WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

The Legendary Newbie of the Ghost Story Labyrinth

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 7 - Mannequin (3)

Park Minho ran for his life. He didn’t even know where he was going. He just ran, trying to escape the sound of footsteps closing in from all directions.

-Tadadak! Tadadadadak!

After running for a while, he glanced back and gasped in horror.

“......Crazy!!”

A white tide was rushing down the corridor.

It was mannequins.

Their movements were grotesque beyond belief. Very few ran on two legs.

Most crawled on all fours like beasts, some ran along the walls, and the more aggressive ones leapt forward by stepping on the shoulders of others.

They tangled, tripped, and pushed over each other like a swarm of zombies in a movie or a single writhing organism.

"Kiik! Kiiiiik!"

-Creak, creak, creak.

Their shrieks and sounds of their joints twisting echoed loudly through the halls.

"Aaagh!”

Park Minho felt like he was losing his mind. Like a rabbit fleeing from hunters, he darted left and right, weaving through the underground mall, but mannequins kept pouring in from every direction.

'If they catch me, I’m dead!'

They wouldn't just kill him. They would tear him apart, grab his limbs, and rip him to pieces like some medieval execution.

The only saving grace was that they weren’t as fast as the dark-colored mannequin he had encountered earlier. That one had caught up to him almost instantly.

'Are there different types?'

The one that shed its mannequin shell and revealed its true form felt like a higher-tier entity compared to this white swarm.

Of course, that didn’t make these white mannequins any less dangerous.

"Aaagh!"

Mannequins suddenly appeared right in front of him, making him scream. They threw themselves at him like football players going for a tackle.

-Whooosh!

Park Minho barely managed to dodge. The mannequins crashed and rolled across the tile floor with a loud clatter.

"Hah! Haah! Hah!”

At this rate, he was definitely going to get caught. More than anything, his stamina was reaching its limit. Then something appeared ahead of him.

The management office of the underground mall.

'Can I get inside?'

Its walls were made of glass covered with semi-transparent film, not making it appear exactly safe.

But he had no other choice. His breath was ragged, and mannequins were already flooding in from every direction.

He found himself cornered before he knew it.

Park Minho rushed forward and yanked open the glass door of the office, stumbling inside.

"Haah! Kgh…!”

Fortunately, there were no mannequins inside. He immediately locked the door, but that wasn’t nearly enough, so he shoved over a nearby metal cabinet.

"Gaaargh!”

-Craaaash!

The metal cabinet toppled over, blocking the entrance.

But he didn’t even have time to catch his breath. Beyond the glass wall covered in film were black shadows surging in instantly.

-Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang!

The mannequins began to violently slam against the glass wall. The noises were so deafening that they shook the entire office.

Creaaak! Crack!

The reinforced glass screamed. He had rushed in here in desperation, but it was obvious the glass wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.

"No…!”

Park Minho frantically looked around and spotted a metal door deeper inside.

[Integrated Control Room]

He had no idea what was inside, but a steel door was far more trustworthy than glass.

Park Minho immediately sprinted toward the control room without a shred of hesitation.

At that moment, he heard something crack, followed by a world-shattering sound.

-Crack! Craaaaash—-!

The glass wall shattered, fragments exploding outward like fireworks. Then the mass of mannequins poured inside like water through a burst dam.

-Ruuuumble!

Some tumbled across the floor, others trampled over their own kind to leap forward, and some were shredded by glass shards. Within seconds, the office turned into a hellscape of writhing plastic dolls.

And at that moment…

-Bang!

Park Minho burst through the control room door and made it inside.

* * *

-Bangbangbang! Bang! Bang!

The mannequins were slamming against the steel door like mad from outside.

The door was slowly denting, but it looked like it could hold for a while.

Park Minho collapsed into a couch, completely pale.

"Haah…Haah…Haah!”

His pupils were dilated and his body drained. After brushing against death like this, it was hard for him to regain his composure again.

He opened his back in a daze, his movements almost mechanical, and pulled something out.

A can of cola.

-Psssh!

He popped it open and gulped it down with trembling hands.

"......"

The carbonation burned down his throat, and only then did his mind begin to clear.

'Where am I…?’

Even as the banging on the steel door continued, he looked around.

The room was cramped.

There were three desks and two large monitors mounted at the front.

On those monitors, dozens of split CCTV feeds were displayed.

This was clearly a place for monitoring the CCTV cameras and making announcements.

'If that’s the case, maybe there’s something I can do.'

That thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t have enough information to act on it, so he quickly pulled out his laptop.

-Click

.

[Title] Hlp me pls. I'n abbot to die

Author: Cheezza

His nerves made his typing a complete mess. Replies started pouring in immediately.

ㄴWant me to tell you what to do when you enter the white room?

ㄴWow, the guy above is a real asshole.

ㄴFirst, explain the situation! We need to know to help you!

ㄴJudging by the post, looks like you haven’t been caught by a Faceling yet.

Park Minho explained what was happening with trembling hands.

The mannequins had swarmed him like crazy, and while running, he ended up trapped inside a place called the Integrated Control Room.

ㄴIs there any other way out?

ㄴ(Cheezza) Nno there isnt.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Calm down first.

ㄴ(Cheezza) You crzy bastard, hwo the hell am I supposed to clam down rn when theyre literally banging on the door right nwo?!

Bangbang! Bangbangbang!

Curses naturally flowed out of him, but Pitbull was right. Park Minho clapped his own cheek.

-Smack—!

"Get it together, you idiot!”

He hit himself so hard his nose started bleeding. Only then did he start to regain some clarity.

ㄴ(LostHassan) If can’t stay calm, you die. What can ya do?

ㄴ(Cheezza) You bastard. I’ll remember you.

ㄴ(LostHassan) I’m already dead though? You wanna see a ghost? LOOOL Anyway, are there only white mannequins? The dark-colored one you saw before isn’t there?

ㄴ(Cheezza) Yeah, only the white ones are chasing me. Just dump everything you know about Facelings.

After writing that, Park Minho stood up and dragged one of the desks toward the steel door.

"Uuugh!”

Only then did the dented door hold a bit more firmly. It still wasn’t enough, though, so he piled every piece of furniture he could find on top of the desk.

By the time he finished, he came back to a flood of replies.

ㄴ(LostHassan) The dark-colored ones are higher-tier entities. The white ones are lower-tier. The one you first encountered had intelligence. The lower ones are basically puppets that move according to rules.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Right. Facelings are originally called the Faceless. They don’t have eyes, noses, or mouths. But you said the one you met had a right eye, right? That proves it’s a higher-tier entity.

ㄴ(LostHassan) Facelings rip out their victims’ eyes, noses, or mouths and implant them into their own faces. It must’ve taken someone’s eye to become a higher-tier.

ㄴYou still alive? This guy’s not replying.

ㄴDid the door finally break down?

ㄴAh, how unfortunate…

Park Minho skimmed through quickly and replied.

ㄴ(Cheezza) So the one that revealed its true form is the boss, and the rest are basically its underlings?

ㄴ(LostHassan) Yep.

ㄴWow, this guy’s still alive.

ㄴWanna leave any last words?

Leaning against the desk that was slowly being pushed back. Park Minho desperately racked his brain.

'Rules? They move according to rules?'

A thought struck him after which he quickly typed.

ㄴ(Cheezza) What kind of rules? The Facelings’ rules? Or the Backrooms’ rules?

ㄴ(Pitbull) The latter. More specifically, the rules of that floor. Each floor in the Backrooms has different rules.

At that, Park Minho asked,

ㄴ(Cheezza) Then what if I use those rules?

ㄴ(Pitbull) What do you mean?

ㄴ(Cheezza) I’m in a place called the Integrated Control Room.

The vague idea he had when he first entered this room now took on a more defined shape.

ㄴ(Cheezza) From here, I can play the closing announcement for the underground mall. If those things are bound by the rules of this floor, it might work.

In underground malls, when closing time comes, a calm melody plays along with an announcement telling customers to come back tomorrow.

He was thinking of triggering that artificially.

ㄴWait, that might actually work.

ㄴ(Pitbull) They’re conceptually bound to this floor. If those mannequins are mimicking customers or shopkeepers, it could work.

ㄴAre you a genius?

ㄴJust try it. You’re about to die anyway.

ㄴ(LostHassan) Not sure, but it’s definitely worth trying.

ㄴThat’s a pretty creative idea.

Park Minho immediately turned on the computer in the Integrated Control Room.

-Beep.

Thankfully, it powered on right away.

But then his expression twisted.

"Ugh...!"

A Windows password prompt appeared.

"Hah! Fuck…”

There was only one thing he could try. Recalling his time in the military, he typed something in.

0000.

With a cheerful chime the desktop appeared.

"Yeah, that’s it…!”

As expected, 00000 was the master key.

Park Minho quickly moved the mouse cursor, searching through the desktop programs.

Honestly, he had no idea what anything was, so he just clicked things at random, opening and closing them, until something caught his eye.

[PA/VA Panel.]

At that moment, a deafening noise exploded.

-Craaaaash!

The steel door had finally given way, one side crumpling inward.

The hinges on the side were barely holding on.

"Kikikikiiik! Kiiiiiiik!”

"Kweeeek! Kweek!”

Through the twisted gap, white mannequins reached in wildly. They tried to force their way inside, but the opening was too narrow, their bodies jamming together as they struggled.

It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

"Holy…fuck.”

Forcing himself to look away, Park Minho focused on the PA/VA Panel thing. Realizing it was a broadcast system, he clenched his fist.

'There it is. It’s here! The closing announcement.'

He immediately pressed the button.

And then a sharp ringing filled his ears.

-Ziiiiiiiiiiing—-!

The speakers erupted in static.

Instead of the announcement, only noise poured out.

"Ah, shit! Shit!”

He frantically pressed the button again and again. At that moment, the door bent even further.

-Crack!

Finally, one of the white mannequins managed to squeeze its way inside.

"Kweeeeeeh!"

It immediately lunged forward, reaching for Park Minho’s throat.

"Aargh!”

He instinctively blocked it, but the force drove him backward, knocking him to the floor.

"You insane piece of shit!”

The creature’s grip was far stronger than he expected. His fingers felt like they were about to snap as he resisted.

"Graaaaaaagh!”

And then, at that moment…

Through the static, the voice of a woman, sounding like an announcer, finally came through.

"Dear valued patrons of the shopping center, thank you for your hard work today. Please make sure to check all electrical appliances and ensure that shutters are properly secured before closing…”

At the same time, the white mannequin that had been crushing Park Minho suddenly froze. Then it slowly lifted its head and stood still for a moment, then ignored Minho completely as if it had never attacked him.

"......Kiii."

Letting out a drawn-out sound, the mannequin turned and began heading out of the control room. The steel door was already fully open with more mannequins trying to push inside, but they, too, stopped, turned around, and walked off somewhere.

Park Minho clenched his teeth as he watched them. Meanwhile, the announcement continued to play.

"...Thank you for visiting our shopping center today."

With that, not a single white mannequin remained in the management office.

All that remained inside was shattered glass and overturned furniture.

* * *

[Title] It worked! It actually worked!

Author: Cheezza

[Content] As soon as the announcement played, their behavior completely changed, and they all left. I’m alive. HAHAHAHA

The reactions exploded instantly.

ㄴHoly shit, this guy is actually insane.

ㄴCheezza is a legend.

ㄴThis guy is totally on another level. How do you even think of that while about to die?

ㄴI would’ve pissed myself and passed out.

ㄴHe dodged the white room again?

Praise poured in endlessly. But even now some users remained level-headed.

ㄴ(LostHassan) If they’re affected by closing time, they'll be affected by opening time as well. No idea how long you’ve got, but they'll eventually start hunting you again.

ㄴ(Pitbull) I agree. And that higher-tier one you faced probably won’t be affected by the announcement. It’s completely different from the others.

ㄴ(Cheezza) I didn’t see it while I was getting chased. What happened to it?

ㄴ(Pitbull) It’s probably way more wary of your electricity ability than we thought. Looks like it’s trying to subdue you by throwing lower-tier trash at you while staying safe itself.

ㄴ(LostHassan) Same thought. By the way, does your knife still have that black residue?

Park Minho checked immediately. The dented knife still had traces of dark residue.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Yeh, there’s still some left. But this alone won’t be enough.

ㄴ(LostHassan) You bought yourself one turn. Now let’s all come up with a plan.

ㄴ(Pitbull) Exactly. You have to do something in this time window. Otherwise, there’s no way out.

Park Minho agreed. When he had been hunted by everything on this floor, even the gallery had basically given up on him. He couldn’t go back to that.

He didn’t know how many hours he had, but he had to turn things around now.

ㄴ(Cheezza) Alright. Ghosts! Lend me your strength!

At that moment, an unexpected user spoke up first.

ㄴ(KimChilsung) I’ve got a good idea. If you do what I say, you might actually be able to hunt them instead!

KimChilsung. The guy who was always rambling about drinks.

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