Ding-ding-ding!
Despite the cheerful music, my eyes were darting all over the place.
“Wow!”
I finally succeeded in grabbing a dinosaur plush. I spent way more money than if I had just bought it outright, but I didn’t care. Once I got the dinosaur plush, it was mission accomplished. But my eyes were already locked back on the claw machine.
I wanted to grab more… I glanced around. Jiyu and Yumi didn’t seem too interested in the dinosaur plush, so they were at another claw machine filled with different plushies. They were also busy trying their luck. Realizing I had plenty of time, I pulled out some cash from my wallet.
With 10,000 won, I could probably grab one more dinosaur plush. Two was better than one. I focused intensely, more than I ever did while studying. The only time I was this focused was when I watched the little magician, Lumi. I poured my soul into the claw, determined to grab another plush.
Having done this before, I had some tricks up my sleeve. This claw machine was designed so you couldn’t win on the first try. But after about 10 tries, the claw’s grip strength would increase. That was the moment to strike. The claw’s grip became twice as strong as usual.
“Now’s the time!”
I shouted and pressed the button hard. The cheerful music played as the claw slowly descended. Then, it grabbed the dinosaur plush I wanted—*snap!* Normally, the claw would lose its grip and drop it, but this time, the timing was perfect.
The claw dragged the plush all the way to the chute without dropping it. My eyes sparkled. It was time to welcome my second dinosaur friend.
*Thud.*
The claw casually dropped the plush into the chute. I smiled and pulled it out. Now I had two dinosaur plushies. I ended up grabbing three. Why three identical dinosaur plushies, you ask? Well, I didn’t plan to keep them all.
I headed over to where Jiyu and Yumi were. They hadn’t managed to grab a single plush yet. Of course, I had enough “ammo” to keep trying, but they probably only had a few thousand won. With that amount, there was no way they could win in this cold, unforgiving claw machine world.
You needed at least 10,000 won to stand a chance.
“Jiyu! Yumi!”
“Huh?”
“Here, a gift! I grabbed these dinosaur plushies for you!”
Jiyu and Yumi were empty-handed. It would’ve been a shame to leave the claw machine store with nothing. They took the gifts, their eyes sparkling.
“Thanks, Hana!”
“Me too!”
“Pfft!”
Sharing the plushies with my friends was way better than keeping all three for myself. And it’s not like I was losing out—one dinosaur plush was enough for me. They all looked the same anyway, so I didn’t feel the need to hoard them. If they were Lumi the Little Magician plushies, I might’ve hesitated, but dinosaur plushies? Perfect for sharing with friends.
“I’ll treasure it!”
“Me too!”
Jiyu and Yumi looked so satisfied. Seeing them happy made me feel proud too. We left the store laughing and smiling.
—
The elevator doors opened.
“Meow!”
Nabi rushed at me. I wasn’t surprised—this happened often. Nabi loved being in my arms. Maybe because she was still a kitten, she thought my lap was like her mom’s. Nabi wasn’t even a year old yet—basically a kindergartener in human years.
That’s probably why she was so clingy and mischievous. Lately, she seemed to cause more trouble than I did. Bora’s expression had been a little off lately, like she was considering turning Nabi into cat soup. Of course, she’d never actually do that.
Nabi becoming cat soup? How horrifying and cruel!
—
Bora got up from bed.
“Ugh…”
Today, her body felt unusually heavy and strange, like reality itself was melting. If she were unemployed, she’d have just gone back to sleep, but Bora was a working adult.
Even if the sky fell and the earth rose, she had to go to work. Bora checked the time on her phone.
“Ah!”
She had no idea when the alarm turned off, and it was a close call for her work time. If she washed up quickly and left now, she might just barely make it on time. So, Bora washed up hastily, changed her clothes, and headed out.
“What’s going on? Did an accident happen?”
Even though it was rush hour, the road was as jammed as a packed highway, showing no signs of clearing up. Bora checked the time. It was almost certain she’d be late. Unless she hopped on a jet, making it to the company on time was impossible now.
Bora had no choice but to pick up her mobile phone. She was about to call the company to say she’d be late. She thought the office manager might let it slide, just this once, since Bora had never been late before. It wasn’t like she overslept; it was an act of nature that the traffic was jammed, preventing her from getting to work.
Ring-ring—
The dial tone went on, but the manager didn’t pick up. Bora frowned and looked at her phone screen. It was definitely the manager’s number. But the manager just wouldn’t answer. Did the manager oversleep too? Something felt off today.
Bora had no choice but to park her car in a nearby parking lot. Seeing the traffic jam, it was clear that driving to the company was out of the question. She rented a nearby bike and pedaled vigorously.
Finally, she arrived near the Starlight Food Building. But Bora was greeted by a bizarre scene that left her in shock.
“Huh…?”
Before Bora’s eyes was a crowd of people. Countless individuals stood in front of Starlight Food, moving sluggishly like zombies. People were also walking on the road. This was the reason the traffic was jammed today.
Bora felt chills as if a scene from a horror movie was unfolding before her eyes. But something else was more important to Bora.
‘Hana… I need to see Hana!’
If something happened to Hana, it would be a disaster. Bora entered the building. Luckily, the crowd didn’t grab her or bite her neck. The usually vigilant security guards were nowhere to be seen. It felt like the world had turned 180 degrees in an instant.
Bora hurriedly went up to the 10th floor. Even as she rode the elevator, a sense of unease continued to overwhelm her.
Upon reaching the 10th floor, Bora immediately went into Hana’s room.
“Are you here, Bora?”
Hana was waiting for Bora, sitting and watching her. Bora couldn’t help but cover her mouth at the sight of Hana. The manager was crouching down to let Hana sit on him. He was a human chair.
“Ha… Hana! What kind of habit is that!”
Bora tried to approach Hana, but Haru and Maru appeared on either side, grabbing Bora’s arms.
“Haru…! Maru, what’s wrong with you! Snap out of it!”
But there was no life in Haru and Maru’s eyes. They moved like puppets.
Seeing Bora like this, Hana smirked.
“Thanks to you, Bora, I was able to successfully brainwash people.”
“What…?”
“Didn’t you wonder why my crops are so delicious and addictive? It’s to brainwash people. The special hormones in the crops can control people’s brains.”
“That… that’s…”
But Bora noticed something strange. She had eaten Hana’s crops plenty but was fine. As if to resolve Bora’s doubts, Hana stood up and said.
“I like you, Bora. I won’t brainwash you.”
“Ha… Hana, stop joking…”
Hana held a bizarre, apple-like fruit in her hand.
Then, she slowly approached Bora. Bora wanted to step back, but Haru and Maru held her in place. Hana shoved the fruit directly into Bora’s mouth.
“No… no!!!”
Bora woke up in bed.
“Gasp… gasp…”
Bora quickly looked around. Thankfully, it was just a dream. Bora could breathe a sigh of relief.
Pinching her cheek hurt. It was reality.
