Chapter 94: Ch 94: Found You
A person who lost their phone in Death Lane and desperately tried to return
to reality.
I can say with certainty—I am not the first.
The <Dark Exploration Records> documented a variety of tragic and eerie
ends met by such individuals.
For detailed records on employees and civilians who went missing in Death
Lane, refer to the document filed as ’■■■ Escape Attempt via Alley 16’.
For now... let’s recall the common premises first.
1- Attempting to blindly follow someone else who is receiving navigation
from their phone always ends in failure.
The app’s navigation could not be shared.
Ultimately, every attempt ended with ’At some point, the person I was
following simply disappeared.’
As these failures accumulated, people abandoned the idea and instead
started looking for escape hints from within Death Lane itself.
’There were all kinds of methods.’
A store that promised to open a backdoor out of the alley if you sacrificed a
limb.
A passerby who claimed you could escape through a manhole.
A shoe shop insisting that if you wore their shoes, you’d see the exit path.
Fortunately, I don’t have to try all of these methods to reach the conclusion.
All of them failed.
...Yeah.
A cruel truth, deduced through inductive reasoning.
2- The residents of Death Lane have no knowledge of the way back to
reality.
Everything they said was a deception.
It was no different from stopping a random office worker in Seoul and
asking them directions into a creepypasta.
The residents here never had that knowledge in the first place.
’I need to abandon any expectation or plan of escaping with someone’s
help.’
That meant I had to think of an escape method assuming I wouldn’t receive
any new hints at all...
Huu...
"Squad Leader."
"Yes."
I forced myself to open my mouth.
"...I’ll brief you on what I’ve figured out so far."
Now, the third premise.
3- From now on, it is impossible to enter new alleys.
Normally, for app users, a new alley would appear every thousand steps,
and they could choose whether to enter it or not.
But with my step-tracking app broken, that rational system was gone as
well.
’We’re trapped in this alley.’
It was possible the scenery would change as we walked...
But we had no control over it.
As outsiders to this ghost story, we were fundamentally unable to find the
path forward...
"Therefore, we must find a way to escape from within this alley."
"Yes."
And now, the fourth premise.
"...Also, we must escape before dawn."
A time limit.
Naturally, most members of this company’s Field Exploration Team had
nerves of steel.
Some even deliberately tried to stay longer in certain alleys, experimenting
to see if they could increase the Dream Essence’s grade.
’There were times when the Research Team requested this at a corporate
level.’
For instance...
Seeing how long they could last without walking, maximizing the time
spent in Death Lane within the limits of their phone’s battery.
The result?
Total communication loss.
...And this ’communication loss’ was not the kind where someone was later
found in some grotesque transformation, like the forced laborers at the
boutique back alley.
It was a complete disappearance.
Even a staff member who attempted to stay overnight in an inn, maintaining
radio contact with dedicated equipment, ended up vanishing.
Exploration Team Member : Yes, yes. I’ve entered a place called the
Goldfish Eyes Inn. Just in case, I’ll be taking turns standing watch with
Supervisor ■.
Exploration Team Member : What did I pay for lodging? Oh, well, I just
used a dead body. That person was already dead anyway, so I put the body
to good use. That’s all you need to know.
Exploration Team Member : Anyway, I’ll try staying up all night like this. If
my Dream Essence grade goes up, I get proper points for it, right?
[ ... ]
Exploration Team Member : The sun is rising.
Exploration Team Member : The sun is burning the alley! It’s on fire!
Everything’s burning, everyone’s running! I can’t esc— (Connection lost)
"..."
I never wanted to experience something like that.
’This is driving me nuts.’
Walking through Death Lane without my phone, all these thoughts running
through my head—reality was beginning to sink in, brutally and
unmistakably.
The fact that I could become just another entry in those records.
"Time constraints, spatial constraints, method constraints."
I barely managed to report to Lee Jaheon with a calm tone.
"...Overall, no matter what method I come up with, it will amount to a
reckless gamble."
"Yes."
Lee Jaheon remained composed as ever.
"...Aren’t you worried about our current situation, Squad Leader?"
"No. Worrying serves no purpose in resolving the issue."
"..."
Wow.
’So basically, as long as I can present my insane idea convincingly, he’ll go
along with it without a word of complaint.’
Just like my fellow new hires who had been with me earlier.
"..."
Wait.
’Where did they go?’
Lee Jaheon had told them to ’be back in ten minutes’, when they entered the
shop next door.
If they really came out after just ten minutes...
’That means they were there when the alley was hit by the sudden
torrent...?’
Could they have been swept away and dragged under by the current...?
"Supervisor!"
Ah.
When I turned my head, I saw Kang Yihak and Jang Heo-un running toward
us, waving their hands.
Judging by the paper shopping bags in their hands, each adorned with a ball
of yarn design, they had successfully completed their purchase.
"Aiyah~ There you are!"
Kang Yihak beamed with a broad smile.
Phew.
"Looks like your shopping went well."
"Ahh, yes-yes. The store owner seemed desperate for money. He was so
eager to meet our budget, he nearly sold us his own hat. Really, just a
fantastic, yes, a fantastic shopping experience!"
Then, after a quick glance at Lee Jaheon’s face, Kang Yihak suddenly
pretended to check her phone and hastily added,
"Oh? Wait, how did so much time pass already...? I’m so sorry! You told us
to be out in ten minutes, but we got too absorbed when we found something
useful for our exploration endeavors. Truly, our apologies, Squad Leader!"
"Yes."
Her excuse was obviously rehearsed, but at least it was better than nothing.
They must have been so engrossed in haggling that they didn’t even notice
the flood outside.
Meanwhile, Jang Heo-un, standing beside her, looked slightly pale as he
glanced warily at his shopping bag.
"Mr. Bison, is there a problem with the item you purchased?"
"Oh, no. It’s not that... It’s just that among the things they were selling,
some of the yarn wasn’t actually yarn... There were these weird strands that
looked like veins mixed in."
"..."
Good lord.
"I mean, of course, I didn’t buy any of that. Also, thank you so much for the
coins, Mr. Roe Deer. I’ll make sure to repay you in gold once we get out of
here...!"
"Come to think of it, shouldn’t we be heading out soon? Oh! Have you been
counting your steps while walking around this alley? Can you share your
’remaining steps’ from the app?"
Lee Jaheon, expressionless, gave an immediate answer.
"No."
"...Pardon?"
Aaaagh!
’This damn lizard!’
I swiftly and discreetly kicked Lee Jaheon’s shin at an angle where no one
else could see.
"?"
Then, maintaining a completely natural tone, I said,
"We were just walking slowly to check something. Have you both reached
your step count?"
"Oh, we’re almost there. We did a lot of pacing back and forth while
browsing in the shop."
"..."
"A bit of a shame, really~ We could have checked out two more alley
options!"
Kang Yihak clicked her tongue regretfully.
On her phone screen, the remaining step count was clearly displayed.
Don’t give up on your body!
Remaining steps : 1,052
"Well, since we’ve already spent all the money you lent us, we might as
well check what the next alley looks like before heading back. Haha!"
"...Yes."
Did you know?
There was exactly one way for someone who had lost their phone to
successfully escape this place.
A method recorded multiple times, thoroughly verified, and confirmed as
fact.
I had almost been presented with a similar opportunity just now.
And that was...
To steal someone else’s phone.
Supervisor Park Dojeong got into a scuffle with a merchant during a
transaction. In the process, he sustained three hairline fractures to his left
rib and had his phone destroyed.
Successfully returned after seizing a civilian’s phone.
"..."
I stared at Kang Yihak’s phone, dangling in the air without protection...
Then said,
"Yes. Please return first. Squad Leader, would it be alright for them to go
back on their own?"
"Yes."
I sent my two batchmates away.
"Well then, we’ll head back. Thank you...!"
"Haha, see you at work tomorrow. We can talk more about our spoils
then~!"
The two of them walked down the alley and suddenly vanished.
...They must have entered the next alley.
Don’t do anything you can’t handle.
’That’s an undeniable act of evil.’
If I went that far, I might not be able to use my Silver Heart anymore.
Even if that weren’t the case, if I later realized I could have survived
without stealing a phone, my mind wouldn’t be able to bear it...
’Unless it’s the absolute worst-case scenario, don’t go that far.’
The moment I crossed that line, my corruption might accelerate.
I traced the silver ring I was already wearing, grounding myself.
– Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, you chose dignity. What admirable restraint!
– Some guests will resort to the most disgraceful acts just to gain attention.
That too is a kind of noble professionalism, but isn’t it contestants like you
who truly win over the audience?
R-Right.
’Thanks.’
Though, honestly, I’d rather not be compared to that.
I took a deep breath, trying not to recall the chaos of the Tuesday Quiz
Show.
I was already trapped in a ghost story—I didn’t need to relive the time I
nearly died in another one.
Instead, I focused on combing through my mental records, searching for
any clue in this alley that might help—
"Mr. Roe Deer."
Fwik—
Lee Jaheon grabbed me by the nape and yanked me through a shop door.
Then, after pulling me inside, he immediately dropped to the floor.
"There’s water."
"...!"
I lifted my head.
We were inside an unmanned laundromat.
Beyond the cheap, printed-glass door, the alley was filling with water...
Ssshhhaaa—
From the narrow gap between two residential buildings—not an alley—
black water seeped through, pooling and congealing into a familiar, mascot-
like shape.
A slithering dragon character.
’...That doesn’t look like the real mascot.’
Unlike before, it didn’t radiate that sharp, intelligent presence.
But that only made it more eerie, more menacing.
’It doesn’t look like I can negotiate.’
– Indeed. Trying to converse with a parade balloon is a foolish endeavor,
Friend!
The water mass jerkily moved its limbs, its grotesque gait carrying it back
down the alley.
Luckily, it didn’t peer into the laundromat.
’Phew.’
Scattered across the damp floor in its wake were chocolate bars, likely
washed out of a stationery store during the flood.
Then came the residents of Death Lane—the ones entranced by the parade
—rushing toward them.
Mine! It’s mine!
Send me to the Cheerful Theme Park!! Let me win!!
Let’s find the good child! Let’s find the good child!
A chaotic mix of pedestrians and merchants swarmed in, tearing open the
chocolate bars, desperately searching for what was hidden inside—
Probably theme park tickets or membership passes.
...Just like my tattoo.
: Socius :
’...If they see it, they’ll rip my skin off along with it.’
The classic ghost story scenario flashed through my mind, sending chills
down my spine.
I opened the glass door slightly the moment the water mass disappeared
from view down the alley.
Clink.
...Fortunately, the Death Lane pedestrians who were frantically rummaging
through the chocolates didn’t look this way.
I swallowed hard, flicked a coin, and summoned a third hand into the air.
The translucent hand crept carefully through the narrow gap of the glass
door and snatched one of the chocolate bars that had bounced toward the
laundromat from the alley...
The moment the third hand came back inside, I quickly grabbed the
chocolate bar and stuffed it into my other tattoo.
’Phew.’
If I’m already stirring up trouble, I might as well gather information to
analyze.
Thankfully, whether it was due to the silver ring doing its job, I felt no
strange hallucinations or noises, nor any fervent craving for the theme park.
’I’ll examine it more thoroughly once I’m back in reality.’
As I pulled my hand out of my tattoo inventory and deactivated the third
hand, I recalled an item I’d been carrying around all this time without trying
it even once.
The most expensive item in the alien shop.
We Can Help! – ₩66,666,666
"...!"
I took out that item.
A small, red button.
...Right, Braun had said something like this:
– Hmm. Yes, Mr. Roe Deer, you can think of it as an ’emergency escape’.
Emergency escape.
’Should I press it?’
Considering the price, it felt like I should save it for a higher-grade
Darkness, but with disappearance looming over me, maybe I was better off
using it now rather than risking everything.
’Alright.’
Let’s see what happens.
Before I pressed it, I showed the button to Section Chief Lee Jaheon.
"Squad Leader, this is—"
"Do you require my advice?"
"..."
Huh?
"Do you require my advice?"
"...Yes."
"Do not use it."
"..."
A chill ran down my spine.
"You know about this button, Squad Leader?"
"Yes."
"...Does something bad happen if I press it?"
"That depends on your perspective."
"...Could you be more specific?"
"That is not possible."
"..."
"However, in our current situation, I do not recommend using it."
"..."
’Huu.’
In the end, I put the button away again.
Section Chief Lee Jaheon might not say everything he knows, but he
doesn’t lie.
And the fact that he’s someone who can also purchase items from the alien
shop made me even more uneasy.
’He’s the reason I got the link to the alien shop in the first place, with his
account.’
All in all, forcing the use of this item right now felt like setting up my own
grim final entry in the exploration records.
– Oh dear, you’re not pressing it? I was curious to see what would happen,
how disappointing.
Really?
A wave of profound exhaustion washed over me.
It felt like realizing that a rope ladder I’d thought appeared out of nowhere
was just a drawing.
"..."
Leaning my back against the laundromat wall, I stifled a sigh.
"In that case, all our remaining options are shots in the dark."
Section Chief Lee Jaheon looked at me. I drummed my fingers nervously
on my arm.
"Like... maybe if we destroy an entire house, we can create a gap in the
concept of the alley and escape— Wait, don’t do it!"
"Yes."
I’m going crazy.
I quickly stopped the lizard from punching a hole in the wall with his bare
hands, then sank down to the floor.
’Is there really no other way?’
Either we die, or we escape.
Is there truly no more reliable option than betting on some extreme long
shot?
Certainly, the methods for leaving a ghost story...
...
Ah.
"...!"
I jumped to my feet.
"Mr. Roe Deer."
"Squad Leader!"
This—this might work!
"There’s a way we can try. First, we get out of here and move—"
Lee Jaheon grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.
"Step away."
"..."
I turned my head.
Through the laundromat’s glass door, I saw a dark shape.
It was watching us.
A mass of black water.
Found you.