‘It was a fruitful day.’
Additional profit: forty million. The best choice.
‘It feels like I’ve established a line to pull in regular side income without standing out.’
Several options for how to spend today’s forty million won came to mind.
Along with the new company sectors that were opened up following my recent promotion.
And a certain plush doll, who had sharp instincts for when I’d made a profit, was slowly and subtly hinting at what he wanted.
-Whew, I’ve been going out frequently for a few days, so my body feels stiff. I want to take a bath….
Endure it. I can't exactly go around pilfering blood packs from some hospital, can I?
-Of course. I can certainly endure it. Because I am a good Friend….
Well, a bath in a Blood Bath might be asking too much, but I could probably give him a hand-wash.
I was planning to spend the evening engaging in such trivial banter with Braun.
That is, until someone burst into my room.
“You!!”
“…!”
It was Baek Saheon.
No, why was this guy, who rarely even came out of his own room, suddenly entering someone else’s room without knocking?
But before I could point out Baek Saheon’s rudeness, I realized his state.
He was in a near-total panic.
“What on earth does this mean…! Where have you dragged me into!”
In his hand was a smartphone, and what was displayed on the screen was….
[Kim Soleum : Watch out for the serial killer]
It was the message I had sent.
I had sent one earlier as I was coming in.
But here’s the thing.
“I’m not the one who dragged you in.”
“…….”
“You’re the one who made the wrong choice.”
-Mr. Roe Deer’s ‘company colleague’ picked up an object, and he is about to die a gruesome death soon!
Baek Saheon’s face turned pale.
‘It seems something just blew up in accordance with my message.’
Since he wasn't dead yet, he could probably handle it by contacting the company or something.
Anyway, I didn't want to get involved and suffer for no reason, so just as I was about to head out….
-Oh dear, can you hear it?
-It seems time is up for Mr. Roe Deer’s ‘company colleague.’
“…….”
What?
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
Humming began to be heard.
The source was definitely Baek Saheon right in front of me.
But Baek Saheon’s mouth hadn't even moved.
……In that case.
“You, I think you’re holding something you shouldn't have.”
“…….”
With a pale complexion, Baek Saheon reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
It was a cassette tape.
On its old, stained ivory-colored body, there were traces where the title on the sticker had been roughly crossed out with a pen.
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
The humming echoing from the tape grew louder and louder.
An incredibly intuitive… signal.
-The time has come.
Let’s bolt.
I immediately stood up and ran out of the staff quarters.
The problem was that Baek Saheon followed me out in a frantic rush!
“Throw away the tape first!”
“I already threw it! Out the window!”
Then stop following me!
-It is too late.
-Oh dear, Mr. Roe Deer… You saw the object too. You’ve been entangled in this story. You’ve become part of the selection of Sacrificial Lambs.
-Though it is unavoidable for a talented and capable guest with a gift for entertainment like you!
Hah.
‘Why can’t this bastard Baek Saheon handle his own business instead of being such a nuisance to others…!’
If I gave him a warning, he should have used it! Are you really a Named employee of a ghost story company?
Curses surged up to my throat. But since there was no time to swear, I ran even faster.
‘First, let’s get some physical distance.’
If we haven't completely fallen into the ghost story yet, then generally, securing distance should be helpful!
I sprinted away from the staff quarters and headed for the bus stop.
And I immediately hopped onto the arriving bus.
Beep.
As I tagged my card and got on, I heard the sound of Baek Saheon tagging his card behind me.
‘Why are you following me, you lunatic!’
Doesn't he have a shred of human conscience to at least not drag in the person who warned him?
Come to think of it, he probably doesn't. That bastard was a total sociopath!
Regardless, the bus doors closed, and we set off without any issues.
“Hah.”
“Hah…….”
The humming could no longer be heard.
I went to the very back and sat right next to the emergency exit hammer that could break the glass. Just in case.
After appearing to hesitate, Baek Saheon sat right near me.
“…….”
“…….”
It was the weekend, neither commuting time nor lunch, so there were few passengers on the bus. Maybe two or three in the front seats.
After checking his surroundings, Baek Saheon lowered his voice and asked with an anxious look.
“Hey, you… how on earth did you know to send that message,”
“You?”
“…I thought we agreed to drop… no, I mean… fine. Supervisor. How exactly did you know?”
“How I know isn't what’s important.”
I spoke, holding back the urge to scream at the cautious Baek Saheon.
“What’s important is how you ended up with that.”
“…….”
If this guy kept his mouth shut like this, I was planning to get off at the next stop and catch a taxi. Even if I had to throw him out of the taxi so he couldn't follow.
But perhaps sensing my intent like a ghost, Baek Saheon opened his mouth.
“…It was something that was at home.”
Home?
“I inherited it from a relative. They said to use it if I wanted to aim for a reversal in a crisis, so I’ve been carrying it around….”
-Ah, a classic trick. An heirloom that was thought to be a symbol of protection was actually a cursed object possessed by an evil spirit… This is the very definition of a horror movie cliché!
Tell me about it.
I asked him seriously, not intending to poke fun.
“You work for a company that grades ghost stories, and you never once thought to get that inspected?”
“…If the company thought it was useful, they might not return it after the inspection! I thought it through.”
“Doesn't look like it.”
“…….”
“Try thinking things through from now on.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Baek Saheon’s face flushed red and then turned pale as he forced a smile that made the corners of his mouth twitch.
This guy was quite transparent; he’d act all prickly like a sociopath but suddenly become polite once he got scared.
Anyway, I held back a sigh and assessed the situation.
This is a classic introduction to getting caught in a ghost story.
“First, let’s go to the final stop, get off, and it’ll be better to contact the company Security Team….”
“…….”
“…… death.”
“……W-what’s wrong, Supervisor?”
Something was strange.
City bus stops are usually within a 3-minute distance.
But this bus,
Why does it keep driving?
-Oh dear, it has caught up.
I looked out the window.
……Fog was rolling in.
The scenery outside the city bus, which had been driving along a pleasant four-lane road in downtown Seoul, suddenly began to change into a winding, unpaved road.
“…!”
I stood up from my seat.
The passengers in the front seats had vanished.
…The only one still there was the driver operating the bus.
“…….”
The driver was now wearing a worn-out cap.
The kind of cap that would have been worn back when buses were still a formal mode of transportation.
And with gloved hands, he reached out while humming and turned on the radio.
Click.
And what flowed out was….
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
That humming from the cassette tape.
“……!”
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
The humming filled the bus.
The low-floor bus that had been driving through modern Seoul had somehow become an old bus with seats lined up in rows.
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
“Don't look back.”
It was already too late.
Baek Saheon gripped the handle while staring straight ahead with a frozen face. I tried not to look too closely at the outside as the fog cleared, fixing my gaze forward.
The path turned from a trail into a worn-out paved road.
The old bus, which had been rattling along the rough country road, eventually slowed down….
[This stop is ‘Horizon Lodge.’]
“…….”
The destination was in sight.
Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmmm, hmmm-hmmm.
The humming was now flowing from the radio as an unmistakably clear melody.
While listening to the cheerful pop melody in a minor key that was popular in the 1980s and 90s, I saw the sight outside the opening door….
[Horizon Lodge]
A luxurious mountain villa-style mansion with a sign in elegant calligraphy stood in the middle of the mountains.
“…….”
Hah.
“…Are you going to get off?”
Yeah.
I hate it enough to curse, but yes.
I stood up from my seat and stepped toward the open door. I heard the sound of Baek Saheon hurriedly following behind me, muttering something like a curse.
Behind us, the bus door closed and it departed.
Along with the humming melody.
“…… death.”
“…… death.”
Baek Saheon muttered in a slightly relieved tone.
“Still, the song can’t be heard, and the tape is gone, so the situation is better than before….”
“Check your pocket.”
“What?”
“Your pocket. Put your hand in and check.”
“…….”
Baek Saheon looked at me with a blank expression, then suddenly thrust his hand into his coat pocket.
And what came out was….
The old cassette tape he said he’d thrown away.
“…!!”
I grabbed Baek Saheon’s arm as he tried to throw the cassette tape away again.
“It’s already too late, so just get ready to go in.”
“Go in….”
“Over there.”
I pointed toward ‘Horizon Lodge.’
Once you’ve come this far, running is useless.
You’ll only waste your stamina and, after all sorts of suffering, end up back at this ‘place that serves as the setting for the story’….
‘I’d rather go in early and assess the situation.’
-Mr. Roe Deer, somehow you move as if you know the future! Is this a story you knew about this time as well?
Braun, who had noticed that I possessed quite a broad range of information regarding Anomalous Phenomena, prattled on.
And… he was right.
‘…That’s right.’
The keywords had been combined.
Serial killer.
Bait using a means of transportation.
An object that keeps returning to your pocket as if cursed.
And….
I raised my head and looked at our destination.
‘……Horizon Lodge.’
==========
Dark Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[And Someone Was There]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>, Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau registration number 1489PSYA.1991.Ra84.
A ghost story where people are killed one by one by a serial killer in a suspicious, isolated location. A variation of the classic closed-circle mystery novel and B-grade slasher movie.
An Idle-sanctioned Disaster that can be sealed with 9 humans; the Disaster Management Bureau must recruit personnel every four years through volunteers or conscription.
==========
The identity of the ghost story, deduced through an analysis no different from my job-seeking experience over the past few months.
However, there was something a bit different this time.
‘Affiliation…!’
This wasn't the Darkness of Daydream Inc.
A ghost story quarantined by the government, or to be quarantined in the future.
Commonly known as a ‘Disaster’!
What’s the difference?
Because the operating principles are inherently different from a major corporation trying to use the Darkness to extract raw materials for business.
The government created the Management Bureau solely to prevent loss of life or massive property damage.
At least, that’s the justification.
Therefore, the Disaster Management Bureau prioritized the quarantine of things that absolutely should not be among the public.
In other words….
Someone unconditionally dies.
Whether you clear it, get trapped, fail, or succeed.
In every possible scenario.
‘The moment you’re caught in this, there’s a guaranteed kill.’
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
The government had judged that for this to be cleared, someone must die….
And I was right on the verge of entering the middle of it.
And they aren't even giving out Points!!
‘That damn bastard Baek Saheon!’
I wanted to hurl every curse at Baek Saheon and give him a bruise on his other eye too, but….
‘It’s a waste of time….’
“Excuse me, Supervisor!”
Ignoring Baek Saheon, I let out a sigh and walked toward the main entrance of the lodge.
And just as I was about to knock after taking a deep breath….
Ting.
I heard the sound of a bicycle bell from behind.
Turning my head, I saw a bicycle stopping in front of this secluded house in the woods, and a person riding on it.
-Oh, another one has arrived. One who picked up an object!
Tell me about it.
Another poor soul caught in this damn ghost story has been added.
I held back a groan and looked back… and was surprised.
“…!”
A familiar face was getting off the bicycle.
To be precise, it was a person whose face I didn't know, but whose attire I recognized.
A Human Figure wearing dark clothes with a mask and a hat pulled down low.
‘…Salmon Market!’
The person who had traded ghost food with me at Gwanghwamun Station this morning was standing right there!
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