Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 88
Naturally, it was common to experience nonsensical or chilling events while exploring the Darkness.
Being chased by ghosts, public transportation suddenly heading toward strange destinations you’ve never heard of, or everyone on the street staring at you the moment you leave your house…
However, many employees say that after experiencing these things, they eventually get used to them.
‘I think even I’ve gotten a bit used to it by now.’
Despite the contamination and items, didn’t I just succeed in the previous ghost story after going in and getting limbs severed just to achieve a high-grade clear?
But there are certain types of eeriness that one never gets used to.
For instance,
A ghost story that suddenly recognizes ‘me.’
“…….”
My eyes twitched as I turned the document page.
There was even a crude reproduction of the packaging drawn by the exploration employee who wrote the report.
-Oh, it seems the artist was so faithful to the original purpose of conveying information that they sacrificed the aesthetic quality of the drawing.
It was terribly drawn, but it meant the subject was perfectly recognizable.
‘…Brown.’
-Please, speak freely, friend.
!
‘That looks like me, doesn’t it?’
-Considering the art style and focusing only on the mask and the hair, it seems we have both reached the same conclusion!
“…….”
Even the product name was ‘Good Child,’ and the flavor was ‘Cinnamon Churros’….
‘It’s the Blue Mascot from the theme park.’
And the ghost story it appeared in… ‘Qterw-C-1603’? Why on earth did I appear in that ghost story?
I reflexively started to glance at my tattoo but caught myself.
Then, I asked Section Chief Lee Ja-heon, who was staring blankly at me.
“Is it correct that this information… hasn’t been registered in the official manual yet?”
“Yes.”
Phew.
That was actually a relief.
‘If Executive Director Cheong purposely showed me this in advance….’
…Was it a favor? Or a debt?
It was probably both.
The moment this is officially recognized as an exploration record, descriptions that could identify me would be censored with black boxes depending on the security level.
Instead, there was a high probability that the research team would attempt experimental explorations to find out why such a phenomenon occurred….
They might send in an employee dressed like me, or send me on an exploration without giving me any information.
‘Kwak Jegaeng might even notice and try to throw me back into the theme park.’
Gosh, this is driving me crazy.
If I reached that point and asked Executive Director Cheong for help because I was on his line, I might end up in a situation like being ‘An Outstanding Employee with 30 Years of Service alongside Executive Director Cheong.’
Why are there so many possibilities for my life to get ruined when I’m living so diligently…?
‘Well, that’s just how the ghost story world is.’
Anyway, let’s be grateful for knowing now. I’ll owe a certain level of psychological debt to Executive Director Cheong, but it’s still better than after the research team takes the bait.
‘And the fact that he went out of his way to tell me this in advance means….’
“By any chance, is the Darkness our team is exploring this week that specific Darkness?”
“I don’t know.”
“…In your estimation, Team Leader, do you think the probability is over 50%?”
“Yes.”
As I thought.
‘If he’s going to tell me beforehand, it only makes sense if I’m the one going in to confirm it.’
‘Qterw-C-1603,’ huh.
If I had to go into a ghost story and be mentally tortured as a coward anyway, it was right to go into one that was more valuable….
This standard remained unchanged.
‘Let’s check it out.’
And this time, I had a very reliable companion.
The publicly recognized name in physical exorcism, Team Leader Lee Ja-heon himself!
……Though, considering the clown incident, he might give orders with an absurdly paralyzed sense of fear.
‘Well, if it’s one-on-one, I might have a way to persuade him or find an out….’
I felt like I’d learned how to talk to him a bit lately, too.
In that sense, going with a fearless Team Leader felt quite reassuring and not bad at all.
But there was one more variable.
“Sol-um.”
“Yes.”
“Will you accept support personnel?”
Ah, right.
Since field explorations are based on a three-person team, this time our team would be receiving one person as support for the exploration.
‘I guess you could call it a trial run for an elite team.’
Usually, they seem to just pick whoever is available at random…… Hmm.
“Is it possible to request a specific person?”
“Yes.”
Oh! …No, wait.
“……I’ll exclude the method of asking Executive Director Cheong. Is it still possible?”
“No.”
“…….”
‘I’m glad I noticed!’
I almost doubled my debt.
I suppressed a groan and finally couldn’t help but ask.
Something I had been curious about regarding the Lizard Team Leader for a while now.
“Um, Team Leader. You always tend to give very brief answers… If there’s a reason for that, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me.”
“I see.”
The lizard’s pupils focused toward the sky for a moment before staring back at me.
“It is a reflection of feedback I received to provide detailed answers only upon request.”
“…In what kind of situation did you hear such feedback?”
“I heard it during a Darkness exploration on my third day of working at this company.”
“…….”
I see….
Even without hearing a specific description, the situation felt as clear as a picture in my head.
“Um, Team Leader. If it’s not an urgent situation, I’d appreciate it if you could speak more comfortably when you’re with me.”
“Yes.”
And then Section Chief Lee Ja-heon… started to speak more!
“If Kim Sol-um wishes to specify the disposition of the applicant, report it to me. While you cannot specify a specific individual by name, you can request preferred characteristics for the sample group.”
“…!”
He’s explaining on his own!
-Roe Deer, you have a talent for being an interviewer!
T-thanks.
For a moment, I almost got drunk on the sense of efficacy, but what mattered now was the content Lee Ja-heon had told me.
‘It’s hard to pinpoint exactly who I want, but I can say what kind of employee I’d like, right?’
Hmm.
After some thought, I decided on one ‘characteristic for the applicant.’
“I would like it to be one of the new recruits.”
There was a hidden meaning here.
It was the fact that all current new recruits were my peers.
‘It’s definitely not because I’m being left out of the newbie group chat….’
Well, to be honest, since this exploration itself felt suspicious, I chose it because I didn’t want someone with too many years of experience who knew exactly how the company worked.
‘And I might as well get to know someone while I’m at it.’
I’d been thinking it was about time to increase the number of people I knew at the company.
“Yes.”
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon readily accepted my request, and I began to feel a bit expectant.
I wondered what kind of new face I would see.
And a few days later.
“…….”
“…….”
I met Jang Heo-un, who was sending me a welcoming gaze, in front of the Team D office door.
“I am Jang Heo-un from Team F…!”
It was a familiar face.
Still, it wasn’t a bad result. At least he wasn’t a superior, so the exploration would be more comfortable.
I smiled and reached out my hand to Jang Heo-un.
“We meet again. I look forward to working with you today.”
“Yes, Sol-um! I will definitely be of help in clearing it!”
Jang Heo-un firmly grasped my hand and shook it. Yeah, he really is a good person….
“Ohhh, yes, yes! I look forward to working with you too~!”
“…….”
“……??”
When I turned my head, an employee with a beaming smile was getting off the elevator and approaching us with a bow.
A woman about my age with a kind-looking face.
She was wearing a pony mask.
“This is the support personnel from Team I. Since the manual recommends an even number of people for this Darkness exploration, we have received two support personnel.”
“I’m Kang Yi-hak~ Nice to meet you. Assistant Manager, and fellow recruit!”
“Yes…!”
Jang Heo-un, who had been bowing hurriedly, cried out as if he had realized something.
“Ah, the one who talks a lot in the group chat…!”
“Yes, yes, haha, it’s embarrassing, but that’s me!”
Ah.
[Kang Yi-hak: Is it true that you received 40,000 points? hehe]
I remember too.
When I joined the group chat, this person was actively trying to dig for information, so I had kept them at a distance.
‘They seemed to lead the atmosphere of the newbie group chat.’
Making sure it revolved around profit rather than friendship.
That colleague soon smiled and reached out a hand to me.
“Wow, the top recruit! This is the first time we’ve met like this. I look forward to working with you~”
“Yes. Likewise.”
I gave a light handshake.
…It was clean.
‘They’re more lighthearted than I thought.’
I had imagined someone more devious, but they felt quite genial. It didn’t feel like they were hiding another motive behind their questions.
‘Well, if they’re a good person, I’m just grateful….’
It’s much more mentally reassuring and better to have them than a piece of work like Baek Sa-heon when we have to explore together.
People who haven’t experienced it won’t know. The feeling of screaming internally because a ghost appeared, only to have a sociopath standing next to you…… Sob.
“We will move out.”
“Yes.”
Team Leader Lee Ja-heon began to stride away.
We quietly followed the Team Leader and got into the car, and I took the wheel and operated the navigation.
“We’re heading to Gyeonggi-do now, right?”
“Yes.”
Right, this Darkness was also completely outside the Seoul area.
While one might misunderstand by looking only at the exploration report I read earlier, Qterw-C-1603 wasn’t just a strange snack shop ghost story.
It was larger and… more sinister.
“Um, to enter this ghost story…… Ah, did we gather late because we have to wait until the sun sets first?”
“It seems so.”
I answered Jang Heo-un kindly as I started driving.
To enter this Darkness, two factors—time and place—had to be met.
To enter Qterw-C-1603, one must move to a residential area on the outskirts of ■■ City, Gyeonggi-do.
The residential area was a commercial alley popular on social media in the early 2010s for its restaurants and cafes, but is now sparsely populated.
Very rarely, a local commercial promotion poster can be spotted on telephone poles here.
In the center of the poster, the phrase ‘Come play at ■■ City Death End Alley’ is printed along with a QR code.
※ Do not stare too closely at the text on the poster.
For reference, the company had secured the poster in advance and covered it so that only the QR code was visible.
“Assistant Manager, I’ll scan the QR code for you!”
“Ah, thank you.”
When the QR code is scanned, it connects to the download page for an event application certified by the ■■ City local government. If the explorer is under 40 years old, the download proceeds normally.
A moment later.
Arriving at the destination, we parked in a public parking lot and walked out into a quiet alleyway.
It was the time when the short winter sun was setting and it was getting dark.
Most of the restaurants and cafes still remained, but there was a stagnant atmosphere typical of a commercial district whose trend had passed….
“Run the application now.”
I looked at the screen.
After passing through a slightly tacky opening featuring the old logo and character of ■■ City….
If the application is first executed at the location before the early evening sun completely sets, route guidance via the navigation function is activated.
The guidance truly begins from the application itself.
Way to Death End Alley →
Please move according to the arrow!
My location appears on the GPS like augmented reality on the smartphone.
“Walk.”
“…….”
We all started moving together, eyes fixed only on our respective smartphone screens.
Please move according to the arrow!
At first, it’s normal.
It guides me along the relatively large roads in the alley, seemingly leading me further toward the outskirts of this commercial district.
But as more time passes.
The path begins to twist.
Please move according to the arrow!
It guides me through narrow gaps between houses that only one person can barely pass through, makes me enter through the front door of a building and come out the back door.
It even guides me into a dead end and then makes me turn back.
A pitch-black alley.
Somehow, the surroundings gradually begin to feel unfamiliar and bizarre.
The back of my neck feels cold, I hear ungrammatical muttering, and strange shadow-like things seem to pass out of my sight….
‘…I have to endure it.’
But I must not turn my head.
While moving according to the application’s route guidance, never take your eyes off the screen for more than 3 seconds or
stray from the guided path
.
Failure to observe this will result in being
Missing in Action
.
We continued moving in silence.
Struggling not to bump into each other or get startled.
Please move according to the arrow!
“Just now, something strange….”
“Shh.”
After walking silently for about 16 minutes like that….
The faint light of the sunset completely disappears before I know it.
“…….”
“…….”
In the already dark alleyway commercial district, all light strangely vanishes, leaving it in total darkness.
Just when only the light from our smartphone screens becomes the sole light source illuminating the residential area.
Click.
Click, click.
One by one, lights begin to turn on in the dark alley.
“…!”
The street shops had begun to light up.
Yellow and blue lights from the signs illuminated the view of the alley.
…However, this was not the familiar scenery of the old commercial district we had seen earlier.
Whisper, whisper.
An alley bustling with numerous human figures.
Signs that look familiar at a glance, but upon closer inspection, bear somewhat distorted names.
Various shops lined up in the alley have their doors wide open, welcoming customers…….
Ding.
The application displays a congratulatory message.
You have arrived safely.
Welcome to Death End Alley!
“…Have we, arrived?”
“Yes.”
We had successfully entered.
Into the heart of the ghost story.
======================
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[■■■ 16-ro]
: A ghost story appearing in: , Baekilmong Corporation identification code Qterw-C-1603.
An alleyway lined with shops where
things that are not human
solicit customers.
An explorer who has entered this alley through a
smartphone
application
must never close the application
.
======================
“Walk slowly.”
“…….”
We nodded and followed Section Chief Lizard’s footsteps….
Into the strange alley.
