Episode 430

Knock.

The sound of dripping water echoed through the dark hallway.

"The electricity must have gone out."

"I'm glad the emergency lights came on, though."

In the waiting room, while I was treating my back and changing my top, the flickering lights all went out, and the hallway on the second floor became bleak.

'The wall in one corner even collapsed... .'

It was dangerous. At least, thanks to the flashlight Kim Rae-bin brought, I was able to walk slowly.

"Muh, Moondae. support... ."

"Because it's okay."

It shouldn't have slowed down any further here. I even had to walk.

And after a while, I saw reality in front of the stairs leading to the backstage.

"Hmm."

A chunk of concrete could be seen through the gap where the ceiling material had collapsed on the stage and had been ripped open.

"That, the second time I hear a collapsing sound, it's blocked."

It means that when the hallway on the third floor where I was was destroyed, this place was also destroyed.

'The first time the stage set collapsed, I guess they told me not to come because it was dangerous.'

Anyway, if you clean up stones to go here, it will eat up for an hour without hesitation, so throw it away without any regrets.

In the end, there is only one way to go.

"We have to go down this way."

I went to the place where Seon Ah-hyun caught me earlier.

One side of the wall had completely collapsed and the hallway right next to the stage had been pierced through.

"... ... ."

I shined down with a flashlight.

wheeeeeee-

As the space expands, the stuffy and cool air comes in.

Remnants of the collapsed stage were visible, but everything that was about to collapse had already collapsed, so it looked quite stable.

"Let's go down here for now."

on the collapsed stage.

The stage was huge, encompassing the first floor with audience seats and the second floor with stage equipment.

And the second floor was divided in half centered on the stage, but the right side here where the waiting room is is blocked from going upstairs.

Well, in the end, singers and agency employees are all outsiders, so it was a good design not to connect the upper floors used by those involved, but we were locked in.

'So, in the end, there is no other way out to move.'

Let's write.

I grabbed what I had prepared in the waiting room.

It is a temporary rope made by twisting and tying thick curtains that were hung in the waiting room for the purpose of changing clothes.

It caught my eye while I was changing clothes.

"Cheer, would it be okay with the curtains?"

"It's okay because I twisted it several times."

Meanwhile, time continued to tick.

[00:33:12]

"Thirty-three minutes left. Time is running out, so I'll have to see if I can move somehow."

"... ... ."

Just to seize the chance to prevent another crazy accident of the building collapsing here.

Kim Rae-bin opened his mouth with a determined face.

"I will go first."

"No, once I... ... ."

"Yes! I'll catch you... !"

"thank you!"

"... ... ."

yes do it your way I guess I'll have to bend over so I can catch it.

Kim Rae-bin tied his waist tightly and asked Sun Ah-hyun as he fixed the other side of the curtain.

"Dae-hyung Moon, do you know how exactly the unit of an hour is measured?"

"I want to know that too."

"It's an uncertain situation."

Kim Rae-bin nodded and carefully stepped down from the edge of the concrete.

"If the building collapses in exactly one hour, it sounds like someone predicted that the building would collapse rather than a prediction, so I asked."

look at this guy

"... Let's go downstairs and talk. be careful."

"Yes!"

Indeed, he was sharp in theory.

Even earlier, it was clear that he was holding back from wanting to ask a question, "How does the status window know such a thing?"

'When the system says it's after me... It will bother you."

It wasn't because he blamed me, but because he overprotected or worried unnecessarily, things couldn't go ahead.

'Let's shut up.'

After Kim Rae-bin, I carefully descended onto the wreckage of the stage.

And after confirming that the last Seon Ah-hyun landed safely, I turned my head and looked at the audience... ...

"... ... ."

"... Who are you?"

There was no answer from the spectator seats covered in dust and darkness.

[----]

Only a small echo resounds.

I felt uncomfortable...

'Why are there no people?'

Earlier, when I met a fan who was a graduate student, he said with a nuance that there were definitely other people besides himself who couldn't get out of it.

'In the first place, if someone came down from the collapsed stage with flashlights shining on it, the people in the audience would of course react.'

It was quite disconcerting that there was no sound or reaction.

"Muh, Moondae. First... I will find a way."

"... right."

I grabbed the rope made from the curtain and carefully descended from the stage. And the result of examining it spilled in all directions of the dark audience seats.

'... The door is pressed.'

As the graduate student said, the evacuation routes were all blocked. It is probably the shape that has been twisted and depressed because the weight balance has collapsed.

'If you try to open it by force, but it collapses, there is no answer.'

There seemed to be no way out to the lobby on the first floor.

And there is no one else besides us.

"The big moon that Moon Dae-hyung is looking for must have come as an audience member, so it seems highly likely that he has already escaped."

"Yeah, but I'm sure that Mundae will remain... If that's the case, wouldn't the fact that you're not here mean that you've moved somewhere else?"

"Have you ever seen someone else, Moondae hyung?"

have seen

"... There was a fan, on the other side of the emergency stairs."

"... !!"

"We talked through the collapsed wall, but the room I was in collapsed, so I don't know where he went after that."

Concerns and doubts flashed across their faces, but they gave realistic answers first.

"Then you might have gone up."

yes.

However, the emergency exit leading to the emergency stairway on the other side, which I and the graduate students used, was also half-blocked with debris.

"earlier... Mu, when Mundae falls, it seems to be blocked by rubble then."

isolation.

[00:26:51]

In the meantime, the time went down to less than 30 minutes.

'... Let's stay calm.'

Panic doesn't help. use your head

'I think it would be too dangerous to clear the emergency stairs in 20 minutes.'

In the meantime, would it be better to somehow forcefully open the door and let these guys come out?

I held back my sleep. And I saw the darkness beyond the half-exposed emergency stairs.

just can't get past too narrow

'All three of us are tall, so no.'

I'd rather scream... Could it adversely affect the building?

'I just need to be able to communicate somehow.'

I wish I could do a broadcast... for a moment.

"... Rabin."

"Yes?"

I lowered my gaze.

All the escape routes were blocked, but there was still one place to move.

The place where the staff resides while preparing for filming, the place where I ran out of panic.

backstage.

And that's what I remember while filming.

'I also prepared new equipment for the shoot this time.'

"Can you use a drone?"

"... ??"

This broadcasting station tried to shoot with a new product in hopes of doing a new technology PPL.

One or two flew around during our filming, and I saw the wreckage in front of the stage earlier.

'then.'

Wouldn't there be one or two spares?

I went backstage into a kind of makeshift editing room that manages makeshift stage transmissions.

It was dark here as well, without fire, but it was obvious where to put such heavy and expensive equipment.

"... right."

And I found it right away, not too late. A drone in a box that had already been ripped open under the desk.

I picked up a drone.

"Let's send this through the emergency stairs."

"Surely, what a clever idea! I didn't know that Moon Dae-hyung would have a hobby for drones."

"doesn't exist."

"... ?"

I grabbed Kim Rae-bin's shoulder.

"I believe you can do it."

"... ... ."

Isn't he a guy who has mastered music equipment and various electronic devices? I believe that with amazing creativity and intuition, you can do this too.

"Choi, I will do my best... ."

yes.

"Hey, Mu, Moondae, the computer didn't turn on... ... "

"Let's do it with a laptop."

It's a shame, but the internet wasn't caught, but the drone has its own cellular system built into it, so it doesn't work... It is possible.

then.

[uuuuuuuuuuuuuu]

"... ! It's possible!"

Kim Rae-bin quickly went through the drone manual, picked up the joystick, and with his eyes shining, finished the connection in an instant and activated the drone.

"That's great, Rabin... !"

"Right, that's great."

"no! Luckily, it was already connected to the laptop. Then we'll move right in front of the emergency stairs!"

"Yes!"

'... Is it a waste to only be an idol?'

I briefly thought about this guy's abilities, but now wasn't the time to think about things like this.

[00:17:52]

Because time has been cut in half again.

'Whoa.'

I clenched my fists and headed for the emergency stairs.

Sigh.

The iron door opens, and Seon Ah-hyun fixes it with one foot.

Kim Rae-bin sat down holding a joystick.

"then... I will send it."

"yes."

[Wheein-]

Through the black darkness, a drone flew.

"Fortunately, I have enough batteries, so the attached lights are doing their job."

"I know... !"

In the camera linked to the laptop, you can see the screen of a drone driven by a beginner tilting and holding it awkwardly. I quickly climbed the stairs, and the light was shining... .

"There is a hole in the wall here."

'... You were standing here.'

This is the hole in the wall I was talking to the graduate student earlier.

Now, instead of the furnishings room on the third floor that leans into the air and touches the wall, the light from the drone simply crosses the air.

"... ... ."

On the other side of it, there was a road that connected to the backstage on the other side where I came out of the stage set, but it's an iron door, so I can't open it with a drone.

... where did you go

"Let's keep going."

"Yes."

Let's find some traces of people.

So, on top of the dark stairs colored by the blue emergency exit lights and the red fire hydrant lights, when you go around the corner on the railing and look up... .

"... ... ."

"... I am blocked."

thud.

Above it, it is again clogged with debris from the third floor entrance.

This is the floor where the furnishings room I entered earlier was located.

It seemed to be blocked by the shock of the floor collapsing.

"... ... ."

The search is over. Without any trace or income.

"ah... ."

"What would you like me to do?"

[00:15:47]

X feet.

I swallowed and worked my brain as hard as I could.

If your stomach is blocked... .

"Let's go underground."

"ah!"

Emergency stairs will lead to the underground parking lot.

Psychologically, he might have been reluctant to go down underground from a collapsing building, so he might have gone up, but rationally it is possible to escape that way as well.

If there was a parking lot, it would have been designed to withstand the load well, and since the entrance was large, it might not have collapsed.

'Keundal could have remembered that.'

"Then I will go there."

[00:14:25]

The drone flies again. Let's go down, down... .

"... !"

"The door is open!"

Surprisingly, you can see an iron door artificially held by using a fire extinguisher.

'I prepared for the collapse and the door to be twisted.'

"Looks like there are people... !"

"Yes, let's go in!"

Kim Rae-bin carefully moved the joystick with his impatient hand.

Hazard lights flash through the laptop screen.

There was a corridor beyond the iron gate, but no matter how I looked at it, it didn't look like a road leading to an underground parking lot... .

It seemed like a space used by facility management staff, although I'm not sure because it was dark. There must be a resting room or a CCTV room.

'Could everyone evacuate this way?'

But there are no traces of people... for a moment.

"that."

"oh!"

"It's like a person."

At the end of the hallway, next to the rugged gray door, I saw something. As soon as she saw Kim Rae-bin, she moved her drone faster and approached... .

"... ??"

"... !?"

man was right however... .

"Seniors?"

It was a cast iron.

The guy standing in front of the door as if he were a sentry makes eye contact as if he was checking the drone, makes a mysterious expression, then puts his chin on his head and nods. Why isn't this kid surprised... no more than that

'Why are you here?'

Since VTIC was in the waiting room, we should have been able to get out right away... No, wait, come to think of it, these guys were also in the waiting room and couldn't get out.

I looked back at Seon Ah-hyun and Kim Rae-bin, but they were also in a state of infatuation with the seniors with whom they had indirectly contacted out of the blue.

'driving me crazy.'

[00:12:46]

I alternated between the remaining time in the pop-up window and the notebook's cycle.

'Let's think. If you think... .'

Then all of a sudden, when your head seems to be overloaded. A bell rang from behind.

[DING-DING-]

"... !"

No, it's not like the ringing of a smartphone... This.

"Announcement... ?"

The moment I heard Seon Ah-hyun's voice, I took my eyes off the laptop screen and raised my head.

Next to the collapsed stage, voices of poor quality spread from speakers hanging everywhere to the audience.

[This is a guide to those who are still in the building. The vibrations seem to have almost stopped. However, actions such as breaking down the door prematurely can be dangerous.]

[You can wait for the rescue team in a safe place such as the emergency stairs, bathroom, or around the central pillar.]

It's a calm, well-articulated male voice.

No matter who hears it, it's the right voice to come out as an announcement in an emergency situation.

The problem is that it's a voice I know.

And it's a voice that even the guys next to me know.

"... Se, Sejin hyung?"

That's Sejin Bae.

Why is that bastard not going out and broadcasting over there?!

Episode 431

I took a deep breath.

... Let's sort it out.

In the announcement broadcast, Bae Se-jin is holding the microphone, and VTIC Ju-dan can be seen on the drone screen.

'I'm kidding.'

There are 12 minutes left until the collapse, but there's one in the basement, I don't know where, but there's one in the announcement.

All the managers and staff are not X-sin idiots, and all of them escaped except for some celebrity.

[DING-DING-]

"The broadcast is over... "

In the meantime, Bae Se-jin's voice disappeared.

'then'

First of all, the one who is continuously confirmed is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one. If you parent here, you can lose everything.

I gritted my teeth and looked at the laptop screen.

There is a cast iron... why not

"Where has this guy gone?"

"... ! He, he probably didn't go into the room... ?"

Fortunately, the guy appeared on the screen again.

Holding a piece of A4 paper with text on it.

- Are you a survivor inside the building??

It was an attempt at communication.

"Ugh!"

"This, this drone doesn't have a function to send voice, so what should I do... ."

"Control the drone up and down."

"ah."

According to Kim Rae-bin's operation, the drone's view fluctuates. Then Ju Dan writes a new text on A4 and shows it.

- Looking for an escape route?

Rabin Kim nodded.

"Well. We're looking for people, so to be precise, the first thing to do is to say no... ."

"for a moment."

Can not be done.

"It's even weirder when a person trapped doesn't find a way out. Let's try to find it."

"indeed!"

I had to start there and move the conversation quickly.

'I'll ask if there are any achievements on our side, or they'll guess the identity.'

I drew the conversation history in my head, pointing to this guy's next answer.

In the meantime, the guy who confirmed that the drone was moving up and down again scribbled on the A4 and lifted the completed sentence.

... Words I wasn't expecting.

-Here, there is an escape route in the underground staff area.

"... ?!"

"Uh, uh uh."

The sentence was not over.

-There is a door leading to the outside, but emergency power comes in and works.

"Well, then... ."

"Preventing the collapse is important, but securing an escape route is also important as time is running out!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

That's right. If necessary, the remaining personnel must be sent out.

the problem is... .

'I have to ask when it's been working.'

Normally, in a building like this, no matter how emergency power is, it wouldn't last for an hour, but I don't know how much time is left.

'And this guy has a door, so why isn't he going out?'

one more.

... Usually the door just opens, and you don't need power.

The guy who was watching the shaking drone writes one more line on the paper in real time.

-However, a staff pass is required.

'Also.'

what was it

I think I found a door for staff that needs a security key to open.

-Please find the staff pass and come to the basement.

The stairs are blocked. this child

I don't know how it happened that I fell out alone and went underground, but in the end, only the mission was renewed.

'... Find the staff card and go to the basement.'

That too.

[00:10:34]

within this time.

"... ... ."

"I don't think I had a staff ID card in the editing room earlier... Still, I'll look for it one more time... !"

"Then I will find a way to go underground... Moondae hyung?"

I put my laptop on the floor.

"Ten minutes left. Both are impossible."

"... ... ."

"I will use another method."

"Yes?"

There's nothing you can do about it.

I got up and grabbed the curtain rope I had packed earlier.

* * *

Ju Dan raised his head. From the end of the dark hallway, a bright light shines on you.

[Wheein~]

In modern disaster apocalypse content, it was now a familiar element, drones.

'Hoo.'

He rested his chin and nodded. Gradually, the survivors who are isolated in the building are finding their way out in various ways.

Then I'll have to respond in the traditional way.

He quickly turned around and entered the room.