* * *

Just then, Jihoon’s phone vibrated.

Although he tried to ignore it, the persistent buzzing forced him to check.

It was a message in the group chat with his university friends.

[Jeon Yeongheon: Is the haunted escape room at Humanities scary? Anyone tried it?]

[Kang Inseong: Why? Gonna bail if it’s scary? Chicken]

[Jeon Yeongheon: My girlfriend’s not good with scary stuff, genius.]

[Kang Inseong: Not scary at all, really.]

[Jeon Yeongheon: Really? Might give it a shot.]

[Shin Jaehyun: lololololol]

[Jeon Yeongheon: Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Not scary, right?]

[Kang Inseong: lol]

[Shin Jaehyun: Can’t believe he bought that.]

[Jeon Yeongheon: fml]

[Kang Inseong: But it’s surprisingly well done for a school festival thing. Worth a try.]

After quickly reading through the chat, Jihoon felt like he’d stumbled upon the perfect opportunity.

[Thanks for the tip]

[Kang Inseong: Wait, where did you come from, you lurker?]

Jihoon ignored the follow-up messages and turned off his screen.

“There’s a haunted escape room at Humanities. Want to check it out?”

“Escape room? What’s that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. You’re locked in a room and have to find a way out. Supposedly decent quality.”

Yeongdeok remembered the time he went to a horror movie with Seonwoo.

He figured Jihoon would cling to him, terrified. Just the thought felt like a headache.

“I’ll pass. I’d only end up with you clinging to me.”

“Me? Cling to you?”

“Yes, you.”

Yeongdeok confidently pointed at Jihoon and then at himself, answering Jihoon’s question with ease. His assuredness left Jihoon speechless.

“Why would I cling to you?”

“You don’t strike me as someone who handles fear well.”

“Come on. I watch horror and gore movies every summer for fun. You can trust this big brother.”

“Just reminding you, I’m older than you. And I find it hard to trust you.”

No matter how much Jihoon insisted, Yeongdeok’s doubts seemed impossible to shake.

“If you’re so sure, let’s make a bet.”

“A bet?”

Yeongdeok’s face was etched with confusion as he looked at Jihoon.

“If I get scared or scream even once, you win. Otherwise, I win. And the loser grants the winner’s wish.”

“I don’t need anything from you.”

Jihoon’s brow twitched at Yeongdeok’s words.

It was a bit of an exaggeration, but the way Yeongdeok said he didn’t want anything made it feel like he had no expectations or feelings toward him.

Jihoon clenched his teeth tightly.

“Think about it. There must be at least one thing you want.”

“Hmm…”

If there was one thing Yeongdeok wanted from Jihoon, it was for him to break free from the original plot—so he could take revenge on PetitRolang.

“Are you sure you’ll grant any wish?”

Thinking of PetitRolang, Yeongdeok’s face turned serious.

He was indirectly asking if Jihoon was willing to put aside his feelings for Eungyeol, but Jihoon, who didn’t take the notion of wishes too seriously, readily agreed.

“Sure. But you have to keep your promise too.”

“If you don’t trust me, I can write a contract.”

“No… that won’t be necessary.”

With the decision made, Jihoon urged Yeongdeok to hurry along.

He felt confident about his chances of winning as they headed toward the Humanities Building, but Yeongdeok was equally certain that he wouldn’t lose to Jihoon.

When they reached the Humanities Building, the first three floors looked ordinary, but an eerie vibe lingered as they approached the fourth floor.

Every window was plastered with layers of newspaper, blocking out the midday light.

A student dressed in a white jacket stood at the base of the stairs leading to the fourth floor, explaining the escape room rules to them.

“Walk through the fourth-floor classrooms and find a four-digit code within 15 minutes to succeed. If you win, there’s a prize, so give it your best shot!”

She handed them flashlights as she spoke. Just then, a piercing scream echoed from the far end of the hallway.

“Aaaah!”

“Oh, please. How scary could this be?” Jihoon scoffed, flicking the flashlight on and off.

Sure, the windows were fully blocked, giving it a more authentic feel, but it was just a student-made attraction.

With a smirk, he opened the door to the first classroom.

“Graaaah!”

The moment he stepped past the threshold, a zombie grabbed his ankle.

Jihoon almost yelped but barely swallowed it down.

That was close—he nearly lost to Cha Yeongdeok right off the bat.

“Damn, grabbing my ankle out of nowhere?”

“Focus on finding the code,” Yeongdeok said, moving inside without a hint of surprise, rummaging through the room.

Seeing him so unaffected, Jihoon, known for his fearlessness, felt a rare sense of calm.

The classroom was littered with various talismans and broken mirrors, and a box sat on the podium.

“That box looks suspicious.”

“Yeah, but…”

As Yeongdeok opened the box, a ghost hidden beneath the podium jumped out with a scream.

“AAAAAH!”

“Annoying,” Yeongdeok muttered, brushing off the ghost as he reached for a slip of paper inside the box.

But the ghost, intent on not surrendering, held tight to Yeongdeok’s wrist.

“It’s miiiine!”

“Let go. You think yelling louder is gonna help?”

After a brief struggle, Yeongdeok managed to get the slip.

It was a crumpled piece of paper with a red-painted “1” on it.

“One, got it.”

“Alright, let’s move on. Looks like you found it.”

They left through the door they’d come in from, with another zombie grabbing Yeongdeok’s ankle.

Yeongdeok easily shook it off and walked out calmly, while the people inside, dressed as ghosts, laughed in disbelief at their indifference.

The second classroom was lit in a red hue, like a butcher’s freezer.

“Quite the vibe…”

Police tape covered the walls, and a body lay sprawled on the floor in the center. Jihoon looked down at it.

“So… will you suddenly get up and scare us while we’re looking for the code? Something cliché like that?”

The supposed “body” gave a small twitch.

“Guess so.”

“Euh, urgh…” Embarrassed, the person in corpse makeup staggered up and threw his arms around Jihoon, whispering in his ear.

“Shut up, jerk.”

“Is a corpse supposed to talk?”

Due to the intense red light, Jihoon hadn’t recognized him, but the “body” was actually an acquaintance.

“Seo Jihoon, I think I found something.”

Yeongdeok had uncovered a slip of paper hidden among toy handcuffs and fake guns, and it bore the number 3.

“Uuugh!”

The “corpse” lurched toward Yeongdeok, hands outstretched as if to attack, but Yeongdeok simply looked at him in silence, then ignored him as he exited the room.

Jihoon patted his friend’s back, laughing.

“Hang in there, man. You see what I have to deal with.”

“You’re one to talk! Get lost, seriously.”

Snickering, Jihoon followed Yeongdeok out.

The third classroom was set up like an abandoned hospital, with several mannequins and one blood-splattered one tied to a hospital bed.

“There’s a cabinet here.”

As Yeongdeok opened it, someone hiding inside jumped out with a scream.

Jihoon, right behind him, didn’t make a sound, though his shoulders jerked.

Yeongdeok stared at the person inside for three seconds, then shut the cabinet door with a loud bang upon realizing there was no code in there.

“Ouch.”

Jihoon heard the person inside mutter “ouch,” worried he might have actually hurt himself.

Turning away, Yeongdeok examined a glass display case filled with model organs arranged neatly.

“Looks like the code’s here.”

He took out a heart model, revealing a slip of paper with the number 4 on it.

“Four.”

“You’re seriously…”

“What? Problem?”

“…No, nothing.”

Is there really someone who’s this fearless and nonchalant? Jihoon was genuinely in awe.

Finally, they reached the last classroom.

Jihoon figured seeing Yeongdeok shocked in this lifetime was a lost cause and opened the door.

The classroom was filled with dolls displayed on clustered desks.

Despite being ordinary dolls, the eerie lighting made them unsettling.

“Don’t tell me we have to check each one of these?”

“Seems like it. There’s nothing else here.”

Unfazed, Yeongdeok began inspecting the dolls one by one.

While he was searching, the monitor, which they’d thought was off, flickered to life with a glitch effect.

A blonde doll appeared on the screen.

‘Don’t touch.’

Hearing the voice, Jihoon stopped and looked at the screen.

The doll on the monitor began bleeding from its eyes, moving closer toward Yeongdeok and Jihoon.

‘Do not touch!!’

As the doll’s face filled the screen, the display shut off with a burst of static.

Jihoon barely managed to contain his surprise, swallowing a yelp that nearly escaped.

“Huff…”

“What’s with you?” Yeongdeok looked at him suspiciously, but Jihoon, unwilling to admit defeat, shook his head quickly.

“Nothing. But I think we should look for that doll we just saw on the screen.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

* * *