Chapter 139: Disciplining (4)

Chapter 139: Disciplining (4)

Kim Hak-Cheol's eyes opened wide enough they could pop out of their sockets.

A shadow was slowly standing up from the darkness?! A shadow that could either be a person or some kind of a specter was now looking down at Kim Hak-Cheol frozen on the floor.

The shadow's lips parted. “Did you know?”

What... was this thing even asking about

Kim Hak-Cheol squeezed his eyes shut. He had to be sleeping right now. Right, something like this couldn't happen in reality. All these terrifying things should go away once he closed his eyes and opened them again!

This was what Kim Hak-Cheol told himself. Without that, he wouldn't be strong enough to maintain his sanity. Obviously, no living human would have the opportunity to experience something like this in their lifetime! This was a scene straight out of some bone-chilling horror movie, and, confronted by this nightmarish scenario, Kim Hak-Cheol's heart pounded fast and hard enough that it seemed like it would explode.

His heart continued to race despite his closed eyes, proving that this was his reality, but Kim Hak-Cheol was simply unwilling to accept it. Never! If that pitch-black shadow was a real creature, then... Then, what was he supposed to do against it?!

The shadow began walking slowly, its footsteps echoing so vividly in the boiler room. With every passing second, those steps sounded louder and louder in Kim Hak-Cheol's ears. Inch by inch, step by step... That shadow was 'creeping' closer to him. Kim Hak-Cheol's heart started to beat faster and faster as the shadow loomed closer.

Kim Hak-Cheol sensed something near his face, and he flinched before immediately backing away. No, he tried so hard to do just that. However, his body didn't even budge an inch despite his brain sending it urgent signals.

Shortly afterward, something neared his ear, followed by a hushed voice. “What kind of a hand should I extend to you?”

Kim Hak-Cheol's body began trembling like he was having a seizure.

“The director told me to extend my hand toward the weak. Honestly, her recommendation left me quite confused. Do you know why?” The voice's, no, the shadow's icy-cold hand slowly patted Kim Hak-Cheol's cheek. “In my eyes, everyone in this world looks like a weakling. You see?”

What was this insane bastard even talking about?! Who the hell was this director, and who was the weakling this creature was talking about?!

“Do you have any idea what I feel about this? Everyone in this world looks like a fragile straw to me. They may look perfectly fine on the outside, but... Just a little touch from me, then snap! That's what I constantly feel. And that's why her recommendation sounded so amusing to me. Helping the weak means I must help the entire world, you see?”

“Huff, huff, haaa, haaa...!”

Kim Hak-Cheol felt like something on him had been lifted, and he urgently began huffing away. He was already soaked in cold sweat from head to toe. The incomprehensible words whispered by this strange creature only made his stress level shoot up even higher.

'Why... Why does this voice sound so familiar, though '

Kim Hak-Cheol was dead-sure that he had never heard of this voice before. There was simply no way he wouldn’t recognize such a low, unique voice like this. However... For some inexplicable reason, he kept getting this feeling that he had heard this voice before.

And this feeling drove Kim Hak-Cheol even crazier.

The 'shadow' stared at Kim Hak-Cheol and cackled softly. Every echo of that cackling laughter dropped Kim Hak-Cheol's pounding heart deeper into the abyss.

“I wanted to honor her request. I really did. However, I soon found myself in a dilemma. The weak can also be wicked, after all. Does that mean I should help the wicked because they are weak? That can't be right, wouldn't you agree?”

“...?!”

Kim Hak-Cheol couldn't reply to that. But there was no need to because that rhetorical question was followed by a declaration from the 'shadow.’

“I realized that my answer to that dilemma is actually quite simple. The hand I extend to people like you will be... a little different. As an example...”

The shadow's hand moved away from Kim Hak-Cheol's cheek and slowly went lower before grabbing his collarbone.

'No, it can't be?!'

“...Something like this.”

Cruuuunch!

A horrifying noise dug into Kim Hak-Cheol's ears just as excruciating pain shot up from his shoulder.

“Kkeuuuuuuuph?!”

Blood vessels in his eyes burst while veins bulged throughout his entire body.

“Kkeuph! Kkeuuuhph...!”

Kim Hak-Cheol's stiff figure tried to thrash about on the ground from the indescribable pain, but the shadow didn't even flinch once. It just remained deathly still and took in the spectacle of his pain.

“Fuu-huph?!”

Kim Hak-Cheol couldn't understand why no words would come out of his mouth. Even his screams were muffled and almost inaudible as they escaped his throat. It was as if someone had forced his jaw open while squeezing his throat tightly. His mouth and vocal cords were no longer under his control.

***

“Uwaaaaaaahk?!” Kim Hak-Cheol screamed at the top of his lungs and shot up from his bedding.

“What the f*ck?!” Noh Su-Bong swore loudly while jumping up in shock. “Hey, you stupid motherf*cker! Why the hell are you screaming in the middle of your sleep?!”

“Huff, huff! Huff!” Kim Hak-Cheol panted and sucked in lungfuls of air like a large air pump on overdrive. With his hands still uncontrollably shaking, he hurriedly looked around his vicinity. “I... I was asleep?”

“That's right, you moron! What, did you have a nightmare? Hah, would you look at this bloody moron!”

Kim Hak-Cheol hurriedly touched his arms.

'Not... broken? At all '

Indeed, his collarbones and arms seemed to be perfectly fine.

'That... that was a dream '

Even though it was so vivid and real? Kim Hak-Cheol shivered uncontrollably. Simply recalling what happened seemingly a minute ago caused his entire body to shudder powerfully as if he had been thrown into a frigid wintry field without any clothes on.

“I... I was dreaming? I dreamed that?”

However, it had to be—it had to be just a passing dream. Something like that couldn't happen in reality, after all. Yes, the highly stressful situation Kim Hak-Cheol had been experiencing in the past few days should be the culprit for that nightmare.

Kim Hak-Cheol tried so hard to convince himself that that was the case. However...!

The faint vibration of the large boiler he picked up through his back, the unmistakable smell of oil! The dampness of the floor and the faint whiff of the mold growing in the underground boiler room. And then, what about the pain his body had experienced? And... and what about...

...Those red eyes!

Kim Hak-Cheol hurriedly tore and yanked at his own hair when his mind remembered those crimson eyes of the shadow. “Uwaaaaah?!”

“What the hell?! What's the matter with you, Hak-Cheol?!” Noh Su-Bong was genuinely taken aback at the sudden scream and hurriedly pushed himself off his bedding. “Hey! Someone bring this guy some cold water!”

“Yes, sir!”

While the junior soldiers rushed over to the water cooler, Noh Su-Bong grabbed Kim Hak-Cheol by the shoulder and shook him around. “Hey, Kim Hak-Cheol! Hak-Cheol, can you hear me?!”

“...Yes, sir.”

“Are you okay?”

“...Yes, sir. Yes.”

“What the hell? Snap out of it, man!”

Kim Hak-Cheol slowly shook his head. Although his movement lacked energy, it was still a clear and understandable gesture. “I... I'm fine, sir.”

“What kind of a nightmare was it for you to end up this way?” Noh Su-Bong glared and asked in annoyance and genuine worry.

“It was... a bit serious, sir. My nightmare, I mean.”

“Maybe you're too stressed out and not feeling well, Hak-Cheol. To be safe, let's call a medic over and check your temperature and stuff. I'm gonna go and report to the duty officer.”

“Understood, sir,” Kim Hak-Cheol replied as his head faltered. He was inwardly trying to convince himself.

'Yeah, it was just a dream. A dream. A dream! Wake up, me! It was only a dream!'

To think he would raise such a ruckus over a mere dream! What an embarrassment this was. Kim Hak-Cheol sighed deeply after barely managing to calm himself.

Noh Su-Bong put on his slippers and got ready to leave the squad's living area before turning around to look at Kim Hak-Cheol. “Hak-Cheol?”

“Corporal Kim Hak-Cheol, sir.”

“By the way, what's wrong with your neck, man?”

“...My neck, sir?”

“Yeah. That kinda looks like a handprint on your neck. Were you holding your own neck while sleeping?”

Kim Hak-Cheol's eyes grew wide. He forced his shaking legs to move and desperately stood up. He grabbed onto the locker and barely managed to keep his balance, then fearfully stared at the reflection of his own throat in the mirror.

A vivid handprint could be seen on his neck skin. A handprint that clearly belonged to a devil, with spindly and long claws at the fingertips!