episode_0346

At the facility she had been abducted to—a rare occurrence—was the “director” of the orphanage.

A woman who should have died years ago when the orphanage burned down.

Had she not died? Or had she returned as a specter?

Either way, Eunha’s task was clear.

“It’s cleaner inside than I expected.”

October 1st. 8:00 PM.

The place called the [Facility] appeared to be a research center of moderate size buried underground.

Pristine white hallways and labs.

And rows of colorful, unlabeled potions.

Aside from the lack of windows to the outside, its equipment was on par with that of a major guild’s potion research lab.

‘Why go through the trouble of hiding a research facility underground in the mountains… There’s not even a convenience store nearby. Must be incredibly inconvenient. Is the ventilation even working?’

Now, Eunha walked down the white hallway, guided by the “director” clad in a pitch-black nun’s habit.

“Where are we going?”

“Eunha, dear. It’s dinnertime.”

“To the cafeteria… Are there others here?”

“It’s dinnertime.”

_Click-clack._

The sound of suitcase wheels.

They proceeded down a hallway that was eerily quiet.

_Grrrk…_

The “director” walking ahead turned her head frequently to stare at Eunha.

Each time, an unsettling… gurgling sound, like phlegm rattling, emanated from “its” chest.

_Grrrk…_

The spot where the orphanage’s basement had burned away—where Wi Haneul’s blade had pierced through.

“…….”

Eunha observed the [Facility], so quiet it hurt her ears.

No human voices echoed through this vast research center.

No footsteps coming or going.

Surely, not everyone had clocked out and gone home.

‘…It’s cold.’

The white hallway, devoid of any signs of life.

Air as frigid as winter’s touch.

Eunha felt that the atmosphere here was similar to the “Morning Star Apartments” where she lived.

“……Miss Eunha. Now that we’ve entered the [Facility], can we just kill everything?”

“Already?”

“They’re the ones who attempted to abduct you. We have every right to search this place. That bastard Go Yeongin would help too.”

Guild Master Kim Hayang scanned the surroundings with a suspicious expression.

Brushing dust off her pristine white robe, she approached Eunha.

Where was her blade-sharp voice directed?

Ever since encountering the “director,” neither Eunha nor Kim Hayang bothered hiding their discomfort.

“……Guild Master Kim Hay—”

“Address me properly.”

“Mom. I don’t know why, but there are specters roaming this [Facility]. Calling in others for a search would only put them in danger.”

Eunha subtly gestured toward the “director” walking ahead.

Kim Hayang, who missed the gesture, muttered, “Specters?” and glanced around warily.

Eunha grabbed her head and forced her to look at the “director.”

_Thud… Thud…_

Earlier, the “director’s” foot had been crushed while trying to stop the iron gate at the entrance from closing.

As if unfazed by pain, it trudged forward, painting the white hallway red with each step.

Definitely a specter.

But how?

Why was a specter in the [Facility]?

They needed to find out.

“We should confirm what’s going on here first.”

“And then?”

“Once we figure things out, we’ll take our chance and deal with the ‘director’ first.”

“Good.”

_Click._

She unzipped the suitcase slightly.

Prepared to draw her “chainsaw” at any moment, Eunha followed the limping “director” and arrived at the staff cafeteria.

…….

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

– Just because you live together, do you think you can show everything?

– The closer you are, the more there is to uphold. We call this “manners.”

– The more you wear the mask of manners, the less you’ll spit on each other.

1. No running.

– You’ve probably heard this often—maybe at school.

– We always strive to move forward swiftly, yet the first step of manners is often stillness.

– Do not run in the hallways or on the stairs.

– You might fall.

2. Focus on your meal during dinner.

– Light conversation is allowed.

– Do not leave the table before finishing your meal.

– Do not hold anything other than utensils in your hands.

– Even if you hear strange noises, even if someone calls your name,

– Do not look away from the table.

3. ■◇ ◇■ ■◇◇ ■◇.

–

–

–

4. Leave behind ■◇◇■.

– Do not depart.

– Keep the memories.

5. Lock doors securely.

– This is a shared space. If thieves enter, everyone suffers.

– Check both doors and windows thoroughly.

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

They arrived at the [Facility] staff cafeteria.

The moment the smiling “director” slid open the glass door, Kim Sarang gagged at the overpowering stench of blood wafting out.

The reek of countless lives congealed together.

For Kim Sarang, gifted with beast-like senses, it was unbearable. She immediately turned away and clung to her shaggy dog, Jjongi.

“Woof…”

For some reason, the relaxed-looking Jjongi calmed her down.

Maybe the smell of blood was familiar to him.

“There are people… though most are corpses.”

“Cough… It’s just like the orphanage dinners. Is it staged like that on purpose?”

White tables lined the cafeteria.

People in researcher uniforms sat in the chairs.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Corpses with necks snapped by “something.”

Some were cleanly broken, others drenched in blood.

Their faces and manner of death varied, yet they all sat with their necks twisted, slumped over like dolls,

Staring down at the tables like well-behaved children.

“Ugh…”

The corpses sat spaced evenly along the long tables.

Against the white backdrop, they created a grotesquely eerie scene.

“…Is that our seat?”

Four empty chairs awaited.

First, they had to follow the specter’s “rules.”

“…….”

“Eunha, unnie?”

Eunha halted at the wide-open cafeteria entrance.

Biting her lip, she stared at the tables filled with corpses.

People had died.

Just like that.

While she had been playing with specters to survive,

Specters had been killing people.

“…….”

Did these people have to die?

Had their sins warranted death?

Could there have been another way?

Such thoughts swirled in her mind.

‘Why… me…’

Dead people.

A storm of emotions welled up in Eunha’s heart.

Sympathy, guilt, sorrow…

And.

A twinge of envy.

Their stories had ended.

They wouldn’t suffer anymore.

…Someone who thinks like that surely deserves resentment.

It was just hindsight regret.

Eunha felt something inside her knot up.

“…Eunha, unnie?”

“You can resent me if you want.”

“Huh?”

“…Nothing. Let’s go inside.”

Muttering to no one in particular, Eunha turned to Kim Sarang.

Her face was the same as always—

Smiling.

“…….”

An odd dissonance.

Though sensing something off, Kim Sarang followed Eunha and took a seat at the empty table.

Kim Hayang sat across, Eunha to her left.

Jjongi perched on her lap.

_Drip… Drip…_

To her right sat the corpse of an unknown researcher.

Thick droplets of blood from its hollow eye sockets fell onto the plate before it.

Turning her head, the sight grew even more horrific.

How could anyone eat here?

‘Is this the result of unleashed specters?’

The corpses seated around the cafeteria.

Had Eunha carried such things alone all this time?

Why did such monsters exist in the world?

What kind of life had Eunha lived?

She couldn’t fathom it.

“Huff… Huff… P-people… You’re alive?”

Then, the woman beside Eunha spoke.

Staring down at the table, her gaze flickered toward Eunha’s chest—larger than her own head and flat as a flounder.

A survivor.

“Wow, you’re alive… Hi, I’m Eunha.”

Resting her ample chest on the table, Eunha replied in a peaceful tone.

_Shudder…_

Leaning her chin on her hand, she smiled, waiting for dinner like any patron at a normal restaurant.

The casual demeanor made the woman beside her tremble violently.

“M-monster…! Are you a monster?!?”

“I’m human. I just arrived at the [Facility].”

“O-okay… Witch-nim…”

Clearly, she didn’t believe Eunha was human.

Maybe it was the way she smiled normally in a cafeteria full of corpses.

Clutching her bloodstained lab coat collar, the woman stammered out an introduction.

“H-hi… I’m, uh, f-from the Potion Preparation Lab, [Materials Supply Team]… J-just call me… ‘Flounder’… Everyone d-does…”

“I see. People call me ‘Milky’ or ‘Miss Udder.’”

“Y-yeah… Fits…”

“…Wow. That stings.”

_Pout._

Eunha looked down at her ample “bags of resentment” placed on the table, wounded.

“Flounder” side-eyed the woman in white robes.

“U-um… Are you… Guild Master of the [Heaven Piercing Swords]…? Did you come to save us…?”

“I was kidnapped.”

“I kidnapped her.”

So you got caught too.

Everything’s ruined.

The woman nicknamed “Flounder,” sitting beside Eunha, stared at the table in despair.

“Hmm…”

The chaotic yet tense atmosphere lightened slightly.

Kim Sarang, stroking Jjongi’s head on her lap, rolled her eyes subtly.

The white cafeteria.

Aside from “Flounder,” other survivors were visible—but she seemed the only one capable of conversation.

Meanwhile, Eunha patted the distraught “Flounder’s” shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle things somehow.”

“O-okay… Witch-nim…”

“Now, can you tell us what happened here?”

It had been a while since she’d heard such warm words.

Maybe that’s why.

“Flounder,” trembling, began to speak haltingly.

…….

…….

“I-I only heard this from… other survivors…”

“You stammer too much… Write it down if it’s hard to speak.”

“Hey, hey. Can you read?”

“No.”

“S-sorry…! I-I heard from survivors that…!”

“Flounder,” chastised for her speech, relayed the story.

It began with a single “guidebook” from the “Hanbit Orphanage,” brought by a researcher affiliated with the [Facility].

“The orphanage researched ‘human immortality.’ They even had solid results, enough to attract wealthy ‘patrons’… But four years ago, a mysterious fire burned everything down. All their data was lost.”

“…….”

“The [Facility] spent years trying to restore the orphanage’s research. Then they finally got their hands on this ‘guidebook.’”

After Detective Do Jongha visited the orphanage, they found it lying on the basement floor…

Eunha pinched her stiff lips.

Just what—and how much—had Do Jongha gathered from the orphanage?

‘So that’s why there are specters in the [Facility]… They took that guidebook. Detective Do and Kim Yoohee woke up in that orphanage.’

At least the specters’ origin was clear now.

If Do Jongha witnessed the orphanage’s past, no wonder he awakened.

But what now?

“…Tricky. So this massacre happened because of the orphanage’s ‘guidebook’?”

“Exactly…”

“Then why stay here? If specters took over, why not flee?”

_Startle._

A natural question.

But “Flounder,” shoulders shaking, glanced around nervously.

“Everyone. It’s dinnertime.”

The “director” emerged from the kitchen, dragging a tray.

Smiling, she began placing “dinner” on each table.

_Clink. Clunk._

Plates were set before the neck-snapped corpses,

Before “Flounder,”

Before Kim Hayang.

Bloody steaks.

The expertly grilled meat looked bizarrely appetizing.

‘…Same as before.’

Eunha suppressed a bitter laugh at the “dinner” served by the “director.”

Just like the orphanage’s dinners.

Horrific resentment. Or obsession.

The “director” had remade the [Facility] in the orphanage’s image.

Because its resentment festered there.

_Gulp._

Eunha stared at the “steak,” covering her mouth.

This was why she hated meat.

Why she refused to eat it.

“Oh… The food’s surprisingly normal.”

“Kim Sarang. Don’t touch it.”

“Huh? Why?”

“…There were four empty seats here.”

“Because we’re sitting—”

_Pause._

Kim Sarang froze mid-sentence.

She set down the knife, quietly covering her mouth to suppress nausea.

The staff cafeteria.

Four empty seats.

She’d assumed they were reserved for them.

But now she realized—

They had arrived uninvited.

“…Damn it.”

Kim Sarang imagined the stench of corpses rising from her chair.

What kind of place was this?

Were all specters like this?

『Eat well, children.』

Then, an elderly voice echoed from behind.

_Creeeak…_

The sound of aged floorboards.

A voice laced with metallic scraping.

Not the “director’s.”

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

2. Focus on your meal during dinner.

– Light conversation is allowed.

– Do not leave the table before finishing your meal.

– Do not hold anything other than utensils in your hands.

– Even if you hear strange noises, even if someone calls your name,

– Do not look away from the table.

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

_Creeeak…_

An elderly specter with elongated limbs.

“It” hunched like an old woman.

Its limbs stretched unnaturally, its bent back nearly touching the ceiling as it shuffled through the cafeteria.

The specter’s elongated neck craned, inspecting the “children” at the tables with a grin.

​

『Eat well.』

The specter overseeing the cafeteria.

And the “director” bringing “food” from the kitchen.

Kim Sarang, unnerved by the “old woman’s” voice, instinctively glanced at Eunha.

Do not look away from the table.

Eunha’s ample chest rested on the table.

Kim Sarang focused on the food.

“U-uh, Eunha, unnie… What do we do? She said to eat…”

“There’s no rule saying we must eat. Nothing about finishing everything or taste-testing.”

“…Really?”

“Has our dear Sarang never been to [Euncheon Restaurant]?”

_Clink._

Would just picking up utensils count as finishing?

Unclear, but it seemed safe not to touch the food.

The “old woman” specter circling them merely glared, displeased, but didn’t force-feed them.

『Tsk… Must eat more…』

“It’s fine, granny. We ate outside.”

『Skin and bones… What kind of…』

_Tsk._

The specter clicked its tongue, groped Kim Sarang’s arm, then shuffled away.

For now, as long as they followed the “rules,” they were safe.

“You asked why we stay… We can’t leave the [Facility].”

_Clink. Clunk._

The woman beside Eunha, “Flounder,” picked up her utensils.

Her eyes said she could last a day or two without food.

But also—

Half-mad with desperation.

“Can’t leave?”

“The guidebook. Rule 4.”

_Swish—_

She cut into the steak.

“Flounder” slid a napkin from the table’s center toward Eunha.

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

4. Leave behind ■◇◇■.

– Do not depart.

– Keep the memories.

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

Someone had scrawled in blood on the napkin.

Maybe to remember.

“Not leaving is the rule. It’s ridiculous.”

“…….”

“The survivors who tried to escape… We found them again on the dinner tables.”

_Clink. Clunk._

The sound of steak being cut.

Echoing loudly in the silent cafeteria.

“So just eat. Or starve like the others. Or end up as ‘dinner’… I want to live.”

How long had this woman survived?

Eunha didn’t dare ask.

“Now, it’s dinnertime.”

Only the “director’s” gentle voice remained,

Clinging to her eardrums like congealed resentment.

“Do not depart…”

Eunha repeated the rule on the napkin.

A rule like this was new.

From the moment they entered the [Facility], death was inevitable.

‘Probably… the “director’s” resentment.’

Do not depart.

A vow never to let “someone” leave—even in death.

What had turned the “director” into a specter?

“Eunha… Now that you’ve returned… Never leave this ‘mother’s’ embrace again.”

No idea.

Eunha closed her eyes as the “director” stroked her hair from behind.

Her head ached.

…….

…….

…Yank!

Then, in an instant—

The “director,” who had been gently petting Eunha’s head,

Grabbed her hair and pulled.

Rip!

Her head really hurt now.

“Eunha!”

“Everyone, keep your eyes on the table! I’m fine!”

Eunha stopped Kim Hayang from rising.

What was this during dinner?

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Eunha kept her gaze fixed on the table.

_Drrrk…_

The “director” tried to lift Eunha from her chair.

“Eunha. No. This isn’t your seat.”

“…….”

“You belong in the basement, dear.”

Then she remembered.

Back at the orphanage, it had been like this too.

No seat for her at the table.

Slapped by the “director,” dragged to the basement.

Only now did it come back.

That’s how it was.

“You crazy—!”

“Come, Eunha. Listen to Mother.”

“I have four mothers…!”

Screech!

Hair gripped tight, Eunha clung to the table,

Her scalp tearing as she resisted being dragged away—

Crunch!!

The lanky-limbed “old woman” specter rushed over,

Seized the “director’s” wrist,

And ripped it clean off.

“……Huh?”

『Don’t… interrupt… dinner!!!』

A scream-like voice filled the cafeteria.

Kim Sarang, horrified by the metallic screeching, tried covering her ears—

Then noticed Jjongi on her lap and bit her lip, shielding his ears instead.

Crunch! Rip!

The sounds behind her.

The severed wrist rolled to Eunha’s side.

“…….”

Blood sprayed everywhere as the “old woman’s” elongated arms flailed.

What was happening?

Drenched in blood, Eunha blankly stared at the table—

When a gnarled, bloodied hand picked up a napkin and wiped her face.

『Eat well.』

A grandmother feeding her grandchildren.

A specter had saved Eunha from the “director.”

Eunha closed her eyes, feeling the old specter’s touch.

Even specters suffered if they broke the “rules.”

She’d been ready to lose her scalp—thankfully, it stopped halfway.

“…Thanks. But I don’t eat meat… Maybe next time.”

『Eat more… Oh.』

“Huh?”

『You’ve gained weight, child. Should eat less.』

Then—

The “old woman” specter, groping Eunha’s ample chest,

Left with a concerned tone.

……What?

Why did that hurt?

“…Eunha, unnie.”

“Yeah?”

“If even grannies say you’ve gained weight, it’s serious.”

No idea.

Hugging her chest, Eunha waited quietly for “dinner” to end.

…….

Do not depart.

A rule that seemed nonsensical at a glance.

And specters, too, had to follow “rules.”

‘If we play this right… We can trap the “director.”‘

A way to escape the [Facility].

Eunha thought simply.

No one could leave.

Meaning, the “director” couldn’t either.

‘You’ll cage me? Let’s see who wins.’

It was like one of those horror games—

A protagonist trapped in a monster-infested space, searching for clues to escape.

“Mm-hmm~.”

Do not depart.

No one.

No one leaves the [Facility].

“Painted red, so red~.”

Creak.

Eunha drew an old chainsaw from her suitcase.

​