Right Answer Station
This chapter contains illustrations that some readers may find frightening.
There had been a bit of a commotion, admittedly. But one way or another, they had managed to reunite with Team Leader Myo, who had been separated from the group.
"Haa... Hey, let's start with an information exchange. So, what's the deal with this guy?"
"I picked him up along the way."
"Yeah, I can see that just by looking... Haa, forget it."
Team Leader Oh figured she'd only be wasting her breath, so she bent down to examine the man — his limbs severed, his mouth sewn shut.
"It wasn't cut by a blade, and the cross-section is too clean to have been torn off. If it was sliced away this neatly, like it was carved right out of him..."
"I believe he was subjected to a supernatural phenomenon."
"...Yeah. That's the only explanation."
She fell silent for a moment, then her brow furrowed as she recalled the conductor she had just encountered, and she continued.
"There's a supernatural entity on this train with the ability to kill anyone it targets — no exceptions. He's still alive, so it wasn't that thing, but the odds are high he got hit by some kind of anomalous phenomenon like that."
"You've already encountered that entity?"
"Yeah. Luckily I got treated as a Guest and it ended at a warning. If I'd been a Disruptive Passenger, I'd be playing patty-cake with the ones who already died by now."
"I see."
After that, the two team leaders stared at the limbless man in silence, then began rapidly piecing the situation together in clipped, to-the-point bursts.
"Why's he so quiet, though? He looks alive, but he's not moving a muscle."
"He's been like this since I first found him."
"Anything unusual about the car you found him in?"
"No significant difference from the car we're in now. His severed limbs weren't found in that car either."
"...You've already tried a recovery ampule, I assume?"
"Yes. It had no effect."
"Tsk. Then even a decent healer wouldn't be able to save him."
And with that, they cleanly abandoned any hope of keeping the man alive. If a recovery ampule had done nothing, they judged that nothing currently at their disposal would be enough to save him.
Instead, the conversation turned to who he was, and how he had ended up in this place to begin with.
"Looks like a hunter to me. Don't tell me he's from a corporation?"
"Based on his body cam, he's a hunter belonging to a subcontractor under Hanul Pharmaceuticals. It appears they sent in contracted personnel first, based on information shared by the Bureau."
"Tsk. Typical black-company move — the second they smell money, they start throwing bodies at it."
Having more or less wrapped up the summary, Team Leader Oh scratched at her head in irritation — then her eyes happened to meet Kang Yul's, who had been quietly listening to the entire exchange.
She let out a couple of awkward coughs, the kind that went ahem, ahem... so what I meant was..., and tossed a question at Kang Yul as if to change the subject.
"...Rookie. Anything come to mind looking at this?"
"Ah, yes. There is, actually."
"There is?"
It hadn't even been a question she expected an answer to — but Kang Yul opened his mouth as if he'd been waiting for it.
"Yes. I was actually trying to figure out when to bring this up without interrupting the two of you, so I'm glad you asked."
He meant it. Kang Yul had kept his mouth shut, doing his best not to disturb two veteran hunters in the middle of an investigation.
You have discovered Rush Hour Express (Disruptive Passenger).
Exploration rate has increased.
Partial Gate information has been revealed.
And the high-quality information he'd picked up from listening in was more than enough to uncover a new rule.
Scratch, scratch, scratch—
Tap.
Riiip—!
Kang Yul began jotting down everything he'd newly learned onto a scrap of paper, including the information on Exit Station, so it would be of use to the investigation. He'd just finished transferring it all over when they happened to ask — for someone who'd been waiting for the right moment to speak up, it couldn't have been more convenient.
"Team Leader Oh. New information."
"Ah... yeah. Right."
Kang Yul held out the memo, and Team Leader Oh took it with a faintly sheepish look. Team Leader Myo quietly stepped up behind her, and the two of them began reading through it together.
The moment a passenger steps off the train, every door slams shut, and thereafter cannot be opened again by any means.
※ The names of passengers who went missing at Exit Station are intermittently found on real-world subway emergency exit signs.
※ No one who has entered an exit bearing such a name has ever returned.
"...So if you get off at the wrong station, the anomaly kills you for certain. And given that you can't get back on the train once you've stepped off, the other stations are probably the same."
"It also appears to be connected to why every station name on the route map is designed to make you want to get off."
"Yeah, that tracks. But didn't it say the urge to get off gets stronger the closer you get to the terminal?"
"Yes. It's possible that the compulsion itself is also an effect of the anomaly."
"If the urge is weak because this is the first station, we'll need to be more careful the further we go."
If words related to resignation, quitting, or refusing to go to work are spoken aloud inside the train, it is judged as a declaration of intent to resign.
Muttering to yourself or simple complaints such as "I want to quit" are not recognized as exceptions.
A passenger who declares intent to resign immediately loses Guest status and is classified as a Disruptive Passenger, becoming a priority patrol target for the conductor.
Additionally, in accordance with the company's principle of "He who does not work, neither shall he eat," a Corrective Procedure is performed to instill the importance of labor and a sense of responsibility.
A Disruptive Passenger who has undergone the Corrective Procedure becomes incapable of normal communication and work performance, and is left inside the train with only the capacity to perceive pain remaining.
※ Even if the intent to resign is withdrawn, a Disruptive Passenger classification already issued is not revoked.
"...No wonder he didn't so much as twitch with his limbs cut off. He misspoke and got the procedure that turns you into a vegetable."
"I believe that in this train, above all else, not losing one's status as a Guest is the most important thing."
"Agreed. So the things to watch out for inside the train are slip-ups and the conductor, more or less?"
"That is the assessment, assuming there are no murderer-type hunters aboard."
But the two team leaders had barely begun reading through the memo when—
The doors are closing.
The doors shut, and the train began moving toward the next station. Recalling the conductor's warning from earlier, we had no choice but to take our seats.
Clunk— clunk—!
Clunk— clunk—!
As the train pressed on toward the next station, the two team leaders sat and tore through the memo Kang Yul had prepared at a blistering pace, committing the Gate's anomalies to memory. After about five minutes had passed—
"I've committed it all to memory."
"Same here. See? Once you've cracked a Rule-type Gate, there's nothing to it. The rookie's ability is broken, I tell you — broken~!"
"Ahaha... Thank you for the compliment."
"Rookie, sure you don't want to come over to Dobong-gu? If you join now, this senior of yours will pull some strings and fast-track you!"
"Do not touch him. He is my direct subordinate."
"So what? Just because there's a goalkeeper doesn't mean you can't score."
The two team leaders nodded as if they'd understood everything, then launched into another round of bickering over just how absurdly powerful Kang Yul's skill was. But that, too, lasted only a moment.
The bizarre announcement slid in once more — not through the ears, but as if it were being driven directly into their skulls. The two team leaders began glancing around, searching for something.
"Well, we'll work on poaching the rookie later."
"I will not be giving him to you."
"Sure. I'll just take him. Anyway, there should be one of those here too, right...?"
They bickered as they searched, then — as if they'd planned it — both stopped at the same time, their gazes locking onto the in-car display board. They studied the route map it showed, falling briefly into thought.
"Doesn't look like there's any station besides that one, does it?"
"Correct."
The two team leaders looked at a single station and became certain that it was the destination they needed to get off at. Kang Yul followed the end of their gaze, peeking at the answer, and confirmed the name of the station they were supposed to disembark at.
But honestly speaking—
That one...?
Having confirmed the station they were supposed to get off at, Kang Yul couldn't help but sneak another glance at the two team leaders, his expression puzzled. He wrung every last drop of knowledge he had trying to figure out why Cheer Station would be their stop, but in the end, he couldn't come up with a reason that made any sense.
And so Kang Yul sat there, deeply considering whether he should ask — or whether, now that he knew the destination, he should just keep his mouth shut and ride it out — when—
"Rookie! Just hang in there for three more stops, and leave the rest to this senior of yours!"
Had she taken that look on his face for a rookie hunter's nerves? Team Leader Oh clapped him on the back, encouraging him to relax. Team Leader Myo, who had been watching the exchange with an inscrutable look, simply explained why they needed to get off at Cheer Station.
"We will disembark at Cheer Station. Our original objective was to provide support to the Ssangmun Station branch, and 'cheer' — in the sense of answering a call for aid — carries a similar meaning. That is our destination."
"For the record, 'cheer' can mean 'hang in there!' too, but the word's also written with the characters for 'respond' and 'aid,' so it overlaps with 'support.' For us, heading to work because of a support request, that station is the right answer."
"Ah... so that's what it was. I honestly had no idea."
"Fair enough. You're still a rookie, but we've been doing nothing but this for a living."
"It's a synonym trap commonly used in supernatural phenomena. Studying these on your own will prove useful in your hunter work."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The veteran seniors' crash course was still in full swing when—
Clunk— clunk—!
Clunk— clunk—!
Clunk... clunk...
Screeeeeech...!
The train gradually lost speed, as if approaching a station, and before long it came to a complete stop. Beyond the windows, the platform began to come into view.
"..."
The moment Kang Yul saw the platform outside the window, he thought he needed to get off the train right then and there. And of course he did.
The doors are opening.
A blue light.
It whispers inside Kang Yul's mind.
That this place is the right answer.
That he should get off. Now.
You have discovered Rush Hour Express (Right Answer Station).
Exploration rate has increased.
Partial Gate information has been revealed.
The station name glows with a blue light. Passengers who see this light feel a powerful compulsion that this place is the real right answer.
People in work attire stand quietly on the platform. The closer one approaches, the more they all repeat the same words.
"This is the right place."
"Get off quickly."
"This is your last chance."
Their true identities are all passengers who disembarked at Right Answer Station and failed to escape.
The moment the lingering spirits discover a living passenger, they smile and point toward the exit.
The moment a passenger takes a step in the direction a spirit points, their shadow is seized by the floor and begins to separate from their body.
A passenger whose shadow is completely stolen ceases to exist in reality, becoming an entity who waits for the next train alongside the lingering spirits.
Thereafter the number of lingering spirits increases by one, and the most recently arrived passenger takes on the first greeting of the next train.
※ The lingering spirit who first says "This is the right place" on the Right Answer Station platform is the most recent victim to have disembarked at Right Answer Station.
"This is the right place."
The moment the doors opened, a man who looked like an ordinary office worker stood in front of them, gesturing toward Kang Yul as he spoke. Kang Yul felt the urge to get off the train. Rising from his seat without thinking, he took a step toward the open doors.
"Get off quickly."
"This is your last chance."
A young-looking woman and man standing nearby chimed in. Kang Yul felt the urge to get off the train at once. As if something had taken hold of him, he took two more steps, and the exit drew even closer.
The countless people standing around them began speaking at Kang Yul in a frenzy. His mind filled with the thought that if he took just one more step, he could go home through Right Answer Station¿
And so, with only a single step left before Kang Yul became just like those who had chosen the wrong right answer—
Bang—!
A sound that had no business ringing out inside a subway car split the air.
Thud...
The entity that had been reaching a hand toward Kang Yul — the one that had chosen the wrong right answer — collapsed to the floor. Immediately after, Kang Yul raised the Muggle's Magic Wand (Physical) in his hand and spoke, his voice low.
"You little shits. I let you keep going 'cause I was curious how far you'd take it, and what? You're telling me to die?"
Bang—!
Thud...
"You sons of bitches! Why don't YOU die for a change!"
"...Ah¿"
"Why¿"
"A gun¿ Why¿"
"And what would you do with that information?"
Bang—!
Thud...
"Th... that's cheating...!"
"Come out! Come out and fight us fair and square!!!"
"Why would I? You can't even come in here anyway. Looks like you can't even move from that spot."
Click-clack—
"I came in close 'cause I wasn't confident I could hit you from far away, but this is perfect for some target practice. I'll be counting on you until the train leaves, yeah?"
"!!!"
"!!!"
And so, for the roughly five minutes between the train stopping and departing again, the lingering spirits of Right Answer Station had the greatness of the Muggle's Magic Wand engraved into their bodies.
For the record, at that moment—
"...Hey. Even if we're about to drop dead, do not provoke the rookie. Ever."
"I wouldn't even if someone held a knife to my throat."
Kang Yul, busy shooting lingering spirits, had no idea — but the two team leaders sitting in their seats, watching the whole thing, quietly resolved once more never to get on Kang Yul's bad side.