Chapter 7
What’s the proper response for a new employee on their first day when they hear something like “Newbie, you might die soon! Haha, just kidding~” from their team?
Actually, there isn’t one.
No, there’s just no answer.
Fortunately, my superiors didn’t seem to expect a response and changed the subject.
“First… congratulations on passing the death survival.”
Is it really okay to call it that openly in the office?
“But you’re really the top scorer? That’s amazing.”
“Tell us about it.”
I’m curious about the reason too.
“I just did my best.”
“Oh, then everyone would’ve gone to Seoul National.”
“Either way, it’s impressive. Glad to have you on our team.”
Having good entry scores has its advantages. Unlike departments overworked with heavy duties, they don’t seem to haze new employees.
“The team leader will be here soon. They’re out on fieldwork, so just relax for now!”
“Ah. Thank you.”
Following my superior’s guidance, I went to a partitioned area.
Four desks arranged front and back.
And next to them, on a sofa and table for guests, sat an 80s-style radio.
My superiors sat at their desks and gestured to me.
“Sit on that sofa.”
“Yes.”
And as I sat down, as if by magic, the radio on the table turned on and emitted a crackling sound.
“…?”
A cheerful background tune and a high-pitched broadcaster’s voice.
-Hello! This is Live Traffic Report. Currently, Seoul’s morning commute roads are as clear as today’s bright and sunny weather—however, from the afternoon onward…
I turned my head to look out the window.
Rain was drizzling down.
A disconnected reality.
‘Ah.’
This radio—it’s a horror story.
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story
[Hello Traffic Information]
: A horror story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>, Daydream Corporation identification code Qterw-E-63.
A bizarre radio that tells today’s fortune through traffic conditions. Sometimes it gives advice or warnings, but being conscious of that advice can actually lead to unsettling outcomes.
======================
“You noticed?”
“…!”
“Wow, this newbie’s like a ghost… quick at catching incongruities, huh?”
A male superior who looked like a former athlete turned off the radio and spoke.
“This is something like today’s fortune—a relatively safe urban legend. A verified Dusk-class Darkness.”
“……”
“Wait, you were thinking ‘what’s an urban legend, what’s Darkness, you otaku’ just now, weren’t you?”
No, I wasn’t.
“For newbies like that, we’ve prepared this. Ta-da.”
A tablet PC was placed on the table.
My superior tapped the screen a few times and played a video.
“Watch this through.”
<Field Exploration Team New Employee Training Video>
A somewhat retro-feeling, low-quality, cheerful orchestral BGM played.
And two animated characters that looked like they were from the same era as the 1988 Olympics mascots bowed.
-Welcome, new employee full of dreams and passion! Welcome to the Daydream Corporation Field Exploration Team!
-Today, we’ll tell you in detail about the wonderful work the Field Exploration Team does!
‘A fox and a dragon?’
The red fox and yellow dragon characters, wearing hanbok, were beaming.
-Before that!
Above the subtly cute characters, an openly old-school Gulim font appeared.
[What kind of company is Daydream Corporation?]
I already know.
Publicly, this company is a beauty-focused pharmaceutical company that sells ridiculously effective hair loss treatments and skin disease medications.
But in reality?
-Think we only make hair loss medication? Oh my god! In fact, Daydream Corporation can make all the medicines you need!
-A magic company that makes magic potions, literally!
From medication that cures drug addiction to elixirs of immortality—they make all kinds of fantasy potions and secretly trade with political circles and the upper class.
That’s the essence of Daydream Corporation.
A secret organization that makes transcendent potions.
‘And that’s impossible through existing scientific, realistic methods…’
The fox character winks and raises its index finger.
-But! For magic potions, we need magic ingredients.
-Namely… ‘Dream Dew’!
On screen, ‘Dream Dew’ enlarges in golden bold text, and a shimmering liquid flows magnificently in the background.
Hearts and stars pop out—it looks like a magic potion from a children’s cartoon, but…
Its true nature is a horror story.
-‘Dream Dew’ is harvested from supernatural phenomena!
As the dragon extends one hand, the screen changes.
A city alleyway depicted in cute illustration.
But red eyes appear from the shadow of a streetlamp, transforming into a monster shape and threatening a passerby.
Next comes an exaggerated animation of a fan flicking its tongue and peering at a sleeping person.
-Did you know that supernatural phenomena occur in modern society too?
-If you sleep in a closed room with a fan on, you’ll die; if you’re cursed, you’ll live long… Those are all superstitious urban legends!
-But sometimes, these urban legends become reality!
‘So they call them urban legends…’
Indeed, ‘urban legend’ sounds slightly less scary than ‘horror story.’
And then the most important core content appeared.
-Daydream Corporation manages these urban legends, harvesting ‘Dream Dew’ and creating wonderful magic potions that grant people’s wishes!
-Yong-yong-ssi, ‘Dream Dew’ is the company’s most important resource, isn’t it?
-Of course! We always need it… but who do you think collects ‘Dream Dew’ for us?
The dragon character called Yong-yong tilted its head.
Who else.
-Why, the wonderful Field Exploration Team!
An SD animation showed office workers in suits giving thumbs up, performing heroically in spaces where all sorts of surreal incidents occur.
-Thanks to the brave and wise Field Exploration Team, today’s Dream Dew collector is full again!
A bushy-eyebrowed office worker character stylishly held out an object in one hand.
A portable cylinder with markings.
The ‘Dream Dew Collector.’
======================
[Dream Dew Collector]
: An item appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
A portable liquid storage container made by Daydream Corporation. The markings fill up when exploring ‘Darkness (horror stories).’
The company refers to this liquid as ‘Dream Dew.’
The main source of income for Daydream Corporation is creating insane reagents close to reality manipulation using this collected ‘Dream Dew.’
======================
Seeing the Field Exploration Team’s essential item, the two characters applaud.
-So grab your Dream Dew Collector, and bravely and wisely enter the Darkness!
-Our company’s future rests on your shoulders! Fighting!
The video, which had delivered textbook new employee gaslighting, ended with fireworks and the <Daydream Corporation> logo.
“……”
“Did you watch it well?”
“Yes…”
I chose my words carefully.
“It was impressive.”
“Uh… our department’s work is a bit like that.”
The rather amiable superior extended his hand again for a handshake.
“Ah, let me introduce myself first. You’re Kim Soleum, right?”
“Yes. Please take care of me.”
“Alright. Oh! Over there is Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je.”
The short-haired woman introduced as Deputy Manager waved her hand from her desk a couple of times before lowering it.
The athlete-type man grinned and pointed to himself with his thumb.
“I’m Park Min-seong. Assistant Manager.”
“Nice to meet you, Assistant Manager.”
“Haha, no need to be so formal.”
“Huh?”
“In this department, if you last about a year, everyone becomes an Assistant Manager. You’ll be there soon too.”
The tact to not mention the not-insignificant chance of dying before that…
“You might die before that, though.”
…Is non-existent.
“Oh, senior!”
“What? It’s true. As you saw in the intro video, this job is dangerous.”
Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je gestured with her chin.
Indeed. To reach Deputy Manager in this company, you’d need that kind of mental fortitude.
“Quitting isn’t a bad choice either. There are so many jobs in the world.”
And in this world, whatever job you choose, there’s a chance of getting sucked into a horror story anyway…
“Thank you, but I’ll try my best for now.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
“Ooh, passion.”
The two nodded approvingly, and the Deputy Manager added words of encouragement.
“It’s horror stories and urban legends, but there are response manuals for everything, so don’t worry too much.”
“…Yes.”
The Assistant Manager whispered.
“Ah, in this company we call them ‘Darkness.’ If you don’t want to get weird looks from outsiders like ‘is that guy a horror otaku?’, just call them that.”
“……”
So I’d be treated like an otaku anyway?
But I kept my mouth shut and nodded. I didn’t want to pick fights with my superiors on my first day.
“Alright. You understand the manuals?”
“Yes.”
After thoroughly reading the ‘work manual’ the Assistant Manager handed me, I nodded.
“Good. Good.”
The two superiors exchanged glances, grinned, and turned their heads.
“Then shall we go to work?”
Excuse me?
14th floor.
This was the floor my superiors took me to.
“Now that you’ve got the basics down, it’s time for some hands-on experience.”
Getting off the elevator, we stopped in front of a small storage room next to the emergency stairs.
“So. What you’ll do this afternoon is… a light Darkness exploration.”
Excuse me?
“Don’t worry too much.”
“You won’t die, you won’t die. Uh, in game terms, it’s like the slimes that appear in the starting village!”
“……Yes.”
It was about time to start working, I suppose.
I was mentally prepared, but my mind was still spinning.
‘Surely they wouldn’t send me somewhere I could easily die on my first assignment.’
They’d have trouble dealing with a panicked newbie too.
I tried my best to calm myself and think.
First, reasoning why we’re standing here… Ah, is this storage room a place connected to a horror story?
‘What horror stories start in a storage room…?’
As I was rifling through the <Darkness Exploration Records> wiki in my head, my superiors began giving me various instructions.
First, they handed me something.
“You saw it in the video, right? The Dream Dew Collector.”
I received a syringe-like, well-used, hard plastic sealed cylinder.
‘They sold this as merchandise too…’
Still, receiving the real thing felt strangely surreal.
“Make sure you don’t lose it. They’re all serial-numbered, and it’ll be a real headache.”
“Yes, Deputy Manager.”
I understood it as a situation similar to losing a bullet casing.
“Also, it’s best to get into the habit of wearing your mask before entering the Darkness. Don’t ask why. Let’s see where your mask is…”
“……”
“……”
Seeing my mask—with its tree-bark texture and ram-like horns—my superiors blinked.
“…Deer?”
“Musk deer?”
I don’t know either.
“The horns look cool. It’s a musk deer, right?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Let’s go with musk deer. It’s tougher than a deer.”
A musk deer is?
“Anyway, put that on and look at this.”
Assistant Manager Park Min-seong held out a tablet PC.
Ah, they’re going to brief me with another manual video…
[Get 20 Million Won for Doing This vs Just Live]
“…??”
It was an internet post.
- Hide-and-seek with a ghost for 3 days at a convenience store with no one within 10 km, get 20 million won.
VS Just live.
For reference, the ghost looks like this ↓
‘Ugh!’
I suppressed a shudder and scrolled down quickly to skip the photo, but the afterimage remained.
A blue ghost with bulging eyes and a swollen forehead and head.
“What does it say?”
“It asks if you’d want to play hide-and-seek with a ghost at a convenience store for three days to get money…”
Even as I said it, I didn’t understand.
‘Why are they showing me this?’
It couldn’t be workplace harassment.
‘We’re going on a ‘Darkness exploration,’ so why an internet post…’ Ah.
“……”
“……”
Without looking at the screen, I scrolled back up.
[Get 20 Million Won for Doing This vs Just Live]
This… no way.
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story
[Choose for Me]
: A horror story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>, Daydream Corporation identification code Qterw-F-243.
A Darkness derived from the ‘Get Money for Horror Experience VS Just Live’ style of balance-game choices that were popular on the internet.
Occurs irregularly when accessing a URL containing specific numbers.
Typically involves being chased by a killer or a ghost, and if caught, starts over from the beginning.
======================
This insane world.
As my surroundings warped, I heard the Assistant Manager’s voice.
“Go have fun, have fun!”
As if!
Why do I have to be sent alone as a newbie on my first day to get a contract in a horror story?!
But there was no time to scream.
With that, I was dropped into the Darkness alone.
“……”
I staggered to my feet.
‘It’s dark.’
Cold, musty air. Vision was extremely dim.
All I could see was the flickering cold, blurry light from the drink cooler in the distance.
“……”
Holding my breath, I carefully walked toward the light source.
The shadowy outline of a silent convenience store appeared, then disappeared…
Silence. Stillness.
Every time my footsteps hit the floor, the sound made cold sweat drip down the back of my neck.
There seemed to be nothing around. At least for now.
‘Hoo…’
I swallowed even my sigh.
My steps stopped near the only light source, the cooler light—but in a position where it didn’t illuminate me.
Leaning against the dim, cold light, I surveyed my surroundings.
The convenience store was fairly large, about the size of a franchise café.
Household goods and groceries were arranged with eerie precision, spotless and neatly displayed.
‘No threat to food, clothing, or shelter…’
Yeah. This horror story—this ‘Darkness’—isn’t the type that physically threatens survival.
It’s specialized in extracting mental shock and screams.
I quickly arrived at the safest answer.
‘I’ll just grab water and energy bars and hide it out.’
Yeah. I know my limits. There’s no way I’m playing hide-and-seek with a ghost.
If necessary, I don’t even need energy bars. I’ll just quietly grab one or two things to eat.
A human won’t die from skipping a day or two of food. Better to starve than meet a ghost.
‘But I need water.’
No choice.
I quickly spotted water. Inside the drink cooler.
The light made it stand out, and fortunately it was at the very end, so I could stay alert to my surroundings…
“……”
Carefully moving my feet, avoiding the illuminated areas, I headed toward the end of the cooler.
‘Hoo…’
The very last shelf, viewed straight on.
As seen from afar, the top shelf was packed with various brands of water with blurred logos.
But as I stood closer, I saw something besides the water.
“……?!”
The internet page I’d seen earlier. I’d scrolled past it frantically, but I couldn’t forget that grotesque silhouette.
The bulging-eyed, blue, bumpy face.
The ghost.
‘No way…!’
The moment our eyes met, its face twisted into a grin and its eyeballs bulged.
‘Why the fck is a ghost’s face in the cooler…!’*
I immediately threw my body back. And as I turned to run—
I realized.
The ghost wasn’t inside the cooler—
It was reflecting in the cooler’s glass door.
“Huh…”
Tuk.
Something touched my back.
I felt a cold, thick, stiff, bony grip on the back of my neck.
A drowned person’s hand.
And then…
-Caught you.
Blackout.
Hide-and-seek over.
“Huff!”
I opened my eyes.
Cold air. Vision was extremely dim.
All I could see was the flickering cold, blurry light from the drink cooler in the distance.
“……!”
I’d returned to the starting point.
Typically involves being chased by a killer or a ghost, and if caught, starts over from the beginning.
‘This is insane.’
They expect me to do this for three days?
Just kill me, f*ck!
‘No, no.’
I soon inferred an even more chilling scenario.
‘If you can’t endure, you go back to the beginning… so you don’t know how long it might actually take.’
Literally an endless retry.
A coward like me might go crazy before that.
‘No.’
Other method—is there another method?
This time, avoiding the drink cooler, I headed toward the counter.
There were plenty of large structures and objects around the counter to hide behind, so I planned to hide there and buy time to think.
‘If I crouch completely behind the chair…’
In the process, I saw it.
Between the counter and the chair legs.
The silhouette of the ghost’s lower body.
“……”
Tuk. Tu-tuk. Tu-tu-tu-tuk.
Pale bare feet moved at strange intervals and rhythms. The peculiar incongruity unique to non-humans sent unpleasant chills like alarms.
Holding my breath, I lay flat under the counter.
Continuing.
Even after the ghost passed with its grotesque gait, I kept holding until the limit of silence.
‘There are too many clichés where the moment you relax, a face pops up.’
After a long while, I very slowly released my breath. Straining not to make a sound.
“……”
‘I’m going insane.’
Cold sweat dripped from my chin.
There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t even turn on my smartphone because the screen light would obviously attract attention.
All I could rely on was my memory!
‘I definitely reviewed this horror story multiple times…’
For F-class horror stories, there were many exploration records where newbies were sent together, so I’d studied them like past exam questions.
Of course, I never dreamed I’d be dropped in alone on my first try!
‘Damn it.’
Sweating cold, I recalled the exploration records.
‘Mountain lodge, basement, crosswalk, fast food restaurant, abandoned school…’
None of them.
But definitely, definitely there was a special case…
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story / Choose for Me
Exploration Record #23 (Irregular)
Chased by a crazy doctor for one night (12 hours) in an abandoned hospital at night.
※Special note: Exploration terminated after 16 hours and 11 minutes elapsed.
======================
“…!”
This is it.
I began to squeeze and reconstruct that content.
