Who could have imagined something like this?
Being trapped in a confined space with three ghosts pretending to be people, breaking out in a cold sweat, and having to sit still.
And worse yet...
Pretending as if you hadn’t noticed anything at all.
‘...I can’t let it show.’
Even if everyone except me was clapping their hands using the backs of them, with bright smiles on their faces.
No, not people...
Ghosts.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
‘I. Can’t. Let. It. Show.’
And then one of them turned to look at me and ask.
“Why aren’t you clapping?”
“...”
Oh, shit.
Barely managing to keep my hands from shaking, I raised them.
And then...
Clap, clap, clap.
I gently placed one hand on top of the other to produce a small sound.
I pretended to be the youngest one, glancing around to check the situation with an awkward smile.
“...I was going to clap but missed the timing. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
“...”
Please.
Please, let it slide.
“Oh, come on~ It’s okay!”
“Hey, Deputy Leopard, don’t pressure the capable newbie. Just sit back down, alright?”
“Oh dear, okay.”
The Leopard employee... or rather, the thing impersonating him, shrugged and sat back down.
Phew…
But the relief was short-lived.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
The Dolphin employee suddenly dropped her head to the floor.
And started banging it sideways.
Without a single change in her expression.
“There seems to be... a bug. A bug, a bug I can’t catch...”
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
“...They say no other creatures can enter this darkness. Could you have mistaken it?”
“Oh.”
The Dolphin employee stopped her head.
Her long hair was disheveled, and the skull was crushed.
“That’s true. Thank you, Supervisor Roe Deer.”
“It’s nothing.”
And then she casually continued chatting with Deputy Leopard.
“...”
If I faint… would I disappear?
This is insane.
‘How the hell did everyone switch…?!’
I wish I could just lose consciousness, get swapped out too, and wake up tomorrow morning like nothing happened.
“Supervisor Roe Deer, have something to eat.”
“Ah. Thank you so much, Team Leader…”
The ghost wearing the lizard mask—no, let’s not think like that—Manager Lee Jaheon handed me a snack.
It was gimbap from a decently good snack bar near the office.
‘Since I have to survive nearly 24 hours here until tomorrow morning, I guess I do need to eat.’
It was a reasonable judgment.
Except for the fact that if I put anything in my mouth now, I’d probably choke or throw it all up.
Gulp.
“How about sharing? We brought some stuff, too.”
The two employees from Team C pulled out sandwiches.
Out of reflexive politeness, I replied.
“I should have prepared something, but I was so flustered. I’m really sorry and grateful.”
“Oh, come on, rookie. Don’t worry about those formalities. Even the manager doesn’t seem to care, right?”
“Yes.”
Lizard Manager gave a short reply, and Deputy Leopard raised a thumbs-up with a grin.
“Wow, that’s great. Our team leader is like that, too. Roe Deer, you know the Mallard Duck Manager from Team A, right? Our leader’s on a different level.”
Oh no.
“...Sounds like a remarkable person you all respect.”
“Right? Our Team Leader used the wish token to take a vacation... I really hope they don’t quit.”
I steered the conversation gently with compliments, avoiding any reaction to their jab at Team A’s Leader
Honestly, there was no need to go this far for ghosts… but no, I’ll keep playing along.
‘Just forget it, forget it…’
At this point, it felt less like a ghost story and more like small talk with senior colleagues from related departments during a workshop.
Of course, it didn’t last long.
It was right after the meal. The Deputy Leopard stood up with a yawn.
“Ah, we’re gonna be here all day… Mind if I take off my shoes? It’s okay, right?”
“Eh, you should’ve brought slippers like me, no?”
“Come on, what can I do? My socks are clean anyway.”
Deputy Leopard casually joked with the Supervisor Dolphin as they started taking off their shoes.
‘Fine. Even if he suddenly gets on the table and starts tap dancing, I won’t be surprised…’
But instead of feet, hands came out.
The hands, cramped and forcibly curled up inside the shoes, unfolded and stuck to the floor.
“...”
“Oh, while I’m up, let me grab some more coffee. You all want some more, right?”
Up.
Deputy Leopard stood on his hands.
The feet with hands attached waved in the air.
Tap, tap.
An employee was walking on their hands.
“Supervisor Roe Deer.”
I swallowed a scream.
“Yes, Deputy Leopard.”
“Could you help me carry the coffee? I can’t see very well… Oh, oh?”
Thud, thud, thud.
His handstand body kept bumping into the drawer where the coffee was.
“I’m not asking because you’re the rookie, but since you’re sitting closest. Sorry if it feels unfair.”
F-Fucking hell.
“Yes. Of course.”
I quickly got up and went to help Deputy Leopard.
Come to think of it, sitting next to a ghost with a crushed skull might be worse than helping a ghost walking upside down.
Right?
It is, right??
“– This is really interesting! Could it be aiming for the uncanny valley effect?"
“– What an amusing performance, Roe Deer. Let's enjoy it fully!"
Fully?
Enjoy?
‘I just want to give myself credit for not blinking my eyes right now…!’
Enjoying this is too high of a challenge for me!
"Alright, let's move."
"Yes."
I handed a cup of coffee to each of them, and then I placed one for myself on the table with both hands.
I was proud of not shaking my hands or spilling the coffee.
The problem is, now that we’ve refilled our coffee, it really feels like we’re entering a conversation.
"Alright."
Supervisor Dolphin smiled brightly with one side of her skull sunken in.
"How about we take turns bragging about our cleared darkness? Honestly, if we don’t have some fun like that, it’s tough to keep coming here!"
Deputy leopard waved his hand.
"Hey, what if a ghost hears and does something? Let’s just talk about our favorite foods or something."
"Oh, that’s good. Let’s do that."
"…"
That’s a fair point.
Discussing the actual topic at hand, the ghost swapping out for humans itself didn’t cause any anomalies.
However, it highly increased the chances of someone noticing the ghost, and thus was heavily discouraged.
But they are all ghosts though?
"I like crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Like deep-fried eggplant, you know?"
"Oh, I get you. I like things that pop when you chew, like eyeballs."
Whoosh—
Supervisor Dolphin suddenly shoved her face right in front of mine.
"Do you have eyeballs, Supervisor Roe Deer? I think you do... you brought them in with your mask, right? We’ll share them, won’t we?"
Aaaahhhh!!
"They’re not for eating, though."
I politely lowered both my hands under the table, pretending to stack them to hide the trembling.
"And it looks like our tastes in food are similar. I think texture is important, too."
"Oh~ A comrade!"
The ghost pretending to be Supervisor Dolphin laughed brightly.
"Supervisor Roe Deer must not be a ghost after all. He’s talking about food normally."
Wow.
‘I can’t take this anymore.’
If I keep this conversation going, I’m sure the moment I scream will come. Definitely.
“– Oh dear, it seems Roe Deer is sensitive to the uncanny valley effect! A good reaction from the audience is always appreciated, but it’s unfortunate the situation turned out this way…"
“– Don’t worry. Just having me, Braun, by your side is a big comfort, isn’t it? Your friend is right here!"
...Wait.
Yeah.
‘Braun’s right.’
“– A good host always knows the right words to say!”
Exactly. This situation I’m in is one of those moments where fear is heightened due to the uncanny valley effect.
‘I’m scared because they look human but aren’t.’
In a perfectly normal office break room, the sight of colleagues suddenly acting eerily strange is deeply unsettling.
And adding the fact that I’m the only human here makes it insanely terrifying.
‘Then...’
I glanced sideways.
The Lizard was shoving an entire pack of crackers into its mouth, including the wrapper.
“...”
“...”
It's not especially scary!
Even if he sticks out his tongue, grins while walking backward, or suddenly gets up and shakes his head before dancing wildly, he would still carry on casual conversations as if nothing was wrong.
But he was already scary, to begin with!
He already looked like a lizard!!
There's no need to worry about the uncanny valley or any of that.
‘I’m definitely going with the manager.’
Finally, I saw a solution.
I wiped my cold sweat and turned casually to face Lizard Manager.
As if I had something urgent to ask.
"Manager Lee, I have a question."
And, of course, I actually did have something I wanted to ask.
According to <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, in this ghost story, "the ghost is identical in every aspect to the companion, including appearance, personality, and character."
In other words, if I casually ask something within a natural context, the ‘original’ will likely give the same answer.
As long as the ghost doesn't suddenly start acting out.
‘Then maybe I can ask more freely.’
Since it wasn’t really him.
I pulled my chair toward me as if there were some things I wanted to discuss openly with a colleague, creating a space where no other ghost could interrupt.
And I asked.
"I was just thinking, I haven’t had the chance to talk to you about this during work before. Would it be alright to ask a few questions now?"
"Yes."
"Thank you. It's just that... I’ve been curious how you’ve become so strong."
"Ah."
Fortunately, Manager Lee Jaheon didn’t seem displeased.
"It’s a combination of innate factors and acquired learning."
"..."
A standard answer to almost any question!
It felt like asking the top student how they got such good grades, and their answer was simply, "I studied hard with a good brain."
‘I’d like to hear more details though.’
If it were anyone else, they would have rejected the question, but since it was the Lizard Manager, I wasn’t sure.
In the end, I purposely smiled awkwardly and replied.
"I see. I was asking because I also want to build my strength. Without any items or contamination."
"Follow a diet rich in protein and combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise."
"...Will that make me as strong as you, Manager?"
"No."
"..."
Well, I can use strength proportionate for my size, but I almost shot him a ridiculous look.
"...If you have any advice for me regarding this, I’d love to hear it."
"Yes. You have other strengths, so focus on enhancing those."
The lizard spoke indifferently.
"There is no such thing as a being that excels in all areas. Do not waste resources on inefficiency and unnecessary things. Focus on other abilities."
...Wait a second.
"So you’re saying when I need strength, you’ll take on that role, and I should focus on developing my other strengths?"
"Yes."
The lizard nodded.
"Your strengths are creativity and judgment."
"...Thank you."
Well, that’s something.
‘Should I thank him for overestimating me?’
It’s definitely better than passing everything on to others.
‘But I’m a little disappointed.’
Should I push a little further?
After some thought, I found a gap to exploit.
"But since we also enter the darkness separately, strength is a universal and effective tool, so it seems like it would be necessary for me to handle it alone in these situations."
"I see."
The lizard paused as if thinking deeply before confirming.
"I’ll introduce an item to you."
"...!"
Jackpot!
"Is this something that enhances strength?"
"Similar. Use it as a parent item the next time you create custom equipment."
"...! Thank you."
I had been thinking it was about time to enhance or add to my special equipment.
‘At least I gained one thing in all this.’
Even though I was sweating bullets in this ghost story, I still got something... Wait.
Now that I think about it, the lizard sitting across from me wasn’t really Manager Lee, but a ghost.
‘Is this promise even valid?’
I was momentarily flustered but recalled the manual.
A person replaced by a ghost only indirectly remembers what happened in a closed space.
Given Manager Lee’s character, the chances of him keeping his word were extremely high.
‘It’s fine.’
Phew.
Getting something done does give you a sense of accomplishment.
‘Now, let’s see if I can endure the fear with this feeling of success...’
I pretended to stretch and, to avoid looking at the two ghosts from Team C who were now grinning at me upside down, I tried to ignore them.
I didn’t even care which one of them is Manager Lee Kangheon, the one who introduced me to the Salmon Market.
‘Clear my mind…’
I kept chatting aimlessly with the Lizard Manager to avoid talking to the ghosts.
Since I kept talking to him, the Lizard Manager ghost couldn’t do anything else and just kept answering me endlessly.
‘The manager likes beef more than pork. That’s a meaningful piece of info, I guess...’
“– Friend, this isn’t even an interview, it’s more like tedious amateur autobiography research…”
I know, but I couldn’t help it, Braun...
And when I ran out of things to say, I pretended to fall asleep, closing my eyes and passing the time with a word game with Braun.
No matter what nonsense I heard in my ear, I stuck to the line, "I’m sorry, but can we continue after I leave? I’m too tired."
‘It’s 3 a.m., please...’
I felt like I was bathing in cold sweat, but at least there wasn’t an emergency.
Hours seemed to stretch on like millennia.
Finally.
"..."
"..."
Click.
The break room door finally opened.
I’d stayed up all night alone...
"...It’s over."
It’s over, you guys!
I did it!!
I got up, and with my foggy mind, I almost punched the air in triumph.
‘Tears are welling up.’
This was the first time I had endured a horrifying ghost story without even shortening the time...
What should I say, it felt like overcoming my limits.
‘I want to praise myself...’
I staggered to my feet.
I was the only one who struggled with that D-Grade darkness... Luckily no one else knew...
"Roe Deer."
"...!?"
Huh? Huh...?
When I turned my head, I saw the lizard staring at me with open eyes.
As if it had never stayed up all night... Wait a minute.
‘...?’
He’s “awake”?
"M-Manager."
"You don’t need to wait for Team C to wake up. You can go home now."
I looked at the lizard standing there perfectly fine with the ghostly eyes.
Then I turned to see Team C sprawled out, asleep.
"..."
"..."
No way.
"Haven’t you turned into a ghost last night...?"
"No."
"...You clapped with the back of your hands though?!"
"?"
The lizard tilted its head, seemingly realizing something, then responded.
"I thought it was a popular trend."
"..."
Ah.
AAAAAHHHH!!
