Have you ever been completely obsessed with something?
I mean that feeling of being so deeply impressed, beyond just thinking "this is fun," that you ended up spending extra time and money on it. You know what I'm talking about, right?
For movies, it's watching the director's cut; for games, buying the artbook; for webtoons, paying for early access; for singers, going to concerts...
And if you go a bit further, it includes buying derivative merchandise.
Yeah, the stuff they call "goods."
Figurines, slogan tees, badges, plushies...
I can say with certainty: I had never spent money on such things in my life.
Until now.
This is a department store.
The pop-up store, which opened to great success, had already run out of queue tickets the moment the store opened at 10 AM.
And I, too, got one of those tickets.
"2:30 PM time slot! We'll help you enter now!"
"Ah, finally!"
"Hey, let's go quickly."
The cheerful teenagers standing next to me ran excitedly towards the staff.
'2:30 PM... That's right.'
I stood in line, pulling my cap down as low as possible.
But I could hear whispering from behind.
"Huh..."
"Is that a reseller?"
"Are they a scalper?"
"...."
It felt incredibly unfair, but it was understandable.
Because I was the only adult man in this line who looked like an office worker!
'Sigh...'
I let out a heavy sigh as I looked at the pop-up store entrance.
[Welcome, Seeker Who Came from the Darkness.]
'This is insane.'
A theme of black and red backgrounds with various monster caricatures, occult elements, and intersecting symbols of corporations, religions, and governments. A worldview that perfectly targets the teenage mind, no doubt.
The title is a work of art, too.
[Apocalypse Prophecy: Darkness Exploration Records]
Hah...
I barely resisted the urge to cover my eyes with one hand.
'Why did I have to see this at work...'
It's a very hot internet ghost story universe that was trending recently.
You know, the kind of open-source, collective intelligence universe where people can freely participate and create stories.
At first, it seemed to have branched off from a famous ghost story and spread quietly among students by word of mouth, but after hitting YouTube's algorithm, it's said to have grown like crazy.
'Records investigating various paranormal phenomena called
Eventually, it became an independent wiki with hundreds, thousands of recorded tales, which is how it caught my eye.
'...It was just so easy to read at work because it was text.'
And I guess they say anything is fun when you're at work, as long as it's not work.
That's how I fell deep into this universe, to the point of even creating and uploading my own ghost story...
How on earth did I end up like this? Is it because my dopamine-deficient office life was the problem?
Moreover,
'I never thought it would get this big.'
Now, I hear it's a major IP reigning on YouTube, almost like a middle school president.
And of course, companies quickly latched on to generate profit.
This pop-up store is part of that.
'Come on, no matter what, the wiki had a "Recommended for ages 15+" sticker on it.'
Why are there so many kids here?
Hearing the whispers from behind makes the post-reality gloom hit me harder than ever, but...
"He looks like a scalper for sure..."
"Hey, hey, he might be buying it for a nephew or cousin or something... Don't be like that."
No. I'm here to buy.
...Actually, I came last week too, but an item I wanted sold out right in front of me, so I visited again...
I even used my paid leave.
'At least last time there was a woman around my age.'
But of course, on a weekday afternoon, the only other adults are parents who came with their kids. It's so embarrassing I feel like running away, but I'll endure.
'Actually, I don't even know why I'm trying to endure this...'
Anyway, following the staff's guidance, I entered the store. The staff member not batting an eye was my only consolation.
"Wow!"
"Hey, it looks just like it!"
Along with the admiring voices of the middle schoolers, the inside of the pop-up store came into view, decorated quite elaborately, like a theme park. And even with considerate thematic categorization.
[Daydream Inc.]
[Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau]
[Church of the Luminous Unknown]
In this ghost story universe, there are three major forces—corporations, government, and religion—each trying to observe and secure paranormal phenomena... or so the setting goes.
'At first, there were only ghost stories about the government's Disaster Management Bureau, but people got excited and kept adding stuff, and it ended up like this.'
Anyway, this pop-up store seems to have gathered only the ones that became hot topics online among those.
It felt blatantly like a money-grab, lumping everything together and only selling popular characters and ghost story items, but the quality was decent.
'Right. When would I ever come to a place like this...'
Ignoring the stares, I quickly gathered the items I wanted to buy.
Fortunately, what I was trying to buy last week weren't the super popular items, so the misunderstanding that I was a reseller faded.
"Would you like to purchase a large eco-bag for your items? It's 5,000 won."
"Yes. Thank you."
And I finished the payment without issue, but I couldn't leave the pop-up store right away, hesitating.
I turned my head to look at the area next to the checkout where people were gathered, lining up.
[Roulette Event] : Create Your Own Darkness Exploration Record Character.
That thing.
I saw it last week too, but I couldn't bring myself to stand in line for it and left...
'I heard this pop-up ends tomorrow.'
I was fiercely conflicted, wondering if it was worth trading my social dignity for.
Right then, a staff member who had just finished a shift rotation looked at me and asked with a smile.
"The roulette event is only until today! Would you like to participate?"
"...Yes."
Thank you.
Really, thank you, staff member...
"Great! Then please come this way! Ah, please stand here..."
The staff nimbly guided me to the line in front of the large black roulette wheel, and thanks to that, I could naturally stand at the end of the line.
The line moved faster than I thought.
Soon, I was at the front and received a button that looked like a walkie-talkie.
"Then, we'll start with the Lucky Roulette first! Please press the button whenever you'd like to stop it."
Whirrr.
With an artificial sound effect, the roulette wheel started spinning.
Each section showed a rank and a prize.
From the goods I'd already purchased, to goods not sold as exhibition items, and even random Bluetooth earphones...
Of course, the largest section, the 7th prize, was just something like a small memo pad. I'd probably land there.
But it was okay. At least I didn't almost leave without participating at all.
'Don't get your hopes up.'
I thought that even as I carefully pressed the button the staff gave me.
Drrrrr... Clunk.
But my black roulette wheel slowly came to a stop... and surprisingly, it stopped here.
On a thin, golden section.
[1st Prize] : Darkness Exploration Record Real Goods Box
"...!"
"Gasp! Congratulations!"
Is this... for real?
"Wow, insane!"
"Must be nice, damn, I'm so jealous."
From behind, screams, exclamations, and voices tinged with envy erupted, causing a commotion.
"Wow, we finally have a 1st prize winner on the last day before the pop-up closes!"
The staff, more excited than I was, ran behind the roulette wheel and came back carrying a sizable box wrapped in plastic.
The black box, embossed with a large foil symbol, looked like a well-crafted product in itself.
I barely managed to accept the box without my hands trembling.
"...Thank you."
I need to... I need to leave quickly and maybe even pinch my face. Is this real?
I tried to leave the pop-up store immediately, but the staff stopped me.
"Ah! We'd like to give you our on-site made goods! Just tell us your name!"
My name? My personal info became public domain long ago, leaked all over portal sites. The important thing is just getting this home safely...!
"Kim Soleum."
"Okay! Mr. Soleum, just a moment."
The staff tinkered with a black vending machine that looked like a 3D printer next to the roulette wheel.
It seemed made for the pop-up, with an explanatory phrase on it.
[Darkness Exploration Record Character Maker]
Ah. That thing that was in the subtitle of the roulette event?
...'Create Your Own Darkness Exploration Record Character'.
It's so perfectly teenage-oriented...
"Please enter your name here."
"...Yes."
Holding the goods box tightly with one hand, I quickly typed my name into the machine's pad.
The black vending machine made a rather loud and eerie music box sound, then performed a flashy display of turning gears.
And spat out a small object with a clunk.
Click.
I picked up the familiar-looking item.
It was... an employee ID card.
[Daydream Inc.]
Kim Soleum Employee
Field Investigation Team
"Wow! It's the Daydream Inc. One of the three most famous forces in our
"...."
Yes. I know.
Basically, it's the cliché of a large corporation doing business with paranormal phenomena.
And among them, the Field Investigation Team is...
'That's the department like the death squad.'
Like the redshirts from a certain sci-fi drama. They're the ones who go in to investigate paranormal phenomena at the slightest provocation and get torn apart.
Of course, because of that, many of the notable characters in the story seemed to belong to this Field Investigation Team.
"Wow! It's a Field Investigation Team ID. I really look forward to what kind of activities Employee Kim Soleum would have in the
"Yes, thank you..."
I felt like cringing but held it in.
'At least it's not a government agency or a cult ID.'
It was somewhat of a relief that it was a company ID.
It was a bit embarrassing, but the staff member, perhaps desensitized from saying this so much, remained composed, true to their role as a worker in a capitalist society.
Anyway, receiving this ID seemed to mark the end of the roulette event.
"Thank you."
I let out a sigh as I looked at the ID with my name printed on it.
'This... I need to stash this somewhere out of sight.'
No matter what, I don't think my mental fortitude can handle keeping this around.
Meanwhile, the staff member asked excitedly.
"Do you like it? You'll treasure it, right?"
"Yes."
"You're lying."
...?
I looked up, thinking I misheard.
Grin.
The staff member suddenly looked at me, smiling with their mouth corners stretched wide.
Unnaturally wide, almost reaching their ears...
"...?"
In that moment.
A sudden dizziness swept over my head.
"...!"
The noisy bustle of the pop-up store vanished.
My vision swayed dizzyingly as if covered in black paint, flashing red and blue.
And when the dizziness finally subsided...
I never could have dreamed that the entire world would have changed.
[Welcome, everyone who has joined Daydream Inc.!]
"...!?"
I found myself looking at a central podium from a corner of a large lecture hall.
And.
Waaah!!
With a cheer, fireworks effects exploded on the large beam projector PPT on the podium.
[New Employee Orientation]
Amidst the polite applause and cheers from fresh-faced new hires in suits, a person who seemed to be the host smiled brightly and flipped the PPT slide.
To anyone, it looked like a new employee orientation event at a large corporation.
Faces filled with the happiness of finally breaking through the employment barrier were alight with pride and nervous excitement.
[Our new employees, who have passed the 145:1 competition to join us, have every right to be proud! Haha! Now, let's begin the new employee orientation!]
"...."
What is this.
I stumbled, trying to step back.
But I realized I was sitting in a chair.
My attire was a suit—the one I wore because I had a client dinner that evening—but coincidentally, it looked similar to the 'new employees' filling this lecture hall.
Meanwhile, on my lap sat the goods box I received from the roulette event.
"Um, excuse me, where did you get that? Is it something the company gives out?"
"...."
I couldn't even respond to the question from the new hire sitting next to me.
[You are the chosen successful candidates!]
[In fact, among the personnel recruited through this new employee opening, only very special individuals have been gathered in Lecture Hall A for this orientation!]
[Congratulations! You have passed the aptitude test and have been assigned to the special team,
"Already assigned?"
"Field Investigation Team? Does Daydream Corporation have such a place?"
"Field investigation at a pharmaceutical company...?"
"Huh, somehow it sounds like a place you get exiled to? Not headquarters but a branch? Are they trying to sweet-talk us with fancy words..."
Whispers criticizing the host could be heard from all directions, but I had no time to focus.
Because I had realized the familiar company and team names.
Daydream Inc.
Field Investigation Team.
...Like being struck by lightning, a page from the wiki came to mind.
[Field Investigation Team] (Daydream Inc.)
: One of the five teams under the Development Department of the giant faction, Daydream Corporation, appearing in
The ill-fated team, also called the death squad. But thanks to that, ghost story writers love it.
'Wait a minute.'
...This is the original ghost story of the pop-up store I just participated in.
Then, what happens next is...
A crazy department that puts you through a death survival game starting from the very onbaording orientation to filter out regular hires.
It's also a consistently popular wiki writing material because it reminds people what happens when ordinary people investigate The Darkness.
"...!"
"Uh, wha, what are you doing...?"
I immediately pushed off the chair and stood up.
Forget assessing the situation, I was thinking of just running outside.
But I was already too late.
[However, before the official hiring, there is a short probation period! It's not long! We'll judge only your practical aptitude through an absolute evaluation.]
[Of course, for each individual's evaluation to be proper, active participation is essential! Free-riders will all be caught!]
Bang, bang bang bang.
The doors of the lecture hall closed in succession.
'Damn it!'
Amidst this, the naive new hires who thought
Thus, amidst about a hundred new hires attentively listening to the host's words, the host cheerfully and energetically declared.
[Now, let's begin!]
Along with that lively voice.
The lights in the lecture hall went out.
"...?"
"Huh?"
Wondering if they were preparing to play a video, the new hires were still only slightly puzzled.
That was understandable.
'Who would expect such crazy things to happen right after getting a job?'
For instance.
The surrounding scenery suddenly changing to the inside of a bleak subway train.
[Dear passengers, thank you for using Abyss Transportation Corporation today.... Our train does not stop.]
[For a pleasant journey to your final destination, please listen carefully to the announcements.]
Or hearing guide announcements mentioning names they'd never heard in their lives.
"...!?"
"Wh-what is this!?"
The new hires, who had been sitting neatly in suits on subway seats as if the lecture hall had been teleported, jumped up in shock.
It was understandable to be flustered.
"Excuse me?"
"Is this something like VR? Did we really move?"
But it seemed like most of the people from the lecture hall were still there. So, perhaps feeling somewhat reassured, their reactions remained complacent.
They looked around the subway here and there, searching for traces of the company, or looking for people who seemed like the event host or company personnel.
And soon, they roughly assessed the situation.
"There are other people in the front car! The doors... uh, the doors aren't opening, what's this?"
"Is it some new technology?"
I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them, feeling like cold sweat would break out.
Because I had already realized which ghost story this was in my head.
[Welcome to Abyss Transportation Corporation]
: A ghost story appearing in
: Among the early D-grade Darkness stories, it boasts overwhelmingly insane escape difficulty. And the eternally suffering Field Investigation Team.
: Exploration records exist up to ■■ times.
You can tell at a glance, it's a ghost story based on the Korean subway.
-You fall asleep and wake up inside a subway. It feels like a commute home, but you start hearing strange station names....
That kind of introduction.
Because the ghost story's prey is the broad category of 'people who have commuted by subway,' which includes most office workers, it had the effect of making readers even more creeped out.
"...."
'And this ghost story... is under Daydream Corporation's jurisdiction of The Darkness.'
It seems Daydream Corporation was planning to 'filter' the new hires through this ghost story. ...Damn!
"Is it something like an escape room?"
"Why would a pharmaceutical company that makes hair loss medicine put new sales hires through an escape room..."
That's when it happened.
[This station is Sorrow, Sorrow Station.]
"...!"
"Sor...row?"
The first announcement played.
I held my breath and turned my head.
[The doors on the right will open....]
Clunk.
The train stopped.
And.
[The screen doors are opening.]
The doors opened.
Just like any everyday commute, but.
[The doors will close in 30 seconds. You can never turn back.]
[Passengers whose final destination is Sorrow Station must disembark according to the announcement.]
A familiar voice kindly spoke the guide message, mixing in strange words and phrases.
But people tend to rationalize, searching for anything to be reassured by.
"Look outside! It's just a subway station!"
Literally so.
Outside the train doors, the appearance of a platform was clearly visible. It looked a bit dark and damp, but it looked like an ordinary subway station nonetheless.
Delighted by this, a few people headed for the door.
Ah, damn.
"It might be better not to get off."
"Huh?"
This is insane. Holding back a sigh, I spoke quickly.
"You heard it just now—Sorrow Station. Where in Korea is there a station like that? Anyone would think it's weird."
"Ah..."
"Uh, I think this person has a point. Maybe we should wait and see a bit more…"
One quick-witted person backs me up. It's the new hire who was sitting next to me.
Maybe because of that, the people who were about to leave hesitate even more.
"But still…"
"Hey, the doors are closing!"
However, at the sound of the closing doors, a few impatient people impulsively dash out onto the platform…
Damnit.
[The doors are now closing.]
"Ah!"
"We didn't make it. Ah, fuck."
Those who couldn't get off sigh in frustration, watching the 'people who got off' waving from the platform. Someone even glances at me and mutters a small curse under their breath.
I get it. In a strange and bizarre situation, the instinct is to just turn off your brain and run.
But here's the thing.
"Huh?"
"What's that…?"
A grotesque scene unfolds.
As the people who exited onto the platform turn around, trying to move away,
countless silver droplets suddenly gush from the station's ceiling and pillars, pouring down over their heads.
Plip plip plip plop.
It was like giant tears.
But the countless silver droplets, like molten metal, poured onto the human bodies, creating horrific, wet, tearing sounds.
Screams. Screams. Convulsions.
Silence.
Blood mixed with silver liquid splattered against the train windows.
[The train is now departing from Sorrow Station.]
The last thing seen outside the window.
"..."
In front of the screen door, now smeared with filth and blood, only the mangled remains of the new hires were left.
Twitching.
"Aaaah!"
"Ugh!"
It was the end for those who chose wrong.
[For a pleasant journey to your destination, please listen carefully to the following announcement.]
Finally, amidst the people frozen in terror, screams and shouts began to stain the air.
'It's begun.'
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I've fallen into a ghost story?
I don't know how the hell I ended up like this, but I'm pretty sure I've become a new hire in a team at a company within a ghost story.
And a team with an extremely high mortality rate, at that.
'For real?'
Well. To be honest, I am in a more advantageous position than the other new hires.
After all, I've read the entire wiki for this ghost story.
3.2 Exploration Log (Records up to Entry ■■)
Meaning, I remember it in pretty decent detail, up to about this level.
And looking at just this much, I might seem like a typical overpowered protagonist.
Might even picture my cool self, using the absolute advantage my knowledge gives me to escape this situation and savor the fruits of that info? Starting to feel a bit confident, thinking about monopolizing future opportunities and items?
That could be the case.
But there's one problem.
One decisive problem.
'…I'm fucking terrified of seeing scary stuff!'
That's right.
The fact that I… am a coward.
Text is fine. I can read it with interest.
But the moment it becomes visualized, I absolutely cannot handle it. I'm a coward.
And not just any coward, but a coward to the degree of being mercilessly mocked by my so-called friends!
-Is it true Kim Soleum turned down his crush because she wanted to watch a horror movie and he couldn't?
-LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
-LMAO Soleum, your name literally means 'goosebumps' and you can't watch horror movies? LOLOLOLOL
-No wonder your crush ran away too LOL
-Damn, you're pathetic.
-Sorry.
-Sorry.
I'm such a coward that even when reading ghost stories at the company in broad daylight, if a scary background image or BGM starts playing, I turn off the data and make it display text-only! A long-term resident of Coward's Corner, to the point I could never include a single image in the ghost stories I posted!
"..."
I covered my eyes with both hands.
I am, already, so screwed....