I'll be honest.
It has been a month since I joined.
Working at this ghost story conglomerate… It’s surprisingly bearable!
“Wow, it’s insane. Another 30-minute clear!”
“Aren’t they outperforming Team C at this point?”
Hearing something that sounds like it came from an over-the-top Y-Tube web drama, in real life? Never thought this day would come.
“Hey, enjoy it. It’s your accomplishment.”
Lunch break.
The deputy, confidently having grabbed both Menu A and Menu B from the cafeteria, said that with gusto.
For reference, we’d just cleared a case earlier this morning.
“Thanks to you, even I managed to pull off the insane feat of clearing 12 new darkness cases in a month.”
“No, it’s all thanks to your leadership.”
“Leadership? I’m just hitching a ride on your bus.”
“Exactly. I’ll treat you to beef today, Senior Sol-eum.”
“Minseong… That’s a bit much.”
“Come on, why not? Roe’s more of a senior than me.”
When a superior cracks jokes like that, it’s surprisingly difficult to reply without feeling awkward…
But, whether he was serious or joking, instead of waiting for my reaction, Supervisor park excitedly showed us a screenshot of his monthly points.
“Already at 5,000 points!”
Right.
[Park Minseong, Supervisor / Points Earned: 5,200p]
That’s the same amount I accumulated this month too.
‘Speedrunning really works.’
Of course, most were F or D grades, so it was manageable.
‘Higher-grade cases don’t appear often, huh?’
If they did, the world would’ve already ended with “And that’s how the world perished” as the closing line of the company’s narrative.
Anyway, the superiors seemed more excited about my performance than I was.
It’s always more interesting when it’s about someone else, isn’t it?
“This must be the fastest record for a new hire in company history.”
“Whoa!”
Now that I think about it, I’ve hardly seen any of my fellow new hires.
Since I’ve been running back and forth exclusively between the 17th-floor research team office and field sites, I haven’t had many chances to encounter other field teams.
‘Well, Baek Saheon and I are treating each other as non-existent.’
To maintain the crazy persona I adopted early on, I occasionally throw out some over-the-line jokes related to work.
– “You’re going into ‘darkness’ today too, right? Want to bet on how many civilians die?”
– “…”
Thanks for the inspiration, gambling researcher. I owe you one.
Seeing Baek Saheon gritting his teeth in silence proved that my approach was effective.
‘Smooth sailing.’
I finished the last sip of my galbitang (short rib soup) and set the bowl down.
Clocking out on time, getting bonuses.
‘The cafeteria food’s pretty decent too.’
With benefits like these, this company might just score a 3.5 or higher on employment rating sites like ‘JobKorea.’
As long as you ignore the crushing stress of essentially staying overnight at haunted houses filled with ghosts every day…
‘If it weren’t for my survival, I’d never be doing any of this… But here I am, I guess it’s just another corporate job.’
And just like any job, it’s easy to trick yourself into thinking it’s tolerable when you’re seeing results.
“Roe.”
Deputy Eun Hajae’s voice was small and low.
“At this rate, you’re bound to catch a higher-up’s attention.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Your performance, I mean.”
“…”
“Once could be considered luck or strategy, but ten times? That’s not just a fluke.”
The deputy squinted slightly and gave a sly grin.
“Mark my words. Someone up top will want to examine you closely. When that happens, let us know. Tell the team leader too.”
Hmm.
At a normal company, I might’ve worried about my results being stolen and considered keeping quiet.
But here? This is the ghost story universe, and the person saying this has a record of me saving her life.
I obediently nodded.
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. You know, our team leader… well, even at first glance, he’s a bit extraordinary, isn’t he?"
Our eyes drifted toward Manager Lee Jaheon, who had already housed his meal and was leaving the cafeteria.
"If you ever get some absurd offer, he’ll probably cover for you at least once, if you ask."
That lizard?
"…Yes."
"Alright. Roe, you really catch things fast."
Truth be told, I wasn’t fully convinced, but that’s a secret I’d keep to myself. I just nodded along.
Still… higher-ups might take notice, huh?
As I cleared my tray and stood up, I mulled over it.
‘If that’s how it is, standing out is inevitable.’
I’d already accepted that fact.
After all, if I had seen that clown crawling out of a portrait with only its upper body, I would’ve passed out on the spot.
But I did have one thing I could rely on.
"No way they’d assign a rookie something tougher than this, right?"
Anything beyond this level would stop being grunt work and become critical tasks that could affect the company.
Giving a new hire—who wasn’t even a lateral hire—the department’s core responsibilities after just a month on the job?
[Note: Lateral Hire means hiring senior-level positions with external candidates.]
Not even the craziest Y-Tube skit would go that far. And socially, even in a major corporation like this one, it’s an unspoken rule that such things simply don’t happen.
I just considered myself lucky that my tasks had conveniently "developed" into handling ghost stories without manuals.
If this becomes the norm, they’ll likely chalk it up to me being specialized in that field and move on.
"Shall we head back?"
"Yes."
Having reached a conclusion, I returned my dishes.
However, at that moment, I’d become so accustomed to this world and corporate life that I overlooked one universal truth about office politics.
A nail that sticks out like a sore thumb gets hammered down!
At the same time, in the Research Team 1’s office.
‘Again, they escaped in just over an hour…’
A researcher, wasting time while checking Team D’s records, gritted his teeth.
"So, they’ve earned about 5,000 points by now?"
At this rate, they might actually break the record in a few years and claim the wish token…
"…"
"Man, must be nice."
The researcher grumbled.
"Some of us rot in the lab, dealing with all kinds of horrific crap, and we don’t even get hazard pay. Scraping together 500 points a month is already a challenge."
"…"
"And then there’s a rookie who earned 5,000 points in a single month…"
"Hey, cut it out."
The researcher clamped his mouth shut, seething inside at the reality where even voicing complaints was out of the question.
Something felt fundamentally wrong.
‘There’s someone out there just getting lucky with a good weapon drop and racking up easy points.’
Meanwhile, there were those who couldn’t even dream of such points or privileges due to lack of access.
‘Field Exploration Teams might roll in the dirt, but research roles are supposed to be more elite and better compensated. Isn’t that how it should be?’
The unfairness gnawed at him.
He conveniently forgot all the times he’d sneered and referred to the Field Exploration employees as ‘lab rats.’
‘Well, sometimes the stars align, and darkness explorations just go smoothly like that.’
Manager Gwak Jaegang chuckled, tossing out a casual comment to the researcher.
"Although I’ll admit, this pace is pretty impressive."
"…"
Feigning ignorance of the researcher’s salty expression, Gwak Jaegang flipped through some paperwork.
"Oh, this time, they need at least ten people to enter the darkness, don’t they?"
"…"
"Supervisor Lee?"
"Ah, yes. That’s right. It requires ten people to enter."
"Hmm."
Gwak Jaegang smiled as he picked up a pen.
"So, it’s a team effort this time, huh?"
– To deploy: Teams A, D, and Y.
"…"
The researcher watched as Gwak Jaegang pulled up the deployment chart and marked the relevant teams.
And then, it happened.
"Supervisor Lee."
"Yes?"
"Do you know why Field Exploration Teams are categorized into Alphabets?"
He didn’t.
Someone just muddling through their tasks to hold onto their position wouldn’t have much knowledge about the structures of other departments.
Gwak Jaegang smiled and tapped the documents. It was a peculiar smile.
"In short, it’s based on performance rankings."
"…!"
"You know, like in schools—honors class, regular class, remedial class."
The researcher suddenly had a realization.
"Then… is Team D the honors class?"
"Nope."
A flat rejection.
"A to C—that’s the elite tier."
Gwak Jaegang tapped those teams with his pen.
"The rest? Disposable."
"…Ah."
Just as the researcher felt a faint sense of satisfaction began to creep in, it was crushed in an instant.
"But, well… Just between us, there’s talk going around that Team D’s results are so unprecedented that they might get some special treatment in the next reassignment. These are all just rumors, of course. Haha.”
"…!"
Corporate gossip, like all tall tales, wasn’t exactly reliable.
But it still made the researcher uneasy.
"Any bad news?"
As if to meet that expectation, Gwak Jaegang muttered something under his breath, feigning regret.
"Still, their luck is something else—getting assigned alongside Team A out of all other teams."
"…! Wait, isn’t it a good thing to team up with an elite team?"
"Not necessarily, wouldn’t you say? You know why."
Gwak Jaegang stroked his chin.
"Some darknesses require a sacrifice before opening an escape route."
Especially…
In those that require many people to enter.
Gwak Jaegang shrugged.
“This exploration is going to make things interesting.”
* * *
A few days later.
Just like the past month, Team D naturally responded to the call and went up to the 17th floor.
What greeted us was an unexpected sight.
“Greetings.”
“…?!”
Guests were standing in Research Team 1’s office.
People wearing various masks.
‘Other teams from the Field Exploration department?’
I quickly counted the heads.
Roughly seven people.
Among them was someone I recognized—a fellow rookie from the company orientation.
– The one who asked the host, “Can you bring someone back to life?”
The rookie wearing a cow mask was quietly bowing his head, leaning against a desk.
There was an ominous air about him.
His long hair, unusual for a man, seemed long enough to attract criticism in a typical workplace. Of course, this wasn’t the kind of place where anyone seemed to care about such things.
“Ah.”
“Well… Ahem.”
The senior members of Team D let out vague sighs—either in admiration or lamentation…
“Oh, Team D is finally here? Well then~ Let’s start the briefing.”
Gwak Jaegang appeared and led everyone into the attached meeting room.
While going in, Deputy Eun asked a question.
“Are we entering with the other teams?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“…”
The deputy glanced around briefly before returning near me and whispering in a low voice, quiet enough to avoid being overheard.
“Do you see the employees with the gold-marked masks?”
“Yes.”
“That’s Team A.”
I already knew.
‘They’re the elite team.’
Daydream Incorporation operates on a system where ghost stories must be cleared to harvest the resources that keep the company running.
‘For a company to avoid collapsing under some incomprehensible plot hole, it needs an inhumanly competent and productive field exploration team…’
This explained why Team A had so many notable figures in the >Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>. I nodded slightly.
Team A consisted of three people wearing unique masks: a butterfly, a mantis, and a mallard duck.
At that moment, the person in the mallard duck mask acknowledged me.
It was a middle-aged woman with a vibrant, powerful voice.
“Ah, so you’re the one, Employee Kim Sol-eum?”
“Yes, hello.”
I bowed instinctively, cold sweat trickling down my back.
‘The one Kim Sol-eum? What sort of rumors were going around about me?’
“Alright, alright. If there’s an opportunity, let’s talk. You’re a bright young man with a promising future.”
With that, she walked past me and took her seat.
…That must be the leader of Team A.
Deputy Eun continued.
“And… the ones without gold-marked masks are Team Y.”
“…”
Three members without gold markings, along with the rookie in the cow mask I recognized. There was a distinct, gloomy air about them.
“Team Y’s leader isn’t even a manager but a regular employee. Just… let it slide.”
“Understood.”
I already knew that too.
Then Supervisor Park leaned over to whisper something.
“Hmm… Roe, listen. About those people, especially Team Y—just… don’t get caught up and keep it light, okay? I’ll explain the reasons later.”
“Yes.”
I nodded obediently.I had a vague idea of what the explanation might be anyway.
But suddenly, the supervisor beside me seemed touched.
“Wow. Honestly… you’re like a sharp, upgraded version of the manager. I really like that about you”
“I think the same.”
“…”
Was that… a compliment?
“Alright, everyone, please take your seats. Let’s start the briefing!”
Manager Gwak Jaegang stood in front of the meeting room’s board without even turning on the prompter.
“Let’s talk about the darkness—or, rather, we would if we actually knew anything about it!”
Manager Kwak chuckled.
“…??”
“What do you mean, Manager Gwak?”
“There’s only one piece of information from the civilian escape!”
“…Ha.”
Amidst the silence, a single sheet of paper was distributed.
I looked at the nearly note-like page.
Incident: During a college club retreat at Hanmaum Pension in Gangwon Province, 12 members vanished while playing a board game.
Details: The board game in question, “Cheerful Theme Park! Enjoy a Fantasyland Adventure,” is presumed to be a product of Cheerful Research Lab*.
Survivors stated that the game was ‘already in the pension’ upon their arrival. However, the pension owner denied this claim.
Outcome: 17 hours later, some members returned, exhibiting signs of PTSD, mild neurosis, and other psychological symptoms.
Survivors: 4
Missing: 1
Deceased: 7
The next page contained fragmented statements from the survivors about their experiences in the “board game theme park.” The accounts were sparse, likely due to the survivors’ severe mental trauma.
But even this brief information was enough for me to recognize it.
I gulped hard.
‘So, it’s finally time.’
A ghost story that required a large group to participate!
“It seems the board game requires more than ten players. Is that why the team count is so high?”
“Exactly, we’ve tried to recreate the environment as closely as possible.”
Manager Gwak Jaegang winked.
“Still! Isn’t it impressive that our team managed to identify the entry method under such difficult conditions?”
“Didn’t you just bring the board game?”
“Haha! Don’t underestimate us, Deputy Jin! We even figured out the game rules.”
The butterfly-masked employee from Team A said nothing, and Manager Kwak remained unfazed, setting the board game on the table.
“Here it is.”
[Cheerful Theme Park!]
~Enjoy a Fantasyland Adventure~:
Race to board three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win exciting prizes!
The box cover depicted a colorful theme park. Inside were illustrated maps of various zones and brightly colored coins.
“Alright, let’s split into teams and start the game.”
The idea of willingly diving into a ghost story where over half the participants had died was unsettling, though he said it cheerfully.
“Should we just stick to our respective teams?”
“Oh, no. You’ll be drawing game pieces from this capsule. Teams will be assigned based on the color of the pieces!”
Manager Gwak showed a small capsule toy machine included in the game.
“You shake it, and a piece drops out from this hole.”
“Random, then.”
Sighing, everyone eventually drew their pieces.
Blue, yellow, red… I drew last, as expected.
My piece was…
“Kim Sol-eum, you got red.”
Of course, it was red.
A color often associated with ominous implications in ghost stories. Not the best omen.
‘Though, to be fair, this ghost story doesn’t revolve around colors.’
I swallowed hard, bracing myself for the future that was ahead of me.
“Once we unfold the game, we’ll enter!”
But even when Manager Lee unfolded the board, nothing happened.
“…”
Huh?
A thought struck me like lightning, and I recounted the players.
Four yellow, four blue.
And for red… including me…
Team A’s butterfly-masked Deputy Jin and the rookie from Team Y.
Three people total.
“…”
Oh no.
“We’re one player short.”
Manager Lee Jaheon, with his vertical pupils, turned to Manager Gwak.
“It seems we cannot enter with just 11 players. We’ll need 12 to proceed.”
“Oh, that?”
Manager Gwak casually responded, tossing the capsule to a nearby research assistant notorious for his gambling addiction.
“Hey, Supervisor Lee, catch!”
“Wh-What?!”
Flustered, the supervisor caught the capsule.
Plink.
A red piece rolled out.
“…?!”
“I-I drew it!”
Wait a minute.
~Fantasyland! Off we go~
The game board rose into the air, consuming our surroundings.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Hahahahahaha!”
The assistant’s screams echoed in my ears, along with Manager Gwak’s laughter.
“…”
I thought back to the entry on Manager Gwak’s <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> wiki page.
-------------------------------
Psychopath obsessed with ghost stories.
Mad scientist.
Known for deliberately setting up suicidal combinations or actions during unexplored ghost stories to extract unique data. A primary contributor to expanding exploration records.
For details on his disciplinary records, see #ExplorationRecords (Extras).
-------------------------------
…I’d always known this day might come.
“What the hell?! What is this?!”
The moment I realized we needed a large group coupled with the fact that it included people from both Team A and Team Y, I was suspicious…
‘He’s deliberately sabotaging our survival chances.’
This wasn’t about maximizing survival to clear the ghost story.
It’s a setup where everyone but Team A is expected to die.
