I almost tripped and fell.
I reflexively stiffened and looked up at the stairs of Morning Station again, but nothing had changed.
'Ho Yuwon.'
An Agent of Segwang Metropolitan City, with the face of that Daydream Director, was truly standing in the old subway space.
Juror Number 1, whom I had seen at the Balance Tribunal.
-That person is an empty shell. The real one is inside.
-He separated and isolated his own twisted desires, twisted thoughts, extreme emotions, and all abnormal judgments within himself, passing them on to other personalities.
The juror who had interrogated me.
And so….
-The validity of the Selection Candidate's statement has been confirmed.
-I recognize the subject as a whole, single state, fit to be weighed on the Scales of Evil.
In the end, it was someone with Ho Yuwon's face who had guided me back to being human.
Even though I thought it was probably an inappropriate title, I eventually opened my mouth….
"...Agent?"
Juror Number 1 looked at me and smiled gently, then disappeared into the shadows at the back of the waiting hall.
"...!"
I reflexively followed him up to the waiting hall.
But the old waiting hall was dark and empty.
[It's nothing short of a Poltergeist Phenomenon!]
I swallowed hard.
[Two paths lie before Mr. Roe Deer. 'To chase, or not to chase, that is the question!']
'…I have to go.'
[Oh!]
I placed my foot on the stairs.
'To end this city's ghost story, I first need to know what kind of ghost story it is.'
What exact ghost story was currently gripping Segwang Metropolitan City, outside this subway station?
Were there any rules or ways to deal with it?
'If he's an Agent of this metropolitan city's Disaster Management Bureau, and if he's Ho Yuwon, there's a high chance he knows.'
It was as if a path to finding out was right in front of me.
In the end, I stepped into the waiting hall at the top of Morning Station's stairs.
"...."
Overall, it was no different from the waiting halls of the other stations where the station's ghost story had 'disappeared,' but it was more wretched.
Meaning, there were more traces of people here and there.
'It seems like more people fled here….'
It was a ruin so dry that even filth had dried up, giving off the desolate feeling of an abandoned city….
And.
[Look over there, my friend!]
A sign for Exit 2, marked 'Segwang District Court.'
Juror Number 1, in the form of Ho Yuwon, was standing in front of it.
He was looking at the sign, so I could only see his back.
'Hoo.'
"…The Balance Tribunal has disappeared, but you're still here."
Juror Number 1 turned to look at me.
"Are the other jurors still here as well?"
He gave a vague smile, then furrowed his brow as if in thought before pointing a finger somewhere.
At the shuttered Exit 2.
'…Outside?'
"Are you saying they're outside this subway station?"
Juror Number 1 slowly nodded.
I was plunged into an even more incomprehensible feeling.
"…I know an Extinction-class Disaster occurred here several years ago. What exactly… is happening out there right now?"
There was no answer.
'Should I try a different approach?'
I spoke bluntly.
"I met your projection."
Juror Number 1's smile momentarily faded.
"He desperately wants to reclaim himself, the one trapped here. That's why he sent me to this Segwang Metropolitan City. …Do you, by any chance, feel the same, Juror?"
I pressed him once more.
"Don't you also want to get out of here, like your projection, Agent?"
....
Juror Number 1 opens his mouth.
A hazy, fog-like voice is heard….
-I am not an Agent.[1]
Not an Agent?
I casually scanned Juror Number 1 again. I hadn't paid much attention to his Agent uniform, too focused on his face that was identical to Ho Yuwon's….
And I realized.
'Ah.'
What I had thought was an Agent uniform until now had subtly different details from a real one.
What was different was….
'There's no affiliation.'
In the spot where the affiliation mark should be, there was a small, crooked non-woven fabric badge, like a child had made it.
…It was a drawing of a Fox.
That out-of-place object naturally made me think of a will-o'-the-wisp….
Of a kind Supernatural Being.
"You're not an Agent… you were a Cooperative Spirit Beast of the Disaster Management Bureau."
Juror Number 1 watched me silently before opening his mouth.
-I am merely a Projection that remained here.
-Not the real thing.
And he began to crumble from his extremities, like sand.
"...!"
It was as if he no longer had the strength to hold on.
Juror Number 1 looked at his own hand, his index finger already gone, and spoke again with a bitter smile.
Each time he did, his body disintegrated faster.
-You still have a chance, so just go back from here. You don't need to grant anyone's request.
Then he looked at me with eyes containing a hint of interest and affection.
-But do keep up with your counseling sessions.
-I remained for a moment just to tell you this.
"Wait a minute,"
-Do not go to the opposite platform.
"...!"
With those last words, the form of Ho Yuwon before my eyes completely vanished.
All that was left was white ash, and… a single worn-out 'Agent uniform-like outer garment' lying haphazardly on the floor.
"...."
I picked it up.
Just in case, I emptied a water bottle and packed as much of the white ash as I could inside.
'…The opposite platform.'
The only significant facility there, as far as I knew, was one.
The Cheerful Research Institute.
[Hmm, a last piece of life advice. Sentimental, but we can't be certain it's the truth…. I'd like to hear your decision, Mr. Roe Deer?]
I said calmly.
"Let's go."
[Of course!]
'If he really didn't want me to go, he wouldn't have given me the hint about the opposite platform.'
This was a kind of… well, it was right to see it as a warning to prepare myself for something terribly arduous ahead.
'Still, I'll be ready to run if things go south.'
Braun, however, seemed a bit excited.
[You know the flow of an episode, my friend! You truly know how to prove which show you're from with your actions….]
…Though his enthusiastic response was a little scary.
'Hoo.'
I put Juror Number 1's 'Agent uniform' and the ash into my wrist, then started walking.
And on the opposite platform, I opened the door to the Cheerful Research Institute, disguised as a 'Machine Room' just like in the other stations….
And I froze.
The Cheerful Research Institute facility at Morning Station was barely burned.
"…!"
There were soot marks, but an almost intact office hallway was visible.
Did the sprinkler do its job in time? Or perhaps this floor was quite far from where the fire broke out….
Still, one thing was important.
'Clues!'
[Oh, a space where a survivor might have been until the very last moment!]
I urgently opened office doors and searched everywhere.
And I realized.
"…Braun."
[My friend calls for this Braun.]
"This isn't an office."
Beyond each door, it was almost completely empty.
There were no signs of fire, but there were no desks, no PCs, no chairs.
[What could that mean?]
I started walking.
A round object was lying in the corner of a room….
A ball of light green Yarn.
The logo of the ghost story 'Cheerful Research Institute Toy Maker' was stamped on the paper band around it in gold foil, glittering.
"This floor was probably… used as a warehouse by the Cheerful Research Institute."
[Hoh.]
The boxes could be moved, which is why there were no traces.
When the fire broke out, they must have used an Item or something to move everything that was here.
'And as those items were released to the public… various ghost stories emerged….'
…If I thought of it that way, it all fit together.
I looked around a few more places.
All of them were empty.
[A pity. It would have been nice if we could have enjoyed it like a treasure hunt.]
But Braun's disappointment was a bit premature.
Because I found a trace in the room right in front of the Emergency Exit.
[Hmm. An ordinary desk.]
It was also the only desk.
'For the warehouse management staff?'
But what was important came next.
A USB was placed on the bookshelf.
It was in the shape of a comical red rabbit, engraved with the Cheerful Research Institute's logo.
'That's it.'
I immediately picked it up.
I could check it right here on the spot.
'I brought a laptop, just in case.'
[Oh!]
It was a piece of exploration gear I'd prepared based on my past few experiences.
I had intended to give it to the Researchers, but it should be fine to use it here.
I quickly took the laptop out of my inventory tattoo, turned it on, and plugged in the USB.
Of course, there was no Wi-Fi, but the USB was read successfully, and a removable disk icon appeared….
Password: __________
Ah.
[Alas, the path is blocked. How on earth are you supposed to find out the password in this research institute with no traces left?]
"...."
[Friend?]
I read the text that appeared as the 'Password Hint' in the input field.
Hint: Our first beginning
Password: __________
[Don't tell me… they did something as foolish as setting a password with an obvious number like the founding year?]
Honestly, under normal circumstances, I probably would have had a similar thought and then choked, but right now, my eyes were elsewhere.
The number of characters indicated for the password.
Password: __________
'…Eleven spaces.'
It would be letters or numbers, at best special characters, so it would be hard to convert it into a date.
'The Cheerful Research Institute's first beginning….'
Could it be their first invention?
It was hard to recall their first product even when I tried to remember the Darkness Exploration Record. Surely it wasn't the order of ghost story registration.
'Do I have to recall all of the Cheerful Research Institute's products?'
Most of them had long, fancy names. It would be difficult to convert them into 11 letters….
....
…!
[Oh, my friend has started typing something.]
There was one.
Eleven spaces.
As if possessed, I moved my hands over the keyboard.
The thing they had used to summon me here.
The one among their inventions that I still kept close by my side.
Password: ckrgksclsrn[2]
Good Friend.
I pressed the enter key.
The lock was released, and the disk opened.
'I did it.'
The shock that spread through my body was brief; I urgently checked the file.
[Last Words.txt]
It was a notepad file. When I opened it with a double-click, I saw what looked like hastily jotted-down notes, not even proper sentences, with only the essential points.
fire broke out
evacuating to subway station
valuables -> Fire Hydrant
Fire Hydrant.
I reflexively lifted my head, ran out into the hallway, and opened the Fire Hydrant there.
Fumbling inside, I pulled away a panel to reveal a safe hidden in a concealed space.
"…!"
[You've found the treasure. Congratulations!]
I shoved the whole thing into the inventory on my wrist. …It felt like I had to cram it in, as if I was running out of storage space.
'Still, this is a huge score.'
Valuables from the Cheerful Research Institute's warehouse.
Wiping away my sweat, I began to read the rest of the memo with a slightly excited heart.
conf;-req:gov't response(urgent)[3]
That was....
....
....
....
....
....
Ah.
* * *
"Haegeum Unni, I'm heading out then~"
"Yeah, yeah."
Agent Haegeum chuckled as she watched her team member leave the container, yawning.
She was a team member who had recently returned to work. …She had scouted her to fill Gomyeong's empty spot.
No matter how many times she did it, it was never something she got used to.
'Hoo.'
At least with Gomyeong, there was hope he would return, which made her feel a little better.
Agent Haegeum was cleaning her sword, preparing to leave for the day….
"Agent."
Thump.
The container door burst open, and she saw someone standing there, staring blankly at Haegeum.
A person with a pale face.
Agent Grapes, Kim Soleum, was standing there.
"You…!"
Haegeum started to rise with a momentarily pleased expression, but then her face hardened as she recalled Kim Soleum's various circumstances.
And the reason for his sudden appearance.
"…Are you really okay?"
"Yes."
His answer was crisp, but his complexion was not.
"Nothing else strange has happened to the other Agents."
"Alright. Sit here for now."
Agent Grapes sat down, or rather, collapsed into the chair at her guidance-slash-insistence, and immediately opened his mouth.
"I came because I have something to tell you about the metropolitan city."
"Oh?"
Though Haegeum said this cheerfully, she was somewhat puzzled.
'Why did he come to me?'
Didn't he get along more closely with the two guys who were on the same Team Hyumoo 1?
To be honest, Haegeum herself had been involved with this Kim Soleum fellow enough to have a certain affection for him, but since they were from different teams, he, as a Hubae, would surely feel a sense of distance.
Especially if he was a former spy.
But since he had come all this way, there must be a reason.
Agent Haegeum waited.
After a long silence, Agent Grapes opened his mouth.
"About the sealed metropolitan city."
"Right. Do you have any new information?"
"…About the method used to seal that city."
The method of sealing?
"The Management Bureau did it by erasing the city's very existence, didn't they?"
"Circumstantially, yes."
Cognitive Erasure.
It was sealed in a way that made people no longer perceive or remember the existence of that metropolitan city.
"Do you know what kind of ritual is used for that kind of sealing?"
"…I have a rough idea."
Haegeum's eyes turned gloomy, then regained their light and deepened.
"But it's difficult to tell you. In the first place, I'm not in charge of that kind of ritualistic stuff."
That was something that fellow Choi would know better.
But if that guy had any sense, he wouldn't go blabbing about every little detail either.
"Usually, things like that have a great cost and are dangerous rituals, so they aren't spoken of lightly."
"I know."
Agent Grapes's face was still pale.
"Then… have you ever considered how they might have prepared the price for sealing the metropolitan city?"
Agent Haegeum held back a sigh.
"They would have done their best not to harm innocent civilians, at the very least. Well, it might have been a not-so-honorable method, like the Selection Scales, but."
"...."
"…Agent Grapes?"
"Agent."
Kim Soleum raised his head.
Recalling the last lines of the USB he had read.
city-wide magical anomaly
government?
a massive human sacrifice ritual??
at this rate we'll die must get out
"The Management Bureau… it seems they offered all the citizens of Segwang Metropolitan City as human sacrifices for the seal…."
"...!!"
[1] no clue how I’m supposed to differentiate this from “past” sentences
[2] The password is '착한친구' (good friend) typed with the keyboard set to eng (thank you kirinkirinki on tumblr for clarifying this)
[3] The words 'Confirmation; request; Government response measures (emergency)' are riddled with typos (Ty kirinkirinki)