How a Veteran of the Urban Legend Gallery Survives – Chapter 14

[Long, long ago, in a kingdom far from the center of the Earth…]

The moment the narration echoed, a chill ran down my spine. I instinctively knew something was wrong.

The audience filling the 300-seat theater seemed oblivious to the gravity of the situation. But I was different.

From the moment the red velvet curtains parted to reveal the stage, I had a bad feeling. We had come to watch a modern play titled <Boy A>, but there, on the stage, was a massive sailing ship. Anyone could tell this was wrong.

“Wait a second…”

Moon Jinwook, sitting next to me, seemed to sense something was off too and tried to stand up. Calmly, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, covering his mouth.

– Stay still.

I whispered softly into his ear. His eyes widened in confusion.

Moon Jinwook seemed to think that leaving the theater immediately would increase our chances of survival, but unfortunately, the tragedy of the Red King wasn’t as forgiving as other horror stories.

Naturally, my mind recalled the investigation records related to horror stories, thanks to the serum’s effects.

——————

<CTP-3201> Horror Story Investigation Record #42

: Field Investigation Team 6, 66th viewing of the play <■■■■>.

Originally, <■■■■> was an F-class horror story that caused slight stress and nightmares, but an anomaly occurred.

A massive sailing ship appeared out of nowhere on stage.

A fairy-tale-like play, completely different from the previous performance, began.

Anyone who interfered with the play or tried to leave the theater had their head [REDACTED].

——————

Interfere with the play, and you die.

Try to leave the theater, and you die.

Just two lines of records clearly showed the severity of our situation. The Foundation’s horror story investigation records were always like that—concise and to the point, with death as the price.

From the audience seats, murmurs began to rise. Confused voices filled the theater as people tried to make sense of what was happening. The lights flickered ominously through the thick velvet curtains.

“What is this…?”

“Wait, this isn’t the play we came to see…”

Boom!

Leon’s keychain reacted immediately. The scene on stage was pixelated. A muffled explosion sound came from the blurred screen, and red liquid splattered everywhere. Although I couldn’t see the direct scene, I could feel my adrenaline levels spike to more than double the usual.

Screams filled the theater. The cries of terrified people echoed off the ceiling.

“Help!”

“We need to get out of here…”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One after another, dull thuds echoed, and red droplets splattered across the pixelated screen. It felt like I was losing touch with reality. It was like watching censored footage, but the metallic smell in the air reminded me that this was all too real.

My heart felt like it was about to burst. My mind went blank. Fear gripped my entire body. Cold sweat dripped down my back.

‘Calm down… Calm down!’

With trembling hands, I opened my briefcase and pulled out a green emotion spray. I sprayed it into my mouth. It was my first time using it, but this wasn’t the time to hesitate.

The refreshing, sweet scent of green apples filled my mouth. At the same time, I felt my mind calming down. My scattered emotions slowly settled.

I glanced at Moon Jinwook. His face was pale, and his usual composure was gone. His eyes, filled with terror, darted around nervously. I sprayed the emotion spray into his mouth as well.

“Hoo… haa…”

Moon Jinwook took deep breaths. He seemed to have calmed down a bit, at least enough to avoid panicking.

[The king, queen, and prince set out on an adventure to explore the world and learn about new cultures.]

The voice was familiar yet eerily unfamiliar, like something from an old radio.

On stage, a figure wearing a red crown and a white mask, draped in cloth, appeared. It was the Red Prince.

[But one day, their ship was caught in a storm…]

Crack!

The sound of lightning striking echoed through the theater. The vivid lightning effect made the surviving audience members flinch.

As the blue flash illuminated the seats, the bloodstains on the floor became even more visible.

[The prince, queen, and king fell into the sea.]

Splash!

One by one, the actors on stage disappeared with the sound of falling into the sea.

According to Foundation documents, most actors involved in the play either died or went missing during the performance. So, it was highly likely that those actors who fell into the sea were dead. Perhaps their bodies would never be found.

Fortunately, thanks to the emotion spray, I didn’t feel as nauseous as before.

I started thinking about what to do next. To survive this situation, I needed a plan.

‘First… I can’t watch the play until the end.’

But how?

If I tried to leave the theater or interfere with the play, my head would explode. There was no ordinary way out.

[Luckily, the prince washed up on a deserted island, but he was severely injured.]

Before I knew it, the sea and the ship were gone, and the stage had transformed into a sandy beach. The Red Prince’s cloth was now stained red. I couldn’t tell if it was real blood or just a prop.

Moon Jinwook mouthed to me.

– What do we do?

– I’m thinking. For now, stay still and don’t do anything.

I whispered as quietly as possible, trying not to interfere with the play. With no immediate solution in sight, we had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for the next development.

[To recover from his injuries, the prince cast a spell on himself to fall into a deep sleep.]

As I watched the Red Prince lying on the central altar on stage, memories flooded my mind. Thanks to the serum, Foundation documents began to surface in my thoughts.

Records about ‘The Tragedy of the Red Prince.’ And the most prominent anomaly in those records.

[Over time, the island’s inhabitants, the Epigones, discovered the sleeping prince.]

Actors appeared on stage. They too seemed confused. It was only natural, as the play unfolding was completely different from the script they had rehearsed.

“This isn’t the play we were supposed to perform…”

One actor spoke up.

Boom!

His head exploded, staining the stage floor red. Thankfully, the direct scene was pixelated, but it was still disgusting.

The blood spreading across the white stage floor looked like flower petals.

[The poor Epigones were always plagued by famine. So, when they were hungry, they would eat their own kind.]

As soon as the narration ended, the actors on stage transformed.

From the pixelated screen, horrifying sounds emerged—the tearing of flesh, the cracking of bones, and the sound of something being devoured greedily. Knowing this was real, I felt the urge to vomit.

Screams erupted from the audience. Some people were already throwing up.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One after another, dull thuds echoed, and red droplets splattered across the pixelated screen. The tragedy unfolded like a domino effect. Red liquid filled the theater seats.

Thanks to the emotion spray, I was barely holding on, but I didn’t know how long its effects would last.

I continued recalling information about ‘The Tragedy of the Red Prince’ through the serum’s effects.

——————

Those who watched the play until the end complained of ‘Metaphysical Awareness Disorder (M.A.D),’ and 98% were [REDACTED].

M.A.D is a mental illness caused by exposure to information humans are not meant to know.

——————

According to Foundation records, <The Tragedy of the Red Prince> was a kind of memetic virus.

The information itself was the contaminant that killed people.

As everyone knows, the way to avoid infection is to avoid exposure to the virus in the first place.

In other words, if I didn’t watch the play until the end, I could survive. But in this situation, where all attempts to interfere or leave the theater were blocked, how…?

‘Ah.’

At that moment, a solution flashed in my mind.

A way to survive without interfering with the play or leaving the theater.

It was to fall asleep without watching the play. If I fell asleep, I wouldn’t even know the content of the play!

But it wasn’t easy.

No matter how much the emotion spray helped me stay calm, there was no way I could sleep in this horrifying scene filled with the stench of blood.

On stage, the story of the Red Prince continued. The stage background changed rapidly, and new actors appeared and disappeared. They would probably die soon too.

Then, thanks to the serum, another fact I knew surfaced in my mind.

‘Right. Taking two painkillers a day makes you pass out and fall asleep.’

I immediately pulled out painkillers and a bread bag from my briefcase. The white pills rattled inside the transparent bottle.

Time was running out. The more I watched, the more dangerous it became.

I handed the bottle to Moon Jinwook.

– Take two. If you fall asleep, you’ll be fine.

Moon Jinwook, quick to grasp the situation, swallowed the pills without hesitation. Soon after, he slumped over as if he had passed out.

I quickly took the pills as well. The pills felt larger than usual as they went down my throat. My mouth was dry. I took another sip of water.

Then, I pulled out the bread bag and put it over my head. It was to protect against any external attacks while I was asleep.

As I sat in the theater seat with the bread bag over my head, a strange sensation enveloped my body.

Screams and explosions still echoed around me, but they grew fainter. The effects of the pills were starting to kick in. My consciousness grew hazier.

‘I’m sorry…’

Guilt washed over me for not being able to save the other audience members. It pained me to just sit and watch so many people die.

But for now, survival was the priority. I had to survive to buy the reset button, and only then could I set everything right.

‘This is the best I can do.’

Soon, my consciousness faded away.