Chapter 8
The horror stories in <Darkness Exploration Records> have one thing in common.
The more popular they are, the higher the probability of anomalies appearing in the exploration records.
‘That’s because there are multiple creators.’
When a horror story is first created, the rules are written strictly.
But what happens when it becomes popular and everyone starts writing exploration records for that story?
As the record numbers get longer, to break away from repetition and boredom, exceptions start appearingâwithin “reasonable” limits.
The example I frantically recalled just now was one of those.
An exploration record where Team J of <Daydream Corporation>’s Field Exploration Team had to survive 12 hours in an abandoned hospital at night.
But…
âťSpecial note: Exploration terminated after 16 hours and 11 minutes elapsed.
The exploration ended after a strangely specific 16 hours and 11 minutes.
This was indeed the ‘temporal anomaly’ I was looking for. However…
‘It actually took longer to escape.’
Something must have gone wrong during the explorationâthey were trapped in the horror story for longer than the required 12 hours.
‘So… there was definitely some mistake.’
I remembered!
‘They didn’t receive the time alarm!’
======================
(03:12) Employee Lee Jae-jin accidentally disconnected the counter phone line.
======================
Because of this, the call that should have come to the hospital desk never arrived.
That call was the shift change.
So the doctor, who should have ended their night shift and gone home after 12 hours, ended up continuing their workâleading to the insane situation.
======================
(12:12) 7:12 AM passed, but the sun did not rise.
======================
No matter how much time passed, the night wouldn’t end.
The employee who had set their wristwatch to 7 PM immediately upon entering the horror story panicked the moment they realized this.
‘I think they argued over whether to get caught and restart, and one person ended up getting restrained.’
Fortunately, a few hours later, another team member reconnected the phone line, and time progressed normally, allowing them to barely escape.
======================
(16:09) Phone line restoration successful. Phone rings immediately. Wait more than 3 meters from the desk.
(16:11) Doctor answers phone and disappears. Escape attempt successful.
======================
A horror story that doesn’t end even after the promised time. Definitely a chilling irregularity.
‘But there’s a hint.’
Although this was a case where time was extended, there was a mechanism to extract.
There was a trigger that signaled the end of the time limit.
‘In that case, it was the shift-change phone call.’
And if that trigger didn’t activate, the horror story wouldn’t end.
Thinking conversely…
‘If the time-signaling trigger activates, could it end even faster?’
“……”
What in the convenience store could indicate the passage of time?
Tuk.
“……!”
Wait.
‘…The sound.’
It was coming from above my head.
I unconsciously looked up at the ceiling above me.
This is under the convenience store counter.
So above this is…
The POS system.
Beep.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep.
The ghost was pressing the buttons on the POS system at the counter.
A recorded voice echoed through the convenience store in that strange rhythm.
Calling staff… calling staff, calling staff calling staff ca-ca-ca-calling staff calling staff calling staff
“…!!”
I got it.
It knows I’m down here.
It’s not catching meâit’s toying with me on purpose.
…Even knowing that, cold sweat trickled down my back rather than anger.
This is insane, it’s driving me crazy.
‘Get out.’
I need to get out and run.
But my legs wouldn’t move as easily as my mind wanted. I was no different from the extras in horror movies who freeze up and die when they see a ghost.
‘No.’
Even if getting caught is the same outcome, I can’t let helplessness become learned behavior.
Finally, I forced myself to squeeze out from under the counter.
At that moment.
Calling staff.
A blue, swollen face suddenly appeared right in front of mineâ
Grinning with its mouth split wide.
-Caught you.
Restart.
“……”
I took a very slow, deep breath.
My heart was pounding so hard my head hurt for a moment, but I endured.
‘It’s over.’
My entire body was numb.
‘Hold on.’
Instead, I looked at the dark convenience store landscape.
This time, instead of heading to the counter, I ran in the opposite direction from the glowing drink cooler.
Straight toward the convenience store entrance.
“……”
Beyond the glass door was pitch-black darkness.
Still, as I tried to look outside as much as possible, I saw something attached to the outside of the glass door.
“…!”
A digital clock.
[12:00âź04âź04]
April 4th, 12:00.
So that’s the current date setting of this horror story.
My darkness-adjusted eyes also distinguished a door chime attached to the glass door. The moment I grabbed that door, the ghost would likely come running with that strange gait at the sound of the bell.
‘And it probably won’t open in the first place…’
Since the location to endure was fixed as the convenience store, there would be restrictions.
I averted my gaze from the glass door and half-hid myself behind a nearby display shelf.
Leaning my back against the wall, I watched every corner of the convenience store while continuing to think.
Cold sweat trickled down my temples.
‘The duration I need to endure is three days.’
Then what trigger could indicate the time around my completion point…?
What would happen in this convenience store three days from now…
‘Delivery?’
I glanced at the boxes stacked near the glass door.
It would be the time new stock arrives.
‘If I somehow check the items that will arrive on that date, and somehow disguise myself with those items to place them in advance, I could hint at the time…’
No. That’s too non-intuitive.
There’s no way such a complicated, detailed process would work.
<Darkness Exploration Records>Â is an internet horror story.
‘And internet horror stories are intuitive.’
The more trivial conditions and contrivances there are, the less impact they haveâso they can’t gain popularity.
‘It needs to feel simpler and more fitting.’
Then…
What object in a convenience store lets you feel the passage of time most easily?
“…!”
Right.
I looked at the display shelf closest to the entrance. Different from the drink cooler, but still a refrigerated display.
Yet strangely, there were very few items displayed there.
A few dairy drinks, some coffee, and… lunchboxes and triangular kimbap.
Perishable meal items.
‘…Expiration dates!’
I immediately headed to the display shelf and started picking up lunchboxes and triangular kimbap to check.
‘Most triangular kimbap have expiration dates of 36 to 48 hours.’
The lunchboxes would probably be similar.
But strangely, quite a few lunchboxes and triangular kimbap had expiration dates of three days or longer, or had their labels messily erased entirely.
With patience, I carefully examined the front and back of the items without making noise.
And eventually…
‘Found it.’
In this horror story, the current time is April 4th, 12:00.
A product with an expiration date ending on April 7th at 12:00.
[Sauce Hamburger Steak Lunchbox]
I picked up that lunchbox.
Then I crossed the convenience store and approached the POS system.
‘Ugh.’
The afterimage of the ghost standing at the counter, madly pressing the call button, flickered in my mind.
But it’s just my imagination. It hasn’t appeared here yet…
‘Stay calm.’
After pressing the device settings on the POS system, I selected ‘Date and Time Change’… There it is, it exists! I suppressed a sigh of relief and looked at the screen.
‘The set time is…’
Exactly 2 days and 23 hours and 59 minutes after the starting pointâApril 4th midnight.
[April 7th, 11:59 PM]
‘Please, please!’
I prayed anxiously.
I pressed the change button and confirmed…
[Change Complete]
“…!!”
It worked!
‘Sometimes you can’t change the settings, so this is fortunateâno, truly fortunate.’
My hands trembled with joy and impatience, but I steadied them.
Almost there.
Now I just need to register the food item I brought as soon-to-expireâ
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
“……”
[Disposal Alarm]
[There are items approaching their expiration date!]
The POS system chirped in a cheerful voice.
That recorded announcement voice echoed alone in the dark convenience store.
Beep-beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep-beep!
“……”
I froze and turned my head.
From far awayâ
Our eyes met.
It was running.
“This…!”
Don’t lookâlook at the screen. Only the screen!
Please, please! Hurry!
Beep.
After three failed attempts, my hand finally scanned the barcode.
[Register?]
I mashed Yesâ
The footsteps were approaching too quickly.
That strange tick-tick-tick-tick sound kept getting closerâenduring it, I kept moving my hands…
[Disposal registered.]
At the moment I felt the vibration of the ghost’s bizarre footsteps stopping right in front of the counter after running like crazyâ
[Complete]
It disappeared.
“……”
Click.
The lights came on.
Inside the now blindingly bright convenience store, the POS system’s screen, now less noticeable, displayed a simple and clear message.
[Registration Complete]
Zzzzzzâ A closing receipt printed.
Amid that white noise, I realized it.
‘I did it.’
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 rely on light!
Still, just having it bright brought peace to my mind and body.
‘Now I just need to go out through the door…’
Clang!
The cash drawer under the POS system automatically opened.
‘Huh?’
Inside was a single thick brown envelope.
“This is…”
I picked up the envelope and opened it.
Four bundles of thick, crisp golden banknotes were visible.
“…!?”
50,000 won bundles!
‘Four bundles of a hundred bills each…?’
That would be 20 million won total.
It was the first time I’d held this much cash in my hands. But why was it in the convenience store’s cash drawer…
Ah.
‘The prize money!’
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Horror Story / Choose for Me
Trivia
It really gives you money upon clearing. So isn’t it just a friendly friend who likes scaring people?
======================
Oh.
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
“Probably three days if they fill it out.”
“Clear on the first try? Wow, generous evaluation. Generous.”
<Daydream Corporation>Â Field Exploration Team D.
The two employees had briefly gone up to the roof via the stairs next to the storage room to smoke.
They’d just sent the new employee into the Darkness.
No matter how many times they did it, it was never something they got used toâpushing a newbie into a paranormal phenomenon.
Still, this Darkness called <Choose for Me> usually gets harder the shorter the set time and easier the longer it isâso the newbie who got three days wouldn’t have it too rough.
‘It’s about the level of a 2-night, 3-day courage test.’
Of course, it’s harsh. It’s not like it’s not harsh.
But the two employees shared a common proposition in their minds:
-If you can’t even handle this, you’ll die soon anyway.
In that case, just quit.
In fact, quite a few new employees had quit because of this initiation ritual, so Team D often got side-eyed by HR executivesâbut they still managed to get by, being stubborn.
Having to watch a coworkerâespecially a new team memberâdie right next to you was really bad for your mental health.
However, this time felt a little different.
A strange sense of anticipation.
“About the newbie.”
“Yeah?”
“He seemed out of the ordinary.”
“He seemed out of the ordinary.”
The top-scoring new employee assigned to Team DâKim Soleum.
“I’ve never seen a first-day employee act like that.”
Usually, new employees freak out or panic the moment they realize that being repeatedly thrown into the paranormal phenomena they almost died in is their actual ‘job.’ That was only natural.
But in Kim Soleum’s case… he was eerily calm.
“He didn’t seem nervous at all.”
“Yeah. He didn’t flinch. Even drank his coffee well.”
Not once did he lose his composure, or lock himself in the bathroom crying, or try to run away.
Of course, Kim Soleum had already been spoiled on everything and had spent three days giving up on all hope and finishing his mental preparation.
But to outsiders, he just looked like a newbie with insane mental fortitude!
“Looks like the Deputy Manager liked him.”
“Yeah. Very promising.”
A strong heart was always welcome.
This department had to face all kinds of horrific, bizarre, and chilling urban legends. Cowards wouldn’t do.
‘Well, originally, a coward wouldn’t have passed that death survival test anyway…’
There was one!
Of course, my superiors, who had no way of knowing, simply nodded and kept saying “this newbie’s decent.”
There was one slightly disappointing thing, though.
“But he doesn’t seem like the type to cut corners, so why isn’t he taking notes?”
“He might not know since it’s his first job. We can teach him that.”
Information and manuals are essential in a job where life and death are on the lineâthe two nodded.
“We should tell him to write things down. That way he can read them again and really understand.”
“Right. It’s not like he already knows everything.”
He already knew!
Still completely clueless, the two continued their conversation like a team that had just taken on a new member, and eventually wrapped up to head back.
“We need to write the status report.”
“Sigh, that report nobody even reads, every time…”
Either way, the newbie wouldn’t be out for at least three days.
Still, since it was a horror story with food and sleeping arrangements inside, even a long-term stay shouldn’t be a problem.
The two nodded and picked up the tablet containing the internet post that had swallowed the newbie.
“Then let’s go look at the paperworkâ”
Click.
At that moment, the tablet spat out a person.
A new employee who should have come out three days later.
“…!?”
The new employee, Kim Soleum, brushed off his clean suitâno different from 1 hour and 30 minutes agoâand stood up from the ground.
And raised something in one hand.
A ‘Dream Dew Collector’ with the markings completely full.
“I’ve collected it.”
“…?!?!”
Time to clear: 1 hour and 24 minutes.
The newbie who had achieved this ridiculous feat simply looked at their superiors with a calm expression.
‘I almost died of a heart attack.’
Of course, it was just a coward who was so desperate that they’d break through the walls of a ghost’s house to escapeâthey were just exhausted!
