Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Our Grapes-ie has done it once again!”

“Good job, Agent Grapes.”

“Ah, thank you…”

I smiled sheepishly as I accepted their compliments.

“Should we have dinner together to celebrate our dear Grapes’ achievement?”

“Agent, that would make it the third celebratory dinner already.”

“Ah, c’mon Agent Bronze! It was thanks to our hoobae here that we managed to save all the civilians! Isn’t that reason enough to celebrate?”

Agent Bronze sighed as he shook his head.

“Pfft-”

I almost laughed as I watched the two bicker, the corners of my lips slowly raising the more I listened.

We continued chatting like this for a while.

“Hmm?”

Agent Choi slowed down as he saw something.

He then stopped cycling.

“What is it, Agent Choi?”

“Ah, didn’t I tell you to call me sunbae, Grapes-ie?”

As he cheerfully responded, his gaze was fixed on something.

Agent Bronze and I also stopped our bikes as we glanced at where Agent Choi was looking.

‘Huh?’

There was a deer frozen in place in the middle of the road a distance away from us.

‘Isn’t that a roe deer? How did it get here in the city, in the middle of a road no less?’

As we all confusedly watched the deer, we soon noticed a car approaching.

‘It’s going to hit the deer…!’

Agent Choi immediately started cycling towards the road. We quickly followed suit.

“Hey! Slow down! You’re going to crash into the deer!”

He shouted at the car in an attempt to prevent an accident.

But as we got closer, we noticed something strange.

‘Where’s the driver?’

The driver’s seat was vacant.

The car wasn’t going to slow down anytime soon, especially without a driver, and we had no way to stop it.

We could only watch on as the car quickly got closer and closer to the deer, who was still frozen, a perfect recreation of the phrase ‘a deer in headlights’.

Crash!

As the car crashed into the deer, my vision started spinning and I started feeling dizzy.

The two agents here with me weren’t much better, and eventually the world went black.

I woke up on the ground in a dark space.

‘Ugh, where am I?’

I looked around while clutching my throbbing head, my eyes slowly adapting to the dark.

‘Is… Is this a theatre…?’

As I assessed my surroundings, I noticed other people laying on the ground.

“Ugh…”

A groan came from my left.

“Ah, Agent Choi…!”

I whispered to the agent, not wanting to accidentally wake up the other individuals in the room.

I then noticed that Agent Bronze was also here, still unconscious and next to Agent Choi.

“...Grapes? Where are we?”

Agent Choi's eyes scanned the room.

“I’m not sure, but it looks like we got caught up in another disaster.”

Suddenly, the huge screen in front of us was turned on.

I quickly covered my eyes, the white light from the screen blinding me.

Soon, all the other people started stirring awake too.

Thanks to the light from the screen, we could now clearly see the others who were pulled into this disaster.

‘......!’

I recognized all of them.

‘Chief Lizard, Assistant Manager Haje, Supervisor Park, Go Yeongeun, Baek Saheon and J3!’

“What…”

I muttered as I saw my coworkers from Daydream Inc., who were all starting to wake up.

“Ouch…”

“...Where are we?”

“......”

Among the confused employees, Chief Lizard stood out with his calm expression.

“...What are Daydream employees doing here?”

Agent Choi’s expression turned grave as he whispered, his gaze fixed on Chief Lizard.

“Hmm…”

“Agent Bronze…!”

I stopped looking at my coworkers and started moving towards the stirring agent.

“...Agent Grapes?”

I was about to respond when—

– My, what an entertaining combination!

I quickly turned my head towards the source of the voice.

— Ah, my Friend! It seems you were also brought here. How nice it is to see you again!

“...Braun?”

– “That’s right, my Friend!”

Braun was here too, somehow.

‘What is going on—’

As soon as the last unconscious person woke up, the screen started to display some text.

[Rules]

Any physical and psychological attacks are strictly prohibited.

Everyone must be seated during the reaction.

Other darknesses are strictly forbidden from imposing their own rules.

Those are the rules. You will be punished if you don’t follow them.

Have a good stay!

“......!”

– “Oh? How interesting!”

“...What does ‘reaction’ mean?”

The text on the screen changed.

You will be reacting to Kim Soleum’s point of view, thoughts included, of everything that’s happened since Daydream Inc.’s Employee Orientation.

“......”

It was as if the screen heard me and answered my question.

But I didn’t pay attention to that right now.

‘Shit, what does it mean by that? How does it know my name? They will even hear my thoughts, too? Ah, I’m so screwed…’

– “Ah, how exciting! I can’t wait to start this ‘reaction’ then!”

“Grapes’ point of view?”

“What…”

Agent Choi had an interested expression, while Agent Bronze looked concerned.

“...Should we, um, sit down?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I silently walked to one of the seats, the agents trailing behind me.

The Daydream employees also followed suit.

I glanced at them.

“......!”

They were all looking at me, even Baek Saheon, who kept looking between the agents and me.

Assistant Manager Haje waved at me, and I waved back.

Supervisor Park and Sergeant J3 looked surprised and relieved to see me.

“Agent Grapes!”

“Ah, Agent Mint!”

Go Yeongeun walked up to us.

“Ah, hello there, Agent Mint.”

“Hello, Agent.”

“Ah, hello, Agent Bronze and Agent Choi.”

We then all started sitting down in the seats.

There was only one row right in front of the screen, with 9 seats, just enough for all of us.

I was in the second seat from the right, with Agent Bronze on left and Go Yeongeun on my right.

Agent Choi was right next to Agent Bronze.

As we were all seated, the screen started displaying something else.

“......!”

On the screen was a queue in front of a store.

It was the popup store where I got my merch, and—

Have you ever had an experience where you became totally engrossed in something?

My thoughts were being narrated with my voice.

Chapter Text

Have you ever had an experience where you became totally engrossed in something?

“......!”

A stunned silence made its way into the room.

“Are those… Are those your thoughts, Agent Grapes?”

Go Yeongeum turned to me with a slightly complicated and shocked expression.

My hands trembled as I answered after some hesitation.

“...Yes.”

Agent Choi glanced at Agent Grapes.

He couldn’t fully see him, since Agent Bronze partially covered him, but he could still see his face.

‘Hmm…’

Agent Grapes pupils were trembling as he saw what was displayed on the screen.

‘Interesting.’

Agent Choi thought as he analyzed his hoobae’s behavior.

I’m not just talking about thinking, ‘Oh, this is fun’, but being so deeply impressed that you ended up spending extra time and money on it.

There must be something like that, right?

If it’s a movie, watching the director’s cut. If it’s a game, buying the artbook. If it’s a webtoon, paying for early access. If it’s a singer, going to their concert…

Going a bit further, buying related merchandise could be another example.

Yes, I’m talking about what they call merch.

Figures, banners, badges, dolls...

I can confidently say that l've never spent money on such things in my life.

Until now.

“Huh. I didn’t know you had any special interests, Roe.”

Assistant Manager Haje spoke to me, seemingly having accepted that I would be exposed later anyway.

My eyes widened, not expecting that.

I stiffly nodded at her, before glancing at the two agents.

Agent Bronze had a complicated expression, and Agent Choi didn’t seem surprised, though his brows furrowed for a moment, before returning to his usual expression.

“Grapes-ie, you…”

Agent Choi didn’t finish that sentence, and I made no move to make him continue, though I was now getting a bit suspicious.

‘Did he already know that I was from Daydream? How?’

As I thought that, another voice rang out.

– Indeed! This Braun is sad that his dear Friend hasn’t told him anything about it…

I shuddered as I looked at Braun, who was at the very end of the row, but his big stature still made him very much visible from where I was.

“Sorry, the topic just never came up…”

I answered the talk show host, hoping he wouldn’t take it personally.

– Hmm, I see! Well, I guess we’re going to find out what these special interests of yours are now, anyway! This Braun shall forgive you, then.

I sighed in relief.

The screen then continued the… video? Memory?

I wasn’t sure.

‘Wait, why did it stop, anyways?’

The thought suddenly came to me, and I quickly reached a conclusion.

‘It seems the video stops automatically while we're talking with each other.’

I made sure to keep that in mind.

Here I am at a department store.

A popup store that opened to a great turnout, and by 10 AM, the moment the department store opened, all the waiting tickets had already been distributed.

And yes, I got one of those tickets.

“The 2:30 PM time slot is now open for entry!”

“Finally!”

“Hey, let’s go!”

The cheerful teenagers standing next to me ran excitedly toward the staff.

‘2:30 PM… that's right.’

I pulled my hat down as far as it would go and stood in line.

But then, I overheard whispers behind me.

“Uh...”

“A reseller?”

“Isn’t he a dealer?”

“...”

“Ah.”

Go Yeongeum let out a small noise.

“That must have been… very tough, Roe.”

She turned to me and said that with a small smile, looking highly amused, also having accepted that she, too, would be exposed soon.

Agent Bronze looked at her in shock, not expecting her to be from Daydream too.

Agent Choi still didn’t look surprised.

‘Just how much does he know?’

I thought as I nodded at Yeongeum’s words.

In the distance, I could hear Baek Saheon laughing a little.

I shot him a glare.

He immediately shut up.

I felt so wronged, but honestly, it made sense.

I was the only adult male who looked like an office worker in this line!

‘Haa…’

I sighed as I glanced at the entrance of the popup store.

[Welcome, explorer of the darkness.]

“......!”

Everyone quickly felt alarmed as they heard and read what was written on the board at the entrance of the store, their gazes turning to me.

“Agent Grapes, what does this mean?”

Agent bronze turned to me, expecting an answer.

“Ah this…”

– Ah, ah, ah! No spoilers!

Braun quickly interrupted me.

The agent quieted down at the host’s words, not daring to anger him even though he couldn’t do anything in this weird space.

‘Thank you, Braun…’

I thought, even though I didn’t have the good friend plushie that connected us.

‘...I should really stop being so dependent on Braun.’

I shuddered, remembering the month I spent in Braun’s talk show.

‘This is ridiculous.’

A theme with black and red backgrounds, caricatures of various monsters, occult elements, and symbols of corporations, religions, and governments all intertwined.

It’s exactly the kind of universe that would captivate a teenager’s heart.

Even the title is a masterpiece.

[Prophecy of the Apocalypse: Dark Exploration Records]

Ugh…

I barely resisted the urge to cover my eyes with my hand.

‘Why did I have to see this at work…’

<Dark Exploration Records>.

It’s the world of a ghost story universe that’s been super popular recently.

You know, the kind of open-source collective intelligence universe where people can participate and create their own stories?

At first, it seemed like it stemmed from a famous creepypasta and started spreading modestly among students, but then it hit the YouTube algorithm and started getting viral like crazy.

The concept of ‘records of exploring various paranormal phenomena called <Darkness>’.

Eventually, it grew into an independent wiki with hundreds and thousands of creepypastas, and that’s how it caught my eye.

“What…?”

“...Roe, what does this mean?”

My coworkers from Daydream started to frantically ask me questions.

“Agent Grapes, this is serious, so please respond. Are civilians aware of the supernatural disasters?”

Agent Bronze also started questioning me, too.

I was overwhelmed with questions by everyone, and I was slowly starting hyperventilate.

‘I need to calm down…! But, but, how am I supposed to tell them? I—’

“Please calm down.”

Suddenly, a calm voice cut through all the other ones.

It was seemingly directed at the people asking me questions, but maybe it was also directed at me.

He then stood up and came over to me, the video on the screen disappearing as he did so.

He then helped me through some breathing exercises while rubbing circles on my back, successfully stopping my panic attack.

“Thank you, Chief Lizard.”

He simply nodded at me.

Thanks to him, I managed to calm down.

Nobody dared to say a word, and everyone was looking at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath.

“No, the civilians aren’t aware of the disasters.”

“……!”

“Then what about this ‘Darkness Exploration Records’ wiki?”

Agent Choi interrupted me, his expression grave.

“Please let me finish, Agent Choi.”

I took another deep breath.

“I’m… I’m not from this world. In the world where I’m from, darknesses don’t exist.”

“……!”

“This world, filled with disasters, was just fictional in my world. It was just the ‘Dark Exploration Records’ wiki, where a community of people wrote and created darknesses for fun.”

Silence.

Nobody spoke a single word.

“…Then, is it that the disasters created in your world influence ours, or is it the other way around?”

Agent Choi broke the silence.

I closed my eyes and responded after a while, my hands shaking.

“…I don’t know.”

Park Minseong was trembling.

‘We’re… we’re just fictional characters…?’

Just as he was starting to panic, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

The touch felt so warm, so real.

“Hey… Are you okay?”

It was J3’s hand.

‘Right, there’s no way we’re all fictional, that's just from Roe's world point of view. We all exist. We’re all living and breathing, and we exist.’

He thought firmly as he nodded to the sergeant.

“Yes, I’m fine now. ...Thank you.”

J3 looked puzzled.

“Hmm? For what?”

Park Minseong simply smiled at him.

“It’s nothing.”

Eun Haje looked over at Chief Lizard and Kim Soleum.

‘A fictional world, huh? Well that was just from their point of view.’

She sighed as she remembered all of the corruption she discovered as a journalist.

‘Unfortunately, the world doesn’t get any realer than that.’

She looked at Kim Soleum.

‘I hope he’s okay…’

She looked concerned, noting that his hands were still shaking, and that his voice was slightly trembling earlier.

‘He was about to have a panic attack earlier, wasn't he?'

She frowned as she recalled that.

‘He always looked so calm and composed…’

She had never seen this side of him.

She was shocked at the words on the screen, but she was even more shocked at Kim Soleum’s reaction.

‘Well, at least Chief Lizard is with him.’

She thought as she saw the two talk.

The two agents were shocked.

‘That explains how he solves disasters so quickly, at least.’

Agent Choi was the first to calm down.

He smiled bitterly as he remembered how his hoobae had just saved those civilians before they were brought here.

He quickly returned to his usual friendly expression.

Then, he looked at his other team member, who looked conflicted for a moment, but then returned to his usual expression too.

“Are you okay, Jaekwan-ah?”

Agent Bronze was looking at Agent—no, should he call him Roe Deer now? Whatever, Agent Grapes it is.

“Yes, I’m fine now, Agent.”

He nodded at him as he talked.

Agent Choi then turned to look at Kim Soleum, who was now talking to that chief from Daydream.

He continued to analyze his rookie, maybe to know more about him, or maybe to distract himself from the truth of this world.

‘Huh, he looks just like that frozen deer in the road.’

He noted, seeing how stiffly he was standing.

And that’s when the thought occurred to him.

‘...How did the others get here? And—’

He remembered the super rookie from Daydream he texted, code name ‘Roe Deer’, and then the deer in the middle of the road.

‘Is that really just a coincidence?’

He then looked at the other spy from the pharmaceutical company.

“Agent Mint”

He called out.

“Huh?”

She turned to him.

Go Yeongeum, who was just stopped from spiraling further, turned to look at Agent Choi.

“What is it, agent?”

The agent had a friendly expression.

“I’ve been meaning to ask this to everyone, but how did you get here?”

She paused, remembering the frozen deer in the road.

“Hmm, well, before I got here I saw quite a bizarre sight. I saw a car crash into a deer…”

She frowned as she realized something.

“It was… it was a roe deer I believe. And then I found myself here.”

Agent Choi’s brows furrowed as he heard that last part.

“A roe deer, huh? Well, me and the two Agents got here in the same way.”

Baek Saheon’s eyes widened.

‘What…?’

He looked incredulously at Kim Soleum.

‘Is that why he found so much joy in the darknesses? He had probably always wanted to be in them himself, didn’t he?’

He let out a bitter laugh as he felt as if he had figured something out, not at all noticing how shaken Kim Soleum was.

‘What a psycho.’

He thought as he stopped laughing.

– Hmm, I see! That explains a lot of things. How Interesting…

The host from the Tuesday Quiz Show, who was unfortunately seated right next to him on his left, finally said something after staying quiet for so long.

“I see.”

Chief Lizard didn’t seem fazed at all at what I said.

“...Are you not surprised, Chief Lizard?”

I asked, looking at his calm face.

He shook his head.

“No, I am surprised.”

He stopped there, not elaborating at all.

‘Typical of him, I suppose.’

– Hmm, I see! That explains a lot of things. How Interesting…

Both our heads turned to look at the host.

‘Now that I think about it, Braun was weirdly silent while I was having a panic attack.’

It seems he was entertained by my reaction, and didn’t want to intervene because of that.

‘...I really need to stop expecting much from him.’

I sighed, feeling weirdly disappointed in Braun.

Chief Lizard then turned to me.

“Do you need to take a break?”

My eyes widened.

‘Right, the rules stated that we must all be seated for the reaction. It seems it won’t punish us for not sitting down, so we can take a break if we want to.’

I then nodded to Chief Lizard.

Around 10 minutes had passed.

I’ve fully calmed down now, and I’m at least a bit more prepared mentally.

During the break, everyone decided to stand up too.

Everyone had gathered around me, well, except for Baek Saheon, who stayed far away from me.

I told them that I needed some time alone, and everyone agreed to it. Even Braun did, which surprised me since I didn’t think he would do that.

As I calmed down on my own, I felt relieved that they didn’t seem too shaken now.

I approached Chief Lizard, who was arguing with Braun for some reason.

“Ah, Chief Lizard. I’m ready to continue the reaction.”

Everyone turned to look at me.

I shuddered, feeling everyone's gazes on me.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

And at my words, everyone went back to their seats.

The screen continued the video.

‘It was so easy to read at work because it’s just text.’

And isn’t it said that anything other than actual work is fun when you’re at the office?

I got so hooked on this universe that I even ended up creating and posting my own creepypasta…

“......!”

“Ah… I didn’t know that my creation would actually become real in this world. I’m sorry about that…”

My brows furrowed as I remembered Sekwang Technical Highschool.

“It’s fine, Grapes! After all, just as you said, you didn’t know.”

Agent Choi briefly had a complicated expression, but his usual cheerfulness returned as he responded to me.

How did things come to this? Is it because my office life is so devoid of dopamine?

And this itself…

‘Who knew it would get this big?’

It’s now a massive IP that practically dominates YouTube as a major sensation for teenagers.

Naturally, companies jumped on board to make a profit.

This popup store is part of that.

“Capitalism exists in every world, huh.”

Assistant Manager Haje commented as she heard my thoughts.

I silently nodded, agreeing with her even if she wasn’t looking at me right now.

‘But come on, this thing had a 15+ age recommendation slapped on the wiki!’

Why are there so many kids here?

Hearing whispers behind me again, I couldn’t help but feel increasingly self-conscious.

“He’s definitely a dealer…”

“Hey, maybe he’s just buying something for his nephew or a cousin... don’t be too harsh.”

No, I’m buying this for myself.

...The truth is, I came here last week too, but the merch I wanted sold out just before I got to it, so here l am again…

I even took a day off work.

‘Last week, at least there were women around my age.’

Unfortunately, it was a weekday afternoon, and the only adults here were parents who had come with their kids, so I felt like I might die of embarrassment, but I held on.

‘I don’t even know why I’m trying to endure this…’

“Pfft–”

Agent Choi barely stopped himself from laughing, his body shaking slightly as he contained his laughter.

All the other people in the room weren't much better.

I turned to him with a betrayed look.

“Sorry, Grapes…”

He tried to make an apologetic expression, but he couldn’t hide his amusement at all.

Anyway, I followed the staff’s guidance and entered the store.

The fact that the staff didn’t seem fazed was my only comfort.

“Wow!”

“Hey, it really looks just like it!”

I could hear the middle schoolers exclaiming in awe as I took in the intricately designed interior of the popup store, which felt almost like a theme park.

And the exhibit themes were thoughtfully organized:

[Daydream Inc.]

[Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau]

[Church of the Luminous Unknown]

In this horror universe, there are three major forces: corporations, governments, and religions, all trying to observe and secure the paranormal phenomena... that’s the setup.

‘At first, it was just stories about the government’s disaster management bureau, but as more people joined in and got excited, it turned into this.’

Agent Bronze raised a brow.

“There was only the Disaster Management Bureau at first?”

I nodded.

“Yes. In the early stages of the wiki, only characters from the Bureau appeared, as the other organizations weren’t created yet.”

Agent Bronze nodded as he listened.

“I see.”

Then, Agent Choi turned to me.

“Hmm, now that I think about it, were any of us here mentioned in the wiki?”

Agent Choi looked curious as he asked me.

“...Yes, a few of you were actually quite famous.”

“Ah ha! I see.”

Agent Choi nodded, seemigly content with my answer.

Anyway, it seemed like this popup store had picked out the most popular parts of the universe and gathered them here.

It was clear that they were targeting fans’ wallets by focusing only on popular characters and horror items, but the quality wasn’t bad.

‘Well, when would I ever come to a place like this again…’

Ignoring the stares, I quickly grabbed the items I wanted.

It was a relief that most of the popular items were already sold out, so there was less suspicion that I was reselling.

“Would you like to purchase an L-sized eco-bag to carry your items? It’s 5,000 won.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I successfully completed my purchase, but instead of leaving the popup store right away, I hesitated.

I turned my head to see a line of people gathering near the cashier.

[Roulette Event]
: Create your own character.

– Oh? It seems that you even made a character!

I paused at that.

“Hmm, well, I guess in a sense I did…”

I smiled bitterly as I remembered what happened after the roulette event.

Go Yeongeum wanted to ask what he meant by that, but she stopped herself when she remembered how the talk show host had stopped Agent Bronze earlier from ‘asking for spoilers’.

She could only look at her fellow spy with worry, not saying anything.

She then turned her attention to the screen again.

That.

I saw it last week too, but I couldn’t bring myself to join the line and participate…

‘They said this popup ends tomorrow.’

It was a moment of intense inner conflict, wondering if it was really worth exchanging my social dignity for this.

Just then, the cashier who had just started her shift smiled at me and spoke.

“The roulette event ends today! Would you like to participate?”

“...Yes.”

Thank you. Really, thank you, dear staff member…

Many people in the room smiled at that, some were even containing their laughter.

'...I'll pretend I didn't see that.'

I continued watching the video, ignoring the others' reactions.

“Great! Please come this way! Oh, just stand here…”

The staff member swiftly guided me to the line in front of a giant black roulette, and I naturally found myself at the end of the line.

The line moved faster than I expected.

Soon, I was at the front and handed a button that looked like a walkie-talkie.

“Now, we’ll spin the lucky roulette! Please press the button to stop it whenever you’re ready.”

Beep.

With an artificial sound effect, the roulette started spinning.

Each section displayed a prize and rank.

There was merch I had already bought, merch that wasn’t for sale, and even some random Bluetooth earphones.

Of course, the largest section—7th place—was just a small memo pad. That’s probably what I’d get.

“Ah, how pessimistic of you, Grapes!”

I looked at Agent Choi, who had a disapproving expression.

‘I was just being realistic... Ah, whatever.'

I decided not to mind Agent Choi's words.

But it didn’t bother me. After all, I almost left without participating at all.

‘Let’s not expect much.’

I thought as I pressed the button the staff gave me, carefully.

Rrrrr... click.

But then, the black roulette slowed down... and surprisingly stopped right there.

A thin, golden sliver.

“See! You even got the first prize!”

Agent Choi pointed at the roulette, as if to make a point.

Agent Bronze shot him a look, and I just sighed.

Chapter Text

[1st Place]
: Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box

“......!”

“Oh my gosh! Congratulations!”

Is this... for real?

“Wow, no way!”

“So lucky, I’m so jealous.”

Voices of astonishment, screams, and envy rose behind me.

“Wow, finally, on the second-to-last day of the popup, someone hit first place!”

The staff, even more excited than me, ran behind the roulette and came back with a large, plastic-wrapped box.

The black box, with a huge silver symbol embossed on it, looked like it had been carefully crafted.

I barely managed to keep my hands from trembling as I accepted the box.

“...Thank you.”

I needed to leave immediately and slap my face to make sure this was real.

Agent Bronze had a bad feeling about this.

Even as the others around laughed and teased Agent Grapes, he couldn’t find it in himself to do the same.

‘It’s a good thing that he got first place, so why do I feel so uneasy about it?’

He felt an inexplicable sense of dread, and it grew when he turned to look at his rookie.

‘Why… Why is he making that face?’

Agent Grapes was smiling bitterly as he looked at the screen, though he concealed that look when Agent Choi started teasing him about his silly thoughts.

‘This… This isn’t going to end well, is it?’

As I was about to leave the popup store, the staff stopped me.

“Oh! We’re giving out custom-made merch here, so all I need is your name!”

My name? My personal information has long since become public property, leaked all over portal sites. The only thing that matters is getting this safely home...!

“Still, Grapes-ie you should be more careful!”

Agent Choi kept teasing his hoobae.

Agent Grapes looked somewhat embarrassed, a slight blush starting to creep up on him, but underneath, there seemed to be a growing sense of unease.

‘Hmm, I wonder why that is.’

Agent Choi thought before turning to focus on the screen.

“It’s Kim Soleum.”

“Got it! Soleum-nim, just a moment.”

The staff started operating a black machine next to the roulette, which looked like a 3D printer.

There was even an explanatory note above it, made for the popup store.

[Dark Exploration Records Character Maker]

Ah, so that’s the thing they mentioned during the roulette event.

The ‘Create Your Own Dark Exploration Records Character’ event.

How perfectly tailored to a teenager’s tastes…

Agent Choi shook his head disapprovingly as his hoobae gave away his name so easily, but then he was intrigued by this machine.

“Oh? What does it mean by creating your own character?”

Agent Grapes had a regretful expression as he answered.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“Please input your name here.”

“...Okay.”

Holding the merch box tightly with one hand, I quickly entered my name on the machine’s pad.

The black machine made a loud, eerie music box sound, putting on a show as gears turned.

And then, it spat out a small object.

Clank.

I picked up the familiar-looking item.

It was... an employee ID card.

[Daydream Inc.]
Employee Kim Soleum
Field Exploration Team

“......!”

‘Ah ha!’

So that’s what it meant.

‘Of all the places he could’ve got, he got Daydream, huh?’

Agent Choi frowned.

For some reason he was starting to get a sense of unease, like some sort of hunch telling him that something bad is about to happen.

Little did he know, he wasn’t the only one who got this weird feeling.

J3 suddenly frowned.

“What’s wrong, Jay?”

Minseong looked concerned for him.

“It’s just… I got a bad feeling about this…”

Minseong tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“Oh? How so?”

J3 shook his head.

“I don’t know…”

Though while he said that, he was unknowingly staring intently at the employee card.

Agent Bronze’s stomach dropped.

‘No… that can’t be it, right?’

His expression was grave.

‘But Agent Grapes never said how he got to our world.’

Agent Bronze didn’t want to believe it.

‘I… I really hope I’m wrong.’

“......”

Chief Lizard didn’t say anything, but he had figured it out.

He looked at Kim Soleum.

He had a regretful expression.

‘I see. That’s how he got here.’

“Wow! Daydream Inc. It’s one of the most famous factions in our <Dark Exploration Records> universe!”

“……”

Yes, I know.

To sum it up, it’s the cliché of a big corporation that profits from paranormal phenomena.

And the Field Exploration Team…

‘It’s the department that’s no different to a suicide squad.’

Like the red-shirt crew members in a certain sci-fi drama. They rush in at the slightest excuse to ‘explore paranormal phenomena’ and get chewed up in the process.

Because of that, a lot of the named characters seemed to belong to the Field Exploration Team.

Go Yeongeum had a bitter expression.

‘Suicide squad, huh? Pretty fitting for us.’

She was feeling a little angry now.

‘If only I hadn’t applied to Daydream…’

Then she started feeling a little guilty.

‘I feel so guilty. The people at the Bureau are so nice, and I’ve been deceiving them all this time, and for nothing too, since this whole spy operation is obviously a failure now…’

The people of the Bureau treated her so kindly, she almost wanted to stay here instead. Almost.

She still needed that wish ticket unfortunately, and only Daydream could give it to her.

The two agents frowned when they heard that.

“Suicide squad?”

Agent Bronze turned to me.

“Is it really like that at Daydream?”

He looked concerned, but most of all angry as he asked me that question.

I could only nod after a bit of hesitation.

“That damned company!”

Agent Choi was fuming too.

“Ah, please calm down, agents...”

At my words, they both looked at me.

“How could we? Especially since you’ve worked there before?”

Agent Choi looked even more upset after I said that.

‘Huh, who would’ve thought he cared so much...’

I’ve officially been part of Hyunmu Team 1 for only 2 weeks, and yet he already cared for me so much…

I feel really guilty now.

Even though they both know I’m from Daydream, and that I’m possibly a spy too, they’re still so worried for me.

“Sorry...”

The agents’ eyes widened when I apologised.

“No, we should be the ones apologising for lashing out like that. Sorry.”

It seemed they somewhat calmed down now.

“Ah, it’s fine...”

We then focused on the screen again.

“Wow! An employee ID from the Field Exploration Team! I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of adventures Employee Kim Soleum will have in the <Dark Exploration Records> universe!”

“Yes, thank you…”

I was about to cringe hard but managed to hold it in.

‘At least it’s not an ID from the government bureau or that shady religious cult.’

And the agents once again looked at me.

“Why... No, how is being an employee for that cultish company better than working for the Bureau?”

Agent Choi looked confused and somewhat betrayed as he questioned me.

“Ah, well, I already felt embarrassed by the looks I was getting, and carrying around an ID from the Bureau would’ve attracted even more looks, while Daydream’s ID at least blended in well with my suit…”

I said as my ears turned a bit red from embarrassment.

“Ohhhh, I see.”

Agent Choi nodded at my words and went back to look at the screen.

I followed suit.

Thank goodness it was an employee ID of the company.

Although it was a little embarrassing, the staff had clearly said this so many times that it looks like he had built up immunity to it, handling it all with professional poise.

With that, the roulette event seemed to be over after I received the employee ID card.

“Thank you.”

I looked down at the employee ID card with my name printed on it and sighed inwardly.

‘This... this needs to be hidden somewhere no one will ever find it.’

No matter what, my tolerance for embarrassment couldn’t handle this any longer.

The agents smiled as they heard my embarrassed thoughts.

I once again pretended I didn’t see that, for my own peace of mind.

Meanwhile, the staff cheerfully asked again.

“Do you like it? You’ll treasure it, right?”

“Yes.”

“Liar.”

...?

‘Ah, it’s this part…’

My pupils trembled as I remembered what happened next.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see that creepy smile again.

I looked up, thinking I misheard.

Smirk.

The staff was suddenly smiling at me with an unnaturally wide grin.

His mouth stretched upward unnaturally, almost reaching his ears…

The atmosphere in the theatre changed.

Even with my eyes closed, I could still see that eerie grin, imprinted in my mind.

I gave up and opened my eyes again.

“What…”

I heard Agent Choi mumble.

Everyone, except Chief Lizard who still looked calm, was frowning, or at least they didn’t have a good expression.

– My! What a big smile!

The others expression soured further as they heard a booming voice.

Braun, who had stayed silent the whole time, spoke again.

‘Now that I think about it, he’s been weirdly silent throughout this whole reaction.’

The Braun who commented on everything he saw instead was replaced with a Braun who rarely spoke.

‘Was he really that entertained by our reactions and my thoughts that he didn’t do anything for this long?’

[Why, of course not!]

I jolted.

Even though he spoke, nobody reacted to him, just like when I had the Good Friend Plushie.

‘Wh-what… Braun? How are you doing that?’

[I’m your summoned Friend, Mr. Roe Deer! Of course I can do this much.]

He was still talking like the Good Friend for some reason.

‘...Right, for Braun, being my Good Friend was just for entertainment.’

But then, what was he doing during this whole reaction?

[Well, there were some restrictions I had to bypass in order to talk with you, Friend!]

I decided not to question that.

I continued to focus on the screen instead.

“......?”

In that instant.

A wave of dizziness overwhelmed me.

“......!”

The noise of the popup store vanished.

Everything in front of me blurred as if covered by black paint, flickering in red and blue.

And by the time the dizziness passed.

I had no idea the world would have completely changed... not even in my wildest dreams.

[Welcome to Daydream Inc., everyone!]

“......?!”

“......!”

There was silence for a while.

“What…?”

“......”

[My, how rude! They didn’t even warn you beforehand!]

‘Yeah, they didn’t…’

I thought regretfully.

Agent Bronze couldn’t believe it.

No, he didn’t want to believe it.

But he had to.

He was right.

Kim Soleum wasn’t here of his own will. Of course he wasn’t. Why would he be?

But it only made him wonder,

What if instead of the Daydream Inc.’s ID, he got the Disaster Management Bureau’s?

What if he was with the Bureau from the start?

But alas, Agent Grapes got that damned company’s employee card, and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Damn it…”

Agent Choi was at a loss of words.

‘He was just… teleported to our world? Just like that?’

He couldn’t believe it.

He was wondering how he got to their world, but this was beyond even his wildest dreams.

‘That explains the terrible feeling I got earlier…’

He had a bitter expression.

‘Of course he had to get that cultish company’s ID card. Of course he did.’

He sighed.

‘If only he got the Bureau’s ID, maybe he would’ve never worked there.’

But that was only wishful thinking.

Before I knew it, I was standing in a corner of a large auditorium, looking at the central podium.

And.

Boom!

With a burst of applause, fireworks exploded from the PPT projected onto the screen at the podium.

[New Employee Orientation]

As the applause and cheers echoed, a person who seemed to be the host smiled brightly and advanced the PPT.

The whole room was silent.

[Hmm, not bad! Though the fireworks are a bit much.]

I just listened as Braun commented on various things, ranging from the host to the decorations in the auditorium.

It was clearly a new employee orientation event for a major corporation.

The new recruits, dressed in suits, clapped and cheered with both excitement and nervous pride. They looked thrilled, having finally secured employment.

[our new employees, who have successfully passed a 145:1 competition, should be proud of themselves! Haha! Now, let's begin the new employee orientation!]

“......”

What is this?

I tried to step back in hesitation.

But I realized I was sitting in a chair.

I was dressed in a suit. I had worn it because I had to meet with a client in the evening, but coincidentally, I looked similar to the ‘new employees’ filling this auditorium.

“So much for blending in, huh…”

Agent Choi commented, remembering what I said earlier.

[My, what a coincidence! You blend in perfectly with the other employees, Mr. Roe Deer!]

‘Yeah, what a coincidence…’

Meanwhile, the merch box I received from the roulette event was quietly resting on my lap.

“Excuse me, did you get that somewhere? Is the company giving those out?”

“......”

Go Yeongeum’s eyes widened as she recognized the employee on the screen.

‘That’s Baek Saheon!’

She unconsciously looked towards the Baek Saheon sitting at the other end of the row.

‘Huh, it feels weird to see him without the eye patch…’

She noted, not used to seeing him with both eyes intact.

‘So that’s how he got that box…’

Baek Saheon thought as he remembered his first interaction with the lunatic.

Though said lunatic had ignored him back then.

‘Huh, now that I think about it, his thoughts seem pretty normal so far…’

He reflected on what he had heard so far, looking for any hint of the psychopath who tormented him.

His brows furrowed.

‘Weird.’

I couldn’t respond to the question from the new employee sitting next to me.

[You are the chosen candidates!]

[In fact, only a select few of those who applied through this job posting have been gathered in Orientation Room A for this special session!]

[Congratulations! You have passed the aptitude test and have been assigned to the special team, the <Field Exploration Team>.]

“They’ve already made the assignments?”

“Field Exploration Team? Does Daydream Inc. have a department like that?”

“Field exploration... for a pharmaceutical company?”

“Uh, it sounds like we’re being exiled somewhere? Not the headquarters but a branch office? Are they trying to lure us in with fancy words...?”

The agents’ eyes widened.

Agent Bronze turned to look at Go Yeongeum.

“Wait, did you not know you were applying for the Field Exploration Team?”

She shook her head with a regretful expression.

“No. I originally applied for another job at Daydream, but in the end I was assigned here.”

Both of the agents’ expressions soured even further.

I could hear the murmured conversations of the new employees around me, but I didn’t have time to focus on them.

I recognized the company’s name and the team’s name.

Daydream Inc.

Field Exploration Team.

...Like a bolt of lightning, a page from the wiki flashed in my mind.

--------------------

[Field Exploration Team] (Daydream Inc.)

: One of the five teams under the Development Department of the massive organization, Daydream Inc., as featured in

.

Commonly referred to as the ‘death squad’. A tragic team, but one that is fun for ghost story writers.

--------------------

What looked like a web page appeared on the screen.

Everyone turned to look at me.

“You remember the wiki that well?”

Agent Choi asked with a surprised expression.

[Of course! My friend has quite a good memory, even without the popsocket!]

‘...Thanks Braun.’

I thought as I nodded to answer Agent Choi.

“...Wow.”

I smiled sheepishly in response.

Agent Choi was completely shocked.

His rookie’s memory is incredible.

‘He remembers the wiki with that much detail?’

He expected to see some gaps at the very least, but was instead met with a perfect recreation of a web page.

‘Now, I don’t know what the wiki looked like, but it seems he even got the formatting right.’

Nothing looked out of place, and it looked exactly as a wiki page should, he thinks.

“Our super rookie is really incredible…”

‘Wait a sec.’

...This is the ghost story from the popup store event I just participated in.

So, what happens next is…

--------------------

At the very new employee orientation, they’re thrown into a deadly survival game to determine who gets full-time employment.

It’s a consistently popular topic for wiki entries because it shows what happens when ordinary people try to explore the dark.

--------------------

“Wait what?”

Agent Choi was once again furious.

The constant change in emotions he was getting was really starting to tire him out.

He frowned along with Agent Bronze.

“They just… throw you into a disaster? Just like that?”

Agent Bronze asked Agent Grapes.

“Yeah… that’s how the hiring process goes for the Field Exploration Team…”

The agents gaped at the response.

“Do they at least give you the manual for the disaster?”

Agent Choi asked him frantically.

And his rookie simply shook his head.

“That fucking company…”

He stopped himself, and then just sighed.

“Let’s… let’s just continue watching.”

“......!”

“Uh, wh-what are you doing…?”

I immediately stood up from the chair.

I didn’t care about understanding the situation—my only thought was to run outside.

But it was already too late.

[Before official employment, there will be a brief probationary period, but don’t worry, it won’t be long! We will assess your practical abilities through an absolute evaluation.]

[of course, full participation is necessary for a proper evaluation! Freeloading will not be tolerated!]

Agent Choi looked saddened as he saw how his rookie desperately tried to escape.

He clenched his fist.

‘Really, those Daydream bastards are going to pay for this…’

He thought as he started formulating various plans for when this reaction finishes, though he quickly stopped himself.

The Bureau probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he went through with his plans.

Chapter Text

Bang, bang, bang!

The doors to the auditorium shut one by one.

‘Damn it!’

While I was panicking, the naive new employees, who still thought Daydream Inc. was just a regular pharmaceutical company, hadn’t realized what was happening.

And so, as about a hundred new employees listened attentively to the host, the host cheerfully shouted out,

[Now, let’s get started!]

With that lively voice.

The lights in the auditorium went out.

“......?”

“Huh?”

The new employees, still confused, seemed to think it was a video or something being prepared, showing only mild curiosity.

That would be expected.

Who would expect such a crazy thing to happen just because they got a job?

For example.

The surrounding scenery suddenly transformed into the inside of a desolate subway train.

[Ah, once again, you were brought somewhere without your consent! Truly rude of them!]

Braun complained, talking as if he didn’t do the same thing.

‘...I guess he acknowledged that he was wrong to do that?’

Well, I could only hope so...

Meanwhile, Agent Bronze beside me clenched his fist.

“They didn’t even warn you?”

Agent Choi turned to us, his face a mix of shock, horror and anger.

I shook my head while Go Yeongeum smiled bitterly.

“......”

Agent Choi looked like he was seething with rage, and Agent Bronze too barely managed to contain his fury.

‘Agent Choi was about to curse Daydream again, wasn’t he?’

Well, who could blame him?

Park Minseong had his brows furrowed as he saw the confused employees.

‘It really reminds me of my own ‘employee orientation’...’

It was a gruesome memory.

He looked at Haje next to him, who was also making a similar face.

‘Daydream never changes, huh…’

He thought bitterly as he remembered how he had to fight for his life.

Baek Saheon grimaced as he remembered this darkness.

He brought his hand to his eyepatch.

‘That psycho… if it wasn’t for him, I would still have my left eye…’

He felt resentful as he remembered how Kim Soleum had smugly shown him the missing object after he got off.

‘Let’s see what the hell this lunatic was thinking while he did that.’

[Passengers, thank you for using Abyss Transpo today... Our train will not halt.]

[Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your destination.]

An unfamiliar announcement, with strange station names, started playing.

“......?!”

“W-What is this!?”

The new employees, still in their suits and seated neatly on subway chairs as if the auditorium had been transported as is, all shot to their feet.

It was understandable that they were startled.

Agent Bronze looked at the employees on the screen with a mix of pity and rage, while Agent Choi just had a menacing smile on his face, while probably seething underneath.

[Hmm, all unremarkable people. Except you, my friend!]

‘...Thanks, Braun.’

I thanked my friend as I tried to compose myself.

While on the outside I looked fine, if you looked closely, you could see my hands shaking.

The things I saw out of the train’s window still occasionally haunted me.

I sighed internally.

‘I… really don’t want to see this again…’

Both Agent Choi and Agent Bronze recognized this disaster.

“Welcome to Abyss Transpo, huh? Really, that damned company has no morals.”

He muttered to no one in particular, though he could see Jaekwan nodding at his words.

In Agent Choi’s mind, Daydream had reached a new low that even he didn’t think was possible.

‘I really shouldn’t be surprised anymore. After all, they’ve always been like this.’

He thought as he remembered the atrocities its employees had committed.

‘I swear, I’m gonna destroy that company one day.’

He sighed as he continued watching the screen, pushing those thoughts away, instead making mental notes on how Daydream operates.

“Excuse me?”

“Is this some kind of VR? Did we really move?”

Many of the people who were in the auditorium seemed to be there still, which offered some comfort, leading to complacent reactions.

They wandered around the subway, looking for any sign of the company or someone from the event, or searched for doors that might open.

Soon, they began to get a better sense of the situation.

“There are people in the next car! But… uh, the doors won’t open? Is this some new technology?”

With a feeling of cold sweat creeping up on me, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.

I already knew which ghost story this was.

--------------------

[Welcome to Abyss Transpo]

: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>.

D-Class Darkness that boasts a ridiculously high difficulty for escaping and one of the most infamous stories. The Field Exploration Team suffers endlessly.

Exploration Records indicate a total of ■■ entries.

--------------------

Agent Bronze frowned while Agent Choi raised a brow as they read the crossed out part.

They didn’t say anything, but they clearly weren’t pleased with this information.

[My, what an interesting detail!]

Braun added, sounding amused.

I slightly furrowed my brows, before returning to my neutral expression.

‘...Right, of course Braun would find this entertaining.’

I really need to remember that Braun isn’t a human, and in turn doesn’t have human empathy.

And so, I was reminded once again that Braun is a supernatural entity who probably finds pleasure in humans’ suffering.

<Welcome to Abyss Transpo>.

As you can probably guess, it’s a ghost story based on the Korean subway system.

– You fall asleep and wake up on a subway train. It feels like your usual commute home, but strange station names start appearing…

That’s how it begins.

The target of this ghost story is anyone who has ever commuted by subway, making it all the more chilling for most working people who read it.

“......”

‘And this ghost story... it’s under Daydream Inc.’s jurisdiction, isn’t it?’

It seemed like Daydream Inc. was planning to ‘filter out’ their new hires through this ghost story. ...Damn it!

Agent Bronze still couldn’t believe it.

Daydream was a truly unethical company.

‘To put innocent civilians in a disaster without warning, just to ‘filter them out’ and see who survives…’

As much as he hated Daydream employees, he couldn’t deny that he felt a little bad for them now.

He sighed.

‘But, in the end, most employees from that company are, or at least became, selfish bastards who would sacrifice civilians to save themselves.’

Very few were people like Agent Grapes, who constantly put himself in danger to save others.

That was the unfortunate truth.

“Is this something like an escape room?”

“Why would a pharmaceutical company that makes hair loss treatment bother with escape rooms for new sales recruits..?”

That’s when it happened.

[This stop is Sorrow, Sorrow Station.]

“......!”

“S-Sorrow?”

The first announcement came over the speaker.

I held my breath and turned my head.

[The doors are on your right...]

Click.

The train stopped.

[The doors are opening.]

The doors opened.

It seemed like any other ordinary day, but—

[The doors will close in 30 seconds. Once closed, they will never open again.]

[Passengers whose destination is Sorrow Station should disembark according to the announcement.]

I frowned as I remembered what happened to those who got off at this station.

I almost gagged, but I was used to stopping myself from doing so at this point.

[Hmm, ‘Sorrow Station’ is it? What an interesting name! Though, that isn’t your ‘destination’, is it?]

I lightly shook my head, even though I wasn’t entirely sure if Braun could see that.

‘No, it’s not our ‘destination’’

I responded to him, though I did pale a bit when I remembered what our actual ‘destination’ looked like.

‘Really, why did it look like that?’

I quickly tried to shake that thought off and continued focusing on the screen.

The familiar voice calmly mixed strange words and phrases into the announcement.

But people always try to rationalize things to find some form of reassurance.

“Look outside! It’s just a subway station!”

And indeed, they were right.

Outside the train, the platform was clearly visible. It looked a bit dark and damp, but otherwise, it seemed like an ordinary subway station.

Relieved by this, two or three people moved toward the door.

Oh, no.

“I think it’s better if you don’t get off.”

Agent Choi and Agent Bronze both smiled when they saw their rookie try to stop the others.

“He’s always been like that, huh?”

Agent Choi looked almost proud as he said that.

Agent Bronze nodded, also looking weirdly proud.

“Yes, he’s always been very kind.”

He remembered how he had tried to warn him about the food he had sold him through Salmon Market.

He remembered how he had saved the people at the mountain lodge, even if he knew that they might’ve been criminals.

And most of all, he remembered how he had saved him, Agent Mint and the three highschoolers in the Looky Mart disaster, even chopping his own arm off to do so.

He slightly furrowed his brows when he recalled that, but he soon returned to his calm expression.

‘He really should stop sacrificing himself to save others…’

While Agent Bronze appreciated the fact that he always tried to save everyone, he was also worried for that exact reason.

‘I should talk to him after this ends.’

“Huh?”

This is bad. I sighed and spoke quickly.

“You heard them say ‘Sorrow Station’. There’s no station like that in Korea. Anyone would think it’s strange.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I think this guy’s right. Maybe we should wait and see how things play out…”

One of the quicker-witted people backed me up. It was the new hire who had been sitting next to me.

Because of that, the people who had been about to step off hesitated further.

“But still…”

“Hey, the doors are closing!”

But the sound of the doors closing caused a few panicked individuals to impulsively jump out…

It was a disaster.

[The doors are closing.]

“Ah!”

“I missed it. Shit.”

The people who didn’t get off sighed, watching the ones who did wave back at us from the platform.

Some even glanced at me and muttered curses under their breath.

I understood. In such a strange, unsettling situation, their instinct would be to flee without thinking.

Agent Choi’s smile faltered a little as he heard them mutter curses at his rookie.

He then sighed.

‘I know they didn’t realize that they’ve just been saved by him, but even so…’

They were way too ungrateful.

He didn’t know what the right station was, since this disaster was quickly taken under Daydream’s jurisdiction, but he was sure that his hoobae had just saved their lives.

He sighed again.

‘I’ll just continue watching.

But still.

“What the…?”

“Look at that…”

A grotesque sight unfolded.

As soon as the people who got off turned around to move…

Silver droplets suddenly poured from the ceiling and pillars of the platform, cascading down on them.

Drip, drip, drip.

It looked like giant teardrops.

But the countless silver droplets fell onto their bodies like molten metal, producing horrifying tearing sounds.

Screams. Convulsions. Silence.

Blood mixed with the silver liquid splattered against the windows.

[The train is now departing from Sorrow Station.]

The last thing we saw outside the window.

“......”

In front of the sliding doors, now soaked in filth and blood, only the crushed remains of the new employees were left behind, twitching slightly.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ahhh!”

I winced when I heard those screams again, when I saw that horrifying scene again.

Go Yeongeum noticed that, and she quickly turned to me.

“Are you okay, Roe Deer-ssi?”

I nodded my head.

“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. How about you? How are you faring?”

That was a lie.

I wasn’t fine at all, but I still pretended in front of her.

“Ah, I’m fine too.”

She smiled politely at me as she answered, before turning her attention back to the screen.

‘Now that I think about it, aren’t I going to be exposed soon? Well, whatever. Let me hold onto any last shred of dignity I have before they know.’

As I thought that, I heard Braun’s voice again.

[These humans are truly ungrateful. My friend here has generously saved their lives, and they haven’t even thanked you yet.]

‘Ah, Braun, it’s fine.’

[...If you say so, my friend!]

He didn’t sound very convinced as he said that.

‘Well, whatever.’

I continued watching the video.

It was the fate of those who chose wrong.

[Please pay attention to the announcements for a pleasant journey to your destination.]

Finally, fear began to spread among the people as screams and shouts echoed around.

‘It’s started.’

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I’m inside a ghost story?

I don’t know how this happened, but I definitely seem to have become a new employee in a company from a ghost story.

And one in a department with an insanely high death rate.

‘Is this for real?’

Sure, if I’m being honest, I’m probably in a more advantageous position than the other new hires.

I’ve read through all the <Dark Exploration Records> on the wiki.

“......!”

Everyone turned to look at me.

“Wait, Grapes, then you know about all of the disasters?”

I smiled sheepishly at him.

“Well, not all of them since there are some disasters that aren’t mentioned, or that have been newly created in the wiki after I got here.”

Agent Choi looked incredulously at me, as did most of the people in the room.

[My! That certainly explains how you know so much, friend!]

Even Braun sounded surprised.

“Still, that’s a lot of information!”

Go Yeongeum exclaimed as she looked at me, eyes wide in shock.

“Wow, no wonder you were able to solve all of those darknesses.”

Assistant Manager Eun chimed in.

“Right. That explains a lot of things.”

Agent Choi said as he looked like he wanted to open my head and get access to everything I know.

“Let’s… continue watching the screen. Please.”

At my exasperated words, everyone reluctantly turned to the screen again.

--------------------

3.2 Exploration Records (up to ■■ entries)

--------------------

I can remember things pretty clearly up to about this level.

From this point on, it sounds like the classic overpowered protagonist trope.

Maybe you’re thinking I could escape this situation and look cool by using my superior knowledge of this world?

Maybe you’re even imagining that I could monopolize the hidden treasures and items to come?

That might be true.

But there’s one problem.

A very critical problem.

‘…I’m fucking terrified of anything remotely horror!’

Agent Choi’s eyes widened in surprise, and he wasn’t the only one, though for different reasons.

‘I’ve never heard Grapes swear, not even once in this whole month he worked at the Bureau.’

He already knew he was scared.

He had screamed that to him in frustration at the Faceless Market, plus he had been observing his rookie for a while now, and he always showed signs of fear whenever he was in a disaster.

But swearing?

Agent Choi had never even imagined that his hoobae could swear.

‘Who would’ve thought, huh?’

Park Minseong was gaping at what he had just heard.

“What?”

The monster rookie of Daydream, the one who had managed to save Assistant Manager Haje and Park Minseong himself in the Hungry Hangman darkness, was scared of horror?

He couldn’t believe it.

But then he remembered what he said when he got out of the Make a Choice darkness.

‘I just wanted to get out quickly because I was scared.’

That’s what he said, and now knowing that Kim Soleum knew about basically all of the darknesses, it made sense in a way.

Suddenly he had just gained a whole new level of respect for him.

“He… he always looked so composed. Really, who would’ve known?”

He mumbled in amazement, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see J3 nodding at his words.

Baek Saheon didn’t believe it.

“There’s no fucking way…”

How could he?

The Kim Soleum he knew was completely different from the one on screen.

‘Then why the hell does act like a lunatic in front of me?’

He just couldn’t figure it out.

‘Does he have a split personality or something?’

That was honestly the only explanation he had right now.

‘But then why is it only when he’s with me? Is my luck really that bad?’

He sighed.

‘I guess my only option is to continue watching this bastard.’

He thought as he frowned.

That’s right.

I... am a coward.

Text is fine. I can enjoy reading that.

But the moment it’s visualized, I can’t handle it.

And not just a regular coward—a coward to the point where my friends would constantly tease me for it!

- kim soleum’s crush asked him to watch a horror movie but he turned her down bc he’s too scared? is this for real?

- lolololololol

- dude your name is literally the sfx for goosebumps but you can’t even watch a horror movie lolololol

- shiieet no wonder your crush ran away Imao

lol -

wanna die? -

- sorry.

- sry.

“......”

There was an incredulous silence for a while, before someone broke it.

Agent Choi burst out laughing.

“Grapes, you–wheeze–you what?”

Agent Bronze was covering his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide his laughter, but it was still very clear to me that he was laughing.

“......”

I could only bury my head in my hands to hide my face, which was red from embarrassment.

[Oh my! Who knew my dear friend could be so funny?]

Of course, Braun was also very amused by my fumble.

‘Haaah, somebody just kill me right now…’

I really couldn’t handle the embarrassment I was feeling right now.

Eun Haje was dying from laughter.

“Who knew our rookie was such a scaredy cat?”

This situation was just so ridiculous to her, she couldn’t help but laugh her ass off.

She was already shocked from the earlier revelation, but she would’ve never expected that he would turn down his crush of all people, and the reason was that he was too scared to watch a horror movie.

Him, the ‘Monster Rookie’ of Daydream, who managed to clear darknesses in record times, was apparently a huge coward.

Haje didn’t even know he was attracted to people. She just assumed he was aroace because of the way he acted.

She really was discovering so many things about her mysterious rookie today.

Park Minseong was absolutely shocked.

The sudden change in mood that these messages brought almost gave him whiplash.

He honestly hadn’t even considered that Kim Soleum could’ve been in a relationship before, for reasons that he didn’t know.

‘I mean, of course he’s probably dated before. He’s a tall, handsome young man. So how come I can’t imagine him dating someone?’

He decided to push those thoughts away and continued reading the texts.

He then burst out laughing like the others.

“Pfft–I… I can’t believe he said that.”

‘‘Wanna die?’ Really, Soleum is just full of surprises.’

His rookie had never shown this side of him, and it was way too funny to him.

“He–he sounded so menacing too, even though it was just a text…”

J3, who was trying not to laugh, looked at him with a bit of concern at how much he was suddenly laughing.

Baek Saheon still couldn’t believe it.

‘He… what? Is this really the psycho that I know?’

Kim Soleum is someone who likes the thrill he gets from the darknesses, someone who would do anything for some adrenaline.

Or at least he was supposed to be.

He laughed, bewildered, as he processed all of this information.

"Really, I can’t fucking believe this…"

I’m the kind of coward who, when reading horror stories at work in broad daylight, will turn off the background images and BGM just to focus on the text!

I was so scared, I didn’t even include an image in the ghost story I posted!

A long-term resident of the Shelter for Scaredy-Cats, that’s me!

“......"

I covered my face with both hands.

I’m screwed, big time…

Agent Choi, along with most of the other people in the room, was still laughing.

‘Ah, our rookie truly is cute.’

A long-term resident of the shelter for scaredy-cats?

‘Really, how does he come up with this stuff?’

He thought amusedly as he started calming down.

Chapter Text

[This stop is Resentment, Resentment Station.]

[The doors are on your right...]

A suffocating silence flows through the ghost-story subway.

I’m contributing to this silence as well.

Even though I already know this ghost story, I’m the type of person who gets startled just by the thumbnail when a related YouTube video pops up and immediately clicks ‘Not Interested.’

And now I have to survive in this ghost story?

‘Just kill me already…’

That would be a mercy.

I don’t even have the energy to figure out what’s going on.

I pressed my face into my hands, wanting to deny everything.

The mood in the theatre suddenly became more subdued.

‘Right… This situation must be insane to him…’

Agent Choi thought.

‘Going from a world where disasters don’t exist, to having to survive in one…’

Still, wishing to die was a bit much.

‘Surely our rookie doesn’t feel like this every time he enters a disaster?’

He then looked at Jaekwan, who had turned to him at the same moment, had a displeased face.

They looked at each other for a moment, seemingly communicating with their glances.

‘We should check up on Agent Grapes.’

‘Oh, absolutely.’

They both nodded as they had reached a conclusion.

‘We’re taking Grapes to have a checkup as soon as we return to the Bureau.’

Go Yeongeum’s eyes widened.

Kim Soleum, the man who’s saved her life multiple times, was asking to be mercy killed?

‘Well, I’m sure he didn’t actually mean it, but it’s still shocking.’

She decided not to dwell on that for now.

‘Though, he still managed to save everyone even while he was deathly scared of everything…’

Somehow, her respect and admiration for Kim Soleum had increased exponentially.

Then, it happened.

Blink.

[1st Place: Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box]

"......?!"

I lifted my head.

Something like a notepad was flying around in my field of vision.

I could see it whether my eyes were open or closed.

It looked like a piece of paper, torn from a notepad and folded, fluttering around.

“......!”

“What is that?”

I heard Agent Choi mumble.

I started fidgeting with my hands.

“Well, this… You’ll see soon.”

I concluded, not really sure how to explain this.

“Is… is this notepad following you around?”

I looked at Agent Bronze, who asked that question, and nodded.

“Yes. In fact, it’s still here with me in this disaster.”

Both the agents’ eyes widened when they heard my response.

[My! And to think even this Braun could not see it!]

My eyes widened slightly before I returned to my normal expression.

‘Wait, Braun, you couldn’t see it either?’

[It seems not, my friend! How curious.]

Indeed curious it is.

‘Even someone like Braun couldn’t see the merch box?’

Just what is the merch box then?

…I decided to push that thought aside, and continue focusing on the screen.

“This…”

Wait. No one else seems to be seeing it.

I quickly shut my mouth.

Drawing attention to myself in this situation would be foolish.

Instead, I discreetly pressed the notepad in front of me with my hand,

trying not to look too awkward.

Flap.

Amazingly, the notepad moved as if it were unfolding, spitting out something small.

“......!”

I quickly covered it with my hand, as if to hide it.

It was... a popsocket.

Agent Choi’s eyes widened.

That was a Memorial Popsocket.

“Wow, isn’t this cheating?”

He felt it was almost unfair, noting the use of the item.

“Agent Grapes, does that mean you have the whole wiki on your phone?”

Agent Bronze asked as looked at the screen, his expression betraying his surprise.

Agent Grapes smiled sheepishly as he nodded.

“Mmm, that’s right.”

Agent Bronze visibly brightened as he heard that.

“Then all of the information you have on disasters could be transferred.”

His eyes sparkled a bit as he said that, probably thinking at how many lives, of civilians and government agents alike, could be saved.

“Ah, Agent Bronze, How are we supposed to tell all of this to the Bureau?”

Agent Choi said as he stopped himself from patting his junior.

‘Really, it’s in moments like this where he looks like a kid.’

He thought fondly, remembering how serious he was at all times, even as a new recruit, and comparing it to his current sight.

Go Yeongeum was surprised.

“Soleum-ssi, is that how you got that popsocket?”

She asked immediately after Kim Soleum finished his conversation with the other agents.

The man in question nodded.

“......”

She had always wondered where he had gotten that popsocket, since it was almost an iconic part of him.

That sleek, simple design almost made her want to get one herself, though she felt it wouldn’t suit her.

Now that she was a government agent, she knew that it was an item, though that raised a lot of questions.

‘I would’ve never in my wildest dreams guess that’s how he got it.’

She thought, remembering feeling completely confused when she discovered what the popsocket was, wondering where he could have possibly gotten it.

A very simple black popsocket with nothing remarkable about it except for a golden ‘X’ symbol in the center.

But with that design alone, I realized what this popsocket was.

‘It’s merch.’

One of the merch sold at the popup store, which I had visited right before waking up in this bizarre situation!

It was one of the items I had purchased today.

With trembling hands, I picked up the popsocket.

In the story, what function did this item have again…

--------------------

[Memorial Popsocket]

: C-Class item featured in <Dark Exploration Records>.

When attached to a smart phone, it displays the text you remember in a clear, organized page format.

A standard issue item for ninth-level employees at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau under the Ministry of Environment.

--------------------

“...Oh?”

An interested noise came from Assistant Manager Eun.

I turned around to see all of my Daydream coworkers looking at me.

“Roe Deer, isn’t that quite unfair?”

Supervisor Park commented as he looked like he had been cheated.

I could only smile sheepishly in response.

He then sighed.

“Well, I guess this explains even more how you managed to clear all of the darknesses thrown at us.”

He looked resigned as he said that, though I could feel a bit of playfulness underneath.

‘Displays memories as text…’

Then, perhaps?

With trembling hands,

I peeled off the adhesive backing of the popsocket and immediately attached it to my smartphone.

The moment I did, the scattered text I vaguely remembered from <Dark Exploration Records> materialized clearly on my phone screen in the form of pages.

--------------------

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[Welcome to Abyss Transpo]

: A ghost story featured in <Dark Esploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code - Qterw-D-16

An early-stage D-Class Darkness with overwhelmingly difficult escape requirements. A notoriously insane ghost story. Depicts the endlessly suffering Field Exploration Team.

Exploration Records indicate a total of up to 56 entries.

--------------------

Agent Choi looked at the screen in interest as he memorized the wiki page.

“Hmm, so this is what the wiki is supposed to look like…”

As he spoke, he saw his junior beside him pull out a notebook and start taking notes.

He smiled a little as he saw that.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

“Hey, Grapes, does this wiki also include entries from the future? At least from our current timeline.”

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, his rookie nodded.

“Yes. A lot of entries are technically from the future. For some of the Bureau managed disasters, the entries even continue until the disaster is successfully resolved.”

“......!”

“...I see. Thank you for telling me that, Grapes.”

That… was some incredibly valuable information.

‘And our Grapes-ie has all of said information.’

At this point, Agent Choi was planning how to get his rookie to talk as much as possible once they returned.

Even if the Bureau questioned them, they probably wouldn’t do anything after they discovered the truth about Agent Grapes.

‘And Jaekwan-ah and I surely aren’t going to let them try anything.’

He thought even though he knew that was highly unlikely.

Besides, their rookie probably already knew all there is to know of the Bureau thanks to the wiki, so it wouldn’t be wise to do anything to him.

“......!”

So this means…

‘Did the merch I bought actually work?’

Come to think of it, the black merch box that had been resting on my lap had disappeared without a trace.

‘So that merch box... turned into this notepad and spat out the merch I bought?’

What kind of crazy situation is this?

Still, it’s certainly advantageous for me.

The ghost-story universe I’ve entered, <Dark Exploration Records>...

Do you know how many internet veterans have unleashed their creativity based on this?

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of ghost stories.

Of course, it’s hard to recall all of them like flipping through a book in my mind.

Plus, these ghost stories don’t directly tell you how to survive.

You have to infer the correct answers from the stories, which makes it even harder to figure things out in new situations.

Go Yeongeum quickly turned to her fellow spy.

“Wait, it doesn’t?”

The man shook his head.

“No, they’re just entries of the people who explored the darknesses. They’re not manuals or official reports on the darkness.”

She was absolutely baffled.

She figured the wiki, being, you know, a wiki, would let them know how the darkness works, or that the creators of these disasters might directly tell the readers how to solve them.

But apparently not.

‘He really just keeps getting more and more impressive…’

She thought, not really sure how much more her regard for this man could increase.

‘But if I can check the text of what I’ve read all at once…’

If that’s possible, the first thing I need to look at is…

‘Previous escape cases!’

I immediately scrolled down the wiki page.

I quickly read through section ‘3.2 Exploration Records’, and then…

“......”

I came to a conclusion.

‘I got it.’

I found my answer for which station I need to get off at.

But there’s a problem.

“......”

I turned to look at the others in the subway car with me.

There were eight young new hires in total, including myself.

The people who had panicked after witnessing two live dismemberments were starting to regain their composure and talk.

“That station name, Resentment... it sounds like the kind of resentment people feel when they’re angry, right?”

“Yes…”

“Ha, no cell service, no data... seriously, what is going on..?”

“......”

Yeah.

How am I supposed to convince these unfamiliar, untrustworthy people to get off at the right station with me?

‘Somehow, I need to make as many people as possible get off with me.’

Agent Bronze smiled a little as he saw the scene.

It warmed his heart to know that Kim Soleum always tried his best to save as many people as possible.

‘Knowing Agent Grapes and how capable he is, I’m sure he will be able to get everyone safely off of the train, though…’

He looked at Baek Saheon for a moment.

‘...I hope nothing bad happens.’

I clenched my fist.

Did I suddenly develop a noble sense of duty, feeling that these extras who are destined to die in this ghost-story world are real people whose lives I need to save?

Well, sure, I might feel that way as a human being, but that’s not my top priority.

The real reason I’m so desperate is…

‘I can’t get off alone..!’

That’s right.

A lot of these stations are just insane.

Walk alone through
(a) a station filled with eyeballs,
(b) a station shrouded in Darkness, or
(c) a station that’s upside-down?

Just imagining it makes me break out in a cold sweat—and I’d probably end up crawling on all fours in terror.

‘Chances of me passing out before making it to safety? Over 90%...!’

Agent Bronze suddenly felt a wave of disappointment.

He looked at Agent Grapes, who currently looked like he was dying from embarrassment.

He felt a little conflicted, when he heard Agent Choi whisper beside him.

“Hmm, is he trying to convince himself that he’s not a good person? Knowing him, he might actually be.”

At that, he suddenly felt his previous emotion fade away.

He nodded at his superior’s words.

‘...Unfortunately, Agent Grapes would probably do that.’

Needless to say, Agent Bronze was getting increasingly worried for his rookie as he heard his thoughts.

Baek Saheon was trying his best to process everything.

‘Him?? Passing out from fear??? Does he seriously have a split personality??’

He was actually starting to consider that that psychopath might have different personalities.

‘There’s no way that the lunatic who made me drag around body parts to fake a murder is the same person as the one on screen. There’s just no way.’

Though, some part in the back of his mind reasoned that maybe the reason he made him do that was because he was too afraid to do it himself, but he promptly ignored that.

“I’m seriously losing my mind…”

He mumbled as he held his head in his hand.

No way. Please, save me.

‘I have to convince them, somehow!’

I opened my mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it.

‘Still, blurting out things like ‘supernatural phenomena’ or ‘darkness’ would be idiotic.’

Who would want to believe they’re trapped in a situation straight out of a ghost story?

They’d either refuse to believe it and mock me, or believe it and panic even more.

‘Slowly... I need to build trust first.’

At least one person.

If I can just convince one or two people, the herd mentality will make it easier for others to follow.

‘Let’s see... someone who seems like they need help, or a clue to build a connection with…’

“Ha... this is like some Youtube ghost story.”

Found one!

Agent Choi slightly squinted his eyes at the new figure.

“Oh? It seems our ‘Agent Mint’ finally makes an appearance.”

The spy’s polite smile faltered a bit as he said that, but she didn’t say anything.

Agent Grapes was starting to look anxiously between the two of them.

“You mentioned a ghost story?”

“Ah.”

A woman with short hair and a calm demeanor nodded slightly, looking a bit flustered.

“Yes. I, um, watch ghost stories on YouTube sometimes, and this reminds me of one.”

“Could you tell me more? This doesn’t seem like a normal situation, so it’s probably best to share any information we have.”

“It’s not really information... it just feels like everything is straight out of a ghost story. The lecture hall suddenly turned into a subway, and people... died like that."

Her face turned slightly pale, likely remembering the insane dismemberment that happened just moments before.

I understand. I want to throw up too.

Let’s both try to erase it from our minds as quickly as possible.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suddenly—”

“No, it’s the same for me. It’s hard to think straight with everything that’s happening.”

The woman gave a weak laugh.

“You seem to be handling it more rationally than anyone else here.”

That’s only because you haven’t seen me fainting in panic yet.

“Ah, really, you should stop selling yourself short, Grapes-ie!”

Agent Choi said, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

Go Yeongeum, despite the earlier tension, nodded, agreeing with his words.

Agent Bronze also nodded.

[I must agree with the agent! My Friend, you are much more capable than you think.]

Even Braun agreed.

“Ah, I’ll try to keep that in mind…”

I said with a sheepish smile.

Nobody looked like they believed me, but they let it go, fortunately for me.

“Huh?”

And surprisingly, around this time, someone else approached me.

For a very good reason.

“Um, you were sitting next to me earlier, right?”

It was a man with curly hair who looked fairly innocent.

‘Now that I think about it, he was sitting next to me in the lecture hall earlier.’

It seemed like this new hire wasn’t part of any of the other conversations happening around us. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced between the woman I was talking to and me before extending his hand like he wanted to shake mine.

“My name is Baek Saheon.”

“……!”

Agent Choi raised a brow at my reaction.

“Oh? What’s with your reaction, Grapes-ie?”

“Well… you’ll see in a moment.”