Chapter 12: An Invisible Wall
P9HCHI couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.RaBv
avoxVSeeing my expression, Dayeon brought her face close to mine.OTcGi
2otS“What’s wrong? You look bothered.”HgqaNx
tOh“…Are you seriously asking me that?”apk699
evm1I brought up the message for Key Number 1 again.ATkpV
yKID[Key Number 1]tjrb
X65O【Small key. The number 1 is engraved on the surface. There’s a small notch as if it could connect with something.】OfwP9ET
UPJLlDDKey Number 1 had a line of text that Key Number 2 didn’t. Just as I suspected, the secret lay in this key. I almost overlooked that detail. And that was intentional—Dayeon had planned it that way.QvXq1zl
lmhA“Relax that face.”L2dp
DFntmDayeon took the corners of my lips with her fingers and forced me to smile. Of course, I wasn’t even close to laughing. I was more on the verge of blowing up.qSaoSX
aJ7U0“You planned this all out, didn’t you?”ctJeNI
aM6OUFx“What?”xJM4l3
vU2Dayeon tilted her head as if she didn’t understand anything. Her face remained expressionless. Her blatant act made my stomach churn.Vkxz
1VG3a“You said you checked all the locked doors in the school.”aR1MX
HHCFb“Yes. And?”Ud8v
PX66Zrm“That had nothing to do with this key.”CKLdEq
Km3BKB“Yes. And?”1uf
v3aljgb“…”JoI
SMGgQUgh. Those sharp, wide eyes clearly showed she didn’t think she had done anything wrong.vsfG1TF
kn5My head started to hurt. Was this what she meant by her ‘test’?7RI
wGOThe secret file room was just a trap meant to mislead me about the key’s use.ln8Fnq8
LdLDSF‘She wants me to think differently.’m9P
YEzhUehI took out Keys Number 1 and 2.njQd16f
I2lSlAnd then a new message appeared.HCM
rXsc8w[Would you like to combine the two items?]F8K4e6
vMpWz…Knew it.BOGdq7
LmT79dI’d finally found the true function of these keys. I inserted Key Number 2 into the slot on Number 1—they fit perfectly.uydd
Rt2TsfZClick.d76WcS
wos[You obtained the Secret File Room Key 1.]Q5g
CZO‘Got it…’koVGOG
1Vy[Secret File Room Key 1]9fDRHat
lWXiB8【A key made by combining two small keys. Used to open Secret File Room 1.】41P
YxXLoQ2Just as I deduced. I finally had the key to the file room.7w7
bwFeDayeon clapped lazily.pcWYRV
hpH“Congratulations. You passed the test.”gwi
sVeIaThen she pulled out another key from her clothes. It was about the same size as the one I’d just assembled. Dayeon twirled it between her fingers.mtCKa
6gKj“What kind of key do you think this is?”5XyYW
hCZVybZLooking closely, it had the number 2 engraved on it. Obviously.yjGdk
GnP“The key to Secret File Room 2.”M4X9p2
gUQhV“Correct. Smarter than I thought.”EHh
j26“You thought I was dumb or what?”4516DmL
foFtk“Want a prize?”MJ4mQ
Gwt7She pulled out a pen and scribbled something in her notebook. Then she tore out the page and handed it to me.VWT
uKHxIb“Here.”dMLTmkL
GHn5sSa“What’s this?”iHOmKnu
jOnfoGE“Your prize.”g1Vy
bxj1NMI accepted it, puzzled.NhIE
jCOG5t[You received a prize from Jin Dayeon.]TDn2ClW
epBThe contents of the page were incredibly simple. Just a red doodle that read: ‘Great job!’4P7
7breIyYWhy did that count as an item? I took the paper with a sigh.2ZUSUzk
iEvi3z“Didn’t like the prize?”hB5L
Uvw9Dayeon stared at me. Who would enjoy getting something like this? For a second, I thought about tearing it up, but ended up putting it in my pocket out of respect.sfLv
TdDOjW“You don’t look too happy with it.”xjm
LvL“Would you be?”Y4JHXVV
Y4Ykx“I have another prize, if you want.”0V8BVF
5NJsfZIDayeon rested her right arm on the desk and leaned forward. She looked at me with a slight smile.z4H1X
6iDHN“I’ll grant you one wish.”fnlec
XMYOrr7That offer came out of nowhere. The idea was so absurd, I snapped back immediately:TUVT4
RKwDYf1“…What kind of nonsense is that?”MtdXZ2Z
h0ll3S“It’s your reward. You passed the test—you deserve a prize, don’t you think?”3V8O
N46oDayeon spoke in her usual neutral tone. With her, you could never tell if she was joking or serious.YEY
R5fR4‘A wish, huh…’uKWtCQ
W5ZYfA thousand ideas crossed my mind. But even that could be one of Dayeon’s traps.bjjI
bw0Now was the time to stay cool. I needed to ignore any dirty thoughts and keep my focus.SQSYK
hJZCBW“My wish is to get the hell out of this school. If you got that, follow me without any complaints.”tqLoP
cTJ3tx“Oh.”0RqATE
X6KPDayeon let out a surprised sound.qtC
Kob8Ep“Didn’t expect that. It was the opposite of what I thought.”lkphgC
r4Yk“…Shut up.”gHMY
r3n6VFinally, she stood up. Calmly, she waved the key she held.89JLUq
foM8u0g“Let’s go escape this school.”h1R2BG2
FVmShe gathered her books and headed toward the secret file room.IzFNAA
bhk“Since when do you follow orders so easily?”WYg7
Bnj“A promise is a promise. What, is that a problem?”X6YQU
pyksVE“No, just hurry up.”OJyUG6U
MLQI followed without another word. When we reached the file room door, Dayeon turned to look at me.7FZG
X0wplK“There’s still one final puzzle left.”wq7
X5wNkoc“Again?”SWkA
mqzNvDV“Don’t worry, it’s not another test.”EllLEA
zjOuelShe pointed to the sign next to the door. I had it memorized by now from reading it so many times.PIHA
Ylp[When both hearts become one, the door will open.]tz6
xKO5bQk“Know what that means?”GEx
YsyDayeon asked, eyes full of intent. Based on my recent reasoning, the answer was obvious.rXX4
0Z86“Well…” I started to speak.qfT
omAABut Dayeon scowled suddenly.kv0lYb6
AIm3“Wrong. Pervert.”EQPJO0g
skF“…What am I even being accused of?”HtP
5lwOZk“The correct answer is ‘turn the keys at the same time.’ Not that garbage you were thinking.”sxuHGcI
Jec“No, wait—”NZgpS
BF28isDayeon accused me out of nowhere. I wanted to defend myself, but she didn’t even bother listening.6X2OprC
1CAzsPR“What are you waiting for? Insert the key already.”sKptJEP
KGVVS“…Alright.”K0q
hEEDtwdI inserted the Secret File Room Key 1 into the lock. Dayeon did the same.7uofuG
nnMQvk“When I give the signal, turn it. One, two, three.”SGr8x2
3JLmClick.txkcbQ4
ryfTA[You used the Secret File Room Key 1.]78qG
Be8QlVFinally, the door to the secret archive opened.v5mZ
RlNGo3rDayeon’s eyes widened in surprise.q7c
GvWA“It opened.”w7DCg
ehQ“Yeah, it did.”CTJ
73hqMaybe for me it was just another door opening, but for Dayeon, this had to be a special moment. The secret archive was a puzzle that couldn’t be opened without two people.UhsNR
aRwZ1That’s why Dayeon had been stuck in this library for ten years. Now, she’d finally opened a door she could never open on her own.OzLPHg0
ZGALEven if her face showed no emotion, maybe deep down, she was happy.FRWd
QIxt“Let’s go in.”v2bEG
Mmd0p“Uh-huh.”cZ5Cu
STWZIwdWe stepped into the secret archive. It was more spacious than I expected.9hSNs
Z4uRAZI thought there were two separate archives behind the two doors, but it was just one room. A room with two entrances—a rather inefficient design.ee0CQg
CmdjfT9I examined the interior silently. The layout was very odd.REpm6
qPcStarting from a decorative shelf in the center, the right side was clean and tidy, while the left side was a complete mess.96fL8b
zGBs“If you’re gonna clean, at least do it right.”D62b8N
6waJkDOf course, I had ended up on the messy side. The floor was completely covered in books and trash, with barely any room to step.lzrrCX
qLaEoIn contrast, Dayeon’s side was so clean there wasn’t a speck of dust.FqDF80I
rhiLZIt was all because of the door order—door 1 led to the left side, door 2 to the right. I picked the wrong door.5iQ
rus9What crappy luck I have.UwJLa
nLd‘I’ll go to the other side first.’12Ju9
8hKB9kIt wasn’t even possible to inspect things properly like this. I figured it was better to cross over to the clean side and assess the situation.5Kcu3
jPuP8“What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.”61uFSL
UwjBDayeon had already been inside for a while. I didn’t know where she got a cushioned chair from, but she was fully reclined in it.js8
ovjiCK5She motioned for me to join her. Her eyes were closed, looking extremely comfortable. A blatant provocation.Ob36nq0
W268s8“What is this? Are you mocking me?”g80rwBb
jKRoI looked down at the archive floor. It was so full of books and trash that I couldn’t even walk.LsmBBRR
6erI struggled to take a step, searching for small gaps to place my feet.Gmh
ht7kV“Almost there.”gd9W
TvIsSCPI was past the halfway mark. With a good jump, I could make it.nAg
6rkI leapt toward the other side.67i8E
obE6c7Thump!Fqr
eIehbSomething invisible blocked me. I smacked my forehead right into it.2eJ
OLxpfFrom the pain, I fell backward.yplMeLw
7lhs“Ugh…”nc2TH
n1HugJ1Lucky or not, the pile of books cushioned the fall, so I wasn’t seriously hurt. It just hurt—badly.m9Sz
8r8sSo badly I couldn’t even scream. I rolled on the ground, clutching my forehead.yBaU1AP
OqXec“You okay?”QgMGAo
gTzmkDayeon asked about my condition. But her expression was just as cold as ever, like she was saying it out of courtesy.s7Xkd
h961QEYPlus, she hadn’t moved an inch from her chair. I guessed her comfort was more important than me—not surprising.wPhje
6IBbL7u“Uugh… What the hell was that?”YANDfu
SomBaXHolding my head, I was dazed. I had a decent lump on my forehead.Dxbus0S
jDR“…What happened just now?”Y2TbjH
fJBDayeon shrugged like she didn’t understand either.iP6
hK9Vc“No idea. You just jumped, smacked something hard, and rolled on the ground.”HOF
xOF“…I see.”DvvwDI
dtH7IWhat a helpful description. And I thought she’d be useful. How naive of me.qUn
QgQs“Looks like there’s an invisible wall or something.”aGd
mohAn invisible wall? Those words snapped me out of it.i2T
wXe9LI carefully approached the center of the archive.212
pbXdpThump!aWz48s
KCAJust as I thought. I couldn’t cross to the other side. As Dayeon said, there was an invisible wall right in front of me.tRfitJu
yFunf“What is this…?”Qsf5a
T2VzNI touched the wall with my hand.ytN9Avm
HO5From the other side, Dayeon watched and commented,pIhi55
P3B“You’re good at that. You look like a mime.”zBfNl
U48LnI ignored her and kept examining the transparent wall.9FH
z5hkQL“It’s glass…”XcugOm
TSPeuPLooking closely, it was a glass wall. Not just any glass—reinforced.Y6P1u7O
SsAzThis archive wasn’t a single room. It was clearly divided into two spaces. The glass wall in the center had created the illusion that it was one large room.DWrMFh
ytrPfj“They were two separate rooms from the beginning.”OsPTva4
uXC7“That’s why they’re called Secret File Room 1 and Secret File Room 2.”MJeom
AuCte3NDayeon slowly closed her eyes, still sitting in her chair. Clearly, she had zero interest in escaping.aUfa
RgRu48x“I thought you said you were going to help me escape? Now’s not the time to lounge around.”8PU6
WoREG“Still, there doesn’t seem to be any clues here.”hKnzia
oXpX“Could you at least pretend to search?”Ytfz
c7z0j4“If you really want…”pkQ4
sRnDayeon got up begrudgingly.I8V3L0L
2VJPgShe opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper.RazIB
90CK9m“Found one.”eiwpR
nCPIUK“That fast?”FY1aB
XlNtNrFDayeon handed the paper to me through a gap in the glass wall. There was a hole in the middle, about the size of a book, where objects could pass through.NgpTa
gyrPVThe contents of the paper read:mzh
HQC[Look at each other.]aJSnnBL
Lg8ER“…What’s that supposed to mean?”XPLz
cxF3“Just what it says. We should look at each other.”F7f
SIvDayeon started staring at me.pfFo
XG21Z“What are you doing?”8zb
96PyaS“You look too. Come on.”Jcfe
ODvtdBR“…”Vwslv4
XrhXI had no choice but to meet her gaze. She was definitely looking at me, but her eyes were strange—like they weren’t really focused.GdZIQ
hmgvPj“…”JeV5
1PUChAj“…”1rWpVL
pdvlWho knows how long passed? We kept staring at each other. But nothing happened.2YY
A26q“…Guess that’s not the way.”iRQ
dUNJ“Yeah?”RnYxm
40hYDayeon agilely jumped onto the chair.nbJcg
8iO“I’ll sit here while I think of another way.”yECW
uGXkEUd“…Sure. Find the solution.”8xH8stv
2EICdyI averted my eyes, not expecting much. I was the only hope here.UWz
36ctR4gI inspected the archive carefully.ZXGh4Z
yeem‘Anything glowing around?’U8uuX0K
ybuEven though it was a mess, there was probably at least one item. I began digging through the scattered books and looked around.fSZV
dSd9zASuddenly, I found something familiar.ckAh
NVBjq[You obtained Ink.]zyfvN0
Zid7‘Oh.’xR4lMj
FQWSome good news at last. I quickly took out my journal and used the ink.RLy
gMnN[You’ve recorded your progress so far.]SCdEN
3oya72‘Whew.’D4LOi
6OF9Now I could relax. With my save point updated, I had nothing to fear.s9tGAd
vAn“There’s an item over here.”uRbN
2Z5fzu5Just then, Dayeon seemed to have found something too. She was holding a book.tZC8OJZ
id1IKuk“If it’s a book, there’s tons in here.”RbPE
HQvM8X“Yeah? But this one’s different.”Wo7p
83G5Dayeon handed the book to me through the hole in the glass wall.jnNx
3M9It had no title on the cover and was marked with a strange, disturbing symbol.aHX
vGOSAt a glance, it was clearly a sinister book.zSf7h
iUa9[You obtained the Book That Kills Upon Reading.]ri4BlYz
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