Free Web NovelThere were people inside the train.
Not just Ko Yeongeun, but what appeared to be ordinary civilians.
“......!!”
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
But there was no time to get emotional.
“J-just get on first!”
“Yes!”
At Yeongeun’s urgent shout, my group pushed our bodies into the subway car—
“Don’t!”
Something shot out from behind Yeongeun and jabbed my shoulder, shoving me back.
A mop handle, wrapped thickly in duct tape.
“...!”
And then, a flood—objects thrust toward us from all directions, pushing us back.
“Off! Get off!”
“Don’t let them on! You don’t know who they are!”
“No—!”
People inside the train jabbed us with makeshift poles crafted from household items, forcing us away from the door.
The rejection in their expressions.
Their hostility toward outsiders.
Their fear.
“Don’t get on!”
“J-just wait! They’re people I know! We won’t cause any danger—!”
“Like hell we know that!!”
A middle-aged man in a padded jacket snarled at Yeongeun.
“Hey! Then how about you get off!”
“Yeah, get off!”
“Sir, please calm down!”
Shit.
They looked ready to throw Ko Yeongeun off as well.
This is overheating...!
If we forced our way in, it would only make things worse for her.
I thought quickly.
Something to negotiate with.
They must have been trapped in Se-gwang Special City for years.
Something direct.
Something undeniably valuable to them.
“I will share food supplies!”
“...!”
“We have packaged rations! Safe to eat!”
I frantically reached into my pocket and made a show of retrieving one.
I held up a combat ration.
“...!”
Hunger flickered across several faces.
“We have extra.”
“Hand it over first!”
“If you let us board, we’ll give them to you.”
I pulled the ration back.
The people looked among themselves, wavering—
“Hurry! The doors are closing!”
And then—
Screen doors closing.
The moment the people inside hesitated and stepped back, we stepped in through the doors.
“......Hah.”
We boarded.
Bzzzzzz...
The train began to move.
But inside it, we stood apart—facing the civilians like opposing lines.
“.......”
“.......”
...Around twenty people?
The agent most experienced with encountering masses of civilians inside ghost-stories spoke first.
“...Are you citizens of Se-gwang Special City?”
“What, and you’re not? Why’d you ask like that...”
But the padded man suddenly understood.
“You’re not from here? You came from outside! You came from outside, didn’t you!”
“......!”
“Oh, recently! Something must’ve opened somewhere! You came through that, right??”
“Yeah! Otherwise you wouldn’t look that clean!”
People surged forward, babbling.
“Can you get out?! How did you get in?!”
“So there is a way out!?”
“They came in—maybe they know how to leave—!”
Like moths swarming a lamp, their reactions bordered on mania.
But Bronze Agent would answer honestly—No way out—which would destroy everything.
No.
I stepped in.
“Please, just a moment!”
I raised my hand sharply.
“A few days ago, we woke up in the Casino Station concourse. ...Did any of you awaken here in a similar condition?”
“.......”
“What happened to this city...?”
“Tch.”
The padded middle-aged man clicked his tongue. His eyes shifted.
He glanced between Ko Yeongeun and us.
“You’re just like her. Nothing useful. Tch tch.”
“.......”
“Fine, let’s see if you have anything worth taking.”
The mania faded.
But their eyes changed.
Greed.
Hunger.
The primal urge for supplies.
“We let you board. So show us all of your food.”
“We refuse.”
Manager!
“What?”
“You have no authority to privatize public transportation and charge passengers for use.”
“You—”
He tapped Section Chief Lee Jahaeon’s chest with the mop handle—but his arm was caught.
“Urk!”
Thud.
The handle hit the floor.
The man struggled wildly, but no matter how frantically he jerked, Section Chief Lee didn’t even flinch.
“Please stop.”
“Huh? H-hey?”
“AAAAAH!”
Chaos rippled across the car. People backed up, someone ran to call someone else. Dammit.
“Chief. It’s fine. Given the situation, it’s better to share the food.”
“Oh dear, yes. Our Chief is just quite strong. He barely held him and suddenly everyone got excited. Let’s calm down and discuss this politely, Chief.”
“...Yes.”
Section Chief Lee released him.
The man staggered back, grabbed the mop handle, and melted back into the crowd.
Fear in his eyes.
Then—hostility, simmering again.
“.......”
“Roe Deer. This is better. Otherwise we’d get exploited.”
Deputy Eunhaje whispered.
I know.
Six healthy adults entering a closed survival micro-society at once is too large a disruption.
If we appear weak, we’ll be stripped.
If we appear hostile, we’ll be expelled.
But the real problem was—
This is where Ko Yeongeun has been living.
And the treatment she receives here—
It’s not good.
“Car conductor!”
“Who did you let in!?”
Rattle.
Someone stepped out from the operator’s cab.
Likely the one they had gone to fetch.
A man around the same age as the padded one.
Thin lips, mean expression.
Wearing a train conductor’s hat.
Probably the de facto leader of this train-shelter.
“Greetings.”
He ignored the greeting and swept his eyes up and down our group.
“This is a safe place someone built. And you barge in and start beating people?”
“We didn’t—”
“Save it. Get off.”
People regained courage and chimed in:
“Yeah, get them off!”
“Unbelievable!”
“They’re here to take our shelter!”
Fear and resentment chimed together.
The conductor waved his hand sharply.
“Either get off, or bow and beg.”
“Conductor, wait—”
“Yeongeun. How can you be this stupid?”
She froze.
“Your aunt said you were med school, so we took you in. And you’re not even a real doctor. Just a dropout who knows a little disinfecting. You think that’s valuable here?”
Her face flushed red, then turned pale.
“You bring outsiders? For what? To pretend you matter?”
That was enough.
“Wait.”
“Stop.”
“...!”
The words overlapped.
A new voice—someone who had run from the next car, out of breath.
A woman in her forties, wearing a navy vest labeled:
Se-gwang Transit Authority.
“A-ah, station staff—”
“How long has it been since we’ve seen unhurt people in here. And they’re acquaintances of Yeongeun. We can finally hear news from outside. Isn’t that good?”
“...Yeah, sure. Whatever.”
The conductor’s aggression instantly deflated.
And the others’ too.
“I’ll handle them. Everyone return to your seats.”
“.......”
The crowd hesitated, then dispersed.
People who had been silent this whole time exhaled with relief.
Tap.
The conductor shoved my shoulder passing by.
Muttering—
“Showing off just ’cause she’s your aunt...”
“....”
I hooked a foot out.
He stumbled with an “Urk!” and nearly fell, then whirled around.
I just looked at him.
Oh? Did you bump into me?
My expression said it perfectly.
He flinched and backed away.
Exhale.
I massaged my neck.
I felt a stare—turned—Baek Saheon flinched and quickly looked away.
Same type...
The takeaway was clear.
Strong against the weak, weak against the strong.
And if they’ve been trapped here for years... maybe it’s unavoidable.
“Thank you for your assistance.”
“Think nothing of it.”
While Deputy Eunhaje spoke with the station worker, I looked around.
[Hmph. Like a camper van taken over by squatters. Not exactly a pleasant aesthetic.]
A bit blunt, but not wrong.
The train was full of blankets, bowls, household clutter—clearly lived-in.
Seats converted into sleeping spaces, mats on the floor, salvaged coats hung like insulation.
And every window was papered with newspapers.
So no one inside could see out, and no one outside could see in.
“.......”
Watching eyes.
Wary eyes.
“Probably about twenty-five across two cars. So total headcount is... hmm.”
“Better to talk after getting off.”
Even that estimation could be taken as a threat.
But another detail had stuck out.
“N-no, wait. Don’t leave just yet. You need somewhere safe to stay...”
It was Ko Yeongeun.
“So I’ll talk with my aunt and...”
“Yeongeun.”
I bowed my head first.
“Thank you. Truly. For bringing us here.”
“.......”
Considering she saw me die—bloodied, dismembered—and now sees me whole again, she has every reason to suspect ghost-story phenomenon.
And yet—
she still helped us.
“And I kept my promise. I returned unharmed.”
Her hands trembled, fighting back a surge of emotion.
Deputy Lee Seonghae hugged her tightly.
Soothing her.
The atmosphere settled.
We were escorted to the rear car, away from where the commotion had occurred.
“The front car is tense. Follow slowly.”
And only then did we hear how Ko Yeongeun came to live in this shelter.
“...There was a rumor. That a Chogae-class Agent had converted one of the subway trains into a safe shelter.”
“...A Disaster Management Bureau agent?”
“Probably.”
By Bronze Agent’s expression, the conclusion became obvious.
Someone not from our team.
Most likely Blue Dragon Team.
As I thought that—
My smartphone vibrated.
Train Shelter
One of the few remaining survivor clusters in sealed-off Se-gwang Special City.
Originally created by surviving members of Blue Dragon Team, who modified a train to prevent doors from opening at stations.
Due to the unique property of returning to the morning of the disaster upon boarding, residents maintain their appearance from the day of disappearance.
It may be possible to purchase special items unique to Se-gwang Subway in Car 7.
“...!”
So this was where Blue Dragon Team left their last marks.
“...Is that agent still here?”
“......No. He went to Afternoon Station to gather supplies... and never returned.”
“.......”
I nodded, heavy.
Bronze Agent fell silent.
Then the station worker spoke:
“We’ve arrived.”
Clatter.
The door to the seventh car slid open.
And what was revealed—
...a marketplace?
Signs made of torn cardboard, scrawled on with marker.
People sat on the floor.
The seats had cloths spread to display goods.
Even the priority seats had wooden boards reinforcing them.
They looked like street vendors.
Crude, but the imitation was convincing.
A kind of trading zone.
The people in this car looked at us with surprise or caution, but not as aggressively as the first car.
“Car 7 is where the train trades with people from outside. You could call it a kind of neutral zone... On Tuesday morning, at a set time, we open the doors and receive people.”
Ah.
You may be able to purchase special items that exist only in the Se-gwang Special City subway from Car 7.
So that’s what that meant.
This is how they acquire survival resources, then.
I frowned slightly at the sign for Car 8 Lodging Pass.
I understood now why the padded middle-aged man in Car 1 had been so aggressive trying to take our rations for free.
He had reacted deliberately.
“If you had entered through this car, the commotion wouldn’t have been that big. It was worse because you entered through Car 1. That’s... well, that’s the conductor’s territory.”
“...Has there ever been anyone who tried to trade here and then insisted on staying on the train?”
“There have been, but outsiders cannot spend even a single night here without permission. Both the conductor and I have to agree for someone to become a member.”
Her tone didn’t sound like she was simply “kicking them out.”
The agent who built this shelter likely left conditions in place.
Regardless, while she spoke with the others in Car 7, the “station staff” extended her hand to me again for a handshake.
“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m in charge of the rear cars. I’m Yeongeun’s aunt, and everyone just calls me the station attendant. I originally worked at the stations... and it ended up like this.”
Wait.
A Se-gwang subway station employee?
“By any chance... did you know someone named Heo Un who worked at Midnight Station?”
“Heo Un?”
Though taken off guard, the station attendant answered sincerely.
“Oh, I remember. You mean Lee Heo-un, right?”
...!
The name on the YuKwae Research Laboratory badge matched exactly.
So it really was him.
“But he wasn’t station staff.”
“...Pardon?”
“He was external technical personnel. The type who comes into the machine rooms when there’s a problem.”
She stroked her chin, recalling something.
“...Come to think of it, this subway always had a lot of outside engineers coming through the machine rooms... Maybe they were doing something like a smart-farm project.”
Smart farm.
Growing vegetables underground using lighting and nutrient solutions, something like that.
“Of course, not an actual smart-farm, but... some new material research you can only process underground. Headquarters sent people constantly.”
So—
a specialized subsidiary project.
I became certain.
YuKwae Research Laboratory really was woven into this place.
And that “new material” was undoubtedly dream-solution.
The Se-gwang subway system was originally constructed with YuKwae Lab’s research access embedded into it.
“But why do you ask...?”
“We found his body in Midnight Station.”
I briefly explained the library closure and the exposed station office.
“I see. He almost never needed to enter that office, but... I understand. So that’s what happened.”
Her response had the numb tone of someone who had already witnessed too much death.
She reacted more to the library closure than to the corpse.
...Makes sense.
She lived through a cataclysm that killed hundreds of thousands.
Which meant—
“...What exactly happened in Se-gwang Special City?”
“...So Yeongeun didn’t know either. You really all don’t know.”
Her face darkened.
“What happened outside? Yeongeun said Se-gwang Special City became something like a ghost story—like it doesn’t exist anymore.”
That was correct.
And for now, letting her believe only that much was best.
Telling her that the government didn’t just suspend rescue, but abandoned and sealed the region outright—
There was no need to crush her with that.
“That’s correct.”
“...I see.”
I stayed silent and waited.
“...And what happened here was—”
The day of the Se-gwang Special City Disaster.
......
“...To put it simply, it was like a horror movie.”
“I # Nоvеlight # was on duty at Se-gwang Station. Then suddenly people were screaming and running down into the station. I saw someone fall at the stairs and get trampled to death. And still, people didn’t stop.”
Aaaahhh!!
Images surged—like found-footage horror.
Shaking steps, surging masses, someone collapsing, blood, panic, screams, confusion.
“At first I had no idea what was happening. Then headquarters radioed that it was some kind of terrorism. So I tried to make announcements and help. Then I looked outside the station...”
Her voice trembled.
“And something... some shapes were chasing the people from behind. I heard the footsteps.”
THUD.
“They were swollen masses of flesh. Like two or three people mashed together into something huge.”
THUD.
“It didn’t even feel real. More like a movie. Until I realized—”
“They really were made of people.”
“People outside would stop, clutch their heads, and freeze. Then their bodies started swelling... and they stuck together. Like... mucous tissue.”
I could picture it.
“And there was some strange whispering. Something about paradise? Heaven... Something like that...”
......
“So we dropped the fire shutters to block them before they could enter.”
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
“The people still alive outside... pounded on the shutter. I still hear that sound. ...And how it gradually stopped.”
The station attendant’s complexion had gone pale.
“That’s everything I know. I won’t explain more. Remembering it... has caused trouble before.”
“...I understand.”
Contamination. Psychological or memetic.
“In any case, I strongly advise you not to leave the subway. ...Though this place isn’t exactly normal either.”
She bowed slightly and went to rejoin the stall operators.
[Interesting imagery. Friend, what do you make of it?]
What do I think?
...This is a biological-disaster ghost story.
A Biological Hazard narrative.
People whispering something, then fusing into flesh masses.
Half virus outbreak, half occult mutation.
So it really is an infection-type ghost story.
Yes.
The disaster in Se-gwang Special City was an epidemic-like supernatural phenomenon that spread rapidly, turning people into aberrant forms.
Naturally, I remembered the “teacher” from Se-gwang Technical High School. The pulsating tissue spreading there.
So that was part of this disaster.
A chill crept along my spine.
Then—
Paradise? Heaven?
Those were the same words I had already seen.
This invitation research uses
Children’s Paradise Syrup
→ My opinion!
Children’s Paradise Syrup.
So it really was YuKwae Research Lab.
Meaning, logically—
YuKwae Lab was trying to turn Se-gwang Special City into a paradise through a wish-based experiment.
It failed so catastrophically that it produced this.
But then—
Why was I invited to continue this research afterward?
A sickening cold sensation ran beneath my skin.
And then—
Se-gwang Special City.
Extermination-class disaster.
...Didn’t I originally remember more about this?
My chest chilled.
Yes.
I had once remembered this ghost-story well.
I’d read the wiki.
Which is why I recognized the signs immediately during reconnaissance.
I should still remember all the connecting details.
But—
At some point, I forgot.
Probably after becoming 130666.
“....”
No.
I pulled myself out of that thought. freewebnovel.cσ๓
There’s no point panicking.
Because now—
I had a lead.
Find which subway stations contain accessible YuKwae Lab facilities.
And I already had a way to explore the region using the Dark Exploration Log.
If I confirm stations, the wiki updates, giving new hints.
Good.
“Then—”
The train had already circled past Se-gwang Station again.
“We’ve gone one full loop.”
“Oh, you can see outside here.”
Car 7’s door didn’t have newspaper covering its window.
“Station attendant, may we check if there are any goods worth exchanging?”
“Of course. Though it isn’t Tuesday, so stock might be low.”
Leaving the others browsing stalls, I stepped to the door.
“It won’t open except on Tuesday. It’s locked automatically.”
“Yes.”
...It hits me again that Cars 1–3 opening earlier was only possible because Ko Yeongeun forced it.
Exhale.
It doesn’t matter that Car 7 doesn’t open now.
What matters is—
I can see.
Next station is Midnight Station.
The train passed known platforms.
Midnight Station (Casino).
Night Station (Library).
And then—
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
The next one.
Next station is Dusk Station.
I looked outside.
The platform... looked bleached white.
“...!”
“Oh, you can’t get out there. It used to be possible, but now the temperature’s not survivable.”
Heat radiated through the glass.
I swept the platform with my eyes—
And—
Se-gwang Subway Route Map
Updated.
Dusk Station (Conscience Market)
A former flea market station where all goods are now unattended.
Taking items without paying causes the station to heat according to the amount of conscience sold.
It has now become a burning hell.
Good.
We continued updating every station as the train looped.
Se-gwang Subway Route Map
I absorbed every description.
There were... some disturbing ones.
But that was fine.
What mattered was that I now knew which stations to avoid.
We do not need to visit Dusk Station.
Everyone would burn to death. The likely escape condition would be returning every item to its original place—impossible.
Do not waste time.
We end exploration there.
Pass.
The remaining three stations are equally dangerous—but—
We aim for the station with useful items.
Good.
The path is clear.
I could feel it.
If we proceed like this, we’ll find the answers we need inside this bizarre subway labyrinth.
Whether Ho Youwon’s answers—or mine.
“Finished trading?”
“Yeah. Want to look too?”
I reviewed items with the others and purchased several unusual goods no one else had bothered with.
“You’re buying that?”
“You have an issue?”
“No.”
I stored them.
And then—
“Yes, I can open that station briefly.”
After negotiating with the station staff to stop at a particular station, we handed half the leftover rations to Ko Yeongeun.
“I’ll bring more next time.”
“.......”
She stared down at them.
Then quietly—
“So... from the way you’re talking, you know how to move between outside and this city.”
“.......”
“If someone dies here... are they unharmed outside?”
“...Yes. Something like that.”
“...!”
She lifted her head. A faint spark flickered in her eyes.
“Then everyone here—if they die, they can leave—?”
“No!”
God.
“No. That only applies because of our specific entry method.”
I explained Ho Youwon’s project.
“...I see.”
The light in her eyes died.
Then—
“That’s convenient, I guess.”
“.......”
“...Sorry. It’s just exhausting.”
Her voice was thin.
Crushed.
Ash-colored inside.
“...Still. I’m glad you’re safe. That’s real.”
“.......”
“I’ll... do what I can. To find a way out myself.”
Being an outsider living in a closed mini-society is soul-grinding.
In a disaster shelter, doubly so.
If she was competent, the burden must be immense.
...Yeongeun.
Then—
“Agent Park Ha.”
Bronze Agent spoke.
“When we return next time, we’ll bring official agent equipment.”
“......!”
“It will let you move more effectively.”
Yeongeun froze.
Realization flickered—then she swallowed.
“...Yes.”
“And... thank you.”
Bronze Agent hesitated.
“Thank you for letting us on. For showing there are survivors still here.”
“...!”
“Yeongeun.”
I added:
“Director Ho definitely knows how to retrieve something from here. That’s the entire reason this project exists.”
“...!”
So—there is a way out.
I said so indirectly.
“So if possible, please share every ‘rumor’ you’ve heard about this subway and the city.”
“Of course.”
We discussed her rumors for a long time.
And then—
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
“We’ve arrived.”
The train stopped, and the station staff opened the door for us.
“Be careful.”
Yeongeun had more color in her face now.
“Once you’re done exploring, return to Car 7. I’ll open the doors when I see the signal. I’ve already cleared it with my aunt—the station staff.”
“Thank you.”
[Once someone regains a clear goal, they break out of stagnation! Congratulations, Roe Deer. You’ve gained a local collaborator.]
...Yeah.
Though—
‘You might not like this next station.’
[Friend?]
I was the last to step off the platform.
We had chosen this place:
Se-gwang Transit Authority
Afternoon Station
A station known as—
The Blood Broadcast Station.
“...The lighting?”
Gaudy, psychedelic lighting flickered everywhere, fireworks had gone off, confetti littered the floor.
And at the top of the red-carpeted stairs stood...
A giant glowing sign.
