The ghost story taxi is calling us.
From beyond the main door.
Honk honk.
If we get on it and just follow the manual correctly, we can definitely reach Seoul Station…
The problem is how to get on that taxi.
‘It’s parked outside the shop’s main door.’
This was the reason we searched for a shop with a main door in the first place—because the alleys of Death End Alley are too narrow for a taxi to park.
‘So, to call the taxi and get on, we’ll need to step outside the main door….’
But there’s no telling what kind of scene awaits us outside the main door, or whether Team Leader Lee Jaheon and I will make it out safely.
So, we’ve prepared a contingency plan.
Using the items from this shop.
‘I was planning to stop by anyway, and coincidentally, this shop has a main door, so I got everything done at once.’
I swallowed hard.
“Team Leader, please proceed as planned.”
“Yes.”
Team Leader Lee Jaheon reached into the paper bag he was holding and swiftly tore off the packaging.
Along with the cozy socks, an extra item also came into view.
A small ball of yarn.
True to the handmade shop’s style, it seemed like it was included for adding new patterns to the socks, but this time, it would be used differently.
“Let’s begin.”
I avoided the shopkeeper’s gaze, unraveled one end of the red yarn, and tied it tightly to the leg of a display shelf in the shop.
Then, I divided the ball of yarn in half and handed one part to Team Leader Lee Jaheon.
Though it would limit our movements, it was safer for both of us to hold the yarn directly.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
I unraveled the yarn slowly while standing with my back to the frosted glass door, walking backward…
And the moment my back touched the glass door, I groped downward and grabbed the handle.
Click.
As I pushed the handle, a gust of wind rushed in from outside.
And the raw sound of a car horn.
Honk honk.
Don’t look back.
I matched my steps with Team Leader Lee Jaheon and walked backward slowly.
Fortunately, I have a ‘kind friend’ to act as my eyes.
“– Just keep walking backward in that direction, my friend! There aren’t many pedestrians since it’s nighttime."
…Pedestrians? No, let’s not be curious.
I kept my gaze fixed on the inside of the shop and continued walking backward without looking at the dark surroundings.
The yarn hanging inside the shop was connecting me to ‘Death End Alley.’
In a sense, it’s a kind of lifeline.
‘As long as I’m holding onto this, I won’t be missing!’
Slowly, slowly, retreat without haste…
Thud.
My body made contact with something.
Honk honk.
…It’s the taxi.
The honk blared again, and my body vibrated through the car’s frame.
Carefully, I reached backward and felt along the smooth body of the car…
“– Just one palm’s width to the left.”
I adjusted my hand and felt a smooth groove.
‘The handle.’
I grabbed the car handle and pulled it.
Then, I got into the taxi and squeezed myself inside.
I had no time to reflect on the modern and clean interior of the car.
I glanced under the seat and moved to the side, and Team Leader Lee Jaheon immediately took the empty spot.
Then, I threw away the remaining ball of yarn in my hand and closed the door.
Thanks to immense strength, everything happened in an instant.
Bang.
“…….”
I barely managed to lift my head.
And on the driver’s seat in front, I spoke to the taxi driver wearing an eerily immaculate suit and cap.
“To Seoul Station, please.”
…….
[The estimated arrival time is 43 minutes.]
The car started smoothly.
‘Phew.’
I leaned deeply against the backrest and let out a sigh of relief.
For now, I did it!
‘Switching ghost stories… successful.’
Of course, this taxi itself is a ghost story, so I can’t let my guard down.
I quickly recalled the relevant wiki entry.
The notorious ghost story of the ‘Hell Surcharge Taxi,’ whose name alone suggests payment issues.
The taxi’s exterior is mostly described as a black luxury sedan of German make.
The car model varies with each call, but it can be identified by the orange taxi sign and the golden inverted cross on the front mirror.
I looked at the driver’s seat.
…On the front mirror, a foreboding golden inverted cross dangled and swayed.
Confirmed.
‘Hoo.’
Even though it’s going as planned, tension crept up my spine.
Maybe it’s because I’m confined in the limited space of a taxi.
Along with the pressure of being in a scary story where there’s no escape no matter what happens…
Tick-tock.
The meter rises.
[10000]
[10100]
[10200]
Very fast.
“Driver.”
I needed to start talking quickly.
The more the driver loses interest in the passenger, the faster the vehicle speeds up, and the meter rises rapidly.
And when the meter rises….
The taxi passenger receives a curse equivalent to the meter amount upon getting off.
Yes.
The fare of this taxi isn’t about collecting money but assigning curses.
To be precise, it’s less of a curse and more like ‘a supernaturally occurring bad thing,’ which made it even more chilling.
However, if the driver maintains interest in the passenger and drives slowly, the meter rises slowly, and the ‘curse’ remains within a tolerable range for the passenger.
In the opposite case…
‘The moment you get off a taxi racing like crazy, you’ll be struck with an unbearable curse.’
Moreover, the taxi’s speed doesn’t mean it’ll arrive at the destination earlier.
Every taxi arrives on time, and its speed has nothing to do with the estimated arrival time.
The time assigned to me is 43 minutes.
During this time, I had to constantly keep the other party’s interest.
‘They say that as the car speeds up, there’s a higher chance of bizarre phenomena like the windows shattering….’
I absolutely don’t want to experience that.
Still, I’ve read the records, so don’t I know what kind of conversation the other party would find interesting?
That’s correct.
The problem is, there are four candidates for the ‘other party’!
The taxi has four drivers working in shifts, and they refer to each other by numbers.
They look identical but show subtle differences in how they treat passengers and have distinct preferences for conversation topics.
They look identical, so you can’t tell who’s who. But if you bluntly ask which number they are, they’ll show displeasure and kick you out of the taxi.
‘And the person kicked out becomes missing….’
Therefore, the only way to find out who they are is through conversation.
According to exploration records, the keywords each driver was confirmed to show interest in are as follows:
Number 1: Olympics, elections, pets, games, SNS.
Number 2: War, mafia, action movies, vampire legends, firearms.
Number 3: Fine dining, farming, economic recessions, slum tourism, luxury goods.
Number 4: The afterlife, religious experiences, pandemics, mass killings, ■■■.
Thus, the original strategy started with figuring out as quickly as possible which number the driver belonged to through the first conversation.
But you see.
If you have this much exploration data stored in your head, you can try something else.
A way of conversing to get out of this taxi in the most intact state possible.
[Passenger.]
“…….”
The first question had already begun.
From the front seat, a subtly mocking and arrogant voice flowed from the driver operating the vehicle…
[How was your day today?]
“Just worked.”
[Ah, I see.]
The driver doesn’t directly express preferences for the passenger’s chatter and only asks questions.
But the meter answers.
[10500]
[10700]
[10900]
[11200]
It’s going wild.
“– Goodness, doesn’t this driver understand the concept of small talk? My friend, if you’d like, a capable broadcaster like me could chime in…."
‘It’s fine.’
This was the outcome I expected. I quickly and nonchalantly followed up with the next words.
“But I almost died at work.”
Stop.
“I went to buy meat at the butcher’s and almost became the meat myself.”
The meter stopped.
[11300]
“Fortunately, the shop owner turned out to be a vegetarian. I bartered some produce and got out. Even won the negotiation and got some money.”
[…….]
The driver’s fingers tapping on the steering wheel slowed down.
…The vehicle slows down.
[And what happened next?]
Phew.
“I headed to the back alley.”
‘It worked.’
You’re asking what I’m doing?
‘I’m tying as many correct keywords as possible into my responses.’
So that whichever driver is sitting there, they’ll be interested.
It’s called the ‘There’s got to be at least one thing you’re interested in’ strategy.
And as it happens, my current situation naturally allows me to bring up all sorts of provocative topics.
‘I’ve gone through so many twists and turns in the past six months.’
[What will you be doing tomorrow?]
It’s not easy to run out of things to talk about.
“First, I’m planning to rest and sort out everything that’s happened so far. It’s been quite eventful.”
No matter what the taxi driver asked, I kept steering the conversation toward stimulating and talkative topics.
And I kept weaving them together.
Nightmares, food, blood, violence, survival, mascots, cooking, fortune-telling, ghosts…
All of them blended into the everyday conversation.
In the end, the vehicle moved forward slowly, like a bicycle.
I kept talking endlessly, filling the audio space to a level that even Braun had marveled at a few times.
And just as my voice was about to give out.
[…We’ve arrived.]
The taxi stopped.
[Your destination, ‘Seoul Station.’]
Click.
The lock on the taxi’s rear door was released. The tinted window rolled down, revealing a familiar view…
It was the night view of Seoul Station.
‘Hah…!’
I’m so relieved I feel like crying.
I wanted to rush out immediately, but first I had to settle the bill.
I looked at the meter.
[29700]
[29800]
Click.
The driver stopped the meter.
[29800]
‘I did it…!’
Ending in the 20,000-won range is usually only possible for a distance within 10 minutes.
At this level, there should be no permanent damage.
[Payment Settlement.]
The taxi driver extended his hand behind his back.
In that hand, there was a check.
-29,900 / Code 1
I carefully accepted the paper check, stamped with a snake-shaped wax seal, in a classic style….
There was an explanation written on the back.
The code indicating the curse the passenger would receive.
Fare Code 1: Illness.
-Three days of high fever, headache, hemoptysis, and chills.
Alright.
‘That's just fine.’
It was far better than having my financial luck plummet or someone close to me dying.
“Thank you.”
Holding the check in hand, I gave a deep bow to the driver's seat and finally escaped the taxi.
‘Ha.’
The winter air could be this good…
Knock knock.
“…!”
The window of the taxi driver's seat rolls down halfway.
[Passenger.]
I almost fainted.
“Yes.”
[It was an enjoyable conversation. My colleagues also seem interested in your story….]
In the darkness, a hand wearing white gloves, holding the steering wheel, taps lightly with its fingers….
[Let’s meet after we retire. I’ll buy you a drink then.]
I swallowed hard.
…Perhaps, did they notice?
In fact, the driver of this taxi has a very clear and famous motif.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
A pun-based urban legend where the Horsemen of Conquest, War, Famine, and Death literally work as taxi drivers of the apocalypse.
Based on this, if we analyze the current situation… the statement just made is one that causes cold sweat to pour.
However, you can calmly nod your head.
“Yes.”
The Horsemen of the Apocalypse cannot retire until the end of the world comes!
Before that, I will return.
“It would be nice if there’s a chance. Then good luck with your work.”
[Hahaha… Yes. How tedious.]
The taxi window goes back up.
The black vehicle slipped out of Seoul Station like a ghost.
Leaving only the scarlet taxi sign behind.
“…….”
I looked at the minus check I was holding.
At that moment.
The check burned up, and hemoptysis started.
“Urgh.”
The high fever and headache burned my head, but they were bearable.
And a lizard was staring at such a sight of me.
Similarly, it was dripping blood through its snout.
‘Aaargh.’
It wasn’t a particularly good sight, but with no other choice, I swallowed the blood-mixed saliva and spoke.
“Um, this will heal in three days. It seemed like… such a rule.”
“Yes.”
“And thank you. For not questioning how I knew and for trusting me in the taxi. Cough.”
The lizard stared at me coughing blood-mixed saliva.
“Mr. Kim Sol-eum.”
“Yes?”
“Please take sick leave.”
“Yes….”
After a while.
We waited until the hemoptysis stopped a bit, then called another taxi and returned to the company residence.
Although taking another taxi felt uncomfortable, there were no other incidents, and the section chief and I, except for the high fever, successfully returned home safely.
‘To think that Team Leader Lee Jaheon was also living in the company residence building.’
Anyway, we parted ways in front of the building.
“Please take sick leave.”
“Yes… Thank you.”
Let’s have more detailed discussions later at the office.
‘Phew.’
Like that….
I returned safely.
‘Even if it’s just a company residence, the house is still nice.’
When I opened the door and came in, the unique warmth of the heated room wafted.
It almost felt pleasurable.
Since I was also feeling sick, I just wanted to take a hot shower right away and sleep deeply, but….
Hmm, you see, there’s one more thing to do.
‘Huh.’
I checked the shoes at the entrance that weren’t mine.
They are Baek Saheon’s shoes.
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