In the ghost story <Death Lane>, each alley has its own theme.
Just like how shops in real life often cluster together by type, forming a commercial district. Of course, these alleys appear unpredictably, and their occurrence rates vary.
Confirmed sections of Death Lane:
1- Street vendors
2- Bookstores
3- Pets
4- Jewelry
5- Everyday goods
6- Lighting
……
Currently, we were in the alley that sells everyday goods.
But somehow, I was heading straight for the most uninviting shop in this alley.
A butcher shop displaying hanging, writhing organs and flesh.
Wriggle, wriggle.
‘Think of it as a haunted house.’
It’s fine. Nothing here looks like its original form in life. They’re just parts. I’ll pretend this is an animatronic attraction at an amusement park…
Wait, no. Thinking about amusement parks just reminds me of Cheerful Theme Park, and that’s even scarier!
‘C-Calm down.’
I can’t back down now.
Feigning composure, I took steady steps toward the butcher shop.
Fresh Meat Butcher Shop
Beneath the red and blue lights shining on the glass window, the shopkeeper, who had been sharpening a knife on a stone, raised their head.
A hulking figure in a blood-soaked apron.
Upon closer inspection…
A skinned cow with only chunks of flesh left on its head stared back at us.
Creak.
It gestured toward us, as if inviting us closer with the promise of good service.
“S-Supervisor, wait!”
Kang Yihak stepped in front of me.
“Haha, uh, I don’t think we need anything from this shop. Let’s check out another one!”
“But the shopkeeper’s already signaling us. It’d feel rude not to go in.”
– Ah, quite right. It’s good manners, after all!
“No!”
Realizing her voice had grown too loud, Kang Yihak quickly lowered it, speaking urgently.
“The manual explicitly says not to enter meat-themed alleys…!”
She was correct.
Manual Entry : Meat-Themed Alleys
– Upon discovering a meat-themed alley in Death Lane, do not enter. Stay in the previous alley.
– If entry is unavoidable (e.g., being chased by a vendor), block out sound using earbuds and walk 1,000 steps as quickly as possible to move to the next alley.
– If a companion gets caught up in a vendor’s sampling offer, leave them behind and move ahead at a faster pace.
Just reading these instructions was enough to send chills down one’s spine.
“That’s true.”
“Oh, so you remember? Then—”
“So?”
“……?!”
“I want to shop.”
And with that, I strode toward the butcher shop.
“Mr. Roe Deer…!”
I’m sorry, Mr. Buffalo! You’re free to run if you want…!
But I could hear the footsteps of both my companions following me. Apparently, they’d decided to stick with me.
Huh. I thought they’d bolt.
‘Maybe I’m the one who wanted to run the most…’
But if I stopped now, I’d likely end up dragged around by Kang Yihak’s schemes again. So, I kept moving forward.
Eventually, the three of us stood side by side in front of the brightly lit butcher shop, with its grotesque display of writhing body parts…
Of course, I was at the front.
Haa.
……
The skinned cow stared at me.
‘Uuuugh.’
I couldn’t look too closely.
I unfocused my eyes and glanced near the shopkeeper’s neck, but the sight of pulsing veins made me quickly shift my gaze to their bloodstained apron.
The apron was somehow less disturbing.
“Hello. Do you offer fresh packages by any chance?”
N…od.
“You have a lot of good cuts here. Hmm… could I see the front limbs?”
Thud.
The skinned cow’s head moved, opening the glass door.
From within, the ‘front limbs’ were pulled out and displayed before me.
…Still writhing, still alive.
An animal’s paw.
A primate’s hand.
A primate’s hand.
Tentacles?
An animal’s paw.
A primate’s hand…
And then, a trembling human hand, with a ringed finger, desperately scraping against the glass floor…
‘Urgh.’
I had to hold it together.
Feigning indifference, I looked down at the display.
…There wasn’t a suitable left hand among them.
‘What a pity.’
Having endured this mental torment, it’d be nice to get some kind of reward out of it.
Pushing aside thoughts of Assistant Manager Eun Haje, I paused for a moment before speaking to the butcher.
“Something with sturdy bones would be better for a rich broth… Hmm. Do you happen to have anything with eyes?”
Thud!
Having already been declined once, the shopkeeper’s movements grew rough. I could faintly hear my companions holding their breath behind me.
I, too, took a deep breath to suppress my fear.
‘The display…’
The front limbs were cleared away, revealing rows of eyeballs before me.
A black-sclera eye with violet irises.
A fist-sized blue eye.
A lens with bits of flesh still attached.
A white, trembling eye, unfocused.
And… a desperate dark brown eye, gazing at me.
‘Haa.’
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them.
“That one looks good.”
I pointed to the first one displayed—the black eye with the glinting violet iris.
“I’d like to buy it. No need to cut it up.”
……
The skinned cow stared blankly at me before extending its hand.
A clear gesture—payment was required.
Kang Yihak murmured in a small voice.
“…Supervisor, maybe you should subtly check what form of payment they want…”
“No need.”
I retrieved a box from my tattoo inventory.
Thud.
A heavy box filled with corn and carrots landed in front of the shop.
“……??”
“……?!”
“I’ll pay with this.”
When attempting barter at this butcher shop, the items must be food consumable by cattle.
That’s right. While the shops in Death Lane often use peculiar currencies, we don’t have access to them.
‘So we have to rely on bartering.’
Since each shop accepts different goods, I’d stuffed my tattoo inventory with a mix of daily necessities, jewelry, and snacks… including a box of vegetables.
Of course, some shops demand something no sane person would willingly give, but this should suffice here.
“How much of this would you like?”
……
The butcher extended its hand to take the entire pile of vegetables.
My companions, who had been silently horrified by my inventory trick, suddenly looked relieved.
“Oh, the trade went through…”
“Hold on. All of it?”
“……?!”
I frowned and interrupted.
“That’s too expensive. I mean, no matter how fresh it’s been packaged, there should be limits. It wasn’t easy for me to bring these here in such good condition…”
“M-Mr. Roe Deer…?!”
My companions now stared at me as if I’d lost my mind, but I kept talking.
“Did you raise the price just because I selected it? Or is this a general supply issue?”
N…od.
“I see, you’ve been struggling. But even so, this goes over my budget… Huu.”
I let the silence hang deliberately.
The shopkeeper remained silent as well.
The skinned cow’s head seemed to blankly watch me before finally moving toward what appeared to be the cash register. It returned holding a handful of rusted coins, with all numbers and letters printed in reverse.
The local currency.
‘Yes!’
Success…!!
Not all shops accept bartering, and in those cases, you need coins to escape!
– Ah, how perfectly scripted! The joy of a well-prepared performance!
Smiling, I accepted the coins.
“This change will do. Thank you. I’ll take my purchase now.”
……!
The skinned shopkeeper excitedly rose and began packaging the item I bought.
The wildly rolling black eye was sealed in transparent liquid and handed to me in a plastic wrap.
I tried my best not to look too closely at either the coins or the item.
“Thank… you.”
And then—
Drip.
Blood splattered from the shopkeeper’s apron onto my face.
And onto Jang Heo-un’s face as well.
“……!”