Episode 251
It was recess a few tens of minutes before a scream was heard from the third floor.
“…This….”
“…Why is there something like this? Appointment letter?”
“Yes, it’s a class president appointment letter.”
Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon were looking at the appointment letter posted on the bulletin board next to the blackboard.
If this wasn’t a secret world, the appointment letter, which would have been extremely ordinary, was stiff, as if indicating that it had been a while since the selection had been made. In other classrooms, the appointment letter stuck alone on the empty bulletin board gave off a strange sense of discomfort despite its plain appearance. It was a feeling of discomfort that can only be felt from monsters.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“…Kim Hee-chan, 2nd grade, class 10. “The above student reflected on his mistakes, fulfilled his duties as a student, enhanced the reputation of the school, and respected and respected his teachers. Therefore, I highly applaud his progress and appoint him as class president of class 9 in the 3rd grade.”
It was all bullshit from start to finish.
“What nonsense is this? “Are you crazy…?”
“We’re on the verge of going crazy, but this is really weird.”
If this was an ordinary school, it wouldn’t have been such a strange situation, but unfortunately, this was a secret world. There is no way that the appointment letter hanging alone on this spacious bulletin board would have no meaning here. Even written on the appointment letter was the name of the student we had been looking for.
Ha Seong-yoon immediately remembered what Jae-heon Lee said in the elevator.
“…Could it be that if I am appointed, I will become a plaster monster? I said that the 4th floor is the floor used by 3rd graders, so if this means that I was appointed as the class president of 3rd grade class 9, then that is correct. “It’s going to be hovering on the fourth floor…”
“But that monster was wearing a jacket? “It was a clean jacket with no blood on it.”
“Even a plaster monster doesn’t shed blood unless it’s tears of blood. “If I were to appoint a teacher as a class president, I think I would give him one of the spare jackets at school.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. “There will be school uniforms that students leave behind when they graduate…”
Although I wasn’t sure, I had a suspicion that was close to certainty. It was a very reasonable suspicion that their search for Kim Hee-chan, visiting these crazy classrooms one by one, had been in vain.
“…I heard that he only had a broken leg, so I searched hard because I thought he might still be alive.”
“The amount of bleeding would have been less compared to other students who had all of their limbs broken. If I hadn’t been a monster, I would probably still be alive… even now. Since I was conscious in the other world, I may have survived with basic mental strength.”
“That’s right, that’s why you didn’t make it to class 9. Crossing that difficult middle hallway while avoiding the monster’s eyes…”
Ha Seong-yoon said with a sigh.
“Maybe I should have brought one of my students with me.”
“…Then you could have immediately recognized Kim Hee-chan by looking at the face of the plaster monster, but isn’t it a bit odd to bring children in school uniforms to a place like this?”
“I know. I was so frustrated and upset that I tried to talk about it. “I’m starting to feel a little sad.”
“I don’t have anything to refute…”
The hypothesis that the lively bell that rang in the beginning, different from the class bell that rang at the beginning, was the school bell had already been discussed, and they were already convinced of that hypothesis. I got the basis from Dayoung Park’s words, ‘If you go out of school, you will be moved somewhere’, which I heard in a classroom on the 3rd floor without school rules. In fact, it was not moved but deleted, but there was no way for Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon to know that.
One of the rules they learned while going around the 4th floor.
[Rule 8. Dismissal from school after dismissal time]
What this meant was clear.
“I don’t know the detailed conditions, but… there is a separate time for leaving school.”
“We missed the dismissal time because we were looking for student Kim Hee-chan.”
Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho did not know that the dismissal time was only one minute, but they remembered that the class bell did not ring for 60 minutes after the dismissal bell rang. From the sound of the bell to the length of the recess, there was no way to know that it was dismissal time.
“How many periods was that? “We’re probably just before third period right now.”
“I think it was 8 period intervals. Still, I endured a lot, really. “I’m putting a lot of pressure on my head, but if I lose my mind even for a moment, I feel like I’ll just fall over and fall asleep.”
“It would have been nice if I could at least sleep peacefully in the classroom, but that doesn’t work out the way I wanted… honestly, I feel a bit unfair.”
“I think I can sleep well if the teacher monster’s gaze disappears.”
Although he was convinced that a student had turned into a monster, Jeong In-ho, who decided to accept someone’s death as an opportunity, and Ha Seong-yoon, who lived in the underworld and had little inspiration unless he was a patient or doctor, only expressed fatigue.
No, no. In fact, if it weren’t for this fatigue, they would have been quite solemn, but the stress they had accumulated was through the ceiling, and because of that, they had no time to mourn someone’s death. That’s how much this school had a knack for eating away at people’s nerves and driving them crazy. It was a feeling I had never felt before while staying at the park.
“The teacher’s gaze is also a gaze… but why are you taking a paper test? Do you still see things like that these days? I heard that the education system has changed a lot, but maybe I heard it all wrong…” “
Even though it has changed a lot, it is true that cramming education is the most effective for the CSAT. Isn’t it said that Unhak High School in particular pays a lot of attention to grades? Even if there is a surprise test like this, I’m not really surprised. “It’s not surprising, but it’s quite absurd to bring it all the way to the other side.”
Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho, who were momentarily confused after receiving a simple test paper handed out by a monster teacher, were fortunately able to regain their composure after learning that their grades had no effect on their personal lives.
Jeong In-ho turned on his phone screen to check the time and sighed.
“But… I don’t know if anything has really changed yet. I wish I could at least see the nameplate of the plaster monster. “If this is a trap, it means abandoning a student who is still alive.”
“It’s really just a what-if, but it’s not wrong. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea to check as much as possible and then go back. “There are more people we need to protect than one unfamiliar student whose life or death is unknown.”
After muttering that, Ha Seong-yoon, who was silent for a moment, took a deep breath.
“…I made a mistake. “I guess I lost a lot of my leisure time while taking classes… I became a doctor and started complaining like idiots.”
“…I agree. If you keep taking classes like this, you will quickly ruin someone. “To be honest, I was horrified because I felt that my sense of ethics was dropping.”
“I think we need to hold on to reason well. “I’m worried that even if the work is completed safely, we, who are so crazy, might cause a strange accident.”
After enduring 4 periods like that, it was time for another break.
“…? “Where did you hear some noise?”
“I heard it too. It was the sound of something breaking, but why suddenly…”
“I thought I heard it from downstairs.”
In-ho Jeong urgently called Jae-heon Lee. Those trapped in one space could only get out if someone from outside gave them permission to leave, but to make matters worse, even Lee Jae-heon did not answer the phone. The moment it occurred to him that the call tone was getting longer, Ha Seong-yoon hung up the phone.
“Ha Seong-yoon?”
“The plaster monster that has been hovering in this hallway throughout third period has moved to the building on the other side. You should also keep in mind the possibility that you may be being chased. Besides, none of our cell phones are on silent mode right now.”
“….”
Jeong In-ho stopped breathing for a moment.
The thought of having to go outside was so strong that I couldn’t consider Lee Jae-heon’s situation. It is said that the moment the sound was heard from the third floor, the plaster monster moved to the opposite building, so it was clear that it must have also encountered Lee Jae-heon. However, if a phone call rang there, even a plaster monster with poor hearing would notice.
“Jung In-ho, come to your senses.”
“…I’m setting it up.”
then? What should Jaeheon Lee do?
He already had injuries to his legs and stomach. Am I going to die this time too? Did I kill him? Turning back time was not a curse but an opportunity, so even if I had been half-brainwashed, it was close to a curse in essence.
Director Lee Jae-heon must die again.
because of me.
“Jaeheon Lee is not dead yet…!”
That was the moment Ha Seong-yoon shouted that.
“—Come out here!”
“…?!”
Grumble!
The door opened roughly and Lee Jae-heon grabbed Jeong In-ho’s arm.
“Boss…?!”
“Come out, you chicks! “The monster is coming in 10 seconds!”
“Uh oh…!”
As Jeong In-ho and Ha Seong-yoon hurriedly followed Jae-heon Lee out of the classroom, a plaster monster suddenly popped out from the hallway connecting the two buildings. Whatever happened, even though it was missing a foot, the monster’s speed was still fast.
Jaeheon Lee stood at the front and rushed at the monster.
“How dangerous…!”
When Ha Seong-yoon was startled, Lee Jae-heon threw something he was holding at the monster. The monster that got hit squarely in the eye fell down in the same way it was running and screamed.
“…! It hurts, teacher! “I’m in pain, please help me!”
“Come here quickly! “You will recover quickly!”
“sick! Help me! Help me!”
Passing by the monster, Jeong In-ho checked to see what was stuck in its eye.
“…Crazy piece of glass…!”
“Teacher, why did you take off your gloves again! Do something crazy like that with your bare hands?!”
“Ah, when didn’t I tell you to take it off…!”
For some reason, the monster’s eyes were said to be red. I subconsciously decided that it was because of shedding bloody tears, but it seemed like a lot of Lee Jae-heon’s blood was mixed in there as well. When I looked again, Lee Jae-heon’s hand holding the crowbar was noticeably red.
Lee Jae-heon shouted, taking out gloves from his pocket and putting them on.
“Come here quickly!”
“Meanwhile, don’t wear gloves…!”
“Does that matter now?!”
The place they hid after the uproar was in the bathroom right next to the elevator. The bathroom was flooded with water everywhere and had a strangely gloomy atmosphere as the lights were not on.
Just as I was holding my breath inside, a plaster monster passed outside the bathroom door.
“….”
“…I went.”
Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho gasped at Lee Jae-heon’s words.
“Really, what is this….”
“Take off your gloves quickly, teacher.”
“Aisssi, really.”
Strictly speaking, only Jeong In-ho did that.
Even though Ha Seong-yoon was almost out of breath, he managed to control his breathing and gestured to Lee Jae-heon. Jeong In-ho suspected that the patient’s obsession with the patient might have come to the other side and exerted some biological or physical effect.
But Lee Jae-heon’s condition was that bad.
“Even if you collected shards of glass to block the monster’s view, why on earth did you take off your gloves? “You said you would get blisters.”
“I tried to do that, but this is… my hands have become numb, so I can’t hold the pieces well… and the crowbar keeps slipping…” “It’s not
wrong, but why does it sound like a five-year-old child’s excuse? I really don’t understand. Oh my… The wound on my stomach opened again… Since I’m in the other side, I won’t be able to recover, and I’m very worried that I might die from excessive bleeding. It may be a superficial stop, but this is really…”
“Stop it. “Isn’t it better than dying?”
Jeong In-ho’s shoulders shook at Lee Jae-heon’s lightly thrown words.
“…I’m sorry, Manager.”
“…uh? “No, no.”
“I was so distracted that I called without even knowing the manager’s situation…”
“That’s not true. “I got a call, but…”
Lee Jae-heon, who managed to escape from Ha Seong-yoon, shook his head with an embarrassed face.
“The phone that came when the monster came nearby was not Jeong In-ho’s, but Da-young’s phone on the third floor.”
“…Ah…”
“Furthermore, since I was being chased by a monster, I had to throw my cell phone somewhere in the hallway, so In-ho Jeong didn’t do anything to avoid me. “It means you don’t have to be so sorry.”
Lee Jae-heon’s face as he said that seemed much more innocent and gentle than usual, but the expressions on Ha Seong-yoon and Jeong In-ho’s faces, who knew that it was because he was so sick or out of his mind, were still not good. Even though I was being chased by plaster monsters, I went to such lengths to get them out of the classroom.
If I had hid alone, the wound wouldn’t have exploded.
“I checked while being chased, but the name tag on the jacket that monster was wearing was Kim Hee-chan. It was the name of the student we were looking for. Could it be…”
“…I think it was that student. I saw Kim Hee-chan’s class president appointment letter posted in class 9 of the third grade. “It seems like one way to become a plaster monster is to be appointed class president even if you don’t have to be imprisoned.”
“…Is that so?”
“I hoped it wasn’t the case, but if you personally checked the name tag, I really can’t help it.”
Lee Jae-heon blinked at the sight of Jeong In-ho sighing and continued speaking.
“And… the plaster monster seems to have poor intelligence. “I hid in the bathroom for a while while looking for the two, but the survivor I was chasing seemed to forget who I was chasing after entering another space.”
“Well, the bathroom door wasn’t even locked, but seeing it left open…”
Jeong In-ho lowered his head and Ha Seong-yoon said with a slight frown.
“But last time, even though I went into the auditorium… I had to slam the door once or three times before returning. “It may be that there are differences in the attitude of the plaster monsters in each area.”
“When I entered the classroom, I left without even looking for the bathroom. First of all, does this mean that bathrooms and classrooms are treated the same? Even if you check the auditorium or the annex building with the swimming pool by hitting your fist three times… I have no idea how places like the science and art rooms will react.”
“We’ll find out about that later. “It would be better if you could get away without being recognized.”
Ha Seong-yoon, who was looking at the glasses that were hanging on the glasses strap, put them on his eyes again and asked.
“I heard a sound from the third floor and Jae-heon Lee called… Anyway, it is clear that there is a problem with Da-young and Da-hoon, but what is going on? “Can you explain?”
“Of course I have to explain it.”
Lee Jae-heon answered while pulling out small pieces of glass stuck in his tattered hands.
“I don’t know the details, so let me get to the point first…”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Kim Yeon-woo and Detective Hong Gyeong-jun have become plaster monsters.”
“….”
Jeong In-ho took off his glasses and stroked his face with his hands.
I roughly expected it. Kim Yeon-woo and Hong Gyeong-jun specialized in protecting someone, as they had previously shown that ability in the park. If the students were being guarded by police officers with superior physical capabilities, and there was such a commotion, it would have made sense for those two to have died first or turned into monsters.
“What happened to the students? No, why were those two in the first place….”
“As soon as Kim Yeon-woo was appointed class president, he became a plaster monster, and the detective said he was trapped in the classroom to lure it out. “The students received tickets to use the three-person elevator and went down to the second floor.”
“…I have a lot I want to say, but for three? “There’s just one person missing.”
“That skinny male student, Seong Ji-ho, was hiding in the hallway waiting for the detective and was killed by a monster teacher due to poor clothing. “It looks like his neck was broken, not his limbs.”
“So Hong Gyeong-jun became a plaster monster.”
Lee Jae-heon said, wiping the corners of his mouth.
“Actually, this is just something I roughly guessed and I don’t know the exact circumstances. “The only thing I heard from Dayoung on the phone is that they each hid under chairs and behind bookshelves on the second floor in the bathroom.”
“…Oh… wait a minute.”
Jeong In-ho asked, his face stiff.
“Then how do we get down to the third floor?”
“Why are you asking such an obvious question?”
“Please say no.”
“We also need to get a license to use the elevator.”
Jaeheon Lee said, showing his wrist.
“Do you see it?”
“Yes, I can see your tattered wrist clearly.”
“No… Issi, here are the numbers.”
The number [10:00] was written on Lee Jae-heon’s wrist, which was bruised and slightly bruised and vaguely recovered. Ha Seong-yoon, who saw that, touched my earlobe and said.
“We saw these numbers even before they were locked in warehouses and turned into plaster monsters. It was amazing that even though we were locked in the same room, each person had a different number. My personal guess is that it seems to depend on the width of the trapped space and the individual survivor’s mental strength…” “Please
leave that analysis later… We can only stay here for 10 more minutes. If this number reaches 0, you will automatically be kicked out. You have to wait another 10 minutes outside to come back in. “We go out first and hide in the hallway before they are forcibly kicked out.”
“…Then when the class bell rings, do I have to go back into the classroom? How do I get a pass to use the elevator by impressing the teacher monster?”
“That’s it.”
Jaeheon Lee asked.
“Now who will be outside this time?”
“…If you’re going to do that…” Jeong In-
ho, who was so disgusted with that proud and proud face that he was about to say, ‘Then why don’t you try staying in a hellish classroom for 50 minutes?’ Jeong In-ho turned to Lee Jae-heon, whose body was spotted all over. When I saw this, I instinctively swallowed those words in my throat.
It was obvious that they had gone crazy trying to put that tattered human in that crazy classroom.
“If you’re going to do that?”
“…The manager is hiding again this time. I’ll give you my cell phone. Ha Seong-yoon also has a cell phone, so I think all you need to do is allow him to come out on time.”
“…? Why…? You didn’t look like you were going to say something like that just now.”
“You wouldn’t say something like that if you knew how much of a mess you are.”
Approximately 3 hours passed after that.
It wasn’t until 6th period that they managed to get a pass to use the elevator.
