A black holographic book descended over Supervisor Park Minseong’s head.
The hologram clung to him like tar, seeping over his body as he clawed at the ground, struggling in vain. Behind his writhing figure, the TV’s cheerful voice resumed.
[Now, let’s reveal the new teachers who failed to actively participate in the Hangman game.]
Similar scenes began to unfold across the room.
The issue, the real issue, was…
[New Teacher Park Minseong, you didn’t guess a single letter correctly!]
One penalty had already been accumulated.
Stepping onto the stage added another.
And now…
Not guessing a letter resulted in a third.
Thus.
[Three penalties accumulated.]
The TV declared its verdict.
[New Teacher Park Minseong is designated as a permanent trainee.]
[You will remain here forever, receiving training and preparing to become a perfect ■■ Kindergarten teacher.]
The black holographic books covering the faces of those who failed to guess letters remained, but only Park Minseong’s turned a fiery red and spread across his entire body.
“■!!”
His scream warped into something unnatural.
“N, ■— ■ ple—
His body twisted and thrashed on the floor in grotesque contortions. Incomprehensible excerpts from the handbook were read aloud, overlapping with his sobs and screams.
Yet no one around paid attention.
A few glanced over, only to quickly step away as if avoiding any connection, waiting for the next stage outlined in the manual.
Finally…
[Thank you for your efforts in today’s dry run! Goodbye, new teachers!]
Clearance confirmed.
“Finally, it’s over!”
“Move it!”
As soon as the game ended, everyone realized they were free to curse and run, and a flood of participants surged out of the playroom.
Even those who had just finished their 10-minute penalty, coughing up the tar-like hologram and clutching their heads in pain, staggered upright and limped or ran out, bumping into me along the way.
“Huh?”
“Wh, what the—”
“The door only stays open for 30 minutes! If you don’t get out now, you’ll be treated as a permanent trainee too! Damn it!”
They brushed past me and kept running.
And so I was left alone.
Alone, except for the ‘contaminated’ Park Minseong writhing on the floor.
– Oh dear, my friend is being mistaken as a volunteer in such an outdated place! Let’s leave immediately, Mr. Roe Deer!
“…No.”
– Mr. Roe Deer?
The game was over.
That meant…
The rules of this ghost story had also ended.
In the worst case, I can run out on my own in ten minutes and make it through the door.
But.
“I… I have to at least try to take the supervisor with me.”
I could endure this.
I had to try as much as I could.
After all, I’d succeeded before.
I don’t want to give up so easily.
I didn’t want this story to end with saving the Hangman by exploiting a sliver of a loophole, only to have the one who tried to save them disappear into the legend.
I don’t want some casual note on a wiki saying, ‘An incident where the rescuer of the Hangman was lost.’
I can do this.
I raised my head and reached for the tattoo on my wrist.
: 恩主 :
From the heated tattoo, the items I had stored began to appear. The candle-making kit, apple juice, the blood-sucking knife, stickers, and dozens of 500-won coins bundled together.
– Oh, what fascinating tools will you use this time, friend?
“I’m not using anything.”
– Hmm? Then what is this…
I stuffed all the items into my briefcase. Given that I hadn’t brought the bloodbathtub with me, I was left with just enough room to fit everything snugly.
The blood-sucking knife, which looked like it could burst out of the bag due to its size, was carefully set aside into my back pocket.
Done.
The fully packed briefcase was heavy, but not so much that I couldn’t carry it while running.
And now, there was one thing left to do.
The now-empty subspace in my wrist.
– Ah, you were clearing it for a purpose?
Exactly.
I briefly reached into the tattoo’s connected subspace and pulled my hand back out.
“This subspace, it’s a cube with a volume equivalent from 60 cm per side, right?”
– Precisely.
“It’s irregular, isn’t it?”
– ……! That’s also…
Braun’s voice carried a mix of amusement and interest.
– Correct.
Good.
‘It’s all or nothing.’
I’d heard it before—the idea that being contaminated and trapped in this ghost story forever, unable to die, was far worse than death.
‘Let’s do this.’
I gritted my teeth and waited.
Waited for Supervisor Park Minseong’s third penalty to finish.
‘Trying to do anything now would be foolish.’
Trying to communicate with someone in the middle of their penalty would result in the holographic handbook ‘graciously’ attaching itself to me as well.
And then, I’d spend ten minutes reading the handbook, effectively out of commission.
‘That would be the end.’
I forced myself to suppress my anxiety and waited calmly.
‘Time remaining for the penalty… 7 minutes.’
6 minutes.
5 minutes.
4 minutes.
3 minutes.
2 minutes.
1 minute…
0.
The tar-like red substance surrounding Supervisor Park Minseong disappeared.
Slowly, he stood up.
His appearance had transformed completely into that of a kindergarten teacher.
The black suit he had worn was replaced with soft beige pants, a white shirt, and a light green apron.
In one hand, he held a brown folder with a red title.
<■■ Kindergarten Handbook>
His mask had completely melted away, revealing his face.
And on his forehead, clear and vivid, was the brand of his assigned class.
Sprout Class
A gentle smile spread across Supervisor Park Minseong’s fully exposed face.
“Teacher Soleum!”
Shit.
“Did you wait for me to finish reading the handbook? Thank you so much.”
“…Of course, I had to wait.”
Don’t let it show. Don’t panic. Showing anything now would be disastrous.
“How are you feeling?”
“Great! Never better!”
Supervisor Park smiled softly, nodding.
“…That’s good to hear. Shall we head out now?”
“Head out? Oh… You mean leaving?”
“Yes, let’s go together.”
“Oh, I don’t have a quitting time! I’m not just a new teacher anymore. I finished reading the handbook!”
“But you can still leave…”
“That’s not possible though?”
“Hmm, it’s time for me to head to the Sprout Class and help prepare for opening…”
Then, with a bright expression, Supervisor Park exclaimed:
“Oh, right! Teacher Soleum, want to come with me?”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Teacher Soleum, you don’t know which class you’ll be assigned to yet, do you? You haven’t read the handbook yet. If you read it, you’ll find out—your assigned class!”
Supervisor Park extended his hand to me.
“What do you think? It’d be great if we were in the Sprout Class together. We used to be on the same squad, after all.”
Shit.
Shit!
I naturally stepped back, making sure that I looked like I was considering his suggestion.
His outstretched hand swiped through empty air.
“Oh…”
“Thank you for the offer, but I need to drop this outside the exit first.”
I lifted the briefcase.
“I borrowed some things, and I think I need to return them within the time limit.”
“Teacher Soleum, all those interesting items you carry around were borrowed?”
“Yes.”
Please don’t notice.
‘Please.’