Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Sleepless Escape
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An hour had passed since the department store transformed into a tale.
There was no damage beyond being unable to leave, but the endless waiting wore everyone down.
Amid all that, I felt no particular emotion.
It was almost laughable to think that just a few days ago, I had been trembling at the sight of a mere door.
At first, I thought the crowd made it less scary, but since I didn't feel even a shred of fear, that didn't seem right.
Which left only one possibility: the Merchant.
What the hell had he fed me?
The effect seemed far too potent for whatever he'd taken in exchange for my empty ring finger.
It wasn't so much that I couldn't feel fear; it was more like something was forcibly blocking fear from reaching my brain.
It left an ominous feeling.
Judging that further dwelling on it was pointless, I shifted my gaze to my surroundings.
Children desperately closing their eyes to forget their terror, parents pretending to be calm to soothe them, couples huddling together to share the fear, and even some uncle spewing curses.
In a situation like this, the various human dramas that naturally unfolded kept the department store from ever falling silent, not even for a moment.
This wasn't a massive department store, so probably a little over two thousand people were trapped inside.
And with everyone crowding toward the center, it was bound to be this noisy.
"You fucking bastard! Get out of here!"
"What the hell is this old fart saying?!"
Now they were even fighting.
Looking closer, a few groups were threatening each other in front of the grocery store.
They seemed to be fighting over food supplies.
It felt absurd that they were already at it after being trapped for just an hour.
Then again, recalling my days as a cop, it wasn't all that surprising.
Just as nostalgia from old memories began to stir...
Thwack!
One of the men, huffing and puffing, lunged forward and threw a punch.
Thus began a grand brawl.
No one seemed properly trained in fighting; it was all clumsy and pathetic.
The leader of one group collapsed after taking a direct kick to the head.
The remaining fighters slowly backed away upon seeing this.
The winner had been decided, apparently.
I wondered what would happen next.
I blocked out the chill seeping through my clothes by piling on more layers and closed my eyes.
A day passed.
The situation remained the same.
No sign of any monsters, no rescue from the Bureau.
The one thing I'd learned was that no matter how much time passed, I didn't feel hunger—or even the need for basic bodily functions.
And it wasn't just me; everyone else seemed the same.
Which meant the selfish scramble those groups had made for food yesterday was utterly pointless.
Well, considering they now held all the joy that came from eating, it might be hard to dismiss their efforts as pure delusion.
The occupiers of the grocery store still showed no sign of emerging.
I'd thought they'd at least try to project some authority over the others, but the tale must scare even them.
They were probably trying to assess the situation.
Or maybe they were just ordinary small-minded folk terrified of starving to death.
I moved a bit away from the center, did some light exercise, and calmly gave in to the drowsiness washing over me.
Another day passed.
Now the people had split cleanly in two.
Those who had lost even the strength to speak, and those filled with rage, kicking at the doors and shouting.
It might have been better if a monster had appeared—at least then they'd have something to react to.
As it was, with nothing but this limbo, it felt utterly hopeless.
I quietly slipped away from the center and relocated to a clothing store warehouse far off.
By clearing out some stacked boxes and piling clothes like a mattress, it turned into a pretty decent sleeping spot.
Everyone else seemed to prefer sticking together, but I doubted this ordeal would end anytime soon.
Better to secure a living space first.
A week into being trapped.
This place was a prison.
Couldn't leave, couldn't starve to death.
An ominous thought crept in: the only way out might be suicide.
Proving I wasn't alone in this, even the explorers who'd scoured every exit were now listlessly lying on the floor.
For the record, I was one of those explorers, and naturally, I was lying in the warehouse too.
I was just tired.
A month trapped.
Yeah, it had probably been about a month.
Aside from occasional ventures out for fresh air, I'd been holed up in the warehouse sleeping, but today I had no choice but to head to the center.
A scream that could rupture eardrums pierced through dozens of partitions and reached me in the silent department store filled only with death-like quiet.
Had the doors finally opened? Or was it a monster?
I rushed over without even putting my shoes on properly, and there...
"Tch. It's been too long since I last saw something like this."
One person lay dead.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Suicide, apparently.
Well, maybe I'd been too nonchalant.
For ordinary people, being trapped indefinitely in a place where even hunger didn't strike would be immense stress.
If I'd been in my original state, I might have fallen into depression or even killed myself by now.
I turned away.
Like a dam overflowing after reaching its limit, sobs erupted from all around.
It had been a while since I'd seen anyone cry after the first week.
Yeah.
We couldn't keep going like this.
It had been too long without clean air.
This emotional turmoil could easily turn into violence.
If that happened now, it would be a disaster.
No one could handle a violent outbreak from two thousand mentally frayed people.
But how?
I'd already explored every inch of the department store.
And felt no difference anywhere.
"Is there even a way to escape?"
I'm exhausted.
Exhausted enough to want to forget everything.
Look at them.
Even those who had been weeping in sorrow just moments ago were now drifting off from sheer fatigue.
I should just sleep too.
The hard floor after so long felt perfect for shaking off a bit of tiredness.
I want to get out and eat something delicious.
Not that I'm hungry, with all bodily functions halted.
At least sleep comes, so that's something.
"Gah! What the hell?!"
Just as I was about to fall asleep, a cold liquid splashed across my face.
Opening my eyes, I saw a man holding an empty water bottle, now asleep himself.
"Seriously—"
The sudden shower chased away all drowsiness.
A question hit me in that moment.
All bodily functions had stopped, so why was sleep still coming?
My rationality snapped awake.
It felt like I'd been in a sleepy haze ever since entering this place.
And that fatigue hill grew steeper with time.
I'd been a cop; I didn't know much about tales.
But just as anyone knows basic things like CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, I knew what to do when caught in a tale: doubt everything.
Why was everyone falling asleep?
And why hadn't I noticed until now?
Something was off.
I sprang into action.
"Everyone, wake up!"
My shout didn't wake everyone, but it roused a few nearby.
They looked at me in confusion.
"No one sleep!"
Reading the earnestness in my eyes, those few started waking others, joining my cause.
Two became four, four became sixteen—the exponential wake-up spread through the two thousand people in under ten minutes.
"Everyone, sleep is—!"
My voice was too weak amid the renewed clamor.
That's when a megaphone thrust into my view.
A boy handed it to me.
Looking closely, it was one of the guys who'd seized the grocery store on day one.
His eyes brimmed with hope.
After a brief thanks, I continued.
"This is just my guess! But I think it's worth trying anyway!"
A quick deep breath.
"Let's try staying awake for just one day! Absolutely no one sleeps—not a single person. If someone next to you tries, wake them up!"
The noise died down as all eyes focused on me.
"It'll be tough, no doubt. But let's do it just once."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Looking back now, I have no idea where I got the confidence to spout such baseless nonsense.
I wonder if even the moment I thought I'd regained my senses, I was still half-asleep.
And yet, people followed my advice without question.
A month of captivity and a sliver of hope were enough to move them, it seems.
Well, whatever. My idea worked.
The exact moment twenty-four hours passed, glass shattered, sweet sunlight poured in from the pitch-black windows, and cheers erupted—contrasting the screams from day one.
I, too, joyfully dashed out of the department store.
"Hello. Are you Hyeok Tae-jun?"
Shortly after, a black van blocked my path.
"Y-yes... that's me."
Suspicious figures in black suits from the black van were confirming my identity.
A woman pulled something from her pocket.
The text on it read:
"We need to investigate this tale, so would you come with us?"
New Tale Investigation Squad - Squad Leader Park Se-jin.