I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 60: The Girl Who Fell Before the World Changed (VI)
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.」
Seorin’s fingers slowly tightened around the phone.
"...Noona...?" she said quietly.
"...What’s wrong with my phone?"
Han Yumi glanced over without much interest.
"What do you mean?" she replied flatly.
"It’s working fine. I can see your ugl— I guess... it’s cute... a bit, well I see your wallpaper... cute dogs, cats... and that bear face."
Seorin blinked.
"...Huh?"
Her eyes dropped back to the screen.
Black, only black.
No icons nor wallpaper and no light.
Just darkness... and the thin white words floating inside it.
Her throat felt a little dry.
"It’s... black for me."
Han Yumi sighed deeply, a tired sigh of someone who had already accepted suffering as part of life.
"...You are probably hallucinating," she muttered.
"This is why you should stop being clumsy."
Seorin stared at the screen a few seconds longer but the words didn’t disappear.
They stayed there.
Quiet.
Patient.
Waiting.
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.」
She squinted... then suddenly let out a small awkward laugh.
"...Meh. Yeah... I’m probably just hallucinating. Lol."
Casually— like it meant nothing... She tossed the phone onto her pillow and picked up the chocolate again.
Nom.
Sweet vanilla melted softly on her tongue.
The room was warm.
Safe.
Normal.
...
Then her shoulders trembled.
A tiny sound escaped her throat.
Not loud or dramatic, just... small.
Seorin’s vision blurred.
Tears slid down before she even realized she was crying.
She turned toward Han Yumi slowly.
"...Thank you for everything, by the way... noona."
Before Yumi could react—
Seorin leaned forward and hugged her again.
This time... tighter.
Quieter.
Like she was trying to memorize the feeling.
Han Yumi froze for a second.
"...Sigh," she breathed softly. "Sensitive, dramatic girl you are."
But instead of pushing her away— Her hand gently rested on Seorin’s head.
A slow... careful pat.
"Your mood switches fast," she murmured.
Seorin didn’t answer.
She just held on a little longer.
As if— something was ending.
On the pillow beside them... the phone screen remained dark.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
And the white words slowly changed.
Not disappearing.
Not fading.
But adding one more line beneath the first letters.
「Time remaining: 00:14:19」
Seorin slowly lifted her head from Han Yumi’s shoulder.
Her eyes were still a little wet... but calmer now.
She looked at Yumi for a few quiet seconds— like she was thinking about something she couldn’t explain.
Then she whispered softly, "...Noona... can I go to the bathroom?"
Han Yumi’s face immediately turned flat.
"Wait... ಠ_ಠ ...Are you crying because you want to pee... or because you want to take a shit?"
Seorin looked straight into her eyes.
Completely serious.
"...Yes."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Han Yumi’s eyebrow twitched.
"ಠ益ಠ SEORIN!!!!"
SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP—
She started smacking Seorin’s back like an angry mom disciplining a useless child who just embarrassed the entire bloodline.
"WAHHHH!!!"
Seorin cried dramatically.
"THE NURSE NOONA IS ABUSING MEEEE!!! (ᗒᗩᗕ)"
Another smack.
"Stop yelling in the hospital, idiot!"
Then—
Han Yumi suddenly stopped.
Her shoulders dropped slightly with a tired sigh.
"...Sigh... whatever. Just go. Pee. Shit. Do your life mission."
She gently patted Seorin’s head once more— soft this time.
Seorin blinked.
Then slowly smiled.
She stood up from the bed, a little wobbly but okay now...
and before leaving— she stepped forward and hugged Han Yumi again.
Not dramatic.
Just warm.
"I was joking earlier... noona," she murmured quietly.
"...But I really am thankful to you. For taking care of me."
Han Yumi didn’t answer right away.
"...Yeah, yeah. Go already before you explode."
Seorin laughed softly... then turned and walked toward the door.
Her hand reached the handle.
She opened it— and before stepping out, she glanced back one last time.
Han Yumi was standing there... smiling faintly... and giving a small, lazy wave like:
"Hurry up and come back, idiot."
Seorin’s chest felt warm again.
Then she turned forward— and stepped outside.
***
(Outside of the patient room)
Outside the patient room.
The hallway was bright.
Clean white floors, soft ceiling lights, quiet beeping sounds from distant machines, nurses walking calmly and doctors talking in low voices.
And the normal, peaceful smell of a hospital morning.
As Seorin walked forward slowly...
People began to notice her.
A nurse passing by smiled gently and waved.
"Good morning, Miss Seorin."
Another doctor nodded respectfully.
"Glad to see you awake."
Even the receptionist down the hall gave a small bow.
Because everyone here knew— she was the daughter of the hospital’s owner.
Seorin scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"...Hehe... morning..."
She kept walking.
Step by step.
Her slippers made soft shff... shff... sounds on the polished floor.
She looked left.
Patient rooms.
She looked right. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Curtains.
She then looked left again at the patient room.
Quiet voices.
She looked right again.
Windows showing warm sunlight outside.
A peaceful blue sky.
Everything felt... too normal.
Too calm.
Too safe.
Then—
Seorin suddenly stopped walking.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"...Ah."
She spun around— and RAN back down the hallway.
Nurses blinked in confusion as she rushed past them.
N 1: "Miss Seorin?!"
N 2: "Did something happen?!"
She ignored everyone.
Reached the patient room—
BANG!
She threw the door open loudly.
Han Yumi jumped in shock.
"!!!? W-what the hell, Seorin?!"
Seorin stood there, slightly out of breath.
"Oh... uh... •́ ‿ ,•̀ ...I forgot my phone."
Silence.
Han Yumi’s face slowly turned into pure disbelief.
"...what the fuck! You banged that door because of that?"
Seorin avoided eye contact.
"Hehe..."
She quietly tip-toed inside... walked to the bed... spotted the phone on the pillow... and carefully picked it up.
Her fingers tightened around it for just a second— then she turned around quickly.
"Okay bye!"
And hurried out of the room again.
Back in the hallway— Everything looked the same.
Bright.
Peaceful.
Normal.
Seorin held the phone close to her chest as she walked slowly forward, her slippers making soft brushing sounds against the clean hospital floor.
For a moment... she just walked without thinking.
Then she quietly slipped inside the bathroom at the end of the hall and closed the door behind her.
Inside, the air was cooler.
Quiet.
Private.
She sat down.
"...Ahhh..."
A small relieved sigh escaped her as she finally relaxed.
For a few peaceful seconds, nothing existed except the faint hum of the lights above and the distant hospital silence outside the door.
Then—
Almost absent-mindedly, she lifted her phone and pressed the power button.
The screen was still black.
And the words were still there.
Floating in the darkness of the inside screen.
Was—
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.
Time remaining: 00:11:11」
Seorin blinked slowly.
"...Huh...?"
Her brows knitted together in confusion.
"What’s this...?"
She stared harder at the screen.
Then—
The text shifted.
Not like a notification.
It moved... quietly... deliberately... as if something on the other side was responding to her.
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.
Time remaining: 00:11:01
You will die in 11 minutes. Go to the top of the building to prevent it.」
Seorin’s face stayed blank for two full seconds.
Then she muttered flatly,
"...Virus?"
Immediately—
The message changed again.
Fast.
Sharp.
Certain.
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.
Time remaining: 00:10:56
This is not a virus. This is a warning. Go to the top of the building to prevent your misfortune.」
Silence filled the bathroom.
Seorin stared at it... and then casually said, "...Alright. Let me finish peeing first."
A minute later—
She flushed, stood up, and washed her hands slowly like nothing in the universe was wrong.
Water running.
Fingers rubbing together.
Drip... drip... drip...
Normal movements.
Too normal.
She wiped her damp hands on the side of her blue jacket, pushed the bathroom door open, and stepped back into the hallway.
(Illustration if needed.)
She had barely taken three steps—
Thump.
She bumped into someone.
Her shoulders jerked slightly from the impact.
Startled, she looked up.
And froze.
Standing in front of her... was a young man she recognized instantly.
The face from the news.
The quiet annoyed heir.
The son of one of the wealthiest families in Korea.
Si Hon.
He was wearing a blue jacket too.
His expression— flat.
Calm.
Distant.
Not even really looking at her... just looking down at the floor mindlessly.
(Illustration if needed)
For a brief second,
they simply stood there.
Looking.
Silent.
Then Seorin clicked her tongue lightly and said, "...Kid. Watch where you’re walking."
No emotion.
Just casual annoyance.
Si Hon gave a small, polite nod— nothing more, and walked past her without another word.
Seorin turned her head slightly, watching him go for a moment.
(Why is that guy here...? Is he visiting someone?)
The thought lingered only briefly.
"...Whatever."
She looked forward again and continued walking.
Step by step.
Slow.
Quiet.
But this time— instead of going back toward the patient room.
Her feet kept moving forward.
Past the nurses.
Past the windows.
Past the warm, normal hospital morning.
Until she reached— The stairwell door.
She stopped in front of it.
The phone in her hand felt colder somehow.
Slowly... she lifted it.
The black screen was still there.
The countdown still moving.
00:09:12
00:09:11
00:09:10
Her heartbeat felt strangely calm.
Too calm.
"...This is stupid," she whispered.
But—
Her hand still reached for the door.
And pushed it open.
Cold air drifted down from the stairwell above.
Quiet.
Empty.
Waiting.
Seorin stepped inside... and began walking up.
