Morning.
I sat quietly in the office.
– Ah, what a refreshing winter morning. How about a cup of coffee, friend? Sure. Let's have some at lunchtime.
While tidying up my desk and chatting with Braun to chase away the silence, around 8:50 AM, my lizard-headed superior entered through the door.
I approached and greeted him politely.
"Good morning, Squad Leader. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Yes."
I lifted my head and continued.
"Um, I heard you helped arrange my paid leave. …Thank you."
"Yes."
The lizard moved only his eyes to look at me.
"Can you perform your duties as you did two weeks ago?"
"Yes. I can work as before. Even if my initial results are lacking, I'll regain my rhythm as quickly as possible."
"I see."
His vertical pupils scrutinized me intently.
"I'll be the judge of that and provide any necessary support."
Hmm.
By now, I've become fluent in interpreting his words.
'Whether you excel or stumble, I'll back you up—just keep working hard like you always do.'
Honestly, even if he looked and talked like a lizard, he's a good boss. So who cares?
Still, that didn't mean I can let my guard down.
'I have to clear the Darknesses perfectly for a while.'
I'd already been granted paid leave.
If someone known for their swift, efficient work like me—the kind of employee who hit supervisor rank in just 60 days—came back from a break and couldn't deliver results?
That would become a hot topic around the company.
It wouldn't look good.
[Wait, nobody even died—everyone survived, didn't they?]
[Hmm… Employee Kim Soleum seems oddly fragile emotionally.]
[But how could someone with such a weak mentality have achieved so much before?]
…That kind of talk.
'It's no good if suspicion starts swirling.'
I couldn't give them any reason to doubt me.
'I need to clear everything cleanly.'
Though… I hadn't been able to purchase any reliable new items. I recalled the message on the alien shop's website that had been up during my entire vacation.
※ Redecorating (Temporary Closed) ※
I understand!
Alright.
The website was under maintenance.
'I wonder when it'll reopen.'
I haven't seen any documents related to the site's redecorating, so it should reopen soon.
Once the alien shop is back, I'll check out the new stock and secure some items within my budget.
For now, I'll focus on clearing Darknesses properly, getting back to basics.
'They won't send me into high-grade Darkness again for a while, I think.'
The strange emptiness left by reduced squad members was unavoidable, but quitting isn't an option… so I'll manage somehow.
I asked a bit more cheerfully on purpose.
"Do you think I'll be deployed to a Darkness today? I heard there's a high chance we'll be sent to support another squad since we're down to three members."
"That's correct."
Oh.
"Which squad will we be supporting today?"
If I'm lucky, I might run into one of my yet-unmet peers…
"An elite unit."
...
Huh??
Again?
"Do you mean the A-squad?"
"No."
"…Then which team?"
"The C-squad."
I knew no one at all from that squad.
The fact that it was an elite unit made me wary, but at least I wouldn't have to see both the A-squad's leader and Squad Leader Lee Jaheon in one place.
Wait.
Now that I think about it, I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the C-squad.
[K.LEE : This is Assistant Manager Lee Kangheon from the C-squad haha]
The suspicious assistant manager who introduced me to Salmon Market!
'He did say he was from the C-squad.'
Maybe this time I'll finally see him in person.
But a more pressing question came first.
If it's an elite unit's mission…
"Could it be a high-difficulty Darkness that's hard to clear?"
"What criteria are you using to make that judgment?"
"…I apologize. That was thoughtless."
"?"
"Um. Could you tell me its letter-class and whether a manual exists for it?"
"It's D-class. The manual is fully prepared."
Oh, then there's little chance of seeing some crazy stunt where they use the Round-Off Team as human meat shields.
Feeling relieved, I asked calmly.
"Understood. When should we depart?"
"We'll move out in five minutes."
Yessir.
We grabbed our gear and left the office, walking toward our destination.
But…
"..."
"..."
"Squad Leader."
"Yes."
"Why are we heading toward the annex instead of the C-squad's office?"
"Because the C-squad has already entered the Darkness."
"..."
Huh?
After a few more exchanges with Chief Lizard, here's what I gathered:
[C-squad's leader is on leave, leaving only two members in the unit.]
[Today's mission involves a D-class ghost story.]
[Instead of adhering to the standard three-member team, the C-squad decided to fudge the numbers and dive in on their own, prompting the admin office to hurriedly assign additional personnel.]
"..."
Wow.
Back when I first joined, Assistant Manager Eun Haje had blown up in rage, swearing over how they counted a newbie as part of the three-person minimum.
'And here we are with people willingly entering as just two…'
Ominous.
– Hmm, a member who doesn't follow orders! A truly skilled host knows how to handle all elements of a show, especially human resources.
– Could today be your chance to learn that, Mr. Roe Deer? Let's find out. Let's charge forward, shall we, friend!
I want to sink to the ground in despair…
But I need points, and it's true that I need to start diving into the Darkness again.
'None of the elite units I've encountered so far have been normal…'
And I have a strong feeling this will be no different.
Still, as a half-year rookie supervisor, I have no choice but to follow orders. If I didn't want this, I should've joined the A-squad… though if I had, I'd probably already be in the Round-Off Team as a corpse.
'…Am I already feeling nostalgic?'
I forced myself to avoid thinking about my two superiors from the D-squad as I moved forward.
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon handed me a tablet.
"Spend the next ten minutes reviewing the manual."
"Is there a reason I only get ten minutes?"
"Because time is tight before the entry closes, and the survival rate for the past two quarters has been 97%."
Thank you for the reassuring explanation…
So we've reached the point where a 3% fatality rate is considered acceptable.
Honestly, in a scenario like this, the 3% who die even with a manual likely made terrible decisions or were extraordinarily unlucky.
'It'll be fine.'
With a mix of unease and resignation, I looked down at the tablet…
"..."
"..."
– Hmm? Mr. Roe Deer, it looks like your mind just went blank.
Yup.
Because I'm screwed.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Ignorance is Bliss]
: A ghost story featured in
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-D-2367
A textbook horror story where you must survive a full night among ghosts—an utterly nerve-wracking classic.
========================
"..."
Wait.
Wait just a second, Squad Leader…!
Instead of going on a mental break down and refusing to go in, I managed to make a rational suggestion.
"Sorry, could we possibly prepare for just thirty more minutes before entry, sir?"
"That is not possible."
"..."
Right, they said the entry closes…
Not exactly a rational suggestion on my part.
"..."
Aaaaah! Seriously!!
Why does it have to be this one for my return mission?!
"There have been no fatalities aside from two cases of heart attacks. It's safe compared to other Darknesses of the same letter-grade."
"…Understood."
'It's not that I didn't know that…!'
I had simply been deluding myself.
Drunk on the image of myself as the 'elite rookie', I'd forgotten something. Even before my paid leave, I was someone who silently wept in fear while speedrunning through horror scenarios.
And now my comeback mission is the kind of classic horror I'm weakest against—a true nightmare.
'New squadmates, half of them from an elite unit, meaning no room for nonsense.'
On top of that, the low Darkness grade made it wasteful to use the tattoo stickers here, so I'd have to endure it with sheer grit.
This wasn't the kind of situation where survival instincts would kick in as you frantically search for a way out.
No, I'd have to experience everything raw.
Exactly as the wiki entry intended for the horror to be felt.
'Huu…'
At least when I played tag with the convenience store ghost, I stumbled in without realizing it.
Now, it felt like I was being dunked in cold water, jolted back to reality. Call it shock therapy, maybe.
With a sinking feeling, I trudged into the Darkness, like a condemned soul walking to the slaughterhouse.
My legs wobbled.
"This way."
At least the entry wasn't one of those warped spaces that swallow us into bizarre, twisted worlds.
This time, the entry process was very straightforward.
Knock on the door of a sealed space that meets specific conditions, then enter. That space becomes the ghost story.
The space must be sealed with no one within 100 meters. All four walls and the ceiling must be enclosed with no windows or elements revealing the outside.
It must contain an analog clock.
The space must be approximately 40 cubic meters—a deviation of more than 4 cubic meters will prevent the Darkness from manifesting.
Our company had built a dedicated separate space that met these conditions and used it for this purpose.
Specifically, a room measuring 4m x 4m x 2.4m…
[Break Room]
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and I stopped in front of a door bearing that plaque.
The break room was attached to a regular office, but all the conditions were satisfied.
It was a Wednesday with a date ending in '4'.
Knocking on the door in a specific rhythm would trigger the ghost story.
"..."
I… I'm the one who has to knock, right?
Seniority, after all?
Knock, knock. Knock-knock. Knock-knock-knock.
Trying not to let my trembling hand show, I knocked on the door. And, as if on cue, the door clicked open.
"Huh?"
"Who are these pe… oh!"
Inside, two employees were sitting comfortably. Upon seeing us, they waved their hands.
"Oh, you're the reinforcements?"
"Yes."
"Wow, we really didn't need anyone, but they insisted on sending you."
They muttered amongst themselves about how increasing the number of clearers would diminish points and reduce the concentration of Dream Essence…
Then, Chief Lizard responded curtly.
"If you have complaints, submit a department transfer request and revise the exploration manual yourself."
"..."
"..."
The two employees' mouths were wide open, then eventually nodded awkwardly, their faces turning sheepish.
"No, um… We weren't criticizing you specifically. Sorry about that…"
"Hahaha, we must've sounded rude. Really sorry. You're, uh, from the D-squad, right, sir?"
"Yes."
"Then this person is…?"
"Supervisor Roe Deer."
"Ohhh!"
Both their expressions changed again.
"You're the new hire who almost joined the A-squad? I heard Assistant Manager Butterfly had her eye on you!"
"And there's a story about you saving someone who was supposed to die… Wow, please tell us all about it when this is over!"
"It's not much of a story—just some good luck—but sure. It's nice to meet you."
Ushered by them, Chief Lizard and I sat at a small table in the corner of the break room.
"We'll be spending the night together, so let's introduce ourselves. That's Supervisor Dolphin over there."
"Pleasure to meet you, Supervisor Roe Deer!"
A petite woman wearing a dolphin mask waved energetically when called. Her tone was bright and bubbly.
Then a tanned man with a sociable demeanor extended his hand with a smile.
"And I'm Leopard, Assistant Manager Leopard."
"Understood, Assistant Manager Leopard."
Hmm.
[K.LEE : Oh hello, Mr. Employee lolol]
The profile picture of 'Lee Kangheon' on the work chat had been set to a Hawaiian beach, and the tanned skin seemed to fit perfectly. The matching rank and outgoing personality further aligned.
'It's probably this person.'
Still, I kept the possibility open. I didn't know his real name for sure yet, and I wasn't about to show any familiarity in front of a superior.
"Looking forward to working together, sir."
"Same here! Let's get through the night snacking and chatting in this cozy break room!"
For now, it felt like we were gearing up for an office all-nighter. And indeed, nothing outlandish happened—the walls didn't suddenly bleed, the ceiling didn't flip, and the coffee machine didn't turn into a murder bot.
But…
'The ghost… it's already here.'
One or more explorers would have already been replaced by a ghost. That's right.
One of us wasn't human anymore.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Oh, I'll get it!"
"No need—our squad doesn't do the 'newbie fetches coffee' thing. Just sit back."
You never know exactly when it happens—perhaps as soon as you cross the threshold, or maybe during introductions.
'It's easier if you're the one replaced by a ghost.'
In that case, you just black out after entering and wake up the next day. The real problem is the manual for those who aren't replaced.
"..."
The rule I had to follow:
Ghosts mimic the appearance, personality, and behavior of explorers but exhibit subtle, unnatural actions, which no human would do, that cause unease.
However, you must never show that you've noticed who the ghost is. Every explorer who blatantly revealed their suspicion disappeared without a trace.
I-I can do this.
'I just have to ignore the weirdness and brush it off.'
I can do this!
If someone starts grinning with their mouth unnaturally wide or something, I'll just look away and endure it.
'If it happens, I'll just very naturally act like I'm looking at someone else.'
With multiple people in the room, I felt like I could manage. Maybe I wasn't as much of a coward as I thought. Despite everything I'd gone through, I was surprisingly composed—not breaking into a cold sweat at the mere thought of what was to come.
"Ah! The entrance just fully closed. This is the group we'll be working with!"
"Oh~!"
"Great, let's give it our all!!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
All the employees clapped cheerfully, creating a warm, friendly atmosphere.
Except for one thing.
"Wow!"
Everyone in the room was clapping… with the backs of their hands.
"..."
Ah.
"Huh? Mr. Roe Deer, why aren't you clapping?"
"..."
"Why aren't you, hm?"
Assistant Manager Leopard leaned in close to my face.
"Is something bothering you?"