To think I'm in the Disaster Management Bureau's rescue squad.
In a situation where it's hard enough just looking after myself, I have to enter a ghost story to save civilians.
‘Is this a dream?’
But it was reality.
In fact, I had to enter a ghost story to rescue people right this second.
7:30 PM.
It was exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes after I had been appointed following the aptitude test.
Yet, I had already been issued Agent Equipment from headquarters due to an emergency request from Agent Bronze.
And now, I was pedaling toward the site of the ghost story on a Disaster Management Bureau public bicycle.
‘...The sun is completely down.’
Riding a bike in this cold and looking at the darkening outside gives me the chills and brings up so many thoughts....
“Civilians caught in a Supernatural Disaster can also request rescue through the number on the notices previously placed by the Management Bureau.”
Right....
‘And I also know that that number is a mysterious rescue number that sometimes works even inside a ghost story.’
Listening to a Disaster Management Bureau-style ghost story rescue briefing makes my head spin.
I pedaled the bicycle, following the Agent almost mechanically.
“When entering a Supernatural Disaster, a bicycle is actually safer than moving by car.”
‘Yes. It’s because most means of transportation don’t work in a ghost story or can cause the worst kinds of mishaps....’
It was fun when I was just looking at the settings, but doing it in person was truly cold and exhausting.
For the record, the equipment was more plentiful than what I had received as a temporary agent.
A glass hand cannon, an Iron Badge, a notebook, and... fishing line.
“You must especially never lose the fishing line. It is a necessary tool for when you have to make an emergency escape alone in this Supernatural Disaster.”
“...Yes.”
I felt a bit guilty as it reminded me of what happened when I was a temporary agent, but I won't deny that my heart fluttered a little.
Of course, the most important thing is this.
So, which ghost story am I entering right now!
“The Supernatural Disaster we are entering now for the civilian rescue is....”
The disaster is?
Agent Bronze, who paused briefly after seeing my expression, continued in a slightly kinder tone.
“...You don't need to be that nervous. The civilian who requested rescue won't die during the time it takes for you to hear the explanation.”
“...Yes.”
The direction of your kindness is all wrong....
“Listen to the explanation first.”
“Yes.”
I said I understood.
Agent Bronze, turning his head forward again, spoke as we rode our bicycles through the eerie, deserted neighborhood.
“Kim Soleum, do you remember the chain called Lucky Mart?”
“.......”
“It’s a chain that withdrew from Korea 11 years ago, but it's famous in the English-speaking world...... Agent?”
“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”
‘Oh my god.’
It's not just a matter of having heard of it.
The problem is that I know it too well.
The giant mart chain named Lucky Mart.
...The ghost story that takes it as a motif.
It was also the seventh creative ghost story written back in the very early days when the <Dark Exploration Record> was still a record of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
People looking for a mart in a hurry at night happen upon a Lucky Mart branch and enter.
And then they disappear.
==========
Dark Exploration Record / ghost story
[Lookie Mart]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>, Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau registration number 1793PSYA.2001.Na31.
A ghost story where one wanders forever, unable to escape from a bizarre Anomalous Phenomenon mimicking a large mart-style shopping mall.
An odd phenomenon involved in at least 300 missing person cases over several decades, classified as a Waveform-class disaster by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
There is no known method of termination or Seal to date. It is also impossible to prevent disappearances preemptively.
However, a notice helping the individual escape was placed inside the ghost story mart, and the Exploration Records were written based on reports from civilians who returned to reality through the help of said notice.
==========
A large shopping mall.
It was an exciting and chilling story of the kind that maximizes the fear brought by a familiar everyday space that is simultaneously a massive space
repeating mechanically.
That is, when I was reading it.
‘It’s Waveform-class.’
In the Management Bureau's classification, that’s a ghost story two levels higher than the mountain cabin where the serial killer appeared, which is where I met Agent Bronze.
In terms of Daydream Inc., it's a grade close to B!
I racked my brain while breaking out in a cold sweat.
‘...In Lookie Mart, were there... more cases where the Disaster Management Bureau Agent went in to rescue a civilian and succeeded?’
Most... seemed to have been rescued safely.
Of course, there were many cases in the Exploration Records where special situations occurred and things got complicated. But usually, it's those special cases that get recorded in detail on the Wiki, so if I don't get too nervous... damn it.
‘I want to see it for myself.’
I don't know why the Item repair isn't finished yet.
The Memorial Pop Socket!
I groaned, thinking of my Item for checking the <Dark Exploration Record>, which still had its adhesive unhardened.
‘They definitely said the repair would be finished after a month.’
It didn't seem like the Agent who was mimicking a Dokkaebi was lying.
‘...It’s probably one of two things.’
Either it wasn't repaired properly because it's an Item that popped out of a Merchandise Box.
...Or it wasn't properly counted as a 'period' because I spent the last month in a ghost story.
‘Either way, I need a backup plan.’
Since Lookie Mart is such a famous ghost story, I remembered almost all the details. In that sense, it might be better that a Named Character ghost story appeared, but....
‘The time will come when this kind of luck won't work anymore.’
My heart still goes cold when I remember how I couldn't recall the identity of the Silver Heart Possessor during the Tamra-bound Express Train incident.
To avoid facing such a situation again, the Memorial Pop Socket was absolutely necessary.
‘Now that I'm an Agent, obtaining a new one has actually become easier.’
Let's keep obtaining a new one as Plan B in case this one continues not to be repaired.
I racked my brain, thinking of the broken Memorial Pop Socket I had carefully stored in my pocket inside some cushioning material.
Even then, Agent Bronze's briefing on 'Lookie Mart' was continuing.
“It's a disaster that can only be entered by waiting until the sun goes down, so the person who reported it had good timing.”
“...May I ask about the appearance of the person who reported it?”
Agent Bronze said calmly.
“Two 10th graders.”
Wow.
‘Of all things, minors....’
It looks like my guilty conscience won't even let me cut them off and run away in the middle.
I suppressed a groan and familiarized myself with the description of their appearance and the explanation from the time of the report that Bronze handed to me.
Agent Bronze looked at me with a somewhat empathetic gaze and said, “...Don't worry too much. The explanation that one can hold out for about half a day applies to high school students as well.”
“......Yes.”
A guilty conscience really was starting to form.
“However, the two Agents who entered earlier are currently in a state of short-term disappearance in that Supernatural Disaster.”
“.......”
“Don't worry. They weren't rescue Agents. It was a mishap that occurred during a regular search for a Seal method.”
That sure is hopeful news, Agent....
“We must proceed with the rescue operation with a sense of vigilance, so refrain from any erratic behavior. Absolutely.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
The words ‘Do you really have to take a Rookie Agent in there’ rose to my throat, but I held them back.
Anyway, that person knows I'm an experienced rookie, so there’s no way he’ll go easy on me.
Ring.
I heard the cheerful sound from the bicycle bell with a not-so-cheerful mood and kept pedaling.
Then Agent Bronze naturally slowed down and began to let me take the lead.
“...Agent?”
“We will 'wander' like this for over 20 minutes. ...Someone who doesn't know the exact location of the building must lead, so you move first.”
I remember.
Lookie Mart entry condition: Search for a mart and move for over 20 minutes within a 3km radius of the building where a Lucky Mart used to be in the past.
In the cold, I silently pedaled the bicycle and circled the unfamiliar neighborhood.
While constantly holding the purpose of finding a mart in my head, if I wander around without navigation and look around....
“...Agent Bronze.”
I stopped the bicycle.
“I think I found it.”
And I saw a fairly large, three-story building standing tall between the dim lights of the streetlamps....
The mart's sign glowing in green.
Saeng-saeng Mart
It wasn't a chain, but an independent brand mart that you might find in any neighborhood.
“.......”
No.
The moment I blinked again....
LUCKYMART
The logo of the familiar chain store can be seen in front of the mart building.
As if it hadn't been refurbished for several years, the letters on the Electronic Display are covered in dust, or there are sections where the lights don't come on at all.
“.......”
If I look at the sections where the lights are out a bit more, just a bit more closely....
Flicker.
The lights come on.
LOOKY MART
A phrase different from what I had inadvertently read was there....
“Don't focus on it too much.”
“...!”
That’s right.
LUCKYMART
I saw Lucky Mart.
‘I was looking for a mart, so that's a relief.’
I parked the bike nearby and approached the mart building, which was still open for business as the lights were on.
Let's just enter 'Lucky Mart' naturally.
That's because Lucky Mart is a giant mart chain scattered all over this country, so as long as I don't consciously focus on it, there's no reason to be nervous....
When you witness said mart after sunset, you enter with the illusion that Lucky Mart has not yet withdrawn.
The automatic doors opened smoothly, and I entered the bright interior.
It was a typical mart.
It was somewhat tacky and the prices were cheap, but it had a sense of everyday life to the point where one might carelessly overlook it as just being an old neighborhood mart.
1st Floor. General Merchandise.
Children's toys are piled up on the seasonal special offer stand.
An out-of-style popular song is playing.
“Is that the idol song you like?”
“No, Mom! They’re the rookies from MS Ent this time....”
People who are shopping pass by.
...A family dressed in clothes that were popular over 10 years ago, holding old Smartphones.
Shoppers from the past.
Upon entry, shoppers going about their daily grocery shopping are seen; these are identified as actual shoppers from the past when Lucky Mart was in operation.
“.......”
“Hahaha!”
Shoppers passed by.
Not only were they out of fashion, but their thin clothing was enough to feel a sense of dissonance considering the freezing winter outside.
As if the flow of time was different inside this mart, separated by a single door.
“They are not people caught in the Disaster. Ignore them.”
“.......”
I nodded slowly.
‘The rescue reporters... said they were in a place presumed to be the 1st basement floor.’
Reporter 1: H-help me. I came into the mart and it's strange...! N-nobody can see us, and it's like, like an old mart.
Reporter 1: Surroundings? Uh, that, I mean... I'm near the snack corner now. Yes, I-I'm thirsty too....
“We will move to the basement.”
I nodded and slowly followed the Agent.
This place, where it seemed the past Lucky Mart was being reproduced exactly, looked fine so far.
No, rather, I might have felt wonder and nostalgia as if I had entered the past.
If I didn't know that this was a ghost story, that is.
“.......”
Tension tightened my throat.
Wow, I'm going crazy.
All sorts of terrible cases I saw in the Dark Exploration Record are coming to mind.
Come to think of it, 'Lookie Mart' was a ghost story with a particularly large number of unexpected situations in the Exploration Records...!
‘C-calm down.’
Agent Bronze wouldn't have come on a hardcore difficulty rescue mission with a rookie.
I swallowed hard as I headed down the escalator.
And then... between the two escalators going up and down, I found a note that looked like a receipt lying there.
Wait a second.
‘Could that be....’
I quickly reached out and grabbed the note that mimicked a receipt.
“...! You’ve found it already. That is a notice placed by the Management Bureau.”
Right.
For the innocent civilians caught in this ghost story, it's an escape-help notice placed here and there, away from the eyes of the staff.
‘The reporters probably saw this too.’
I checked the contents of the receipt.
Take a deep breath slowly.
You are currently caught in a Supernatural Disaster.
However, there is no need to despair.
There are at least dozens of cases of successful escapes from this Disaster, and the government has recorded the escape method here for you.
Check the notice on the back.
...Um, it's a typical Manual Ghost Story-style notice that feels like it would give someone an anxiety disorder just by reading it.
‘For starters, I feel like they should fix the red color and the font before telling the reader to take a deep breath....’
But the content itself was exactly as I knew it.
The notice on the back was the same.
‘...I'm not sure which version this is.’
Among the escape methods written in the notice, there are a few that no longer work as the search rounds accumulate.
This is because the items, targets, and structure change over time, and the situation shifts.
‘Of course, there are things that don't change.’
Like this.
The ghosts standing at all exits will not move until business hours are over. Rest assured. “.......”
Right.
At the exit I came in through, a bizarre 'ghost' must be standing by now....
And the easiest escape method was to run out secretly when that ghost isn't looking.
If business hours have not ended once since you entered, you still have a chance.
You can leave if you block the ghost's field of vision. But not everyone is lucky.
Reporter 1: Sob, yes. I saw the escape method in the notice, but we, we can't do it....... We don't have anything to put over the ghost.... And we couldn't steal any items. Our, our arms won't reach...!
‘That’s when an Agent is needed.’
To be precise, someone who has usable Items in this situation and knows how to use them properly.
So, after securing the identity of the reporters, we had to get out of here immediately before business hours ended.
‘Once business hours are over, it's literally a horror escape game.’
And very fortunately, we were able to find the two people in school uniforms right away at the snack corner near the 1st basement floor escalator.
“Huuuuuuu....”
Two high school students were crying their eyes out, huddled in a corner.
They were the reporters.
“Would you like to speak to them yourself?”
“......Me?”
“Try to do it calmly. This is also practice.”
“Th-yes.......”
Agent Bronze looks at me with an oddly heartwarming gaze.
I broke out in a cold sweat for a different reason.
I carefully approached the two teenagers, crouched down in front of them, and met their eyes.
“Hello. You’re the ones who reported for rescue, right?”
“......!!”
“U-uuuuh!”
Thump.
The two high school students fell on their butts.
“Y-you’re human, right?! You can see us, right?”
“Yes. I can see you clearly.”
I smiled as best as I could.
“We’ve been dispatched after receiving the report. You’ve both worked so hard until now.”
“Huuuuuu....”
The kids are shedding tears like a faucet.
Even if we assume the sun set early because it's midwinter, they must have been trapped for about 3 hours, and they seem completely terrified in that time.
“W-what about the exit ghost? Can we really get out?”
“Of course. Don't worry.”
I pointed behind me and tossed all the responsibility to Agent Bronze!
“The person behind me is a truly competent Agent.... You’ll be able to get out, over there.”
“Wow.......”
And the high school students seemed to gradually compare my disheveled appearance with Agent Bronze's respectable look, and they were creeping closer toward Agent Bronze.
‘The survival instinct is working.’
“Um, are we leaving now?”
“That is correct.”
One kid even stuck right to him and stood by Agent Bronze’s side as if grabbing a lifeline.
Good. That’s it!
I let out a sigh of relief and checked the electronic watch on my wrist.
‘Then if we assume we're heading to the exit from now....’
[ 20 : 24 ]
8:24 PM.
As far as I knew, the 'Lookie Mart' ghost story had the flow of time synchronized with reality in terms of minutes and seconds.
‘Closing is at 11.’
There was still plenty of time. We could get out by using some Items.
And Agent Bronze seemed to be about to explain the same thing.
“Closing time is 11, so there is still plenty of time. Calmly....”
Nanana-na Nanana-nana Nananan~
“.......”
...I inadvertently looked up.
The Lucky Mart logo song was playing cheerfully....
Like some kind of notification sound.
-Hello, customer. Thank you for visiting Lookie Mart today.
-As previously announced, our mart will close at 8:30 PM today, May 1st, in observance of Labor Day.
“……!”
-Customers still inside the store, please follow the staff’s guidance and exit the building.
Clack, clack, clack, clack.
The lights in the store slowly turn off, starting from the far end.
As if preparing for the closure, only a minimal amount of light began to remain in the store.
…The escalator stops operating.
-I will repeat the Announcement Broadcast once more.
-Please follow the staff’s guidance and exit the building.
“Why—!”
I covered the high schooler’s mouth and crouched down.
Do not be seen by the staff members tidying up the mart after closing. They will guide you outside.
Outside is not reality.
Na-na-na-na na-na-nan-na-na-na na-na-nan~
“…….”
I’m fucked.
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