Chapter 15: The Frog in the Formaldehyde Jar
EtN7dQWhen I regained consciousness, I was back in the library.Ov1YEK
LiUaiI froze, unable to move. Dayeon, noticing something was off with me, approached quietly.L5Mb
N98“What’s with that face? You look like someone who just came back from the dead.”QW0xq
tUCL“Leave me alone.”B9R
ZG8qCould this girl see ghosts?TKfA2I
yiISPretending to be calm, I picked up the key.sabIb
4xrTPj[You have obtained the science lab key.]J2KPBq
Zc7“Let’s go.”F8Uv
ymiH9FAJust like before, we headed straight to the science lab. When we arrived, the memory of what had just happened came rushing back.RiE9JQ5
pHfxtFwAnd it made my hand stop.d5jUU
tOugeRi“Aren’t you going to open the door?”mgZKc
DLFtGOK“Wait a bit, I need to think.”MEp5c
OKlyFHUWhat the hell was that just now?6MIh
VxjflI collided with an anatomical model and started bleeding. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but it was clearly tied to that model.PD4
uWvvVLk‘You can’t touch it? Is it something like that?’xxrV
0RQpzI stood in front of the door and braced myself. As soon as I opened the door, that anatomical model would fall toward me.RfPHzC
rcQ8r6VI rehearsed which direction to dodge and fully prepared myself.rw2
xWSVh‘Now!’uRo
V3iClack.7dE0bPV
escp9gI swung the lab door open and quickly stepped aside.ino6tz
qjqQThe anatomical model fell clumsily to the other side of the door.8Dq0K48
LPKMoLc‘Phew.’yPn4OuV
usdI did it. I wasn’t going to die like a dog again.FxwRwm
RiN“You have good reflexes.”WYDqzKk
oRQ“I saw it from the window as we passed.”UxBqGtz
T7xDayeon looked at me with sparkling eyes, surprised. I gave a vague reply and then gave the anatomical model a solid kick.pJj
RYOGZ‘Damn thing!’ybi4iH
vDTqDHThud!Kp14Nq
5SI6qThe model rolled forcefully across the floor. I finally felt a bit relieved.3f0L
7w4DSpvAfter that, I checked its condition.gGj
LM7p4sThe anatomical model had no arms or legs, only a head and torso. And its insides, where the organs should’ve been, were completely hollow.Qlve53
XFxDfn‘That wasn’t the case before.’3Ze
wTCRight before I died, the model was full of organs. And it had that disgusting smile.2iQK
gy0But now it was completely different.yiK
18VXw“What’s wrong? Something up?”8v05
3ZYnT“No, nothing serious.”GSFCwzC
N95I stepped over the model lying at the door and entered the lab.5f4RYo
tVm9The distinct smell of chemicals and alcohol filled the room. On the display shelves were flasks and jars neatly lined up. I began meticulously inspecting the place.Dl5LWj
YZRGX[It’s a globe.]LEGA8
J4TwP[Flasks and glass bottles are neatly arranged.]tV5A
zBXBb[Inside the display case are chemicals.]KW1
4ca0Zh[A poster of the human skeleton is hanging.]FML6j
oUC7BTsAt first glance, it was a typical science lab.w57TI4
mSayhf‘There’s no way there’s nothing here.’DPHODQ
0SK9vWhile rummaging through the drawers looking for any items, I felt something soft in my hand.1EzI
Hcr‘I knew it would be hidden in a place like this.’2Uex51
wRAMaybe because the lab was so dark, I couldn’t clearly see what it was.jIy
jmnriGNI could only guess by touch.Z5f
iCnj4uc‘Hmm…’y1WX
i6TQI pulled it out of the drawer and placed it in my hand. It was soft, slimy, and sticky.Wat
6xaJI felt a faint vibration and pulse. It ticked on its own, like a clock.bPR7Mf
V1KBzZAnd it wasn’t just warm—it was burning hot. I’d never touched anything like it.5GdT
onCWhich made it impossible to guess what it was.eSy3wu9
zDDaXI slowly lifted it up to check what it was and was horrified.q3abwP
DvcA75[You have obtained a heart.]2HYd
JjPRIt was a heart!zVvsXW
HRS9m“Shit!”zO0S2uW
1dTrR8QI cursed and backed away in fright. I tossed the heart onto the table. The slimy, sticky organ rolled across the desk and kept beating on its own.75GWdAq
nF2i“What happened?”dJnn2
RPjDayeon, who had been casually poking around the lab, heard my scream. She approached and asked what was wrong.7NDaOL
8hZJM8k“Look at that.”BQ87R
glYw4wWiping the cold sweat from my brow, I pointed at the still-beating heart on the table.Ocn88
pQxr7Dayeon stared at it deeply, then looked at me.zmn
xpqY“A heart, huh? Is this how you express your love for me?”jKs
NZhR1zU“For the love of…”ZuSEz
Fw3She didn’t even flinch. She tossed out a joke that wasn’t the least bit funny. As consistent as always.87OU9A1
cGOAKWu“What’s wrong? Does your heart pound from being with me?”1OQDw0
Vxkyk“Not even close.”kfH9
Y5YjMDZI turned my face away as she leaned closer. The teasing of a teenage classmate could be pretty dangerous.MZ1I
IPg3I ignored her the best I could and refocused.NYFa
hRY“Why the hell is there a heart here?”Q89yQN
KHUJW4Y“Who knows… maybe it has an owner.”9STf
nsAK7K“Owner, my ass. It’s just a heart…”trS
upiDSuddenly, someone came to mind. I turned toward the anatomical model I had stomped on earlier. It was still lying in the same spot.wAsI
3zG“Could it be this guy’s?”VaD
nPZ4II approached to check its condition. The inside of the model was completely empty. Not even a heart.E3qUXzk
KyzI“Could it be we have to put it back in?”zRG
cGXDayeon crouched down to examine the anatomical model. A pretty logical deduction.sgIY
CUTYI picked up the heart from the table. Just holding it made me uncomfortable.bKbCqb
2yznoArWith that unpleasant sensation spreading through my palm, I approached the model.ksE9y
fMfG[Heart]npI
QR2l【Someone’s heart. It’s soft, slimy, and warm. You can feel it beating.】UY0n
ar4As I extended my hand toward the chest area of the model, a message appeared.8IdaD8y
I0jXFLi[Do you want to insert the heart into the anatomical model?]XcHKB
8KTMY2M[Insert heart. / Cancel.]uocNzy
0OxaI selected “Insert heart,” and the organ fit perfectly into the model’s empty cavity.C5DFuol
Afw[You have inserted the heart into the cavity.]M6dR
YT8jLrdClack.zOiS
pkESThe sound of something opening was heard. It didn’t sound like a door—more like a drawer or safe.LxB
Kos7PgA“I knew it! How about my deduction? Impressive, right?”B5UHKk
NVS“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing.”3H93YPU
v3Bh3I headed toward the sound. A drawer was open, and inside glowed a faint light.EiU
sDClf“Again?”uFmGdcU
kNtoAI still hadn’t recovered from the shock of handling that heart. I didn’t dare stick my hand in the drawer.VGKsGe3
JjGGnI was afraid of what might come out. After a while, I asked Dayeon for help.QfI
xb6Wht“Do me a favor—could you check in there?”XSp7MU
nUXL“Hmm, asking me a favor? You don’t sound like someone making a request.”OAfcPm
7XKeAs expected, Dayeon showed no sign of agreeing just like that. She climbed onto the cabinet and sat cross-legged with a haughty attitude.lxw
JBfz5x“Say it more sincerely. If you politely say ‘please do it,’ maybe I’ll consider it.”VCn
sYjwKI was speechless at her ridiculous demand. At this rate, I was better off doing it myself.rgNLq
o3CHtK“No need, thanks.”vWcy39C
QXjAiK“Oh, really?”Pa7c
no6tODayeon was still on top of the cabinet. But as if she’d already lost interest, she shrugged and got down.ZHg3
XpBWK“Wonder what’s inside?”yAeJc
FNyAWTShe immediately reached into the half-open drawer. Completely opposite of what she’d just said.ZLf6P
kvBgZan‘Right… she’s always been like this.’Pl56Q0
Bvf3nuShe just wanted to see me beg. When that didn’t happen, she got bored and did as she pleased.FCAe9w
teA5kuDayeon’s personality was utterly unpredictable. I knew trying to control her was pointless, so I said nothing.mLCzHu
u55P19x“So, what’s inside?”zyRK
VLf“Guess.”Wmt4Pgu
Xl0QDayeon still had her hand in the drawer, playing around. She spoke in a mysterious and curious tone.siZIM
Ak6Pe9j“It’s sticky. And firm.”ZZi
nyHw“And?”FBHBWyS
ztP67“It’s soft, long… and kind of warm.”pIJr9
IJBWith just that, it was impossible to know what it was. But after finding a heart earlier, I could more or less imagine what to expect.aCb6
Wqws‘It must be some body part.’28At1
91O4ZOSticky, firm, soft, long, and warm. I figured it might be an internal organ—maybe intestines.37Xwo
bmcYtI sighed in relief internally.g8MM
0lOK‘Thank god I didn’t reach in.’och
4rbRJxGDayeon was touching intestines barehanded like it was nothing. As expected of someone who seemed emotionless.n0f6
lqbZ“Want to see what it is?”gMT
Qaq“Take it out first.”4biy
HROtbKDayeon pulled the object from the drawer and placed it on the table. It had absolutely nothing to do with what I imagined.SPc5C
0GZ“…It’s a key.”NOymSA5
OZfP“Yeah, a key.”YdEFJL
4dexNot sticky, not firm, not soft. Just a regular, ordinary key.wcSoAsq
6Ew3C“Here.”B46
8GnKsIF“…”5dXY
rijtvDayeon handed it to me with complete composure. Her expression held neither malice nor kindness.bEXJK
69hIfShe totally played me. I said nothing and just took the key.PM8cp
ZzkE[You have obtained the lab key.]ffbDpM
eSBThe lab was the room connected to the science classroom. I’d only been there for practical classes, so I barely remembered it.m2ETNe
BbBf“Well, we’ll see when we get inside.”NF5XqA
RMs[You have used the lab key.]ZBe85vO
tSDClack.vU1c
WFMA9I opened the door with the key and entered. The lab had a strange atmosphere.pr61
dAd0“There’s a lot of interesting stuff.”4VEdD
DW8CmV“‘Interesting’ my ass. It’s creepy.”mFe
jlOl6j6Just as we were about to step in, a warning sign greeted us.t5kn
mo2cGvP[Please maintain cleanliness inside the lab.]VIgNhcP
71f0lAThud.VVi
EP3U2Two white lab coats fell to the floor.0fX
nnx[You have obtained lab coats.]8tkh
3m8xoo“Looks like we need to wear these to enter.”wIxKZTV
0Y0Gz“And what’s the point of that?”ClapDS8
gqEsBjl“No idea. But they’re cute, so I’m putting one on.”L5QH
xUQZW0Dayeon calmly put on a lab coat. She twirled once and threw me a sidelong glance.huw
drw“Don’t I look like a doctor?”h3svYxT
DmMDaC“Not really.”d9u7yT
rJ7I put one on too. Not because I wanted to.HYX
YlnI was afraid of something happening again if I ignored the warning, so I didn’t want to risk it.K9QG
h699pfDayeon walked casually into the lab. She gazed at a cabinet with a skull drawing on it like it was art in a museum.5F8UCXs
LLI“This is hydrochloric acid.”0ekWn39
uyppxTf“…”5REynU
6JGQ“Look at that. Sulfuric acid.”si6
gcW1hQ“You don’t have to name everything. It’s creepy.”t28
gwDSkTI imagined the cabinet falling and acid splashing into my face.WgT
cBxdLkI took a step back discreetly. After all, even though Dayeon couldn’t die no matter what, sulfuric acid probably wouldn’t do much to her.fWAM772
nsGNcK…Probably.Rjk61
Hl6The lab wasn’t just filled with cabinets—there were disturbing things everywhere. Especially on the right side, where a row of taxidermied animals stood.pVWEhI
axI1vNow that was spine-chilling.DxRB
ONRoTA stuffed rabbit. A whole snake in a jar of formaldehyde.UUt
iPB6‘Looks more like snake liquor than an experiment.’Mnu6g
ml4ow3And that wasn’t all. Most of the little animals were taxidermied and floating in formaldehyde jars.aBO
rRh0KSzAt this point, you start questioning the science teacher’s tastes.Xi7i
ogXfde8‘…They’re not alive, are they?’gWXE
6CZi3Just as I was about to look away from the specimen jars—fZ2D
iIzzx9Grrrk.3ALfjj
C0C7uA groaning sound came from somewhere. A shiver ran down my spine.RsIK
lBOvNo doubt about it. The sound came from the formaldehyde jars.4ggQWKS
Z77JMkI couldn’t bring myself to turn around. I stood frozen in place.WFCOs
GYukWThen Dayeon poked my cheek.mpvhG
frEv“What are you doing? Playing statue?”CrB
fBmtea“It’s not that…”DOq
Xn27SShe tilted her head like she hadn’t heard anything.XVp7gKQ
GEdGw‘Come on, focus.’Br9R
cxaX9mEven if a taxidermied animal moved, there was no reason to panic. They weren’t wolves or tigers—just small critters.A6F8r
wNlGTBesides, I’m a proud specimen of the human species. And I had an emotionless psychopath by my side.aFyj
hJQEvRepeating that to myself gave me some confidence. I took a deep breath and turned around.jPWDfD
8xSAmong all the lined-up jars, one in particular was shaking hard.
It even vibrated slightly.hlC
D1wW9TIt squirmed, trying to escape.X8t
frxb63MGrrrk.MHVHKgy
voJThe sound rang out again.aAU
Kuf5This time, Dayeon clearly heard it too. She paused.miv
Xje“Was that you?”hryw
YsfFeCL“You think I’d make that noise?”LeMl12
KLxSGrrrk.hzi
s4oI pointed toward where the sound came from. That’s when Dayeon finally noticed the taxidermied animals.Z6rOa
AyMYREl“Oh, isn’t that squirrel cute?”HoY
Liqu“It’s disgusting.”dUtYW
qC5Grrrk.E2wN4l
qOAioThe pitiful sound definitely came from one of those jars.4NUNSpC
cCxb4vQ‘Ugh… I hope it’s just in my head.’9n8
2dza0yQI examined the formaldehyde jars carefully. And I finally identified the animal.sebAea
ZMIGuFdAn amphibian, moving awkwardly, kicking with front legs, then hind legs.u0f
18HlIS“…It’s a frog.”llg6c
mlFZz3oInside the jar of formaldehyde, the frog was hopping with its eyes wide open.4hUEv1
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