I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 61: The Girl Who Fell Before the World Changed (VII)
Seorin stepped inside... and began walking up.
***
The stairwell door closed behind Seorin with a soft metallic click that echoed faintly in the narrow concrete space.
For a moment, she just stood there.
The air inside the stairwell felt different from the hallway— cooler... quieter... heavier.
Like the sounds of the hospital had been sealed away the second the door shut.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone in her hand.
The screen was still black and it was still counting.
「For this to work, you must be on top of the building.
Time remaining: 00:08:57」
She swallowed once, then let out a small breath through her nose as if trying to shake off a feeling she didn’t want to name.
"...nine minutes, huh."
Her voice sounded oddly loud in the empty stairwell.
No answer came back— only the faint humming of distant electricity and the soft buzz of fluorescent lights somewhere above.
Seorin shifted her weight, then finally started moving.
One step.
Then another.
Her footsteps were quiet, but in the silence they seemed to echo upward, climbing ahead of her into floors she couldn’t see yet.
The metal railing felt cold when her fingers brushed against it.
She didn’t hold it tightly— just enough to steady herself as she walked.
"I know this is a joke... but I guess I’m curious."
Halfway up the first flight, she glanced down at her phone again.
The screen hadn’t changed.
No new message.
Just the same unmoving darkness... hiding the numbers that were slowly disappearing.
A strange thought crossed her mind.
(If this is a prank... it’s a really committed one.)
She huffed softly at herself and kept climbing.
Another step, another turn.
Another stretch of gray concrete and dim light.
The hospital sounds were completely gone now.
No footsteps.
No voices.
No rolling carts.
Just her breathing... and the quiet rhythm of steps continuing upward.
Somewhere along the way, she realized her heart was beating a little faster.
Not panic.
Not ’yet’.
Just... anticipation.
Like standing in line for a ride you weren’t sure you wanted to get on anymore.
She reached the final landing.
The door to the rooftop stood in front of her— plain, metal, ordinary.
Nothing about it looked special.
And yet...
Her steps slowed without her telling them to.
For a brief second, she hesitated.
Not because she believed the message.
Not completely.
But because opening the door felt like choosing something... even if she didn’t know what it was.
"...This is dumb," she murmured quietly.
Still—
Her hand lifted.
Her fingers wrapped around the cold handle.
And she pushed.
The door opened with a low creak, and light spilled in immediately— bright, open, and wide in a way the stairwell could never be.
A soft breeze brushed against her face as she stepped out unto the rooftop, carrying the distant sounds of the city with it.
Seorin blinked once, adjusting to the sudden brightness.
Then she walked forward slowly.
The rooftop opened around her in a wide stretch of pale concrete, smooth and quiet beneath the fading light of the sky.
Low white walls are at the edges— not tall enough to feel safe, only enough to mark where the building ended and the open air.
Nothing dramatic.
But up here, the air felt different.
Colder.
Quieter.
(Of course it is... this is the rooftop.)
Seorin thought.
She moved closer to the edge, almost without thinking, until the city began to reveal itself beyond the railing.
And then—
She saw it.
Buildings spread in every direction, tall and small mixed together like uneven teeth against the horizon.
Roads cut through them in long gray lines where tiny cars moved steadily, their sounds softened by distance into a low continuous murmur.
Farther out, a wide shopping mall stood like a glass box reflecting the afternoon light.
Beyond it, patches of green from a park opened between the crowded streets— trees gathered together in calm contrast to the concrete surrounding them.
Everything looked... busy.
Alive.... And normal.
So normal that it felt strange standing in this, high above.
From here, the world seemed smaller.
Quieter.
Like something you could hold in your palm if you reached down far enough.
The wind passed again, a little stronger this time, tugging lightly at her clothes and brushing strands of hair across her face.
Seorin rested one hand on the cool concrete edge and looked down at the city below.
For a long moment—
She just stood there, silently taking in the view.
The city kept moving without her.
Cars flowed through the streets.
Lights flickered on in windows.
Somewhere far away, a siren wailed and faded into nothing.
Up here... everything felt... calm.
Another breeze drifted past, cooler now, carrying the faint smell of dust and evening air.
Seorin let out a slow breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
(Man... what am I supposed to do next...)
Behind her—
A faint rustle came from the stairwell door.
Soft.
Almost nothing.
The kind of sound that could easily be ignored.
And of course she did.
Her eyes stayed on the city, following the slow motion of life far below as if it were something distant and unreal.
Then—
Almost absent mindedly— she looked down at her phone.
The black screen flickered.
Numbers appeared.
「Time remaining: 00:04:37」
Her brows pulled together slightly.
"...?"
Her thumb tapped the screen once, as if expecting more text to appear.
Nothing.
"...Wait."
Her voice was quiet, confused rather than scared.
"Where’s the part that said I had to be on top of the building...?"
The earlier message was gone.
Completely erased— like it had never existed.
A small, uneasy feeling brushed across her chest.
Before she could think further—
Click.
The door behind her opened.
Seorin turned her head.
Someone stepped onto the rooftop.
A guy.
He paused for only a second after noticing her— just long enough for their eyes to meet, then he casually walked forward, stopping near the edge beside her as if this were the most normal place in the world to be.
Seorin tilted her head slightly.
(What is this guy doing...?)
Well he didn’t look at her again.
Just stared out at the horizon, hands loose at his sides.
The wind passed between them, tugging lightly at his clothes, brushing through his hair so that the strands swayed softly in the fading light.
Silence settled for a few seconds.
Then Seorin spoke first.
"...sup?"
The word slipped out casually, almost automatic.
The guy blinked once, like he hadn’t expected that.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he opened his mouth.
"?...I... I’m Si Hon. What about you?"
His voice was calm, a little unsure, carried away slightly by the wind as he kept looking far into the distance instead of at her.
Seorin watched him for a sec... then answered just as casually.
"Seorin."
Another small silence.
Not awkward.
Just... quiet.
"...haha," Si Hon let out a faint, breathy laugh.
"Informal talk, yeah. That’s nice. Nice to meet you, Seorin."
"Sure," she replied simply.
And just like that—
They stood side by side on the rooftop, two strangers sharing the same quiet sky... while the unseen countdown continued to fall toward zero.
After a while Seorin spoke without even looking at him.
"Aren’t you that handsome... son of the rich guy on the news earlier?"
Si Hon moved his head slightly, just enough to see her.
"Hmm? Handsome? Thanks, I guess... Yeah. I’m that son of a—" He stopped himself with a quiet sigh. "Yeah. That guy’s son."
Seorin blinked, startled.
"Woah... what are you talking about? What do you mean, ಠಿ_ಠ"
Without answering, Si Hon stepped onto the concrete edge of the building and simply stood there, looking out at the city below.
Seorin’s heart dropped.
"Woah— woah woah!!! What the hell are you doing, am I witnessing a s#icide!?!"
Si Hon glanced back at her, face calm.
"ಠ_ಠ... Relax. I’m not going to k#ll myself, stupid."
He let out a tired breath and slowly sat down on the edge.
"Come here," he said quietly.
"It’s... peaceful. No noise. No people telling you what to do every second."
Seorin shook her head immediately.
"ಠ_ಠ ...No. I’ll pass."
Si Hon shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
...But after a pause, he added softly—
"I might jump down to the lower platform if you don’t. It’s easier to sit there."
Then he looked at her.
Not teasing and probably not joking.
Just... still.
His eyes were quiet in a way that felt wrong— like someone who had already decided something long before this moment, and was only waiting for the world to catch up.
For a second, the air itself felt tight.
(Yep. That expression... he might actually K#LLL HIMSELF!!!!)
Seorin cursed under her breath and carefully climbed up beside him.
The moment she looked down, her stomach twisted.
"T-this is... this is terrifying..."
"Just breathe," Si Hon said.
"Keep your balance. This is where I always come when I’m stressed."
Seorin ignored his rambling and focused entirely on not slipping.
Still, Si Hon kept talking— his voice low, strained.
"My dad keeps ordering me around... forcing things... I just want to—"
"Shut up for a second!" Seorin snapped in panic.
"I’m trying not to fall!"
Si Hon’s eyes twitched.
"...Wow. That’s new. Someone ordinary is telling me to shut up."
And surprisingly— he actually did.
Silence settled between them.
After a while, Seorin finally found her balance.
Her breathing slowed.
The fear didn’t disappear... but it stopped shaking her.
"Yea, woho, somehow... this actually felt nice I guess?"
Then Si Hon spoke again, quieter this time.
"I... kind of want to meet the daughter of the person who owns this hospital."
Seorin turned toward him slowly.
"Oh? I... Uh... I—"
Her phone suddenly grew warm in her hand, she looked down.
「00:00:08」
(Huh...? I forgot to—)
A faint rustle sounded behind them.
(Huh?)
Before she could even turn fully toward the sound behind her— a sudden force struck her back.
Not strong enough to feel violent at first.
Just... unexpected.
A single push that didn’t belong in that quiet rooftop moment.
Her balance disappeared instantly.
The solid concrete beneath her feet seemed to slide away, the sky tilting sideways as if the entire world had been carelessly knocked off its place.
Air rushed past her ears— loud, hollow, endless.
The city that had looked small and peaceful a second ago suddenly rushed upward in her vision— the streets below growing closer, bending into a dizzy blur of distant color.
For one impossible second, everything slowed.
But not truly stopping— but stretching... thinning... like time itself didn’t want to witness what was happening next.
In that fragile, suspended second, a shaking voice reached her.
Broken.
Wet with grief.
Barely holding together.
"Y-your dad... didn’t save my mother... T-this... is your fault..."
The words didn’t feel loud.
They felt heavy— dropping after her like stones sinking into deep water.
Seorin’s fingers opened slightly in the empty air, instinct reaching for something that wasn’t there.
(W-what the f—)
The wind pulled at her clothes, her hair, her breath— dragging her downward into a space that felt too wide, too quiet, too final.
She was falling.
And somewhere beyond the rushing air, cold and indifferent— the countdown continued.
00:00:06
00:00:05
00:00:04
Above—
Si Hon’s face was frozen in pure shock.
Beside the edge— the hooded man, shaking violently.
And then—
A purple window unfolded in the air next to her.
