In the midst of a living hell where people were dying within a ghost story, a single Survival Ticket had appeared.
Just like in a movie.
And it wasn't an illusion either.
‘If you disembark with the announced Lost Item, you will be guided out of the station as soon as you meet a crew member…’
It was indeed a light of hope.
The problem, however, was that the Lost Item mentioned in the Announcement Broadcast just now was ridiculously macabre.
“What did it just say?
A 20-something adult male…?”
“The left eyeball of a Type A adult male.”
Go Yeongeun lowered her head with a hollow expression.
“Type A probably refers to… the blood type.”
“Yes……”
A heavy silence fell.
They already seemed terrified.
‘…Should I just let this pass?’
Everyone could survive anyway if they got off at the Correct Station.
If one person escaped early for no reason, the atmosphere might turn strange and cause a conflict.
But things didn't proceed that easily.
“S-still, wouldn't it be better to look for it?”
“Exactly.
We don't know what might happen…”
The new employees were so intensely conscious of the Announcement Broadcast that they couldn't just let it go.
‘…Let's just see how it plays out for now.’
“By any chance, your age…?”
“Ah, I'm in my 30s.”
“You look young for your age.
Ah, I'm Type B.
So it doesn't apply to me.”
“Me neither…”
The people checked with one another to see if anyone fit the criteria of a ‘20-something Type A adult male.’
However, no one perfectly matched the conditions, and eventually, the question turned to me.
“By any chance, Kim Soleum-ssi…?”
I answered simply.
“I’m Type AB.”
In truth, it was a lie.
I am Type A.
‘But there’s no need to reveal that I’m the target.’
If I, as a potential beneficiary, were to become a victim in this situation, my words might be misunderstood as being motivated by self-interest, making it impossible to
persuade them later.
“I see. Then Baek Saheon-ssi…”
“Wait a moment.”
Suddenly, the person sitting across from me raised his hand with a grim face.
“Actually…… I fit perfectly.
Those criteria!”
“Ah!”
He spoke in a quite solemn tone, likely because he thought he might die if he wasn't careful.
‘He doesn't need to worry about that, though.’
And the reason for his sudden revelation was clear.
[This station is Anger, Anger Station.]
The Announcement Broadcast informed us that we had arrived at a new station.
The station where the Station Staff would be waiting to receive the Lost Item.
Tension stained the face of the new employee who had volunteered.
“Is there no one else?”
“Yes… it seems so.”
“Oh boy.”
Baek Saheon, sitting next to me and listening to the conversation, let out a sigh and asked the man.
[The doors are on your right….]
“You said you're Type A?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Too bad.”
And then, a fist flew.
“…?!”
A fist slammed mercilessly into the left eye of the new employee who had revealed he was a 20-something Type A male, accompanied by a horrific rupturing sound.
Baek Saheon had struck him with the corner of the smartphone he held in his hand.
It was a blow delivered as if he didn't care if the eye exploded.
“Ugh,”
And the moment the man, unable to even let out a proper scream, collapsed.
[The platform screen doors are opening.]
Baek Saheon lightly stepped over the fallen man and exited the Train.
“J-just now…”
“Aaack!!”
“What are you doing?!”
A beat too late, people cried out in horror.
Baek Saheon chuckled.
“You idiots. If you can escape at the cost of an eye, you should do it immediately!”
“…!”
“It said we could get off!”
It seemed Baek Saheon had correctly understood the context between the lines of the Announcement Broadcast.
—Anyone who has found the Lost Item, please disembark at the next station and hand the Lost Item over to the station staff.
Even though there was a hint to pay attention to the Announcement Broadcast, it was a very bold judgment.
“Well… I suppose I can’t expect that from people who want others to take responsibility for their own lives.”
“Huh?!”
Furthermore, Baek Saheon remained nonchalant as he fired off those blunt words.
He seemed certain that no one would dare follow him out.
And he was right.
Everyone had already seen what happened when someone got off at a station they weren't supposed to.
“T-that man…”
Go Yeongeun’s face turned bright red, perhaps out of rage, but I felt a sense of relief as if things were finally clicking into place.
I knew it!
The alias Viper.
The descriptions of Baek Saheon in the Dark Exploration Record only made sense if they stemmed from a personality like that.
Since he was a new employee, I thought he might be okay because he hadn't been tainted by society yet, but it seemed he was just like that from the start.
[The doors are closing.]
In the meantime, Baek Saheon waved his hand toward the inside of the Train.
At any rate, he seemed to be in a good mood, thinking he had succeeded in escaping.
Even if it meant sacrificing a left eye.
‘My goodness……’
But… about that.
‘He didn't need to do that.’
Taking advantage of the moment everyone was focused on Baek Saheon, I secretly reached up to the luggage rack behind me.
‘I definitely… saw it earlier.’
As I swept my hand deep inside, my fingers caught something that had been lying in a blind spot as if by magic.
I pulled my hand back to check the object.
Inside something like a strange Portable Lens Case, a single eyeball was contained.
And the label.
[Type A / Female / 27 / R]
This was none other than a Lost Item Candidate.
‘In the first place, a Lost Item is something someone else lost, not something that belongs to you.’
Actually, this Announcement Broadcast was a treasure hunt where you had to find the real one among several Lost Item Candidates in the luggage rack that exactly matched the description and take it with you.
Well, there were cases where someone accidentally escaped by giving something of their own.
‘I suppose Baek Saheon will fall into that category now.’
However, what if he found out he didn't have to ‘return’ his own left eye?
The platform screen doors had already closed.
So, the moment my eyes met Baek Saheon’s for a brief second as he turned toward the Platform just before the electric train departed.
I held the lens case containing the eyeball up toward the door so it was clearly visible.
Since I covered the label, only one thing would be seen clearly.
The eyeball.
—…!!
Beyond the door, the expression on Baek Saheon’s face changed as he realized what it was.
However, it was already too late.
[The train is departing from Anger Station.]
The train pulls away.
I looked back at the new employee Baek Saheon had attacked.
Seeing as he had injured the man's left eye, Baek Saheon must have tried to eliminate any other ‘correct Lost Item’ besides what he had.
‘He probably did this fearing that only one would be recognized as the Lost Item.’
I don't think escaping on his own is something to be criticized, as everyone is just trying to survive.
But… this crossed the line.
I turned my head back toward the door.
From behind, I heard the sound of the platform screen doors being struck violently several times.
And from the receding Platform, I thought I could faintly hear the scream unique to someone suffering through bizarre pain.
[The Lost Item has been successfully handed over to the Station Staff.]
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