Chapter 12: Really Sia

I crossed pillar after pillar. After crossing a certain number of pillars, I looked around again.

The tentacles seemed to have completely disappeared, but a corner of my heart was still filled with anxiety.

‘Calm down. You can do it.’

I encouraged myself and pressed my body closer to the pillar. I was safe now, clinging to the pillar, but I couldn’t stop here. I had to move to the next pillar.

I carefully placed the tip of my foot on the floor, preparing myself.

My heart was pounding as if it would burst, and my whole body was already covered in sweat.

The fact that taking just one step would take me out of the safe zone filled my head.

“Okay, here I go…”

I took a deep breath in and out and took a step. And then I immediately took the next step with force.

The distance between the pillars was longer than expected, and the sound of my footsteps created a small echo on the floor.

Click.

Suddenly, the fluorescent light flickered once again.

‘It’s going to turn off already?!’

I wasn’t even halfway there!

My heart sank. The fluorescent light flickered a few more times and dimmed, and darkness was approaching.

“Please…!”

I moved my legs with all my might and started running. I couldn’t stop. I had to keep running.

The pressure I felt from behind grew stronger. It seemed like the tentacles were about to reappear.

The subtle vibration felt from the floor made my whole body tense.

The pillar in front of me was getting closer little by little. But at that moment, the tip of my foot caught on a small, protruding crack in the floor.

“Oh, no!”

I lost my balance and almost fell forward. I reached out my hand and barely managed to hold my posture by supporting myself on the floor, but enough time had already passed.

Click.

The fluorescent light went out completely. I swallowed my breath and crouched down.

The surroundings were covered in darkness, and that familiar presence was felt again.

The tentacles began to appear, wriggling in the darkness. I immediately put my hand on the floor and stood up. My legs were trembling, but I had to move.

I had to jump to the pillar before the tentacles fully approached.

“Please…!”

Whether god helped me or not, I was barely able to reach the side of the pillar.

Calming my pounding heart, I clung to the pillar. The tentacles stopped at the border, groaning as if they were disappointed.

“Ha… ha…”

Gasping for breath, I leaned against the pillar. Until the tentacles disappeared back into the darkness, I couldn’t move for a long time.

My body was still soaked in sweat, and my heart was beating fast.

‘That was really dangerous this time.’

I wiped my forehead and looked up. The exit, which had seemed so far away, was now right in front of my eyes.

‘What will be beyond this place…?’

Now that the tentacles had disappeared, opening the door seemed safe. But the experiences in this place always reminded me that there was something behind it.

Catching my breath, I slowly approached the door. The doorknob was cold and heavy.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I steeled my heart and turned the doorknob. The old iron door creaked and slowly opened.

Beyond the door was a completely different space from before. Instead of the old, desolate hallway, a small room with a relatively clean and warm feeling appeared.

The floor was covered with a gray carpet, and the walls were painted a simple white.

In the center of the room, there was a chair and a small table, and on top of it, there was something that looked like a warm cup of coffee.

Finally, a small drink vending machine was placed in the corner.

The coffee placed on the table seemed to have come from that vending machine.

And, in the middle of the room, a woman was standing. She stood straight, looking at me and smiling.

Her appearance was somehow familiar. Soft eyes, a calm smile. And lastly, large breasts.

She was very similar to the [Sia] I had met before.

“Welcome.”

She greeted me with a soft voice. The voice was comfortable and warm, as if it were calming my mind.

Looking at the woman in front of me, I inadvertently uttered her name.

“Sia…”

Then, she blinked her eyes as if surprised and looked at me.

“…How do you know my name?”

My mind went blank for a moment. Was this person the ‘Sia’ I had met before?

If so, why was she pretending to be seeing me for the first time? Or was she simply a namesake?

Numerous questions and confusion covered my head.

“Oh, that… I thought I had seen you somewhere before.”

I quickly tried to cover up the situation by making up an excuse.

Sia quietly stared at me, then tilted her head slightly and smiled.

“I see.”

She took a step closer to me. Her eyes seemed genuinely welcoming, but I couldn’t let go of my guard.

“I’m glad to meet a person after a long time. Can I, hold your hand?”

I hesitated for a moment. And as if she had noticed the hesitation, she stopped her hand and slowly stepped back.

“It’s true. You’ve seen me before, haven’t you?”

At those words, my heart sank. I hesitated, avoiding her gaze.

“No, that…”

She gave me a suspicious look for a moment, but then regained her smile.

She quietly sat down on the chair and pointed to the warm-looking coffee cup on the table with her hand.

“It’s okay. I’ll explain, so sit down.”

I was still suspicious, but her tone, expression, and everything else didn’t feel out of place, so I carefully sat down on the chair opposite her.

Sia looked down at the coffee for a moment and said as if she were recalling something.

“There are many strange things here. You probably met a ‘Bo-ple-ganger’.”

“Bo-ple-ganger…?”

She nodded and continued.

“That being can perfectly imitate the appearance of the last person it saw.

Even that person’s speech and habits. So if the person you saw before looked exactly like me, there’s a high possibility that it wasn’t the real me.”

Her words confused me. So, the Sia I met before… wasn’t real?

“But don’t worry. I’m real.”

Sia smiled softly and met my gaze.

“I know it’s not easy to trust each other in a situation like this. But, I’m a survivor just like you.”

I was still suspicious of her and examined her expression. She didn’t try to make excuses or explain in a hurry.

She was just quietly waiting for my reaction.

“…”

“Is that… true?”

I looked straight at her and asked. Sia hesitated for a moment and answered in a serious voice.

“It’s hard to prove that I’m not trying to deceive you, but I’ll promise one thing. I will never harm you.”

Her tone was firm and felt sincere. But I couldn’t trust her blindly.

Nothing had yet proven that she wasn’t a monster, and even if she wasn’t a monster, there was a possibility that she was a dangerous person, just a ‘survivor’.

You know, they say that in a zombie apocalypse, the most dangerous thing isn’t zombies, but people.

“Um, I’m sorry. It’s so sudden, it’s still hard to believe…”

“I understand.”

“…”

“You have a face that looks like you have a lot of questions. Good. Tell me one by one, slowly. We have a lot of time, and I need to earn your trust.”

“Okay.”

First, I decided to ask the most curious thing.

“That, the monster that imitates, I mean. …Why is it called a Bo-ple-ganger? Isn’t it usually called a doppelganger?”

“Oh, that? Do you want to know?”

“Yes.”

At my question, Sia smiled playfully and continued.

“Because it’s a guy that only imitates people with [bo-ji].”

“Pffft…?!”

February 2, 2025.

Day 1 in a suspicious space.

Today, I almost died… no, I almost had something strange done to me.

I was crossing between pillars, and I tripped on a protruding crack in the floor and fell.

Really, if I had been a little slower there, my body would have been harassed by the tentacles in various places by now.

Ugh, it’s terrible.

Oh, and when I came out of that room, a clean and peaceful room appeared, contrary to expectations.

And there was a woman there.

Her name was Sia.

She seems like a different being from the [Sia] I met last time.

The appearance is similar, but the atmosphere was completely different.

After a brief chat, she talked about the possibility that I had met a being called a ‘Bo-ple-ganger’.

A Bo-ple-ganger is said to perfectly imitate the appearance of the last person it saw.

Then, the Sia I met before might not have been real.

Sia said she was real, but I still couldn’t completely trust her.

It’s natural.

It seems like a different being from that ‘Bo-ple-ganger’, but there was a possibility that it was an equally bad monster.

Monster File?: [Real Sia]

Form: It’s the appearance of a human female identical to the ‘Sia’ I met before.

It gives a calm and warm feeling and appears to be a good survivor.

The expression and behavior are very natural, making it difficult to feel any incongruity.

Characteristics: It provided information about a monster called a Bo-ple-ganger.

It is said that the guy perfectly imitates the appearance and habits of the last person it saw.

Then, there would be a need to modify the diary entries I’ve already written.

Oh, and she claims to be a real survivor herself and tries to understand and relieve the other person’s doubts.

I’ll have to find out why she’s doing that later.

Even when she’s doubted, she doesn’t get angry or become aggressive.

She shows an attitude of naturally accepting the other person’s doubts and trying to gain trust.

Danger: I see two cases.

1. If she’s a real survivor:

There’s a high possibility of becoming a trustworthy companion.

But it still has the potential to be a dangerous element.

Because she might lie for her own survival.

Maybe the Bo-ple-ganger story is made up, too?

    2. Possibility of being a monster:

There’s a possibility of fatal action the moment trust is gained.

There’s a high possibility that she’s human, but due to the nature of this environment, the possibility of being a monster cannot be completely ruled out.

Until a judgment is made through continuous observation and conversation, I must maintain tension and act!