A dark ventilation duct within the ghost story.

A situation where I had to hold my breath to escape the horror.

To think that the person whose life I just saved is none other than Baek Saheon. What an absurd situation.

‘Of all people, it had to be you.’

What’s more, he’s now desperately avoiding my gaze.

“...?”

That’s not like him…

‘Ah, don’t tell me.’

Something clicked in my mind.

[Watch out for the serial killer.]

Perhaps it’s because I’ve been sending him daily serial killer alerts, kindly warning him. He seems a bit scared. Well, I suppose that’s unsettling enough.

‘Actually, this works out.’

It was somewhat intentional. I didn’t bother to send the warnings anonymously because I wanted this exact effect.

Pretty psychopathic, right? But the idea was to make sure he didn’t get too involved with me.

Given his personality—strong against the weak, weak against the strong—it’s unlikely he’d try to use this situation to take me out. Instead, he’d probably just look out for himself and avoid entangling with me as much as possible.

‘That works just fine.’

...The problem is, for now, we’re both stuck in this ventilation duct together.

I held my breath. Thankfully, Baek Saheon stayed quiet as a mouse.

Outside, shadows of those who failed to escape flickered faintly under the candlelight in the darkness.

Creeeeak, thud.

The machine stopped.

From the shadows of people cornered at a dead-end, a thin silhouette extended forward, resembling spider legs.

And then, silence.

“...”

“...”

Only an inexplicable mechanical noise echoed through the space.

Whoosh.

The spider-leg-like silhouette unfurled sharply before a human face.

Hiiieeek!!

Eight sharp, delicate limbs gripped a person’s torso. Their trembling shadow flickered against the unsteady candlelight.

S-save me! Please, save me—Ahhh!!

Squish.

One of the spider-like limbs thrust itself between the human’s head and neck.

Then, with a pop, it pulled something out of their skull.

“...”

And of course, I already knew what it pulled out.

‘…An eyeball.’

That’s it. That’s why this exhibition is nicknamed "Mansion of the Sightless Ones."

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

It’s been reported that many visitors claim to have lost human body parts to guides during their tours, with the eyes being the most commonly lost first.

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

‘The guide.’

If you encounter that machine, your eyes will be taken.

The next time, it’ll usually be a limb, a tongue, or an ear.

And so, bit by bit, visitors are reduced to blind, mute, crippled husks, left to crawl around the dark exhibition halls.

That’s the twisted story here.

The fact that this doesn’t happen all at once somehow makes it even worse.

Ironically, it’s because this exhibition is so “considerate.”

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

For the convenience of our visitors, sensory enhancement devices are always available for free rental.

(Currently supported: vision, smell, hearing, touch, taste, proprioception, panoramic vision.)

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

Creeeak, squelch.

A spider-leg-like silhouette elegantly approached the eyeless person’s face.

As the leg extended into the flickering candlelight, its end briefly revealed a distinct shape—a thin needle and thread.

‘Oh, crap.’

I held my breath and waited longer until the chaos outside subsided completely.

Sweat dripped down my face and chin.

A moment later.

Thud, thud, thud…

The mechanical noise faded into the distance.

...Soon, the person who had lost their eyes began to stagger around, walking unsteadily toward the ventilation duct. Their bloodied face briefly came into view before vanishing again.

Instead of eyes, telescopic lenses protruded from their sockets.

“...!”

Next to me, Baek Saheon silently mouthed a curse.

I could relate.

‘With those lenses, they’ll be able to see for a few hours—maybe a day or two at most.’

But since it’s only a rental, the device will gradually fail, leaving them more terrified.

And when they meet the guide again, even the rental device will be ‘retrieved.’

Because, after all, it’s just a rental.

‘This is insane.’

What I just witnessed felt like the prelude to countless horrors yet to come. I instinctively shut my eyes tight.

‘But if I let my fear show, he’ll notice.’

I couldn’t afford that.

After confirming everything was quiet, I carefully crawled out of the ventilation duct.

‘I can’t stay here.’

I needed to move quickly and find a way out. I’d organize the exploration records and manual once I was separated from Baek Saheon.

“Excuse me.”

Huh?

“Thank you.”

Suddenly, Baek Saheon addressed me politely, with formal speech, even nodding as if we’d just met for the first time on the subway.

And then, he subtly tried to make his escape.

“Well, I’ll just be going now…”

“Wait.”

Baek Saheon froze in his tracks.

I asked, 

“How long have you been in here?”

“...”

“You don’t want to answer?”

“...About two hours.”

So, he came in quite a bit earlier than me.

This isn’t one of those ghost stories where you lose your sense of time, so if even a newbie like Baek Saheon has been here since morning…

‘The Team D superiors must’ve held me back on purpose!’

For a brief moment, I felt deeply touched.

This was enough motivation to make me want to hurry up and find my teammates to get out of here.

‘Our Lizard Manager probably would’ve made it into the final seven survivors anyway.’

But I really need to locate the other Team D members quickly.

…Though honestly, the moment I stepped out of the vent and looked down the hallway, all I could do was sigh...

‘I have to explore this entire place on my own?’

I’m supposed to search every nook and cranny here for clues? All while playing hide-and-seek with that guide monster?

No wonder there’s even a horror game based on this darkness. I haven’t played it, but I’ve seen videos of it on YouTube.

…while covering my face with hands, of course.

“……”

Hmm. Even if someone’s personality is awful... having company... is probably better, right?

I turned to look at Baek Saheon.

* * *

In the dark.

Baek Saheon gulped hard beside Kim Sol-eum.

‘Sh*t.’

Of all people, I had to get stuck with this lunatic.

Since the moment I got assigned to him as a roommate at the company dorms, nothing has gone right.

Listening to his deranged comments late at night—when he looks like the kind of person who’d never get into trouble even with drunkards—was enough to make my head spin.

‘Do I really have to stick with this guy?’

The other employees who entered with me seemed to have been scattered across this bizarre mansion, regaining consciousness wherever they landed. 

And as for the civilians I ran into earlier—well, they’ve already been obliterated.

Honestly, I’d rather go alone than stay with this unhinged lunatic...

While Baek Saheon was furiously weighing his options, Kim Sol-eum suddenly spoke.

“You’re speaking formally? All of a sudden?”

Damn it.

A cold sweat ran down Baek Saheon’s spine.

“...Back then was a pretty urgent situation, so I just happened to speak informally, but... now it feels right to go back to polite language.”

Kim Sol-eum stared at him for a moment, then responded nonchalantly.

“Fair enough. Got it.”

“…Yes.”

Should I just run...?

Baek Saheon scrutinized Kim Sol-eum.

He’d already heard all the absurd rumors about this guy.

The rookie from the field exploration team who performs like an actual monster.

– “I heard he cleared an A-Grade darkness all by himself.”

– “Apparently, he was scouted by the elite team. But he turned it down?”

– “Wow, and he even found the missing manager during one of his missions. Is this guy really a rookie?”

– “Two manual revisions approved because of him? Is this some kind of propaganda tool cooked up by HQ?”

The rumors had grown so exaggerated that some employees started wondering if he was just an industry plant by the company.

But Baek Saheon didn’t doubt the rumors.

‘Isn’t it just because he’s insane?’

The reason that guy racks up such monstrous results is probably because his mindset is as twisted as the monsters we deal with.

His way of thinking is so far removed from normal people’s that he can come up with solutions no one else would ever consider.

Baek Saheon was self-aware enough to know he was a pragmatic and selfish person.

But the unpredictability of someone like Kim Sol-eum? That was a whole other level of unnerving.

The terror of the unknown.

‘If someone told me that guy ‘himself’ is a ghost story, I’d believe it.’

Baek Saheon broke into a cold sweat.

Still, he wanted information, so he cautiously opened his mouth.

Might as well listen to what the lunatic had to say.

“Where are you planning to go? Based on how that monster’s attacking people, it seems like we’re being treated as uninvited guests in this darkness, but…”

“No.”

“…What?”

“This exhibition clearly recognizes us as guests.”

What the hell is this nonsense?

Baek Saheon stared at Kim Sol-eum, who spoke with absolute confidence as if stating an undeniable fact.

“That’s why they’re here to collect fees. They’re only taking eyes, aren’t they? It’s just a usage fee.”

“……”

“Didn’t you read the manual?”

Of course, he did.

That bizarre contaminated document disguised as an invitation.

“It’s an invitation. Someone who’s been invited can’t possibly be an uninvited guest.”

“…But there was no mention of any fee.”

“Read it again. Toward the bottom of page three.”

Baek Saheon unfolded the paper.

+++

This exhibition is generously offering one hour of free admission to the open hearts that admire art.

+++

“A free hour of admission implies that, after an hour, they’ll either charge fees or kick you out.”

“…!”

“And judging by the fact that they’re taking eyes instead of throwing us out, they must be collecting fees. That thing earlier was probably a ‘staff member’ of this exhibition.”

Oddly enough, it made sense.

Baek Saheon inadvertently asked.

“Why do you think they take human eyes as payment?”

“No idea. Maybe they consider it the most valuable part of the human body?”

“……!”

“They probably think all our possessions are worthless to them.”

“…‘Them’?”

Kim Sol-eum shook his head with an impassive expression.

“Don’t know.”

And, likely, none of the people trapped here will ever find out either.

A chill ran down Baek Saheon’s spine.

“Anyway, whoever’s running this exhibition seems to think the human body is the most valuable thing we possess.”

“……”

“And the eyes are probably just the most convenient payment to start with.”

Eyes.

Baek Saheon only had one.

He reflexively almost pressed his hand against the eyepatch covering his missing eye.

The memory was still fresh.

Kim Sol-eum’s piercing gaze as he held up the “answer”—the other eyeball—staring at Baek without a shred of concern.

The eerie calmness, the cold observation, waiting for Baek to realize the meaninglessness of losing his eye.

That mocking look.

This darkness might use human eyes as a fee, but what on earth did Kim Sol-eum grow up on to act so unnervingly?

“But…”

“…!”

Kim Sol-eum’s gaze fixed on Baek Saheon.

“You’ve gone back to speaking informally.”

[Note: It’s hard to capture Korea’s formal speech without making it seem awkward. Minor stuff like “seems like” instead of “looks like” should do well in capturing it. But, we’ll try our best to portray it.

Here, Baek Saheon keeps alternating between formal and informal speech.]

Goosebumps prickled up his arms.

Baek Saheon forced himself to speak calmly.

“Fine. Let’s just be casual about it. We’re colleagues, after all. It’ll be easier to escape…”

“I don’t want to though.”

“……”

The rejection stung, but he forced a smile.

“Come on. You must’ve had some intention to save me when you hid me in that vent, right?”

“Yeah. I was planning to use you as bait if necessary.”

“……”

Baek Saheon abandoned any attempt at gaslighting and switched to a more persuasive tone.

Kim Sol-eum seemed to understand this dreadful exhibition better than anyone else.

“It’ll be easier to explore with two people, won’t it? In a dark place like this.”

“Not really.”

“……”

“But let’s stick together. Only for dopamine. Having some company increases the variables.”

This guy is insane.

Baek Saheon was now certain.

In his tumultuous life, he’d never encountered someone this openly unhinged.

And yet…

‘Do I have to become someone like that to survive in this company?’

A wave of defeat washed over him as he clenched his teeth under his black goat mask.

“Let’s move.”

Kim Sol-eum didn’t even glance at the frozen Baek Saheon and began walking.

Then he abruptly spoke.

“Thanks, though. That’s a relief.”

“What?”

What’s he even thankful for?

Before Baek could voice his confusion, Kim Sol-eum brought a hand to his lips.

“Quiet. I’m talking with Braun.”

“……”

Baek Saheon barely managed to respond.

“Braun?”

“Yeah.”

Kim Sol-eum reached into his jacket pocket and pulled something out.

A rabbit plushie keychain.

“Braun’s saying hi to you right now.”

“……”

Baek Saheon was now desperate to run away!

Of course, he had no inkling that Braun was really saying something along the lines of, ‘Oh, hello, soon-to-die neighbor!’

Nor could he have guessed what Kim Sol-eum was actually thinking.

‘Phew. Having another person around makes it a little less scary.’

Because walking through here with just Braun felt as chilling as when I faced that Mountain Lord incident.

‘This was a good choice after all!’

“Are we searching for another vent like the one before?”

“No.”

Kim Sol-eum deliberately gave Baek Saheon a look as if he were a particularly dim person.

“I’m looking for the exit, of course. Why would I look for vents?”

“……”

“You can stay in a vent if you like. And when you get caught, just pay the fee.”

Kim Sol-eum knew all too well what kind of person Baek Saheon was.

‘That one’s dangerous.’

Baek Saheon was the type to scheme and manipulate if given even the slightest opportunity!

Never forget that Baek Saheon’s nickname in the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> was “Viper.”

Never let your guard down!

‘I’ll just act like an even bigger lunatic.’

And so began the uneasy partnership of two lunatics navigating the darkness.