I Became the Hidden Mastermind

029 – Disappearance #1

029 – Disappearance #1

I put Yang Joo-hee and Jungseok inside the box and closed the lid.

And turned off the flashlight.

The passage was engulfed in complete darkness.

Rolling, rolling-.

Thud, thud.

I could feel the two ghosts getting closer and closer to me.

I clenched my teeth and held my breath at the sudden drop in temperature.

The gamble of a lifetime.

All or nothing.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

Rolling, rolling.

Finally, the sound of high heels approached right in front of my nose.

“Youngwon.”

The head ghost calling me came right up to my nose.

I stuck myself as tightly as possible against the wall.

Thump, thump.

Rolling, rolling.

The head ghost met the headless high-heeled ghost.

Just reaching out my hand would bring those dreadful things within reach.

My heart pounded as if it would burst, and from the top of my head, all the blood sank down to my feet.

But… they didn’t seem to notice me.

It was thanks to my gamble!

Earlier, when it seemed like the head ghost couldn’t see me and only followed Jeongseok and Yang Ju-hee, I had a slight hope!

“Heeheeheeheehee.”

The head ghost suddenly laughed.

Now, as I wondered what would happen next, the high-heeled ghost slowly reached out her hand and grabbed the head ghost.

And then, it was brought to the severed neck.

“It’s not me.”

Tuk, degeureugeureu.

The head ghost returned to the path it had fallen from the body.

The ghost in a white gown, wearing high heels, also disappeared, creaking its stiff joints and continuing on the same path.

Chijijijik-.

When the dissonance of the phone in the box disappeared, I could finally exhale the blocked breath. It was a victory in gambling.

“It really worked. ‘Faint Perfume.'”

『Faint Perfume: Perfume made from the water that fairies flutter in. Drastically reduces the probability of being discovered by anomalies and observers. Lasts for 100 hours when used. 1/2 uses.』

It was an extraordinary item.

In a way… I was almost in a state of invisibility to the ghosts now.

With this, I could really escape.

“Hey, guys. It’s safe to come out now!”

Thinking that the presence of the ghosts had completely disappeared, I called my friends. When I opened the lid, Jungseok, frozen like a mouse in front of a cat, and Yang Ju-hee, met my gaze.

“…Hey! What happened to you!”

Yang Ju-hee protested to me in a small voice as she popped out of the box.

Jungseok, too, in a situation where he seemed to think it was absurd, just opened his mouth.

I tried to explain as simply as possible, not knowing if the ghosts would come back.

“I used ‘Faint Perfume.’ When you spray it, it drastically reduces the chances of ghosts discovering you. The head ghost earlier behaved as if it couldn’t see me, so I tried it just in case.”

“……”

Yang Ju-hee had a puzzled expression on her face.

Fortunately, Jung-seok nodded as if he had understood in many ways.

“I see. But you also said it’s your first time using perfume. There’s no guarantee that spraying perfume will make the ghosts unable to see you, right?”

“Well, that’s true. There wasn’t time to be picky about it.”

The box was so narrow that only two people could barely fit inside.

The corridor was straight, with ghosts in front and behind.

We had to give up on someone, and I had the highest chance of survival.

“Wow. You’re really crazy. No matter what, I wouldn’t have thought of that. In the end, your decision was right, though.”

Jung-seok seemed very impressed by my decisiveness and gamble.

But Yang Ju-hee seemed slightly annoyed, as if she was angry.

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“Hey. Next time, at least give me a rough idea. I was so surprised and scared!”

“I also wished I had time to explain. Anyway, let’s go. If the ghosts come back, it’ll be a hassle.”

We chose to move forward.

The destination was outside.

It was a dark and gloomy place, but the progress seemed very smooth.

# # #

“Is it really written to go in here?”

Following the crayon mark, “Operating Room” appeared in the straight corridor in front of us.

『25 steps to the east』

“Is it really written to go in here?”

Yang Ju-hee asked me again.

Always walking confidently at the forefront, Yang Ju-hee seemed a bit frightened this time.

“It seems right to go inside here. Why? Is there something bothering you?”

Small and trivial emotions.

A paper lying on the floor.

These things might now be crucial puzzle pieces for us.

Did she feel uncomfortable with the fact that there was an “operating room” in a place she thought was a kindergarten? I also found it a bit strange.

I sensed Yang Ju-hee’s mood, and she pointed inside the laboratory with her hand.

“No, look over there. There’s a huge spider web inside. I find spiders a bit scary.”

Is that so?

Yang Ju-hee, who had confidently crushed cockroaches with her foot, turned out to dislike spiders.

I thought she had the aura of a general like Guan Yu or Zhang Fei, but it seems she’s just a girl.

The tension that had been built up suddenly eased, and I found myself giggling involuntarily.

“Yang Ju-hee, you’re cute. If a spider comes out, I’ll catch it for you. I’m scared of cockroaches, but not spiders.”

“What are you saying!”

“Hey, guys. Stop talking and let’s go inside first.”

Jeong-seok came out and warned Yang Ju-hee.

However, he, too, hesitated to enter this “operating room” right away.

He probably hoped someone else would go in first.

What I felt today was that Jeong-seok was more afraid than I had thought.

Originally, it would have been Yang Ju-hee leading the way in, but the cobwebs seemed to deter her.

This time, I decided to take the lead.

“Guys, we’re almost there. Just a little more effort. I hope there’s an escape route inside. Please, I hope so.”

Creak…

I opened the swinging door and entered the “operating room.”

The operating room was filled with the scent of various medications, making my nose crinkle.

And there were two surgical tables that seemed to be from a surgical ward, both stained with a dark, dried substance.

Could it be blood?

What caught our attention even more was undoubtedly the direction of the elevator.

There were two elevators.

Like twins.

With a width of one meter on each side.

“Any markings? Crayon markings?”

Jeong-seok asked Yang Ju-hee.

Yang Ju-hee, with the best eyesight among us, took the flashlight from me and looked around, but shook her head as if there was little to be gained.

“I can’t see anything. Ha Young-won, how about you? Can you see any writing?”

“‘One step to the east.'”

“This looks like the left elevator.”

If there were no status window…

Even if we were lucky enough to find crayon markings and reach this point, would we still have to fight a 50-50 probability battle at this fork in the elevator path?

“Hayoungwon. Take a look at this.”

Jungseok, who was rummaging through the operating room, drew attention as if he had discovered something.

In his hand, there was a chart that doctors would carry around.

Upon closer inspection, there were writings on the paper, stained with numerous crimson spots.

“According to research, success is passed down through blood. Parents and children. Twin siblings will prove our theory.”

“Twins are indeed remarkable. The progress of sisters, Yeri and, has been outstanding among the children in the facility over the past 5 years. Especially the younger one, , excels as the observer. It far exceeds expectations.”

“The younger sister has a unique mole that the older sister doesn’t. Even if they are twins who share the same blood, does this difference create a level gap? Anyway, these sisters will undoubtedly lead us to .”

“The experiment has failed.”

“What do you think the significance is?”

Jungseok asked for my opinion.

I looked at the two operating tables in the operating room, but… there was nothing particularly noteworthy or coming to mind.

Something targeting twins has failed… could it be seen as such? Only the word ‘observer’ caught my attention considerably.

“Hey. What are you all doing there? Not going out? The left elevator!”

Searching for more useful items around, I snapped out of my thoughts at Yang Joo-hee’s call.

Indeed, it seemed best to escape from this place quickly.

We boarded the elevator.

Honestly, the hygiene inside the elevator was not that great.

There were 100 floors on the elevator buttons.

Once again, all the numbers were written as “4.”

“Should I press any button? It’s all the same 4th floor, isn’t it?” Yang Ju-hee asked, and Jung-seok shook his head in response.

“Well… I think we need to think about it a bit.”

It’s all the same 4th floor….

While carefully examining the elevator buttons, I was able to find one with a fingerprint-shaped mark of dark red liquid.

It sounded like someone had pressed it with their finger.

“Okay. I’ll choose.”

I pressed firmly on the “4” button, the only one among the 100 buttons with a dot-like stain.

The door closed, and the elevator moved to an unknown place, whether up or down.

“The door is opening.”

Clank.

Swoosh.

About a minute after boarding the elevator, the door opened.

The scenery beyond was unusually familiar.

“It’s outside. We made it out!” Yang Ju-hee was the first to step out of the elevator.

Soon after, Jung-seok cautiously followed her outside.

“Here. It’s the 4th floor of Eternal’s house, right? Right! It feels like we’ve come back for sure! Damn! We survived!”

I also stepped out of the elevator.

Then, someone came up from the stairs and scolded us.

“Hey! You guys! You threw paper and tape on the stairs!”

It was the manager ajumma who lives on the 4th floor of Taekwang Villa.

In her hand, there was a paper that read “Do not take the elevator,” and that sight looked quite familiar.

Jungseok looked at the phone he was holding.

“…It hasn’t been a minute. 11:20. It hasn’t been a minute since we got on the elevator.”

“This paper is yours! You naughty guys!”

Turning away from the ajumma’s scolding, I looked at the elevator we entered and exited. However, the elevator, like a lie, was gone.

“Why don’t you answer when adults speak! Did you guys do this?”

Normally, the manager ajumma’s scolding would be annoying, but why did it sound so sweet this time?

It was because it was the everyday voice that made us feel more clearly than anyone that we had survived.

“Congratulations! You have defeated the ‘Death Elevator’!”

“We are starting the settlement for the lives of three survivors.”

“You gain 300P.”

I picked up the ‘capsule’ that had fallen in front of our door.

It was quite a solid capsule.

Thump, thud.

When I opened the capsule, there was a small pen inside.

I wondered what it could be, and then the words came to my mind.

『Glowing Pen of Eternity: A pen that shines even in darkness. Marks made with this pen cannot be erased unless using the eraser on the cap.』

A pen?

After the ordeal, I had just obtained a pen – that thought crossed my mind in an instant. Considering how the crayon mark from the recent floor of death had been a great help to us…

The utility of this pen seems limitless in various ways.

Click-clack…

I opened the door and entered the house.

I thought my mom, who had escaped first, might be waiting for me at home, but my expectation was wrong.

The power was out…

Mom’s phone was still off.

I decided to wait for my mom for now, and the next morning, after serious contemplation, I reported my mom’s disappearance to the police.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a territory and the senior officer’s number on my phone that would help with the missing person report.

I found my mom on the third day after escaping from the elevator.

It was on a street near Georyongshi Boulevard in the vicinity of the fingerprint neighborhood.

The discoverer was someone I could never have expected, but it was someone familiar to me.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

For a moment, I shivered at the sound of high heels.

When I turned my head, a woman in a sophisticated suit, enchantingly wearing a red choker over the stylish red shoes, was approaching me. It was the woman I had once had a crush on.

“Hey.”

“…Miss Hong Miri?”

“Oh, it’s you. D-Class troublemaker. Nice to meet you. Are you here to see Mom? Shall we go together?”

Tick. Tick.

The English teacher, wearing high heels, elegantly and enchantingly entered the hospital.