[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 57: The Uninvited Guest (2)
Throughout my life, I've t countless people.
Not just during my school days, but even after becoming an adult.
"Assistant Manager! How about lamb skewers instead of sushi? Manager Song isn’t too fond of seafood."
"Huh? You rembered that?"
Every ti, I had to figure people out.
Those who wanted soone to approach them first.
Those who only wanted to talk about work in the office.
Those who needed their past achievents praised.
Those who wanted to mingle with younger people but still maintain their authority...
However, after the restructuring began, things beca simpler.
Everyone was either beneficial or harmful to survival.
No in-between.
And these thirteen people?
"That student, and the person who saved us earlier... I feel like I’ve only been receiving help."
Which side were they on?
"I want to repay the favor sohow..."
"You don’t need to. I just did it, that’s all."
"I'm fine, too!"
When the man cautiously asked, Sola shook her head with a pale face.
Jaehyuk also responded with a contented smile.
At that, the man exclaid, "Ah!" and snapped his fingers.
"If there’s sothing you’d like to eat, let know. If I have similar ingredients, I’ll make it for you."
"Sir, are you a chef?"
"Well, I’m not sure if you know, but I used to be the head chef at the Haemil Hotel."
"Gasp! Really?!"
Sola’s eyes widened at the man’s words, and Yeojin, standing beside her, was startled and asked again.
"I specialize in Western cuisine, but I can make other dishes too. Anything in mind?"
"Ah, well… we..."
Yeojin glanced at , seemingly seeking permission.
"The head chef of a hotel, huh."
Haemil Hotel... that’s the one right in front of Itaewon Station.
It might not be a five-star hotel, but to beco a head chef in your early thirties must an he’s recognized in the industry.
Food prepared by soone like that would surely be mouthwatering, but...
"Sir! What about you?"
"I’m good. I ate a lot earlier."
"If you’re not eating, I won’t eat either."
Until I confirm X’s identity, I can’t act recklessly.
Who knows what could be put into the food.
Accepting food from a stranger could be disastrous.
"Uh... Then I’ll pass too. Sola, what about you?"
"I’m good too."
At that, Yeojin and Sola shrugged, as if they had no choice.
"Ah... I see."
The chef scratched his head, seemingly not expecting such a reaction.
Then, one of the eight people from Itaewon raised her hand high and said,
"Oh! Then make sothing for !"
She was one of the group of eight that ca from Itaewon Station.
Her strikingly glamorous features, long legs under hot pants, and large hoop earrings made her stand out.
"Ah, sure. What would you like to eat?"
"Fresh fruits! Vegetables! I’m so desperate for them I could die!"
"Excuse ? That’s farming, not cooking."
"Uh... Is it really?"
The woman furrowed her brow slightly, then pursed and relaxed her plump lips.
"Ugh. I used to be so sick of them during diets, but now that I can’t have any, it’s driving crazy. See? You never know what the future holds."
She turned to Yeojin and added,
"Right?"
Yeojin agreed enthusiastically and asked with sparkling eyes,
"Unnie, are you a model? You’re so pretty!"
"Oh, I’ve walked the runway a few tis, but I’m not very famous. Still, I guess it shows?"
"Wow, amazing! I’ve never seen a celebrity before!"
Ah.
Co to think of it, I’d seen mories of fashion shows and performances before.
I didn’t pay much attention, thinking runway walking wouldn’t be particularly useful, but...
Anyway.
"A celebrity? No, no way."
Despite her words, the model waved her hands with a broad grin.
anwhile, the chef hovered awkwardly around her.
I glanced at the people who’d been staring this way for a while now.
‘I rember about half of them.’
Out of the thirteen strangers apart from those I’d been traveling with, I could vaguely recall the mories of six or seven of them.
It would’ve been better if I could rember everything, but this much was still beneficial.
The only regret?
‘I haven’t seen X’s face.’
X.
The one who used to kill people like flies even in a peaceful world.
The fact that they ca in a group ant they were hiding their true form.
How could I catch them?
How...
* * *
"Let’s have Eunho’s team take the café, the Namsan team the souvenir shop, and the Itaewon team the restaurant for sleeping arrangents."
"Sounds good."
As evening darkened, the groups began settling into their designated sleeping areas.
I left the scene alone.
"Ah, I’ll just step out for a bit."
"Alright! Take care, hyung!"
─ Ding!
The elevator took up to the Namsan Tower Observatory.
It was the office where I’d been abducted by the spirits after completing the 'Hunting' mission.
Or rather, it used to be an office.
‘They’re already gone.’
The once-library-like office was now empty.
It looked like a vacant space waiting for new tenants.
What a sha.
The proposal I’d received from them only covered the 'entrance exam' phase.
It had been useful for getting insights into upcoming missions, so I’d planned to intimidate them into handing over any other proposals.
"Is the project over?"
[Yep!]
[That’s right!]
I had suspected as much from their fading voices and the eventual disappearance of the barrier, but...
To think they’d leave so abruptly.
And even clear out all the papers and desks.
All that remained was—
Flutter!
A lone piece of paper on the empty floor.
「Monster. We’re leaving first.」
‘First?’
The paper had so incomprehensible words written on it, along with a drawing.
Eyes drawn slanted upwards, a mouth full of sharp, carnivorous teeth, and even horns sprouting from the head—a mysterious face.
Next to it, written in crooked handwriting:
「← Lee Eunho」
"...What is this?"
Hoping there might be so other aning, I flipped the paper back and forth, inspecting it carefully.
Psssshhh!
Suddenly, a sound of air escaping ca from sowhere.
Thud!
A tal chunk, about the size of a fist, fell to the floor.
"!!"
And then smoke started pouring out, just like a fire extinguisher.
My vision blurred in an instant.
Clatter! Click-!
The door locked itself.
Hack! Hack!
I coughed uncontrollably.
Covering my mouth with my sleeve, my eyes started stinging intensely.
‘Poison gas!’
「99%」
Numbers floated above the hand covering my mouth.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
「95%」
「94%」
「93%」
My stamina was visibly decreasing.
"This is fascinating."
A locked door from the outside.
A sealed room with only inside.
Spreading poison gas.
A definite death flag, but...
I dragged my trembling legs to the shattered window.
Whoosh-!
The window I had smashed entirely while fighting those ghosts.
‘...Ha.’
Unfortunately, this place is no longer a sealed room.
‘They couldn’t have known. That all the glass walls of the Namsan Tower observatory were already broken.’
I took a deep breath of the cold night air, and my head started to clear.
My eyes still stung, but it was tolerable now.
Whooosh-!
The cold night wind hit head-on.
Looking down at the ground, I saw no one.
No signs of life at all.
However.
"Yura, can Uncle ask you a favor?"
They would be sowhere down there.
Yura and Hanul, who I’d asked to hide and guard the tower entrance, would be waiting.
The enemy not opting for close combat was unexpected, but I had prepared for everything.
In fact, I was even grateful.
‘Thanks for acting according to plan.’
Since they were bound to attack anyway, it’s better to deal with them quickly.
But still, while setting up a trap was a good move...
Sssssssssssss-!
The wind blowing through the broken window pushed the smoke toward the locked door like a smog.
If I went through that, I’d face the enemy with half my stamina gone.
So...
‘I have to jump again, don’t I?’
From the Namsan Tower observatory.
[You have sent a gift to ‘Kim Jieun.’]
[You have sent a gift to ‘Choi Jaehyuk.’]
After sending ssages to Jieun and Jaehyuk in turn, I stared down at the distant ground below, which felt even farther because it was night.
I thought back to the mory of my first jump from here.
‘That ti, I summoned the door too quickly. If not for the vines growing in the cave, I might’ve been in serious danger.’
Summoning it too early results in a higher jump, while summoning it too late could lead to crashing into the ground.
For the safest outco...
‘Not too early, not too late.’
"Summon."
I held the pass in my left hand, leaving my right hand free.
For the handle that would soon appear.
Then.
Leap!
I jumped without hesitation.
The sensation of gravity and the night wind hitting my entire body.
It almost felt like bungee jumping.
‘Though it’s a bungee jump without a cord.’
I’d heard sowhere before.
When falling from a great height, you usually die from a heart attack before hitting the ground.
I think I understand that now.
This feeling.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
My heart pounded as the ground rapidly approached.
I waited, waited so more, and just as it beca unbearable...
‘Now!’
"Activate!"
[Activating pass for ‘Lee Eunho.’]
─ Flash!
I grabbed the handle of the iron door that appeared like a lifeline.
"Whew..."
My feet dangled less than a ter above the ground.
It was a close call.
A mont later, and my legs would’ve been shattered.
So this is what it ans for your heart to feel like it’s in your throat.
Still, having done this twice now, I think I’m starting to get used to it.
...Or so I thought as I carefully touched the cold doorknob.
─ Thud!
I jumped down.
As I landed, Yura and Hanul appeared, as if on cue.
"Teacher! Are you all right?"
"Uncle! You went whoosh just now!"
"Ha ha... You saw that?"
While I ruffled Yura’s hair as she swung her arms in awe, I looked to Hanul for confirmation.
He answered, as if reading my thoughts.
"No one has gone in or out."
"And the elevator?"
"It hasn’t moved since you got off."
"Then they must’ve taken the stairs..."
What’s clear is that the person who tried to suffocate is still inside.
They stayed in the tower with the entire ti, waiting for to be alone.
Then, they followed and released the poison gas.
"Not knowing we were already prepared."
Alright, ti to make our move.
────── ──────
ㆍTo: Lee Eunho
ㆍFrom: Choi Jaehyuk
ㆍNo one has co out through the back door. I’ll watch a little longer and then return!
────── ──────
The front and back entrances are quiet.
────── ──────
ㆍTo: Lee Eunho
ㆍFrom: Kim Jieun
ㆍFive at Namsan, four at Itaewon. They’ve been together the whole ti.
────── ──────
That leaves out the nine who were all together.
‘There were thirteen people who ca today. That ans the remaining four are the suspects.’
Just as I was about to ask Jieun to tell who’s not here—
“...So what I’m saying is… huh?”
A familiar figure appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“What are you all doing here?”
The hotel chef and a model, side by side.
And then, shortly after—
“It’s dangerous at night. Will you be okay?”
“Mm… I think so fresh air will make feel better.”
A couple ca down, grabbing their coats as if to go for a walk.
Exactly four people.
How convenient.
Hmm.
The numbers line up perfectly.
The problem is—
“What a cute kid. I didn’t see him earlier; how old is he?”
“Why is everyone gathered here? You’re not sneaking off to eat sothing delicious without us, are you?”
Their faces were calm.
None of them looked like soone who had just realized their secretly planned murder had ended in failure.
But—
“Can I talk to you for a mont?”
“Huh?”
“Is sothing wrong?”
The culprit is here.
This ti, they’ve swapped a mask for a disguise.
“Huh? What’s this?”
At that mont, the last person appeared...
“…The foul-mouthed one?”
“Ugh! Seriously, stop calling ‘foul-mouthed!’ My na is—”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Turns out there weren’t four—there were five suspects.
Anyway...
“Where is everyone coming from?”
Shall we get started?
A ga of detectives.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Reviews
All reviews (0)