It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 091

A gloomy alley.

A dark, musty atmosphere filled with creatures that weren’t human, creating a noise and strange ambiance, feeling oddly out of place even in the night market.

And staring at me from the alley’s entrance, strange beings under the gaslight.

Uniformed, hollow-eyed figures.

– Ugh, this is a place you’d hesitate to tread on with shoes.

But I had to go.

And I mustn’t let my colleagues know that I froze for a moment at that sight…!

Squelch.

I stepped into the back alley.

My colleagues followed right behind me.

Squelch, squelch.

As we walked between narrow walls, shadows danced beneath the dim gaslight, passing side doors tightly packed on either side.

“……”

It’s bizarre.

As if I’d stepped into a distorted image where endless side doors stretched infinitely.

And the gazes watching us as we walked between the doors.

‘Ha.’

Those in tattered, filthy uniforms. Abnormally emaciated black bodies stood silently against the walls.

Turning only their heads toward us.

– Of course, eyes on the star are inevitable! But rest is also necessary. This Brown can momentarily lift that burden, just as I always do….

I wanted to scream and beg them to do so….

‘No. It’s fine.’

‘”Turning off the lights” shouldn’t be used now.

‘Maybe I can ask it for later when it’s really necessary.’

– Of course!

Yeah. I have to endure.

‘We have to stick to the plan.’

I swallowed hard and kept walking.

Just as a chill crept down my spine, making my legs stiffen, the moment became difficult to continue.

“…Huh?”

At my colleague’s gasp, I suddenly looked up.

Endlessly lined strange side doors, the uniformed monstrosities, and….

Just one.

A door slightly ajar.

“……”

The doorframe protruded slightly.

From between the door’s gap, black darkness peeked through.

‘Wow, really.’

It was just like a horror movie. My eyelids quivered.

But I had to say this.

“That door is slightly open. It looks like a sign of welcome. Let’s go in.”

“Yes!”

“Oh… I see!”

“……”

‘Shouldn’t I be properly convinced by such nonsense…!’

Still, I had to do it.

Taking a deep breath, I approached the lone ajar side door. A flood of terror urged me to run the closer I got, but I restrained myself.

Instead, I leaned down just enough to peek through the narrow black opening inside….

I was met with bloodshot eyes.

“…!!”

I had expected it. Absolutely, absolutely don’t panic or do something stupid….

I carefully pushed through what I was holding in my hand through the door’s crack.

A pack of cigarettes.

“……”

My hand trembled.

Something very cold seemed to brush against my fingertips…….

Creek.

The side door swung wide open.

‘……Phew.’

In this alley, entering the stores is strictly prohibited, but temporarily, explorations might occur using addictive goods like alcohol or cigarettes.

I did it…!

I reclaimed my empty hands, which had suddenly lost the cigarettes, grit my teeth.

Wow, I felt like crying…….

“Opening a dealer’s door with a five thousand won investment for a pack of cigarettes! Indeed, fortune is not chased; it’s created. Chief!”

“Indeed…!”

“……”

Honestly, I would feel better if someone persuaded me so that I could stroll around like that….

But for now, I had no choice but to move forward in lamenting my role as the persuader.

‘Crap.’

The bloodshot eyes had vanished. Instead, a faint smell of cigarettes wafted in from somewhere, but where.

‘Much better.’

I exhaled a sigh of relief as I took a step inside.

“……”

It was very dark, but I could faintly distinguish the outlines. Boxes and goods covered with black cloth piled up like a maze.

The smell of a stale warehouse lingered.

“Ah, if this were a Warehouse Mart or an inventory clearance spot, it would be perfect! There would be a lot of items to grab at low prices….”

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

I pushed through the boxes and finally found what I was looking for.

“…! Doe, over there….”

“Yes.”

There was another door further inside.

It looked similar to the one we had pushed through, but it was less worn and cleaner.

‘……Guess I’ll have to open this one too?’

Let’s be thankful it’s not the very last one.

I stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob.

And pulled with all my strength….

A dazzling, colorful light poked at my eyes.

“…!!”

As the pouring light gradually restored my briefly blurred vision over a few seconds, I took in the entire space.

A dazzling spectacle filled my field of vision.

Elegant chandeliers made of crystal and brass, with deep-hued wooden frames structured throughout, golden picture frames hung on the walls, and thick, glossy green velvet curtains draped decoratively.

But more overwhelming than that.

Ivory-colored torsos missing their lower halves lined three walls, each adorned with incomplete suits and dresses.

And among them, hands clad in white gloves without bodies were measuring fabric and finishing the tailoring!

My colleagues gaped open-mouthed.

“W-what is this place…?”

What’s going on suddenly from a shady back alley, right?

To put it simply….

‘What was truly a back alley back there.’

Confirmed Death End Street alleys so far:

38. Boutique Back Alley

We had entered through the filthy back alleys of these glamorous high-end shops.

Of course, we were not legitimate customers.

Just thieves sneaking in with a bribe of a pack of cigarettes, among a crowd of laborers and dismissed homeless in places that resembled a poorhouse.

But using irregularity in a horror story isn’t a first.

‘If worse comes to worst, we’ll run.’

If it gets discovered that we’ve trespassed unlawfully, it could get pretty ugly, but at that time, I could ask Brown to erase our presence and make a run for it.

‘The back door escape route is secured now.’

Wasn’t that exactly why I had been holding off asking Brown until now!

I moved forward.

“Wow…!”

Don’t be amazed, everyone….

In contrast to my troubled feelings, the gloved hands working on the torso reacted seamlessly.

Whoosh!

With a light whistling sound, the bodies of the gloves appeared suddenly in mid-air.

It was the body of a mannequin dressed in luxurious navy uniforms.

Similar to what I had seen back in the alley, but much cleaner, tidier, with a lot more detail.

And even the head popped out.

The drawn face of the mannequin.

‘Ugh.’

Let’s not gaze.

I hastily looked down.

It was bizarre yet tolerable.

Anyway, the mannequin employee greeted me politely with a deep bow, then gestured for me to follow.

If you follow that, you’ll disappear.

Perhaps… it hinted that during “membership registration,” their identity was discovered, resulting in labor as punishment for the trespass.

Or perhaps they couldn’t afford the registration fee itself.

“……”

Whichever it was, I struggled not to imagine what the many once-worn uniform monsters I had seen in the back alley were originally like.

‘It’s meaningless right now.’

What matters is this alone.

Membership registration is an issue I need to avoid.

‘For now, I’ll approach as if I’d like to buy something at a high price as a non-member.’

If the purchase eligibility is exclusive to members, then I’ll just run. Nothing I sought could be more precious than my life.

But just as I raised my hand to show a friendly gesture….

…!

The faces of the printed mannequins twitched as if that marking was appearing above their heads.

Then, they bowed low once again.

“……”

And the only thing I know that could cause that was one thing….

I turned my arm to check.

As I raised my hand, the white cuffs of my shirt slid down to reveal a Latin word I had become accustomed to.

: Socius :

“…Does this mean I’m confirmed as a member?”

The mannequin bowed deeply.

“……”

This is getting scary.

‘This is the second time already.’

The “thematic park membership” tattoo that the mascot left me bestowed authority from the horror story.

– Socius.
– Means companion, member, kin.

The versatility of Latin!

Just like Brown said, that word indeed conveyed its meaning all over the place.

Even in the Fox Consultation Room, it had come up…

‘…Why did they leave this for me?’

In the past, I might have thought it was a great catch, but things have changed.

I’ve had a severe experience with contamination once.

‘This seems like it will have a strong influence on me as well.’

How should I perceive this unpredictable, powerful mark that didn’t come from reliable summoning methods, unlike a good friend?

But since authentication as a member had already been passed, if I were to get into danger, I should at least use it resourcefully.

“Show me the merchandise.”

The mannequins nodded in unison again, moving toward the torso they had been working on, and they lifted the curtain behind it.

A display case appeared as if by magic.

Inside lay a smooth suit, similar in shape to the one I was currently wearing, but with a deeper color and a strange sheen….

As if asking if I liked it, the mannequins clasped their hands together and looked back at me.

‘…Here we go.’

I raised my hand.

“Excuse me. I’m primarily looking for small gift accessories.”

One thing to keep in mind.

I mustn’t be greedy and take more than I deserve here.

The price will definitely be something a person cannot mentally bear.

Whether it’s barter or money.

So, let’s narrow it down.

“I’d like something casual that I can comfortably wear.”

Immediately, the curtain went down and then rose again.

The briefly covered display case revealed new items as if by magic.

Not torsos but four upper-body mannequins.

From their necks, arms, and fingers, accessories sparkled.

“……”

I found the lightest, least noticeable piece among them.

A delicate silver ring.

It had elegant engravings, but it seemed like it took the least material to make.

It looked to be the cheapest.

“How much for this?”

The mannequins raised their hands in unison and pointed at my companions behind me.

“……”

Yeah.

As recorded in the [Exploration Records], the basic exchange in this boutique is….

Humans.

“……Doe?”

“……”

“Uh, um, what exactly is going on right now…?”

“Ah, I see. Please wrap it up for me.”

The mannequins moved in unison once more, carefully retrieving the ring I picked from the display case.

Then, from somewhere, they brought a luxurious tag adorned with silk string and tied it around the ring, as if inviting me to confirm it.

The tag read… intricately written in tiny letters.

I struggled to read it instead of walking the contaminated, direct shortcut to Death End Street, and asked my good friend.

‘Brown, can you read this for me?’

– No problem! ‘Specialized in tailored garments, eternally resistant to wear and tear. The craftsmanship of a noble artisan always remains in place.’

– Looks like something only a newly wealthy or a famous person dreaming of rapid success could fall for. Oh, and let’s keep this between us, friend!

‘……I see.’

Surely.

‘Eternally resistant, always there’…

I expected to find keywords like that.

Abilities related to persistence or constancy.

In fact, among the exploration records I had thought about earlier in this boutique, the entry “Purchased item: Ring” has a root document.

Some massive mental contamination incident.

The lone surviving employee from that happened to sell three civilians to buy and wear the boutique’s ring.

‘…How could I not remember that?’

It was an incident related to the merchandise I possessed.

That single time when a great disaster happened because of the silver heart.

That train accident.

That’s the longest document recorded among the human error incidents documented by the Disaster Management Bureau, famously noted as a short story in wiki records.

For a ring that played a crucial role in surviving such a large-scale accident without contamination?

It’s almost like this boutique entry was developed to give narrative plausibility and fun to that ring setting.

In other words, the accessories or clothing sold here have been indirectly verified by the wiki.

They resist situations that break the mind’s “consistency” when worn, causing mental confusion or brainwashing.

To sum it up,

‘It can be used as a strong mental defense equipment….’

…A necessary item for me, who nearly had a huge problem due to a prior contamination.

“……”

I raised my head.

“This ring looks great; I’ll take it.”