---

Silence lingers.

Yu Da On puts on her gloves and gazes at me.

“What should we do, Jae Heon?”

“Hold on a second.”

If things go south, fighting might be necessary. But how should we approach this?

“…”

“…”

I lock eyes with the elderly couple.

Let me think.

It’s not difficult to fight here. The problem is what comes after.

It won’t be an easy matter to break through using force.

I clear my throat and glance at the two of them.

Do they even have a human heart left?

It’s already been proven they do not.

The translucent window I see tells me these individuals are no longer human.

However, the past I’ve read might throw them into confusion.

“By the way…”

“…”

I slowly divert my gaze from the two corpses.

“When did you two arrive here?”

“Two people?”

The grandmother’s head—or should I say her chin—mumbles from where her normal head would be.

“Now that you mention it, when did we come?”

“I can’t remember.”

This is it.

“Didn’t this person call you Mom or Dad?”

“What?”

The old man furrows his brow.

“Now that I think about it, that might be true.”

“What are you talking about, old man? Our son and daughter haven’t arrived yet.”

“Isn’t that so?”

I gesture to Yu Da On, and she rises from her seat.

“But now that I think about it, I feel like we were called Mom and Dad at some point.”

“Old man, maybe it’s your age, but you really shouldn’t say such things now.”

“No…”

Listening to their conversation, I slowly walk away with Yu Da On.

Are they so focused on the conversation that they don’t even notice us moving?

“But really, they do look a bit like our children…”

-Crack!

Before the old man’s words finish, I hear something shatter from behind.

-Crack… Crack…

Soon after, the sound of something crunching fills the air, and the old man’s voice is silenced.

“…”

“…”

Yu Da On and I exchange glances.

“We’re walking.”

“Yes.”

We tiptoe carefully.

Slowly, we reach the front door without making a sound.

I turn around to close the door and make eye contact with the grandmother, whose face is distorted as she stares at us.

The grandmother, with blood dripping from the mouth protruding from her head, looks at us.

-Crunch… Crunch…

And she moves her jaw as if constantly chewing something.

I quietly close the door.

-Creeeak…

As the door shuts,

“Aaaah!!!”

A scream echoes,

-Thunk!

The door shakes.

“Da On!”

“Yes!”

Yu Da On and I quickly brace ourselves against the door.

-Thunk! Thunk!

The relentless knocking sounds from the door.

The force is so immense that our bodies are lifted slightly with each impact.

“Can we hold this?!”

“I was never planning on letting you go anyway; we have to do this!”

Yu Da On and I shout as we press against the door.

How long have we been holding it?

The noise quiets down.

“…”

Yu Da On and I exchange glances.

Did they leave? Da On’s lips form the question.

Honestly, I couldn’t tell.

I open the manual with one hand.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment]

[4-10. If you successfully step outside the door, typical elderly couples will not chase you.]

The term “typical” weighs heavily on my mind.

But I had no choice.

Slowly, I pull my back away from the door, and Yu Da On does the same.

We quietly stare at the door.

I’m ready to shoot with my gun drawn, while Yu Da On clenches her fist with her gloves still on.

“…”

“…”

How much time has passed?

The door remains shut.

But I need to update the situation.

I can say there’s no old man back there now.

I shift my gaze to the other room.

A plaque that reads <Room 403> comes into view.

Before entering, I open the manual.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment]

[6-1. Room 403 can be passed through even if the door is open. Here’s an example.]

[6-2. If a incense stick is lit, please light a new one.]

[6-3. If something is lying under the quilt, please enter the room and greet the person inside.]

[6-4. If something is lying in front of the entrance with a quilt on it, immediately turn around and leave the 4th floor as quickly as possible. Do not run. It will hear your footsteps.]

“It says so.”

“Somehow, I feel like something will be lying there.”

“Da On, please don’t say anything ominous.”

Having a not-so-light conversation with Yu Da On, I stare at the door.

The incense was disturbed.

“With this, it should be a second place finish.”

“We really have gotten used to this. We were trembling with fear the first time we were all alone.”

“Honestly, the Dream of the Butterfly was scary.”

At my words, Yu Da On smiled.

“That’s true! I felt uneasy too.”

We walk slowly together.

The inside of the house looks as if it hasn’t been organized in a long time, dust covering everything and mold rampant on the walls.

The room in front is made of brown wooden doors, indicating that it’s from an old apartment renovation.

“I’ll open it.”

“Okay.”

Yu Da On slowly opens the door.

Soon, a small figure covered by a quilt lies in front of us.

As if a child is playing hide-and-seek under the quilt, that thing wrapped up in the blanket.

We were told to greet it.

Bowing our heads, Yu Da On follows my lead in a bow.

Can we just leave?

I slowly step back.

-Swish!

The manual unfolds.

[6-5. During the Myungil Apartment incident, parents left their 5-year-old child for just a moment to buy ice cream. When the event occurred, the child hid under the quilt.]

I step back out of the room and slowly close the door.

-Clic.

With the sound of the door closing, we finally arrive at Room 402.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Myungil Apartment]

[7-1. Room 402 is the most common escape route. Also known as the children’s room, it is relatively safe.]

Yu Da On opens the door.

Before us are whimsical rooms that children would undoubtedly inhabit.

[7-2. Upon entering the children’s room, you will see whimsical rooms. First, check the wall. If there’s a picture of a person hanging, leave immediately. If there’s a flower painting, proceed with caution.]

Checking for the flower painting.

Yu Da On nods and walks forward.

[7-3. The exit of the children’s room is through TV viewing. It takes time to watch television, so proceed with the escape slowly.]

Takes time, huh?

Murmurs can be heard from the living room, and Yu Da On and I exchange glances.

I raise my gun while Yu Da On clenches her fist once more and moves forward.

If needed, I’ll shoot.

As we move toward the living room, the sound of the television grows louder.

In the darkened living room, someone sits alone, hugging their knees while watching television.

Is it actually watching?

The screen just displays nothing but static noise.

It was a person.

Someone I knew well.

A translucent window emerges above that person’s head.

[Name: Song Ah Rin]

[Age: 21]

[Special Skill: Hypnosis]

[Talent: – ]

[Background: Is this a vision of the past, or have I truly been drawn into Myungil Apartment? She was merely using the escape method she knows.]

[Weakness: You already know it.]

“…Ah Rin.”

At the sound of my voice, Yu Da On’s eyes widen, and the shoulders of the person sitting on the sofa flinch.

Slowly, she turns her head.

The face that was once filled with self-esteem has vanished, replaced by her hollow eyes staring at us.

As she scans my expression, her eyes widen slightly when they meet Yu Da On’s gaze.

She looks at me, her expression shocked.

“Why is she here?”

Yu Da On tilts her head, then exclaims “Ah!” before breaking into a bright smile, answering Song Ah Rin’s question instead of me.

“Well, because Jae Heon called her?”

“…”

“He said he needed you.”

“…Fine. I get it.”

Song Ah Rin bites her lip.

“Ah Rin.”

“Yeah.”

“How did you end up here?”

“…Well…”

With a sigh, Song Ah Rin looks back at the static television.

Only the sound of static fills the air.

The black-and-white noise shines down on her face.

“I must have gotten too lost in the picture.”

“…”

Song Ah Rin stands up to face Yu Da On and me, bowing her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

I approach Song Ah Rin.

What should I do?

-Tap, tap,

I pat her shoulder.

Song Ah Rin lifts her head to look at me.

“It’s okay. How can a person be perfectly fine every day?”

Everyone has difficult times. This just happens to be hers now.

Song Ah Rin’s face slightly contorts.

At that, her eyes briefly soften before returning to focus.

“…Yeah.”

She nods slowly and looks towards Yu Da On.

Yu Da On’s smile remains steadfast.

Song Ah Rin seems to avert her gaze from Yu Da On and turns back to the television.

“If I keep watching this, I can leave.”

“Oh, this noise?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you kept watching the TV because something was wrong with you.”

“Don’t say silly things.”

Now that she seems a bit more relaxed, she playfully taps my arm.

“This noise lasts for an hour. As long as the noise doesn’t stop, we can escape.”

“So, you were trapped here, Song Ah Rin.”

“…Well, yes.”

Song Ah Rin nods.

“We can talk in detail once we get out—”

-Beeeeep…

The noise stops.

A black screen appears.

-Beeeeeep…

“What’s going on, Ah Rin?”

“I don’t know either.”

Song Ah Rin mumbles as she steps backward.

“It’s our names.”

Yu Da On mutters.

-Swish!

The manual flies open furiously.

[Manual for Office Staff]

[Leave the room immediately.]

– Beeeep…

The sound reverberates.