The high school student trapped in Looky Mart.
Jang Minseo, who had requested rescue from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau, covered his mouth under the mobile display stand.
His heart was pounding.
An uncanny sound could be heard nearby.
Creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak.
The sound of something imitating the staff moving.
‘Did they see me?’
Me hiding under the display stand.
No, they weren’t right behind me, so they probably didn’t see.
‘I turned the corner and came straight in.’
They probably didn’t see me….
However, the sound is getting closer.
Creak creak creak creak creak.
“Huff, huff….”
Tears kept falling.
‘Why did I come here?’
He shouldn’t have followed his friend. The high school student cursed his friend under his breath but stopped when it felt pointless.
Fear had already overwhelmed his mind.
The approaching sound grew louder and louder….
Creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak.
It came from right beside him.
His body froze.
From the gap under the display stand, he could see the shadow of feet passing by right next to him.
Dozens of feet with strange gaits, ankles twisted, moving with eerie creaks.
Creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak creak.
The high school student held his breath.
But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end.
Among the many strange footsteps in staff shoes passing by the display stand, something unfamiliar appeared….
Old sneakers.
“…!”
Amid the bizarrely waddling staff shoes, old sneakers could be seen being dragged along.
“Help me…!”
The high school student felt chills down to his scalp.
It was a person.
Someone had been caught.
“I’ll pay! I’ll pay, money, here’s money, I’m a customer! A customer…!”
“Welcome to Looky Mart!”
But instead of politely escorting the unfortunate missing person out, the staff were dragging them away.
Because….
You cannot purchase items in this mart using currency valid in South Korea.
Remember this: you have no ability to pay.
“Help me!”
The moment this fact is discovered, the staff will no longer see you as a customer and will classify you differently.
In many cases, they became part of the mart’s inventory.
Clunk.
The high school student froze.
Then he slowly looked up.
…The mobile display stand he was hiding under was shaking.
Clunk clunk clunk.
The staff were surrounding the display stand.
And then….
Whiiirrr.
“Aaaaah!”
The sound of the mixer and screams echoed through the display stand.
“Isn’t this a great product?”
The high school student realized.
They were imitating promotional demonstrations.
Using the missing person as inventory, blending them alive in the mixer.
“Mmmph.”
The high school student covered his mouth. Fortunately or unfortunately, the sound didn’t escape much due to the noise of the mixer and the screams.
“Aaah! Huuuh, aaaghhh!”
“Thank you as always, dear customer!”
“Isn’t this a great product?”
“Welcome to Looky Mart!”
Pleading, screams, the sound of the mixer, screams, the staff’s greeting, screams, the mixer—I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to scream, I have to get out of here. Show me the way out! Guide me….
Someone grabbed his shoulder tightly.
“…!”
The warmth of his body and the trembling of hand.
It was the hand of the agent who had pushed him under the display stand.
The one who had come in response to their rescue call.
“…Huff.”
The high school student’s breathing gradually steadied.
Amid the noise that seemed capable of driving anyone mad or fainting, the high school student endured what felt like hours under the display stand, relying on the warmth of another.
The sound of the mixer and the staff’s repeated introductions continued, but at some point, the screams disappeared.
And then….
Whirr… clunk.
“…….”
The top of the display stand grew quiet.
The promotional mimicry was over.
Creak creak creak…
“…….”
The sound gradually faded into the distance.
The feet visible through the gaps in the floor, the dragging sneakers, and even the shadows moved so far away that they could no longer be seen….
“…….”
“You’re safe now.”
“Huff.”
At the agent’s words after checking outside, the high school student let out a deep sigh and began sobbing again.
The bespectacled agent looked at the scene with a conflicted expression.
“…….”
Incidentally, their breathing was about the same.
‘I’m going to lose it….’
That’s right.
Rookie agent Kim Sol-eum was left with just one high school student to rescue….
‘Splitting up was probably the right call.’
But it was terrifying…!
The sound of a person being ground alive—it felt inevitable that it would return in nightmares. Kim Sol-eum’s back was already drenched in cold sweat.
‘I almost passed out.’
But he couldn’t show it, not with a terrified 15-year-old clinging to his side!
“W-what do we do now? Sob...”
“No, it’s okay.”
Kim Sol-eum spoke to the high school student as gently as possible.
He had unconsciously dropped formal speech, but it wasn’t the time to worry about such things—reassuring them as a friendly adult seemed more effective.
‘...I guess the security captain played a bigger role in the Mountain Lord ghost story than I thought.’
But seeing the high school student still looking anxious, he eventually spoke up again.
“Want me to tell you a secret?”
“…….”
The high school student was still sobbing and catching his breath, but the word ‘secret’ made him unconsciously lift his head.
And the agent really did share a ‘secret.’
“Actually, I’m the agent who knows this mart the best.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
But the high school student felt unexpectedly touched, even in his fear.
‘Anyone could tell he was a rookie.’
From his glasses, messy hair, to his mumbling tone.
Compared to the sharp and capable agent who seemed like his superior, he was like the bumbling sidekick next to a superhero.
But he kept speaking earnestly, as if determined to reassure them.
“I’ve researched really hard—what’s dangerous and what’s not. I know things even other agents don’t.”
Messy hair. Eyes met through his glasses.
‘Huh?’
Not the timid gaze he expected, but a cool and composed look that appeared briefly and vanished.
“…….”
For some reason.
All of his words sounded like the truth.
“So I’ll find the safest and fastest way out of this situation.”
“There’s still a way to get out…?”
“Of course.”
The problem was that more than half of those ways were insane and had a higher chance of getting them killed.
Kim Sol-eum swallowed his words and added something more helpful.
“Do you remember the other details on the back of the guide? The advice for after closing hours.”
“…Yes.”
The high school student, Jang Minseo, recalled what he had read as if in a trance.
It is recommended to abandon escape attempts after closing hours.
Almost all opportunities that seem like escape routes are traps.
Prioritize survival and hold out until operating hours resume.
Currently, the safest floor identified is the second floor.
The second floor.
We’re on the first floor.
“Then, if we just go up one more floor… will that be enough?”
“That’s right. The other agent and your friend must have gone upstairs too, so don’t worry.”
“…Okay.”
The firm tone somehow reassured the high school student, who sniffled and calmed down.
The agent then checked outside and pulled himself out.
“…Alright. It’s safe now. Let’s get out of here.”
“Sniff, okay.”
The high school student didn’t refuse the agent’s support and carefully pulled himself out from under the display rack…
“Ah!”
He quickly covered his mouth.
Fortunately, the sound wasn’t loud. But the cause of the sound remained.
‘My ankle….’
It’s throbbing.
It seemed they twisted it while running and diving under the rack.
“…Does your ankle hurt?”
“Yes…...”
“…….”
Kim Sol-eum’s mind raced.
And he reached a chilling conclusion.
‘I can’t give him an item right now.’
It wouldn’t work in this ghost story.
A powerful painkiller like Happy Maker could backfire by making the high schooler overuse his leg to the point of being completely immobilized.
Nostalgia Candy… is also a no.
‘Because it’s food.’
Avoid consuming any items outside the food court, even if it’s food you brought yourself.
The staff can’t differentiate and will charge you for the food’s price if they witness it.
You have no means to pay.
And this rule applies even if it’s not food sold in the mart.
Because the ‘staff’ of Looky Mart can’t tell the difference.
Even resorting to strange tattoos could lead to contamination or bizarre transformations, not to mention how hard it’d be to explain to the Disaster Management Bureau.
“…….”
The high school student didn’t know these facts, but seeing the silent agent gave him a chilling sense of unease.
‘Don’t tell me….’
Is he going to abandon me?
Did he think rescuing me was too difficult? Or maybe the fear of getting caught while carrying me flashed through his mind….
“Don’t worry. We’ll move in a way that doesn’t require running.”
The firm voice reassured him.
The high school student looked up.
“Let’s head to the escalator first.”
“…….”
“But not the one going up, we’ll take the one going down. Got it? The one leading down from the 2nd floor.”
Since the store is closed, all escalators should have stopped anyway, so does it matter which one?
But why specifically head for the one coming down from the 2nd floor?
“…Okay.”
The high school student didn’t question it but simply nodded.
The agent supported him and began to move cautiously….
“If you hear any staff sounds, tell me immediately.”
“Yes…!”
The high school student tried not to look back at the rack he had been hiding under.
He carefully followed the agent, attentively listening for any sounds of the staff.
He winced in pain a few times but endured it.
The agent calmly guided him past the checkout counters to the stopped escalator. The high schooler followed as quickly as he could.
But when they finally arrived….
Bzzzzzzzz.
Click click click click click….
One of the escalators was still running.
Specifically, the escalator connects to the second floor—their destination.
“…!”
In the darkened store after closing time.
The slowly moving rail.
And at the top of the escalator… stood the silhouette of someone facing away.
No.
Not a person,
A staff member.
After closing hours, escalators are stopped and blocked from operation.
However, during inspections by staff, they may operate at certain times.
Do not approach.
It seems to mimic ‘inspecting’ the escalator.
But the figure standing on the escalator, with its head tilted to the side and staring blankly at the floor, appeared grotesque and bizarre.
And that figure… was descending closer along the moving escalator.
In reverse.
“R-run….”
“We don’t have to run.”
Beside him, Kim Sol-eum took out an item strapped to his waist.
A fishing line with a red goldfish model at the end.
Lure Play
‘…Right, they inspected the downward escalator from the second floor right after closing.’
That’s why he deliberately sought out the escalator under inspection.
Originally, it was an item he intended to use to bypass the exit easily… but now, there was no other option.
It’s a waste, but it can’t be helped.
‘I have to use it now.’
Kim Sol-eum cast the fishing line.
Swish.
Defying physics, the transparent wire flew upward as if thrown from a fishing rod, landing atop the escalator.
And it caught on the billboard.
“…!”
The fishing line coiled around the billboard and hung below.
And at the end, the dangling red bait.
As the staff descending backward on the escalator caught sight of it.
Creak creak.
Creak creak.
“…!”
The back of the staff member began to move.
Towards the bait.
It went against the flow of the escalator, climbing upward.
Creak creak.
Kim Sol-eum carefully controlled the fishing line. His hands were damp with sweat, but the swaying line moved as he intended.
The bait started to drift from the center of the escalator billboard to the side.
More and more.
The bait drifted to the far left of the escalator.
The staff staggered sideways.
And as it leaned close to the side of the escalator, its head extended past the handrail….
Creak creak creak…
Kim Sol-eum released the fishing line.
Whoosh.
The fishing line unraveled and detached from the billboard, sending the red bait falling between the two escalators….
Thud.
The staff fell headfirst between the escalators.
It had thrown its head toward the bait.
“Gasp…!”
“Let’s go quickly, before it gets out.”
The agent immediately started moving.
“Take off your shoes, use your knees instead of your feet… crawl up. Quietly.”
The high school student took off his shoes, handed them to the agent, and crawled up the escalator on all fours.
He didn’t feel any embarrassment or physical pain.
All he could feel was relief that crawling made less noise and kept him out of the staff member’s line of sight as it focused on the bait…!
Though anxiety gripped his throat, fearing something might suddenly appear, he successfully crawled up the escalator against its flow.
“Huff.”
As he placed his arm on the second-floor edge, tears welled up.
The agent helped the high school student get up.
“You did well.”
“Th-thank you….”
Kim Sol-eum glanced a few times at his now-empty hands where the fishing line had been, then quickly gathered his thoughts and focused ahead.
The second floor.
Upon ascending the escalator, a massive food court came into view.
In the darkened store, only the food court’s signs emitted an eerie glow, and strangely, sounds of cooking could be heard.
Wandering staff were…
‘Not present.’
Surprisingly, it seemed like a safe zone.
“We can rest here for a while.”
The second-floor food court is an area where store employees do not patrol.
However, do not sit here without ordering for more than an hour.
Kim Sol-eum guided the high school student to a corner near a bibimbap specialty stall and had him sit.
“Um, why specifically here…?”
“It’s safer in places without meat on the menu.”
The high school student swallowed nervously.
The agent appeared calm. He sat in a chair, allowing the high school student to catch breath and rest his injured ankle.
Despite the daring feat he had just performed on the escalator, his demeanor remained composed.
‘…He’s amazing.’
Much more skilled and knowledgeable than expected.
Just as he had confidently claimed.
The high school student unconsciously found himself wanting to make a good impression and spoke up.
“Um, my name is Jang—”
“Don’t say it.”
“…!”
“In a place like this, it’s best not to use your real name. Be cautious.”
Gulp.
The high school student swallowed nervously.
“Then, what should I call you, Agent?”
“…Call me Grape.”
“Yes, Agent Grape.”
The high school student sat down in a chair and let out a deep sigh of relief.
Is he really an agent? His awkward demeanor made it seem like all his abilities were poured into his work as an agent.
‘I think we can make it out.’
Even with an injured ankle, the high school student found hope. This gave him enough confidence to ask in a slightly determined tone.
“T-Then, we’re safe here, right?”
“Yes.”
Agent Grape nodded.
The high school student felt a deep sense of relief….
“It’s okay.”
That was a lie.
It wasn’t enough.
‘…The chances of dying or disappearing on the second floor are still high.’
Though he tried to maintain a composed tone, Kim Soleum’s mind was frantically searching for the relevant episode in the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>.
His brain, barely out of the crisis mode, began reprioritizing and digging through the data.
‘We need to get out.’
Has such an irregularity occurred before?
‘Labor Day, early store closure, whatever…!’
And then.
The business hours were shortened for ?? reasons.
“…!”
I found it.
Kim Sol-eum struggled to recall the details of that case.
Some specific numbers and names from the fragmented exploration records reconstructed themselves in his mind….
Exploration Record #3?
A rescue agent entered the mart at around 7 PM after receiving a civilian rescue request. (Agent: ???)
Looky Mart’s operations ended early for ??? reasons. A sudden incident occurred, and contact with the agent was lost for three days.
“…!”
This is it.
He anxiously tried to recall more.
So, the result of that was….
Result: Rescue failed. The agent returned alone.
"……."
No wonder I couldn’t remember this clearly.
‘Because it ended with just one line.’
There were plenty of such records.
The concept was interesting, but the detailed story that followed was considered 'redundant,' so it was omitted, leaving it to the reader's imagination.
It was simply marked as success or failure in a single line.
However, the implication was clear.
"……Ha."
“ – Agent Bronze fails the rescue mission.”
So if I regroup with Agent Bronze.
Whatever decision he makes in Looky Mart, Kim Sol-eum must oppose it unconditionally.
And I must persuade him to escape according to my plan.
‘…This is driving me crazy.’
No, it’s not me—it’s the difficulty that’s insane.
Kim Sol-eum swallowed his nervousness and, forcing himself to appear calm, sat the high schooler down in a corner of the food court and surveyed the surroundings.
‘Let’s wait.’
Agent Bronze will obviously have a plan and come up to the second floor.
He resolved to think as positively as possible.
‘We’ll decide after meeting up.’
***
And three days passed.
Kim Sol-eum couldn’t find Agent Bronze anywhere in Looky Mart.
