How a Veteran of the Urban Legend Gallery Survives – Chapter 22

The effects of the serum caused a flood of related information to pour in. Countless pieces began to fit together like a puzzle.

Kisaragi Station.

One of Japan’s urban legends, it was a story about a non-existent, unmanned station. It was said to be a place where, if you fell asleep on the train and woke up, you would arrive at a station in another world. There were many versions, but the common thread was that those who arrived at this station never returned.

Time flowed differently from reality, GPS didn’t work, and phones were useless. Some versions even suggested that this station was a gateway to the underworld.

[Samdocheon (River of the Three Worlds)]

So, the moment I saw the station’s exit sign, my heart felt like it stopped.

The cold air, perhaps dampened by water, seeped deep into my lungs, and a chill crept up my spine.

Under the fluorescent light, the clearly etched Hanja and Hangul characters pierced my mind. At that moment, I knew. We were no longer in reality.

The red moonlight filling my vision was eerie, reminiscent of blood. The moonlight dyed the entire street in an unreal red hue. Beneath it, charred cherry blossom petals scattered like ashes.

The street was filled with strange signs mixed with Hangul. The combinations of characters were too bizarre to be ordinary store signs.

‘Jegamtojiryeinun’

‘Guktomugangsiraknam’

‘Hwajipgongganbaemaru’

Signs that made no sense, as if Hangul had been randomly scrambled.

Looking closer, the characters seemed to move slightly. It felt like living bugs were crawling across the signs.

“What’s going on…”

Narae’s voice trembled. Her usual confident and aloof demeanor was gone, replaced by fear and confusion.

Even she, a powerful yokai known as Samiho, seemed to sense that this scene was abnormal. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

What was more shocking were the beings roaming the streets. No, they couldn’t be called people… Their very existence proved how abnormal this space was.

“What are those…”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Giant figures, about 3 meters tall, were walking around with paper bags over their heads.

They wore suits or casual clothes similar to ours, but their movements were mechanical, like robots mimicking human motion.

Each step was slightly off, their posture unnaturally precise, and the paper bags covering their heads were terrifying.

Cold sweat dripped down my back. I quickly pulled out my phone. With trembling hands, I pressed the power button, and the screen lit up. The clock showed 9:35 PM.

‘What…?’

We had entered Dorimcheon Station at 9:00 PM, and considering what we had been through, at least an hour should have passed, but only 35 minutes had gone by. The flow of time itself was strange.

The GPS was the same. It kept showing an error message, unable to locate our position. There was no signal from nearby base stations, and no carrier signal either.

But strangely, the Horror Story Gallery was accessible.

“What do we do now?”

Narae asked in an anxious voice. Her usual playful tone was gone, replaced by genuine fear.

Even for a yokey who had lived for decades, this situation must be a first.

I paused to think. In this situation, it seemed better to seek the wisdom of the Horror Story Gallery users rather than make decisions alone. There was hope that they, having studied countless horror stories, might have an answer.

“First… I need some time to think.”

I logged into the Horror Story Gallery and posted a message. My fingers trembled as I typed, but I tried to calmly describe the situation.

─Title) I’m at Kisaragi Station right now, WTF

─Author: [Baekyaⓖ]

─Content: Remember the <CTP-234-KO> Dorimcheon Station horror story I posted before? I thought I’d finish it smoothly and head home, but suddenly, black water started pouring from the stairs on the last floor, and I got swept away. I passed out and woke up above ground, only to find myself at a station called Samdocheon. The moon is red, and the signs are a jumble of Hangul. WTF, how do I escape?

As soon as I posted, comments started pouring in. The Horror Story Gallery users were as quick as ever.

[Hikikoⓖ]: Samdocheon? Are you possessed or something?

Hikiko. A user well-versed in Eastern mysticism, including shamanism, Taoism, esotericism, and Buddhism. Seeing him react like this suggested that this situation was far from normal.

└[Baekyaⓖ]: That’s impossible. I’m wearing a Golden Branch brooch, so I’m immune to mental contamination from C-grade or lower horror stories.

└[Hikikoⓖ]: Even if it’s not mental contamination, could the place itself be showing you hallucinations?

Hikiko’s comment made me look up at Narae. I thought her abilities might help us understand the true nature of this space.

“Is it possible that this place is a hallucination?”

Narae’s pupils turned yellow, like a cat’s, as she sharply scanned the surroundings. She seemed to be using her yokai vision to sense the energy around her.

“No. This is definitely real.”

Her voice was filled with certainty. Though I couldn’t see what she saw with her yokai vision, it was clear that this space wasn’t a hallucination.

“From what I can see, this looks like the underworld… The only place with this much spiritual energy is the underworld.”

I relayed Narae’s words to Hikiko.

└[Hikikoⓖ]: Hmm… If you’re really in Samdocheon, there should be countless souls crossing the river nearby. If you were swept away by the river and drank its water, your memories should be completely erased. But judging by your post and descriptions, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s more likely that you’re in another world or a parallel dimension. You should act accordingly.

Hikiko’s analysis was as sharp as ever. If he was right, this place probably wasn’t the underworld. But that didn’t make the situation any better.

└[Baekyaⓖ]: If this isn’t the underworld but another world, how do we get out?

As my fingers tapped the keyboard, the bizarre surroundings continued to press down on us. The footsteps of the paper-bag-headed giants seemed to be getting closer.

└[Hikikoⓖ]: No clue. Think about it yourself. Your intuition and logic about horror stories are better than mine.

Hikiko’s words triggered the serum’s effects. Countless stories about other worlds began to surface in my mind.

And the common thread among those who returned to reality from such worlds came to mind.

It was ‘returning the way you came.’ No matter how dangerous the situation, finding the passage you used to enter the other world and going back was the surest way to escape.

“Let’s go back to the subway.”

A faint look of relief crossed Narae’s face. At least now we had a goal.

“Okay.”

We headed back down to the platform. Thankfully, this time, the corridors didn’t loop endlessly like in Dorimcheon Station. The sound of our footsteps echoed strangely as we descended the stairs.

But the problem lay elsewhere.

“Those things…”

The paper-bag-headed giants were getting off the train. They saw us and started murmuring in an incomprehensible language.

It sounded like bugs laughing or radio static. The sound sent shivers down my spine.

We boarded the subway heading toward Sindorim. Strangely, the paper-bag people didn’t board our train. As if there was an invisible boundary, they stopped at the train doors.

Instead, they stood on the platform, staring at us intently. Their eyes, faintly visible beneath the paper bags, glinted ominously.

“Close faster… Faster…”

As soon as Narae spoke, the doors closed. At that moment.

-Screeeeeech!

An ear-piercing scream echoed. The paper-bag people screamed in unison. It was a horrifying sound, like metal scraping mixed with radio static. My whole body bristled at the nauseating noise.

They rushed toward the screen doors like a horde of zombies.

Thud, thud, thud!

The sound of their massive bodies hitting the glass reverberated through the platform. The screen doors seemed to bend under their weight.

“Ugh…”

Narae covered her ears. I instinctively crouched down. The screams were so unbearable that covering my ears seemed like the only option.

The paper-bag people pressed their faces against the screen doors, glaring at us. Their red eyes, visible beneath the bags, glowed like predators eyeing their prey. For a moment, when our eyes met, I thought my heart would stop.

One of them raised a hand as if to remove the paper bag. At that moment, the train began to move with a cold metallic sound. Their figures gradually faded from view.

They clung to the screen doors until we completely disappeared from sight, their eerie eyes fixed on us. Even as we moved away, their screams lingered in my ears.

About 20 minutes after boarding the train.

“Wait, over there…”

A platform sign came into view.

Unlike the jumbled Hangul signs we had seen earlier, this one was properly written.

[Sindorim]

At the same time, a message appeared on my phone.

[You have successfully escaped the ‘Dorimcheon Station’ horror story.]

[You have successfully escaped the ‘Kisaragi Station’ horror story.]

[You have been awarded 300,000 Dalant as a basic reward.]

+ 300,000D

The tension in my shoulders eased. We had finally escaped this nightmare. Looking over, Narae also let out a sigh of relief.

“We’re back…”

Her voice was filled with exhaustion. Her usual playful demeanor was gone, but at least the look of terror had faded.

Outside the window, Sindorim Station looked as peaceful as ever. The ordinary moonlight, ordinary signs, and ordinary people.

We had finally returned to reality.