We’re about to go out and find Agent Bronze.
The high schoolers’ reactions were intense.
“Wait, if you both leave, what are we supposed to do? What if an employee shows up? If we’re left alone—”
“You’ll be fine.”
I calmly placed a hand on the high schooler’s shoulder.
“…Another agent already set up protections before leaving.”
Agent Bronze had likely chosen a section of the store where employees rarely appeared.
But long-term missing persons could still attack unpredictably, so he must have accounted for that as well.
‘…Is that it?’
Weighted Air Stone
: Equipment of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau that creates hallowed ground.
I recalled its description. Placing these stones in a designated area would create a safe zone, repelling malicious forces.
Contaminated missing persons likely couldn’t recognize this store section properly and would simply pass by.
…If only the agent had stayed put inside this barrier, he wouldn’t have been taken. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Will you… come back?”
“Of course. I’ll find the agent and return.”
I handed a Nostalgia Candy to the high schooler I had been taking care of, instructing him to rest but keep it ready—just in case he needed to take it to move.
Though he looked uneasy, fortunately, he accepted my advice.
Fwoosh.
Go Yeongeun reignited the candle, and I stepped back into the fog and shadows it cast, blending into its obscurity.
“…About a third of the candle has melted.”
“……”
We had to move quickly.
We took our first steps, advancing through the eerily vast and seemingly endless third-floor store sections.
‘…The agent was taken from the third floor.’
That meant we needed to find a door along the walls of the third floor again.
“What kind of door are we looking for?”
“Remember the announcement before the store closed? And how, at the same time, those balloon-like employees flooded in?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s the door that opened back then.”
This time, however, we didn’t have to find it on our own.
Screek… Screek… Screek…
“……Let’s follow.”
“……”
We trailed behind a single employee, moving stiffly, its gaze hollow and empty.
It wandered through the third floor for a while, seemingly imitating a patrol routine.
Then, as if its shift had ended, it returned to its point of origin.
[Staff Only]
A metal door leading to the staff section.
“……”
“……”
Creak…
The door opened.
There were many similar doors scattered around, but they were all likely connected through an antnest-like network of corridors, leading to one shared space.
Somewhere inside, we had to find the supply warehouse.
Holding our breath, we slipped through the door just before it shut.
And then, we were met with the overwhelming sight of the inner staff area spilling out before us…
“Hhk.”
Go Yeongeun clamped a hand over her mouth.
Under the bright fluorescent lights, countless employees were crammed together, stacked upright in tight vertical rows.
These weren’t the grotesque, balloon-like employees that emerged after closing hours. They looked like normal human employees.
Stacked. Crushed. Wedged together. Those were the only ways to describe it.
In this brightly lit, modern space—so seemingly ordinary—human bodies were stored in layers, crumpled and compressed without a hint of abnormality.
“…They look like the employees who were working during business hours. Uuurp.”
Go Yeongeun swallowed back a dry heave, trying to steady her breath.
So they were mimicking shift rotations, too.
I didn’t even want to imagine how those crushed bodies emerged looking normal when business hours resumed.
Revulsion crawled up my throat, but I forced my feet to move.
Without the candle and the Nostalgia Candy, I would have given up right here.
Screek… Screek…
The employee started moving again.
“…Should we follow?”
“Yes.”
Our footsteps echoed faintly in the staff area, making my nerves tense up.
With nothing but the candle’s protection, we advanced cautiously.
“…I remember every turn we’ve taken. Don’t worry, we won’t get lost.”
“…Alright.”
Since both of us were memorizing the path, even if one of us lost track, the other could compensate.
We held our breath and pressed forward.
More employees. Fragments of what used to be employees. Half-formed remnants, muttering the same distorted greetings over and over again.
My skin crawled, every pore standing on end.
But we had to stay alert. We needed to find the warehouse.
‘We can do this… We can do this.’
Through hallways, break rooms, and warehouse areas strung together in a surreal, disjointed layout—until finally…
[Supply Storage]
The sign was posted above a door, and in front of it stood a cluster of employees, packed tightly together.
Screek. Screek. Screek. Screek.
The employee we had been following joined the group in front of the door.
“Ha.”
Go Yeongeun swallowed hard, staring at the iron door now completely obscured by employees.
“…If we slip inside when they open the door…”
And just then—
Clunk.
The supply warehouse door opened from the inside.
“…!”
Several employees stepped out, carrying supplies.
And that’s when I saw it.
A familiar face among the ‘supplies’.
“T-That person…”
A tall, broad-shouldered young man in an agent’s uniform—being carried by two employees.
Agent Bronze.
But.
He had no legs.