By Zephyria 
“Oh, right. To get to the 4th floor, I have to use the stairs on the opposite side.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s what it said in the Procedure Manual.”
Jiha fumbled to pull out the manual and pointed to item number 3, but Jeil Heon frowned, his gaze lingering on a vague spot rather than the manual itself.
“Where were you planning to go?”
“I heard the cabinets in the 6th-floor locker room are safe.”
“Ah, there?”
Jeil Heon’s eyes narrowed with a meaningful glint, and for some reason, Jiha flinched. He had an ominous feeling. It was like the prelude to BDSM.
“You… do you have that kind of taste?”
“Huh? What, what do you mean?”
“The cabinets, the cabinets. They’re incredibly narrow, enclosed spaces.”
“…?”
“If only one person goes in, it’s hot, but manageable. But two people? Once that happens, you can’t move a muscle. You’re crushed against each other’s bodies.”
“…!”
“In a humid, sealed space, your breath reaches the other person, and their breath tickles your skin. Because of the body heat, the internal temperature rises constantly, and the heat makes your breathing grow more labored. Even though your whole body is drenched in sweat, you have no choice but to stay pressed against the other person, creating a vicious cycle that only makes it hotter. You might even feel like your human rights are being violated.”
“….”
“I won’t stop you if you enjoy that kind of play, but wouldn’t it be better to go in with your partner rather than an old guy like me? After all, men are animals that react physically when stimulated, whether they like it or not…”
“N-n-no, it’s not like that…!”
Jiha waved his hands frantically, nearly screaming. He had intended to run for his life to survive, but he had never imagined a hurdle like being trapped in a human-rights-violating box and just waiting for rescue. Above all, the thought of entering a cabinet with a man he’d just met and having his… body react made him want to die.
“Is your partner not here?”
“Not here, and not outside!”
“Too bad.”
Without realizing he had been swept up in the man’s pace, Jiha replied with a surprising ease, forgetting that he had been terrified just moments ago.
“That sounded really vivid. Have you ever been trapped in one too, Mister?”
“Not me, but it’s a story from my Hubaes. They used to ignore each other like strangers, and then one day, a wedding invitation arrived.”
Jiha absolutely did not want to know what had happened in that human-rights-violating box to lead to marriage.
“Do you know any other way to escape besides the cabinets?”
“The parking lot. Isn’t it in the Procedure Manual?”
“Uh, it said you have to be guided there by the nurse monster?”
“I’ve entered before, so I know the location.”
“Aha.”
In that case, there was no need to voluntarily subject himself to human rights violations. A clear conclusion was reached, but a corner of his heart felt as if it were being held back, making his following steps hesitant.
Noticing the lingering unease even as he led the way, Jeil Heon looked back.
“Did you leave something behind? Should I go get it?”
“It’s just… I started thinking the cabinets might actually be dangerous. Even excluding me and the nurse who left first, there are still six people. They won’t all fit in such small cabinets, and it would be disastrous if the monsters chased them into the locker room.”
“….”
“But I feel bad about being the only one escaping safely with you…”
Jeil Heon, who had been listening in silence, tilted his head slightly.
“Aren’t they people you just met today?”
“One of them is a school Sunbae, but… generally, yes.”
“Hmm, so you want me to save the others too?”
“Huh? You? I-I’m absolutely not asking you to do me a favor.”
Jiha waved his hands in a panic. If it were something he could do with his own abilities, that would be one thing, but how could he possibly shift such a heavy burden onto someone else?
“But it’s true that you’re worried.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Then how about this? I have the ability to save people, but I lack the motivation. You, on the other hand, are the opposite. What should you do to boost my motivation?”
“Uh… give you something you want?”
“Like what?”
Suddenly, Jiha was at a loss for words. In this situation, only one thing came to mind that he could possibly offer as payment. After weighing the lives of others against his own well-being, Jiha squeezed his eyes shut and held out one cheek. It was the cheek the man had been pinching.
“P-p-please eat it without hurting me! If you’re going to… dip-eat, a little bit of flesh will be enough, right? But I really don’t taste good.”
“….”
“I-is that not okay? Then, just a little more… Could you eat just enough that it can be recovered with a skin graft surgery?”
“….”
There was too much silence. Peeking through narrowed eyes, he saw the man’s face frozen in an expressionless mask. Was it too arrogant of him to limit the amount of food when he was the one asking for a favor? Just as his heart began to race with anxiety, the man suddenly clamped his hand over his mouth and began to laugh in a stifled, shaking voice. It seemed the expressionless face had been a mask to hold back laughter.
Only when Jiha’s cheeks had turned bright red with embarrassment did the man finally stop laughing, straighten his back, and lean in close. Jiha could feel the man’s breath hot against his cheek.
Chu.
“…?!”
“I’ll consider this a taste test. In exchange, grant me one wish later. Got it?”
W-what? What just happened?!
With his brain bleached white and frozen, Jiha felt Jeil Heon drape an arm over his shoulder. He only came to his senses after they had reached a spot where the elevator was visible.
“If you’re scared, do you want Mister to give you another kiss?”
“I’m perfectly fine?!”
As Jiha hurriedly covered his cheek and stepped back, Jeil Heon burst into laughter again. He felt like being ‘dip-eaten’ for a piece of flesh would have been better. After laughing his fill, the man had Jiha hide beside a corner and shielded him with his own body.
This was the result of giving his first kiss since elementary school as payment. Jiha’s heart, which had been pounding with anxiety over what would happen next, soon turned to horror. Jeil Heon raised his arm and bit into the skin of his own inner wrist.
While Jiha doubted his own eyes, the man slammed his blood-dripping fist into the glass door of the fire hydrant box attached to the hallway wall. The object of the Aberrant Realm, which had not budged no matter how hard their party had tried, shattered into pieces. Simultaneously with the scattering shards, the hospital building shuddered.
The pillars and floors forming the hospital wing shook wildly, as if they were separate living organisms. Eventually, Jiha collapsed with a scream. From afar, a single shriek, presumed to be from an Aberration, could be heard.
Only Jeil Heon remained composed, explaining as he gripped a fire axe with his blood-soaked hand.
“The general Aberrations and the nurse and doctor entities are the hospital wing itself. If an anomaly occurs in the building, they are programmed to return to the main body immediately. So, if we just deal with the patient entities who will come chasing after this commotion, the other people will be safe even if they don’t escape.”
“You should have told me— mmpfh!”
As the floor surged up and down, Jiha felt his stomach flip and nearly vomited, quickly covering his mouth. And before Jiha could fully comprehend the meaning of ‘dealing with an Aberration,’ it appeared.
「MY ALCOHOOOOL¡ YOU WERE HEREEEEE¡ GIVE ME MY DRINK RIIIIIGHT NOW…¿¡」
The alcoholic, who burst through the elevator doors, recoiled in horror upon recognizing Jeil Heon.
「W-W-W-WAIT A MINUUTE¡ Bearer. How are you here¿ Weren’t you dead¡」
“Long time no see. I thought your brain cells would have been completely destroyed from drinking every single day, but I see you still have enough sanity to recognize me. Ah, or did you never have brain cells to begin with?”
「I-I won’t interfere with you¡ I’ll go back quietly…」
“No. I’m planning to shut this place down starting now, so tell your friends it’s first-come, first-served. The sooner they get here, the less painfully I’ll kill them.”
Jeil Heon raised the fire axe, and the alcoholic was cleaved in two without even a final scream. The split corpse turned into a viscous fluid and flowed mushily across the floor, and a pungent smell of alcohol, strong enough to twist one’s nose, spread thick through the air.
Slightly avoiding the Aberration’s bodily fluids, Jeil Heon shrugged nonchalantly at Jiha, who was standing there with his mouth agape.
“That one is a weakling who knows nothing but booze. He’d die from just a gunshot.”
“Ha, haha… I-I guess so…”
What was I, running away because I thought I’d be killed by that ‘weakling’…? Jiha’s shoulders slumped.
Then, the walls thundered, and a muscular Aberration appeared. The sweet scent emanating from the Aberration mixed with the smell of alcohol, making it even more nauseating. Jiha no longer had the energy to be surprised by the voluminous frill dress the Aberration was wearing.
“Oh, Yong-cheol. You’re alive?”
「MY NAME IS YONG-SOON¡」
“Right, Yong-cheol. I advised you that if you’re going to cross-dress, it’s better to shave your chest hair and beard cleanly, but I see you didn’t listen at all.”
「I CAN’T LET YOU RUIN MY HOUSE-PLAY AGAINNNN¡」
The delusional monster flung away a human arm it had been holding in one hand. Jeil Heon readjusted his grip on the fire axe and stepped forward.
“Jiha, close your eyes. It’s better not to watch from here on.”
Dazed, Jiha failed to follow the advice immediately and ended up witnessing the scene.