Section Chief Kwak Jekang of the Research Team.
He was the mad scientist who had pushed his subordinates into the Cheerful Theme Park Ghost Story.
He had also served as an advisor during the ‘Mansion of the Blind’ incident, where the employees almost met a collective, gruesome end.
“I’ve been wanting to have a long talk with you for a while now, Mr. Roe Deer, and finally, the opportunity has come.”
The crazy ghost story researcher grinned widely as he extended his hand.
“Your performance has been so remarkable that I’ve been very curious about your impressions!”
“Thank you.”
Wow, he’s truly a boss I never want to shake hands with.
But I have to. That’s corporate life.
“I heard D-Squad is becoming an Elite Squad as soon as the New Year dawns. Once that happens, you’ll be busy working in squad units, and it’ll be hard to have small talk like this before a Darkness Deployment….”
Kwak Jekang chattered on for a bit, making a fuss about how difficult it was to call me over.
“And I was just so curious, you see.”
Then, with a smiling face, he got to the point.
“How on earth did you manage to win over Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”
“…!!”
“Whenever I tried to call for you separately, he’d cut me off flat. He’s not usually such an assertive fellow~”
I screamed internally.
‘Thank you, Squad Leader…!’
But in truth, I hadn't exactly "won him over."
‘I just had to tell him I didn't want to do it.’
This was because Section Chief Lee Jaheon was an FM type who strove to faithfully reflect the requests of his squad members.
It’s just that, until now, no one had ever made such a request!
Because in this ghost story company, I was the only person who would wail that I’d rather split the work N-ways than enter a ghost story alone, no matter how much of a "sweet deal" it was….
No, even if there were others, they would have all died or disappeared by now.
Anyway, it seemed that this time, it was difficult even for Lee Jaheon to block it on his end.
Or… perhaps he lacked a justification to do so.
“Anyway, don’t worry, it’s not like I’ve developed any ill will just because our Supervisor Roe Deer was hard to invite.”
Kwak Jekang smirked.
“It’s just… isn’t it fascinating how it seems there’s nothing you can’t do, Mr. Roe Deer!”
“What do you mean by fascinating…….”
“You work well, you speak well, you manage your reputation well… it’s very impressive. But humans are creatures for whom it’s impossible to be good at everything! Myself included.”
Kwak Jekang tapped himself.
“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So….”
Eyes swirling with a passionate madness for Dark Exploration stared at me.
“I wonder what your weakness could be?”
“…….”
“I’m truly curious how that weakness doesn’t stand out, even as you wade through these bizarre and mysterious anomalous phenomena!”
Ha, f*ck, seriously….
“If I could tell you, it wouldn’t be a weakness.”
“Haha, a wise answer to a stupid question~”
Save me.
‘I hope he didn't just take a shot in the dark and guess that I'm a coward.’
I carefully swallowed my saliva, making sure it wasn't visible.
Kwak Jekang spread both hands.
“Anyway, I called you here today for something good.”
“By something good, you mean,”
“Something to celebrate! By my calculations… Mr. Roe Deer, haven't you already collected more than half the points required for a Wish Ticket?”
“…!”
The man is a demon.
Yes.
What he said… was true.
I recalled my accumulated points as of last week.
[Accumulated Points: 177,200p]
Even this was an astounding figure.
It was an amount of points unimaginable for a rookie who hadn't even been with the company for a year, so I had never mentioned it to anyone.
Even in a department where people openly talked about their resignation dates, there was a limit.
‘If it’s this much of an outlier, people are bound to start having other thoughts.’
But who would have known?
That as of this week, my accumulated points would become even more of an outlier.
[Accumulated Points: 277,200p]
It was reaching the stage where people might start asking if this was some kind of manipulation.
‘It’s thanks to Sekwang Technical High School.’
Let’s think about the basic points awarded per grade.
A-grade: 100,000p
And I had cleared Sekwang Technical High School as an A-grade solo.
While it’s true that several people entered and cleared it together, I was the only A-grade.
Furthermore, they said the solution was just barely thick enough for it to count as a solo clear.
Thanks to Director Cheong and Director Ho, the two pillars of the Development Department, ‘actively’ giving the okay, it was passed that the points should be paid out as is.
It was a happy yet eerie affair.
‘And the registration was finished this morning.’
Thus, Kim Soleum had officially gathered more than half the points required for a Wish Ticket.
‘It’s ridiculously faster than I expected….’
Strangely, the pieces have fit perfectly to bring me this far.
At this rate, if I can just endure one year—no, maybe even less—in the Elite Squad, I’ll be able to return to my original world.
To the comfortable 21st-century Korea where ghost stories don't exist!
All of this flashed through my mind in an instant, but my facial expression didn't falter… or so I hope.
‘Let’s not give him an opening…!’
“Does something change if I’ve collected more than half the points?”
Instead, I gave a vague reaction, intentionally frowning slightly.
Leaving him unsure if I was stung because I had collected that much, or if I was upset because I hadn't.
“It’s not so much that things change… as that an opportunity arises?”
Kwak Jekang said with a grin.
“Have you ever heard of the Wish Ticket Simulator?”
Simulator?
…Ah!
From that point onward, Qterw-D-718 is provided as a simulator to promising employees who have a chance of obtaining a Wish Ticket.
‘There was a ghost story entry like that.’
I remember.
I obsessively recalled the Wiki, which was starting to become a bit hazy.
Simultaneously, Kwak Jekang’s chatter rang in my ears.
“This company gives employees who are about to get a Wish Ticket a chance to check their wish. So that the wish can be fulfilled in an ‘appropriate’ manner.”
Was the criteria for a ‘promising employee’ 250,000 points….
Or maybe it was calculated backward based on the time remaining until receiving the Wish Ticket.
Either way, it seemed the opportunity to experience the simulator had come to me.
…If entering a ghost story can be called an opportunity!
“You could do it later, but Soleum, if you don't do it now, your turn might get pushed back and you won't know when you can do it again, right? I called you because I thought it would be good to get it done now.”
“…….”
I thought.
A Darkness Deployment orchestrated by Kwak Jekang?
‘There’s definitely a trap.’
But I couldn't just refuse recklessly.
He was the type of person who would persistently ask for a reason.
“You’re not a coward, so why would you avoid it? Isn’t that right? Hahaha!”
Eek.
“Well. I could avoid it for other reasons too.”
I sighed and stood up.
Let’s end this conversation quickly.
‘If I have to go into a ghost story one way or another, I shouldn't give him any leverage.’
“Fine, I understand. When should I enter?”
Kwak Jekang chuckled.
“Mr. Roe Deer.”
“…….”
“Your attitude has changed a lot. You’ve lost that rookie smell. Haven't you?”
Wait.
“No. I mean it in a good way! Now you finally seem like an employee of this company, it feels familiar. Let’s cut the useless chatter and get to the point~ You already seem like you're in the Elite Squad.”
Kwak Jekang’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.
“Then let’s do a job worthy of an employee of this company!”
He then placed a document on the table.
‘This is….’
It was an employee profile.
One I also knew.
[Employee: Jang Heowoon]
I looked at the ID photo of the long-haired, gloomy-looking employee about my age.
“Ah, you’re acquainted, right? You entered Cheerful Theme Park together. The friend from the Cleanup team.”
“He shouldn't be in the Cleanup team now. He was definitely reassigned to F-Squad….”
“Ah~ right. The appointment was made. …But his official affiliation is still the Cleanup team.”
“…!”
“It’s a form of dispatch to the general squad. Wouldn't it take until next year for the affiliation to be officially changed?”
Kwak Jekang tapped the document.
“So… his affiliation is still perfectly fine for deployment in this kind of work.”
“…….”
This kind of work?
An ominous chill ran down my spine.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“It’s simple. Once your business in the Darkness is over, Mr. Roe Deer, just call that employee to the remaining elevator and leave him there before you come out.”
“…!”
This crazy son of a bitch.
No, stay calm. I mustn't show any agitation here.
“Hmm. Does this Darkness require two people for deployment… or is a sacrifice necessary?”
“Haha… confirming that is the very reason for the existence of us researchers! You just have to do as instructed, Mr. Roe Deer. Simple, right?”
Thud.
Kwak Jekang threw another document onto the table.
The Darkness assigned to me this time.
“In the Elevator Ghost Story.”
—Then I’m counting on you, Mr. Roe Deer! Call the Cleanup team rookie when you go and take him with you.
“…….”
I re-read the manual I had already memorized and put it back in my pocket.
What did I do?
[Mr. Heowoon, I plan to enter around 5 o'clock, so please take a rest.]
[Ah, yes! Understood!]
I’m not taking him in.
And I knew.
‘This is grounds for disciplinary action.’
Probably… no matter what excuse I make, this will be talked about.
Even for a salaryman living on someone else's dime, this wasn't the kind of thing that could be overlooked as "flexibility."
But it was meaningless unless I blocked it completely from the source.
‘There’s a high probability that Kwak Jekang has done something to Jang Heowoon himself.’
I had to prevent him from coming in the first place.
And as much as I was risking disciplinary action, there was one effect I was aiming for here… but I’ll think about that again once the exploration is over.
The important thing was this.
……From now on, I had to ride a haunted elevator alone.
“Whew.”
This was the first time I had been given time to prepare mentally before entering a haunted place alone….
‘Maybe… it was better when I just stumbled in without knowing anything.’
My hands trembled with fear.
And I had left Braun at my desk.
‘In this ghost story, the elevator is for one person anyway.’
I didn't want to leave Braun in front of the elevator and get on. …Because I didn't know what would happen.
I had asked Section Chief Lee Jaheon to check on him occasionally to make sure he was safe, so it should be fine.
‘…Let’s go.’
I entered the building for the Guaranteed Entry of Qterw-D-718, which the company had found and isolated.
It was a very old rental apartment; the water had already been cut off, but the company was arbitrarily supplying power.
The dark interior smelled of unmanaged, cold, stale air.
The shadowed hallway seemed to stretch endlessly in front of me.
And the machine operating alone.
[5F]
The door of the first-floor elevator.
“…….”
I swallowed hard as I walked down the hallway.
In the light of the emergency exit sign and the dim lamps, I saw the elevator.
-Under Repair-
We will fix it quickly.
Haengbok Nara Apartment Security Office
Contrary to the message, the already tattered scrap of paper dangled from yellow box tape.
This phenomenon mainly occurs in buildings with only one elevator, and one should be especially cautious of elevators with signs saying they break down frequently or are under repair.
Yes. This was it.
With trembling hands, I called the elevator.
The elevator slowly descended.
5, F, 3, 2…….
[Ding]
I took a deep breath.
Through the opening elevator doors, the rusty and dark interior was visible.
The floor was dirty with soot as if it hadn't been cleaned properly.
Still, I moved my feet.
If you take a step into the elevator, you can see them attached side-by-side on the right and left….
The dirty mirrors with handprints on them.
‘…Sigh.’
==========
Dark Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Don't Look in the Mirror]
: The ghost story appearing in <Dark Exploration Record>, identification code Qterw-D-718 of Daydream Inc.
One of the ritual-type ghost stories that circulated on the internet around 200X.
It is said that if you play Rock-Paper-Scissors with the ‘me’ in the mirror in the elevator and win, they will tell you the truth to any question.
It is written in a gamebook style, providing instructions by number on what actions to take depending on the anomalous phenomena that occur.
==========
[Doors closing.]
I stood with my back pressed tightly against the only wall without a mirror, watching the closing doors with a sense of slight despair.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would pop out.
Soon, the elevator was completely closed, and darkness and silence descended.
In the dark interior of the stopped elevator, I stood alone and still….
Along with the mirrors.
“…….”
A few seconds passed, feeling like an eternity.
I have to endure. If I endure….
[Going up.]
Ting.
Even though I hadn't pressed a button, the elevator began to move.
…It had been called somewhere.
Red lights came on for all the floor buttons as if they had been pressed, illuminating the inside of the elevator in a red and sinister glow.
It started now.
After boarding the elevator, wait without pressing any buttons.
If the elevator starts moving on its own, you have successfully entered the ghost story.
1. From now until you reach the top floor, play Rock-Paper-Scissors with the ‘me’ in the mirror.
If you win even once: Go to number 3.
If you don't win even once: Go to number 13.
“…….”
I swallowed hard and barely managed to move my head to… look at the left mirror.
In it, a pale version of myself stood in the elevator.
In countless numbers.
Reflected again in the right mirror behind me, my front and back views repeated infinitely until they became dots.
My appearance grew smaller and smaller, and more and more indistinct….
“…….”
After wiping the sweat from my trembling left hand on my shirt a few times, I finally raised my hand.
And I muttered softly.
“…Rock, paper, scissors.”
Scissors.
The countless versions of me in the mirror were holding out scissors.
Front views and back views side by side, on and on….
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
The countless reflections of me holding out fists were shown.
I repeated it a few more times.
Rock, paper, scissors.
Rock, paper, scissors.
Rock, paper, scissors….
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
It was the moment I put out a fist on the fifth try.
Among the repeating mirror images of myself, I saw something heterogeneous.
…One of them had its hand wide open.
Among the images of me with clenched fists, a single back view with its hand spread wide was formed in the image far across the mirror.
“…….”
I froze with my hand raised.
Far away in the mirror, the Kim Soleum holding out an open palm slowly turned his head….
He looked back at me and smiled.
Widely.
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