Chapter 45.2
In the calmest tone she could muster, Go Yeongeun addressed the usher machine.
“If your answer is ‘no’, please remain still. If it is ‘yes’, nod your head.”
Silence.
“Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this fourth floor go upstairs?”
ā¦ā¦
“Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this fourth floor go downstairs?”
Nod.
“ā¦ā¦!”
It worked!
Overwhelmed with relief, the candle bearer barely managed to conclude the interaction.
“Thank you. I’ll continue enjoying the exhibition now.”
The usher machine remained quietly in place as the three within the candle’s radius left. As they rounded the corner, Go Yeongeun couldn’t help but exclaim.
“It workedā¦!”
“Move slowly. The candle will burn for about two hours, so it’s critical not to let it go out midway.”
“Yes!”
And then the process repeated.
“Did guests who finished viewing the exhibition on this third floor go downstairs?”
Nod.
“Thank you!”
It worked again. The three new hires were now walking with cautious but hopeful steps, fueled by the thrill of escape.
If this kept upā¦
“Either the first or second floorā¦!”
The same thought occurred to everyone.
Go Yeongeun bit her tongue to keep her excitement in check.
“Stay calm, stay calm!”
If she were to drop the candle, it would all be over. To avoid escaping with her eyes, tongue, or limbs taken, she needed to remain composed.
As she took a careful step forwardā¦
Grabā
Something seized her foot.
Go Yeongeun froze and looked down.
There was a human being, his eyes replaced with telescopic lenses, crawling desperately on the floor and clutching at her pants leg.
“Goral! Ms. Goral!!”
“ā¦ā¦!!”
“Take me with you!”
It was R-squadās leader.
Go Yeongeun’s superior.
I looked at the person who had stopped ahead of me.
I knew why.
Someone was clinging desperately to the leg of the person ahead, shouting.
“Ms. Goral! Ifā If you get me out of here, I’ll make equipment for you! The kind only a section chief can access! Right away, too! Okay?!”
‘So Go Yeongeun is from the R-squad.’
Seems like this was R-squadās section chief.
But for someone supposedly in charge of a squad in the Field Exploration Team, he looked utterly pathetic.
His limbs werenāt taken as payment but seemed completely broken, leaving him unable to stand.
āDid infighting break out?ā
If he were a proper squad leader, he should have been able to hold out with his equipment and items while moving stealthily. His current state made it almost certain that hadnāt happened.
He must be on the verge of death.
And in this desperate moment, seeing a rookie from his squad wielding a remarkable item, he had lunged forward, recognizing his last lifeline.
“Ms. Goral! Thatās an item, isnāt it? Woooow, i-it looks great! Um, uh, t-take me with you, please! Okay?”
“Whoa, not even scared, huh? Babbling away.”
Baek Saheon muttered under his breath.
Then he turned to Go Yeongeun and said,
“Letās see if the monster machines hear him. Not like heās in any condition to run away anyway.”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is thatā¦”
“ā¦ā¦”
R-squadās leader, who had been begging to Go Yeongeun, turned to look at Baek Saheon. The gleam of his telescopic lenses flickered.
“You. Which squad are you a rookie from?”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Oh, right. It doesnāt matterā¦ What matters is getting out of here. But lookā¦ the item my squadās rookie is usingāitās shaped like a candle. A consumable, huh?”
“ā¦ā¦!”
“Flā¦Flame-basedā¦ yeah, defensive item, right? Right, yeah, that must be itā¦ So, then, what if I shake it, shake it like this, and put the flame out?”
“Ughā”
Go Yeongeun, who nearly stumbled, quickly steadied the candle in her grip.
āThis lunatic.ā
I was about to summon my special equipment to use a third hand to pry him off, but the squad leader clung to Go Yeongeunās leg again.
“Do you think I, even in this state, know less than a rookie? Take me with you!”
“ā¦You left me behind, Squad Leader.”
Go Yeongeun muttered in an eerily quiet voice.
“When the machines came, you pushed me aside and ran.”
“ā¦ā¦!”
I thought Go Yeongeun hadnāt met any teammates and had been wandering alone because the team had split up when they entered.
So thatās why she was by herself.
“No! I did what I could! I couldnāt die trying to save a rookie, so I left you behind. But now you can take me with you! If the conditions allow, humans should act humanely!”
The squad leader screamed desperately, clutching at her. Tears didnāt even flow from the lens-replaced eyes.
“If you donāt take me with you, itās murder! Murder! Just try leaving me behind. Iāll destroy that item! Somehow!! Iāllā”
Thud.
“ā¦ā¦!”
Srrrrrkā
R-squadās leaderās body went limp and collapsed sideways.
Baek Saheon retracted his left foot, which had just struck the squad leader in the temple.
“ā¦ā¦”
And me too.
I recalled the third hand back into the glove, which struck the back of the R-squadās leaderās head.
āH-Heās still breathing, right?ā
I hadnāt meant for both of us to hit him, but here we were.
At least the situation seemed to have settled.
I glanced down at the disheveled middle-aged office worker sprawled on the floor.
āā¦Well, he does have experience in field exploration.ā
He had crafted a balance of pleas that could tug at a rookieās heartstrings and threats that could instill fear. A manipulative mix.
Go Yeongeun still held the candle steady, but her trembling gaze betrayed how shaken she was by the pitiful state of her superior.
Baek Saheon casually remarked,
“Now we just take his head and leave, right?”
ā¦What?
“No, we canāt.”
“Heās going to die anyway. Itād make it easier for him and give us spare payments for a Plan B. Thereās literally no downside.”
“Think of Ms. Goralās mental state if we decapitate someone she knows. Itās hard to maintain composure after killing someone youāre familiar with.”
As Baek Saheon and I spoke on either side, Go Yeongeunās face grew increasingly pale.
“This is ridiculous. No, I canātā¦”
“What are you talking about? People can do anything to survive. Of course, itās possible.”
“No, itās not. Donāt listen to him, Ms. Goral.”
“Goralā”
“Wait!”
“ā¦ā¦”
“ā¦ā¦”
“Iāll just do this.”
Go Yeongeun tightened her grip on the candle, then kicked the squad leader toward a shadowy sofa corner. His body slid into the dim recess.
She exhaled deeply.
“This way, the machines wonāt spot him immediately. Letās go before the candle burns out.”
“ā¦ā¦”
I nodded.
Baek Saheon, however, scowled.
“Making things complicated. Heās going to die anyway.”
“ā¦If you owe your life to someone kind, you should stop saying things like that, donāt you think?”
“ā¦ā¦”
Go Yeongeun sighed deeply.
“Still, thank you, both of you. I almost got caught up in that.”
“Itās nothing.”
Surprisingly, Baek Saheon didnāt say another word. I thought heād make a snide comment or demand something in return, but he didnāt.
“Letās go.”
“Yes.”
We descended the stairs once more.
The disruption and the incident were behind us.
The end was in sight.
lynniee
okay but like what would they do if that person was just an ordinary colleague??? it was mentioned once here that cliche novels or horror stories usually make the person theyre about to kill off intentionally bad or just somehow morally corrupt to make their death less sad? ig and also to kinda make an excuse for the mc to leave that person to die, and i feel like its also used here for example the annoyning researcher from the theme oark arc and now teh supervisor, im kinda curious how kse would react if someone kind would actually reach out to them and begged them to save them, what would he do? from what ive seen so far kse is the type of person who would help people if he can however thats only if hes not putting himself in a grave danger cuz all the times he saved other people he was never in a situation where helping that person would mean he could die , theres also the fact that he is willing to risk more if the person involved is someone he knows and cares about, or at least just likes, he did mention that hes only keeping bsh bc hes useful but then again this is a first pov novel and everything kse says doesnt always have to be the truth since he could be lying to himself so who knows, i personally think that his survival still takes priority so even tho hell peobably feel very guilty for leaving a kind person behind to die, hell still do it if it means he will survive but maybe im wrong who knwos?
Weiss676
The author is a hypocrite that uses the same tropes yes