Braun's not here.
"W-What is this?"
"Thi, this person, he… moved!!"
With the silver coin inside the plushie missing, had the 'Good Friend' ritual been nullified? Or was it simply that, since this was a dream, it only looked like an ordinary doll…?
'Stop it!'
Trying to figure things out isn't the priority right now! Snap out of it! You're inside a ghost story!
"Take a look over here!"
I quickly turned my head.
In one dim corner of the classroom, someone screamed. It was the person who had been poking at the 'student' that had sat stiff and unmoving at a desk, like a wax mannequin.
But that wax-like mannequin…
"Over there!"
…was gone from the desk.
Following the finger of the pale-faced person pointing nearby, I saw it.
[Sekwang Technical High School]
The vanished 'student' was now standing at the back door. Holding the door.
Expressionless.
Turning his gaze across the classroom.
"..."
"W-What is this? You're kidding, right?"
No response. No movement.
"Hold on a second."
A brave individual approached and waved a hand in front of the face of the 'student'.
The 'student' didn't even blink. He simply stood frozen in place in front of the back door, perfectly lifelike.
"He's not breathing. This thing isn't human—it's a mannequin."
"But how could a mannequin suddenly move? Maybe it's some kind of advanced illusion to make it look like he's not breathing?"
"Right, this must be one of those hidden-camera things like on variety shows or YouTube."
No.
Of course, there were no cameras here, nor was there a production crew waiting to startle people for entertainment.
Instead—
[Ding- dong- daeng- dong-]
[Students of Sekwang Technical High School! The graduation ceremony will begin shortly. Please gather in the auditorium.]
"Graduation ceremony…?"
The announcement was cheerful, clear, and fitting for a school setting.
"Should we go? It's kind of interesting."
"Hey, aren't we back to looking like we did in high school? Wow. What kind of dream is this?"
Some of the group, having decided this was nothing more than a dream, chatted without any tension.
It made sense. So far, nothing truly terrifying had happened.
'They don't feel the gravity of the situation.'
After all, they had reverted to their high school selves. And who wouldn't feel good about turning back the clock?
A school at night may often serve as the backdrop for ghost stories, but with a group of people and a touch of moonlight, it could even feel romantic.
However…
"Hey, this mannequin student? Take a closer look."
One person approached the unmoving 'student' by the back door. The 'student' was pointing a hand backward.
"It looks like his hand is signaling something…"
[For heating and safety, we will now close the automatic curtains and adjust the lighting.]
"It looks like he was about to lock the door."
BANG.
The curtains slammed shut.
"Whoa!"
"Ah, that startled me!"
With a deafening sound, the automatic curtains closed, plunging the classroom into darkness for a brief moment.
Flicker.
After a delay, the lights in the classroom turned on.
"Oh, thank goodness."
"Looks like they were just adjusting the lights… Wait, what?"
Blood was pooling on the beige classroom floor.
"What… what is that?"
Following the trail of blood upward, everyone's gaze landed on a person.
One person from the group was slumped near the back door, neck twisted completely backward.
A grotesque amount of blood poured from the impossibly angled neck, seeping into the cracks of the flooring.
Eyes, wide with shock, seemed to suggest it was a fate that was never once anticipated.
"AAAAAAAHHH!!"
"Ughhhh! Aaaargh!!"
It had begun.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Within the Shadow of Darkness]
: A ghost story featured in
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-()-62
: Disaster Management Bureau registration number – 2845PSYA.2016. 하53
According to the story, reading the infamous text file before falling asleep causes you to awaken in Sekwang Technical High School at night, where you are pursued by inhuman entities until your death. All civilian attempts to locate the real Sekwang Technical High School have failed, and it is understood to be a place that does not exist in present-day Korea.
========================
Right.
The only escape from this nightmarish ghost story is through death. To leave this school at night, there is no other option but to die.
And… as with all too many ghost stories, where inhuman entities feature prominently, this one has become a horrifying cliché.
"Th-that person!"
One of the people screaming raised a trembling finger to point. At the 'student' still frozen by the back door.
But there was one significant difference.
"His hand… it's covered in blood."
"..."
The crowd turned their stiff, horrified gazes toward the 'student' again. And they confirmed the fact.
On the inside of the curled fingers of the 'student', as if trying to hide it, blood was smeared along the fingerprints.
"..."
Their eyes shifted back to the corpse.
Behind the corpse's grotesquely twisted neck, there were bloody marks… shaped like fingers.
"Aaah!"
"Mom! No, no, no! Aaah!"
And then again.
Flicker.
The lights flickered.
The 'student' of Sekwang Technical High School doesn't move as long as someone is watching him.
But the moment no one's eyes are on them— In the blink of an eye, when the classroom lights brighten again— He'd move.
Inhumanly fast.
The person who had been pointing at the mannequin was gone.
"Ack!!"
Found on the floor, body shattered below the chest.
Thud.
The lifeless arm that had been pointing fell to the ground limply.
"Ah…"
"..."
"Aaaaaaaahhh!!"
Panic, fear, and hysteria erupted.
"N-now! We have to attack it now! Someone close to it, just hit it!"
"F-Fuck! Why are you yelling at me? Why don't you do it yourself!?"
Flicker.
"Hieek!"
Another corpse appeared.
One of the shouting people was impaled on a desk, hanging upside-down. Only the lower half of their body remained.
"..."
"..."
In the terrifying silence, the remaining people turned their heads. The 'student' by the back door was now staring intently at them. A strange smile crept across his face.
"...!!"
"Eeeeeek!"
"R-Run! Get out of here!"
"Open the door, now!"
The group rushed toward the front door, avoiding the 'student' blocking the back door.
But… it was already too late.
"Over here—aaaargh!!"
The person who opened the front door collapsed in shock. Standing in the doorway was another smiling 'student'.
[Sekwang Technical High School]
This female student, with neatly trimmed bangs, wore the same name tag.
"Just go around them!"
"Move, now!"
The group ran past the smiling student.
And again—
Flicker.
The student by the front door disappeared from my sight.
"Aaaaaaaahhhh!!"
…The hallway filled with anguished screams.
One by one, the screams faded.
"..."
"..."
And then, silence. Suffocating silence.
The sound of labored breathing, distant cries, and the frantic stares of those left in the classroom fixed on the doors.
"Slowly,"
I said softly, scanning the room.
"Let's move slowly and see if anything reacts. Keep an eye on both the front and back doors."
"Ah… ah…"
Adults, who now looked like high school students, trembled as they staggered back from the doors.
"..."
Among those who had awakened in this classroom, half had fled, their fates unknown. The other half remained— Or rather, they were too paralyzed to move.
In the midst of this chaos, I thought quietly to myself.
'This is a disaster.'
I shouldn't have stayed still at the start.
Before the curtains closed, plunging us into total darkness, I should have sprinted out alone, grabbed an emergency flashlight, and settled into a good hiding spot.
'I missed my chance.'
I had hesitated, panicked by the realization that Braun wasn't here. By now, a few people were starting to catch on to the situation.
"This—this is just like that thing!"
"Huh?"
"You don't know? The kind of monster that can't move while you're watching!"
"Wait, you mean you've seen this before?"
"Hey, why don't you get it?? It's like that monster that follows you when you're not looking! As long as we're looking at it, it can't move!"
The voice of the person speaking was distorted by fear and excitement as they rambled on: asking if everyone had read some weird text file, suggesting we were inside a game, or wondering if this was possession… Normally, people would have ignored such wild claims, but in their panic, they listened intently.
This was a progression I'd seen countless times before.
And the conclusion reached by a fear-stricken group is always… simplistic and extreme.
"In that case, we should just attack it! Destroy it!"
"What?!"
"If we try to run, it'll just keep chasing us, no matter what! Didn't you see what happened to the people who left? They all died! Hurry! Before the lights flicker again!"
"Ah!"
As if hypnotized, people started scouring the empty classroom for anything that could be used as a weapon. Brooms, chairs, mops, box cutters…
'No.'
This was a shortcut to the most typical bad ending!
"Wait a moment, please…"
Just then, someone covered my mouth.
"...!"
I nearly threw a punch out of reflex.
Forcing myself to remain calm, I slowly turned my head to see who had silenced me.
Our eyes met. It was a familiar face.
'…Civil servant!'
It was an agent from the Disaster Management Bureau!
Agent Ryu Jaekwan, whom I'd encountered at the mountain lodge. His hair was now cropped short like a high school student's, but his features were unmistakably the same.
'Where had he been sitting all this time?'
No, that wasn't the issue here.
'Right. Even civil servants can end up here too!'
This wasn't one of Daydream Inc.'s 'secured and contained' ghost stories. That meant it wasn't impossible to encounter someone from another agency in a place like this.
But still, running into the same agent again? Wasn't he working way too hard?
"If you don't scream, I'll let you go."
I quickly nodded with a serious expression, and the agent released me without further comment.
'Phew.'
"You really do have a knack for getting caught up in situations like this, don't you?"
"…Yes."
Let's just leave it at that.
"And, some of what that person said earlier is correct."
"..."
"Keep your eyes on that student mannequin at all times. Don't look away, and make sure you blink alternately. If the lights go out, immediately lower your head. Also…"
The agent leaned in and whispered the proper protocol, clearly well-versed in handling this kind of situation.
"They're very sensitive to sound."
That's right.
These 'students' were strongly drawn to people who screamed, cursed, or shouted.
"Under no circumstances should you raise your voice. Ever."
I nodded slightly.
"But is it really okay to just let them attack that thing…?"
"Right now, your own safety is the priority. Rescuing others caught in this Disaster comes second."
The agent delivered the line with practiced precision.
"When dealing with a supernatural Disaster, assume everyone involved will die, and act accordingly."
"..."
This was… textbook Disaster Management Bureau protocol.
'They prioritize identifying, sealing, or destroying the ghost story to prevent further casualties.'
It was a utilitarian judgment, akin to pulling the lever in the trolley dilemma without hesitation—choosing to sacrifice one life to save five.
"I'll let you know when it's time to run. For now, just follow the instructions I've given you."
"…Understood."
Arguing with the agent here would be suicidal.
For now, I kept my mouth shut.
Meanwhile, the others were already armed and approaching the student mannequin.
'Fuck.'
I deliberately asked another question to guide the agent's response. I needed to know more to make my actions seem natural going forward.
"But, um, isn't this a dream? If that's the case, wouldn't we just wake up even if we die here…?"
That was the classic escape method from a nightmare.
At the moment of death in the dream, you wake up and return to reality. Hearing that, one might think that quickly taking your own life is the best option, but that's completely wrong. Such a choice should never be made…
'There's something you need.'
"…That's correct, but there are conditions."
Exactly.
"Conditions?"
"Yes. Do you see that name tag?"
The agent pointed to the 'student mannequin'.
"You must die while in possession of that mannequin's name tag to wake up 'properly'. If you fail to meet this condition…"
If the escape conditions are not fulfilled, the explorer becomes trapped 'Within the Shadow of Darkness'.
"You will suffer… undesirable effects."
"..."
"There are also a few other conditions for dying safely, but I'll explain them as we go."
"Together…?"
"Yes."
Wait a second.
However, the agent, perhaps interpreting my hesitation differently, gave me a look as if to say, Don't feel bad about it.
It was an awkward attempt to reassure me with a forced smile.
"Don't worry. There are many agents deployed here besides me. Someone will surely make it through."
More than one Disaster Management Bureau agent?
'This really must be an overlap in exploration timing.'
There must have been a relevant entry in the exploration logs. I tried to sift through past records in my mind, but before I could identify any, the situation shifted.
"D-Die!"
The others finally began attacking the student mannequin. And, surprisingly—
Crack.
"Ack!"
"B-Blood…!"
The 'Sekwang Technical High School' student bled, as though they were an ordinary human.
The sound of bones breaking, blood spilling, and bruises forming echoed around the room.
"Aaah!"
"What do we do? Oh, shit…"
'…Huu.'
Fear and unease ran down my spine.
However, the agent, calm as if this was routine, gestured discreetly toward the front door.
"For now, we should use this distraction to… hmm?"
That's when it happened.
Figures appeared on the brightly lit central staircase visible through the open front door.
"...!"
Three or four figures moved quietly, their footsteps muffled as they ascended.
They shared a common feature.
Each of them wore strange animal masks.
'Company employees!'
What's more, I recognized one of the masks.
Bison!
'Jang Heo-un.'
It was the rookie from the Y-squad, with whom I'd endured the theme park ghost story.
'Did he get reassigned to a regular squad?'
It had been a while. My recent chaos had kept me too busy to track other people's transfers, but it seemed he'd survived his first three months unscathed.
'At least that's good news.'
But next to him…
A less welcome sight.
A black goat mask.
"..."
It was Baek Saheon.
'Did they wake up in the same class?'
Both were faithfully following the company's safety recommendation to 'wear your mask whenever possible'.
'I'd like to wear mine too, if I could.'
I wanted to check my items and use them to improve my chances of escape. Overall, it seemed the best course of action would be to separate naturally from the agent and join that group.
"Um, Mr. Agen—"
"Daydream Inc…!"
"..."
Ack—
"Be careful. If you encounter someone in animal masks and business suits in a place like this, never acknowledge them."
The agent gritted his teeth and cast a disdainful glare toward the group.
"They're likely dispatched from that disgusting pseudo-corporation. Avoid any involvement with them at all costs."
"..."
"The majority of their employees are unethical psychopaths. You must be cautious."
"...Yes."
Absolutely.
Absolutely!
Don't let him find out who I am!