The ghost stories in the <Dark Exploration Record> have one thing in common.
The more popular they are, the higher the probability that anomalies will appear in the exploration records.
‘It’s because there are multiple creators.’
When a ghost story is first created, it is written strictly according to the rules.
But what happens when it becomes popular and everyone starts writing exploration records for that ghost story?
As the entry numbers grow, in order to escape repetition and boredom, exception cases begin to arise little by little within a ‘level that makes sense.’
The example I desperately recalled just now is one of them.
An exploration record where J-Squad of the <Daydream Inc.> Field Exploration team only had to endure 12 hours in the Abandoned Hospital at Midnight.
However….
※ Special Note: Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes.
The exploration ended after an ambiguous 16 hours and 11 minutes.
It was exactly the ‘temporal anomaly’ I was looking for. However….
‘Instead, it took even longer to escape.’
Whether some problem occurred during the exploration or not, they were trapped in the ghost story longer than the 12-hour ‘period they had to endure.’
‘So… surely, they must have made some mistake.’
I remembered!
‘They didn’t get the time alarm!’
==========
(03:12) Employee Lee Jae-jin accidentally cut the counter phone line.
==========
Because of this, the call that was supposed to come to the hospital room desk never arrived.
The shift change call.
So, a crazy situation occurred where the doctor, who was supposed to finish his night duty and go home after 12 hours, continued working.
==========
(12:12) Past 7:12 AM, but the sun has not risen.
==========
No matter how much time passed, the night did not end.
The employee, who had set his wristwatch to 7:00 PM as soon as he entered the ghost story, reportedly fell into a panic as soon as he realized that fact.
‘I think one person ended up being bound while they were fighting over whether to just get caught and restart.’
Fortunately, a few hours later, another team member reconnected the phone line, allowing the process to proceed normally, and they barely managed to escape.
==========
(16:09) Success in restoring the phone line. The phone rings immediately. Waiting at least 3m away from the desk.
(16:11) The doctor answers the phone and disappears. Escape attempt successful.
==========
A ghost story that doesn't end even after the promised time has passed. It's certainly a spine-chilling Irregular.
‘Still, there’s a hint.’
Although this was a case where the time was extended, there was a mechanism to extract.
The fact that there was a trigger announcing the end of time.
‘In that case, it was the shift change call.’
And if that trigger didn't work, the ghost story didn't end.
Thinking in reverse….
‘If the trigger that announces the time just works, could it end even faster?’
“…….”
What is there in a convenience store that can tell the flow of time?
Thump.
“……!”
Wait.
‘…The sound.’
It was coming from above my head.
I instinctively looked up at the ceiling above me.
This was under the convenience store counter.
So, what was above this was….
The POS system.
Beep.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.
A ghost was pressing the buttons on the POS terminal at the checkout.
A recorded voice echoed through the convenience store according to that strange rhythm.
Calling an employee… Calling an emplo, CallemploCallemploCall-e-e-e-em-em-Callemplo-Calling an employee.
“…!!”
I see.
It knows I’m under here.
It's playing a prank instead of catching me on purpose.
…Even though I knew, cold sweat ran down my back rather than anger.
Wow, this is driving me crazy, it really makes a person go insane.
‘Let’s get out.’
I have to get out and run.
But my feet didn't move as easily or lightly as I wanted. I was no different from an extra in a horror movie who collapses and dies after seeing a ghost.
‘No.’
Even if the result of being caught is the same, I shouldn't let learned helplessness take over.
In the end, I forced myself to crawl out from under the counter.
At that moment.
Calling an employee.
Suddenly, a blue, bloated face appeared right in front of mine.
The mouth tore open into a grin.
-Got you.
Restart.
‘…….’
I took a very slow, deep breath.
My head ached for a moment because my heart was pounding so hard, but I endured it.
‘It passed.’
My whole body felt numb.
‘Endure it.’
Instead, I looked at the dark panorama of the convenience store.
This time, instead of going to the counter, I ran in the opposite direction of the illuminated drink refrigerator.
Right toward the convenience store entrance.
“…….”
Outside the glass door was pitch-black darkness.
Still, as I tried my best to look outside, I saw something attached next to the outer glass door.
“…!”
A digital clock.
[12:00⼁04⼁04]
April 4th, 12:00.
Is that the currently set date for this ghost story?
My eyes, adjusted to the darkness, even made out the chime bell attached to the glass door. Perhaps the moment I grabbed that door, the ghost who heard the bell would come running with those strange footsteps.
‘And it probably won't even open anyway….’
Since the place I had to endure was fixed as a convenience store. A restriction would have been placed.
I looked away from the glass door and half-hid my body behind a nearby display shelf.
Then, leaning my back against the wall, I watched various parts of the convenience store and continued my thoughts.
The cold sweat running down my temple felt chilly.
‘The period I have to endure is three days.’
Then, what kind of trigger could tell me the time around my completion point?
What would happen in this convenience store three days later…?
‘Logistics?’
I glanced at the boxes stacked near the glass door.
The time when new goods are delivered.
‘Somehow check the items to be delivered three days later. Then, somehow disguise them to look like those items and put them in early as a time suggestion….’
No. That’s too unintuitive.
There's no way something that goes through such complex and trivial processing steps would work.
The <Dark Exploration Record> is an internet ghost story.
‘And internet ghost stories are intuitive.’
As more trivial conditions and piecing together are added, the impact decreases, making it impossible to gain popularity.
‘It needs to feel simpler and more fitting.’
If so….
What is the object in a convenience store where the flow of time can be felt most easily?
“…!”
That’s it.
I looked at the display shelf closest to the entrance. It looked different from the drink refrigerator, but it was a shelf emitting cold air.
But strangely, there were only a few items displayed there.
Dairy drinks or a bit of coffee, and… bento boxes and triangular kimbap.
Perishable food items.
‘…Expiration dates!’
I immediately headed to the shelf and began picking up bento boxes and triangular kimbap to check them.
‘Most triangular kimbap have an expiration date of 36 to 48 hours.’
Bento boxes are probably similar.
But strangely, quite a few bento boxes and triangular kimbap had expiration dates longer than three days, or the markings were messily erased.
I patiently and carefully checked the back and front of the items, making as little noise as possible.
And finally….
‘Found it.’
The current time in this ghost story was April 4th, 12:00.
A product whose expiration date ends at 12:00 on April 7th.
[Soup Hamburger Bento]
I picked up that bento box.
Then I crossed the convenience store and approached the POS terminal.
‘Ugh.’
The afterimage of the ghost that had been frantically pressing the call button while standing at the counter flickered in my mind.
But it was just my imagination. It hadn't appeared over here yet….
‘Calm down.’
After pressing system settings on the POS terminal, I select ‘Change Date and Time’… Done, it’s there! I held back a sigh of relief and peered at the screen.
‘The set time is….’
Exactly two days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes after the starting point of midnight on April 4th.
[April 7th, 11:59 PM]
‘Please!’
I prayed with a desperate heart.
When I press the change button and confirm…….
[Change Complete]
“…!!”
It worked!
‘There are many cases where you can't change the settings like this, but this is a stroke of luck—no, it's truly a relief.’
My hands shook with joy and anxiety, but I steadied them.
Now I was almost there.
All I had to do was take the food I brought and register it as an imminent disposal….
Beep-bee-bee-beep!
“…….”
[Disposal Alarm]
[There is a product near its expiration date!]
The POS terminal shouted in a cheerful tone.
That recorded guidance voice echoed alone in the dark convenience store.
Beep-bee-bee-beep! Beep-bee-bee-beep!
“…….”
I froze and turned my head.
From far away,
Our eyes met.
It’s running.
“Ugh…!”
Don’t look, look at the screen. Just the screen!
Please, just, please! Hurry!
Beep.
After three fumbles, my hand finally scanned the barcode.
[Would you like to register?]
Hammering the ‘Yes’ button….
The sound of footsteps approached too quickly.
A strange click-click-click sound kept getting closer, but I endured it and kept moving my hands….
[Disposal registered.]
At the very moment the ghost, which had been running with incredibly strange footsteps, reached right in front of the counter and I felt the vibration.
[Complete]
It vanished.
“…….”
Flicker.
The lights came on.
Inside the convenience store, now so bright it made my eyes ache, the screen of the no-longer-conspicuous POS terminal showed a simple and clear explanation.
[Registration Complete]
Whirrrr, the closing receipt was printed.
Within that white noise, I realized.
‘It’s done.’
That I had succeeded.
“Phew.”
I leaned against the counter and lowered my head. My legs were shaking.
‘I can’t breathe….’
Humans really do depend on light!
But just the fact that it had become bright brought peace to my mind and body.
‘Now I just have to go out through the door….’
Clack!
The cash drawer under the POS terminal opened automatically.
‘Huh?’
Inside was a thick brown envelope.
“This is….”
I grabbed the envelope and opened it.
I saw four thick, crisp bundles of golden bills.
“…!?”
Bundles of 50,000 won bills!
‘Is it… four bundles of a hundred bills each?’
Then it was twenty million won in total.
It was my first time touching such a large amount of money in cash. But why was this in the convenience store cash drawer….
Ah.
‘The prize money!’
==========
Dark Exploration Record / Ghost Story
/ Please Choose Me
Postscript
When cleared, it actually gives you money. Then isn’t it just a Good Friend who likes surprising people?
==========
Oh.
“How long will it take?”
“I think he can come out right after filling the three days.”
“Success on the first try? Wow, that's a generous evaluation. Generous.”
<Daydream Inc.> Field Exploration D-Squad.
Two employees were smoking on the rooftop, having come up through the stairs next to the warehouse for a moment.
They had just sent the new recruit into the Darkness.
No matter how many times they did it, pushing a rookie into an Anomalous Phenomenon wasn't something they ever really got used to.
Still, usually, this Darkness called <Please Choose Me> is more hardcore the shorter the set time is, and looser the longer it is, so the rookie who drew three days wouldn't have it too rough.
‘It’ll be like a 3-day, 2-night test of courage.’
Of course, it was harsh. It wasn't that it wasn't harsh.
However, a common premise existed in the minds of the two employees.
—If you can't even survive this, you'll die soon anyway.
In that case, they’d rather he just quit.
In fact, D-Squad often received glares from the HR managers because quite a few rookies had left due to this initiation ceremony, but they were still slickly rubbing through it somehow.
Because watching a colleague, and a rookie from the same squad at that, die right next to you was a truly harmful thing for one's mental health….
However, this time, the feeling was a bit different.
A strange sense of anticipation.
“About this rookie.”
“Yeah.”
“He was extraordinary.”
“Extraordinary indeed.”
The top-tier new employee newly assigned to D-Squad, Kim Soleum.
“It's my first time seeing a kid act like that on his first day of work.”
Usually, new employees are terrified or lose their minds the moment they realize that being constantly deployed into the same ghost phenomena where they almost died is their ‘job.’ That was natural.
But in Kim Soleum's case… he was strangely calm.
“He didn't even seem that nervous.”
“Yeah. He wasn't surprised. He drank his coffee well, too.”
Not once did he lose his composure, lock himself in the bathroom to cry, or try to run away.
Of course, Kim Soleum had simply been spoiled about everything, given up on everything for the three days, and finished his mental preparation.
But in the eyes of someone who didn't know, he just looked like a rookie with an insane mentality!
“Looks like the Assistant manager liked him.”
“Yeah. He's very decent.”
A strong heart was always welcome.
It was a department that had to face all sorts of horrible, bizarre, or eerie urban legends. A coward was problematic.
‘Well, in the first place, there's no way a coward would pass that Death Survival….’
There was!
Of course, the supervisors, who had no way of knowing, just nodded and repeatedly said, ‘This rookie is pretty good.’
However, there were also some slightly disappointing points.
“But the kid doesn't seem like the type to cut corners, so why doesn't he take notes?”
“It's his first job, so he might not know. We just have to tell him.”
In a profession where life and death hung in the balance like this, information and manuals were essential, they agreed, nodding.
“If we tell him, he should write it down. That way he can read it again and know it properly.”
“Exactly. It's not like he knew it beforehand.”
He did know it beforehand!
As expected, the two people, who couldn't even guess, continued a conversation typical of a team that had received a rookie, then wrapped up their words, saying they should head back soon.
“I have to write the situation report.”
“Ha, those reports that no one even looks at, every single time….”
The rookie would come out after three days at the earliest, anyway.
Still, since it was a ghost story with food and a place to sleep inside, it would be fine even if it became a long game.
The two nodded and picked up the pad that contained the internet post that had sucked in the rookie.
“Then shall we go look at the documents now…?!”
Tick.
At that moment, the pad spat out a person.
The new employee who was supposed to come out three days later.
“…!?”
The rookie, Kim Soleum, stood up from the floor, dusting off his clean suit, which looked no different from an hour and a half ago.
And he held something up in one hand.
It was a ‘Dream Collector’ with its gauge completely filled.
“I’ve brought it back full.”
“…?!?!”
Time taken to clear: 1 hour and 24 minutes.
The rookie, who had pulled off an impossible achievement, was just looking at his superiors with a nonchalant attitude.
‘I thought I was going to die of a heart attack.’
Of course, the coward—who was so desperate that he broke through the walls of a haunted house where you weren't allowed to quit midway—was just exhausted, but still!
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