CHAPTER 040
[Roe Deer. Don’t come in. Stay where you are.]
“Pardon?”
I stopped in my tracks on the way to work after taking the call.
My direct superior had contacted me exactly fifteen minutes before I was supposed to clock in.
[I’ll process it as outside duty, so don’t come to the company. I’ve already talked it over with Manager Lee Jaheon too.]
“Understood. But is there a reason?”
[Well… that’s how field work at this company is. It’s a Darkness problem, a Darkness.]
Ah.
Along with the sound of Assistant Manager Eun Haje letting out a long sigh, I could faintly hear the wailing of Senior Staff Park Minseong.
Group D had probably already fully arrived at work.
[It’s not just you. All the rookies are excluded across the board, so don’t get any ideas and just stay home.]
“What kind of Darkness is it?”
[Yeah. Can’t tell you unless you’re one of the people going in.]
“……”
[No, really. It’s better not to know.]
Don’t tell me… it was the kind where “just knowing about it causes problems.”
An information-contamination Ghost Story, in other words.
From eerie rumors about how someone heard another person talk about a nightmare and then started dreaming the same nightmare the very next day, to ghosts that will pursue you until the day you die if you merely know their name.
The paranoid fear that “something horrible can happen just because I become aware of it” was a universal human terror.
‘And if they’re even telling me not to come to work, then this probably isn’t an ordinary situation….’
Still, judging by the tone, it sounded more like they were worried a rookie might make a mistake than like they were leaving behind last words, so it would probably be fine.
…Unless they were just pretending to be calm so they wouldn’t burden me.
‘Either way, I can’t go to the company now.’
If they were saying I wasn’t needed, then insisting on going anyway and becoming a nuisance was the last thing I wanted. That seemed like exactly the kind of thing that got you killed.
I said I understood and ended the call.
‘Maybe today I’ll clean up the Blood Bath and reread the <Darkness Exploration Record> wiki five times or so….’
But then, a few hours later.
[Mr. Kim Soleum.]
“Yes.”
[Please come in to work.]
“……”
What is this, some kind of obedience training for problem dogs…?
Whether I was bewildered or not, the Lizard team lead simply said what he had to say.
[You are to report to the large conference room on the 31st floor by 2 p.m.]
He’d even named a high-floor conference room I’d never heard of before…!
“One moment. This morning I was told not to come in… has the situation changed?”
[Yes. One of the executives requested Mr. Soleum personally.]
“……”
Excuse me?
[Then I will see you at 2.]
Please save me.
“So, you came.”
I met Group D’s assistant manager standing with his arms crossed in front of the 31st-floor elevator, looking anxious.
I quickly lowered my voice and asked Assistant Manager Eun Haje,
“Has the situation changed?”
“A little. Ha… that insane bastard.”
That was the last thing I heard before I was thrown straight into the conference room. My mind went hazy.
“He’s here. Employee Kim Soleum.”
“Ahhh.”
“No, why call him all the way to the conference room? Just send him in.”
A bunch of superiors whose departments I couldn’t even identify properly were sitting there rattling on about something, then saw me, shut up, and started exchanging glances. Ghost Story world or not, the back of my neck went stiff.
‘Why do the signs that office life is about to get screwed feel exactly the same everywhere?’
And thanks to the superiors who eventually got excited again and resumed their conversation, I even found out why I had been singled out and summoned into this incomprehensible situation….
It was a classic, maddening reason.
A manpower shortage.
“No, we’re sure this is a high-grade Darkness, but a civilian survivor came out of it. This could become a groundbreaking case that opens up a new high-quality source of raw materials.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. And yet everyone’s hesitating over this and holding another meeting and another meeting, for heaven’s sake…. They don’t know how to invest boldly, Department Head Kang!”
“Who said I wasn’t willing to invest? I’m saying this isn’t something that’s going to be solved by shoving in a few more rookies—”
“Ah, you’re so frustrating. I’m telling you, the headcount is lacking. Hm? Research Team Leader Kwak from our side said so.”
Team Leader Kwak?
I turned my head, and sure enough, Kwak Jegang from the research team was sitting there in the corner with a smug grin plastered on his face.
The mad scientist who had shoved his own researcher into the theme park Ghost Story.
‘Did his disciplinary action end?’
Just looking at him made my head hurt.
“Isn’t that right, Team Leader Kwak? We need to increase the numbers, don’t we?”
“Ah~ that’s right. This is obviously the kind of Darkness where increasing the number of personnel is what solves it!”
“……”
That man was serving as an advisor?
A strong suspicion came over me that they weren’t actually short on manpower at all—they just wanted to see the fresh exploration results of ignorant rookies.
‘Either way, it does seem certain that what I’m about to go through today is being deployed into a Darkness.’
And if they were calling me in this grandly for it…
The feeling that it must be a difficult grade sent a chill down my spine.
They said it was high-grade, and yet a civilian survivor had come out… right?
Even while I frantically searched through <Darkness Exploration Record> in my head for similar cases, I calmly repeated to myself,
‘…Still, I came prepared.’
Just in case, I had brought absolutely everything I had today.
The full item package.
“You’ve greeted him, so you may all leave now.”
“Ah, yes.”
The assistant manager dipped his head in a rough sort of greeting and led me out of the conference room.
Thud.
And the moment the conference room door shut, he opened his mouth.
“How many times am I supposed to watch birdbrains who’ve never stepped into a Darkness even once puffing up their necks and spouting ‘strategic solutions’…. Ah, this is why I can’t quit smoking.”
“Assistant Manager.”
“What does it matter? They’re too busy fighting among themselves to hear.”
I can hear you, though.
“Those bastards wouldn’t have even passed the Field Operations Team orientation, let alone the hiring process, but they’ve made such effective use of hometown ties and family ties that they’ve planted themselves up there… ah.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje looked like he was dying for a cigarette as he circled the conference room a few times, then finally let out a small sigh.
“……Anyway, you heard them, right? From here on out, we’re going into a newly registered high-grade Darkness.”
Just as I thought.
“Not just us either. More than thirty people have already been deployed.”
“…Would that include the team lead and Senior Staff Park, by any chance?”
“Yeah. They all went in first. …It’ll be dangerous. I’m not going to lie and try to comfort you.”
“……”
“But don’t worry too much. You brought even us out alive from that insane quiz show, didn’t you? It’ll be all right.”
“……Yes.”
I shifted the briefcase I had brought so that it sat as a crossbody bag.
“Is that all preparation stuff?”
“Yes. Food and various other things.”
“Hmm. The size looks fine.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje checked my appearance a few more times and asked,
“There’s nothing in there that would get flagged in the security screening, right?”
“…Right.”
I had passed through the main gate without a problem.
Somehow I felt like that cursed wild ginseng probably would have gotten flagged, but everything I had on me now was just items, so it should have been fine.
But then why wasn’t Group D moving as a team today? Why was only the assistant manager left?
“May I ask how the others entered?”
The assistant manager jerked his chin expressionlessly.
“The moment they read the manual, they all vanished.”
“……”
“This is that kind of Darkness. The instant you know even a little about it, you get dragged in.”
Phew.
“I was waiting without reading it because I had to take you in with me, so we’ll read it at the same time.”
“Yes.”
Wow, this is insane.
“It’s fine. They’re not the kind of people who die easily no matter where you throw them.”
Please don’t say lines like that, they sound like foreshadowing!
‘Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear it.’
After taking a deep breath, I accepted the manual the assistant manager held out to me.
…The moment I read this, I would be entering that high-grade Darkness.
‘…Prepare yourself mentally.’
And I read it in one go.
+++
Hello.
You are currently viewing the manual document summarizing our exhibition’s former visitors.
+++
“……!”
+++
Before you continue reading, we would like to inform you that you have been invited to a truly splendid exhibition.
+++
“……”
The back of my neck went cold.
‘I’m screwed.’
My eyes shut tight.
With a flash, a wiki page auto-completed itself in my mind.
———————=
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Mansion of the Blind]
: A Ghost Story appearing in <Darkness Exploration Record>, with the Baekilmong Co., Ltd. identification code Qterw-B-666.
Hello, guest. Today, I am writing this to invite you to a splendid exhibition.
So that your journey here may not be inconvenient, once you finish reading this text, no matter where you head, you will arrive at our exhibition.
The visitation records of prior guests are recorded up to Visit No. 106 in the relevant document.
And it is said that in every attempt to record this Ghost Story, the writing transformed into the form of a notice sent by the exhibition.
It is an honor to invite you.
———————=
The representative example of an information-contamination Ghost Story registered in <Darkness Exploration Record>.
A notorious clickbait favorite that racked up hundreds of thousands of views every time it was covered on video sites!
‘The Eyeball Collector.’
“……”
With my heart trembling, I lowered my gaze back to the manual.
The exact phrase I had expected was really written there.
+++
So that your journey here may not be troublesome, from this point on, no matter where you head, you will arrive at the exhibition.
+++
And exactly as written, it happened.
“Ha.”
The moment I took a step backward,
I realized that the texture of the floor beneath my feet had changed.
From matte office tiles to old, polished marble.
Tap.
Slowly, I raised my head.
Before me stood a gigantic mansion wrapped in such silence that I could hear the sound of candle flames burning.
Twilight and candlelight cast a reddish-golden glow over the grand and ancient interior.
Countless exhibits revealed only their outlines within the shadows….
“……”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje was nowhere to be seen either.
But I did not do something idiotic like opening my mouth and calling out for him.
Instead, slowly, I stepped backward.
And hid in a corner.
‘……Hoo.’
Concealing myself behind a sofa, I sat down and reopened the manual with trembling hands.
+++
We will now inform you of nine shared exhibition reviews from visitors to this exhibition who were temporarily collected by Baekilmong Co., Ltd.
- You can view rare and diverse collections unlike anything seen anywhere else.
- Eating and drinking inside the exhibition hall is prohibited.
- It is recommended that you observe ordinary exhibition etiquette.
- It is very difficult to find the exit.
With regard to these statements, this exhibition strongly requests that they be amended. All emergency doors in the exhibition hall are properly marked.
Anyone may stop viewing and leave whenever they wish.
+++
That part was true.
The problem was that “anyone” did not include humans.
People could not properly use either the emergency doors or the exits in this place.
“…Ha.”
An exhibition that so naturally assumed its visitors would not be human.
Modern people were merely sacrifices who, by sheer accident, became caught up in this immense nightmare and experienced cosmic-horror-style terror.
That was the kind of unpleasant Ghost Story it was.
Honestly, I didn’t like it. To the point that I didn’t even really understand why it had been so popular on Wetube….
“Friend?”
“…!”
“Oh my, Mr. Roe Deer… are you hiding right now?”
I had never realized how happy I could be to have someone to talk to.
I pulled Brown halfway out of my pocket.
“Oh my, this place is rather nice.”
“Would it not be better to go out and take a look? At this level, it seems like the sort of place one could safely introduce to an audience….”
Go out?
‘No.’
“Oh dear, might I hear your reasoning? This seems to be an exhibition run by someone capable of issuing a fairly courteous and comfortable invitation….”
That was exactly the kind of thing a host who lured people into a murder quiz show with postcards would say.
What a headache….
Pressing hard at the corners of my eyes, I rose from the sofa where I had been sitting.
“Ah, I see you’ve found the desire to take in the exhibition!”
No.
‘I’m moving.’
I carefully examined the wall and cautiously searched for a place where I could hear the sound of moving air.
It didn’t take long before I found what I was looking for in a dark section hidden behind a gigantic vase, in a corner the candlelight didn’t reach.
‘A ventilation shaft.’
I quietly slipped inside, left the latch unlocked, and held my breath.
This was a temporary safe zone that came to mind right away.
———————=
In the fifth visitation record, a gentleman testified that he entered a ventilation shaft and “held out” for more than five days by licking the drops of water falling from the dampness.
On the sixth day, a guide found the gentleman.
Please note that our exhibition is always equipped with guest rooms for long-term visitors.
(※The annotation in the forty-second visitation record saying never to stay in the guest room is deeply regrettable. This exhibition operates rooms suited to the dignity of our collection and has always maintained an excellent reputation.)
———————=
“No, you’re leaving a perfectly good sofa to crawl into a filthy place like this?!”
Ignore him. I needed to make a plan in here.
‘How do I get out?’
No, even before that, it was maddening to think about why they had decided this Ghost Story needed so many people in the first place.
Even if a large group entered, it offered absolutely no real advantage…. Wait.
Shoving people in like this without thought…
‘Was it because they didn’t know?’
Was it because they were still in the early stages of the investigation?
‘If so, then the current expedition should be recorded in the early entries of <Darkness Exploration Record>, shouldn’t it?’
“……”
I pulled out my smartphone, turned the screen brightness all the way down, lay flat, and flipped quickly through <Darkness Exploration Record>.
And then…
‘Found it.’
———————=
The seventeenth visitation record is the result of Baekilmong Co., Ltd. recommending the exhibition to thirty-four Field Operations Team employees.
It is said that seven returned home safely.
———————=
This was it.
I had entered as one person within this seventeenth record, where those thirty-four had been deployed.
Probably as the thirty-fifth person.
‘…Seven returned safely.’
I was about to open both the manual and <Darkness Exploration Record> side by side and compare them for more detailed records when—
Creeeeeeak.
“……”
From far away, a sound began to emerge.
The sound of machinery moving slowly.
And then…
Aaaagh! Wh-why is it chasing me…!! Go away, go awayaaaagh!!!
Screams and the hurried pounding of many feet.
“……”
Bang bang! Bang! Creeeeak, bang! Thudududududu, creeeeak, bang!
The sound echoing over the marble floor was drawing closer.
Cold sweat ran down my cheek.
Save me, no, noooo!!
Please let me out, let me out…!!
Bang bang bang, the sound of people running. The screams and frantic footsteps of those fleeing came closer and closer.
And then they were almost right in front of me.
There had to be at least more than ten of them.
Behind them, the heavy sound of machinery pursued slowly, steadily, as if tightening a noose….
Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak.
Drip.
Cold sweat fell from the tip of my chin.
“……”
‘At least one person.’
After agonizing to the limit, I leaned my upper body out.
Then I quickly grabbed one of the fleeing people by the back of the neck.
“…!”
I dragged him almost up into the air and crammed him into the ventilation shaft with me, ducking my head back down beside him.
‘There’s room for exactly one more.’
And if it was a Field Operations employee, the odds of him being a troll were relatively low.
“Hk.”
Fortunately, the person convulsing beside me grasped the situation and immediately went completely still.
Seems like he has sense—… wait.
“…!”
“……!!”
‘Baek Saheon.’
My roommate in company housing.
Baek Saheon, wearing a goat mask, swallowed hard and stared at me from where he was wedged in the ventilation shaft.
I had just saved this guy.
