In the pandemonium of a ghost story where people were dropping dead left and right, a single survival ticket had appeared.
Just like in a movie.
And it wasn't an illusion, either.
'If you board with the announced lost item, the moment you meet the crew, they'll guide you out of the station...'
It was a ray of hope, no doubt.
The problem was that the lost item from the latest announcement was absurdly grotesque.
"What did they just say? A 20-something adult male...?"
"The left eyeball of an adult male, type A."
Go Yeongeun bowed her head, her face pale and hollow.
"Type A is probably... blood type, right?"
"Yes..."
A heavy silence fell. She already looked terrified.
'...Should I just let this slide?'
Everyone could survive by just getting off at the correct station anyway. If one person bailed first, it might create a weird vibe and spark a panic.
But things didn't go that smoothly.
"St-still, shouldn't we look for it?"
"Yeah. We don't know what might happen..."
These new hires were taking the announcement so seriously that they couldn't just ignore it.
'...Fine, let's see how this plays out.'
"Any idea on the age...?"
"Oh, thirties."
"You look young for it. Ah, I'm type B. Doesn't apply."
"Me too..."
People checked among themselves if they matched the "20-something adult male, type A" criteria.
But no one perfectly fit the description, and eventually, the question came to me.
"What about you, Kim Sol-eum...?"
I answered simply.
"AB."
A total lie.
I was type A, for the record.
'But no need to advertise that I'm the target.'
If they thought I was playing beneficiary over victim for some gain, it might make convincing them later impossible.
"Got it. Then Baek Saheon...?"
"Hold on."
The guy sitting across from me suddenly raised his hand with a grim expression.
"Truth is... I fit the bill perfectly. Exactly!"
"Ah!"
He'd spoken in a pretty grave tone, probably thinking he might die if he didn't.
'No need to worry about that, though.'
And the reason he'd come forward so suddenly was obvious.
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙[This station is Rage, Rage Station.]
The new announcement meant they'd arrived at the next stop.
The station where staff would be waiting for the lost item.
Tension clouded the face of the new hire who'd volunteered.
"No one else fits?"
"No... seems not."
"Whew."
Baek Saheon, sitting next to me and listening in, sighed before asking the guy,
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙[Doors opening on the right...]
"You're type A, huh?"
"Y-yeah."
"Tough break."
And then a fist flew.
"...?!"
A brutal thud echoed as the fist smashed mercilessly into the left eye of the new hire who'd claimed to be type A in his twenties.
Baek Saheon had gripped his smartphone by the corner and driven it in.
Like he didn't care if the eye burst.
"Guhk."
The guy collapsed without even a proper scream.
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙[Screen doors opening.]
Baek Saheon lightly hopped over the fallen man and stepped out of the train.
"Wh-what was that...?"
"Agh!!"
"What the hell are you?"
The others cried out in shock, a beat too late.
Baek Saheon chuckled.
"Idiots. If you can escape with just one eye, do it quick!"
"...!"
"They said you can get off!"
Seemed like Baek Saheon had perfectly read between the lines of the announcement.
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙-Passengers who have found the lost item, please disembark at the next station and hand it over to station staff.
There had been a hint to pay attention to the announcement, but it was still a bold judgment.
"Well... expecting that from someone who'd pawn off their life to others is a stretch."
"Huh?!"
And with that casual trash talk, Baek Saheon stayed utterly calm. Like he was dead certain no one would follow.
And he was right.
Everyone had already seen what happened when you got off at the wrong station.
"Th-that guy..."
Go Yeongeun's face flushed red with rage, but I felt a strange sense of clarity, like pieces were finally falling into place.
No wonder!
Nickname: Viper.
The depictions of Baek Saheon in the Darkness Exploration Records made perfect sense coming from a personality like that.
I'd thought he was just a fresh-faced new hire untouched by the world's grime, but nope. That was his real nature.
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙[Doors closing.]
In the midst of it all, Baek Saheon waved cheerily at the train interior.
Seemed like he was in high spirits over his successful escape.
Even if it cost him his left eye.
'That guy...'
But here's the thing.
'There was no need for that.'
While everyone fixated on Baek Saheon, I slipped my hand up to the luggage rack behind me.
'I definitely saw it earlier.'
I swept my hand down deep, and something in a blind spot appeared like magic.
I pulled it out and checked.
Inside the strange portable lens case was a single eyeball.
And the label.
[Type A / Female / 27 / R]
This was one of the lost item candidates.
'A lost item isn't yours—it's someone else's to begin with.'
In truth, this announcement was a treasure hunt: among the candidate lost items in the luggage racks, find the one matching the description exactly and take it off.
There were cases where someone accidentally had the right one and escaped, sure.
'Guess Baek Saheon qualifies now.'
But what if he learned he didn't need to "return" his own left eye?
The screen doors were already shut. Right as the train started to depart, our eyes met briefly as he turned toward the platform.
I held up the lens case with the eyeball clearly visible toward the door.
With the label covered, only one thing would stand out.
The eyeball.
-...!!
Baek Saheon's expression changed as he realized what it was beyond the door.
But it was already too late.
⚙ Train Announcement ⚙[Train departing Rage Station.]
The train pulled away.
I turned back to the new hire Baek Saheon had attacked.
Since he'd targeted the guy's left eye, Baek must have been trying to eliminate another potential "correct lost item" besides his own.
'Worried there might only be one item that counts as the lost one, probably.'
I don't blame anyone for trying to save themselves solo. But... this crossed the line.
I glanced back at the door.
Faint thuds came from behind as something pounded violently on the screen door.
And from the receding platform, a scream unique to someone in horrific agony echoed dimly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[The lost item has been safely handed over to station staff.]