"So all we have to do is find that woman's sister and we can go back...?"
"...Seems like it?"
"It says in-flight announcements are permitted, so finding her shouldn't be too hard...."
"Right, since this report is our only lead, maybe we really can get back to where we were...!"
After checking the report, the others began to agree with me.
"But this test—it's combined with the interview, right?"
A man with a short sports cut and upturned eyes—number 13—spoke up, and everyone froze.
The "■■ Test" listed on the recruitment notice had been written alongside the interview, which meant this entire process could count toward the evaluation.
"Ahem, well."
"I'll go check over that way...."
"Hmm-hmm."
No matter how strange the situation was, most of the people here had applied because they were just as desperate for a job as I was.
'The key is doing it faster and better than everyone else.'
People exchanged furtive glances, grabbed copies of the photo attached to the briefing report, and scattered.
"Everyone's heading down the second-floor escalator...."
Number 20 watched the crowd rush toward the escalator.
"As far as I know, Doseong International Airport has its broadcast room on the second floor. They're probably planning to call the child over the PA."
"Ah... aren't you going with them, Number 22?"
"Of course I am. But first...."
I approached the child's 'older sister,' who had stopped crying and was staring intently our way.
Putting on my least intimidating smile, I spoke to her.
"Hello—we're going to start looking for the missing child now."
"Yes, yes, thank you so much... you have no idea how desperately I've been searching.... How
can I ever repay this kindness...?"
"If we all go running around looking for her, the child might get scared and hide. Could you tell me her name and a favorite snack?"
Number 20 and Number 13 both reacted with a small "oh" at the unexpected approach.
"A doll or toy would work too."
"She'd probably... like anything cute...."
The 'older sister' rolled her eyes around as she answered. For some reason, her lips seemed to twitch as though she were holding something back.
"Then could you at least tell me her name?"
"...It's Nari. Please hurry and find her.... She must be missing me. I'll head down to the first floor...."
"Understood."
I maintained my smile and said I understood. The 'older sister' immediately got on the elevator and descended.
"What did she say?"
"She said the kid likes anything cute. Her name is Nari."
At my words, Number 20 seemed to be thinking about what else might serve as a lead.
Then Number 13 spoke up, looking at the photo attached to the report.
"The sisters really don't look alike."
Unlike the 'older sister' with her fair skin and light brown hair, the 'younger sister' was somewhat tan with dark hair and smaller eyes.
And strangely, despite being a young child, she had dark circles—or something like them—under her eyes, and her back was hunched.
She definitely didn't resemble the 'older sister.'
"One could take after their mom and the other after their dad!"
Number 20 said brightly.
"Well, that's possible."
Number 13 nodded, conceding the point.
I thought for a moment, then addressed Number 20 and Number 13.
"My name is Yoo Cheongho. My face isn't exactly the kind that puts children at ease, so if you don't mind—would you come with me?"
Of course, if finding the 'older sister's' little 'sibling' really was the core challenge of this interview test, going alone would be far more advantageous, but...
Back in high school, even when I was just going to a study cafe or attending cram school like anyone else, I'd hear things like "that thug is heading out to shake someone down."
If the actual test was finding a child, having company was a hundred times better.
'Had a rough time clearing up misunderstandings thanks to this face....'
If I wanted to pass this test, this was the best move.
"Fine by me! I'm So Hyena."
"You definitely don't have the face a kid would warm up to. But teaming up is smarter for gathering information.... I'm Jeong Siun."
What a blunt person.
[Ding-dong-deng—]
Just as the three of us finished introductions, a loud announcement echoed through the empty airport.
[Attention please. We are looking for a child. A girl in a white dress with a white headband. We'll help you find your older sister, so please come to the fountain on the first floor.]
A bright, friendly tone—clearly making every effort to reach the child.
'They've already started the PA announcements.'
"Let's check each floor, just in case."
And so the three of us—So Hyena, Jeong Siun, and myself—decided to search starting from the third floor.
That was when it happened.
Just before we moved, a commotion erupted from the first floor.
'Noise?'
I leaned over slightly to look down at the first floor. The empty airport was now packed with people.
The frantic sound of rolling luggage and travelers carrying bulky bags filled the first floor.
[Attention please—this is a gate change announcement for Daehwan Airlines Flight KB707 to Hanoi. Please proceed from your original Gate 3 to the new boarding gate, Gate 12—]
The announcements and all—it was a real airport in every sense.
I thought it over carefully.
...We were teleported from the waiting room to the airport. A briefing report gave us the task.
Then another change occurred.
That means this broadcast was the starting signal!
"Siun, what time is it?"
"2:13."
"Then the time limit's a little past 4. Let's hurry and start searching."
『Kyahahahahaha!』
"?"
Just as I finished assessing the situation, a clear, bright laugh rang out. A girl with jet-black hair in a fluttering white dress was running around excitedly in front of the women's restroom.
Tan skin, small build, white dress. She matched the photo exactly—the lost little sister that the 'older sister' had been so desperately searching for. But...
"Let's go."
"Thank goodness she's right here!"
'It's a relief, sure, but we're finding her this easily?'
Something about how quickly the problem was solved left a nagging unease in my chest.
"Hi there—did you lose your older sister?"
So Hyena approached with a warm smile and light steps.
They didn't give us two hours for nothing.
A sudden flash of dread coiled through my body.
[Ding-dong-deng—]
[Once again—we are looking for a child. A girl in a white dress with a white headband— wh-what the!]
[KSSHK— KSH, KYAAAAAAAAAH!]
...A scream?
"Hyena, don't go near it!"
"Huh?"
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—.
The child turned its head.
Its body stayed perfectly still while only its head rotated a full 180 degrees to face us.
CRACK, CRACK-CRACK,
SNAP.
With the sound of a neck shattering, the thing staring back at us had a face smeared grotesquely, as if scrawled over with black marker.
『I_missed※you□sis!■』
Every time the thing spoke, static like radio noise crackled and hissed.
It clapped at us with the backs of its hands, cackling with delight.
Then it began slowly advancing toward So Hyena.
『Pl④ay※ with~ me~』
"Hyena!"
I barely managed to grab So Hyena's arm and yank her back. We tumbled over, missing the thing by a hair's breadth.
"Don't let it touch you!"
Jeong Siun shouted urgently, pointing at the thing's feet.
The briefing report I'd dropped when pulling So Hyena away had landed at the thing's feet.
SPLAT.
The report clipped to the blue clipboard dissolved into a black, viscous liquid.
"Ugh."
The sticky fluid spread in every direction, spattering up to our feet. A musty, rotten-flower stench accompanied it, making my head swim.
"Ow...."
"Are you all right?"
"Get up, quick—that thing's about to start crying."
Just as Jeong Siun said, the 'thing' right in front of us—its face invisible—was sniffling softly, a wet sound thick with tears and snot.
『You, you won't■ pl⑤ay※ with me?』
The sniffling grew louder, and then it broke into a sprint straight at us.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD.
The sound of its charge was no joke. Determined to grab us, the 'thing' started flailing its arms wildly in every direction.
"What the hell is that thing!"
"How should I know!?"
"Just run! Head to the first floor!"
Judging by the scream from the broadcast room, the second floor was probably in a similar state.
'Better to hide among the travelers!'
This wasn't a simple find-the-child problem! I was going to lose my mind—it was a real 'ghost story.'
I sprinted until my lungs were about to burst and threw myself into a first-floor cafe.
"...I don't think two hours is going to be enough."
"I seriously almost died...."
"No— look, over there."
While we gasped for breath, So Hyena pointed through the cafe's glass window.
Just like the one we'd just seen, things shaped like the child—faces smeared beyond recognition—were strolling leisurely among the travelers.
Except there wasn't just one. Even at a rough count, there were at least 30. The child-shaped things had multiplied to make up more than half the people in the airport.
『Hahaha☆haha!』
『Heeheeheehee1hee→heehee.』
『Where's※ a⑥ friend■ to◇ play?』
『Ha, haha♠hahaha!』
The shrill, chaotic chatter of the things hammered at my ears, sounding dangerously close.
"Throwing rookies at this difficulty level is insane. Isn't there a forfeit or a quit option?"
"I get the sentiment a thousand times over, but... we can't just keep running either. Let's figure out a strategy first."
Think....
They specifically called it a test, so they must have designed it to be clearable.
Among all those copy-pasted duplicates, how could we tell the real lost child apart?
'...And above all, if they catch you, you turn into that black liquid, just like what happened to the report.'
"With all these identical-looking ghosts, finding the real child seems impossible too... this is bad."
"Ghosts?"
"I mean... aren't they ghosts? They don't have faces."
Something clicked at So Hyena's words.
Now that I thought about it, that thing had also twisted its neck backward. And it had clapped with the backs of its hands.
"Don't ghosts do everything the opposite of living people?"
"That's what they say."
Jeong Siun paused for a moment, then caught my meaning.
"...That's how we can tell the real child apart."
"It's just a guess, but since the ghosts look identical to the child, I think they're doing everything the opposite of what the real child would do."
'Is it sis?'
'I missed you, sis!'
'Play with me~'
The words had been garbled with static, so I hadn't heard them clearly, but that's definitely what they'd said.
"Hmm. If this place really is modeled after Doseong International Airport, the layout should be identical. In that case, I think I can lure them."
"Y-you, Siun?"
"But there are way too many."
Jeong Siun stood up and lightly stretched his wrists and ankles.
"I won't be the one finding the child directly, but every action like this probably factors into the evaluation, right? Might even earn bonus points."
The person who'd been looking for a forfeit option moments ago was gone. Jeong Siun spoke with absolute confidence.
His plan was to lure the things toward the security checkpoint.
With its metal detectors making the corridors narrow and the long lines of people, it would be easy to slip away—that was his conclusion.
He grabbed a cleaning mop from the corner of the cafe and actually headed outside.
'I appreciate the offer to act as bait, but—you saw how touching those things turns you into black liquid, and you still want to do this?'
'Physically, I'm way better suited for this than anyone else here. Back when I was a student—'
Even so, I couldn't help worrying. But Jeong Siun took one deep breath, then yelled at the top of his lungs—loud enough to shake the whole airport.
"Hey, kids! Who wants to play with big brother!"
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK.
At the booming voice, the child-shaped ghosts snapped their heads around in unison to look at Jeong Siun. Then they erupted in shrill giggles and charged.
CLANG—!
Jeong Siun waited for the right moment, hurled the mop at the ghosts to buy a split second, and sprinted toward the security checkpoint.
His silhouette shrank into the distance in an instant.
So that's why he was so confident—he'd been on the track team.
"Let's go."
"Right!"
So Hyena and I moved in the opposite direction from where Jeong Siun had lured them.
If the ghosts were hovering around people because they wanted to play, then the real child would be the opposite—she didn't want to play.
Conclusion: she was most likely hiding in some corner where nobody was around!
"Ack!"
As So Hyena and I ran, a few ghosts trailing behind latched onto us. With no weapons or anything, we barely dodged them by hurling travelers' bags.
THUD.
The bags that touched the ghosts warped into black shapes, then dissolved into liquid that splattered across the floor.
"Ch-Cheongho, over there!"
So Hyena spotted a small child crouched beside a pillar next to the convenience store and shouted.
A girl of about six in a pure white dress, with long hair, was trembling violently with her knees hugged to her chest.
'Is she crying?'
"Hyena."
I looked at So Hyena and nodded.
She understood and slowly approached the child.
I stepped back, worried I might startle her.
"Hey... Nari? Is your name Nari?"
So Hyena called out gently, her voice full of warmth.
The child, who had been sniffling for a long time, slowly raised her head at the sound of her name.
Her bangs were long enough to hide her eyes, but from her round nose to her lips—it was the face of the child we'd been looking for.
"Hh, hic!"
The moment the child saw So Hyena's face, she went white as a sheet—then bolted straight toward me.
'Sh-she's coming this way?'
"So... you're Nari?"
The child grabbed onto my knee and quietly nodded.
So Hyena looked over at me, bewildered.
'She clearly got startled by Hyena's face... but why?'
"Hic, hic!"
For now, I tried to calm the child down, speaking as gently as I could.
"...You must've been so scared. That sister over there and I will help you find your family."
"Hic, hic... sniff...."
The child started crying again, tears streaming down her face.
For someone supposedly scared of my face, she clung tightly to my legs—it was truly ironic.
"Cheongho! The older sister is coming."
At So Hyena's words, I turned. Walking slowly toward us was the 'older sister,' her eyes rimmed red from crying.
Thank goodness—this'll be over soon.
Relief washed over me, and I smiled as I picked up the trembling child.
'......Hm?'
The older sister spread her arms wide and spoke.
"N-Nari, Nari... you missed your sister, right? I've been looking everywhere for you...."
The child's face turned rigid as stone, and her tears stopped.
The 'older sister' reached out with gaunt, bony hands to grab the child's shoulders.
The thick rose fragrance emanating from her outstretched hands stung my nostrils.
SMACK.
Before I knew it, I'd turned my body and swatted her hand away.
My arms tightened around the child.