A darkened office.

Tap tap tap.

Someone sits alone, typing on a keyboard.

Text appears on the glowing monitor screen.

-----

Draft Report

Author: Lee Jaheon

20XX. 01. 02. A record of witness statements regarding the clearance process of the anomalous C-grade darkness Tamna-bound Express Train Incident and the presumed death of Supervisor Kim Sol-eum.

-----

The typist produced sentences with a steady rhythm, without hesitation or contemplation.

As if the entire timeline had been neatly organized in their mind.

As if everything had been organized.

-----

Witnesses: Employee A, Employee C, Employee F (Initials assigned based on their respective affiliations for ease of reference.)

Employee A: Are we doing this interview again? It doesn’t seem to hold much meaning.

Employee A: Anyway… yes. They said they took the train for a business trip, but it was running over the sea.

Employee C: The clearance went very smoothly. Supervisor Sol-eum took the initiative and handled many things, and it was great to see them trying to minimize civilian casualties!

(Employee A inquired whether the occurrence of this darkness was an intentional act by the company, but the research team responded that it was a 'complete coincidence'—additional verification can be found in the third interview session.)

Three elite team members took the lead in clearing the anomalous darkness.

C-Grade Essence Collection Confirmed.

From this point on, the train was not a space of darkness but a completely real environment, as consistently testified.

Employee C: Supervisor Kim Sol-eum first checked the solution and then went to the restroom. Yes, that restroom.

After the train departed, Supervisor Kim Sol-eum said, "I'm going to the restroom," and then left their seat. Communication was lost for 15 minutes.

At the 17-minute mark: Employee F, who was on board Train Car No. 3, visited the seats of the three elite team members.

The stated purpose of the visit was "to greet them."

Employee F: Ah, as I mentioned before... I was on vacation, Manager.

Employee F: I was startled when we were suddenly engulfed in darkness, but I remained calm and tried to protect the three of you while responding to the situation. It was only natural as a company employee.

Employee F: After everything was settled, I went to greet my superiors, but then I heard that my colleague was not at his seat, so I went out to look for him.

Employee C: Ah, he was trying to go in the opposite direction of the restroom, so I guided him to the correct path!

Maybe because his original seat was in that direction, he instinctively tried to return the way he came!

Employee F followed Employee C’s guidance and moved toward the restroom.

Confirmed a man collapsed in front of the door.

There was no bleeding, but both hands and feet had been removed, and fine ash was found on the metal cross-section.

The medical professional diagnosed that he seemed to have been momentarily incinerated by extremely high temperatures.

(Source: Hope Medical Center (A subsidiary hospital under Daydream Corporation))

Staff F: I had a feeling that something was off. But the restroom door was locked. Even when I knocked, there was no response.

Staff F: Well, I’m not trying to brag, but I’m pretty good with my hands… So, I tried to unlock the lock and open the door. And I succeeded!

Staff F: …But then. (Sound of a sharp inhale)

At the 21-minute mark, the high-speed train restroom door was opened.

Staff F: Inside the restroom… it was silent.

Staff F: There was no one inside, and it was an impeccably clean high-speed train restroom. That’s why it felt even stranger, so I stepped back, intending to leave…

Staff F: Suddenly, objects started falling from thin air. …Along with blood.

-----

The hand typing on the keyboard paused for a moment.

Grabbing the mouse, they navigated to the ‘Incident Photos’ folder on the desktop and attached several images to the document.

A photo of the interior of the adjacent restroom in high-speed train car No. 7, covered in blood.

Everything was sprawled across the blood-soaked floor and walls, covered in blood.

A mask, an employee ID card, a document bag, and… a Dream Essence Collector filled with C-grade Essence.

But there was one spot that remained perfectly clean.

A small bathtub-shaped area of tiles with no bloodstains.

As if… someone had been taken away.

-----

Staff F: And then, suddenly, a giant hand appeared… Ugh! Uwooo, I— I was pushed! Flashing, flashing, flashing…

Good evening, everyone! The joy of the night, a new face you meet every day, and your friendly host!

Welcome to this late-night talk…

Uweeek! (Interview interrupted)

Signs of contamination and PTSD symptoms. Interview No. 7 concluded after recommending a counseling session.

Subsequently, statements from Interview No. 4 were referenced.

(Interview No. 4)

Staff F: A hand appeared from thin air, but it wasn’t an aura, no, it wasn’t a strange light, no… no, it wasn’t.

Staff F: (Deep breath)

Staff F: I picked up the strange bathtub that was lying on the floor…

It was a small bathtub with checkered patterns and golden feet.

And in the process, blood spilled onto the floor, and, uh, something strange, like a piece of black ribbon, fell with it…

Staff F: The hand also took the ribbon. And, then… in winter.

Staff F: A phrase was written.

-----

The hand typing on the keyboard paused once more.

Then, they peeled off a previously developed photo from the board beside the desk and stared at it.

On the restroom mirror, a message written in elegant cursive, using blood as ink.

Mr. Kim Sol-eum, from today, you will be reporting to a different place. :)

-----

The research team speculates that this phrase is related to the anomalous darkness that occurred aboard the outbound high-speed train.

(This hypothesis is considered highly reliable within the research team and is being documented in internal records.)

Supporting evidence includes Supervisor Kim Sol-eum’s decisive actions within the darkness, the unique trajectory leading to clearance, and the probability of an irregularity occurring due to a logical attempt.

The possibility that ‘Tamna’—an unknown space—was mentioned during an out-of-town business trip as an invitation, foreshadowing death.

Alternatively, speculation exists that Supervisor Kim Sol-eum was chosen as the final sacrifice for the train bound for Tamna.

-----

Tap.

At that moment, as they wrote up to that point, the writer's hand stopped once again.

It wasn’t because they couldn’t think of what to write next.

"Team Leader."

"Deputy Eun Hajae."

A visitor had come to the dark office.

Team Leader Lee Jaheon lifted his head.

Deputy Eun Hajae, with a clear-cut impression, stood leaning against the office door with his arms crossed.

"It's time to stop now."

“……”

"Just how many times are you going to conduct that damn interview? Even the directors are starting to lose interest now."

Eun Hajae walked into the office.

In the end, she merely received the statement, ‘Presumed to have died on January 2nd,’ and swept his darkened eyes over her junior’s empty seat.

"It has already been a month."

Deputy Eun Hajae now stood in front of the desk of Team D’s leader, who no longer had any team members.

"If there's no news for a month, a person should know when to let go. …Writing reports won’t bring the dead back."

“……”

"I heard that even the Dream Collector records were ultimately classified as death-related repatriation."

That’s right.

The Dream Collector’s recorded data confirmed the missing employee’s groan and a brief muttered phrase, ‘Could it be?’

It is significantly inferred that this is part of the psychotic symptoms caused by the anomaly-induced darkness during the elite team’s mission, known as the ‘Tamna-bound High-Speed Train.’

Statistical predictions indicate that this employee has an 80% or higher probability of severe contamination or death.

Furthermore, according to regulations, if no significant activity report is submitted within 30 days after the Dream Collector is returned, the system will automatically register the individual as deceased.

It was already a done deal.

"…He has already been added to today’s resignation list, Team Leader."

Kim Sol-eum, Supervisor (Employment contract terminated due to death)

…At that point, death is almost certain.

Deputy Eun Hajae rubbed her face dry before speaking.

"…The company won’t provide any further support. You know this isn’t the kind of place that spends money and time on the dead."

After all, Kim Sol-eum was an exceptionally unique and talented employee, which is why they had ‘invested’ in him.

However, the Tamna-bound high-speed train had no proper manual explaining the mechanism behind the occurrence of the darkness, and it had not reappeared for an entire month.

"Does this kind of analysis even hold any meaning? Don’t you think it’s time to stop?"

"Yes."

“……”

So, it holds meaning, and yet, you don’t think it’s time to stop?

"What’s the reason?"

"Because Supervisor Kim Sol-eum is not dead."

At first glance, it seems unrelated to this incident—an episode from the end of last year that feels entirely separate.

“ – Please.”

As Supervisor Kim Sol-eum was sent into the darkness, he entrusted someone with a precious item for half a day.

It was a small stuffed doll.

“ – Good heavens, leaving me in the hands of a swordsman? Oh, Roe Deer!”

The doll spoke in an old-fashioned and eerie tone.

Of course, he didn’t respond to the doll.

He considered himself a rational modern person, and there was no obligation to reply to a doll.

However, he detected a sense of familiarity in its speech.

And then, there was the restroom where Kim Sol-eum had gone missing.

On the restroom floor, all of Kim Sol-eum’s company-related belongings were scattered chaotically, as if discarded, but in truth, Lee Jaheon focused more on the writing on the mirror.

Because he also recognized a sense of familiarity in the handwriting of that message.

"Compare them."

He took out an old postcard that had been kept unused, along with a photograph of the message on the mirror, and handed it to Deputy Eun Hajae so he could see it.

It took several weeks just to retrieve this postcard again.

"This is…"

It was the same darkness based on a broadcast theme that Team D had entered and cleared multiple times.

However, in the most recent expedition, an unexpected incident led to the annihilation of an entire team. Thanks to the quick thinking of one employee, Team D managed to escape safely, and an A-rank solution was extracted from the darkness.

The darkness, still drifting between the research team and the assessment department, as its classification remains unadjusted due to conflicting opinions.

Quiz Show Application

Recipient:

Sender:

"…Tuesday Talk Show!"

The handwriting matched.

Team Leader Lee Jaheon nodded.

"Supervisor Kim Sol-eum will be there."

No matter what form it takes.

That’s the point.

***

A dazzlingly lit studio.

Thunderous applause and cheers from the audience cascade onto the stage set.

[Thank you! Thank you!]

The audience, completely immersed in the excitement of the just-concluded final segment, whistles and cheers enthusiastically.

The host, pretending to be touched, dramatically places a hand on his chest.

[Wow, with this kind of response… Haha, should we start over from the beginning? Everyone, you are now watching Braun’s Late-Night Talk Show… Oh dear.]

Waaaaa!

Feigning surprise at the sudden cheers, the host quickly put on a bright smile for the TV and greeted the audience again.

[Unfortunately, before the angry sponsors come rushing in, it seems we must bid a heartbreaking farewell. But don’t be too sad! We will meet again tomorrow!]

The band’s lively and upbeat performance signals the end of the talk show.

The host steps to the center of the studio, bows his head respectfully toward the TV audience, and greets them.

[To all our viewers watching the talk show today, whether you are repenting and crying underground, or watching through the farewell viewer.]

[Tomorrow, at 11:33 PM, we will meet again… Have a wonderful night!]

As the band performance reaches its climax, the host raises both hands in response to the overwhelming applause.

And then…

[Cut!]

The show ends.

Click.

Everything falls silent all at once.

The dazzling lights that once illuminated the now-empty seats of the vanished audience are turned off.

As the soft background lighting casts a glow over the empty audience seats, the staff rushes onto the stage to clean up and assist the performers.

I was among them.

To be precise,

[Mr. Sol-eum!]

I was receiving the host’s commendation.

[Come this way. That was absolutely splendid! Your choice of topics and guests is truly fascinating. Every time, you pick just the right person as the candidate…]

Hmm. That’s a bit unsettling.

‘It feels straight out of <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>.’

‘This talk show, ‘Braun’s Late-Night Talk Show,’ actually feels more like a comedic version of the ‘Chronicles of Darkness Exploration’ to me.’

The difference is that it feels more vivid and engaging.

Because they actually bring in the residents of ghost stories and interview them.

And then, they brief about recent supernatural issues and a few incidents, making jokes and engaging in interesting experiments with the audience.

Sometimes, oblivious audience members unwittingly engage in dangerous actions, and the thrill of watching their precariousness from a third-person perspective blends well with comedy.

Moreover, it seemed like the audience was now being invited not just by the dozens but through various media as well.

Anyway, to be honest, all I did was mention a few interesting urban legends once or twice a week…

Yet, every time, people praise me, saying the great response is all thanks to my information-gathering skills.

‘It’s easier than I thought…’

If work in life were always this easy and fun, I wonder if I ever truly believed it.

[Ah, it’s been a truly enjoyable month! And I’m so happy to share this news with you…]

A wavering smile appears on Braun’s TV-screen face.

[Our show has once again achieved a new record in viewership ratings.]

“...!”

[Truly a terrifying upward trend! That being said, Sol-eum, did you also find it fun and enjoyable?]

Within the firm confidence, I felt a slight tension. Oh, come on.

I smiled and nodded.

"It was fun."

[Isn't it?]

[No, this visionary host already knew, of course. That this would be the workplace Sol-eum would find the most satisfying.]

The TV screen face smiles brightly.

I also smiled slightly with a calm heart.

It’s not scary.

There is nothing here that poses a danger to me.

I create content; I don’t actually experience the horror in it!

So, working on this talk show, I thought I’d never have to feel anxious again…

Well, of course, there’s still pressure to perform.

But that level of stress is just a necessary part of life, isn’t it?

That’s just how it is.

[Oh, it’s coming. Wait a moment…]

Braun placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered.

[We’re slowly entering a stagnant phase. It feels like the segments are getting too repetitive.]

Ah.

[Don’t you want to try something more provocative and daring, Sol-eum? Here, in this independently produced talk show, free from the pressures of investors and producers, you can do anything… And then.]

Tap.

…The host grabs my shoulder.

[Over the past month, your dedication has been astonishing, your adaptation was swift, and your results were remarkable, weren’t they?]

[You are definitely capable.]

…I should work even harder.

I tried to nod, feeling slightly nervous.

But at that moment.

Unexpected words come from the host’s mouth.

[So… it seems the time has come.]

[Not as a staff member, but as a performer—standing beside Braun.]

“...!”

[I speak with all my sincerity—you are already qualified. Oh, Sol-eum. My friend. Let’s share stories together and bring joy to people.]

[A new face will also be a great stimulus for the audience.]

"…No, it’s okay. I don’t really like stepping in front of an audience…"

[Now, now, deciding so quickly like that hurts my feelings, Sol-eum! Let’s think about it for a moment…]

The hand gripping my shoulder tightens.

[From my perspective, Sol-eum, you undoubtedly have excellent showmanship. This falls within the realm of talent.]

[Do you remember? That time you acted as a prophet and cult leader on the train above the sea. Only those born for it can do such things. Yes.]

[But if my dear friend feels too anxious, there are roles prepared that only last a few minutes, or even just a few seconds…]

[Why not consider it with ease?]

……

Is that much okay?

Now that I think about it, the thought of being completely unable to do it doesn’t really cross my mind.

‘If I work, I should achieve results.’

In the end, I nodded slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Hmm, if it’s just a very small role.”

[Exactly! That’s great.]

The TV-screen face smiles brightly.

[You’re even humble—just as expected from the MVP of my show. Isn’t that right?]

[Ever since you joined our talk show, there hasn’t been a single dull day!]

Now that I think about it, has it already been a month?

Time passed without me even realizing how.

Busy, enjoyable, and fulfilling.

‘Even the staff members are unexpectedly kind.’

As I nodded to the coordinator who handed me water and disappeared, I absentmindedly asked Braun.

"Um, but why do all the staff members here have no faces?"

[Ah, it’s a considerate mindset focused on the show.To prevent unexpected bodily reactions or sudden accidents like screams, coughing, or speech from being heard during a live broadcast, they made the decision themselves.]

"That’s some incredible professionalism. Uh, do I also have to lose my face…?"

[What are you saying, Sol-eum?!]

Oh dear.

[For those who step onto the stage, expressions and faces are absolutely necessary. Expression is the essence of entertainment!]

[Ah, of course, if Sol-eum insists… There is an alternative. Wait a moment.]

Tap.

The host grabbed my chin.

And then, as if making an assessment, he stared at me…

[Hmm. You could get rid of your face. But instead, I will craft you a truly exquisite… mask.]

That…

…….

“I’ll think about it more next time.”

[Right? Haha! It would be such a waste to get rid of that face.]

The host let go of his hand.

Looking at Braun’s beaming smile, I smiled along.

[Ah, I must start preparing for the next broadcast again.This time, the audience members are…Oh, office workers. I must entertain those weary souls.]

[So… does that mean Sol-eum will be stepping onto the stage today as well?]

“I’ll do my best.”

[Great. That’s wonderful… This will be Sol-eum’s grand debut!]

Hmm. I hope so.