episode_0030

– Chii Iik.

– iced coffee. We will provide guidance at the security office. There will be a water outage due to a plumbing inspection. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our residents. Water shutoff occurs from 9 to 11 o’clock. Let me guide you once again.

I leaned against the back of the bed and listened to the voice with anxiety.

It’s raining.

If it rains in spring, it will usually be in the morning.

There is a sad vibe under the murky gray sky, as if paint had been released. When raindrops tear the delicate flower petals and press them to the ground, people open their umbrellas and crush the white things. It may be colder than winter. Even if you turn on the boiler and cover yourself with a blanket, the strange chill will seep deep into your lungs.

smart.

I was startled by the sudden sound and hugged the blanket.

“Oppa! Let’s all come out and gather together!”

It’s Daju Yoon.

It’s a good thing he doesn’t have the ability to see through walls. If I had hugged the blanket and looked scared, they would have made a fuss about how cute I was.

I roughly ran my hand through my hair and got dressed.

“Ugh, I’m sleepy.”

Daju was sad when he saw what I was doing! and laughs.

“Wow. Do you know that your head is completely messed up? It looks like magpies will come in soon and build a house.”

“Ah. I want you to come out quickly… I can’t do it. I just go in, wash and come out.”

“Ah, what do you mean? Just come out.”

It’s already disturbing, but what kind of head are you pointing at? head.

“You’re so dirty right now. You just woke up and didn’t even wash your face, right?”

“No? Did you wipe it with a wet tissue? It seems cleaner than your brother. But do you know that you feel a little different these days?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t men really pay attention to these things? I heard you were just casually dragging slippers around. I think I’ve started to pay more attention to my appearance and cleanliness these days.”

“No? Even when you were a man, you always washed up, right? If you go out and see people and your head gets pounded, is that an animal or a human? Are you suddenly pushing people in a strange direction?”

“What you say is boring. Now admit it.”

“Why should I admit it?”

“Female degradation is progressing.”

“Hey, I told you not to say that.”

“Are you just telling the truth?”

“No! It’s not true!”

Daju Yoon, how does he not say a single word?

While moving to room 701, where people are gathered, broadcasts continue to play from the speakers on the ceiling.

-Currently, water will be cut off due to plumbing inspection.

“The reason we’re being asked to gather together is because of the broadcast, right?”

“Yes.”

“First of all, the broadcast itself doesn’t seem to be very dangerous. Even if I listen to it like this.”

“That’s right. That’s right, but the next part is a bit different.”

“What is it like?”

“There were several announcements in the past. It was a different story back then. For more details, go in and get an explanation from my sister.”

“You always don’t explain things with your own mouth.”

It rattled.

Da-ju Yoon opens the door wide.

As always, Choi Se-rim, Heo Yoon, and Seok Hyun-min are sitting in their respective seats.

“Hey. What’s wrong with your hair?”

“So. What did you do to your head?”

Seok Hyun-min and Heo Yoon say the same thing as if they had made a promise.

Is it that bad?

I looked in the mirror at the front door.

……It’s so crappy. A layer of hair floats up and forms a roof over the top of the head.

If it weren’t for the broadcast, it wouldn’t have gone out like this. Right now, I can’t even comb my hair because it’s water-soaked. While combing my hair with the comb that Heo Yoon gave me, I made eye contact with Choi Se-rim. As always, Choi Se-rim is squatting in the corner with a laptop on her lap.

“Why. Dabin.”

“No. it’s nothing. Just.”

“Come here. I’ll comb your hair.”

“Ah. It’s okay…”

Entrusting my hair to someone else is a lot more embarrassing than I thought. And it seems even more so because the other person is Choi Se-rim. White skin and slightly droopy eyes. Looks a little tired. He’s been my ideal type since I was a man.

“Dabin. Is it okay as is?”

“Ah……”

Is that why?

When Choi Se-rim makes eye contact and speaks quietly like this, it becomes impossible to resist.

“No. I’m going, sister.”

“Okay. Give me a comb.”

Ssuk suk.

My sister starts combing my hair. From the bangs floating around, to the surrounding hair that has just become matted and tangled. I feel comfortable, as if all my worries have been swept away. This is what women like, so you could say that I have not yet become a woman at heart.

But what? Female corruption? That’s bullshit. I must come back as a man and be with my sister…

“Dabin.”

“Yes, sister?”

“No.”

My sister smiles softly for a moment and whispers slowly.

“Can you say you’re my sister?”

“Yes…? I’m a guy…”

“Still.”

“Phew…”

Ssuk suk.

The combing was almost finished, and the messy hair had calmed down.

okay. I’m just saying. Just once. Isn’t it possible to do it?

“I understand, but I’m not confident it won’t be awkward. I think it would be very awkward…”

“It’s okay.”

“Serim…sister…?”

“Good job, Dabin.”

“Sister……”

When I look into Choi Se-rim’s eyes, I feel like my mind has become as clear as glass.

is not it? okay. To be precise, that is the same from Choi Se-rim’s perspective.

My consciousness keeps fading, and I can’t even read my own thoughts properly.

-We will give you guidance at the security room. There will be a water outage due to a plumbing inspection. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our residents. Water will be cut off from 9 to 11 o’clock.

The broadcast continues.

“What are you guys doing earlier?”

“I was combing your hair for a moment.”

Heo Yoon makes a bewildered expression.

“I feel like these days, the only normal people here are me and Hyunmin. Daju Yoon is the biggest problem. The same goes for Choi Se-rim. Dabin is also influenced by you! Is it really hard to get used to enjoying everyday life very leisurely when you don’t know when you’re going to die?”

“You can’t live your life worrying all the time.”

Choi Se-rim answers with a smile.

“If you live here for a long time, you will become like this too.”

“……”

Heo Yoon is blank for a moment, then turns his head away.

” That’s it, I don’t know what will happen from now on. Get ready.”

-I will inform you once again…

For a while, the broadcast continues.

“Dabin Lim. I will explain briefly, so listen carefully. First of all, this isn’t the first time a broadcast like this has come out. Sometimes announcements are made, but they don’t always go as planned. ah. How should I explain this?”

“……The content of the broadcast is not true, but abnormal phenomena related to it do occur.”

Seok Hyun-min steps in and continues the explanation.

“For example, there is a broadcast saying that there is separate recycling. Then, even though it’s not really a recycling day, suddenly there’s trash rolling around the house. Things like cans and glass bottles. There was a chunk of human flesh sucked in there. What should I do to be safe at that time?”

“If you had picked up a can, the person would have been crushed to pieces. For a person to fit into a palm-sized can…Ugh.”

Da-ju Yoon trembles even as she answers.

I can’t imagine how terrible it must have been for Daju to do something like that.

“Okay. It was like that when recycling was being separated, and when cleaning with water, the entire building was submerged in water. So we were thinking about it earlier. Now…”

After pausing the explanation for a moment, Seok Hyeon-min picked up the shopping bag lying on the floor.

Inside was a pile of rubber gloves, insulating tape, and instant adhesive.

“I plan to block all the surrounding faucets.”

There doesn’t seem to be any question as to whether other people have already heard the explanation.

“Wait a minute.”

“Why. Is there anything strange?”

“Didn’t you say singular? Then isn’t it right to collect water in advance?”

Heo Yoon answers on his behalf.

“That story also came up, but the last sentence bothers me more than that.”

“Yes. Rust comes out. Well, even if water isn’t available here, you can get it from another floor. The really scary thing is the rust story.”

Seok Hyeon-min is slowly preparing for work. Even as he speaks, his hands are busy ripping and cutting the tape.

“You never know what might pop out other than rust.”

Daju concludes the continued explanation.

“So we all gathered here and decided to block the faucet and hold on.”

“I see.”

It’s certainly a plausible plan. These people have probably survived here much longer than me, so in some ways it’s only natural.

Seok Hyun-min quickly seals the sink. Meanwhile, Heo Yoon is wrestling with the sink in the bathroom.

“The sink is all clogged!”

“Sister, please wait a moment! Let’s finish this and close the toilet tank together! And a drain on the veranda. And there’s a pillar over there that drains rainwater, right? You have to pull it out and block it all.”

I also took out the tape from my shopping bag.

“I will do it.”

“Yes. Because I don’t think I can do it alone, Daju. Serim and the three of us.”

“Yes!”

As if to indicate that time is running out, the sound of the announcement becomes increasingly bizarre.

-The guide pipe is a single point. This is an announcement broadcast due to the Hyeongeom’s words.

“Is it still leaking there?”

“Yes.”

“We need one more person here!”

Sigh-

I had to wet all my clothes because the water kept leaking no matter how much I blocked it, but anyway.

We succeeded in blocking all the faucets before anything abnormal occurred.

Next moment.

Heo Yoon’s screams were heard from the sink.

I quickly ran to the bathroom.

The rubber membrane blocking the sink faucet has already swelled to its fullest extent.

“There is something in there.”

Heo Yoon is in a state of complete panic and stutters. But he keeps wrapping the tape to prevent the rubber membrane from falling off.

Teudduk.

Despite Heo Yoon’s efforts, the tape tears and falls off due to the moisture and pressure.

and

Inside the clearly exposed rubber membrane.

In the humid space, I saw something long, smooth, and black wriggling.