Ā Chapter 4
One person escaped from the horror story.
Albeit with his eye gouged out.
“Phew…”
“Did you hear that?”
But unlike the previous times, the passengersāthough disgusted and frightenedādidn’t feel sorry for him.
So this is the outcome of violence without persuasion.
The train car was briefly noisy as people checked on the condition of the person attacked by Baek Sa-heon.
[This stop is Hatred, Hatred Station.]
“Hatred, huh…”
“Sigh.”
The announcement made the mood sink even more gloomily.
Ko Young-eun, who had been looking after the new employee clutching his left eye, stood up. Her face was somewhat dark.
“It looks like his cornea is almost certainly damaged… I’m worried.”
“Were you a medical professional?”
“No. I studied that in college… but I changed majors midway and never took the licensing exam, so I’m just an amateur.”
Ko Young-eun sighed and sat down cross-legged on the floor.
[The screen doors are opening.]
The train doors opened, but people only glanced and didn’t move. They just looked outside with wary eyes.
At the same time, they also looked at me.
As if checking whether I would tell them to get off here.
It’s good that they’re conscious of me.
I was worried that Baek Sa-heon would make everyone more suspicious of each other, but instead, having a common enemy actually made people calmer.
Since things had gone completely insane, they seemed to be waiting for the next words from the person who had spoken somewhat confidently before.
So… me.
They might even delegate the decision-making about stations to me…
“Um, this must be… a bit burdensome.”
“……?”
Ko Young-eun said with a complicated expression.
“People keep trying to rely on you.”
I appreciate it…?
“Everyone’s scared and anxious, so I hope you don’t feel disgusted by their impudence… ha. No, I’m sorry.”
I’m the one who’s scared and anxious and trying to incite people…?
“I was trying to think about things in my own way too…”
Well, anyway, opinions are welcome.
“What kind of thoughts did you have?”
“Hmm, I was thinking about what you mentioned earlierāabout the ‘final destination.'”
Ko Young-eun lowered her voice.
“If the final destination of a person is… death, after all?”
“…!”
“Right? The end of a human life… no matter how I think about it, that’s what it evokes. So I thought maybe we should get off when a similar word appears.”
Oh.
“But then I thought… would that just be a peaceful death? So I couldn’t bring myself to say it.”
“No, that’s certainly a persuasive argument.”
“You… think so?”
“Yes. However…”
I trailed off.
And without realizing it, I smiled slightly.
“…?”
Because I had just seen the name of the next station on the display board.
“What exactly is a ‘destination’ in the first place?”
“Wh-what?”
“If you look it up in a dictionary, ‘destination’ means the goal you’re trying to achieve or the direction you’re heading toward.”
And this train’s theme is intuitive.
Sit down. Find the lost item.
The instructions aren’t twistedāif you act on them literally, you’re safe.
Even the people who got off at wrong stations died in a very intuitive way.
So we should approach the expression “final destination” in a similar way.
“The destination this train is talking about ultimately means a point I haven’t yet reached or achieved.”
Considering this, the criteria for choosing a station becomes very simple.
- Something I don’t have.
With this lens, the escape cases look different too.
======================
- Station names indicated by colors like Red, Yellow, Blue.
: 2 survivors (Blue Station) - Station names indicated by body parts like Left Arm, Cornea, Heart.
: Escape failed (Attempted: Cochlea Station) - Station names indicated by serial killer names like ā ā , ā ā ā ā , ā ā ā .
: 12 survivors (ā ā ā ā Station) - Station names indicated by years like 2008, 2012, 2016.
: Escape failed (Attempted: 2024 Station) - Station names indicated by diseases like Asthma, Stroke, Glaucoma.
: 3 survivors (Attempted: Cold Station)
======================
At Blue Station, among those who got off, the ones without anything blue on their body or possessions probably escaped.
And it makes sense why the station named after a serial killer had an unusually high number of survivors.
Since no one was that serial killer, almost all stations were the right answer.
Conversely, stations named after body parts failed because it’s less likely for a person to be missing a body part.
The same goes for years. 2024 failed because all the passengers had lived through it.
Applying this logic, the station we need to get off at becomes clear.
- An emotion I don’t have.
“……So, we have to choose an emotion we absolutely do not feel right now.”
“Huh?”
This is where it suddenly gets tricky.
People experience all the basic emotionsājoy, anger, sorrow, pleasure.
Unless you’re a type of person lacking a particular emotion. It becomes very difficult to choose a station, since everyone feels emotions, even if to varying degrees.
So…
An emotion that expresses some flat state that can’t be quantified by degree.
A sensibility that exists as a concept, but is actually extremely difficult to be in a state of.
That’s what we need to choose.
[This stop is Serenity, Serenity.]
The announcement comes.
It’s easy to think this is just another ordinary emotion as a station name. After all, we often say things like “that person is so serene” in daily life.
But…
That’s an expression we use when guessing about someone else’s state.
Very few people describe themselves as serene.
And for good reason.
The dictionary definition of “serenity” is “having no worries or anxieties in one’s mind.”
But trulyācan a person be completely free of worries and anxieties?
The probability of that…
Is close to zero.
Especially in an extreme situation like this.
“This station is the right answer.”
“…!”
“We’re getting off here.”
I spoke confidently, with conviction, without hesitation.
I immediately stood up. People followed suit, rising and looking at me.
“H-here?”
“Yes.”
Then I approached the injured new employee holding his eye and helped him stand.
“I’ll support you.”
“Ah, th-thank you…”
As I guided the injured person toward the door, the gathered people unconsciously followed. Now no one could back out.
We’re all getting off together.
Good.
Now just slip in among the people and escape…
[The screen doors are opening.]
But beyond the open doors, it’s a sea of blood.
“……”
No… this is crossing the lineāno, oh f*ck, this…
Save me.
I almost hid behind Ko Young-eun.
My last shred of dignity as a working adult stopped me.
Instead, I creaked my neck around to look at the people.
“Are you… sure about this?”
“Yes.”
Unfortunately, yes.
But I couldn’t think of any rhetorical flourish to convince people to get off.
Noāto begin with, I didn’t even want to get off.
I wish someone would convince me that we don’t have to get off. Please, someone.
“…Hey! I still think getting off is the right call.”
Huh?
Ko Young-eun?
“Among us, you’re the only one who’s confident in your opinion right now. Everyone else is scared, but you’ve been staying calm the whole time.”
Me?
“That other guy caused all that chaos just to get off by himself… At least I want to listen to a good person. That’s my choice.”
And Ko Young-eun bravely stepped out beyond the door first.
On the rusted-out platform, lights flickered ominously, and liquid instead of water dripped from exposed steel pipes.
Blood fell onto Ko Young-eun’s shoulder. Hah, hah…
“Kim Soleum-ssi?”
“……”
“Don’t worry about me! I trust you too! Let’s go!”
The injured person I was supporting urged me on.
He probably thought I was hesitating because I was considering his condition. At this point, I wasn’t sure whether I was grateful or resentful toward myself.
Either way, thanks to him, I naturally followed behind Ko Young-eun. The hesitant people behind me flooded out after us.
At least I wasn’t the last one outāI found that comforting.
It’s easy to overlook, but being at the very back is the scariest…
…Sigh.
At this point, I want to cut ties with myself.
“Should we go to the stairs?”
“Yes.”
Even in this situation, Ko Young-eun looked at the still-open other cars and shouted.
“Hey! Everyone get off! This is the right answer!”
I don’t know how effective that was. Many probably stayed on guard and didn’t get off…
But still, even if one more person got off because of her words, that person survived.
I respect that.
NoāI’m trying, struggling, to pour all my attention into that feeling of respect…
Choosing to support the injured person was an excellent decision. When my focus wavers and my strength gives out, I reflexively hold on.
I recommend this to all cowards.
Though there probably aren’t many cowards who end up in a crappy situation like this!
“Ugh…”
“Let’s, let’s walk.”
I walked, trying as hard as possible not to look at my surroundings among the people.
I saw stairs.
Covered in talismans and charms…
Realizing that even that wasn’t normal made all my pores stand on end, but…
Just focus on the sensation of climbing.
One step.
One step.
I walked silently.
Soon, my vision flickered and…
[Whew! Congratulations, new employees!]
Before I knew it, we were back in the lecture hall.
“…!!”
Bright lighting.
A modern, pleasant, spacious interior.
As reality came rushing back, a clear message appeared on the giant screen before us.
<Congratulations>Ā Probation Period CompletedĀ <Congratulations>
: Congratulations. You have been officially hired into the Daydream Corporation Field Exploration Team.
“Hah……”
“Ah!!”
The people who had escaped with me collapsed to the floor, their legs giving out.
I turned my head to count the heads.
One, two, three… seven.
Everyone who had remained in the car.
We survived.
From the horror storyĀ <Welcome to the Abyss Transit Corporation>, 7 out of 10 people in the same car escaped.
[Now, there will be a gift presentation ceremony!]
