up in its right hand and charged.
Corporal Kim spotted the arm in Byung-su's hand and yelled in shock.
"Agh! Where'd you get that arm? Agh! Why's that woman running with her head?!"
Corporal Kim could see her now.
Byung-su clutched the woman's left arm and bolted, shouting at Corporal Kim.
"Shut up and run! If she grabs us, we're done!"
As Byung-su sprinted, Corporal Kim ran for his life too.
The woman clutched her head in her right hand and chased furiously.
"Give me my arm! Give me my arm! You bunnies, give me my arm!"
"Quiet! Would you give it back?!"
Byung-su yelled without looking.
"Give me my arm! Give me my arm!"
The detached head spoke clear as day.
The outpost by the ammo depot came into view ahead.
Its door was three meters off the ground—solid-looking.
"Back off now, and I'll give your arm back!"
Byung-su shouted as he ran toward it, and the woman's head screamed back with savage momentum.
"Give me my arm or I won't! Give me my arm! Give me my arm!"
"Hey! Blockhead, just give her the arm! Why're you carrying that shit?! Urk."
Frustrated, Corporal Kim yelled at Byung-su, then dry-heaved, chin heaving.
"Shut up! Just run!"
Byung-su shook the woman's arm in Corporal Kim's face to hurry him.
Threatened, Corporal Kim shut up and ran for the outpost.
No sentries in sight.
Corporal Kim dashed up the stairs first and yanked the door open; Byung-su followed, arm in hand.
Corporal Kim tumbled in after.
Byung-su locked the door tight, rushed to the window, and peered out.
The outpost window was over three meters up—perfect for safely scanning outside.
No sign of the woman.
Probably in a blind spot.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Something pounded the door.
With one arm holding her head, she couldn't knock.
"Where are the sentries? How's she knocking?"
Byung-su asked, and Corporal Kim shrugged.
"Beats me. Door locked good?"
Corporal Kim stepped forward to check.
"Agh!"
His boot carelessly crushed Byung-su's right big toe.
Snow-embedded, bloody toenail ripped free.
"Oops. Hurt bad? Hurts me too."
"Why would it hurt you? Ah, my toe! Don't move. I locked it fine."
Byung-su swung the frying pan to block Corporal Kim.
Deflated, Corporal Kim retreated to a corner.
"Hey, blockhead! It's me, Corporal Kim. Open up! I'm scared shitless."
Corporal Kim's voice came from outside too.
Byung-su glanced in shock at the cornered Corporal Kim, who trembled in equal surprise.
"Hey, blockhead! Open quick. Some woman's chasing me!"
Definitely Corporal Kim's voice.
Byung-su stepped back from the door, eyeing the cornered Corporal Kim up and down.
'Did he get swapped while running?'
Under the suspicious glare, cornered Corporal Kim stood awkwardly, terrified.
"It's me, Byung-su. That's not me outside."
Urgent voice from outside again.
"Open up! I'm gonna die out here!"
Corporal Kim's voice, same speech patterns.
Byung-su approached the cornered one, woman's left arm in one hand, frying pan in the other.
"Byung-su, I'm Corporal Kim. That's not me outside. Believe me."
He pleaded, eyes tearing up.
"Hey! Who's in there with you? A woman disguised as me? Open up! You're in danger too!"
Outside Corporal Kim urged.
Byung-su steeled himself and yelled at the door.
"Which is bigger, China or Europe?"
Outside: "China, obviously. Hurry up!"
Cornered Corporal Kim looked clueless.
Byung-su yelled again.
"Europe or Africa?"
"Africa! That enough? Open up! Let's catch the fake!"
Outside answered fast; cornered one panicked more.
Byung-su moved to the window, shouting.
"You're the fake! Corporal Kim ain't that smart! Get lost!"
The pounding stopped.
Cornered Corporal Kim sighed in relief.
"Whew, close one. Africa that big?"
Byung-su ignored him, cracked the window, and looked out.
"Open the door. Open the door. Open the door. Open and give me my arm!"
The woman's head matched his eye level, screaming.
No time to wonder how she reached the high window—Byung-su swung the frying pan, smashing it.
Splat, it flew off, burying in snow; her body dashed to retrieve it.
Probably lifted the head high with her right hand to peek.
Cornered Corporal Kim rushed over, peered out behind Byung-su.
"See? That bitch was imitating me. Almost got us."
Byung-su backed up, asking.
"Eighteen?"
Reflexively: "Two times nine!"
No hesitation—Byung-su smashed his head with the frying pan.
Clang, it dropped easily to the floor.
"You're fake too."
Byung-su kicked the head against the wall.
Bounced off, he smashed it again.
Corporal Kim's head burst, revealing a horned black rat drenched in blood.
He stomped its back with his slippered foot.
"Corporal Kim can't recite times tables that fast! You're Pan, right? Caught you. You planned to torment me to death, but now it's reversed."
Pressing harder, he heard its spine snap.
Byung-su dropped the woman's arm, seized Pan, and bashed his own head with the frying pan.