The door to Room 3 hadn't been opened in years.
Or at least, that's what the receptionist claimed when Haru asked.
"Storage, maybe? Used to be a vocal booth before the remodel," she said, flipping through a clipboard without looking up.
But Haru knew better.
Because when he stood outside Room 3 that evening, keycard in hand, his chest clenched like it recognized the air inside.
Seojun was right behind him.
"You sure about this?"
Haru nodded once. "She was sent here. Whatever happened to her started in this room."
The hallway was empty.
No one to stop them.
He scanned the keycard.
A soft click.
The door opened.
Dust hit first. Then the sharp tang of stale electronics.
Inside, it looked ordinary. A long-unused training room. A dusty piano. Folded mats in one corner. A cracked mirror half-covered with blackout cloth.
Seojun stepped in behind him. "Smells like old wires and regret."
Haru didn't answer. He was already walking to the center.
Minju appeared as soon as he crossed the faded line of tape on the floor.
"This is where I collapsed," she said. "Right here."
She pointed to the scuff marks.
"I thought it was just exhaustion. But my heart... it skipped. I couldn't move. The trainer yelled, told me to stand up. But I couldn't."
Her voice trembled.
Haru reached out, hand hovering near hers. "What did they do?"
Minju looked away. "They moved me. Told the others to say I left. Transferred. Then they locked this room."
Seojun's jaw clenched. "No report. No ambulance. Nothing."
Minju nodded. "They made me vanish."
A loud thud cut through the silence.
Haru and Seojun both turned.
The door had shut.
They hadn't touched it.
Seojun ran to open it. "Locked. What the—"
Then the light above flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then burst.
Darkness.
Minju's form flared like a flare in the dark.
"He's coming," she whispered. "The one who smiled at the camera."
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Someone was unlocking the outer security panel.
Haru stepped forward, voice steady. "Let them come."
Because now, finally, they had proof.
And he wasn't running anymore.