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The hallway of mirrors felt endless. [Name] had forgotten how many times she had turned, how many times she had passed her own reflection, and how many times she had thought she found an exit only to end up in the same place.
Mirror walls towered on both sides, reflecting every movement, every panicked expression, and every hurried step into hundreds of overlapping images. The dim ceiling lights made everything feel as if the young woman was running inside a dream.
Her breath was ragged. Her throat burned. Her legs were starting to ache from running nonstop, but the [H/C]-haired woman did not dare slow down. Because something—no, someone—was following her.
That feeling was so strong it made her chest feel tight. Even though she couldn't see him directly, [Name] knew that figure was behind her. Waiting. Watching. Following every trace she left behind in this mirror labyrinth.
The dark [E/C]-eyed girl turned at an intersection and nearly fell when her own reflection suddenly appeared from the mirror in front of her. Her heart lurched. For a moment, she thought someone else was standing before her.
That relief did not last long. Because when her dark eyes accidentally landed on one of the reflections behind her, her blood ran cold. Among the hundreds of reflections showing the young woman's pretty face, there was one reflection that was different. A tall figure in dark clothing was standing behind her.
[Name] immediately turned around. There was no one there. The hallway behind her was empty. Only rows of mirrors reflecting her pale face from various angles. She looked back at the mirror. That figure was still there, in the reflection. The fear she had been holding back finally began to creep through her entire body. Goosebumps rose on her skin. Without thinking, she started running again.
Her footsteps echoed louder and louder. The sound of her shoes bounced in every direction until it became difficult to distinguish her own footsteps from those coming from elsewhere. The farther she ran, the more chaotic her mind became. The hallways all looked identical. Every turn looked the same. Every mirror reflected the same view. As if this place was deliberately designed to make anyone lose their direction.
Several times, [Name] tried to open the doors she encountered, but they were all locked. Several times, she tried to break the mirrors with whatever object was nearby, but the glass didn't even crack. No matter what she did, this labyrinth always found a way to keep her trapped inside.
And the most terrifying thing was the fact that the figure kept appearing in the mirror reflections. Slowly, fear began to turn into despair. Her legs felt as heavy as lead. Her chest ached. Tears began to blur her vision. [Name] no longer knew where to go, no longer knew how to get out. All that remained was the instinct to keep moving forward, even though deep in her heart she was beginning to realize that perhaps there was no way out at all.
Until she ran into a dead end. There was a mirror, nearly three meters tall, in front of the woman. [Name] walked backward until finally her back hit the glass surface.
Then, she heard the sound of footsteps. [Name] stared toward the end of the hallway. And there he was: the Ticket Taker. That tall figure emerged from the shadows as if he had been waiting for this moment from the very beginning.
The man walked slowly, closing the distance between them. His dark eyes were fixed entirely on [Name]. As if there was nothing else in this world more important than the person standing before him now.
"Finally, I found you."
"D-don't come closer!"
The Ticket Taker did not answer immediately. He only observed the fearful face before him before once again taking a step with his long legs.
[Name] shook her head. "Please... don't come near me."
"But I've been looking for you." The Ticket Taker stopped right in front of her.
"You were chasing me on purpose?"
"No." The Ticket Taker raised one hand and placed it beside [Name] 's head, bracing it against the mirror, making the girl's space even narrower. "I let you run. I wanted to see how far you would go."
The Ticket Taker lowered his head. "But the result is still the same," he said. "You're lost, darling."
"I can get out of here."
"No."
Then, the man lifted his hand and touched [Name] 's cheek. "You can run as far as you want. You can hide for as long as you like."
His palm moved, tucking a few strands of hair that had been covering [Name] 's face behind her ear. "But in the end... you will never be able to run away from me."