We successfully made a legitimate purchase in this insane supermarket ghost story using gift certificates.
“……”
I picked up my purchased items and steadied the trembling high schooler beside me.
To avoid drawing attention to my empty right sleeve, I casually draped my jacket over my shoulders as we stepped past the checkout counter.
One step. Two steps.
And then, taking a deep breath, I turned back—
“…!”
The bizarre distortions of the supermarket had blurred.
The eerie signs, the strange products, the horrifying stains of blood and organs.
Or rather, they no longer seemed unnatural. Everything now appeared… completely normal.
As if we were just ordinary shoppers in an ordinary supermarket.
“Wow.”
The high schooler exclaimed in amazement and came to a halt.
But at the same time—
“Aigoo.”
“……!”
The past shoppers around us had begun to perceive us normally.
“Oh, excuse me.”
A shopper apologized after bumping into the high schooler.
The student stiffened, stepping back awkwardly.
“I-I’m sorry.”
I grabbed the startled high schooler and pulled him aside.
“I told you, don’t act surprised.”
“Y-Yeah… got it.”
He hurriedly clung to my side, but now his eyes were shining.
“So… does this mean we can just walk out now?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow…!”
With this, all the complicated escape procedures were skipped.
By using a gift certificate at checkout, we were treated exactly like the past shoppers.
Even if someone broke items or ate food during closed hours, they could pay for it and leave without issue.
“Excuse me, I would like to pay…!”
“Wait a moment.”
Just like Go Yeongeun-ssi was doing now.
I listened closely as she stood at the register.
“Customer! You damaged Looky Mart property! Please compensate! Total: 39,900 won!”
“Alright.”
Go Yeongeun calmly handed over a 50,000-won gift certificate.
The inflated, balloon-like cashier snatched the gift certificate and, with an unnaturally wide smile, returned 10,000 won as change.
Then, in a flat, monotonous voice, the cashier asked,
“Ah, would you like me to ring up this gum as well?”
“……Yes.”
Only after that transaction was complete did the items she had picked out get processed normally.
Huu. I let out a sigh of relief.
As expected.
‘…Nothing beats this method when you don’t know when the store will open again.’
By paying for past mistakes, we could leave cleanly, without incident.
And… to be completely honest.
If Looky Mart had remained closed for over a week, someone in our group would have made a mistake sooner or later.
Me. The high schoolers. Even Go Yeongeun.
‘…My personal supplies wouldn’t have lasted forever.’
Eating food in the stairwell was only an option if we had food. Once my stash ran out, we would have no choice but to steal from the supermarket. And eventually, someone would get caught.
Which meant… they’d be turned into store supplies.
‘I’m just glad we avoided that outcome.’
I looked forward with renewed determination.
Once the student Agent Bronze had been protecting finished checking out, Go Yeongeun waited for him and walked out of the checkout line together.
Safe.
“…We made it through. Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Now, all that remained was…
“Agent Bronze.”
We signaled to the two remaining people still standing at the registers.
Ryu Jaekwan and Lee Soobin.
The two who had been chosen to use the emergency escape item—the five-colored shoelaces.
– Agent Bronze, you most likely wouldn’t be able to leave using a gift certificate within the 100,000-won limit.
– And… it’s best if that student leaves with you. …The one who went missing first.
Agent Bronze had already been processed as ‘store supplies’.
The cost of restoring him through normal checkout was far beyond 100,000 won—making it impossible for him to leave that way.
And as for Lee Soobin, he was the earliest victim of this ghost story.
Meaning, he was the second person confirmed for emergency escape.
Among us, he had been missing the longest, and we had no way of knowing how much ‘debt’ he had accrued to the supermarket. On top of that, without the Nostalgia Candy, he could barely move due to the sheer mental shock.
‘Not like we could steal that item anyway.’
Whether the shoelace’s ‘spiritual power’ had been used or not could be tracked by the Dokkaebi Workshop.
Which meant it was better to use it wisely.
I spoke quickly.
“You should leave now.”
“……”
Agent Bronze met my gaze in silence, then said,
“You go first.”
Ah.
“Once I confirm you’re safely out, I’ll immediately—”
“Can you leave?!”
“…!!”
Someone suddenly lunged toward Agent Bronze.
A woman in her forties, drooling as she stumbled forward… Or rather, someone who had once been a housewife. She was contaminated. Her eyes had become unnatural, and instead of arms, her sleeves ended in mannequin hands.
A long-term missing person.
“You can get out?? You’re talking to them?! Hahaha! Let’s go out! Let’s go ouuuutttt~!”
…She had realized Agent Bronze was with us.
‘I thought we could just check out and leave without an issue…’
Causing a commotion with normal shoppers would draw in employees, which usually prevented the missing persons from interfering.
But that assumption had been too logical.
Once someone is corrupted by the ghost story, their desires can become twisted.
For example…
A single-minded, obsessive urge to escape.
“I wanna leave too! I wanna leave toooooo!! Give it! Give me the gift certificate!!”
The surrounding shoppers turned to look.
The cashier’s gaze fell on us.
“CUSTOMER! YOU HAVE DAMAGED LOOKYMARTPROPERTY!COMPENSATIONREQUIRED!TOTAL:5,208,240 WON!”