A high school student trapped in Looky Mart.
Jang Minseo, who had requested rescue from the Supernatural Disaster Management Agency, clamped a hand over his own mouth beneath the mobile display stand.
His heart pounded.
Right nearby, an alien sound could be heard.
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak.
The sound of things imitating employees as they moved.
‘Did it see me?’
See me hiding under the stand.
No, it couldn’t have. They hadn’t been right on my heels.
‘I came in immediately after rounding the corner.’
It couldn’t have seen me….
But the sound drew closer.
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak.
“Huuuk, huuuhhhk….”
Tears kept coming.
‘Why did I even come here.’
He shouldn’t have followed his friend. The high schooler hurled every curse he could think of at his friend, then stopped because it was pointless.
Fear had already overwhelmed his mind.
The approaching sound grew louder, and louder….
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak.
Right beside him.
His whole body froze.
Through the gap beneath the bottom of the display stand, he could see the shadows of feet passing right next to him.
Dozens of feet, with strange gaits, their ankles bent wrong as they creaked along.
Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak.
The high schooler held his breath.
But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it.
Between the many bizarre employee shoes passing beside the stand where he was hiding, he saw something unfamiliar….
A pair of old sneakers.
“…!”
Between the employees’ shoes, wobbling grotesquely, a pair of worn sneakers came dragging along.
“S-save me…!”
A chill raced all the way to the top of the high schooler’s head.
A person.
Someone had been spotted.
“I’ll pay you back! I’ll pay you back, m-money, I have money right here, I’m a customer! A customer…!”
“Welcome to Looky Mart!”
But instead of politely escorting that pitiful missing person outside, the employees were dragging him away.
Because….
You cannot purchase the goods in this mart with currency used in the Republic…