Precious Thing

Lee Yesin wasn’t someone in the early stages of obsessive cleanliness. If anything, he was rather messy. He often left his clothes strewn about, never made his bed, and didn’t put things back where they belonged. He would also leave trash lying around, scatter snack crumbs, and pretend not to notice. Yet, the moment he returned home, he would head straight to the shower. It seemed like cleanliness was something he reserved exclusively for his own body.They had gone to the beach together a few times while spending time at the villa. On an unusually hot day in early June, Tae Woowon entered the sea, while Lee Yesin only dipped his feet in, watching Tae Woowon. But as soon as they got back to the villa, he naturally stripped down in the bathroom. While washing off the salt from his own skin, Tae Woowon looked over and asked him, “Why do you wash yourself head to toe as soon as you get home every time?” Lee Yesin, after rolling his eyes briefly, replied that it felt like disarming after a battle.Though Tae Woowon nodded, in truth, he disagreed. To him, Lee Yesin’s showering felt more like a cat safely back in its own space, licking itself clean. In other words, rather than wanting to let him relax, Tae Woowon just felt an urge to keep touching him. Wet, Lee Yesin felt soft, warm, and carried a sweet scent. Tae Woowon swung his arms broadly, thinking of Lee Yesin’s tender skin. Perhaps these thoughts arose simply because he was in the water himself.“Pffft!”“Haa, haa…”The artificial lake inside the separate villa, accessible through an external waterway, was enormous, reflecting Jo Seonggil’s wealth. Tae Woowon took a long breath, moving toward the lake’s edge, with Jane following behind. This time, Jane was his partner in the mission to rob Jo Seonggil’s vault. Tae Woowon had chosen her partly for her experience and skills, but above all, he liked her boldness. She only momentarily lost her breath upon hearing about Jo Seonggil’s vault, but didn’t run away.“You could’ve told me it was this long. I nearly passed out.”Though a bit prickly at times.“If I had told you, would you have held your breath longer?”Of course, Tae Woowon wasn’t exactly an easygoing personality, either.Arriving in Shanghai on Thursday, Tae Woowon picked up the custom equipment he had ordered and bought a few necessary items. Later that evening, he met Jane, introduced himself, and gave a brief overview of the job. He couldn’t tell her everything, as he himself didn’t know what the inside of the vault looked like. He only hoped it could be opened within a few hours.“Change into these. There’s a black strap over there.”Following Tae Woowon’s words, Jane, looking puzzled, exited the lake and felt around the grass, where her fingers landed on the black strap. When she pulled it, a waterproof pack of clothes submerged at the lake’s bottom came with it.“…When did you put this here?”“I went out at dawn, didn’t I?”In the early morning hours from Thursday into Friday, Tae Woowon had come by to confirm the infiltration route and leave small items behind. He’d checked that the path to the vault and the equipment would work well, then returned to the hotel room.“…Didn’t you say you went out for drinks?”“Who drinks the night before a job?”Frowning, Tae Woowon took off his wet clothes and changed into the clothes from the waterproof pack. He shook his wet hair, and the one who had asked the question was unusually quiet. Tae Woowon looked at Jane, who was pursing her lips in silence, with a slight smirk.“Did you drink yesterday?”“…Just a little.”“You’re nuts.”With a glance, Tae Woowon pulled his cap down and removed the waterproof cover from his backpack. Although the backpack itself was waterproof, he’d put the cover on just in case, since it held many crucial items. He checked the contents, and they were safe. Tae Woowon placed the wet clothes and the backpack’s waterproof cover into the waterproof pack to sink it. After finishing the same task, Jane awkwardly smiled and pulled a small device from her bag.“Switching the CCTV feed now.”“Sure, go ahead.”With a playful answer, she stepped ahead. The vault Tae Woowon was targeting was situated in a remote area, even within the annex. Thankfully, the path to it wasn’t particularly challenging. Besides, Jo Seonggil, just back from a lengthy business trip, had arrived late at night and was in the middle of a celebration, making security lax. The strictest security was always when the house was empty. Compared to his previous visit at dawn, Tae Woowon noticed there were significantly fewer guards around. Silently, he and Jane approached the annex where the vault was located.“Open it.”Jane whispered softly after manipulating the device. Tae Woowon carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside. He pulled a small monitor from his bag, attached it to his wrist, and began to walk. He navigated the complex, maze-like dark corridors by following the map.“Oh, there it is.”Turning a corner, they saw a red laser array stretched across the hallway, blocking the entire 30-meter length with crisscrossing beams at regular intervals. The door was beyond this barrier.“…Is that real laser?”“Yep. Want to try touching it?”He handed her a small switch with a smirk as she gave a helpless laugh. It was the device they’d checked earlier in the morning. Tae Woowon had been concerned since it was custom-made in a hurry, but luckily, it worked fine. The real challenge began now—they’d have to coordinate perfectly.“Ah, this is nerve-wracking.”Jane, carrying her bag in front, brought the switch close to the source of the lasers and looked at Tae Woowon. Tae Woowon also raised his hand, holding the second switch.“Don’t look at me; focus on where you’re going. You have two seconds.”“Yes.”This device was designed to deactivate the lasers for only two seconds. It could technically be held longer, but doing so would trigger an alert. Two seconds was optimal, but both ends had to be deactivated simultaneously. Solo entry was impossible. The previous morning, Tae Woowon had temporarily set up the switches on the walls and used a string to test if the lasers would fully disappear. Beyond that, this was new even to him.“I’ll stop if I can’t see the path.”“Got it. Let’s go.”“Yes.”“Go. One, two.”Together, they pressed the switches and started walking. As the lasers vanished, they moved to the next pre-planned spot just as the beams reappeared.“Go. One, two. Go. One, two. Go. One, two…”Only Tae Woowon’s low voice echoed in the dark hallway. Each soft click of the switches was a relief. Keeping a steady rhythm, they moved their bodies while eyeing the next position. The tension weighed heavily on them.“Go. One, two.”“Stop!”Nearly at the end, Jane stood on tiptoe, catching her breath sharply, then nodded.“Go. One, two. Go. One, two. Go. One, two. Run.”Tap! Both of them touched the door. Jane, her eyes wide, let out a soft exhale. Tae Woowon laughed, then took the switch from her hand.“Good job. Now get the door open so we can rest inside.”Her mouth, which had been curving into a smile at the praise, quickly straightened. Tae Woowon chuckled and helped her pull out the equipment. This heavy iron door required a specific card to open—one that Tae Woowon didn’t have. To unlock it, they needed a makeshift card substitute and a mechanism to bypass the system, an idea from Jane herself. She had used this trick before, so he trusted her with the task.The laser security in the corridor was formidable, but the door hiding the vault itself, and the vault’s security, were comparatively less so. The vault was over fifteen years old. Even with the advanced technology of its time, it didn’t measure up to today’s standards.“It’s an older model. Guess they don’t bother upgrading?”“Why bother? Even if someone gets in, they can’t open it. Jo Seonggil might even be grateful to us for breaking into a vault that no one else could crack.”Ha! Jane, with a straight face, laughed while quickly assembling a thin chip, inserting it into the card slot, and punching in a code. Beep, beep, beep. After a few seconds, she counted the tones and entered the code again. Then came a metallic click, and the door opened. Dust billowed out from the crack. Tae Woowon knew that it had been seven years since anyone attempted to rob this place. Unsurprisingly, that intruder had left empty-handed.He turned on a dim flashlight and entered. The large, sealed room was filled haphazardly with valuable items. Gold candlesticks, a mirror encrusted with diamonds, thick hides and bones from unknown animals, dusty books, and jewelry boxes were all scattered about.“Feels like… a neglected treasure hoard?”Jane tilted her head as she spoke. Tae Woowon handed her a flashlight.“Adjust the camera.”“Yes.”Jane climbed onto a stack of boxes, fiddling with a camera on the ceiling. She unplugged a few wires, connected them to her device, and froze the screen feed. Fortunately, no one came in while she disabled the two cameras.“Done.”Without a word, Tae Woowon took out a flashlight and five small candles. He had debated bringing only two, but now he was glad to have packed extras. As he lit the candles, spiders appeared in the room’s dark corners, where they had spun webs. Tae Woowon scanned the interior, approaching the cleanest wall. He took down a painting in the center, brushing his hand over the wall. Under the wallpaper, he could feel the outline of the vault’s door. It seemed that Jo Seonggil, after multiple failed attempts to open the vault, had given up and re-papered it. Though it bore signs of age, this wallpaper was darker than the others.“Start with this.”Tae Woowon took a knife from his waistband and cut along the vault door’s outline. Jane, who had been shoving a jeweled necklace into her bag, whipped her head around.“…Wasn’t the vault supposed to be here?”“Are you kidding?”“Just kidding.”With an exaggerated shrug, she slung her bag over her shoulder and approached Tae Woowon. She knocked her knuckles against the vault door. The thickness gave off a distinct, heavy sound.“Have you opened one of these before?”“Perfect. Then you do it.”“Yes, sir.”If he says jump, I jump, Jane thought to herself as she pulled out her equipment, first searching for the hidden keypad behind the iron door. After a while, she found it and began her work. Meanwhile, Tae Woowon continued examining the wall.“…What are you doing?”“Looking for a door.”At his words, Jane glanced at the heavy iron door she was working on, then back at Tae Woowon.“Then… what am I opening?”“The vault.”“…You realize that doesn’t make any sense, right?”“I’ll explain once you open it.”Tae Woowon placed a large jewel-encrusted box from the back of the room on the floor, setting it up as a step stool. Standing on it, he continued his search along the wall, pressing and peeling back sections of the wallpaper. Finally, he found what he was looking for.“I opened it! Uh… did they reinforce this? It’s insanely thick.”The door emitted a low, heavy sound as it opened. Tae Woowon stepped off the box and joined her side. Jane peered into the vault with a puzzled expression.“…There’s nothing inside.”“Yes. This is the entrance. The place where treasures are kept.”The inside of the vault was so dark and deep that the end couldn’t be seen. The iron door was quite large, and the interior was divided by thick partitions, making it impossible for anyone to enter. Fortunately, there were four compartments.“Please explain this to me.”Tae Woowon took out four stones of different colors from the bag on the ground and placed one in each compartment.“The person who made this wanted to mess with the vault’s user.”“What? Isn’t this something Jo Seonggil’s wife made?”“Yeah. They must’ve had a bad relationship. Anyway, you can put things in, but it’s designed so no one can easily find them. To retrieve anything, you’ll need to open a new door. It’s practically as if an entire wall here is part of the vault. It won’t burn or dent, and it’s tough to cut through as well.”Finishing his explanation, Tae Woowon closed the heavy iron door. Moments later, there was a loud thud, followed by sounds of stones dropping in various locations at different intervals, each falling about two to three seconds apart. After hearing four distinct sounds, Tae Woowon reopened the door. All four compartments were empty. Jane brushed her hand across one of the empty compartments.“So that’s why Jo Seonggil couldn’t open this. He couldn’t find the exit.”Tae Woowon nodded at her softly spoken realization. The door Jane had opened was the entrance to the vault. Once an item entered the entrance, it was transferred elsewhere, requiring a new door to be opened to retrieve it. This meant that where the stones had gone, Jo Seonggil’s stored items would also be, necessitating the opening of four new doors to steal them.“I found another door just now.”Tae Woowon stood on a treasure chest nearby and held up a Zippo lighter to the spot he had found earlier. With a quick flare, the wallpaper burned away in a neat rectangle. It was flash paper, often used by magicians. Tae Woowon continued heating the exposed wall, causing it to begin melting.“Wax…?”“Yeah. Pass me something I can scrape with.”“Hmm… Here.”Jane handed him a jackknife. Tae Woowon used the handle to scrape off the melted wall, revealing a tightly coiled rope beneath.“Pull this, and mark the opening along the edge of the wallpaper.”Handing the knife back to her, he gripped the warm handle firmly, bracing his foot against the wall as he pulled with force. The movement was slight, but a faint outline of the door appeared through the wallpaper. Jane quickly tore off the surrounding wallpaper.“You handle the upper part, Mr. Woo.”She had torn off the entire bottom and part of the vertical section, so no further pulling was required. Tae Woowon pulled out a knife from his waistband, slicing through the remaining vertical section and setting the blade against the very top.“Why’d you borrow my knife when you have one?”“It’s annoying to clean the wax off.”“…”Jane stepped back with a grumpy expression. Tae Woowon stepped down to move the box aside. The first door was quite large; the entire right wall Jane had opened was practically a door. Tae Woowon reached up and pulled on the handle, covered in wax. A high-pitched, spine-chilling screech filled the room, accompanied by a strange cement smell. With a clank, the door fully opened, revealing a dim, dark interior.“You don’t seem too impressed. At least cheer, give me some energy.”“…Excuse me?”“This is only the first door. Three more to go.”With his bag slung over his shoulder, Tae Woowon switched on a flashlight and walked into the darkness beyond the first door.“T-three more…”Jane followed, her face looking dazed. Five candles flickered faintly in the room.As they ventured further, they saw a glass box with a simple lock, fixed to the wall. Inside were Tae Woowon’s first stone, Jo Seonggil’s first treasure, a bundle of cloth, and some coins. These miscellaneous items appeared to be remnants left by previous attempts to unlock the vault. Just as Tae Woowon had put in a stone, others had placed items in the vault to observe how it functioned.“Wow, what kind of system is this? When you closed the door, there was a thud. Does that trigger the delivery here?”“Probably. We’d need to disassemble the thick entrance door to know for sure.”Tae Woowon pulled a special key from his pocket, adjusted its thickness, and inserted it into the lock of the glass box. He turned it and unlocked the lock.“What kind of key is that? How’d you do that?”“Trade secret.”Unlocking it, he retrieved the stone and Jo Seonggil’s treasure.“No way…”“Is it Redtarite?”“There’s a 1-carat… And this one looks like a 3-carat. Can’t you give me just one of these?”Jane clung to his arm, looking at him pitifully. It made sense; Redtarite was rare, valuable, and usually under 1 carat in the market.“No way. This one’s mine.”Thinking of giving it to Lee Yesin, he brushed her arm away and secured the two vibrant red gems, cut in an oval shape, into his pocket.“Aw, please. I won’t even take payment for this job, okay?”“You picked up accessories worth at least a hundred million earlier.”“I know, but this is super rare!”“Shut up, you’re too loud.”With a sharp retort, he passed the glass box and walked further in. A dark wall blocked their way. A thin layer of black glass was affixed to the door, which had to be removed to open the second door. Tae Woowon felt along the edges to check its thickness. It was thinner than expected, not something they could just smash through, as it might damage the lock mechanism behind it.“Can you reach? Try pulling off that side.”He spoke to Jane, who was still pouting. She stretched on her toes, her lips pursed, reaching out to the top edge of the glass, gently pulling it.“It feels like it’s going to break. We might need to remove both sides at once.”Tae Woowon nodded and retrieved two jewelry boxes from outside. Since the glass was taller than both of them, they had to stand on the boxes to reach the top. Setting the box under her feet, Tae Woowon pulled out two sewing tape measures from his bag and tossed one to Jane. They attached the tape measure to the top of the second door with masking tape, stretching it taut.“Match the centimeter marks as you pull it off.”“Why did you bring these?”“Just in case.”“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”“Nope. Now, start taping.”Jane eyed him suspiciously but joined him in setting up the tape. With both of them ready, Tae Woowon placed his fingers at the top of the glass.“Starting. 0.5, 1, 1.5…”The glass bent smoothly, without shattering, slowly peeling away from the door. As the balance began to shift, a chilling creak emerged. Tae Woowon glanced at Jane, slowing the count further.“4, 4.5, 5, 5.5.”“Go a bit slower; my fingers are slipping.”“Hold on a second. Breathe.”Jane exhaled a low breath, repositioned her fingers on the glass, and tightened the tape. Nodding, she indicated she was ready. Tae Woowon resumed counting.“6, 6.5, 7, 7.5…”The gloved hand felt uncomfortable. Tae Woowon counted slowly in his head, afraid his concentration would slip, causing the pace to quicken. At the count of 23, the black glass finally detached. It seemed only the top part had been glued.“Feels like my breath is leaving me. Why would anyone make a vault like this?”Jane let out a heavy sigh, gripping the black glass. It looked like she’d been holding her breath the whole time.“Take this outside.”Tae Woowon handed her the glass and stepped down from the box. Jane dragged the glass outside and then came back to stand in front of the greenish door that had appeared.“How cute.”Tae Woowon commented as he looked at the safe’s dial, which was decorated with pictures instead of numbers. Five images were drawn in order on the dial: a rabbit, a carrot, a mouse, cheese, and a cat.“Isn’t this a little too easy…?”“It’s only easy because we removed the glass carefully. If we’d broken it, those images would have disappeared.”“Oh… Then that would’ve been a problem. We’d be stuck looking at random images of bones, candy, watermelon, chocolate, and fish.”Jane pointed to each picture on the dial. Tae Woowon nodded.“Set it to fish.”“Yes.”Jane turned the dial to fish and pressed the button. With a click, the door opened. Inside, just like the first room, there was a glass box containing Tae Woowon’s second stone, Jo Seonggil’s treasure, and some random trinkets.“Honestly, can you please just give me this one?”“Be quiet.”Tae Woowon put the stone in his pocket and took out the jewelry box. Jane, not even knowing what was inside, begged for it. Tae Woowon brushed off her clingy behavior and opened the box. A brilliant, fractured, transparent light reflected on his face. He squinted at the sudden burst of brightness.“Wait, I’ve seen this somewhere before…”“The Shining Bran.”The only light came from the flashlights Tae Woowon and Jane held, yet the 55-carat transparent diamond emitted a dazzling glow. Anyone with a slight interest in expensive jewelry would recognize the Shining Bran.“Oh! Right! Wow, Jo Seonggil had this.”The Shining Bran was last seen at an auction 21 years ago. It seemed fitting for something that might end up in Chairman Lee’s safe. Tae Woowon noticed Jane’s intense gaze on the necklace as he took it from the box and tucked it away. Between the Redtarite and the Shining Bran, Tae Woowon was carrying around approximately 21 billion won worth of valuables.“Let’s finish this quickly and get out of here. This is getting heavy.”“Should I carry something for you? I’m strong.”“No, thank you.”“I’m really strong, you know. I even brought a bag with lots of pockets just for this.”Ignoring her, Tae Woowon walked past the glass case and went further inside, where he encountered a checkerboard-patterned iron door. He let out a small laugh.“Why are you laughing? Is it because you don’t trust me? I swear I wouldn’t be greedy….”“Are you lucky?”“What?”“I’m asking if you’re good at guessing.”“Uh…”Only then did Jane turn to look at the checkerboard door. She lightly brushed her fingers over the surface. The blocks were raised just enough to press like buttons.“What’s this?”“Minesweeper.”Jane’s mouth dropped open in shock.“I’m asking if you’re lucky. We’ll have to press one to start.”“…What happens if we press a mine?”“How would I know? Go ahead and press one.”“Do you trust me?”“No. I just think your luck might be better than mine. Stop talking and press…”Before he even finished, Jane glared at him, moving her finger around before pressing one block firmly. Everything was quiet. The block stayed down and didn’t come back up; nothing happened.“Looks like we pressed…”Rumble! Jane’s eyes widened as she turned to see a large metal door slowly descending from the ceiling near the second door. Tae Woon and Jane exchanged glances.“Looks like two more tries and it’ll be fully closed, right?”“…Yeah.”With a nod, Tae Woowon picked two more blocks next to the one Jane pressed and pushed them simultaneously. Click. A nearby safe block sank without incident. After repeating the process several times, they had cleared two-thirds of the checkerboard. The problem was now.“One more guess.”“…You do it, sir. I don’t have confidence.”Luck tended to wane when confidence was low. Tae Woowon stared at the blocks, pressing one at random. Again, a loud clang sounded, and the iron door descended even further. Only one try remained.“Seems like neither of us are lucky.”“I used to be. But I think you drained it by hogging all the good food.”“I still won’t share.”Tae Woowon resumed the mine-sweeping task, only to find himself needing luck one last time as he neared the end. He faced two remaining blocks, unsure if either was safe.“Ugh, this is so annoying,” he muttered under his breath, catching Jane’s wary glance. She cleared her throat and spoke up.“If you give me Jo Seonggil’s treasure behind this door, I’ll press it. You can stay outside,” she suggested.“Do you want to starve here?” he replied.“I actually have great luck, especially when it’s for something I want.”“Fine. Go ahead.”“Step outside. At least one of us should survive.”“Just press it. As soon as you do, we’ll run together.”“…So, you don’t trust me,” she said, clicking her tongue in mild irritation. Then, she placed her hand on one of the blocks and pressed it down.“Run!” she shouted, bolting through the door’s opening before Woowon. He quickly followed. However, the iron door stopped descending, and they heard the sound of the lock mechanism releasing.“Yes!” Jane cheered and returned beneath the door, her body brimming with excitement as she stepped toward what she believed was her rightful treasure. Tae Woowon followed her through the deactivated minefield and approached the door alongside her. With a firm tug, Jane opened the third door, which was shorter than Woowon but taller than her.Woowon stooped to enter, collected his rock from the glass box, and handed Jo Seonggil’s third treasure to Jane, who unraveled the leather bundle. Her eyes glinted briefly.“Don’t look. It’s a map,” she said as Woowon tried to glance inside. Respecting her wish, he took a step back. Jo Seonggil was rumored to have properties worldwide, which likely meant hidden treasures, and the leather appeared to show a map of them.“Mind if I swipe some of this?” she asked.“Do what you want,” he said, passing her and heading further in.The fourth door was tricky to locate. Flashing their lights around, they saw nothing distinct. Woowon felt the walls for an entrance, while Jane, who had finished inspecting the map, approached.“I’m going to be rich,” she declared.“Okay, just help me find the door.”“On it,” she said with a cheerful tone, pressing herself against the opposite wall to search.“This is the last one, right?”“That’s right.”After knocking along the wall, Woowon tilted his head in thought. If this was the final door, maybe it wasn’t on the wall. He crouched down, sweeping his hand along the floor until he felt a tiny indentation.“Shine the light here.”A brighter beam illuminated his hand as he sat down. Woowon removed his glove and felt the floor, spotting a small hole. He pulled out a specialized tool from his pocket, inserted the thinnest part into the hole, and heard a click.“Check the other side,” he told her.“Got it,” she replied, crouching down to do the same. They found two more holes and, after inserting tools into each, a perfectly cut floor panel popped up. The fit was so tight it was impossible to detect, despite their thorough sweep.“Wow, that’s some precise engineering.”Jane grabbed the lifted floor and pulled it out, revealing another glass box, though too deep to reach.“…Can’t reach it, huh?” she asked.“No. Can you fit down there?”They shared a resigned look and shook their heads. There had to be a way to retrieve it without diving in. Tae Woowon’s mother wouldn’t have created a vault that made retrieval impossible—she believed treasures were meant to be found.Woowon stood up and examined the ceiling. It was high enough to conceal something above. Catching on, Jane examined the ceiling and spotted two small holes similar to those on the floor.They inserted metal rods into the holes, releasing a concealed panel. Woowon removed it and peered inside to see a tempting pull handle. He recalled old toilets, wondering if pulling it would bring the ceiling down or lock all the doors.“…Guess we pull it?” Jane asked, her face uncertain.“Probably?”Pushing his anxiety aside, Woowon pulled the handle, and the glass box rose slowly from the floor.“What kind of mechanism is this?”“Don’t ask me.”By now, Woowon was feeling the weight of the task. He opened the glass box, took out the fourth stone and Jo Seonggil’s final treasure—a leather-bound ledger.“…Is that…?”“It’s a ledger.”This ledger contained records of Jo Seonggil’s illegal deals and trade secrets from 20 years ago, along with incriminating evidence. With this, he could negotiate with Jo Seonggil, though the risk to his life was significant. Woowon hesitated—was it worth the danger?“Do you hear that?” Jane asked, pressing her ear against the wall. Woowon crouched, hearing a faint sound of rushing water.“Oh, please, no,” he muttered, stuffing the ledger and other items into a waterproof pouch. Jane was already moving quickly, packing her things.“So, this place really is next to an artificial lake?”“Yeah.”“And the handle we pulled was the equivalent of a flush button.”Thud! Before she could finish, a heavy sound reverberated as if the iron door had finally closed for good.“Please tell me that’s not true.”She scowled as Tae Woowon slung his bag over his shoulder and scanned the ceiling. There was no way they’d be left to drown here. If, as Jane said, they were close to an artificial lake, there had to be an exit somewhere.“Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true. What riches did I expect to gain from breaking into Jo Seonggil’s vault?” he grumbled.“Save the cursing for after we get out—find an exit first!” she retorted.“There has to be one for us to find!”“There is. Just keep looking.”“And how would you know that?”“They’ve got to leave a way out for the smart ones. Otherwise, what’s the point of trapping us?”“That sounds like something a psychopath would say!”“Have you never played an escape room?”“Have you?”“No.”“Oh, damn it all!” Jane shouted, kicking the floor dramatically before pressing herself against the wall to search. Water was rising quickly, pouring in torrents from the iron door.“Here! It’s melting!” she shouted, holding a lighter. Tae Woowon rushed over to help, scraping away at the wax with his knife as they melted the wall together. A torch would’ve been better, but they managed with the lighter, thankfully, since the wax-covered area wasn’t that big. Still, they had no certainty this was the escape. Without speaking, Tae Woowon and Jane worked fast, scraping off nearly all the wax as the water rose up to their waists. Muttering under her breath, Jane slipped her hand into the hole they’d exposed.“There’s a space in here.”“Is it all the way open?”“No, just a deep, square recess. Nothing to grab onto.”Woowon paused, examining the hole. The ceiling piece they’d removed earlier might fit. He waded over to where they’d tossed the piece and returned to the hole, while Jane worked more carefully on the remaining wax.“Move your hand,” he instructed.On her tiptoes and out of breath, Jane stepped back, and Woowon pressed the piece into the hole, shoving it hard. The water and wax made it hard to insert, but with a few hits, it started sliding in bit by bit.“Well, it’s been fun, Boss,” Jane quipped, drawing a deep breath and diving. Woowon took one final breath, submerged, and struck the piece hard, pushing it with all his weight and kicking it firmly. Though it seemed to fit perfectly, nothing happened. Frustrated, he wedged it in even deeper until—snap!—it slid fully into place. The wall gave a slight tremor. Woowon grabbed the frowning Jane beside him, and in the next moment, the floor dropped open, pulling them down like water flushing from a toilet.The powerful current left them disoriented as Woowon gritted his teeth, holding his hand over Jane’s mouth and nose to prevent her from gasping. Panic was their enemy now, but they still had air left. The lake wasn’t far; they’d be out soon. Just as he’d hoped, they soon surfaced at the lake’s waterline.“Gasp! Phew!”