Surviving in an RPG Maker Horror Game

A book that kills you if you read it?

Just hearing the name was already suspicious. I had no idea how absurd it could actually be.

The message popped up immediately:

[Book That Kills You If You Read It]

【Red-covered book. If you read it, you die.】

‘What kind of ridiculous item is this?’

It was even more baffling than the “Jin Dayeon’s Prize” I had received earlier.

“This says it kills you if you read it.”

“Seriously?”

Dayeon looked at the book with interest. She seemed curious to see what would happen if someone like her, who couldn’t die, read it.

“Wanna read it?”

I offered the book through the hole, but Dayeon crossed her arms in an X and refused.

“It wouldn’t affect me, but if I end up dead, you won’t be able to escape.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Though, honestly, I didn’t really care. Even if I died from reading it, I’d just return to my last save point. But I had no intention of telling Dayeon that.

‘There’s no advantage in revealing I can go back in time.’

It could easily be used against me. So I put the book away without saying anything more.

“So, do you know how to escape yet?”

Dayeon asked, lounging in her chair rather than sitting. She showed no sign of wanting to escape at all.

“And what do you think?”

“I don’t know… Maybe the fact that there are two separate libraries is a key clue. Or not.”

Despite everything, it seemed her promise to help me escape wasn’t completely empty.

“A clue, huh…?”

I recalled the situation.

Two libraries separated by a glass wall. One was clean and organized. The other, messy and chaotic.

And a vague message:

[Face each other.]

What did it all mean?

The answer came quickly.

“Symmetry.”

“Symmetry?”

Dayeon tilted her head, waiting for an explanation. I considered not telling her, but she probably wouldn’t help otherwise.

“It means we have to make both libraries look the same.”

Puzzles in RPG Maker games tend to follow similar patterns. It’s due to limitations in the game engine and camera angle.

I’d seen this kind of puzzle before in horror games like The Witch’s House and Mad Father.

I carefully examined the secret library. The glass wall stood in the center, dividing the space into two.

The furniture was arranged similarly—only my side was a complete mess.

It was designed so you wouldn’t notice the symmetry unless you looked closely.

“So this was…”

And if that was the case, then the solution was also obvious. I needed to organize my side of the library to mirror Dayeon’s.

Symmetrically.

“Come over here. Let’s clean this up together.”

I motioned to Dayeon, who looked fused to her chair. My side was a total disaster.

Just cleaning it would take forever. But if we worked together, it’d go much faster.

Dayeon reluctantly got up.

“What a pain… How long will it take?”

“No idea. Depends on how much you help.”

She walked toward the door to the secret library… but didn’t enter.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”

“The door’s locked.”

“…What?”

I ran to the door in disbelief.

Clack clack.

It wouldn’t open. I never locked it, but it was completely sealed.

“Looks like it closed by itself when we entered.”

The moment I stepped in, the exit had sealed shut. We were trapped.

It seemed the only way to open it was by solving the puzzle.

‘Wait… it only opens if we solve it?’

Dayeon slowly returned to her chair and looked at me blankly. Then she murmured with a smile:

“Good luck. Call me when you’re done.”

“…”

I couldn’t blame her. I was the one who came in here on my own.

Swallowing my frustration, I started organizing the library.

“Done yet?”

“No.”

“Done now?”

“…No.”

Dayeon swung her legs from the chair. Instead of staying quiet, she kept talking to me.

“If you’re tired, you should take a break.”

“No time. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Do you hate this school that much?”

“What do you think? If I stay here any longer, I’ll go insane like you.”

I continued stacking scattered books. Dayeon walked over to the glass wall.

“What are you doing now?”

“I was bored. Just watching.”

“You’re in the way. Go back.”

“Nope.”

Dayeon wasn’t someone you could reason with. Talking to her was just draining.

I ignored her and kept working.

“When you escape this school, what’s the first thing you want to do?”

“I don’t know… lock myself in my room and sleep as much as I can. Why do you ask?”

“I see. I’ll remember that. By the way, aren’t you going to ask me what I want to do?”

“…You’re bold.”

She hadn’t even answered my question, yet now she demanded I ask her one.

I knew if I ignored her, she’d just keep nagging me, so I sighed and reluctantly asked:

“What do you want to do when we get out of here?”

A forced question, but even I felt a bit curious. After all, this girl had been trapped in this school for ten years, unable to die.

I wondered what she’d say. Dayeon touched a finger to her lips and closed one eye.

“It’s a secret.”

“Oh, come on…”

I was speechless, completely dumbfounded. I seriously wanted to crack her head open and see what the hell was inside.

“I’m almost done tidying up, so get ready to start matching everything.”

“Alright.”

Cleaning the library had taken longer than expected. Thanks to Dayeon’s constant interruptions, the task dragged on even more.

Now, we had to solve the puzzle as soon as possible.

“What items are on your side? Take a look.”

“Chairs, shelves… a desk, a flowerpot, a painting, and other stuff. Lots of it.”

My side looked the same. The room’s layout was practically symmetrical compared to Dayeon’s side.

“Then we just have to match everything one by one. How about we start with the books?”

Dayeon chatted away without lifting a finger. Normally, that would’ve driven me crazy, but I was used to it by now.

I checked the shelf on Dayeon’s side and began placing books in the same order. I also put the vase on the desk and hung the painting to match the other side.

Both sides were starting to look identical. But then, a difference appeared.

[You’ve obtained a bouquet of roses.]

It was the bouquet of roses. Dayeon’s vase only had a single rose, while mine had a full, lush bouquet.

‘Should I divide it equally?’

I counted the roses in the bouquet—nineteen. Adding the single rose from the other side made twenty. Perfect.

Careful not to prick myself on the thorns, I split the bouquet in two: ten and nine.

[You’ve obtained a bouquet of 10 roses.]

[You’ve obtained a bouquet of 9 roses.]

Then I placed the 10 roses into the empty vase on my desk. The rest were for Dayeon.

“Here, this is for you.”

“What’s this?”

“What do you think? It’s a bouquet.”

I handed it to her through the hole. Dayeon stared at the bouquet intently.

“Is this… a proposal?”

“What nonsense are you on about now?”

“Isn’t it a bit soon? We barely know each other.”

“I’m telling you—”

Before I could finish, Dayeon had already accepted the bouquet.

“Well, I’ll accept it for the sentiment.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just put it in the vase.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t want our memories to wither.”

“…”

Dayeon walked cheerfully over to the vase and placed the bouquet inside. Including the rose that was already there, it now held ten.

‘That’s it for the vase.’

I checked for any remaining differences. Looking closely, I noticed the desk wasn’t in the same position. I carefully moved it so the vase wouldn’t tip over.

“Looks like that’s everything.”

I compared both sides, shifting my gaze back and forth. The book arrangement, desk placement, shelves, vases… everything matched.

But the door was still shut.

“What’s wrong now?”

I asked Dayeon. But she was still staring at the bouquet, almost entranced.

“Is there something weird about the flower? Why are you looking at it like that?”

“I don’t know… it’s beautiful.”

She brought the bouquet close to her nose to sniff.

“…Just as I thought, no scent.”

“Then why’d you smell it?”

“I was curious. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen real flowers.”

Dayeon said something unexpected. Her expression was as indifferent as always, but her tone was a little softer.

“In these ten years, I’ve only seen flowers in pictures.”

“…I see.”

“Thanks, for letting me experience this too.”

She quickly returned to her usual tone. Maybe she hadn’t completely lost her emotions after all. Something was still there.

“Anyway, do you know why the door isn’t opening?”

“Because it’s not symmetrical.”

“I know that. I mean the exact positioning.”

“You really didn’t notice?”

Dayeon raised her hand to her mouth and opened her eyes wide in exaggerated surprise. She was trying to act shocked, but without emotion, it looked like a broken doll.

“…So where is it?”

Swallowing my pride, I asked. Dayeon tapped the wall lazily.

“The wall?”

“That’s as much of a hint as I’ll give. Look carefully.”

I ran my hand along the wall. The only thing there was a large painting hung right in the center.

“You mean this?”

“Don’t ask me. Think for yourself.”

It was as big as a person’s torso. Inside was a painting that looked like it came straight from the art room.

A landscape. A vast field with a red sunset in the background.

‘A field…?’

I got a bad feeling. I rushed to check the painting on the other side of the library.

It also had a red sunset, but in one corner of the field stood a lone tree.

“Found it.”

“Took you long enough. You must have tunnel vision. Broaden your perspective.”

“Shut up.”

The difference between the two paintings was that single tree.

“The question is: how do I make them match?”

Drawing a tree onto the field was nearly impossible. No brushes, no paint, no crayons—nothing. And I couldn’t erase the tree on the other one either. I didn’t even have an eraser.

‘Is there another way?’

As I racked my brain trying to think of how to make the paintings match, Dayeon spoke quietly.

“What if you don’t have to make them match?”

“Of course you do. It has to be symmetrical.”

When she heard my response, Dayeon tilted her head at a 45-degree angle.

“But for both rooms to be symmetrical, do they really need to have the same painting?”

“Well…”

My tongue stopped just before replying.

‘Wait a minute.’

The essence of the library wasn’t the painting—it was the room itself. The painting was just a means to achieve symmetry.

So all that was needed was to change that means appropriately.

“Now you get it?”

“…More or less.”

I took down the painting, holding it carefully so it wouldn’t fall. I turned it over gently.

“If the painting prevents symmetry, then we just get rid of it. A change in perspective, right?”

“You could’ve just said that earlier.”

“If I had, it wouldn’t be any fun.”

I flipped the painting over. This time, something new appeared.

“…It’s a mirror.”

The back of the painting clearly reflected my face. And with that, the solution to the puzzle began to reveal itself.

‘So that was it.’