Ch.112Snapshot (2)

# The Apartment Outside the Apartment

Everyone stood at the entrance of the apartment building, each carrying a piece of luggage.

The structure had one door on each side, with two homes per floor.

“What’s this?”

Seok Hyunmin discovered something.

It was a flyer attached to the front of the door.

[INHWA MART ELECTRONICS MEGA SALE]

“This is Korea, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s Korea. Roughly from the 2010s.”

“I wonder if there are other people around.”

This was something they could figure out without using the Librarian’s abilities.

There was a calendar posted by the security guard at the apartment entrance.

[2011.4.11]

“April 11th, 2011.”

Yebin reads the date written on the calendar.

It’s a bright spring day.

The kind that makes you want to go out for a stroll.

Feeling the spring breeze gently blowing through the door crack, I found myself moving closer to Jung Haewon.

“Hey. What were you doing in 2011?”

“I was about to enter elementary school.”

“You’re literally such a baby.”

“Aren’t you the old one here, noona?”

“Ah.”

I lost the exchange without even getting my money’s worth.

At the apartment entrance, Heo Yoon was already preparing to go outside.

“Dabin! Is it really safe here? I’m going outside!”

“Yes. It’s fine to go out.”

No dangerous entities are visible yet.

It might be different at night, but for now, it’s safe.

“Wow. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a place like this.”

Heo Yoon, clearly excited, runs down the stairs in an instant and spins around with her arms spread wide.

Pleasant spring sunshine pours down.

“Hey! Seok Hyunmin! Come out too!”

Heo Yoon gestures toward us with a smile.

“Wait. Let me unpack first.”

“Oh, come on, you can do that later.”

“Ugh.”

Eventually, Seok Hyunmin gets dragged out.

Yoon Daju and Riko quietly observe the scene.

“I’m dying of envy.”

“I’m jealous.”

After absentmindedly muttering the same thing, they startle and look at each other.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just saying.”

While I was watching everyone resting, someone called me from the side.

“Ms. Dabin.”

It was Robin, a member of the Foundation’s council.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“I feel like we still don’t have enough clues. Is there anything specific to discuss?”

“We should find out everything we can. Do you know of any incidents or strange phenomena that happened in Korea in April 2011?”

“Hmm…”

Nothing particularly comes to mind even after thinking about it.

Even though I lived through that time, it was so long ago.

“Nothing really comes to mind.”

No matter how much I think about it, that’s the case.

It was just one of many ordinary days.

“Then should we consider the date just a coincidence?”

As Robin was about to drop the subject, Riko jumped in with her hand raised.

“Oh, there’s one thing in Japan. It was a month earlier, but the Great East Japan Earthquake.”

“I remember that too. There was an earthquake then, and a leak at the nuclear power plant.”

“Yes! That was exactly one month earlier.”

I tried to recall.

The Great East Japan Earthquake. I couldn’t even properly remember if it was in 2011, but I vaguely remember seeing it on the news.

I also remember something about radiation in Fukushima.

“Exactly one month earlier… That could be a clue.”

“Right? It’s interesting how the dates line up perfectly.”

While I was talking with Riko, Robin didn’t let it slide either.

“I’ll keep that in mind for now.”

We continued investigating the new floor.

It’s an ordinary apartment no matter where you look. An apartment outside the apartment.

I went up the stairs and pressed the elevator button on the second floor.

*Press*

The elevator opens normally on the second floor.

This time, I pressed the button again on the first floor and got into the arriving elevator.

[!@$%#^&]

Incomprehensible symbols flash across my vision.

When I stepped in, the elevator had changed its appearance again.

“The elevator seems to transform only when we’re in it, but otherwise it’s just a normal elevator.”

“So this is ultimately just one of the many ‘floors’ of the apartment.”

“Yes. We can just use the elevator when we want to leave later.”

I was exchanging words with Robin at the first-floor entrance when it happened.

“What’s this? Are you tourists?”

“Huh? What?”

An unfamiliar voice suddenly appeared behind me.

“Are you here on vacation? Are you from abroad?”

The security guard who had opened the door scrutinizes our group.

Robin, Dan, and Riko too.

There are too many foreigners to just ignore.

“Are you exchange students? I don’t think I’ve seen you around this neighborhood. No, if there were foreigners around, I would have noticed you coming and going.”

The security guard bombards us with questions, as if meddling in others’ business is the last remaining joy in his life.

Dan awkwardly scratches his chin, while Riko and Robin whisper to each other, avoiding the guard’s gaze.

“Um, Dabin? What should we do?”

“We need to coordinate our story to get past this. I think Dabin and Serim need to handle this.”

“I got it, so please be quiet for a moment. I’m thinking.”

A situation where locals need to step up.

Yebin is too young to count as a local, and Yoon Daju couldn’t wait and is running around outside.

Jung Haewon was also dragged out by Daju, so the only one left beside me is Choi Serim.

Choi Serim also looks very uncomfortable with the situation.

That makes sense since she was born and raised in the apartment after the apocalypse, not in Korea.

I wish the decisive Heo Yoon were here, but she’s outside giggling with Seok Hyunmin.

“Wow. Young lady, you speak English well too. How many years did you live abroad?”

The security guard continues bombarding me with questions, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

It seems that to others, it sounds like I’m speaking English.

“Um, about 11 years.”

“My grandson has a TOEIC score of 900, but he’s never been abroad. Have you taken the TOEIC, young lady?”

“Ahaha… No.”

The conversation keeps veering in strange directions.

“You seem like a nice young lady. You have a good impression. Good at studying, good at English.”

“Thank you…”

His words, treating me like a young lady, are draining my energy.

In the apartment, where strange occurrences were almost daily, I could mention that I was originally male, but I can’t do that here.

The change in how others see you feels much stranger than I expected.

It’s something I’m only now confronting after leaving the confines of the apartment.

If everything ends and we escape from this place, will I have to adapt to this feeling?

I hurriedly tried to wrap up the conversation.

“Well, we’ll be going now!”

“Huh? Aren’t you residents here?”

“Ah, right! We are residents, but…”

“Now that I think about it, I didn’t see you bringing in any luggage. Where did you get all this stuff from?”

My heart sank as the security guard muttered with a puzzled expression.

He seems to be growing suspicious.

At times like this, I need to think quickly.

“We actually stopped by a friend’s place for one night, and now we’re heading back to our dormitory.”

“But I didn’t see any foreigners coming in yesterday.”

“Early morning! We came in early yesterday morning. That’s probably why you didn’t see us.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Thankfully, he seems to have accepted it.

“Well, take care. Study hard.”

“Yes. Thank you!”

As I bowed my head, Riko, Robin, and Dan followed suit.

“Ah. Thank you.”

“Goodbye.”

The security guard responds in awkward English, perhaps hearing the foreigners’ words as English.

“Yes. Thank you. Goodbye.”

He waves and even helps us move our luggage.

“Phew…”

I feel completely drained as soon as we leave the apartment.

“I just assumed there wouldn’t be anyone around naturally.”

We had planned to break the door lock and use the place, but we ran right into the security guard.

Maybe that’s actually fortunate. It would have been troublesome if someone was inside or if they called the police.

I let out a deep sigh.

“What should we do?”

“This is difficult in a different way now. We need to find a place to stay. And we don’t have money.”

Choi Serim looks dejected too.

“Dabin, should we just go back?”

“I think being homeless here is still better than risking our lives.”

“Homelessness isn’t so bad when you’re young.”

Dan grins while leaning on his suitcase.

“If I were just 10 years younger, it wouldn’t be a problem. These days, if I sleep wrong, my back gets stiff.”

Robin and Riko don’t seem to have any good ideas either.

We’re huddled together in the asphalt parking lot outside the apartment, racking our brains, when the others who went outside earlier join us.

“What’s up? Did you get kicked out?”

“Yes. You could have helped us.”

I retorted with a hint of complaint to Heo Yoon, who approached with a bright smile.

“Now we have nowhere to stay.”

“Ah~ Is that the problem?”

“Yes. We’ll have to sleep on the streets.”

“That’s not true.”

Heo Yoon answers nonchalantly.

“This is Mokdong, right? I used to live around here.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Everyone is surprised except for Seok Hyunmin.

“Oh.”

Heo Yoon smacks the back of Seok Hyunmin’s head with her palm.

“Ouch!”

“What kind of response is ‘oh’? Anyway, if we take a bus from here, my place is just a short ride away. We can stay there.”

“…”

Come to think of it, Heo Yoon was living in a previous time period before being swept into the apartment.

The current setting is 2011, which overlaps with Heo Yoon’s time.

“Then, in a way, noona has escaped from the apartment.”

“Is that so? I’m not sure. I’ll try contacting my mom and visiting my family in person. That might make it feel real.”

“I suppose…”

I shouldn’t be feeling this way.

This should be wonderful news.

But I keep feeling anxious.

Even if Heo Yoon decides not to return from here, I would have to hold her back and take her back into the apartment.

Back into that terrible space.

To progress the story, each person has a role they must fulfill.

Only then can we prevent the apocalypse and protect the worldline.

I need Heo Yoon.

Just like I need everyone else around me right now.

“But I’m not getting my hopes up. We’re still inside the apartment, so it’s not going to work.”

“I suppose so.”

I could only repeat the same words.

Behind us, Dan was spouting nonsense while leaning on his suitcase.

“The problem has changed again. Sleep on the streets or cram into a small room together.”

“I vote for the streets.”

“I vote for the small room.”

“Ehh? We should definitely stay in a room!”

Jung Haewon, Yoon Daju, and Riko join in.

Daju especially looks ready to settle the matter immediately.

“Should we decide with rock-paper-scissors?”

“Shall we?”

“Right here, right now.”

I was the only one biting my nails.

“Dabin.”

“Dabin.”

Yebin and Serim noona look after me from both sides.

I swallowed tears that were about to form without anyone noticing.

I have to push everyone onto a dangerous path. To prevent the universe’s destruction, I must do this.

Everyone is too kind.

“What are you standing around for? Let’s see how far we can go by bus.”

Heo Yoon adjusts her bag and takes confident steps forward.

“We should be able to reach Mokdong.”

“Let’s check if there’s any cash at my place first, then see if we can contact anyone. We’ll figure something out.”

“Figure something out…”

“Stop saying weird things and just follow me!”

Though Heo Yoon speaks normally, her voice echoes throughout the apartment complex.

Everyone who was distracted now grabs their luggage and follows behind Heo Yoon.

“Who has cash here?”

“I do. I saved some just in case.”

Choi Serim pulled out a few bills from her bag.

“Ooh~ Serim~”

“I think I have a little over 50,000 won, but this is all I’ve saved up.”

“That’s enough.”

*Clank*

The fare was for seven adults and three teenagers.

Jung Haewon is originally a student, and Yebin is also a teenager by physical age. I lied about my age.

Daju was the first to suggest lying about our ages, and when Heo Yoon joined in to pressure me, I really had no choice.

It worked, too.

“Hey, you people! Get in quickly!”

Like refugees, we boarded the bus with our bundles of luggage, hearing the driver’s command.

With several foreigners among us, we were enough to attract everyone’s attention.

“Ugh… What is this.”

Choi Serim, not used to this, covers her face with her palms.

In contrast, Heo Yoon doesn’t seem to care at all whether people stare or not.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll never see these people again anyway.”

And some time later.

At a point in space-time cut and pasted by someone.

April 11, 2011. Korea.

We arrived at Heo Yoon’s studio apartment by bus.

“Ah, I don’t think I cleaned up back then. Can I go in first?”

After a brief argument, everyone eventually gathered in the small room.

As everyone unpacked their things and started to rest in the cramped space…

“Wait a minute. I’m going out for a bit.”

Heo Yoon slipped past everyone and went outside.

“Where are you going, noona?”

“To make a call. I’ll use a payphone.”

“Then I’ll go with you.”

I got up from my seat.

“It’s not completely safe here either, so come with me.”

“…Alright. Fine.”

Heo Yoon nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression.

“Hey, where are you two going?”

“Daju, stay here. I’m making a private call, and Dabin says it’s dangerous, so only she’s coming with me.”

“But noona, I should go with you for things like this.”

“You stay put too.”

After shaking off Seok Hyunmin as well, Heo Yoon steps out the door.

I followed closely behind.

“You came with me because you’re looking for danger, right? Don’t listen to my call. Got it?”

“Yes.”

I nod, but my feelings are complicated.

I couldn’t let Heo Yoon go alone no matter what.

I made the excuse that it was dangerous to go alone, but the real reason was different.

The so-called [Essential Character].

Heo Yoon is absolutely necessary for the story to progress.

While I was lost in my thoughts, Heo Yoon entered a payphone booth.

Shortly after.

*Ring, ring*

After the connection tone sounded briefly from inside the payphone booth,

*Click*

The call connected.