Chapter 62

[Everyone, what kind of game is Hangman?]

[That's right! It's an educational game where you guess how a word is spelled! If the letter you call out is in the word, you're correct! If not, wrong!]

[And to make this game a more effective learning experience, we'll give you plenty of hints.]

The deputy hung suspended in midair. In jarring contrast, the television's pastel colors and cheerful voice assaulted my senses.

[Shall we begin?]

Deputy Eun Haje gave a bitter smile, cold sweat beading on her as she hung in the air.

"We all know the drill. Long introduction, isn't it?"

What made this ghost story worthy of its B grade was the hellish hours leading up to death, filled with mind-breaking, nerve-racking psychological pressure and pain.

... It worked like this.

Yes, the victim selected as the hangman was effectively pronounced dead.

But while the actual "game" was underway, they remained temporarily alive.

And that victim...

[Today's word is the one word that best describes Teacher Eun Haje!]

[Shall we all try to guess what kind of person Teacher Eun Haje is?]

...had their life ruthlessly exposed.

According to Records of Dark Exploration, every attempt to conceal the victim's personal information during this process had failed.

Major events in their life were devastatingly announced to everyone, as though their entire life were being scrutinized and judged.

Even the rules of Hangman had been altered for that purpose.

[Everyone, this English word has eight letters.]

I looked up at the blanks on the television screen.

* * *

Filling all those blanks with the right letters would produce an English word.

Normally, players took turns calling out random letters, and any matching blanks would fill in automatically. That was how they gradually deduced the word.

But...

'Here, every single letter is connected to the victim.'

[Here's your hint for the eighth letter!]

[What was Teacher Eun Haje's occupation four years ago?]

Like that.

Guessing things related to the victim's personal life made it easier. So if you wanted this process to go more smoothly...

You needed the victim's cooperation.

You had to persuade or threaten someone sentenced to death into talking.

"..."

"..."

Cold sweat dripped from my chin.

'So, right now...'

What was I doing?

The plush doll in my hand, the old television, Deputy Eun Haje suspended in the air...

What could I do?

'Move.'

I started walking.

"Roe Deer! Where are you going?!"

"There's no time. I'll explain later..."

"Are you looking for the gallows?"

"...!"

"Breaking them won't do any good. You know that, right? You read the manual."

"We won't know until I try."

I'd call Section Chief Lee Jaheon, just like during the quiz show. Then, then if I asked him to destroy the gallows again... Yes, before they repaired themselves, I could buy some time—

"Wait."

There was no time.

"Just sit down for a minute. Actually... there's something I want to try at the very end, too."

"..."

"I'm not just saying that. So don't go drawing attention to yourself for nothing. You can't afford to rack up pointless penalties."

Penalties.

"You know that, right?"

I did.

This ghost story's horror was rooted in the suffocating feeling of having every aspect of your life tightly controlled.

Through CCTV, the kindergarten assessed the movements and behavior of all twelve "new teachers" in real time. Any behavior unbecoming of a teacher earned a "penalty."

[One minute remaining. Teachers, please raise your hands and call out a letter!]

"Deputy Eun! Deputy Eun!"

Just then, the playroom door burst open, and an employee hurried inside.

He looked nearly mad with frustration and anxiety. Apparently, he'd been searching for the victim, and being unable to run must have left him looking like that.

Here at the kindergarten, anything faster than a speed walk was forbidden.

No swearing, no damaging property, nothing that violated the game's rules.

"Sh... Whew. Why did it have to be the last room on the third floor?!"

The employee squawked at Deputy Eun Haje as though venting his frustration. Even then, he held back his swearing, apparently trying to follow the rules.

"Hey! You... Deputy Eun, what did you do four years ago?"

Deputy Eun Haje smirked.

Because...

"Who the f*ck do you think you're talking to, you little bastard?"

"...!"

The hangman was exempt from all these rules.

"Wh-what... Why, all of a sudden..."

They were going to die anyway.

"I only let your attitude slide because I didn't want anything to do with you, d*pshit. I'm already pissed off enough that I'm going to croak before saving up all my points."

"Uh, uh..."

"You got three new hires killed. Get your act together, you insane fucking troll."

The employee's face flushed dark red with anger.

"Feeling wronged? Pissed off?"

"N-no..."

"Well, suck it up. You don't want to end up with a 'no contribution' rating and a penalty because you couldn't guess a single letter, do you?"

Deputy Eun Haje grinned, deliberately needling him.

"Only eight slots to go around. Better behave yourself, huh?"

"..."

The employee clamped his mouth shut.

Anyone with a brain would have made that choice.

Only one person dying was the best-case scenario, achieved by following the manual. If anything went wrong, this place could easily wipe everyone out.

This was a ghost story where survival was guaranteed only by following every rule to the letter.

'And if you don't guess even one letter in this Hangman game, you get penalized for that in the final "evaluation," too...'

That was when she called me.

"Hey, Roe Deer. Come here."

It was Deputy Eun Haje.

When I approached, she lowered her voice so only I could hear.

"Four years ago, I was a reporter."

"..."

"You answer, Roe Deer. Get that 'no contribution' penalty out of the way right from the start."

This was driving me insane.

"Refusing to answer won't change anything. You know that, right?"

"It'll help my peace of mind."

"Try worrying about the peace of mind of the person who might die soon first. Please."

Deputy Eun Haje frowned.

"Think how shitty I'd feel if that bastard beat you to it. Huh?"

Ha...

I pressed hard against my temples, then finally headed toward the television.

The employee who had barged in stared wide-eyed.

"W-wait, you..."

"The final letter is R. The first letter of 'reporter.'"

BZZZT.

[Correct!]

* * *

With a cheerful sound, the screen displayed the letter.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R

And then.

[Let's draw the hangman~]

"Ghk."

Deputy Eun Haje writhed.

Her left foot literally "disappeared" from her suspended body.

... One foot had gone to the gallows.

Each time the other explorers correctly guessed something about the designated hangman, another part of the victim went up onto the gallows, until they were finally hanged.

There were no exceptions.

This was driving me insane.

"... It wasn't cut off, so it doesn't hurt. Don't worry."

How could I not worry?

"At least my neck didn't go first, right? We can still talk."

No.

However I looked at it, her "something to try at the very end" sounded like a bluff to keep me safely here.

'I can't just let time slip away like this.'

Meanwhile, the television carried on.

[Here's your hint for the fifth letter!]

[What was the last form of transportation Teacher Eun Haje used when she was a reporter?]

The employee hesitated, watching Deputy Eun Haje's reaction, then spoke through gritted teeth.

"T-tell me... Hey, we're still—"

"We're still what?"

She stared at him in disbelief.

"Three new hires died because of you... You absolute f*cking bastard. You should have been picked to hang here and die."

"Sh-shut up! You're the one who's going to croak!"

"Yeah, so don't listen to the one who's going to croak."

Deputy Eun Haje tilted her head with a bored expression.

His face mottled with rage, the employee shoved me aside and stepped up to the television.

"Transportation! Yeah, the odds make it obvious! Bus or subway! Right, uh, the first letter of 'subway,' S!"

[Oh dear, wrong!]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R

[As your penalty, please read the teaching manual aloud for ten minutes!]

"Uh, uhhh..."

With a warping sound, a hologram of a black booklet appeared before his eyes...

"Aaaaaagh!"

And attached itself to his face.

"Aaaagh! Aagh!"

The black booklet engulfing his face melted as though fusing with his skin. He rolled across the floor, desperately trying to tear it off, but nothing changed.

Beneath the melting booklet, a clear brand showed on his forehead...

[Chick Class]

Deputy Eun Haje clicked her tongue.

"You guessed that? Stupid bastard."

"..."

"Take a good look, Roe Deer. If those add up, you get trained here until you're a proper 'kindergarten teacher.' ... Forever."

That was right.

Failing to participate diligently in the game meant a fate worse than death.

"Three times. Three penalties and it's over."

Three penalties.

You became so contaminated you no longer qualified as human.

Like the security team.

'But it's worse than that.'

Unless you were rescued like the security team, you would simply disappear, trapped in this ghost story.

"So don't try anything pointless."

"..."

"One wrong move, and you won't even get to die."

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

'I know.'

In this situation, following the manual would guarantee my survival.

I'd even guessed a letter correctly, eliminating that penalty.

Was there any need to take a risk?

'Trying something might only make things worse.'

This ghost story was littered with records of people who had tried to save the hangman, only to become contaminated, unable to escape, and endlessly trained as kindergarten teachers.

There were no exceptions.

Yes, there was no answer.

I knew that, too.

There was no answer.

Here, no matter what anyone did, the game had to be completed and the hangman had to die.

This wasn't a ghost story where you enjoyed reading exploration records about unconventional solutions.

'It was different from the start.'

From the moment it had been posted on the wiki, its theme had been rules you couldn't break, rules that drove you mad!

It was a ghost story that maximized the helplessness and suffocation of being unable to defy the rules—and ultimately, the terror of the powerless, forced to desperately police themselves to comply.

Still, still, I had witnessed one slender possibility.

Braun, who had talked to this ghost story and gotten himself out of the game.

But I'd let that chance slip away by standing there blankly while he talked.

'I should have interrupted.'

Somehow, I should have bought time, kept the rope from passing straight on, and prolonged the conversation...

-Hmm?

Braun reacted with disbelieving horror.

-Good heavens, I'd rather decline. The tedium of talking to these people any longer!

-Mr. Roe Deer. Surely you aren't suggesting that I should have willingly played at being hanged in this antiquated game? Me, your friend?

...

I exhaled.

'Braun. I could say the same thing.'

-Now, wait a moment?

'When you declared you wouldn't participate, you must have known they'd choose another hangman.'

Meaning...

'You did it without hesitation, knowing there was a one-in-twelve chance I'd die, right?'

-...!!

'You didn't care if I was hanged?'

-No! No... that isn't true. But even this stodgy game deserves to have its rules respected as a game... Ah, of course, my friend matters more than that...

There was a confusion in Braun's voice I'd never heard before.

Apparently, his role as a "Good Friend" was clashing with his role as a Host within a ghost story.

I couldn't forget: he had the twisted mindset of a ghost story's inhabitant.

But at the same time...

He was a plush doll trying incredibly hard to be my friend.

'Right.'

Get a grip. I might be a coward, but I couldn't be an idiot, too.

I explained as calmly as I could.

'What I meant was, I don't think you should have let yourself be hanged, either.'

I was just... going mad with anxiety.

'I meant I wish I'd asked you to get a little more information before withdrawing. You seemed able to communicate with this ghost story.'

-Ah... Indeed. Unfortunately for you, Mr. Roe Deer, it seems they've decided to treat me as an outsider now. No interview connection is forthcoming.

-In any case, if that was your reasoning, I can certainly understand!

'Yeah.'

Still, I had a vague feeling... that we'd probably understood this differently.

Even so, I had absolutely no spare mental capacity to devote to it.

'There isn't anything.'

Despite knowing that, one part of my mind kept desperately sifting through my exploration records and manual information, over and over, searching for a loophole that could save the hangman.

But there wasn't one.

Of course there wasn't!

If there had been, I'd have thought of it during the last two days of racking my brains!

'There's no precedent at all.'

No matter how I searched the <Records of Dark Exploration> in my head or went back over the manual, there was nothing.

I already knew...

Even if you destroyed the gallows, tried to substitute someone else for the hangman, or held out without guessing the word.

All you did was add penalties. The hangman still died.

There were no exceptions.

'They die no matter what...? No matter what...'

Was there really nothing else?

I gritted my teeth.

How...

"Roe Deer!"

Just then, I heard a familiar voice.

I turned to find a second employee in the open doorway...

"... Supervisor."

"Are you all ri... Ah."

Supervisor Park Minseong caught his breath as he entered the room and saw Deputy Eun Haje.

"You're here?"

"..."

"You heard it on the TV already, right? Get ready to answer."

An indescribable surge of emotion filled Park Minseong's face, then abruptly subsided.

"Don't get any stupid ideas. Hurry up and answer. You know you've already got one on your record, right?"

"..."

On his record?

"Supervisor, what does she mean...?"

With a strained expression, he whispered to me.

"Well. This is actually my second time here..."

"...!!"

"I came here right after I joined, and now I'm back two years later. Haha... I can never tell if I'm lucky or unlucky."

He smiled bitterly.

"Last time, I got a penalty for trying to pull the person chosen as hangman free... So the contamination probably carries over... I'm not sure. There's never been a case like this before."

He rambled that he'd only carried one piece of Exclusive Equipment at a time just in case. He already looked mentally shattered.

I grabbed his shoulders.

"...!"

"Supervisor."

Someone with firsthand experience.

Practically the only person who might have detailed information I didn't possess!

"From now on, please answer my questions quickly and accurately."