episode_0079

“It’s been a long time since we reunited, but the boy doesn’t seem very happy. Where did the lady I was with go?”

The clown spoke in a very kind tone, but the intimidating feeling he gave off was something that surpassed all the beings I had encountered so far in my nightmares.

The clown’s eyes, which were covered with heavy makeup but still gave off a certain presence, were slanted and slit, further strengthening his eerie impression.

“If it were her…she would have gone outside.”

“Ahahaha! is that so! is that so!? But seeing as you couldn’t go out, I guess you failed due to unavoidable circumstances, right?”

“…Don’t you know everything?”

The clown, who was laughing and tapping his legs exaggeratedly, instantly became expressionless when he heard what I said.

Even now, it seems like they were certain that I would come this way and were waiting… I think it’s safe to say that they are fully aware of my whereabouts.

“The boy seems to be smarter than I thought.”

Spinning around me, the clown placed his finger on his chin and persistently looked at my entire body.

I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I was being judged, but I didn’t know what would happen if I got on the clown’s nerves any further, so I had no choice but to quietly hold my breath and wait for his behavior to stop.

“Boy, where are you going in such a hurry?’

Is it okay to be honest with him? I thought about it for a moment, but then I realized there was no reason to hide it.

Even if he follows me from now on, I can’t stop him, but I think it would be helpful to be honest… He’s not someone I can’t communicate with.

“I’m going to the library.”

“Library?”

At that moment, I heard him taking a breath. He made a humorous gesture of putting his hand to his ear and asked me again.

“Boy, did I just hear correctly? ”

“…I’m going to the library to find a way out of this nightmare.”

“Ahaha! Ahahaha! Really, really fun! It’s fun!”

The clown rolling around on the floor and laughing like crazy looked like he was mentally ill, but he could never be downplayed. Even now, instead of weakening, his intimidating feeling was growing stronger.

“I want to help the boy who is making such a cute plan. Balloons…don’t you need them?”

If we go by order, this time it would be our turn to receive the red balloon, but last time we gave the white balloon, so it would already be completely different from the order Sohee said…

Considering the risk of receiving a black balloon, it would have been right to refuse, but right now, I desperately needed the clown’s help.

If he gives me a red balloon, I can safely find the library within a limited time… I’ll have to take a gamble.

“Balloons… I need them.”

“That’s honest. I really like honest boys.”

The clown immediately got up and picked up a black balloon from the pile of balloons.

He slowly moved his hand and handed it to me, and he was smiling very humorously, as if he was expecting my reaction.

‘…What do we do.’

In the end, the worst situation is that I have no choice but to receive the black balloon I was worried about… Should I refuse it, or should I accept it just in case?

…Even if you refuse, it ends when he forces you to take it. It’s hard to come this far, so I have no choice but to believe the clown’s words that he likes honest men.

“Thank you…”

I grabbed my trembling hand with my other hand and slowly moved it towards the balloon.

As my hand got closer to the balloon, the clown’s smile became darker and his makeup was completely off, making him look like the devil.

And when he reached the balloon, he quickly moved it back.

“Oh no, this lowly clown has been mistaken again.”

“…is it an illusion?”

“You can’t give a dull black balloon to a brave boy like Sihyeon.”

The clown, who popped a black balloon with his finger, smiled kindly and put his hand into the sleeve of his clothes.

After rummaging around a few times, the object he pulled out was a green balloon that had not yet been inflated.

“When you feel like crying, try blowing this balloon. You don’t know, do you? Good luck will come to the boy.”

The clown who squeezed the balloon into my hand, which was still shaking, laughed out loud and disappeared back into the alley where he had appeared.

It was only after his appearance completely disappeared that I relaxed and collapsed to the floor.

Over and over again, I felt like I had crossed the line between life and death. The clown was constantly smiling while talking to me, but behind the smile was clearly a murderous intent.

“…The sound has disappeared.”

Did the clown get rid of it, or did the source of the sound get scared by the clown’s appearance and disappear?

I don’t know, but the terrible sound that had been bothering me from the moment I entered this street had completely disappeared.

I looked around and couldn’t see anything strange, so I barely regained the strength in my legs and stood up, carefully putting the green balloon in my pants pocket and walking away.

Unlike the previous street, there were no cars passing by at the crosswalk that I reached without any interruption.

Since there were no traffic lights, let alone cars, I thought it would be okay to just walk, but having learned to be cautious, I slowly looked at the crosswalk.

…On the outside, it looks like there’s nothing wrong. There are no monsters or abnormal phenomena to be seen…is it really just an ordinary crosswalk? There are so many strange things about this nightmare… I’m starting to suspect everything.

After looking at the crosswalk for a while, I made sure there were no problems and walked slowly.

Contrary to concerns, there was really nothing wrong with the crosswalk. Have I become too sensitive? No, I have to check every time like this to increase the survival rate.

After crossing the long crosswalk without interruption, the street I arrived at had a decidedly different atmosphere from the previous one, which was full of hospitals, large supermarkets, and houses.

If there are this many different buildings, wouldn’t the target library be somewhere here? I searched for it on a whim, but I’m glad I ended up on the right path.

Despite the diversity of buildings in the city, no other presence was noticeable.

There were two monsters on the street at first, but I guess there were fewer of them than I thought… Well, if there were too many of them, I would have seen them every time I moved.

I relaxed a bit and looked around as best as I could before finding the library. Movie theater… It’s a nightmare theme, and there’s even a poster for the latest movie.

As I continued walking, a large sign caught my eye.

‘A traditional market with elegance and etiquette’

There were numerous shops lined up behind the signboard, giving it a distinct market feel.

…Is this the market Ally was talking about? I’m a little curious about what’s inside, but I don’t think I’ll see anything good if I go now. Still, knowing the location is a good thing.

After keeping the location of the market clearly in mind, I left the entrance behind and walked on.

I need to find a library quickly… I have everything else, but why isn’t there a library?

As I sighed and looked around again, a building caught my eye.

Although it only has two floors and looks like a local office on the outside, the old-fashioned building was very foreign and did not fit in with the surrounding landscape at all.

Normally I would just pass by, but for some reason it bothers me… It’s a little different from the image I imagine of a library, but I’ll have to check.

I quickly approached the building and tried to look inside through the glass door, but the glass was opaque so it was hazy and I couldn’t see clearly.

I made up my mind and slowly pulled the glass door open. Please, I hope it’s the library…!

‘Ahh…I did it…!’

As soon as I opened the door, the first thing I saw was bookshelves filling the building and books stacked tightly together. Anyone who could see the interior, which would be called a library, told me that I had answered correctly.

Now, I could just pick a book here and get the information I want… aren’t there too many books?

It appears that each bookshelf contains at least 300 books, and if you count the visible bookshelf, there are 20 of them.

No matter how bad you are, 6,000 books? This is also an estimate, so if it increases, it will increase, not decrease…

Why do I feel like giving up already?

…At times like this, I need to check my notebook. Since I came into the library and recognized it clearly, a new solution must have come out.

1. Welcome to ‘City Library’. Our library is a place that always strives to provide citizens with knowledge.

2. If there is a book you want, search for it using the device on the counter. If you have difficulty using the device, please call our staff and we will be happy to assist you.

3. Basically, you can borrow books freely, but there are some books that are prohibited from being taken out. It’s unfortunate that books are banned from being taken out, but we hope you enjoy them at the library.

4. Basically, any exercise or loud conversation is prohibited in the library. This is for the convenience of citizens, so we ask for your cooperation.

4-1. If conversation is too loud, library staff may ‘caution’ you.

5. ‘Katin’, an employee who always works for the library, is a great employee who puts your convenience first. If she gets angry, please realize her mistake.

6. Katin is always watching you. Outside drinks & Please refrain from bringing in food.

7. Katin is always listening to you. Excessive heartbeat prevents her from working comfortably.

8. Katin is always by your side. Please be careful not to bump into her.

9. Kateen is your helper, guide, and guide.

The rules I opened the notebook to check were very scary. It seemed like a normal rule until number 4… but it started to get weird from number 5, and I started to like it more and more.

Is Katin the special entity from the library that Sohee mentioned? According to what the rulebook says, it means that he is still next to me… but there is no one else.

After clearly remembering the information about Katin, I put the notebook in my pocket and carefully walked to the counter.

I can’t do anything right now because I can’t see it without hitting it 8 times, but I have to protect the rest as much as possible… I hope it doesn’t look scary.