SBTGC 03

Chapter 03

When I felt that we had landed on flat ground, I was lying on top of the man’s body.

Trembling, I lifted my closed eyelids. A dark, dirt-covered ground, piles of rocks, and sparsely planted trees came into my tilted field of vision, one by one.

And the pain I had felt earlier….

“…….”

It was gone. Strangely enough.

What? Why doesn’t it hurt? Could it be that something went wrong during the fall and my senses are numb?

…And what about the man?

He must have been hurt more, since he fell while holding me!

The moment I lifted my head to check on his condition, the words asking if he was okay died in my throat.

“…….”

Because the man lying beneath me looked perfectly fine.

The only thing on his jumpsuit was dirt from rolling around. There were no injuries, no broken bones, not even a single scratch.

That’s more than just fine. I was also completely unharmed.

I blankly turned my head and looked up at the place we had fallen from. At the end of the dizzyingly high slope, the railing we had destroyed was dangling precariously.

…How on earth?

“Are you okay?”

*Huff.*

Only then coming to my senses, I scrambled off the man’s body. Still sitting down, I glanced at him and gave a short nod.

“That’s a relief.”

He slowly rose and reached out his hand to me.

“Get up now. We need to keep moving.”

I took in, one by one, his large outstretched hand, his sturdy combat boots, his navy blue jumpsuit and the unfamiliar mark engraved near his left bicep, and the black skull mask.

He was still an unidentified being, but at least one thing I could be sure of.

<You won’t die. You won’t even get hurt. I promise.>

In any case, it meant the man had told the truth.

I carefully took his offered hand. A strong force pulled me to my feet.

And so we walked among the trees.

“Watch your step down there.”

I walked along with the man through the maze-like trees. It was dark all around due to the night, but thanks to the man leading the way, I didn’t trip or bump into anything.

The man was noticeably tall at a glance, and his legs were especially long, so his stride was twice mine. However, because he walked slowly, it was easy to keep up.

While the man walked, carefully surveying the surroundings, I followed behind him, lost in thought.

What on earth is happening? When will I wake up from this dream?

But is it really a dream? If it’s not a dream, what do I call this?

“…Possession?”

As I muttered, the man walking ahead turned around.

“Excuse me?”

“…Just talking to myself. Ignore it.”

He immediately turned his head back and resumed walking while keeping watch on all sides. I looked up at the back of his head and swallowed a sigh secretly.

What is this? Is this really reality?

No, wait. If it really is possession, that would be even more unfair. If so, I should have been possessed into a world swarming with cats! Why did I end up in a world with a chase scene with a man in a skull mask!

I huffed and then let my shoulders slump.

*Tread, tread.* As the silence, broken only by the sound of footsteps, began to feel oppressive, I cautiously asked the figure in front of me.

“Excuse me.”

“Go ahead.”

His voice carried a distinct tone of annoyance.

Still, he does answer properly.

Nevertheless, I persisted and asked.

“Um… So you’re not really a police officer, are you?”

“No.”

He didn’t seem to have any intention of lying outright. Or maybe he just didn’t feel the need to hide it.

“Then that car earlier….”

After a few seconds of thought, the man spoke.

“I borrowed it for a while.”

“…….”

I could tell at a glance. He stole it.

Still, it was a relief that he answered more readily than I expected. His suspicious first appearance and casually suggesting we jump out were a bit much, but at least for me, it was fortunate.

Because I have a lot of questions right now.

“Then tell me now.”

At my words, the man stopped completely and turned to face me.

Perhaps it was because he was wearing a skull mask against a gloomy backdrop. If he just held a large scythe, he would look exactly like the Grim Reaper.

“What you promised earlier—that you’d explain if I jumped out.”

Earlier, the man had made a promise, tying it to the condition of jumping out. That he would tell me where this place was and who those people chasing us were.

As if it had just come to mind, he nodded.

“I’ll explain as we move.”

I followed behind him, pricking up my ears.

“This place is ‘Rachajert.'”

“Rachajert?”

And my bewilderment was soon resolved by the ensuing explanation.

“That’s what the city where souls live is called.”

“…….”

I couldn’t even bring myself to ask if he was joking. The man’s tone as he explained was far too serious.

“Rachajert is a different space from the real world, but at the same time, it’s closely connected. That’s why there are countless passages leading to Rachajert somewhere in reality. Of course, these are only visible to the eyes of souls, not to ordinary people.”

I followed behind the man as he walked slowly, picking up the explanation as it continued.

According to him, the passages from reality to Rachajert were very diverse.

Following a road sign that said ‘Rachajert,’ entering a building with a Rachajert sign, or boarding a bus that goes to Rachajert.

Of course, these things can only be seen with the eyes of a soul. Souls don’t know where Rachajert is, but as if drawn by something, they use the passages to Rachajert.

Without any doubt or resistance. That’s how they enter this city.

As if mesmerized by the city.

“This city welcomes souls. Because it’s a place made for souls, and it can only exist because souls are here. Ordinary souls settle here after being welcomed by the city.”

The man continued.

“And in that process, all their memories are erased.”

The memories are erased?

“…All of them?”

“Except for the memories needed to live in Rachajert.”

“Why? Why?”

At my question, he opened his mouth as if it were obvious.

“Because memories from life are not needed in Rachajert.”

Ah…. I think I understand.

If memories from life remained intact, souls would long for the people and places they left behind even while staying in Rachajert.

Some souls might even want to go back. That wouldn’t be a welcome situation for the city of souls.

A world of souls, you say?

On the surface, it didn’t seem much different from reality. Aside from a slight sense of unfamiliarity, it just seemed like an ordinary Korean street….

“…….”

When I thought that far, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

Because of the identity of the city the man had revealed.

So…… if that absurd story is true….

“…Then.”

As I spoke, I tried my best to keep my voice from trembling.

“Are you saying… I’m… dead right now?”

Come to think of it, the man had promised me earlier. That even if I jumped, I wouldn’t get hurt or die.

That statement was true, but in a way, it was also too obvious.

Because if I’m a soul, I wouldn’t get hurt or die again.

Just as I was about to sink into shock, the man said,

“No. Of course you’re not dead.”

“…Really?”

When I asked back, he replied in an incredulous tone.

“I think I mentioned it earlier. That I’d take you home.”

Whoa…. My legs nearly gave out.

“Then if I’m not dead, why am I here?”

After a brief moment of thought, he answered.

“I think it’s because of the influence of the period….”

“The period?”

The man nodded.

“For three days out of the year, the boundary that separates reality from Rachajert blurs. From October 31st, the last day of the month, to November 2nd. During this period, the two worlds directly affect each other. So around this time, there are souls who cross the boundary without going through a passage. Though it’s an extremely rare case.”

Finishing his words, the man glanced back at me.

“In other words, you could say Myeongse-na-ssi is one of those rare cases.”

Ah. So… originally, this place and the world I live in are separated, but my soul ended up here precisely during the period when that separation blurs? Directly, without going through a passage?

I’ve never won anything in a random draw in my life. And of all things, this is what I get randomly caught up in.