Around the time Field Exploration Team’s D-squad entered the ghost story,
“Section Chief, what do you think the grade will be this time? D-Class again, most likely?”
“Hey, Supervisor Lee. You should be more tactful about these things, yeah?”
“……”
“It’s fun and all, but let’s keep it within the Development Department. Don’t bring it up when other teams are around. Got it?”
“…Ah, yes.”
The Research Team supervisor, who had been grinning as he talked about betting with Kim Soleum, finally shut his mouth.
How annoying. He had underestimated Section Chief Kwak Jaekang, thinking he was young and easygoing, so it was unpleasant to be scolded over something like this.
And this irritation reminded him of someone else who had seemed even more irritating—an easy target.
That rookie from the Field Exploration Team!‘The nerve of him, staring down at his superiors.’
He had tried to include the rookie in the bet, but the new hire had outright refused, looking completely unimpressed.
Kim Soleum, wasn’t it?
‘You’re just a lab rat for human experiments, so where’s your attitude coming from?’
If you’re a rookie in the Field Exploration Team, half of your life is already forfeit. But seeing him act all stiff-necked just because he made some achievement? It was laughable.
He had heard stories of clueless rookies like this every year, and now, he was seeing one for himself.
‘Will he die? It’d be hilarious if he did.’
His morally numb brain anticipated a rush of dopamine, making him salivate a bit at the thought.
He quickly sent a message in the company’s anonymous betting group chat.
– am betting 10 on d-class
– kk
It was more than a bet—it was his hope. The chances of them dying would be much higher if it were D-Class!
Then, a superior interrupted his thoughts.
“Supervisor Lee, make sure the preliminary report is ready by the end of the day.”
“…Yeees.”
‘Not like the lab rats will make it out of the Darkness before my shift ends anyway.’
His boss was making him handle the kind of tasks he’d normally pass on to his junior during a shift change. Why did he have such bad luck with supervisors?
Grumbling internally, the Research Team assistant supervisor continued writing the preliminary experiment report.
3.2 Test Subjects
Adults over the age of 18 who have seen the five-second video ad titled ‘The Clown Hates You’, played as a promotion on a certain video platform 4.
‘After watching that, they approached the clown’s hand, which then dragged them in, right?’
Isn’t approaching something like that just stupid?
If you see something suspicious, you should run away. From that point, it’s already natural selection at work.
‘But then, there are the lucky civilians who manage to escape.’
According to the testimonies of surviving civilians, they managed to return to reality by jumping into the empty portrait after a clown left.
‘The test subjects know that going in.’
However, there wasn’t any clear indication of which portrait was the right one.
The hallway types, the sizes of the portraits, the frame designs, even the timing—it all varied.
It seemed that most people who escaped had simply jumped into the empty portraits by chance and got lucky.
‘Finding the correct portrait is going to be a real grind.’
The Darkness required a lot of stamina, with people having to wake up clowns, evade them, and sometimes even fight them off.
At the same time, not knowing which portrait was the right one must have been nerve-wracking!
At least one or two deaths were practically guaranteed in this scenario. They’d probably make sacrifices as they tested out different portraits.
‘For someone to escape, it’ll take at least half a day, maybe even a few days…’
“Waaaaah!”
“Clear!”
“……”
“……”
Wait, what?
The researcher turned his head.
From the corner of the lab, a group of people suddenly poured in.
…It was the entire Field Exploration Team D-squad!
“……?!”
“Is the Dream Essence Collector full?”
“Yes! Oh, it’s D-Class!”
He reflexively checked his watch.
It was 2:41 PM.
‘They entered at 2:15 PM…’
Only 26 minutes had passed since they entered.
Wait.
‘…26 minutes?!’
Seeing the four members of D-squad emerge from the ghost story in less time than it would take for a quick coffee break, a heavy silence settled over Research Team 1’s office.
‘Am I dreaming?’
No.
‘Are we the ones trapped in a ghost story?’
Not that either.
“…My goodness! How did you all get out so quickly? Section Chief, did you smash your way through again?”
Kwak Jaekang’s admiration was met with an immediate response.
“No.”
“Right.”
“He did it.”
Kwak Jaekang’s gaze shifted to the D-squad superiors speaking in unison.
“…Nice to see you again.”
The rookie who had quietly been standing at the back bowed his head.
It was Kim Soleum.
“…This friend did it?”
The unspoken question, ‘Isn’t he just a rookie?’ was met with a casual reply.
“What’s new?”
“Roe was like this on his first day, too.”
“……??”
The assistant manager and supervisor of D-squad didn’t say anything more and began organizing their equipment. Section Chief Lee Jaheon nodded.
“That’s how it is.”
“……”
“This ghost story is D-Class.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
Section Chief Lee Jaheon promptly started his report. Kwak Jaekang, accustomed to his efficiency-driven, stream-of-consciousness style, responded right away.
“So, what’s the clear mechanism?”
“? I don’t know.”
“……”
“Oh. May I explain?”
The rookie raised his hand from the back.