“Ahh, this person is from the same recruitment batch as mine. I heard he took a vacation leave and was on his way to his family home.”
“Ah.”
“Nice to meet’cha.”
The two elite team members nodded indifferently, showing little interest in a rookie with no seniority.
Instead, it was the crowd behind them that grew excited.
“Oh, if he’s a colleague, then maybe he can head straight to the window!”
“Yeah, just like those others!”
Perfect!
Baek Saheon beamed.
“No. He’s not qualified yet.”
This fucking bastard!
“T-Then… when will I qualify?”
Kim Soleum looked at him as if he truly pitied him and shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“……”
“I’m just someone who passed the test before, trying to guide everyone toward the least painful path.”
A vein throbbed on Baek Saheon’s temple.
But he forced a polite, desperate smile.
“I see. Oh! Even so, I’d like to speak privately with you, about some work-related matters—”
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a thunderous scolding erupted from the passengers eagerly sending off window jumpers.
“What’s wrong with this guy? The train is in chaos, and he’s talking about work?”
“Does he not understand the situation?”
“It’s fine, everyone. People prioritize different things. We still have time until the next life loop, so I’ll have a quick chat with him.”
“Aigoo, yes-yes.”
The passengers muttered among themselves, calling Kim Soleum ‘too kind for his own good’.
Baek Saheon no longer felt goosebumps—just resignation.
“Shall we talk over there?”
“…Sure!”
But the moment they entered the restroom and locked the door, Baek Saheon couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I saw you using an item, Supervisor.”
Kim Soleum’s polite smile vanished, his face becoming expressionless as he crossed his arms.
“And?”
Baek Saheon gulped.
“I’m just saying… think about what would happen if I went out there and told everyone.”
He had to get this lunatic to the negotiation table somehow.
But Kim Soleum silently studied him for a moment before subtly nodding.
“Braun says you won’t do that.”
“…Oh, really?”
“Yeah. He says if you tried, they’d throw you out the window with nothing but your clothes.”
“……”
“It’s simpler to just jump on your own than to get thrown out, don’t you think?”
It was the truth.
Damn it.
Baek Saheon gulped, hard.
Fortunately, Kim Soleum didn’t press him further. Instead, he did something unexpected.
He dangled a carrot.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask you.”
“……!”
“I need your eye.”
Huh?
“The one I gave you as a gift.”
Baek Saheon instinctively put a hand over his eyepatch, thinking of the purple reverse-eye beneath it.
The device allowed him to see dangerous entities through glowing heat halos—the more dangerous, the brighter the halo.
It was an excellent danger detector, highly valuable to the Field Exploration Team, though Baek Saheon never fully understood why Kim Soleum had given it to him. RȏʙËȘ
The truth was simple: if Kim Soleum wore it, everything would glow red.
The device was so sensitive to the wearer’s subconscious that someone with even a hint of fear wouldn’t be able to distinguish levels of danger.
And since giving it to anyone else would mean telling them to ‘pluck out their existing eye’, it was only natural that the already one-eyed Baek Saheon ended up with it.
He was, after all, the perfect candidate. No one in their batch had stronger survival instincts.
But Baek Saheon, unaware of this reasoning, remained cautious as he asked,
“…When should I use it?”
“In the Car 1.”
“Car 1?”
Baek Saheon frowned as he tried to recall what he’d overheard from others. Then it hit him.
“…They said the door to that car is locked.”
“That’s right.”
Kim Soleum admitted it casually.
“It’s probably been locked since the second loop. And now, every time the train returns to its starting point, they lock it again.”
“……”
Just hearing that…
Felt suspicious.
‘How does this bastard know all of this?’
Wasn’t he originally from Car 7?
How could he possibly know what’s going on at the front of the train?
‘Is that why he’s been leading people around, gathering information?’
Whatever the case.
“So, what do you want me to do about it?”
“Simple.”
Kim Soleum spoke nonchalantly.
“When the door to Car 1 opens, you go in and identify the person with the highest danger reading.”
“W-Who exactly is in Car 1?”
“No idea.”
If you don’t know, then who does?!
As expected, Kim Soleum tilted his head to the side and stroked his chin.
“But you know… they’ve been randomly throwing people out the window in that car every loop.”
“…!”
“And it happens on its own. It’s like someone gets thrown out every time, without fail. It must be painful for them… poor souls.”
“……”
“So, I figured I should stop them.”
Lies.
“Sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“Y-Yes! Absolutely!”
Total BS.
‘He’s pissed that they’re messing up his grand plan and wants to take control.’
But Baek Saheon kept his mouth shut. His life was more important.
Instead, he forced a smile and said,
“Then, if I identify the most dangerous person in Car 1, wouldn’t that qualify me for an ‘item’? The item that grants eligibility.”
This has to be how I get one of those items, right?
“Huh? That’s a different matter. Items and eligibility aren’t related.”
“……”
“But if someone volunteers to help convince the people in Car 2 to open Car 1’s door, maybe that person will earn eligibility.”
“……”
Baek Saheon grinned widely.
“Wow! That’s exactly what I wanted to do! Haha…”
“Great. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
“Yes!”
Die!
Die, you bastard Kim Soleum!
And that’s how Kim Soleum successfully roped Baek Saheon into unpaid labor.
‘After all, even dogshit can be used as a remedy, as they say.’
“You’re here!”
“Yes. Let’s give it our best again.”
The train restarted. The passengers from Car 7 greeted each other enthusiastically and even struck up conversations with people from other cars.
Despite having experienced six train crashes, they seemed remarkably stable.
‘It’s true—having hope makes it easier to endure.’
But keeping people mentally grounded meant one thing.
‘I’ll have to keep up this crazy cult leader scam act.’
‘Damn it.’
– Let’s go, Mr. Roe Deer! Today, I’m excited to see what kind of audience—or passengers—will be captivated by your brilliant performance. Oh, how very fun…
“Everyone, today many from Car 8 have gained eligibility.”
“Wooooo!”
Braun, stop cheering. Please.
Kim Soleum was beginning to feel a little existential dread, but he didn’t let it stop him. He remained dedicated to his ‘job’ of leading the passengers.
And so, time passed…
The fourteenth loop.
“Venerable Pathfinder!”
“Venerable Pathfinder, we’re almost there. Haha!”
Kim Soleum had gained the support of 342 out of 355 passengers, unifying the sentiment in every car except the first.
Braun even suggested creating a TV show based on his leadership.
Only one car remained.
‘Car 1.’
A total of 53 passengers had locked themselves inside since the second loop, cutting themselves off from the rest of the train. The only thing known about them was that they had been consistently offering sacrifices.
“T-The door, it opened!”
Finally, the news they had been waiting for.