A high school student trapped in Lookie Mart.
Jang Minseo, who had sent a rescue request to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, covered his mouth with his hands beneath a mobile display stand.
His heart thundered against his ribs.
From somewhere very close by, an alien sound drifted toward him.
Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak.
The sound of things mimicking employees moving about.
‘Did they see me?’
Did they see me hide under the stand?
No, they weren’t right on my tail, so they couldn’t have seen me.
‘I came right around the corner and crawled in.’
They couldn’t have… seen me.
However, the sound was getting closer.
Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak.
“Haa… haaaa….”
Tears wouldn't stop falling.
‘Why did I even come here?’
He shouldn't have followed his friend. The high schooler began cursing his friend in his mind, but stopped when he realized it was pointless.
Fear had already overwhelmed his psyche.
The approaching sound grew louder and louder….
Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak.
It was right next to him.
His body froze.
Through the gap at the bottom of the stand, he could see the shadows of feet passing right by him.
Dozens of feet moving with strange, twisted ankles, creaking with every step.
Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak.
The high schooler held his breath.
But unfortunately, that wasn't the end.
Among the numerous pairs of employee dress shoes making those bizarre footsteps past his hiding spot, he saw something unfamiliar….
A pair of worn-out sneakers.
“…!”
Between the strangely waddling dress shoes of the employees, he saw the worn-out sneakers being dragged along.
“H-Help me…!”
Goosebumps erupted all over the student's body.
It was a person.
Someone had been caught.
“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, the money, the money is right here, I’m a customer! A customer…!”
“Welcome to Lookie Mart!”
But instead of politely guiding the poor missing person out, the employees were dragging them along.
Because….
Items at this mart cannot be purchased with currency commonly used in the Republic of Korea.
Please keep in mind. You do not have the ability to pay.
“Help me!”
The moment this fact is discovered, the employees will no longer view you as a customer and will reclassify you.
In many cases, they have primarily become mart Supplies.
Clatter.
The high schooler froze.
Then he slowly turned his gaze upward.
…The mobile display stand he was hiding under was shaking.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The employees were surrounding the stand.
And then….
Whirrrrrrrrr.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!”
The sound of a blender and a scream began to vibrate through the stand.
“Isn’t this a truly wonderful product?”
The high schooler realized.
They were mimicking a promotional demonstration.
Using the missing person as Supplies, they were grinding them alive in a blender.
“Uuugh.”
The student covered his mouth. Whether by luck or misfortune, the noise of the blender and the screams drowned out his retching.
“Aaaargh! Haa—huuuk, aaaaaaggh!!”
“Thank you for your business, as always!”
“Isn’t this a truly wonderful product?”
“Welcome to Lookie Mart!”
Pleas, screams, the sound of the blender, screams, the employee's greeting, screams, the blender—I can't take it anymore, I'm going to scream, I have to get out of here, please show me the way out! Show me….
Someone gripped his shoulder tightly.
“…!”
A hot body temperature and the vibration of a trembling hand.
It was the hand of the Agent who had pushed him under the stand.
The one who had come after receiving the rescue request.
“……Hup.”
The student's breath slowly returned.
Amidst the noise that felt like it would drive him mad or make him faint at any moment, the student endured minutes that felt like hours, relying on that body heat while hidden under the stand.
The sound of the blender and the employee's repetitive sales pitch continued, but the screams eventually vanished.
And then….
Whirrrr… click.
“…….”
The top of the stand went silent.
The promotional mimicry had ended.
Creak-creak-creak…
“…….”
The sound gradually grew more distant.
The feet visible through the gap, the dragged sneakers, and even the shadows moved far enough away to disappear from sight…….
“…….”
“…….”
“It’s okay now.”
“Sniff.”
At the words of the Agent who had checked the surroundings, the student let out a long sigh and began to sob again.
The Agent wearing glasses watched him with a complicated expression.
“…….”
Truthfully, he felt the same way inside.
‘I’m going crazy….’
That’s right.
The rookie Agent, Kim Soleum, was left alone with the one high school student he had to rescue…….
‘I think the decision to split up was the right one.’
But he was so scared…!
The sound of a person being ground alive—he had a strong premonition that he would encounter that again in his dreams. Kim Soleum’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.
‘I almost fainted.’
But he couldn't show it. Because a terrified fifteen-year-old was clinging to his side!
“W-What do we do? Sob….”
“No. It’s okay.”
Kim Soleum spoke to the student as gently as possible.
He had started speaking informally without realizing it, but neither of them was in a state of mind to care, and he judged that appearing as a friendly adult would be better for reassuring the boy.
‘…Sergeant played a much bigger role in the Sangun ghost story than I thought.’
Looking at the still anxious student, he finally spoke again.
“Want me to tell you a secret?”
“…….”
The student was still catching his breath as tears streamed down his face, but at the word ‘secret,’ he reflexively lifted his head.
And the Agent truly did tell him a ‘secret.’
“Actually, I’m the Agent who knows this mart better than anyone else.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
However, despite the fear, the student felt a pang of skepticism.
‘No matter how I look at him, he seems like a total rookie.’
From the glasses to the messy hair and the mumbling way of speaking.
Compared to the neat and capable-looking Agent who appeared to be his superior, this man seemed like a clumsy sidekick to a superhero.
But the other person continued speaking earnestly, as if desperate to reassure him.
“I’ve researched it very thoroughly. What’s dangerous and what isn’t. I know everything that other Agents might not know.”
Messy hair. Their eyes met beneath the glasses.
‘Huh?’
Instead of the naive eyes he expected, a cold and composed gaze flickered for a moment before vanishing.
“…….”
For some reason.
All those words sounded like the truth.
“So, I’ll find the safest and fastest way to escape in this situation.”
“I-Is there still a way out…?”
“Of course.”
The problem was that more than half of those ways were insane gambles with a higher probability of death.
Kim Soleum swallowed his following words and added more useful information.
“Do you remember the content on the back of the notice? Advice for behavior after closing hours.”
“……Yes.”
The student, Jang Minseo, recalled the content as if entranced.
It is recommended to give up on escaping after closing hours.
Almost all opportunities that seem like an escape are traps.
Prioritize survival and endure until business hours.
Currently, the safest confirmed floor is the 2nd floor.
The 2nd floor.
This was the 1st floor.
“U-Um, so do we just need to go up… one more floor?”
“Right. The other Agent and your friend must have gone up too, so let’s not worry.”
“……Okay.”
Somewhat reassured by the definitive tone, the student sniffled and calmed down.
The Agent checked the outside again and pulled himself out.
“…Good. It’s safe now. Let’s go.”
“Sniff, okay.”
The student didn't refuse the Agent’s support and carefully pulled himself out from under the stand….
“Ah!”
He hurriedly covered his mouth.
Fortunately, it wasn't a loud sound. But the source of the pain remained.
‘My ankle….’
It throbbed.
It seemed he had twisted it while running to hide under the stand.
“…Does your ankle hurt?”
“Yes…….”
“…….”
Kim Soleum’s mind raced.
He reached a chilling conclusion.
‘I can’t give him an Item right now.’
It didn't fit this ghost story.
A powerful painkiller like Happy Maker might have the adverse effect of making the student overexert his leg, leading to a state where he couldn't move at all.
And Nostalgia Candy…… was out of the question.
‘Because it’s food.’
Try not to consume any products outside of the food court. This applies even to food you brought in yourself.
Employees cannot tell the difference, and if witnessed, they will charge an amount equal to the price of the food.
You do not have the ability to pay.
And this rule applied even if the food wasn't a grocery item sold at the mart.
Because the Lookie Mart ‘Employees’ couldn't distinguish between the two.
As for stuffing the boy into his own tattoo, he couldn't guarantee what kind of Contamination or bizarre transformation might remain, not to mention the difficulty of explaining it to the Management Bureau.
“…….”
The student had no way of knowing this, but seeing the silent Agent, a cold dread brushed down his spine.
‘Don’t tell me….’
Is he going to leave me behind?
Did he decide I'm too hard to rescue? Or maybe he’s imagining us both getting caught because he has to carry me—ominous thoughts swirled in his head, but….
“Don’t worry. We’ll move toward a path where you don’t have to run.”
A firm voice anchored him.
The student lifted his head.
“First, let’s go to the escalator.”
“…….”
“But we’re going to the down escalator, not the up one. Got it? Toward the escalator that comes down from the 2nd floor.”
Since business hours were over and the power should be off, did it even matter which one they took?
Still, why specifically go to the escalator coming down from the 2nd floor?
“…Okay.”
But instead of questioning him, the student just nodded for now.
The Agent supported him, and they began to move cautiously….
“Tell me the moment you hear an employee.”
“Yes…!”
The student tried his best not to look at the stand where he had been hiding.
Listening intently for any sign of an employee, he followed the Agent with extreme caution.
He winced a few times from the pain but endured it.
The Agent guided him calmly past the checkout counters to the stalled escalator. The student followed, moving as quickly as possible.
However, when they finally arrived….
Whirrrrrrrr.
Thud-thud-thud-thud….
One side of the escalator was in operation.
The very escalator connected to the 2nd floor, their destination.
“…!”
Inside the dark store after closing.
The slowly moving rail.
And way up on the escalator… the silhouette of a person standing still could be seen.
No.
Not a person,
An employee.
After closing hours, the escalators are deactivated and blocked off.
However, they will operate when an employee is performing maintenance.
Do not approach.
It seemed to be mimicking the act of ‘maintaining’ the escalator.
With its head snapped to the side, staring blankly down at the floor, the silhouette of the employee on the escalator was grotesque and bizarre.
And that figure… was drawing closer along the downward-moving escalator.
Backward.
“R-Run….”
“It’s okay, we don’t have to.”
Beside him, Kim Soleum pulled something out from his waist.
A fishing line with a red goldfish model attached to the end.
Bait Play.
‘…I’m sure they maintained the 2nd-to-1st floor down escalator right after closing.’
That was why he had deliberately sought out the escalator under maintenance.
It was an Item he had intended to use to easily break through the main entrance, but… now there was no other way.
Even if it was a waste, it couldn't be helped.
‘I have to use it now.’
Kim Soleum cast the fishing line.
Whoosh.
Defying the laws of physics, the transparent wire flew out as if cast from a fishing rod, heading toward the top of the escalator.
It snagged onto an advertisement board.
“…!”
The fishing line wrapped around the board and dangled beneath it.
And at the end, the dangling… red bait.
The moment it entered the field of vision of the employee descending backward on the escalator.
Creak-creak.
Creak-creak.
“…!”
The employee’s back began to move.
Toward the bait.
It began to climb up against the flow of the escalator.
Creak-creak.
Kim Soleum carefully adjusted the fishing line. His hands were damp with cold sweat, but the swaying fishing line moved according to his will.
The bait began to shift from the center of the escalator advertisement board to the side.
Further and further.
The bait moved to the far left edge of the escalator.
The employee staggered sideways.
And just as it clung to the side of the escalator, its head beginning to lean over the handrail….
Creak-creak-creak……
Kim Soleum let go of the fishing line.
Whish.
The line unspooled and fell away from the display board. As the red bait plummeted between the two escalators….
Thud.
The employee plunged headfirst between the escalators.
It had thrown its head after the bait.
“Gasp…!”
“Let’s go, quick. Before it gets out.”
The Agent started moving immediately.
“Give me your shoes, and use your knees instead of your feet… crawl up. Quietly.”
The student took off his shoes and handed them to the Agent, then crawled up the escalator on all fours.
He felt neither shame nor physical pain.
Just the relief that crawling was quieter and kept him out of the sight of the employee watching the ‘bait’…!
His throat tightened with the tension that it might pop out at any second, but he successfully managed to climb the wrong way up the escalator.
“Huuu.”
The moment his arms reached the 2nd floor, tears welled in his eyes.
The Agent helped the student to his feet.
“Good job.”
“T-Thank you….”
Kim Soleum looked down at his empty hand where the fishing line had been, then cleared his mind and stared ahead.
The 2nd floor.
The first thing visible after coming up the escalator… was a massive food court.
In the dark store, only the food court signs cast an eerie glow, and strangely, the sounds of cooking could be heard.
As for any employees roaming about….
‘None.’
Surprisingly, it was a relatively safe zone.
“You can relax here for a bit.”
The 2nd floor food court is an area mart employees do not patrol.
However, do not sit for more than an hour without placing an order.
Kim Soleum guided the student to a spot near a bibimbap stall in a distant corner and had him sit.
“Um, why specifically here…?”
“It’s safer to be somewhere without any meat on the menu.”
The student swallowed hard.
The Agent looked calm. He sat in a chair, allowing the student to catch his breath and rest his aching ankle for a moment…….
A composure that made it hard to believe he was the same person who had just performed such a stunt on the escalator.
‘…He’s incredible.’
He really was much more skilled and knowledgeable than he looked.
Just as he had promised.
Feeling a sudden desire to ‘look good’ to him, the student spoke up.
“Um, that… my name is Jang,”
“Let’s not say it.”
“…!”
“It’s better not to use real names in a place like this. Be careful.”
Gulp.
The student swallowed.
“T-Then, what should I call you, Agent?”
“…Could you call me Grapes?”
“Yes, Agent Grapes.”
The student sat in the chair and let out a deep sigh of relief.
An Agent was an Agent after all, he thought. Maybe that clumsy appearance was because he poured all his stats into his work as an Agent.
‘…I think I can make it out.’
Even with a hurt ankle, the student felt hopeful. That was why he could ask in a slightly more spirited tone.
“S-So, we’re safe here, right?”
“Yeah.”
Agent Grapes nodded.
The student felt a profound sense of relief….
“It’s okay.”
It was a lie.
That wasn't enough.
‘…There’s still a chance of dying or going missing even on the 2nd floor.’
Even while pretending to be composed, Kim Soleum’s mind was frantically searching for this specific round in the <Dark Exploration Record>.
His brain, having barely escaped the immediate emergency, was reprioritizing and digging through data.
‘We have to get out.’
Had an Irregular like this ever happened before?
‘Labor Day, early closing, anything…!’
And then.
Business hours ended early due to ?? reasons.
“…!”
He found it.
Kim Soleum struggled to recall the case in more detail.
The Exploration Records, with certain specific numbers and names already blurred, began to reconstruct themselves in his head….
Exploration Record #3?
Responding Agent enters the mart around 7 PM after receiving a rescue request from a civilian. (Responder: ???)
Lookie Mart's business hours ended early due to ??? reasons. An unexpected situation occurred, and contact with said Agent was lost for three days.
“…!”
This was it.
He anxiously tried to remember more.
So, the result of that was…….
Result: Rescue failed. Agent returned alone.
“…….”
That’s why he hadn't remembered it well.
‘Because it ended in a single line.’
There were plenty of records like this.
Records where the concept was interesting, but because the following long-winded story was considered ‘redundant,’ it was omitted, leaving it to the reader’s imagination.
A simple one-line treatment marked as success or failure.
But what it meant was clear.
“……Ha.”
-Agent Bronze fails the rescue.
So, if he reunited with Agent Bronze.
In Lookie Mart, no matter what judgment that person made, Kim Soleum had to oppose it unconditionally.
And he had to persuade him to escape as he had envisioned.
‘…This is crazy.’
No, not me—the difficulty level is crazy.
Kim Soleum suppressed a groan and, trying to remain calm, scanned the surroundings from the corner of the food court where he sat with the high school student.
‘Let’s wait.’
Because Agent Bronze would surely come up to the 2nd floor if he had any sense.
He decided to think as positively as possible.
‘I can decide after we meet.’
And three days passed.
Kim Soleum did not encounter Agent Bronze anywhere in Lookie Mart.
Discussion