For a moment, I stared blankly at the Camera Recorder in Baek Saheon's hands.
Right now,
killing someone and stealing their Camera Recorder….
"Aaaargh!"
"…!"
I whipped my head around.
From behind the door Baek Saheon had locked, the owner of the Camera Recorder was screaming and pounding on the door again like a madman. And as if in response, on the other side of the 5th-floor hallway of the abandoned hospital, a human figure flickered and began to approach….
The Black Silhouette of a neatly dressed Daydream Staff. A flustered voice could be heard….
"What's going on over there?"
It has no shadow.
'It's a Patient.'
A chill ran down my spine.
I rushed over to the hospital room door where the Camera Recorder's owner was trapped and tried to unlock it. I heard Baek Saheon shout and grab my shoulder in bewilderment.
"What are you doing!?"
Damn it.
I shook off Baek Saheon's hand and finished unlocking the door.
"Ack!"
As the door opened, the original owner of the Camera Recorder, now even more of a wreck, tumbled out. I practically scooped him up, supported him, and ran for the emergency exit again.
Quickly…!
"Are you okay? You look hurt."
The Patient's voice grew closer.
"Run."
Baek Saheon ran beside me, gritting his teeth.
Thud.
I hurriedly shut the emergency exit door before the figure down the hall could get any closer.
Then, avoiding the discarded syringes littering the floor, I set the person I was supporting down.
'…Hah.'
The moment the tension finally broke.
"...."
I looked back at Baek Saheon.
Baek Saheon was looking at me with an expression that mixed bewilderment, irritation, and stiffness.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Civilian-nim."
"Why are you wasting time on someone who's going to die anyway…!?"
Baek Saheon gritted his teeth, glanced at the Camera Recorder's owner, and spoke impatiently.
"Do you think that person will be any help right now? We've only added more baggage! You said you were in a hurry, that you had things to do—so why are you helping a stranger?! It's a waste of time…!"
"Civilian-nim."
I grabbed Baek Saheon. He clutched both camcorders tightly.
"That person was just about to die."
"So what?"
He seemed to be gauging my reaction, then clenched his jaw.
"He would've died if we'd waited. I just grabbed the camcorders a little early—you said you needed them. It's not like I'm the one killing him."
"...."
A flicker of revulsion and a strange anxiety crossed Baek Saheon's face, before he scoffed.[1]
"What, you think there's anyone decent working at this company? Ah, is it because you're an Agent that you feel you have to save everyone you see? That's not it, is it? You don't save people when the situation doesn't allow it."
It seemed to be the first time Baek Saheon had spoken like this since Jisan Village.
He reacted as if I had insulted him. I was the one blindsided by his crazy personality.
'Though I am surprised he seemed to be trying to help me this time—in his own way.'
Still, I couldn't understand why he acted so betrayed. His reaction was excessive, almost like a trauma response…
'…Hmm.'
Is it because I'm an Agent?
I chose my words, recalling the events at Jisan Village.
It was so nerve-wracking I let out a sigh.
"Civilian-nim."
I spoke as calmly as possible.
"I'm not trying to rescue him because I'm an Agent. …It's just simple logic."
I looked at the rescued person, who was still trembling in the corner, fumbling with his peeled skin.
"If we can survive together, there's no need to kill, is there?"
"...."
Instead of waiting for Baek Saheon's response, I lowered myself to the person I had dragged along.
And I asked quietly.
"Do you think it would be better for you to be somewhere safe?"
"Hic, heup…."
A frantic nod.
He then glanced at Baek Saheon with eyes full of fear. And Baek Saheon was looking at the variable that might threaten his own survival with a cold, hardened face….
But I didn't react to either of them and just slowly declared.
"Yes. Then we will move to a safe place."
I helped the rescued person up and went up one more floor via the emergency stairs.
I didn't call for Baek Saheon during the process.
He seemed to stand there blankly for a moment, but instead of running away with the camcorder, I heard him following me.
I entered the 6th floor.
'It's definitely less grim than the 5th floor.'
The hallway of the closed ward was dark, but the strong smell of disinfectant seemed to cover the very faint fishy odor.
It still had the gloomy and bizarre feeling of a horror attraction, but it meant things were a bit more normal.
[1F]
Past the 5th floor, the 1st floor of the sanatorium was essentially being repeatedly Projected.
'The noteworthy incidents in the Camera Recorder footage mostly happened on the 4th and 5th floors.'
[Hmm. The hallway is messy, though.]
That's because… the Patients had marched in a group.
Exploration Records #3
On the 1st floor, dozens of people dressed as special forces members appeared in the hallway, claiming they were 'dispatched for rescue.'
All 7 civilians who followed the procession died.
Camera Recorder footage confirmed them to be a group of inpatients holding stationery-style instruments like recorders and castanets.
Unconfirmed testimony that these entities made remarks as if celebrating or commemorating something.
In this ghost story, the 1st floor is a place where survivors can emerge if they just endure the initial group of Patients marching down the hall clapping.
Of course, this was the 6th floor, a Projection of the 1st floor, so I had entered with knowledge of a definite safe zone.
"I'll be using this for a moment."
Looking through the Camera Recorder at the hallway and inside the rooms, I carefully moved to avoid the 'Patients' and quickly scanned the rooms.
'Hah….'
Having someone to support was nerve-wracking, but it was also less scary.
And thankfully, I found it before we ran into a Patient popping out from somewhere.
"Go in here."
I entered a hospital room in the center.
[Room 111]
Inside that room, strangely, a single hospital bed sat by itself, and one entire wall was lined with desks and faded nameplates.
"Hic,"
"It's okay."
The person freaked out when I tried to put him on the bed, but I moved quickly.
"…You're saying this place is safe?"
"Yes."
I gestured to the desks with my eyes and said.
"This place was originally the entrance."
"…!"
It was an error that occurred because the floor numbers didn't match.
Exploration Records #21
On the 7th floor, three Patients were confirmed to have thrown themselves out of a massive, non-standard picture window.
Confirmed to be an anomalous phenomenon caused by the absence of a terrace-like space that was originally on the 2nd-floor restaurant of the sanatorium. The reenactment of the Camera Recorder footage proceeded normally.
An error that occurred when a place resembling an entrance was created on the 6th floor, which originally had no entrance.
An additional location that wasn't in the Camera Recorder footage.
"There wouldn't have been a hospital bed at the original entrance, so the beings in the Camera Recorder won't perceive it."
At that moment.
"Do you know how to get out? Hey, is anyone there?"
A voice came from outside.
"…!"
The three of us got on the bed and stood huddled together. Baek Saheon seemed to hesitate, then gritted his teeth and lowered himself onto the bed.
The footsteps grew closer….
And as the door opened, revealing a Daydream Researcher with a bewildered expression.
'…The Camera Recorder!'
I hastily turned off my Camera Recorder and folded Baek Saheon's as well. But….
"Is someone there?"
…I had just seen it, a fleeting glimpse on the Camera Recorder's screen.
The reality of what had happened in this sanatorium.
"I'm sure I heard a voice…."
The Patient, who had looked like a Researcher, had their abdomen opened up under their hospital gown in the Camera Recorder's view.
They were on an IV drip, a bizarre sight with their organs seemingly decorated, fixed in place with brightly colored thread.
'Hah.'
Those organs must have been 'exchanged' with those of someone who had already been caught….
"Hey, let's find a way out together. Hey?"
The Patient drew near. We all held our breath. And….
"Let's find a safe place together!"
The Patient passed right by us.
I felt the texture of the old hospital gown brush against my nose, and I froze, not breathing….
....
....
Thud.
The Patient left.
The rescued person, who had been covering his own mouth, choked on a cough and collapsed.
'Hoo.'
"See? You can stay here."
I left the rescued person there.
It was a spot where even three people could hide, so the rescued person, though trembling, seemed somewhat relieved.
I reassured the rescued person, who looked like he wanted me to stay, then waited for the hallway to become quiet again, and returned to the emergency stairs.
Baek Saheon was quiet on the way back as well.
This whole process took exactly 12 minutes.
"Civilian-nim. Look."
"...."
I looked back at Baek Saheon.
"Nothing has changed, and I still have the Camera Recorder in my hand."
Baek Saheon lifted his head.
"And you, Civilian-nim, have confirmed a safe place for yourself."
"...."
"The situation hasn't gotten any worse. Right?"
"…What if he survives and gives a bad testimony about me."
"It's natural for someone who was attacked to hold a grudge against their attacker. If you don't like that, then you shouldn't have attacked in the first place."
Baek Saheon looked at me with an expression that said he had a lot more to say. But I just smiled.
"It'll be fine this time, though."
"…Pardon?"
–People holding Camera Recorders can also become targets of attack.
"I've already explained it to the person we rescued. I told him that holding a Camera Recorder could be dangerous, so I collected it for the time being."
"...!"
He was probably in an extreme situation and would want to unconditionally trust the person who helped him, so there shouldn't be any problems after this is all over.
"And if you hadn't tried to snatch it so abruptly in the first place, none of this would have happened."
"Hey. If I hadn't claimed it first, you might not have given it to me."[2]
"Perhaps. But you don't know that until you try."
"...."
An expression of disbelief and a strangely peculiar emotion showed on Baek Saheon's face at the same time.
"Anyway, congratulations."
"For what?"
"It might not have been your intention, but because Saheon-ssi was here, that person will live."
"...!"
"And separately…."
I smiled like an Agent.
"Thank you for trying to give me the Camera Recorder."
"...."
"I know that you, Civilian-nim, didn't have to do that."
Baek Saheon didn't answer.
"I'll put it to good use."
After saying that, I picked up the Camera Recorder.
[You have wisely resolved the source of conflict and gained an advantage. Excellent, my friend!]
I'd like to savor this compliment for a bit….
"Then I'll be going back into the 5th floor."
"...."
And honestly, I thought Baek Saheon would bolt at this point.
We each had a Camera Recorder and knew a safe zone, so I expected him to scurry away, following his survival instincts….
'But he's not running.'
He just became much quieter.
Baek Saheon was silently following beside me, holding his Camera Recorder….
'…Whatever, I'll just leave him be.'
Thanks to him, it was less scary. However….
Wow, seriously.
'He just… goes for the throat without hesitation.'
It was terrifying.
Lately, I'd only seen him pull a few snatch-and-run troll moves, but seeing him act so directly and decisively against someone else like this was truly befitting of a daydream employee.
'He's not Section Chief Viper for nothing.'
I resisted the urge to squeeze my eyes shut.
But what was more surprising was how his attitude had subtly changed after listening to me.
'Why is he so quiet?'
I glanced back at Baek Saheon.
The guy flinched and opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, looking like he was testing the waters.
The atmosphere on the 5th floor of the hospital was genuinely bone-chillingly scary, but watching him made it feel like some kind of comedy sketch, making it less frightening….
Congratulations….[3]
"...!"
I snapped my head up.
…From the other end of the hallway, cheerful, nursery-rhyme-like music was playing.
-(crackle)Happy birthday to you(static)Happy birthday to youHappy birthday dear(crackle-static)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients TodayHappy birthday to you
Wait a minute.
'This… this is what happens at the very end.'
Have the events from the Camera Recorder footage already been almost completely reenacted?
What the hell did those crazy bastards at Daydream do? There's no way, wait….
-(crackle)Happy birthday to you(static)Happy birthday to youHappy birthday dear(crackle-static)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients TodayHappy birthday to you
The elevator doors opened.
Light poured out from within, and a person walked out, holding something huge. With a trembling hand, I raised the Camera Recorder….
It was a birthday cake.
HAPPY
D-DAY
A gooey, dripping cake with the same words that were written on the 5th-floor Emergency Exit.
-(crackle)Happy birthday to you(static)Happy birthday to youHappy birthday dear(crackle-static)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients TodayHappy birthday to you
Only one of the group of Patients who had been marching on the 1st floor remained.
It was hugging what looked like a giant birthday cake with its whole body, smiling as it approached us.
Its entire body was covered in blood, and I could see sticky bloody footprints left on the floor with every step it took.
Blood and medicine dripped from the celebratory party hat on its matted hair.
-(crackle)Happy birthday to you(static)Happy birthday to youHappy birthday dear(crackle-static)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients TodayHappy birthday to you
My feet moved.
"…!"
I moved my body toward the birthday cake.
'Damn it.'
No.
This is the ending from the Camera Recorder footage.
Exploration Records #4
The 5th-floor elevator doors open and a figure holding a birthday cake gets off.
Marches down the hallway with celebratory music.
All survivors follow it and exit through the Emergency Exit, after which [REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED][REDACTED]
※Access is prohibited for the supervising Researcher and Field Investigation Team members. Please access this exploration record after receiving permission from the Security Team.
'Bring out my Contamination?'
Wait, wait… I don't know how things will go wrong if I do that….
My mind was freezing up with fear. My body moved on its own, and the bizarre celebratory song ringing in my ears grew louder. The smiling figure holding the birthday cake was getting closer.
My feet were heading toward the Emergency Exit.
'Fuck.'
I was so scared my hands were trembling and my brain felt like it wasn't working. I almost bit my tongue for briefly missing 130666's state.
'Another response, another….'
I desperately scanned my surroundings through the Camera Recorder and… found it.
'Ah.'
There was an object lying on the hallway floor.
The object the person I'd rescued earlier had been holding in both hands along with the Camera Recorder.
A Security Team Pager.
It seemed to have been kicked by Baek Saheon earlier and ended up in the middle of the hallway.
No matter how much he pressed it, there was no response, an object that ultimately failed to help in his rescue.
But as I walked closer and saw it, I realized.
'That person, he was pressing it wrong…!'
This Pager was a wall-mounted type.
An object attached in various places on the above-ground floors of the Annex for security and safety.
-If anything happens, page us immediately.
The Camera Recorder's original owner was probably only familiar with how to operate a portable Security Team Pager.
But in his panicked state from the ghost story, trying to force a Pager of an unfamiliar type, he hadn't noticed one thing.
'The safety pin.'
He hadn't noticed the part that needed to be removed to send the page….
'Wait a minute.'
People must have been hitting pagers all over the place in this chaos, but if the ending is already approaching, it also means the commotion in other areas is over and has been suppressed.
'If that's the case….'
What are the chances the Security Team will respond to a survivor's call button?
I glanced sideways at the gruesome Patient holding the birthday cake, breaking out in a cold sweat.
'The Security Team will probably suppress that thing and immediately move on to another location.'
Because it's a madhouse.
Then I can continue my exploration toward my destination on the 5th floor….
"...."
-(crackle)Happy birthday to you(static)Happy birthday to youHappy birthday dear(crackle-static)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients TodayHappy birthday to you
As I walked, I barely managed to correct my movements.
And the moment I got close to the Pager,
I managed to press its safety pin with my foot, then kick it out with my next step.
'Success….'
But my next footstep brushed past the button.
'Damn it!'
I gritted my teeth and tried to get it with my foot again, but it was impossible to make a more delicate movement. My feet kept moving forward….
'In that case.'
The moment I stretched my foot back, I kicked the Pager.
Toward the person behind me.
"...!"
I looked at Baek Saheon.
The moment our eyes met, he lifted his foot and….
Pressed the Pager.
....
....
[Request in progress.]
[Call location confirmed: Annex 5th Floor. Danger code issued: Annex under occupation.]
[As this is an internal call during a suppression, no separate fee will be charged, and the call will proceed automatically.]
Hurry!
[Security Team assigned]
At that moment.
Thud.
The pager tore apart, and a black silhouette leaked out from within.
"...!"
The silhouette swelled up as if it were bursting out, taking form….
-(crackle)Happy birthday(fzzzt)Happy birthday dear(craaaackle)Reborn Sanatorium Inpatients Today, happy birthday
A figure dressed head to toe in a black uniform.
An unfamiliar Security Team stood in the hospital hallway, casting a long shadow.
But I recognized just one, single familiar clue….
That uniform.
It was the same type as the one 130666 had worn.
'Ha.'
I gasped for breath as I looked at the employee from the Security Team's Special Division who had come in response to the page.
[1] alt translation (from my interpretation): A flicker of revulsion—and an odd anxiety—crossed Baek Saheon’s face, as if even he was unsettled by what he’d just done, before he scoffed.
[2] might be: "Hey. If I hadn't claimed it first, he might not have given it to me/you."
[3] unsure if this is spoken or supposed to have any special effect