Chapter 105
“He’s standing in front of the wardrobe?”
Did that mean he was pretending to leave and waiting on purpose?
Did he sense my presence? But he should have the hide-and-seek ghost’s ability…
The fingers pressing tightly against the pink four-leaf clover began to tremble.
[It’s okay.]
At that moment, Red came over and placed a small hand on my leg, gently patting me as if to calm my tension.
[They don’t know anything.]
[Just wait a little longer.]
I couldn’t even bring myself to nod. I stared at Red with anxious eyes.
If they decided to open the wardrobe just to check, I’d be discovered instantly.
What should I do?
Should I rush out the moment the door opens and just run?
But what if there’s someone outside the room too?
Judging from the apartment complex layout I saw earlier, escaping even after getting outside would be dangerous.
And what about Hong Dagum?
I was running through every possible scenario in my head when—
Click.
“Hey, what are you doing in here?”
Someone opened the door and asked.
“There was no one in this room.”
The reply came from much closer than expected—almost as if they were sticking their face right in front of the wardrobe.
My heart started pounding like crazy.
“What, didn’t you get the message?”
“What message?”
“They caught the brat who was in this room while he was trying to escape and dragged him away.”
“…Really?”
The voice moved farther away.
My heart was beating so hard I was afraid they might hear it outside the wardrobe, but the people outside continued their conversation calmly.
“Yeah. Come out quickly and bring the people from the other rooms.”
“How many escaped?”
“No idea. But some new ones came in this time. Three boys—looked about high school age.”
“If they’re kids, they’ll be hard to control.”
“That’s why we got permission to kill them if they don’t listen.”
Kill them?
That wasn’t a word an ordinary person would say so casually.
“But they were more obedient than expected. Kinda boring.”
“What’s boring about it? Still, since they’re students, I thought they’d put them over here.”
“The kids were all unnecessarily big, so I guess they put them in Building B. The one who escaped from this room was only here temporarily because there wasn’t space in B.”
“So he found a chance to run? Quick little bastard.”
The voices drifted farther away.
“More like stupid. Does he even know where he is? If he resisted, he’d just get killed. Wonder what happened to him.”
What?
I strained my ears. The voices were fading, and soon I heard the door close.
Just as I started worrying they might be pretending to leave again—
[They really left.]
[You can come out now, but don’t make a sound.]
Phew…
Thanks to Red’s signal, I carefully opened the wardrobe door. I braced myself for the horrifying image of someone waiting and locking eyes with me, but thankfully, nothing like that happened.
[Good job waiting, noona.]
[You were good.]
I didn’t even have the energy to respond to Red’s praise as he patted my leg.
My legs gave out. I released the four-leaf clover and sank to the floor.
There are so many guards outside.
And worse, they were people who didn’t hesitate to kill.
[Everyone will gather at the sports field outside the building.]
[That’s where the “prayer meeting” happens.]
[Armed believers watch over them, and since it’s completely open on all sides, it’s hard to escape.]
[Of course, there’s the option of everyone rising up together, overpowering the guards, and escaping…]
[But unless someone was just dragged in like you, most people are already indoctrinated, so that’s hard.]
[Or they’ve had a weakness taken hostage.]
A weakness?
Since he told me not to speak, I only blinked in response.
Noticing my confusion, Red kindly explained.
[Usually family.]
[Young or sick family members, elderly people who can’t move easily.]
[How could anyone abandon family that needs protection and escape alone?]
…Did Red also lose his life here?
This was the place he had been brought to after asking to find his mother.
And he knew far too much about this redemption group.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask whether he was a victim, so I only guessed silently.
If so, maybe Red’s mother was being held here too.
Then we might need to take her with us when we escape.
That meant gathering information.
The three high school boys mentioned earlier were most likely Dan Seohyuk, Ma Chohye, and whoever had followed Chohye.
With Chohye’s personality, he must’ve caused a scene… Thankfully, Seohyuk seems to be keeping him in check.
In a place like this—where people talk casually about killing—being cautious like Dan Seohyuk was essential.
At least Chohye had a level-headed person with him.
I looked at Red and covered my mouth with my hand, asking if I could speak now.
[Yeah. You can talk quietly.]
As soon as I got permission, I asked,
“Which building is B?”
[You’re in Building A.]
[Building B is right next door.]
Red hopped up onto the window frame and pointed somewhere. I reached out hurriedly, gesturing for him not to come closer.
[Building B is the central building farthest from the entrance.]
[It’s clearly visible from Buildings A and C, and strong believers guard every floor and the shared entrance on the first floor.]
[More precisely—violent believers.]
[That’s why people who look rebellious or physically strong men are gathered there.]
“Isn’t it dangerous to gather all the strong people in one place? They could band together and revolt…”
[That’s why a lot of people die in that building.]
“…!”
Unlike my shock, Red’s expression was calm—like he was talking about everyday matters.
[It’s for show.]
[They do it deliberately to warn people in Buildings A and C.]
“…With a place this dangerous, how has there been no news? Does that mean no one has ever escaped?”
[So far, yeah.]
[Even if someone somehow leaves the apartment complex, the only transportation out is the bus terminal.]
[But since phones and wallets are taken when entering, buying a ticket would be difficult.]
“What if they explain the situation to the terminal staff and ask for help? Ask them to call the police?”
Red laughed.
[Noona.]
[Do you really think the redemption group would leave the terminal alone?]
So even the terminal staff were in on it.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Even after escaping the building, getting home would be a nightmare.
“Later, when all my friends and I reunite and we find your mom…”
[Yeah.]
“Can you use your ability to send us back to where we were originally?”
If he could bring people here against their will, maybe he could take us back too. That would be the safest way.
I asked hopefully, but Red stared straight at me.
His crimson eyes were unreadable.
[Of course.]
The yellow mist around him flared violently for a moment. It didn’t match his innocent smile at all.
…Was that a lie?
Or was he harboring something dangerous?
It was hard to tell from the mist alone. Still, I couldn’t let on that I could see it, so I pretended not to notice and changed the subject.
“When the prayer meeting starts, does the security here disappear?”
[There’s no guard on each floor of Building A.]
[Once the prayer meeting starts, no one is at the shared entrance either.]
[That’ll be the safest time for you to move.]
[But the problem is after the prayer meeting ends.]
“Why?”
[They’ll realize you escaped this room.]
[They’ll definitely chase you.]
Ah.
The cold sweat that had briefly dried up came rushing back.
“But other than during the prayer meeting, I have no way to move…”
What I needed to do was clear.
[Someone might come during the prayer meeting.]
“…Then can you warn me if someone approaches the room?”
Red didn’t answer right away. I asked calmly,
“You need me to find your mom, right? Then help keep me safe.”
You know this place better than I do. I need your help.
As I spoke softly, Red tilted his head. He didn’t look conflicted—more like he was watching my reaction.
I glanced at the mist around him. Green and yellow were still mixed together—almost blending, yet clearly separate.
Maybe that was why his ambiguity always made me tense.
[Alright, noona.]
The answer came late, but it came.
“I don’t think I can go to Building B right away.”
To reach the building where the kids were, I’d have to go outside—and there were too many guards and too many people in the sports field.
I was worried about Ma Chohye and Dan Seohyuk, but that would be reckless.
Should I reunite with Dagum oppa first?
Hong Dagum, who’d been dragged away by believers, worried me too.
“Do you know where Dagum oppa was taken?”
[Yeah.]
[That guy was dragged to the basement of Building A.]
“The basement? Can I get there without being caught?”
[If you use your ability and I keep watch, it’s possible.]
[But I don’t recommend it.]
“…Why?”
[Noona, are you more afraid of ghosts, or of living people?]
Why ask that all of a sudden?
Before, I would’ve answered ghosts without hesitation. I’d had more than enough run-ins with them lately.
But I couldn’t answer easily now—the darkness in Red’s eyes was too deep.
[I’m most afraid of living people.]
Just what on earth was happening in this place…?
