Chapter 244: Ch 244: I’m screwed
The Sekwang Special Metropolitan City ghost story.
An unprecedented case designated by the Disaster Management Bureau as
an annihilation-sanctioned supernatural disaster, and so the entire
metropolitan city was erased from people’s memories and quarantined so it
can no longer be perceived.
And I woke up in the very heart of that same Sekwang Special Metropolitan
City, and at Sekwang Station, no less.
In human form.
"..."
Just what the hell is this?
Sitting dazed on the dark platform floor, I reflexively think of someone to
talk to.
A being with whom everyday conversation was possible no matter how
insane the situation.
’...Braun?’
...
...
No answer.
’No way.’
The dread and fretfulness I’d kept corked up begin to seep through my
head.
If even ’that’ Braun can’t follow me here, then just what state am I in right
now—
[Oh, Friend, you’re calling for me!]
"...Ha."
I almost collapsed on the spot.
Thank goodness, really.
[My, Mr. Roe Deer. It seems the sudden change of environment startled you
considerably. Let it be noted that even this Braun found it a rather
disconcerting turn. Travel by well! How... folksy, shall we say.]
Still as snide as ever...
[That said, oh, congratulations.]
Huh?
[It’s not exactly a magnificent shapeshift, but isn’t it the appearance you
wanted!]
That... is true.
’I’m back in human form.’
But I don’t know why.
Why?
’Was entering Sekwang Special City the trigger?’
Maybe because it doesn’t feel real yet, the bewilderment is strong. But
when I see my face reflected in the glass, when I feel my bare hands, I can’t
deny the deep relief...
’Clothes... a suit.’
It was my familiar office attire. I swallowed, ran my hands over my face a
few more times, and calmed my heart.
It’s me.
...The me that I know.
A surge like choked-up emotion passed through me.
I steadied my breathing and barely swallowed it down.
And as I started to rise—
Thump.
"...!"
My arm was grabbed.
When I turned my head, someone who’d been lying unconscious on the
floor reflexively reached out at my movement.
And his eyes opened.
"..."
"..."
"...Grapes?"
"Agent."
Agent Choi’s eyes widened.
Then he hurriedly got up and seized my shoulders, turning me this way and
that.
’Urk.’
As if checking for deformities, for any anomalies. He even reached as if to
lift the dokkaebi lantern, then halted, realizing it wasn’t in his hand.
’We left it in the well.’
But he didn’t stop there. He tried using even the contamination detection
rod to figure out my condition somehow.
A little on edge, I asked,
"Am I intact?"
"..."
Agent Choi gripped my shoulders tight.
"You’re intact, Grapes-ie..."
"..."
I held my breath.
"Did that well have some kind of restorative function? No... ha."
Confusion, suspicion, and joy stained Agent Choi’s face.
Seeing him rejoice over the recovery of a teammate who’d been exposed as
a spy made me both grateful and guilty, but not for long.
Because of the situation.
"So where are we?"
"..."
"Looks like we’ve been sent to some other city. The subway? Hm, let’s
see..."
Sekwang Transit Authority
SEKWANG STATION
"..."
The smile vanished from Agent Choi’s face, which had been feigning
nonchalance.
Sekwang.
"Have you perhaps heard of it?"
"No."
A city and station name you never hear in daily life.
Which leads an agent to the natural realization.
We’re inside a supernatural phenomenon.
"Grapes, wake the others. Now."
Agent Choi and I immediately ducked down and began waking the others.
First, Agent Bronze, who tried to slap his own cheek upon seeing me but I
stopped him in a rush. Second, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, who sat
up with an oddly serene, beaming smile.
And lastly...
Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
"...I definitely put her in."
I heard Agent Choi mutter.
’So he... had confined the assistant manager in a makeshift Glass Prison?’
If that confinement came undone during transit to this place, that’s truly not
a good sign.
I woke Assistant Manager Eun Haje myself.
"Hold on... Roe?"
"Assistant Manager."
As she rose, I asked quickly,
"Are you connected to Director Ho right now?"
"...Wait."
Sensing the gravity in the air, Eun Haje checked the bead she had been
holding silently.
A glint came into her eyes.
"No, it’s not working."
"..."
That feels bad... No. If anything, that’s better.
It gives me cover to fudge the source of my intel.
"Everyone."
I looked over at the newly awakened and spoke quickly.
"I believe this is exactly the place Director Ho has been looking for."
"..."
"What?"
I pointed to ’Sekwang Station’.
"This entire city called Sekwang Special City is the annihilation-sanctioned
Disaster he was after."
"...!!"
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae raised a hand.
"In Daydream terms, would that be Abyss-class?"
"The classification systems differ, but it might be."
"Oooh."
Only Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae sounded impressed. The others’
faces had gone rigid.
Only Assistant Manager Eun Haje, perhaps having some sense of it from
working on Director Ho’s project, simply looked around slowly, sharply, at
our surroundings.
"Roe. Then could your return to a human form also be an effect of this
Darkness?"
"...It might be."
"Mm. Seems plausible. Look at this."
"...!"
Assistant Manager Eun Haje raised her hand.
The hand that had vanished in Hangman... appeared intact!
"Assistant Manager, your hand..."
"Yeah. It’s back."
She gave a crooked grin and waved, but didn’t look very happy.
"There’s got to be some condition to it, I think, tsk. It’s a little too good,
you know? Is this really a high-level Darkness? If so, it ought to be a real
cesspit no human could endure, not something like this."
As for that...
"For now, what I know is... something horrific happened in Sekwang
Special City, and because of it the city was completely sealed off, to the
point the bureau erased the city’s very existence..."
"Hold on."
Both agents’ faces hardened.
"The bureau did what?"
"Exactly that."
I swallowed and, as calmly as I could, laid out what I knew.
"As far as I know, when the situation proved utterly unmanageable, they
ultimately laid a kind of powerful binding. So that no one could perceive
Sekwang Special City."
"Ooh... is that even possiblee?"
"..."
Agent Bronze opened his mouth.
"It is possible, in principle."
"Huu."
Agent Choi gripped his head. It seemed the two of them were pinpointing,
at least in theory, a specific ’kind of ceremony’ that could accomplish this...
"To my knowledge there’s no official record of it. Of course..."
"Right. If they really did it, they’d have wiped the agents’ memories
afterward too. Anyway, Roe, keep going."
"...Yes."
Agent Bronze started to speak again, but shut his mouth when Agent Choi
signaled at him.
Confirming that, I continued.
"And despite how frightening the situation is, the reason our immediate
environment seems better than expected may be because this is the
subway."
I pointed to the platform screen door glass where I had checked my face.
"...Please look over there."
Beyond the darkness.
There’s the configuration called facing platforms. Two platforms facing
each other across the tracks, for trains going in opposite directions.
You can see the tracks of this platform, the tracks for trains heading the
other way... and the opposite platform beyond.
That place.
"It’s all collapsed."
Everything’s broken open, exposing steel beams. Concrete is spilling from
collapsed stairs.
The difference is jarring.
In stark contrast to this clean platform.
And on the screen door glass of that half-collapsed side...
Please save me
SOS
please
I love you mom
It’s covered in countless words.
Cries for rescue and dying messages written in blood, dust, and filth.
Letters left from the other side, written backward from our vantage.
"...!!"
My body froze at the trace of an overwhelming Disaster that had swept the
city.
’Ha.’
And I remembered.
A document recording the process by which Sekwang Special City was
sealed as an annihilation-sanctioned Disaster.
On the first day.
’Many residents fled into subway stations, but the
entrances collapsed and they’re all trapped inside.
Something horrific is happening outside.’ — a call log
records this, but the on-site situation cannot be
determined in detail.
’If it’s the subway, they might be able to hold out for a few
more days,’ was also said, so we must commence search
operations immediately!
– Claim by a field agent at the time (dismissed)
"...From what I know, the subway station was among the last places rescue
calls were sent from within the Disaster-stricken Sekwang Special City."
Meaning the odds of safety are relatively higher than outside.
It didn’t specify Sekwang Station exactly, but this is still better than being
dumped with people into the middle of an annihilation-sanctioned Disaster
out of nowhere.
’Though odds are it won’t help much...’
Huu.
Thinking of the wiki made my mouth go dry. Hunger and thirst felt like
they were returning.
"So in other words..."
Wait.
"Agent?"
"Okay."
While sighing, Agent Choi was already calmly attempting to open the
screen door.
"Agent?"
"I’ll take a quick look and be right back."
"Ah. Should I check the opposite side?"
"Hold, hold on. Please wait just a moment."
Both of you, please!
"I just said this entire city is a completely ruined, sealed annihilation-
sanctioned Disaster!"
I hurried over and blocked their way.
"It’s clear people fled down here, so it seems safer not to go to the half-
collapsed side... it might connect to the outside."
No doubt Agent Choi’s and Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s thinking
was this.
’When you’ve got no info, you’ve got to try something, right.’
However...
"And if it comes to it... I’ll go. I know this place better than—"
"Grapes."
Agent Choi reached out. And...
Smack.
He flicked me on the forehead.
"...!"
Aaaack!
"Do I look like I have a death wish to you? Of course I was only going to
take a cautious peek and come right back."
Even with a smiling face, Agent Choi looked pretty pissed...
But after a breath, it settled into relief.
"Of all people, don’t you pull any sudden moves here. Please."
"..."
"And you too, Bronze!"
"Frankly, compared to me and Agent Bronze, you’re the one who—"
"Oho."
Mmph.
I quickly dodged Agent Choi’s forehead flick and stepped back.
I shot Agent Bronze a look of solidarity, but he looked back at me with a
face that said he had a lot to say.
"..."
"Once we’re in a safer spot, I’d like to have a talk."
Please spare me.
I stifled a sigh and rubbed my forehead.
...It’s been a while since I felt that kind of sting.
"Alright, since we’re all experienced, let’s move together for now and each
check our condition?"
"Yesyes."
In any case, we decided to gather what we could and inspect what we
should on this relatively ’okay-feeling’ platform, then head for the stairs.
So, while each of us checked our bodies—
"Mr. Employee!"
Supervisor— No, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae called out to me.
But...
"What do you mean, Mr. Employee...?"
"Ah, should I call you Supervisor Roe Deer insteadd?"
"Ah. No. ’Roe Deer’ is fine."
"Then don’t call me Assistant Manager either, ’Dolphin’ is fine for me too,
Roe Deer-nimm!"
Smiling, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae pulled a small glow-in-the-dark
star sticker, a tube of effervescent vitamins, and what looked like a tail
comb from her jacket and gave them quick checks.
"Hm. A few of my tools and items are deadd."
"Same here. Seems like... anything that draws power from somewhere else
doesn’t work."
"Oh, nice deduction, Assistant Manager!"
Everyone was smartly checking their gear.
And then...
"Roe Deer-nim, do you have any items?"
"..."
No.
I’m broke...
’My items...’
I handed everything over to Section Chief Lee Jaheon to let go of them, so
what’s left is probably—
[Oh. You’ve got my merchandise, Friend!]
R-Right.
’At least this I have.’
It’s not even my real ’Good Friend’, just a knock-off. Hiic.
[Just pop it in your breast pocket. Oh, splendid.]
I carefully took out the bunny plush and tucked it into my suit’s breast
pocket as Braun asked.
For some reason, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae gave me a thumbs-up.
Uh. Thank you...
’I wonder if Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s doing alright.’
Come to think of it, now that I’m back in human form, maybe I can use the
VIP personal shopping at the Space Shopping Mall again.
I should be able to use the ’VIP cell’ mounted under my tongue.
’Unless that also counts as drawing power from elsewhere and won’t
work...’
Either way, we just dropped into an annihilation-sanctioned Disaster as a
five-man, no-gear party, so it’s useless for now, skip.
I sighed and, out of habit, fished around in my pockets like the others...
’...Huh?’
My smartphone’s here.
"...!!"
I hurriedly pulled it out. The black rectangle had its popsocket still attached.
It’s the same phone I used to carry when I worked at Daydream.
’What?’
I powered it on in a rush. Amazingly, it booted.
There’s no cell signal and wifi is dead. But...
The most important thing appeared.
Dark Exploration Records
I could read the wiki. Like before.
"..."
"Oh, phones don’t get service!"
"...Yes. Clearly."
My heart nearly leapt out.
I was about to reply as naturally as possible to Assistant Manager Lee
Seonghae and turn off my smartphone screen... when I suddenly realized
something.
’She can’t see it?’
"Um, could you try reading this page?"
After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully held out the page that only showed
the words Dark Exploration Records to Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae.
But she just tilted her head to the side.
"There’s nothing to read? Ah, if you want my thoughts, looks like you’re
just using the default wallpaper. Pretty boringg!"
"...Thank you."
She can’t see it.
’So only I can read it?’
My ears rang with the pounding of my heart.
’I don’t know why, but this will make checking things a lot easier.’
Barely keeping my composure, I pretended to keep inspecting the phone.
And noticed something else.
The popsocket’s design is different.
’The crack is gone.’
So it finally got fixed?
Also, the center of the popsocket, which used to have an ’X’ mark, was
finished in red instead of gold...
"...?"
What is that?
I couldn’t tell what it meant. Or where this popsocket-equipped phone had
even been all this time...
[Do you truly not know, Mr. Roe Deer?]
[Let’s do a bit of deduction. A place unknown to you, yet always with
you...]
"..."
Ah.
’No way.’
A rather chilling hypothesis formed in my head...
Inside my body.
...The popsocket had sunk into my melted body and clumped together with
my uniform. I’d been merged with this popsocket all along...
’If so...’
That strange edit function I could use, that ability...
’Did it... derive from this?’
A numbing shock in my head, fear that my body might melt again, my mind
trying to recall just what state I’d been in a moment ago—
Bzzzzzt.
"...!"
The smartphone vibrated.
I barely snapped out of my thoughts and, reflexively, turned on my
smartphone.
And there...
Newly Registered Page
(1) Sekwang Subway Map
A notification from Dark Exploration Records’ wiki said a new page had
been added.
It was, of course, a familiar kind of page. But...
’That shouldn’t be possible.’
This wiki is composed out of my memories, so something like this
shouldn’t appear.
In my confusion I moved my hand and tapped.
Sekwang Subway Map
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
"..."
A strange hunch came over me.
’Is this... a function of the newly fixed popsocket?’
In the six months I melted down and worked as Special Division staff, just
what had this popsocket been completed into?
"If everyone’s finished checking, let’s move."
"Yepp!"
For now I left the page—which showed nothing registered—alone, and
started moving with the others.
’I’ve got to be careful.’
It’s great to be back in a human body, but at the same time, it’s only human
to miss the abilities I used back then...
Like veterans, the five of us made no noise or sudden moves, slowly opened
our lines of sight, and climbed the platform stairs.
Step. Step.
Only the calm thump of our steps came through.
And then, when the top beyond the stairs began to come into view...
A forest spread out.
"...!!"
There, in dim light, a vast fog-shrouded forest had formed.
The structures of the subway station. Fire hydrants, tactile paving,
escalators, information boards, mirrors, and the ceiling with lights were still
in place, but they had become strangely large and repeated like a maze.
And the gaps between them were packed with trees, soil, and fog...
It was gloomy, and because of the fog we could hardly secure any visibility.
"..."
"...Hold on."
Agent Choi sniffed a little of the fog and grimaced.
"I don’t think it’s toxic, for now. But cover your faces just in case. If you
feel even a little off, we head straight back to the platform."
"Yes."
"It’s best to check the information boards first. Supernatural disasters that
have a ’domain’ are likely to be ghost stories with rules."
"Good. Volunteers for the vanguard? ...Wow, you’re all very eager. Every
one of you is scout material, seriously."
This is what happens when only well-equipped old hands move together.
In the end, we all started toward the information boards.
We stepped between the trees.
Rustle.
Dry leaves crinkled underfoot with a brittle sound. Somewhere, something
made a gloomy noise...
And soon, while it wasn’t an information board, we did find one huge sign.
"Ah."
Covered in vines and trees on the wall, it was a station name sign.
Similar to what we’d seen on the platform, but with a difference.
"They’re printing the ’sponsored’ name too."
"Sponsored?"
"Yeah. You know how they sell station nameplates, like a hospital or
company name alongside the real station name for revenue."
Right.
It’s mostly for advertising effect.
But the station name printed here was...
Sekwang Transit Authority
SEKWANG STATION
(Forest of Final Moments)
"..."
"..."
We all knew it at once.
This was no normal ’sponsored station name’.
In that moment—
Bzzzt.
’...!’
I quickly dropped my gaze to the smartphone. And saw it.
The wiki had updated.
Sekwang Subway Map
– Sekwang Station (Forest of Final Moments)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
– (Unregistered)
’Sekwang Station.’
I tapped it without even breathing.
Sekwang Station (Forest of Final
Moments)
A subway station in Sekwang Special Metropolitan City,
also called the Forest of Hanged Trees.
On the day of the Disaster, an estimated seven thousand
people evacuated to this station, making it a base for
evacuees.
’Forest of Hanged Trees...?’
The moment I read that far—
Thunk. Something touched my head.
"..."
I lifted my head.
We’d been careful while moving not to get too close to the trees, but I’d let
my attention drift while looking at the phone, leaned a little toward a tree,
and bumped into something dangling.
But.
Slowly, slowly, I looked again at the shape of what I’d thought was a ’tree’
touching me...
It was a human foot.
"..."
"Grapes... hold on."
"Oh, there’s a corpse heree. Right above Roe Deer-nim’s head."
I realized it.
It wasn’t that thin trees and thick trees were standing densely in alternation.
The identity of the ’thin trees’.
From each thick branch hung a corpse, necks looped, desiccated bodies
swaying...
"They’re all corpses."
"Looks like they’re all hanged."
And then the next realization struck.
Me being human again meant I also felt again the fear of seeing terrifying
things.
That I was, once more... a coward!
’I’m screwed.’
"Shall we check our immediate surroundings tooo?"
"Good idea. Roe. Start with the one over your head. Oh, it’s barefoot."
"...Yes, ma’am."
Waaaugh!!