The Ghost Story Taxi is calling us.
From beyond the gate.
Honk honk.
If we take that and follow the manual properly, we can definitely reach ‘Seoul Station’….
The problem is the method of getting into that taxi.
‘Stay outside the gate of this shop.’
That was the very reason I sought out a shop with a gate in the first place. The alleys of Death Road are too narrow for a taxi to stop.
‘Therefore, to call and board a taxi, we have to step outside the gate….’
However, I cannot guarantee what kind of landscape will unfold once we step outside the gate, or whether Section Chief Lee Jaheon and I will be safe.
That’s why I’ve devised a countermeasure.
Using a product from this very shop.
‘I was going to stop by anyway, and since this shop happened to have a gate, I’ve settled everything at once.’
I swallowed hard.
“Team Leader, please proceed as planned.”
“Yes.”
Section Chief Lee Jaheon reached into the paper bag he was holding and tore open the packaging in an instant.
Then, along with the cozy socks, the extra item included revealed itself.
A small ball of yarn.
Fitting for a handmade shop, it seemed they gave it so one could add new embroidery to the socks themselves, but right now, I would use it in a slightly different way.
“I’m starting.”
Avoiding the shop owner’s gaze, I unraveled one end of the red yarn and tied it securely to the leg of the shop’s display case.
Then, Section Chief Lee Jaheon and I each took half of the yarn ball in our hands.
It would restrict our movements somewhat, but even considering that, it would be safer for both of us to hold the yarn directly.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I slowly unraveled the yarn and walked backward with my back to the opaque glass door….
And the moment my back touched the glass door, I felt downward and grabbed the handle.
Click.
As I pushed the handle, a gust of wind blew in from outside.
Along with the raw sound of a car horn.
Honk honk.
Don’t look back.
I walked backward slowly, matching my pace with Section Chief Lee Jaheon.
Fortunately, I have a ‘Good Friend’ to be my eyes.
—You just need to keep walking backward in that direction, Friend! Since it’s night, there aren’t many pedestrians.
…Pedestrians? No, let’s not be curious.
I kept my gaze fixed inside the shop, walking backward without looking at the dark surroundings.
The yarn hanging inside the shop was connecting me to ‘Death Road’….
It was a kind of tether, so to speak.
‘As long as I’m holding onto this, I’m not missing!’
Slowly, slowly, without rushing, I retreat….
Thump.
My body made contact.
Honk honk.
…It’s the taxi.
The vibration of the car body traveled through me at the sound of the horn honking again.
I carefully reached back and felt the smooth body of the car….
—One span to the left.
I adjusted my hand. I felt a smooth groove.
‘The handle.’
I grabbed the car door handle and pulled.
Then I climbed into the taxi, folding my body inside.
I didn't even have time to form an impression of the modern and clean interior. I moved to the side seat while looking under the seats, and Section Chief Lee Jaheon entered the empty space immediately after.
At the same time, he threw away the remaining ball of yarn and closed the door.
Thanks to his immense strength, all movements were completed in an instant.
Slam.
“…….”
I finally raised my head.
And I spoke to the taxi driver in the front seat, who was wearing a cap and a suit that was eerily clean and sharp.
“To Seoul Station, please.”
…….
[Estimated arrival time is 43 minutes from now.]
The car started smoothly.
‘Whew.’
I leaned my body deep into the backrest and let out a sigh of relief.
For now, I did it!
‘Ghost story transfer… successful.’
Of course, since this taxi itself is a ghost story, I shouldn't let my guard down.
I quickly recalled the relevant Wiki.
The problematic ghost story called ‘Hell-Surcharge Taxi,’ which sounded like payment would be an issue just by the name.
The exterior of the taxi is primarily described as a black luxury sedan of German make.
The car model changes with each call, but it can be identified by the orange taxi sign and the inverted cross golden ornament on the mirror in front of the driver’s seat.
I looked at the driver’s seat.
…An ominous-looking golden inverted cross was hanging from the front mirror, swaying.
Confirmed.
‘Phew.’
Even though it’s according to plan, tension crawls up my spine.
Is it because I’m trapped in the confined space of a taxi? Along with the pressure of having entered a scary story from which I cannot escape no matter what happens….
Tick, tock.
The meter rises.
[10000]
[10100]
[10200]
It’s fast.
“Driver.”
I had to start talking quickly.
The less interest the driver has in the passenger, the faster the vehicle’s speed becomes, and the meter rises rapidly.
And as the meter rises….
The taxi passenger receives a curse corresponding to the meter amount upon disembarking.
Yes.
The fare for this taxi is not about collecting money, but about assigning a curse.
To be precise, it was closer to ‘supernaturally occurring bad things’ than a curse, which made it even creepier.
However, if the driver maintains a steady interest in the passenger and drives slowly, the meter rises slowly, and this ‘curse’ ends at a level the passenger can handle.
In the opposite case….
‘The moment you get out of a taxi racing like crazy, you receive an unbearable curse.’
Furthermore, just because the taxi is fast doesn't mean you arrive at the destination early.
All taxis arrive on time; the speed of the taxi is irrelevant to the scheduled arrival time.
The time decreed to me was 43 minutes.
During this time, I had to consistently pique the other party’s interest.
‘They say if the vehicle speed increases, the probability of anomalies occurring inside the car—like windows shattering—rises….’
I definitely don't want to experience that.
But since I’ve already read the records, don’t I know what kind of conversation the other party would find interesting?
That’s true.
The problem is that there are as many as four candidates for that ‘other party’!
There are a total of four taxi drivers who work in shifts, and they refer to each other by numbers.
They look identical in appearance but show subtle differences in customer service and distinct topics of interest.
Since they look the same, it’s impossible to tell who is who, but if you bluntly ask which number they are, they’ll show their displeasure and kick you out of the taxi.
‘And the people kicked out go missing….’
Thus, the only way to figure out who they are is through conversation.
The keywords confirmed in the exploration records as being of interest to each driver are as follows:
Number 1 / Olympics, elections, pets, games, SNS.
Number 2 / War, mafia, action movies, vampire legends, firearms.
Number 3 / Good restaurants, farming, economic depression, slum tourism, luxury goods.
Number 4 / Afterlife, religious experiences, pandemics, massacres, ■■■.
Therefore, the original strategy was to start by figuring out as quickly as possible through the first conversation which driver among them it was.
However.
If you have this much exploration record accumulated in your head, you can try something else.
A conversational method to get out of this taxi in the most intact state possible.
[Customer.]
“…….”
The first question has already begun.
An arrogant voice, tinged with a strange mockery, flowed from the driver in the front seat….
[How was your day today?]
“I just worked.”
[Aha.]
The driver does not directly express their preference for the stories the passenger tells; they only ask questions.
But the meter answers.
[10500]
[10700]
[10900]
[11200]
It’s out of control.
—Goodness, does that driver not know the concept of small talk? Friend, if you want, a talented broadcaster like me can chip in….
‘It’s okay.’
It’s the expected result. I quickly and nonchalantly followed up with my next words.
“But I almost died while working.”
Stiff.
“I was trying to buy meat at a butcher shop, and I almost became the meat myself.”
The meter stopped.
[11300]
“Fortunately, the shop owner turned out to be a vegetarian. I escaped after handing over some agricultural products as a barter. I even won the haggling and got some money.”
[…….]
The driver’s fingers tapping on the steering wheel slowed down.
…The vehicle slowed down.
[And what happened next?]
Phew.
“I headed into the back alley.”
‘It worked.’
What was I doing?
‘I’m weaving as many correct keywords as possible into my answers.’
So that whichever driver is sitting there would take an interest.
It was the so-called ‘at least one of these will interest you’ strategy.
And coincidentally, my current situation allowed me to naturally bring up all sorts of provocative subjects.
‘It’s not like I haven’t gone through some serious ups and downs over the past six months.’
[What will you be doing tomorrow?]
I didn’t run out of stories easily.
“I’m planning to rest and organize what’s happened so far. It’s been quite eventful.”
No matter what question the taxi driver threw at me, I kept diverting the conversation toward provocative and talkative experiences and topics.
And I kept weaving them in.
Nightmares, food, blood, violence, survival of the fittest, Mascot, cooking, fortune-telling, ghosts….
Everything melted into the daily conversation.
Eventually, the vehicle advanced slowly, at a pace almost like a bicycle.
I kept talking endlessly. It was enough audio-filling to make Braun marvel a few times.
And just as my voice was about to go hoarse.
[…We have arrived.]
The taxi came to a halt.
[The customer’s destination, ‘Seoul Station’.]
…Click.
The lock on the back door of the taxi was released. And as the tinted glass window rolled down, a familiar landscape was revealed….
It was the night view of Seoul Station.
‘Ha…!’
I was so glad to see it that I felt like I might cry.
I wanted to jump out right away, but I had to settle the payment first.
I looked at the meter.
[29700]
[29800]
Click.
The driver ended the meter.
[29800]
‘I did it…!’
Ending in the 20,000 won range was usually only possible for distances within 10 minutes.
At this level, there would be no permanent damage.
[Settling the fare.]
The taxi driver reached back with his hand.
In that hand was a check.
-29,800 / Code 1
I carefully took that classic-style paper check, stamped with a snake-shaped wax seal….
The explanation was written on the back.
The code signifying the curse the passenger would receive.
Fare Code 1: Illness.
— Three days of high fever, headache, coughing up blood, chills.
Good.
‘It’s perfectly fine.’
It was much better than having my financial luck turn disastrous or having people around me die.
“Thank you.”
I took the check, bowed deeply toward the driver’s seat, and finally escaped from the taxi.
‘Ha.’
I never knew winter air could feel this good….
Knock, knock.
“…!”
The window of the taxi’s driver’s seat rolled down halfway.
[Customer.]
I almost fainted.
“Yes.”
[It was an enjoyable conversation. I think my colleagues would be interested in your stories too….]
In the darkness, the hand in a white glove gripping the steering wheel tapped, tap-tap, its fingers….
[Let’s meet once after we retire. I’ll buy you a drink then.]
I swallowed hard.
…Did you notice?
In fact, the driver of this taxi has a very clear and famous motif.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
A ghost story based on a pun, where the horsemen of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death work as taxi drivers in the literal end times.
Based on this, understanding the current situation… that was a statement that made cold sweat pour down.
However, it was okay to nod stoically.
“Yes.”
Because the Horsemen of the Apocalypse won’t be able to retire until the end of the world!
I’ll be back before then.
“I hope so, if the opportunity arises. Well, good luck with your shift.”
[Hahaha… yes. How tedious.]
The taxi window rolled back up.
The black vehicle vanished from Seoul Station in an instant, like a phantom.
Leaving only the orange taxi sign behind.
“…….”
I looked at the minus check I was holding in my hand.
In that moment.
The check burst into flames, and I began coughing up blood.
“Ugh.”
A high fever and headache burned through my mind, but it was bearable.
And the Lizard was watching me in that state.
While also dripping blood from between his snout.
‘Euaaak.’
It probably wasn't a pleasant sight, but well, I had no choice but to swallow the blood-mixed saliva and say:
“This, it should get better as soon as three days pass. That… seemed to be the rule.”
“Yes.”
“And thank you. For not prying into how I knew all that, and for trusting and leaving it to me in the taxi. Cough,”
The Lizard looked at me as I coughed up blood-tinged phlegm.
“Kim Soleum-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Take sick leave.”
“Yes….”
A while later.
After waiting until the coughing stopped a bit, we called another taxi and returned to the company housing.
Being in another taxi felt unsettling, but there were no other anomalies, and both the Section Chief and I managed to return home safely, except for the burning fevers.
‘To think Section Chief Lee Jaheon was also living in the company housing building.’
At any rate, we parted ways in front of the building.
“Take sick leave.”
“Yes… thank you.”
Let's save the more detailed talk for later at the office.
‘Whew.’
And so….
I returned safely.
‘Even if it’s company housing, home is the best.’
As I opened the door and entered, the unique warmth of a heated interior greeted me. It felt almost like ecstasy.
Since I’m sick, I just want to jump into a hot shower and sleep deeply, but….
Well, there’s one more thing to do.
‘Huh.’
I checked the shoes in the entryway that weren’t mine.
They were Baek Saheon’s dress shoes.
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