Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Death End Alley
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Of course, during darkness explorations, you were bound to run into absurd events or creepy experiences.
Being chased by ghosts, public transport suddenly heading to some unheard-of destination, or the moment you step out of your house, everyone on the street staring right at you...
But after going through it enough times, plenty of employees said these things became familiar before you knew it.
'Even I've gotten a little used to it, at this point.'
Sure, it was contamination and items on the line, but hadn't he just barely cleared a high-grade one by diving in while half his limbs were getting chopped off?
But some kinds of creepiness never got familiar.
For instance,
Darknesses that suddenly recognized'me'.
"......"
I flipped through the documents, my eyelid twitching.
One of the field explorers who'd filed the report had even clumsily sketched a reproduction of the packaging right there.
It was drawn so terribly, but the intent was clear: you'd recognize who it was.
'...Brown.'
'That looks just like me, doesn't it?'
"......"
And the product name was "Good Kid," with a flavor of "Cinnamon Churros"...
'That's the theme park's blue mascot.'
And the featured darkness... "Qterw-C-1603"? Why the hell had that one shown up in my darkness?
I reflexively glanced toward my tattoo but held back.
Then I turned to Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who was staring blankly at me.
"This hasn't been officially listed in the manual yet... right?"
"Yes."
Whew.
That was a relief, at least.
'If Director Cheong went out of his way to show this to me ahead of time...'
...Favor? Debt?
Probably both.
The moment this got officially certified as an exploration record, any descriptions that could pinpoint an identity based on security clearance would be blacked out with black boxes.
In exchange, the research team would probably run experimental explorations to figure out why this phenomenon occurred...
Like shoving in an employee dressed like me, or sending someone on an exploration without telling them anything.
'Gwak Je-gang might even catch on and try throwing me back into the theme park.'
God, that'd drive me insane.
If it got to that point and I called in a favor from Director Cheong, I could end up as something like "Outstanding Employee of 30 Years with Director Cheong."
Why was it that the harder I tried to live right, the more ways there were to get screwed over...?
'That's just how this ghost story world works.'
Anyway, for now, I should be grateful I'd found out early. I'd owe Director Cheong a moderate psychological debt, but it was still better than the research team biting the bait first.
'And the fact that he went out of his way to tell me ahead of time means...'
"Is the darkness our team's exploring this week... this one?"
"I don't know."
"...Do you estimate there's a 50% or higher chance?"
"Yes."
As expected.
'If he's telling me ahead of time, it makes sense for me to go in and confirm it myself.'
'Qterw-C-1603,' huh.
If he had to go into a darkness and endure mental torture as a coward anyway, it made sense to pick the more valuable one...
This standard hadn't changed.
'Let's check it out.'
And this time, he had some solid backup.
The self-proclaimed physical exorcist named employee, Squad Leader Lee Jaheon!
......Though recalling the pierrot darkness, he might issue orders with his ridiculously numb fear response.
'Hm, one-on-one, there might be ways to talk my way out or escape...'
He'd picked up some conversation skills lately, too.
In that sense, going with the fearless squad leader actually made his heart feel pretty secure—not bad at all.
But there was one more variable.
"Sol-eum."
"Yes."
"Do you want support personnel?"
Ah, right.
Field explorations were standard 3-person teams, so this time D Squad would be receiving one extra for the exploration.
'Like a prelim run by the elites.'
Usually, they just randomly pulled personnel...
"Is it possible to request a specific person?"
"Yes."
Oh! ...Wait a sec.
"......Exclude requesting via Director Cheong. Is it still possible?"
"No."
"......"
'Good thing I caught that...!'
I'd almost squared the debt.
I swallowed a groan but couldn't hold back and finally asked.
Something I'd been curious about the lizard squad leader for a while.
"Squad Leader, you always give concise answers... If there's a reason, could you tell me?"
"I see."
The lizard's pupils briefly flicked upward before locking back on me.
"It's feedback to only give detailed answers upon request."
"...When did you get that feedback?"
"Three days into working here, during a darkness exploration."
"......"
I see...
He hadn't even given specifics, but the scene popped into my head crystal clear.
"Squad Leader, if it's not urgent, please speak casually around me."
"Yes."
And then Section Chief Lee Jaheon... kept talking!
"If Kim Sol-eum wants to specify traits for the support personnel, report it to me. You can't name a specific person, but you can request preferred characteristics from a sample group."
"...!"
He's explaining on his own!
Th-thanks.
I nearly got drunk on the sense of accomplishment, but the important thing was what Section Chief Lee Jaheon had said.
'Hard to pick exactly who, but I can say something like "this type of employee would be good," right?'
Hm.
After some thought, I settled on one trait for the support.
"A new hire, please."
There was hidden meaning here.
All current new hires were my cohort.
'Not because I'm being left out of the cohort group chat or anything...'
Well, honestly, this exploration felt a bit iffy, so I didn't want someone too plugged into company ops with seniority.
'Plus it'd be nice to get acquainted.'
I'd been thinking it was time to make more friends at the company.
"Yes."
Section Chief Lee Jaheon approved my request cleanly, and I started getting a little excited.
Wonder what new face I'd see?
And a few days later.
"......"
"......"
I ran into Jang Heo-un at the D Squad office door, his eyes lighting up with familiarity.
"F Squad new hire Jang Heo-un...!"
A familiar face.
Not a bad outcome. He wasn't a superior, so it'd be a more relaxed exploration.
I smiled and offered my hand to Jang Heo-un.
"Good to see you again. Looking forward to a smooth exploration today."
"Yes, Sol-eum! I'll definitely help with the clear!"
Jang Heo-un shook my hand firmly. Yeah, solid guy...
"Ooh, hello~ Looking forward to working with you too~!"
"......"
"......??"
I turned to see an employee beaming as she stepped off the elevator, bowing to us.
A friendly-looking woman my age.
Wearing a pony mask.
"Support from I Squad. The manual recommends even numbers for this darkness, so we got two."
"Kang I-hak here~ Nice to meet you, assistant manager, new hire!"
"Yes...!"
Jang Heo-un bowed hurriedly, then shouted as realization dawned.
"Ah, the one from the group chat who posts a lot...!"
"Yep yep, haha, that's me, embarrassingly enough!"
Ah.
I remembered now.
When I'd joined the cohort group chat, she'd been aggressively prying for info, so I'd politely stonewalled her.
'Seemed like she was leading the group chat vibe.'
Prioritizing gains over chit-chat.
That cohort member was already smiling and offering her hand to me.
"Wow, top cohort! First time meeting like this. Looking forward to it~"
"Yes. Same here."
I shook lightly.
...Clean and straightforward.
'Lighter personality than I expected.'
I'd pictured someone more scheming, but she had a gentle, easygoing air. No hidden barbs in her questions.
'Well, as long as she's decent, I'm thankful...'
Better than exploring with a sociopath like Baek Saheon and feeling mentally drained.
Non-experiencers wouldn't get it—the inner screams when ghosts pop up and the only one next to you is a psycho... Urk.
"Moving out."
"Yes."
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon started walking with heavy steps.
We quietly followed the squad leader to the car, and I took the wheel, fiddling with the navigation.
"We're heading to Gyeonggi Province now, right?"
"Yes."
Yeah, this darkness was completely outside Seoul too.
Based solely on the exploration report I'd skimmed earlier, you might mistake Qterw-C-1603 for just a weird snack shop ghost story.
It was bigger... and more insidious.
"To enter this ghost story...... Ah, we have to wait until sunset, so that's why we're meeting late?"
"Seems so."
I answered Jang Heo-un politely as I started driving.
To enter this darkness, you needed to match time and place perfectly.
Qterw-C-1603 entry requires heading to a residential area on the outskirts of ■■ City, Gyeonggi Province.
This neighborhood was a trendy alley of eateries and cafes popular on SNS in the early 2010s, now largely deserted.
Very rarely, promotional posters for local businesses are sighted on utility poles here.
The poster center reads "Come Play at ■■ City's Death End Alley" with a QR code printed.
※Do not stare at the poster's text too closely.
Incidentally, the company had secured one beforehand, covered except for the QR.
"Assistant manager, I'll scan the QR for you!"
"Ah, thanks."
Scanning the QR links to a download page for an event app certified by the ■■ City local government; it downloads normally if the explorer is under 40.
A little later.
We parked in a public lot at the destination, got out, and walked into the quiet alleys.
Winter's short day was fading into dusk.
Most restaurants and cafes were still there, but the post-trend slump hung heavy...
"Run the app now."
I looked at the screen.
After a tacky opening with the old ■■ City logo and mascot...
First launch at the location before full dark activates navigation guidance.
The app itself really starts guiding.
GPS shows my position like AR on the smartphone.
"Walk."
"......"
We stared only at our phone screens and started moving together.
At first, it's normal.
Guiding along the main alleys, gradually leading outward from the commercial area.
But after a bit more time.
The paths start twisting.
Guiding into narrow gaps barely wide enough for one person, into front doors of buildings and out the back.
Even leading to dead ends, then making you backtrack.
Dim alleys.
Somehow, surroundings start feeling alien and bizarre.
Nape prickling, ungrammatical mutters, weird shadows flitting at vision's edge...
'...Gotta endure.'
But don't look up.
While following the app's guidance, never take your eyes off the screen for 3+ seconds or stray from the path.
Failure results in disappearance.
We kept moving in silence.
Careful not to bump or startle each other.
"Something weird just..."
"Shh."
About 16 minutes of silent walking...
The dim twilight fully vanished.
"......"
"......"
The already dusky commercial alleys plunged into unnatural total darkness.
Only our smartphone screens lit the residential streets.
Click.
Tap tap click.
One by one, lights flickered on in the dark alleys.
"...!"
The street shops were lighting up.
Yellow and blue signs illuminated the alleyscape.
...But this wasn't the familiar rundown commercial vibe from before.
Murmur murmur.
Crowds of shadowy figures bustling in the alley.
Familiar at a glance, but signs with distorted names upon closer look.
Shops lining the alley flung doors wide, welcoming guests...
Ding-a-ling.
The app popped a congratulatory message.
"...We made it?"
"Yes."
Successfully entered.
Right into the heart of the ghost story.
"Walk slowly."
"......"
We nodded and followed behind the lizard section chief...
Into the bizarre alley.