We left the second-floor food court.
Then we carefully climbed the stopped escalator. To avoid being noticed by any employees, we even took off our shoes and went barefoot, moving as silently as possible.
Step by careful step, in total silence, cold sweat trickling down our backs.
And finally, upon reaching the third floor…
Originally, in the old Lucky Mart, the third floor was said to be used for limited-time deals.
Different themed promotional stands would rotate daily with various discounts on display.
That display was repeated endlessly.
An endless supermarket.
If floors 1 and 2 simply re-created Lucky Mart’s past, making it feel eerie, then from the third floor onward, the space stretched out infinitely in a bizarre manner.
So far, 3,611 event stalls have been reported on the supermarket’s third floor, covering an area of 232 km².
Always confirm your starting point.
If you lose your way, you may never find the escalator leading down again.
A giant maze, like stepping into the mad blueprint or painting of a deranged mind, where infinite lines of stands and special displays repeated, perfect for driving someone insane.
On the other hand, that meant it was easier to evade or hide from employees.
Some parts of the supermarket supposedly went months without a single employee appearing.
‘It’s also good for secretly stealing food or necessities…’
…If you give up on escaping, that is.
So that’s likely where countless missing persons were scattered.
Perhaps Agent Bronze too.
“Stick to the wall. If you see the emergency door, let me know right away.”
We pressed ourselves against the back wall of the escalator and moved slowly, entering that dizzying path of endless display racks.
In the dim store, lit only by emergency lights after closing, corner after corner repeated among the shelving.
[Winter Season Outlet Event]
[Housewarming Gift Specials]
[Sell Your Flesh at Looky Mart]
[Spring Cleaning Kitchenware Super Sale]
Soon, the signs turned increasingly disturbing. Each time I saw one of those stalls or signs, I’d turn away and choose another path.
For about half an hour, we crossed from one stall to another, confirming the escalator’s location and how far it was to us.
Then, I heard a faint noise.
Some dull, distant sound from beyond the next set of shelves.
Bit by bit, the noise became more distinct, until at last…
– Huh? Is someone there…?
The high schooler jerked his head up.
– Who’s there? Need some help?
A voice calling from far away.
“That’s… another person…”
I crouched down with the high schooler and whispered a quiet warning.
“It might not be human.”
“And… even if it is a human being, if they’ve been here a while, are they still… normal?”
No way they could be in their right mind.
That possibility was unbelievably slim.
And the fact that they had such a friendly tone.
It was scarier if it was a human being.
– Hey! You there, you’re a person, right? I can help you.
We started running, hugging the wall. The friendly-sounding voice kept calling out:
– If I keep talking, the employees might come. I know a way out. I can help you.
Sweat beaded on the back of the high schooler’s neck. I kept moving, gauging the distance to that voice.
– Hurry. You don’t want an employee seeing you.
Should I try to subdue them, even briefly? But then, if employees really showed up… Right, if it’s an actual person, maybe letting them get snatched by an employee before they reach us is best.
Just keep moving… Wait a second.
Suddenly, as I lifted my head, something came into view along the wall we were following.
A green-lit emergency exit. And…
The emergency exit leading to the fourth floor.
I immediately ran over and grabbed the metal handle. Then, in a rush, I gave the high schooler a crucial warning.
“Whatever you do, do not go up those stairs.”
“After we open the door and step in, stand right there—don’t move. Got it? Don’t ever move from that spot.”
The high schooler nodded, fear in his eyes.
Agent Choi : Looks normal enough, just some old emergency exit… There’s a staircase… Nothing unusual… The exit door’s still there.
‘…But once he started going up the stairs, the door suddenly disappeared, right?’
So, if you put it another way.
—If we don’t climb the stairs, the door on the third floor won’t vanish.
Because we hadn’t actually left the third floor yet.
And if that guess was correct, this spot was safer than anywhere else.
‘There’s no record of employees climbing to the fourth floor.’
Because that floor wasn’t part of the supermarket.
So, the space inside the emergency exit leading to the fourth floor would remain a safe zone only people could enter.
That would simplify everything.
‘I can even use the food I stored in my tattoo there.’
Because once we go through this door, it’s no longer part of the supermarket.
We can stay on the stair landing and check outside at 10 o’clock each day to see if business has resumed.
‘It’s the safest bet we have.’
Trying to escape with an injured high schooler without an infinite supply of Nostalgia Candies… This was our best shot.
No matter how terrifying the rumors of the fourth floor were, we just had to push through.
I gritted my teeth and opened the metal door.
It made the exact noise described in the records, revealing an old staircase inside.
“Let’s go, and be careful.”
We went in together. And to prevent any unforeseen incidents, I tore out a scrap of paper from my notepad and wedged it between the door so it wouldn’t fully close.
From the outside, no one would notice it was open.
That should help us evade that crazy person chasing from behind.
And just as I was taking a breath—
The high schooler tugged on my arm in a shaky voice…
While pointing upwards.
I felt a chill and raised my head.
Someone was standing inside the staircase to the fourth floor.
A pale-faced woman with sunken eyes and short hair.
My batchmate who’s a former med student.
My brain couldn’t process what the hell was going on.
But then I noticed what she was wearing.
A metal badge pinned to her collar, the official identification for Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau agents.
Words from my memory resurfaced.
– Two agents who went in earlier are currently in a short-term missing status within this Disaster.
Agent Bronze mentioned it earlier.
There were two missing agents.
And one of them happened to be my fellow spy who’d infiltrated the Bureau as a new recruit.