I’m part of the Disaster Management Bureau’s Rescue Unit.

I can barely take care of myself, and now I have to go into a horror story to rescue civilians?

‘Is this a dream?’

But it was reality.

What’s more, I had to go into a ghost story to rescue people right now.

7:30 PM.

It had been exactly an hour and 30 minutes since I finished the aptitude test and got appointed.

But already, due to Agent Bronze’s urgent request, I had received agent equipment from headquarters.

And now, riding a Disaster Management Bureau-issued bicycle, I’m heading to the site of the ghost story.

‘…The sun has already set.’

Riding a bike in this cold and looking at the dim surroundings gives me chills and so many thoughts….

“Civilians caught in supernatural disasters can request rescue using the number provided in the Bureau’s pre-arranged guidelines.”

Yes….

‘And I know that number occasionally works as a mysterious rescue line even within the ghost stories.’

Hearing the Disaster Management Bureau’s ghost story rescue briefing is making my head spin.

I pedaled the bicycle almost mechanically, following the agent.

“When entering a supernatural disaster, using a bicycle is safer than a car.”

‘Yes. Most means of transportation either don’t work in horror stories or lead to the worst disasters….’

It was fun reading about it, but doing it in reality is cold and exhausting.

For reference, the equipment was even more diverse than what I received as a temporary agent.

Glass handgun, metal badge, notebook, and… lure play.

“Never lose the fishing line. It’s a vital tool for emergency self-escape in this supernatural disaster.”

“…Yes.”

Remembering what happened when I was a temporary agent made me feel a bit guilty, but I won’t deny that I felt a little excited too.

Of course, the most important thing is this.

So, which ghost story am I entering now?

“The supernatural disaster we’re entering to rescue civilians is….”

The disaster is?

Agent Bronze glanced at my expression, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a slightly kinder tone.

“…There’s no need to be so nervous. The civilian who requested rescue won’t die while we’re listening to the explanation.”

“…Yes.”

The direction of his kindness is all wrong….

“Let’s start with the explanation.”

“Yes.”

I got it.

Agent Bronze turned his head forward again and spoke as he rode through the eerie, empty neighborhood on the bike path.

“Mr. Kim Sol-eum, do you remember the Lucky Mart chain?”

“…….”

“It’s a chain that withdrew from Korea 11 years ago but is still famous in English-speaking countries… Agent?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”

‘Oh no.’

It’s not just that I’ve heard of it.

I know it too well—it’s a problem.

A giant mart chain called Lucky Mart.

…Which serves as the motif for a ghost story.

Back when the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> were in the very early days of being part of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s archives.

It was also the seventh fictional ghost story to be documented.

At night, people urgently searching for a mart stumble upon a Lucky Mart branch.

And then, they disappear.

---------------------=

Chronicles of Darkness Exploration/ Ghost story

[Lucky Mart]

A ghost story listed in <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>.

Registered under the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau with number: 1793PSYA.2001.Na31

A ghost story about a grotesque phenomenon mimicking a large-scale mart-style shopping mall, where people are trapped and wander endlessly.

An eerie phenomenon involved in the disappearance of at least 300 people over decades, classified as a Severe Distortion disaster by the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.

To date, there are no known methods to resolve or seal it. Preventing disappearances proactively is also impossible.

However, a guide to assist individuals in escaping has been placed inside the horror mart, and the exploration record was compiled based on reports from citizens who returned to reality with its help.

---------------------=

A large shopping mall.

A familiar everyday space, yet also a thrilling and chilling story that amplifies fear through the mechanical repetition of its massive scale.

That is, when you’re just reading it.

‘It’s Severe Distortion-level.’

In the Disaster Management Bureau’s classification, it’s two levels higher than the cabin where I encountered Agent Bronze and the serial killer.

In terms of Daydream Corporation’s grading, it’s closer to a B-grade!

I broke into a cold sweat and started thinking.

‘…Have there been more cases where Disaster Management Bureau agents entered Lucky Mart to rescue civilians and succeeded safely…?’

Most of them… seem to have been rescued safely.

Of course, there were many cases in the exploration records where special circumstances complicated things.

But usually, those are the special cases detailed in the wiki, so I shouldn’t be too nervous… Damn it.

‘I’d like to see it for myself.’

I don’t know why the item hasn’t been repaired yet.

The Memorial Griptok!

I sighed, thinking about my <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> verification item, which still hasn’t had its adhesive solidify.

‘They said it would be repaired after a month.’

The agent who mimicked a goblin didn’t seem like they were lying.

‘…It must be one of two things.’

Either it’s an item that came from the goods box and couldn’t be properly repaired.

…Or the time didn’t properly count because I spent the past month in a ghost story.

‘Either way, I need a contingency plan.’

Lucky Mart is such a famous ghost story that I remember almost all the details.

In that sense, it might actually be fortunate that a well-known ghost story came up….

‘There’ll come a time when this kind of luck won’t work anymore.’

Thinking back to the time on the Tamna Express when I couldn’t remember the identity of the Silver Heart owner still sends chills down my spine.

To avoid facing such a situation again, the Memorial Griptok was absolutely essential.

‘Now that I’m an agent, getting a new one has actually become easier.’

Let’s keep getting a new one as Plan B in mind, just in case this one never gets repaired.

I carefully thought about the broken Memorial Griptok, stored in my pocket inside its cushioning, while racking my brain.

Meanwhile, Agent Bronze’s briefing on “Lucky Mart” continued.

“This is a disaster you can only enter after sunset, and the timing luck of the rescue requester was good.”

“…May I ask for a description of the rescue requester’s appearance?”

Agent Bronze responds calmly.

“Two first-year high school students.”

Wow.

‘Of all things, why minors….’

Now I can’t even back out halfway and run away because of my guilty conscience.

Suppressing a sigh, I studied the description and the incident report handed over by Agent Bronze.

Agent Bronze looked at me with an oddly empathetic gaze and said.

“…Don’t worry too much. The explanation that they can last about half a day applies to high school students as well.”

“……Yes.”

I was really starting to feel the pangs of guilt.

“However, two agents who previously entered this supernatural disaster are currently in a short-term missing state.”

“…….”

“Don’t worry. They weren’t rescue agents. It was an accident during a routine search for sealing methods.”

What hopeful news that is, Agent….

“We must proceed with caution during the rescue mission, so absolutely avoid any sudden actions.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The words, ‘Do you really have to bring a rookie agent in there?’ rose to my throat, but I held them back.

Anyway, that person knows I’m a rookie with prior experience, so there’s no way they’ll go easy on me.

Ring.

I heard the cheerful sound from the bike’s bell with not-so-cheerful feelings as I kept pedaling.

Then, Agent Bronze naturally slowed down and started letting me take the lead.

“…Agent?”

“We’ll ‘wander’ like this for over 20 minutes. …The person who doesn’t know the exact location of the building must lead, so move ahead.”

I remember.

Lucky Mart entry condition: Wander for over 20 minutes within 3 km of the building where the Lucky Mart once stood.

In the cold, I silently pedaled the bike, circling the unfamiliar neighborhood.

With the purpose of finding the mart in mind, I wandered around, looking around without navigation….

“…Agent Bronze.”

I stopped my bike.

“I think I found it.”

And I saw a fairly large three-story building standing tall under the dim streetlights….

The glowing green signage of the mart.

Fresh Mart

It wasn’t a chain store but a local private-label mart that you’d find in any neighborhood.

“…….”

No.

The moment I blinked again….

LUCKYMART

In front of the mart building, I see the familiar logo of the chain store.

As if it hadn’t been maintained for years, the letters on the electronic signboard were covered in dust, and some sections weren’t even lit.

“…….”

If you look more closely at the unlit sections….

Flicker.

The lights turn on.

LOOKY MART

A different phrase from what I’d read without thinking appeared there….

“Don’t overthink it.”

“…!”

That’s right.

LUCKYMART

I saw Lucky Mart.

‘Good, I was looking for a mart anyway.’

I parked my bike nearby and approached the mart building, which still had its lights on and appeared to be open.

Let’s enter ‘Lucky Mart’ naturally like this.

After all, Lucky Mart is a huge chain spread throughout this country, so unless you consciously focus on it, there’s no reason to feel tense….

If you see the mart after sunset, you enter it under the illusion that Lucky Mart hasn’t withdrawn yet.

The automatic doors slide open smoothly, and I step into the brightly lit interior.

It was a typical mart.

It felt a bit outdated and cheap, but it had the mundane vibe of an old neighborhood mart that you could casually pass by.

First floor: Essential goods store.

Children’s toys were piled up on a seasonal special sales stand.

Outdated pop songs played in the background.

“Is that the idol song you said you liked?”

“No, Mom! They’re rookies from MS Entertainment….”

People shopping passed by.

…A family holding outdated smartphones and dressed in clothes that were in style over 10 years ago.

Shoppers from the past.

When entering, you see the image of ordinary shoppers, who turn out to be real shoppers from the past when Lucky Mart was still operating.

“…….”

“Hahaha!”

The shoppers passed by on the side.

Not only were their outfits outdated, but considering the cold winter outside, their thin clothing felt jarringly out of place.

It felt as if time flowed differently inside the mart compared to just beyond its doors.

“They’re not people caught in the disaster. Ignore them.”

“…….”

I slowly nodded.

‘The rescue requesters… said they were in what seems to be the basement, level B1.’

Requester 1: P-Please help us. We came into the mart, and something’s wrong…! Oh, no one can see us, and it’s like… an old mart.

Requester 1: Around us? Uh, well, we’re near the snack aisle right now. Yes, a-and our throats are dry….

“We’ll move to the basement.”

I nodded and slowly followed the agent.

This place, which seemed to perfectly recreate the Lucky Mart of the past, still looked intact for now.

In fact, it felt like stepping into the past, evoking a sense of wonder and nostalgia.

That is, if I didn’t know this was a ghost story.

“…….”

The tension tightened around my throat.

Wow, this is driving me crazy.

All the horrifying cases I read about in the Chronicles of Darkness Exploration are coming back to me.

Now that I think about it, ‘Lucky Mart’ was a horror story with an unusually high number of unexpected incidents in the exploration records…!

‘C-Calm down.’

Agent Bronze wouldn’t suddenly bring a rookie into a hardcore-level rescue mission, would he?

I swallowed hard as I descended the escalator.

Then… between the up and down escalators, I spotted a note that looked like a receipt.

Wait a minute.

‘Could that be….’

I quickly reached out and grabbed the receipt-like note.

“…! You’ve already found it. That’s the guide note placed by the Bureau.”

Right.

The escape guide notes discreetly placed to help innocent civilians caught in this ghost story.

‘The requester probably saw this too.’

I checked the contents of the receipt.

Take a deep breath slowly.

You are caught in a supernatural disaster.

But there’s no need to despair.

There have been at least dozens of successful escapes from this disaster, and the government has recorded the escape methods here for you.

Check the guide on the back.

…Hmm, just reading this makes me anxious—it’s such a typical horror manual-style guide.

‘They should really fix the red font before making the reader take a deep breath….’

But the content itself was just as I knew it.

I turned to the back, and the guide was the same.

‘…Not sure which version this is.’

Some of the escape methods written on the guide become ineffective as exploration iterations accumulate.

This is because items, targets, and structures change over time, altering the situation.

‘Of course, there are things that don’t change.’

Like this.

The ghosts standing at every entrance won’t move until the business hours are over. Don’t worry.

“…….”

Right.

By now, there must be a bizarre ‘ghost’ standing at the entrance I came through….

And the easiest way to escape was to sneak past when that ghost couldn’t see.

If the business hours haven’t ended even once since you entered, there’s still a chance.

You can leave if you block the ghost’s line of sight.

But not everyone is that lucky.

Requester 1: Sob Yes, we saw the escape instructions in the guide, but we can’t do it…. We don’t have anything to throw on the ghost…. We couldn’t steal any items either. A-and we can’t even reach…!

‘This is when an agent is needed.’

Specifically, someone who has the right items for the situation and knows how to use them properly.

So, after confirming the requester’s identity, we had to leave here before the business hours ended.

‘Once the business hours are over, it’s literally a horror escape game.’

And very fortunately, we were able to immediately find two people in school uniforms near the snack aisle by the escalator on the basement level.

“Huuuuuuh….”

Two high school students were crouched in the corner, crying their eyes out.

They were the requesters.

“Would you like to speak to them directly?”

“…Pardon?”

“Stay calm and give it a try. This is practice too.”

“Uh, yes….”

For some reason, Agent Bronze looked at me warmly.

It made me break out in a cold sweat, though, for a different reason.

I cautiously approached the two teenagers, squatted in front of them, and met their eyes.

“Hello. You’re the ones who called for help, right?”

“……!!”

“Uh, uhhhh!”

Thud.

The two high school students fell on their backsides.

“Y-You’re a person, right?! You can see us, right?!”

“Yes. I can see you clearly.”

I smiled as warmly as I could.

“We received your call and came to help. You’ve been through so much until now.”

“Huuuuuuuuh….”

The kids were crying like a faucet had been turned on.

Even though it’s midwinter and the sun sets early, they must have been trapped for about three hours—and they looked completely drained from the experience.

“W-What about the ghost at the entrance? Can we really get out?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

I pointed behind me and tossed all the responsibility onto Agent Bronze!

“The person behind me is an incredibly capable agent…. You’ll definitely be able to get out.”

“Wow…….”

And the high school students started comparing my disheveled appearance with the polished look of Agent Bronze, then slowly edged closer to him.

‘Their survival instincts are kicking in.’

“Um, are we leaving now?”

“Yes, we are.”

One of them clung to Agent Bronze like a lifeline, standing right next to him.

Good. That’s the way!

I sighed in relief and checked the digital watch on my wrist.

‘If we head to the entrance now….’

[ 20:24 ]

8:24 PM.

As far as I know, the time flow in the ‘Lucky Mart’ horror story is synchronized with reality down to the second.

‘Closing time is 11 o’clock.’

There was still plenty of time. We could work with the items and definitely get out.

And Agent Bronze seemed to be explaining the same thing.

“The closing time is 11 o’clock, so there’s still plenty of time. Stay calm….”

Na-na-na-na, na-na-nan-na-na, na-na-nan~

“…….”

…I absentmindedly lifted my head.

The Lucky Mart theme song played cheerfully….

Like some kind of alert.

Hello, customers. Thank you for visiting Lucky Mart again today.

As announced, our mart will close at 8:30 PM today in celebration of Labor Day, May 1st.

“……!”

Customers still in the store, please follow the staff’s guidance to exit.

Thunk thunk thunk thunk.

The lights in the store began to slowly turn off from the far end.

As if preparing for closure, only minimal lighting remained in the store.

…The escalators stopped working.

We will repeat the announcement once more.

Please follow the staff’s guidance to exit the store.

“Why…!”

I covered the high school student’s mouth and crouched down.

Do not let the staff cleaning up after business hours see you. They will guide you outside.

Outside is not reality.

Na-na-na-na, na-na-nan-na-na, na-na-nan~

“…….”

We’re screwed.