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I heard the cruise will be held around the country for a week.

Originally, it was supposed to be a time to enjoy beautiful scenery and completely disconnect from the mundane world…

But as I climbed the stairs, one thought occupied my mind.

The Management Agency needs to go down.

What a crazy, wicked company. Did I really have to be stuck in this situation while going on a cruise vacation?

If this cruise trip flops, I might as well go find the Branch Chief or something.

With my simmering frustration barely under control, I walked alongside Yu Da On.

“It’s been a bit quiet lately, right?”

“Yeah… but isn’t it nice being together?”

Yu Da On spoke cheerfully as we walked.

I wished I could adopt her happy mindset, but it just wasn’t happening.

“By the way, did something seem off?”

“Well… there was a fishy smell, and I saw something unusual.”

“Fishy smell?”

Yu Da On, following behind me, leaned forward and sniffed the air.

“It smells only like Kim Jae Heon.”

“Do I smell?”

At my words, Yu Da On froze, her eyes wide as she shook her head vigorously.

“No! What I meant was… it feels really calming?”

“So there’s nothing smelly at all, right?”

“Nothing!”

No sooner had I said that than Yu Da On shouted, and I shrugged my shoulders.

Right. Isn’t this a hundred times better than someone saying it smells?

I lifted my head again to look at the people climbing the stairs.

After experiencing deception with my eyes and various dangers, I realized there’s a significant difference between not seeing names and only partially seeing them.

For instance, when I saw the Branch Chief’s name, it appeared as [ – ].

Conversely, the person I saw earlier had their name displayed as [XX Min], indicating they had lost their name for some reason.

In other words, someone was in a state of having lost their name.

I hadn’t seen that much before, but if I had, it would only have been once…

My gaze was drawn toward a theater labeled <Under Preparation>.

Could it be the second act of the ‘Red Lady’? If that’s the case, at least there’s a solution.

I tried to recall the connection between the Red Lady and the fishy smell, but nothing specific came to mind. If anything, I’d describe this smell as that of a nasty sea odor.

I climbed the stairs, trailing behind the person ahead.

“…Oh, now it smells.”

Yu Da On wrinkled her nose, sniffing the air.

“Fishy smell. It’s faint, but I can smell it.”

“…I don’t smell anything.”

Following her lead, I sniffed as well, but there was no odor.

“Then I’ll lead the way.”

Yu Da On skillfully followed the scent and began walking ahead.

What am I, a detective dog?

As I trailed her, I looked around.

After passing the luxurious staircase and corridor, I entered a back area where rusty walls and a pitch-black corridor indicated that the former grandeur was long gone.

“This looks like the back office.”

“Seems so.”

Yu Da On whispered as she joined me, muffling her footsteps.

Now, even I could detect a faint fishy smell.

I quietly followed Yu Da On, who was trying to keep her footsteps silent, when a clattering noise made me instinctively draw my gun.

Yu Da On, also wearing gloves, continued to lead the way.

The smell intensified around the corner at the end of the long corridor.

“…”

Yu Da On stopped with a clenched fist, hesitated momentarily, then quickly turned the corner.

“…Huh?”

She suddenly halted, murmuring in wonder.

“What is it?”

“W-Well… there is something, but…no, maybe not…?”

I walked up to her, intrigued, to assess the situation.

“What’s going on…?”

“Isn’t that right…?”

In the spot emanating a terrible fishy odor, there was just a puddle of stinking water and some wet clothes belonging to the person I had chased earlier.

I quickly scanned the area, but I couldn’t see anything else.

“…You’re not telling me a person turned into water, right?”

Yu Da On crouched by the puddle, sniffing diligently.

“What if the water comes alive and attacks us?”

“Then we’d be dead, I guess.”

I sighed at Yu Da On, who casually said something that would terrify anyone who heard it, and stared at the clothes.

Should I leave this here? Or should I take it with me?

“Better just take the clothes.”

“Okay.”

At my suggestion, Yu Da On picked up the clothes and hurried ahead, with me following closely behind her.

*

“…The smell.”

As soon as we took the clothes, Jang Chae Yeon covered her nose and muttered.

Song Ah Rin seemed too preoccupied warning the Management Agency people to notice anything else.

“I have two things that bother me.”

At my words, both of them looked at me intently.

“First, this situation feels too contrived.”

“Contrived?”

“Yeah.”

Jang Chae Yeon looked at me in confusion.

“It smells of fish, and someone just happened to pass me, leaving these clothes as a clue.”

“So you mean it feels like a meticulously arranged play?”

“Exactly.”

“Hmm…”

Jang Chae Yeon scratched her cheek, deep in thought, then nodded.

“I see. What’s next?”

“Next, it’s a thought derived from what I just said… When I think of a play, it brings to mind something unpleasant.”

“Are you talking about the Red Lady incident?”

“Exactly.”

Upon my remark, Jang Chae Yeon’s expression immediately darkened.

“Should we destroy the theater?”

“If smashing the theater fixes things, I’d be all for it.”

But having experienced that play, I wasn’t sure that destroying the theater would actually help. If anything, it felt more like a ‘phenomenon.’

“And if Chae Yeon destroys it, it would literally be annihilated.”

“…Right.”

Jang Chae Yeon slowly nodded at my words.

“But if the boat capsizes, we’d all be doomed… For now, let’s try to resolve this without breaking too much.”

Not break anything? Is that even possible?

The Management Agency will pay, I guess. I have no clue.

As irresponsible thoughts filled my mind, I surveyed the surroundings.

People still enjoying themselves.

I assumed that Song Ah Rin was busy assembling the Management Agency staff effectively.

I took a radio from my pocket and handed it to the two of them.

“Hey, you brought a radio?”

“Just in case.”

I packed the radio and my gun, just in case.

“Here. One for each of you.”

After distributing a radio apiece to Jang Chae Yeon, Yu Da On, and myself, I took the remaining one and wrote a note saying <Song Ah Rin, take this to the theater> before placing it in a corner.

“…Will this work?”

“If it’s the Song Ah Rin I know, she’ll find it like a ghost.”

She’s just that sharp.

“But where are we headed?”

“Over there.”

I pointed with my index finger at the theater sign marked <Inspection in Progress>.

“…Is that okay?”

“Are you worried?”

“Yeah, that you might get hurt.”

I was reminded of how Jang Chae Yeon sometimes tossed around direct and blunt remarks.

“Then—”

-BAM!

With a tremendous noise, the ship came to a stop.

People began murmuring and some screamed in surprise.

Soon, a well-dressed man appeared, holding a wireless microphone, and started to speak.

“Everyone, please do not worry. There are absolutely no problems with the hull, and you needn’t be concerned at all! Please relax and enjoy your first day!”

Amidst the loud murmurs, people began talking again.

But the atmosphere had noticeably calmed compared to before.

Maybe sensing this shift, the man spoke again, holding the microphone up loudly.

“Folks! We just received news that the preparations for the play that was originally slated for midnight have concluded early and can start right away!”

Now that was unexpected.

Whether the man knew I was caught off guard or not, he shouted in a frantic tone while holding the microphone, trying to maintain the situation.

“It’s a recent hit… uh, what was it…? …Ah! …um… anyway, it’s there! Produced by a renowned theater company! We thoroughly guarantee your satisfaction!”

-Whirrr!

As if it were a matter of course, the sign <Under Preparation> vanished, leaving only the darkened entrance of the theater to welcome the crowds.

People, bewildered, shrugged and made their way toward the theater.

Do I have a headache?

I quickly checked my body, but I felt nothing.

However, if the play had already begun, we shouldn’t go in now.

Memories of the Red Lady incident resurfaced.

Thinking back to that hardship made me want to hurl.

I’ve got to do everything I can to prevent others from going in.

Just as I was about to tell the two to stop,

-Splash!

With the sound of water pouring out from the theater entrance, the air was filled with nightmarish screams.

People murmured as they looked toward the theater entrance, and our gazes followed.

“What in the world…?”

Before I could finish my question, a massive fishy stench accompanied a flood of seawater spilling from the entrance.

“Everyone! Be careful—!”

Before I could finish my warning, we were swept away by the seawater.

We plunged into the water.

As it passed my eyes, my nose, and my insides, I began to heave up the seawater that was rising in my throat.

Gills sprouted.

I lifted my eyes to the sky but instead of seeing the heavens, I saw the night sky distorted through the water.

I screamed, but without lungs, all I could do was vomit the seawater.

*

The warm morning sunlight tickled my face.

“Cough!”

I bolted upright, clutching my throat.

Looking around, I found myself in my room.

I was lying on the bed without even changing clothes, drenched in cold sweat that chilled me to the bone.

A dream? Just moments ago, I was waiting for the midnight performance at the theater.

Wait.

I slowly turned my head to the window.

In the distance, the sun was rising from the eastern horizon.

It was the second day of the cruise trip.