GDCG c298

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Chapter 298

There were people inside the train.

Not just Go Yeongeun, but ordinary-looking civilians as well.

"….…!!"

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 

But there was no time to be sentimental!

"G-Get on first!"

"Yes!"

At Yeongeun's urgent words, my group and I hurried to push ourselves into the subway car—

"Don't!"

Something shot out from behind Yeongeun and jabbed my shoulder, shoving me backward.

It was a mop handle with duct tape wrapped around one end.

"...!"

Then more things came flying toward us in a rush.

"Get off! Get off!"

"Don't let them board! We don't even know who they are!"

"No, wait—!"

The people inside the train were thrusting improvised poles made from household items at us, trying to force us back out through the doors.

The rejection on their faces.

Their hostility toward outsiders.

Their fear.

"Don't get on!"

"W-Wait a minute! They're people I know! They're not going to cause any trouble—"

"How the hell are we supposed to know that?!"

A middle-aged man in a padded jacket shouted at Go Yeongeun.

"Then you get off instead!"

"Yeah! Get off!"

"Sir, please calm down!"

'Shit!'

They looked ready to throw Yeongeun out too.

'This is escalating...!'

Even if we forced our way in physically, it would only make things worse for Yeongeun.

I quickly thought through my options.

'Something we can negotiate with.'

These were people who had probably been trapped in Segwang Special City for years.

It had to be something direct. Something that would immediately matter to them. 

"We'll share food!"

“…!"

"We have edible supplies! Packaged food!"

Pretending to reach into my pocket, I pulled out a military ration and held it up.

“…!"

Something like hunger—raw, desperate hunger—flashed across their faces.

"We have more."

"Hand it over first!"

"We'll give it to you if you let us board!"

I pulled the food back. The people looked at each other uncertainly. 

"Coming through! Doors are closing!"

Then—

The platform screen doors are closing.

The moment the passengers exchanged glances and cautiously stepped back, we quickly slipped inside.

"......Whew."

We made it.

Hummmmm...

The train began moving.

But inside, we stood apart from the others as if separated by an invisible wall. Facing the civilians. 

“.......”

“.......”

'...About twenty people.'

Meeting a large group of ordinary civilians inside a ghost story.

The agent most accustomed to these situations spoke first.

"...Are you citizens of Segwang Special City?"

"That's a strange question coming from someone who clearly isn't—"

The middle-aged man in the padded jacket suddenly realized something.

"Wait. You're not from here? You came from outside!"

"......!"

"W-Wait! Recently? Is there a breach somewhere? You came through that, didn't you?!"

"Yeah! There's no way you'd look that healthy otherwise!"

People immediately crowded toward us.

"Can you get out? How did you get in?"

"There's a way out?"

"They got in! These people know how to leave this place—"

Their reaction bordered on madness. Like moths swarming toward a light. 

But Agent Bronze was exactly the kind of person who would honestly answer with 'No'. Not good! 

"Please wait a moment!"

I raised my hand and stepped in. 

"We woke up a few days ago on the platform of Casino Station. ...Has anyone else here experienced something similar?"

“.......”

"We still don't know what exactly happened to this city—"

"Tch."

The middle-aged man in the padded jacket clicked his tongue.

His expression changed. He glanced between us and Go Yeongeun and frowned. 

"Same as her. Nothing special. Tsk tsk."

“.......”

"Still, let's see if you've got anything useful."

The madness subsided.

But something else replaced it.

Greed. Desire. 

The primitive hunger for supplies.

"You boarded, so show us all the food you've got."

"I refuse."

Section Chief!

"W-What?"

"You do not possess the authority to privatize public transportation and charge passengers for access."

"The hell—"

The man jabbed at Section Chief Lee Jaheon's chest with his mop handle. Only for his arm to be caught instantly. 

"Urk!"

Clatter!

The pole rolled across the floor. The man desperately tried to yank his arm free. But no matter how hard he struggled, Section Chief Lee Jaheon didn't budge an inch. 

"Stop."

"H-Huh?"

"AAAAAH!"

Panic spread through the train car. Several people ran toward the rear, apparently trying to fetch someone. Damn it! 

"Section Chief, it's alright. Given the circumstances, I think it'd be better to share some food."

"Oh dear, that's right. Our Section Chief is just very strong. He only grabbed him, but things got out of hand. How about letting him go so we can continue talking, Section Chief?"

"Yes."

Section Chief Lee Jaheon released him. The middle-aged man stumbled backward, grabbed his mop handle, and retreated behind the crowd.

Fear filled his eyes.

And once again, hostility.

“.......”

"Roe Deer. This is actually better. At least now they won't take us for suckers. "

Eun Haje whispered quietly.

'...I understand what she means.'

Six healthy adults couldn't easily be absorbed into a small, closed-off group like this. 

'Better to negotiate from a position of strength than be treated like easy prey.'

The problem was that this was Yeongeun's home. But... 

'The way they're treating Yeongeun bothers me.'

I had a bad feeling.

"Conductor!" 

"You let people aboard?" 

Slide.

Someone wearing a cap emerged from the front car—the driver's compartment.

Apparently the person the others had gone to fetch. 

He looked to be around the same age as the middle-aged man. Thin lips. A somewhat sly appearance with a conductor's hat.

He was probably the leader of this train shelter.

"Hello."

But instead of returning the greeting, he looked our group up and down and said—

"Who do you think you are? Huh? You come into a safe place that other people built, and instead of bowing your head and saying, 'Thank you very much,' you start laying hands on people

"He didn't hit—"

"Doesn't matter. Get off."

A few people who had backed away earlier immediately regained their courage.

"Yeah! Make them get off!"

"The nerve of these people!"

"The world's already gone to hell, and they came here to steal the shelter we built!" 

Fear. Suspicion. Rejection. The conductor waved his hand dismissively. 

"Either all of you get off, or start begging for forgiveness!"

"Sir, wait a moment…"

"Yeongeun. Why are you such an idiot?"

Go Yeongeun froze.

"I only let you stay because you said your aunt was a medical student. Then it turns out you're not even a doctor and you're on leave from school. You know a little first aid and suddenly think you're special?"

Yeongeun's face flushed red. Then turned pale. 

"You don't even know what you're doing, and now you're bringing outsiders in too. Seriously..."

Enough. 

"Wait." 

"Let's stop this." 

"...!"

My voice overlapped with someone else's. 

The speaker sounded out of breath, as if she had hurried over from the first car. 

A woman in her forties wearing a navy vest labeled 'Segwang Transportation Corporation.'

"W-Well, Station Agent, it's just—"

"Do you know how long it's been since we've seen normal people in here? If they're friends of Yeongeun's, then we can hear news from outside."

"...Yeah, yeah. Fine."

The conductor instantly lost momentum. 

So did the people supporting him. 

"I'll handle this discussion. Everyone else, please return to your seats." 

"......."

The gathered crowd hesitated before dispersing. 

I could even see some people who had stayed silent out of fear of causing trouble letting out sighs of relief. 

Tap. 

The conductor brushed my shoulder as he walked past. 

I heard him mutter: 

"Throwing her weight around because it's her niece."

“...….”

I quietly stuck out my leg.

The conductor let out a startled yelp and nearly face-planted before barely catching himself. Breathing angrily, he turned toward me. 

'What?'

I stared back as if to say, 'Didn't you trip over my foot by accident?' He flinched, then turned around and left.

'Hoo.'

I rubbed my neck.

Feeling someone's gaze, I turned my head. Baek Saheon met my eyes. Then immediately flinched and looked away. 

'He's acting the same way.'

Still, there was a useful clue there. 

Strong against the weak, weak against the strong. 

This train seemed filled with people who were highly hostile toward outsiders and had long since reduced themselves to pure survival instinct.

'Maybe that's inevitable after being trapped here for years.'

"Thank you for helping us." 

"Not at all." 

As I listened to the station employee speaking with Eun Haje, who had stepped forward as our representative, I took the opportunity to look around the train.

[Hmm. It looks like a camper van occupied by homeless people. Not exactly a pleasant sight.]

It was a rather blunt description, but it actually looked fairly cozy.

The train car was filled with blankets, bowls, and miscellaneous household items.

Anyone could tell people were living here. Every seat had bedding or personal belongings piled around it. Even the floor near the doors had decent-quality coats and half of a salvaged mattress spread out on it. 

And every single window had been covered with newspaper.

As though deliberately isolating the inside from the outside. Preventing people from seeing in. Or out. 

"...…."

Wary eyes watched us.

"Looks like about twenty-five people spread across two cars. So if we estimate the total population… Hmm."

"It would be better to continue this conversation after getting off."

Simply making it obvious that we were assessing their numbers could be interpreted as a threat.

However, it seemed someone had focused on a different part of that exchange.

"P-Please don't leave yet. You need somewhere safe to stay, don't you?" 

It was Go Yeongeun.

"So... I'll talk to my aunt and try to work something out..."

"Ms. Goral." 

I bowed my head first.

"Thank you very much. For letting us board despite everything."

"...…."

She had personally witnessed me die, covered in blood, and missing pieces of my body. Under those circumstances, anyone would suspect my reappearance was some kind of ghost story phenomenon. 

And she herself clearly wasn't in a particularly welcomed position here.

"But I kept my promise and came back safely." 

It looked as though Yeongeun was holding back tears.

Unable to suppress the surge of emotion, her hands trembled. Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae immediately wrapped her in a tight hug and gently patted her back. 

***

The atmosphere calmed down a little later.

Instead of remaining in the car where the disturbance had occurred, we followed the station employee into the rear cars.

"The atmosphere up front is a little rough. Just come this way."

Only then did we finally hear a proper explanation of how Go Yeongeun had ended up in this shelter.

"...I heard a 'rumor' that an agent named Agent Chogae had established a safe shelter somewhere on a subway train." 

"...An agent from the Disaster Management Bureau?"

"I think so."

Judging by Agent Bronze's expression after hearing the name—

'He doesn't recognize it.'

Then most likely... a member of the Azure Dragon Team. 

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my smartphone vibrated.

Train Shelter

One of the few surviving communities inside the sealed Segwang Special City.

A shelter created by surviving members of the Azure Dragon Team who entered the subway system searching for survivors. They modified a train so that its doors would not automatically open when arriving at stations, ensuring safety.

Due to the train's property of reverting to its appearance on the morning of the disaster whenever someone enters, all residents retain the same appearance they had when they first disappeared.

You may be able to purchase special items unique to the Segwang Special City subway system in Car 7.

“...!”

So this... was the Azure Dragon Team's final known location. 

"...Is Agent Chogae still on the train?"

"......No. They say he left for Afternoon Station to gather food supplies... but he never returned. "

"......."

I nodded heavily, and Agent Bronze remained silent.

Then the station employee spoke again. 

"We're here." 

Slide.

The door to Car 7 opened.

And inside…

'...A marketplace?'

-Canned Food Exchange

-Gold Purchased at All Times

Signs made from flattened cardboard boxes hung everywhere, the letters carefully written in thick marker.

People sat on the floor. The seats had old mats spread across them, as though prepared for displaying merchandise. 

Even the priority seating area had makeshift wooden boards attached to create more respectable stalls.

-Inquire Here for Car 8 Lodging Passes

[They resemble street vendors. Crude, but they've done a decent job imitating the concept.]

The commercial district.

The people in this car looked at us with surprise and caution. But unlike the first car, there was far less hostility. 

"Car 7 handles trade with people from outside the train. It's basically neutral territory… At a designated time every Tuesday morning, the doors open and people are allowed inside.."

Ah.

You may be able to purchase special items unique to the Segwang Special City subway system in Car 7.

That's what it meant.

'So this is how they gather survival supplies.'

I frowned slightly at the sign advertising lodging permits for Car 8. Now I understood why the middle-aged man from Car 1 had tried to extort food from us. 

Had he deliberately overreacted?

"If you had entered through this car, there probably wouldn't have been such a big commotion. You were unlucky enough to enter through Car 1. "That's the area managed by the conductor."

"...Have there ever been people who came here to trade and then insisted on staying permanently?"

"There have. But outsiders are absolutely forbidden from spending the night on the train without permission. Only people approved by both the conductor and me are accepted as members."

The way she said it didn't sound like simple policy.

'The agent who built this place must have left some kind of safeguard behind.'

In any case, after speaking with several people in Car 7, the 'station employee' turned toward me and offered her hand again.

"I should introduce myself properly. I handle the rear section of the train. I'm Yeongeun's aunt, and everyone just calls me Station Attendant. I used to work for the subway system before all of this happened."

Wait.

A real station employee? 

"...By any chance, did you know an employee named Heoun at Midnight Station?"

"Heoun?"

The station employee blinked in confusion at the sudden question. Then she answered earnestly. 

"Ah, yes. Lee Heoun."

…!

The full name matched exactly. Every character written on the Cheerful Research Institute ID card. 

'So it really was him.'

"But he wasn't actually a station employee."

"Huh?"

"He was an outside contractor. The type who came to the machine rooms whenever there were technical issues."

The station employee rubbed her chin.

"...Come to think of it, there were a lot of outside personnel constantly moving through the machine rooms at various stations…… Well, I think they were doing something related to smart farms."

Smart farms.

'Growing vegetables underground using artificial systems... something like that?'

"Well, not literally smart farms. They said it was some kind of project researching new materials that could only be processed underground. Anyway, people from headquarters were constantly coming and going."

A special side business.

At that moment, I became certain.

'The Cheerful Research Institute really was here.'

The "new material" was almost certainly dream essence solution.

The Segwang subway system had been a facility secretly used by the Cheerful Research Institute from the beginning.

"...But why are you asking?"

"We found his body at Midnight Station."

I briefly explained about the closure of Hanbit Library and the station office that had become accessible afterward.

"Really? That's strange. He almost never had reason to enter the station office. Still... I understand. So that's what happened."

The response I received was the detached reaction of someone who had witnessed far too many deaths.

In fact, she seemed more surprised by the library's closure.

'Hoo.'

It made sense. She was someone who had lived through a Catastrophe-Level disaster that killed hundreds of thousands.

Which brought me to another question.

"...What exactly happened in Segwang Special City?"

"......Yeongeun didn't know either. So you really don't know."

The station employee's face darkened.

"Then what happened outside? According to Yeongeun, Segwang Special City turned into a ghost story itself. Like the entire region disappeared."

Which wasn't wrong.

And honestly, it was probably better if they knew only that much

...Better than learning that the government agency employing the agent who built this shelter hadn't merely postponed rescue efforts. It had abandoned the entire region and sealed it away.

"That's correct."

"Hoo."

I waited silently for her answer.

"...As for what happened here." 

What happened on the day of the Segwang Special City disaster.

…….

"...To put it simply, it felt like a horror movie"

"I was working at Segwang Station when people suddenly started screaming and running down into the station. Some of them tripped and got crushed on the stairs. I saw people die right there. But nobody stopped running."

Aaaaah!

The scene immediately formed in my mind. Images straight out of disaster movies, horror films, and found-footage recordings.

Shaking camera footage, crowds stampeding down stairways, someone falling, blood, panic, screams, chaos.

"I had no idea what was happening. Then, headquarters radioed us and said it was some kind of terrorist attack. So I made announcements and ran to help however I could. And then I looked outside the station entrance…"

Her voice trembled.

"There were these strange things chasing the people... I could hear their footsteps. "

THUD.

"They looked like giant masses of flesh. Like two or three people had been crushed together into a single body."

THUD.

"It felt unreal. That's what made it feel even more like a movie. Then I realized something."

"They really were made from people clumping together."

 

"People outside the exit were muttering to themselves, and then suddenly they pressed their ears, stopped moving, and their bodies started swelling up. Then they all merged together."

I could picture it.

"Then I heard strange voices. Something about heaven? Paradise... I think it meant something like that…"

…….

"After that... I came to my senses and immediately lowered the fire shutter over the exit to keep that mass of flesh from getting in."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"I still remember the sound of the people who were still alive outside pounding on the shutter. ...And how it gradually became quieter."

The station employee fell silent, her face pale.

"...That's everything I know. I don't think I can explain it again. There have been incidents before when people recalled things like this."

"......I see."

Probably contamination.

"Anyway, for that reason, it would be in your best interest not to think about going outside the subway. ...Not that this place is normal either."

The station employee gave a small nod and soon headed back toward the shelter residents running the market stalls.

[An interesting description. Friend, what do you think?]

What did I think?

'...It really sounds like some kind of bioterror ghost story.'

Biological Hazard.

People muttering strange things and then merging into a mass of flesh.

It felt occult, yet also like a viral infection—the kind of thing that sent chills down your spine.

'So it really was an infection-type ghost story.'

Right.

The ghost story that had erupted in Segwang Special City had been a supernatural hell that infected people like a zombie virus, using humans as hosts and spreading at an incredible speed.

Naturally, I thought of the “teacher” at Segwang Technical High School. And of the bizarre spotted patterns and pulsing flesh that had spread there.

'So the wicked thing that invaded the school... really was the disaster of Segwang Special City.'

...The moment I thought of it, instinctive tension gripped me. I wiped the cold sweat gathered beneath my chin.

One thing still bothered me.

'Paradise? Heaven?'

They said people had been muttering those words. And just before this, I had already seen a related document containing that term. 

For this invitation research,

Use Children's Paradise Syrup

→ My opinion!

Children's Paradise Syrup.

'...Just as I thought.'

No matter how I looked at it, whatever the Cheerful Research Institute had been researching was the cause of the disaster.

And judging by the wording... 

'Was the Cheerful Research Institute conducting an experiment to turn Segwang Special City into a heaven-like paradise through Wish Tickets?'

And this was what happened when it failed in a ghost-story fashion?

But…

'Why did inviting me into this world become a follow-up study to this insane outcome?'

A strange chill crawled over me, and I raised my head.

And then there was this.

Segwang Special City.

Catastrophe-Level Supernatural Disaster.

'...Didn't I originally remember far more about this?'

My chest turned cold.

That's right. I definitely remembered what the ghost story of Segwang Special City had been.

I'd read about it on the wiki.

'That's why I recognized things so quickly during the spy mission.'

If there were clues related to the Cheerful Research Institute, I should have remembered enough details to connect them immediately by now. But...

…….

'At some point, I forgot.'

That, that was probably... 

After I became 130666.

"......."

No way.

'Could this also... be a side effect of the wiki-editing ability?'

No. There was no point sinking into this vague terror right now. 

I needed to escape those thoughts quickly. 

Because I had finally found a lead.

'Among the Cheerful Research Institute facilities located at each station, find one that can actually be visited.'

And by now, I already had more than enough ways to use the Dark Exploration Records even within Segwang Special City.

I gripped my smartphone tightly. 

Every time I checked a station, the wiki updated. That meant I could find clues there and act on them. 

…….

'In that case.'

I looked up. 

The circular-line train had already passed Segwang Station.

“We've gone around once already.” 

“Oh, you can actually see outside from here.” 

The door of Car No. 7 didn't have newspaper taped over the window. 

“Excuse me Station Attendant, if it's alright, would it be okay for us to see whether there's anything here worth trading for?”

“Ah, of course. Though it isn't Tuesday yet, so the merchants might not have much prepared.”

Leaving the others to browse the stalls, I moved closer to the door.

The station employee called out a warning from behind.

“Oh, the doors only open on Tuesdays, so they won't open automatically right now.”

“Yes.”

...It suddenly struck me just how much Go Yeongeun had forced things when the doors to Cars 1 through 3 had opened in front of us.

'Hoo...'

And it was fine that Car No. 7 wasn't opening right now.

Being able to 'check' was what mattered.

This station is Midnight, Midnight Station...

I watched the scenery outside as the train passed the platforms of stations I already knew.

Midnight Station, where the casino had been. Late Night Station, where the library had been. 

And then...

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 

The next station.

This station is Twilight, Twilight Station...

I looked out through the glass.

The platform… It looked bleached white. 

“...!”

“Ah, nobody can get off here anymore. It used to be possible, but now the temperature is too extreme for humans to endure.”

Scorching heat radiated through the window.

As I listened to the explanation, I strained to examine the platform as closely as possible.

And then...

Segwang Subway Line Map

- Segwang Station (Forest of Final Moments Path)

- Midnight Station (Body Casino)

- Late Night Station (Hanbit Library)

- Twilight Station (Conscience Marketplace)

- (Unregistered)

- (Unregistered)

- (Unregistered)

The wiki updated.

Twilight Station (Conscience Marketplace)

A subway station in Segwang Special City, where a nearby flea market mutated into an unmanned operation.

All of the goods belonging to the flea market's dead merchants were left upon their stalls with no one left to watch them. For every item taken without payment, the station grew hotter by the amount of conscience that had been sold away.

It had now become a burning hell.

'Good.'

And so I traveled through Segwang Special City, updating every station on the wiki.

Segwang Subway Line Map

- Segwang Station (Forest of Final Moments Path)

- Midnight Station (Body Casino)

- Late Night Station (Hanbit Library)

- Twilight Station (Conscience Marketplace)

- Afternoon Station (Blood Broadcasting Station)

- Noon Station (Nap Shelter)

- Morning Station (Scales Tribunal)

I thoroughly absorbed every piece of text, combing through it as if licking every corner clean.

...Some of the stations had been quite shocking

'It's fine.'

The important thing was that I now knew which stations to skip.

'For now, there's no need to visit Twilight Station in person.'

Even if we got off there, we'd all burn to death, and the resolution condition was probably something like returning every item to its original place—practically impossible.

'No need to waste time.'

Exploration of that station ended here.

Pass.

And as for the three remaining stations, they were all more or less equally dangerous...

'Pick the one where we can obtain useful items.'

Good. 

The path forward had become clear. 

And I could feel it. 

...The growing anticipation that, at this rate, I would soon find the answers I needed within this bizarre subway labyrinth of a ghost story.

Whether they were Ho Yuwon's answers, or mine.

“Finished trading?”

“Yeah. More or less. Want to take a look too?”

After receiving advice from the others, who had already browsed the market stalls, I checked several items.

Then I purchased a few 'unusual goods' that nobody else had bought as food supplies.

“You're buying that?”

“Got a problem with it?” 

“No.” 

I carefully packed away everything I had purchased. 

Then... 

“You want the doors opened? If it's that station, I can open them for a short while.” 

After finishing arrangements with the station employee to let us off at a particular station, we handed half of the food supplies left over from our trading to Go Yeongeun.

“We'll bring more back.” 

"......."

Go Yeongeun silently stared at the supplies. Her breathing gradually settled.

Then she spoke in a low voice so nobody else could hear. 

“Judging from the circumstances, it seems like you all know how to travel between this Special City and the outside world.”

"......."

“If you die here... are you still fine outside?” 

“...Yes. Something like that.” 

"...!"

Go Yeongeun suddenly lifted her head. A faint light appeared in her eyes. 

“Then if other people die here, can they leave too?” 

“No!” 

Good grief. 

“No, that's not how it works. We can only do it because we entered through a special method.” 

I explained Ho Yuwon's project. 

“...Ah.” 

The light instantly vanished from Go Yeongeun's eyes. 

And then... 

“That's convenient.” 

“.......”

“Hoo. Sorry. It's just... a bit much.”

Seeing me freeze up, Go Yeongeun sighed and rubbed her tired face. 

Frustration, humiliation, and something close to despair. All of it showed through. 

“...Still, I'm genuinely glad you're all safe.”

“.......”

“I'll... keep looking for a way out of here too, in my own way.” 

Living as an outsider within a small community was exhausting. If that community happened to be a shelter in the middle of a disaster, it was even worse. 

The more capable and intelligent someone was, the heavier that burden would become...

'...Ms. Yeongeun.'

That was when it happened.

“Agent Peppermint.”

Agent Bronze spoke.

“The next time we come in, I'll bring your equipment.” 

“......!”

“You'll be able to operate much more effectively.” 

Go Yeongeun paused for a moment. 

Something seemed to click in her mind. A sharp glimmer flashed through her eyes before she swallowed. 

“...Yes.” 

“And... thank you.” 

Agent Bronze hesitated before continuing. 

“Because you let us onto the train, we learned that survivors still remain here.” 

"...!"

“Ms. Goral.”

I added my own words.

“Director Ho definitely knows a way to take something out of this place. Otherwise, there would've been no reason to start this project in the first place.”

"...!"

There had to be a way out. 

That was what I was telling her indirectly. 

“So... if possible, could you share every rumor you've heard about this subway and Segwang Special City?” 

“Of course.” 

We spent quite a while talking, gathering information about the various “rumors” Yeongeun knew. 

And then—

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 

“We're here.”

We stepped through the door the station employee had opened for us.

“Be careful.” 

There was far more color in Yeongeun's face than before. 

“When you're done exploring, come back to Car No. 7. Once I see your signal, I'll open the door immediately. I've already gotten permission from my aunt—I mean, the station employee.”

“Thank you.”

[When people find a strong goal, they often escape a slump! Congratulations, Mr. Roe Deer. You've acquired a local collaborator.]

'...Yeah.'

Though, that said—

'I wonder what you'll think about this station.'

[Friend?]

I was the last of our group to step onto the platform. 

This was the place we had chosen. 

Segwang Transportation Corporation 

Afternoon Station

The place known as the Blood Broadcasting Station... 

A rather ominous name.

“...Lights?” 

Flashy, psychedelic lights spun and flashed everywhere, fireworks exploded overhead, and confetti covered the floor. 

And atop a staircase draped in red carpet stood a gigantic sign.

KEEP YOUR CHANNEL TUNED!

Delusion Home Shopping Studio

#4-168

[Oh, my goodness.]

Yeah. 

From the Blood Bath to the Happy Maker.

The famous sales platform responsible for all sorts of ghost-story items that I myself had been connected to.

This was the filming location of Delusion Home Shopping. 

[Hmm, friend.] 

'Hm?' 

[What do you think about authorizing a swordsman-style bombardment upon this vulgar, insignificant monument to merchant snobbery? It would make for a wonderfully entertaining afternoon....]

'Ahhh...'

And judging by the sound of it, these were probably the same people who had thoroughly gotten on the nerves of the legendary host of the Late-Night Talk Show recently....

 

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