Surviving Among the Letters

“Mmph… ugh…”

Remy and I had found a spot in the back of a truck in the corner of the transport bay, trying to get some sleep.

While Remy had quickly drifted off, I couldn’t manage to fall asleep, even after hours had passed.

My body was utterly exhausted.

After all, I was now inhabiting the body of a young girl. I had been sold, crammed into a military truck for hours, and now faced a 13-hour flight aboard this transport plane.

On top of that, the only sustenance I’d had was two pieces of bread and a cup of water.

But the real reason I couldn’t sleep was simple.

Who could possibly sleep in a situation like this?

Just yesterday—or was it the day before?—I’d been lying in bed, casually scrolling through my phone. The stark contrast made this nightmare feel completely unreal.

And the things I’d seen today only made it worse.

Earlier, there had been a boy banging on the transport plane’s hatch, trying desperately to get out.

“Open… open up! Open uu—aaaaah!”

“What’s all this noise? I was wondering what was going on, and it’s just another idiot throwing a tantrum.”

At some point, a soldier had approached the boy from behind, grabbed him by the ankle, and hoisted him upside down.

With his free hand, the soldier tapped his earpiece and spoke.

“Control room. Crack the hatch open just a little. Yeah, I know it’s risky. Don’t worry—I’ve got a lunatic here who keeps trying to open it, so I figured I’d grant his wish.”

The boy’s face drained of color as the realization hit him.

“No! Please! Don’t do this! I won’t do it again! Please!”

“Yeah, sure. Oh, and I’ll buy you a drink later. After this is done.”

Ignoring the boy’s frantic pleas, the soldier continued his conversation.

Screeeech!

A small hatch near the wall of the plane creaked open, just wide enough for a person to fit through.

“Oh, didn’t notice that little hatch before.”

“No! Please! Don’t do this! I swear I’ll be quiet! Plea—aaaaaaahhh!”

As the air rushed out, creating a fierce wind, the soldier tossed the boy out without hesitation.

The boy’s final screams faded into silence.

Clank!

The hatch closed, and the soldier scanned the rest of us, his cold gaze lingering on each face.

He didn’t say a word, but his eyes conveyed a clear message:

Make a sound, and you’ll end up like him. Sit down and shut up.

With that, the soldier quietly exited through the door.

But that wasn’t the only thing that shook me today.

Another incident had occurred during the meal distribution earlier.

Remy and I had just finished eating the meager portions of bread and water and were idly passing the time.

“Blanco, do you think they’d give us more if we asked?”

“Probably not.”

“Well, they wouldn’t hit me just for asking, right?”

“That depends on who you ask.”

“The guy handing out food seemed nice, though.”

“Wait until they’re done handing everything out. If there’s anything left, maybe they’ll give you some.”

“Hmm. Good idea!”

As we discussed the possibility, a loud commotion drew our attention to another part of the bay.

“Give it back!”

A scrawny boy was flailing, trying to grab his bread from a larger boy, who held it just out of reach.

From the looks of it, the larger boy had stolen the smaller one’s bread, and the smaller boy was fighting desperately to get it back.

Annoyed by the scrawny boy’s persistence, the larger boy punched him in the stomach.

“Ugh! Gaaaah! Hrk!”

The smaller boy crumpled to the ground, clutching his abdomen and gasping for air.

The larger boy smirked, clearly pleased with himself, and was about to take a bite of the stolen bread when—

Bang!

A single gunshot rang out, and the larger boy collapsed, blood pooling around his chest.

Turning toward the source of the shot, I saw the soldier who had been handing out food—Remy’s “nice-looking guy”—holding a smoking pistol.

“Clean-up crew, get over here and deal with this,” the soldier barked, gesturing at the body.

A team arrived to remove the corpse, and the soldier resumed handing out food as if nothing had happened.

Remy leaned toward me, whispering softly.

“Yeah… no way I’m asking for more.”

But I was too stunned to respond, still reeling from the sight of my first corpse.

“Are you okay?”

Remy’s voice broke through my daze. She looked genuinely concerned.

Instead of answering, I turned the question back on her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah! That makes sense. I’ve seen stuff like that plenty of times. Blanco, you must’ve grown up really sheltered! I mean, you’re smart and all, but that explains it. Hmm… curiosity satisfied!”

“…Huh.”

I knew that kids like Remy existed, even in the real world.

In war-torn regions or places with poor security, seeing dead bodies was probably a regular occurrence.

But knowing about such things and actually witnessing them firsthand were two entirely different experiences. The weight of it hit me harder than I had anticipated.

“How old are you again?”

“Huh? Twelve!”

Right.

A world where even a twelve-year-old could be desensitized to corpses.

Judging from our surroundings, Remy wasn’t the only one who had grown used to such horrors.

Even with those thoughts swirling in my head, I tried to sleep. But, of course, it was impossible.

I spent hours lying still with my eyes closed while Remy slept soundly beside me.

Then, the sound of a door opening and the echo of multiple footsteps broke the silence.

WEEEEEOOOOOOOO!

A deafening siren blared through the plane.

“Ah! What’s going on? Is it monsters? Monsters—oh, wait, no… Huh! Blanco, did you sleep well?”

“…Yeah.”

“Let’s go! I think we’ve arrived.”

The fact that her immediate reaction to the siren was “monsters” gnawed at my already frayed nerves.

But Remy didn’t seem bothered. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the truck.

Outside, the kids, initially scattered and confused, were quickly lined up into rows under the soldiers’ orders.

One soldier, clearly someone important judging by his badges and commanding presence, stepped forward to address the group.

“How many died?”

“Two.”

“Not bad this time. I guess everyone behaved?”

“Well…”

“Spit it out.”

“One of Alpha Team’s guys opened the hatch and threw a kid out.”

“…What a lunatic. Should I commend him or punish him?”

The soldiers were speaking in Korean.

It was obvious they felt no need to censor themselves since none of the children could understand.

None, except me.

“Put the translators on the kids,” the man ordered.

At his command, soldiers approached us one by one, fitting each child’s wrist with a bracelet-like device.

According to the soldier, it was a translator.

A bracelet-shaped translator? Was magic involved?

“Alright, can you all understand me now? This is a translator—a joint creation by the Magic Tower and Paradise’s researchers.”

So, it really was magic.

“And it’s not just a translator. It also has a tracking function. Don’t even think about running away. Our boss doesn’t leave a single escapee alive.”

The soldier grinned darkly, his words leaving no room for interpretation.

Suddenly, the plane jolted as it began its descent, and everyone was thrown slightly forward.

After a moment, the plane stabilized and shifted into a vertical landing before finally touching down.

Screech!

Bang!

The transport bay doors opened fully, revealing the scene outside.

Soldiers stood in formation, and scattered among them were researchers in white lab coats.

“Follow them. Stay in line and behave. Got it?”

The soldier gave one last command before descending to the ground and disappearing into the crowd.

“Hurry up!”

A soldier barked at me when I hesitated, and I reluctantly followed the others out of the plane.

After walking for several minutes, the place we were heading toward came into view.

Wide-open fields surrounded buildings designed with stark efficiency.

It was unmistakably a research facility.

Upon entering through the glass doors, the group was separated by gender.

The girls and I were eventually led to a sterile white room with a few benches.

The soldier who had escorted us disappeared, and we were greeted by a black-haired female researcher.

“Welcome. You must be the new test subjects. See the clothes on the benches? Change into those and wait here.”

Most of the girls hesitated, unsure of what to do, until one braver girl began changing. Her actions prompted the others to follow suit.

I, too, removed the plain shirt I had been wearing and put on the white experimental uniform.

“Is everyone ready? Let’s go. The director wants to meet you.”

We were lined up in two rows and marched forward.

At some point, Remy appeared beside me, sticking close as usual.

After passing through several doors, we finally arrived at a massive laboratory where the boys were already waiting.

“Director Messier! The girls are here!”

“Good.”

The man addressed as Director Messier stepped into view, his curly blue hair giving him a striking and unusual appearance.

He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s—surprisingly young for someone in charge of such a facility.

When he spoke, his voice was calm but commanding.

“This is the Paradise Psychic Research Facility, and I am its director, Messier Atreia. Nice to meet you.”

“…”

“I see. No one’s happy to be here. Understandable. But don’t worry too much. This isn’t an illegal facility. You can tell just by the name, can’t you? Paradise.”

An illegal facility? Really?

“You’re valuable test subjects we’ve purchased, and of course, your rights will be respected. In fact, this might be the best treatment you’ve ever received in your lives.”

Was I hearing things?

The research facility I’d read about in the novel was infamous for horrific human experimentation.

“My philosophy is simple: test subjects should always be in optimal condition. Sure, it’s costly, but there’s no other way.”

Had the story somehow changed?

“Let’s all hope for excellent experimental results.”

As Messier smiled, his expression sent a chill down my spine.

At that moment, I realized the story hadn’t deviated from the original.

That smile—there was something unhinged about it.

It was the face of someone who had abandoned everything in pursuit of a singular goal.

A true mad scientist.

Every instinct screamed that this man was dangerous.