Chapter 283: Fast-Forward and Rewind
The riverside.
Honestly, what could possibly be at the riverside?
When I was young, I'd sometimes go there with friends, or my family for outings. In college, I'd spread out a mat and drink there.
It's the same even now.
I walked through the bustling crowd.
It was fortunate, at least, that I'd managed to avoid wearing a suit.
But that didn't mean we could escape people's stares.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
It was a strange combination.
Three women and one man was odd enough, but each of them also carried a peculiar aura.
It would have been less conspicuous if we were just wearing suits and stood out that way.
"Doesn't it feel like people are staring at us a lot?"
At my muttering, the three responded differently.
"Is that so? I'm not sure... It feels the same as usual to me."
"Yeah. They're just looking at us like they look at everyone else."
Yu Daon and Jang Chae-yeon, who weren't sure.
And.
"It's because I'm pretty, of course. People naturally look at beautiful faces."
Song A-rin, lifting her chin and speaking with confidence.
"That's a bit obnoxious."
"Hey, give credit where it's due. It's not like my looks are lacking anywhere, you know?"
Well, that wasn't exactly wrong.
I nodded at Song A-rin's words, and she stared right at me.
"What are you nodding for?"
"...What, should I say you're ugly instead?"
"No, that's not it..."
What did she want me to do, then?
Meanwhile, Jang Chae-yeon and Yu Daon were looking at Song A-rin as if she were some bizarre creature.
"So you think you're pretty too."
"That's fascinating..."
"I can hear you two, shut up."
Song A-rin covered her face with one hand and muttered.
An ordinary riverside.
At least, on the surface.
"Where are we supposed to go from here?"
"The riverside entrance is over there."
Jang Chae-yeon raised her hand and pointed towards a bridge.
A bridge leading to a small island park that lit up in rainbow colors at night. That was the bridge Jang Chae-yeon was pointing to.
"Over there?"
I'd been there more than once or twice.
Jang Chae-yeon nodded and took a deep breath.
"Hoo. Let's go."
"..."
What on earth was so nerve-wracking about this?
Watching Jang Chae-yeon, who couldn't let go of her tension, I recalled what Eileen had said.
'The riverside?'
'Yes.'
Eileen had nodded at my words.
'Who's there?'
'Who? No. I heard all the teams that are considered strong right now have been dispatched to the riverside area?'
'Then why are we being called?'
'Are you asking because you don't know?'
'...'
'Anyway, I objected too, but this is the Director-General's opinion. They said no one can oppose it.'
The Director-General.
What possible reason could that old man, who always seemed to be thinking the unfathomable, have for calling every single team?
As I organized my thoughts, I looked at Jang Chae-yeon and Song A-rin.
"Have you been to the riverside before?"
"Once."
"Me too, with her."
The two gave short answers and closed their mouths.
Their faces looked like they didn't even want to think about it.
"What kind of place is it?"
"..."
"..."
Uncharacteristically, the two remained silent.
"My apologies. I've only brought up bad memories for no reason."
That was my fault.
I bowed my head slightly, and the two rolled their eyes around before starting to walk towards the bridge first.
"...I'll show you how to get in."
Song A-rin cleared her throat and continued.
"Cross the bridge. But you have to walk with your hand on the right-hand railing."
"Is that all?"
"Of course not. As you keep walking, you'll start to feel dizzy. When that happens, close your eyes. Don't open them until the dizziness gets so bad you feel like you're going to throw up."
"And then?"
"...Then you'll have arrived."
Song A-rin answered calmly and then turned to look at the three of us.
"I'll show you."
Then she placed her hand on the right-hand railing and began to walk.
Her steps gradually became unsteady.
Later, she was walking almost leaning on the railing, then she staggered once,
"..."
And vanished like smoke.
"That's how you get in."
Jang Chae-yeon muttered in a calm voice, then looked at me and Yu Daon.
"I'll follow from the back, so you two go first."
"Understood. Then..."
"I'll go first."
Yu Daon raised her hand and strode forward.
Just like Song A-rin, she placed her hand on the right-hand railing, closed her eyes, hummed a tune, and walked.
Without staggering even once, Yu Daon walked and then disappeared exactly the same way.
"Then I'll go."
"Yeah. Be careful."
Jang Chae-yeon waved her hand. I placed my hand on the right-hand railing.
A cold sensation spread as I slowly began to walk.
How far had I walked?
The dizziness started to set in.
A feeling as if someone was shaking my head.
My brow furrowed involuntarily at the sensation, and the dizziness grew worse.
How did Yu Daon endure this dizziness and walk so steadily?
Just as my respect for Yu Daon was growing, the dizziness became unbearable.
And at the same time, I opened my eyes.
"..."
"You're here."
"Welcome!"
Song A-rin and Yu Daon's voices rang in my ears, but I wasn't in the right state of mind to answer.
"...What is this?"
I looked at the scene before me.
The world was upside down.
On the ground, I could see numerous people talking, laughing, and playing.
But when I turned my gaze upward,
"..."
There were sparse, withered trees, but the ground was pulsating.
I looked down at the ground.
A soft sensation, and pink flesh.
As if inside the belly of some...
"...Stomach?"
"That's right. The stomach of some creature?"
At my muttering, Yu Daon nodded, and Song A-rin frowned as if disgusted.
Then Jang Chae-yeon appeared in front of us.
"...Disgusting."
And she frowned as she surveyed the spectacle.
"Where is this?"
"..."
At my question, Jang Chae-yeon closed her mouth for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
"This is the 'riverside'."
"...This is it?"
Such a bizarre place?
"What about the other people?"
"We'll have to start looking for them now."
Song A-rin muttered as she walked.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"It feels kinda bouncy. Fascinating."
Except for Yu Daon, who was bouncing up and down on the ground, the three of us walked on quietly.
"By the way, Mr. Jae-heon."
"Yes?"
"Doesn't this feel familiar somehow?"
"...Familiar?"
At Yu Daon's question, I looked at her, and she nodded.
"It feels like I've experienced something like this somewhere..."
"...I'm not sure."
"Is that so? Hmmmm..."
As I watched Yu Daon muttering to herself while bouncing alone,
-Groooan...!
The ground shuddered momentarily, and we all stopped.
"Seems we're almost there."
Song A-rin muttered and took the lead, walking ahead.
-Whoosh!
Suddenly, the scenery before my eyes changed.
The ground remained the same, but a ceiling and walls had appeared, all made of the same pink, squirming flesh.
And about a dozen people were staring at us.
"...What? New recruits?"
"Which side are they from?"
"Haven't seen them before? Are they lost civilians?"
"How would civilians get here?"
The people muttered with wide eyes as they looked at us.
Each of them had wounds here and there on their bodies, or wore fierce expressions—they definitely didn't seem like ordinary people.
Just as I stepped forward to speak, someone called my name.
"Mr. Kim Jae-heon!"
A familiar voice.
"Mr. Ahn Sang-hyun?"
Ahn Sang-hyun waved at me with a smile.
"I knew the Branch Head would call you! I've been waiting for the HR team to arrive!"
"HR team?"
"He said HR team?"
"Is he crazy?"
People began to murmur.
It seemed the rumors about our team hadn't spread to the other branches yet.
"...Is everyone here?"
Then, a man's voice cut through the chatter, silencing everyone.
All mouths closed as a man stepped forward.
He was a man wearing a hat.
His face was hidden by the brim.
"You've all worked hard to get here."
He looked around at us and began to speak slowly.
I scanned above his head.
[Name: Oh Je-min]
[Age: 52]
[Specialty: X]
[Talent: Stubborn Resolve]
[Background: He has overcome this ordeal through courage alone.]
[Weakness: Strong courage is but recklessness. This will take his life.]
"I'm Oh Je-min, a conscripted member of the Gangnam Branch Isolation Team. I've been ordered by the Director-General to relay the situation to you."
His tone was oddly reminiscent of a platoon leader.
"An anomalous phenomenon has been detected on the riverside."
"..."
The body of Song A-rin next to me stiffened.
"The reason we called personnel from four branches is also because of that. There's a chance an incident like the Myeongil Apartment case could happen again."
He turned and looked around.
The pink flesh masses were still pulsating.
"Therefore, our mission is to identify the location of the upcoming anomaly and immediately reverse it, then evacuate the sur, sur, sur, sur—"
What was happening all of a sudden?
All our gazes turned to him.
He began to twist his body back and forth.
"Sur, sursursursursur."
His joints twisted grotesquely as he began to spit out the same word.
Yu Daon hurriedly drew her gun and stepped in front of us.
"Sursursursursurkikikikikiki"
His body began to bend in all directions, and at the same time, people started moving.
"Contamination!"
"Everyone, evade!"
Contamination? Evade?
Before I could even think, my body was yanked backward, and white hair fluttered.
"Ms. Chae-yeon! Throw me!"
"Got it."
Along with Yu Daon's cheerful voice, Jang Chae-yeon swung her arm.
Black hair scattered in the air.
"Grrraaahhh!"
The man's body was now twisted so grotesquely it was hard to call him human, and someone flew towards him holding an awl.
It was Yu Daon.
"Shiiiaaahhh!"
The awl stabbed into the thing's neck, and black liquid spurted out.
"No!"
Someone shouted.
"If you get hit by the contamination, you die too!"
At the same moment,
-Crunch!
Yu Daon's body, drenched in the black liquid, began to twist in the same way.
-Crunch, Crunch...!
Her body twisted several times.
It twisted and then returned, repeating the motion.
A movement like continuously pressing fast-forward and rewind persisted.
And before long.
"...Phew!"
Yu Daon looked at us, her face smeared with black liquid.
"Good thing I went!"
She smiled brightly.