Platform Rules Ghost Story (1)

I woke before dawn and rushed through my morning routine, then stepped out into a street still waiting for the sun. Early-bird shopkeepers were already hustling to open for the day.

"Haaaaah…"

I boarded the subway and surrendered myself to the ride. The car filled steadily until I became sandwich filling in a press of bodies. If some giant monster that fed on humans ever showed up, it could just swallow the whole train and chew us down in one bite.

"This is Jamsil Station. Jamsil Station. The doors to exit are…"

My transfer stop. I moved my legs hard, squeezed onto the next train, endured another stretch of hell, and finally got off. A thirty-minute walk later, I reached the office.

"Assistant Manager Seol, could you check this for me?"

"Yes, got it."

"Kim, what about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that thing I asked for yesterday?"

"Almost finished."

I walked in and threw myself into the work without a second to spare. Tasks piled in without a single minute of rest.

"Haaah…"

I finally gave out and slumped in my chair.

What the hell was I even born for?

Lately the regret had been creeping in hard. It felt like the purpose of my life had simply vanished.

"Everyone else is chasing dreams, working to have kids, grinding away at something of their own. What am I doing?"

I worked to stay alive. That wasn't the wrong goal. But I'd lost all sense of direction—adrift on an open sea with no shore in sight.

"Maybe I should try dating."

Would that fix anything? The thought crossed my mind. I'd climbed to assistant manager at a mid-sized company. Maybe it was time to ease up a little.

No. Who am I kidding?

No parents. I'd been alone since the day I was born. All I had was a five-million-won deposit and thirty million saved over five years of work. An assistant manager title at a mid-tier firm. That wasn't enough to let my guard down. Dating wasn't even something I should consider.

"Maybe get a pet?"

At my level, raising an animal was about the only thing I could manage.

Next month's food budget and credit card bill are already tight. And the studio doesn't allow pets.

I didn't have the conditions for it. A pet was off the table too.

"Ahh… right back to square one."

The brief lift in my mood sank straight back into the mud.

Just focus on the work.

I poured the rest of the day into it. The more I finished now, the less waited for me tomorrow.

"Thank you for your hard work…"

Quitting time at last. I exhaled, dragged my exhausted body toward the station, and stuffed myself onto the evening train home.

Get home, shower, change clothes, rest a little—then tomorrow starts all over again.

I didn't want to go to work. I wanted to stay home forever. If I just had money and time to spare, maybe I could actually date someone. Meet a woman, fall in love, live sweet and cozy, raise a kid just like me, grow old together, and die. My life had been so flat and flavorless—and suddenly the hunger was surging up out of nowhere.

I didn't even know why. I'd been a lifelong virgin and never once wanted a relationship, but now raw carnal need was boiling over. I wanted to pin someone down in a breeding press and make a baby. Five kids sounded about right. The sexual urge was so sharp it felt like my eyes might roll back.

I want to fuck.

I clenched my fists. The impulse was almost impossible to hold down.

A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. I'd been running my brain so hard it was overheating.

Aaaah…

I screamed without sound and dropped my head. The evening subway was enough to drive anyone insane. This was the first time the pressure had ever pushed me into full-blown heat.

They say when the stress is bad enough to kill you, all you can think about is sex.

Had it really gotten that bad? From the day I landed the job, I hadn't taken a single day off. The constant threat of starving if I quit had ridden me the whole way. Body and mind had both hit the wall.

I've still got leave left, right? I'll use some and rest for a bit.

The company was a decent mid-sized firm. The benefits system was nothing like the absolute garbage elsewhere. Unused leave converted to cash if you toughed it out. I'd been hoarding every won because I was terrified of getting fired. Now body and mind were at the breaking point, and all I wanted was to run.

"I'll tell them next week I'm taking leave."

They'd understand. Five years without a break—using a chunk of leave at once wasn't unreasonable. Just deciding to take it made the weight ease off my chest.

So it was the stress after all.

That was all it had been. A little lighter, I even managed a smile.

"Jamsil. This is Jamsil Station."

My stop. I pushed through the crowd toward the exit.

"Ah—"

Why now, of all times? My eyes suddenly burned. The world swam and went blurry. I still had to get off the train. Rubbing at them, I stepped onto the platform. If the transfer ran late, tonight's rest would vanish completely.

"What the…"

Had that sign always been there? The second I stepped off the train, a strange placard stood right in front of me. It looked exactly like one of those rule-based ghost stories—break the rules and you die.

"As if something like that would actually exist."

I snorted and walked past it. The world in front of my eyes looked ordinary and dull. I reached the platform and started up the stairs.

She's gorgeous.

A woman beautiful enough to make my eyes snap wide open was coming down the stairs. Mini skirt and black stockings—that combination was pure cheating. I forced my gaze away from the stockings.

I'm screwed.

My lower half reacted before I could fully look away. Even a slight rise from a twenty-centimeter monster was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠impossible to hide.

"Bathroom…"

I bolted for the nearest restroom and waited for it to go down. About a minute later I stepped back out, having avoided total humiliation.

"Transfer train should be here soon."

If I wanted to get home on time, I had to move. I passed through the transfer corridor and took the stairs two at a time.

"What?"

I blinked. A green Line 2 sign hung directly overhead. I'd just gotten off Line 2. Why was I back on Line 2?

I stared hard at the display board, half-convinced I'd misread it.

There was still a long wait until the last train of the night. And yet not a single car was listed. Before I could even process how wrong that was—

Every pair of eyes on the platform locked onto me.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP—

The lights flashed blood-red. Passengers rose as one, faces blank. They came toward me with the empty indifference of dolls. Hands crushed down on my body. They forced me into a gaping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠maw of abyss. Then the hands began to take me apart—ripping me to shreds until nothing of my shape remained.

.

.

"Jamsil Station. Arriving at Jamsil Station. The doors to exit are…"

The mechanical voice snapped me back. The sensation of arms and legs being seized and torn was still vivid. I checked them on pure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reflex. All four limbs were still attached, nothing missing.

"Hhh. Hhh. Hhh."

But my mind hadn't fully climbed out of the terror. Fear pinned my legs in place.

"Doors closing. Doors closing. Mind the gap. Mind the gap."

The open doors shut. The stopped train pulled away.

What the hell was that? What just happened?

The faces of the people who had come to tear me apart were burned into my memory. The feeling of my limbs being ripped free was just as clear. So I'd died—why was I still standing here in one piece?

No signal.

I pulled out my phone on instinct. Outside the service area. No way to call for help. Same reason the internet wouldn't connect. Reality started filtering back in. It looked like I'd fallen into a ghost story—the kind where breaking the rules meant death. The only comfort was that dying sent me back to the start.

I don't know how many chances I get.

I had no idea how many lives I had left. If it was something like one spare life and no refills, this next loop would kill me for good.

What were the rules again?

If you find an anomaly, board a train. If there's no anomaly, move through the transfer corridor. Simple enough for a child to memorize.

But there were at least five hundred people on that platform.

Ghost stories like this were basically spot-the-difference puzzles. I couldn't pick out the wrong detail in a crowd of five hundred.

"Arriving shortly at Jamsil Station."

I'd just left Jamsil Station—and I was arriving at Jamsil Station again. Confirming once more that the situation had twisted, I lifted my head. What I saw wasn't the inside of a train car. It was a semi-transparent window showing a website.

What now?

I focused, sharpening my eyes. As my vision locked in, things I hadn't noticed before started to appear.

"What?"

The word slipped out before I could stop it. Of course it did. The screen looked exactly like the website I hung around all the time.

"Ghost Story Gallery?"

I said the name out loud. If anywhere could help me out of this mess, it was here.