Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Hold on a second.
Let's take a look at Baek Saheon's tumultuous eyewitness account of his psychopathic roommate.
The psycho mocking him for giving up his left eye, the dopamine addict dragging people around as bait in dangerous darkness, the madman pretending to be a serial killer and swinging an axe...
'And now he's playing cult leader too??'
At this point, the astonishment gives way to an anomie phenomenon where it all feels strangely natural because it's that bastard Kim Sol-eum.
Everything's fine and dandy.
But how the hell does he run into that guy right now!
'I even took vacation leave!'
He'd left the company dorm—no, he'd even left Seoul.
Baek Saheon shook his head vigorously, wondering if he was having a nightmare, but the unyielding reality remained unchanged.
Leading dozens of people with two elite team supervisors in tow, Kim Sol-eum stood in the middle of the aisle in car 3, arms raised high.
Truly spouting cult-like nonsense.
"No need to worry. We can all get through this trial safely."
The only small comfort was that the idiots in this train car were pointing fingers at him!
"What the hell is that guy?"
"Fucking hell, now every crazy bastard's showing up..."
"Ha..."
"D-don't make eye contact."
Jeers and rejection poured out toward Kim Sol-eum, who was spewing his deranged nonsense.
'Y-yeah. This is normal...'
But Kim Sol-eum didn't even flinch.
He simply gazed around car 3 with a gentle smile.
"...?!"
That was even scarier!
"Everyone, you must be startled by all these people suddenly gathering and showing up. And you're probably thinking, 'What kind of crazy talk is this? A trial? What trial?'"
Kim Sol-eum wore the neat face of an office worker, giving an awkward wry smile.
"Honestly, even I know it sounds like cult nonsense as I'm saying it. That's why it's embarrassing."
His tone was calm, not particularly heightened. It was sincere, like consulting a friend at a café.
"But it's such a terrifying and horrific situation, so I'm mustering the courage to say it. ...If you know the answer, sharing it is the right thing to do."
Kim Sol-eum hardened his expression and met the eyes of those around him.
"Please just set aside your aversion for a moment and think about it. We're not idiots either—that's why dozens of us came here together to share the same story."
Baek Saheon looked around.
At the people on the verge of madness from this unrealistic situation of dying pointlessly in the falling train over and over, only to start again.
At Kim Sol-eum, who was now giving them exactly what they desperately wanted to hear—the words of escape from this train, their dream.
His story full of conviction.
"This is a trial, and there's a way to pass it."
A voice suddenly burst out.
"So... you know how to get out of here?"
"That's right."
"...!!"
Kim Sol-eum naturally turned his gaze backward.
Then the people from car 7 standing behind him shouted with eyes sparkling with excitement and passion.
"Just the windows once!"
"You go out through the windows. That's it—it's over!"
"What crazy talk is that?!"
Exclamations of shock from car 3 were met with a flood of detailed explanations.
"No, there's a way to do it without pain! Already about ten people have gone that way!"
"It's creepy, sure, but you just look at the light and head for the exit. Anyone can do it."
"If your legs aren't great, someone can fall with you and support you! It's not hard at all!"
"If the pioneers just help..."
The astonishing thing was that they said ten had gone, but dozens were explaining.
No, nearly a hundred people were following that crowd, including folks from other cars mixed in.
Kim Sol-eum looked at those eyes full of hope and passion, then turned forward again with a bright smile.
"That's right, everyone. You can all go out through the windows."
At that moment, Baek Saheon realized.
"There won't be any problems."
"Exactly!"
He's scamming them!
'Y-you crazy bastard.'
This was him inciting the other idiots to jump out while planning to bail himself!
'But he can't fool me.'
Baek Saheon swallowed, thinking he'd seen through it alone.
"If you listen to the stories of the people who've gone through the windows..."
"Us! My spouse and I went out the second altar in our third life..."
He clicked his tongue watching car 3's people gradually tuning into the car 7 folks sharing their "success stories" like testimonials.
Idiots.
'He could brainwash them into spouting that crap with my confiscated fountain pen!'
Kim Sol-eum had clearly used his seized fountain pen to brainwash them.
Yeah. So the strategy was to stay put.
'Just don't join that Kim Sol-eum worshipper parade.'
Baek Saheon resolved firmly, flashing a triumphant smile.
Good thing he'd judged shrewdly.
He'd almost gotten swept up in the mess!
'Stay low until that bastard tricks the other fools into jumping all at once...'
That was when it happened.
"Hey, enough talk—I'll show you right now! Going out the window!"
Eh?
"I'm going out the window at this altar."
"Right. You've earned the qualification this time."
"Ooooh!"
"Everyone, clap!"
Huh?
"The first altar is lonelier and scarier since you have to go alone..."
"It's fine! I want to do exactly what the pioneer did!"
"I-I'm not a pioneer, just someone who went first... Hm. Yes. In that case."
Kim Sol-eum smiled a bit shyly, then seriously clasped the other's hand like in prayer.
"I'll do my utmost to protect you from the pain and strongly bestow the mark."
"...! Yes!"
First Altar Entry
Baek Saheon watched the scene with a dumbstruck expression.
In the dimming red train car as they entered the altar, Kim Sol-eum lightly gripped the person's forearm and did something...
"We'll be back!"
"See you soon!"
"Fighting!"
And amid the crowd's fervent cheers, the volunteer descended through the window with a resolute face.
This repeated several times, and after repetitions...
Fourth Altar Entry
"Now for the last ones."
And he realized.
'...Items!'
Kim Sol-eum was slyly applying items to those jumping out.
He didn't know what, but ones that let them jump from the window without going mad!
'W-wait a sec.'
Was it real?
And that psychopath going to such lengths meant...
Baek Saheon's mind spun rapidly, instantly shifting his stance.
'This darkness is first-come-first-served clear!'
The type where it's first-come but won't clear until the quota's filled?
'Jumping from the window is the main game!'
And Kim Sol-eum was exactly the type to incite people into volunteering with cult leader antics.
Why?
'More dopamine that way!'
More fun than forcibly grabbing and throwing them!
Truly a chilling bastard...
Baek Saheon shuddered.
But that wasn't important now.
'If that bastard has a plan!'
Then!
"Su-supervisor!"
Hitch a ride!
He shot up his hand, standing for the first time to reveal himself.
Right after the fourth altar, as the train brightened.
"Wh-what?"
"Someone was there?"
Whether the people from the same car, now familiar after five loops, were startled by the unfamiliar face or not.
Baek Saheon made a shocked face himself, desperately acting natural and friendly as he addressed Kim Sol-eum.
Yes, Kim Sol-eum!
He'd wanted to talk to the elite team first, but they wouldn't seriously entertain an unknown newbie.
So target the roommate connection at least.
Plus, that psycho was their poster boy!
"Oh my god... Hello! Didn't expect to see you here."
"......"
Kim Sol-eum stared silently, then smirked.
"Really? I knew."
Fuck!
"Really?"
"Haha, no way. Just kidding. How would I know."
"......"
Baek Saheon barely suppressed the rage bubbling up through his fear!
"Ah, this guy's a coworker from the same batch. He took leave to go down to his hometown, I guess."
"Ah."
"Nice to meet you."
The two elite team members nodded curtly. No real interest in a newbie without tenure.
Instead, the people behind lit up.
"Oh, if he's a work colleague, he can go straight out the window!"
"Yeah, like those folks!"
All good!
Baek Saheon brightened.
"Ah, if that's the case, I'd happily try the window trial too..."
"No. You don't have the qualification yet."
You bastard!
"Th-then... when will I get it?"
Kim Sol-eum shook his head at Baek Saheon, looking truly regretful.
"I don't know that either."
"......"
"I'm just someone who passed the trial first. I just want to guide everyone with as little pain as possible."
A vein throbbed at Baek Saheon's temple.
But he forced a soft smile.
"I see. Ah! Even in this situation, could we two talk quietly about work...?"
"Hey!"
Lightning-like condemnation erupted from the passengers immersed in farewelling the window-jumpers.
"The train's like this, and you're talking work? Calling the pioneer for something trivial..."
"This guy's got no sense of the situation!"
"It's fine, everyone. People have different priorities... We have time until the next loop, so I'll chat briefly."
"Aigoo, sure."
The crowd murmured about how 'too kind for his own good' he was.
Baek Saheon wasn't even getting goosebumps anymore...
"Shall we talk over here?"
"...Sure!"
But the moment they locked the bathroom door, he couldn't hold back.
"Hey. I saw you using items, supervisor."
Kim Sol-eum's smile vanished like a lie, his face blank as he crossed his arms.
"So?"
Baek Saheon swallowed.
"Just... think about it. What if I go out and expose everything to the people?"
He had to drag this madman to the negotiation table somehow.
But Kim Sol-eum just stared silently... then nodded slightly.
"Brown says you won't."
"...Oh, really?"
"Yeah. In this mood, you'd get thrown out the window naked."
"......"
"Same outcome, so why not just jump willingly? No reason to go back."
True.
'F-fuck.'
Baek Saheon gulped.
Fortunately, Kim Sol-eum didn't press further, instead taking an unexpected tack.
Carrot instead of stick.
"Come to think of it, I need a favor."
"...!"
"Your eye."
Eh?
"The one I gave you as a gift."
Baek Saheon reflexively grabbed his eyepatch.
Recalling the purple reverse eye beneath.
An excellent danger detector.
Incredibly useful for the Field Exploration Team where split-second judgment mattered.
Baek Saheon himself couldn't fathom why Kim Sol-eum had given it to him.
Well, the reason was simple.
Kim Sol-eum figured everything would show as bright red halos if he wore it...
As a body part, it was heavily influenced by the wearer's subconscious judgment, rendering it useless for the chicken-hearted.
Giving it to someone else would encourage eye-gouging, so it went to Baek Saheon, who was already missing one.
Actually, he was ideal.
No one in their batch had stronger survival instincts.
Anyway, unaware of all this, Baek Saheon asked warily.
"...When do I use it?"
"Car 1."
"Car 1?"
He'd heard it in people's chatter. Baek Saheon frowned, racking his brain, then remembered.
"...Wasn't the door there locked?"
"Yeah."
Kim Sol-eum admitted readily.
"Probably locked since the second loop. And now it's locked every time it resets to the start."
"......"
Just hearing it...
Was suspicious.
'No, more than that, how does he know?'
Didn't he come from car 7?
How does he know the front car's situation so well?
'Is he saving people and gathering them just for intel...?'
Eh, anyway.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Simple."
Kim Sol-eum tossed it out casually.
"When car 1's door opens, rush in and pick out the most dangerous-looking person there."
"Wh-who the hell's even in car 1?"
"No idea."
If you don't know, who does!
And sure enough, Kim Sol-eum tilted his head, stroking his chin.
"But... every loop, car 1's dumping whoever they want out the windows."
"...!"
"Without me even asking. Every loop, someone's getting tossed... It's too bad. It hurts..."
"......"
"So I'm trying to stop it."
Bullshit.
"What do you think? Good, right?"
"Y-yeah. Totally!"
This is total bullshit.
'They're ruining the big picture by jumping on their own, so he's gonna punish them, fuck.'
But he kept his mouth shut.
Baek Saheon valued his life...
Instead, he smiled desperately.
"Th-then, if I identify the most dangerous in car 1, doesn't that person get 'qualified'? To receive an item, I mean."
This gets me the item, right?
"Huh? That's what I'm asking you to do. What does that have to do with items or qualifications?"
"......"
"Better yet, motivate car 2's people to convince whoever to open car 1's door willingly, and... maybe that earns qualification."
"......"
Baek Saheon grinned wide!
"Wow! That's exactly what I wanted to do. Hahaha..."
"Really? Then I'm counting on you."
"Yes!"
Die!
Die, you fucking bastard Kim Sol-eum!
And so Kim Sol-eum successfully turned Baek Saheon into unpaid labor.
'They say even dog shit has uses.'
"You're here!"
"Yes. Let's do our best this time too."
The train restarted. Car 7's people greeted each other energetically and bowed to Kim Sol-eum. No, now people from other cars were coming too, chatting away.
Hard to believe they'd crashed six times—they looked stable.
...Yeah, having hope made enduring even a bit easier.
'Key is keeping their spirits anchored.'
To do that... he had to keep up this insane cult scammer act fate had thrust upon him...
'Ugh.'
"Everyone, today many from car 8 earned qualifications."
"Ooooh!"
Brown, don't cheer too...
Kim Sol-eum started feeling the comedown, but he didn't quit steadily scamming people.
No, he tackled the role with enthusiasm.
And time passed...
14th Loop.
"Pioneer!"
"Pioneer, we're almost there! Haha!"
Kim Sol-eum gained support from 342 out of 355 passengers across the seven cars, successfully unifying opinion everywhere except car 1.
Brown was even asking if he wanted to produce a related program.
Now only one car left.
'Car 1.'
53 passengers locked away since loop 2, silent with no news.
The only known fact: they steadily offered sacrifices.
"Th-the door opened!"
Finally, word came.