I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER

Chapter 154: Park Jisoo...

***

(Back in the arena)

By the time Team Three disappeared into their portal, the atmosphere inside the arena had changed completely.

The earlier panic, the screaming, the arguing... it had all settled into something quieter now. Heavier. Everyone remaining understood the pattern already. Every "scenario" came wrapped in a different kind of nightmare, no matter how harmless it first appeared.

And above them—

The bunny announcer simply watched.

She leaned lightly against the railing, chin resting against one palm as her gaze drifted lazily toward Team Four. Unlike before, there was no dramatic introduction this time. No spinning wheel. No teasing buildup.

Just that same strange smile.

"You know what to do," she said casually, flicking one ear slightly. "I don’t think I need to repeat myself."

Below, Team Four exchanged brief glances.

No one argued.

At this point, what exactly was there left to say?

The portal waited silently before them, its surface glowing softly beneath the arena lights. Compared to the others, it still looked absurdly peaceful. Warm classroom light spilled faintly from within, carrying distant chatter and the illusion of something normal.

One by one, they began walking toward it.

Edur first, the Goated old man who’s a day one.

Then the twins.

Seong followed calmly after, though her eyes briefly shifted toward Si Hon before stepping through.

Aeloria hesitated for half a second beside him, arms crossing tightly as if she wanted to say something but decided against it.

Then she clicked her tongue softly and walked in too.

Si Hon ended up last.

Naturally.

He stared at the portal for a brief moment, expression unreadable as warm sunlight flickered across its surface. Somewhere behind him, the arena crowd still murmured softly, their voices blending into distant static beneath the massive projections floating overhead.

Then—

portal moved.

Not rippled.

Not flickered.

Unlike the other portal, this one...

Moved.

Its surface suddenly twisted inward before violently pulling outward a second later, stretching wide like something opening its jaws. The light warped unnaturally, the edges twitching like a torn flesh instead of magic, and before anyone could properly react—

The portal swallowed them.

Not entered.

Swallowed.

The entire group vanished instantly as the distorted light snapped shut behind them with a sound wetly sharp enough to make several people in the arena flinch.

For one brief moment during the SWALLOWING~

Si Hon saw her.

The bunny announcer.

Not above the arena anymore.

Below.

Standing barefoot on the sand beneath everything, like the entire stadium had somehow shifted upside down around her. She stared forward directly at him, smiling softly while lifting one hand in a slow little wave.

Like she had been waiting for this part specifically.

Then—

Light exploded across his vision.

Bright.

Blinding.

His eyes— no... their eyes shut instinctively as the sensation of falling disappeared completely.

***

(Si Hon)

Warmth.

That was the first thing he felt.

Not heat.

Not pain.

Just warmth wrapped loosely around his body like sunlight through thin fabric. Like, first thing in the morning when u wake up, the sun was already kissing you passionately.

Then came weight.

Something resting against his face.

Si Hon frowned slightly before opening his eyes.

His vision blurred immediately, strange shapes swimming in front of him until instinctively, his hand reached upward and pulled something away.

Glasses.

He stared at them blankly for a second.

"Glasses?"

Confusion settled into his expression almost immediately as he slowly looked around.

"Wait... what happened?"

The moment his eyes properly adjusted—

A cold shiver crawled violently down his spine.

A classroom.

He was sitting inside a classroom.

Morning sunlight poured softly through wide windows beside him, casting long golden streaks across polished desks and pale brown tiled floors. The low hum of students talking— whispering filled the air while pages turned lazily somewhere nearby. Outside, tree branches swayed gently beneath bright blue skies, shadows dancing against the glass in slow rhythm with the wind.

Everything looked...

Normal.

Too normal.

And that was exactly why his stomach dropped.

Because he knew this room.

Too well.

His desk sat near the front beside the window. Three rows ahead of the teacher’s podium. Slight scratch marks along the edge of the wood. Even the tiny ink stain near the corner was still there.

The familiarity hit him all at once.

"Fuck," he muttered quietly beneath his breath, eyes widening slightly. "ಠ⁠,⁠_⁠｣⁠ಠ"

The chair screeched loudly against the floor as he suddenly stood up.

Every head in the classroom turned instantly.

At the front, the teacher froze mid lecture before frowning sharply.

"Eun Wo!" she snapped. "What exactly are you doing standing up in the middle of class?"

Si Hon barely heard her.

(Eun Wo...)

His thoughts spiraled violently for a second.

(Shit. Shit, shit—)

He looked around quickly now, trying to stabilize himself against the growing sense of unreality clawing through his chest.

This wasn’t just similar.

It was exact.

Beside him sat a pink-haired girl staring upward with wide, confused eyes, clearly caught between concern and annoyance at his sudden breakdown. A pen still rested loosely in her fingers while her notebook remained open across the desk.

"What’s wrong with you? ಠ–⁠ಠ" she whispered quietly.

But Si Hon’s attention had already shifted past her.

Toward the back left corner of the classroom.

A familiar figure sat there.

Seong.

Her expression mirrored his own confusion, though quieter somehow. She stared down at both of her hands like she was checking whether they truly belonged to her before slowly lifting her gaze.

And then she noticed him.

Their eyes met briefly across the classroom.

Recognition.

Immediate.

Sharp.

But Si Hon pushed that aside almost instantly, his gaze moving again, searching the opposite side of the room now.

Far right corner.

Last row.

There.

(Park Jisoo.)

The protagonist.

The regressor. The one who Returns by death.

She sat slumped against her desk with her arms folded beneath her head, looking entirely uninterested in the class around her. Black hair spilled messily across the desk while sunlight barely touched the edge of her seat near the wall.

Like the rest of the room simply didn’t matter to her.

Beside him, the pink haired girl glanced toward the back too before frowning.

"Jisoo?" she muttered softly. "What’s wrong with her?"

At the front, even the teacher looked irritated now, grip tightening slightly around the marker in her hand.

"Park Jisoo," she called sharply. "If you intend to sleep through my class again, you may leave."