I stood frozen, staring at Isolation Room B14.
Creak, creeeak.
The rusty hinges groaned like a scream as the door to the isolation room began to open.
It was a door that should never have opened. And from within, a dark figure…
“Run.”
I immediately turned and sprinted toward the exit of the isolation corridor. Beside me, I could hear Supervisor Park Minseong running just as frantically. Survival instincts pushed my legs forward while my mind raced in confusion.
‘What the hell is this?’
What’s going on?
‘In the work tips…’
Tip 4 said to ignore the sounds coming from the isolation rooms. Tip 11 said to yell and tell it to shut up to quiet it down.But before I could decide which rule to follow, the door opened?
What on earth is in there…?
“Guys.”
Both of us nearly stumbled at the same time.
That voice—we both recognized it.
But without looking back, we kept running, rounding the corner toward the green emergency exit sign at the end of the hallway. Cleaning tools clattered to the floor as we abandoned them. My chest burned as I gasped for air.
Just as Supervisor Park Minseong reached the emergency exit and grabbed the doorknob—
[BEEEEEEEEP!!]
“……!!”
[Unauthorized opening of Isolation Room detected.]
[Corridor lockdown initiated.]
Red emergency lights began flashing in the hallway.
Accompanied by the cold, emotionless voice of the system, the sound of a security shutter descending outside the emergency exit echoed through the air.
Park Minseong and I exchanged looks in the momentary pause.
“……”
We were trapped inside.
‘We’re fucked.’
Damn it. Damn it!
I fumbled in my pocket. Maybe there was something in the work tips about what to do in this situation…
“Unbelievable. You two are the very definition of Dumb and Dumber. Did you trade your exploration manuals for candy? Where the hell did all your composure go?”
……
‘What?’
The voice was dry, laced with exasperation. Annoyed, but strangely… casual?
Step, step.
“This is driving me crazy. No, wait, maybe I should commend you for being cautious… Hah.”
A voice that was now right behind us.
But there was no eerie laughter, no cold hand reaching out from the darkness, no spine-chilling phenomenon like I expected.
“……”
“Damn it. Hah, no, calm down… Listen, guys. I know I sounded nuts earlier, okay? But I had no choice—I needed to use an escape item. I didn’t have time to explain. Just wrap your heads around it already, will you?”
The voice grew more urgent.
“What else could I do? I acted crazy to try and extract some info while I was at it, but then the item activated, the door opened, and I escaped.”
That voice…
“Snap out of it. I’ll give you ten seconds. Hurry.”
……
……
“…Assistant Manager?”
“That’s right.”
Before I could stop him, Supervisor Park Minseong turned around. And so did I.
And there, standing in the hallway, was a familiar silhouette.
Bobbed hair.
Sharp, piercing eyes.
A cold-looking woman in a crisp suit.
Standing in the corridor was none other than Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
She scanned the scattered cleaning tools we had abandoned with a faintly displeased expression.
“Are those supposed to just lie there? No, whatever—let’s sort that out later. First, let’s deal with this.”
“……”
“……”
The grip of Supervisor Park Minseong’s hand on my shoulder slackened.
We stared blankly at her.
“Badger, and… Roe.”
Eun Haje’s face softened, a trace of an expression forming.
“How have you been?”
Calm, poised, with a slight undertone of fatigue and exasperation—she wore the face of a boss who’d seen too much. And on her lips, a sharp-edged smile.
“This goddamn company… Hah.”
She shook her head with a deep sigh, then gestured toward us.
“Sorry to trouble you, but can you help me out? Just open the door to the isolation corridor for me.”
Her voice was calm.
“After that, I’ll handle the rest and get out.”
Supervisor Park Minseong and I didn’t respond. It was as if we had made a silent pact to say nothing.
My head felt like it was going to explode.
Eun Haje smirked wryly.
“Can’t even respond? Well, that’s a wise choice. I would’ve done the same.”
What is this?
‘Why does it… sound so convincing?’
Why does it feel so real…?
‘No, that can’t be!’
“Supervisor.”
I swallowed hard and spoke quickly, as if to remind myself, keeping my voice low and directed at Supervisor Park Minseong.
“Remember. The Assistant Manager resigned. There’s no way she’s here…”
……
‘Wait.’
Is there really no way?
I suddenly recalled all the strange things that had left me uneasy until now.
The abrupt loss of contact with Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
Passing her equipment without meeting her in person, unanswered text messages except for read receipts, phone calls that never connected—all of it, only hearing about her through Section Chief Lee Jaheon…
Could it be?
‘Is it because she’s trapped here?’
I quickly ran through the criteria for being transferred to the isolation zone by the Security Team.
Emergency contamination, internal anomalies, dangerous individuals, spies, disciplinary actions, and other ominous, censored conditions marked with black boxes.
‘Plenty of possibilities.’
Even Supervisor Park and I had been briefly detained here once.
If that’s the case…
Could Assistant Manager Eun Haje also fit one of those criteria?
“…Roe?”
“Hold on… just hold on.”
It’s possible, isn’t it?
I wanted to immediately interrogate this person who looked like Assistant Manager Eun Haje, confirm the situation, and figure out what had happened. But I couldn’t take the risk of relying on a possibility.
‘Let’s try another approach first.’
I turned to Braun for help.
‘Braun, the person in front of us… is this really D-squad’s Assistant Manager we worked with months ago?’
Braun responded cheerfully.
– Oh, what a shame. As much as I’m a legendary host, I’m no investigative expert!
– My discerning eye is sharp, of course, but alas, even my button eyes have their limitations.
– Outwardly, they do appear identical, but who can say? There are masters of disguise out there in the world, after all.
Damn it.