Chapter 168 - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

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

Translated by Jinmu

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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

Go Yeong-eun glanced at her colleague sitting next to her.

Kim Sol-eum, who was rapidly working on the PC while staring at the monitor, had a shaggy hair and wore glasses to look plain, a styling made for undercover work.

Fittingly, at the Disaster Management Bureau, he had been portraying a timid rookie character by slouching his shoulders and avoiding eye contact.

However, Kim Sol-eum's eyes behind his glasses as he looked at the PC now were filled with confidence and ease.

He was the very same person she had seen at Daydream Co.

It was likely the so-called 'ease of one who knows,' characteristic of someone with great insight who looked far ahead.

'Is he immersed in his work?'

Suddenly, his original demeanor was showing.

It seemed it was not a lie when he said paperwork was his specialty....

'A deceiver...?'

Go Yeong-eun looked at her colleague, who had entered the company at the top of their class and was promoted to supervisor in just one year, with a complicated gaze!

But soon, finishing his final work on the keyboard with light keystrokes, Kim Sol-eum also turned to look at her.

And he quickly pulled out his timid character once again.

"Ah, excuse me... Agent. Would you mind briefly checking if I am doing this correctly...?"

"Yes. Of course."

Perhaps there would be something she could learn. Even if not, she would be able to help her colleague get used to the paperwork.

Go Yeong-eun looked at Kim Sol-eum's PC together with him.

"First, this is the version of the urban legend on the internet that the Disaster Management Bureau has secured so far."

[Red Clothes at Exit 4_Current]

Cases flooded in.

Red clothes placed solitarily at the exit.

Eerie testimonies and all kinds of desolate and ominous witness accounts, which seemed like they would appear as foreshadowing in a horror movie, filled the document in the form of posts, comments, and videos.

Yet Kim Sol-eum continued his explanation without even blinking an eye.

'As expected, he isn't scared by this kind of thing.'

That was not it. He was simply strong against text!

"For now... I have categorized the witness accounts. Into actual events that took place and unsubstantiated testimonies."

The document was sorted.

"Then, an interesting trend is visible."

Interest?

"Namely, that the actual events occurred after the unsubstantiated testimonies."

"...!"

"Look here."

-If you rip the clothes open, hair or paper money will definitely come out, but you know you're an idiot if you touch it to check, right? Haha.

"And they actually came out. The hair and the paper."

Kim Sol-eum attached the comment of the person who found hair and paper money in the 'red clothes.'

"Next, the same goes for the whereabouts of the person who found this hair and paper."

-They say the person who checked the clothes in that screenshot went out of contact...

"This comment was not posted after they actually went out of contact. The news of them going out of contact was reported after this comment was uploaded."

"...!"

Go Yeong-eun stiffened her face.

...Just like what they had experienced at Looky Mart.

"The order is reversed."

"Yes."

It was a characteristic of ghost stories.

Kim Sol-eum smiled faintly.

"If we pay attention to this trend and look at the ghost story once more... we can now find a slightly larger flow."

Kim Sol-eum clicked on another document.

[Red Clothes at Exit 4_Basic]

"This is the version from three months ago."

Rumors about the red clothes were running rampant.

So there was a lot of talk about it being a sign for organ trafficking, possession by ghosts, or the work of a psycho...

"But not all of these here actually manifested as real events. What do you think the reason is?"

"......."

Go Yeong-eun fell into thought.

"Is it because they are too diverse? Because if one side is realized, it would contradict the other side."

"Correct."

Kim Sol-eum laughed softly.

"And to add one more thing, I believe it is because there was no speculation that people completely believed."

"...!"

"Since the speculative remarks were so diverse, almost no one spoke with absolute certainty, and there were many refutations... none of it was enough to be treated as an actual event."

"...Because there was no proof?"

"Right."

So to speak.

"They were not 'plausible enough.'"

Kim Sol-eum clicked the mouse again.

"But at some point, it appeared in the comments."

The 'plausible enough story.'

Testimonies that it's bait for shamanic rituals keep coming up.

"From here on, the situation changed rapidly."

Go Yeong-eun scanned the document organized by Kim Sol-eum without even breathing.

It was a trick to lure ghosts, someone was attached to the clothes, tying the sleeves twice was not standard shamanism, it was an act that would bring a curse....

"Shamanism is actually hard to refute unless you are an expert in that field. But from the moment there is an 'expert,' it somehow looks plausible."

"...But because of the nature of the medium, they aren't asked for proof or verification either?"

"...! Exactly."

Kim Sol-eum smiled and looked at the comments he had collected.

-If you rip the clothes open, hair or paper money will definitely come out, but you know you're an idiot if you touch it to check, right? Haha.

"When I checked that person's comment history, he was an office worker at a steel company."

"...!"

Not an expert.

But a field where one could easily pretend to be.

"It means it's perfect for someone who has met a shaman a few times or read a few books to just make things up."

Nobody knew if the people talking on the internet were actual shamans.

Nor had anyone credibly proven whether it was possible to pass a ghost or a curse onto someone in the way they claimed.

But because it looked plausible, people came to believe it.

An effect combining horror and familiarity!

"Even if you look closely, these self-proclaimed experts are telling completely different stories."

"......Whew."

It was really true.

Go Yeong-eun, who was reading the comments, suppressed a sigh.

She had not realized it due to the atmosphere of horror and the various shamanic testimonies of similar 'vibes,' but they were simply attaching every creepy story they could.

Whether it was an exorcism, possession by a ghost, or suffering a curse....

"...Most of it must be made up?"

"Probably."

Perhaps... not just most of it, but all of it.

"But people believed it."

And.

"So, you believe that became reality."

"Yes."

Kim Sol-eum smiled bitterly.

"Information has contaminated reality in reverse."

---------------------=

Records of the Dark Exploration / Ghost Story

[Conspiracy Theory of Belief]

: A ghost story appearing in the , registered under number 2106PSYA.2025.ba56 by the Paranormal Disaster Management Bureau.

A ghost story about conspiracy theories floating on the internet becoming reality because of the people who believe in them.

The terrifying aspect of this ghost story is the implication that humans might have been causing paranormal disasters all this time through imagination and confirmation bias.

---------------------=

A ghost story that would one day in the future be confirmed and registered by the Disaster Management Bureau.

"If we trace further back to its original form..."

-Why on earth is there bright red clothing at the subway entrance? Why do I have to experience a ghost encounter? I almost fainted, hold me.

It was a social media post uploaded along with a photo of the red clothes abandoned in front of a subway exit.

In the background, the sign for Exit 4 was visible.

"Simple everyday posts like this appear."

Whether those red clothes were actually an outer garment accidentally dropped by a drunkard or a trace left behind by a used clothing collection truck was unknown, but....

Whichever it was, it had simply been an ordinary everyday incident.

"It is highly probable that it was an event that occurred by chance, a funny misunderstanding."

"But the fact that people began to misunderstand is what is important."

That was correct.

Ultimately, this witness account, which spread all over the internet, was rapidly reproduced, annotated, and combined with fear and rumors, becoming reality.

"This is as far as I have investigated."

"......."

He is really good at this....

"Um, but... by any chance, is there any part where I made a mistake...?"

Yet, because he was acting timidly for his character again, he actually looked like a total deceiver...!

'Though he has no choice because of his spy duties!'

Go Yeong-eun suppressed a sigh and a bitter smile as she nodded.

"No. ...It will probably exceed the expectations of the agents in this office."

"Ah, what a relief...! Um, in that case, would there be no shortcomings even if I work in the New Investigation Team?"

No, wait. That is not what is important right now....

"So, you've uncovered almost all the principles of this paranormal disaster now, right? If your deduction is correct."

"Ah, maybe..."

No, instead of 'maybe,' it seems correct!

Go Yeong-eun looked at her colleague with a slightly excited face.

Then couldn't the solution also be inferred?

Namely...

"If we make people stop believing in it, this ghost story will end too!"

"Right."

Then somehow, an explanation......

'Ah.'

Go Yeong-eun realized reality.

"...Making them stop believing is almost impossible."

"Yes."

Because the events were actually taking place.

A bizarre phenomenon that had already become truth.

"Since too many people already believe it, persuading them won't be easy."

This ghost story was also a conspiracy theory in itself: that there were internet rumors where people's beliefs directly became truth.

Perhaps the author of the Records of the Dark Exploration had written it with sarcastic intentions toward witness accounts or evidence of various conspiracy theories.

"...Besides, it is a fact that it has actually become a paranormal disaster. Since the evidence and situation are real, refuting it will be even more difficult."

Exactly.

That was why, in the Records of the Dark Exploration, agents had also 'managed' this ghost story whenever they discovered it by continuously destroying the object that served as the center of the situation or erasing people's memories....

A method of acknowledging the existence of the ghost story, managing the risk, and slowly neutralizing it.

A lukewarm solution fitting the nature of this uncomfortable ghost story.

But.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be that way."

"...Excuse me?"

Kim Sol-eum smiled faintly and placed his hands on the keyboard again.

There was a way.

It was the method of disruption he had thought of since he read this Records of the Dark Exploration.

'I can do it.'

It was just that it did not match the atmosphere of the ghost story, so he had not been able to edit the wiki!

7.3 Solution

Go Yeong-eun watched as Kim Sol-eum wrote the final section of the document without hesitation.

And even him taking his hands off with a somewhat proud face.

"This should do it."

"......."

Kim Sol-eum.

He truly showed something this time!

* * *

And a few days later.

The red clothes at Exit 4 appeared again without fail.

-That thing is at the Yeongdeungpo Station exit, everyone avoid it.

By now, people had begun to fear even directly referring to the red clothes.

It seemed broadcasting stations would probably get involved in a little more time. Since there had been several cases of disappearance and death, the internet whispered that at least an investigation would come out, no matter how supernatural it was.

But.

-What is this?

This time, black writing was written on the red clothes.

[Red Baccarat New Member 50,000 Won Free Poker Sports Toto Roulette All Gathered Guarantees Ghost-like Thrilling Excitement and Profit (Website URL)]

-F*ck, this was a gambling ad?

People exploded.

-Ah, f*ck, is spam text not enough?

-What a sh*tty build-up.

-Illegal gambling, f*ck haha.

-Are you happy drawing attention using what people are afraid of?

-I want to kill those swindling bastards.

-Reported to the police, ah, so pissed off.

Profanities and irritation flew around.

However, once they calmed down to some extent, other opinions quietly arose.

-I think they're just advertising using it as a copycat because the red clothes became hot topic...

-Aren't they just exploiting it? Rather scary, what if something happens to them?

It looked like a plausible statement at first glance.

So, the people who firmly believed in the ghost story of the red clothes began to whisper again, setting the mood by wondering if something bad would happen to that company.

But the next day.

[Were you afraid of these red clothes?]

[Human life is full of fear. A lover of paradise, who will protect and love you so that you are no longer afraid, awaits you. Come to Love Paradise.]

A famous cult formally exhibited the red clothes at the exit and hung a placard...!

-What on earth is this?

-Ha, Hahahahahahahahaha

-These are the bastards who always strike up conversations on the street asking what your ideal type is, and asking to buy them coffee.

And to top it off, even the phrase attached below the placard!

[We are a sound religion that does not operate illegal gambling sites. We are taking legal actions against the company in question for theft of ideas.]

People read between the lines.

-Wait a minute... So that means the red clothes were their doing, right?

-Was it cult proselytizing?

An illegal gambling website had cut in and exploited the trap made by the cult to bewilder weak-minded people!

-They came running out in a flurry because their idea got stolen.

-Go get sued for illegal littering.

-I hate them so much, the garbage of this society.

-Now that I think about it again, creating that atmosphere with shamanism and whatever is so pathetic and extremely annoying.

People began to sweep the red clothes out of their topics of conversation, shuddering with annoyance.

'It turned out well.'

Kim Sol-eum smiled and scrolled to check the spectacle.

Yes.

If it was a ghost story that became reality through people's belief, the solution was simple.

'Just make them not want to believe it.'

Just make it easy to ridicule and anticlimactic.

'I knew that if I linked it to things that routinely annoy and irritate people, it would disappear in no time.'

-I'm never getting fooled again, you phishing-text-like bastards.

Along with such annoyance, people quickly erased this incident from their memories.

Conveniently dismissing the fact that there had actually been dead or missing people as merely 'promotional fabrication.'

Just like that....

-The Red Clothes at Exit 4 has been concluded.

The ghost story ended incredibly cleanly.

Very safely, without any agent getting hurt.

For the price of producing just a few banners.

-Congrats!

-Amazing, to do this as soon as it was discovered.

-Good job~

Kim Sol-eum smiled slightly while borrowing Go Yeong-eun's phone to view the agents' anonymous group chat, which had become exceptionally active because of it.

'Documenting the investigation of the ghost story and proposing a solution right from the office. I did it properly.'

If my capabilities as a New Investigation Team member are recognized like this....

-No, actually haha. It's embarrassing to say, but our department didn't do it all.

-Huh?

-That famous rookie wrote up a document and even wrote down a solution while working in the New Investigation Team... it hit the mark perfectly haha.

-The rookie again?

-Insane ㄷㄷㄷ

-As expected of the Destruction King.

-He is truly consistent haha.

-Destroying a ghost story even with paperwork.

"......??"

Kim Sol-eum had indeed shown something.

And originally, it was also correct that concluding a ghost story involved multiple teams finding clues, coming up with ideas, and trying them out.

However, there was such a thing as a pre-existing image in this world.

That was to say, the 'Destruction King Rookie' had made a huge contribution to destroying a ghost story even while doing the work of the New Investigation Team...!

-Wow, look at that drive. He belongs in Black Tortoise Team 3.

-No, Team 1 haha.

-You who were born for the Dispatch Rescue Team.

It was all processed as reinforcement of his existing image!

Just as Kim Sol-eum ruined the ghost story through an image, his own plan was also ruined by his image.

"......."

'Do your best, Sol-eum....'

Go Yeong-eun, who had foreseen this turn of events, simply closed her eyes tightly and left a message of support to him only in her heart....

And on the day the two-week rookie training period ended.

Kim Sol-eum was... assigned to the Dispatch Rescue Team, Black Tortoise Team 1.......

Truly, nobody was surprised.