‘…Does the company’s list of ‘Darkness’ extend much further than I thought?’
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
But my superiors were relaxed.
“Our department just happens to get assigned a lot of TV-related ghost stories.”
“Oh, yeah, every team has its specialty.”
Then, Assistant Manager Eun sent me a PDF file, claiming it was the answer sheet for the ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’.
“For now, just memorize that answer sheet and skim through the exploration manual again. When the squad leader arrives in the afternoon, we’ll head out.”
“Got it.”
I obediently nodded.
Supervisor Park kindly added more advice.
“Oh, should I give you a physical copy of the manual too, just in case? You’ll need to take notes.”
“Oh, no need. I’ve memorized it all.”
With my Memorial Popsocket, having a physical copy would just be extra baggage.
“You memorized it all…?”
“Yes.”
“…So, notes!”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Supervisor Park gave me a knowing look, then nodded his head.
“The squad leader is going to like you a lot.”
“……??”
Well, it seemed to be a compliment, so I let it slide.
For the record, the squad leader of Team D was still out on a field assignment but was expected to return this afternoon.
‘I’ll be meeting them soon enough.’
But then, an hour later…
“Hold on a sec. Our squad leader—I mean, the section chief—he’s still out on a field assignment… what? No, that’s ridiculous.”
Assistant Manager Eun, who had been on the phone, frowned deeply as she hung up.
“Are these people out of their minds? Saying we have three people now, so we can make it a trio—what a joke…”
“Really? Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Seems like it…”
Assistant Manager Eun glanced at me.
Oh.
‘Is it because of the convenience store ghost?’
Because I cleared the F-Class Darkness by myself using an unusual method, higher-ups probably thought, ‘Oh, so this one can handle a full load.’
Looks like the consequence of pocketing that 20 million won solo is showing up here.
Not because they’re annoyed I took the money.
“It’s the end of the month.”
“Ahh.”
Watching my two superiors murmur to each other, I started to piece it together.
‘There must be some issue with the department’s performance numbers.’
I wasn’t sure, but it looked like they needed to meet some sort of ‘quota’ by lunchtime, and now they figured the new recruit could pull their weight.
Assistant Manager Eun made a decision after a brief moment of consideration.
“Roe, did you memorize that?”
Ah, the quiz show answers… wait.
‘If I say I memorized everything, does that mean I’m going in?’
Maybe I could feign ignorance…
“Oh, he’s already memorized it, I bet! He just said he’s memorized the entire exploration manual, that thick thing!”
“Oh.”
Assistant Manager Eun nodded.
“Great. Then we’ll handle this ourselves today.”
“……”
And there went my tiny, desperate hope that having more people would make things less scary…
‘The principle is to go in as a trio, but sometimes, if someone takes leave, two people go in. We do get backup support, but scheduling that is tricky, blah blah blah,’ they explained.
Yes, I get it. This company is just full of surprises.
‘…Anyway, I’m ready for this.’
I’ve got my items prepared, and it’s not one of those horrifying ghost stories, right?
Actually, come to think of it, it’s probably better to go now than to wait until the afternoon!
Isn’t it better to just get the beating over with?
The longer I wait, the more my imagination will conjure up horrors. Right now, my courage is at its peak.
It might be best to go in before it dwindles further…!
“Let’s get started.”
As I was mentally hyping myself up, Assistant Manager Eun approached, having received something from another department.
‘This must be the medium to enter the ghost story, right?’
It was a postcard.
However, the recipient field of the old postcard was already filled with strange scribbles.
And in tiny print at the top, the word ‘application’ was repeatedly written, like a curse.
– One day, I discovered a strange postcard inside an old magazine.
It contained a flyer recruiting participants for a quiz show, but when I searched for the show, there was no such program. It was probably just a vintage postcard with a quirky theme.
Out of curiosity, I wrote my name under the ‘sender’ field as a joke…
And then, I was dragged into a truly bizarre quiz show.
That’s probably the gist of the ghost story.
At a glance, it didn’t seem like much, but the closer you looked, the eerier it got, sending a chill down my spine.
“All you need to do is sign here.”
“……”
“If it feels too weird, just put your animal mask name instead of your real name.”
“…Yes.”
I needed to gather points.
As I watched the others write down ‘Badger’ and ‘Falcon’, I also filled in the ‘Sender’ field on the postcard.
– Roe Deer
The moment I lifted the pen, my consciousness was sucked into the postcard as if it were being pulled out of my body.
“……!”
[Ah, finally, our contestants have arrived!]
A blinding light from the stage overwhelmed my vision. A bright, cheerful voice echoed in my ears. A hand, dressed in a suit, was extended toward me for a handshake.
[Welcome, welcome… Now, the cameras will start rolling soon. Let’s show them our best smiles!]
Instinctively, I shook hands and looked up.
Where a human head should be, there was an old-fashioned television set.
…With a floating emoji displayed on the screen.
[
]
The TV-headed figure released my hand and joyfully spun around, spreading their arms wide.
[Audience!]
A roar of applause filled the air, but the glaring lights obscured the audience’s figures, making them hard to see.
Soon, I realized I was standing on a brightly colored podium.
‘This must be the contestant’s spot for the quiz show.’
It wasn’t terrifying enough to make me faint.
Actually, if I just thought of it as a quirky quiz show hosted by someone wearing a TV mask, it gave me a surprising sense of calm.
‘Compared to the horrors of the eye-plucking subway and the convenience store ghost, this feels almost pleasant.’
Yes, I could handle this. I felt like I could calmly think things through.
After adjusting my mask, I surveyed the situation.
[Is it your first time at a talk show, folks? Oho, then don’t forget to cheer! Your excitement is everything to this show!]
The TV-headed host was busy hyping up the audience, trying to raise the energy in the room. They were likely the host of the show.
‘So, this ‘Tuesday Quiz Show’ must be a segment of some larger talk show.’
The set’s vibe, the house band providing background music, the audience setup, and the host’s energetic performance—it all felt like a classic American talk show.
‘A bit old-fashioned, though.’
……
Wait.
‘Think again.’
An old American talk show.
A quiz segment.
The contestant already knowing the answers.
This…
……
……
I recognized these keywords.
========================
※ CAUTION ※
Disclaimer : By reading this document, you accept full responsibility for any fear, hallucinations, ■■, or ■■■■ that may arise. Daydream Inc. (Ltd.) is not liable for any damages.
Please proceed after signing.
========================
This isn’t just D-Class.
This… this ghost story…
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Chorus of the Sacrificial Lambs]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-A-104.
: A-Class Darkness.
The catalyst of the reclassification disaster that led to countless casualties.
Official record of survivors: None.
========================
“……”
[3, 2, 1… And now, the show begins!]
No way.