In the midst of the chaos of a ghost story where people were dying, a survival ticket appeared.

Just like in a movie.

And it wasn’t an illusion.

‘If you take the lost item mentioned in the announcement, you’ll be guided out of the station as soon as you meet the station staff…’

It was indeed a glimmer of hope.

The problem was that the lost item mentioned in the announcement was absurdly grotesque.

“What did it just say? A male in his twenties…?”

“The left eye of a type-A male in his twenties.”

Go Yeongeun dropped her head, her face hollow.

“Type-A must be referring to… blood type, right?”

“Yes…”

A heavy silence fell. Everyone seemed frightened already.

‘…Should I just let this go?’

If we get off at the right station, everyone can survive. If one person escapes early, the mood might get weird and cause unnecessary conflict.

But things didn’t unfold that easily.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to find it?”

“Yeah, you never know what might happen…”

These new hires were so focused on the announcement that they couldn’t just let it go.

‘…Let’s see how this plays out.’

“By the way, how old are you…?”

“Oh, I’m in my 30s.”

“You look young for your age. Oh, and I’m blood type B, so I don’t count.”

“Same here…”

Everyone started checking to see if they fit the description of a ‘20-something male with blood type A’.

But no one matched the conditions exactly, and soon the question turned to me.

“Kim Soleum-ssi, by any chance…?”

I answered simply.

“I’m type AB.”

It was actually a lie.

I’m blood type A.

‘But there’s no reason to reveal that I’m the target.’

If people thought I was trying to gain an advantage, they might misunderstand and refuse to listen to me later.

“I see. Then, what about you, Baek Saheon-ssi…?”

“Wait a second.”

Suddenly, the person sitting across from me raised his hand with a serious expression.

“Actually… I fit the criteria exactly!”

“Oh!”

He spoke in a rather grave tone, probably because he was worried he might die if things went wrong.

‘He doesn’t need to worry about that, though.’

And the reason he suddenly confessed became clear.

[This stop is Anger, Anger Station.]

The announcement for the next station had just been made.

The station where the station staff would be waiting to collect the lost item.

The new hire who had stepped forward looked tense.

“Is there no one else?”

“Yes… it seems that way.”

“Damn.”

Baek Saheon, who had been listening to the conversation next to me, sighed and then asked him—

[The doors are on your right.]

“You said you’re blood type A?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Too bad.”

And then a fist flew.

“……?!”

A brutal, sickening sound echoed as Baek Saheon’s fist mercilessly struck the left eye of the new hire who had confessed to being an A-type 20-something male.

Baek Saheon had struck him with his smartphone, using the corner to hit his eye, as if he didn’t care if it burst.

“Ugh—!”

And just as the person collapsed without even managing to scream—

[The doors are opening.]

Baek Saheon leapt over the fallen man and exited the train.

“Wh-what… just…”

“AAAGH!!”

“Who the hell are you?!”

The others, too late to react, screamed in shock.

Baek Saheon chuckled softly.

“You morons. If one eye is all it takes to escape, just do it already!”

“……!”

“It said we could get off the train!”

It seemed Baek Saheon had accurately understood the nuances of the announcement.

 

– If you’ve found the lost item, please disembark at the next station and hand it over to the station staff.

 

Even though there had been a hint to pay attention to the announcements, it was an incredibly bold move.

“Well, it’s hard to expect that kind of reasoning from someone who expects others to take responsibility for their own survival.”

“What?!”

On top of that, Baek Saheon calmly continued his blunt remarks. It was as if he was certain no one would dare follow him off the train.

And he was right.

Everyone had already seen what happened when you got off at the wrong station.

“That, that guy…”

Go Yeongeun was so enraged that her face turned red, but for the first time, I felt a sense of clarity.

It made sense!

His nickname was ‘Viper’.

The portrayal of Baek Saheon in <Dark Exploration Records>—it now made sense that it came from a personality like this.

I thought he might be okay since he was a new hire and hadn’t yet been corrupted by society, but it seemed this was just his natural personality.

[The doors are closing.]

Meanwhile, Baek Saheon waved towards the train with a smug smile, clearly pleased with his successful escape.

Even if it meant giving up someone’s left eye.

‘That guy…’

But… the thing is…

‘It wasn’t necessary.’

While everyone was focused on Baek Saheon, I quietly reached my hand up to the luggage compartment.

‘I definitely saw it earlier.’

And as I reached deeper, I grabbed something hidden in a blind spot, like magic.

I pulled it down to check.

Inside a strange, portable lens case was… an eyeball.

And a label.

 

[Type A / Female / 27 / R]

 

This was… another lost item candidate.

‘A lost item isn’t something you lose yourself—it’s something someone else loses, right?’

In fact, this announcement was more of a treasure hunt, where you had to disembark with the lost item that perfectly matched the description from among a few candidates in the luggage compartment.

There were even cases where people had randomly handed over what they had and managed to escape.

‘So now Baek Saheon is part of that statistic.’

But what if he found out he didn’t actually have to sacrifice that guy’s left eye?

The screen door had already closed. As the train was about to depart, I briefly made eye contact with Baek Saheon, who was turning toward the platform.

I raised the lens case with the eyeball in it, making sure he could see it clearly through the window.

I had covered the label, so only one thing would be visible.

The eyeball.

-…!!

Through the glass door, Baek Saheon’s expression changed as he realized what it was.

But by then, it was too late.

[The train is now departing from Anger Station.]

The train began to move.

I looked back at the new hire Baek Saheon had attacked.

Judging by the wound on his left eye, Baek Saheon had tried to eliminate another ‘correct lost item’ besides his own.

‘He must have thought only one lost item would be acknowledged.’

I couldn’t blame him for trying to survive by escaping on his own, but… he had crossed a line.

I turned my head back toward the door.

From far behind, I heard the sound of someone furiously pounding on the sliding doors.

And faintly, in the distance of the departing platform, I thought I could hear the agonized screams of someone enduring a strange kind of pain.

[The lost item has been successfully handed over to the station staff.]