I hurried to the shelf, carefully picking up a doshirak and triangle kimbap to check their expiration dates.
‘Most kimbap has a shelf life of 36 to 48 hours.’
The doshirak would likely be the same.
But strangely, many of the doshirak and kimbap had expiration dates that were either more than three days away or were completely smudged and unreadable.
I kept searching, patient and quiet, carefully turning the items over and checking both sides.
And finally…
‘Found it.’
The current time in this ghost story is April 4th at 12:00.
I found an item with an expiration date of April 7th at 12:00.
[Gravy Burger Steak Doshirak]
I grabbed the doshirak and headed for the cash register at the counter.
‘Ugh.’
The image of the ghost madly pressing the buttons on the register flashed in my mind, but it was just a memory. The ghost hadn’t appeared here yet.
‘Stay calm.’
I navigated the register’s settings, selecting ‘Date and Time Adjustment’… and there it was! I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘The set time is…’
Exactly two days and 23 hours from the start time of April 4th, 12:00.
[April 7th, 11:59 p.m.]
‘Please let this work!’
I pressed the change button and then confirmed…
[Time adjusted successfully]
“……!!”
It worked!
‘Thank goodness, it actually worked. Sometimes it doesn’t let you change it, but thank heavens this time it did.’
I steadied my trembling hands, a mix of joy and anxiety coursing through me.
I was almost there.
All I had to do now was register the food as an item close to its expiration date.
Bee-bee-bee-beep—!
“……”
[Expiration Alert]
[Items approaching expiration date!]
The cash register announced cheerfully.
The recorded voice echoed through the dark convenience store.
Bee-bee-bee-beep—! Bee-bee-bee-beep—!
“……”
I froze and turned my head slowly.
In the distance, I saw it.
Our eyes met.
It was coming.
“Shi—!”
I forced myself to focus on the screen. Just look at the screen!
Please, please, hurry!
My shaking hand missed the barcode scanner three times before I finally got it.
[Would you like to register this item?]
I spammed [Yes] with all my might, and…
The strange, erratic footsteps grew closer, almost upon me.
I kept my composure as much as I could, moving my hands as fast as possible…
[Item registered for expiration.]
At the exact moment the ghost’s distorted steps brought it to the counter…
[Process complete]
It disappeared.
“……”
Click.
The lights turned on.
The bright convenience store flooded with light, and the now unremarkable POS screen displayed a simple message.
[Registration complete]
The sound of a receipt printing broke the silence.
In that white noise, I realized.
‘I did it.’
I had succeeded.
“Huu.”
I leaned against the counter, my legs trembling.
‘I can finally breathe…’
It’s amazing how much we humans rely on light!
Still, the brightness alone was enough to bring my mind some peace.
‘Now I just have to head for the door and—’
Clang!
The cash drawer beneath the cash register popped open.
‘Huh?’
Inside was a thick, brown envelope.
“This is…”
I grabbed the envelope and opened it.
Inside were four thick bundles of crisp, golden bills.
“……!?”
Stacks of 50,000 won bills!
‘Is it a hundred bills in each stack?’
That meant a total of 20 million won.
It was the first time I’d ever handled so much cash. But why was this money in the convenience store’s cash drawer…?
Oh.
‘The reward!’
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
/ Make Your Choice
Note
If you clear it, you actually get the money. Maybe it’s just a nice ghost who likes to scare people for fun.
========================
Oh.
* * *
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
“If he makes it through three days, he should be able to come out right away.”
“First try success? Wow, that’s pretty generous.”
D-squad of <Daydream Inc.>’s Field Exploration Team.
The two employees had just stepped out to the rooftop for a smoke after sending the new recruit into the ghost story.
No matter how many times they did it, it never felt routine. Pushing new recruits into paranormal phenomena was still unsettling.
But this particular ghost story, <Make Your Choice>, was known to be harsher if the time limit was shorter and more lenient if it was longer. Since the rookie was assigned three days, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult for him.
‘It’s like a three-day courage test at most.’
Of course, it was still harsh. But there was a shared understanding between the two employees:
– If he can’t handle this, he’ll be dead soon anyway.
Better to quit now than get killed later.
Many recruits had quit after this initiation, which was why D-squad often got side-eyed from the HR department, but they managed to get by, joking around as usual.
Watching a coworker, especially a new team member, die right next to you was terrible for one’s mental health, after all…
But this time, something felt a little different.
There was a strange sense of anticipation.
“This new guy, though.”
“Yeah?”
“He’s something else.”
“He sure is.”
The rookie assigned to D-squad, Kim Soleum, had ranked top in his class.
“I’ve never seen anyone act like that on their first day.”
Most new hires freak out the moment they realize their ‘job’ involves repeatedly being thrown into life-threatening paranormal phenomena. It’s only natural.
But Kim Soleum… he was eerily calm.
“He didn’t even seem nervous.”
“Yeah, didn’t flinch at all. Even drank his coffee just fine.”
Not once did he lose his composure, break down in tears, or try to run away.
Of course, Kim Soleum had already spoiled everything for himself and spent three days mentally preparing and resigning himself to the situation, but from an outsider’s perspective, he seemed like a rookie with an insane level of mental fortitude!
“You like him already, don’t you?”
“Yeah, he’s solid.”
Strong nerves were always welcome in this department, where employees regularly encountered horrific, bizarre, and eerie urban legends. Cowards wouldn’t survive.
‘Well, it’s not like any coward could pass the death survival test anyway…’
But one did!
Not that his superiors would ever know—they just kept nodding and praising the new recruit, thinking they had a gem on their hands.
There was just one thing that bothered them.
“He doesn’t seem like the type to slack off, so why didn’t he take any notes?”
“Maybe he’s just new to all this. We’ll teach him. He’ll catch on.”
In a job where life was on the line, information and manuals were crucial. The two nodded in agreement.
“He needs to write things down so he can review them later. That’s how you learn.”
“Exactly. It’s not like he knew all this in advance.”
He knew it all in advance!
Unaware, the two continued chatting, saying things typical of a team with a new recruit, before finally deciding to head back to the office.
“We still have to write the report.”
“Ugh, those reports no one even reads…”
The rookie wouldn’t be coming out for at least three days.
Still, the ghost story had food and a place to sleep, so even if it took a while, he’d be fine.
They nodded, picked up the tablet with the internet post that had sucked in the new recruit, and started heading back when…
Tick.
The tablet spat out a person.
The new recruit, who was supposed to come out three days later.
“……?!”
Kim Soleum, the rookie, dusted off his perfectly intact suit and stood up as if nothing had happened.
In his hand, he held something.
A completely filled ‘Dream Essence Collector’.
“I’ve filled it.”
“……?!?!”
[Clear time: 1 hour and 24 minutes.]
The rookie, who had just achieved an unbelievable feat, looked at his stunned superiors with a calm, composed expression.
‘I almost died of a heart attack.’
Of course, this was just the result of a desperate coward who, if given the chance, would have crashed through the walls of the haunted house to escape!