Chapter 3 The Lobby with No Exit

If a lobby was meant to be a place of welcome, this one had no desire to receive anyone. The atmosphere was far from friendly, and the temperature seemed to drop with every passing minute. The glass walls, which should have been clear, now reflected not only their surroundings—but shadows that didn’t belong to anyone in the room.

There were no further announcements from the speakers, yet no one dared speak louder than a whisper.

We’re trapped, Kawin thought, scanning the room again.

The lights remained on, but there wasn’t a single hum of electrical equipment. Absolute silence. Each wall was made of opaque glass, blocking any view outside. The ceiling was so high that it was impossible to tell if there were any surveillance cameras.

Still, everyone felt the same unsettling truth—

Something was watching them.

Not through cameras. Through something else. Something hidden, but undeniably present. Though it had no visible form, its presence was felt by everyone.

“I’m going home,” said a middle-aged woman named Mok. She headed straight for the entrance.

“Don’t,” Praewa stepped in her path. “We don’t know what will happen to us. Maybe... doing anything outside of the rules—like refusing to play along—could get us punished.”

“What kind of stupid rules punish you just for leaving? That wasn’t even listed!” Mok snapped back.

“You can’t leave,” Kawin interrupted.

“Why not?!”

Ith stepped forward. “Because someone already acknowledged the agreement on the screen. Don’t you remember?”

Mok froze. A single bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her confident eyes began to waver.

“We have to keep going... until it ends,” Ith said firmly.

A strange sound broke the silence. Kawin turned sharply toward one of the aquariums. Something was happening. Bubbles rose from within, even though none had been visible before—like someone had turned on an air pump.

“Wait!” Ith called out, reading from the central screen.

"OBSERVATION STARTED. RULE ONE IN EFFECT. ALL MOVEMENT BEING LOGGED. FAILURE TO COMPLY IS TRANSFORMATION."

“Transformation?” Ith whispered. “It didn’t say punishment. It said... transformation.”

“Transform into what?” Kawin asked.

“That’s what’s terrifying,” Arisa murmured. “Because it might not mean death... it might be worse.”

A short laugh burst from Miki. “Haha, great. So we just sit here and wait for someone to get hurt? What is this, a horror game?” She lifted her phone. “I’m going live. People need to know what’s happening.”

She opened TikTok—but her screen turned black. Then, an image appeared: a live video of her, standing in the lobby. But her movements on screen were delayed by about two seconds.

"What the hell...?” she gasped. “How did this get on my feed? Who uploaded it?”

Before anyone could answer, the screen changed. It now showed her with closed eyes, and a dark, glowing, fish-like shadow hovering above her head.

She screamed and threw the phone. It hit the floor, screen shattered. No one laughed. No one spoke.

They all saw it too.

A fleeting shadow reflected in the back wall’s glass flickered for a moment—then disappeared.

Ith stepped forward and touched the spot. “It’s colder here… colder than the rest of the wall.”

Praewa scanned the room. Her voice trembled. “Have you noticed... the layout is changing?”

Kawin rushed to the aquarium map beside the table. A moment ago, it showed three main halls and one control corridor. But now, a new section had appeared.

"ZONE F: OBSERVATION CHAMBER – ACTIVE"

"RULE IN PROGRESS: 01"

"UNAUTHORIZED EXIT ATTEMPT DETECTED."

“Someone tried to leave?” Arisa asked, looking around.

No one confessed. But all eyes turned to Mok, who stood closest to the door.

"What?! I was just thinking about it! I wasn’t actually going to leave! I swear!” she stammered.

No one accused her.

But the floor beneath Mok glowed pale blue for a moment—then faded.

She stumbled back to her seat, trembling. “It knows what I’m thinking...”

Then, from the farthest corner of the lobby, a soft sound emerged.

Everyone turned to an aquarium. At first, it looked normal. But then—a thin crack appeared on the glass.

“Did someone touch it?” Ith asked nervously.

Everyone shook their heads. No one confessed.

Miki looked at her shattered phone on the floor.

She remembered now. Just before she took the photo—she had rested her hand on the glass. Just briefly. Just to steady herself and get a better shot.

“I think... I accidentally touched the glass earlier,” Miki admitted, voice trembling.

A whisper echoed.

Everyone froze.

It didn’t come from the speakers.

It came from inside the water.

Don’t… touch… the glass...

Something in the tank began to move. Slowly.

A dark shape. No eyes. No face. Yet it made everyone feel as though it was staring right at them.