DNLYHS Chapter 3 (Part 1)

3. Third Day

That night, lying on the gym mat with his eyes closed, Yeonseo couldn’t fall asleep and remained deep in thought for a long time.

Behind him, Yeongwon was curled up like a shrimp, breathing softly in his sleep. Whether he was truly asleep or only pretending, Yeonseo didn’t know, but the face he had seen before lying down had looked quite tired. He probably fell asleep quickly. Unless he had some headache-inducing worries like Yeonseo did.

‘I really don’t understand that so-called Code of Conduct…’

Two concerns were swirling in his mind.

The first was the existence called the “janitor,” the figure mentioned in both his and Yeongwon’s Codes. According to the writing on the dining hall door, he could roam freely and open doors, but according to the Code, he was trapped somewhere and hoping for rescue.

The two of them had debated the janitor-related rules for quite a long time.

‘Could it be that either the Code of Conduct or the metal door graffiti is lying?’

‘I’m not sure. If we start assuming the Code is lying, then we can’t trust anything. And the graffiti all over the school has given us more useful information than we expected… You said you managed to turn on the speaker yesterday, thanks to that graffiti.’

‘That’s true. Oh, maybe the janitor is in some kind of special situation? Like he’s trapped but still able to move around.’

‘What kind of idea is that? He’s not Schrödinger’s cat.’

‘Right now, it causes the least contradiction. Stop nitpicking… Or maybe he’s fine until today, and then suddenly gets confined on Day Three.’

‘That’s actually a decent hypothesis. It satisfies both the Code and the graffiti at the same time.’

They decided to set aside the suspicion that the metal door graffiti might be fake. For now, it was easier to act under the assumption that all information was real. After struggling with his thoughts like he was in pain, Yeongwon let out a sigh-like conclusion.

‘But what we do know for sure is… tomorrow, our top priority is figuring out the janitor’s location. If he’s trapped, we’ll let him out.’

Yeonseo nodded to that. It was a simple conclusion, but they didn’t have enough information to reach anything better.

‘Since we can’t check each other’s Code of Conduct exactly, this is frustrating. I know it’s hard to talk because of the restrictions, but yours was a food-related issue, right?’

‘Yes…’

At the word “restriction,” Yeonseo shrank back involuntarily. Yeongwon had brushed it off, saying they both needed to hide parts of their Codes so they shouldn’t obsess over being too honest, but even so, Yeonseo still didn’t feel good about not being able to explain fully.

Not knowing what was going on inside him, Yeongwon continued calmly.

‘Then tomorrow, as soon as we wake up, let’s ask the cook if anything comes to mind. If he doesn’t know anything either, we’ll have no choice but to search the school ourselves.’

‘We should. I’m worried about what condition the janitor might be in right now.’

‘Once we reunite with the janitor, it’ll be easier to unlock various parts of the school. If he dies, we’ll have a real problem.’

‘……’

‘Actually, it’s not just the janitor. Didn’t the cook say something like “there are people who can’t come to the dining hall”? If they keep starving, they’ll die. Even if they don’t, they’ll become too weak to survive or complete their tasks.’

Frowning, Yeongwon muttered nonstop. Yesterday, it had been Yeonseo who kept grumbling, and Yeongwon had snapped at him, saying he didn’t want to hear it. Today, the roles were reversed.

‘We need to find four people including the janitor, right? Time moves faster here than we thought, and if we find one person per day, the last one will be practically collapsed. Wait, how long can someone survive without water? About three days, isn’t it? Then if we don’t find everyone tomorrow, some might die of thirst…’

Watching him, Yeonseo also grew more anxious. He finally understood why Yeongwon had gotten irritated yesterday. Anxiety was more contagious than people realized. A rising sense of urgency climbed his throat, warning him that he couldn’t leave things like this, and then…

‘Um.’

‘…What.’

‘I know you’re anxious, but you can’t push yourself too hard. And you can’t just rush into danger like you did today!’

As he spoke, Yeonseo unconsciously grabbed Yeongwon’s hand. He didn’t know everything about him, but he at least knew this much: once Yeongwon decided he had to do something, he was shockingly reckless and incredibly decisive. Even today, hadn’t he just burst in without hesitation, insisting he had to save the cook?

This time, they were lucky and came out unharmed, but if things kept going like this, one day it would become truly dangerous. Yeonseo never wanted to see that happen.

‘…I won’t get hurt. And even if I do, I’ll heal quickly.’

‘……’

‘You saw the cook recovering earlier, didn’t you? If someone can recover even in that condition, then things will work out somehow, definitely.’

‘Wasn’t it that recovery only happens once the situation is safe? And besides, it didn’t feel like simple recovery… more like something that’ll come with interest later.’

‘I’m prepared for that much. Anyway, what are you fidgeting with? Do you need a comfort doll or something?’

Muttering that, Yeongwon looked down at Yeonseo’s hand with an embarrassed expression. Maybe he was startled because Yeonseo had suddenly grabbed his hand, even though they’d only just become familiar? Maybe it looked like he was acting too friendly?

Yeonseo considered letting go, but for some reason, this time, Yeongwon started fidgeting with Yeonseo’s hand instead. With those fingers that looked slender and delicate but were surprisingly firm at the joints. Unsure of what to do, Yeonseo continued speaking while still having his hand held.

‘Maybe you’re prepared for that, but I’m not. Please think about the person watching from behind!’

‘…Well, you do have that naive and scatterbrained side, so if I’m not around, you might really die.’

‘Do you have to say it so meanly to feel better?! Anyway, promise me. No matter how urgent you feel, don’t do dangerous things!’

‘I know, I get what you’re saying. My life is the most precious thing to me, too. Why would I recklessly jump into danger for someone else?’

‘But you did jump in today.’

‘How many times do I have to say that it’s my role? If I don’t fulfill my duty of protecting someone, I can’t even enter this hideout. Besides, it turned out well in the end. We saved the cook; the ingredients are unsettling, but we secured stable food, and thanks to that, we won’t starve. Isn’t that right?’

‘Even so. Still…’

He was just… a little upset. Yeonseo almost said that but stopped, startled. Was that it? Had he actually been upset? Because that prickly yet fundamentally earnest man had put himself in danger right in front of him?

Not because he’d somehow become attached to him but because… what was it…
It didn’t sit well with him to watch a kind person walk into danger on his own while he himself could do so little.

‘…Don’t make that face. I’ll try not to get hurt.’

After looking at Yeonseo’s expression, Yeongwon let out a quiet sigh. Before Yeonseo could even ask what face he meant, Yeongwon lay down where he was. And before he knew it, Yeonseo, who had still been holding his hand, was pulled along and ended up lying on the gym mat too.

Yeonseo immediately regretted laying the mats so close together earlier. This wasn’t even an arm pillow…!

Seeing how their bodies were practically pressed together, with Yeongwon almost clinging to him, Yeongwon let out a short laugh and released his hand. Embarrassed for no reason, Yeonseo turned his back and lay facing the other way.

‘Well, the janitor will probably hold out longer than the others anyway, don’t you think? Since he opened the dining hall door today, he probably hasn’t been confined yet. If he were thirsty, he could’ve drunk water from the bathroom.’

‘True, maybe we don’t have to think so pessimistically. The others might have water or emergency rations too… Let’s just do our best while keeping ourselves safe.’

Was that the last thing they said? The ending had been surprisingly warm…

Then Yeonseo remembered the second thing he’d been worrying about.
It was none other than the rest of his Code of Conduct, the part unrelated to the janitor.

[2. Continue your work today as well. However, keep in mind that the records you leave should preferably contain new information that others do not know.]

[2-1. If you record something that also appears in another person’s Code of Conduct, your work will still be counted as completed, but it may bring harm to others later. Find out other people’s Codes of Conduct. Verify that the information you plan to write does not overlap.]

[If necessary, lying or secretly looking into someone else’s notes is recommended. Even if the result damages your relationship with others or reveals unbearable truths, dealing with the consequences is your responsibility.]

[2-2. Even if you ignore section 2-1, you will not be harmed. If you wish to remain a good person, you may ignore this part.]

[However, do not reveal this section to others. You probably won’t be able to anyway.]

Once again, instead of being helpful, it was full of instructions telling him what to do. Write things that don’t overlap with others’ Codes? But if he breaks that rule, nothing bad happens to him, and in fact, the text sounds like ignoring the rule is better for him…

‘But it said that if I ignore my Code of Conduct, someone else will suffer for it. Is that really fine?’

He didn’t know. He had no idea what this thing wanted from him… He had spent all day trying to figure out the meaning, squeezing his brain for answers, but nothing came out.

The more he thought, the more suffocating it felt.

What was the meaning behind this Code of Conduct? Since there were no survival instructions, maybe it was telling him to rely on others. But the orders themselves only pushed him to inconvenience others. Even now, it was forcing him into absurd choices: extract someone else’s information to write useless records he didn’t know the purpose of, or pretend to be kind while turning a blind eye to someone else suffering.

What role was he even supposed to play in this school? Yeongwon protected people, the cook made food, the janitor opened doors… Who benefited from his records?

The more he thought, the more his head hurt, so Yeonseo eventually chose to stop thinking and fall asleep instead.

[3. And there is something you must keep in mind. Among the people in this school, one is a “liar.” That person’s job title and Code of Conduct are entirely false, so use that in your records.]

I don’t know. It’s too complicated. I don’t want to think about it…

With that, Yeonseo simply closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, relying on the warmth he felt at his back.

---

And then, the next morning.

The two of them woke to the broadcast ringing out above their heads, just like the day before.

[W-we will begin the third day’s morning broadcast! Please complete your tasks today as well and evacuate safely to your hideout. But, um….]

[Is there anyone who can bring me some water or food? I can’t leave this place. I haven’t had a single sip of water in days…. Please, I’m begging you.]

But today’s broadcast sounded less like a morning announcement and more like a plea for rescue.

Yeongwon and Yeonseo sat up fully awake and stared at each other.

“To broadcast to the whole school, he’s probably in the broadcasting room… Yeonseo, you’ve seen it on the map, right?”

“Yes. It was on the third floor. The same floor with the art prep room.”

The two decided to change their priorities for the day. Searching for the janitor, whose location they didn’t even know, would take longer than delivering food to the broadcasting room, whose location was certain.

And they owed their lives to the person in that room. If he hadn’t broadcast in time yesterday, both Yeonseo and Yeongwon would’ve been caught and eaten by the students. Leaving him with no water or food when he had helped save their lives wasn’t an option.

“Let’s do this. First, we go to the dining hall and eat as quickly as possible, then ask him to pack all the remaining food. After that, we go straight to the broadcasting room and deliver one portion.”

“That’s great! And if we find the janitor or anyone else on the way, we can give them some too.”

The two hurried their pace slightly and headed to the dining hall.

The dining hall door was open, just like the day before. Inside, the familiar-looking cook was standing blankly in place. There was a bloodstained cleaver in his hand, and both his clothes and apron were covered in stains that didn’t look very old.

Something about him looked like his soul had left his body… Was he okay? Yeonseo hesitated, afraid he might be attacked if he approached carelessly, when Yeongwon knocked lightly on the metal door.

Tok tok. The echo sounded strangely loud, and the cook snapped back to his senses.

“Who…? Oh, it’s you two.”

“Did you hear the morning broadcast? I think we’ll need to move quickly.”

At Yeongwon’s words, the cook nodded. He had been standing there blankly, but it seemed he hadn’t missed the broadcast itself. Once awake, he served their food and then packed water and rations as they requested.

He filled yellowed plastic side-dish containers with porridge, and filled a glass bottle, probably once used for orange juice, with water. The black plastic bag holding the food and water had stains on it and looked like it might be torn in places. The sanitation was questionable, but they had no room to complain in a situation like this.

“That person seems unable to leave his post like me. I hope you can deliver it before it gets cold.”

“We know where the broadcasting room is, so it shouldn’t be too hard. By the way, Cook…? It’s fine to call you that for now, right?”

“Call me however you want. Why?”

“Do you know anything about the janitor?”

“The janitor? Ah.”

Yeonseo asked without much hope, but unexpectedly, the cook nodded right away.

“Are you talking about that woman who hummed while walking down the hallway?”

“Oh, you’ve met her?”

“We didn’t speak properly… but I saw her from a distance once. While I was outside, slashing at the monsters pouring in, I vaguely noticed a young woman about your age walking down the corridor. She wore a navy shirt and black pants, and her waist was covered with a bunch of keys.”

Yeongwon and Yeonseo exchanged glances. Judging a role by appearance alone might have been rash, but the moment they heard that description, one job came to mind immediately: the janitor. Especially the part about carrying so many keys.

“The first time I saw her was on the first night. She suddenly opened a door, peeked inside, said nothing to me, and just turned around and left… Maybe she was the reason you two were able to get inside that day.”

So the janitor also moved around after the end-of-day broadcast, just like the cook… They weren’t sure whether to feel relieved for learning her active hours or worried because it meant meeting her would be difficult.

While Yeonseo was thinking, Yeongwon stepped into the conversation and asked the cook a question.

“Wait a moment. Didn’t the janitor get attacked by the monsters?”

“No, not at all. Honestly, when I first saw her, I thought she was some kind of ghost.”

“…Ghost?”

“She was floating in the air. That weird humming, too… She passed through a hallway filled with monsters, like she was drifting through as a hologram. She didn’t seem like a normal person at all.”

It was ironic for someone who spent every night butchering monsters with a kitchen knife to say someone else didn’t seem normal, but that only made the eeriness worse.

So the janitor wasn’t human. Then that meant she didn’t eat food either?

‘Then why did my Code tell me not to write anything food-related?’

It was good that they learned something about the janitor, but in the end, nothing had become any clearer. Even Yeongwon looked more unsettled than surprised by what he’d heard, as if the new information contradicted something he already knew.

“I want to ask one more thing.”

Fiddling with the Code of Conduct notebook on the table, Yeongwon spoke. The cook tilted his head slightly.

“Did you see that janitor-person again today?”

“I did. She was still walking around outside humming. I tried calling out to her just in case, but she didn’t respond… then, shortly before the morning broadcast began, she vanished like a mirage.”

“She vanished?”

“Yes. Maybe ghosts really only wander at night? Though inside this school, it’s just as dark as midnight no matter the time.”

The two fell silent, lost in thought. At this point, it was questionable whether the ghostlike woman he described and the “janitor” written in their Codes were even the same person.

Setting all other problems aside, there was still this…

“Our Codes say we’re supposed to rescue the janitor.”

“Rescue…? But she wasn’t confined at all.”

The cook frowned as if the idea was absurd. With a doubtful tone, Yeongwon spoke.

“Maybe the person you saw wasn’t the janitor at all. She could be a different entity, maybe some kind of monster like those black students from yesterday.”

“But she definitely opened the dining hall door. If she isn’t the janitor, why would she open the door?”

“That part is… well, I’m not sure. But there are too many contradictions for her to be the janitor.”

“I suppose that’s true. She didn’t seem like an ordinary person like us, either. But if that’s the case, I don’t think I have anything more to tell you….”

It seemed like talking any further would only send them in circles. Both sides lacked too much information.

Yeongwon stood up and picked up the bag containing the packed meals.

“We’ll have to investigate further ourselves. For now, we’ll head to the broadcasting room.”

“Right, take care. There seem to be a lot of strange things out there.”

The cook tottered toward a mattress set in the corner of the dining hall. It hadn’t been there yesterday, who knew where he got it, but it looked like he intended to rest there for a while.

It was best to leave quietly without disturbing his sleep. However…

‘Right, the Code of Conduct.’

Knowing his Code would be helpful when writing today’s record… Yeonseo’s eyes drifted toward the notebook lying unguarded on the table. But with Yeongwon standing right beside him, he couldn’t just rifle through someone else’s notes. The man wasn’t stupid, he’d definitely be suspicious.

In the end, Yeonseo had no choice but to suppress his regret and follow Yeongwon out into the hallway.

It couldn’t be helped. Since he wasn’t planning to write anything food-related today anyway, he just had to hope his own notes wouldn’t overlap with the cook’s Code… Pushing away that worry, he spoke to shift his thoughts.

“I don’t understand any of this, Yeongwon. I thought the janitor would be someone just like us.”

“Nothing is certain yet. We don’t even know if the one the cook saw is truly the janitor, or whether he was telling the truth.”

“But would he lie about something like that?”

“Not necessarily. He might have mistaken something. It’s questionable whether he saw anything clearly while frantically cutting down waves of monsters.”

Slowly tilting his head, Yeongwon muttered that. In a situation where information conflicted so badly, the most reasonable explanation was that one of them simply misunderstood.

‘But in this bizarre school, couldn’t both sides be telling the truth? Maybe some secret we don’t know is hidden behind it all…’

While lost in thought like that, they reached the third floor in no time. As they walked down the second-floor corridor, they had quietly opened several classroom doors to peek inside, but found no one. It seemed no one was currently in any unlocked area.

“This is the broadcasting room… right?”

They stood in front of a wooden door with a sign reading “Broadcasting Room.” Coming here first had definitely been the right choice. Compared to the janitor, whose location, nature, and even existence as a person were unclear, this was wonderfully straightforward.

Except for one small problem.

“The door is locked.”

“…It is. And he said he couldn’t get out either.”

“Then how do we get this food inside?”

The issue was how to get past the five large padlocks on the broadcasting room door. The two sighed and looked at each other.

“It’s locked not only from the inside but from the outside as well. Well, it has to be, to meet the hideout conditions.”

With a helpless mutter, Yeongwon examined the door.

Yeonseo checked carefully as well, but there wasn’t even a small gap like a pet door or mail slot. At this rate, they couldn’t get food or even a drop of water inside.

“Do we have to wait for the janitor to open the door?”

“That would get someone killed. If the Code is correct, the janitor is likely imprisoned right now, and even if she isn’t, there’s no guarantee she’ll open the broadcasting room first.”

He had a point. If there was no telling how long they’d have to wait, they needed to find a way themselves.

With a serious expression, Yeongwon ran his hand along the padlocks and the rusted hinges. Judging by how he tugged and shook the locks a few times, he might have been considering forcing the door open. The hinges were old and rusted, so it wasn’t entirely impossible…

‘It’s dangerous. Who knows what will happen if he forces the door open.’

If something went wrong, the broadcasting room might not be able to lock again after the end-of-day broadcast. If the person inside couldn’t leave, like the cook, monsters might flood inside and put them in extreme danger.

And besides, they still hadn’t tried the most basic thing.
The fact that the person inside could request help over the morning broadcast meant their mind was still intact. If that was the case…

“Yeongwon, step back for a moment.”

“Hm?”

Once he stepped back, Yeonseo balled his fist and pounded on the door, bang, bang, bang. It was the first thing anyone should do when visiting someone’s dwelling. Even earlier, hadn’t Yeongwon knocked when calling the cook? Why hadn’t they thought of knocking now?

“Hello? The one doing the broadcast! You’re in there, right? We heard the morning announcement! We brought you food and water!”

“There’s no sign of anyone inside, Yeonseo.”

“We still have to call out! Maybe they’re keeping quiet because they’re scared and hiding!”

Even if someone had been quietly hiding inside, that didn’t mean they hadn’t suffered. If the person in the broadcasting room also had a “role,” then they must have carried out tasks and endured hardships during the past two days. It would be natural for them not to respond instantly just because someone called from outside.

“We want to give you food and water, but there’s no way to open the door! There are a bunch of padlocks on the outside! Do you have anything in your Code of Conduct that might help?”

No reply.

After asking for someone to bring him food, staying quiet like this felt overly cautious, but Yeonseo continued, searching for a way to get the person inside to trust them.

“We’re not monsters or anything like that! …Ah, right! You must’ve gotten some kind of role or job too, which is why you’re doing the broadcasts, right? My role is Librarian, and the person with me is a Disciplinary Committee member! We’re in the same situation as you! Thanks to your broadcast on the dining hall speakers yesterday, we survived! We really wanted to thank you!”

Fortunately, the moment he finished speaking, there was a loud thud-thud from inside.

Was it because they shared their roles? Or because they mentioned the dining hall broadcast?

Footsteps approached noisily, and soon an unfamiliar yet oddly friendly voice came from behind the door.

“Are you… really just ordinary people? You really came to help me?”

“That’s right! Um, what’s your role?”

“I’m the supervising teacher for the broadcasting club…. Is a supervising teacher even supposed to be trapped and doing broadcasts like this? I’m not sure, but anyway, I’m the one who did all the morning and evening announcements so far. And I was the one who broadcasted to the dining hall yesterday.”

So his title wasn’t “broadcast club member” after all.

The voice behind the door sounded young for a teacher, probably around Yeonseo’s age, maybe a year or two younger.

The connection between age and job wasn’t important, though.

“Anyway, we brought your meal from the cook, but there’s no way to give it to you. Like I said earlier, the door is locked from the outside too.”

“Oh. Ah, right. There is a way. I’m not supposed to tell just anyone, but… if you’re really in the same situation as me…”

There was the sound of papers flipping on the other side. So that really was the answer.

Yeonseo looked proudly at Yeongwon, but Yeongwon only stared suspiciously at the door, deep in thought.

“…Ah, found it! If you go into the third-floor teachers’ office, there’s a key box next to the window. The set of five keys hanging on the third row, second slot, that’s the key for this door.”

“The third row, second slot?”

“Yes. And apparently you’re not supposed to touch the other keys. That’s the janitor’s authority… I guess this school has a janitor too?”

“We’ve heard. Though we honestly can’t tell if they’re alive or a ghost.”

“W-what? What does that mean? Are you trying to scare me?”

The voice sounded terrified. The reaction was so normal that Yeonseo nearly dropped all suspicion toward him.

Yeongwon still looked unimpressed, but Yeonseo pretended not to notice and kept talking.

“Anyway, we’ll go get the keys from the teachers’ office.”

“Please do. I’m hungry, sure, but more than that I want to get out of here. I’ve been stuck in this tiny broadcasting room for who-knows-how-many days… It’s suffocating.”

Turning his back to the constant complaints coming from behind the door, Yeonseo tugged on Yeongwon’s arm.

He didn’t know why Yeongwon kept acting so wary, but it would be better to ask him properly once they reached the teachers’ office.

He seemed to be keeping quiet now because he was on guard…

But instead of heading straight toward the teachers’ office, Yeongwon suddenly asked a question.

“…Is there anything else we should watch out for?”

The person behind the door gasped, startled. Paper rustled again, then a hesitant answer followed.

“There’s nothing in particular written about the teachers’ office.”

“Then anywhere else?”

“U-um, there are notes about what to watch out for when you enter the broadcasting room. I was going to tell you later.”

“Could you tell us now?”

Shouldn’t they hear that before entering the room anyway?

Why was he acting so aggressive toward someone who helped them yesterday?

The seriousness in Yeongwon’s voice was strange enough to make Yeonseo uneasy, but Yeongwon didn’t explain, he only kept staring at the door.

“‘When an outsider enters the broadcasting room, they must cover their ears with both hands.’ That’s what it says.”

“…Does using earplugs count? Did it specify that it had to be exactly both hands?”

“It doesn’t mention earplugs, so I’m not sure. But the phrase ‘cover your ears with both hands’ is definitely written. I’d prefer if you followed the Code as written. Otherwise, I don’t know what might happen.”

“Understood.”

Accepting it calmly, Yeongwon set the lunchbox on the floor and headed toward the teachers’ office. This time, it was Yeonseo who found himself being led along by him.

“Um, is it okay to leave the lunchboxes there?”

“It’ll be easier to move quickly with your hands free. No one’s going to take them. Those eyeball-covered monsters don’t eat food.”

“Alright. Let’s hurry.”

The two ran down the hallway and soon reached the third-year teachers’ office.

The third-year office had the same layout as the others, with rows of desks inside and no people or monsters in sight.

After closing the door behind them, Yeonseo glanced at Yeongwon’s expression.

He clearly looked like he had something he wanted to say. Now that they were alone, Yeongwon exchanged a look with him.

“This is just my own speculation, but…”

“Go on. Why were you so tense back there?”

“…I really do think the broadcasting room is dangerous.”

With a pale face, Yeongwon whispered to him, even though there was no one around, almost as if he feared someone might overhear.

“W-why do you think that?”

“First of all, it was already suspicious that there were five padlocks hanging outside the door. Normally, one is enough. It looked as if they were desperately trying to make sure the person inside could never come out.”

“W-well, I’m sure there’s a reason for that. Maybe it just means the broadcasting room is really important…”

“If it were that important, wouldn’t the method of opening it be too easy? Just grab a key from the teachers’ office and unlock it. And that key cabinet wasn’t even locked.”

Saying so, he strode over to the key cabinet by the window.

Sure enough, when he tugged lightly, it opened immediately, revealing all the keys inside.

It did not look secure at all.

“And also, the other keys besides the broadcasting room key were said to be under the janitor’s authority, right? Do you know what that implies in reverse? It means the janitor cannot touch the broadcasting room key. If the broadcasting room is so important that it needs heavy security, shouldn’t the janitor be the one managing its key instead?”

“…Hmm.”

“The whole system contradicts itself. It feels like a trap is waiting. Isn’t the broadcasting room actually a place we’re not supposed to open?”

Not open the broadcasting room?

But if they didn’t, the supervising teacher inside would starve to death…

While Yeonseo grew uneasy, Yeongwon studied the keys inside the cabinet and continued.

“And another thing, Yeonseo. Isn’t something strange?”

“Strange? What is?”

“They said you must use both hands to cover your ears before entering the broadcasting room. That’s what bothers me.”

“Uh… well, that would make delivering the food harder. Should we push it inside with our feet or something?”

“That would be inconvenient, sure… but think about it. A common surrender posture is raising your hands or placing your hands on your head. Do you know why that is?”

“What…?”

“In both cases, your hands are rendered useless. It’s a position where, no matter what happens, you can’t react or defend yourself easily.”

He said this while picking up the key bundle.

Just as the voice behind the door had said, the third row, second slot held a ring of five keys.

All of them, disturbingly, were stained with dried blood.

“…There’s writing here too.”

Under the keys, instead of the word “Broadcasting Room,” a sentence looked as though it had been scrawled messily with someone’s left hand.

Hang the key bundle on the broadcasting room doorknob. The supervising teacher must be taken care of until the very end.

The two stared at the writing for a long time.

Letting out a strained sound, as if in deep worry, Yeongwon exhaled a long sigh.