Episode 244
“Uuuuuuuu….”
“….”
“…Dahu ah.”
Kuuk.
Park Da-hoon wordlessly strengthened his hands.
I could feel the pulsating flow of life beneath the thin skin of my palms. It was the sound of my heart beating frantically, begging for my life as it recognized its end. A slithering movement, as if a bug or a snake was constantly crawling inside the veins…
“Dahun…”
The voice, so familiar and affectionate, brings tears to my eyes.
“It’s all hun.”
“…Park Da-young.”
“Da-hoon….”
“Park Da-young.”
“….”
“Park Da-young….”
These were the tears of a killing person, not a dying person.
“sister.”
My only family.
“What should I have done…?”
I am grateful that you remained by my side.
When everyone left, Park Dayoung, only you remained by my side. You are my sister and family. Even though she was so afraid of her parents and watched them, she stood by Park Da-hoon’s side and gave him control over his daily life. Park Da-young put a normal life in the hands of her younger brother, even if it meant breaking up her daily life.
“What did I…”
“…huh ugh.”
“What should I have done?…”
If I hate you like that, it’s probably because I’m weird.
“I already searched everything.”
Park Da-hoon laughed as he fell down on top of his now motionless family member and hugged the body of his sister, whom he had killed with his own hands. I cried like that. Park Da-young’s curly hair, which seemed to seep through the fingers that killed her family, was as soft as a blanket or blanket.
The hand that was wrapping Park Da-young was shaking.
“….”
Park Da-hoon quietly raised his upper body and hugged the head of the dead Park Da-young. In movies, it is said that the dead person closes the eyes that were not yet closed, but Park Da-hoon did not have the presence of mind or the leisure to do so.
I looked at the corpses with empty eyes.
“…How does this really happen?…”
No one answered his words. It’s just a piece of meat.
How did it happen like this? I tried to hold on a little better. I’m sure he’ll come visit us. Let’s wait. Even if I couldn’t go out, all my efforts to hold on in a corner of the classroom, saying I would wait and see, were all in vain. The place where the corpses and my siblings were spread out was the auditorium.
Park Da-hoon lowered his gaze and looked at his right hand, which was holding Park Da-young’s hand.
“….”
The hand, which was made of flesh and leather, began to gradually turn white and cold.
Is it the smooth surface of plaster? Or is it well-carved marble? Otherwise, it could be a copper plate that was sanded smooth. No, I’m going to turn around. No, is it really plaster? I felt the white paint starting from the tips of my fingers and gradually moving up my arm.
Feeling in the feet and legs is disappearing.
“…Uh huh….”
I can’t breathe well.
My thighs don’t move. Danjeon hardens.
“Huh….”
I’m still crying, but now I know. The corners of the mouth of this crazy man who killed his family were torn and curved. Despite the tears falling, how can my body not listen to me?
I felt fear at the unfamiliar feeling of disconnection, but I could not shake.
“…Sister….”
I see myself turning white in my unclosed eyes.
“I’m scared, sister. “I’m scared…”
There was no one left by my side anymore.
“help me.”
In this narrow space.
Park Da-hoon became a plaster statue alone.
“….”
My heart was racing.
* * *
Jaeheon Lee recalled a school episode from a novel.
To be honest, in the case of the school episode, the Park siblings were waiting near the entrance of the school on their own, so it was easier to move than expected, but things got a little complicated due to the school’s rules, and I remember that they ended up circling the school once and then escaping. In the original novel, that is.
‘It’s never been specifically described, but maybe a few of my classmates came along as well. He would have died in the end.’
I don’t know what it is like now, but in the novel, the Park siblings had a cold side if it wasn’t for our safety. Why didn’t he jump out at Kwon Yeon-hee without hesitation even in the first game at the park? The two just relied on each other and held on until Jung In-ho came, regardless of whether the other friends died or not.
So, I thought I might see the Park siblings near the front door again this time, but…
“…there’s no one there.”
Near the front door, there was no sign of anyone inside the school.
“…It’s kind of neat, but a little gloomy.”
“It’s strange to say this, but it feels frustrating. “I feel like I’m wearing clothes that are one size too small.”
These were the opinions of Yoon Garam and Hong Gyeongjun, respectively, and were not much different from the content of the novel. The main character, Jeong In-ho, also said that as soon as he entered school, he felt a kind of pressure as if his entire body was being pressed down and restrained. Was it described as feeling like being crushed by air?
‘I’m glad we’re not at that point yet.’
Perhaps it was because his mental state was better than in the original novel, Jaeheon Lee listened to the sounds coming from the second floor.
“…wait for a sec.”
Again, again, again, again.
“This doesn’t sound like a person walking.”
“…That’s my opinion too.”
“It looks like you have no intention of coming down. “Let’s just lower our voices.”
It was definitely the sound of footsteps, but simply wearing heels didn’t make that sound. The sound was strangely angular and consistent, and even had a strange elasticity to it. It seemed like it was only spinning around in a certain area. In short, I was convinced that it was a monster because it was so artificial.
Fortunately, all of the people gathered here had swollen livers and had all picked up an easy-to-wield weapon while walking to school. Seeing that the monster had no intention of coming down, I thought that if I moved carefully, I wouldn’t be attacked out of nowhere.
“….”
However, Jaeheon Lee remained silent as he recalled the structure of the school that appeared in the story. There’s a monster wandering around the second floor hallway, and on that second floor, I think…
“It’s a school map. Would you all like to gather together?”
“There are a lot of classes, right? “About… around 40…?”
“There are 38. “There are hallways on the 2nd and 4th floors that lead to the annex.”
“In the annex, there is an auditorium on the second floor… and a swimming pool on the fourth floor? “It’s a good school. There’s a swimming pool.”
“Dayoung said before that she is not using it now because it is difficult to maintain. “This is a secret world, so I don’t know what will happen, but it seems better to stay away if possible.”
“Oh, the cafeteria is over there. “It’s right next to the lobby.”
Leaving behind the survivors who quietly exchanged information while lowering their voices as much as possible, Lee Jae-heon wiped the corners of his mouth and recalled the story in the original novel.
‘Originally, I should have met the kids right away at the front door.’
What was described in the novel was only the situation after Jeong In-ho entered, not immediately after the Park siblings were devoured by the underworld, so all Jae-heon Lee could know was the rules of this school. I don’t even remember everything. Therefore, Jaeheon Lee had to make a vague guess as to where the Park siblings would be by now.
“Dahun is in the 2nd year, class 10. Dayoung is in the 3rd grade, 1st class….”
“They are on the 3rd and 4th floors, respectively? “It’s higher than I thought… I wonder if the kids are hiding well.”
“Because they are smart kids. “I think it might be hiding somewhere.”
There are a total of 38 classrooms in the school. Among them, it was said that there was a place that randomly became a ‘classroom without school rules’. It can be seen as a kind of safety zone where you can relax without worrying about monsters.
However, a ‘classroom without school rules’ is a temporary state and returns to its original state during the next class, so it is virtually impossible to stay in one classroom continuously. A student who voluntarily sits on the ‘corporal punishment chair’ may be able to hold on to the same seat since the monster will not touch it, but… ‘There is no way that
chicks with no tolerance for pain will be able to endure that.’
One or two ‘corporal punishment chairs’, which are provided in each classroom, are torture devices. It might have been possible for Lee Jae-heon, but there was no way the Park siblings would have sat on that chair, where they couldn’t get up until after school. Because I said it was an appearance that clearly revealed its purpose.
“…the elevator doesn’t work.”
“They say you should only use the stairs.”
For reference, the elevator inside the school only works when used by a ‘teacher monster’. I remember giving a ride to a survivor once who made me feel better. Of course, if you try to ride together on your own, you will be attacked.
‘And what… I said I wouldn’t use the swimming pool.’
In the behind-the-scenes world, the risk of ‘unused space’ is high. This is because it is unusually aggressive toward survivors compared to other spaces and the rules are strict. This must have been felt instinctively even without being said, so there was no way the Park siblings were in the swimming pool. If it went in, it would be considered already dead.
‘Then the most likely location for now is the auditorium.’
Jaeheon Lee thought they might be in the auditorium.
‘Once we get down to the first floor, the game is almost over. There’s no way we couldn’t have seen it, and since so much time has passed, the Park siblings’ abilities would have already come down from the fourth and third floors. Even if it is a space with strict rules, it is not impossible to get to the first floor…’
Then the remaining space is on the second floor. The remaining facilities, excluding the teacher’s office and classrooms, were the auditorium in the annex building and the science room at the end of the main building. To be honest, there was no way he would have headed to the science room filled with all kinds of dangerous drugs, so I had to assume there was a high probability that he would be in the auditorium.
“….”
Isn’t it?
‘It’s not a normal school, so I can’t tell if I’m in class or not.’
If he was in class, there was a chance he could be sitting quietly somewhere in a classroom on the second floor. Right next to the main building stairs leading down to the second floor, there is a hallway connected to the annex building that leads to the auditorium, so the probability there may be a little higher, but you can’t ignore it at all. Jaeheon Lee decided to quickly check inside the classroom if the monster above wasn’t too dangerous.
“I’m a little confused. The school itself is large and there are so many classrooms….”
“First of all, seeing as the first floor is quiet, it must be from the second to fourth floors. “It was easy to see because it was a glass wall… but it seemed like there was no one in the restaurant.”
“Where should I start?”
“Hmm….”
That’s why Jaeheon Lee stepped forward and said, ‘Let’s take a look around the classroom. It might be somewhere inside!’ or ‘Okay, let’s go to the auditorium!’ ‘It must be there!’ I couldn’t convince him. Aside from the content of the novel, the basis was not only poor, but even if that were said, this school was full of various facilities. There was no way that the Park siblings would be on the second floor.
In the end, he proposed the most reasonable solution.
“We can’t even take the elevator, so let’s go to the second floor first. “It seems like there’s a monster spinning around, but isn’t that the floor you have to go through to get to the 3rd or 4th floor anyway?”
“great. “Let’s move carefully.”
The survivors carried their weapons and climbed the stairs without making any sound. When they almost reached the second floor, Lee Jae-heon, who was holding a crowbar, raised his other hand and stopped the survivors.
Again, again, again, again….
“….”
“….”
… Again, again, again, again….
The monster that came right in front of the stairs turned and walked in the opposite direction.
“…That…”
“Shh.”
It was clearly wearing a school uniform like the ‘student monster’ in the novel, but Jaeheon Lee realized that it was a slightly different monster than the one I knew. At first glance, it looked similar to the common mannequin monsters in novels, but unlike them, its school uniform was tattered and its skin was as white as plaster.
He lamented inwardly.
‘Fuck, that was originally a person.’
That monster was originally a human, but turned into a monster. It was probably a classmate of Park Da-young or Park Da-hoon. Unlike the ‘student monsters’, which are mannequin monsters wearing school uniforms, these monsters immediately attack survivors and cause direct injury. Even if you were following the rules, it wasn’t good to make eye contact with them because they attacked you so recklessly.
And the plaster monster was the strongest monster in the school episode.
‘…I missed checking all the classrooms on the second floor. ‘I have to go straight into the auditorium.’
And at this point, Jaeheon Lee understood the reality they were facing. I had some idea about it since I heard the monster on the second floor, but now I am really sure. It was a confidence I could gain from knowing the rules of this school.
“….”
“Jaeheon Lee, shall we move?”
“…If he goes to the end, he will go straight into the auditorium. Because that is the closest.”
“All right.”
This episode was a disaster.
I need to fix the main character’s mentality before he dies.
