222
[Oh, indeed! The moment the editing room is sealed off, the man from the 2000s video,
who had no way of getting out, can now visit homes thousands of miles away…]
[The editors of the 21st century have unwittingly sent out an invitation.]
My blood runs cold.
If I had a human body, that's the phrase I'd use for this situation.
I'm being carried in a transport case, frantically rushed out of the broadcasting station by
two members of the Field Investigation Team.
One of them is already contacting the company's Security Team.
This wasn't a simple call for help. It was closer to reporting an uncontrollable, catastrophic
incident.
The deadly spread of a ghost story.
[…What?]
As soon as the call connects, the security chief grasps the severity of the situation.
[Hold on… just a moment.]
He cuts off the radio to make detailed contact with the company.
In the meantime, I'm thinking.
About how to contain the edited video files that have likely spread to at least a few, if not
dozens, of data storage devices—possibly even shared on cloud storage.
But that… isn't something a small group can handle.
It requires the strength of a powerful organization.
However, standing by and waiting for the company's response isn't the duty of a contract
worker… No, there's simply no time to wait for the company's full response. The "Man in the
Screen" has already been provoked during the isolation process in the editing room.
In the worst case, the progression toward the worst outcome has likely accelerated.
So, the first thing to do…
﴾ Contact the client ﴿
"Yes!"Next to Lee Seonghae, who's reporting to the field team, Kang Yihak immediately picks up
the phone to connect with the PD.
﴾ Hello. I'm calling because I have an urgent question ﴿
"
…! Hello. I'm calling because I have an urgent question…
" Kang Yihak tactfully reads the
black smoke.
"
"Is anyone editing videos from home or a personal studio for PBS's entertainment division
right now? Specifically, episodes ending in 6, where the 'Man in the Screen' might appear.
"
Especially around this time.
"If anyone's working on it now, it's even more urgent.
"
—Of course there would be. Why…
"Please contact them. It's an urgent matter.
"
—Oh, yes.
The PD's voice sounds slightly hesitant, but he soon realizes the gravity of the situation and
the context of what he had commissioned.
He seems to be frantically contacting people via messenger.
And soon:
—
…Why aren't they picking up?
…
A panicked voice, the sound of typing.
—Huh? Wait a second. No, come on, pick up… Why aren't they answering?
"PD, listen carefully.
"
It's too late.
Kang Yihak quickly speaks to the stiffened PD, chilled by the ominous feeling.
"Immediately take down all files ending in episode 6 from the cloud storage your team uses.
Deleting them would be even better.
"
﴾ And then: ﴿
"Make sure to tell everyone editing videos for the entertainment division: from now on, do
not touch any episodes ending in 6. If anyone has them open…
" Kang Yihak's rapid voice,
reading the words formed by the smoke, echoes.
"Tell them never to deliberately look at or
try to delete the 'Man in the Screen.
' "—
…What's going on?
"I'll explain later. Just talking about it could bring bad luck. They made a huge misjudgment
on your end.
"
Kang Yihak, naturally shifting the blame to the entertainment division despite not being
prompted, continues.
"Phew… Still, since we've been paid, we'll do our best to clean this up.
For now, give us the address of the person who's out of contact.
"
The frightened PD immediately hands over the address to the field team. A 20-minute drive
to a Seoul officetel.
As we race there in a hurriedly grabbed taxi, Lee Seonghae whispers to the transport case
I'm in.
"The chances they called the police… pretty high, right?"
Tap tap.
I let a bit of smoke seep out of the transport case.
﴾ Estimation difficult ﴿
﴾ Reason: Psychological factors ﴿
People tend to want to believe in the best outcome in situations like this.
Calling the police means admitting that something truly "serious" has happened, beyond
mere supernatural fear.
So, they're likely to wait for some time before acting.
And soon after, we arrive at the first destination.
The moment we board the elevator…
Beep.
"
…!"
It's the Security Team.
The field team hurriedly grabs the radio, but…
[We've requested support, but… I don't know exactly when it'll arrive…]
A typical response from Daydream Inc.
[Higher-ups… well, they're delaying the decision…]
"
…!"
[Hmph, looks like they're reluctant to spend on containment. How cheap, but very much like
a capitalist company.]Lee Seonghae's face hardens slightly.
"Then, at the very least, could the Security Team members assigned to 'Employee' join us?"
[Security team… can't leave the company during the day without authorization… We'd need
equipment.]
"
"
…
[But.]
The security chief's voice becomes oddly clear.
[…I'm wearing equipment that allows me to go out during the day for work. So, if there's a
situation requiring my deployment… Hmm.]
"
…!"
[That employee in the transport case… isn't it hard to control? I bet it is…]
The focus turns to me.
﴾ Affirmative ﴿
"
…Exactly!"
"It's incredibly hard to manage! We desperately need help with containment!"
As they board the elevator heading to the destination, the field team shouts. […I see.]
A faint tone of approval.
A trace of a smile lingers in the security chief's voice before fading. [I'm on my way…]
The moment Lee Seonghae and Kang Yihak step into the elevator: Beep.
A dark figure emerges from the shadow of the radio in their hands.
"
…!"
The security chief.
Unlike his usual deployment attire, his uniform is cloaked in a deep hood adorned with
strange patterns.
Click.
The elevator's CCTV turns off. An overwhelming sense of intimidation and unease fills the
elevator.
"
"
…
The security chief reaches out and takes the transport case.
another employee is handling that, so don't worry.
"
"Reporting to the company…"Yes, sir.
"
Ding.
The elevator reaches the floor. The three quickly head to the assistant director's unit, as
provided by the PD…
The front door is open.
"
"
…
From inside, laughter can be heard.
The sound of an entertainment show.
Tension grips the shoulders of the field team.
"I'll go in…
"
The security chief opens the door.
From within the transport case in his hand, I see the scene unfolding through the
already-open front door…
The assistant director lies collapsed on the floor, both eyes gouged out.
"
…!!"
A blood-soaked small living room, a chair, a desk, and on it… A computer monitor.
The screen is flickering.
On the editing program, a man's distorted face is zoomed in. Black eyes, bared teeth in a
smile. An open mouth, staring this way…
Crunch.
The monitor and computer are crushed in an instant.
A massive, dark beast's paw is roughly retracted back to the security chief's shoulder.
"
…!!"
"The USB… it's already in there, so destroying everything else like this… that's the plan,
right?"
Correct.
But the dead don't come back.
…It's already too late.
And one more thing.
"The door… it was open.
"The security chief, pressing his mask and sniffing, tilts his head and says,
more person was here… and fled.
"
"It feels like one
"
…!"
"Someone else… in another room.
"
There was a witness.
How deeply they're entangled in this supernatural phenomenon, or whether they fully
grasped the situation, is unclear.
"
"
…
Buzz.
At that moment, a message arrives from the PD.
—Four people aren't answering calls or texts. One of them left a strange message in the
group chat.
—I'm watching it, I'm watching, please don't do this, I'm so sorry.
—You're all going to die.
Even the screenshot sends chills.
—Please, call back.
The PD's messages drip with fear, asking what happened and whether the assistant director
at this house is okay. He desperately sends the addresses of those out of contact.
Everyone on-site realizes it.
The situation is spiraling into something no individual can contain.
"I'll report the witness to the company. And we'll head to the homes of the others who
aren't responding…
"
"Hey, Assistant Manager.
"
Supervisor Kang Yihak cuts in.
"Shouldn't we just get out of here before the police show up?"
"
"
…
Lee Seonghae looks at Kang Yihak.
Kang Yihak seems uninterested in the body, instead scanning the house as if checking for
anything valuable or assessing its market value."Haven't we done enough? There's no guarantee we won't be too late if we chase those
addresses, and it doesn't look like we'll get extra pay for this. Honestly, our job ended in the
editing room, didn't it?"
"Oh.
"
"Since we've reported everything to the company, let them handle the rest. Assistant
Manager, you should rest too. Haha, we've earned our pay.
"
"What if we're too late and another person dies?"
Kang Yihak raises her thumb.
"That's the company's problem!"
"Ha.
"
Lee Seonghae smiles faintly and looks at Kang Yihak.
The security chief, seemingly detached from the scene, stands blankly.
"
"
…
[Oh, Mr. Roe Deer. You seem impatient.]
Am I feeling impatient?
[Indeed. Of course, an uninvited guest ruining the show's vibe is an unwelcome nuisance!
Especially if they lack wit or charm—truly the worst.]
Braun seems to recall the "Man in the Screen.
"
I do too.
The face of the "Man in the Screen" that filled the editing room's monitor, and the late-night
talk show host's reaction:
—Look at that pathetic figure! Unable to accept they don't belong, they're desperate to
make their mark, even in a video.
—Of course. They'd get kicked out of the studio, so this is their only shot.
Mockery.
Contempt.
Not the dull, faint fear I felt, but vivid verbal disdain.
[But listen.]
A generous offer is made.
[If my friend is worried about this third-rate, tacky intruder, I'll invite them as an audience
member to my fabulous talk show.][Even a shabby corner seat would thrill them. Three days—no, two—and they'd burn out
from the excitement.]
[What do you say?]
[…]
No.
I can't make that decision.
[Hm? …Oh, I see.]
[You mean you can't send them to the talk show because of the company's delivery
contract? That must be in your employment agreement.]
Exactly.
I can't take actions that would clearly harm the company.
Especially not for tasks directly assigned to me.
Even if I created a loophole, getting caught would lead to stricter restrictions…
[…]
[Oh, it's fine, friend! Cheer up.]
[Restrictions are the essence of exciting content, aren't they? The important thing is that
we're meeting like this, having another thrilling experience!]
It's not thrilling.
[Oh! Doubting your own heart again? It's okay. Your spiritual guide, adventure companion,
and soul-soothing entertainer is right here!]
[…]
Fine, let's say that's true.
For now, I need to focus on the next task. I tear my gaze from the eyeless corpse,
suppressing the strange thumping in my heart.
As I prepare to communicate with smoke—Beep.
"
…!"
It's the Security Team.
The security chief presses the radio, and a voice comes through.
[Chief.]It's Badger, Supervisor Park Minseong.
[Is… 130666 doing okay?]
"Yes…
"
[Phew… Good.]
His tone quickly shifts back to the professional, polite Security Team voice.
[The company's just finalized the response plan. I'll connect you.]
"
…!"
The field team's eyes snap to the radio.
Amid the static, the sound of a phone connecting…
A call comes through.
Not Kwak Je-gang, but someone else.
—Hello.
…!
—It's been a while since we talked like this, since you signed the contract. The news
reached me up here.
…A calm, deep female voice.
Director Cheong.
—I've heard good things about your recent work. You've adapted well… Hmm. This case was
clean, aside from the irregularity.
"Who…
"
"
…Director Cheong.
"
"Eek.
"
—The other employees did their part well too.
"Haha, thank you!"
Kang Yihak responds politely, but Director Cheong continues with her own agenda.
—I heard the report about the potential for mass casualties. It's become quite a potent
darkness.
Her choice of words confirms my suspicions."
"
…
"Employee?"
If that's the case.
I form words with smoke and show them to the security chief.
"
"
…
The chief's eyes narrow.
He likely already knew, given the circumstances.
"
…Hmm.
"
Tapping the transport case gently, the chief reads my words to Director Cheong over the
phone.
"130666 says…
"
﴾ Question: ﴿
﴾ Was the "Man in the Screen" previously registered as a darkness? ﴿
"They're asking if this ghost story was originally held by the company…
"
"
…!!"
Memories flood back.
The conversation I had with the security chief in the dream incubation room at Merry Lab:
—What does it mean to dispose of a darkness?
—When a person clears it and no more solution can be extracted… it's discarded.
The company's eerily clear manual.
The ghost story that vanished in the 2000s.
And now, its sudden reappearance.
When a darkness loses its supernatural presence, no more dream solution can be harvested.
In such cases, it's deregistered and disposed of, though some are recycled through research
or recharging processes.
One word stands out.
Recycling."Did they… deliberately release it back into the public to restore its 'supernatural presence?'
To produce more dream solution…
"
The security chief likely knew.
He was probably on the field team when this ghost story was registered as a darkness.
And knowing this, the redacted parts of the documents assigned to today's task come into
focus…
For details, refer to Record #C16548.
For details, refer to Disposal Record #C16548.
Daydream Inc. deliberately released this disposed ghost story back to the broadcasting
station.
To let it spread until it could produce dream solution again, recyclable once more.
"
"
…
—You're well-informed.
"
…!"
—We simply returned a ghost story that was already there, carefully managed.
—No one loses, right? Of course, this is proprietary production know-how, so everyone who
heard this better keep quiet.
Lee Seonghae's silent breathing is audible.
Director Cheong's calm voice continues.
—That's all for now.
"
…?"
—Return to base.
"Is the Security Team coming?"
—No way.
What?
—Why would my company waste valuable manpower and resources on a civilian
disturbance?
Director Cheong says calmly.
—You don't use a tiger-hunting knife to kill a chicken. It's troublesome and wasteful… I hate
that.—The cleanup will be handled by the agency meant for it.
…Agency?
—Yes. The ones funded by taxes for such tasks.
—They should make use of what they're paid for.
—Spreading personal opinions to the company out of emotion is something only amateurs
like Director Ho do.
Director Ho.
The agency Director Ho holds a grudge against…
—It's a win-win situation.
—That dim-witted agency will close the supernatural disaster based on the reports, unaware
that our company holds the original ghost story.
…
—So, hurry back.
I look up.
—It's been a while since the report was sent to the Disaster Management Agency… They'll
show up soon.
Somewhere, the sound of bells begins to ring