Ch.17Turning Point

The living room of an ordinary house. Seven people are seated around the table. From the outside, they might look like relatives gathered for a holiday, but the atmosphere is completely opposite. A dry, dark mood hangs in the air.

“So. One of those men died. And another lost his mind and went missing. That’s it.”

“Yes.”

“Not entirely unexpected.”

The bespectacled man who opened the door earlier is named Seok Hyunmin. He’s in his late twenties, but his youthful face makes him look about five years younger. Regardless, he’s been expressionless the whole time, resting his chin on his hand while lying prone. His entire demeanor seems to scream, “I’m really an insensitive person.”

“Those guys were too reckless. I could tell they were going to die soon. It’s not really your fault, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah… okay.”

“Hey. Watch how you talk.”

The woman who speaks sternly is Heo Yoon. She’s also in her late twenties. Her previous job was a nurse. She handles most of the treatment for the injured.

“What else should I say? They’re dead, so I said they’re dead. I kept telling them to be careful, but they kept going to dangerous places. What can we do about it?”

“They were trying to find a way out of here for all of us! Are you going to keep talking like that?”

The two stand up abruptly.

“Please don’t fight… stop fighting…”

Daju tries to intervene with a gloomy face, but the voices only grow louder.

“Do you think it’s a joke that others are risking their lives trying to find a way out? Then you can live here forever! Don’t take a single step outside this house!”

“When did I say we should just stay home? I’m saying why deliberately touch something that looks suspicious…”

“What about this time? Touching a book in the library? How could you not open a book titled ‘How to Escape the Apartment’? Or going through the emergency exit in Zone Z? If we’re trying to find a way out, don’t we need to explore everywhere?”

Seok Hyunmin sprawls at the desk, his indifferent words grating on nerves, while Heo Yoon shouts in excitement.

“You’re always hiding behind everyone else…!”

As the atmosphere grows increasingly hostile, Choi Serim closes her laptop and stands up.

“Yoon.”

“Serim, wait a minute. I need to say what needs to be said.”

“Let me look at that injured finger.”

“What? Who’s injured?”

Choi Serim silently glances in my direction.

“Hyunmin, go get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

Seok Hyunmin leaves the house, scratching his head. Just a few words, and the tense situation is resolved. It’s quite amazing. How does everyone listen to her when she speaks so quietly?

Yoon slowly unwraps the bandage around my finger.

“Ah! Ouch.”

“My goodness. It’s really swollen. How long has it been injured?”

“About half a day.”

“Hold on. We need to apply an ice pack first.”

“I’ll get it!”

Daju jumps up.

“Good. Daju, bring the ice. I’ll go get the medicine box. We need to put a splint on it.”

The two quickly leave the house.

Now there are only two people left besides me.

Choi Serim is looking at her laptop again, and the other person hasn’t spoken a word since the beginning. Not a single word.

“Um… hello?”

Swish, swish.

The older man waves his wrinkled hand in the air. What is this? Sign language?

Choi Serim speaks instead.

“That man can’t speak.”

“Oh. Is he unable to hear?”

“No. He just can’t speak.”

“What?”

“He said that when he was lost here before, he happened to find a restaurant, and he was so hungry that he ate the food without thinking. When he came to his senses, everything from his tongue to his throat had completely dissolved.”

“Ah…”

Now I notice the scar under the man’s chin. He smiles as if it’s nothing. I wonder if his teeth dissolved too, as most of them are missing.

“Then what’s his name…?”

“Don’t know. He seems to know how to write, but he’s never told us. Maybe he lost his memories too.”

“I see.”

I’m at a loss for words out of sympathy.

The man waves his hand again and then leaves.

“He says he’s leaving now.”

“Oh. Goodbye…”

Click.

“Miss, there must be many people like him here, right?”

“That’s right.”

Tap. Tap.

Only the sound of typing on the laptop can be heard.

The silence continued until Daju and Yoon returned.

“Here, hold this ice pack.”

“Thanks.”

“First, let’s ice it, and once the swelling goes down, we’ll put on a splint with bandages. It’ll take some time to heal.”

Daju hands me the ice pack, and Yoon prepares various items from the first aid kit. Yoon suddenly looks in my direction.

“Wait. Why ‘oppa’?”

“Pardon?”

“Daju called you ‘oppa’ just now.”

“Well…”

I wonder how she’ll react. I’m already getting nervous.

Just as I’m about to speak, Yoon suddenly claps her hands.

“Ah! Ah! AH!!! I get it. You don’t need to explain. Got it? And if there’s anything you don’t know, just ask comfortably.”

Do I need to keep explaining this everywhere? No matter what response I get, my face heats up. It’s so embarrassing I could die.

“All done. Now let’s clean your hand and wrap it.”

“Ugh!”

My injured index and middle fingers are so swollen that they can’t even be placed side by side anymore.

Even just touching them with a towel sends a dull pain shooting through them.

“Bear with it a little longer.”

First, she disinfects the wound. Then she applies the splint and wraps it with bandages. The splint is actually just wooden chopsticks cut to the right size.

“Done. Don’t use that hand for a while, and let’s check it again in the evening. Finished!”

“Thank you.”

As I lift my arm, I see my fingers wrapped tightly in bandages, medical tape, and duct tape (she used a bit because the adhesive wasn’t strong enough).

Of course I had to injure my right hand, which will be extremely inconvenient. And given the situation, I can’t just sit still…

My thoughts become complicated again.

“Oh right, Daju.”

“Yes?”

Yoon, who was putting away the medicine box, suddenly speaks.

“Could you go to the 11th floor once? When I went to the storage room, I noticed we’re out of basic medicines. People get injured a lot here, and we can’t be without medicine.”

“Yes! Of course I’ll go!”

Daju’s face brightens immediately. Just like a dog hearing it’s time for a walk.

Is going outside really that enjoyable? After watching Daju bounce around excitedly for a moment, I speak up.

“Then let’s go together.”

“Huh? You too?”

“My head is cluttered. I need some fresh air.”

“But your hand is injured. Will you be okay?”

“You’ll be carrying everything anyway.”

Considering how dangerous this place is, staying quietly at home makes me more anxious. Plus, with my injured hand, I’m feeling even more restless. Anyway, I need to move around to clear my head.

Swoosh-

A moment later. The elevator doors open on the 11th floor.

“Huh?”

“What the…”

Both Daju and I couldn’t hide our shock.

The 11th floor, which was originally filled with delivery boxes, had completely transformed.

***

Under the stairwell on the 7th floor. Emergency exit.

The man silently tapped on his smartphone screen.

[Brother, I think the time has come. The location is the seventh floor. I found the person you asked me to find, just saw them.]

Slowly. With awkward spelling.

The scar below the man’s neck gleamed faintly in the dim light.