A few days after the launch of Kim Soleum's 'Operation: Take Over the Train Shelter'.
"Ah, shit."
A resident of the Train was irritably tossing a magazine aside in Car 2.
The magazine, with a celebrity striking a pose on its cover, was already tattered.
'Fucking bored.'
Today was another tedious day.
He had been a graduating university student before 'it' happened. The stress of job hunting had been at its peak, and he had even thought it would be better if the world just ended.
But now that it really had ended, he missed that daily life like crazy.
At least he could watch Shorts back then.
'This is annoying.'
He got up and looked around, trying to remind himself that he was living a life in the top 1% of the people in this city.
The comfortable Car 2.
The inferior Cars 3 and 4.
The even more wretched cars in the back.
And outside the Train, monsters were rampant.
'I'm a winner.'
If he stayed on this Train, a way out would eventually appear. He'd even heard information that the person who made this shelter had said, 'a way out will be found later.'
And since he was in a front car like this, he would be in the priority group and be safe then, too.
-You guys just found the Train a little earlier than us! It's not like this Train is yours!
For the record, the person who said that was kicked out even when there were still spots left in the shelter.
It was only natural since they were being a total pain in the ass. It was even a little satisfying.
'If you're going to freeload on a Train we claimed first, shouldn't you be polite? We're the ones letting you stay.'
Quickly forgetting the fact that he himself had gotten in luckily thanks to a Seonbae who was already here, this former 'university student' left Car 2 and started walking.
He was so bored that he was wandering around looking for anything to watch.
That's when he saw it.
Between Cars 4 and 5.
In the gap that separated the front cars from the back cars, people were gathered, whispering and laughing.
'Huh?'
Usually, the people from the front cars tended to subtly look down on the people from the back cars.
The university student didn't realize it, but it was akin to squeezing out dopamine through a sense of superiority in a situation where they were trapped in a Train, spending their days in fear and boredom.
But now, that atmosphere was strangely diminished.
Why?
'That person….'
A high school student from a back car was talking with a middle-aged woman from a front car with a bright face.
Then they showed each other something, bowed their heads, and the student returned to the back cars.
And the middle-aged woman, as if trying to hide something, put on an indifferent face and walked away….
'What did they exchange?'
The university student immediately followed the middle-aged woman and struck up a conversation.
"Ma'am, what were you talking about with the person from the back car?"
"Huh? Oh, just asking how they're doing and stuff…."
The university student clearly witnessed the emotion that passed through the eyes of the other person who was trying to brush him off.
A sense of superiority.
The pride of being in the know.
Pleasure.
Those things slightly overflowed and revealed themselves before being deliberately suppressed.
'What the?'
The university student's mood soured.
At the same time, he grew anxious.
'Is something going around?'
If something was happening that could change the hierarchy within the Train, shouldn't he get in on it quickly?
If he failed to join the trend and got pushed out, he might have to do dangerous daily labor like going out to find food.
Or get left behind when it's time to escape!
"Excuse me, ma'am."
In the end, he lowered his posture more than he ever had with the middle-aged woman, persistently sticking to her, flattering her, and prying.
The middle-aged woman, who had been saying things like, 'Oh, it's nothing,' finally gave him a tip with a look of magnanimity.
"Go to Car 7."
And so, this university student set foot in the back cars.
Drrrk.
The door opened, revealing the inside of Car 7.
It was a place for exchanging goods with outsiders, so he hadn't come here unless it was absolutely necessary. There had been riots here before, and a few people had even died.
But today, it was chaotic for a different reason.
"Get in line!"
"Hey, let's move it along!"
In a corner.
More than ten people were swarming in front of the most unremarkable and narrow gap, where things were usually just piled up.
Among them, a few faces from the front cars were visible.
'What is this…?'
People from the back cars were almost implicitly forbidden from coming to the front cars, but people from the front cars came to the back cars quite often if they wanted to, using various excuses.
Still, this was the first time he'd seen so many of them.
'What are they selling?'
The university student tried to push through the crowd to the front, but feeling self-conscious of the people from the front cars, he got in line.
Only after several dozen minutes, in a state of extreme impatience, did he get to see the 'items for sale.'
[Selling Snacks]
The shabby sign, made from a recycled cardboard box, said so, but the displayed items were sparkling and exquisite.
Chocolate bars, cookie sets, popcorn… there was even a salad with fresh green vegetables and hot dogs.
'Uh…??'
The surface of everything had a picture of a fancy theme park on it.
"Where did you get this?"
When the university student asked accusingly, the person who had set up the stall flinched.
He was wearing glasses and had messy hair, so his face wasn't clearly visible.
"Th-the home shopping, at that station… a new place opened… I went by chance…."
From what he heard, it seemed a new place to get food had opened up at Afternoon Station.
Of course, he himself had never gone down to a station to do 'that kind of work' since he was first accepted into the Train Shelter.
Anyway, it seemed the person had won a prize for being the 100th customer there and received a ton of all sorts of snacks.
Including items that weren't put out for sale, so regular customers couldn't get them.
'Lucky bastard.'
As the university student scowled and glanced at the person, they lowered their head even more.
'Can't even make eye contact?'
It was amazing that a loser like this had survived until now. He probably wouldn't look so good if he got off the Train.
'So you're trying to worm your way into becoming a Train resident with this?'
Then he should have offered it all up 'for the sake of the Train Shelter.' How dare he do business like this?
But his mind didn't seem to work that far, as the sign only had a timid phrase written on it.
[Accepting Accommodation Tickets]
'Hmm.'
It seemed his only goal was to stay in Car 8 for even a little longer.
Short-sighted and timid.
'A pushover.'
As someone who grew strong in front of the weak, the university student spoke casually.
"What's your name?"
"I, uh… please call me Grapes."
Hiding his name, on top of everything?
Anyway, the university student said, looking greedily at the snacks.
"I'll pick some out and take them for now, and I'll find an Accommodation Ticket for you. Got it?"
"Huh…? Th-that's a bit…."
"Why, I said I'll give it to you? Ah, you don't trust me. Why are you doing business here if you don't trust the people of the Train?"
The other person was fidgety but eventually nodded.
"It's one Accommodation Ticket for two bags of snacks…."
"Yeah, yeah."
Answering dismissively, the university student quickly picked out his snacks.
Although they weren't short on food in the front cars, it was difficult to enjoy the pleasure of taste.
There was a limit to the items they could procure!
Moreover, they were bringing in everything from strange things that could hardly be considered food to coarse and crude raw vegetables that were hard to eat.
To people who had grown accustomed to such a life, new snack items were a stimulus beyond mere food.
There were also things like keychains and magnets, but he didn't even glance at them.
A chocolate bar and popcorn.
After making the exchange, he hastily stuffed them into the inner pocket of his padded jacket, and the university student went and got an Accommodation Ticket from somewhere.
It was easy to just swipe an Accommodation Ticket for free from the back cars, where they were reluctant to cause conflict with people from the front cars.
Then he quickly returned to the stall of the idiot named 'Grapes' and held it out.
"Here you go."
"Thank you…."
Just as 'Grapes' was about to accept the Accommodation Ticket with both hands, bowing his head.
"Hey, if you're thankful, give me some service."
"Pardon?"
Snatching the Accommodation Ticket back, the university student quickly grabbed a handful of candies from the stall.
"This should do it."
"Ah, you can't!"
But as he was about to flash a triumphant smile at the person who couldn't properly resist.
"Stop it."
"Yeah. What's with him?"
…The people in the line behind him started whispering and stopping him.
Among them was a person from the front cars.
'…Fuck.'
What is this atmosphere?
Everyone used to do this much.
But in the end, he glanced around and put down the handful of candies.
Just as he was about to develop a grudge against Grapes out of embarrassment.
"Um… if you buy snacks from me now, I'm giving out raffle tickets…."
"A raffle?"
"Yes. Here's the list…."
Grapes turned his sign around to show the 'List of Prizes.'
7th Place – 1 Candy
6th Place – Perfect Button
5th Place – 1 Bag of Popcorn (Small)
4th Place – Perfect Magnet
3rd Place – 1 Box of Cookies
2nd Place – Perfect Keychain
The 1st place prize, decorated quite fancily, was this.
1st Place – Perfect Plush Doll
'Are you kidding me.'
What's with this Perfect series crap?
It seemed like he was trying to get rid of the non-snack prizes he received since they weren't selling.
"Would you like to try?"
"Yeah. Whatever."
Hoping to get a snack, he put his hand into the box Grapes held out and drew a ticket.
But….
"Congratulations, it's 2nd place…!"
2nd Place – Perfect Keychain
A golden keychain landed in his hand.
'Fucking really.'
The metal keychain, engraved with the cute head of a pink Rabbit Doll, looked completely useless.
But.
"Oh my god!"
"That's…."
He could hear whispering from the line behind him again….
Moreover, the stall owner named 'Grapes' was also looking at him with surprise and a newfound respect.
As if he was intimidated by seeing someone incredible.
"Co-congratulations…."
Huh?
What's more, when he turned around, some of the people in line were looking at him with eyes full of longing.
This… is it better than I thought?
'Then I should take it.'
The university student immediately stuffed the keychain into his pocket and returned to Car 2.
But afterward, he spent his time scheming to eat a whole chocolate bar in secret, away from the eyes of his acquaintances, and almost forgot about the golden keychain.
However….
That night, the university student had a dream.
-Ahahaha!
It was a dream of him spending an exciting day at a wonderful golden amusement park.
The Resort was both classic and luxurious, and it was incredibly fun.
Something strange was walking around, making it a bit childish, but isn't that the charm of a theme park?
He roamed every corner of the golden amusement park. Perhaps because it was a dream, the sequence of events was vague and many places were not clearly visible, but the joy was certain….
But at that moment.
Tinkle.
Like a lie, something very realistic and vivid appeared before his eyes.
A carriage-shaped snack kit.
♬♬♩♪♬♬♩♪♪♬-
From that stall, a blend of light pink and gold, some being was beckoning to him.
As he approached as if possessed, it extended a fluffy, round foot….
A cookie in its paw pad.
Only that was so vividly visible.
A cute Deformed, sugar cookie… with a pink Rabbit Doll exquisitely depicted with lines of chocolate.
The university student stretched out both hands.
And just as he was about to grab the fluffy hand of the being holding out the cookie….
He woke up.
"…!"
There was no fancy theme park, no exciting music or dopamine.
Just the moderately bright, shabby, and stuffy train car again.
'Wh-what was that?'
For a moment, he couldn't distinguish between reality and the dream, gasping for breath as he shot upright.
Then, something fell from his pocket.
Thud.
The golden keychain.
The pink rabbit inside was smiling, looking at him….
'....'
It was the doll from the cookie he saw in his dream.
"…!!"
The university student swallowed and got up.
His heart was pounding.
'That's what they were selling there.'
He immediately ran to Car 7.
Drrrk!
He opened the door roughly, but Car 7 was quiet as it wasn't market time, and the stall was gone.
But Grapes was sitting next to his closed stall, his eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.
And before the university student could call out to him, his eyes snapped open.
"You've come."
"…!"
Grapes's impression was somehow different from before.
'Huh?'
The servile appearance he had seen before was gone, and he was looking at him with a confident, beaming smile.
It even seemed to show a hint of worship.
'What the.'
And before the university student could say anything, he held out an Accommodation Ticket!
"Please purchase a snack with this."
"...."
"After you choose your snack, would you please draw from the raffle?"
As if it were not a business transaction, but some kind of pure ritual.
"...Yes."
The university student, for some reason, became tense and swallowed hard as he quickly chose two sets of cookies, as if he were about to do something momentous.
And into the raffle ticket box that approached him again, he put his hand….
Perhaps it was his imagination, but a slip of paper seemed to stick to his hand right away.
As if by fate.
The university student pulled out his hand and opened the slip with trembling fingers.
1st Place.
"I-I knew it!"
A reaction of joy and astonishment burst out from beside him.
"I knew it. From the moment you visited last time, something…! I thought that the Plush Body was guiding you…!"
"…Plush Body?"
"Did you see its body? The fluffy…."
Wait a minute.
Fluffy?
"Did you… have that dream too?"
"Of course!"
But his voice soon grew smaller as if embarrassed.
"Actually, I don't dream it that often. I heard that a high school student in Car 5 dreams it almost every day…."
At that moment, a fact struck the university student's mind like a lightning bolt.
'So this was it…!'
The people from the front and back cars talking to each other.
And what they knew among themselves was this.
The amusement park in the dream!
"Usually, people don't dream it right away, but it seems they sometimes dream it if they carry an item related to the Plush Body…."
"Aha."
The university student tried to act like it was no big deal, as if he were concerned.
"I had the dream as soon as I got this."
"That's amazing…."
The university student could feel a sense of superiority welling up in his heart.
At the same time, he felt a sense of camaraderie with the person who had seemed so pathetic.
Because they were sharing this special experience.
And his heart pounded.
Today, he might be reborn as a completely different person, a chosen one….
"In that case, this win truly seems to be the will of the Plush Body."
Grapes, who nodded, very, very carefully took something out of a box set up next to him.
Placed on what seemed to be the best fluffy cloth, chosen with utmost care, was something a little larger than the palm of a hand….
1st Place – Perfect Plush Doll
It was the Perfect Plush Doll.
"Behold."
It revealed its form.
It was a truly fluffy and soft-looking, high-quality rabbit Plush doll.
Black button-like eyes, a nose that looked as soft as velvet, and a light pink chubby body.
"This is the most ideal form of the Plush Body."
The university student, intoxicated by the feeling that something incredible was happening centered around him, stared at it intensely.
And Grapes, who was looking at that scene with admiration….
'He must be having a dopamine explosion.'
Was thinking this.
Kim Soleum, who had invested several whole days to find a candidate who was both gullible and had a bad enough personality that he wouldn't feel sorry for tricking them, was cheering inwardly at the bait that had finally been taken.
But his face still wore a fawning-like smile as he observed the other person.
Did you know?
The amusement park that appears in the dream isn't real… it's a kind of advertisement!
'It's more accurate to call it an ad video that plays in a dream using Merchandise.'
But what was more surprising was how vividly everyone was perceiving it, even though the Merchandise was made with its functionality minimized to prevent people from getting Contamination.
To some extent, he had put Braun, the TV show host, at the forefront, so he wondered if that had an influence….
Anyway, he had smoothly checked off all the items on the 'Typical Entry Characteristics of a Successful Cult' checklist!
1.Exploit a deficiency
2. Make them feel like they are special
3. Make them mistakenly believe they realized it on their own.
All of this had been accomplished smoothly.
However, there was a difference.
'The inside of this Train was already no different from a pseudo religion.'
Especially the elitism held by those in the front cars.
In a word, what he was doing now was just covering up one form of elitism with another…!
Just a bit more broadly!
Look, this guy in front of me needlessly picked a fight with an old man from Car 6, drove him out to Afternoon Station to get food, and caused his death, but now….
[Friend!!]
He's trying to grab Braun!
[Good heavens!]
Hiiik.
"I-I will carry him."
Kim Soleum spat out the words like a rapper and quickly lifted Braun with both hands, presenting him as if in a scene from The Lion King.
Braun was standing tall, just moments away from unleashing incineration on the prospective cult leader he had finally found.
"Moving the holy icon is for a servant like me to do. The chosen one's mere presence here is meaningful enough!"
[It certainly is meaningful. Meaningful in that you are an eyesore to me.]
'I'm sorry….'
Kim Soleum felt like he was about to bathe in a cold sweat!
However, the university student, who couldn't possibly hear the conversation between these two, just nodded his head, intoxicated with being the 'chosen one'.
"So… what do they want from me?"
He's speaking informally so naturally.
After pondering for a moment, Kim Soleum thought he couldn't just leave things as they were.
In truth, it was all to create a distraction to get into the conductor's cabin, but still, he couldn't cause any harm to the Train Shelter.
'Since I've entrusted a guy like that with something similar to the role of a cult leader, I'd better handle the aftermath properly.'
No matter how much he fanned the flames as a follower, he had to steer them in another direction as well.
"They will speak to you in your dreams."
And that day, the university student had a vague dream of being in a theme park, shouting 'Be kind to everyone' while dancing.
Kim Soleum heard the university student say with melancholic eyes, 'The Plush Body emphasizes good character'….
'Hoo.'
This should be enough.
That was Kim Soleum's judgment.
And a week later.
Just as he had hoped, the Religion devoted to a rabbit doll did cause a commotion in front of the Train Shelter's conductor's cabin….
First, a declaration was read aloud.
"Every person has the right to their own Rabbit Doll!! Reform the Train!"
'…!?'
A slogan completely different from what he had expected was being shouted. And….
"Yeah~ Do it!"
Standing at the very front was Deputy Manager Eun Haje…