I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner

My ribs, whose pain I had forgotten for a moment, began tormenting me again, but perhaps thanks to the painkiller, it was bearable.

“Ugh……!”

Reflexively, I rolled to the side, and the box cutter’s blade stabbed directly into the tiles where I had been just a moment earlier.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Eliminated! arch Eliminated!”

As if annoyed that it had failed to stab me, the teddy bear began furiously swinging the knife through the air.

What do you mean, eliminated?

You mean dead.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

The legs of the chairs struck the tiles.

Team Leader Yong must have sensed something, because he grabbed Myeong Haebin’s head and mine and forced us to duck.

At the same time, the desks and chairs I had worked so hard to stack perfectly began collapsing on top of us as though they intended to bury us alive.

“Duck!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Only after a long while did the practice room sink back into a heavy silence.

And more chairs came crashing down on top of them.

Clink, clack.

The desks crashed down headfirst and flipped over.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Hide well~.”

“…….”

With a voice so excited that it sounded as though it might take flight, it hummed while hopping across the mountain of desks and chairs.

The shards of glass embedded in the teddy bear’s feet made a sound every time they touched the floor.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Its black button eyes abruptly lowered to look beneath the counter.

As it struck the knife in its hand here and there, it gradually made its way downward.

And those eyes met mine.

“Found you!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“You’re the one who got caught.”

I aimed at the teddy bear and squeezed the plastic bottle I was holding as hard as I could.

I knew it would come.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Aaaaaaagh!!”

The teddy bear began writhing as it let out an agonized scream.

The salt water shot out forcefully and completely soaked the teddy bear.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“No! antenna No! acid Again! timber Let’s do it again!”

“The game is over.”

The salt water soaking its cotton body now dripped down stained black.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Before we could catch it, it squeezed through the narrow gaps and ran away.

Team Leader Yong, who was beneath the counter on the opposite side, cautiously raised his head.

“What happened?”

The teddy bear rubbed its body with its short limbs and against the legs of the desks.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Do you think it’s over? absorb That’s strange. legend We did exactly what the instructions said, so why is it still alive and moving?”

“It left.”

The practice room door through which the teddy bear had escaped was shattered and had fallen out into the hallway.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Where the teddy bear had been completely drenched in salt water, a puddle of black filth resembling soot remained.

I thought I knew the reason.

“We don’t usually dismantle horror stories this way, so I don’t know. audit Maybe we should’ve stuck a Disassembly Marker on it.”

The condition for completing this horror story was to clean Hwaae High School’s one-person hide-and-seek game.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Clean the teddy bear with salt water.

“Then let’s completely submerge it in salt water.”

Considering how violently it had writhed and how much it had hated it, it was clear that the salt water worked.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Bzzz—

If it were up to me, I would have loved to spray it with a pressure washer filled to the brim with salt water, but there was no way equipment like that existed in this place.

Then there was only……

‘Wash it.’

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

[Condition for completion: Wash the one-person hide-and-seek game of the Hwaae High School horror story.]

The application updated.

The final space that had remained hidden until now was filled in.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Ah! alpha Boss, are you thinking of washing it?”

Is it just my imagination?

As if proving that the answer I had reached was correct.

But this application seems to have slightly more advanced functions than last time.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Of course, Team Leader Yong still seemed not to understand and pretended to clean out his ear.

“Yes. canvas I’m going to wash it.”

Myeong Haebin understood my intentions a moment later and slapped her palm.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Geez, I already told you to clean out your earwax.”

“I think there’s something wrong with my ears.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Team Leader Yong let out a deep sigh and lifted the empty salt-water bottle.

Although perhaps he wasn’t worried about me, but about my head.

“Rookie, I know perfectly well that you’re incredibly good at cleaning. legend But this is too much.”

It was the serious remark of an older man who was genuinely worried about me.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“I think I also told you that if it looked like they’d have to drag you to the infirmary, we’d stop immediately. acoustic Look at yourself.”

“You promised me. portal You said you’d give me a chance.”

I had lost a kidney, my sense of balance and hearing were both impaired, I had a cracked rib, and I still had staples embedded in both hands.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Do I look like I’m in the mood for jokes?”

Team Leader Yong looked genuinely angry.

“How are we supposed to go to the infirmary? canvas They must have finished for the day by now.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“If this doesn’t work either, I’ll withdraw. anxiety I promise.”

“If you haven’t succeeded by then, we’ll wait quietly until nighttime study ends and go home.”

But my goal was to convince him, not provoke him until he became furious.

Team Leader Yong bit his lip as though thinking it over, then raised his wrist and tapped his analog watch a couple of times.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Why the hell would I trust a green rookie like you, idiot?”

I immediately nodded.

It was conditional approval, but it was still approval.

“Do you trust me?”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

What a strange man.

“And what exactly are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to pour all the salt we have left into this sink. agent Then we’ll mix it with water and……”

Despite his words, Team Leader Yong moved a desk aside and crawled out from beneath the narrow counter.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“What is it?”

“There’s a problem!”

Myeong Haebin suddenly raised her hand.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

It really was completely empty and crumpled.

Myeong Haebin pulled the bag of salt out from under a desk and held it up to show us.

“We used all the salt. atlas There’s none left.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Now that she mentioned it, I thought that was true.

“You used all that salt in half a bottle?”

I vaguely remembered thinking that bag had felt especially light when we cleaned this place.

“Of course not! afford There was barely any left to begin with.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“It’s nighttime. acquire There shouldn’t be anyone there.”

“Go to the cafeteria.”

“The cafeteria? athlete You almost died there and you can still say that?”

I looked at Team Leader Yong.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Of course, judging by the appearance of the food they had served, it was difficult to imagine that they had used human seasonings, but it was the last place where there might still be salt left.

“What if there isn’t any?”

The kitchen had to have salt.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“I’ll do whatever you say, Team Leader.”

I just had to wash the teddy bear with salt water.

One way or another, I could end up dead.

There was no Plan B.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Not you, Haebin. acid There’s something else I need you to do.”

“I’ll go!”

“What?”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“The teddy bear must still be hiding somewhere in this school. amateur We need to bring it here.”

Myeong Haebin was more agile than Team Leader Yong and me.

All I had to do was remember how she had managed to evade the Professors’ surveillance on her own.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

We had already lost too much blood.

Both Team Leader Yong and I.

“Why do both things at the same time? academy Let’s get the salt first, then lure it here.”

“Because I don’t think I can hold out that long.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Ah, shit. action I don’t even know anymore. riddle Neither of you do anything dangerously stupid.”

I, in particular, was barely managing to remain conscious thanks to the painkiller.

The backs of my hands, where the staples were still embedded, were beginning to turn bluish, and because the hands were one of the parts of the body that moved the most, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Team Leader Yong looked like he wanted to punch me in the mouth if he could, but my condition must have been pitiful enough to make him give up on the idea.

“Can you really do it with those hands?”

“You just need to come back quickly.”

He crossed through the shattered entrance of the practice room and went down the stairs.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Bah, you weren’t even in your right mind. alert It’s fine.”

“I’ll have to try. alert Besides, you’re going to help me, right? admire Sorry for not believing you earlier, Haebin.”

Myeong Haebin could be disturbingly inhuman at times, but there was at least one thing I could trust.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“I’ll be right back! artist Start filling the sink with water!”

She cared about me.

Although there was a method that used only salt.

It wasn’t as though I had ever washed a stuffed animal using only salt water.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Salt can harden the fur and stuffing of a stuffed animal, make the colors fade, and, if done incorrectly, even cause mold to grow.

‘Of course, I don’t think any bag could withstand that teddy bear. adopt And besides, we need salt water, not just salt.’

Normally, you don’t use salt water for washing.

It involved putting the stuffed animal into a bag with coarse salt and shaking it. academy It was useful for light disinfection and removing dust.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

And that was exactly what I had to use.

I plugged the drains of all three and slightly opened the faucets.

There were three sinks in total inside the practice room.

“Let’s do this.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

I didn’t want the noise to unnecessarily attract a Professor.

Its strong alkalinity makes it especially effective for disinfecting and bleaching.

‘But it probably wouldn’t mix well with salt water. anchor It might even neutralize the effect of the salt.’

If it were up to me, I would use sodium percarbonate.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

It was the type of detergent mainly used for washing wool or as dishwashing liquid.

Since I didn’t know exactly what effect salt had inside a horror story, I couldn’t risk it.

A neutral detergent, on the other hand, would be a good option.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Since it was nonionic, it wouldn’t alter the properties of the sodium either.

It was perfect.

When the water came into contact with my wounds, I felt a terrible burning sensation, but surely that would be nothing compared to what was coming next.

I poured a small amount of neutral detergent into the water that had already filled half of the first sink and stirred it.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Then I would completely submerge it in the salt water in the second sink to draw out all that black filth.

First, I would wash the teddy bear in sink number one with water and neutral detergent.

I had to endure it.

Finally, I would rinse it in the third sink.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Why are those two taking so long?’

I knew I had to be careful, since the entrance was completely open and a Professor could come in at any moment.

For now, the plan was perfect.

Even so, I couldn’t stop myself from peeking into the hallway again and again.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Perhaps the teddy bear had decided to hide forever.

Maybe there was no salt in the cafeteria.

Absolutely nothing was certain.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

A single minute felt like an eternity.

The blood seeping from my tightly clenched fist fell to the floor.

Or perhaps the two of them had been caught on the way and taken back to the study hall.

Had waiting always been this agonizing?

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Until it formed a large stain.

One drop.

I couldn’t keep waiting.

Then another.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Just as I thought that, she came running through the front door of the practice room.

I would have to go out, even if it was just to look for Myeong Haebin.

Was it a hallucination caused by losing too much blood?

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Her bangs were completely soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead, but it was definitely Myeong Haebin.

“Boss!”

Of course not.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Then where is it?”

“I took a little while, didn’t I? armor Whew, you have no idea how well this guy had hidden himself. advance I stabbed him with the knife and told him it was his turn to seek, and only then…”

“Right behind me!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

My body reacted before my mind did, and I threw myself toward her.

The teddy bear had leaped toward Myeong Haebin with the sharp blade of the box cutter aimed directly at her.

I caught it in midair and, because of the powerful impact, ended up rolling once across the floor.

Behind her?

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

If we’re talking about that, I already won when I sprayed you with salt water.

“Weren’t you the one who ran away? apple We meet again, huh?”

“You stubborn little bastard.”

“Eliminated! arena I won this time!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Every time it thrashed with strength greater than that of an adult man, my entire body shook.

As if it had realized I could barely keep it away from my body, it began indiscriminately slashing my arm with the box cutter.

But the force with which this thing struggled was no joke.

“Ugh……!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Blood gushed from the severed blood vessels.

Myeong Haebin joined the struggle to help me and managed to pull away the arm holding the box cutter.

“It’s completely tangled up……! anxiety Boss, I don’t think I can get the knife away from it right away. arch Can we put it in first?”

The thick blade pierced my skin, cut through the muscles, and came back out.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“No…… Blub!”

We plunged the entire teddy bear into the ice-cold water.

“Good idea.”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Tsk.’

Every time it struggled underwater, huge splashes rose around us.

As the stuffing absorbed water, the blows from its arms became heavier, but I didn’t give an inch.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Even so, I put even more strength into my arms.

The detergent water began turning red as it mixed with my blood.

The detergent seeped into the countless wounds on my arms, causing a stabbing pain that pierced even through the effects of the painkiller and went straight to my head.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Feeling threatened, the teddy bear began struggling even more violently.

Without the slightest consideration, I scrubbed its face with one hand while pressing down on its abdomen with the other, forcing the detergent water to penetrate inside.

“……!……!!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

The counters in the practice room, which had remained motionless until then, began shaking as though they were trying to move.

Creak……

I squeezed and scrubbed its ears, face, and arms hard so the detergent would penetrate every last corner.

Little by little, a black substance resembling soot began mixing with the water.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

The amount coming out was far smaller than when we had soaked it with salt water.

“Haebin, I’m taking it out.”

But it meant we really were washing it.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Yes! advance I have the knife here! agent And I left the brush to the side!”

She proudly showed it to me and then put it into her own pocket to make sure the teddy bear couldn’t reach it again.

Myeong Haebin had finally managed to wrench away the box cutter, which had practically been attached to its hand because of the red thread wrapped around it.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

I pulled the teddy bear out of the soapy water, placed it on the counter, and pressed my elbow firmly against its abdomen to immobilize it.

Using the soft-bristled brush Myeong Haebin had prepared, I began vigorously scrubbing the soles of its feet, which were especially dirty, until they foamed.

“No!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

Now this thing was nothing more than a conscious teddy bear with slightly more strength than normal.

Now I only had to submerge it once more in the detergent water and……

I also removed the shards of glass embedded in them.

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

“Haebin, did you happen to drain the water?”

The sink I was about to submerge the teddy bear in again was completely empty.

“Huh……? afford Me? athlete Of course not!”

Content of I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner - Chapter 18: Hwaae High School (14) published by TrungTu Reads.

All the water that had filled it to the brim had disappeared without a trace.