It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 002

[Next stop is Vengeance, Vengeance Station.]

[The exit doors are on the right….]

A suffocating silence blanketed the subway within the horror story.

I, too, was part of this silence.

Despite already knowing the horror story, I found myself startled at the related video thumbnails on YouTube and would hit ‘Not Interested’ to skip past them. And now, I was expected to survive within this tale?

“Just kill me already….”

That would be the better option.

I was losing the energy to even try and figure out what happened. I pressed my hands to my face, wanting to deny the world’s existence.

And that’s when it happened.

Blink.

[1st Place: Dark Exploration Records Real Goods Box]

“……?!”

I lifted my head.

Something like a notepad was flying around my field of vision.

Even with my eyes closed, I could see it, and even when I opened them, it remained visible.

A scrap of paper that looked like it had been torn from a notebook was fluttering by….

“This is….”

Wait a sec. It seems like no one else is here.

I quickly shut my mouth. Standing out in this situation would be the dumbest thing I could do.

Instead, I poked at the notepad before me as casually as I could.

Flutter.

To my surprise, the notepad moved as if it were opening up, spitting out something small.

“……!”

I hastily grabbed it, cupping it in my hands.

It was… a grip talk.

A very simply designed black grip talk, with the only distinctive feature being a golden ‘X’ in the center.

But on account of that very pattern, I came to realize what this grip talk truly was.

“It’s merchandise.”

It was the item sold at the pop-up store for [Dark Exploration Records], just before I had opened my eyes in this bizarre situation!

One of the goods I had bought today.

With trembling hands, I picked up the grip talk.

As for what function this had in the story…

[Memorial Grip Talk]

: A C-class item appearing in [Dark Exploration Records].

When attached to a smartphone, it displays text from your memories concisely as pages.

Supplied as a level 9 item by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.

“Shows memories as text….”

Then, could it be?

With trembling hands, I peeled off the adhesive part of the grip talk and immediately attached it to my smartphone.

At that moment…

The scattered text of [Dark Exploration Records], which I remembered only in bits and pieces, materialized vividly as pages on my phone screen.

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Horror Story

[Welcome to Abyss Transportation Company]

: The identification code for the horror story appearing in [Dark Exploration Records], Daydream Corporation is Qterw-D-16.

A crazy horror story that boasts an overwhelming difficulty in escaping, it was originally written in the early days with a D-grade rating. And it eternally torments the Field Exploration Team

Exploration records reached up to a total of 56.

———————=

“…!”

So, this means….

“The merchandise I bought is actually functional?”

Come to think of it, the black goods box that had been resting on my lap had vanished without a trace.

“Wait, that goods box transformed into this notepad, spitting out the merchandise I bought?”

What kind of insane situation is this?

No, regardless, this is definitely advantageous for me.

In this horror story world of [Dark Exploration Records] I have entered.

Do you have any idea how many internet veterans unleashed their creative spirits based on this? There were literally hundreds of horror stories.

Naturally, recalling them all at once as if flipping through pages would be impossible.

Moreover, since the story does not explicitly state survival methods and instead lets the reader infer the details, deriving the correct answer from a new situation became even harder.

“But now, I can confirm what I’ve read in a single scroll.”

If this is possible, the first thing to see would be….

“Past escape cases!”

I urgently scrolled down the wiki page.

After breezing through “3.2 Exploration Record.”

“…….”

I reached a swift conclusion.

“I got it.”

I figured out which station I needed to disembark from.

But there was a problem.

“…….”

I turned to face the people sharing the same compartment with me.

A total of 8 young newbies, myself included.

Two of them, panicked by witnessing a scene of live dissolution, were gradually regaining their composure and began talking again.

“What was that… Vengeance Station? It sounds like the kind of vengeance people feel when angry…?”

“Yeah….”

“Ah, the phone and data aren’t working, seriously… What on earth….”

“…….”

Right. The issue now was how to persuade these unfamiliar, untrustworthy people to get off at the correct station.

“I need to ensure as many people as possible disembark together.”

I clenched my fist.

Suddenly realizing that the extras who were sacrificed in this horror story were real people too filled me with a noble sense of mission to save their lives!

But honestly, that’s not my primary concern.

What truly drove me to desperation was…

“I can’t get off alone…!”

That’s right.

The stations here often drove people mad.

You want me to walk past stations filled with eyeballs, darkened stations, and upside-down stations all by myself?

Just imagining that gives me such cold sweat, I might as well crawl on all fours.

“The chances of passing out halfway and failing to escape are over 90%…!”

No way. Save me.

“I have to convince them somehow!”

I opened my mouth but quickly closed it again.

“Still, ranting about weird phenomena and darkness right off the bat would be foolish.”

Who would want to admit that they were stuck in a situation like a Tsukuru horror game? They’d either laugh hysterically in disbelief or panic even more believing it.

“Slowly… establish trust.”

Let’s start with one person.

If I can solidly convince one or two individuals, crowd psychology will take over, and the rest will likely follow suit.

“Let’s see. Who seems like they need help or show signs of forming bonds….”

“Ah… This feels like some YouTube horror story.”

Found one!

“Did you say it’s a horror story?”

“Ah.”

A woman with short hair, looking composed yet slightly flustered, nodded.

“Yes. I, uh, watch some horror stories on YouTube, and it reminds me of that.”

“Could you elaborate? This doesn’t seem like an ordinary situation, so sharing possible information would seem prudent.”

“It’s not exactly information but… everything feels like a horror story. Suddenly the lecture room turned into a subway, and people… just died like that.”

Her face paled, likely recalling the insane dissolution show we just witnessed.

I understand. I want to retch too.

Let’s both try to erase that from our minds as quickly as we can.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I got carried away….”

“No, I feel the same. It’s hard to keep my thoughts straight with such nonsense happening.”

The woman forced a weak smile.

“Wow, you seem to have the clearest judgment here.”

That was a comment from someone who hasn’t yet seen the scene where I’d faint.

“Hmm?”

And remarkably, at this moment, someone approached me first.

There was a very valid reason for it.

“Hey, you’re the one who was sitting next to me earlier, right?”

It was a man with curly hair who seemed rather innocent.

“Now that I think of it, he did sit beside me in the lecture.”

That newbie seemed out of place amidst the group engrossed in conversation. As he rubbed the back of his neck, he exchanged glances with the woman I was talking to, then extended his hand for a handshake.

“I’m Baek Sa-heon.”

“…!”

For a moment, I almost forgot about the handshake.

Baek Sa-heon?

“Wait, he’s a named character.”

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation

/ Characters

Baek Sa-heon

: An employee of Daydream Corporation appearing in Dark Exploration Records.

His final rank is manager, with a total of 106 exploration records documented, including 17 special cases recorded on the wiki.

Nickname: Viper.

———————=

He was an employee who had played active roles multiple times in [Dark Exploration Records].

I raised my head and surveyed the rather frail-looking curly-haired guy.

“Is this person… Baek Sa-heon?”

The image didn’t quite match.

Yet, it felt surreal to see someone from the horror story universe I had only read about in text.

Meanwhile, the woman with the short hair who brought up the horror story was extending her hand.

“Given the circumstances, let’s introduce ourselves, shall we? I’m Ko Yeong-eun.”

That was a name I hadn’t heard before. And for someone I didn’t know in this universe, it could only mean two things.

Either she had dealt with the horrors relatively smoothly and retired early.

Or she met an untimely end.

“Damn….”

While there are occasions where named characters only have nicknames or code names, in those cases, their character traits are usually so vivid that they’re discernible right away.

I felt uneasy. I shook off the lingering thoughts from my mind.

“I’m Kim Sol-eum.”

The handshake quickly concluded, and we naturally sat in a subway seat to continue our conversation.

In the meantime, the crowd seemed to have split into two groups.

“Ah, those people over there… seem to be trying to communicate with the front compartment somehow?”

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

In this horror story, moving between compartments is forbidden. Thus, it wasn’t surprising that they soon gave up on gestures and returned.

“What should we do? We can’t communicate with the front compartment at all. And it seems like a fight broke out up there….”

Once again, an announcement about the arrival at the next station rang out for the anxious and uneasy people. However, this time, the tone of the keywords felt different.

[Next stop is Ecstasy, Ecstasy Station.]

“Uh?”

The previously bustling noise came to a sudden halt.

“Ecstasy?”

“If it’s ecstasy, doesn’t it feel like a good thing? Maybe….”

No, no.

“I can’t judge this too easily…!”

I bit my lip, recalling the exploration records I had just read.

First, this horror story changes the theme of the station’s name with each appearance.

Therefore, finding specific words related to “Which station should we get off at?” or “Which station is correct?” is impossible.

“But we can still examine the tendencies.”

Just like this.

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Horror Story

/ Welcome to Abyss Transportation Company

3.2 Exploration Record (Documented up to 56)

1. Stations marked with colors such as red, yellow, and blue.

: Successful escape of 2 people (Attempt: Blue Station)

2. Stations marked with body parts like left arm, cornea, heart.

: Escape failed (Attempt: Cochlea Station)

3. Stations labeled with names of serial killers like ■■, ■■■■,■■■,.

: Successful escape of 12 people (Attempt: ■■■■ Station)

4. Stations marked with years such as 2008, 2012, 2016.

: Escape failed (Attempt: 2024 Station)

5. Stations labeled with diseases like asthma, stroke, glaucoma.

: Successful escape of 3 people (Attempt: Cold Station)

[Read More]

———————=

See? Even up to case 56, the positive connotation of station names has no correlation with escape success.

Yet, in this case, at Ecstasy Station, it looked like people might spill out all at once.

[The exit doors are on the left….]

The scenery of the arriving platform happened to be bright and pleasant.

“Damn it.”

The clean and bright appearance of the station looked like something out of a new urban district, and I could feel the atmosphere of the people shift dramatically.

“Ah…!”

“Should we get off here and try to look for people? This place actually seems fine….”

People began peering toward the door, filled with enthusiasm.

No way!

‘My companions would get left behind!’

And witnessing that spectacle shattered my mental state!

“Damn it!”

Ultimately, I dashed to the door, blocking it.

“…!”

“What’s going on?”

“Please wait.”

[The screen door is opening.]

“Are you sure about this?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Are you sure?”

“Indeed, I’m sure this place is safe. Or at least an educated guess.”

I deliberately averted my gaze.

“I assume everyone agrees that this situation resembles a horror story.”

Ko Yeong-eun, who caught the people’s attention with my gaze, flinched but didn’t retract her words.

[30 seconds until the doors close. There’s no turning back now.]

“However, in horror stories or movies, have you ever seen anyone choose based on luck or feelings and ended up with good results?”

“……No, but….”

“Is it truly wise to stake our lives without reasoning or investigation?”

The anxious people hesitated momentarily, then suddenly lashed out.

“Hey, have you figured anything out?”

“This person just keeps spouting nonsense since earlier….”

“Get out of the way! What reason do you have? Do you think this is a golden bell? Did someone give you a hint?”

“Yes.”

“…?”

“I’m giving you hints.”

I took a deep breath.

Then I raised my hand and pointed up.

To the speaker and the electronic display of the subway train.

“The announcement, you see.”

-Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to the final destination.

From the start, the train’s announcement had politely provided this information.

“Didn’t it explicitly say to constantly concentrate on the announcements and follow them? Quite directly.”

In that sense.

I listened to the next announcement.

[Passengers whose final destination is Ecstasy Station are required to disembark according to the announcements.]

“Are there any passengers whose final destination is Ecstasy Station?”

“…….”

“…….”

People halted their movement.

“Well, that’s a good point.”

“Living ecstatically, it means enjoying life is the goal….”

“So, is your final destination really Ecstasy Station?”

“…….”

“…….”

It seemed everyone felt a sense of unease.

However, one or two people began to direct their ire at me.

“Hey, right now, do we even have a defined destination? Why are you meddling, acting as if you know?”

“If we can’t disembark here because of you and fail to escape, will you take responsibility? Will you?!”

Responsibility, huh?

“Yes.”

“……!”

“What…?”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

That was an easy question.

“After all, I was planning to escape together.”

Disembarking here would confirm my guess, too. Thus, my answer couldn’t possibly be worse than this.

However, perhaps the unexpected response had left them speechless for a moment.

“…….”

With such a strong stance, I could see inner conflict beginning to flicker.

[The screen door is closing….]

In the meantime, the doors closed.

“Ah….”

I stepped aside. Some with empty eyes who were staring at the doors clung to them.

Yet, nobody was expressing anger over not being able to get out anymore.

‘This should be… enough.’

I was finally feeling satisfied when a frantic shout echoed.

“They all got off in the front compartment!”

“…!”

They all got off?

I immediately peered beyond the train window.

Not to mention everyone, but it felt like a good half-dozen had hurriedly exited.

“…….”

Phew.

Really, I did not want to witness what might happen from now.

Yet watching this would allow me to present my arguments more coherently, damn it…

I gritted my teeth, narrowing my eyes to peer dimly outside the window.

“Uh? They’re running!”

It seemed those who disembarked suddenly decided to move quickly. The silhouettes of half a dozen people ran toward the exit of the platform, heading for the stairs.

But it was too late.

“Ah!”

The platform’s floor began to bubble with a yellow hue, and the feet of the running individuals started to sink as if melting into the ground.

“What, gold…?”

It was such a bizarre sight, appearing as if their lower halves were transforming into gold and being stuck to the floor.

The people appeared to scream as they futilely struggled to run, but their speed was only decreasing, and…

Ultimately, their upper bodies swayed and fell with a plop just in front of the stairs.

Even that shimmered as it turned into gold.

The easiest means of becoming ecstatic.

“Hyuh.”

“Gah!”

[The train departs from Ecstasy Station.]

Inside the departing train compartment echoed the noise of gasps and whimpers from shock.

One person who attempted to disembark clutched me desperately and asked,

“You said you’d take responsibility! Can you really guarantee that we can find a safe place? Yes?”

“Yes.”

I replied firmly.

Though I was baffled over how suddenly my judgment became an established fact, the reality was that there was no answer I could give beyond that.

“I’ll die, for real!”

My lower half felt like it would collapse at any moment…!

Images of people’s lower halves exploding kept replaying in low resolution in my head, making my stomach churn.

The one thing I could be sure of was that even if I managed to survive here, my chances of getting any sleep tonight were already out the window.

Amidst this, Baek Sa-heon complimented, clearly astonished.

“You’re incredible, Teacher.”

“…Teacher?”

“Oh, I tend to call people ‘Teacher’ when I meet them.”

Then he awkwardly smiled, adding this.

“Nowadays, finding someone like you is rare. You don’t just say things like ‘I think it could be…’ without firmness, but are decisive when saying what’s right or wrong.”

“…….”

“Just as you have guaranteed, I hope it results in a good outcome.”

Well… I appreciate the compliments, but this isn’t exactly the time for half-hearted expressions.

“If there’s no good outcome here, you’ll die too….”

Wait a second.

No, I had missed something crucial while wallowing in fear.

“Baek Sa-heon’s record of working as an employee in [Dark Exploration Records] means he must’ve passed this admission test, right?”

So, doesn’t that mean he simply needs to be directed to the station he wants to disembark at?

I, and Ms. Ko Yeong-eun must convince him to disembark, making three of us. If someone takes the initiative to agree and follow suit, others will likely follow in a crowd.

“This easy way?”

“Baek Sa-heon.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a station you want to get off at? Like… do you think there’s a word that you should disembark if you see a station with this name in the future?”

“Uh, suddenly?”

“I’d like to hear different opinions.”

“Oh.”

It looked like Baek Sa-heon began to contemplate for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“I don’t have anything specific. I’m not particularly good at these things.”

“Fair enough.”

It seemed he hadn’t gotten a clear gut feeling yet.

I nodded along agreeably. This was a decent enough idea, so I’d keep an eye on it…

Ding-dong.

[Dear passengers, we at Abyss Transportation Company would like to announce for a comfortable ride. Please pay attention.]

“…!”

The announcement began again.

Everyone immediately stopped talking and looked up.

[From now on, our train will be passing through a curved section; noise and vibrations may occur.]

[Please take your seats to prevent accidents.]

No way, this is really happening.

“Everyone, sit down.”

No one objected and swiftly took their seats.

It was enough to feel rewarded for the effort I’d put into pointing out the announcements earlier.

Even the person who had been throwing a fit about wanting to get off just a moment ago clenched their mouth shut, sitting in the nearest spot right away.

However, it seemed not everyone shared this mindset.

“Ah! The front compartment!”

“It looks like those individuals….”

People in the front compartment were too busy arguing heatedly to even take their seats.

While the specifics of the words going back and forth were unclear, it appeared they had completely spiraled into panic upon witnessing the unimaginable death of people they had just been with moments earlier.

“Shouldn’t we say something?”

“Hey! Can you hear me?!”

“Take your seats!”

The newbies sat close to the front compartment were yelling at them. However, the people in the front compartment were nearly unresponsive, and one who accidentally made eye contact with me began to approach.

“Sit down!”

“No, don’t come closer and just….”

It was too late.

[Entering the curved section….]

The lights went out.

“…!”

In the darkness, the train began to sway with a loud noise.

A piercing sound followed, overlapping with the cacophony.

Screams.

-Aaaahhh!!

-Ah, aah, aaah….

It sounded like something filled with liquid bursting.

Like the sound of squeezing ripe grape berries too hard.

A dull rumbling echoed.

…Like between one closed door and another.

“…….”

“…….”

Reflexively, the people in this compartment held their breath in silence, trembling softly.

And as the lights turned back on…

-…….

The narrow glass window of the front doors revealed the scene of those in the front compartment.

It was covered in blood and filth.

As if something biological had been put into a blender, in that maddening state, there was no longer a trace of humanity left to be found.

All of them were deceased.

[You may now stand up safely. Thank you for your cooperation.]

The stark contrast of the serene announcement against the panicked cries inside the train filled the compartment.

“Let me out! Let me out!”

“Ahhh, ahhh… What is this? What on earth… Mom.”

Yet, amidst it all, the newbies kept their mouths sealed, straining to listen to the announcements, a testament to the harsh reality proved itself!

“Damn it.”

Sure, this was flowing in a direction favorable for my survival, but seeing it turn real was too horrifying for cold sweat to collect on my forehead.

Ignoring the trembling hands as I wiped away the sweat, I grit my teeth.

I can’t look at the front compartment anymore.

“Just think of persuasion, only persuasion….”

If the correct station pops up in a few stops, I’m sure people will get off together…

[Dear passengers, we at Abyss Transportation Company would like to announce for a comfortable ride. Please pay attention.]

The announcement began once more.

“Not again?!”

“Wahhh….”

Cutting through the cries of the exhausted people, the neat and mechanical tone of the recording continued with the announcements.

Offering a nonsensical narrative.

[There is lost property.]

Wait.

I quickly lifted my head.

[If you find any lost items, please disembark at the next station and return the lost item to the station staff.]

This was a familiar case.

‘…records of miscellaneous escape cases!’

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Horror Story /

/ Welcome to Abyss Transportation Company

3.4 Miscellaneous Records (Escape)

A document recording instances of irregular survival via disembarking from the station.

Several methods have been repeatedly observed. (The most frequently occurring records are ‘Temporary Stops for Train Intervals’ and ‘Lost Item Announcements’.)

———————=

An unconditional escape ticket.

As long as I possess the announced lost items, I can safely venture outside!

However…

‘The escape quota is strictly one person.’

In my case, being alone means I’m essentially disqualified from the survival ticket.

I clenched my hands tightly.

‘So, who should I send out for it to be worthwhile?’

No, is sending someone out even the right answer?

Then….

[The lost item is the left eyeball of a 20-something A-type adult male.]

An unexpected lost item was revealed.