Chapter 129
Ahh, ah, ahh...!
A scream echoed through the hallway. It soon ended and turned into a moan.
Crash, bang, thud...
There was the sound of breaking glass and something colliding with something else. The snuffed scream continued to echo through the hallway.
Ra-Hee and Ha-Yeon’s faces froze. They had left the classroom upon hearing the evacuation order broadcasted throughout the school and were planning to head back to their classroom after the announcement said that it had been a false alarm.
"W-what is this, w-what sound is that?" Ra-Hee stuttered, stopping in her tracks.
Ha-Yeon looked around anxiously and answered, "Could it be true that a taxidermied creature has appeared...?"
"Hey, come on. Don’t say that...”
Ha-Yeon looked out the window and saw a handful of first-year students rushing out of the building with terrified expressions. The appearance of a taxidermied creature was enough to spread terror throughout a city. She wasn’t sure if it was true that a taxidermied creature had appeared, but it seemed like something was going on.
"Should we... evacuate? Didn’t the announcement say the taxidermied creature was a false alarm?"
"Didn’t that sound like a lie? The second broadcast had a strange tone...”
"Then what should I believe in? What exactly is going on...?"
"For now... I think it's better to believe the first broadcast."
In times like this, it was wise to first evacuate and then evaluate the situation. If something ended up happening because they didn’t evacuate, then they would suffer from the consequences. Even if nothing happened, they had nothing to lose.
Ha-Yeon quickly made the decision to lead Ra-Hee out of the building. They hurried their steps but stopped the moment they reached the staircase. Fear dawned upon their faces. Ha-Yeon tried to seem calm, but she couldn't hide her fluttering eyelids.
"Hello!"
A woman greeted them, alternating her gaze between Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee. She had very short hair and an overall refreshing impression. Her tone and expressions were cheerful. Her teeth, revealed with a smile, were white and neatly organized. The woman crawled on the floor and made her way toward the two.
Rather, she rolled toward them. She was merely a head with nothing below her neck.
"Please wait a moment! I'll be rolling over there soon!"
"Oh, uh, hey, what...?"
"Huh? No, uh, you don't have to come. No, please don't come near me...!"
Ra-Hee and Ha-Yeon hesitantly stepped back, avoiding the approaching head. They wanted to turn around and run away, but alas, their legs had lost their strength. It seemed that they would fall to their knees if they tried to escape in their current state.
"Don't run away! I'm not a weird person!"
"F-fuck off! Anyone can see that you're weird!" Ra-Hee shouted after she came to her senses.
The head seemed to grimace as she forced an exaggerated laugh.
"I'm telling you, I'm not! Soon, my friends will be here too!"
"Friends...?"
Tadadadada.
While Ha-Yeon voiced her curiosity, a strange sound came from the stairs. It sounded like a giant bug crawling rapidly on its dozens of legs.
The head’s ‘friends’ quickly climbed up the stairs and stood in front of Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee.
"I'm the upper body!"
"I'm the lower body!"
The head had two friends: the upper body and the lower body. The upper body had its mouth on the pit of its stomach, and the lower body had its mouth at its groin. The upper body moved by standing on its hands, while the lower body used its legs.
Head, upper body, and lower body. The three of them stared at Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee. The upper body and lower body had no eyes, but Ha-Yeon felt that they were looking at her. She trembled with fear, and her mind went blank. Even the thought of running away was fading away.
At that moment, the head rolled on the ground and spoke to them.
"Don't be so scared!"
"If you pass the quiz, we'll let you go! You don't have to worry!"
"Quiz!"
"Quiz! Quiz!"
The lower body jumped up and down, bending and straightening its knees. The upper body did push-ups while assuming a hand-standing position. The head rolled around.
At that point, Ha-Yeon stopped thinking. It felt like she would lose her mind If she held onto her consciousness any longer.
The head stopped rolling and exclaimed, "First, the person on my right!"
"M-me?" Ra-Hee was startled and stepped back.
The upper and lower body danced around, bending and straightening their joints. The head smiled and approached Ra-Hee, spinning around her feet in circles.
"Yes! You! Here's the question! Among the following, who is telling a lie?"
"When escaping from Sodom, one of Lot's daughters turned back and became a pillar of salt!" said the upper body.
"To continue their family’s lineage, Lot's two daughters, who safely escaped from Sodom, received their father's seed!" said the lower body.
Ra-Hee's expression hardened as she heard the questions.
"I-I haven't studied that part yet...!"
"Answer quickly! I'll give you ten seconds to think! Ten!"
The head rolled around Ra-Hee's feet, urging her.
Ra-Hee covered her lips and tilted her head as if she were in deep thought and then stole a glance at Ha-Yeon.
Ha-Yeon was still in a daze. This situation that was unfolding in front of her eyes did not feel real at all.
"Nine!"
Time was ticking. Ra-Hee racked her brain. She pondered over the upper body’s words. She vaguely remembered hearing a story about one of Lot's family members turning into a pillar of salt because they had looked back while fleeing, but she couldn't remember which family member it was.
"Eight!"
Next, she thought about the lower body’s words. Lot's two daughters received their father's seed to continue the lineage... Wasn't Lot supposed to be a righteous man? Would he really do such a thing? Did that make sense?
"Seven!"
"..."
It seemed like they were both telling lies and the truth at the same time.
Ra-Hee regretted neglecting her study of the Holy Book. Meanwhile, time was still ticking. Should she make a wild guess? After all, she had a fifty-fifty chance. No, what if she guessed wrong? What consequences would she face for being wrong?
The contemplating Ra-Hee whispered in a low voice, covering her mouth with her palm, "Ha-Yeon."
It was only then that Ha-Yeon’s eyes, which had been staring blankly into space, finally regained focus. Ra-Hee sent a signal to Ha-Yeon with a look. Ha-Yeon understood the message conveyed in Ra-Hee's eyes and nodded.
"The answer is the upper body. It was the wife who turned into salt, not the daughter."
"No, not that."
Ra-Hee shook her head. She hadn't signaled Ha-Yeon to give her the answer.
Even if they guessed the correct answer, there was no guarantee that those things would let them go willingly. It would be better to overpower the head, lower, and upper body through the help of Ha-Yeon’s blessings and escape the building.
Ha-Yeon was inherently physically weak and lacked strength, so it wouldn’t make much of a difference if she herself received any blessings. Ra-Hee was also physically weak but was stronger compared to Ha-Yeon. With the help of Ha-Yeon's blessings, she could somehow win the fight.
The taxidermied creatures appeared to be three separate entities, but they were actually just one body divided into three pieces. Although it looked like it would be a 3:1 fight, in reality, it would be a 1:1.
"...Use a blessing on me. Anything that can be used in battle–"
Bam!
A kick from the lower body landed on Ra-Hee's chin as she was giving orders to Ha-Yeon.
"Why do you talk about other things when all you need to do is give me the right answer? It's always your mouth that's the problem!"
Thwack.
The head headbutted the fallen Ra-Hee on the mouth.
"It's always the mouth! The mouth!"
Break!
Then, the upper body forcefully rained down a flurry of punches onto Ra-Hee’s mouth.
"Mouth!"
Crunch.
The lower body stomped on her mouth with its foot. Several broken teeth rolled on the floor. Blood flowed profusely from her burst lips.
Ra-Hee's face became caked in blood in an instant. With her body leaning against the wall, the head tumbled toward her.
"Three seconds!"
"Ah, kah, ha..."
"Unfortunately, ha is not the correct answer! I'll give you another chance! Choose either the upper body or the lower body!"
"..."
"If you don't know, just guess! It is fifty-fifty, after all! Two seconds!"
Even in a dazed state from being beaten by the taxidermied creatures, Ra-Hee desperately held onto her consciousness. According to Ha-Yeon's words, the one who was lying was the upper body. She just had to say it was the upper body. She just had to... say it was the... upper body...
"Ha, ah... Ha, agh...!"
Her teeth were broken, and her lips were busted. There was no way she could speak properly. Her pronunciation was off, and she couldn't pronounce the word ‘upper body.’ Tears streamed down her face. It was frustrating to know the answer but not be able to say it, and she feared the aftermath of getting the answer wrong.
"Oh... You couldn't guess the right answer... But there is still hope!"
"..."
"If the white-haired student gets the answer right, I will let both of you go! This is not an opportunity that comes every day!"
Leaving the blood-caked Ra-Hee behind, the head approached Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon had no strength left in her to take a single step back.
She silently watched her friend Ra-Hee who had been brutalized. The taxidermied creature’s movements were agile and strong. ‘Even if I had intervened, I wouldn't have been able to stop them.’ She justified her own helplessness.
Meanwhile, the head approached Ha-Yeon's feet and began rolling around her.
"Now, let's get straight to the question! Among the upper body and lower body, who is lying? One is lying, and the other is telling the truth!"
"The lower body is telling the truth!" said the upper body.
"The upper body is lying!" said the lower body.
The head laughed brightly as if pleased and rolled on the floor.
"I'll give you another ten seconds! Oh, this question is a bit difficult, should we make it fifteen seconds? What do you think?"
"...Does it matter?"
"Excuse me?" the head asked with a puzzled expression.
Ra-Hee leaned against the wall and stared at Ha-Yeon with her eyes wet with blood. With her mouth that wouldn't open, she muttered something.
'Guess’... 'Just guess'... Ra-Hee's mouth shape conveyed.
Ha-Yeon lowered her head, biting her nails in an attempt to hold back tears. Along with the fear, the pressure to solve the problem intensified within her.
When she had gone through her nails, she bit her fingers instead. Blood oozed from her fingertips. When the metallic smell of blood filled her mouth, Ha-Yeon stopped biting her fingers and opened her mouth.
"It doesn't matter whether you give me ten seconds or fifteen seconds..."
"Excuse me? What do you mean? I'm giving you a whole five seconds more!" the head replied shamelessly.
If she could have it her way, Ha-Yeon would kick the head and smash it to pieces, but she didn't even have the strength to do that. Ha-Yeon continued to bow her head as if she was going to plant it on the ground.
"Because.... They both aren’t lies.”
"What? So are they saying they are both telling the truth?"
"No, they aren’t...telling the truth... but..."
"Then what's the answer? I just need to hear it!"
"The answer is no one... Because if one is determined as false, then the other one will also be false as well..."
"I hate bothsideism! Just choose one choice and state your answer!"
"Wha-what... Neither of them is the right answer. How am I..."
At that moment, the head rolling by Ha-Yeon’s feet stopped moving. The head stared at Ha-Yeon with a chilly, expressionless face. Its eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth twisted and turned. It wasn't a movement that could have been accomplished with normal human face muscles.
The head turned red as if it was filled with anger and screamed.
"Choose only one! Choose one!"
"That's forced...!"
"You guys did the same thing! You made us choose only one as well!"
Tears of blood flowed from the head's eyes. The upper and lower body jumped towards Ha-Yeon. Then, together with the head, they spun around Ha-Yeon. Like an inquisitor dancing around a burning witch, they wailed and danced.
"Ask if she's a witch, ask if she's not a witch. If she said she was a witch, they killed her, and if she said she was not a witch, they’d kill her too. Both were the right answer and the wrong answer at the same time. I had to choose."
"You were going to kill me anyway. You just liked setting things on fire. Whether I said I was or wasn’t a witch, you would have killed me anyway."
"I had long hair before, but you cut it, butchered it, and burned it. I had long hair once...”
Dakakdak, roll, dakadak.
The upper and lower body pounded the ground. The head rolled around. Its teeth hit the floor, making a clicking sound.
Ha-Yeon slumped down. The taxidermied creatures danced around her, spinning and twirling. They began telling a story about a witch hunt.
Witch hunting was a thing of the distant past. Ha-Yeon wasn't even born back then. She was very young when the Holy War broke out with the Voodoo Cult.
The Holy War that passed like a storm during her days when she knew nothing was now nothing more than a distant memory.
"It's not my fault! Th-that's my fault..." Ha-Yeon shouted in frustration.
Her vision blurred. Three taxidermied creatures danced around her, appearing before her eyes in turn.
The taxidermied creatures all opened their mouths in unison.
"I didn't do anything wrong either!"
"Me neither, me neither...!"
Their voices echoed from all directions. The sound rang in her ears. Her stomach felt queasy, and her head spun. Cold sweat poured down. Eventually, it came to the point where she couldn't tell if the taxidermied creatures were circling around her or if she herself was spinning.
Krrrrrrrr!
Thunder roared. A flash of light flickered beyond the window.
Her nose suddenly spilled forth with blood. Ha-Yeon closed her eyes and covered her ears, feeling like she couldn’t take it anymore without doing so.
However, the voices of the head, upper body, and lower body pierced through her hands. Their voices were still clear and distinct, as if their voices were transmitted not through her ears but straight to her head. Her nose continued to bleed, dripping blood onto the floor.
"Answer me! Who is lying─"
Crash!
Just then, the window shattered. A strong and sharp gale shattered the broken glass window. The wind was strong but not excessively so.
The wind penetrated Ha-Yeon's flesh, drying the cold sweat that clung to her body. Somehow, the wind was kind. When Ha-Yeon realized that she could no longer hear the voices of the taxidermied creatures, she cautiously opened her eyes.
He had appeared with the wind. The sharp wind gradually subsided around Sun-Woo, turning gentle and refreshing around him.
"Head," Sun-Woo said.
Snap!
He kicked the head that was circling around Ha-Yeon. The head hit the wall and burst open. Sun-Woo stared at the scene with icy eyes.
Ha-Yeon felt her mind go blank for a moment. His cold and vacant eyes resembled the eyes of the hunters who had tried to cut off her arms when she was young.
When the head exploded, the upper and lower body lost strength and collapsed in place. Despite being soaked in the rain and water dripping down his clothes, Sun-Woo approached Ha-Yeon without hesitation.
Then he roughly grabbed her hand. There was a gruesome scar on the palm of her hand. Ha-Yeon tried to cover it by clenching her fist, but he wouldn't allow it.
Sun-Woo forcibly opened Ha-Yeon's palm. He alternated his gaze between her scar and her face.
"Who did you show this to?"
"W-What, who did I show what to...?" Ha-Yeon stammered as she moved back.
Sun-Woo started sharply into Ha-Yeon's eyes and asked again.
"This scar, who did you show to other than me?"
His pupils that bore into her were filled with a strong obsession. It was a terrifying yet peculiar gaze.
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