Chapter 326
Unfortunately, Brown’s immediate, quick-witted request was dismissed.
Before throwing away a talking coin, shouldn’t you at least hear the whole story first....
And the “coin made from Juror No. 1 powder,” which had suddenly regained speech, explained the situation plainly.
-I don’t really know either.
Yes....
-Somehow I feel energized, and my consciousness suddenly returned. I became able to perceive myself.
The rusted silver coin glinted.
Each time it spoke, it seemed like the rust flaked off little by little.
-Still, I’m glad we can talk again like this. It’s nice to see you.
Juror No. 1—the part of Ho Yuwon that had remained at Morning Station—had regained a self and was speaking to me again....
I calmed my heart, which had nearly leapt out of my chest, and with a throbbing head, I reasoned.
Was making the remaining powder into a YuKwae Coin the problem....
Or maybe it was because I’d entered the Se-gwang Special City subway again.
...Anyway, I’m glad to see you too.
-Thank you.
Laughter came from the coin.
How much do you remember about yourself?
-I remember everything up to the day of the disaster. Ask freely.
...!
Then... who are you?
-I am a psychological counselor who tries to comfort and encourage the people who gathered in this city.
-My dream is that their exhausted, wounded hearts recover, and this city becomes a more beautiful, livable place.
What is your relationship with the Disaster Management Bureau?
-I’m acquainted with the agents there. You could say we’re the kind of relationship where we do favors for one another.
The voice was gentle and warm.
Like the fox counselor I met in the Fox Counseling Room.
-I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to talk, but until then, I look forward to working with you.
So this was Ho Yuwon from before things went to hell in Se-gwang Special City....
Either way, it was an astonishing situation.
And for someone now pinned in the pocket in front of me, it seemed like a deeply shocking incident....
[Yes, friend. I knew this day would come. Oh, an unstoppable tide in the entertainment business. The fact that everyone loves a new face!]
I heard the sound of exaggerated sobbing into an extremely high-class handkerchief—though it was closer to the delicate sound of wiping a TV screen....
[So even this cotton-stuffed body will be thrown out now. To think you’d rather build a relationship with a scrap of coin like that than the only friend who fully supports Mr. Noru....]
The situation was naturally leaping ahead.
If I listened absentmindedly, I might startle and shout “No way!” and reflexively fling the coin outside the subway....
This is driving me crazy....
[Mr. Noru, what are you thinking so hard about?]
Hm.
With the feeling I might break out in cold sweat, I said,
...What if we think of it as a guest entering?
[I will fire them.]
Yeah....
[Haha! Oh, friend, you’re tense. You don’t have to be. Everything I’ve said so far has been nothing more than a joking piece of advice!]
The host’s voice, which had been soothing, suddenly dropped low.
[Would my friend betray the matter of contract and trust? You personally called this Brown here as your friend, and I already know you remember deep in your heart that this position cannot be replaced....]
That’s genuinely terrifying.
[Isn’t that right?]
Of course. Obviously.
Good friend ghost story is scary.
I answered with a smile that felt drenched in cold sweat.
But I need information. I have to talk to it, too.
[Hmm....]
It’s small and you can communicate in real time... it’s hard to compare it to you based only on functional traits. Then a smartphone counts, too.
Before something like “Really? Then let’s throw away the smartphone too, friend!” could come out, I hurriedly added,
It won’t overlap with your position.
Soon, a voice came—slightly irritated, but accepting.
[A sincere statement, Mr. Noru.]
Whew.
[Fine. But don’t keep it next to me. A plague, honestly.]
In the end, I took the silver coin out and put it in my pants pocket, as far from Brown as possible. The “counselor” inside it didn’t seem to mind much....
-You’re very eloquent, sir.
Thank you....
The counselor seemed almost a little pleased, but soon, as if taking in the surroundings, it muttered thoughtfully.
-This is... inside a subway train.
It felt like my mind snapped awake.
Right. Juror No. 1 had seemed like someone from the Se-gwang Special City Disaster Management Bureau.
They say this is a shelter built by a Team Azure Dragon agent. ...Do you know anything related to that?
Soon, a voice came, as if it had carefully thought it through.
-My memory after the day of the disaster isn’t very intact, but I can make a guess.
-If an agent built it, wouldn’t they have been trying to make the train itself safe?
The train itself?
Then there should be traces left somewhere that can affect the entire train....
If we’re talking about the train’s core facilities, there’s only one thing that comes to mind.
The driver’s cab.
The very front car of this train.
A zone that’s basically the same as a system window.
But the problem was that this Train Shelter’s power was split between the front cars and the rear cars.
And the front cars were hostile and exclusionary to outsiders... with a strange sense of superiority or chosenness.
Now that I think about it, maybe it’s because the driver’s cab is there.
...Hm.
While making sure Bronze Agent—still looking headache-ridden—could rest, I went ahead and met someone else.
"Mr. Mountain Goat."
"Mr. Noru...."
Ko Yeongeun looked, thankfully, like her complexion was better than last time.
But she seemed to be checking my face, and lowered her voice to ask,
"Did something bad happen?"
"Huh? Ah—both something good and something bad did happen. Personally."
Getting my body back is good, human sacrifice is bad. That kind of thing.
But Ko Yeongeun, unexpectedly, let out a sigh of relief at my reaction.
"That’s a relief."
"What?"
"Your complexion wasn’t great, but you look more comfortable than before."
"......Thank you."
I laughed with Ko Yeongeun for a moment, then went serious and got to the point.
"For a while... it would be better if people from the Train Shelter don’t go toward the casino side."
"What?"
Ko Yeongeun, who looked a little flustered, read the mood, hardened her face, and asked quickly,
"I wasn’t going anyway after that time... but how long do we need to avoid it?"
"Probably within a few days, we’ll get word."
I recalled.
"They said they’d send a signal when it’s wrapped up."
***
Agent Haegum lifted her head.
In front of her, a door that looked like the entrance to an illegal gambling den was planted right there in the subway.
Brings back memories.
Casino ghost stories were usually extreme.
Either a flashy, high-end casino, or a shabby gambling house that looked dangerous to anyone.
This seemed closer to the latter, but Agent Haegum didn’t need to guess rashly. She’d already heard everything from someone with experience.
And behind her, two Daydream Inc. employees were following.
"What do you think, Team Leader?"
The young man in the pony mask spoke politely; he looked affable at a glance, but his eyes overflowed with desire.
Greed for wealth!
-Oh my, it’s a senior I’m meeting for the first time!
Agent Haegum’s face as she looked back at the employee who’d been smooth-talking from the moment they met... was covered by a Daydream Inc.-style mask.
A white owl mask.
Originally, she’d considered using a Hahoe mask—specifically a middling one—but... she’d decided it was better not to reveal her agent status at all.
Inside this unfamiliar mask, she was scanning the next person.
"Are we going in now?"
The one wearing a butterfly mask was dressed so sharply it was like every crease had been ironed out of existence. Even their shining nails and upscale shoes.
But atop a tall, slender build, behind that flashy mask, the eyes were so cold they made you freeze—laced with faint irritation.
If they hadn’t come here as the team leader of this temporary team, they would’ve had to fight for hierarchy at the start.
Mm. Good.
They really looked like they had no blood or tears.
More than anything, she knew them.
With a small sense of emotion at the fact that the butterfly employee she’d once put into a glass prison had been promoted to the elite team, Agent Haegum looked them over.
Hiding her identity unilaterally was useful in this way.
"Let’s enter."
Agent Haegum immediately pulled out a pouch from her chest. A pile of Body Casino coins she’d received from Agent Podo.
Operating funds for this exploration.
After she lifted the shining coins one by one and handed them out to the group, she stepped into Body Casino.
"That’s the operating capital?"
The pony mask’s eyes flashed as he looked at the heavy pouch.
"Haha, of course, I know we’ll be playing as a team and all, but...."
"No. We’re not doing it that way."
"...What?"
Smiling, Agent Haegum split the coins into three piles on the spot.
"Here."
"...!"
"Spend it however you want."
Soon, each person had their share of the stakes in their hands.
Agent Haegum swept her eyes between them through the mask.
"Just know this: even if you get into debt, I won’t save you."
"Understood!"
What an obvious thing to say!
The pony mask took the money, nearly shooting beams out of his eyes, and then glanced slyly at Deputy Nabi.
"Deputy, maybe..."
"Get lost."
"Yup!"
And just like that, the party scattered.
Kang Ihak running to the slot machines, and Jinnasol striding without hesitation into the dealer room.
Agent Haegum watched them act exactly as they pleased, wearing a strange smile.
It was at the exact same time Kim Soleum was gawking in shock at the talking coin on the train.
***
Whew.
By now, they’ve probably entered the casino.
If it’s Agent Haegum, she’ll be doing fine. I’d even told her to make sure she prepared a way to escape the casino if needed.
I should focus on the train.
That was why I was talking to the person in front of me right now, too.
Ko Yeongeun’s aunt—the Station Attendant.
"You said you want to settle on the train?"
"Yes."
"...Mm. That’ll be difficult."
I knew it would be hard to take in more when they’d already taken in two.
"Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to take me in as a shelter resident. I want a long-term stay in Car 8."
When I added that I’d buy a proper long-term stay ticket, the Station Attendant nodded.
"You don’t even need to tell me that separately, though."
"Ah, it’s because there’s something I’d like to request.... Is it possible to buy other permissions, too?"
"What kind of permission?"
"I want to sell supplies in Car 7, too."
"Mm...."
After thinking for a moment, the Station Attendant nodded for now.
"All right. But we’ll talk again after I see the list of items."
"Thank you."
Done.
I’ve already thought through the items.
I nodded as well, then added the decisive line.
"Also—when I come for a long-term stay, I think I’ll come looking different than I do now."
"...You mean you’ll be disguising yourself?"
"Rather than a disguise... a different status, I guess. And from then on...."
People remember impressions more than details.
No one in the front cars would remember my face properly. They wouldn’t have any clairvoyance; they’d just remember clothing or masks.
In that sense, if I took off my mask, messed up my hair, put on glasses, and hunched my body, it would be hard to recognize me.
"Please call me Podo."
...It’s been a while.
Agent Podo.
I immediately went down to the platform and started changing clothes.
[So what bold choice will you make this time, friend?]
[I’m remembering a wonderful train episode we went through together. My friend played the cult leader role so cheekily and splendidly....]
[How about it—will you tell the truth to those seeking a mental sign to cling to in an extreme environment, once again?]
Uhhh....
It was when I was choosing my words.
-Doll teacher, have you ever considered that your manner of speaking might be putting too much pressure on the other person?
H-hey, wait.
[Oh.]
[Go on.]
-Your friend probably has a life they want to live, too, but constantly watching your mood might not be satisfying.
-And maybe you yourself aren’t comfortable with this atmosphere, either.
[My god.... It feels like I’ve been cast on some cheap therapy program.]
Please stop.
With a feeling like cold sweat was about to break out, I hurriedly cut in.
Um... thank you for looking out for me. But actually, the method I thought of from the start is similar to what Brown said.
[Ah, I see!]
This wasn’t empty flattery to soothe the ghost-story host with some “you really nailed it” talk.
In a small, isolated society like this, nothing’s easier to wield influence with than a cult.
And I’d even used it once already on the Train to Tamra.
But the conditions were different this time, so as an outsider, I planned to approach it in a different way.
But I’m not the cult leader.
[Hm?]
I’m going to be a sycophant.
A suffocating silence fell.
-...What?
The Number One worshiper.
[Mr. Noru, whose sycophant are you saying you’ll become? Good heavens—my friend taking the role of worshiping someone. Then how amazing must the cult leader be? Let’s see...]
You.
[Oh.]
And so, I began secretly spreading rabbit-doll worship ideology on the train.