Inside the train departing from Segwang Station.
Tudududuk….
The sound of the car body running on the rails echoed, and the handle swayed with the vibration, a modern and everyday space.
We, who had jumped in just before the platform screen door closed, finally lifted our heads and properly surveyed our surroundings.
"...."
The inside of the train was clean.
Like a lie.
And….
People were sitting in every seat.
"...."
The typical subway seats stretching out on both sides were filled with people in everyday clothes with ordinary appearances.
There wasn't even a sign of contamination.
The peaceful atmosphere of people wearing earphones or looking at their smartphones was enough to make us momentarily mistake that we had returned to reality by taking the train.
But.
Tudududuk….
This suffocating silence.
'…They're not reacting.'
If five or six people wearing masks were to pour into the car, they should at least glance, but only silence flowed.
Whether sitting in a seat or standing, holding a handle.
Everyone just stayed still, expressionless.
As if they hadn't seen anything.
"...."
"...."
The party exchanged glances and quietly stepped back.
'To another car.'
Since we had jumped in through the train door right in front of the stairs, there was a high probability that the car we were currently in was particularly crowded with passengers.
And in ghost stories, it's wise to avoid accidentally encountering situations that would stir up trouble.
'Let's not bump into them.'
With an unspoken agreement to head to a car with relatively fewer passengers, no one acted impulsively and moved to the next car.
Being extremely careful not to touch the passengers.
'Hoo.'
At the same time, I tried to grasp the peculiarities inside the train.
The advertisements.
[Hmm. The colors are a bit dated, but it's clean.]
That's right.
'It's fine.'
Although the designs weren't exactly recent advertisements, they strangely didn't show any signs of the passage of time.
However, names and numbers were jumbled or disappeared, making it impossible to guess the year or actually find contact information….
As if they had been processed to be unrecognizable.
"...."
And above the door opposite the advertisement panel, there was a large picture that took up an entire side.
Though it was lit up, it had no letters, but its symbol and location alone made one guess what it was….
'A subway map?'
At that moment.
A faint vibration came from the smartphone in my pocket.
"…!"
I felt a chill down my spine for not having set it to silent, but none of the passengers reacted.
Breathing a sigh of relief inwardly, I immediately checked the page on my smartphone.
Newly registered page
(1) Segwang Subway
'…!'
Segwang Subway
A means of public transportation in Segwang Metropolitan City, consisting of 7 stations. It is a loop line that circles the major industrial and residential districts of Segwang Metropolitan City, and currently, the outer loop is out of service, with only the inner loop operating.
It seems that boarding this train allows one to return to the exterior state as it was when entering Segwang Metropolitan City's history on the Day of Disaster.
'Exterior?'
I reflexively scanned the condition of my companions.
Just then, Manager Lee Jaheon was raising his hand to grab the door handle to move to the next car.
'…! Wait a moment.'
I gestured for Manager Lee Jaheon to hold his hand up for a moment.
And I saw it.
The gloves, which had been torn and half-damaged from tearing at all sorts of corpses and nooses earlier, were back to their original pristine condition.
Everyone confirmed it.
"...."
Only after moving to a car with relatively fewer passengers did our conversation on this topic finally begin.
Of course, speaking in extremely low voices.
Having confirmed that the passengers did not react at all to coughs, footsteps, greetings, or conversations, we stood pressed against the door near the passengers.
"Manager, your gloves seem to be back to normal."
"Yes."
It was characteristic of experienced individuals to keep an eye on the emergency door release mechanism, just in case they needed to make a quick escape.
And, true to their nature, they quickly noticed the gimmick of this train.
"It seems that supernatural phenomena that restore everything to its original state are occurring on this train."
"Yes."
"Hmm, you could say it's like a recovery spot in kids' games, but it doesn't feel quite right for that…"
Assistant Manager Eun Haje touched his chin with an expression as if he wanted to smoke.
And it was true.
'In a place surrounded by annihilation-class ghost stories, there's no way such a safe and comfortable place would be openly available.'
Anyone could see that this train was part of Segwang Metropolitan City, and we couldn't escape.
I was looking at my smartphone….
"Grape. What have you been looking at so intently?"
"…!"
Was it too obvious?
Moreover, Agent Bronze immediately recognized the identity of the item attached to the back of my smartphone.
It would have been the same as one of the equipment distributed by the Disaster Management Bureau to agents, just a different color.
"…A Memorial Pop Socket?"
"It's similar, but a bit different."
Is this the right time?
After a moment of thought, I decided to explain the relevant information properly.
'I have to share the exploration information anyway.'
It would be easier if I could provide a source. Since the screen wasn't visible, there was no risk of the
Of course, I couldn't explain it by saying, "It's a merchandise item from the merchandise box. Surprised?" so I had to phrase it indirectly.
"I obtained a damaged Memorial Pop Socket and, with the help of an elder, repaired it."
"Our elder?"
"Yes."
In fact, it was more than half true.
And during the repair process, I said that a function other than 'reading already acquired information in my head' occasionally manifested….
"So, when you attach the pop socket and enter a supernatural phenomenon, it sometimes provides a little information about that place?"
"That's correct."
I nodded.
Before suspicion or doubt could appear on the agents' faces, I added this:
"…I suspect it might be influenced by my status as a member of the Security Team."
"...."
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, but Agent Choi, as if nothing had happened, offered a seemingly relaxed smile.
He whistled softly.
"Our Grape, your newly acquired ability is quite useful…"
I could feel the gaze of all the passengers.
"...!"
The office workers sitting and standing, students, the elderly, those in training suits, suits, dresses, jeans – all of them…
Were looking at Agent Choi.
"..."
They turned their heads and stared intently. If I checked while holding my breath, people from the next car were also looking at us. The pressure of their gazes, fixed without leaving their seats, felt like our eyes would meet every time they turned their heads. "....." Agent Choi moved his hand ever so slightly. Their gazes didn't change. Agent Choi took one step from the door. Their gazes didn't change. Agent Choi took my smartphone, which I offered, and accepted it. Their gazes didn't change. Agent Choi casually sat down in one of the seats. And pretended to look at the smartphone. Like the other passengers. ..... ..... The gazes disappeared. "....Hoo" We quickly moved closer to Agent Choi. The agent wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned. "I thought it was going to be a mess." "I thought my heart would drop out. Mr. Public Servant. Ah, that's a metaphor, Manager." "Yes." After a few lighthearted remarks, we confirmed one piece of information like a sigh. "The whistling sound, that's it." The reward for the sweat-inducing situation. - The passengers react to whistling. 'Why?' 'Is it like the Pied Piper? What do you think, Bronze?' '...Rather, it reminds me of zombies.' Zombies. 'It did seem like an instinctive reaction.' I turned my head and observed the passengers. Now that we were closer, I could see them more clearly. And I realized. '…They're holding books upside down.' '…!' A chilling sight. My companions and I hurriedly checked the other passengers. …They were all the same. 'They're just making hand movements like knitting?' '...The screen is off.' The passengers weren't just not recognizing us. They were simply repeating actions that would be done on a subway in a meaningless, similar manner, something… '.....' What is this? And as if reflecting this realization and question, a wiki page update notification sounded. Added lines. The individuals confirmed as ordinary citizens among the train passengers are actually irreversible addicts, long-term missing persons completely contaminated by ■■■ ■■. '…!' They are merely boarding the train out of inertia, reenacting their daily lives before the Day of Disaster, and do not react normally to anything other than actions related to their addiction. Do not provoke them. '.....' I recalled the faces of the long-term missing persons I had seen at Lookie Mart. And the text described on the front page of that wiki. It seems that boarding this train allows one to return to the exterior state as it was when first entering the Segwang Metropolitan City subway. 'Exterior.' In other words, only the appearance is normal, but those passengers are already…. '.....horribly contaminated.' Addiction, written as complete contamination, a state of being. They are the long-term missing persons from ghost stories, having lost their human form, their minds collapsed, with only the desire to return to reality left. Trapped in Segwang Metropolitan City, unable to leave. '.....' I shared the information I deduced based on the wiki with my companions… Their expressions turned grim. A familiar emotion. '…It's the principle not to rashly attempt to rescue long-term missing persons. Inside the train, please be as careful as possible not to attract attention or put yourselves in danger.' '…Let's do that.' The atmosphere sank. Fortunately, they were seasoned individuals, so they weren't completely swept away by the mood. It just felt eerily and desperately chilling inside the train. '…You called them addicts, Grape?' 'Yes.' 'And they react to whistling… What exactly are they addicted to?' Baek Saheon asked as if it were an obvious question. 'It's probably something that makes them forget the pain of being trapped in this darkness, or makes them happy, even if only briefly. Isn't it obvious?' 'Oh, someone with experience in cult villages is indeed different?' '...!' Baek Saheon glared at Deputy Manager Eun Haje. Deputy Manager Eun Haje shrugged. 'We met there, didn't we? As a reporter.' '…Was that you, Deputy Manager?' 'Oh. It seems that 'Feast Guest's' identity cannot be known from the perspective of the villagers, can it?' '.....' Baek Saheon gave an implicit affirmation with silence. 'But how did that old geezer recognize me, anyway?' 'It's obvious. Other than that time, there was no situation where the Disaster Management Bureau agent would unilaterally recognize me.' It was quite an excellent deduction. [Hmm, it seems Noru's unusual former roommate isn't completely incapable of using his brain!] It must be so. He wouldn't have been promoted to manager and given a nickname for nothing. Agent Bronze's voice was stiff. 'Then Agent Grape…' Baek Saheon scoffed. 'I know that's Chief Noru.' '…?' 'What I'm curious about is the agent who entered Jisan Village with you.' It's the same person? Agent Bronze was confused! But I quickly shook my eyes to deny it, and Agent Bronze shut his mouth. 'As expected.' Baek Saheon seems to not know that the 'Jisan Village agent' is 'Agent Grape' and also 'Kim Soleum.'… I sat down and ignored Agent Choi, who was patting his mask and shaking his shoulders. Don't laugh. '…I cannot tell you.' 'Suit yourself.' Baek Saheon shut his mouth. Still, it was fortunate that the atmosphere had slightly improved by talking about such things. I was starting to think that finding Deputy Lee Seong-hae might take a long time. 'Did she get off at another station? Or…' …..! At that moment. A chill ran down my spine. 'Wait a minute.' Could it be, 'Is it possible that Deputy Lee Seong-hae is also sitting like this somewhere on another train…?' And if that's the case, she's stuck there, unable to die. '.....' The prospect was chilling just to imagine. And a sense of unease washed over me. 'Why am I only realizing this seriousness now?' It's been days since my companions went missing in an annihilation-class supernatural disaster. The fact that Deputy Lee Seong-hae hasn't woken up is a problem that could have been inferred as complete contamination, and we did reason similarly, but… 'It didn't feel this real.' Even though we formed an exploration team as quickly as possible, none of us showed extreme anxiety. Despite being members who should all know the severity of this situation well. They became unable to perceive it. '…Unable to perceive.' The person swallowed by the city, having entered through the medium of dreams, their body remained and they weren't forgotten, but the seriousness of their disappearance was also swallowed. I took a breath. 'Noru-ssi.' 'Ah, it's alright, Manager.' Intense anxiety, worry, and fear were now flooding in, but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to spread this feeling unnecessarily. At the same time, I clearly recognized something else. 'I need to learn more about Segwang Metropolitan City.' It wasn't just about rescuing Deputy Lee Seong-hae that I 'naturally' forgot the seriousness of. The well used as a connection to Segwang Metropolitan City. What activated it… was definitely the employee ID card from Pleasant Research Institute. '…There's something.' Ho Yuwon, Daydream, Pleasant Research Institute, and the Disaster Management Bureau… I have a feeling that there's some hidden incident or truth in Segwang Metropolitan City, where organizations and individuals are intricately intertwined. Some kind of decisive event in this ghost story worldview. '…If I investigate this side along with Cheongsa, will I be able to find out?' The foundational knowledge that will lead me to why I was summoned in the first place. Things that couldn't be known even from the