[Everyone, what kind of game is ‘Hangman’?]
[That’s right! It’s an educational game where you guess the spelling of a word! If the letter you call out is in the word, it’s correct! If not, it’s wrong!]
[And to make it easier for learning, we’ll provide you with various hints.]
A figure hung in midair.
Contrasted against that, the pastel-toned TV screen and its bright voice hit my ears.
[Shall we begin?]
The figure of Deputy Manager Eun Hajae suspended in the air smiled bitterly, cold sweat running down her face.
“We all know how this works already. What’s with the long intro, huh?”
This B-Grade ghost story’s fear lies in the mental breakdown, nerve-wracking stress, and hellish hours of agony that drag one to the brink of death.
...It’s like this.
The victim chosen for Hangman is effectively given a death sentence.
However, during the actual “game,” they are temporarily alive.
And the victim is...
[Today’s word is one that best describes Deputy Manager Eun Hajae! Let’s all guess what kind of person Eun Hajae is!]
...mercilessly exposed.
According to the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, every attempt to hide the victim’s personal information during this process fails.
It’s as if their life is being scrutinized, every major event revealed for everyone to judge.
The Hangman game was even modified to achieve this.
[The word consists of 8 letters.]
I raised my head and looked at the blank spaces displayed on the TV screen.
* * *
If all the blanks are filled correctly, the word will be revealed.
Originally, players would take turns randomly guessing letters, and if a guessed letter matched, it would naturally fill in the blanks, leading them closer to the word.
But here...
“In this game, every letter is tied to the victim’s personal information.”
[Here’s a hint for the 8th letter!]
[What was Deputy Manager Eun Hajae’s job four years ago?]
Like this.
Guessing something related to the victim’s life makes it easier to fill in the blanks. So, if you want to speed up the process...
You need the victim’s cooperation.
Which means persuading or coercing the person sentenced to death to talk.
“…”
“…”
A bead of sweat rolled down my chin.
‘So, right now…’
What am I even doing?
With a plushie in my hand, an old-fashioned TV, and Deputy Manager Eun Hajae hanging midair…
What can I even do?
‘Run.’
I moved my feet.
“Roe! Where are you going?!”
“There’s no time. I’ll explain later…”
“Wait, are you looking for the gallows?”
“…!”
“You know breaking it is pointless, right? You read the manual.”
“I won’t know until I try.”
Calling for Manager Lee Jaheon during a quiz show—maybe I can ask him to break the gallows to buy us time until it’s repaired,
“Hold on.”
There’s no time.
“Sit down first. Actually… I’ve got something I want to try as a last resort.”
“…”
“I’m serious. So don’t do anything stupid that’ll get you more penalties.”
Penalties.
“You know what happens, right?”
I do.
This ghost story is built on suffocating fear, a meticulous web of constraints.
The movements and actions of 12 “new teachers” are constantly monitored and graded in real-time by the kindergarten. Any behavior deemed unteacherlike results in a “penalty.”
[One minute left! Teachers, raise your hands and call out a letter!]
“Deputy Manager Eun! Deputy Manager Eun!”
Just then, the playroom door burst open, and a frantic employee rushed in.
Their face was the epitome of frustration and desperation, likely from searching for the victim but being unable to run.
Because running is prohibited in this kindergarten, more strictly than alarms.
Swearing is prohibited, vandalism is prohibited, and all violations of the rules of play are prohibited.
“Dam— Haa… Why does it have to be the room at the end of the third floor?!”
The employee vented their frustration at Eun Hajae, shouting, but still refraining from swearing to obey the rules.
“Hey! What... What was your job four years ago?”
Deputy Manager Eun chuckled.
Because...
“You little fucking prick, who gave you permission to talk down to me?”
“…!”
The hangman is an exception to all these rules.
“Wh-What… Why are you suddenly…?”
Because they’re going to die anyway.
“I didn’t call you out on your crap earlier to avoid drama, but you’re a fucking moron. And now, I couldn’t even gather enough points before dying. That’s pathetic.”
“U-Uh…”
“Feeling wronged? Angry?”
“N-no…”
“Then suck it up. Wouldn’t want to get penalized for ‘no contribution’ later because you couldn’t guess a single letter, right?”
Eun Hajae taunted him with a sly grin.
“There are only eight blanks. Play it smart, yeah?”
“…”
The employee shut his mouth tightly.
That was the only rational move.
Even in the best-case scenario, this ghost story dictates that only one person will die. And if things go sideways, mass casualties are just as possible.
Rules must be followed to survive.
‘And if you fail to guess even a single letter in this Hangman game, you’ll get penalized during the final “evaluation”...’
At that moment.
“Hey, Roe. Come here.”
Deputy Manager Eun called me over.
When I got close, she lowered hervoice so only I could hear.
“My job four years ago was a reporter.”
“…”
“Roe, you answer it. Avoid the ‘no contribution’ penalty and start from there.”
This is insane.
“Even if you don’t want to, it won’t change anything. You know that, right?”
“It helps my mental state.”
“Spare some empathy for someone who might be dead soon, will you?”
Eun Hajae frowned.
“Just imagine how pissed you’ll be if that idiot guesses it first. Understand?”
Ugh...
I pressed my temples hard, then eventually walked toward the TV.
The employee who’d barged in looked stunned.
“W-Wait, you...”
“The last letter of the word is R. The initial of ‘reporter.’”
Static buzzed.
[Correct!]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R
The screen cheerfully displayed the letter.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R
And then.
[Let’s draw the Hangman~]
“Ugh—”
Deputy Manager Eun Hajae’s body twisted.
Her left foot quite literally disappeared.
…A step closer to the gallows.
The sacrifice designated as the “hangman” is sent up the gallows each time other explorers guess correctly about them, and is ultimately hanged.
There are no exceptions.
This is insane.
“…It’s not cut off, so there’s no pain. Don’t worry.”
How can I not worry?
“At least it didn’t start with the neck. We can still talk, right?”
No.
No matter how I think about it, her “last resort” sounded more like a bluff to keep me here safely restrained.
‘I can’t let this drag on.’
Meanwhile, the TV continued.
[Here’s a hint for the 5th blank letter!]
[What was the last mode of transportation Mr. Eun Hajae used during her time as a journalist?]
The employee, hesitating and gritting his teeth, glanced nervously at Deputy Eun Hajae before speaking.
“A-Alright, just tell us... Hey, after all, we—”
“We what?”
Deputy Eun Hajae looked at him with a bemused expression.
“You’ve caused the deaths of three rookies already, you bastard. You’re the one who should’ve died here.”
“Sh-shut up, you dead bi—!”
“Oh, don’t listen to this dead person then.”
Deputy Eun Hajae tilted her head lazily, looking utterly bored.
The employee, now red-faced with anger, pushed me aside and stepped toward the TV.
“Transportation? Yeah, it’s obvious—bus or subway! Alright, subway! Initial S!”
[Oh no, wrong!]
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ R
[As punishment, please read the training manual for 10 minutes!]
“Wh-What…?”
With a distorted sound, a black booklet hologram appeared before the staff member’s eyes and…
“AAAAH!”
…it attached itself to his face.
“Aaaah! No! Aaaaagh!”
The black booklet, stuck to his face as if melting into his skin, seemed to fuse with it. No matter how much he writhed on the floor and tried to tear it off, it was futile.
Beneath the flowing remnants of the booklet, a branding mark appeared on his forehead…
[Chick Class]
Deputy Eun Hajae clicked her tongue.
“Why would you say that, idiot.”
“…”
“Pay attention, Roe. When that accumulates, you’ll be stuck here as a proper ‘kindergarten teacher’ until you’re trained... forever.”
That’s right.
If you fail to participate in the games properly, you face a fate worse than death.
“Three strikes. Three punishments and it’s over.”
Three penalties.
That’s enough to contaminate someone beyond recognition as human.
Like the security team.
‘But it’s worse than that.’
If you’re not rescued like the security team, you’ll just get trapped in this ghost story, never to escape.
“So stop wasting time.”
“...”
“If you mess up, you won’t even die properly.”
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
‘I know.’
In this situation, I’ll survive if I follow the manual.
I even avoided the penalty by guessing one of the letters correctly.
So is there any need to take risks?
‘Taking risks might just make things worse.’
There are countless records of people trying to save the hangman, only to be contaminated and trapped here, endlessly trained as kindergarten teachers.
There are no exceptions.
Yeah, there’s no way out.
I know.
I know there’s no way out.
In the end, no matter what, the game ends with the hangman’s death.
This isn’t some ghost story with a twist to enjoy.
‘It’s fundamentally different.’
From the moment it was added to the wiki, this story was designed as an inescapable nightmare, enforcing its rules so strictly it drives people insane.
It’s a theme that maximizes the fear of the powerless—desperately censoring themselves to comply with unbreakable rules.
Still, there was one faint variable I witnessed.
Braun, who talked to the ghost story, escaped being the sacrifice.
But I lost that opportunity by merely watching Braun babble.
‘I should’ve stepped in.’
Somehow, I should’ve stalled for time, kept the rope from being passed, and tried to have more of a conversation…
“– Hmm?”
Braun had a shocked expression.
“– Oh dear, I’d rather not. What could be more tedious than continuing this tiresome game with these people?”
“– Roe Deer, are you suggesting I should’ve pretended to be hanged in this outdated little game? As your friend?”
…
Sigh.
‘Braun, even I can say that much.’
“– Excuse me?”
‘You knew when you refused to participate in this game that the hangman would be reselected.’
Which means—
‘You knew there was a 1/12 chance I could die, and you didn’t hesitate?’
“– …!!”
‘So you were fine with me being hanged?’
“– No! No, of course not… That’s not it. But, you see, every game deserves respect for its rules as a game… Oh, of course, you’re more important than that…”
Braun’s voice betrayed an unprecedented level of confusion.
It seemed like his role as a "good friend" and his position as a resident of the ghost story with a warped sense of logic were clashing internally.
But at the same time…
He was a stitched-up plushie trying very hard to stay my friend.
‘Alright.’
I need to remain calm. I may be a coward, but I won’t be an idiot.
I explained as calmly as I could.
‘I wasn’t saying that I think you should’ve been hanged instead.’
I’m just… so overwhelmed with anxiety.
‘I wish I had asked if we could get more information before you left. You seemed to be able to communicate with the ghost story.’
“– Ah… That’s true. Unfortunately, they seem to be treating me as an outsider now, so no special interviews are possible at the moment.”
“– Still, if that’s what you meant, I can fully understand!”
‘Thanks.’
Even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we had misunderstood each other slightly.
Still, I had no spare mental capacity to focus on that any longer.
‘I have nothing.’
Even though I know it’s pointless, a part of my mind frantically combed through all the exploration logs and manual data, searching for a loophole to save the hangman.
But there’s nothing.
Of course, there wouldn’t be!
If there was something, I’d have thought of it during the past two days of agonizing over this!
‘There’s no case.’
No matter how much I scour my mental archive of <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, no matter how many times I go over the manual, there’s nothing.
I already know…
Breaking the gallows, switching out the hangman, refusing to guess the word.
All of it just adds penalties while the hangman still dies.
There are no exceptions.
‘They’ll die no matter what… No matter what…’
Is there really nothing more?
I gritted my teeth.
How can I…?
“Roe!”
Just then, a familiar voice called out.
Turning my head, I saw a second staff member standing in the doorway…
“…Supervisor.”
“Are you okay… Huff.”
As Supervisor Park Minseong entered the room, he froze upon seeing Deputy Eun Hajae.
“You’re here?”
“...”
“You heard everything from the TV, right? Get ready to guess.”
Supervisor Park Minseong’s face contorted with unspeakable frustration before settling into resignation.
“Stop overthinking and just guess. You know you’ve already accumulated penalties, right?”
“...”
Penalties?
“Supervisor, what does she mean by that…?”
The supervisor, wearing a pained expression, whispered quietly to me.
“Well… Actually, this is my second time here…”
“…!!”
“I got caught up in this right after I joined the company… and now, two years later, I’m back again. Haha… Not sure if it’s good luck or bad luck.”
The supervisor gave a bitter laugh.
“Last time, I got punished once trying to save the hangman… Maybe it’s accumulated… I don’t really know. There haven’t been any cases like mine before.”
The supervisor rambled incoherently about taking precautions and only carrying one piece of special equipment at a time, clearly mentally shaken.
I grabbed his shoulders.
“…!”
“Supervisor.”
A direct witness.
The only person with detailed information I don’t have!
“Answer my questions quickly and accurately from now on.”
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