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.
"Uhh, sure… go ahead."
"First, to enter this Darkness, you must have seen the pre-entry ad, 'The Clown Hates You,' right?"
"That's correct."
"But, the clown is not actually a clown."
"...??"
"Clowns wear colorful makeup, smile cheerfully, and perform tricks. They're a type of traditional entertainer."
And?
"But this clown wears monochromatic makeup and has a frowning face."
"...!"
"There's a clear distinction."
A faint smile flickered on Kim Soleum's pale face before disappearing.
"And since the ad says, 'The Clown Hates You,' I assumed it wouldn't chase us."
After all, entertainers don't chase people they dislike.
"So I looked for the portrait with monochromatic makeup and only red lips, and I avoided all the other portraits."
"..."
"To be cautious, I kept a safe distance of 3 meters and remotely touched the portrait."
He considered all that while clearing a ghost story in just half an hour? And based on the outcome…
"The clown didn't come out of the portrait."
"...!"
"Instead, it quietly disappeared from the painting."
This rookie had identified the correct solution.
While previous civilians had been chased by clowns falling out of various portraits, D-squad, interacting only with one from a safe distance, had figured out the situation perfectly.
The researcher felt chills running down his spine.
The rookie even factored in other variables.
"There was a record stating that shining light on the portraits would cause all the clowns to jump out, so we didn't use any light sources."
"Huh? Then how did you manage to identify the portraits from 3 meters away in such Darkness?"
"Oh."
Kim Soleum blinked.
"The Section Chief could see them just fine."
"..."
Ah.
Kwak Jaekang tried not to turn and look at D-squad's section chief, who seemed like the embodiment of 'strength in human form'. "From now on, I believe future entrants should bring night vision goggles, and they should have no problems."
"Ah, I see… that makes sense."
"That concludes my report."
Another heavy silence followed.
Kwak Jaekang muttered quietly to himself.
"He figured all this out just from reviewing the pre-entry information?"
"Yes."
The rookie added, as if he'd just realized something.
"Maybe none of the people who entered before were familiar with American pop culture."
"..."
Could it really be explained that simply…?
"Uh, Soleum-ssi, did you study abroad or something?"
"No, I didn't."
Kim Soleum answered immediately.
"I just happen to know a lot of random stuff."
"..."
The researchers witnessed the rare sight of Kwak Jaekang, usually a smooth talker, at a loss for words!
"Oh, I've also written a temporary manual based on this theory. Supervisor Park Minseong was kind enough to lend me a notebook…"
"Oh, I didn't do anything~ Roe, you did it all~"
As Park's words echoed in the background, the researchers watched as Kwak Jaekang received the notebook from him.
They craned their necks to peek inside.
Sure enough, the hypothesis Kim Soleum had explained earlier was neatly organized in the notebook.
'...!'
Kwak Jaekang quickly skimmed through it, then closed it with a smile. "…Interesting. Let's test it."
"Yes."
Thus, the prototype manual was completed, all thanks to a single person—a rookie, no less.
"..."
The researcher who had made the bet earlier briefly wondered if he was dreaming. Even if Soleum had known about clowns by chance… how could someone come up with a theory and escape in just thirty minutes, even in a life-threatening situation?
No. Does that even make sense?
'Could he be some kind of monster pretending to be human?' But then again, there's no way something like that would get hired by the Field Exploration Team. And besides, the Dream Essence Collector only reacts to humans, right?
"Squad Leader, the Research Team wants that piece you brought back from the Darkness."
"Alright."
Meanwhile, Section Chief Lee Jaheon handed over a piece of cloth he had been holding.
"What is that…?"
"Oh, Squad Leader Lee grabbed it when the portrait clown tried to escape…"
It was a torn piece of fabric from when Squad Leader Lee had sprinted 3 meters to grab the clown by the collar, preventing its escape.
"..."
'Are they birds of a feather?'
Were the two somehow related? Now that he thought about it, they did resemble each other a bit. Both had a slick, sharp appearance. The researcher nearly let his imagination run wild with absurd thoughts.
And, back to the rookie who had caused such shock and alarm…
'I, I'm alive.'
His heart was still racing from acting impulsively, not thinking of the consequences.
'Why did the clown have teeth?! Why was it peeling off people's skin?! Why was it sucking people into the sewer like balloons?!' Having witnessed all sorts of terrifying, animated clown portraits, he'd probably developed a fear of clowns for life.
'Another reason for insomnia added to the list…'
What amazed him was how he had managed to bluff his way through the situation, talking his way out of it.
'Wait, did I really pull it off?'
Wasn't I acting too suspicious?
I hope they don't think I had a cheat sheet and end up dragging me to some secret lab in the basement of Daydream Inc.!
Just as Kim Soleum was about to let his anxiety take over, Kwak Jaekang, who had quietly been holding the notebook, finally spoke.
"…New Hire Kim Soleum. Haven't you gotten your business card printed yet?"
Kim Soleum, snapping back to reality, responded promptly.
"No, new hires don't receive business cards yet…"
"Oh, don't play dumb. You know what I mean."
"..."
Suddenly, something came to mind.
The business card the host had handed him at the welcome party.
───
If needed
010-0153-24865
───
The Research Team 1's section chief smirked.
"If you want to earn points faster, contact that number."
"..."
"I have a feeling you'll be calling soon."
It sounded like a tempting offer.
However.
"No, thank you."
Kim Soleum responded without hesitation.
"…Hmm. If that's your decision."
Kwak Jaekang shrugged and let it go lightly.
"Is there any particular reason not to? Haha."
"..."
The reason was simple.
'More terrifying events? No, thank you.'
His heart, still shaken by the recent ordeal, couldn't take it.
Kim Soleum had already decided to settle for the current 'triple points event' and leave it at that!