What is the correct reaction for a new employee when, on their first day of work, they hear something like, "The new recruit might kick the bucket soon? Haha, just kidding~" from the team?
The truth is, there isn't one.
No, there’s just no answer.
Fortunately, they didn't seem to expect a reaction from me, as the superiors changed the subject.
"Anyway… congratulations on passing the Death Survival."
Is it okay to call it that so openly within the company?
"But seriously, you were the top graduate? That's amazing."
"Let's hear you brag a bit."
I'm curious about the reason myself.
"I just worked hard."
"Aigo, if that were the case, everyone would've gone to Seoul National University."
"At any rate, it’s impressive. Welcome to our unit."
Having good grades upon entering the company does have its perks. As expected of a department suffering from overwork, they don't seem to be hazed the newcomer.
"The unit leader will be here soon. They're out on field duty, so let's just relax for now!"
"Ah. Thank you."
I followed the superior's guidance to a partitioned space.
Four desks were pushed together, back-to-back.
And on the coffee table next to the guest sofa, there sat an 80s-style radio.
The superiors sat at their desks and gestured toward me.
"Have a seat there on the sofa."
"Yes."
And as soon as I sat on the sofa, as if by magic, the radio on the table began to operate, emitting a worn-out sound.
"…?"
A cheerful background track played, followed by a high-pitched announcer's voice.
-Hello! This is the Vivid Traffic Forecast. Road conditions in Seoul for the morning commute are currently clear and breezy, just like today's weather. However, starting from the afternoon….
I turned my head and looked out the window.
It was drizzling outside.
A reality at odds with the broadcast.
'Ah.'
This radio is a ghost story.
==========
Dark Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Hello Traffic Information]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>, Daydream Inc.'s Identification Code is Qterw-E-63.
A strange radio that tells today's fortune through traffic conditions. Sometimes it offers advice or warnings, but occasionally, being too conscious of that advice can lead to chilling results.
==========
"Did you notice?"
"…!"
"Wow, this new recruit is sharp…. You catch on to the sense of displacement quickly, don't you?"
A male superior who looked like a physical education student said as he approached and turned off the radio.
"This is like a 'fortune of the day' thing, a relatively safe urban legend. It's a verified Twilight Grade Darkness."
"……."
"Wait, you're thinking, 'What's an urban legend and what's the Darkness, you otaku?' aren't you?"
No, I'm not.
"I've prepared this for a recruit like you. Ta-da."
A tablet PC was placed on the table.
The superior touched the screen a few times and played a video.
"Take a look."
<Field Exploration Team New Employee Training Video>
A cheery orchestral BGM with low sound quality and a retro feel played.
Then, two animated characters, who looked like they were from the same era as the '88 Olympic mascot, appeared and bowed their heads.
-New employee full of dreams and passion! Welcome to Daydream Inc.'s Field Exploration Team!
-Today, we're going to tell you in detail what wonderful work the Field Exploration Team does!
'A Fox and a Dragon?'
The red Fox and yellow Dragon characters were wearing hanbok and smiling broadly.
-Before that!
Above the subtly cute characters, an overtly old Gulim font appeared.
[What kind of company is Daydream Inc.?]
I already knew.
Publicly, this company was a beauty-specialized pharmaceutical firm that sold incredibly effective hair loss treatments and skin disease remedies.
But the truth?
-You think we only make hair loss pills? Oh my god! In fact, Daydream Inc. can create any medicine you need!
-Literally a magic company that makes magic medicine!
From drugs that completely cure addiction to elixirs of eternal youth, they made all sorts of fantastical potions and traded them under the table with political circles and the upper class.
That was the essence of Daydream Inc.
A secret organization that creates transcendent potions.
'And that’s impossible through existing scientific and realistic methods….'
The Fox character winked and raised its index finger.
-However! For magic medicine, you need magic ingredients.
-And that is… ‘Dream Essence’!
On the screen, 'Dream Essence' was emphasized in a golden font and grew larger, while a sparkling, shimmering liquid flowed enchantingly in the background.
Hearts and stars popped out as if it were a magic potion from a children's animation, but….
The true identity of that thing is a ghost story.
-‘Dream Essence’ is harvested from supernatural phenomena!
As the Dragon extended a hand, the screen changed.
It was a city alleyway depicted in a cute illustration.
However, red eyes appeared in the shadow of a streetlight, then transformed into the shape of a monster to threaten a pedestrian.
Next, an exaggerated animation showed a fan flickering its tongue while peering at a sleeping person.
-Did you know that supernatural phenomena occur even in modern society?
-If you sleep in a sealed room with a fan on, you’ll die; if you're cursed at, you'll live a long life… these are all superstitious urban legends!
-But sometimes, these urban legends manifest in reality!
'They call them urban legends….'
Indeed, "urban legend" sounded a bit less scary than "ghost story."
And then, the most important core content appeared.
-Daydream Inc. manages these urban legends to collect ‘Dream Essence’ and create wonderful magic medicines that grant people's wishes!
-Yongyong, ‘Dream Essence’ is a more important resource for the company than anything else, right?
-Of course! We always need it… so, who will go and gather the ‘Dream Essence’?
The Dragon character, called Yongyong, tilted its head.
Who else?
-It's the wonderful Field Exploration Team!
An SD animation played, showing office workers in suits giving thumbs up and being active in spaces where various unrealistic incidents were occurring.
-Thanks to the efforts of the brave and wise Field Exploration Team, the Dream Collector is full again today!
In the video, a bug-eyed office worker character coolly held out an object in one hand.
A portable cylinder with markings.
'Dream Collector.'
==========
[Dream Collector]
: An Item appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>.
A portable liquid storage container created by Daydream Inc., which fills its markings when investigating 'Darkness (Ghost Stories).'
The company refers to this solution as ‘Dream Essence.’
The main source of income for Daydream Inc. is creating insane reagents close to reality manipulation using this collected ‘Dream Essence’ as raw material.
==========
Watching the essential item for the Field Exploration Team, the two characters applauded.
-Now, take your Dream Collector and bravely and wisely enter the Darkness!
-The future of our company rests on your shoulders! Fighting!
The video, which shouted typical new employee gaslighting, ended by showing the <Daydream Inc.> logo along with fireworks.
"……."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes…."
I chose my words carefully.
"It was impressive."
"Uh… well, the work in our department is kind of like that."
The quite affable superior reached out his hand to me again, asking for a handshake.
"Ah, I should introduce myself first. You're Kim Soleum, right?"
"Yes. I look forward to working with you."
"Right. Ah! Over there is Assistant Manager Eun Haje."
The woman with short hair, introduced as the Assistant Manager, waved her hand briefly from her desk before putting it down.
The physical education student-type man smiled and pointed to himself with his thumb.
"I'm Park Minseong. I'm a Supervisor."
"Nice to meet you, Supervisor."
"Haha, no need to be so formal."
"Pardon?"
"In this department, everyone gets promoted to Supervisor if they stay for about a year. You'll be one soon, too."
The tact to not mention that the probability of dying before then is also considerable….
"Though there's a chance you might die before then."
He doesn't have it.
"Ah, Seonbae!"
"What? It's right for him to know. As you saw in the introductory video, it is dangerous work."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje gestured with her chin.
I see. To reach the level of Assistant Manager in this company, one must possess that kind of mental fortitude.
"Resigning is also a bad choice. There are so many jobs in the world."
And in this world-view, no matter what job you choose, there's a chance you'll be sucked into a ghost story….
"Thank you, but I'll try my best for now."
"Hmm. Okay."
"Ohh, passion."
The two nodded, saying my attitude looked good, and the Assistant Manager added a word of encouragement.
"People say 'ghost story' or 'urban legend,' but we have response manuals for everything, so don't worry too much."
"…Yes."
The Supervisor whispered.
"Ah, in this company, we call it ‘Darkness.’ If you don’t want people outside looking at you like, ‘Is that guy a ghost story otaku?’ just call it that."
"……."
Wouldn't I just be treated like an otaku regardless?
But I kept my mouth shut and just nodded. I didn't want to do something unnecessary like nitpicking my superior's words on my first day of work.
"Good. Did you understand all the manuals?"
"Yes."
I nodded after reading through the 'Operation Manual' handed to me by the Supervisor.
"Hmm. Good, good."
The two superiors looked at each other, smiled, and turned their heads.
"Then, shall we go to work?"
Excuse me?
14th Floor.
This is the floor the two superiors took me to.
"Since you've finished the basic familiarization, it's time for some hands-on experience."
Where we stopped after getting off the elevator was in front of a small storage room next to the emergency stairs.
"So. What you're going to do this afternoon is… a light darkness investigation."
Pardon?
"You don't have to worry too much."
"You won't die, you won't die. Uh, if it were a game, it’s like a slime that appears in the beginner village!"
"……Yes."
It was about time to get to work.
I was prepared, but I still felt lightheaded.
'Surely they won't send me to a place where it's easy to die on my first shift.'
It would be difficult for them to take care of a panicked rookie, wouldn't it?
I tried my best to calm myself down and use my head.
First, to guess the reason for standing in front of this place… ah, is the storage room a place connected to a ghost story?
'What ghost stories were there that started in a storage room?'
While I was scouring the <Dark Exploration Record> Wiki in my head, the superiors began giving me various instructions.
First of all, I received some items.
"You saw it in the video earlier, right? It's a Dream Collector."
I took hold of something that looked like a syringe, a sturdy plastic sealed cylinder that looked well-used.
'They used to sell these as merchandise too….'
Still, receiving the real thing felt somewhat strange.
"Be careful not to lose it. Every single one has a number engraved on it, and it becomes a real headache if you do."
"Yes, Assistant Manager."
I understood it as a situation similar to losing a spent shell casing.
"And for now, it's good to make wearing a mask a habit before entering the Darkness. Don't ask why. Your mask is somewhere… hmm."
"……."
"……."
The superiors blinked as they looked at my mask, which looked like tree bark with sheep horns attached.
"…A deer?"
"A Roe Deer?"
I don't know either.
"The horns look cool. It's a Roe Deer, right?"
"I'm not sure."
"Let's go with Roe Deer. They're stronger than deer."
Are they?
"Anyway, put that on, and look at this."
Supervisor Park Minseong held out a tablet PC.
Ah, so he's going to brief me with another manual video….
[Do this and get 20 million won vs. Just live]
"…??"
It was an internet post.
-Play hide-and-seek with a ghost for 3 days in a convenience store where there is no one else within a 10km radius and receive twenty million won.
VS Just live.
For reference, the ghost looks like this↓
'Ugh!'
Suppressing my goosebumps, I flicked the scroll down to pass the photo, but the afterimage already remained.
It was a blue ghost with eyes so large they looked like they were about to pop out, and a bulging forehead and head.
"What does it say?"
"It asks if I have any intention of playing hide-and-seek with a ghost in a convenience store for three days and receiving money…."
I said it, but I didn't get it.
'Why on earth are they showing me this?'
It wouldn't be workplace bullying.
To go on a 'darkness investigation,' why an internet post…… ah.
"……."
"……."
Without looking at the screen, I scrolled back up.
[Do this and get 20 million won vs. Just live]
This… could it be.
==========
Dark Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Please Choose]
: A ghost story appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>, Daydream Inc.'s Identification Code is Qterw-F-243.
Darkness derived from the 'Horror experience and get money VS Just live' type of balance game options that were popular on the internet.
Occurs irregularly when accessing a URL containing specific numbers.
Mainly involves being chased by a killer or a ghost; if caught, you start over from the beginning.
==========
What a crazy world.
While the surroundings were distorting, the Supervisor's voice was clearly audible.
"Take it easy and come back, take it easy!"
How can I take it easy?
To have to endure being sent out on field duty alone to secure a contract as a newly assigned recruit, even within a ghost story!
But there was no time to scream.
With that, I fell into the darkness alone.
"……."
I stumbled to my feet.
'It's dark.'
The air was cool and musty. My vision was extremely dim.
The only thing visible was the cold, faint flickering of light coming from a beverage refrigerator in the distance.
"……."
Holding my breath, I walked cautiously toward the light source.
The outline of the desolate convenience store emerged darkly, then disappeared….
Silence. Stillness.
With every step I took on the floor, the sound made cold sweat trickle down the back of my neck.
There seemed to be nothing around. At least for now.
'Phew.'
I swallowed my sigh.
My footsteps stopped at a spot where the only light source, the refrigerator light, was fairly close but did not illuminate me.
Leaning on the dim, cold light, I surveyed the surroundings.
The convenience store was quite large, about the size of a franchise cafe.
Daily necessities and food items were arranged with eerie precision, displayed without a speck of dust.
'No threat to… food, clothing, or shelter, I guess.'
Right. This ghost story, or rather 'Darkness' itself, was not the kind that strangled a person's physical survival.
It specialized in extracting mental shocks and screams.
The safest answer was quickly derived.
'Let's just grab some water and energy bars, hide, and endure.'
Yeah. I knew my place. There was no way I could play hide-and-seek with a ghost.
If necessary, I didn't even need the energy bars. I could just quietly grab one or two things I could eat.
Humans don't die from starving for a day or two. It was better to starve than to meet a ghost.
'But I need water.'
It couldn't be helped.
I quickly spotted some water. It was inside the beverage refrigerator.
At least there was light, so it caught my eye instantly, and fortunately, it was on the very last shelf, so I felt like I could adequately guard my surroundings….
"……."
Moving my feet carefully, I avoided the illuminated area and headed toward the end of the refrigerator.
'Phew.'
Looking straight at the very last shelf.
As I had seen from a distance, the top shelf was packed with various brands of water whose labels were blurred.
However, standing close and facing it, I saw something other than water.
"……?!"
The internet page I saw earlier. Although I had scrolled down like crazy and it had passed in a flash, the bizarre outline was unforgettable.
A bluish, lumpy face with bulging eyeballs.
The ghost.
'Crazy…!'
The moment our eyes met, its face twisted into a smirk and its eyeballs bulged.
'Why the f*ck is a ghost's face in the refrigerator…!'
I immediately pulled my body back. And the moment I turned to run.
I realized.
The ghost wasn't inside the refrigerator,
It was being reflected in the glass door of the refrigerator.
"Hhh…."
Thud.
Something touched my back.
I felt cold, thick, and hard individual fingers grasping my nape.
The hands of a drowned person.
And….
-Caught you.
Blackout.
Hide-and-seek over.
"Hah!"
I opened my eyes.
Cool air. Extremely dim vision.
The only thing visible was the cold, faint flickering of light coming from a beverage refrigerator in the distance.
"……!"
I had returned to the starting point.
Mainly involves being chased by a killer or a ghost; if caught, you start over from the beginning.
'This is insane.'
You want me to do this for three days?
Just kill me, f*ck!
'No, wait.'
I soon deduced an even more chilling circumstance.
'If you can't endure, you eventually return to the initial point… so there's no telling how long it will actually take.'
Literally an endless retry.
A coward like me might go crazy before then.
'No.'
Is there another way, any other way?
This time, avoiding the beverage refrigerator, I headed toward the checkout counter.
Since there were many large structures or objects around the counter to hide behind, I planned to hide here first and buy some time to think.
'If I just crouch down and go inside where the chair is….'
In the process, I saw it.
Between the counter and the chair legs.
The silhouette of the ghost's lower body.
"……."
Tuk. Tutuk. Tutututuk.
Pale bare feet moved with strange intervals and rhythms. The peculiar sense of displacement unique to non-human things sounded an unpleasant shiver like an alarm.
Holding my breath, I lay prostrate under the counter.
Continually.
Even after the ghost passed by with its grotesque gait, I continued to wait, reaching the very limit of my endurance to remain silent.
‘There are too many clichés where they thrust their faces in the moment you let your guard down.’
And after a long time, I very slowly released my breath. Even then, I struggled with all my might not to make a sound.
“…….”
‘This is driving me crazy.’
Cold sweat dripped from my chin.
There was nothing I could do. I couldn't even turn on my Smartphone because it was obvious the screen light would draw aggro.
The only thing I could trust was my memory!
‘I definitely reviewed the information about this ghost story several times as if memorizing it...’
F-rank ghost stories had many Exploration Records where rookies were sent in together, so I had studied them like past exam questions.
Of course, I never dreamed I’d be dropped in alone from the very first round!
‘Damn it.’
Dripping with cold sweat, I recalled the Exploration Records.
‘Mountain cabin, basement, crosswalk, fast-food restaurant, abandoned school...’
None of them.
But surely, surely there was a unique case...
==========
Dark Exploration Record / ghost story /
Choose Me
Exploration Record #23 (Irregular)
Chased by a Mad Doctor for one night (12 hours) in the Abandoned Hospital at Midnight.
※ Note: Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes.
==========
“…!”
This was it.
I began to squeeze my brain to reconstruct the content.
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