Ch.149Communication Symbol Cards (3)

Robin had brought an 11-passenger van.

Despite having so many people gathered, there was plenty of space thanks to it.

Dan was behind the wheel. Robin sat in the passenger seat.

In the row directly behind the driver, Yebin, me, and Daju sat side by side.

In the row behind us sat Seok Hyunmin, Riko, and Jung Haewon, while in the last row was Serim noona who had collapsed, with Heo Yoon attending to her.

Having finally escaped the apartment, we were now driving along a Korean highway.

I thought we’d all be laughing and celebrating by now.

But instead, only tension filled the van.

We couldn’t even have proper conversations.

Outside, waves that drove people insane continued to flow.

Because of this, everyone had to keep their earplugs in.

Rain fell on the road.

All of us in the van stared out our respective windows.

Screech.

Screech.

The wipers cleared away the rain. Various lights blurred through the water droplets.

And still, faintly audible, was that “sound.”

“Purple droplets. Melting chef. Soaring beetle.”

We were running away from that right now.

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

With my other hand, I showed her a card.

[Radio]

I flipped to the next card.

Flip.

[As loud]

Flip.

To the next card.

[As possible]

[Turn it on]

‘Turn the radio on as loud as possible.’

Robin turned to me with a look of sudden realization and quickly turned on the radio.

– We’re bringing you the latest update.

The so-called “suicide syndrome” is being observed in various locations, where people with no previous issues or only mild depression suddenly make extreme choices.

Some experts are focusing on the “strange signals” that recently began to be heard as the cause.

They suggest these signals cause problems in the human brain, inducing severe depression, suicidal impulses, paranoia, hallucinations, and other symptoms.

The World Health Organization has mentioned the possibility that this could be a completely new form of disease…

Thanks to the radio, the sounds from outside were completely drowned out.

“Now we can take out our earplugs briefly.”

“□□□ □□□□ □□□□?”

Robin answered in English.

The apartment’s translation function had long disappeared.

I had to use cards again.

[Only briefly]

I showed Robin my earplugs after removing them.

Robin took out her earplugs and then snatched Dan’s as well.

They exchanged a brief conversation.

Since Robin and Dan were both from English-speaking countries, they could understand each other.

Meanwhile, I showed the same cards to the others.

Starting with Yebin and Daju sitting beside me, everyone began removing their earplugs.

“Still, it’s better to keep your earplugs in when possible. If you suddenly feel depressed, sad, or any strange feelings, tell others immediately and put your earplugs back in.”

“Yes, noona.”

Jung Haewon’s voice came from the back seat.

I turned around to check on the rear seats.

Thankfully, everyone still seemed fine.

No one was crying or muttering nonsense.

Not yet.

“Haewon, you take care of the others on your side.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Because you seem to be the most mentally stable in your row.”

The third row.

There were three people sitting in the third row.

Seok Hyunmin, Riko, and Jung Haewon.

Seok Hyunmin might seem rational, but he’s struggling because Heo Yoon is having a hard time.

Riko might appear cheerful, but as a former researcher from the Foundation, she’s not normal. She might also have trauma from nearly dying after being abandoned by the “Professor.”

Jung Haewon seemed the most stable.

“Yes, noona…”

“How are you feeling now? Feeling depressed?”

“Not really. I can’t tell.”

“Really? Think about it carefully.”

“Really, I don’t feel anything. Hmm. Maybe it’s because of the radio? Like you said, the sound is being drowned out, so the effect seems weaker.”

“That’s good.”

Both Jung Haewon and I.

It seems we can handle this level.

“Then keep your earplugs out.”

“What? But you said the sound is dangerous.”

“You need to take care of others, right? Communicating quickly. I’ll keep my earplugs out too, so you keep track of what’s happening around you.”

As we continued talking, Seok Hyunmin raised his hand.

“I’ll do it. Why make the kid do it?”

“You’re at risk, hyung. It’s better if Jung Haewon does it.”

“I’m at risk?”

Seok Hyunmin adjusted his glasses, pretending to be fine.

“Yes.”

“Hey. You’re acting like I have some mental illness, but I’m fine too.”

“I can hear your choked voice.”

“I’m telling you I’m not!”

“There are tears in your eyes now.”

Tears were welling up in Seok Hyunmin’s eyes.

How long had it been since he took out his earplugs?

I let out a deep sigh.

“Haewon.”

“Yes.”

“I’m really fine, I swear…”

He sounded like someone drunk and emotional.

We couldn’t leave him like this, so I had Jung Haewon help him put his earplugs back in.

– Breaking news. The government has just formed a Special Disaster Response Committee and held a press conference.

The committee stated they are currently assessing the specific extent of damage.

Additionally, from this moment, they advise all citizens to block the “strange noise” coming from outside.

This can be done by evacuating to buildings with thick walls that block sound, or by using methods such as turning up radios loudly.

Although a specific correlation cannot yet be determined, they cited the extreme urgency of the situation and reasonable suspicion as grounds for emergency measures.

Finally, the committee promised to do their utmost to ensure the safety of all citizens, stating that “the current situation may be a disaster we have never faced before.”

“The situation seems really serious.”

“Yeah.”

Although the radio is loud, that strange noise can still be faintly heard.

To distract from the noise, I’ve been continuously conversing with Jung Haewon.

“What should we do?”

His question left me speechless.

“I thought everything would be solved once we left the apartment. But now we’re being chased even out here, so it feels… strange.”

“You feel strange?”

“No, that’s not it! I don’t need to wear earplugs!”

“Put them on. You’ve been listening too long.”

Depressing thoughts become uncontrollable once they start.

Especially in this situation.

After confirming Jung Haewon had put his earplugs back in, I called out to Dan.

“Dan.”

“□□?”

Dan in the driver’s seat responded.

Of course, I could only vaguely understand since it was in English.

Maybe he’s telling me to talk to Robin since he’s busy driving.

It’s dawn and the roads are wet, so that makes sense.

“Robin.”

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

“Theater.”

I pointed to the building outside, our destination.

“Over there.”

The van slid into the parking lot.

And Dan, surprisingly, parked perfectly on the first try.

Without even a degree of error in the angle.

His skill was impressive enough to draw admiration.

“Wow.”

“□□□□.”

Dan said something to me in English, probably bragging.

I gave him a thumbs up in response.

Slide.

The door opened, and Daju was the first to step onto the parking lot floor.

I was just about to get up from my seat.

“Argh!”

“Oh? Oppa, are you okay?”

I had forgotten again.

With the serious situation outside, I hadn’t had time to worry about my body.

Right. My ankle was properly broken.

The pain that I’d forgotten about came rushing back all at once, enough to bring tears to my eyes.

“Ah… ugh…”

“We need to ice it first. And we’ll need a splint and bandages. There should be plenty of supplies in the theater, we can look for them later.”

From behind came a voice that was clear and calm despite the situation.

It was Heo Yoon.

“Oh, Yoon noona? Is it okay for you to take out your earplugs? Right. How’s Serim noona? Has she woken up?”

“I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

Heo Yoon pushed back her hair to show me the earplugs in her ears.

“Oh, I see…”

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

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

“Serim woke up earlier. She kept her earplugs in the whole time, so maybe that’s why she seems fine.”

“Dabin.”

Serim noona’s voice came from the back seat.

I couldn’t see her well from two rows ahead, but at least I could tell she was safe.

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you not wearing earplugs now, noona?”

“I just took them out briefly. To let Dabin know I’m okay.”

“That’s good…”

“Should I put them back in now?”

“Yes, noona.”

Now we needed to get out of the van.

Dan and Robin had already gotten out, and Daju was waiting for me outside.

“Oppa. Can you walk?”

I noticed Daju still had her earplugs in.

So I just shook my head firmly.

“Then should I carry you?”

This time I nodded.

“Okay. I’ll help you, so get down carefully.”

Without needing to say anything, Daju ducked under my arm and easily lifted me onto her back.

“Thanks.”

She probably wouldn’t hear clearly, but she’d understand.

I held onto Daju’s shoulders firmly as she carried me.

“Let’s go now.”

The parking lot we were in was on the third basement level.

To reach the theater on the sixth floor, we needed to take the elevator.

It was dawn.

Naturally, there was no one around.

We were the only ones heading to the theater now.

Through the empty parking lot, to the vacant elevator.

Meanwhile, Jung Haewon was humming to himself with a silly smile.

“Taking the elevator~ Nothing ever changes~”

“You’re such an old man.”

“What? Doesn’t everyone do this?”

“Hey, when did you take your earplugs out?”

“I told you I’m fine. I still don’t have any problems.”

“You should keep them in when possible.”

“We don’t know what might happen even inside the theater. We need at least two people with open ears.”

I didn’t mention that Dan and Robin also had their earplugs out.

There was no point since we couldn’t communicate with them anyway.

It was somewhat true that Jung Haewon was the only one I could rely on.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, noona.”

“And this is just a normal elevator.”

Swoosh.

The elevator arrived with the sound of doors opening.

It was a normal elevator in a normal building.

Pressing numbers in sequence wouldn’t make walls rotate or keyboards appear.

Just, normally.

We got on the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor.

Beep.

6th floor. The sixth floor.

Going up.

Clunk. With a momentary feeling of weight, the elevator began to rise.

It was a transparent glass elevator where you could see outside through the walls.

When I was young, I used to hate these because they scared me.

I looked out at the street.

Dark dawn. After closing hours.

All the lights in the buildings were off, but numerous street lights still illuminated the roads.

There were no people walking around at this late hour. But dozens of cars were driving on the roads.

I found myself lost in thought as I stared outside.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly, something black—

Like a fluttering, worn-out cloth—fell from outside my field of vision.

And then, our eyes met.

The man wearing a checkered shirt was jumping from the top of the building, falling toward the ground.

Thud.

The falling body, like a doll.

It hit the ceiling of a protruding section on the first floor of the building and stopped.