It is surprisingly common to find entries on the Wiki about Daydream Inc. throwing dozens, or even hundreds, of people into a single ghost story at once.
Because it's entertaining.
I had even experienced it firsthand shortly after I joined Daydream Inc.
A place where dozens of employees had died.
‘Manor of the Blind….’
My mouth still went dry whenever I thought of that mansion where a bizarre exhibition was held, where people’s features and limbs were collected as admission fees.
[Repeating the announcement. We will be starting a special night assignment today.]
So, I had a rough idea from the moment they mobilized over a hundred workers in the evening. The PTSD alarms were flashing brightly in my head.
‘This is a hundred percent it.’
They were going to herd all these workers into a single ghost story.
And usually, the survival rate for these Exploration Records is cut in half.
Because that’s what makes them interesting to read.
‘Damn it.’
I forced my face to relax as I felt my teeth grit.
Instead, I looked at Jin Nasol; she seemed to have guessed as well, her eyes sunken as she packed painkillers. As expected of the elite squad….
“The medicine's damn weak. Is this really all of it?”
“……Yes.”
I didn't know.
‘Let’s not trust her that much….’
In this bloodless, tearless, and absurd ghost story worldview, it was best for my well-being to trust only myself. No, I could even be betrayed by myself….
“Ah, fuck. I need to rest my body to work again tomorrow. What kind of bullshit is calling people out like this at night?”
“No, they said they’d pay double with night shift allowances included…!”
“Re-Really?”
“Fuck, that’s some major corporation-level payout!”
Two million won in cash.
At that magical phrase, the workers soon stopped resisting, even as they continued to grumble.
[Yes, yes. Wear your blindfolds.]
I desperately deduced and narrowed down the possibilities while being hauled away like cargo.
What kind of ghost story could it be?
[Get off.]
Soon, the minecart stopped, and we were guided to a single door.
[Now, line up. Yes. In groups of five.]
Groups of five.
‘An ambiguous number.’
Seeing them randomly divide the groups using the order people stood in line, I calculated and stood in the middle.
I debated whether to split up from Assistant Manager Jin Nasol, but decided against it. Even in the worst-case scenario where only part of the group survived, I figured Jin Nasol would keep working with me as long as both of us could still live.
‘Usually, it’s advantageous to move together.’
[Um… yes. That’s enough.]
After the security guards checked the workers and exchanged signals.
Finally, the containment cell was opened.
Creeeeeak….
“…….”
“Isn’t it… isn’t it too dark?”
The inside of the door was invisible.
The darkness was so thick it almost felt like a void.
“Hey, you should at least give us a flashlight if you want us to go in or whatever.”
“Can this many people even fit in there?”
[Yes. It’s plenty spacious inside. You’ll be able to see everything once you enter.]
“But still….”
[Ha…. Seriously.]
Irritation began to bleed into the researcher’s bored voice.
[Then back out of the task. Back out and take the points penalty.]
“…!”
[So either deal with the disadvantage or get in quickly. Don't you see you're wasting everyone's time right now, mister? Do you want no one to get any sleep tonight?]
“That….”
“Yeah, come on, why is a grown man making a fuss about it being dark.”
“We can go in, just go in.”
When several workers at the front of the line chimed in with pointed looks, the protesting worker fell silent.
Even though it was a demand that benefitted them as well, they instinctively chose not to offend the powerful researcher and held back.
‘It seems most of the workers… think that those who didn’t return after work were either fired or at the hospital.’
They probably assumed the high-numbered workers’ deaths were just rumors, or if they were superstitious, they believed ghosts had possessed them because of their weak spirits.
And since they were still fine despite doing the same work, they judged that they would be okay in the future as well.
‘It’s complacent, but realistic.’
Conversely, I read the expressions of the workers in the Z900s, either frozen stiff with anxiety or already half-vacant….
[Take the instructions and enter. Simultaneous entry for the same line.]
But the entry had already begun.
One by one, the workers at the very front entered the darkness.
And then it was my line’s turn.
“…….”
As I was the closest to them, the security guard handed a piece of paper to me.
Was it the same person from the first day?
“Th-Thank you….”
I took it.
The moment I stepped into the containment cell door, holding the slightly worn paper.
Thump.
The darkness swallowed us.
“…….”
Strangely, we didn’t bump into the team ahead.
We slowly walked forward.
One step.
Another step.
“No, just how far do we have to go….”
Just before the worker next to me finished his sentence.
Whoosh.
A brief gust of wind swept past.
And then, my vision opened up.
“……!”
It was the mountain breeze tickling my forehead.
The slope of a hill covered in dark blue branches appeared before me.
“A-A mountain?”
“Was it a door leading outside? No, but how is this possible?”
“No, why in a mountain like this….”
Assistant Manager Jin Nasol gestured with her chin.
The paper in my hand.
‘Check it.’
I was already unfolding the distributed paper anyway.
If simply entering the containment cell was the entry trigger, then this was most likely the escape hint.
The inside of the folded paper revealed itself.
Refreshing Courage Test
Collect 43 stamps and receive a prize.
Visit the famous spots of Sagyeong Mountain within the sunless darkness to develop courage and self-discipline, and to train your mind.
Fairy Rock – Sagyeong Lodge – Osaek Mineral Spring
Prize collection point:
Information desk in front of the 1st-floor entrance of the Retreat Center
“…courage test?”
Excuse me.
Would it kill you to at least pretend not to be a ghost story?
‘Why is it so blatant….’
A courage test ghost story.
“Hey, let’s see that together.”
I obediently held the paper out quickly so the other team members could also see it.
At the bottom of the old-fashioned, tacky, and slightly crude notice, which looked like it had been made in Photoshop, a new line caught my eye.
This experience is available at all times for
organizations renting our Shinmaru Retreat Center.
Participation is possible at any time without application.
At that moment.
“Shinmaru Retreat Center?”
…!
“Do you know this place?”
“Uh… here, isn't this the retreat center where all those kids died in an accident?”
What?
A chill ran down my spine, as if cold water had been poured down my back.
Looking uncomfortable, the worker spoke while rubbing his chin.
“No, I definitely heard about it. Just before I came to this worksite… that, a bunch of students died.”
“…….”
“I heard it was a retreat center built by some cult. Didn’t they say they couldn't even find the kids' bodies?”
A gloomy silence descended.
“…And we’re in that place right now? Ha, wow.”
“No, first of all, let’s go back and ask the announcement broadcast people properly before moving….”
I turned around.
I saw the dim path on the hill.
The containment cell door was nowhere to be seen.
We were standing alone in the middle of a mountain.
“…….”
“W-What happened…?”
“No, the door we just came through… no.”
This won't do.
It was clear these people had never directly experienced such a blatant supernatural darkness.
“Is it just too dark to see?”
“I guess? Otherwise….”
“Ah, that must be it. Yes, because I can’t see properly….”
I quickly chimed in.
Because I felt like people might start panicking at any moment.
‘I need to find the escape route and get out fast.’
My brain whirled so rapidly it stung.
First, I had to quickly deduce what ghost story this was. So… a retreat center where a fatal accident occurred, a courage test….
‘It’s too cliché.’
These few scattered details were common enough to be used in any ghost story. Several representative ghost stories came to mind, but it was hard to be certain. Like the wooden dolls, it could be just one of many cases.
‘I feel like I’ll know immediately if I experience even one decisive gimmick….’
Tap, tap.
Assistant Manager Jin Nasol tapped my back.
“Abandon them and move.”
“Excuse me?”
“The notice doesn't mention anything about a group size limit. I said let's go. Why carry around dead weight for no reason?”
“W-Wait a moment.”
In this terrifying mountain, five people feel overwhelmingly more reassuring than two…!
‘The more, the merrier—more people are less scary!’
I was squeezing out a cold sweat, trying to make up a rational excuse, when—
“Damn, I can't see shit. They said we'd see everything once we entered, but I can't see a damn thing….”
“Everyone.”
A worker chuckled and pulled something out. It was….
“A flashlight!”
“…!”
“This is what you call using your brain.”
With a tense yet somewhat proud face, the worker held up a small flashlight.
“Since they said it was night work, I tucked this away.”
“Kyah, this is why people need to be smart.”
“Phew, thanks to you, we can travel comfortably. Keep it a secret from the company, yes, of course!”
The faces of the people brightened a bit at the relief provided by light and a clear view.
Right. It’s true that on a mountain at night, lifting the darkness reduces the fear by more than half.
However, this was….
‘…Would Daydream Inc. really not have known he was smuggling that in?’
No, they definitely knew. There’s no way they wouldn't catch it with CCTV.
If they knew, why didn't they stop him?
When they themselves pointedly refused to give us flashlights.
-You’ll be able to see everything once you enter.
That refusal clearly showed intent. There must be a reason why the researcher didn’t give us any….
“…….”
Wait a minute.
“Now, now, let’s turn it on quickly….”
“Do not turn it on.”
“Huh?”
“I said, don’t turn on the flashlight.”
“Ayyy, look at him suddenly lowering his voice.”
“Is he the type to act tough when he’s scared?”
But the workers who knew me from when I was Z999 ignored my words and moved casually, snickering as if nothing was wrong.
“Whatever. He’s probably just scared he’ll actually see a ghost.”
Damn it.
“Now, now, there are no ghosts~”
The worker pressed the flashlight button….
Thud!
I kicked the man away and pinned him down.
“W-W-Whoa!”
I crushed him down to subdue him and knocked the flashlight away.
“Has this brat gone crazy!”
“Fuck!”
The workers rushed at me to pull me off.
‘Damn it!’
The flashlight rolled away.
Jin Nasol watched the situation with one eyebrow raised and then approached. It seemed like she was going to help me subdue him, but—
I screamed.
“Close your eyes!”
It was already too late.
“Hey!”
The flashlight, which had left the struggling worker’s hand, had already been turned on.
Ting.
The light scattered as it rolled across the ground.
Ting, roll, roll….
Dammit.
“Close your eyes…!”
“Ugh,”
After shouting at the worker pinned beneath me, I pressed his face down, buried my own head into the ground, and shut my eyes.
“What. Is he a psycho?”
“What do you mean, don’t look. It’s nice and bright.”
“Exactly.”
“Heehee~ It’s really bright even though it’s late at night.”
“I can see everything.”
“It’s good.”
“It’s good.”
“It’s goo—”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH.”
“Uuuuuhhh uuuuuuhhh uuuuuuhhh yeah gogoodgooditit’sggoodit’sgood”
“Wow…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“It was on the mountain.”
Silence.
…….
…….
Now, only the sound of the wind could be heard.
The hands trying to pull me off had disappeared at some point.
A muffled voice came from beneath me.
“H-Hey.”
…….
“Just now, just now what….”
“Do not open your eyes.”
Ha.
“Assistant Manager. Are you there?”
“Where else would I be?”
It seemed she had followed my instructions immediately.
‘As expected of an elite….’
The next moment, I stood up shakily.
Then slowly, I moved my feet… and began to walk down the path.
In the direction where light shone through my eyelids.
“…….”
My legs were trembling. But I didn't stop.
I walked back and forth a few times until I found the spot brightest behind my eyelids.
Thump. My foot hit something.
“…….”
With palms covered in cold sweat, I leaned down and picked up the flashlight, then flipped the switch off.
Click.
Has darkness ever been this welcome?
‘Phew.’
Only after I put the flashlight in my work uniform pocket did I slowly, very slowly, open my eyes.
I saw the dark mountain path.
That was all.
“……You can open your eyes now.”
When I turned my head, drenched in cold sweat, I saw the worker I had subdued and Assistant Manager Jin Nasol, who had already started re-reading the notice in her hand.
Two people.
Only those two were left.
“…Seong-gil, I mean, what about the others…?”
“I don’t know.”
I wiped away the cold sweat.
“I can’t see them.”
Right.
I remember.
‘There’s no way I wouldn’t know.’
This ghost story, where you must not turn on a light.
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Let There Be No Light]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Records>, with Daydream Inc. Identification Code Qterw-C-1010.
A ghost story where the gimmick of horror games–being attacked the moment the lights go out—works in reverse.
During the exploration, anyone who turns on a light—be it a candle, a lamp, or glow-in-the-dark item—disappears.
The most terrifying part is that not only the person who turned on the light but everyone who saw what was illuminated disappears.
It is unknown what the explorers saw or what kind of experience they had.
Explorers who enter will experience a courage test conducted at an abandoned retreat center located on the outskirts of Gyeongsangnam-do, and they cannot leave the ghost story until the test is properly completed.
This is driving me crazy.
‘So… it’s true they intentionally didn't take the flashlights away.’
They left us alone because they wanted a control group for what would happen if someone took one.
The result.
‘Right after entering, two out of the five people in this group disappeared….’
And it was impossible to even know what they saw or what happened to them.
“…….”
It had been a while.
That kind of experience where two living people I was talking with moments ago disappeared after saying something strange.
“U-U-Uhh… that,”
“Take a deep breath.”
But it wasn't the first time.
“I’ll handle this.”
Let's stay calm.
Wiping away my sweat, I removed the batteries from the flashlight and stuffed them back in my pocket.
The worker didn't ask to have it back.
Instead, he asked a question.
Because in the midst of shock and panic, people instinctively depend on someone who ‘seems to know what’s going on.’
“A-Are we not supposed to turn on the light?”
“Yes.”
“Why…??”
For the record, Assistant Manager Jin Nasol didn't ask how I knew.
Because she had already realized.
“You deduced it in reverse from the fact that they didn't give us flashlights, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’re still sharp.”
Jin Nasol, who had read the notice thoroughly once more, began to move.
“Then shall we go?”
“U-Uh, to find the others….”
“I mean we should go get the stamps. Because that’s the task written on the paper the company gave us.”
Before Assistant Manager Jin Nasol could repeat that this worker was a nuisance and that we should leave him behind, I quickly answered in his stead.
“And….”
Ha.
After internally squeezing my eyes shut once, I tried my best to speak in a steady voice.
“Yes. It would be best to move quickly, as the Assistant Manager said.”
But I knew.
There was one more condition required for this ghost story to be established.
‘A situation where it becomes absolutely unbearable not to turn on a light will arise ….’
Isn't it obvious?
Otherwise, it would just be a ghost story that could be passed by letting your eyes adjust to the dark and fumbling along slowly.
‘Such a thing has no value as an exploration record.’
To be interesting, it has to be horrific and chilling.
I swallowed hard.
‘Somehow… I just have to endure it.’
I have to bear it by thinking of tonight as a horror torture session.
And this time, I had a member of the elite squad walking ahead of me, someone who wouldn't be taken out easily.
That alone was a true comfort.
“…Let’s go.”
So, I gritted my teeth and stepped forward.
Into the darkness.
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