Got Dropped in a Ghost Story Chapter 7

What was a new employee supposed to say when their seniors greeted them on their very first day with, “Hey, newbie, you might drop dead soon! Haha, just kidding~!”?

The answer?

There wasn’t one.

Seriously.

There was absolutely no correct response to that.

Thankfully, my new coworkers didn’t seem to expect one from me either, because they quickly moved on.

“Anyway… congratulations on surviving the death survival test.”

They actually call it that out loud?

“But seriously, you were the top of your batch? That’s impressive.”

“Come on. Tell us what you did.”

I’d like to know that myself.

“I just did my best.”

“Oh, come on. If doing your best was enough, we’d all have gotten into Seoul National University.”

“Either way, it’s impressive. Glad to have you on our team.”

At least there was one advantage to having good entry scores.

Despite how brutal the workload seemed, this department apparently didn’t have enough energy to spare on hazing newcomers.

“The squad leader should be back soon. He’s out in the field right now, so just take it easy until then.”

“Thank you.”

Following my senior’s instructions, I headed toward the section partitioned off as our team’s workspace.

Four desks were arranged together, with a small sofa and coffee table beside them.

On the table sat an old-fashioned radio that looked like something straight out of the 1980s.

My seniors returned to their desks and gestured toward the sofa.

“Go ahead and sit there.”

“All right.”

The moment I sat down—

Click.

The radio turned on by itself.

“…?”

Static crackled for a moment.

Then cheerful background music began playing, followed by the bright voice of an announcer.

—Hello! Here is today’s live traffic report. Roads throughout Seoul are currently clear, in keeping with today’s beautiful sunny weather! However, beginning this afternoon…

I slowly turned toward the window.

Outside—

It was drizzling.

The announcement clearly didn’t match reality.

Ah.

This radio.

I knew what it was.

It was part of a ghost story.

─────

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

Hello Traffic Info

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

: Daydream Inc. Identification Code — Qterw-E-63

A strange radio that delivers the listener’s daily fortune in the form of traffic reports.

It occasionally provides advice as well, though the advice can be unsettling enough to lead to disturbing or gruesome consequences.

─────

“Did you notice?”

“…!”

“Wow. You’re sharp, rookie. You noticed something was off pretty quickly.”

One of my seniors approached.

He was a broad-shouldered man who looked like he had majored in physical education.

He reached over and switched off the radio.

“This thing tells your daily fortune through traffic reports. It’s a pretty harmless urban legend.”

He grinned.

“Twilight-Class Darkness. Verified.”

“……”

“Wait.”

He narrowed his eyes on me.

“Were you just thinking, What the hell is an urban legend? What’s this Darkness stuff? Are these people nerds?”

No.

Not even remotely.

“For clueless rookies like you, we’ve prepared something special.”

He dramatically produced a tablet.

“Ta-da!”

After tapping the screen a few times, he started a video.

Cheerful, low-quality orchestral music began playing.

The entire thing had an unmistakably retro feel.

Two cartoon characters appeared on-screen and bowed deeply.

They looked like mascots from the 1988 Olympics.

-To our new employees bursting with dreams and passion! Welcome to Daydream Inc.’s Field Exploration Team!

—Today, we’ll explain exactly what kind of exciting work the Field Exploration Team does!

…A fox and a dragon?

A red fox and a yellow dragon, both dressed in traditional hanbok, beamed at the camera.

—But before we begin!

An extremely old-fashioned title appeared above them.

[What Kind of Company Is Daydream Inc.?]

I already know.

Publicly, Daydream Inc. was an enormously successful pharmaceutical company famous for miracle hair-loss treatments and skincare products.

But its real identity was very different.

—You thought all we made was hair-loss medicine? Oh my goodness!

—Actually, Daydream Inc. can create nearly any medicine imaginable!

—That’s right! We’re a magical company that makes magical potions!

“……”

Everything from medicines capable of curing drug addiction to elixirs that could grant eternal life.

Daydream Inc. secretly manufactured impossible drugs and traded them with powerful elites and political circles.

That was its true nature.

A secret organization that produced supernatural medicine.

Things that should be completely impossible through normal science…

The cartoon fox winked and raised one finger.

—But!

—Every magical potion requires magical ingredients!

—And that ingredient is…

Golden letters flashed dramatically across the screen.

[Dream Essence]

Sparkling liquid flowed majestically behind the text.

Hearts.

Stars.

Glitter.

It looked like something straight out of a children’s magical-girl cartoon.

But the reality behind it was anything but cute.

—Dream Essence is harvested from supernatural phenomena!

The dragon held out one hand.

The scene changed to a cute illustration of a city alley.

Then—

Red eyes appeared beneath a streetlamp.

A monstrous shadow emerged behind an unsuspecting pedestrian.

The animation changed again.

This time, an electric fan appeared beside a sleeping person, grotesquely sticking out its tongue.

—Did you know that supernatural incidents still occur throughout modern society?

—Sleeping with a fan running in a sealed room can kill you!

—Being insulted often can make you live longer!

—These are all examples of superstitions and urban legends!

The fox dramatically raised one finger.

—But sometimes…

—Those urban legends become real!

So that’s what the company calls them.

Urban legends.

Honestly, the term sounded a little less terrifying than ghost stories.

And then—

The important part began.

—Daydream Inc. manages these urban legends, collects Dream Essence from them, and uses it to create wonderful magical medicines capable of granting people’s wishes!

—Dream Essence is our company’s most important resource, isn’t it, Yonyong?

—Of course!

The yellow dragon named Yonyong nodded enthusiastically.

—We always need more of it!

Then he tilted his head.

—But who collects all that Dream Essence for us?

Who else?

—Our brave Field Exploration Team, of course!

A group of chibi office workers appeared.

All of them wore suits and gave confident thumbs-ups as they marched through bizarre supernatural environments.

—Thanks to the bravery and wisdom of our Field Exploration Team, the Dream Essence Collector is full once again!

One thick-eyebrowed cartoon employee proudly held up a portable cylinder marked with measurement lines.

The Dream Essence Collector.

─────

Dream Essence Collector

: An item appearing in Dark Exploration Records.

A portable liquid-storage container developed by Daydream Inc.

As an employee explores Darkness—urban legends, paranormal incidents, and ghost stories—the device gradually fills with a substance the company calls Dream Essence.

Dream Essence serves as the primary material used to produce Daydream Inc.’s reality-defying medicines, which are the company’s primary source of revenue.

─────

The two mascots clapped excitedly beside the collector.

—Now then!

—Take your Dream Essence Collector and bravely and wisely venture into the Darkness!

—The future of Daydream Inc. rests on your shoulders!

—Good luck!

Fireworks exploded across the screen.

The Daydream Inc. logo appeared.

And with that—

the standard new-employee corporate brainwashing video ended.

“……”

“How was it?”

“Uh…”

I carefully chose my words.

“Impressive.”

Then, after a moment—

“Very… memorable.”

“Well…”

My friendly senior scratched his cheek.

“Our department’s job is basically exactly what you just watched.”

Then he extended his hand again.

“Ah, right. I should properly introduce myself.”

He looked at me.

“You’re Employee Kim Soleum, right?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

“Great.”

He gestured toward a short-haired woman sitting at one of the desks.

“That’s Assistant Manager Eun Haje.”

She briefly raised one hand in greeting.

Then immediately returned to her work.

The muscular senior pointed his thumb toward himself.

“And I’m Park Minseong. Contractual Supervisor.”

“Nice to meet you, Supervisor Park.”

“Haha. You don’t need to be that formal.”

“Uh… all right?”

“In our department, pretty much everyone reaches this position after about a year.”

He laughed.

“You’ll get here soon enough.”

Assuming I don’t die before then.

Let’s not say that aloud.

“Yeah.”

Supervisor Park nodded.

“Or you might die before that.”

…

He said it for me.

“Oh, come on!”

Assistant Manager Eun frowned at him.

“What? He should know.”

Supervisor Park shrugged.

“The video literally showed him. It’s dangerous work.”

Assistant Manager Eun gave a casual nod.

Apparently, surviving long enough to become an assistant manager in this department required nerves of steel.

“Quitting is always an option.”

She looked at me.

“There are plenty of other jobs.”

True.

Although in this world, even an ordinary job could end with you getting dragged into a ghost story anyway.

“Thank you.”

I nodded.

“But I’ll stay for now.”

“Hmm.”

Assistant Manager Eun nodded approvingly.

“Good choice.”

“Ooh! Look at that enthusiasm.”

Supervisor Park grinned.

Then Assistant Manager Eun added in a slightly more reassuring tone—

“Even though we deal with urban legends and ghost stories, you don’t need to worry too much.”

“We have response manuals for everything.”

“…Understood.”

Supervisor Park suddenly leaned closer.

“By the way.”

He lowered his voice as though he were letting me in on a secret.

“Around here, we call them Darkness.”

“If you keep calling them ghost stories, people might think you’re some creepypasta-obsessed otaku.”

“……”

So that was the concern?

Not getting labeled an otaku?

I silently nodded.

Arguing with my seniors over terminology on my first day seemed unwise.

“Got it.”

Supervisor Park straightened.

“You read the manual?”

“Yes.”

I had already gone through the Work Manual he’d handed me.

“Good, good.”

My two seniors exchanged glances.

Then they both smiled at me.

“Shall we start working?”

…

Wait.

What?

14th Floor They took me to another floor.

“Now that you understand the basics, it’s time for some field experience.”

The elevator doors opened.

We stopped in front of a small storage room beside the emergency staircase.

“So this afternoon…”

Supervisor Park smiled.

“You’ll just do a light Darkness exploration.”

…

Excuse me?

“Don’t worry.”

Assistant Manager Eun spoke calmly.

“It’s nothing serious.”

“You won’t die.”

Supervisor Park waved dismissively.

“You definitely won’t die.”

Then he brightened.

“Think of it like fighting slimes outside the beginner village in a video game!”

“…Right.”

I had expected to work today.

Obviously.

But—

This is moving way too fast.

Surely they wouldn’t send a rookie somewhere genuinely dangerous on his very first day.

If I panicked and became useless, I’d only create more problems for them anyway.

I tried to reassure myself with that logic.

Still…

Why are we standing in front of a storage room?

Wait.

Was this room connected to a ghost story?

Which one started inside a storage room again…?

As I searched through the wiki entries in my memory, my seniors began getting me ready.

First—

They handed me something.

“You saw this in the training video earlier.”

Assistant Manager Eun held it out.

“Dream Essence Collector.”

I accepted the object.

It was a sturdy, dice-shaped plastic container that had clearly been used.

They sold a replica of this as merch too, didn’t they…?

Holding the real thing felt strangely surreal.

“Don’t lose it.”

Assistant Manager Eun looked serious.

“Each collector has an identification number. Losing one creates a ridiculous amount of paperwork.”

“Yes, Assistant Manager.”

Understood.

Basically like losing a military shell casing.

“And.”

She pointed at my face.

“Get into the habit of wearing your mask whenever you enter Darkness.”

“Don’t ask why.”

“Just wear it.”

She paused.

“Now, where is your ma—”

“……”

“……”

Both seniors stared at my mask.

Tree-bark texture.

Two antler-like horns sticking upward.

“…A deer?”

Supervisor Park tilted his head.

“A roe deer?”

How should I know?

“Nice antlers.”

He leaned closer.

“It’s a roe deer, right?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Then let’s call it a roe deer.”

He nodded decisively.

“They’re stronger than regular deer.”

Stronger?

“Anyway, put it on.”

Supervisor Park handed me the tablet again.

“And take a look at this.”

Another training video?

I glanced down.

[Do This and Get 20 Million Won VS Live Normally]

“…??”

It wasn’t a training video.

It was an internet post.

—Spend three days playing tag with a ghost inside a convenience store located more than ten kilometers from the nearest person and receive 20 million won.

VS

—Just live normally.

And beneath that—

By the way, this is what the ghost looks like ↓

Ugh!

I flinched and immediately scrolled past the image.

Too late.

The thing was already burned into my brain.

Blue skin.

Bulging eyes.

A swollen, grotesquely enlarged forehead.

“What does it say?”

Supervisor Park asked.

“It asks whether I’d spend three days playing tag with a ghost inside a convenience store in exchange for money….”

Even as I answered, I didn’t understand.

‘Why the hell is he showing me this?’

Surely this wasn’t workplace harassment.

‘We’re supposed to be going on a Darkness exploration, so why is he showing me some random internet post…?’

Ah.

“…….”

“…….”

Without looking at the image, I slowly scrolled back up.

[Do This and Get 20 Million Won VS Live Normally]

Don’t tell me….

======================

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

[Choose One]

: A ghost story appearing in Dark Exploration Records. Daydream Inc. identification code: Qterw-F-243.

A Darkness derived from the popular internet “Would you endure a horror scenario for money VS live normally?” type of balance-game posts.

It occurs irregularly when accessing URLs containing certain numbers.

Victims are usually chased by either a serial killer or a ghost.

If caught, the scenario restarts from the beginning.

======================

You’ve got to be kidding me.

The world around me suddenly warped.

The last thing I heard was Senior Park’s voice.

“Just take it easy!”

Then—

“Heave-ho!”

Take it easy?!

I was about to protest.

How could they possibly throw a brand-new employee into a ghost story alone on his very first day—

but before I could get the words out—

the world twisted.

And I was thrown directly into Darkness.

“……”

I stumbled upright.

It’s dark.

Very dark.

The air felt cold and damp.

Visibility was almost nonexistent.

The only light came from the faint, flickering glow of a drink refrigerator far in the distance.

“……”

Holding my breath, I cautiously moved toward it.

As I approached, faint outlines of the convenience store emerged.

Shelves.

Counters.

Display racks.

Then the flickering light dimmed again, and everything disappeared back into shadow.

Silence.

Nothing moved.

Every footstep I took echoed across the floor.

Cold sweat slid down the back of my neck.

At least—

there didn’t seem to be anything nearby.

Not yet.

Huuu.

I swallowed my sigh and stopped just beyond the reach of the refrigerator’s light.

Leaning slightly forward, I surveyed the store through the hazy glow.

It was surprisingly large.

Roughly the size of a franchise café.

Every shelf was neatly stocked with food and daily necessities.

Everything had been arranged meticulously.

Not a single speck of dust.

At least I won’t have trouble finding survival supplies.

Right.

This ghost story—

this Darkness—

wasn’t physically dangerous in the traditional sense.

Its purpose was to terrify you.

To scare you until you lost your mind.

Which meant the safest strategy was obvious.

Grab water.

Maybe some energy bars.

Then hide until the three days are over.

Yes.

I knew myself.

There was absolutely no universe in which I was voluntarily playing tag with a ghost.

Honestly, I didn’t even need the energy bars.

Something quiet and easy to eat would be enough.

A human could survive a day or two without food.

Far better to go hungry than meet that thing.

But I definitely need water.

Unfortunately, that part was unavoidable.

I could see bottled water inside the illuminated refrigerator.

It was easy to locate because of the light.

Better yet, the bottles were kept in the far corner, where I could still keep most of the convenience store in sight.

“……”

I moved carefully, staying just outside the brightest part of the refrigerator’s glow as I made my way toward the far end.

Huu.

At the final refrigerator compartment—

there it was.

Rows of bottled water lined the upper shelf.

Their labels had been blurred out.

Exactly what I needed.

But standing this close—

I could see something other than water.

“…?!”

That image.

The image from the internet post.

I had scrolled past it almost immediately, but there was no mistaking that grotesque shape.

Blue skin.

Bulging eyes.

A bloated face.

A ghost.

Fuck!

The instant our eyes met—

its lips twisted upward.

Its bulging eyes swelled grotesquely.

Why the hell is its face inside the refrigerator?!

I instinctively jerked backward.

Turned.

Prepared to run.

Then—

I realized something.

The ghost wasn’t inside the refrigerator.

Its face was reflected in the glass door.

“Huu… ngh…”

Thud.

Something touched my back.

A cold hand.

Thick, hard fingers.

They closed around the back of my neck.

Like the hand of a drowned corpse.

Then—

—Gotcha.

Everything went black.

The game of tag ended.

“Huuuh!”

I gasped awake.

Cold air.

Darkness.

And—

The only light came from the faint flicker of a drinks refrigerator in the distance.

“……!”

I had returned to the starting point.

Victims are usually chased by either a serial killer or a ghost.

If caught, the scenario restarts from the beginning.

‘This is fucking insane.’

I was supposed to spend three days doing this?

Just kill me instead, fuck!

‘No. Wait.’

A much more horrifying possibility immediately came to mind.

‘If I fail to survive, I just return to the beginning… which means I have no idea how long this could actually take.’

An endless loop.

Someone as cowardly as me might lose their mind before escaping.

‘No.’

There had to be another way.

This time, I stayed away from the drink refrigerator.

Instead, I headed toward the checkout counter.

There were larger structures around there.

The counter itself.

A chair.

Shelving.

Plenty of places that could block the ghost’s line of sight.

Maybe I could hide long enough to think.

I’ll crouch beneath the chair behind the counter…

Then—

I saw it.

Between the chair legs and the bottom of the counter—

something moved.

“……”

The ghost’s lower body.

Tap.

Tap, tap.

Taptaptaptaptap.

Pale bare feet crossed the floor.

The steps came at bizarre, uneven intervals.

Its movements were so unnatural that every instinct in my body screamed that something was wrong.

I held my breath and crouched beneath the counter.

The strange footsteps gradually faded.

Still—

I didn’t move.

I stayed exactly where I was for as long as I could possibly endure.

There are way too many horror clichés where the monster appears the instant you think it’s gone.

Only after what felt like an eternity did I carefully exhale.

Quietly.

“……”

I’m going insane.

Cold sweat dripped from my chin.

I couldn’t do anything.

Using my phone was impossible.

One flash of screen light in this darkness would immediately reveal my position.

Which meant—

I had only one thing left.

My memory.

I’ve gone through the exploration records for this story multiple times.

F-Class Darkness was often assigned to groups of new hires.

Because of that, I had studied several of its records like exam questions.

Of course—

I never imagined they would throw me in here alone on day one!

Damn it.

I squeezed my eyes shut and desperately searched my memory.

Mountain lodge.

Basement.

Crosswalk.

Fast-food restaurant.

Abandoned school…

None of them matched this situation.

But—

there had been one strange record.

One irregular case.

I was sure of it.

─────

Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story

/ Make a Choice

Exploration Record #23 — Irregular

Scenario:

Spend one night inside an abandoned hospital while being pursued by a deranged doctor.

Required survival period: 12 hours.

※ Note: Exploration concluded after 16 hours and 11 minutes.

─────

“…!”

That’s it.

I forced myself to reconstruct every detail I could remember about that case.