Around the time Field Exploration Team D entered the ghost story.

"Manager, what grade do you think this one will receive? Do you think going with D-Grade is a safe bet?"

"Hey, Supervisor Lee. Read the room a little, will you?"

"…"

"I mean, it’s fun and all, but keep it in the Development Department. Don’t bring it up when other teams are around, got it?"

"…Ah, yes."

The research team’s supervisor, who had been smirking and chatting about bets with his colleagues, finally clamped his mouth shut.

For someone who’d seemed easygoing and approachable since he was young, Manager Gwak Jaegang’s reply hit him like a bucket of cold water.

This sour mood which he couldn’t take out on a superior led him to another source of irritation.

Field Exploration Team’s new recruit!

‘The nerve of that rookie, glaring at his superior.’

He had even tried to include the newbie in the betting pool, only to be flat-out rejected.

That unbothered, blank expression still lingered in his mind. His name was Kim Sol-eum, wasn’t it?

‘For a new lab rat, where is he getting that attitude from?’

Half of the new recruits in the Field Exploration Team usually die on arrival anyway. But now, just because he managed to produce results once, this kid thought he could hold his head high? It was laughable.

Every year, there was talk about some rookie who didn’t realize their place. Now, he saw one for himself.

‘I wonder if he’ll die. It’d be hilarious if he did.’

His morally numbed brain tingled with the anticipation of dopamine at the thought.

He quickly sent a message in the company’s anonymous betting group chat.

- 10 on it being D.

- Ok.

It wasn’t just a bet. It was also a wish. D-Grade would mean a higher chance of death!

Unfortunately, his superior cut him off.

"Supervisor Lee, make sure the preliminary report is finished before the end of the day."

"…Yes, yes."

‘As if they could even make it out of the ‘darkness’ before my shift ends.’

This was a task he could’ve easily offloaded onto his replacement during the shift change, but no, the manager specifically assigned it to him.

‘Why is my boss like this?’

The supervisor grumbled internally as he continued drafting the preliminary report for the experiment.

- 3.2 Test Subjects

 Adults aged 18 or older who have viewed the five-second video titled “The Clown Hates You,” used as a promotional advertisement on a specific video-sharing site 4.

‘Didn’t people get dragged in when they approached the clown in the video?’

Wasn’t it stupid of them to go near it?

If something seems suspicious, you should run away. At this point, anyone who died basically deserved it.

‘Then again, some civilians do get lucky and make it out alive.’

According to the testimony of surviving civilians from previous reports, they had managed to escape by entering an empty portrait from which the clown had emerged.

‘Even the test subjects know about that.’

But the exact portrait that served as the "exit" hadn’t been identified yet.

The corridors, the sizes of the portraits, the frames, and the timings—everything was different with each new entry.

Most survivors had simply leaped into the empty portrait the clown had come from, and only a lucky few had made it back.

‘Figuring the portrait will take a ridiculous amount of trial and error.’

You’d have to awaken the clowns, evade them, and sometimes fight them off, burning through a ton of stamina.

On top of that, not knowing the right portrait would make it even more frightening!

At that point, at least one casualty was almost guaranteed. It would likely turn into a scenario where they sacrificed one another to test their luck.

‘If anyone escapes, it’ll take at least half a day. Maybe even a few days….’

"Whoooaahhh!"

"Clear!"

"…"

"…"

Wait, what?

The researcher turned his head.

Suddenly, people came pouring out from a corner of the lab.

…It was the entire Field Exploration Team D.

"…?!"

"Is the dream collector full?"

"Yes! Oh, it’s D-Grade!"

He instinctively checked his watch.

2:41 PM.

They had entered at 2:15 PM.

‘So they’ve been inside for… 26 minutes.’

Hold on.

‘…26 minutes?!’

Seeing all four members of Team D emerge from the ghost story in less time than it took for a coffee break, a heavy silence fell over the office of Research Team 1.

‘Am I dreaming?’

No.

‘Did we somehow end up in a ghost story too?’

Also no.

"…What the hell?! How did you get out so quickly?! Hey, Manager Lee Jaheon, was it your brute force approach again?"

Gwak Jaegang’s exclamation was immediately met with a chorus of replies.

"Nope."

"Not at all."

"He did it."

As he shifted his gaze toward Team D members who spoke in unison, Gwak’s eyes landed on someone at the back.

"…Nice to see you again."

The rookie, Kim Sol-eum, quietly bowed.

"…Was it his doing again?"

‘But he’s just a rookie?’ His unspoken question was met with a nonchalant response.

"What’s new?"

"Roe’s been like this since day one."

"…??"

The senior members of Team D offered no further explanation as they started organizing their masks.

Manager Lee Jaheon nodded.

"That’s how it is."

"…"

"It’s a D-Grade darkness."

"Ah, right. Yes."

Without hesitation, Manager Lee Jaheon started the report. Accustomed to this efficiency-over-everything style, Gwak quickly followed up.

"Then, how did you clear it?"

"? No idea."

"…"

"Oh, may I explain?"

The rookie raised his hand.

"Sure… Go ahead."

"First of all, the video required to trigger this darkness is titled <The Clown Hates You>, correct?"

"That’s right."

"But the clown isn’t actually a clown."

"…??"

"Clowns have colorful makeup, smile exaggeratedly, and perform tricks and comedy. They’re a type of traditional entertainer."

And?

"However, the clown in the video wore monochromatic makeup and had a crying expression."

"…!"

"There’s a clear distinction."

Kim Sol-eum’s pale face briefly flashed a faint smile before it disappeared.

“And since it said, ‘The Clown Hates You,’ I figured it wouldn’t chase us.”

After all, entertainers don’t go after people they dislike.

“To confirm this, I searched for a portrait with monochrome makeup and only red lips, avoiding all other portraits completely.”

“...”

“And just in case, we maintained a safe distance of 3 meters and interacted with the portrait remotely.”

Clearing an unfamiliar darkness in just 30 minutes while considering all that?

Moreover, based on the outcome…

“The clown didn’t come out of the portrait.”

“…!”

“Instead, it quietly vanished from the image.”

This rookie had pinpointed the exact solution.

Previously, civilians who entered had been too busy being chased by clowns falling out of every portrait to even realize this. But Team D, who interacted solely with one specific portrait from a distance, had perfectly grasped the situation.

The researched found this premonition chilling.

Not to mention, they accounted for other variable factors.

“Reports said that shining light would cause clowns to spring out from all the portraits, so we refrained from using any external light sources.”

“Huh? Then how did you manage to identify the portraits from 3 meters away in such darkness?”

“Oh.”

Kim Sol-eum blinked.

“Our team leader could just tell by looking….”

“…”

Ah.

Gwak Jaegang fought the urge to glance over at Team D’s leader, who seemed like the type to fit the phrase, “Natural Human Weapon.”

“From now on, I recommend anyone entering to take night-vision goggles. That should suffice.”

“A-Ah, right…”

“That concludes my report.”

Once again, a heavy silence filled the room.

Gwak Jaegang murmured to himself, as though in disbelief.

“So… He deduced all this just from the preliminary information.”

“Yes.”

The rookie replied, and as if realizing something, he said,

“Maybe no one who’s entered so far has been particularly familiar with American pop culture.”

“...”

Could it really be that simple…?

“Sol-eum, by any chance… Did you study abroad or something?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Kim Sol-eum answered immediately.

“I just happen to know a lot of random trivia.”

“…”

The researchers witnessed a rare moment where the usually articulate Gwak Jaegang was at a loss for words.

“Oh, and I’ve drafted a temporary manual based on this theory. Supervisor Park Minseong lent me his notebook, so….”

“Oh, I didn’t help at all! Roe, you did it all yourself~”

As the voice of Team D’s supervisor echoed in the background, the researchers watched Gwak Jaegang receive the notebook.

They craned their necks for a peek.

Inside, the rookie’s hypothesis was neatly summarized, just as he had explained moments ago.

“…!”

After skimming it, Gwak Jaegang smiled and closed the notebook.

“…Alright, let’s test this.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so, the prototype manual was complete.

By the efforts of a single individual—a rookie, no less.

“…”

The researcher who had just made a bet questioned his sanity.

Even if someone had coincidentally known about the clown, could they really construct such a thorough theory under extreme conditions, escape in 30 minutes, and even put together a clear explanation?

No, there’s no way something like that is possible.

‘Is he some kind of monster pretending to be a human?’

But that kind of creature wouldn’t pass the recruitment process for the Exploration Team.

Besides, the Dream Collector supposedly only reacts to humans.

“Team Leader, the Research Team wants the item brought back from the darkness.”

“Understood.”

Meanwhile, Manager Lee Jaheon handed over the scrap of fabric he had been holding.

“That is…?”

“Oh, the Team Leader dashed forward the moment the clown tried to escape and grabbed it by the collar….”

This torn piece of its clothing was a result of their scruffle.

“…”

‘Birds of a feather, huh?’

Were they distant relatives or something?

Now that he thought about it, the two looked somewhat alike—both had that same cocky vibe about them.

For a moment, the researcher almost fell into an absurd whirlpool of thoughts.

And as for the rookie who had caused all of this…

‘I-I’m alive.’

Having charged ahead recklessly without a second thought, his heart was still pounding furiously!

‘Why did that clown have teeth?! Why was the other one peeling off someone’s skin?! Why was it sucking people down the sewer like balloons?!’

Having witnessed all sorts of clown portraits that seemed alive, Kim Sol-eum had officially developed a clown phobia today.

‘Adding to the insomnia list….’

In hindsight, he could only be amazed at how he had somehow managed to bluff his way through the situation convincingly enough to survive.

‘Wait… did I handle it properly?’

It wasn’t too suspicious, was it?

I mean, they wouldn’t find me out and drag me to the secret labs as a lab rat for higher-intelligence experiments, right?!

Just as Kim Sol-eum was about to spiral into a sea of anxiety, Gwak Jaegang, who had silently received the notebook, spoke up.

“…Rookie Kim Sol-eum, have you received any kind of business card yet?”

Startled back to reality, Kim Sol-eum answered.

“No, new hires don’t usually…”

“Oh, come on, don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”

“…”

Kim Sol-eum’s thoughts screeched to a halt.

A memory surfaced.

The business card that was handed to him during the gift ceremony after the test.

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

When needed
010-0153-24865

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

The Research Team’s manager smirked.

“If you want to rack up points faster, give it a call.”

“…”

“I’ve got a feeling you’ll be calling soon.”

It sounded like a tempting offer.

But.

“No, thank you.”

Kim Sol-eum replied without hesitation.

“…Hmm. If you say so.”

Gwak Jaegang shrugged it off easily.

“No reason not to, though, is there? Haha.”

“…”

It was simple.

‘More terrifying events… no thanks.’

The timid heart had already been thoroughly shaken, having just entered the ghost story.

Kim Sol-eum decided to settle for the current triple points event and leave it at that!