Mudoo - Chapter 12

The security guard sitting at the front desk did glance curiously at the man and woman holding hands at this hour, but he didn’t bother to stop them.

There were so many companies in this building, everyone kept their own hours, and plenty of people basically lived at the office, so he just assumed they were an office couple coming back from a late-night snack.

Only Seula felt awkward for no reason, stealing glances at the guard as they passed.

Inside the elevator, Kang Tae-shin pressed the button for the top floor without hesitation.

“So if we go up there, we’ll get into the back room?”

“Who knows? We’ll have to find out where they hid it.”

He said it like it was nothing — but to Seula, it didn’t sound like he actually had any plan at all.

“But it’s supposed to be a space no one can pass through, right? Should we look for a sign that says ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ or something?”

“That won’t work. There are too many weirdos in the world — a sign won’t stop people from going places they shouldn’t.”

Of all the weird people, Kang Tae-shin was the weirdest in Seula’s eyes — so hearing him say that felt strangely ironic.

“There probably won’t even be a door,” he added, dead serious.

Seula frowned at that hopeless guess.

“Then how are we supposed to find it?”

“We’ll figure it out as we go.”

Seeing him just stroll in here with zero plan made Seula sigh out loud.

—32nd floor.

A bright voice announced the floor number as the elevator doors slid open.

Seula, who’d been clinging to Kang Tae-shin’s hand like it was a lifeline, pressed even closer to him as she stepped out.

Next to him, she felt warm — like sitting by a fireplace or lying on a heated floor. When she was near him, the cold, prickling fear vanished, replaced by a soft, cozy calm, like she was wrapped in a thick blanket.

They walked slowly down the corridor. Office doors lined both sides — most were dark with the doors shut tight, but here and there a light leaked out from within.

“Do you… see anything?”

Seula gave his hand a small shake as she asked.

All this talk about back rooms and angry spirits had her on edge, but now that they were actually here, there wasn’t a ghost in sight. Not even that prickly feeling down her spine — nothing.

“They don’t usually show themselves when I’m around. They’re too busy running for their lives,” Kang Tae-shin said.

So ghosts, just like people, bullied the weak and ran from the strong — how fair. She was absurdly jealous. Imagine living life knowing ghosts fled at the sight of you…

They’d finished circling Building A and were crossing the connector into Building B when Kang Tae-shin slipped a hand into his coat pocket and checked the time on his phone.

“At this rate, bringing you along was pointless.”

“So I’m useless after all, huh? Figures. I told you I’m not cut out for this. I’ll just quit right now — clean break.”

Her eyes sparkled for a second at the thought of quitting before dawn.

“Good idea. Maybe we should split here.”

Kang Tae-shin ignored her hopeful look, calmly slipping his hand from hers and stepping away to put distance between them.

“I’ll take the emergency stairs down. You take the elevator.”

“Wait, what — what do you mean…?”

“You’re not useless, Seula. You’re actually very gifted.”

No thanks — she’d never wanted a talent for this. Not in this lifetime.

“The Mudoo is gone, but the scent is still there.”

The scent that draws ghosts in like moths to a flame — so this was even worse. If anything, she needed him glued to her side. Seula grabbed his arm like her life depended on it.

“Don’t leave me! Please, I’m serious — what if a ghost pops up while I’m alone?”

“If one doesn’t show up, that’s the real problem. I have to finish this before dawn.”

The calm, cold way he said it made her heart sink to her stomach. She should’ve brought Dong-gil at least…

“You’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’ll find you right away.”

To him, it probably sounded comforting, but to Seula it was the most heartless thing he could’ve said.

Kang Tae-shin gave her a light smile, then turned the corner and disappeared.

The moment he was gone, the air around her felt ten degrees colder.

Seula hesitated only a second before rushing after him — but when she turned the corner, he’d vanished without a trace.

***

“…May God protect our country, hurrah, hurrah…”

Alone in the elevator, Seula softly hummed her national anthem, trying to calm her hammering heart. The quiet notes trembled on her lips.

“Like the old pine on Namsan… clad in iron armor…”

God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, spirits of heaven and earth — please, please don’t let anything appear in front of me. If something has to appear, send it to Kang Tae-shin instead.

The elevator smoothly descended floor by floor. She thought it would be perfect if someone else got on partway — but even that was better than a ghost stepping in. Honestly, she’d rather ride alone.

The moment she reached the lobby, she’d glue herself to that security guard she saw earlier — she kept her eyes fixed on the display panel, willing the numbers to keep ticking down.

Just as the display dropped to single digits — past the 10th floor — the elevator gradually slowed and stopped at one of the floors.

—4th floor.

Why did it have to be the fourth floor? Please, not now.

She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to shut out the world entirely — but she knew she’d only panic more if something appeared the second she opened them again. So she forced her chin up, eyes wide, staring straight ahead.

The doors slid open with a soft whoosh. There was no one there.

Relief rushed out of her in a shaky breath. She automatically hit the close button, convincing herself someone must’ve pressed it earlier and taken the stairs instead.

But just as the doors began to close — they slid open again.

—4th floor.

Seula froze where she stood. She felt a crushing weight press down on her shoulders, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn’t move — just stared through the open doors with wide eyes.

“Please… don’t do this… to me…”

She jabbed the close button over and over, trying to force the doors shut — but they only opened, closed, and opened again in an endless loop.

—4th floor.

—4th floor.

—4th floor.

It felt like something unseen was shoving her out — like something was saying get off here.

It’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’ll find you right away.

Kang Tae-shin’s last words echoed in her head as she forced herself to step out, one slow, reluctant step at a time.

If you don’t show up, I swear I’ll kill you myself, Kang Tae-shin.

With her back pressed flat to the wall, Seula edged sideways down the corridor like a crab. The layout was exactly the same as the 32nd floor, but the atmosphere was night and day. Here, there was no trace of warmth, no sign of life. The air felt dead, drained of any human touch.

“Kang Tae-shin, Kang Tae-shin, Kang Tae…”

She kept whispering his name under her breath like a protective chant. Maybe if she said it enough times, nothing would dare appear. She had no proof — but clung to it anyway.

“Kang Tae-shin, Kang Tae-shin, Kang Tae—”

She stopped when another sound slipped in between her whispers — the sound of someone sobbing.

Hic… hic, hhic hic, hic…

Seula held her breath and darted her eyes around. At the very end of the corridor, where the ceiling lights didn’t quite reach, she saw a woman curled up on the floor.

“P-please… please help me… please get me out of here…”

The woman’s voice sounded so close, like she was whispering directly in Seula’s ear.

Seula wanted to get out just as badly.

The corridor lights flickered off, then back on in unison.

“I just… I just want to go home… I want to leave…”

The woman who’d been huddled at the far end was suddenly right next to her.

“AAAH!”

Seula screamed and ran for the elevator without a single glance back. She stabbed the down button like her life depended on it — but no light came on.

[Out of Service]

The same elevator that had worked just fine moments ago now read Out of Service. She darted her eyes to the other elevators, but every display showed the same thing: Out of Service.

“D-don’t leave me here… please… don’t leave me alone…”

The ceiling lights flickered again, and when they came back on, the woman was crouched right at Seula feet.