Chapter 146
There was a strange smell outside the shop. I realized it was gunpowder from my experience at the mansion.
Running towards the sound, I found Ms. Hong Mi-ri and Yang Juhee breathing heavily.
"What happened to everyone?!"
"A ghost appeared, so I shot. It was a strange man."
Was it the Yin-Yang Master? The Yin-Yang Master was someone who could chant weird spells to force us to use our talismans.
"Is he... dead?"
"He ran away screaming, for now."
I was relieved everyone seemed okay. It's a big gain that we found out the gun works on the third floor monsters.
We returned to the shop carrying the "Spider Woman's Arm".
I planned to sell this arm from the Gandara priestess to the shop. When I put the arm in the basket, text appeared.
『Do you want to sell this item? Sold items will be permanently lost.』
『Yes/No』
"Yes."
Clink-!
Instead of the arm, shining coins fell into the basket. Or more precisely, I only heard the sound of coins falling, and the sale proceeds were deposited into my status window.
『You have successfully sold 'Flower Tattoo Arm'.』
『You gain 1,000P.』
『Funds: 1,160』
Oh wow-!
We get 1000P?
I don't know what it was, but I felt good about getting so many points. On the other hand, I wondered, 'Was this an incredibly valuable item?'
'Maybe it would've been better to keep it instead of selling.'
It was too late. This shop had no refund system.
I decided to use the collected points to buy Bong Se-yeon's head.
『Someone's Lost Head: It's someone's lost head. You might be able to hear an interesting story if you use a special method. 1,000P』
Clink-!
The amount we got from selling the arm disappeared. It was regrettable in many ways, but our goal was to get the head, so...
"Is it purchased?"
Swish-
Yang Juhee picked up Bong Se-yeon's head.
Bong Se-yeon's head still didn't move at all. Should I be glad the head isn't moving around?
"How can we hear a mysterious story from this head? What's the special method? Does anyone have any ideas?"
I asked around. My eyes met Dahee's midway, and it felt awkward. My face was burning up.
It was because I remembered what happened earlier. Dahee said she'd put a curse on me so I couldn't forget about her. I really felt like I'd been put under some strange curse.
"......"
Yang Juhee looked at me with narrowed eyes. She looked back and forth between Yoo Dahee and me, then made an expression as if something was unpleasant.
Did she find out Dahee kissed me? No, that's impossible.
It's not like there's CCTV here or anything.
But why do I feel like I've done something bad?
I once secretly took a 1,000 won bill from my mom's pocket, and it felt just like that. The feeling of doing something I shouldn't do in secret.
"......"
"......"
Yoo Dahee and Yang Juhee were looking at each other with their mouths shut. Just as I was thinking the atmosphere was strange, Ms. Hong Mi-ri spoke.
"Wait a moment. I might be able to do something."
Ms. Hong Mi-ri had a choker around her neck that looked like a black ribbon. When she untied it, a mark appeared as if her head had been cut off by something very sharp.
"Teacher, what are you trying to do?"
"Hong Ye-ri is so noisy that I lend her my body for about an hour a week. Maybe I can do the same with this head? Wait a moment─"
Crack, crack crack-
Ms. Hong Mi-ri pulled up her head as if taking off a helmet. A more horrifying sound than I expected came from the cut surface, and finally, Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head fell off and landed in her hand.
"Ugh!"
I was so surprised I almost stopped breathing. Is that even possible?
Ms. Hong Mi-ri soon handed her head to me.
She didn't say anything, but it felt like she was saying, "Hold this."
I was so scared I felt like I might wet myself. To think I have to hold Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head like some rugby ball!
Swish-
After handing her head to me, the teacher connected Bong Se-yeon's head to her neck. As everyone was tense wondering what would happen next, Bong Se-yeon's eyes suddenly opened wide.
It was a terrifying eye with a pitch-black pupil and no white at all.
"Eek!"
As I gasped, Bong Se-yeon's face turned towards me. Then, looking at her hands and arms as if puzzled, she said.
"This isn't my body?"
...Can she tell it's not her body?
It was amazing that she could speak.
"Um, are you Bong Se-yeon?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm... Ha Young-won. You know Jung-seok, right? I'm Jung-seok's friend. And I'm Yang Juhee's friend, and sort of Bong Ji-yeon's friend..."
"Ji-yeon's friend?"
"Yes. That's right. I'm sure the situation is very confusing for you. You probably don't understand."
"What about Do-hee? Where's Yang Do-hee? She was with me..."
Yang Do-hee? Yang Do-hee was the name of Yang Juhee's sister. Was Yang Do-hee with Bong Se-yeon?
It was a really interesting story.
"Do-hee is..."
"...My sister is alive, right!?"
Yang Juhee reacted intensely. Bong Se-yeon flinched as if greatly surprised and moved her lips.
"I can't remember well. What happened? I only remember Do-hee being grabbed by a strange man and going down the stairs..."
Grabbed by a man and went down the stairs?
I wanted to hear more, but Bong Se-yeon's head fell to the floor with a thud. I tried to reattach it, but it didn't work well.
I had no choice but to return Ms. Hong Mi-ri's head to her body. It felt just like swapping head parts in Lego.
Ms. Hong Mi-ri said.
"The compatibility with the body wasn't good, so it fell off quickly. Hong Ye-ri and I are twins, so we're compatible, but Bong Se-yeon is a stranger."
I see. It's really amazing.
Anyway, I thought hard about what we heard from Bong Se-yeon.
"Grabbed by a man and went down the stairs─ This might be a hint?"
Went down the stairs. Does it mean she went to the second floor? Or…
"It might be referring to the old school building in reality. In the real old school building, you can go to the next floor through descending stairs. It might mean they went further down to the basement of Buldan Temple in reality..."
It was my deduction, but it seemed very plausible.
So what should we do now? Should we continue searching the third floor?
I thought hard for a while and made a decision.
"Let's escape for now."
Getting the gun and the head was already quite an achievement. I meant it might be good to retreat at this point.
***
『Congratulations! You have safely returned from the Nightmare Corridor』
『Starting to calculate the share for 4 survivors.』
The calculation began.
Clink clink clink-
As I heard the sound of countless coins falling, text appeared in front of me like ending credits.
We gained 400P as the basic reward for 4 people escaping. And the progress of the Nightmare Corridor increased significantly.
『Nightmare Corridor Progress: 10% + 100 P』
『Total: 550 P』
We earned 550P from this expedition, and my Nightmare Corridor progress is now 75%. Could we say we've conquered about 3/4 of the corridor?
After escaping the corridor, my funds were 710P. I gained 100P from the Rabbit Piggy Bank, so I had 810P in total.
"It's going more smoothly than I thought."
Compared to when we first entered the corridor and struggled with everything, now many things were familiar. We even have 10 escape talismans.
"We've grown."
Feeling lighter and refreshed than expected, I came out to the living room where the lizard Giganoto, clinging to the square fish tank, greeted me. It opens its mouth wide and wags its tail left and right, which is cuter than I thought.
"Did you do well?"
━Geck ko geck-
"Did Mom go out?"
━Geck ko.
A hot summer morning.
Not wanting to just sit around, I used my phone to summon the pirate crew members to the secret base. I was planning to talk about the results of yesterday's expedition.
Ding dong-
Just then, our doorbell rang. Wondering what it could be, I opened the door and found a box placed there.
It was a square styrofoam box. When I opened the packaging, a human head came out.
"Holy crap!"
It was a real human head. Bong Se-yeon's head!
I was feeling refreshed until just now, but the head made me feel like I might wet myself. To think they'd deliver this to reality.
Is this sent from 'Wiggly's' shop? How can we receive in reality something we got from the corridor?
"Oh, geez..."
I carefully put Bong Se-yeon's head back in the box. This... Bong Ji-yeon might be happy to have it.
As I was changing clothes, trying to calm my heart that was beating so hard it hurt, someone rang the doorbell again. When I opened the door, Yang Juhee was standing there casually, showing off her legs in short hot pants.
"It's hot!"
"Yeah, it is. Come in. It's even hotter inside."
"What are you saying!"
Today's feels-like temperature is supposed to be 37 degrees or so.
Just as I was thinking it's fortunate we have air conditioning in the secret base, Yang Juhee asked me.
"Yesterday, you. Something happened with Yoo Dahee, right?"
"Huh? What?"
"Something happened, right? When I and Ms. Hong Mi-ri were getting the arm."
Yang Juhee's intuition was really uncanny. I heard Yang Juhee's grandmother was such a great shaman she even studied in Japan.
Maybe Yang Juhee inherited some of that sense, I thought.
"Tell me honestly. If you tell the truth, I won't get mad. If you lie or try to hide it and I find out, I'll get angry. What happened?"
Yang Juhee asked me, sitting in a chair at the dining table with her arms crossed.
Tap, tap-
The colorful socks on Yang Juhee's feet were swinging quite nervously. I decided to be honest.
"Dahee kissed me."
"You crazy bastard!"
"Hey! You said you wouldn't get mad!"
"I'm not getting mad now! If I was mad, you'd be rolling on the floor right now!"
"Well, that's true. Anyway, I didn't do it first, Dahee did it! Don't misunderstand!"
"I know! You think you'd have that kind of courage? That Yoo Dahee is funny too. That foxy girl. I never understood what she was thinking."
Yang Juhee and Yoo Dahee still didn't get along well. We've crossed many dangerous lines together, but they show no signs of becoming closer. If this continues, our harmony will break.
This is why they say not to date in college or at work. Once people start fighting over romantic feelings in a group, it's really hopeless. Let's try to soothe Yang Juhee first.
"A kiss is no big deal. Juhee, you kissed me on the cheek before too, remember?"
"...!"
Yang Juhee's face turned bright red. I added a few more words to Yang Juhee.
"Don't you remember us taking a bath together and sharing a blanket? I think I've spent deeper time with you than with Dahee at that level."
"...That, forget about it!"
If I provoked her more, Yang Juhee might really get angry. Her face was so red, she looked like a tomato.
Yang Juhee was so angry and embarrassed that her eyes were even welling up with tears.