Chapter 2
[This stop is Resentment, Resentment Station.]
[The doors will open on the right….]
A suffocating silence hung over the horror story subway.
I was contributing to that silence.
Someone like me, who already knew this horror story but would still get startled by just the thumbnail when W-tube recommended related videos and click “not interested”—I was supposed to survive inside a horror story?
Just kill me now…
That would be a better deal.
I was so drained I couldn’t even muster the energy to figure out what was going on. I covered my face with both hands, wanting to deny reality.
That’s when it happened.
Flicker.
[1st Place: Darkness Exploration Records Real Goods Box]
“……?!”
I looked up.
A memo pad-like thing was floating around in my field of vision.
It was visible even with my eyes closed, even with them open.
A scrap of paper that looked like it had been torn from a notebook and folded—it fluttered about….
“This is…”
Wait. It seemed no one else could see it.
I immediately shut my mouth. Standing out in a situation like this was a stupid move.
Instead, I discreetly pressed down on the memo pad with my finger.
Flutter.
Amazingly, the memo pad moved as if unfolding, and spat out something small.
“……!”
I quickly grabbed it, covering it with my hand.
It was… a grip-tack.
A very simple black grip-tack. The only distinctive feature was a golden ‘X’ mark in the center.
But that very emblem told me what this grip-tack was.
It’s merchandise.
One of the goods sold at the <Darkness Exploration Records> pop-up store I’d visited right before opening my eyes in this bizarre situation!
It was one of the items I’d purchased today.
I picked up the grip-tack with trembling hands.
What was its function in the story, again…?
[Memorial Grip-Tack]
: A C-rank item appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
When attached to a smartphone, it organizes the text the user remembers and displays it as clear pages.
A grade 9 supply item from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau under the Ministry of Environment.
Shows memories as text…
Then, could it be?
With trembling hands, I removed the adhesive backing and immediately attached it to my smartphone.
That’s when it happened.
The fragmented lines of <Darkness Exploration Records> that I vaguely remembered suddenly took clear form and structure, appearing on my phone screen as pages.
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story
[Welcome to the Abyss Transit Corporation]
: A horror story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>, Daydream Corporation identification code Qterw-D-16.
A crazy story that, among the early Dusk (D)-class Darkness entries, boasts an overwhelmingly high escape difficulty. And the eternally suffering Field Exploration Team.
Explorations have been recorded up to 56 times.
======================
“…!”
So this means…
The merchandise I bought is actually working?
Come to think of it, the black goods box that had been on my lap was now gone.
That goods box turned into that memo pad and spat out the merchandise I bought?
What kind of insane situation is this?
No, still—this is clearly an advantage for me.
This horror story universe called <Darkness Exploration Records>—do you know how many internet veterans burned their creative urges on this? Literally hundreds of horror stories existed.
Of course, it’s hard to recall all of them page by page in your head like flipping through a book.
Moreover, since the stories don’t directly describe survival methods but instead make you infer them while reading, deriving the right answer in a new situation was even harder.
But I can check what I’ve read in an organized summary at once.
If that’s possible, the first thing I need to look at is…
Past escape cases!
I immediately scrolled down the wiki page.
And after breathlessly reading through the “3.2 Exploration Records”…
“……”
I quickly reasoned it out.
I got it.
I found my own answer for which station to get off at.
But there’s a problem.
“……”
I turned my head to look at the people in the same car.
Eight young new employees, including me.
The people who had panicked at the sight of two people getting disassembled live were barely regaining their composure and starting to talk.
“Just now, what was that… ‘Resentment Station’—like the resentment when people get angry… right?”
“Yes…”
“Hah, no signal, no data, really… Ah, what is this…”
“……”
Yeah. The problem is how I convince these strangers, who don’t trust each other, to get off at the right station.
I need to get as many people as possible to get off together.
I clenched my fist.
Did I suddenly feel a noble sense of mission to save lives, realizing that the extras sacrificed in this horror story world were also real people?
Well… that’s part of it, humanely speaking, but that wasn’t my top priority.
The most urgent reason was…
I can’t get off alone…!
That’s right.
Many of the stations here are completely insane.
Walking out alone through a station full of eyeballs, a blacked-out station, or an upside-down station?
Just imagining it made me break out in a cold sweat and feel like I’d be walking on all fours.
Probability of fainting midway and failing to escape: over 90%…!
No. Save me.
I have to convince them somehow!
I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again.
But just blurting out paranormal phenomena and Darkness is stupid.
Who would want to admit they’re in a situation like a RPG Maker horror game? They’d either refuse to believe and laugh it off, or believe it and panic even more.
Slowly… start with trust.
First, one person.
If I can convince one or two people firmly, then herd mentality will kick in and others will follow.
Let’s see. Someone who looks like they need help, or a clue to build rapport with…
“Hah… This is like something from a W-tube horror story.”
Found them!
“Horror… story, you said?”
“Ah.”
A calm-looking woman with short hair nodded with a slightly flustered expression.
“Yes. I, well, I watch some horror stories on W-tube, and this reminded me of them.”
“Could you tell me more? Since this is clearly not a normal situation, I think sharing whatever information we have would be best.”
“Ah, it’s not really information… It’s just that everything feels like a horror story. The lecture hall suddenly turning into a subway, and people… dying like that.”
Her face turned a bit pale, probably recalling the insane disassembly show from moments ago.
I understand. I feel like throwing up too.
Let’s both quickly erase that from our minds.
“Ah, sorry. I suddenly…”
“No, I feel the same way. This is so absurd I can’t even think straight.”
The woman gave a weak smile.
“Come on, you seem like the most level-headed person here.”
Easy for you to say—you haven’t seen me faint from being too level-headed yet.
“Huh?”
And surprisingly, around that time, someone spoke to me first.
For a very good reason too.
“Uh, you’re the one who was sitting next to me earlier, right?”
A man with curly hair and a rather innocent-looking face.
Come to think of it, he was sitting next to me in the lecture hall.
That new employee seemed to have been left out of any conversation group. He scratched the back of his neck, glanced between me and the woman I was talking to, then extended his hand as if for a handshake.
“My name is Baek Sa-heon.”
“…!”
For a moment, I almost forgot to shake his hand.
Baek Sa-heon?
A named character.
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation / Characters
Baek Sa-heon
: An employee of Daydream Corporation appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
Final rank: Section Chief. Total exploration records: 106. Special cases recorded on the wiki: 17.
Alias: Venomous Snake.
======================
He was an employee who had been active numerous times in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
I looked up at the curly-haired man with a somewhat frail impression and groaned inwardly.
This guy… is Baek Sa-heon?
The image didn’t quite match.
Either way, seeing an employee from a horror story world I’d only read about in text was a strangely surreal feeling.
Meanwhile, the short-haired woman who had first brought up the horror story extended her hand.
“Given the situation, let’s at least exchange names. I’m Ko Young-eun.”
A name I’d never heard before. And for an employee whose real name I didn’t know, there were two possibilities.
Either they handled horror stories relatively easily and quit early.
Or they died quickly.
Damn it…
There were occasionally named employees who only appeared by nickname or code name, but in those cases, their character traits were so distinct I’d recognize them at a glance.
Unsettling. I quickly shook off the afterimage and hid my expression.
“Kim Soleum.”
The handshake ended quickly, and we naturally sat down on the subway seats to continue talking.
In the meantime, the groups of people had oddly divided.
“Ah, those people… they’re trying to talk to the front car somehow?”
“Looks like it.”
Movement between cars is forbidden in this horror story. Sure enough, they soon gave up and came back.
“What do we do? We can’t communicate with the front car at all. And it seems like there’s a fight up there…”
Just as the anxious and uneasy people were speaking, another station arrival announcement came down.
Only this time, the keyword had a different vibe.
[This stop is Ecstasy, Ecstasy Station.]
“Huh?”
The murmuring stopped instantly.
“Ecstasy?”
“Uh, doesn’t ‘ecstasy’ sound like something good? Maybe…”
No.
You can’t judge it that simply…!
I clenched my teeth, recalling the exploration records I’d just read.
First of all, the theme of the station names changed every time this horror story appeared.
So it’s impossible to find the exact right word from past cases, like “get off at this station” or “this station is the answer.”
But I can observe the tendencies.
Like this.
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story / Welcome to the Abyss Transit Corporation
3.2 Exploration Records (Up to 56 times)
- Station names indicated by colors like Red, Yellow, Blue.
: 2 survivors (Attempted: 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 ■■, ■■■■, ■■■.
: 12 survivors (Attempted: ■■■■ 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)
[Read More]
======================
See that? Even up to 56 recorded cases, the positive or negative feeling of the station name has no correlation with escape probability.
But at this Ecstasy Station, people are about to rush out.
[The doors will open on the left….]
Because the platform they arrived at happened to look bright and pleasant.
Damn it.
I could feel the mood shifting as the station appeared clean and bright, like a new town station.
“Ah…!”
“Hey, should we get off here and look for people? This place actually looks normal…”
People cheered and started hovering near the doors.
No!
My companions’ headcount!
And my mental state witnessing this!
Damnation.
I ended up running and blocking the doors again.
“…!”
“Wh-what.”
“Please wait.”
[The screen doors are opening.]
“Are you sure?”
“Huh…?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Sure that this place is safe. Or at least have some reasoning.”
I deliberately averted my gaze.
“I believe most of you would agree that this situation feels like a horror story.”
Ko Young-eun, suddenly the center of attention at my look, flinched but didn’t take back her words.
[The doors will close in 30 seconds. There is no turning back.]
“But whether it’s a horror story or a horror movie, have you ever seen anyone get a good outcome by relying solely on luck and vibes?”
“…Well, that’s—”
“Without reasoning or inference, are you really willing to stake your life on this?”
The people who were getting agitated paused for a moment, then quickly got angry.
“Hey, have you done some great reasoning or something?”
“This guy’s been saying nothing but frustrating things…”
“Ah, just move aside! Reasoning, inference—what is this, Golden Bell? Did someone give you a hint?”
“Yes.”
“…?”
“Yes, someone is giving hints.”
I took a breath.
And raised my hand, pointing upward.
At the subway train display board with speakers.
“The announcements.”
- Please listen to the announcements for a pleasant journey to the final destination.
From the very beginning, the train’s announcements had kindly stated that fact.
“It keeps telling us to focus on and follow the announcements. Explicitly.”
In that sense—
I asked, listening to the announcement that was being added.
[Passengers whose final destination is Ecstasy Station, please exit according to the announcement.]
“Is anyone here whose final destination is Ecstasy Station?”
“……”
“……”
People’s movements stopped.
“B-but, ‘ecstasy’ is a good thing.”
“Living ecstatically, happily—that’s life’s purpose…”
“So, is your final destination right now Ecstasy Station?”
“……”
“……”
Everyone seemed to feel the unease.
But one or two people started getting angry at me.
“Hey, do we even have a ‘destination’ right now? You don’t know either, so why are you meddling?”
“If we don’t get off here because of you and fail to escape, will you take responsibility? Will you?!”
Can I take responsibility?
“Yes.”
“…!”
“Huh…?”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
That’s an easy question.
I was planning to escape together anyway.
Getting off here is a confirmed wrong answer. So my answer has no chance of being worse than that.
But it was an unexpected answer—the person’s mouth fell open and they froze for a moment.
“……”
Having been confronted so strongly, they seemed genuinely shaken—their hesitation was visible.
[The screen doors are closing….]
In the meantime, the doors closed.
“Ah……”
I stepped aside. A few people stared at the doors with hollow eyes and clung to them.
But no one was angry that I had stopped them from getting off.
This is… good enough.
Just as I was feeling somewhat satisfied.
A urgent shout came.
“Hey! Everyone in the front car got off!”
“…!”
Everyone?
I immediately looked out the train window.
Not everyone, but about five or six people seemed to have gotten off all at once.
“……”
Phew.
I really, really didn’t want to see what was about to happen.
But I had to watch this to be persuasive later—damn it…
I suppressed my curses and narrowed my eyes, looking out the window.
“Huh? They’re running!”
The ones who got off seemed determined to move quickly without delay. I could see about five or six figures running toward the platform exit, toward the stairs.
But it was too late.
“Aack!”
The platform floor began to boil with a golden glow, and the runners’ feet started sinking as if melting into the ground.
“G-gold…?”
It was a bizarre sight, as if their lower bodies were turning to gold and sticking to the floor.
The people screamed and struggled to run, but their speed slowed more and more….
Eventually, their upper-body-only torsos wobbled and dropped in front of the stairs.
Even that turned into glittering gold.
By the easiest means of becoming ecstatic.
“Hiiik.”
“Hngh.”
[The train is departing from Ecstasy Station.]
Inside the departing train car, only sounds of swallowed breaths and sobbing echoed.
One person who had wanted to get off urgently grabbed me and asked.
“So—you said you’d take responsibility. Can you guarantee you can find a truly safe place? Can you?”
“Yes.”
I answered firmly.
It was absurd how the logic had jumped to me providing the right answer as a given, but I could only give that answer anyway.
I’m so dead, seriously.
My lower body was shaking so much I felt like collapsing…!
The images of people’s lower bodies bursting kept replaying in low quality in my head, making me nauseous.
One thing was certain—even if I survived this, I wasn’t sleeping tonight.
In the midst of this, Baek Sa-heon chimed in with admiration.
“You’re amazing, teacher.”
“…Teacher?”
“Ah, I tend to call people ‘teacher’ when I meet them.”
He gave an awkward smile and added:
“These days, there aren’t many people like you, teacher. People can’t say things definitively—they use hedging language like ‘I think ~’.”
“……”
“I hope things turn out as well as you’ve guaranteed.”
Uh… thanks for the kind words, but this isn’t the time for such lukewarm, out-of-body language.
If things don’t turn out well here, you’ll die too, you know…
Wait.
No.
There was something I missed while whining about being scared.
If Baek Sa-heon has records of being active as an employee in <Darkness Exploration Records>, that means he passed this employment test, right?
Then why not just follow whatever station Baek Sa-heon wants to get off at?
If I convince him and Ko Young-eun, that’s three people. And if there are people who actively agree and follow, others are more likely to follow too.
Such an easy solution?
“Baek Sa-heon-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to have a station you want to get off at? I mean… is there a word you’re thinking of—like, ‘if a station with this name appears, we should get off’?”
“…Uh, suddenly?”
“I want to hear various opinions.”
“Ah.”
Baek Sa-heon seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged.
“Not really. I don’t know much about this kind of thing.”
“I see.”
So he hasn’t gotten any special intuition yet.
I nodded readily. Still, this seemed like a decent idea, so I’d keep watching…
Ding-dong.
[Dear passengers, this is an announcement from the Abyss Transit Corporation for a pleasant journey. Please listen carefully.]
“…!”
The announcement started again.
Everyone stopped talking and immediately looked up.
[From now on, our train will pass through a curved section, which may cause noise and shaking.]
[Please be seated to prevent accidents.]
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.
“Everyone sit down.”
No one objected—they all sat down quickly.
Fast enough to justify me having brought up the announcements earlier.
Even the person who had been insisting on getting off shut their mouth and sat down in the nearest seat.
But it seemed not everyone did.
“Hey! The front car!”
“Those people…”
In the front car, people were standing, too busy arguing fiercely with each other.
I couldn’t hear the details, but they were probably shouting so much that the announcement got drowned out.
It was obvious—they were completely panicked after seeing people die in ways they’d never imagined.
“Shouldn’t we say something?”
“Hey! Can you hear us?!”
“Please sit down!”
New employees sitting near the front car shouted. But the people in the front car barely looked, and one person who happened to make eye contact came closer.
“Sit down!”
“No, don’t come closer, just sit—”
Too late.
[Entering curved section….]
The lights went out.
“…!”
In the darkness, the train began to shake with a roar.
And layered over the roar, a sharp sound rang out.
A scream.
- Aaaah!!
- Ah, ah, aaaah…
The sound of something biting tearing.
The sound of squeezing a fully ripe grape.
Dull thuds.
…As if only a door away.
“……”
“……”
I could hear the people in this car, who had instinctively silenced themselves, breathing in thin shivers.
And then the lights came on.
-…….
Through the narrow glass window of the front door of the train, the front car became visible.
Covered entirely in blood and filth.
In that insane state, as if living creatures had been put through a grinder, no trace of human remains could be found.
All dead.
[You may now safely stand up. Thank you for your cooperation.]
In contrast to the crisp announcement, panicked screams echoed through the train.
“Let me out! Let me out!”
“Huuuuuh, huuuuh… What is this. What is this… Mom…”
But even in that state, the new employees covered their mouths, suppressed their voices, and tried to listen to the announcements.
Because it had proven to be a lifeline!
Damn it.
Things were clearly flowing in a direction favorable to my survival, but becoming reality made it so horrific that cold sweat beaded on my forehead.
Ignoring my trembling hands as I wiped it away, I gritted my teeth.
I shouldn’t look at the front car door anymore.
Just focus on persuasion, persuasion…
After a few more stations, when the right answer station appears, people will definitely get off with me…
[Dear passengers, this is an announcement from the Abyss Transit Corporation for a pleasant journey. Please listen carefully.]
The announcement started again.
“Again?!”
“Sob sob…”
Cutting through the weary people’s sobs, the crisp, mechanical recorded voice continued the announcement.
With something out of nowhere.
[There is a lost item.]
Wait.
I snapped my head up.
[If you have found the lost item, please get off at the next station and hand it over to the station staff.]
I knew this case.
…An escape case from the “Other Records”!
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story / Welcome to the Abyss Transit Corporation
3.4 Other Records (Escape)
A document recording irregular survivals that succeeded in escaping other than by getting off at a station.
Several methods have been repeatedly observed. (Most frequently recorded occurrences: ‘Temporary stop for train spacing’ and ‘Lost item announcement’.)
======================
An unconditional escape ticket.
If you have the announced lost item, you can safely get out!
However…
Only one person can escape.
…For someone like me who can’t get out alone, this survival ticket is a disqualification from the start.
I clenched both hands.
Then who should I send out?
No—is sending someone out really the right answer?
And…
[The lost item is ‘the left eyeball of an adult male in his 20s with blood type A’.]
An unimaginable lost item was announced.
