Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror (1)
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For now, I got it—this is a dark fantasy world full of horrors.
…Well, that doesn’t mean I can do anything impressive about it.
The actions I could take were limited.
This time, I moved just like before.
Ah, it was a little different.
Before our eyes met and she approached, I went to her first and spoke up.
I didn’t forget to set the mood.
The agents in most of the novels, comics, and movies I’d seen were never frivolous.
Not humorous, either.
Just the heavy, serious type.
In this situation where I knew absolutely nothing, it was the perfect concept for me.
“I’m the Alpha Agent.”
“Ah! You’re here. I’m Sera Kim, the investigator dispatched this time.”
To avoid even the slightest suspicion, I needed to look competent.
Conveniently, she pulled a booklet from her pocket.
“Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror. One. The moment you enter the station, everyone experiences cognitive distortion. Everything that happens inside the station appears as natural, everyday occurrences. During cognition, you must never let on that you’re seeing or knowing something different while alone. I’ve already memorized it all.”
“Wow—”
“Let’s start the investigation right away. That—”
I trailed off and turned my gaze toward her, and a response came immediately.
“Ah! Just call me Sera.”
Her eyes pleaded for her name.
But I wasn’t even an Alpha Agent.
If I carelessly gave my real name, it’d be impossible to clean up later, so I ignored the look.
“Just call me Alpha.”
***
Rulebook.
In my past life, these were called Rule Anomalies.
There are rules, and breaking them leads to absurd consequences.
You could argue that as long as you follow the rules, no harm comes.
In fact, rule horrors cause no issues if you follow them properly.
The problem was that the rulebook only had one line right now.
I recalled what happened on the train just before the save point.
The repeating subway.
The words “Come back.”
The lights going out.
I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what I’d done wrong to die.
“First, the people on the bench next to the turnstiles. Let’s start investigating them.”
Investigator Sera Kim tapped the booklet as she spoke.
Next to the turnstiles.
It looked perfectly normal.
The bench held office workers, students, elderly folks, housewives… a diverse crowd.
Nothing seemed off.
The bench was full, no empty seats.
It was always packed like that anyway—I’d never sat there myself.
Just then, one seat happened to be empty.
Drawn like a moth to a flame, I walked over and took it.
“Alpha Agent?”
Comfortable.
So comfortable.
To die for.
Here.
Forever.
Until the end of this world.
Forever…
What was I doing just a moment ago?
My thoughts grew hazy, leaving only one thing behind.
Comfortable. Comfortable. Comfortable. Comfortable. Comfor—
“No way, Alpha Agent! Antigen! You didn’t take the antigen?!”
Sera’s urgent voice.
[The train to Pangyo will arrive in 1 minute.]
[Passengers boarding, please hurry.]
As the announcement rang out, the people milling around the turnstiles vanished.
Less than 30 seconds left.
“…S-Sorry.”
Someone whispered in my ear.
My head went blank.
As if everything but one thought had been severed.
15 seconds.
14 seconds.
…
5 seconds.
[Ne… nehehehehext st… ststststation… plehehease board the trtrtrtrain…]
My vision turned red.
Endless echoes.
“…Come back.”
“…Come back.”
“…Come back.”
And then I realized.
This seat hadn’t been empty to begin with.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Moving to the last save point.]
[The most recent save point is AUTO SAVE 0.]
[Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror]
[Death Type]: Assimilation.
[Tip]: The bench next to the turnstiles does not have empty seats.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
***
I opened my eyes.
Everything brightened again.
The ear-splitting noise was gone, replaced by the sounds of everyday life.
People came and went.
Some stared at their phones, some dozed off, others fiddled with their bags.
Amid it all, a woman in a black suit tilted her head, searching for something.
My gaze drifted as if compelled.
That spot from before.
The bench by the turnstiles was still packed.
…And this time, not a single seat was empty.
For a brief 10 seconds as I stared, it looked like a spot opened up in the crowd.
I immediately looked away.
“…….”
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
Now I was certain.
That bench was never meant for sitting.
The moment you sit, you become part of the horror.
“Could you be the Alpha Agent I was supposed to meet here?”
Back to the beginning.
Sera greeted me as if nothing had happened.
I shoved my subtly trembling fingertips into my pocket.
This time, I knew.
Rule 2. Do not look at the people next to the turnstiles.
If you think there’s an empty seat, immediately look away. No matter what, never sit in it.
The same conversation repeated.
Just like before, I recited the rule from the booklet, and Sera reacted with surprise.
As she opened the booklet, she said,
“Let’s investigate the people in front of the bench first.”
I stayed silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.
“…Actually, I did a little investigating on my own.”
“Huh?”
“Rather than explain, it’s faster to experience it. The bench by the turnstiles right now. What do you see?”
Sera turned her head.
“Hmm… Looks normal to me.”
“Are there any empty seats?”
“They’re all taken. No, there aren’t any… Huh? No empty… seats…?”
Her words wavered subtly.
“Look again, properly.”
I whispered low.
“No empty seats?”
Sera narrowed her eyes, then suddenly shouted.
“Ah! There’s a seat!”
The explorer’s tone vanished, replaced by the voice of someone who’d finally spotted a long-awaited seat.
Excitement, joy, ecstasy.
Every emotion dripped from her voice.
I grabbed her arm as she started to move.
“What are you doing! Let go! Right now!”
Sera resisted fiercely, but I covered her face with my hand.
“Hold on for 10 seconds.”
She struggled.
But exactly 10 seconds later, the empty seat was filled by another “person.”
In that instant, the strength drained from Sera’s body.
“…Just now, what… did I…?”
I removed my hand and caught my breath as I spoke.
“Rule 2. Do not look at the people next to the turnstiles. If you think there’s an empty seat, immediately look away. No matter what… never sit in it. That’s all the info I’ve gathered on this horror.”
It was a rough method, but it was the only way to prove it.
She was an investigator.
Not someone who just copied words from others—she had to see, feel, and record it herself in the rulebook.
My role was simple.
Support her from the side so she could “survive to the end” and make the record.
That’s what I had to do.
Only then could I escape this godforsaken space ruled by horrors, unscathed from their clutches.
Sera stared blankly for a while, then bowed her head.
“Thank you, Alpha. I’ll record it in the investigation log.”
Her fingertips trembled.
The sound of the pen scratching paper was unusually loud.
[Rulebook - Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror]
2. Do not look at the people next to the turnstiles.
If you think there’s an empty seat, immediately look away.
No matter what, never sit in the empty seat.
After writing the final line, Sera let out a short breath.
“…Seriously, until just now, I could’ve sworn there was a seat.”
“That’s why it’s dangerous.”
I answered curtly.
Sera nodded, but her expression was still complicated.
The moment the booklet closed, the air strangely lightened a bit.
As if something filling the station had held its breath for a fleeting moment.
But I knew.
This was just one more rule added.
The horror wasn’t over yet.
“Um… I’ve taken the level 1 antigen.”
There it was again.
The word antigen.
I didn’t bother asking what antigen was.
It seemed like something an agent like me should know.
Probably some anti-mind potion or whatever.
Since she was an investigator, it was likely a precaution for handling these horrors.
Their means of resistance.
“Normally, it lets you resist the impulses from the horror… but this time, I couldn’t hold out at all. If anything, it felt like all my will was being directed exactly where it wanted. Like every option was fixed to just one: ‘Sit in the chair.’”
Sera removed her glasses and slowly cleaned them.
“…Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror was initially classified between Level 0, Advisory, and Level 1, Caution. But based on what I just experienced, it needs to be bumped up to at least Level 2, Dangerous. The previous investigator going missing was probably for that reason. We need to reinforce the rules.”
[Rulebook – Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Horror]
2. Do not look at the people next to the turnstiles.
2-1. Even though there are actually no empty seats on the bench next to the turnstiles, it induces the delusion that ‘a seat has opened up.’
2-2. The impulse is extremely powerful, confirmed to be impossible to resist even under medication (antigen).
2-3. The moment you recognize the empty seat delusion, immediately look away.