episode_0149

What Robin brought was an 11-seater van.

Even though so many people have gathered, thankfully there is ample seating.

Dan was behind the wheel, with Robin in the passenger seat.

Yebin, Na, and Daju sat side by side in the row directly behind the driver’s seat.

In the back row are Seok Hyun-min, Rico, and Jeong Hae-won, and in the last row is Se-rim, who has collapsed. And Heo Yoon, who is taking care of her, is there.

Finally leaving the apartment, we are now driving on the national highways of Korea.

I thought that by this time we would be laughing and rejoicing together.

But, the only thing that fills the van now is tension.

It’s a situation where we can’t even have a proper conversation.

Outside, maddening radio waves continue to emanate.

Thanks to that, no one can take off their earplugs.

It’s raining on the road.

We all rode in the van together and looked out the windows.

Creak.

Creak.

The wipers wipe away the raindrops. The water droplets sparkle with various lights.

And, the ‘sound’ that can still be heard faintly.

“Purple droplets. Melting chef. Flying beetle.”

We’re running away from it now.

I reached out and tapped Robin’s shoulder in the passenger seat.

He held up a card with his other hand.

[radio]

Turn the card over to the next chapter.

Falak.

[as much as possible]

Falak.

And now to the next chapter.

[big]

[Turn it on]

‘Turn the radio as loud as possible.’

Robin turns around with a look of “Oh no” on his face and quickly turns on the radio.

– Let me tell you again the news I just received.

The so-called ‘suicide syndrome’, in which people who normally had no particular problems or suffered from relatively mild depression suddenly make extreme choices, is being observed in many places.

Some experts are pointing to a ‘freak signal’ that has been heard recently as the cause.

The ‘ghost signal’ causes problems in the human brain, inducing symptoms such as severe depression, suicidal impulses, delusions of persecution, and hallucinations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that it may be an entirely new form of the disease… … .

The sound of the radio completely drowned out any sounds coming from outside.

“Now you can take out your earplugs for a little while.”

“□□□□□□□□□□□?”

Robin answers in English.

The apartment’s interpretation function had long since disappeared.

Eventually you’ll have to use the card again.

[Just a moment]

Then he took out the earplugs and showed them to Robin.

Robin took out his earplugs, then snatched Dan’s earplugs.

And then there was a brief conversation between the two.

Robin and Dan come from the same English-speaking background, so they can understand each other.

Meanwhile, I showed the cards to other people as well.

Starting with Yebin and Daju, who were sitting on either side of them, everyone started taking out their earplugs.

“Still, it’s better to wear earplugs if possible. If you suddenly feel depressed, really sad, or have any strange feelings, you should tell other people right away and then wear earplugs.”

“Yes, sister.”

Jeong Hae-won’s voice is heard from the back seat.

I turned around and checked the condition of the back seat.

Fortunately, he’s still fine.

No one is shedding tears, no one is muttering nonsense.

Not yet.

“Jeong Hae-won, you take care of the others.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yeah. Out of all of you, you seem to be the most mentally sound.”

Back row.

So there are three people sitting in the third row.

Seok Hyun-min, Rico, and Jeong Hae-won.

Seok Hyun-min appears to be rational, but he is having a hard time because of Heo Yoon’s hardship.

Rico may seem bright, but he was a researcher from the Foundation, so he probably isn’t normal. He may also have trauma from being abandoned by the ‘Professor’ and almost dying.

The only one who is okay is Jeong Hae-won.

“Yes. Sister… … .”

“But how are you now? Are you feeling depressed?”

“Not really. I don’t know.”

“Really? Think about it again.”

“There really aren’t any. Hmm. Is it because I turned on the radio? Like my sister said, the sound was muffled and the effect was reduced. ”

“Thank goodness.”

Me too, Jeong Hae-won.

I think I can tolerate this much.

“Then you keep taking off your earplugs.”

“Huh? You said it’s dangerous if you hear it.”

“You should take care of other people. Communicate directly. I will also keep my earplugs off, so you should also be aware of your surroundings.”

As the conversation continued, Seok Hyeon-min raised his hand and stepped forward.

“I’ll just do it. Why are you making the kid do it?”

“Hyung, it’s dangerous. It’s because what Jeong Hae-won does is the best.”

“I’m in danger?”

Seok Hyun-min adjusts his glasses and pretends to be fine.

“Yes.”

“Hey. Do you think I have a mental illness or something? I’m fine.”

“I can hear everything you’re saying right now.”

“No, I said no!”

“Now even tears have gathered.”

Tears are welling up in Seok Hyun-min’s eyes.

How long has it been since you took off your earplugs?

I took a deep breath.

“Haewon-ah.”

“Yes.”

“Ah. I’m really fine. I’m really… … .”

It looks like he’s drunk.

I couldn’t leave it like that any longer, so I ended up having Jeong Hae-won put the earplugs back in.

– This is urgent news. The government has just formed a special disaster response committee and held a press conference.

The disaster management agency said it is currently assessing the exact extent of the damage.

In addition, from now on, all citizens are advised to block out ‘strange noises’ coming from outside.

This is done by taking refuge in a building with thick walls to block out sound, or by turning up the radio loudly.

Although the causal relationship cannot be determined yet, the urgent nature of the matter and the reasonable suspicion were cited as grounds for emergency action.

Lastly, the disaster committee said, “The current situation may be a disaster we have never faced before,” and promised to do their best to ensure the safety of all citizens as the situation is serious.

“The situation seems very serious.”

“Yeah.”

Even though the radio is loud, the strange noise can still be heard faintly.

To distract myself from the noise, I have been talking to Jeong Hae-won for some time now.

“What should we do?”

I was speechless at Jeong Hae-won’s words.

“I thought everything would be resolved if I went out of the apartment. But now that I’m being chased around like this, I feel a little strange.”

“Do you feel strange?”

“No, that’s not it! You don’t have to wear those earplugs!”

“Huh. You’ve been listening for too long.”

Once you start having depressing thoughts, you can’t stop them.

Especially in situations like this.

After confirming that Jeong Hae-won had put in earplugs, I called Dan.

“Dan.”

“□□?”

Dan, who was in the driver’s seat, reacts.

Of course, since it’s in English, I can only understand the gist of it.

Are you telling me to talk to Robin since I’m busy driving?

It’s dawn and it’s raining, so that could be the case.

“Robin.”

Instead, he called Robin, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“Theatre.”

We have now arrived at our destination, the theater.

I pointed to the building outside the window.

“It’s over there.”

The van slid into the parking lot.

And Dan, surprisingly, managed to park the car in just one go.

And that too, perfectly, without even a single inch of error in angle.

It is a skill that cannot help but be admired.

” and.”

“□□□□.”

Dan looks at me and says something in English, which sounds like he’s bragging.

I also gave a vague thumbs up.

Knock knock.

The door opens, and Da-ju steps onto the parking lot floor first.

I was just about to get up from my seat.

“Aaugh!”

“Huh? Are you okay, oppa?”

I forgot again.

Because the situation outside was so serious, I didn’t have time to take care of my body.

Me. My ankle was really broken.

I was on the verge of tears as all the pain I had forgotten came rushing back at me at once.

“Ah. Ahhh… … .”

“I guess I’ll have to start with ice packs. I’ll also need a splint and a bandage. There’s a lot of stuff in the theater, so let’s look for it slowly later.”

From behind, a calm voice is heard, clearly piercing into the ear.

It was Heo Yun.

“Uh. Sister Yoon? Is it okay if I take out my earplugs? Right. Sister Se-rim? Is Sister Se-rim awake?”

“I can’t hear you.”

Heo Yun lifts up her hair and shows the earplugs in her ears.

“Ah. I see… … .”

“But I think I know what you’re asking.”

I sat pressed against the back of my seat, trying to see Heo Yoon, who was two rows behind me.

“Serim woke up a while ago. She had her earplugs on the whole time, so maybe that’s why she looked fine.”

“Dabin.”

Se-rim’s voice is heard from the back seat.

It’s hard to see because it’s two rows behind, but you can still tell that it’s safe.

“Thank goodness.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you taking out your earplugs now, Sister?”

“I was just taking a break. I wanted to let Dabin know that I’m okay.”

“Thank goodness… … .”

“Should I put in earplugs now?”

“Yes, sister.”

Now it’s time to get out of the van.

Dan and Robin got off first, and Dazhu was waiting for me outside.

“Brother. Can you walk?”

By the way, Da-ju still has earplugs in her ears.

So I just shook my head vigorously.

“Then should I carry it?”

This time he nodded.

“Yes. Then I’ll hold it for you, so come down carefully.”

Without me having to say anything, Daju crawls under my arm and lifts me up easily.

“Thank you.”

You may not hear me very well, but I’m sure you’ll understand me this time too.

He held onto Daju’s shoulders tightly and took a carrying position.

“Let’s go now.”

The parking lot we are in now is on the 3rd basement level.

You have to take the elevator to get to the theater on the 6th floor.

It’s dawn now.

Of course, there is no one there.

We’re the only ones going to the theater right now.

Through the deserted parking lot, to the empty elevator.

Meanwhile, Jeong Hae-won laughs without a care and mutters to herself.

“Taking the elevator~ doesn’t change~.”

“It’s really perfect.”

“Why is this? Isn’t it all like this?”

“What? When did you take your earplugs off?”

“I told you it was okay. There’s no problem now.”

“I wear it as much as possible.”

“You never know what might happen once you enter the theater. You need to have at least two people with their ears open.”

It wasn’t mentioned that Dan and Robin were also taking off their earplugs.

Because I won’t be able to communicate with those two anyway.

It is also somewhat true that the only person you can trust is Jeong Hae-won.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sister.”

“And this time it’s a regular elevator.”

Swish.

The elevator arrives with the sound of the door opening.

It’s an ordinary elevator in an ordinary building.

Just because you press the numbers in succession, the wall won’t rotate and a keyboard won’t appear.

Just, normally.

I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the 6th floor.

Beep.

The sixth floor.

Going up.

Bam. With a brief feeling of heaviness, the elevator begins to rise.

It is a transparent glass elevator with a wall that provides a clear view of the outside.

When I was young, I hated this because it was scary.

I looked out onto the street.

Dark dawn. Closing time.

All the lights in the building are turned off, but many lights still illuminate the streets.

There are no people walking around at this late hour, but dozens of cars are racing down the road.

I was lost in thought, looking outside for no reason.

That was when.

A moment of black-

Something like a fluttering old cloth falls from outside the field of vision.

And then, our eyes met.

The man in the checkered shirt jumped off the building and fell downwards.

Fuzz.

The falling body is like a doll.

It stopped on the first floor of the building, hitting the ceiling of a protruding part.