One person escaped from the Ghost Story.
Though with his eye torn out.
"Whew…."
"Did you hear that sound?"
But unlike the last few times, the passengers, while sickened and frightened, didn't feel sorry for him.
'Is this the end of violence without persuasion?'
The train car was briefly thrown into disorder as people checked on the condition of the person Baek Saheon had attacked, but—
[This stop is Hatred, Hatred Station.]
"Hatred, my ass…."
"Haa."
The announcement made the mood sink even further.
Go Youngeun, who had been tending to the new employee clutching his left eye, stood up. Her face looked a little dark.
"I'm pretty sure his cornea's been damaged, so I'm worried...."
"Were you a medical professional, by any chance?"
"No. I just majored in that field in college… but I changed departments before finishing, so I never even took the licensing exam. I'm a fake."
With a sigh, Go Youngeun dropped down onto the floor cross-legged.
[The platform screen doors are opening.]
The train doors opened, but the passengers only cast glances outside and didn't move. They merely looked out with wary eyes.
And at the same time, they looked at me too.
It seemed like they were checking whether I was going to tell them to get off here.
'At least the fact that they're paying attention to me is a relief.'
I'd been worried that because of Baek Saheon, everyone would become even more suspicious of each other, but instead, once they had a common enemy, people seemed calmer.
Since the whole situation was so completely insane, it also seemed like they were expecting the next thing to be said by the person who had spoken with some confidence before.
In other words… me.
At this rate, I almost started hoping they'd even hand over station-picking authority to me….
"Um, this is a bit… burdensome, isn't it?"
"...?"
Go Youngeun spoke with a troubled expression.
"The way people keep trying to rely on you."
I was grateful, though…?
"It's just because everyone's scared and anxious, so I hope you won't be disgusted by how shameless it is of them to do that… Ha. No, sorry."
I was the one who was scared and anxious and trying to stir people up…?
"I did try to think of something myself, in my own way…."
Oh, well, anyway, I welcomed opinions.
"What did you come up with?"
"Well, I was thinking about what you said earlier, about the 'final destination.'"
Go Youngeun lowered her voice as she spoke.
"If it's a person's final destination… wouldn't that still be death?"
"…!"
"Wouldn't it? The end of a human life… no matter how much I think about it, that's what it makes me think of. So if a similar word comes up, I thought maybe that's when we should get off."
Oh.
"But then I also thought… would that just mean dying peacefully? So... I couldn't bring myself to say it."
"No. That's definitely a persuasive point."
"Is… is it?"
"Yes. However…."
I trailed off.
And without meaning to, I let out a faint smile.
"…?"
Because I had seen the name of the next station on the electronic display.
"To begin with, what is a destination?"
"Pardon?"
"If you look it up in the dictionary, a destination means the thing one intends to accomplish, or the direction one is heading toward."
And this train's whole theme was intuitive.
Sit in your seat, find the lost property.
The instructions weren't twisted around; they meant exactly what they said, and if you simply acted on them, you stayed safe.
Even the person who got off at the wrong station had died in a very intuitive way.
So the phrase "final destination" had to be approached the same way.
"I think the destination this train is talking about is, in the end, the point that my present self has not yet realized or reached."
Once you take that into account, the criterion for choosing a station becomes very simple.
—Something I do not have.
Once that clicked, the escape cases came back into focus too.
---------------------=
Station names written as colors such as red, yellow, and blue.
: 2 people escaped successfully (Blue Station)
Station names written as body parts such as left arm, cornea, and heart
: Escape failed (attempt: Cochlea Station)
Station names written as the names of serial killers such as ■■, ■■■■, and ■■■
: 12 people escaped successfully (■■■■ Station)
Station names written as years such as 2008, 2012, and 2016
: Escape failed (attempt: Year 2024 Station)
Station names written as diseases such as asthma, stroke, and glaucoma
: 3 people escaped successfully (attempt: Common Cold Station)
---------------------=
At Blue Station, the people who got off and escaped must have been the ones who had no blue on their bodies or among their belongings.
And it also explained why the number of escapees had been especially high at the station named after a serial killer.
Because none of them had actually been that serial killer, almost every such station would have been correct.
'On the other hand, with stations named after body parts… the odds of a person lacking one of those parts were lower, so escape must have failed.'
It was the same for the stations named after years. Year 2024 Station had failed because every passenger had already lived through the year 2024.
If you applied that logic, then the station we had to get off at now also became clear.
—An emotion I do not have.
"...So, we have to choose an emotion that we absolutely are not feeling right now."
"Huh?"
This was where it suddenly became much trickier.
'Most people feel all of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.'
Unless someone belonged to the kind of person missing a certain emotion, choosing a station became extremely difficult. Even if the intensity differed, everyone still felt them.
So then….
An emotion that described some kind of flat state, not something expressed by degree.
'A feeling that exists as a concept, but one that it's actually extremely difficult to be perfectly in.'
That was what we needed to pick.
[This stop is Carefree, Carefree Station.]
The announcement rang out.
It would have been easy to think that, once again, an ordinary emotion had simply been used as a station name. After all, in daily life, we often say things like, "That person is so carefree."
But….
'That's a phrase we often use when guessing at someone else's state.'
Very few people ever describe themselves as carefree.
Which made sense.
In dictionary terms, taepyeong meant "having no worries or cares at heart."
But could a person truly be carefree, with absolutely no worries or concerns?
'The odds of that are….'
Practically nonexistent.
Especially in an extreme situation like this.
"This station is the correct one."
"…!"
"We're getting off here."
I spoke confidently, with certainty, without hesitation.
I stood up at once. The others got to their feet almost reflexively and looked at me.
"H-here?"
"Yes."
Then I approached the injured new employee clutching his eye and helped him to stand.
"I'll support you."
"Th-thank you…."
As I guided the injured man toward the door, the people gathered there followed us almost unconsciously. There was no backing out now.
We were going out together.
'Good.'
At this rate, I could escape mixed in among the others….
[The platform screen doors are opening.]
But beyond the opened doors was a sea of blood.
"...."
No… that crosses the line—no, shit, what the hell is this....
'Help me.'
"Mr. Kim Soleum?"
I almost hid behind Ms. Go Youngeun.
The last scraps of a working adult's dignity stopped me.
Instead, I turned my creaking neck and looked back at the others.
"Are you… sure about this place?"
"Yes."
Unfortunately, I was.
But I couldn't think of any elegant words to persuade them to get off.
No, to begin with, I didn't even want to get off myself.
I wished someone would persuade me that I didn't have to. Please.
"Um! I still think we should get out."
What?
Ms. Go Youngeun?
"You're the only one among us who's actually confident in your own opinion right now. Everyone else is scared, but you've stayed calm this whole time."
Me?
"That guy earlier made all that mess because he was trying to get off by himself… at the very least, I'd rather listen to a good person. I will."
And Go Youngeun bravely stepped outside first.
On the completely rusted-out platform, the lights blinked ominously, and from the pipes running over the exposed steel beams, liquid dripped instead of water.
Blood fell onto Go Youngeun's shoulder. Hah, hah….
"Mr. Kim Soleum?"
"...."
"Don't worry about me. I believe you too! Let's go!"
The injured man I was supporting urged me on.
He seemed to think I was hesitating because I was taking his wishes into consideration. I was beginning to lose track of whether I felt grateful to him or resentful.
Anyway, thanks to that, I naturally followed after Go Youngeun. The wavering people behind us all rushed out after us too.
At least I was relieved that I wasn't the very last one to step out.
It was easy to overlook, but standing at the very back was actually the scariest position of all….
'…Hah.'
At this point, I was starting to want to disown myself.
"To the stairs?"
"Yes."
Even in the middle of all this, Go Youngeun looked toward the still-open doors of the other cars and shouted:
"Hey! Everyone, get off! This is the right station!"
I didn't know how effective it had been. If anything, plenty of people probably became more guarded and decided not to get off because of it….
'Still, if even one more person gets off because they heard that, then she's saving that person.'
That was kind of admirable.
No, I was trying—trying—to devote every bit of my attention to that feeling of admiration....
Choosing to support the injured man had been an excellent decision. My attention stayed divided, and even when my legs began to weaken, I held on by reflex.
I wanted to recommend it to every coward.
Though of course, there probably weren't many cowards who'd find themselves in a fucked-up situation like this!
"Ughhh…."
"L-let's keep walking."
Trying as hard as possible not to look around, I walked in the middle of the group.
I could see the stairs.
'There are talisman-like things plastered all over them….'
The moment I realized even those didn't look normal, goosebumps rose from every pore on my body, but….
'Just focus on the sensation of going up.'
One step.
Then another.
I walked on in silence.
Soon, my vision seemed to waver, and then....
[Wow! Congratulations, new employees!]
Before I knew it, we were back in the lecture hall.
"…!!"
Bright lighting.
A modern, comfortable, spacious interior.
As reality came rushing back all at once, crisp words had already appeared on the giant screen in front of us.
:Congratulations. You have been officially hired to the Field Operations Team of Baekilmong Co., Ltd.
"Hah...."
"Ah!!"
The people who had escaped with me all collapsed onto the floor, their legs seeming to give out under them.
I turned my head and counted.
One, two. Three... seven.
Every single person who had remained in our car.
'We lived.'
In the Ghost Story Welcome to Abyss Transit Corporation, 7 out of the 10 people in the same car escaped.
[We will now begin the gift presentation ceremony!]
No—was getting off really the right answer?
And then….
[The lost property is 'the left eyeball of an adult male in his twenties with type A blood.']
A completely unimaginable lost property had appeared.