The Captivating Entrance
The effect of Trap was explosive.
No — it was closer to a miracle.
"Let's go check that out!"
"We've got the festival to get to. What if we're late?"
"We've still got time. Just a quick look. We need to eat anyway, so why not grab something there?"
"Hmm. Yeah, maybe?"
"Come on! People are already heading over!"
"Alright, alright — let's go!"
Footsteps beyond the fence came to a dead stop — as if an invisible hand had seized them by the collar.
Smell is more primal than sight.
It was just like the apocalypse — the way starving monsters would swarm in the instant they caught the scent of blood.
Passersby's appetites are being powerfully stimulated.
People poured in.
"Hey, let's go in there."
"Isn't that place closed off, though? There's a safety fence around it."
"No way. Don't you see people going in? There's a separate entrance."
"Oh, you're right! There is a separate entrance."
Every gaze locked onto the narrow passage between the fences, where security guards stood watch. Under ordinary circumstances, that fence would have looked like a restricted zone.
Not today. Right now, it looks like just another festival booth.
But everything was different now. The lights and steam pouring off three brilliant food trucks, and that impossible aroma, had transformed the narrow passage into a proper entrance.
"Yeah — the vibe's totally different from the main festival street. This is fun."
"Hurry up. I can't take this smell anymore."
A rumble. The dam broke.
That was the beginning. The moment one or two people hesitated past the security guards, dozens more followed as if bewitched.
"H-hey! Please maintain order!"
"We are! We're going in orderly!"
"Wait—!"
"Excuse us — you're blocking the way. That makes it more dangerous!"
"Ah — yes, sir!"
The flustered security staff tried to hold people back, but it was hopeless. No — their attempts at control only made the place feel more exclusive.
In an instant, a line formed. And once a line forms that way, things get very interesting.
It makes the place look like a hot spot.
A hot place you could only enter by waiting in line. The isolation Jang On-gyu had engineered was warping under my skill, twisting into something else entirely.
"Jin-woo, you see that? Customers are running over the second we open."
"Whoa… hyung, are you actually a genius?"
"Heh."
Jin-woo's jaw dropped. The approach that had been empty a moment ago was packed solid. The line stretched long. The road closure had become a windfall. Before, the road had kept people from lining up properly — now they could queue across the empty pavement itself.
"Alright. Time to get serious."
The food trucks weren't there to sell food. They were the most dazzling, delicious bait imaginable — lures meant to draw people into the Factory Restaurant.
"This way, please. Real dining is available inside, at the Factory Restaurant."
"Yes! Welcome! Meals will be served in the cool Factory Restaurant inside!"
Jin-woo took the lead.
"You guys go guide them too!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it!"
The friends Jin-woo had brought sprinted after him.
They're all fired up.
Even from a distance, I could hear the excitement ringing through Jin-woo's booming voice. People passed between the food trucks, got drunk on the smells once, then were sucked into the factory with rising expectation.
Hunt successful!
Meanwhile, at that same hour, someone was watching the spectacle from a distance.
It was Lee Chae-min, the PR team leader, sent by Jang On-gyu to check the site.
What… the hell is this… This is insane!
Lee Chae-min couldn't believe his own eyes. According to the reports, this place should have been sealed behind fencing with nothing but flies for company. Security posted to keep ordinary people out. A perfect operation of isolation under the banner of safety.
And yet.
"Why is everyone going in there?"
The entrance — markedly narrower than the main street — was more crowded than anywhere else. People were gladly lining up just to squeeze through that tight gap.
"Whoa, that smell is insane. This has to be the real deal."
"Dude, get in line before it gets any longer."
"Finally — looks like we can get in."
Passing conversations stabbed into him like knives. Lee Chae-min's face went white.
If the CEO finds out about this, I'm finished.
The CEO would never accept this. No — he would explode.
I sent you to stop them, and you turned it into an entrance? How do you even do a job this badly!
He could already hear the scolding ringing in his ears. Cold sweat ran down his back. The festival crowds Jang On-gyu had poured money into creating were being swallowed into that shabby factory corner like a black hole — and every face was lit with anticipation.
Bzzz. Bzz—
The phone in his pocket buzzed.
Caller ID.
Respected CEO Jang On-gyu
On any other day, that name would have filled him with awe. Today, it was a summons from the reaper.
"……"
Lee Chae-min gripped the phone with a trembling hand. Looking at that roaring, cheering scene — what the hell was he supposed to report?
He swallowed dryly and turned away, walking as if toward hell itself.
He still had to make the report.
Knock knock.
At the sound of the knock, Jang On-gyu lifted his head.
"Come in."
"Reporting, sir."
PR team leader Lee Chae-min entered. His steps were as heavy as a cow being led to slaughter, and his face was the color of dirt. Jang On-gyu was never going to miss that.
"You're here. What's with the face?"
Jang On-gyu turned a fountain pen between his fingers with easy leisure. Outside the window, the festival street still glittered. Everything was running exactly to plan. Sales were rising, and the trend was holding. Even half a foothold here would mean a sure success.
Except for one place — that hideous abandoned factory.
And that should be handled by now.
It wasn't even a problem anymore. If the plan had gone as designed, every approach would have been sealed shut.
"It's quieted down over there, I assume? We boxed them in with fencing."
He had stationed several times more security there than anywhere else. For safety, of course. Not even an ant should have been able to slip through. No matter how famous a restaurant became, once the path was physically blocked and safety was the excuse, the customers would dry up. That was common sense.
But what came out of Lee Chae-min's mouth defied common sense entirely.
"That's… not the case, sir."
"What do you mean?"
"The customers are packed in even tighter."
The fountain pen stopped turning. Jang On-gyu's brow furrowed.
"What are you talking about? We put up fencing. We stationed security."
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"With the fencing and security in place, the road emptied out — and the line filled it solid, all the way across."
"…What? And the customers just walk past that? Why?"
Jang On-gyu doubted his own ears.
"They set up food trucks right behind the fence."
"And that made people walk past it?"
"Well. The smell… ha. They put out this smell, and people are lining up like they're enchanted."
"Hah……"
Even as he delivered the report, Lee Chae-min felt like he was raving. But it was the truth. Anyone who caught that scent would start salivating. Even he, for a second, had wondered if he should go try some.
"Security is managing the line, and the fencing is shaping the path, so people are mistaking the whole thing for a special entrance — like a booth was deliberately set up."
"Hah……"
"Customers are actually going in more orderly than outside. They're using the safety fencing against us."
"Hah."
A hollow breath escaped Jang On-gyu. The fence had been a wall of isolation — a barrier meant to starve them out. And somehow it had become a guide line? And the security had become their door guards?
"So what you're telling me," Jang On-gyu said, letting out a dry laugh, "is that I spent my money putting up fencing, spent my money hiring security, and I'm the one lining customers up for their shop?"
"…In effect, yes."
"Unbelievable."
They say when something is too absurd, you can't even get angry. All that came from Jang On-gyu was a hollow laugh. He had sent them to shut the place down, and instead they had delivered premium booth service. His flawlessly designed isolation plan had flipped, with one crafty move, into perfect marketing for the enemy.
He had no choice but to admit it. Kim Sunwu. The man's resourcefulness was no ordinary thing.
"Clever. Truly clever."
Jang On-gyu sank deep into his chair. Looking up at the ceiling, a hollow weariness settled into his eyes.
"So — how do their sales look right now?"
"…Impossible to estimate. You can just assume they're cleaning up."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Jang On-gyu clapped slowly. It was not applause.
"Incredible. Throwing a feast on my money, lining people up on my money."
He tapped the festival proposal on his desk with a fingertip.
"What should we do? Should we deploy more officers even now?"
"Leave it."
"Sir? But if we leave it like this, the business—"
"Should I go tear the fence down right now? That would just make us look petty. All we'd get is a reputation that Jang On-gyu is small-minded."
The water was already spilled. He was not foolish enough to try scooping it back. Taking the fence down now would be admitting defeat.
Jang On-gyu gave a short laugh. But his eyes did not smile as he spoke.
"Tell them to enjoy it. Leave it for now."
The absurdity twisted, soon enough, into stubborn pride. The thought of those people drunk on victory over a mere reversed fence made his stomach turn. But this was only the beginning. The real match hadn't even started.
"Get out."
"…Yes, sir."
Lee Chae-min fled. The empty office. Jang On-gyu stared toward the abandoned factory in the distance. The spotlight gathering there was strangely irritating.
"Turning it into a booth, huh……"
He muttered low.
"Hah. Let's see how long that lasts."
This round, at least, was his loss.
Business hours for today have ended.
Overwhelming sales volume!
A new record has been set.
Experience points have increased massively.
The system messages rang out like a victory report.
Jang On-gyu had admitted defeat and withdrawn.
Leaving the fence up without removing it.
It was as good as a surrender declaration that he wouldn't touch us for a while. An ordinary person would have sighed in relief right there. Crisis turned to opportunity — just enjoy the sweet taste of victory and keep doing business inside the fence.
But not me.
If you take a hit, you hit back.