Did the radio just... call out the name of the Late-Night Talk Show Host I know all too well?
For a moment, I thought I was hearing things. Since I was listening to the radio while driving a ghost to a cemetery at 2 AM, I figured it was a reasonable assumption.
However, a voice came through the radio.
[Oh my, I’m flattered by such high praise!]
“…….”
It was a familiar voice.
[I am truly delighted to meet you, audience. I shall tell you this Braun’s story with all my heart and soul….]
I had to turn it off.
No matter how I looked at it, listening to an A-Grade or higher Ghost Story offering to tell his story 'with all his heart and soul' was not a wise decision.
Especially when a ghost was sitting in the seat next to me…….
‘Wait, no.’
Thinking about it conversely, wasn't it better to have a distraction…?
“Hahahahait’sfuntheradiohahahaha”
…The ghost in the passenger seat let out a laugh.
It wasn't a real laugh. It was making a bizarre sound, imitating onomatopoeia as if mocking me….
A physiological sense of dread.
‘Ha.’
In the end, I stopped my hand before it reached the radio.
The smooth-voiced radio DJ and the upbeat Late-Night Talk Show Host continued their conversation.
Distracting myself with their chatter, I kept driving, eyes fixed on the dark road.
[I heard that the Choir of Purgatory recently sent a special instrument to the Late-Night Talk Show's band. There are rumors that it was a gesture of apology and gratitude. Is that true…?]
The questions and answers followed the typical format of a famous talk show host appearing on the radio.
Updates on their life, recent events, personal jokes, and answering fans' curiosities.
The format was conventional. But if one listened closely, it was twisted and chilling.
Unrealistic nouns and mismatched verbs were strangely joined together to describe horrific things.
[Our next Late-Night Talk Show guest looked into which organ is the true source of love—the head or the heart—with such exquisite detail. The skill of the excision surgery was truly marvelous! It's a must-watch.]
[Oh, absolutely! You’re most welcome. You can expect even more….]
“…….”
Cold sweat pooled in my left hand as I gripped the steering wheel.
Before I knew it, the ghost was staring at me.
Intently.
It was staring.
“Excuse me…… are you enjoying this?”
“…….”
“I’maskedifyou’reenjoyingthis”
“Ah, sorry. I’m focusing on the road, so I’ve only been half-listening… but he’s quite the smooth talker.”
“Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee.”
I felt like I was going crazy.
Meanwhile, the radio show proceeded smoothly.
[The Late-Night Talk Show is always such a thrillingly scary and enjoyable time. Braun, what kind of hobbies do you enjoy when you’re not hosting your show?]
[Ah! Hobbies… playing the piano, selecting a fine wine, and taking a bath are always great companions in life. Choosing hobbies that are so easy to draw inspiration from is a chronic illness of an Entertainer. And….]
[I also enjoyed conversations with a good friend.]
“…….”
[A friend of Braun’s! Could we hear more about that? Perhaps a phone call —aaagh—or something….]
Good grief.
[Oh, how sad, but we’ve lost touch recently, so I’m afraid a phone call would be difficult.]
[Oh dear, you must be so disappointed.]
[Ah, it's a heartbreaking disappointment! But fortunately….]
[I already know a few things about how my friend is doing.]
My throat went dry.
“Excuse me.”
[Apparently, he participated in a barbecue event at a mart. And he bought an ugly doll. Goodness, it's such a relatable and silly thing to do. And….]
“It’s a bit noisy……. Turn it offquickly.”
I reached for the radio, trying my best not to let my hand tremble.
[Right now, he’s wearing glass instead of an arm!]
“…….”
[Oh my, glass for an arm! Wouldn’t it be too fragile and difficult to move? Issayingitlikethisenoughpleaseisit?]
[Oh, indeed it is. This Braun is deeply concerned…. Especially if a stupid and useless animal is attached to the glass as well!]
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
[That is quite foolish…….]
I managed to press the button.
Click.
“…….”
“…….”
Just as silence was about to settle after the radio cut out.
[…judgment, my goodness!]
The radio turned itself back on.
[It’s such a shame that I can’t convey these words because my friend is out of reach due to unavoidable circumstances.]
“Whydon’tyouturnofftheradiowhyissointerrupted? Hey, if you won’t turn it off, let me out……. I have to get off, open the door too…”
The ghost whispered.
“And help me out I can’t get out alone… I don’t ha ve fe et”
“…….”
[Could we check if he can be reached?]
I turned my head.
Now that I looked, the thing in the passenger seat had no legs.
To be precise, there were only cross-sections that looked as if they had been torn off at the ankles.
It was merely pretending to walk with a limp using those stumps.
“I can’t walk alone… I have togowithyou”
Drip, drip.
Blood was falling.
No, it seemed it had been falling from the start.
Blood was now gushing out like crazy from under the drenched passenger seat, soaking the floor and overflowing.
It flowed all the way to the driver’s seat, reaching my shoes and the pedals….
[Hmm, just a moment.]
“…….”
[There’s no need to check right now. My friend must be doing his best.]
The voice deepened.
[Oh, a famous maxim comes to mind: 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.' Similar phrases with magically similar meanings have been passed down and used across different cultures. In that sense….]
[My friend, who is doing his best, deserves some special help.]
A warm voice spoke.
[You may turn off the radio now. Friend.]
“…….”
[A guest has arrived.]
Screeeech.
I barely managed to slam on the brakes.
I almost hit someone.
‘Ha.’
A person with a hand outstretched was reflected in the windshield. A hand with a thumb up, as if hitchhiking.
The Dokkaebi on my right arm made the same thumb shape and then lowered it.
‘No.’
Cold sweat poured down my back.
The radio… seemed to have turned off by chance while I was grabbing the wheel.
“Oh? A person…… it’s a person, right?”
The ghost seemed to have shifted its interest.
…To the potential passenger outside.
If there is a passenger trying to hitch a ride in the middle of your journey, do not refuse and quietly let them into the back seat.
There have been cases where the ghost follows the passenger out if you refuse.
A hand tapped on the back seat window, then opened the door somewhat clumsily.
However, please note that there have been several sightings of non-human entities trying to hitch a ride.
Since the taxi you are currently driving has already become a Supernatural Phenomenon, please keep in mind that strange beings may board. In this case, you may refuse for your safety. Always remember: your life comes first.
‘Ha.’
Please, don’t get in, just go.
The floor of the front seats was still pooled with blood.
They'd surely run away screaming, so if it were a normal person, they might leave on their own even if I couldn't refuse them….
“Excuse me.”
“…….”
A nonchalant voice was heard.
“Uhm… is this how you do it…. Please take me to… Seoul Station.”
…….
Why is this person here?
The new passenger was reflected in the rearview mirror.
Light-colored, shaggy hair, a pale and slender build, and a blank face that looked tired and bothered by everything.
‘J3.’
The Sergeant of Daydream Corporation was trying to take a taxi with a voice that sounded like everything was a nuisance…!
‘This is insane.’
The security team was allowed to go out after sunset, but why was he in the middle of these mountains? And why on earth Seoul Station….
Did this taxi attract a Contaminated person because it became a ghost story itself?
I didn't know, but the important thing was this.
—The Sergeant thinks I’m someone who died a month ago.
‘…Did he catch on?’
Did he recognize me? No, my hair was shaggy, I was wearing glasses, and he could barely see my back, so the chances were low.
Be calm, stay calm….
“Um, there's someone who boarded first, so I have to take them to their destination first.”
“I don’t mind…”
Even though the car must have been thick with the smell of incense, burning, and blood, the Sergeant’s voice was nonchalant.
“Wowone morecameone more. I love it.”
“Ah, that’s a relief…. Then I’ll get in…….”
The Sergeant sat down carefully in the back and closed the door.
“…….”
“Excuse me… why aren’t you leaving……?”
Ha.
I started the taxi.
‘I’m seriously going to lose it.’
In the silence, I followed the route again.
—Speed enforcement zone ahead.
I slowed down.
“Please go fast…….”
A flat whisper came from the ghost in the passenger seat.
I wanted to go fast and escape this hair-raising situation just as it said, but I couldn't.
If you violate traffic laws, the Passenger Ghost will clap its hands in delight and try to cause an accident. Its intention is to get out of the car afterward, so you must not comply.
Ha.
“…I might get caught, so please bear with me for a bit.”
“……."
The limp, long hair turned its head toward me.
I felt its gaze.
“Excuse me.”
“Excuse me… I said go fast.”
“Can’t you see that thing chasing us from behind?”
“I can see it? Oh? It’s going to catch us…… it caught us.”
Thump.
A red handprint appeared on the passenger window.
Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump
Red handprints appeared on every window.
On the windshield, on the rearview mirror, thick red gore clumped together and blood trickled down.
…Inside the car.
Then I realized.
These handprints weren't being made from the outside, but from the inside.
As if hands were pounding everywhere, trying to get out.
“…….”
Cold sweat ran down the back of my neck.
The head of the ghost in the passenger seat tilted to the side, then further, then strangely, it flipped upside down, its chin pointing up and its mouth becoming visible…….
“We want to get out. Go fast or we’ll get out fast, fast, dri—….”
“Hmm.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat came from the back seat.
“You really have no manners.”
A giant black tongue lunged from behind the passenger seat, dripping saliva as it swallowed the entire passenger seat whole.
“……!”
Crrr-ack. The ghost’s long hair was severed. A long black tongue, teeth sprouting everywhere, bizarrely twisted eyeballs, and a long snout covered the entire front right seat.
“Mannerless little lamb… pig… red child…….”
The beast grew larger.
The snout gaped open toward the driver’s seat, and vicious claws protruded.
At the moment my hands on the wheel trembled, —Approaching the destination.
“…….”
“…….”
I managed to declare.
“We have almost arrived.”
The shadow stopped.
Silence.
Silence.
And….
“Ah, sorry…….”
Everything disappeared.
“…….”
The interior of the vehicle was empty.
The bizarre and giant snout of the black, strange monster was gone. As if it had been that way from the start, a hollow silence filled the car.
The only one left was the ghost in the passenger seat.
“…….”
The ghost in the passenger seat was staring blankly into space as if it had become an idiot.
As if it were under a Curse.
…That was eerie in a different way.
Enduring the skin-crawling sensation, I managed to continue driving safely.
And a few seconds later.
—Arrived at Sajiyuk Cemetery. Guidance is ending.
The navigation flickered and cut out.
…In the middle of a mountain road.
The headlights illuminated a sign right in front of the vehicle.
DANGER!
※ BEWARE OF FALLS ※
Do not lean or climb.
Ahead was a cliff.
‘Ha.’
Suppressing my trembling hands, I unlocked the passenger door.
“We have arrived. Guest.”
And the moment I slowly turned my head.
There was already no one in the passenger seat.
The blood that had been pooled beneath it, the acrid smell of burning, and the strange laughter were all gone.
“…….”
If the ghost disappears at the destination, the agent has successfully completed the mission.
Give the signal to the person in charge waiting at the location and hand over the taxi to the headquarters’ Misfortune-Warding Specialist before dawn.
Thank you for your dedication.
Phew.
I finally took my hands off the wheel.
At that moment, someone tapped gently on the driver's window.
Tap, tap.
…It was Agent Bronze!
“Wait, uh, Officer…!”
I hurriedly rolled down the window, poked my head out, lowered my voice, and glanced at the back seat.
“I have another passenger on board.”
“…!”
“I’ll take this person to their destination and be right back.”
“…! Understood.”
Agent Bronze, who fortunately took my panic as a Rookie Agent's alarm at a situation involving a Civilian, let me go.
I rolled up the window and left the strange cliff in the mountains.
In the side mirror of the departing vehicle, I saw a strange light flash from that Sajiyuk Cemetery…….
“…….”
Ha.
I did it.
‘I didn't faint…!’
I almost screamed at the ghost to just get out halfway through.
‘My hands are still shaking.’
It was a mess, but I was just glad it ended safely.
Now, I just have to take the Sergeant to his destination… right. Where was it, Seoul Station? On the way there, I can just make a fuss about seeing a ghost a few times.
Treating all of this as a hallucination.
I glanced at the back seat.
Still, that thing earlier… it was truly terrifying, but as a result, I'm grateful for the help.
‘In the past, I would have bought him something and visited.’
Like the donuts the Sergeant used to prefer.
But he wouldn't even recognize me now, so making a bit of a fuss about seeing a ghost and then quietly performing the duties of a taxi driver before parting ways would be…….
“…So you were alive.”
……!
“Thank goodness….”
Ah.
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