Go Yeongeun glanced at her colleague sitting beside her.
Kim Soleum, typing rapidly on the keyboard while staring into the monitor, looked easygoing with his tousled hair and glasses—a style crafted for this undercover work.
True to that image, he usually presented himself at the Disaster Management Bureau as a timid new recruit, shoulders hunched, gaze averted, projecting a passive persona.
But right now, the eyes behind Kim Soleum’s glasses, as he looked at the computer, were filled with certainty and composure.
It was the same person she’d seen at Daydream Inc.
That relaxed air unique to those with keen insight and long vision, the so-called ‘composure of someone in the know’.
‘Is he that immersed in his work?’
For a moment, this person’s original attitude was showing through.
He said paperwork was his specialty, and it didn’t seem to be a lie…
‘A deceiver…?’Go Yeongeun regarded her colleague, who’d become a supervisor not even one year after getting hired—the top recruit in their batch—with complicated feelings!
But soon Kim Soleum finished his last task on the keyboard with a flourish and turned to look at her as well.
And just as quickly, he slipped back into his crafted passive persona.
“Um, excuse me… Agent. Would you mind giving this a quick look to see if I’m doing it right…?”
“Yes, of course.”
She might even learn something new. If not, at the very least, she could help her colleague get more familiar with the documentation process.
Go Yeongeun looked at the computer monitor together with Kim Soleum.
“These are the versions of the urban legend currently collected online by the Disaster Management Bureau.”
[Red Clothes at Exit 4_current ver.]
A flood of cases.
A red piece of clothing left, standing by itself at the exit.
All sorts of chilling testimonies, ominous and unsettling sightings that seemed straight out of a horror movie, filling the document in posts, comments, and videos.
But Kim Soleum continued his explanation without batting an eye.
‘As expected, things like this don’t scare him at all.’
(No, it’s just that he’s strong when it comes to text!)
“First, I classified these witness accounts. I divided those with actual incidents from those without any substance.”
He sorted the document properly, too.
“Then an interesting trend becomes apparent.”
Interesting?
“It’s that real incidents happen after unsubstantial witness claims are posted.”
“…!”
“Look here.”
– if u check inside the clothes ull definitely find hair or a jijeon or smth right? but if u touch it to check ig ur an idiot? ㅋㅋ
“And indeed, hair and paper were found.”
Kim Soleum included the comment from the person who discovered the hair and jijeon in the ‘red clothes’.
“Next, there’s the issue about the whereabouts of the person who found the hair and paper.”
– someone told me the person who checked out the clothes in that screenshot hasn’t been heard from since…
“This comment wasn’t posted after the disappearance. The news of their disappearance spread after this comment was posted.”
“…!”
Go Yeongeun’s face hardened.
…It’s just like what had happened at Looky Mart.
“The order is reversed.”
“Yes.”
That’s the nature of ghost stories.
Kim Soleum gave a faint smile.
“When you focus on this kind of trend, and then look at the ghost story again… you can start to see a larger pattern emerge.”
Kim Soleum clicked on another document.
[Red Clothes at Exit 4_base ver.]
“This is a version from three months ago.”
When the rumors about the red clothes were running wild.
So there are theories that it’s an organ trafficking marker, or someone possessed by a ghost, or just some mad person’s act… All sorts of talk.
“But none of the things in here ever actually happened. Do you know why?”
“……”
Go Yeongeun fell into thought.
“Because there are too many, so if one thing is realized, it contradicts another?”
“That’s right.”
Kim Soleum smiled faintly.
“And one more thing. I think it’s because there hasn’t been a single speculation that people completely believed in.”
“…!”
“There were just so many speculative statements, and hardly anyone spoke as if making a definite conclusion. There were lots of rebuttals too, so none of it was enough to be treated as an actual incident.”
“…Because there was no evidence?”
“That’s right.”
To put it another way—
“They just weren’t ‘convincing enough’.”
Kim Soleum clicked his mouse again.
“But then, all of a sudden, such a story appears in the comments.”
A ‘sufficiently convincing story’.
These repeated testimonies appear to serve as bait for shamanic rituals.
“This is where the situation changes rapidly.”
Go Yeongeun read through the document Kim Soleum had compiled, hardly breathing.
Tricks to lure in ghosts. Someone getting attached to the clothes. Tying the arms twice not being an ordinary shamanic ritual. Instead something meant to bring misfortune…
“When it comes to shamanism, unless you’re an expert in that field, it’s hard to refute these statements. And as soon as someone presents themselves as an expert, it just seems plausible for some reason.”
“…But they don’t even have to provide any proof, like photos or credentials?”
“…! Exactly.”
Kim Soleum smiled as he reviewed the comments he had collected.
– if u check inside the clothes ull definitely find hair or a jijeon or smth right? but if u touch it to check ig ur an idiot? ㅋㅋ
“I checked that person’s comment history. He works as an office worker at a steel company.”
“…!”
So, not an expert.
But a field where it’s easy to pretend.