I suddenly found myself receiving a critique of the bath solution I had made with 500mL of my own blood from Braun.
'…Unique?'
I was taken aback.
'I almost turned to look at the tub.'
Keeping my head steady, I asked, "What do you mean by 'unique'?"
– Exactly what I said! Hmm, bath solutions come in various types, don't they? Salt, oil, bubble baths… Yours, Mr. Roe Deer, is quite different from the ginseng, though there are similarities too.
That,
Hey, that ginseng came from a ghost story, and I'm a human being…
'Isn't it obvious that they'd be different?'
– They are different. But why do you think there's a similarity between you and that ginseng, Mr. Roe Deer?
"...!"
– Oh… I see. Now I understand.
As I heard the sound of the smacking of lips as though tasting fine wine, Braun answered.
– Mr. Roe Deer, your bath solution is a blend, isn't it?
Blend.
In literal terms, it means mixed—a term often used in coffee or cocktails to describe combining ingredients for a new flavor.
– That's right. It seems to share some component with the ginseng, though in a different form.
"..."
Could this be referring to ghost story contamination?
I thought of the Security Team sergeant—the way his human form had ripped apart and twisted into a wolf-like creature.
Was I also beginning to experience the contamination and encroachment of paranormal phenomena?
– Contamination? That's such an extreme and negative way to put it. Isn't life a process of change? Mutual influence and transformation—that's where the fun lies!
Damn it.
Instinctively, I glanced down at my body. If there were any visible signs of 'ghostly influence', it would most likely be…
"Do you think the tattoos are the cause?"
– Hmm, tracing the origins of what's already mixed is quite a challenge.
– There are connoisseurs who can guess a vineyard by tasting a drop of wine, but I've never liked that kind of pretentiousness, even as a talk show host.
"..."
– Anyway, there's no need to worry, Mr. Roe Deer. You're not about to meet a new version of yourself next week or anything like that!
Theoretically speaking, that seemed true.
'Living and working here inevitably means I'll experience some level of ghostly contamination.'
There was no point in panicking over it. After all, the stronger and more varied one's supernatural abilities become, the greater the risk of being consumed by them.
Balancing that risk was essential.
'…Though I don't think I've reached a point where I need to worry about balance yet.'
Still, it was something I'd have to manage in the future. Luckily, one of the facilities I now had access to as a supervisor specialized in monitoring such changes.
I'll visit that place after safely surviving this ghost story.
– Hmm. There's also something particularly unique about your bath solution… Oh, it's all dissolved now.
Braun let out a long, satisfied sigh as if he had been trying to analyze the bath solution further.
– I thoroughly enjoyed it!
At least one of us enjoyed it—that was a relief.
The bathtub glimmered with neon lights, flickering briefly as though flipping through TV channels. Braun lounged against the tub's wall, his plush body radiating a lively energy.
– Shall we step out now?
I walked over and lifted Braun out of the tub. The plush doll felt oddly more luxurious than before, though the size hadn't changed.
Still, Braun's voice sounded sharper, more articulate—more vibrant. I covered the plush doll with a towel, shielding him from view, and asked, "Feeling reinvigorated?"
– Beyond words!
– Hmm, it feels like returning to my prime, when I was most active…
While it wasn't as dramatic a transformation as when I used the contaminated ginseng, Braun had clearly 'rejuvenated'.
And when I pulled back the towel covering him, I noticed something I hadn't seen before.
'…A tag?'
There was a small scrap of fabric at the back of his neck, where it looked like a tag had once been attached.
'So there was originally a complete tag here?'
It seemed to be a remnant recovered during his rejuvenation.
'Interesting.'
I made a mental note of it.
– Ah, I feel wonderful.
"That's good to hear."
After drying off the plush doll, I placed him neatly on a towel-covered table.
The preparations were complete.
"I have a favor to ask."
– Ah, I had a feeling that was coming!
– After all, how could I refuse a friend who had just prepared a bath for me? You're probably about to ask if I can lend my mask to more people, aren't you?
"That's right."
With Braun rejuvenated, he could now wield more powerful abilities.
– Excellent. How many people are we talking about?
"Two."
Two days later—
Following instructions in the company's notice, I headed to a different location for work. It was an abandoned private kindergarten building, already populated with company personnel.
"You're already here," I greeted respectfully.
"Roe, you're early!"
Standing near the poorly cleaned entrance of the kindergarten, I soon saw my squadmates arrive.
"Let's hope it's one of those guys who bites it, not us."
"Please… just this once…"
"..."
Thanks for whispering, though honestly, I don't think anyone would have cared even if you hadn't. Everyone wore the same anxious expression anyway.
"Roe, Roe! Do you see that guy over there with the rabbit's foot? It's supposed to be a lucky charm."
"Does it work?"
"You think? Last expedition, someone wore something similar and still got sent to the afterlife in one hit."
"..."
"Yeah, Assistant Manager Eun's right. They say none of those items work here. The selection is 'fair' and unavoidable."
I glanced at Supervisor Park, who, though pale, was trying to force a smile. He looked as if he had braced himself but was still deeply nervous.
"Supervisor."
"Yeah?"
"Would the company have any issues if I tried something similar? To avoid being picked as the sacrifice?"
"Ah, preparing some countermeasures to dodge it?"
"Something like that."
Supervisor Park laughed and patted me on the back.
"Oh, Roe, of course not! Everyone does it!"
"I'd bet my paycheck that everyone here has spent the last three days trying every trick in the book to weasel out of this."
Bold words, Assistant Manager Eun…
Eun Haje smirked faintly.
"How do you think they figured out none of it works? Plenty of people tried and still ended up as the sacrifice."
"..."
"Why, Roe, are you planning to try something too?"
"Yes."
After a moment of hesitation, I pulled Braun out of my pocket.
"Ah, the keychain you carry around."
"My lucky friend. Would it be alright if I shared this friend's abilities with you two? It'll be our little secret."
Both of them gave tired, skeptical smiles but nodded.
"Well… thanks, I guess."
"Here's hoping it actually brings some luck!"
Okay.
'That should keep any rumors from surfacing later.'
"Huu."
– Now, let's get ready.
"They're about to start."
I looked at the old grandfather clock hanging in the entrance like everyone else.
Tick.
The second hand passed 8:59:56 AM.
– You're now entering the studio.
– If you see cameras, don't worry—think of them as starlight. Stay relaxed.
Tick.
57 seconds.
Oddly, I felt calm.
A certainty about my identity.
– Oh, I see you're wearing your mask! Excellent. That mask is now who you are.
Tick.
58 seconds.
I raised my head.
My horns felt itchy—like wood, but not quite wood. Only I knew it was something else entirely, that it was ■■.
– And there are other animal friends! Two of them.
Tick.
59 seconds.
I turned my head and saw a badger and a falcon observing the surrounding humans.
And then…
– It seems no one here is stronger than you.
I know.
I blinked, perceiving the heat signatures of the humans around me, flushed with tension.
And then…
Tick.
9:00 AM.
The grandfather clock chimed loudly.
Bong...!!
"...!"
I took in a sharp breath.
The dilapidated kindergarten building transformed into a pristine, modern space. It smelled of fresh construction, like a newly completed facility awaiting its first use.
And I was in a room filled with neatly arranged toys, standing alongside the falcon—or rather, Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
…We had entered the ghost story.
"..."
I slowly looked down at my neck.
Clean.
"Hah."
I exhaled, letting the tension drain from my body.
'I made it.'
The strange thickness I'd felt across my entire body, the tactile sensation of horns—all of it gradually faded away. The certainty in my identity dissipated too.
– Hm, and that concludes everyone's brief role.
Thank you.
'So that's what the mask was.'
It was a bizarre experience, and I was glad it had been short-lived. Since I'd stretched Braun's limits by having him mask three people at once, his voice sounded drained.
The fact that it held up even for a few seconds was impressive.
'You did well.'
I reached into my pocket to gently pat Braun.
– No… Hold on. What… in the world is this?
"...?"
Why did he sound alarmed?
I immediately pulled Braun out of my pocket.
Hanging around the neck of the plush doll was something that hadn't been there before.
…A black noose hologram.
It was the mark of a sacrifice.
"...?!"
Did Braun just get selected as the sacrifice?
'A ghost story resident himself?!'
I teetered on the brink of confusion, unsure whether this was an impossible fluke or something I should be alarmed about.
Then Braun started talking.
– Pardon? Participate in a teaching demonstration, you say… What are you talking about? I interview teachers—I'm not the one teaching children. Good gracious!
– Show business, for heaven's sake! You people are so boring. Stuck in a rut, inflexible, and utterly lacking the charm the public craves.
– I'm opting out, thank you very much.
With that, Braun snapped his plush, cotton-filled fingers.
And then… miraculously, the noose around the stuffed doll's neck disappeared!
"...!!"
– Trying to enforce rules to involve an uninvolved participant? What an unprofessional kindergarten this is!
"..."
'So the tactic of being recognized as non-human… worked after all.'
It wasn't quite how I envisioned it, but the outcome was clear enough. Braun had been selected, but his participation in the ghost story was redirected to another participant because he refused to comply.
"..."
Wait a second.
'Redirected?'
I quickly looked down at my neck.
Still clean.
'Who did it pass to, then?'
While it was a relief that it wasn't me, the idea of the ghost story transferring the noose to another target randomly because its first pick was declined… Was this how it worked?
"Roe."
I turned to Assistant Manager Eun Haje, still processing what had just happened.
"Assistant Manager, just now, I think—"
"..."
"..."
When I looked at her…
"Don't panic. Take a deep breath, slowly."
She smiled at me.
"Now I'm going to ask you for a favor. If you think you can't do it, feel free to decline."
"Assistant Manager—"
"I'd handle it myself if I could, but that's not an option."
With a bitter smile, she lightly patted the noose now firmly secured around her own neck.
"Because I'm already locked in."
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [Hungry Hangman]
: A ghost story featured in records
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-B-191
Based on the word-guessing game, this Darkness permits no exceptions to its rules.
Participants are unable to escape their assigned roles under any circumstances.
The psychological tension and fear that arise within are a hallmark of this ghost story.
The sacrificial 'Hangman' climbs the gallows as the other participants guess words related to them, ultimately resulting in their execution by hanging.
There are no exceptions.
========================
"Should I say I'm glad I at least get some time to leave a will? Guess that's a small mercy."
No. This can't happen.
"Wait, wait, please just—"
"It's fine."
Assistant Manager Eun's smile shifted into a wry grin.
"Look… I'm going to die anyway."
"...!"
"The real question is whether you all survive while I die, or everyone dies together."
…She's right.
If the word puzzle isn't solved before the end of the game, all participants are executed, including the Hangman.
No exceptions.
God damn it.
"Alright, listen carefully. I have some automatic purchases queued in the Points Mall for when I die on the job."
"..."
"Just make sure Squad Leader Lee reviews them properly. The guy's surprisingly scatterbrained at times."
It hit me then.
She had already fully accepted her fate.
Dzz zz zz zzzt—
"...!"
"Stay sharp. It's starting now."
In the corner of the playroom, an old-fashioned TV screen flickered to life.
[Hello, English Kindergarten teachers of ■■! Today, we'll be learning a fun game to play with your students!]
[It's… Hangman!]
The noose around Assistant Manager Eun's neck suddenly jerked taut.
"...!"
The now-solid rope coiled tightly around her limbs, lifting her into the air.
[Today's host will be our newest teacher, Eun Haje!]
On the TV screen, enormous blank spaces appeared.
[Hangman! Let's guess the word together!]
The execution had begun.