episode_0238

The one-room apartment we arrived at after following Detective Do Jong-ha.

What I encountered there was a darkness so quiet it took my breath away, and a cold air so cold it made my fingertips tingle.

“Whew…”

It’s almost as if being buried in a pile of frozen corpses is what it feels like.

The one-room apartment, one step away from reality, was blatantly revealing an uneasy feeling that made those who approached turn away.

The fear of being one step closer to the afterlife…

in other words,

It is the space where the galaxy has always lived.

“Why are you sighing?”

“It’s warmer than our apartment.”

It’s lunchtime and someone is happily eating the triangle kimbap they bought at the convenience store.

Eunha looked around the empty one-room apartment and let out a cold sigh.

… … .

Recently, I suddenly poked my head into the ‘Recovery Hunter Kidnapping Incident’ that is rampant in [Crack Field] and the outskirts.

There was no particular reason.

I just thought that if I just had a good conversation with the ‘mediocre ones’, I might be able to solve these murder cases, so I asked Do Jong-ha to try out his detective skills.

Moreover, since I had to go to a place I don’t usually go to once a week, I thought I would do something good while doing it.

‘But in the end, I didn’t get to see Do Jong-ha working… The crime scene was so brutal that I had to stay in the car. Did he forget that I was a hunter?’

Honestly, now I’m starting to get confused as to whether this is a kidnapping or a murder case… but whatever.

Eunha tightly buttoned up the trench coat she borrowed from Do Jongha to shake off the cold air.

Is it because the weather is still hot even though September is approaching and I only wear underwear under my coat?

A cold wind blows through the gaps in my thick coat, caressing my whole body.

I thought positively.

Thanks to breaking up with Do Jong-ha, I was able to come check out the ‘other’ studio apartment.

So it’s okay.

I wasn’t upset because I wasn’t treated like a hunter.

Eunha let out a sigh she had been holding back as she looked up at the ceiling lights that were flickering ominously.

“Hoo…”

“If you sigh, your fortune will run away.”

“I hope the luck that ran away comes to you.”

『… … I don’t know, really.』

Still!

[Red Woman], who had hidden her face at the words that Eunha blurted out without thinking, hit her shoulder.

A sharp pain. Eunha bit her lower lip and picked up the arm that had been hit with her other hand.

Before long, the dislocated shoulder was restored to its original position with the [Self-Recovery] skill, but when I turned my head to the side while wiping the cold sweat, the [Red Woman] had disappeared without a trace.

Did he run away because he was embarrassed?

That’s what they mean in common parlance as ‘being bounced off’.

My heart is definitely pounding and I’m sweating profusely.

Eunha climbed the stairs to the studio apartment, gently caressing the shoulder that had bounced back from [Red Woman]’s bounce.

Ss …

The sound of footsteps overhead.

Playful leaps follow the galaxy.

‘I don’t know. Let’s take a quick look around and then go.’

The immediate goal is to determine whether the victim of the ‘kidnapping incident’ has become ‘a mediocre thing’ and to obtain information that only the dead know.

For example, it would be very helpful to just know who took them to where.

Thud… Thud…

For reference, I didn’t assume there was anything ‘middle of nowhere’ in this studio.

Even now, when I look down at the floor… I see someone’s cold, frozen intestines hanging out like thick threads of wool.

Crunch…

Internal organs that move like a living organism.

It resembles a thread that has been laid out to avoid getting lost in a labyrinth.

At the end of the room that Eunha discovered and followed from the entrance, there was ‘Room 202’ where the victim had lived before.

Crunch.

“Whew… That’s surprising. Where have you been?”

“That woman earlier was so scared.”

“He’s not a scaredy-cat, but rather a gentle person. He’s a good detective, so I want to be friends with him.”

[Red Woman], who had returned to my side without me noticing, was stuck in the tightly closed front door, and was stabbing my squirming internal organs with a saw.

‘You said the upper body was separated… Then these internal organs must be…’

I opened the [Black Book] to see if it was another monster, but there was no related information.

Eunha, who had gathered confidence in her large chest, opened the front door of ‘202’.

『… … .』

“Hello. I heard you were kidnapped, but you ended up dying.”​

And, as soon as I opened the front door, the smell of blood wafted in,

Eunha spoke to the upper body of ‘someone’ who was lying silently on the bed in ‘room 202’.

… … .

This is the upper body of a man.

On the smooth cut surface, bright red blood flowed out continuously, and the ‘thread’ that flowed out together stretched out outside the one-room apartment.

I had a grudge but it didn’t reach the sky,

Something that looks like it would be torn apart and disappear if [the Red Woman] were to swing her claws in anger…

『… … .』

‘That thing’ frowned as if his eyes were dazzled by the galaxy that had come to his house.

Then, as if he had something to say, he opened his mouth and forcefully expressed his grievances.

‘That thing’ lying on the bed, avoiding the galaxy’s gaze.

Eunha took a step forward.

What is holding ‘that’?

What on earth did he want to leave behind, that he was left here in such a horribly murdered state?

Nobody knows.

“I came here to try it because it’s something only I can do. If you have anything to say before you leave, tell me. Don’t bother other people by clinging to them for no reason.”

『… … .』

Eunha asked, taking a step towards the bed.

But ‘that thing’ averts its gaze from Eunha without saying anything.

『… … My back hurts.』

I see.

Do you not want to speak straight?

It seems that I lacked sincerity.

Eunha, with her usual smile, reached out her hand over his shoulder.

“Ms. [Red Lady]. Conversation tool.”

“ruler.”

Then a cool, familiar feeling came into my hand.

I placed the saw I had received from [Red Woman] on ‘that thing’s’ chest.

Then, the ‘thing’ that was shaking its body pointed with its finger at the ‘thread’ sticking out of its body.

“Just follow along.”

“Your speech has become more fluent.”

“No. It’s not.”

Beyond ‘Room 202’, a pink ‘thread’ continues outside the one-room apartment and somewhere else.

If I follow that, will I be able to find out where I was taken?

As I thought about that, the ‘upper body’ lying on the bed nodded.

It seemed as if ‘that thing’ was speaking.

He said he crawled all the way here even after he died.

For someone I will meet someday, because of the heavy grudge that I cannot shake off and leave,

I tied a ‘thread’ together in the hope that someone would discover it.

“If I follow this, is there a culprit?”

“My back hurts.”

“Okay, try a little harder.”

“There is. There is.”

These nails are so comfortable.

I don’t know about the weirdos, but I guess this one thing can teach ‘mediocre things’ some manners.

Galaxy, with a complex smile engraved on her face, dropped the sawtooth blade from ‘that thing’.

I got the clue more easily than I thought.

Now, if we follow that ‘thread’… no, we’ll reach the place where the victim was dragged.

Galaxy, who had thought about that, quietly looked down at the bed.

The gaze of ‘that thing’, with only the upper body remaining, looks strongly up at the galaxy.

“… … .”

A person who was unjustly murdered.

What does the ‘mediocre’ who feels so wronged that he even harbors resentment want?

A will to pass on to your family?

Or should I help them achieve their unfulfilled dreams?

Unfortunately, that won’t be the case.

Because that would be the last thing in life, a ‘foolishness’ that has been shaken off.

It’s far from resentment.

“… … I’ll kill you?”

『… … .』

Galaxy said after thinking carefully.

Resentment, not foolishness.

Well then, if that’s what you want,

The guy who killed himself,

Wouldn’t it be like falling into a deep, deep pit just like yourself?

Eunha, who had been living with monsters in the ‘Saetbyeol Apartment’, had such thoughts.

“If it’s not self-defense, you can’t kill them recklessly, no matter how villainous they are… Should I kill them anyway?”

『… … .』

“Would that satisfy you?”

The galaxy asks.

To ‘that thing’ who has lost his way.

Ask if this is the right length.

『… … My back hurts.』

But soon, something ambiguous,

He looks up reverently at the North Star that has come closer to him.

“You, don’t get sick.”

“… … .”

“That’s what we want.”

A half-hearted grudge.

It wasn’t as dark as the galaxy thought.

Just where and how he died,

I guess he wanted to stay in this place where no one came, and spread the word to anyone.

So it must be a vague grudge.

But even such trivial things would never have been passed down if the galaxy had not come looking for them.

(“Thanks to you, young lady. Just by existing, you become a milestone for countless things.”)

​

A story I once heard from a clumsy female employee of the Hunter Association.

Galaxy frowned as she received the resentment of ‘that thing’.

“Is that enough?”

“It’s too much to ask for for someone who has already finished living.”

Then suddenly, a voice was heard from behind.

[Red Lady] is not.

A voice I’ve heard before.

Eunha, who had turned her gaze away from the ‘mediocre thing’, looked at the owner of the voice.

『How many people leave without meeting the lady and without conveying anything to her?』

“… … A staff member I met at the Hunter Association.”

“Hello, Miss… Thank you for keeping your promise to visit a ‘place you don’t usually go to’ once a week.”

A female employee with a slightly clumsy impression who I met at the [Hunter Association] that I visited with Banharin, who had opened her eyes in the past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

– This guide has been created to help you use public institutions more safely.

– If you have any administrative-related inquiries, please do not hesitate to visit us.

★☆★ Welcome to the petition. Malicious petitioners die ★☆★

– If you find any missing information or typos in the guide, please report it to the person in charge.

#. The public institutions currently available to you are as follows.

– Korea Hunter Association Seoul Headquarters.

– ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

1. Guidance on complaints related to the reception desk on the 1st floor.

– Details of the complaint

: The building is too dark, especially the hallways and stairwells.

: There are a lot of broken fluorescent lights and they need to be replaced.

– Response history

: Employee ■■■, who was previously replacing a fluorescent light bulb, fell from a ladder and died.

: Due to the continued accidents, the public institution has stopped replacing fluorescent lamps.

: ■■■ ■■■. ■■■.

: Confirmation of survival of the ■■■ employee.

: Protect fluorescent lights.

: Do not head towards an area without lights.

4. Guidance on civil complaints related to civil servants.

– Details of the complaint

: The staff at the reception desk on the first floor are so clumsy.

: No matter what I ask, it seems like you don’t know anything. I don’t even want to look at you.

– Response history

: I like being sold.

: I will treat you roughly.

~~ Omitted ~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s okay. We are always saved by the presence of the young lady.”

A clumsy person who might accidentally trip and fall while walking down the street.

A woman who seems to have shaped the word clumsy into human form stands leaning against the doorway of Room 202, pushing up her round glasses.

The pure white bandages wrapped around the body like wings are stained with red blood here and there.

In the hands of such an employee, a glass box filled with ‘pure white beads’ can be seen, and pure white haze was shaking like the numerous will-o’-the-wisps seen from the fortune teller’s shop of [the black person].

The air is much cooler than before.

Eunha picked up the saw placed on ‘that thing’s’ chest and looked at the ‘clumsy employee’ with caution.

“Hello.”

『Oh, oh, hello. I’m out on a business trip… Thanks to you, I saw a child who found his way… Uh, I came to help him blend in with the Milky Way.』

The clumsy employee smiled and handled the ‘pure white beads’ in the glass box.

Blending into the Milky Way… Was it the role of guiding mediocre things to the afterlife?

When I turned my head just in case, the ‘mediocre thing’ that had been lying on the bed until just now had disappeared, leaving behind only a long string of intestines.

The culprit can be found by following that ‘thread’, but… has everything I wanted to say been conveyed?

I haven’t even seen the culprit’s face yet, it’s so ambiguous.

『By the way… you’ve changed too, young lady.』

“What is it?”

“You’ve always been forced into incidents, but this isn’t the first time you’ve jumped into an incident yourself?”

“… … Is that so?… Well, I guess it’s changed.”

『Heh, heh. The young lady has changed… Let’s say that’s true for now.』

That employee really came to pick up ‘mediocre things’, and he seemed like a low-level employee who didn’t want to go back to work because his business trip ended earlier than expected, and he was very much in the mood to slack off.

He chats with Eunha, whom he hasn’t seen in a long time, and his eyes light up as he pokes the intestines that have fallen on the floor.

Then, he looks at [the red woman] who is sticking close behind Eunha as if she is curious.

To be honest, I didn’t understand most of the conversation with that clumsy employee, but I decided to leave him alone since he was babbling with such a cheerful face.

『Wow, so much resentment has been added. How many times must there have been jealousy… Ah. Miss! You’re with another woman today…! Last time you came to the Hunter Association, you were with that cold lady, right?』

“okay?”

“Wait a minute.”

Thud thud!

In response to the clumsy employee’s words that he blurted out as he passed by, [The Red Woman], who had been quietly watching Eunha from behind, walked over and opened the trench coat Eunha was wearing.

The button, torn off without any strength, falls to the floor, and something harsh hidden in the coat is revealed before [the Red Woman’s] eyes.

“Let’s solve it through conversation.”

“I’m listening.”

“I came to save Ms. Banharin.”

“I know.”

“… … Then why did you take off all the buttons?”

“I wanted to try it.”

“I see.”

I can hear people talking, but I don’t feel like I’m having a conversation.

Eunha burst into laughter as she hugged [Red Woman] who had dug into her coat.

“Hehehe… Okay. Let’s hurry up and follow those organs. If we keep going like this, we won’t be able to catch the culprit today.”

“So, you want to catch him? That kid from earlier has already blended into the Milky Way.”

“Because it’s something I can do… I don’t want anyone else to die here.”

There were no worries.

Eunha, who had taken [Red Woman] away, grabbed the front of her trench coat with one hand and left ‘Room 202’.

“Hey, hey, miss! I want to go too!”

“Huh?… Do whatever you want.”

I leave the moldy one-room apartment and follow the ‘thread’ hanging on the floor.

The intestines, whose owner had disappeared, guided the way to the galaxy as if they were stubbornly holding on to an unfulfilled grudge.

The ‘things’ that were hiding in alleys and corners here and there and watching the galaxy, noticed the clumsy employee following the galaxy and quickly hid themselves.

‘Okay. Let’s start by chopping down the culprit right away.’

The path forward is a grudge that someone passed on and left behind.

Although I left behind only a vague sense of resentment…

Still, I cautiously think that if I find the guy who killed you and send him as a companion, he might leave with a slightly relieved heart.

There are many ways.

Call Do Jong-ha,

Call Banharin,

Call the apartment residents,

Let’s go and think about it for now.

If you go to the place where the ‘mediocre thing’ was killed, something will come out.

“That woman doesn’t take care of it?”

“You mean Ms. Banharin?… She’ll come find you anyway, right?”

“Tsk… ”

… … .

“Young lady… still hangs out with people.”

[Red Woman] and the naive woman who followed the galaxy from afar,

He muttered as he twisted the bloody bandages wrapped around his body.

… … .

… … .

“Wow…what is all this.”

How long did it take to walk like that?

A commercial residence about 5 minutes away from the studio.

Passing the ‘butcher shop’ on the first floor, where there was not a single person because it was still ‘this world’,

Arrived at the 2nd floor.

In that place where someone had left traces, Eunha frowned when she found things in the bathroom bathtub.

This is why being a detective is hard.

I realize this anew.