Chapter 105.2
I pressed further, desperate.
āCan you at least confirm one thing for me? Just based on what you see, whatās your gut feeling? I trust you.ā
– ā¦ā¦! If thatās the case, Iād be happy to answer, Friend!
āThank you. Soā¦ā
I took a deep breath.
āIs the person in front of me, in every mental and physical aspectā¦ human?ā
– Ah, now thatās a question I can answer definitively.
Braunās voice turned confident as he declared cheerfully,
– Yes, indeed!
Haaā¦
āSo, she is human.ā
This is driving me nuts.
It wouldāve been easier if Braun had said the person wasnāt human. That wouldāve settled it once and for all.
ā¦That this wasnāt Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
But the familiar figure in front of me continued speaking in a voice just as familiar.
“Iād prefer to take my time convincing you properly, but thereās not much time, kiddos.”
Her complexion seemed a bit pale.
“The Security Team will be here soon to assess the situation. If I want to get out of here, I have to leave before they arrive.”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Iām not asking for much. Iāll just hide for a bit. When the door opens, let me slip out.”
I admitted to myself,
āI canāt figure it out just by looking.ā
That left me with no choice but to take a slight risk.
I turned to Supervisor Park and spoke directly.
“Supervisor.”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Donāt you think encountering the Assistant Manager on leave in the Security Teamās isolation area is an impossible scenario?”
“Thatāsā¦ true, yeah?”
“Oh. Indirect dialogueāinteresting approach, Roe.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje chuckled softly before muttering quickly under her breath.
“They probably stuck me here, telling me to think it over until I changed my mind about resigning. In hindsight, trusting this goddamn company was my mistake. Fuck.”
“Supervisor, if someone escapes the isolation corridor, wouldnāt they be captured almost immediately?”
“Iām not an idiot, you know? Iāve got an item ready. The problem is time. Thereās no time. The Security Team is probably on their way right now. I canāt even confirm anythingāthis is driving me crazyā¦”
Confirmation.
āā¦Wait!ā
I remembered what was in my back pocket.
āThe walkie-talkie.ā
Pressing my back against the door, I carefully reached behind me, grabbing the walkie-talkie from my pocket without making it visible. Slowly, I turned up the volume just a notchā¦
Bee-bee-beep.
[Currently in lockdownā¦]
Damn it!
āThe Security Sergeant has been trying to contact us all this time!ā
I immediately turned the sound off, but it was too late.
“I just heard a walkie-talkie.”
“ā¦ā¦!”
“Well, whoever has it can use it as they like, but Iām curiousā¦”
Curious?
“They donāt give walkie-talkies to cleaning staff, do they?”
“ā¦ā¦”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Did someone give it to you especially? Thatāsā¦ odd. Cleaning staff usually just scan in and read the manual on automated devices. The system is designed so they donāt need to meet anyone else.”
Eun Hajeās voice carried a mix of suspicion and tension.
“That thingā¦ are you sure it actually connects to the Security Team?”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Roe, who exactly did you meet?”
Sweat soaked my palms. This was the first time Iād ever been in a situation like this.
āI have no idea what to believe anymore.ā
There were no hints, no clear answers. Even if this was really Assistant Manager Eun Haje, how could she possibly help us? Could she truly hide from the Security Team? Was that even possible?
āIf I want to figure out the situation even a little moreā¦ā
Oh!
I remembered what Iād originally planned to checkāthe second sheet of tips.
āIf I read all the remaining tips, maybe I can piece together the truth.ā
I quickly pulled out the sheet and scanned the next number.
12- If you notice a strange smell or something starts seeping from under a door, run immediately.
Thatās always a warning sign before a door opens. Conversely, if you donāt notice anything, itās usually safe.
Exceptions to this will be explained in the next section. Itās recommended to take a break before reading further.
I moved on to the next point without hesitation.
13- Oh? The doorās open?
Kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke
Reflexively, I crumpled the paper in my hands.
My pulse pounded in my fingertips as if the paper itself were alive.
“Roe, are you okay?”
Calm down. Stay calmā¦
“Letās just think rationally. The Security Team is on their way, so nowās the time to figure out the best course of action.”
Supervisor Park Minseong patted my back, but as he did so, I felt him tracing something on my back with his finger.
N
O
T
Ā
H
E
R
ā¦ā¦
Itās not her.
I froze and slowly lifted my head.
“Wow.”
Eun Hajeāor rather, the thing wearing her faceātilted its head toward us.
“Howād you figure it out?”
Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out? Howād you figure it out?
HOW DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT?
Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!
Ā
Thud.
Eun Hajeās head dropped to the floor.
And thenā¦ it stood upside down.
Two legs and arms pointed stiffly to the sky as they turned to face us.
Ā
Hiya!!!
Do you believe in Ireum-niiiiiiiimmmmmm??
Right then and there.
Iā¦
ā¦fainted.
“Roe.”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Roe?”
Ah.
I lifted my head.
“You must be really tired. Why donāt you rest for a bit? Iāll take over.”
Supervisor Park Minseong, holding a mop handle, looked at me with worried eyes.
I glanced around. The isolation corridor looked normal, with all the doors firmly shut.
“Haā¦”
I grabbed the mop handle and lowered my head.
“Areā¦ are you okay?”
“Yesā¦ Iām sorry.”
Was it a nightmare?
āThe whole thing didnāt make any sense anyway.ā
The isolation room doors suddenly opening, Eun Haje turning into some kind of ghostā¦ It was all absurd.
I rubbed my temples.
“ā¦Iām sorry. I must have dozed off for a moment.”
“You donāt need to apologize! Itās fine. You were working during the day tooāof course youāre tired.”
Supervisor Park Minseong gave my back a reassuring pat.
“Letās hang in there just a little longer. We only have two days left.”
“ā¦ā¦”
Two days?
Not three?
“Supervisor, what day is it today?”
“Uhā¦ itās past midnight now, so itās the 30th. December 30th.”
“ā¦ā¦”
Not the 29th.
The 30th.
“Since yesterdayās cleaning went smoothly, letās finish todayās as well without any problems.”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Oh, hereās a new tip sheet! They told us to read this on the second day. Itās for youā¦ Roe? Roe!”
Siptea
Yikes things got scary real quick