Chapter 105

I stood frozen, staring at Containment Room B14.

CREEEAK, CREEEEEEAK.

The rusty hinges screamed as the containment room door inched open.

A door that should never open was opening. And from inside, a black shape...

“Run.”

I immediately spun around and sprinted for the containment corridor entrance.

Beside me, I could hear Supervisor Park Minseong running just as desperately. My survival instinct drove my feet forward while confusion churned through my head.

'What is this?'

What was happening?

'The cleaning tips said...'

Rule 4 said to ignore sounds from the containment rooms. Rule 11 said yelling at the voice to shut up would quiet it.

The door had opened before I could even decide which one to follow?

What the hell was in there...

“Guys.”

The supervisor and I both nearly stumbled.

It was a voice we both knew.

But we kept running without looking back, rounding the corner and racing toward the green exit sign at the end of the corridor. We flung our cleaning tools aside. I was gasping for breath.

Without even pausing to breathe, Supervisor Park Minseong grabbed the door handle beneath the green emergency light. Just then—

[BEEEEEEEEEP!!]

“...!!”

[Unauthorized opening of containment room detected.]

[Sealing corridor.]

Red emergency lights came on throughout the corridor.

Along with the emotionless mechanical announcement, we heard a protective shutter beginning to descend on the other side of the door whose handle Supervisor Park Minseong was holding.

For a moment, we looked at each other.

“...”

With us still inside.

The corridor was sealed.

'We're f*ed.'

Damn it, damn it!!

I rummaged through my pocket. I had to check the cleaning tips for any relevant instructions...

“Well, look at you. Dumb and Dumber in the flesh. Did you trade your exploration manuals for candy? What happened to keeping calm?”

...

'Huh?'

The voice sounded exasperated.

As if its owner were suppressing anger, but there was something ordinary about it...

Footsteps trudged closer.

“You're driving me insane. No, wait. Should I be praising you for being cautious...? Whew.”

The voice had caught up with us from behind.

But none of the anomalies I had expected occurred.

No chilling laughter. No cold hand reaching out from behind us, no eerie behavior.

“...”

“Damn it. Whew. No. Calm down... Guys. I know I sounded a little crazy back there. But I had no choice if I wanted to use my escape item. We don't have time, so hurry up and accept that. Okay?”

The voice grew a little anxious.

“What wouldn't I say to get out? I figured I might as well try fishing for information while I was playing crazy, but then the item suddenly activated and the door opened, so I came out.”

That voice...

“Pull yourselves together. I'll give you ten seconds. Hurry.”

...

“... Deputy?”

“Yeah.”

Supervisor Park Minseong murmured beside me, and I couldn't stop him from turning around.

To be precise, I turned around too.

And saw a familiar silhouette.

Bobbed hair.

A sharp gleam in her eyes.

A cool-looking woman in a suit.

The Deputy Eun Haje we knew stood in the corridor, surveying the cleaning tools we'd thrown aside with a dubious expression.

“... Can you leave those lying around like that? No, we'll check later... First I need to get you to accept this.”

“...”

Supervisor Park Minseong's grip on my shoulder loosened.

We stared blankly at her.

“Badger. And... Roe Deer.”

An expression came over Deputy Eun Haje's face.

“Been doing okay?”

Our superior's face was calm and composed, with a faint trace of boredom and fatigue.

And a fierce smile.

“This f***ing company, seriously... Whew.”

The deputy shook out her hair, heaved a deep sigh, and gestured.

“Sorry, but I need a favor. Just open that containment corridor door for me.”

Deputy Eun Haje spoke calmly.

“I'll find my own way out after that.”

As though we'd agreed beforehand, neither the supervisor nor I answered.

My head felt ready to burst.

Deputy Eun Haje smiled wryly.

“Can't even answer me? Yeah, well, that's a smart call. I'd do the same...

What was this?

'Why does this feel so... convincing?'

Why did she feel so real...

'No, that's impossible!'

“Supervisor.”

Swallowing, I spoke to Supervisor Park Minseong in a low, rapid voice, as though reminding myself.

“Remember. The deputy resigned. There's no way she could be here...”

...

'Wait.'

Was there really no way?

I recalled several odd things that had continued to nag at me.

Deputy Eun Haje had fallen out of contact.

She had handed over her equipment without meeting me in person. She read my texts but never replied. My calls wouldn't connect. All I'd heard about her had come through Team Leader Lee Jaheon...

Could it be?

'Because she's trapped here?'

I hurriedly recalled the conditions under which Security transferred people to containment.

Urgent cases of contamination, anomalous phenomena within the company, dangerous individuals, spies, disciplinary cases, and even ominous, unknown criteria censored with black squares...

'There are all sorts.'

Even Supervisor Park Minseong and I had been locked up briefly.

Then...

What were the chances that Deputy Eun Haje qualified too?

“... Roe Deer?”

“Just a moment... Give me a moment.”

Wasn't it possible?

I wanted to question the person who looked like Deputy Eun Haje in painstaking detail right this second, verify her story, and find out what had happened.

But I couldn't gamble on a possibility.

'Try another way first.'

I asked the ghost-story resident.

'Braun, about that human-looking figure in front of us. Is that the Team D deputy I worked with a few months ago?'

Braun answered cheerfully.

-Oh dear. Unfortunately, this legendary Host is an entertainer, not an investigative expert!

-My eye for detail is exceptional, of course, but there are limits to what these pebble-like eyes in this stuffing-filled body can see...

-The appearance seems identical, but who can say? The world does have its masters of flawless disguise.

Damn it.

Desperately, I pressed on.

'Could you still check one thing for me? I just want your judgment based on what you can see. I trust you.'

-...! In that case, I would be delighted to answer, my friend!

'Thanks. Then...'

I swallowed.

'Is what's standing in front of me human... in every respect, both mentally and physically?'

-Ah, now there's a question I can answer with certainty.

Braun declared cheerfully,

-Yes!

Ha...

'It is human.'

This was driving me crazy.

I almost wished he'd told me the being in front of us wasn't human. Then I could have been certain.

... Certain it wasn't Deputy Eun Haje.

But the familiar-looking person continued speaking in that familiar manner.

“Normally, I'd take my time persuading you, but we're running out of time, guys.”

Her face grew a little pale.

“Security will be coming to investigate soon. If I'm going to get out of here, I have to leave before they arrive.”

“...”

“I'm not asking for much. I'll hide for a bit, so let me through when the door opens.”

I admitted it.

'There's no way to tell just by looking.'

Then I had no choice but to take a small risk.

I immediately spoke up.

“Supervisor.”

“H-huh?”

To Supervisor Park Minseong.

“Wouldn't you say it's impossible for us to encounter the deputy, who's on leave, in Security's containment area?”

“That's... right?”

“Oh. Indirect conversation. Not a bad idea, Roe Deer.”

Deputy Eun Haje gave a brief exclamation of admiration, then muttered rapidly.

“When I said I was quitting, they shoved me in here and told me to think about it until I changed my mind. Looking back, it was my own fault for trusting this damn company. F***.”

“Supervisor. Even if someone in containment got out through the corridor door, wouldn't they be caught right away?”

“Do you think I'm an idiot? I've got an item ready. Time is the problem. We don't have time. Security must be on their way right now. And I can't even check. This is driving me nuts...”

Check.

'... Wait!'

I remembered what was in my back pocket.

'The radio.'

I pressed my back against the door, then reached behind me with one hand, out of sight, and carefully took hold of the radio in my pocket.

Then I turned the volume up just a tiny bit...

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

[The lockdown is currently...]

Damn it!

'The security chief's been radioing us this whole time!'

I immediately muted the radio.

But it was too late.

“I hear a radio.”

“...!”

“Well, whoever has it is free to do what they want, so go ahead and call. But there's something I'm wondering about...”

Wondering?

“They don't give radios to cleaners.”

“...”

A chill ran down my back.

“Did someone give it to you as a special favor? That's... strange, too. Cleaning staff read the manual at an automated terminal, clock in, and enter. The system doesn't require them to meet any other employees.”

Suspicion and tension crept into Deputy Eun Haje's voice.

“Is that thing... really connected to Security?”

“...”

“Roe Deer. Who did you meet?”

My palms were sweaty.

I'd never been in such an insane situation before.

'I don't even know what to trust.'

There were no clues. No, even if she really was Deputy Eun Haje, how could we let her go? Hide her from Security? Was that even possible?

'To get even a slightly better grasp of the situation...'

Ah!

I remembered what I'd originally meant to look at.

The second sheet of cleaning tips.

'If I read all the remaining tips, maybe I can piece together the truth from the context.'

I immediately pulled out the sheet and read the next number.

12. If you notice a strange smell coming through the crack in a door, or something starts seeping out, run. No exceptions.

Those signs always appear before a door opens. Conversely, you're usually safe if none of that happens.

I'll cover the other exceptions in detail in the next entry.

I recommend waiting a little before reading it.

I immediately read the next entry...

13. Huh? The door opened?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Reflexively, I folded the paper so hard I nearly crumpled it.

My pulse pounded in my hands.

“Roe Deer, what's wrong?”

Stay calm. Stay calm...

“Let's calm down first. Security is on the way, so we can start thinking about the best thing to do.”

Pretending to pat my back, Supervisor Park Minseong...

“A way for us to get out...”

Was writing something on my back with his finger.

N-O-T

T-H-E

D-E-P-U-T-Y

...

Not the deputy.

Frozen, I raised my head.

“Wow.”

Deputy Eun Haje...

No, the thing wearing Deputy Eun Haje's face lowered its head toward us.

“How did you know?”

How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know?

How did you know?

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!

SNAP.

Deputy Eun Haje's head dropped to the floor.

Then she stood upside down.

The two legs and arms thrust rigidly toward the ceiling turned to look at us.

Hello!!!

Do you belieeeeve in your honored names??

I...

Passed out at that point.

* * *

“Roe Deer.”

“...”

“Roe Deer?”

Ah.

I lifted my head.

“Are you really tired? Take a little break, then. I'll handle it.”

Holding a mop, Supervisor Park Minseong was peering at me with concern. I looked around and saw the containment corridor, every door firmly shut and perfectly normal...

“Ha...”

I gripped my mop handle and hung my head.

“A-are you okay?”

“Yes... I'm sorry.”

Had it been a nightmare?

'It didn't make sense, after all.'

A containment room door suddenly opening, Deputy Eun Haje being a ghost... Anyway, it was just a stupid dream. I pressed my temples.

“... Sorry. I think I dozed off for a moment.”

“Nothing to apologize for! It's okay. You must have worked during the day, too. Of course you're exhausted.”

Supervisor Park Minseong patted my back.

“Hang in there a little longer. Only two days left now.”

“...”