Chapter 38: Ch 38: Back to Reality
The first thing I felt was dampness.
Squelch.
As I reached into the snake hole with my saltwater-soaked hand, a peculiar
coldness, like submerging my hand in ink, washed over me.
Then, I was pulled in.
"...!"
The suction that began at my hand soon engulfed my entire body.
’I-I can’t breathe.’
It felt like wet paper was wrapping tightly around my whole body,
suffocating me. My vision spun, dark and dizzy, until finally...
Gasp!
With a sudden gasp, I was able to breathe again, as if emerging into cool air.
I opened my eyes.
Instead of stars, the neon lights of a provincial city stretched out before me,
twinkling against the autumn night of Korea.
’I... survived.’
I was back in reality.
"Huu..."
I tried to stand, but my legs were shaking so badly that I almost fell. Dark
red ink was dripping from my feet, trailing onto the ground.
"..."
Following the ink trail with my gaze.
I saw an old piece of hanji paper with a faded ink wash painting smeared
and blurred, lying on the ground.
It was as if, after countless years, the image had faded entirely, and new ink
had been splashed over it, leaving barely any recognizable shape.
’...That must have been one of those cursed paintings connecting to that
insane mountain.’
Shuddering, I quickly tore my gaze away and turned to check on the others
scattered on the ground.
One, two, three... seven. Everyone was here.
It seemed the painting had spit them out right after me.
"Ugh..."
"Are you alright?"
"Oww... Huh! W-We’re outside!!"
Section Chief Lee Byeongjin looked around, then yelled out in shock.
"Haha!! W-We made it!! We’re alive!!"
Then, filled with relief and gratitude, he turned to me and bowed deeply.
"Thank you... for saving us..."
"You saved yourself, Section Chief. You were the one who carried out the
ritual, after all."
"...Haha, so m-modest... I’m ashamed."
Section Chief Lee bowed again, looking rather moved. I figured it was best
to let him believe it was humility rather than flattery.
"O-Ohhh!"
The next ones to come to their senses were the middle schoolers. As I
helped them get their bearings, I listened to their surprised chatter.
"This place... it’s where you were supposed to stay on your school trip?"
"Yes!!"
Now that I looked around, it did resemble the description they’d given of
’the gazebo behind our lodging’.
’So we all got spit out here.’
...It was lucky we didn’t wake up in that strange office in the basement of
the company.
I reassured the kids who were hugging each other in relief, crying, and
ready to run straight down the mountain.
"Be careful where you step. When you get down, find an adult and call your
parents, alright?"
But the kids looked nervous, hesitant to leave.
"Aren’t you coming with us...?"
Well... they had a point.
Whether I was treated as a hero for rescuing them or mistaken for a
kidnapper, if I went to the police, the company probably wouldn’t be
thrilled...
’As long as the kids get back safely, that’s what matters.’
I slowly shook my head.
"We need to go somewhere else. You just keep going straight down and
don’t look back."
Just in case you trip.
"...! Okay."
The kids seemed to muster some resolve, nodding with determined faces,
and carefully started down the mountain, relying on each other for support.
’Good.’
Since it was a well-maintained path on a shallow mountain, it would only
take them about five minutes to get down.
As I watched them go, ensuring they were safe, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Excuse me..."
It was the security sergeant, who had already gotten to his feet and was
slightly swaying as he held out the stick with the greenish wild ginseng still
attached.
"Hey kid, take this..."
"Oh."
The sergeant held out the stick with the unconscious wild ginseng dangling
from it.
’I mean, we could’ve just left it there.’
Still, I took the ginseng without protest. The sergeant turned and started
walking away, trudging off with heavy steps.
"...Where are you headed?"
"The office... still on duty..."
Ah.
’But we’re in Gyeongju right now.’
(T/N: A KTX ride from Gyeongju to Seoul is about 2 hours and 40 minutes, while a bus ride would be
about 4 to 5 hours)
By the time he gets back, his shift would probably be over anyway.
In any case, I followed him since I also needed to get back to Seoul,
carrying Go Seonha, the exhausted university student, slung over my
shoulder.
’I’ll drop her off in front of the police station on the way.’
Then, at that moment—
"Aah... Both Security Team officers need to return quickly! I-I’ll follow
along then! Haha! Isn’t it only right for me to accompany you as the
missing person you found? Let’s go together!"
I glanced at Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, who was scrambling to catch up,
looking every bit like a sycophant afraid to lose his backup.
Well, now that we’d escaped... maybe it was time for him to know the
truth.
"And, uh, after everything’s settled, I’ll stop by your department to properly
thank you two! Haha, where exactly does the Security Team work...?"
"No."
"...?"
"Even if you come to the Security Team, you won’t be able to meet me."
"Huh?"
"I’m with the Field Exploration Team."
A heavy silence followed.
"But, uh, your clothes... you’re in a Security Team uniform—"
"It was just lent to me..."
"...?!"
With that comment from the security sergeant, Section Chief Lee’s face
became a mix of confusion, and then, after a moment, he seemed to piece
things together in his mind.
"Ahh! Ah! I-I see, so... but you don’t seem familiar. Don’t you get
administrative support? Ah! Maybe you’re in a special team? And that’s
why you’re in the security uniform...?"
"I’m a new hire, sir."
"...?"
"D-squad’s rookie."
"...???"
* * *
What happened afterward was handled fairly quickly.
All the way from Gyeongju back to the company, Section Chief Lee kept
muttering ’lies’ under his breath. However, when he reached the office and
verified my personnel records, he was left in stunned silence.
But surprisingly, he didn’t immediately change his demeanor.
’Why not though?’
I thought he’d immediately dismiss me as a newbie in the lowly Field
Exploration Team, but instead, he continued to behave respectfully,
although he did make some effort to act more casually, dropping a bit of the
formality.
"Uhh, Soleum-ssi, did you hear? The, uh, kids and the university student—
you know, they got home safely."
A few days later, he informed me that the survivors from our escape had
been registered as civilian survivors at <Daydream Inc.>.
"They probably received a decent amount as compensation for their
information too."
"In a way, it’s ironic how it really turned out to be a stroke of fortune for
them. Yeah? Life can be funny, right?"
And ironically, it was good fortune for me as well.
"So anyway, Soleum-ssi, from now on, you can just count on me!"
"...Um. Yes, sir."
"Hahaha!"
Section Chief Lee quickly pushed through my manual evaluation process.
...Only for me, though.
’Is it really okay for him to act like this after taking an unauthorized week
off?’
Well, it was a good outcome for me.
The scroll that served as a portal for the ’Sangun-nim’ ghost story was
swiftly collected by <Daydream Inc.> as a Darkness under its jurisdiction,
and my unique method of escape was officially accepted as a new
procedure in the manual.
Even my previously pending application under A-squad for a manual
revision was quickly approved.
The balance in my bank account now read:
Manual Revision Bonus — ₩100,000,000
"..."
’Insane.’
It was a staggering amount, enough to make my hands tremble. Now that
two manual revisions had been approved, this unexpected sum appeared in
my banking app.
Even though it was a cash payment rather than the standard points
allocation, this amount was certainly enough to make anyone do a double
take.
’Maybe I should take advantage of this friendly manual evaluator and tackle
as many new Darknesses as possible...?’
But venturing out alone to encounter various ghosts and monsters was a
daunting thought, so for now...
’I should put this one hundred million to good use.’
Where would be the best place to spend it?
I already knew where a portion of it was going—about 30% had been
allocated to the source of this whole ordeal.
"Congratulations, Braun."
– Ooooh!
Bloodbathtub – ₩29,999,999
= ₩29,999,999
Purchase complete.
Fortunately, the Bloodbathtub was still available in the Alien Shop, so I
could fulfill the promise I made to my animated plush friend.
’I wonder if it’ll come by rocket delivery this time too?’
I recalled the postal service box that had mysteriously materialized in
midair last time.
As far as I knew, the Bloodbathtub was a large, four-legged tub, about the
size of a typical household bathtub, with decorative gold legs that gave it an
elegant look. But imagining it landing in my small studio unit...
’Maybe I should order it from the bathroom?’
In any case, I decided to push my bed and desk aside to clear space, then
press the order button right here. There just wasn’t enough room in the
bathroom.
"...Alright. Time to place the order."
– Exciting! My heart is pounding with anticipation.
In the dimly lit room, with only a flashlight as illumination, I finally clicked
the [Order] button, carrying on a conversation with a small little plushie
that, of course, had no heart to pound with excitement.
Ssshhhk.
Just like the previous times, the space seemed to tear open, and my
anticipation grew.
But... the tear was smaller than expected?
With a soft plop, a package fell out.
It was also... small?
"...?"
I opened the postal box, which was barely a quarter of the size I expected,
and found the product packaging inside.
[Bathtub of Youth – Foot Massage Edition]
"..."
So that’s why it was so cheap.
Come to think of it, since it was a ghost story item from a home shopping
creepypasta, it probably had a variety of editions and versions...
Although, as far as I knew, most versions were just fun variations with little
functional difference—except for a few rare ones.
’I never thought they’d make a footbath version, though.’
It came with a gold-embossed sticker and a warranty certificate, hinting that
it was some sort of ’special edition’.
[10-Year Free A/S Warranty]
Utterly pointless.
’Who’s going to request customer service on something like this?’
But I decided to open it anyway. There were no records in the <Dark
Exploration Records> of anyone touching a "Bloodbathtub" and having
their blood involuntarily drained, after all.
Inside, packed in a box as elegantly wrapped as a luxury item, lay the object
itself.
’...The Bathtub of Youth.’
Also known as the Bloodbathtub.
It was a glossy, black-and-white checkered tub that appeared to be made of
shimmering ceramic. Its elegant curves were supported by golden, feline-
shaped legs, giving it a refined look.
It’s quite impressive.
’...If you ignore the fact that it was a footbath.’
Someone with just the right size to fit in it, however, was evidently thrilled.
– Mr. Roe Deer! Please put me in there! With some bath salts...
Wait, if it’s a blood bath, then—
"...You mean you want my blood as the bath salt?"
– Precisely! How perceptive of you, Mr. Roe Deer.
This crazy little...
For a brief moment, I wavered between reasoning with him or bolting out
the door.
– Haha! I’m joking, Friend!
"..."
– With no audience or cameras here, I’d never make such a demanding
request of a friend!
But what about if there was an audience and cameras?
I kept that thought to myself. Desperate people have to bite their tongue
sometimes. Still, I couldn’t resist saying one thing.
"Please, no more jokes like that. They’re not funny—they’re terrifying."
– My, I understand! Humor is a cultural delicacy, and it’s always important
to handle it carefully!
This is what ’carefully handled’ looks like?
– Anyway, back to the main point... there’s already a perfectly suitable
alternative for bath salts in this space, isn’t there?
– Let’s see if our Mr. Roe Deer can figure out what it is!
Something in my place? I glanced around.
’He couldn’t possibly mean Baek Saheon, the guy in the next room...’
No no, let’s not even consider that.
I tried to think of other options... Then, my eyes landed on something that
had been sitting on the corner of my desk for the past few days.
Reluctantly, I pointed at it.
"...This wild ginseng?"
– Excellent!
Yes. It was the corrupted, purple wild ginseng I had unknowingly taken
from the Sangun-nim ghost story.
’I guess you could call it sap... or maybe something more like blood did
seem to flow through it.’
But, for days now, it had just looked like a regular wild ginseng with an odd
purple hue. My plan was to feed it more apple juice if it ever woke up, and
if that didn’t work, just donate it to the company. But surprisingly, it hadn’t
stirred at all.
’All that tension waiting for it to wake up at sunrise that day was pretty
pointless...’
Braun had even commented,
– I doubt it will ever wake up again. After all, weaker creatures tend to play
dead when they sense danger, do they not?
Maybe getting pulled into the real world from the changgwi’s ’Sangun-
nim’s Burial Grounds’ had traumatized it.
– Anyways, Friend, if it concerns you, I’ll keep an eye on it.
And so far, there hadn’t been a single problem.
So... was he suggesting I use this ginseng?
’Mm, that could work.’
Without any supernatural possession, it was just a juicy piece of ginseng.
Besides... I was genuinely curious to see the Bloodbathtub in action.
’It’s kind of fascinating, isn’t it?’
I had some curiosity of my own, which is probably why I sometimes snuck
peeks at the creepypasta wiki during work breaks...
There aren’t many creepypastas I can safely observe, even if just in images.
Using ginseng juice instead of blood could be a unique opportunity.
– Ooooh!
I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and scissors from the kitchen.
The plush monster beneath my bed spoke in a low, excited voice.
– Now, place me in the bath please!
"Wait."
There was something I needed to clarify.
"This bath is for rejuvenation... do you really need to be rejuvenated? I
mean... you look young enough."
I wanted to point out the absurdity of a plushie needing such a concept, but
held back.
Braun, however, let out a hearty laugh, crisp as if it were a prerecorded
sound effect.
– Hahaha! You’re seeing the concept of ’rejuvenation’ too narrowly, my
friend! Don’t worry, you’ve got a fine conversationalist here to explain!
– In fact, ’rejuvenation’ means ’the return of spring’ in Hanja. In other
words, it means ’to regain the prowess of one’s prime’.
– For some reason, I’m feeling rather heavy and unbalanced these days, so
this bath is exactly what I need!
...But you’re a stuffed toy.
And the tub’s description clearly said it was good for ’healing wounds,
recovering energy, treating arthritis, and enhancing skin health’.
’...I dunno anymore.’
If he insists this much...
In the creepypastas I’ve read, there wasn’t really a case where a plush doll
with a friendly spirit would turn on you after being treated well. The
disasters always happened when they were mistreated.
I decided to stop overthinking it. It was unnecessarily scary.
With rubber gloves on, I held scissors in one hand and the wild ginseng in
the other.
’Let’s try it out.’
And with that, I reached for the Bloodbathtub.