Thud.
The wooden doll’s shoulder briefly shook with the twisted sound of lumber being struck by a fist.
Naturally, it was my fist hitting the doll.
Drip.
My cold sweat fell onto the wooden doll.
[Again.]
Thud.
The doll’s joints twisted, its arm turning at a bizarre angle.
The wooden doll had no facial features.
So, even though it couldn't look at me, I felt as if the smooth face of the sculpture, cast in shadows under the strangely red lighting, was staring at me intently. And…
The researcher’s indifferent voice came through the announcement broadcast.
[Yes, yes. Keep going until it breaks.]
…
“I don’t want to.”
Actually, you see.
‘Of course, I deduced what kind of ghost story it was the moment I read the diary.’
I had scoured my brain for every ghost story related to ‘wooden dolls’ recorded in the Dark Exploration Records.
I had narrowed it down to two or three.
And at this moment, I was certain which one it was.
“I said I don’t want to do it.”
I spoke again without lifting my head.
Silence filled the room.
And then.
[….]
The researcher was quiet.
‘As I thought.’
But the moment I pulled my body back, the indifferent voice spoke again.
[Ah~ that’s not enough. Let’s keep going.]
It only reacted to my movements.
‘They can’t hear my voice.’
They didn’t know what I was saying.
From the moment the researcher’s words overlapped with my question earlier, I was almost certain.
Right now, they must have installed speakers inside the containment cell just to give one-way instructions.
‘It’s a setup I’ve seen a few times in the exploration records.’
Records written solely by relying on CCTV footage.
An employee who entered the containment cell of Qterw-C-348 complained that it was too dark, an assumption based on the infrared camera. The researcher repeatedly instructed them to stay.
In the Wiki, such setups are used to increase the reader's tension by giving limited information, but why was it actually done this way?
It’s simple.
‘It’s a ghost story where sound has an influence.’
Yes. The researcher judged that auditory elements inside the containment cell could act as a contamination trigger.
‘A wooden doll, a ghost in a dream, the waterside. And here… concerns about contamination through hearing.’
Once those keywords were assembled, even without any manual hints, I could easily pinpoint the ghost story in this fragmentary situation.
‘So…’
This is the one.
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[I'll Let You Go Now]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Records>, Daydream Inc. identification code Qterw-C-2554.
The entity in question is found under the soil near the waterside.
Its size distribution varies from 12cm to 37cm, and while its materials—such as cotton, wood, brass, parchment, ■ ■ —are not standardized, they all take a human form consisting of two hands and two feet. It can be identified as an instance of Qterw-C-2554 via the enclosed talisman.
The talisman is severely damaged and covered in scribbles. After restoring and interpreting the inscriptions, it was determined that they contained the text for Sumang-gut, a ritual intended for drowning victims.
(The Saju of a drowning victim whose name has been erased is written, but no matching death record can be found.)
Anyone who comes into contact with the doll experiences hallucinations of ghosts, the waterside, drowning, and other terrifying scenes from that day onward. If left unattended, the person will die within 7 days.
Except for cases where suicide is ruled out, autopsy results confirm that the cause of death was drowning.
‘I really got stuck with a spine-chilling one…’
Whew.
Anyway, the wooden doll wasn’t the important part from the beginning. It was just one of the forms in which this ghost story manifested.
And burning or damaging that doll wasn't a decisive factor either.
‘The ghost story already started the moment I made contact.’
To put it another way, that is…
Thud.
‘Even if I break this, things won’t get particularly worse…!’
I moved my arms and continued to strike the wooden doll.
‘Uuugh.’
It was the kind of sensation one might feel when cutting the rope to enter a mountain shrine marked ‘No Entry.’
The instinctive dread of doing something wrong vibrated through my entire body, but I didn't stop.
Thud.
Just as the researcher demanded, my strikes continued until it was completely broken. Even though my body, in a state of near-malnutrition, screamed in protest, an adult man’s strength was enough to pull the doll’s joints apart.
Thus, the ominous wooden doll in the containment cell was completely…
Destroyed under my grip.
[Yes. That’s enough.]
I pulled my hands away at the researcher’s voice.
My knuckles were stinging, but that wasn't what was important.
What came next was what mattered.
‘Now…!’
I immediately lowered my head beneath the chair and began digging into the exposed dirt floor of the containment cell.
It had already been moderately dug up.
Because I had been subtly rubbing it with my feet while I was striking the wooden doll…!
[You may exit now… Worker Z999?]
It was to finish this quickly before a restraint was issued.
In one go, I dug out the dirt I had already loosened with both hands.
Then, I picked up the doll lying on the chair with its joints all pulled out and broken…I placed it in the hole I had dug, and covered it with dirt again.
[No…]
The moment I patted the dirt and stood up.
Ha-
“…….”
y l k c i u q e i d u o y s i h w i
A strange wheezing sound, like a tape being rewound, brushed past my ears.
A voice whispering right next to me, so close the breath seemed to touch my ear.
‘Fuck.’
Goosebumps rose on the back of my neck, but I squeezed my eyes shut and endured it.
Creak.
The containment cell door opened behind me.
‘Save me.’
I fled from the dark containment cell as if escaping.
As soon as I stepped out under the somewhat coercive supervision of the waiting security personnel, I heard the researcher’s voice.
[You there, what did you just do?]
It was a voice that sounded somewhat intrigued.
‘I have an excuse ready for times like this.’
I deliberately hunched my shoulders. And I spoke in a slurred voice, just like I had this morning.
“W-well, if it’s broken… then it needs to be thrown away, right? So, I threw it out… So it’s out of sight….”
As if my mind had gone a bit soft due to malnutrition and the harsh environment.
[……Hmm.]
They bought it.
‘Thank you, trashy environment…’
The fact that I can reasonably avoid suspicion even after doing this is the only advantage…
As I tottered forward, the security guard tried to remove the armband he had placed on my arm.
[Wait. Let’s leave that on. I want to see the progress by tomorrow.]
‘Of course.’
You want to record such a peculiar case, don't you? I figured a Daydream research staff member would make that kind of choice…
Thinking of whatever crazy researcher might be at the main office, I felt like I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
I guess the branch offices aren't any different.
Ah, the difference is the financial pressure.
[If that band gets damaged, it’ll be docked from your salary. It’s extremely expensive. Got it? If you don’t want to work for years without getting paid, carry it more carefully than your own body.]
“Yes….”
He sounds just like a crazy office boss telling an employee to pay for a computer they broke.
[Did you feel anything strange while looking at the doll inside, or hear anything in there?]
Hmm.
For now, I shook my head.
[Hmm… I see.]
And so, I got back on the mine cart and waited for a while until the other workers finished their tasks and returned.
Phew.
‘First step… passed.’
I finally managed to relax.
I fell into thought while looking at the armband still wrapped around my forearm.
I lifted my hand carefully and, pretending to vow to protect the armband well, lightly stroked it and checked the contour inside.
…I felt the shape of a small cylinder.
‘As I thought.’
It seems a Dream Collector is inside.
‘They put the Collector inside the band, and the person in charge takes all the Essence the workers extract from the Darknesses.’
I knew this armband would have a function besides just tracking and recording.
‘Since the reason for all this in the first place is Essence Collection.’
The workers are just an outsourced labor force that don’t need to be let in on that…
But the fact that a Dream Collector is in my hands right now.
‘…means I can make the researcher jump in surprise with the solution grade.’
My physical condition was already so bad that I felt like I’d get sick within two weeks if I stayed in that room that didn’t even resemble a breakroom…
Hmm.
‘I really need to move to an earlier number.’
Even if I’m going to leave, I should do it before then.
Taking my hand off the armband, I mentally finalized what I needed to do.
A short while later.
Sitting in the cafeteria, I realized how this ridiculous labor environment for workers was being maintained.
“Hey, today’s a good haul.”
I had just received my allowance in cash.
Do you know how much it is?
It’s 1 million won.
‘Crazy.’
Beside me, I could hear the workers counting their money in excitement. I also almost got excited for a moment looking at twenty crisp 50,000 won bills.
‘Wow.’
Cash has the power to make people lose their rationality.
The impact of digits on an app screen versus a bundle of currency in your hand was different.
Why else would people use money guns for Parents’ Day events? There was something about dozens of 50,000 won bills that had the power to get people excited.
The dopamine reward circuit must be flashing like a gambler’s.
…To the point where it was hard to notice that several workers had not returned from their morning shifts.
‘Whew.’
“Hey, are you going back in for the afternoon?”
“Ayy, of course I have to go.”
For the record, I’m not going in.
-Don’t go into the afternoon work today. Just stay still and don't move as much as possible while wearing that. It’s best not to do anything unnecessary.
Because that’s what the researcher said.
I was obediently stuffing the ‘lunch’ placed in front of me into my mouth.
…At the very least, they provided meals for free.
But you see.
‘Wow, they even discriminate with food…’
The menu in the company cafeteria was better for those with earlier numbers, and more meager for those with later numbers.
Which meant I was eating the worst meal among these workers.
Even for a ghost story worldview, isn't this crossing the line…
‘I want to report this to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.’
For the record, the basic menu provided to the Z900s was a lump of cold rice and stir-fried anchovies.
Of course, it seemed like you could order additional items from other menus if you paid money…
But the prices were insane.
{Rice Cake Ramen – 10,000 won}
I couldn’t help but call them crazy.
If the stories in the diary of the deceased Worker Z993 were true, most workers would be in an environment where they’d be blinded by money. In this state, they’d naturally have no choice but to be reluctant about buying goods and services with their own money.
So naturally, they’d become obsessed with moving to the earlier numbers where they could ‘live well without paying money.’
They’d develop a more proactive attitude than just putting up with doing something slightly unpleasant.
It’s also easy to think that those who go missing were just weak-willed or unlucky, and therefore became victims of the ghost story.
‘The psychological manipulation is subtle.’
Since they're cut off from the outside world, they become even more isolated among themselves.
Moreover, if workers are forced to spend money, Daydream naturally gains the benefit of recovering a certain portion of wages they already paid out.
‘Whew.’
I suppressed a sigh.
For the record, there was one more reason for this sigh.
“Hey. Is it good?”
“Oh~ This is exactly the kind of food our 999 pigeon would love. Look at those stir-fried anchovies.”
It was because the X141 and X145 duo, having discovered me eating, had come over to loiter again.
Their purpose seemed clear.
“Our pigeon needs to pay us back for the water yesterday.”
“…….”
Extorting my daily wage.
‘You heartless bastards.’
You’re shaking me down for money I earned while almost dying?
It was probably because I, with the very last number, was the easiest target.
“Now, now, I’ll only take exactly half for the water. Just give me half. Only half.”
“Kyah, how conscientious can you be?”
“Let’s see…”
Not a chance.
I slid my hand into my shirt and deftly dodged the hands of the guys trying to snatch (what was likely) half of my daily wage, 500,000 won.
And before they could react, I quickly spoke while rummaging through my own shirt.
“I-I’ll give it to you.”
“Oh.”
“Here…”
And pretending to be flustered, I pulled something out from my shirt…
A cylindrical object.
“……What’s this?”
“Water.”
A plastic bottle of water.
It was the same logo as the one those guys had poured over my head yesterday.
‘I bought it from the stall in front of the cafeteria.’
The expressions on the two men went blank.
I held out the water bottle with an innocent expression, then, as if realizing something, I opened the bottle and poured half of it over my bowl of rice.
“Ah, I-I’ll only give you half.”
I definitely did it to get under their skin.
“Look at this punk.”
“Pigeon…. Hey, what the fuck, huh? You can’t read the situation?”
The atmosphere turned threatening in an instant.
One person raised his hand and tried to flick my face with quite a bit of force.
When the emotionally charged motion, intended to make a person feel like crap, came.
‘Okay.’
I deliberately hunched my body, making his hand hit near my forearm.
The moment the opponent’s hand roughly touched the band.
“Ah…!”
I recoiled in surprise, pulling my body forward, and looked at the opponent with worried eyes.
“Th-this… they said it was expensive, and that the person who breaks it won’t get their salary.”
“…!”
“Over there… he’s watching. It’ll be a big problem if we’re caught.”
I pointed to the security guard standing outside the cafeteria as if monitoring.
“…Fuck.”
The guy, rolling his eyes as he looked back and forth between the armband and the security guard, must have done the math, because he withdrew the hand that was about to grab my hair.
He was avoiding a situation where he’d have to pay for damages.
“Pigeon, the price of that water just doubled because of that.”
“You don’t even know what you just did, do you? I’ll kindly let you know soon enough. Look forward to it.”
They’re really trying to act tough…
I inwardly sighed as I watched the two guys return to their seats.
This is such a pain…
But I have to do what’s necessary.
‘They’ll probably try to beat me up in some hallway around tomorrow.’
We’ll see about that tomorrow. If it’s even possible.
“Whew.”
I finished the rest of the cold rice for now, and after thriftily drinking all the water the guys had left behind… I stopped by the shabby stall outside the cafeteria again.
“Please, give me this…”
And in my current situation, I spent a large sum of money to buy ‘preparations’ and returned to the last-numbered breakroom assigned to me.
‘They cleared the body…’
Worker Z993’s body was no longer in its place. However, the traces of water left by the corpse hadn’t been cleaned up yet.
‘Uuugh.’
I lay back down on my mattress, the one furthest from the now-gone corpse.
“Let’s just sleep for now.”
And so, in that terribly poor place, I was able to go to bed after checking my plan with a bit more energy than yesterday.
‘Whew.’
How much time had passed?
“…….”
I felt something.
Within the darkness of the shabby, narrow breakroom.
The area beneath the mattress I was lying on suddenly began to feel damp…
“…….”
Wait a minute.
Something strange appeared in my dream today
Something like a faceless ghost laughed and laughed while grabbing my ankles, lifting me upside down, and pulling me in and out of the water…
‘No way.’
No… I definitely buried it in the dirt.
My feet stiffened with tension.
…….
I opened my eyes.
And rolling only my eyes, I looked down.
And that’s when our eyes met.
Ha-
With a bizarre face laughing so hard its head seemed to split in half, it grabbed my feet.
‘…!!’
Strands of hair clung to my calves.
Its face was all bloated and mangled with only dim black eyeballs visible, round and bulging.
Bloated hands slipperily pulled at my feet. Cold, bumpy flesh crushed against my calves.
Goosebumps broke out over my body. I instinctively tried to pull my feet away, but they wouldn't move.
y l k c i u q e i d u o y s i h w i
The laughing face with torn flesh gradually drew closer. I was drenched in cold sweat.
My cold sweat had a fishy smell.
A nightmare.
‘Bite your tongue…!’
Wake up. Wake up from the dream somehow!
My hands twitched as I struggled to escape somehow, trying my hardest to move my fingertips as if waking up from sleep paralysis. No… Sweat dripped down from my body, and water began to seep up from beneath the mattress. I heard a splashing sound. The drowning victim was trying to pull my legs down. I couldn’t struggle anymore… I was completely helpless…
…….
It stopped.
It's youuu
I barely managed to notice.
‘…It’s buried!’
Beyond the mattress, the lower body of the drowning victim was halfway buried in the exposed dirt floor.
That’s why it couldn't grab me and drag me to the waterside. It couldn't pull me down beneath the mattress.
‘An opportunity…!’
I quickly flicked my fingers, trying to revive the sensation of waking up from a dream. I had to escape quickly…
…….
…….
And then, I realized it.
‘Ah.’
There was a small error in deceased Worker Z993’s diary.
It wasn't a dream.
He mistakenly thought he saw it in a dream, but that wasn't it.
‘I wasn't… asleep.’
It was real.
The ghost had really appeared in the breakroom where he was sleeping.
Just like now right in front of my eyes.
‘……!!’
Hee hee hee hee hee
I froze, dazed.
The ghost grabbed my feet and shook them. My body shook. All sorts of curses and screams echoed in my mouth, but I stayed frozen with terror, unable to speak.
Fortunately, it didn't last long.
Uh….
Because I fainted right then and there with my eyes open.
‘…It's actually a relief.’
The next morning. Waking up and heading to the workshop, I suppressed a sigh.
Think positively…. I can do this… please.
‘I experienced a bit of sleep paralysis, but at least I slept and recovered my energy now.’
Yeah. Waking up the next day and seeing muddy water stains soaked into the mattress and mold spreading on the wall made chills run up my head, but thanks to the morning roll call, I was able to leave the scene right away. How fortunate.
Not killing me right away, what a generous ghost story this is… I even tried spinning an absurdly optimistic take like that.
Though in reality, it’s draining the life out of me.
And in this physical state, if left for just one more day, I might actually die of a heart attack.
[Worker Z999, entering the containment cell.]
‘Can I just not go?’
Of course, not a chance.
I suppressed my tears as I prepared to enter….
Still, I knew. I had brought ‘the thing I prepared’ without any issues.
‘…Good.’
After patting the item I had tucked away, I moved my feet.
Creak.
The containment cell door opened, and once again, trapped me in a room alone with the wooden doll from the ghost story.
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