Chapter 16
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**Even if I Fall into a Horror Story, I Still Have to Go to Work – Chapter 16**
—
Assignment change.
It means a change in the duties or department you’re assigned to.
It’s something that gradually happens once your tenure reaches the yearly mark.
So it’s absolutely not something you say to a 3-day-old employee!
“…If it’s an assignment change, does that mean I’ll have to move departments?”
I desperately suppressed the urge to ask “What are you talking about when I just came back from lunch?” and managed to ask politely.
“No, that’s… well, yes. Did you see the official notice? It just went up.”
“…?!”
With a bad feeling, I immediately checked the intranet.
—
[Qterw-D-43 Special Incident Resolution Employee Compensation Notice]
—
…Qterw-D-43 is Tuesday Quiz Show.
And to summarize this content…
—
-Wow! Some team resolved a special incident that occurred in a D-class horror story and extracted A-class liquid! Krr, this is performance! We’ll give this team a total of 100,000 points!
-Hey, see that? You can do it too! So throw work-life balance to the dogs, work like cattle, and earn points! Follow Team D’s example!
—
…And in the list of major contributors receiving 40,000 points, my name—’Kim Soleum’—was clearly printed.
“……”
I wish this was a dream.
And the more horrifying part is this.
If this official notice affected an assignment change, then…
Looking at the Deputy Manager’s hollow eyes sent chills down my spine.
“Did you see it?”
“Yes.”
“Right. Team D has… well, produced some unusual results.”
No way.
“Did the team get a new assignment?”
“Not an assignment, but the type of work changes.”
The Deputy Manager downed their coffee in one shot.
“Up until now, we’ve mainly been given horror stories with completed manuals to manage.”
Wait.
“Now they want us to focus on Darknesses that don’t have completed manuals!”
“…!!”
In other words, they’re going to throw us into unverified horror stories!
“No, get this—if you do one thing well, they shove you into something harder… ugh.”
The Assistant Manager, apparently already having heard the news, was face-down on his desk with his head buried. Even caffeine seemed ineffective.
“Good morning.”
And right on cue, the lizard-headed Team Leader walked into the office. The Deputy Manager erupted.
“Team Leader! They want us to go into Darkness without manuals! Are they trying to get us all killed?”
“…? No.”
“Huh?”
Maybe there was a way out—a faint glimmer of hope appeared on the Deputy Manager’s face…
“Even with a completed manual, there’s no guarantee of safety.”
“……”
Ah, that’s what they meant…
*’What an amazing personality this lizard has…’*
I barely managed to speak.
“But still, not having a manual makes it more dangerous, right? Since there’s no data.”
The lizard tilted its head.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t noticed much difference.”
“……”
Ah, right—this was the employee who physically exorcises things…
*’They’ve probably just brute-forced their way through most situations so far…’*
I decided to just ask directly.
“Is there any advantage to this situation?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of advantage?”
“Additional points are allocated.”
“…!”
Assistant Manager Park Min-seong snapped his head up.
Truly a person obsessed with points.
“S-so, a lot?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Compared to the same class of Darkness, it’s typically three to four times more.”
“…!”
“Oh, by any chance, what’s the highest point multiplier you’ve seen, Team Leader…?”
“Fifteen times.”
Suddenly, the Deputy Manager and Assistant Manager’s eyes changed.
*’Those are the eyes of stock traders.’*
The look right before buying into a biotech penny stock with rumors of a new drug.
It seemed the 30,000 points had been irresistibly sweet…
Normally, a rational person would step in here… but, well… for me, actually…
*’A guaranteed winning stock…’*
For me, having a manual or not makes little difference.
I already know the exploration records in more detail than any manual!
If so…
*’Isn’t this just a 3x points event…?’**
—
And so, shortly after.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Without any objection, Team D accepted their new duties and began to move.
*’Time to earn points.’*
The destination was the 17th floor.
“Floors 20 through 17 are mainly used by the Development Division.”
The Deputy Manager frowned, tapping the button.
“And on the 17th floor… that’s where the researchers are, especially the ones scouting for new Darkness.”
*Ding.*
As the elevator doors opened, a white, artificial interior of a combined office and laboratory space came into view.
And someone waiting in front reached out their hand.
“Wow~ So this is the guy? Amazing, amazing~”
They were definitely my senior.
I reflexively shook hands with the person.
“Kim Soleum. Please take care of me.”
“Oh, good manners too.”
The man in a white lab coat and glasses looked quite young, but this world was so bizarre that I decided not to judge by appearances.
Either way, that superior from another department greeted Team D’s members and then turned back to me.
“I’m Kwak Je-gang from Research Team 1. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me~”
“…! Please take care of me too.”
Our team’s Deputy Manager whispered:
“Don’t be intimidated. He’s just a Section Chief.”
You’re a Deputy Manager yourself, though…?
And the reason I was surprised wasn’t because this person was a Section Chief.
It was because I recognized them.
—
======================
Researcher Kwak Je-gang
: An employee of Research Team 1, Raw Material Development Division, at Daydream Corporation, appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
One of the researchers frequently mentioned in the initial records exploring newly registered Darknesses for the company.
======================
—
Another named character appeared.
*’Personality… hmm.’*
—
======================
One of the rare cases among employees directly described as “cheerful and sociable.”
However…
======================
—
Hmm.
Without showing it, I quietly followed my teammates.
“We’ll be seeing each other often from now on. Right, Section Chief Lee Ja-heon?”
“Yes.”
……
Oh.
“Could you tell us the reason?”
“Yes.”
Finally, the lizard explained.
“Research Team 1 studies and standardizes methods for entering new Darknesses. Therefore, we’ll be meeting frequently with Team D, who will be exploring new Darknesses that haven’t yet been manualized.”
In other words, this team was the one supplying our work.
*’They find new Darknesses here and assign them to the Field Exploration Team’s advance squad…’*
“Oh dear, this Section Chief always has to make things sound so difficult! And you’re not even a researcher!”
The research team’s Section Chief patted the lizard Section Chief’s back. The lizard’s eyelid-less pupils swiveled toward the other person with what seemed like curiosity.
It felt like watching a thriller movie firsthand…
“Alright, anyway, today’s Darkness is ready~ Grab your Dream Dew Collectors, okay!”
A flash of annoyance crossed the Deputy Manager’s face at being told something so obvious by someone from another department, but the Assistant Manager’s desperate gestures kept it from escaping his mouth.
“Please review the records of civilians who entered and returned, plus the records of one team that went in before you.”
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon accepted the documents the research team handed over.
Meanwhile, someone tapped me.
“…?”
I turned around to see a research team employee grinning and speaking to me.
“Hey, wanna bet whether it’s D-class or F-class?”
“Huh?”
“No, we have a small betting pool among ourselves. You should try it too. It’s fun.”
“No, thank you.”
I answered immediately.
*’Is this employee out of their mind?’*
What if they get caught by their supervisor… No, come to think of it, they’re openly talking about gambling bets in front of their direct superior.
I reflexively looked at the research team’s Section Chief.
The Section Chief shrugged.
“So what? It’s not like a little bet is going to kill anyone.”
“……”
“Haha. Oh, look at that, no change in expression. Soleum-ssi, you’ve got guts?”
I was too dumbfounded to remember to move my facial muscles.
*’Isn’t this crossing the line for a workplace?’*
I guess this is what you’d expect from researchers in an internet horror story world.
“Anyway, just kidding. This Darkness isn’t to the point where we’re talking about life or death. Civilians have gone in and escaped plenty… ugh, I heard the planning team had a hard time smoothing over all the ruckus from the Disaster Management Bureau~”
“……”
When Team D didn’t particularly respond, Research Team 1’s Section Chief just smiled and organized the remaining documents.
“Huh.”
And the employee who had been talking about betting also looked our way with a sour expression, then crossed their arms and adopted a watching stance.
*’Is that how you behave at work…?’*
I didn’t feel great about it, but it’s hard to feel good at work anyway.
What mattered now was this Darkness I’d just received.
What kind of horror story was it?
“Ah, Musk Deer should see this too.”
“Yes.”
I accepted the documents handed to me by my superior.
*’Hopefully it’s something I know.’*
Plus, with so many civilian escapees, it sounded even better. At worst, it’d be D-class, right?
I’d be able to handle most situations.
So I shouldn’t be nervous…
“Musk Deer, have you read it? Something about clown portraits… Ah, it says if you see a clown ad, you get pulled in?”
Clown ad…?! No way, that…
—
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story
[The Clown Hates You]
: A horror story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Records>, Daydream Corporation identification code Qterw-D-210.
A horror story where you wander endlessly through a corridor lined with various clown portraits.
If you look closely, they’re not actually clown makeup—they’re people grotesquely twisted to look like clowns, forced to smile.
======================
—
“……”
No.
—
======================
The longer you stay, the more twisted and bizarre portraits appear.
People who went missing in this horror story become new clown portraits. Honestly, exploration records this authentically horror-movie style are rare.
======================
—
Wow.
With trembling eyes, I skimmed the prior exploration records I’d been handed.
……
It matched.
*’Oh. Here it comes.’*
A full-blown horror theme, even scarier than the convenience store ghost.
“Haha, then let’s go in!”
Excuse me!
Please just cancel this 3x points event! I don’t want to go!
—
* * *
But as if such words would ever work in society…
“……”
I opened my eyes. I saw a corridor as dark as my future—no, a dark corridor.
But one where old walls were plastered with all kinds of bizarre clown portraits.
*’F-f*ck.’*
Even the entry method was terrifying.
—
1. Watch a W-tube ad where a red-nosed clown laughs maniacally at the viewer.
2. In any enclosed indoor corridor, a clown’s hand appears from around a corner.
3. If you approach, your wrist is grabbed and you’re dragged into this ‘corridor.’
—
I almost fainted right there.
*’I’m going insane.’*
I rolled my eyes. The exploration records vividly replayed in my mind—no matter which wall I approached, I’d be subject to terrifying experiences.
Cold sweat broke out.
*’Honestly, anyone would be scared of this…’*
“Hmm. It’s not that dark? I don’t think I need a flashlight.”
“Team Leader! Could we let our eyes adjust first before moving?”
“Yes. Close your eyes for 60 seconds.”
“Yes, sir!” I heard the Assistant Manager’s clear reply.
“……”
Wait, are they serious?
They’re saying we should all close our eyes for a minute in a dark corridor full of chilling portraits staring at people?
“Musk Deer, close your eyes too.”
I guess so.
“Yes.”
Pretending to close my eyes, I looked at the floor and sweated cold.
I’d just realized something.
These people.
They’re basically immune to fear.
Unless it’s a genuinely life-threatening situation, their fear threshold is insanely high!
The type who’d say “the real scary thing is people” and avoid horror movies because they’re not fun!
*’That’s probably why they work here!’*
But still, when those grotesque portraits start moving, they won’t be able to react like that…
“Hmm… if you approach or poke the portraits, sometimes they pop out and crawl after you.”
“Ah, right. Then the portrait becomes empty, and I heard a few people used that as a passage to return to reality.”
“I see.”
The Team Leader’s calm voice rang out.
“Stab every portrait you see.”
I almost screamed.
“Yes, sir! If anything really pops out, I’ll signal and run right away!”
“Yes. We’ll repeat attempts in hourly intervals.”
“Ah, you said they crawl, right? Their mobility is low, so that’s good.”
“Exactly. Oh, right, Musk Deer! I saw earlier—that clown with the weird eye on the left. Doesn’t it look just like a movie poster?”
“……”
“The description matches a missing civilian. I guess that’s what happens when you go missing here.”
I ended up looking.
In the eerie darkness, a portrait—someone with a button instead of a left eye, wearing garish clown makeup and forcing a wide grin.
*’…It moved.’*
Definitely, the pupil in the remaining eye moved.
“……”
“Musk Deer, you want to touch that one first?”
Ah, ah!! No, seriously! Please, just—
“…Ye-yes.”
I couldn’t even approach it.
A strong premonition hit the back of my head.
At the pace of these insane people, I won’t survive here.
“Then Musk Deer, go straight for the upper-left portrait…”
“Hold on.”
“Hmm?”
I had to go for it!
“I think I’ve figured out the escape method.”
“Wh-what?”
I’ve only been here for less than a minute, but I’ve figured it out! Please trust me!
“I deduced it from the previous civilian escape records.”
My brain had never worked this fast.
*’I can’t give these courage-test deniers a turn!’*
“First, don’t touch any other portraits.”
“Huh? Why?”
Because I’m scared.
Of course, my mouth said something else.
“…There must be a separate correct answer.”
Is this survival instinct?
I immediately pulled out the toy coin I’d crafted as equipment and summoned the translucent glove into the air.
Then I pushed about twenty 500-won coins into the glove.
The glove paused for a moment like a W-tuber who’d just received a huge donation, then cheerfully turned in the air and merged with my hand.
“Wait, that’s Musk Deer’s equipment?”
“Yes. I can remotely touch objects.”
“Oh.”
With this, at least I didn’t have to approach the portraits and touch the clowns myself.
But I pretended to have a different intention, nodding seriously.
“From now on… I want to run and look at as many portraits as possible. I need to find the correct answer.”
I turned to Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
“And from now on, the portrait I describe will be the correct answer.”
“……”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me as soon as you see it. Is that okay?”
And if this works, I won’t even need to closely examine all the clown portraits myself!
*’Of course, if I get a response like “who does this newbie think they are,” it’s over…’*
But Section Chief Lee Ja-heon didn’t seem like the type to be hung up on authority!
Even if their head was a lizard! Even if their way of thinking was completely lizard-like!
“Yes.”
Got it!
The relief flowing down my spine almost made my legs give out, but I struggled to act nonchalant and nodded.
“Then I’ll run.”
I acted as if I were about to experiment with a clever and exciting hypothesis that required running—
*’But actually, I don’t need to run…’*
The escape method here is surprisingly easy.
*’Even if you touch all the other portraits, it doesn’t matter for finding the correct answer…’*
If you’ve got guts, you can just stroll around leisurely and do it…
But I’d already learned.
A lesson I’d learned playing hide-and-seek with a ghost at a convenience store.
What’s the survival method for a coward?
*’Speedrun!’*
Let’s go, mid-way escape from the haunted house!
