2. I'm a Human, You Know

Urban legends made real.

There was a time I'd daydreamed about that sort of thing. No — if I was being honest, I'd been dreaming it ever since I first learned what an urban legend even was.

Every time I came up with a new one, I'd wonder what it would be like if it actually came true. There was even a night I'd written one myself and then been too terrified to sleep.

It's the kind of fantasy everyone's indulged in at least once, sure. But—

"Who the hell wants to see an urban legend in real life?"

I could guarantee it. Not a single person sincerely wished for that.

Who in their right mind wants to come face to face with ravenous, human-eating monsters? If anything, they'd pray for those things to drop dead and disappear.

"Pfhew... this is genuinely insane."

Letting out a sigh, I glanced sideways at my phone screen.

A post uploaded mere minutes ago. Low-intelligence anomalies this, anomalies that — one glance was enough to tell something was deeply wrong.

There was plenty I wanted to point out, but what I needed to focus on was something else ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entirely.

"LookIntoMyEyes, DontTurnAround... these are urban legend rules, aren't they."

The gallery members' usernames. Every single name I'd seen so far had a purpose that was far too on the nose.

Normally you'd expect the usual trashy handles about chests and ignoring 2D rights and whatnot.

These names were far too contrived to have been made by actual people.

Combine that with the content of the posts, and there was only one conclusion.

"The people in this gallery must be urban legends. Not kids LARPing — actual monsters."

I clutched at my throbbing head.

I couldn't even write it off as delusion. I was the one trapped in the Backrooms right now, after all.

Only a fool looks at something with his own eyes and refuses to accept it.

"...Get it together. First I have to clean up this mess."

Despairing, I slapped my own cheeks a couple of times to snap myself back.

The gallery was already in an uproar over the post and comments. The fire was raging, and if the person at the center of the incident stayed silent, suspicion would fall on me. My fingers flew across the screen as I uploaded a new post.

This was a disaster.

These things wouldn't listen to a word a human said. Ah — well, they were anomalies, so I supposed that was to be expected.

"Getting all worked up over their own private little in-jokes."

I watched the comments pour in and gave a hollow laugh.

I was just debating whether I'd be forced to write a groveling, 5,700-character information-begging post when—

"Huh? There's actually an anomaly offering to explain?"

A private chat had arrived from some kind soul of a monster. I shot up from where I'd been lying on the floor and replied immediately.

Let me correct myself.

This was one monumentally inconsiderate creature.

Demanding more than three lines of reading comprehension from me? I never even graduated elementary school.

When I didn't reply, the monster stopped its explanation and posted a new comment instead.

Would you look at that instant character flip?

That casual tone works better for me too, honestly — but it was still jarring.

As I sat there with a bemused smile, another comment appeared.

That much I'd predicted from the start. What I wanted to know was why, exactly, they were all in such a frenzy over me.

The answer came before long.

"I see. So that's the lore."

So the higher the number in front of a handle, the stronger the being — and because my number was 999, they were all trembling in their boots.

That explained the 999, in a way.

"Well, this is the Backrooms."

The reports went on and on about it being a place of nothingness, this and that.

The way I saw ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, it was just the Backrooms. The most famous creepypasta on the planet.

As for why the number looked like that... maybe the gallery had mistaken the Backrooms for the user instead of me?

I wasn't an urban legend, after all.

"Great. Understood perfectly."

No, I didn't understand at all.

Strength was measured by the Backrooms's number, but the user was listed by mine? That was just the system doing whatever the hell it wanted.

"A notice, huh. That should give me some footing."

There were still mountains of unanswered questions, so I dug through the gallery in search of information.

Surely there'd be a beginner's guide to the gallery or something.

"The organization to watch out for... the Management Bureau? Now that's a lazy-ass name."

Thud. Thud.

"Senior, don't you think they named the Management Bureau way too lazily?"

"Seoyoon. That lazily named place is our employer."

The Management Bureau Seoul Branch. The initial urban legend exploration team.

And its newest hire: rookie agent Kang Seoyoon. She marched down the night streets beside her Exploration Team Leader, chugging her coffee without pause.

Gulp! Gulp!

"...Ahh! Now THIS is a genuinely good cup of coffee, sir."

"That it is. Everything good about Management Bureau employee benefits comes straight out of urban legends."

Seoyoon hurled the emptied cup to the pavement. It seemed to melt away at terrifying speed, then vanished without a trace.

"Had your fun?"

"Yes, sir! Feeling totally refreshed, sir!"

"Good. Then let's go die, shall we?"

At the Exploration Team Leader's words, everyone stopped. He turned around to face the assembled team.

"ANOMALY! ERADICATION! All exploration personnel ready for entry!"

Clad in dark-crimson reinforced combat suits, the agents stood arranged in flawless ranks.

Click!

The agent at the very front snapped a crisp salute toward the Team Leader.

"Eradication unit. I trust everyone's wearing their perception-blocking anomalies?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. Lead the way."

The agents moved out, holding their formation. Seoyoon and the Team Leader followed behind them.

Whoosh...

A dead-of-night street where every last light had gone out.

A cold pre-dawn breeze brushed through the roadside trees.

Caught in a wind that felt equal parts refreshing and mournful, Seoyoon wore an expression of quiet discomfort.

"What's with the face? Scared?"

"Y-yes, sir!?"

A sharp jolt pricked at her side.

The Team Leader had poked her in the ribs.

"Sc-scared of what, sir!? Not scared at all, sir!"

Seoyoon crossed her arms and blew a defiant puff of air through her nose. But she couldn't quite hide the faint tremble at the corners of her eyes.

"If you're scared, you can say so. I'm scared myself."

"...Did you just say YOU are, sir?"

The Team Leader let out a hearty laugh, his breath curling white in the winter air.

At his words, Seoyoon's eyes went wide with genuine shock.

"Well, of course. Thirteen B-rank exploration agents went missing here. Why wouldn't I be scared?"

"Fair point... it has been the talk of the rookies lately."

Provisional anomaly designation: Void.

The Management Bureau had sent in its elite to explore it — and in the end, every last one of them had vanished. A caution-class anomaly that had summoned nothing but tragedy.

That was where they were heading now.

"What, surprised?"

"Honestly, yes, sir."

"Then go ahead and be as terrified as you like. Being afraid in an urban legend is a weakness — and a strength, both at once."

"...Understood, sir. Thank you."

Just as Seoyoon was looking up at her Team Leader with unconcealed admiration—

"We've arrived! Beyond this point lies the boundary of the anomaly!"

One of the agents stopped and gestured toward the gap between two buildings.

An alley where not even an inch ahead was visible. Even accounting for the darkness of night, it was far too black.

Swoosh.

"Hmm. It's real, all right."

As the Team Leader reached his arm toward the darkness, his hand passed straight through the wall and vanished from sight.

The sight of it — an arm apparently severed clean off — was thoroughly unnerving.

"Everyone, equip your perception-blocking anomalies."

"Yes, sir!"

Seoyoon and the other agents each pulled their own gear from their pockets. One agent downed a fluorescent-colored soft drink; another produced a pocket watch and hung it around his neck.

"I'll enter first. Per the manual, the rest of you follow in three minutes."

The Team Leader thumped his chest once with his fist, then charged straight in.

Smoothly, without a sound, his figure melted into the darkness — as if no one had ever been standing there at all.

Then, exactly three minutes later.

One of the agents stepped forward to the mouth of the alley.

"We're entering too. New recruit, you come in dead last."

"Understood, sir!"

"Tch. Listen to that voice. Makes you wonder how a freak like that even got onto the exploration team."

"...?"

The agent shot Seoyoon a venomous glare.

"Don't get cocky just because the Team Leader plays favorites. The Bureau's got more rookies than it knows what to do with to replace you."

He waved the others forward, and the agents followed him one by one into the darkness.

Each of them swept their eyes over Seoyoon as they passed, carrying their own feelings with them.

Pity, sympathy — but mostly, envy.

"..."

Every agent made it through, and at last only Seoyoon remained.

...This is so unfair. I didn't even want to come here in the first place.

She swallowed down a mouthful of bitter resentment.

Seoyoon hadn't joined the exploration team by choice. The Team Leader — no, those above him — had ordered it, and she'd been forced to accept.

Part of her wanted nothing more than to quit on the spot and take some rear-support posting instead.

Are you insane, Kang Seoyoon. Why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠did you have to catch an Omen-class anomaly at your entrance evaluation, of all things.

Because she'd hunted down a high-grade anomaly the moment she joined, Seoyoon had been branded a monster rookie outright.

That was why she'd been deployed on this exploration. It was why the veteran agents envied her, too.

Of course it stung them, watching a rookie stand on the same footing they'd bled for.

Ha. What can you do? That's office life for you.

She was in the mood to knock back a stiff drink, but there was no time for that.

She had to enter the anomaly soon.

You can do this, Kang Seoyoon. If not for yourself, then do it for the Team Leader.

She smacked her own shoulders, shaking off the gloom, then hurled herself toward the darkness with everything she had.

Her vision flickered rapidly. Black to violet, violet back to white.

Monochrome to a hospital, hospital to a school, a forest, a prison, a swimming pool, a library, a park, a graveyard, the ocean floor, a banquet hall.

Almost... there?

The dizzying churn of her vision steadied at last, resolving into a drab, brownish-yellow room.

She had arrived inside the anomaly.

Where is everyone?

Seoyoon lifted her head and looked straight ahead.

The backs of the agents who'd arrived before her — and the Team Leader — came into view. They were all hunched low, warily watching something.

"No, I'm telling you, I'm not an anomaly?"

"Don't lie to me. Hands up where I can see them, humanoid anomaly."

"...Ha."

Voices drifted over the crowd of agents. Seoyoon slipped forward quickly and peered past them.

Dozens of gun muzzles were trained on a single point.

"A... person?"

At the end of them stood a human being.