Episode 67
“…”
I scanned the room with a hawk-like gaze, hunting for anything amiss. Nothing particularly stood out, but I couldn’t let my guard down. Staying vigilant, I turned to Ga-eun, asleep on the bed. Its plushness reminded me of the bed in the supermarket’s basement. I finally felt a little better about getting to sleep on a warm, cozy bed instead of the cold hard floor.
Still…
“How long will she stay out?”
She’d slept through the entire way from the bus to here, but still showed no signs of getting up. This was probably a result of the side effects of the main zombie’s ability. Jun-woo, who was with Do-yoon at the moment, was likely no different. They’ll wake tomorrow, I told myself, tearing my eyes from her.
Tap-tap—
“…?”
Then I heard a knock. I got up from my seat and approached the door. The raps grew weaker, erratic as my footsteps grew closer, muffled.
Who—?
I swung the door open.
Empty.
Huh?
Wait—not empty. There was someone.
“…Who are you?”
“Can I come in?”
“What?”
I’d stared at empty air until casually glancing down revealed a small girl gazing up with unblinking eyes. Stunned by the child’s sudden appearance, I froze. Instead of answering my question, the little girl repeated herself in a polite yet unyielding tone.
Who the hell was this kid?
“You live here? Where are your parents?”
“Let me in.”
“…”
Our conversation divulged into a nonsensical loop.
Even if it was a kid, I felt reluctant letting a stranger in. Though the child seemed harmless, she was still… peculiar.
“Why do you want in? Answer first so I let you in.”
“…”
The child who’d been persistent until now fell silent, her earlier boldness gone.
What the hell was up with her?
The girl’s single-minded insistence—only about entering—deepened my suspicion. I thought maybe someone had sent her, so to understand the child’s true feelings, I crouched down to her eye level, I stared intently. The child did not shy away from my gaze, she looked directly into my eyes.
“Do you really want in?”
“I want in.”
“What if I say no?”
“…”
Silence again.
Was she just an oddball? Why can’t she say anything else?
“…I’ll go then.”
“Huh?”
“To the next room.”
Next room? Is that her answer?
“Where’s ‘next’?”
She then put forward her hand and pointed to the adjacent room—Do-yoon and Jun-woo’s.
“Why?”
“…”
“Did you go to other rooms before here?”
She nodded. I couldn’t understand the criteria for the girl’s answers—she answered some questions, ignored the others.
“Which rooms did you visit?”
She pointed to where the other rescued passengers were housed.
…Was she just curious about newcomers?
It was becoming tiresome to squat here in front of the door and argue with a kid.
Should I just let her in?
“There’s nothing here. Still want in?”
Then the child’s eyes sparkled as if she’d been waiting to hear that and nodded. Eventually, I got up and stepped aside.
“Excuse me.”
“Uh… sure.”
Her sudden formality drew a scoff from me. Inside, she stared at Ga-eun, asleep.
“So, kid—why’d you wanna come in?”
“I needed to.”
“…?”
There was no answer when I asked the question last time, so I’d half expected silence this time as well, but her reply made me pause for a moment.
“What do you need? I’ve got nothing to give.”
The girl, who’d been looking at Seo Ga-eun, turned to face me, shaking her head. Then, slowly, she raised a finger—pointing at me—and repeated:
“I need you.”
***
“This is our chapel. We gather here mornings and evenings for prayer. Do you practice any religion?”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
“I see, that’s a pity. It’s not necessary to have a religion, but having something to lean on and trust in offers solace in hard times.”
“Right…”
“Truthfully, I was once non-religious too. Then I faced such agony that I wished to die—crushed beyond recovery. That’s when they extended a hand. It’s thanks to them I can now live with a smile like this.”
I met her gaze with veiled revulsion. Called it. This wasn’t an ordinary religious group—this was a full-blown cult. Swallowing a sigh at being caught up in this, I forced a smile.
“I’ve rambled long enough. I’m sure dinner’s ready. Let’s visit the remaining areas after eating and head down to the dining hall, shall we?”
“I’m really sorry, but… my stomach’s a bit upset. I don’t think I can eat dinner.”
“Oh dear, are you alright? Is it serious?”
“It’s just… I think I was on the bus for too long earlier. I get motion sickness. Haha. I thought it’d settle by now…”
“I’ll bring you medicine later, then, so get some rest in your room. What a shame — everyone’s been waiting to meet our new guests at dinner so eagerly, too…”
“I’m so sorry. I’ll greet everyone properly tomorrow.”
Though I wasn’t sorry at all, I layered my voice and expression with exaggerated remorse. The woman finally gave up on me and tried to take Do-yoon to the dining hall, but when he also refused with an excuse, she looked slightly flustered.
“Are you sure you’re alright? A man your size should have a meal, at least…”
She tried until the last moment to drag at least one of us along, but both rejections were ruthless. Eventually, she left alone. I watched her retreating figure before pulling Do-yoon back to my room.
“You’ve figured it out, right?”
“Is this a cult?”
“Precisely.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I recalled a photo I’d seen earlier while touring the building — a half-body portrait of someone covering an entire wall in what they’d called the “prayer room.” Supposedly, it was their founder and “deity.” No amount of sugarcoating could hide the fact that this was a cult.
How can a human be a god? Our leader’s soul is so pure, his vessel worthy of holding a divine spirit, blah blah… Ugh. Even their nonsense didn’t sound original.
It took effort to keep my face neutral at such absurdity.
“Of all the traps to fall into, it had to be these guys.”
“I’d heard about cults, but this is my first time experiencing one firsthand.”
“Oh, you mean these cult freaks?”
“Honestly, it’s so obviously a scam. I’m more shocked that anyone falls for it…”
“You’ll meet plenty in college. Wander campus alone, and you’ll get nabbed by these types at least once.”
“Did you get nabbed a lot?”
“All the time as a freshman. I even gave out my number once because I couldn’t say no. Their approaches are… creative. But hey, now I’m great at shutting them down.”
My brief nostalgia for clueless younger days faded as I steered the conversation back.
“Anyway, can you drive a bus?”
“…What?”
“Never mind. Stupid question.”
“Why’d you ask that?”
“Forget I said anything.” I backtracked at the agitation written all over his face.
Of course a kid who hasn’t even started college yet wouldn’t know how to drive a bus. That was a stretch.
First, I’d have to scrap that part from the plan…
“First, let’s definitely scrap this from the plan…”
“Ha, we’re going to have a hard time again this time.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re in trouble. Big trouble, I think.”
“Huh?”
I recalled the conversation I’d had earlier with the kid who came to my room.
– What I need is you, noona.
– …Me?
– Yes. I need you.
“…Do-yoon. Are you unlucky, by chance?”
“Unlucky?”
“No, never mind.”
I dragged my hands down my face and sighed hard enough to sink the ground.
“Not you. It must be me.”
“Noona…?”
“I’m the one dragging this curse of bad luck around. Yeah. That’s why this is happening.”
If I’d ever had good luck, I wouldn’t have gotten sucked into this damn game in the first place, and I wouldn’t be suffering like this. I’d played this game countless times, but an event like this had never happened. So why now? Because I’m here?
Then the answer’s obvious: this was the worst possible surprise event triggered by my own rotten luck.
