Ch.30Rainy Spring Day

– Screech.

– Ah, ah. This is an announcement from the security office. The water supply will be temporarily suspended due to pipe inspection. We apologize for any inconvenience to our residents. The water suspension will take place from 9 to 11 o’clock. Once again, we would like to inform you.

– During the water suspension period, rusty water may come out of the taps. We ask for your understanding.

I leaned back against the headboard of my bed, anxiously listening to the voice.

It’s raining.

When spring rain falls, it’s usually morning.

Under a murky gray sky that looks like diluted paint, a sad atmosphere lingers. Raindrops tear delicate flower petals and press them to the ground, while people open umbrellas and trample those white fragments. Perhaps it’s even colder than winter. Even with the heater on and blankets pulled up, a strange chill seeps deep into your lungs.

Knock knock.

I jumped at the sudden sound and clutched my blanket.

“Oppa! They want everyone to gather together!”

It’s Yoon Daju.

Thankfully she doesn’t have the ability to see through walls. If she had seen me cowering under my blanket, she would have made a fuss about how cute I was.

I roughly ran my fingers through my hair while getting dressed.

“Ugh, I’m sleepy.”

Daju laughs when she sees my appearance. “Ahah!”

“Wow. Oppa, do you know your hair is a complete disaster? It looks like birds could build a nest in there soon.”

“Ah. You said to come out quickly… This won’t do. I’m going back in to wash up first.”

“What are you talking about? Just come out.”

My mind is already troubled enough without her pointing out my hair. My hair.

“You look completely disheveled too. You just woke up and haven’t washed your face, right?”

“No? I wiped it with wet wipes? I’m definitely cleaner than you. But you know what, Oppa? You seem different these days.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t guys usually not care about this stuff? Like, they just shuffle around in slippers. But lately, I’ve noticed you’re paying more attention to your appearance and cleanliness.”

“That’s not true? I used to wash up when I was a man too. If I went outside with messy hair to meet people, wouldn’t I look like an animal rather than a human? Why are you suddenly making me out to be strange?”

“You’re getting defensive. Just admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“Your female transformation is progressing.”

“Hey. Didn’t I tell you not to say that?”

“I’m just stating facts?”

“No! It’s not a fact!”

How does Yoon Daju never lose an argument?

As we head to room 701 where everyone is supposed to gather, announcements continue to play from the ceiling speakers.

– The water supply will be temporarily suspended due to pipe inspection.

“We’re gathering because of the announcement, right?”

“Yes.”

“The announcement itself doesn’t seem dangerous, since we’re listening to it now.”

“That’s right. But what comes after is concerning.”

“How so?”

“There have been a few announcements before. They had different content then. Go inside and let unni explain the details.”

“You never explain things yourself.”

Clank.

Yoon Daju throws the door wide open.

As always, Choi Serim, Heo Yoon, and Seok Hyunmin are sitting in their usual spots.

“Hey. What happened to your hair?”

“Seriously. What did you do to your hair?”

Seok Hyunmin and Heo Yoon say the exact same thing, as if they planned it.

Is it really that bad?

I looked in the mirror by the entrance.

…It’s a complete mess. A layer of hair is floating up, forming a roof on top of my head.

If it weren’t for the announcement, I wouldn’t have gone outside looking like this. But now there’s a water suspension, so I can’t wet my hair to comb it. I hurriedly combed my hair with the brush Heo Yoon handed me, and my eyes met Choi Serim’s. As always, she was crouched in the corner with a laptop on her knees.

“What is it, Dabin?”

“Nothing. Just…”

“Come here. I’ll brush your hair for you.”

“Ah. That’s okay…”

Letting someone else do my hair is surprisingly embarrassing. Especially when it’s Choi Serim. Pale skin with slightly droopy eyes. A somewhat tired expression. She was my ideal type even when I was a man.

“Dabin. Are you okay like that?”

“Ah…”

Is that why?

When Choi Serim looks me in the eyes and speaks softly like this, I find it impossible to resist.

“No. I’ll come over, noona.”

“Good. Give me the brush.”

Swish, swish.

Noona starts brushing my hair. From the puffy bangs to the tangled strands around them. It feels so comfortable, as if all my worries are being swept away. Since this is something women enjoy, I can still say I haven’t become a woman in my heart, right?

Wait, what? Female transformation? That’s nonsense. When I return to being a man, I’ll definitely…

“Dabin.”

“Yes, noona?”

“No.”

Noona briefly shows a gentle smile, then slowly whispers.

“Could you try calling me unni?”

“What…? But I’m a man…”

“Still.”

“Sigh…”

Swish, swish.

The brushing is almost done, and my chaotic hair has settled down.

Well, it’s just words. Just once. I can do that, can’t I?

“Okay, but I don’t think I can say it naturally. It’s going to sound really awkward…”

“That’s fine.”

“Serim…unni…?”

“Well done, Dabin.”

“Unni…”

Looking into Choi Serim’s eyes makes my mind feel clear like a glass marble.

Or is it? To be precise, that’s how it is from Choi Serim’s perspective.

My consciousness keeps getting mushy, and I can’t even read my own thoughts properly.

– This is an announcement from the security office. The water supply will be temporarily suspended due to pipe inspection. We apologize for any inconvenience to our residents. The water suspension will take place from 9 to 11 o’clock.

The announcement continues to play.

“What have you two been doing?”

“Just helping with hair brushing.”

Heo Yoon makes an exasperated expression.

“I’ve been thinking lately that the only normal people here are Hyunmin and me. Yoon Daju is the biggest problem. Choi Serim too. And Dabin, you’ve been influenced by them! We could die at any moment, but you’re all leisurely enjoying daily life. I really can’t get used to it.”

“We can’t always live on edge.”

Choi Serim answers with a smile.

“If you live here long enough, you’ll become like this too.”

“……”

Heo Yoon stares blankly for a moment, then abruptly turns her head away.

“Anyway, we don’t know what’s going to happen now. Get ready.”

– Once again, we would like to inform you…

The announcement has been continuing for quite some time.

“Lim Dabin. I’ll explain briefly, so listen carefully. First, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard such announcements. They happen occasionally, but things don’t always proceed according to the content. Ah, how should I explain this?”

“…The announcement content isn’t necessarily true, but strange phenomena related to it occur.”

Seok Hyunmin jumps in to continue the explanation.

“For example, let’s say there’s an announcement about recycling. It’s not actually recycling day, but suddenly trash starts appearing around the apartment. Things like cans or glass bottles. There were human flesh pieces sucked into them. What did we need to do to stay safe then?”

“If you picked up a can, the person would be completely crushed. A person fitting inside a palm-sized can… ugh.”

Yoon Daju shivers even as she answers.

If she’s reacting like that, I can’t imagine how horrifying it must have been.

“Right. That was during recycling. When there was a cleaning announcement, the building was flooded with water. So we’ve been thinking about this current situation…”

Pausing his explanation, Seok Hyunmin picks up a shopping bag from the floor.

It’s filled with rubber gloves, electrical tape, super glue, and similar items.

“We’re planning to seal all the faucets.”

The others don’t seem to have any questions, probably because they’ve already heard the explanation.

“Wait a minute.”

“What? Something strange?”

“Didn’t they say there would be a water suspension? Shouldn’t we be collecting water in advance?”

Heo Yoon answers instead.

“We discussed that too, but we’re more concerned about the last sentence.”

“Yes. Rusty water coming out. Well, if water doesn’t come out here, we can get it from another floor. The truly scary part is the rusty water.”

Seok Hyunmin is already preparing for the task. His hands are busy tearing and cutting tape while he speaks.

“We don’t know what might come out besides rusty water.”

Daju concludes the explanation that has been going on.

“That’s why we all gathered here to seal the faucets and hold out.”

“I see.”

It’s certainly a plausible plan. These people have survived here much longer than I have, so it makes sense.

Seok Hyunmin quickly seals the kitchen sink. Meanwhile, Heo Yoon is wrestling with the bathroom sink.

“I’ve sealed all the bathroom sinks!”

“Noona, wait a bit! I’ll finish this and then we’ll seal the toilet tank together! And the drain on the balcony. And that rain pipe? We need to pull it out and seal everything.”

I took some tape from the shopping bag.

“I’ll do it.”

“Okay. You probably can’t do it alone, so Daju, go with Serim and Dabin.”

“Got it!”

As if signaling that time is running out, the announcement starts to sound increasingly bizarre.

– Announce-ment pipe inspec-water suspen. Current-tion please-will be… This is an announcement.

“Is it still leaking there?”

“Yes.”

“We need one more person here!”

Splash-

Despite our efforts, water kept leaking and soaked our clothes, but anyway.

We managed to seal all the faucets before any strange phenomena occurred.

– During the water suspension period, rusty water may come out of the taps. We ask for your understanding.

The next moment.

A scream from Heo Yoon came from the bathroom.

We rushed to the bathroom.

The rubber seal covering the sink faucet was already bulging.

“Th-th-there’s something inside.”

Completely panicked, Heo Yoon stammers. But she continues wrapping tape to keep the rubber seal from falling off.

Crack.

Despite Heo Yoon’s efforts, the tape tears and falls off due to moisture and pressure.

And then,

The inside of the rubber seal is clearly visible.

In the damp space, I could see something long, smooth, and black wriggling.