Chapter 100: Ch 100: CreepyPasta#13: Don’t Look in the Mirror
Section Chief Kwak Jaekang of the Research Team.
A mad scientist who once threw his subordinates into the ’Cheerful Theme
Park’ ghost story.
He also served as a consultant for the ’Manor of the Blind’ incident, which
had near-catastrophic results where almost everyone met their end.
"I’ve been wanting to have a long talk with you, Mr. Roe Deer. Finally, the
opportunity has come!"
That crazed ghost story researcher grinned and extended his hand.
"Your exploits have been extraordinary! I’ve been dying to hear your
thoughts!"
"Thank you, sir."
What a boss you’d hate to shake hands with. But I did it anyway—such is
office life.
"I heard that once the new year begins, D-squad will become an elite squad.
With that, we’ll all get so busy working as a unit that even idle chats like
this before heading into darkness might be impossible..."
Kwak Jaekang joked a few times about how difficult it was to call me over.
"And I was just too curious."
Then, with a cheerful face, he got to the point.
"How did you manage to win over Section Chief Lee Jaheon?"
"...!!"
"He always cuts me off when I try to call you over. That’s not like him—
he’s not usually that proactive~"
Internally, I screamed.
’Thank you, Squad Leader...!’
But honestly, I didn’t actively try to win him over.
’All I had to do was say I didn’t want to.’
Section Chief Lee Jaheon was already a stickler for the rules and made
every effort to reflect his squad members’ requests.
No one had made such a request before!
After all, in this ghost story specialist corporation, I’m probably the only
one who’d rather split the workload into N parts than venture into a ghost
story solo, no matter how cushy it might be.
And if anyone like me did exist, they’re probably long gone—dead or
disappeared.
This time, however, it seemed even Lee Jaheon had difficulty stopping it on
his own.
Or perhaps there simply wasn’t any justification to do so.
"Anyway, don’t worry. I don’t hold any grudges about how hard it was to
bring you in, Mr. Roe Deer."
Kwak Jaekang smiled.
"It’s just... isn’t it fascinating how there seems to be nothing Mr. Roe Deer
can’t do!"
"’Fascinating’... I don’t quite understand..."
"You’re good at your job, articulate, and you manage your reputation
well... very impressive. But humans are creatures who can’t excel at
everything! Myself included."
He lightly tapped his own chest.
"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So..."
His eyes, gleaming with a passionate obsession for ghostly exploration,
fixed on me.
"What’s your weakness?"
"..."
"How does it remain so hidden, even while you’re diving headfirst into
bizarre paranormal phenomena... I’m genuinely curious!"
Hah, fuck, seriously...
"If I could tell you, it wouldn’t be a weakness."
"Haha, a clever answer to a foolish question~"
Kill me now.
’He’s not predicting that I’m a coward, is he?’
I discreetly swallowed hard.
Kwak Jaekang spread his hands wide.
"Anyway, I called you here today for good news."
"What kind of good news, exactly?"
"Something worth celebrating! By my calculations... Mr. Roe Deer, you’ve
already earned more than half the points needed for a Wish Ticket, haven’t
you?"
"...!"
This guy’s scary sharp.
And he’s right.
That’s the truth.
I recalled my accumulated points up until last week.
[Accumulated Points : 177,200p]
Even this number alone was staggering.
It was a figure unimaginable for a rookie who hadn’t even been with the
company for a year, so I’d never bragged about it.
Even in a department where everyone openly talks about their resignation
dates, there are limits.
’When someone’s this much of an outlier, people inevitably start thinking
differently.’
But who could have guessed?
As of this week, my accumulated points had entered an entirely new,
outrageous realm.
[Accumulated Points: 277,200p]
At this point, people could start claiming it was rigged.
’It’s all thanks to Sekwang Technical High School.’
Let’s break down the base points per grade.
A-grade : 100,000p
And I cleared Sekwang Technical High School solo at A-grade.
Though multiple people entered and cleared it together, I was the only one
officially ranked A.
Moreover, the solution I concocted was just intense enough to be
recognized as a solo effort.
Thanks to the ’enthusiastic’ approval of Directors Cheong and Ho, the
Development Department’s two powerhouses, my reward passed without
issue.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
’And this morning, the registration was finalized.’
Officially, Kim Soleum had now accumulated more than half the points
needed for a Wish Ticket.
’I’m progressing absurdly faster than I expected...’
Everything had strangely aligned, leading me here.
At this rate, if I could endure just one year—or perhaps even less—as part
of an elite squad, I might return to my original world.
A peaceful 21st-century Korea where creepypastas aren’t real!
This all flashed through my mind in an instant, but I managed to keep my
expression steady... or so I hoped.
’Don’t give anything away...!’
"Does earning more than half the points change anything?"
Instead of a direct reaction, I intentionally furrowed my brow slightly,
giving an ambiguous response. Was I unsettled because I had earned that
much, or annoyed because I hadn’t earned enough? I kept him guessing.
"Well, it’s not about change... but it opens up opportunities, doesn’t it?"
Kwak Jaekang smiled slyly.
"Have you ever heard of the Wish Ticket Simulator?"
Simulator?
...Ah!
From a certain point, Qterw-D-718 offers a simulator tailored for
promising employees with strong potential to secure a Wish Ticket.
’Right, that was one of the ghost story entries.’
I remembered.
I forced myself to recall the increasingly blurry wiki entries while Kwak
Jaekang’s voice buzzed in my ear.
"This company gives employees close to earning a Wish Ticket a chance to
test their wish—to ensure it’s granted in the most ’appropriate’ way."
The threshold for being a ’promising employee’ was likely 250,000
points... or it could have been calculated based on the remaining time
needed to claim a Wish Ticket.
Either way, it seemed I’d been given the opportunity to try the simulator.
If entering a ghost story can be called an ’opportunity’!
"You could always do it later, but Soleum-ssi, who knows when your turn
will come up again? I figured it’d be good for you to do it now, so I called
you over."
"..."
I thought for a moment.
Kwak Jaekang, specially arranging a ghost story entry for someone?
’There’s definitely a trap.’
But refusing outright wasn’t an option either.
This man would hound me for reasons, no doubt.
"Why avoid it if you’re not a coward? Right? Hahaha!"
Hiieek—
"Well, there could be other reasons to avoid it."
I sighed and stood up, eager to end the conversation.
’If I have to face a ghost story anyway, I might as well avoid giving him
any leverage.’
"Alright, I understand. When should I enter?"
Kwak Jaekang smirked.
"Mr. Roe Deer."
"..."
"You’ve really changed. You’ve shed that rookie aura, haven’t you?"
Wait.
"No, no, that’s a compliment! You’re finally starting to feel like a proper
employee here. No pointless chatter, straight to business~ Like a real elite
team member."
His eyes crinkled as he laughed.
"Let’s get you doing some proper company work!"
He slapped a file onto the table.
’This is...’
A staff profile.
One I recognized.
[Employee : Jang Heo-un]
It was a photo of a gloomy, long-haired peer from the company.
"You’ve met before, haven’t you? You went to the Cheerful Theme Park
together. He’s part of the Round-Off Team."
"He’s not part of the Round-Off Team anymore, though. I believe he was
reassigned to F-squad..."
"Oh, right, he got transferred. But he’s still officially listed as someone
from the Round-Off Team."
"...!"
"It’s just a temporary dispatch to a general team. His formal reassignment
won’t be finalized until next year, don’t you think?"
Kwak Jaekang tapped the file.
"So... he’s still eligible to be deployed for tasks like this."
"..."
Tasks like this?
A chilling sense of foreboding ran down my spine.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"It’s simple. Once you’re done with your business in the ghost story, call
that employee to the elevator and leave him there."
"...!"
This insane bastard.
No, stay calm. I couldn’t show any signs of distress.
"Is this Darkness only accessible with two participants... or is a sacrifice
required?"
"Haha... figuring that out is the whole point of our research, isn’t it? Just
follow the instructions. It’s a straightforward task, yes?"
Thump.
Kwak Jaekang tossed another file onto the table.
The ghost story assigned to me.
"It’s the elevator ghost story I told you about."
* * *
– Well, I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Roe Deer! Don’t forget to call the Round-Off
Team rookie when it’s time.
"..."
I reread the manual I’d already memorized, then tucked it back into my
pocket.
What did I plan to do?
[Heo-un-ssi, we’re set to enter around 5 PM. Take
it easy until then.]
[Ahh, okay! Got it!]
I wasn’t going to bring him along.
And I knew what this meant.
’This could land me in serious trouble.’
No matter how good my excuse was, this would cause an issue.
This wasn’t some flexible rule I could bend and expect to get away with.
But if I didn’t block this entirely, it’d be meaningless.
’Kwak Jaekang has likely set something up involving Jang Heo-un.’
I had to ensure he wouldn’t come in the first place.
Even if it meant risking disciplinary action, I had a potential benefit in mind
—one to address after the exploration.
For now, the pressing matter was this.
...I had to ride a haunted elevator alone.
"Huu."
This was the first time I had entered a haunted place alone, after being
given time to prepare myself.
’Maybe... it was better when I went in blindly, without knowing anything
beforehand.’
My hands trembled with fear.
And I had left Braun behind.
’The elevator in this ghost story is for one person only anyway.’
I didn’t want Braun near the elevator. Who knew what could happen?
I had asked Section Chief Lee Jaheon to check on Braun periodically, so it
should be fine.
’...Let’s go.’
I entered the building designated by the company as the confirmed entry
site for Qterw-D-718.
It was a decrepit rental apartment building, with the water supply cut off
long ago, though the company had temporarily restored electricity.
A cold, stale odor of neglect hung in the dimly lit interior.
The shadowed corridor stretched endlessly ahead of me.
And there it was, the lone operating device.
[5F]
The elevator door on the first floor.
"..."
I swallowed hard and walked down the hallway.
The emergency exit signs and dim bulbs flickered as the elevator came into
view.
— Under Maintenance —
We will fix it as soon as possible.
Happiness Land Apartment Security Office
Despite the message, the yellowed slip of paper was barely hanging on by
worn-out tape.
This phenomenon commonly arises in buildings equipped with a single
elevator, particularly when the elevator is frequently out of order or
displays a maintenance sign.
This was it.
With trembling hands, I pressed the elevator button.
The elevator slowly descended.
5, F, 3, 2...
[Ding.]
I took a deep breath.
The doors slid open, revealing a dim, rusted interior.
The floor was smeared with soot, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in ages.
Still, I stepped forward.
Inside, I noticed something on either side: dirty mirrors smudged with
handprints.
’...Huu.’
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Don’t Look in the Mirror]
: A ghost story featured in < Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-D-718
One of the ritual-based ghost stories circulating online in the 2000s.
They say if you play rock-paper-scissors with your reflection in the
elevator mirror and win, it will answer any question truthfully.
The ghost story entry includes a gamebook-style guide on how to
handle various phenomena.
========================
[The doors are closing.]
I pressed myself against the wall without a mirror and watched the doors
close with a growing sense of dread.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst.
The doors shut completely, and darkness and silence enveloped me.
There I stood, alone, in the stalled elevator’s eerie interior...
...with the mirrors.
"..."
The seconds stretched endlessly.
I had to endure it. If I endured—
[Going up.]
Ding.
The elevator began to move, despite me not pressing any buttons.
...It had been summoned somewhere.
All the floor buttons lit up red, casting an ominous glow throughout the
cabin.
It had begun.
Upon entering the elevator, refrain from pressing any buttons.
If the elevator begins moving on its own, you have successfully entered the
ghost story.
1- Play rock-paper-scissors with your reflection in the mirror until the
elevator reaches the top floor.
If you win at least once : Proceed to 3.
If you don’t win at all : Proceed to 13.
"..."
I swallowed hard and cautiously turned my head to look at the left mirror.
There, in the mirror, stood my pale reflection in the elevator.
Countless versions of me.
My front and back reflections repeated infinitely between the left and right
mirrors, shrinking until they became indistinguishable points.
Each reflection grew smaller, blurrier...
"..."
I wiped my sweaty left hand on my shirt and slowly raised it.
Then I muttered softly,
"...Rock, paper, scissors."
Scissors.
Every one of my reflections in the mirrors was showing scissors, front and
back, endlessly.
"Rock, paper, scissors."
This time, all my reflections showed fists.
I repeated it several more times.
Rock, paper, scissors.
Rock, paper, scissors.
Rock, paper, scissors...
"Rock, paper, scissors."
On the fifth round, I chose a fist again.
That’s when I noticed something strange among my countless reflections.
...One of them opened its hand.
Amid all the fists, a single reflection with an outstretched palm appeared in
the farthest mirror.
"..."
I froze with my hand still raised.
Then, from deep within the mirrors, that distant reflection of me slowly
turned its head—
—and smiled.
A wide, chilling smile.