Episode 359:
Black hair and bandages all over the body. Black polar tee and pants. Brownish coat. shoes.
“No, that one….”
“I think it’s you, manager?”
No matter how vague the impression of a stuffed toy was, all other impressions were the same. Since they are dolls and not humans, there is a big difference in body shape, but in terms of size alone, it is no different from the height of Lee Jae-heon.
Yoon Garam, who was already anxious about Lee Jae-heon’s life or death, hesitated and made a bewildered expression.
“Oh man…?”
A doll resembling a friend of mine was chained to a wooden floor that did not match the apartment’s home at all. It was difficult to even figure out whether Lee Jae-heon had become a doll or whether it was just a doll that resembled Lee Jae-heon.
Hong Gyeong-jun said while blocking Yoon Garam, who seemed to be trying to approach the doll.
“There was a monster like that in the sinkhole.”
“yes?”
“This is a large sinkhole in the center of an apartment complex, in a residential area underneath it. Since I was only looking down at the sinkhole from a distance, I couldn’t see it in detail, but I often saw monsters that resembled stuffed toys. “It was a monster the size of a person.”
“…Has the manager become a monster?”
“That’s…”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who had not taken his eyes off the doll, continued.
“…I don’t think so.”
It was an ambiguous remark, uncharacteristic of Hong Kyung-jun, but at those words, Yoon Garam bit his lip and took a step back.
“I trust you will explain the rationale.”
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun lowered his arm that was blocking Yoon Garam’s path and glanced at the survivors behind him.
The reactions of survivors who encountered a plush doll resembling Lee Jae-heon were similar. Absurdity, fear, surprise, the occasional sense of guilt, etc.
The reason they came here was to find Lee Jae-heon, who had been left behind. However, since Lee Jae-heon’s traces were found in an unexpected place, these reactions were probably inevitable.
“…First of all…”
Hong Gyeong-jun felt the need to calm these people down, albeit on uncertain grounds.
“It doesn’t move.”
“Does that prove that it is not the manager?”
“When I looked down into the sinkhole, all the monsters I saw were moving. Like a jiangshi, I put my arms out in front of me and waved my legs back and forth, bouncing like a wind chime. “Their movements were all consistent and their speed was quite fast.”
“But…”
“The dolls all looked different.”
This is just Hong Gyeong-jun’s guess, but…
“Mr. Ha Seong-yoon, do you remember what we talked about in the garden the other day?”
“It’s a story we shared in the garden.”
“…the fertilizer used there.”
“Oh, that’s right. “I remember.”
Ha Seong-yoon showed an uncharacteristically dull reaction and smiled softly a beat later.
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun pondered his frustration and despair for a moment. This is because I was certain, rather than certain, that I would not be able to receive help from Ha Seong-yoon, who was normally capable.
“It has been hypothesized that the garden uses the survivors attracted by the apartment complex as fertilizer.”
“Wow, really….”
“Calm down, Mr. Kim Ki-jeong. “I ended the story by saying that just staying in the garden is not an attack, and that it only becomes fertilizer through a separate processing process within the apartment.”
“Is this what will happen if you calm down, you people…? Why is everyone calm except me? “Am I the only one who is a coward?”
“But if you just try to calm down, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who very clumsily comforted the pale Kim Ki-jeong, continued.
“Mr. Ha Seong-yoon, was the fertilizer you saw at that time an image of the person itself? “I’m asking whether it was an intact body that could safely be placed in the morgue.”
“…That wasn’t it. The particles were thicker than minced meat, and the material probably looked like internal organs or flesh excluding human skin…” “
Okay, don’t describe it in more detail than this. Anyway, this tells us that the fertilizer used in the garden is a survivor and also undergoes some kind of processing. And we concluded that the scarecrow in the garden was made from the skins of previous survivors who had sacrificed their lives.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Human skin used to make a scarecrow. Some flesh or organs used as fertilizer. The space that goes through some kind of processing device is likely to be inside a sinkhole, and in this sinkhole, doll monsters with all different appearances are walking around. “They are just human-sized monsters.”
“Umm…”
Ha Seong-yoon opened his mouth with a dry smile.
“Making scarecrows or fertilizer for the garden is probably not the main purpose of the sinkhole, so there must be other reasons for attracting survivors.”
Hong Gyeong-jun took over.
“I thought the ‘main purpose’ was to turn survivors who visited the apartment into puppet monsters.”
“That sounds plausible.”
“As Ha Seong-yoon said, the scarecrows and garden fertilizers were not made primarily by sinkholes, but were made using leftover by-products. Of course, Jae-heon Lee said that survivors sacrificed in this way are used in various ways, such as becoming food for monsters or as a power source, but if we think about the doll monsters of various appearances that inhabit sinkholes…” “The survivors are made up of doll monsters.
” Are you creating a ?”
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun paused for a moment and said with a nervous expression.
“I thought so.”
This was to show that it was only a hypothesis.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who corrected his expression again, continued.
“In that case, we will use doll skin, so there is no need for human skin. “You create a monster by extracting only the organs or the human soul… and putting it into the skin of a doll that resembles the survivor.”
Garam Yoon asked him.
“Then what about that doll…?”
“Isn’t this leather meant to contain Lee Jae-heon, who is not yet Mr. Lee Jae-heon? Since it doesn’t move like other monsters, I think it means it’s ready. “If I were to say that I interpreted it the way I felt comfortable with it, I wouldn’t have anything to say.”
“Is that your intuition too?”
“yes?”
“Detective, do you think that hypothesis is correct based on your intuition?”
Hong Gyeong-jun was speechless.
“…It is true that my intuition is good, but if you rely on something like this that is not clear evidence…”
Ha Seong-yoon interjected.
“Why did you guess so well?”
“Ha Seong-yoon.”
“haha.”
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was looking at Ha Seong-yoon, who was taking Yoon Ga-ram’s side, with a strange expression, slowly nodded.
“I don’t think so…”
“Why are you giving such an untrustworthy reaction?”
Hong Gyeong-jun hesitated before answering her question.
“I’m not sure. “In some ways, I feel like he’s just a doll, but in other ways, I feel like Jaeheon Lee.”
“…mister!”
“Catch it!!”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who stopped Yoon Gar-ram from rushing towards the doll, continued speaking in a quick tone.
“But I am absolutely certain that Lee Jae-heon has not been turned into a doll or anything. “It seems like they are connected to some extent, but that doesn’t mean that the doll itself is Mr. Lee Jae-heon!”
“wait for a sec.”
Jeong In-ho, who had been listening quietly, asked.
“Did you say ‘linked’?”
“…Did I just say that?”
“yes.”
“….”
“….”
It’s linked.
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was taking a defensive stance while blocking the front of the Lee Jae-heon lookalike doll, quietly returned to his normal posture. He crossed his arms and tapped his forearm with his fingers, then opened his mouth quietly.
“…Shall we just take off the chain?”
“Let’s open it and take a look.”
“―Fuck, I’m so upset! Hey you little bastards, don’t you come here?! “Uh-huh, it’s bitter, uh-huh, don’t touch it!!”
In the end, Kim Ki-jeong exploded.
“It’s Yeon-dong and you’re sleeping. Anyway, that’s not Jae-heon Lee. Are you saying that you touched it knowing what would happen if you did? Can you be held responsible if the time bomb becomes a bomb because you touch it carelessly?! yes? Can you take responsibility!! If you want to take that bomb safely out, you have to look around carefully and check over 100 times to see if there are any problems, and then you can’t even touch it, so what?! Just open it and take a look?! Are you saying we should all die together? I don’t fucking want to be left behind, so just get me out safely and get started. Then, if you all fall behind, I’ll be so fucking sad! If you survive alone, you will die 100% of the time, so you will just die like a baby sunfish!! Fuck, your judgment is worse than Seo-ah, who is a kindergartener! How can you still call yourself a grown adult?! “Aren’t you embarrassed to see the kids?!”
“sorry.”
“I’m sorry….”
“I will reflect on this.”
Fortunately, the survivors who survived this far reflected quickly. It was also unavoidable to survive in a world where it is not strange to die at any time if feedback is not reflected in a timely manner.
“I think my judgment was impaired for a moment when I saw Jaeheon Lee’s doll.”
“It’s a shame it’s being degraded. That detective, why have I been so anxious these days? I…”
“Calm down, I’ve calmed down too. Kim Ki-jeong can do it too.”
“What a bastard.”
“Then it would be right to take a look around first.”
Han Do-yoon agreed with Hong Gyeong-jun’s opinion, who naturally dismissed Kim Ki-jeong’s attack. With one hand, he was patting the back of Kim Ki-jeong, who was taking a deep breath.
“I am fine. “I don’t know why there is a doll resembling Lee Jae-heon here, but I think an investigation is necessary to understand the process.”
“Right… Of course, I was surprised, but if I do anything too hastily, it could have a negative impact on the manager, so it would be better to refrain. “It’s not just about the manager’s doll, it’s also important how we can safely investigate the key ring monster and get out of this crazy room 1201.”
When Han Do-yoon and Woo Woo-young nodded, Yoon Garam, who was standing next to her, shook his shoulders and glanced at Woo Woo-young. The sight of a child fidgeting with his hands behind his back and avoiding eye contact was similar to the sight of a child trying to fall asleep without brushing his teeth and faltering when his parents caught him, but unfortunately, Woo Woo-young was the only one who noticed it and did not seem to see Woo Soo-young.
When Ha Seong-yoon, who was smiling with a lukewarm face, made eye contact, Yoon Gar-ram’s face turned slightly red.
“…there….”
“I see.”
“….”
After the small talk between the survivors, the exploration of No. 1201 finally began.
“Unlike the apartment model houses I have seen before and the childhood home I visited this time, room 1201 here has been greatly transformed. Besides being made entirely of wood, they are also different in size. “There are a lot of rooms and it’s spacious, so it’s best to explore while being careful about what kind of traps you might encounter.”
“All right.”
“We will have to form a new team. First of all, Kim Ki-jeong and Han Do-yoon are one team….”
Kim Ki-jeong and Han Do-yoon are one team. Jeong In-ho and Hong Gyeong-jun are a team. The remaining members, Ha Seong-yoon, Yoon Garam, and Woo Joo-young were on the same team. In-ho Jeong smiled as if he was dissatisfied with the team composition, but the team composition was maintained because it was difficult to change.
Hong Gyeong-jun said, pointing to the rooms near the front door.
“That’s where Do-yoon Han was imprisoned, so me and In-ho Jeong will take charge.”
“yes? “No, there’s no need for that.”
“The problem is not that Han Do-yoon is okay, but if Han Do-yoon takes charge of that place, wouldn’t it be possible for his memories of that time to be mixed in and he may not be able to look at it objectively? “I think it would be better for someone who has never been in it to take charge.”
“If that’s the case…?”
“Do-yoon Han and Ki-jeong Kim, please check the spaces that connect the rooms, such as the kitchen and living room hallway. Please also check the bathroom in the hallway.”
“Uhm, I understand.”
“All right.”
Naturally, Hong Gyeong-jun and Jeong In-ho decided to search the rooms near the front door, Kim Ki-jeong and Han Do-yoon in the middle, Ha Seong-yoon and Yoon Garam, and Woo Joo-young searched the innermost areas of the house, which appeared to be the master bedroom and study.
Just before they dispersed, Hong Gyeong-jun spoke to Do-yoon Han.
“Please don’t touch Lee Jae-heon’s doll.”
“Why are you talking only to me? Kim Ki-jeong is there too.”
“There is such a thing.”
“What is that? Hey? Detective over there?”
And 15 minutes later.
-Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…!!
“Damn it, don’t touch me…!”
“I didn’t touch it, I really just looked! I just looked!”
The structure of Room 1201 was distorted along with the keyring monster’s unique tearing cry.
When they came to their senses, they were locked in a secluded room.
“….”
“….”
“…ㅅ….”
“Siot?”
“….”
Hong Gyeong-jun, who was trapped with Jeong In-ho, cursed God.
(Continued in the next part)
