Ch.25025 – There’s Space Behind the Pillar 2

# 025 – There’s Space Behind the Pillar # 2

Mom got trapped in an elevator.

My world went dark in more ways than one.

“Mom, I told you not to take the villa elevator”

“Mom is the best: What villa?”

“Mom is the best: It’s not a villa, I’m in the company elevator?”

“Mom is the best: It’s a bit scary being trapped alone ㅠㅠㅠ”

“Mom is the best: But I’m getting off work early today, so I should be able to get home by evening ㅎㅎ”

On the same day a strange elevator appeared in my villa, my mom got trapped in her company elevator.

It could be seen as a simple coincidence, but my instincts—honed by numerous incidents—told me there was a deep connection between the two.

“Mom is the best: Oh ㅋ The elevator arrived at the 4th floor ㅋㅋ See you later”

“Mom is the best: But it’s really cold here ㄷㄷ And my phone battery is dying”

Mom sent me a message saying she had arrived at the 4th floor.

Was it just a simple malfunction?

I felt my tension easing slightly, like a balloon that had been inflated to its limit now deflating a bit.

“Mom is the best: Photo”

While I was preparing for my next class, Mom sent me a photo.

It seemed to be a picture taken from inside the elevator looking out through the open doors.

Beyond the open elevator doors was what looked like a rather dark interior.

Isn’t the outside too dark?

I felt uneasy for some reason.

“What’s wrong? Is Jeong Sojin texting and bothering you?”

Yang Juhui, who was sitting behind me, poked my back with her finger when she noticed my uneasiness.

“My mom got trapped in an elevator alone but managed to get off at the 4th floor. Look at this photo. Doesn’t it look too dark and strange? It looks like some kind of storage room.”

I showed Yang Juhui the photo on my phone.

I thought sharing my problem with someone else might lighten the burden a bit.

“Hmm. This is strange. Look below where it says ‘4’.”

Yang Juhui touched my phone with her slender white finger.

Swish-.

When we zoomed in on the photo, there was indeed something strange, just as Yang Juhui had said.

The number 4 on the panel indicating the floor.

Below it, the words “Capacity Exceeded” were clearly marked in red letters.

“Didn’t you say your mom was trapped in the elevator alone?”

Capacity exceeded in an elevator with just one person?

It could simply be due to an elevator malfunction, but I just couldn’t calm down!

“Mom, don’t get off at the 4th floor, try going to another floor”

“Mom”

“Mom, don’t get off, just stay put”

“Mom answer me answer”

“Please confirm”

“Photo”

“Gift card”

“Ha Yeongwon has sent you a gift card.”

“Please read this”

No response from Mom.

The message confirmation mark “1” remained unchanged.

I immediately called Mom.

—The phone is turned off….

“……”

Ah damn, she did mention her battery was dying!

I couldn’t calm down at all.

“…Hey, Juhui. What’s our second period class again?”

“Next period is Korean, why?”

Korean meant Teacher Kang Haneul.

Even if the sky falls, there’s always a way out!

“Juhui, I think I need to skip class.”

“What? Hey! What’s going on?”

I dashed toward the hallway.

Click, click.

Soon I was able to meet Teacher Kang Haneul, who was walking down the corridor in high heels.

“Teacher, I think my mother is in an emergency situation, so could I skip class? Teacher, it’s really urgent! Teacher! Ma’am! It’s urgent!”

“Yeongwon, what are you suddenly talking about? Your mother is in an emergency?”

“Teacher! Please!”

Whoosh-.

I turned around and ran.

I could hear the teacher calling “Yeongwon~” from behind, but my legs kept running like a truck with broken brakes.

Just as I was about to exit the school gate, the school security guard, who was practicing his golf swing with a club, shouted at me from the main gate.

“Hey! It’s class time! Where are you going! What grade and class are you in?”

“I need to go! My mom is critically ill! My mom!”

“Your mom? That’s unfortunate, but did you get permission from your teacher? If you have a teacher’s permit, I can let you go right away. If not, go get one. There are too many students who lie and leave without permission.”

So you need something like that to leave school during class time.

I didn’t know because I had never left early or skipped class before.

What should I do?

Should I go back and get it?

While I was catching my breath after running so urgently, someone waved at me from a distance.

“Hey, Ha Yeongwon. You left this behind.”

It was Jeongseok, the vice class president.

Jeongseok came over holding two pieces of paper labeled “Early Dismissal Permit” and handed one to me.

“Permission granted for student ‘Ha Yeongwon’ to leave early for the following reason”

“Family emergency”

“Signature – Kang Haneul”

A dismissal permit from Teacher Kang Haneul!

I was very lucky that Jeongseok had brought this.

He had one for himself too.

“Permission granted for student ‘Jeongseok’ to leave early for the following reason”

“Hospital appointment”

“Signature – Kang Haneul”

The handwriting was very neat.

It looked like it was printed from a computer, but it was clearly written by Jeongseok.

Did he forge the dismissal permit? How clever!

The security guard narrowed his eyes.

“I know Teacher Kang Haneul well. She has beautiful handwriting. This writing is very well done. These days, with computers and all, there aren’t many people who write well by hand.”

Ring ring ring-.

Just then, the security guard’s phone rang.

“Oh my. It’s a call from Teacher Kang Haneul.”

A call from Teacher Kang Haneul?

What if she realized we didn’t get permission to leave?

Should I just run away?

“Yes! This is Kang Mandeuk! Yes. There are two students at the gate saying they have permission to leave early. Yes. Ha Yeongwon and Jeongseok. Ah… yes. Homework? Yes. I understand.”

Click-.

The security guard hung up.

“I’m sorry for keeping you, students. There are so many kids who lie and run away! Teacher Kang Haneul says she’ll send you homework by email to make up for the classes you’re missing today.”

“Jeongseok! Let’s go!”

Jeongseok and I left the school.

When we entered an alley and the school was no longer in sight, Jeongseok asked me:

“What’s going on? Is it about the elevator?”

“I’ll explain on the way. First, we need to catch a taxi and go to my mom’s company.”

“Hey! Why did you take so long to come out!”

Someone approached me as I was opening an app to catch a taxi.

It was Yang Juhui.

Jeongseok asked:

“Did you get permission to leave too?”

“No? I came out through the hole in the wall.”

So there’s a hole in the school wall.

Indeed, those who have experience skipping classes know how to do it well.

# # #

“Is this your mother’s company?”

Jeongseok exclaimed in admiration at the tall building.

The Oseong Electronics headquarters located in Gaeryong Metropolitan City displayed an impressive grandeur.

“Wow. How many floors does it have?”

Yang Juhui also seemed overwhelmed, tilting her head all the way back.

She was wiggling her fingers as if counting the floors with her eyes.

Jeongseok commented:

“As far as I know, it’s 100 floors. My dad attended the building’s completion ceremony before. I was there too. I didn’t know your mother works at Oseong Electronics, Yeongwon. The average annual salary here is 200 million won.”

Jeongseok seemed to find it hard to believe that my mom works at Oseong Electronics yet we live in a villa with no elevator and lots of cockroaches.

It was my first time visiting my mom’s company, so I was honestly a bit dazed.

Mom didn’t talk much about the new company she had transferred to.

An average annual salary of 200 million won!

“Hey. Is this the time to discuss that? Let’s hurry!”

Yang Juhui’s words snapped both Jeongseok and me back to reality.

We slowly walked into the gleaming building, but as soon as students in school uniforms entered, everyone in the first-floor lobby immediately turned to look at us.

Weekday afternoon.

A time when company employees should be hard at work.

A time when students in school uniforms should be cooped up in school like chicks in a henhouse.

Our presence, walking through a company after escaping school, was itself an anomaly.

“Kids, what brings you here?”

A pretty and kind-looking woman smiled at us from the information desk.

I spoke as the representative of our group.

“Hello. My name is Ha Yeongwon. Is there someone named Ha Chaeyeon working here? She’s my mom, and I really need to see her urgently! It’s an emergency! Really!”

“Ha Chaeyeon… Ha Chaeyeon…. Are you talking about Ha Chaeyeon from the Planning Team? Or…”

“Planning? My mom is a cleaner. From what I heard, she’s in the Facilities Team!”

“Ah, that cleaning lady? But as far as I know, Ha Chaeyeon from the Facilities Team is thirty-four this year. She has a high school son? You’re from Yeongji High, right?”

“It’s really urgent! Have you heard anything about an elevator malfunction?”

“Malfunction? I haven’t heard anything about that. Besides, are you really Ha Chaeyeon’s son? That can’t be right. A mother and son would have the same surname. Who are you?”

“Ugh, this is so frustrating! Hey! Ha Yeongwon! Just come here!”

Swish!

Yang Juhui ran somewhere, swinging her long legs under her skirt.

The desk lady shouted in surprise, “Hey! Where are you going?” but she couldn’t stop Yang Juhui.

Yang Juhui was pressing all the elevator buttons she could see.

Ding ding ding-.

Yang Juhui entered the elevators as they arrived one by one.

“What’s this? There’s no 4th floor here? They’re all F floors. And the 44th floor is labeled as FF floor! What kind of elevators are these?”

The Oseong Electronics headquarters elevators had replaced all number 4s with Fs.

Didn’t Mom say the elevator she was in stopped at the 4th floor?

“This won’t work! Let’s go to the 4th floor directly!”

Swish!

Yang Juhui ran with all her might, and Jeongseok and I followed. But Yang Juhui was too fast, and just trying to keep up was exhausting.

The F floor we arrived at was a place decorated with colorful large TVs. It was completely different from the photo Mom had sent.

What on earth is going on!

The situation had reached an impasse.

In the distance, security guards were approaching us.

“Hey! You kids! How did you get here!”

“Sir! Has there been any report about an elevator malfunction?”

“Elevator? I haven’t heard anything about that. Kim, have you heard anything?”

“No, I haven’t… Besides, who are you kids? Those are Yeongji High uniforms, right?”

No report of an elevator malfunction.

But Mom clearly said she arrived at the 4th floor through a malfunctioning elevator…

As I hesitated for a moment, Jeongseok, who had been following silently, said:

“Yeongwon, I think there’s only one place left to check. Let’s get out of here. It seems like we’re just wasting time here. I think you’ve figured it out too.”

He’s right.

It’s a waste of time to stay here.

“Taxi!”

After hailing a taxi outside the company, I immediately gave our home address.

“Driver! Please take us to Taegwang Villa at this address! Quickly! Hurry!”

Vroom-.

After about 20 minutes, the taxi arrived in front of the villa.

“Ah, damn! We ended up here after all! Finally!”

Screech, screech-! Rip!

As soon as I entered the villa, I stood in front of the elevator covered with tape and tore off all the tape and papers.

Ding-.

The elevator soon arrived at the first floor.

“The door is opening.”

Clunk-. Whirr-.

The elevator door opened and the bright light came on.

It looked like an ordinary everyday scene. That’s why it felt even more eerie and chilling.

Like an antlion trap that lures and devours unsuspecting people. Like something pretending to be innocent while naturally killing and eating people.

“What should I do! To think I have to enter this in my right mind! Guys! Give me courage!”

This was the lion’s mouth.

Should I place a bet even knowing it’s a game I’m bound to lose?

I’m not a gambling addict like Kim Youngho!

“You cowards. Wait and see!”

Step-.

Just then, Yang Juhui moved forward.

“Uh, hey!”

“Uh….”

Before Jeongseok and I could stop her, Yang Juhui strode into the elevator and said:

“There is a 4th floor here! No… the problem isn’t that there’s a 4th floor, but that all the buttons are labeled as 4! This elevator only has the 4th floor!”