It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story Ch. 016

Position Change.

This means a change in duties or departments at the place one primarily works.

Such things start happening when one’s years of service round up to a full year.

So, absolutely not something to say to a newbie on their third day!

“…If it’s a position change, does that mean we have to transfer departments?”

I wanted to ask, “What on earth are you talking about after having such a good lunch?” yet I desperately held back and politely inquired instead.

“No, it’s… right. Did you see the official notice? It just came out.”

“…?!”

A bad feeling instantly kicked in, and I checked the intranet.

[Qterw-D-43 Unique Incident Resolution Employee Compensation Notice]

…Qterw-D-43 is a Tuesday quiz show.

And to sum this up…

– Wow! A group solved a special incident that occurred in a D-class horror story and extracted an A-class solution? This is impressive! This group will be awarded a total of 100,000 points!

– Hey, did you see that? You guys can do it too! So, forget about work-life balance and work like oxen to earn points! Follow the example of Group D!

…And clearly, my name ‘Kim Sol-eum’ was prominently listed as the main contributor who received 40,000 points.

“……”

I wish this was a dream.

And the more horrifying part is this.

If this notice affected my position change, then what on earth…

Looking at the dazed assistant manager sent chills down my spine.

“Did you see it?”

“Yes.”

“Right. Group D has… achieved some unusual results this time.”

No way.

“Did the entire group receive a new assignment?”

“Not a full transfer, just a change in work tasks.”

The assistant manager downed his coffee in one go.

“Up until now, we’ve mainly been given the task of managing completed horror story manuals.”

Hold on.

“Now they want us to delve into the darkness where the manuals aren’t even completed!”

“…!!”

In simpler terms, they’re saying we’ll be thrown into horror stories without any data!

“Why would they want to make things harder for us when we’re doing just fine… ha.”

The chief was already face down on his desk, seemingly unaffected by caffeine.

“Hello.”

And just then, Lizard Team Leader strolled into the office. The assistant manager erupted.

“Team Leader! They want us to dive into uncharted darkness! Are they trying to kill us all?”

“…? No, that’s not it.”

“Yes?”

Maybe there’s a way out of this? A faint glimmer of hope appeared on the assistant manager’s face…

“Even if the manual is complete, there’s no guarantee that it’s safe.”

“……”

Ah, so that’s what it means…

‘Really has quite the bold personality, that Lizard…’

I finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“Still, it’s true that it’s riskier without a manual, right? Because there’s no data.”

The Lizard tilted his head.

“Well, I haven’t noticed a significant difference.”

“……”

Ah, right—he’s the physical exorcism staff…

‘Have they just been pushing through all this while?’

I decided to ask directly.

“Are there any advantages to the current situation?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of advantage?”

“Extra points will be awarded.”

“…!”

Chief Park Min-seong suddenly raised his head.

They really were obsessed with points.

“How much, Team Leader?”

“Yes.”

“Is it a lot?”

“On average, it’ll be about three to four times more compared to equivalent darkness.”

“…!”

“Uh, just to confirm, what’s the maximum point multiplier you’ve seen, Team Leader?”

“Fifteen times.”

Suddenly, the assistant manager and the chief exchanged glances that felt like those of stock traders right before purchasing a speculative biotech.

It seems that 30,000 points must have been overly tempting…

Normally, in such cases, rational people would intervene, but… well, actually…

‘A sure-win stock…’

I don’t really mind whether there’s a manual or not.

Since I know exploration records in far more detail than any manual!

Then…

‘Isn’t this just a 3x points event…?’

And so, a little later.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Group D accepted their new roles and moved out without any objections.

‘Let’s earn those points.’

The destination was the 17th floor.

“Floors 20 to 17 are primarily used by the development department.”

The assistant manager frowned as he pressed the buttons.

“And the 17th floor… especially has research staff looking for new darkness.”

Ding.

As the elevator doors opened, I saw the pristine, artificial interiors of a combined laboratory and office space typical of research environments.

And someone was already waiting at the front, extending their hand.

“Wow~ Is this the guy? Awesome, awesome~”

Definitely someone more senior than me.

I instinctively shook hands with the person.

“I’m Kim Sol-eum. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, you’re quite polite too.”

The young man in a white coat and glasses looked quite youthful, but given this bizarre worldview, I decided not to jump to conclusions.

Anyway, after the head of the other department greeted the members of Group D, he turned back towards me.

“I’m Gwak Je-gang from Research Team 1. Nice to meet you! Looking forward to working with you~”

“…! Same here.”

Our team’s assistant manager whispered softly.

“Don’t be intimidated. He’s just an assistant manager.”

Aren’t you one too?

And what surprised me wasn’t that this guy was an assistant manager.

It was because I recognized him.

———————=

Gwak Je-gang Researcher

: One of the employees of the raw materials development department of Daydream Corporation’s Research Team 1, appearing in <Dark Exploration Records>.

Frequently mentioned in initial records exploring the new darkness newly registered in the company.

———————=

Another named character appeared.

‘His personality… hmm.’

———————=

Rare case directly described among staff as ‘cheerful and sociable’.

However…….

———————=

Hmm.

I walked quietly alongside my team.

“For now, we’ll be seeing each other quite often. Right, Manager Lee Ja-heon?”

“Yes.”

…

Oh dear.

“Could you tell me the reason?”

“Yes.”

Finally, the Lizard began to explain.

“Research Team 1 studies and standardizes methods to enter new darkness. Therefore, we’ll frequently meet with Group D, which is exploring uncharted horror stories without manuals.”

In short, this is the team that feeds us work.

‘So we explore new darkness here and delegate to the Field Exploration Team afterward…’

“Ah, I feel like this manager always speaks in complicated ways. Isn’t he just a mere researcher!”

The research team head playfully tapped the Lizard manager’s back. The Lizard’s unblinking gaze turned toward him, seemingly bewildered.

It’s like watching a thriller movie…

“Anyway, the darkness we’re entering today is prepped~ Make sure to grab the Dream Collection Device, alright!”

A brief flicker of annoyance darted across the assistant manager’s face at the other department’s casual tone, yet it went unvoiced under the chief’s desperate gestures.

“Check the records of civilians who’ve entered and exited, as well as the records of the team that went in ahead.”

Manager Lee Ja-heon accepted the documents extended by the research team.

In the meantime, someone tapped me.

“…?”

I turned around to see a grinning researcher approaching me.

“Hey, wanna bet on whether it’s a D-class or an F-class?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, we’re just making small bets among ourselves. You should join in too. It’ll be fun!”

“I’m good.”

I replied bluntly.

‘Is this staff out of their mind?’

What if things go wrong… wait, they’re talking about betting right in front of their direct superior.

I reflexively glanced at the manager.

He shrugged.

“Who cares? Betting a bit isn’t going to kill anyone.”

“……”

“Ha ha. Oh, look at that stoic face. Sol-eum, you got guts?”

It’s not that I forgot how to move my facial muscles to express myself due to the sheer absurdity.

‘Is it really okay to push the limits like this at work?’

I’d say it’s fitting for a research position in an Internet horror story universe.

“Well, I was joking. This darkness isn’t going to be life-or-death, you know. Many civilians have managed to escape… Ugh, I heard the disaster management team has been pulling their hair out over it.”

“……”

The head of Research Team 1 chuckled when he saw that Group D didn’t engage, simply smiling as he sorted the remaining documents.

“Phew.”

And the researcher who was talking about the betting also looked over at us with crossing arms, adopting a stance of passive observation.

‘Is it really okay to work like this…?’

Even if I didn’t feel great about it, it also isn’t exactly a great place to feel good at work.

What matters now is this darkness we’re about to receive.

What kind of horror story could it be?

“Oh, I need to check on the doe too.”

“Yes.”

I accepted the documents that my superior handed to me.

‘Hopefully, it’s something I’m familiar with.’

Also, since plenty of civilians escaped, that sounded reassuring. It can’t be worse than D-class at worst, right?

I should be able to handle this fine.

So, no need to be tense…

“Hey Doe, did you read this? Something about a clown’s portrait… Oh, something about being pulled in by a clown advertisement?”

A clown advertisement…?!

No way, it can’t be that…

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Horror Story

[The Clown Hates You]

: A horror story appearing in <Dark Exploration Records>, with Daydream Corporation’s ID code Qterw-D-210.

A horror story that drifts eternally in a hallway lined with clown portraits.

Upon closer inspection, they’re not actual clowns but rather twisted individuals forced to smile like clowns.

———————=

“……”

No way.

———————=

As the staying time lengthens, stranger and more warped portraits appear.

People who go missing in this horror story become the new clown portraits.Honestly, a fully-fledged horror movie-like exploration record has some rarity.

———————=

Damn.

I skimmed through the preliminary exploration records passed to me with trembling eyes.

…It’s true.

‘Wow, it’s happening.’

Genuine horror themes even scarier than convenience store ghosts.

“Ha ha, then let’s go in!”

Excuse me!

Please cancel that 3x points event! I don’t want to go!

But in society, there’s no way to say such things….

“……”

I opened my eyes. A pitch-black… no, dark hallway lay before me.

Yet on the old walls, grotesque clown portraits were plastered all over.

‘Oh, damn.’

The entry method itself was terrifying.

1. Watch a YouTube ad where a red-nosed clown laughs madly while staring at the viewer.

2. In any enclosed corridor, a clown’s hand pops out from around the corner.

3. When you approach closely, your wrist gets grabbed, and you’re dragged into this ‘hallway.’

At that point, I thought I might faint.

‘What a nightmare.’

I rolled my eyes. The horrifying exploratory records replayed vividly in my mind whenever I got near any wall.

Cold sweat dripped down.

‘Honestly, I think anyone would be scared in a place like this…’

“Hmph. It doesn’t seem that dark, does it? We might not need to turn on the flashlight.”

“Manager! Shouldn’t we adapt to the darkness before moving?”

“Yes. Close your eyes for 60 seconds.”

Understood! I heard the clear response from the chief.

“……”

No, really?

You can casually suggest that we all close our eyes for a minute in a dark hallway filled with glaring portraits staring at us?

“Doe, close your eyes too.”

Guess I will.

“Yes.”

I pretended to look down at the floor while sweating bullets.

I just realized.

These humans.

They don’t seem to get scared at all.

Their fear threshold must be exceptionally high unless it’s a situation where death is imminent!

Like saying, ‘Hey, what’s really scary is a person,’ they’re the type who finds horror movies boring and never watches them!

‘That’s probably why they work here!’

Still, if those grotesque portraits start moving, I doubt they’d respond like that…

“Hmm… if you touch or poke the portraits, sometimes they jump out and crawl after you.”

“Oh right. If that happens, the pictures become blank, and some people have returned to reality through those passages.”

“I see.”

The manager’s calm voice resonated.

“Touch all visible portraits.”

I nearly screamed.

“Yes! If anything jumps out, I’ll shout and run immediately!”

“Yes. We will repeat attempts every hour.”

“Oh, you mentioned they crawl? That could be a relief.”

“Exactly. Oh, by the way, Doe! I noticed a clown over there on the left with a weird look, right? Doesn’t it look like some movie poster?”

“……”

“The features are similar to those of a missing civilian. I guess if one disappears here, they end up like that.”

I raised my head to check it out.

In the chilling darkness, a portrait depicted someone with a button for an eye, twisted into a colorful clown costume, forcing a grin with exposed teeth.

‘…It moved.’

I could definitely see the pupil of its remaining eye moving.

“……”

“Doe, do you want to touch that one first?”

Ah, no!! Seriously! Please, no!

“…Y-yes.”

Yes? I’m not even close enough to approach!

A strong premonition struck the back of my head.

I can’t survive at this pace, keeping up with these insane people.

“Then, Doe will touch the upper left portrait…”

“Wait a second.”

“Hm?”

I have to say something.

“I believe I’ve figured out the escape method.”

“What? What?”

Though hardly any time passed since we arrived, I somehow understood! Please believe me!

“I deduced it from the previous civilian escape records.”

My mind was racing faster than I’ve ever known.

‘Don’t let these daring trial enthusiasts take control of the situation!’

“First, we shouldn’t touch any other portraits.”

“Huh? Why?”

Because I’m scared.

Of course, my mouth said something different.

“…There must be a specific answer.”

Is this instinct for survival kicking in?

I immediately pulled out the toy coin I had summoned with my equipment and created translucent gloves in mid-air.

Then I handed 20 fifty-won coins to the gloves as if I was throwing them a big donation.

The gloves stiffened for a moment, like a well-known streamer suddenly taken aback, and then they excitedly whirled back into my hand.

“Wait, are those gloves your equipment?”

“Yes. They can manipulate objects remotely.”

“Oh.”

At least I won’t have to go up personally to touch those portraits anymore.

But I earnestly nodded my head, pretending there was another intention.

“From now on… I’d like to run and see as many portraits as possible. We need to find the answer.”

I turned to Manager Lee Ja-heon.

“And from now on, I will explain which portrait is the right answer.”

“……”

“I’d appreciate it if you could let me know once you witness that, is that alright?”

And if this works out, I won’t even have to scrutinize every clown portrait myself!

‘Of course, if I get a reaction like, ‘Who does this newbie think they are?’ then it’s game over…’

Manager Lee Ja-heon didn’t seem like the type to have an overly authoritative mindset!

Though he may have the mind of a Lizard, even if his way of thinking is completely Lizard-like!

“Yes.”

It worked!

A wave of relief coursed down my spine, almost making my legs buckle, but I forced myself to nod in a calm manner.

“Then, let’s run.”

I acted like I was going to test a brilliant and cool hypothesis, thinking it required running…

‘But actually, it’s not necessary…’

The escape method is surprisingly simple.

‘Touching other portraits won’t affect finding the right answer…’

A bold person could just meander around leisurely and still succeed…

But I’ve already learned.

There’s a lesson from the time I played tag with a ghost in a convenience store.

What does a coward do to survive?

‘Speedrun!’

Let’s go, escape from the haunted place!