Chapter 121

An office with the lights off.

CLACK CLACK CLACK.

Someone sits alone, typing at a keyboard.

Letters appear on the glowing monitor.

* * *

Draft Report

Author: Lee Jaheon

Record of eyewitness testimony regarding the clearing of the anomalous C-grade Darkness that occurred aboard a Mokpo-bound high-speed train on 20XX. 01. 02., and the circumstances of Supervisor Kim Soleum's death (presumed).

* * *

The typing continued at a steady rhythm, producing sentences without hesitation or deliberation.

As though the entire timeline had already been organized in the typist's mind.

* * *

Witnesses: Employee A, Employee C, Employee F (Initials assigned according to each employee's team for ease of reference.)

Employee A: Are we doing this (the interview) again? I don't see much point.

Employee A: Anyway... yes. I boarded a train for an out-of-town business trip, and it was running over the sea.

Employee C: The clear went very smoothly. Supervisor Soleum took the lead on all sorts of things, and it was great to see him trying to minimize civilian casualties!

(Employee A stated that she asked whether the company had deliberately engineered the Darkness, but received the response from the research team that it was “purely coincidental.” For further confirmation, refer to Interview 3.)

Three Elite Team employees took the lead in clearing the anomalously occurring Darkness. Collection of C-grade solution confirmed.

All witnesses agree that from this point onward, the train was no longer a Darkness but a wholly real space.

Employee C: Supervisor Kim Soleum checked the solution first, then went to the restroom. Yes, “that” restroom.

After the train departed, Supervisor Kim Soleum left his seat, stating that he was going to the restroom. Out of contact for 15 minutes.

At 17 minutes elapsed: Employee F, who had been riding in Car 3, visited the seats occupied by the three Elite Team employees.

Stated purpose of visit: “To pay my respects.”

Employee F: Ah, as I told you last time... I was on vacation, Section Chief.

Employee F: Being caught up in a Darkness without warning threw me off, but I still tried to stay calm and help the three of them handle the situation. It's only natural, as an employee of our company.

Employee F: After everything was over, I went to pay my respects to my superiors. They said my friend from the same intake wasn't at his seat, so I went looking for him.

Employee C: Oh, he was heading in the opposite direction from the restroom, so I pointed him the right way!

Maybe he was instinctively heading back the way he'd come because his own seat was that way!

Employee F proceeded to the restroom as directed by Employee C.

Discovered a man collapsed outside the door.

No bleeding, but both hands and both feet had been removed, with fine ash coating the severed surfaces.

Medical assessment: The affected areas appeared to have been briefly incinerated by extremely intense heat.

(Source: Somang Medical Center [hospital corporation affiliated with Daydream Inc.])

Employee F: I thought something was seriously wrong. But the restroom door was locked. There was no response when I knocked, either.

Employee F: Well, not to brag, but I'm fairly good with my hands... so I tried to release the lock and open the door. And I succeeded!

Employee F: ... But then. (Audible intake of breath)

At 21 minutes elapsed: High-speed train restroom door opened.

Employee F: Inside the restroom... it was quiet.

Employee F: There was nobody there. It was just a clean high-speed train restroom. That made it feel even stranger, so I stepped back to leave for the moment...

Employee F: And things suddenly began pouring out of thin air. ... Along with blood.

* * *

The typing hands paused briefly.

One took hold of the mouse, opened the “Scene Photos” folder on the desktop, and attached several photographs to the document.

Photographs of the blood-soaked interior of the restroom beside Car 7 of the high-speed train.

Everything lay scattered on the floor, covered in blood, amid the blood coating the walls and tiles.

A mask, an employee ID, a briefcase, and... a Dream Essence Collector full of C-grade solution.

There was just one clean patch.

Tiles without a trace of blood, in the shape of a small bathtub.

As though... someone had picked it up.

* * *

Employee F: And then a huge hand suddenly appeared... Uuurgh! Uuugh, it p-pushed me! Flashingflashingflashingflashing... GoodEveningTonight'sEntertainmentANewFaceEveryDayAndYourFamiliarHost! GoodEveningThisIsTheLateNightTalk... Uuueeerrgh (Interview suspended)

Symptoms of contamination and PTSD. Interview 7 concluded after recommending an application to the Fox Counseling Office.

The following testimony is quoted from Interview 4.

(Interview 4)

Employee F: A hand appeared, appeared out of thin air, and there was a halo, no, a strange light, no... never mind.

Employee F: (Deep breathing)

Employee F: It picked up the strange bathtub lying on the floor. It was a little bathtub with a ch-checkered pattern and golden feet. A-and in the process, blood spilled onto the floor, and, uh, something like a strange scrap of black ribbon fell out with it...

Employee F: The hand took the ribbon, too. A-and... on the mirror.

Employee F: It wrote a message.

* * *

The typing hands stopped once more.

Then the typist took a developed photograph down from the board beside the desk and stared at it.

Words written in elegant cursive on the restroom mirror, using blood for ink.

Starting today,

Mr. Kim Soleum

will be working elsewhere.

* * *

The research team conjectures that the message is “likely connected to the Tamna-bound high-speed train Darkness that anomalously occurred aboard the train.”

(This inference is considered highly credible within the research team and is also being included in its internal records.)

Supporting grounds cited include Supervisor Kim Soleum's leading role within the Darkness, and the possibility that his unusual ethical approach to clearing it caused an irregularity.

One possibility is that the message implies he was invited to an unknown space called “Tamna” during his out-of-town business trip and died there.

Another opinion is that Supervisor Kim Soleum was chosen as the final sacrifice for the Tamna-bound train.

* * *

TAP.

Having typed that much, the author stopped again.

Not because he couldn't think of what came next.

“Team Leader.”

“Deputy Eun Haje.”

It was because a visitor had arrived at the darkened office.

Section Chief Lee Jaheon looked up.

Eun Haje stood leaning against the office doorway, arms folded, looking hollow-eyed.

“Enough. Stop now.”

“...”

“How many times are you going to conduct those damn interviews? Even the directors have lost interest by now.”

She walked into the office, her dark gaze briefly sweeping over the empty seat of her junior colleague, who had ultimately been reduced to the words “presumed to have died on January 2.”

“It's been a month already.”

Deputy Eun Haje stopped before the desk of Team D's leader, who now had no team members.

“When there's been no word for a month, a person has to know when to give up. ... Writing a report won't bring back the dead.”

“...”

“They finally classified the Dream Essence Collector records as a return upon death, too, didn't they?”

They had.

The Dream Essence Collector's audio records contain groans from the missing employee and brief instances of self-directed speech, including “Should I?”

There are substantial grounds to infer that these are among the symptoms of delirium caused by the Darkness commonly known as the “Tamna-Bound High-Speed Train,” which anomalously occurred during the Elite Team's business trip.

Statistical projections indicate a probability exceeding 80 percent that the employee is either deeply contaminated or dead.

Under company regulations, too, if no significant developments were reported for 30 days after a Dream Essence Collector was returned, the employee was automatically registered as dead in the system.

It was already over.

“... He's already on today's list of terminated employees, Section Chief.”

Supervisor Kim Soleum (Employment contract terminated due to death)

... Because by that point, they were usually certain to be dead.

Deputy Eun Haje rubbed her face before speaking.

“... The company won't support this anymore. You know it isn't the kind of company that spends time and money on dead people.”

The searches and repeated reviews thus far had only been an “investment” because Kim Soleum had been such an unusual and capable employee.

But there wasn't even a proper manual explaining what mechanism triggered the Tamna-bound high-speed train Darkness, and it hadn't recurred in the past month.

“Is there any point to organizing all this? Don't you think it's time to stop?”

“Yes.”

“...”

There was a point, and he didn't think he should stop?

“Why?”

“Because Supervisor Kim Soleum is not dead.”

“...!!”

Deputy Eun Haje's eyes widened.

Section Chief Lee Jaheon wasn't capable of stating his hopes as certainties.

Which meant... he truly believed it!

And he wasn't someone who believed things without a reason.

He had evidence that made it all but certain!

“Wh-why do you think that?!”

“There is a clue.”

Section Chief Lee Jaheon recalled something.

An incident from the end of last year that, at first glance, seemed separate and unrelated to this case.

[“Please take care of it.”]

Before entering a Darkness, Supervisor Kim Soleum had entrusted him with a precious possession for half a day.

A small plush doll.

[“Good heavens. Leaving me with a knife-wielder. Mr. Roe Deer!”]

The doll's strange, old-fashioned manner of chattering.

Of course, he hadn't answered it. He aspired to behave like a sensible modern person, and had no obligation to answer a doll.

But he had detected something familiar in its speech.

And then there was the restroom where Kim Soleum had disappeared.

All of Kim Soleum's company-related possessions lay scattered across its floor as though discarded. But Lee Jaheon had actually paid more attention to the message on the mirror.

Because he had detected something familiar in that handwriting, too.

“Compare them.”

Along with the developed photograph of the message on the mirror, he produced an old postcard he had kept stored away so it could never be used, and held them out for Deputy Eun Haje to see.

It had taken weeks just to get that postcard released from storage again.

“This is...”

The broadcast-themed Darkness that Team D had entered and cleared several times.

But on the most recent exploration, an unexpected development had wiped out an entire team. Thanks to one employee's quick thinking, Team D had escaped safely, and A-grade solution had been extracted.

That Darkness, still shuttling between the research team and the assessment division, its grade yet to be revised amid conflicting opinions.

Quiz Show Application

To:

From:

“... The Tuesday Talk Show!”

The handwriting matched.

Section Chief Lee Jaheon nodded.

“Supervisor Kim Soleum will be there.”

Whatever form he might be in.

* * *

A studio bathed in dazzling light.

Thunderous applause and cheers pour from the audience seats toward the stage set.

[Thank you! Thank you!]

Utterly delighted by the final segment that has just ended, the audience cheers and even whistles.

The Host places a hand over his chest with an exaggerated show of emotion.

[Why, with a response like that... haha, shall we start all over again? You're watching Braun's Late-Night Talk Show... whoops.]

“Woooo!”

After pretending to be startled by the eruption of cheers, the Host displays a smiling face on his television and addresses them again.

[Sadly, we must endure a heart-wrenching farewell before the angry advertisers come running. But don't be too disheartened! We'll meet again tomorrow!]

The band's cheerful, lively closing music rings out.

The Host steps to the center of the studio and politely bows his television head.

[To everyone watching our talk show today, to the one howling in repentance underground, and to those watching through an EPUB viewer.]

[We shall meet again tomorrow at 11:33 p.m.... Have a delightful night!]

As the band approaches its climax, the Host raises both hands to acknowledge the overflowing applause.

And then...

[Cut!]

The show ends.

CLICK.

Everything falls silent at once.

The audience vanishes, and the countless dazzling lights above their seats go out.

Then, as subdued background lighting illuminates the empty seats, the crew pours out to attend to the stage and performers.

I'm among them, too.

Or, to be precise...

[Mr. Soleum!]

I'm receiving the Host's praise.

[Come over here. That was excellent! Your knack for selecting topics and guests is truly fascinating. Every time, you pick just the right candidates...]

Hmm. It's a little embarrassing.

'It's all thanks to <Records of Dark Exploration>, though.'

Because this show, Braun's Late-Night Talk Show, honestly feels to me like a comedy chat about Records of Dark Exploration.

The difference is that it's more vivid and interesting.

We actually invite the residents of ghost stories in for interviews.

We also brief the audience on recent supernatural issues and certain incidents, make jokes about them, and try interesting things with the audience.

Sometimes, clueless audience members do dangerous things because they think they're dreaming. Watching those precarious moments as a third party provides just the right mix of thrills and comedy.

And it seems the audience is now being invited through various media, not just postcards.

Anyway, honestly, all I do is mention a few interesting-looking ghost stories once or twice a week... but every time, he gushes that the response was wonderful and that it's all thanks to my wealth of information.

'This is more laid-back than I expected...'

I wonder if work has ever been this easy and fun in my life.

[Ah, this past month has been such a delight! And I'm truly pleased to be able to share this news with you...]

A tearful smile appears on Braun's television face.

[Our show's ratings have broken another record.]

“...!”

[They tell me the upward curve is positively terrifying! Which brings me to my question. Have you found it entertaining and enjoyable as well, Mr. Soleum?]

I sense a hint of nervousness beneath his assured confidence. Honestly.

I smile and nod.

“It's been fun.”

[Hasn't it?]

[Why, of course this legendary Host knew all along. That this would be the workplace you found most satisfying, Mr. Soleum.]

The television head smiles broadly.

I smile a little too, feeling at peace.

I'm not afraid.

Nothing here threatens me.

I create content. I don't actually experience the ghost stories that make up that content!

So I feel as though working on this talk show means I never have to be anxious again... Well, of course there's pressure to perform. But isn't that the kind of stress you need in life?

Things like this.

[There is one shortcoming I've noticed, however. A moment...]

Braun drapes a hand over my shoulder and speaks in a low voice.

[We're starting to plateau. The segments are beginning to feel overly repetitive.]

Ah.

[Would you consider coming up with something more provocative and audacious, Mr. Soleum? Let yourself be freer. On this independently produced talk show, free from pressure from investors and producers, we can do anything... And.]

... The Host grips my shoulder firmly.

[Over the past month, hasn't your dedication been remarkable, your adjustment swift, and your performance dazzling?]

[You can absolutely do this.]

... I should work harder.

A little nervous, I start to nod.

But at that moment...

The Host says something unexpected.

[And so... I believe the time has come.]

[For you to stand beside me, Braun, not as crew, but as a cast member.]

“...!”

[I say this from the bottom of my heart: you are already qualified. Oh, Mr. Soleum. My friend. Let us entertain people by having conversations together.]

[A new face will be a welcome stimulus for the audience, too.]

“... No, that's okay. I don't really like getting up in front of an audience—”

[Now, now, it hurts Braun's heart to hear you dismiss it so quickly! Let's give it some thought...]

The hand around my shoulder tightens.

[In my judgment, Mr. Soleum, you most certainly possess fine showmanship. That is a matter of talent.]

[Do you remember? Playing prophet and cult leader on that train over the sea. Only someone with a natural gift could do such a thing. Yes. ]

[But if my dear friend is too anxious, I also have a role prepared that would have you appear for only a few minutes—no, a few seconds...]

[Why don't you give it some thought, without pressure?]

...

Would that much be all right?

Come to think of it, I don't feel like it's completely beyond me.

'If I'm working, I should produce results.'

In the end, I nod, a little bashfully.

“Well, if it's a very small role.”

[That's the spirit! Wonderful.]

The television head beams.

[Modest, too. Just what I'd expect from a former MVP of my show. Don't you agree?]

[There hasn't been a single joyless day since you joined our talk show!]

Come to think of it, was that already a month ago?

Time has passed without my even realizing where it went.

I'm busy, happy, and fulfilled.

'The crew is surprisingly kind, too.'

As I give a small bow to the stylist who hands me some water and disappears, I casually ask Braun a question.

“Um, why doesn't any of the crew here have a face?”

[Ah, out of thoughtful consideration for the show. They made the decision themselves, to prevent screams, coughs, voices, and the like from slipping out during live broadcasts due to bodily functions or unforeseen accidents.]

“That's impressive professionalism. Um, would I have to get rid of my face, too—”

[What are you saying, Mr. Soleum!]

Whoops.

[Anyone taking the stage absolutely must have a face and expressions. Expressiveness is the very essence of entertainment!]

[Ah, of course, if you truly insist, Mr. Soleum... there is an alternative. One moment.]

The Host takes a firm hold of my chin.

Then stares at me as though sizing up a job...

[Hmm. We could remove your face. In its place, I would make you a truly splendid... mask.]

That's...

...

“I'll think about it some more another time.”

[Quite right! Haha! It would be a shame to get rid of that face.]