"He's out! The manager is out!"
"Ugh! Everyone, hold on tight and don't fall!"
On the CCTV screen, the manager could be seen shaking his head wildly as he came out of the newly appeared door at the end of the hallway.
But the building was shaking so violently that there was no time to go after him.
All we could do was hunker down, looking for something to hold on to and endure it.
"Don't get hurt! You can't get hurt! Grab onto something!"
"Ah, aaaah...!"
The members collapsed to the ground in panic, their faces pale as they flailed about helplessly.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble-
The heavy amplifier on the desk began to shake along with the trembling building, then started to tip over toward the floor.
"Lee Jinhee! Watch out!"
"Ugh, F*ck...."
Jinhee, who had been crouching to keep her balance, quickly moved to the side, and the amplifier hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Thud-
Rumble--rumble rumble, rumble-
"Aah, aaah..."
The club members each braced themselves against the walls or the floor, struggling to endure it.
We had planned to hold on until the shaking subsided and then leave, but the tremors only grew more intense.
"P-Prez! Something's not right!"
"It's gonna collapse!"
"Ugh, damn it..."
I bit my lip hard and shouted to them.
"We've got no choice, we're going out now to catch him...! I'm opening the door now, so everyone be careful...!"
"U-uh, uh, uh... uh, uh, uh..."
The club members nodded, trembling all over.
"Hrrmp-"
After quickly unlocking it, I forcefully kicked open the counter door, which had been dented in places from all the constant stomping and banging by the test takers.
Bang!
At last, the door that had been tightly shut swung open.
And beyond that door, the now tattered boarding house hallway, riddled with holes that hadn't been visible through the CCTV's low-resolution screen, came into view"
"What, what is that.... The pillars are full of holes.....!"
"It must be shaking because of that..!"
Perhaps these were the vacant spaces left by boarding house residents who had been hiding within the dimensional gaps of this place.
As they were all summoned into reality and escaped, that place became an empty space riddled with holes, and through those gaps, the building was slowly collapsing.
Thump, thump, thump-
At the same time, the manager came running from the end of the hallway, brandishing a knife and shaking his head wildly.
"Who was clicking the pen--!!!!!"
Thud- bang-rumble rumble-
But before he could even make it halfway, the violent shaking of the building caused him to misstep and tumble sideways to the ground.
Crash!
"Waaaah! Prez!!"
"Ahhh, Joon...!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble,rumble
The trembling only grew more and more intense.
Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound of something collapsing. When I glanced at the kitchen right next to us, the ceiling had completely caved in.
At the same time, the front glass door burst open with a loud noise, and Detective Park Gangwoon rushed in, shouting urgently.
"Come out! Everyone, come out! Quickly!"
"Ugh, aaaaah..."
"Aaaaah....."
Inside the violently shaking. gradually tilting building, we crawled on all fours, using the walls for support as we made our way toward the Detective.
The manager, who had fallen in the hallway, struggled to get up amidst the chaos, still clutching the knife as he rose.
"Stop breathing, no breathing! The space is for everyone!!"
"Ugh, everyone behind me!"
"Who made the sound of opening a soda can?! Huh! That 'tick- and pop-'!!"
The long-haired manager staggered as he charged forward once more, and similarly, the Detective stumbled as he rushed to confront him.
In the tilting hallway, with us fleeing at the center, the manager was closing in from behind while the Detective was rushing toward us from the front.
Right there in the middle of the hallway, the two collided as if crashing into each other, but then the Detective immediately performed a takedown, sending the manager flying behind him.
Whooosh-
"Kyaaah-
Despite holding a knife, the long-haired manager, who was clearly out of shape, floated absurdly into the air due to the difference in physique.
Just like that, he tumbled down the slanted hallway with a series of crashes and ended up collapsing at the entrance before we did.
"Let's go! Hurry! Quickly!"
"Yes, yes...!"
Rumble-rumble, rumble, rumble—
We advanced toward the front door, feeling our way along the wall under the flickering lights, following the Detective's lead.
"Get out! Watch the door gap!"
"Yes...!"
Just before stepping through the door, I caught sight of the manager collapsed near the entrance.
A man reduced to wreck, trapped in this place for 20 years.
'...Damn it!'
I just couldn't leave him behind like that.
I grabbed the discolored collar of the
manager's clothes and dragged him out.
"Come on! This way!"
"Eeeeeek—"
At that, he staggered to his feet.
Following the members, I dragged him out and shouted.
"Get out! If you want to live, walk on your own! We're in a hurry to escape too!"
"Waaaaaaaah--!"
Just as we, including the Detective, safely made it through the entrance, the ceiling of the boarding house abruptly caved in and collapsed.
Crash-runble-thud- bang-
The manager, whom I had grabbed, opened his mouth and stared at the place where he had lived for so long, then suddenly began shaking his head vigorously from side to side.
Whoosh-whoosh-
Crack crack-
"What, what the hell!"
"Ugh!"
The manager began violently twisting his head left and right so rapidly that the sound of bones cracking echoed from his neck.
His hair flew wildly, and the terrible sound of his neck bones shattering could be heard as he shook his head violently.
"I'd rather kill myself than live doing manual labor outside aaaaahh!!!!"
Snap-
"Ahhh!"
"Joon!!"
Just like that, his neck snapped.
Blood instantly splattered all over me as I was holding onto him, and although the Detective tried to intervene, it was already too late.
The manager collapsed in front of the
entrance of the collapsed boarding house.
He was still breathing, gasping for air, but there seemed to be no hope left.
Thud- rumble-rumble
"That's enough! Ignore him and go down! Now!"
"Th-this way! Joon..."
We all rushed down the stairs from the fifth floor in a crowd, when we noticed Teacher Jang Hwaeun, panting heavily, was coming up the stairs as she called out to us from the corner below.
"Kids!"
"Teacher!?"
"Over here! Hurry!!"
Inside the collapsing building, as we hurriedly scrambled down the stairs, the Teacher supported us one by one from below.
At the same time, dust and debris poured down from above.
The Detective spread his jacket wide, shielding the heads of several people as he shouted.
"Keep your heads down! Hold onto the wall with one hand and protect your head with the other! Quickly!"
That's what we did, while the Detective pushed from behind and the Teacher pulled from the front.
We struggled to make our way down the stairs, but the situation only grew Worse.
"Whoa, ahhh...!"
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
The building tilted sharply again, and the stairs we were about to step on began to collapse.
We all tumbled down together and collapsed onto the floor below.
Thud-flop-
"Ugh. oof!"
"Is everyone alright?!"
Dust poured down, and the lights flickered.
Amidst the chaotic noise, I lifted my head and looked ahead and realized that we had only just reached the 4th floor, the study lounge.
"Huff, huff..."
"Detective! The, the stairs..."
As if things weren't bad enough, the stairs leading down to the lower floors were completely destroyed and wide open.
The Detective clenched his teeth tightly and scanned the area, but it was futile.
Thud- rumble--rumble-
Flick-! Burst!
In an instant, the faintly flickering fluorescent lights shattered, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.
"I-I can't see...!"
"H-Hold onto each other! Don't fall!"
The walls crumbled witha roar, and ceiling tiles came crashing down one after another.
"Damn it... to end up like this here..."
We scrambled and stumbled, driven into a corner as we tried to avoid the collapsing floor. Above our heads, Detective Park and Teacher Jang Hwaeun spread their coats wide, shielding our heads.
Rumble rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble
"It's, it's okay, kids."
"....."
The Teacher spread her hands over us, pulling the members into an embrace.
"It's, it's okay, it's okay...."
"....."
"It's okay, close your eyes..."
We huddled together, trembling uncontrollably, and instinctively shut Our eyes tight as we sensed death approaching.
The Detective and Teacher Jang Hwaeun shielded us from above.
Thụd- rumble-rumble- thud-
"It's okay..."
"..."
The teacher forced a strained smile.
"It's okay, close your eyes... it's okay..."
"...."
Amidst the collapsing building, Teacher Jang Hwaeun embraced us, like a mother bird spreading her wings to shelter her chicks.
The Detective also gave up and simply
looked down at us with a grave expression.
"....."
"....."
Rumble-rumble-rumble-
Once again, the sound of something collapsing echoed.
I clenched both of my hands tightly.
'F*ck. Did you think I'd just let everyone die like this again...!'
What were the odds?
The probability of us making it out of here alive.
Paat-
[13%]
[Special Ability, 'Perfect Student' has
activated.]
In that instant, a large white cylinder came tumbling down the collapsed stairs from the upper floor, rolling straight toward us.
Thud- thud-roool
"Evacuation device!"
Gyeongwon saw it and shouted in a panic, and at the same time, the Detective quickly snatched up the cylinder.
"Evacuation device, hey!"
"Wow, an evacuation device!"
The Detective immediately opened the
cylinder, pulled out a long rope, and
looked around.
But unfortunately, it seemed there was nowhere there to use it, as he could only frantically look around in every direction.
"L-Let's go to the seminar room! The seminar room!"
Gyeongwon suddenly jumped to his feet and dashed toward the study lounge ahead of us.
"The seminar room!?"
"We can use it there! Hurry!"
He frantically grabbed the door first.
He struggled, grunting as he held onto the half-destroyed iron door of the study lounge, and soon the Detective tried to kick it open, but it still wasn't enough.
The ceiling had collapsed from the violent shaking, causing the door to warp out of shape.
"Everyone, come! Everyone, come and help!"
"Ugh, aaaaaah!"
"Opeeeen!"
Clank-! Clank-!
"Again! AIl together, again!"
"Ugh!"
Thud- thud-
As eight people slammed into each other, the weakened wall cracked. The impact caused it to crumble again, taking us all down with it.
"Aaaah!"
"Krrrgh!"
Bang- bang-
But the eight of us stood up again and rushed forward, slamming our bodies against it. The already wall cracked further, then it collapsed under the impact, taking the door down with us.
Bang-crash-
"Kyaah..."
"Ugh..."
The door was still closed, but together, We had Completely brought the wall itself crashing down.
"Get up! Get up, quickly!"
Struggling to get up after being pinned under the iron door, I saw Gyeongwon and the Detective already running down the dark hallway in search of the seminar room.
'A, an evaluation device...'
We had no idea what this was or where to attach it, but Gyeongwon, with his vast knowledge and varied interests, must have noticed a place to hang such a thing while preparing for the competition earlier in the morning.
It just so happened to be related to the topic of magnetic hinges as well.
"Ev-Everyone, get up! Let's follow
them!"
"Okay!"
We quickly got up and followed Gyeongwon and the Detective, while the Teacher stayed at the very back, pushing Dukhun who was lagging behind, and looking after the rest of the club members.
"Keep your heads down, kids! Cover your heads!"
"Yes.....!"
Thud-rumble-rumble-
We groped our way through the dark corridor, barely visible under the green emergency lights, relying on memory, and soon found the seminar room where we had been preparing for the competition all along.
"Over here! Here!"
"Step aside!"
The Detective was already breaking down the door.
This time, it was a wooden door, so the Detective's strength alone was more
than enough.
Crash-!!
As we all hurriedly rushed through the open door, we saw a tilted seminar room with all sorts of objects rolling and piled up against the wall.
And when I looked where Gyeongwon
was pointing, there it was, the triangular evacuation device hook installed outside the window.
Since the seminar room was the size of several rooms combined, also including what used to be a corridor, this trace remained.
Rumble-rumble-runble-
"Haa, haa."
"Ugh, uh, uh...."
"Over here!"
Gyeongwon and the Detective, stumbling across the slanted floor, reached the window first.
"Here! You can attach it here!"
"Yeah!"
Without hesitation, the Detective immediately opened the window and hooked the evacuation device onto the ring.
Even as he tightened and assembled it, the hallway behind us was collapsing and crumbling.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-
"Ahhh!"
"Uwaaah!"
Rumble- thud-
Then, as the Detective threw the rope outside, the evacuation rope unfurled its line all the way to the ground.
"Okay, the slowest person, come forward! Just one who can't hold on! Fasten the belt, quickly!"
"Me, me...!"
"Otaku, hurry!"
The members pointed at Dukhun and pushed him forward all at once, making him tremble as he fastened his safety belt.
"One more! Hold on together and go down! Gyeongwon, come here! Hold onto each other!"
"Yes, yes...!"
Gyeongwon stepped up to the window
just like Dukhun, and the two grabbed
onto each other.
"If you let go, you die! Go now!"
"Waaaaaah"
"Kyaaaaaaah-!!!!"
With that, the Detective kicked them out, and Dukhun and Gyeongwon, holding onto each other tightly, descended into the darkness of Noryangjin.
"Next! From now on, just hold the rope and go down! No belts! Wrap your hands in clothes so you don't get hurt and hold the rope!"
"Kyaah, kyaah!"
"Hurry! Quick!"
Urged on by Detective Park and Teacher Jang Hwaeun, the members grabbed the rope one after another and leaped out the window.
The first to jump was Jinhee, leaping like a special forces soldier, quickly grabbing the rope and descending.
"I'm going first, damn it! Let's meet alive!"
"Ugh, ugh...."
Next, it was my turn to go. I grabbed the rope and stood ready.
Thud-rumble-rumble-
"W-what the hell.."
As I stood with my feet braced against the windowsill, the wall beside me was cracking all over. and even the hook holding the rope was trembling within the fissured wall.
Even though this was the fourth floor, it was a commercial building, so each floor was much higher than regular apartment buildings. I was practically standing at the height of a typical building's rooftop.
"Go!"
"Yeeaaaaaah...!."
The moment I grabbed the rope with my clothes, the Detective kicked me off as well, and I threw my body into the void of Noryangjin's night, amidst the dazzling neon signs.
"Aaaaaaaah...!!!!"
With the collapsing building stirring up dust behind me, I slid through the void of Noryangjin's neon lights, relying solely on the rope.
Whoooosh-
Even though I had wrapped the rope with my clothes, it slid so fast that it created a whistling sound, making my palms burn.
"Ugh, urrgh, uhk...."
Just like that, the 4th floor, 3rd floor, 2nd floor.
The flashing lights of the police cars and the silhouettes of people below gradually grew closer.
As I slid down, I ended up pressing down on Jinhee's head from above with my buttocks while she was still descending.
Squish-!
"Ugh, f*** what the hell! Why the hell are you coming down so fast, you b*stard! Get your ass off me!"
Jinhee shouted in midair, twisting her nose away from my butt in anger.
It was my fault for descending too quickly because I didn't have enough grip strength to hold onto the rope.
Just as I was about to apologize, Sunah above me screamed as she grabbed the rope, coming down after me.
"Kyaaaah-!"
Looking up, this time Sunah's butt pressed right into my face.
Squish-
"-Joon...! Sorry..."
"Mmph mmph... It's okay.."
Fortunately, despite clinging to a single rope and flailing desperately in the air, we managed to land safely on the ground.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Haa, haa, haa."
"No one's hurt, right?"
"Uhh, yeah, I'm fine..."
"L-Let's get up and move out of the way first!"
"Yeah...!"
Dukhun and Gyeongwon were already
fleeing to escape the collapsing building, so we quickly got up and hurried toward the crowd as well.
"Come this way! This way!"
Up ahead, the police and others were already waving us toward them.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-
As I dodged the debris and looked back, we saw Hayoon landing smoothly in a stable posture, followed by the Detective as he descended together with Teacher Jang Hwaeun and supported her legs from below.
Thump- thump-
"Is everyone safe?!"
"Yes, we're fine! Please come over here
quickly!"
"Huff! Teacher, this way!"
The Detective grabbed Teacher Jang
Hwaeun, who had come down to the ground and was scrambling around in a daze, by the shoulders, and pulled her back to a safe distance.
At the same time, the Noryangjin Tower of Despair began collapsing with a strange, mournful sound.
Wooooh-
Woooooh-
"...!"
"..What the..."
People stepped back and looked up at the tower, which was letting out an eerie howl.
They perhaps thought it was coming from the karaoke machine.
But to us, who looked up while straightening our clothes, it felt as if it were the creature's final, dying cry.
Woooooo-
While screaming.
Oooooh-
Ooooh-
Oooooh-
Rumble, rumble-
Thud-
"....."
"....."
"....."
Pop-
[You have come across and survived
a B-rank ghost story - Despairing Tower of Boarding House Residents!]
[You have earned 15 Ghost Story Points.]
[You have used your wits and successfully rescued most of the missing people and even destroyed the source and the location!]
[You have earned 70 Ghost Story Points.]
[You will receive a 10% bonus point for each contributing member.]
[Contributing Member (6 members): Ahn Gyeongwon, Oh Dukhun, Yoon Sunah, Lee Jinhee, In Hayoon, Jang Hwaeun]
[You will receive an additional 60% bonus point on the total 85 points, 51 points.]
[Current Ghost Story Points: 580 + 85+51]
Ping~
[Current Ghost Story Points: 716]
Rumble-rumble-rumble-
We brushed our clothes and watched the tower sink into the dust.
The police stood dumbfounded as they controlled the pedestrians, and the test takers looked dazed.
But noW, no more precious youths would ever wander this place again.
"..."
"....."
"....."
"..Haaaaah..."
One of the members let out a sigh.
I, too, finally slumped on the ground with a heavy exhale.
In the distance, the bluish light of dawn shone through, illuminating the collapsed building.
We could see the rising dust dispersing into the air.
"... It's Over."
"Yeah.....
"Haaaaah..."
The building had completely collapsed, leaving not a single stone standing atop another.
In the dawn, the sound of fire trucks
approaching with blaring sirens could
be heard in the distance.
As I sat down in front of the collapsed building, haphazardly on the block of
pavement, the members gathered in front of me one by one with exhausted expressions.
We all crouched together in silence, when the Detective and Teacher came over to us, brushing off their clothes.
"Is anyone hurt? Are you all okay?"
"..."
We didn't even have the strength to speak, so we just blankly stared at each other.
From the repeated exorcism rituals to escaping the collapsing building.
From waking up early to prepare for the competition, to fighting, making up,we'd been running without a wink of sleep, until we were utterly exhausted.
Still, at a quick glance, it seemed no one was hurt, which was a relief.
'Except for the fact that our faces are covered in dust, now we look like beggars...'
"...Yes, I'm fine....."
"Me too..."
"Are you okay, Teacher...? Detective...?"
"I'm fine."
"Me too... uhmph!"
Soon, even Teacher Jang Hwaeun plopped down next to us.
I was sitting there dazedly, when suddenly I found myself curious and asked.
"...But Teacher, how did you find out and come here...?"
"The Detective contacted me, of Course~"
The Teacher, sitting down beside us on the pavement blocks, gave a weary smile.
"We exchanged contact info back at Seoul Station last time, just in case."
"Aha....."
I nodded.
Seeing the Teacher, whom I usually only saw at school, sitting here with us on the pavement blocks felt strangely normal.
"You always leave me out, you kids."
"we Sorry..."
we muttered weakly.
"We thought it wouldn't be that dangerous... We thought it would be over quickly..."
"..."
Soon, I saw Gong Siyoung, the civil service exam sister, being carried away by a handsome-looking policeman.
Sirens blared from all directions as fire
trucks parked nearby.
And though I didn't know how they found out, even at the early dawn, a broadcasting van with a station logo pulled up with a low rumble and parked on a spot next to the fire trucks, then several people who looked like reporters got out and began setting up cameras.
"...Ugh."
The Detective glanced around at the increasingly chaotic surroundings and
let out a low groan.
"You guys, it seems like it's time to get up."
"....."
"Don't you think so?"
We were just sitting there, completely dazed.
The Detective let out a deep sigh, then grabbed and hauled the members to
their feet.
"Come on, now, everyone, get up even if you're tired. If we stay here, we'll only attract unnecessary attention."
"..."
"Let's go. We should move while it's still dark. Let's wrap things up by talking in my car for now."
We heaved deep sighs and groaned before scrambling to our feet.
And following the Detective, we moved
through the swarming investigation scene, stepping over the yellow tape that had been put up for the pedestrians.
"Excuse us, just passing through for a
moment..."
"Ah, yes..."
Fortunately, the scene was growing increasingly chaotic due to the dust and smoke billowing from the building, the firefighters rushing about, and the police trying to control the gathering of pedestrians and reporters, so no one paid us any attention.
A few police officers briefly asked the
Detective where he was going, but he simply raised a hand and said, You've all worked hard', and they all stepped aside Just before leaving the scene, as I stepped over the yellow tape, I turned my head for a moment and stared at the collapsed building.
The rubble bathed in the bluish light of dawn, collapsed without a trace as if it
had never stood there.
How many test-takers must have cried and wept there for years?
Because they couldn't study, because it was too hard, because they had no will to work hard.
Because they couldn't quell their own desires, and because they were afraid of giving up.
Even I could only escape this place after I died once.
"...."
"Joony, what are you doing.. Let's go..."
I turned my head, crossed the last step over the tape, and left the scene.
Even today, countless people come to Noryangjin, dreaming of a stable future, and willingly trap themselves in this place.
In this place where the suppressed desires and depression of individuals Swirl like a trap.
Only those who can kill themselves will
survive.