Go Yeongeun glanced at her colleague sitting next to her.
Kim Soleum, who was working rapidly on the PC while staring at the monitor, had a modest appearance with shaggy hair and glasses—a styling created for undercover work.
In line with that, he often portrayed a passive rookie at the Disaster Management Bureau, hunching his shoulders and averting his gaze downward.
However, the eyes behind Kim Soleum's glasses as he looked at the PC now were filled with conviction and composure.
He was the same person she had seen at Daydream Inc.
It was likely the so-called 'leisure of one who knows,' unique to people with good insight who look far ahead.
'Is he immersed in his work?'
His original attitude was suddenly surfacing.
He said paperwork was his specialty, and it seemed he wasn't lying….
'A deceiver…?'
Go Yeongeun looked at her colleague—the top recruit of their class who had been promoted to Senior Agent in just one year—with a complicated gaze!
But soon, Kim Soleum finished his final task with a cheerful tap on the keyboard and turned toward her.
And quickly, he put his passive character back on.
“Ah, excuse me… Agent. Would it be okay if I asked you to briefly check if I’m doing this correctly…?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Perhaps there was something to be learned. Even if not, she could at least help her colleague get used to the documentation work.
Go Yeongeun looked at Kim Soleum's PC screen with him.
“First, this is the version of the urban legend currently secured by the Disaster Management Bureau from the internet.”
[The Red Clothes of Exit 4_Current]
Cases are flooding in.
Red clothes left standing still at the exit.
Eerie testimonies, all sorts of chilling and ominous sightings that look like they’d appear as foreshadowing in a horror movie, fill the document through posts, comments, and videos.
But Kim Soleum continued his explanation without even blinking.
‘As expected, he’s not scared by things like this.’
No. He’s just strong against text!
“First… I have categorized the sightings in question. Into actual incidents and testimonies without substance.”
The document was sorted.
“Then, an interesting trend appears.”
Interesting?
“The fact is that actual incidents occurred after the baseless testimonies appeared.”
“…!”
“Look here.”
-If you tear the clothes open, hair or paper money will definitely come out. But you know you're an idiot if you touch it to check, right? lol
“And then it actually came out. Hair and paper money.”
Kim Soleum attached a comment from someone who found hair and paper money in the ‘red clothes.’
“Next, it’s the same regarding the whereabouts of the person who found this hair and paper.”
-They say the person in that screenshot who checked the clothes is out of contact..
“This comment wasn't posted after they actually went missing. The news of them being out of contact was reported after this comment was posted.”
“…!”
Go Yeongeun’s face hardened.
…Just like what she experienced at Lookie Mart.
“The order is reversed.”
“Yes.”
It was a characteristic of a ghost story.
Kim Soleum gave a faint smile.
“After paying attention to this trend and looking at the ghost story once more… we can now find a slightly larger flow.”
Kim Soleum clicked on another document.
[The Red Clothes of Exit 4_Basic]
“This is the version from three months ago.”
Rumors about the red clothes are rampant.
There was a lot of talk about it being a marker for organ trafficking, being possessed by a ghost, the act of a crazy person, and so on…
“But none of the things here actually occurred as real incidents. Why do you think that is?”
“…….”
Go Yeongeun fell into thought.
“Is it because they’re excessively diverse? If one side is realized, it contradicts the other.”
“Correct.”
Kim Soleum smiled faintly.
“And if I were to add one more thing, I think it’s because there wasn't a single speculation that people completely believed in.”
“…!”
“Because the speculative remarks were so diverse, and there was almost no one who spoke with certainty, not to mention there were many refutations… nothing was sufficient to be treated as an actual incident.”
“…Because there was no evidence?”
“Exactly.”
In other words.
“They weren't ‘plausible enough.’”
Kim Soleum clicked the mouse again.
“But at some point, it appears in the comments.”
A ‘plausible enough story.’
Testimonies continue to come out that it’s bait for shamanic rituals
“From here, the situation changes rapidly.”
Go Yeongeun scanned the document organized by Kim Soleum without even taking a breath.
It’s a trick to lure ghosts, someone is attached to the clothes, tying the arms twice isn't standard shamanism, it’s an act intended to bring a curse….
“Regarding shamanism, it’s actually difficult to refute testimonies unless you’re an expert in that field. But from the moment an expert supposedly exists, it somehow seems plausible.”
“…But because of the nature of the topic, they aren't asked for proof or authentication?”
“…! Exactly.”
Kim Soleum smiled and looked at a comment he had collected.
-If you tear the clothes open, hair or paper money will definitely come out. But you know you're an idiot if you touch it to check, right? lol
“When I checked that person’s comment history, he was an office worker at a steel company.”
“…!”
He wasn't an expert.
But it was a field where one could easily pretend to be.
“It’s the perfect area for someone who’s met a shaman a few times or read a couple of books to just make things up.”
No one knows if the people talking on the internet are actual shamans.
And no one has credibly proven whether it’s possible to pass a ghost or a curse onto someone in the way they described.
But because it looks plausible, people believe it.
The effect of combining fear and familiarity!
“Even if you look closely, these self-proclaimed experts are each telling different stories.”
“……Whew.”
It’s true.
Go Yeongeun, reading the comments, held back a sigh.
She hadn't noticed because of the atmosphere of fear and the various shamanic testimonies of similar ‘veins,’ but they were just attaching every chilling story they could find.
Whether it was a ritual, a ghost being attached, or being hit by a curse….
“…Most of it must be made up?”
“Probably.”
Maybe… not just most, but all of it.
“But people believed it.”
And.
“So, you believe that’s how it became reality.”
“Yes.”
Kim Soleum gave a bitter smile.
“Information has contaminated reality in reverse.”
==========
Dark Exploration Record / ghost story
[Conspiracy Theory of Belief]
: A ghost story appearing in <Dark Exploration Record>, registration number in the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau is 2106PSYA.2025.Bar 56.
A ghost story where conspiracy theories circulating on the internet have become reality due to the people who believe in them.
The terrifying thing about this ghost story is the implication that humans might have been causing Supernatural Disasters all along through imagination and confirmation bias.
==========
A ghost story that would someday in the future be confirmed and registered by the Management Bureau.
“If we trace back the original form even further….”
-Why the hell are there bright red clothes at the subway entrance? Why do I have to experience a ghost encounter? I almost fainted. Hold me.
This was an SNS post registered with a photo of red clothes abandoned in front of a subway exit.
The sign for Exit 4 could be seen in the background.
“This kind of simple everyday post comes up.”
Whether those red clothes were actually a jacket dropped by some drunk person by mistake or a trace left by an old clothes collection truck is unknown….
Either way, it was just an ordinary everyday mishap.
“It was likely an incident that happened by chance, with a high probability of being an amusing misunderstanding.”
“But the important thing is that people began to misunderstand.”
That was the answer.
In the end, this sighting, which spread all over the internet, was rapidly reproduced, explained, and attached with fear and rumors until it became reality.
“This is as far as I’ve investigated.”
“…….”
He’s really good….
“Um, but… by any chance, is there any part I made a mistake on…?”
Yet, because he was acting timidly in character again, he really did seem like a deceiver…!
‘I suppose it can’t be helped because of the spy work!’
Go Yeongeun nodded, holding back a sigh and a bitter smile.
“No. …It’s probably beyond the expectations of the agents in this office.”
“Ah, what a relief…! Um, then, would I be sufficient to work in the New Investigation Unit?”
No, wait. That’s not what’s important right now….
“Um, then you’ve practically figured out the principles of this Supernatural Disaster, haven’t you, Agent? If your reasoning is correct.”
“Ah, perhaps….”
It’s not ‘perhaps,’ it seems correct!
Go Yeongeun looked at her colleague with a slightly excited face.
Then couldn't he also deduce a solution?
Which was….
“If we make people stop believing, this ghost story will end too!”
“That’s right.”
Then, they just had to explain it somehow…….
‘Ah.’
Go Yeongeun realized the reality.
“…Making them stop believing is almost impossible.”
“Yes.”
It was because actual incidents were occurring.
An Anomalous Phenomenon that had already become the truth.
“Since too many people already believe it, persuasion won’t be easy.”
This ghost story was itself a conspiracy theory stating that there are internet rumors where people's beliefs become the truth.
Perhaps the author of the Dark Exploration Record wrote it in a sarcastic sense toward the evidence and sightings of various conspiracy theories.
“…Furthermore, it’s a fact that it has actually become a Supernatural Disaster. Since the evidence and the situation are real, it’ll be even harder to refute.”
She was exactly right.
That’s why whenever agents in the Dark Exploration Record discovered this ghost story, they ‘managed’ it by continuously destroying the object that was the focal point of the situation or by erasing people’s memories….
A method of acknowledging the existence of the ghost story, managing the danger, and slowly neutralizing it.
It was a lukewarm solution suited to the unpleasant nature of this ghost story.
But.
“It’s not necessarily like that.”
“…Pardon?”
Kim Soleum smiled faintly and placed his hands on the keyboard again.
There was one.
A countermeasure he had thought of ever since he read this Dark Exploration Record.
‘I can do it.’
He just hadn't been able to edit the Wiki because it didn't fit the ghost story atmosphere!
7.3 Solution
Go Yeongeun watched as Kim Soleum wrote the final section of the document without hesitation.
And even how he took his hands off with a somewhat proud face.
“This should do it.”
“…….”
Kim Soleum.
This time, he really showed her something!
And a few days later.
The red clothes at Exit 4 appeared again, as expected.
-That thing is at the Yeongdeungpo Station exit. Everyone, stay away.
People were now beginning to be afraid of even directly naming the red clothes.
It seemed that in a little while, broadcasting stations would get involved. Since there had been a few cases of disappearances and deaths, the internet whispered that at the very least, an investigation would happen, no matter how supernatural it was.
However.
-What is this?
This time, black text was written on the red clothes.
[Red Baccarat New Member Bonus 50,000 won. Free Poker, Sports Toto, Roulette— All in One Place. Guaranteed thrills and profits like a ghost (Website Address)]
An advertisement for an illegal gambling site!
-Was this a f*cking gambling ad?
People exploded.
-Ah f*ck, as if spam texts weren't enough.
-What a sh*tty build-up.
-Illegal gambling, f*ck lol.
-Are you happy drawing aggro with stuff people are scared of?
-I want to kill those scammer motherf*ckers.
-Reporting to the police. Ah, I’m so pissed.
Curses and irritation flew everywhere.
But after things calmed down for a moment, other opinions quietly surfaced.
-It looks like they’re just imitating it for an ad since the red clothes became a hot topic..
-Aren't they just taking advantage of it? It’s actually scarier. Isn't something going to happen to those guys?
It seemed like a valid point.
So the people who firmly believed in the ghost of the red clothes began to whisper again, setting the mood by wondering if something was going to happen to that company.
But the next day.
[Were you scared of these red clothes?]
[Human life is full of fear. The Lover of Paradise, who will protect and love you so you are no longer afraid, awaits you. Come to Love Paradise.]
A famous Pseudo religion formally displayed the red clothes at the exit and hung a sign…!
-What the hell is this?
-Haㅋㅋㅋ
-These are those bastards who are always asking what your ideal type is on the street. Asking to buy them coffee.
And as the crowning touch, even the phrase attached below the sign!
[We are a wholesome religion that does not operate illegal gambling sites. We are currently taking legal action against that company for identity theft of our idea.]
People read between the lines.
-Wait a minute.. so they’re saying the red clothes were their doing?
-Was it cult proselytizing?
An illegal gambling site had jumped in and utilized a trap made by a cult to seduce weak-minded people!
-They came running out in a hurry once their idea was stolen.
-Go get sued for illegal waste dumping.
-I hate this so much. The trash of this society.
-Thinking back on the atmosphere building with shamanism and all that, it's really lame and makes me so pissed.
People shuddered with annoyance and began to push the red clothes out of their conversations.
‘That worked out well.’
Kim Soleum smiled and scrolled to check the scene.
That’s right.
If it was a ghost story that became reality through people’s belief, the solution was simple.
‘Just make them not want to believe it.’
You just have to make it easy to ridicule and draining.
‘I knew it would disappear quickly if I linked it to things that annoy and irritate people on a daily basis.’
-I’m not falling for it again, you phishing-text-like bastards.
Just like that, along with their irritation, people quickly erased this event from their memories.
Conveniently dismissing the fact that there were actually people who died or went missing as ‘manipulation for advertising.’
And so….
-The Red Clothes of Exit 4 has been concluded.
The ghost story ended with surprising neatness.
Very safely, without any agent getting hurt.
For the cost of manufacturing a few banners.
-Congrats congrats.
-Amazing. To do this as soon as it was discovered.
-Good job everyone~
Watching the agent anonymous group chat, which was unusually active thanks to the event, through Go Yeongeun's phone, Kim Soleum smiled slightly.
‘Documenting the ghost story investigation and even suggesting a solution in the office. I did it properly.’
If his ability as a member of the New Investigation Unit was recognized like this….
-No, actually haha. It’s embarrassing, but our department didn't do it all.
-Huh?
-That famous rookie wrote the solution while doing documentation in the New Investigation Unit.. and it worked perfectly haha.
And.
-Is it the rookie again?
-Daebak ㄷㄷㄷ
-As expected of the King of Destruction.
-He’s really a consistent person haha.
-He’s even destroying ghost stories with documents.
“……??”
Kim Soleum certainly had shown them something.
And it was true that the conclusion of a ghost story usually involves several teams discovering clues, coming up with ideas, and attempting them.
However, in this world, there is such a thing as an established image.
In other words, the ‘King of Destruction Rookie’ had made a huge contribution to destroying a ghost story even while performing the duties of the New Investigation Unit…!
-Wow, look at that initiative. He’s Hyunmoo Team 3 material.
-No, Team 1 haha.
-You who were born for the Emergency Rescue Squad.
It was all processed as a reinforcement of his existing image!
Kim Soleum, who had ruined a ghost story with an image, ended up having his own plan ruined by his image as well.
“…….”
‘Good luck, Soleum-ssi….’
Go Yeongeun, who had anticipated this situation, simply squeezed her eyes shut and left a message of support in her heart….
And on the day the two-week rookie training period ended.
Kim Soleum… was assigned to the Emergency Rescue Squad, Hyunmoo Team 1…….
Truly, no one was surprised.
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