episode_0035

“…Lady.”

“Why are you interfering…? This is my food.”

“Trust me just once. That young man is definitely not a person who talks nonsense.”

When I opened my eyes to the sound of an argument, the old man I went on patrol with last time was standing in front of me. Her sharp nails that were swinging at me were stopped by my grandfather’s white cane.

She looked back and forth between me and my grandfather and sighed. Her sharp fingernails had returned to their original state and she was back to looking like a normal person again.

“If grandpa blocks me, what can I do? Mr. security guard. What is your name?”

She walked in front of me and looked at me. The face that was full of anger was now heated, but it had returned to a normal smiling face.

However, she could not hide the tears she shed, so a single tear was flowing down her cheek.

“This is Sihyeon. I mean what I said. I will definitely help you…!”

“…I remembered the name. If you can’t keep your promise! I’m going to kill you and eat you, so make sure to protect them, right?”

I nodded. The way she spoke and gestured looked cute, but I felt cold sweat running down my back because I knew it wasn’t just a joke.

“…I’m going back because it looks like things are going to get weird again.”

Waving her hand, she returned to the front door. After she opened the door and watched until she was out of sight, I bowed deeply to my grandfather, who was looking at me with a wide smile.

“Thanks to my grandfather, I survived again. I really don’t know how to thank you…”

“Hehe. Young man, this is my first time seeing you.”

Oops! A thought passed through my head. The last time I saw my grandfather was during the last loop, so this is my first time seeing him… But then why did you save me?

“I was so fooled. Just a joke. Just a joke! I remember listening to this old man’s story and going for a walk with him the other day.”

I smiled shyly and rubbed my chest at the grandpa who was laughing so brightly. You’re so scared of jokes…

“Young man. If it’s okay, wouldn’t you listen to this old man’s story again?”

Grandfather made the same suggestion again as before. I had no reason to refuse, and I nodded because I thought it would be of great help to hear the story of an old man who knew the hospital well.

“Oh, before that, I’ll give you this candy. Grandpa likes candy, right?”

The candy was supposed to be given to her, but it was no longer useful, so I gave it to my grandfather. Rules aside, I wanted to remind you of how happy you were the last time I gave you candy.

“…Thank you. thank you. Now, let me tell you a little bit about me again. Did you say that a new director came to you last time?”

“Yes. It was originally a normal hospital, but the new director came and said things started to get weird.”

“Okay. Before that woman came, I was the director of this hospital.”

My grandfather calmly told me a shocking truth. Since my grandfather was also wearing a hospital gown, I naturally assumed that he was a victim caught in this hospital…

“The woman suddenly appeared one day and said she had been appointed as the new director of this hospital. I’ve never heard of such news, but strangely enough, all the nurses and staff thought that she was the director from the beginning.”

Grandfather’s voice became increasingly depressed. I could see the smile on his face turning into a sad one as he continued speaking.

“No matter what I said, it was of no use. I tried reporting it to the police, but they also said that the director was that woman from the beginning. Instead, they forcibly hospitalized me, saying I was a mental patient who thought I was a doctor.”

The back of the grandfather walking with a cane looked very sad. I couldn’t even imagine how great the despair would be if everything I had built collapsed in just one moment.

“A child who was hurt by bullying, a poor woman who lived under pressure from her family. Even pregnant women who suffered from depression due to the pressure of having to raise their children alone after their husbands ran away… these were all people who could be treated. But as a patient, I had no choice but to watch them break down.”

I heard the sound of water drops falling on the floor. It wasn’t raining, but at least it was raining in my heart.

“Every day, the hospital is ruined and people become strange. There was nothing I could do…nothing. It was only then that I realized how helpless I was…”

After finishing speaking, the grandfather lowered his head. I felt like my grandfather’s sadness was conveyed to me as well, so I held on to his wrinkled hand with both hands.

“Grandpa, you saved me twice. He’s not someone who can’t do anything…he’s a hero to me.”

I felt the hand I was holding tightly tremble. I held on tighter so that my true feelings could be conveyed to my grandfather.

“…I won’t tell you much. If you can, leave here. No matter how sad it is for the people here, there is nothing you can do on your own.”

“I know you are saying this out of concern for me. But I made an appointment with people at this hospital. I will definitely save you.”

As my grandfather said, I was just an ordinary person with no power, but I wanted to struggle as long as I could. If you give up because you can’t see what’s ahead, you’ll end up with nothing to see.

“What if I tell you that if you stay in this hospital, you too will become a monster?”

“Yes. Of course, there were moments when I wanted to give up because it was scary and painful… but I promised myself that I would never give up in the future.”

“You are so smart… young man, please accept this cane.”

My grandfather handed me the cane he was holding. When I unconsciously took the wand, I felt a warm warmth coming from it. As if alive.

“That cane has been something I have had since some point. I don’t know why I have that item, but…at least if you have that cane in this hospital, no one will hurt you.”

“Is it okay for you to give me such a precious item…? Without this, the director could be in danger!”

“I have lived enough to live. And now, even if you see me, don’t talk to me. It seems that the reason why my mind is intact is because of the influence of that cane.”

“Then it’s okay if I don’t have a cane like this… Even if I don’t have one, I’ll try my best somehow…!”

“Don’t cry, young man. Shouldn’t you just make an effort to release everyone from this hospital? As I told you, I believe you are not talking nonsense.”

Grandfather turned his back on me as if he would never take his cane back. My hands were heavy as I received something so precious.

“We will definitely release everyone from this hospital, so please wait. Because everyone includes grandfather!”

My grandfather, who was quickly disappearing, waved at me. It was a short meeting, but I bowed wholeheartedly to my grandfather, who helped me so much from the beginning to the end.

After my grandfather left, I continued to patrol the hospital with my cane in hand. Last time, I went with my grandfather, but the patrol alone was very lonely and long.

When I entered the security room after a long patrol, the time was already 4:40. My heart was heavy at the thought of having to go to the morgue again, but I felt a little more at ease as I held on to my grandfather’s walking stick.

Knock knock knock

When I took out the key to the morgue, I heard someone knocking on the security room window. Can someone come even after patrol?

“Woman, we meet again.”

“Are you…a police officer?”

The door opened and the person seen was a police officer. Unlike the last time we met, his expression seemed much more relaxed.

“Okay. Can I smoke a cigarette in front of you? You can’t smoke inside the hospital.”

The police officer I knew was someone who smoked in the hospital room where Arin was, but the person I saw before my eyes had clearly changed.

“You can open it. But what brings you here?”

He smiled happily as he was given permission, turned his head and lit a cigarette. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and looked at me again.

“I was talking to you the other day and I was wondering why I became a police officer. Like you said, I didn’t become a police officer to threaten girls…”

He turned his head again and took a deep breath of his cigarette. After inhaling deeply until the cigarette was completely burned out, he extinguished it by rubbing it on the floor and putting it in his pocket.

“Well, I thought it would be too late to realize it after he died, but… I sincerely apologized to the girl, and she accepted it. I mean Arin from room 303.”

“Did Arin forgive you…!”

“Isn’t it amazing that I, who didn’t change even when I was scolded by my parents, changes after hearing just one word? I guess there’s something about what you said that resonates with me.”

I felt like I was saved when I saw him smiling so brightly. I was so happy and heartbroken that my one word had changed him.

“And I was asked by that child to help you. Is something in trouble now?”

“There is, but it’s really dangerous and you could die. It’s right that I do it alone.”

“I’m already dead, so what’s the point of dying again? I’ll help you, so let’s go together. Because it is my own atonement.”

“Okay…thank you…”

I felt like the work I had done at this hospital was being rewarded. Although it wasn’t kind of me to help them in return for something in return, I was unbearably happy that my good will was returned to them.

“Be a man and stop crying. Well then, let’s get going, it looks like we don’t have much time.”

I wiped my flowing tears with my sleeve, carefully picked up the cane that my grandfather had given me, and stood up.

I had a feeling that this was my last chance before leaving for the morgue, so I carefully folded the paper the nurse had written and put it in my pocket.

“All preparations have been completed. What I have to do is go to the morgue and find all of the demon’s bodies. Please help me find the body.”

“There are all kinds of strange things happening. Now that I know what’s going on, let’s go.”

After leaving the security room, I went into the hospital with the police. The dark stairs visible as soon as you open the entrance still gave off an ominous energy, but it wasn’t as scary as last time.

We looked at each other, nodded, and walked up the stairs. Just like last time, I started to feel chills, but as I held on to the cane, I couldn’t feel the cold.

“Aren’t you cold, Mr. Police?”

“Right now I’m no different from a moving corpse, so it’s okay. Instead, worry about yourself, kid.”

“…I’m an adult.”

“What? These are the most shocking words since entering this hospital.”

The last time I went down the stairs, which weighed heavily on my heart, I felt much better after having a small conversation with the police officer. Is calling me kid an expression of his friendliness? I guess so.

As we walked and chatted, we soon saw the end of the stairs. When I went all the way down the stairs, the old door that had been closed the last time was already open, as if it had been waiting.

“…Kid, take this.”

When I looked at Mr. Police, he handed me a pistol. I don’t know why, but he asked me to take it, so I took the pistol and put it on my waist.

“I feel uneasy…I think it would be better for you to have that pistol than for me.”

“…I’ll take it for now. I will keep it and return it to you after I get out of here.”

“Okay. Let’s go inside first.”

As I entered the door with the police officer, a light came on in the dark room. The same morgue as last time appeared, and one of the freezers began to open, making an ominous sound.

The head of a woman with long red hair emerged from the fully open freezer. It was still beautiful, but it was even more ominous.

An uninvited guest has arrived.

“Ugh, wow…”

“Police!!”

We don’t want uninvited guests.

With the devil’s words, Mr. Police’s body began to twist. The sight of an arm turning into a leg and a leg turning into an arm—for some reason, it felt familiar.

“For a villain like me…it’s a fitting ending…you take the pistol…”

“But the police officer’s body…!”

“No worries…just mind your own business…kid…”

With those last words, the completely contorted police officer disappeared like snow melting. I shed tears as he vanished in vain, but the devil did not give me time to grieve.

Please find my body, sweet child.

“Body…”

Blood began to pool on the floor again. But perhaps thanks to my grandfather’s cane, I didn’t feel the same cold as last time.

As I remembered the police officer’s will and the promises I made at the hospital, I strengthened my mind. I can’t collapse here. never.