After the fireworks ended, the theme park gradually grew quiet, leaving behind the lively energy of the bustling day.
The visitors exited with smiles on their faces, but in contrast, the Security Bureau agents gathered in the central plaza.
They had split into pairs to search different parts of the park and had agreed to meet back at this spot.
Team Leader Song Ji-hye who had arrived first gave Na-yoon a slightly exasperated look as soon as she saw her.
“Bomb. Looks like you had quite a bit of fun, huh?”
“Well, uh… ehehe…”
Na-yoon was wearing a cute character headband and holding a bunch of colorful balloons in her hand. She also had on a pair of silly-looking sunglasses.
By all appearances, she looked like a tourist who had fully enjoyed the theme park.
With a short sigh, Team Leader Song Ji-hye spoke again.
“You can wear whatever you want, but you didn’t spend the whole time playing, did you?”
“O-Of course not! I checked everywhere with the magical power detector, but there wasn’t anything unusual!”
Agent Park Seo-jun shrugged and added,
“There was nothing unusual here either.”
“Really? Same here. Just as we expected, it looks like the real thing shows up at night.”
Team Leader In Ha-young gave a small nod.
“While investigating my assigned area, I spoke with other part-timers who knew the missing person, and all of their testimonies matched. It turns out only the part-timers who stayed inside the theme park during the night shifts went missing.”
Team Leader Song Ji-hye glanced at the clock tower in the plaza.
“How much time until closing?”
“About five minutes. It’ll shut down soon.”
The expressions of all the agents tensed with anticipation.
Soon, the clock tower in the central plaza struck exactly 11 o’clock.
Everyone gripped their weapons. They were on high alert as they carefully scanned the area.
But even after several minutes, nothing happened.
Na-yoon was the first to break the silence as she asked with a puzzled expression on her face,
“N-Nothing’s happening…?”
In Ha-young, who had been keeping her weapon raised, briefly lowered it and tilted her head in confusion.
“Does it only appear under certain conditions?”
“M-Maybe its nest isn’t nearby? The theme park is so big…”
Team Leader Song Ji-hye who had been listening to this nodded her head in agreement.
“Sounds plausible. Where did the missing part-timers disappear from?”
“Since they were all assigned to different areas, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact location—”
At that moment, In Ha-young’s eyes suddenly lost focus.
She wavered for a second, then collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Hey, you! What the… what’s happening…?”
Team Leader Song Ji-hye shouted in shock, but she too clutched her head and collapsed powerlessly.
The same happened to the others. The agents lost consciousness one by one with blank expressions.
Soon, everyone had fallen to the ground.
Everyone except Na-yoon.
“Huh? Wh-What?”
Na-yoon looked around in shock.
“Wh-What’s going on? Everyone just… A-Am I the only one still okay?”
Fear gripped her as she stared into the darkness of the theme park.
Unlike during the day, the park was now covered in a deep thick darkness. Her unresponsive comrades lay collapsed around her.
The place felt ominous with only the bare minimum of light. It felt as if something might jump out of the shadows at any moment.
In the sudden silence, only a growing sense of unease crept in.
Should I try to wake them? They can’t be … they can’t all be dead, right?
Na-yoon’s shoulders instinctively hunched, and her legs began to tremble.
The thought of being left alone in a place like this sent a chill down her spine.
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in her mind.
[Hmm. This is rather unusual.]
“Ka-Kang-joon-nim!”
At that desperate moment, Na-yoon felt as if a lifeline had descended from the heavens.
She knew he would help her when things got dangerous!
“Kang-joon-nim, please help! Everyone suddenly collapsed, and I’m the only one left! Wh-What should I do now?”
Kang-joon’s voice continued slowly again.
[Is it fine as long as you’re not the only one left?]
“H-Huh?”
[Then I’ll send you to your comrades.]
“Wait, hold on—”
In that instant, Na-yoon’s vision spun and a wave of intense drowsiness washed over her.
Na-yoon had a strong feeling that if she closed her eyes now, something bad was bound to happen.
She desperately tried to keep her eyes open and struggled against the sleep that threatened to overtake her, but even then, Kang-joon’s voice continued to echo in her mind.
[There’s nothing you can do on your own here anyway. Just go quietly.]
No, this crazy devil—
But that thought never reached its end.
As her vision blurred further, Na-yoon quickly lost consciousness.
***
Na-yoon woke up to the sound of a distant voice.
“Na-yoon-ssi! Na-yoon-ssi, snap out of it!”
“…Uh, what?”
She slowly cleared her hazy mind and opened her eyes.
When her vision gradually sharpened, she saw In Ha-young’s worried face.
Na-yoon was startled, quickly gathered herself, and sat up.
“Wh-Where… where am I?”
“We’re in Neverland. But… I don’t think this is the place we were originally in.”
“What? N-No way…!”
Na-yoon looked around in shock.
Then, the surroundings that came into view were similar yet distinctly different from before.
Unlike the dark theme park in reality, this place was lit up with dazzling lights.
Though it was late, mascots were cheerfully moving around, handing out flowers and balloons, while lively music and the joyful laughter of visitors filled the air.
At first glance, it appeared to be just the vibrant scene of a normal theme park.
But Na-yoon quickly realized this was far from an ordinary theme park.
Every single visitor wandering around was a cold, lifeless mannequin.
Though they seemed to be having fun, their expressionless faces and awkward movements looked as if they were wearing masks.
It was as if these figures were clumsily mimicking the real people who once strolled through this place.
Dolls that couldn’t possibly be called humans wandered silently through the park.
Th-This is crazy… This can’t be real! Argh!
Na-yoon screamed inwardly and cursed Kang-joon.
That crazy devil! Who asked for help and who wanted to be sent here?
I should’ve never trusted a devil.
If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve run away without looking back when everyone collapsed.
While Na-yoon fell deep into regret, Team Leader Song Ji-hye spoke in an irritated voice from behind her.
“Hey, Bomb. Did you snap out of it? You’re the last one. If you’re awake, start moving already.”
In Ha-young frowned and responded.
“Team Leader Song Ji-hye, it’s not good to move hastily. We haven’t even fully assessed the situation yet.”
“Oh, really? So just standing around will help us figure it out? We need to move and check out our surroundings first, don’t you think?”
Their eyes met.
For a moment, sparks flew between them.
“If we move carelessly without knowing what dangers are around, it’ll be risky. Are you planning to endanger the team with reckless actions?”
“Is there any guarantee we’re safe here? Or maybe there’s a devil hiding nearby that we need to catch? All I see are ugly dolls around us.”
Amidst the heated atmosphere, Agent Park Seo-jun subtly stepped in between them.
“Now, now. Team Leaders, let’s calm down for a moment. We don’t have time to argue. First, let’s decide on a course of action. Are we going to get out of here or stick to our original goal of catching the devil?”
Team Leader Song Ji-hye crossed her arms and smiled confidently at Park Seo-joon’s suggestion.
“Of course, we’re leaving here with the devil’s head. We can’t just walk out empty-handed, can we?”
“Well, that sounds like you, Team Leader. But don’t we still have no idea what the devil’s real form is?”
At that moment, the silver-haired girl called Seo Na-ri quietly spoke up.
“…Can’t we just destroy everything?”
“Uh…”
Na-yoon flinched at the unexpectedly extreme suggestion.
The girl seemed quiet and gentle at first glance, but her personality appeared far more aggressive than her appearance suggested.
Thankfully, it wasn’t just Na-yoon who found the idea extreme. It seemed Park Seo-jun also thought the suggestion was a bit much.
He shook his head with an awkward expression on his face.
“Na-ri-ah, isn’t that a bit too much? Do you know how big this theme park is? It would take all day to destroy everything here.”
“…Won’t the bad guys all get angry and come out?”
“Uh, well, that does make sense, but isn’t it too much for just the six of us to handle all the monsters here? Na-ri might be fine, but this oppa’s stamina isn’t limitless.”
Seo Na-ri shook her head.
“You’re not oppa, ajusshi.”
“Wow, that’s harsh.”
Park Seo-jun shrugged and slowly looked around.
“Luckily, it doesn’t seem like the locals here are hostile toward us, so how about we quietly explore and look for clues? Of course, the final decision is up to the team leaders.”
“I’m in favor. Honestly, this place feels too unsettling. I just want to get out of here quickly.”
“Well, if that’s the majority’s opinion, I guess we have no choice. Let’s search for the devil and look for an exit at the same time.”
As everyone agreed to hunt the devil, Na-yoon inwardly made a distressed face.
I just want to get out of here. Uh, what about my opinion? Is no one going to ask?
But no one asked for Na-yoon’s thoughts.
Still, the idea of being left behind alone was even more terrifying.
Why, Why does it always end up like this?
“Hey, Bomb! What are you doing back there?”
“Yes, yes! I’m coming…!”
In the end, Na-yoon had no choice but to follow the group with her face still clouded with distress.
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