To be honest, this wasn't the first time I'd been mistaken for a resident of a ghost story.
No, even before I became the non-human 130666, I'd even induced such misunderstandings and used them to my advantage.
But now that a Daydream person had actually pointed at me and said, 'You're registration number something-or-other!', it felt strange.
Especially in my cat form.
'Me… a Daydream-registered ghost story?'
And what's more…
'Ms. Kang Yihak is in a state of Contamination where she worships me…?'
That person… she was probably just grateful because a cat told her about an Item and showed her the way to escape…?
It seemed there was a misunderstanding as wide as a river that couldn't be crossed.
Still, seeing the expression 'saves people,' it was a relief that it hadn't been twisted into something like 'Cat Killing Machine: Mercilessly Grinds People to a Pulp'….
To that statement, Kwak Jegang's reaction was this.
"Does it look like it? Then shall I beg for my life?"
"Manager!"
"Well, it's better than dying, isn't it? And since it helps people, it's a statistically decent gamble!"
Chuckling, Kwak Jegang turned his head to me and asked.
"Lord Cat, by any chance, where are we?"
"You are in a Darkness not registered with Daydream."
Thud.
Ms. Lee Yeonhwa fell backward.
"Hahaha!"
She stumbled back, staring at me in disbelief as I turned from a cat back into a person.
Her body hit the Fire Hydrant door, and she gasped in shock, catching her breath.
'I'm sorry.'
It was an unavoidable decision for the sake of the dramatic impact….
"You said… you didn't remember."
"That was a lie."
I know you're horrified, but please hear me out a little longer…
"If I had advised you truthfully, you would never have believed me and would have died while trying to escape."
Then, I briefly glanced toward the door, as if looking outside the Fire Hydrant.
As if recalling the gruesome fate the other researchers were likely suffering right now, the complexions of the two researchers, excluding Kwak Jegang, turned pale again.
Ms. Lee Yeonhwa opened her mouth, her voice trembling.
"I'll believe you now, so I'd like you to answer again. …Just what, where is this place?"
"..."
Now that I was in this position, I understood.
'It's really hard to tell the truth.'
This is a city that the government has blocked all access and information to, a living nightmare of a ghost story, and that Daydream is probably the cause of this whole mess?
You are all now trapped in this crazy place and can't get out?
But I can get out if I die?
In the end, I found myself saying this.
"…It will be easier to understand if you think of it as an abandoned city."
"No. Not the easy-to-understand version, I'm asking for the truth."
…!
"That's right, we're all researchers here. Give the easy-to-digest baby food to the weak modern people who want three-line summary shorts!"
Kwak Jegang's eyes gleamed as he grinned broadly.
"Tell us!"
…Hmph.
I sat down.
And I spoke to Kwak Jegang.
To be precise, I spoke while looking at the missing tip of his pinky finger.
"If you keep the promise you made with your pinky."
"...!!"
"Very well. I'll tell you."
I watched as Kwak Jegang's face filled with a slight bewilderment and surprise, soon followed by elation, and I suppressed a sigh and continued.
And so I explained about Segwang Metropolitan City.
A city that, for some reason, got caught up in a massive ghost story and was eventually sealed off to prevent further casualties.
And strangely, only the subway system here was in better shape than the outside, but the stations were already consumed by different Darknesses….
"And the name of this station is Midday Station. Its nickname is the Nap Shelter. …Of course, falling asleep here means death."
I shared everything I knew about this station based on the Wiki, my experiences, and rumors.
The listening researchers, at first deathly pale with despair, were soon gripped by an unavoidable occupational hazard.
Interest and analysis.
"This is interesting. Could it be that 'drowsiness' (jollim) chases you, and your neck gets 'strangled' (jollim)??"
"Pardon? Ah!"
"…You're talking about the pun, Manager."
"Right. Wordplay! People often have strange dreams during naps because they're in REM sleep. These kinds of weird metaphors and associations are often justified in nonsensical dreams!"
Then, Kwak Jegang glanced at me.
"This ghost story seems to be conceptually deeply related to napping…. What do you think, employ– no, Lord Cat?"
"…I was thinking something similar."
Surprising.
"Given the name Midday Station, it's probably because midday lasts forever, so the nap never ends."
"Exactly! Death is eternal sleep, isn't it? I like how it uses metaphors and symbols so well, just like a Darkness."
His ideas were spinning rapidly.
I noticed something quite impressive.
'…He's like me.'
The habit of searching for rules and loopholes.
Of course, he felt a bit more theoretical and less practical than me, but even so, it was fascinating to see people who immediately started looking at things from a similar perspective, instead of me just running off alone shouting, 'I have a plan!'
'Is this… what a ghost story researcher is like?'
[As long as my friend is comfortable, it's all good. Even if it's a zombie apocalypse outside!]
Right. That was a real problem….
Thump.
"Shh."
I gave a warning every time I heard a strangely weak footstep m outside the Fire Hydrant.
I could see the researchers' shoulders tense up.
When I signaled with a hand gesture that it was okay now, researcher Lee Yeonhwa swallowed and spoke.
"…Why are you helping us?"
I thought for a moment before answering.
"Too many intelligent beings have already died in this city. I don't particularly like that."
"Ah."
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa nodded as if she'd just realized, 'Ah, you're that kind of Darkness.'
You're misunderstanding me so smoothly.
Thank you….
"Then, by any chance, will you also look for a way to break this Darkness to increase our chances of survival?"
"Manager…?!"
I gave a slight nod.
And added.
"If possible."
"Hahaha, thank you. In that case, hmm, if I were to guess the method Lord Cat might use…."
Kwak Jegang's eyes glinted strangely as he looked at me.
"How about setting all the clocks in this residential area to 7 PM? That would change it so it's no longer nap time! Haha, sounds plausible, doesn't it?"
...!
It was a familiar clear method.
'Manipulating the symbolism to change the time.'
It was the exact method I – the top rookie of the Daydream Field Investigation Team – had used in the convenience store ghost story.
'…He remembers my clear method.'
It was almost creepy.
It was also an appeal, showing that he knew my identity well.
But I shook my head.
"Unless you change the name of Midday Station itself, that kind of solution will be difficult."
Because the station name itself was a more powerful symbol.
"Then do you have any thoughts on changing the station name…."
"Enough."
Kwak Jegang flinched and shut his mouth. Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa stared at him as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"First, I will guide you to the platform, so hide in the Fire Hydrant there. I will take care of the rest."
"No, that's…."
"Yes, yes!"
The Project researcher answered promptly. Researcher Lee Yeonhwa, who had been about to say something in protest, stared at him with a dumbfounded expression, but he remained firm.
Right. Being faithful to one's own survival instinct was very much like a daydream employee.
I stared at that person intently.
"But before that, I have a question."
"Yes…?"
I'll be honest.
I wanted to make sure I found out, because if this person happened to die before we reached the platform Fire Hydrant, the chance to hear it would be gone.
"You."
I stared at the one surviving researcher from Director Ho's Project.
"What exactly were you researching when you came in here?"
"…!"
"Don't even try to hide it."
I deliberately grabbed the person's face.
"I already know. That you were researching how to enter this city, and that an accident must have occurred in the process."
"...!"
The researcher's eyes darted around.
"Th-that's… I, well… you know, right? I… I can't tell you the specifics…."
"If you are under a gag order from Director Ho not to disclose it to non-Project personnel, I will persuade the other researchers to cover their ears."
"…!!"
The Project researcher broke out in a cold sweat.
Kwak Jegang, who had been watching all this with great interest, made an aggrieved face, but I ignored him.
After making the two researchers turn around and cover their ears, I faced the Project researcher again.
"Now."
"..."
"I hope you won't make me judge this as an attempt to evade responsibility."
A creature that turns into a cat was creating this much pressure; he wouldn't dare tell a pointless lie.
"What research did you use to enter this Sekwang Special City?"
"~!"
The Project researcher, who had squeezed his eyes shut, finally shouted, as if blurting it out.
"We used a subway Darkness…!"
"..."
"Among the stations you could get off at, there was a station name presumed to be in Sekwang Special City! We thought it would be fine since it was a stabilized ghost story…."
....
"To the point where you could even use it for the entrance exam?"
"…!!"
I let go of the face I was holding as if shaking it off.
"The Darkness you used is D-Rank No. 16, 'Welcome to the Abyssal Transit Authority,' I presume."
"…!! H-how?"
How do you think? Your reaction just confirmed it.
Wow.
'These crazy bastards.'
—Passengers, thank you for using the Abyssal Transit Authority today…. Our train does not stop.
The very first ghost story I encountered during my new employee orientation after joining Daydream.
The memories of escaping through Serenity Station with Ms. Go Young-eun, and of Baek Saheon escaping alone after sacrificing one of his eyeballs, came to mind.
'Hoo.'
To think that a Sekwang Special City station would appear there depending on the theme.
Meanwhile, the researcher, who had been hit where it hurt, began to spill everything as if lodging a complaint, muttering excuses.
"W-when the station themes change, sometimes only real-life stations appear, and if you get off when a nameless station occasionally shows up…."
The Abyssal Transit Authority was essentially a ghost story the company could practically toy with— as they broadened the range of people it could drag in, he and the other researchers were swept up as well.
A test subject had experienced the process of getting off the train, and so on….
It was horrifying, but one thing was clearly imprinted on my mind.
'A subway train.'
That they entered this place through a ghost story about riding a subway.
And.
"…You used a test subject, does that mean you've been continuously trying to push ordinary people in here?"
"I-I don't know. They probably died. I didn't know it would turn out like this, I didn't know, why me, let me out, please…!"
"..."
My head felt like it was turning ice-cold.
'A company of sociopathic bastards….'
I looked at the Project researcher, who was huddled in a corner, muttering defensively and shedding tears of self-pity, suppressed a sigh, and then patted the other two researchers on the back.
"Oh, are you finished?"
"You didn't secretly eavesdrop, did you, Manager?"
"Hey, no way! I want to look good for Lord Cat!"
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa suppresses a sigh at the sight of Kwak Jegang, who is grinning gleefully and smacking his lips.
…I felt a strange sense of camaraderie.
In the sense that we both had the sensibilities of an ordinary citizen in a world of madmen....
"More importantly! While I was sitting over there by myself, I came up with a brilliant method."
Grinning, Kwak Jegang rubbed his palms together and adjusted his glasses.
"What if we give a signal that the nap is over, a signal that it's time to go to work? Then who knows, maybe all the people who fell asleep with their necks twisted will wake up?"
"A signal, you say?"
"There are a few methods that immediately come to mind for a residential area, aren't there? The sound of someone shouting they're off to work, a school bell signaling the end of lunch, a voice telling someone to wake up and eat. There are plenty of things worth trying!"
"..."
"Hey! Just passively hiding in a Fire Hydrant isn't going to solve anything, for God's sake!"
Kwak Jegang practically grabbed my pant leg and begged.
"Just one of them! Let's just try one…!"
"..."
I turned my head.
To my utter exasperation, researcher Lee Yeonhwa was also looking at me with a similar expression….
"It'd be a huge success if it works!"
***
And 45 minutes later.
"Uwaaaaah!!"
We're screwed.
Suppressing a string of curses, I pulled Kwak Jegang, whose neck had almost been twisted, from the grasp of a neck-twisted person and saved him.
"Gasp, if you were a second later, I would've died… cough,"
This guy is driving me crazy.
"Wow, I can't believe nothing worked! Hahaha, it seems this kind of method only draws attention, doesn't it?"
You should know you're only getting a pass because you weren't intentionally trying to troll.
"Save, kh, save me…."
"..."
I ran past the researcher who had died in the alley, with Assistant Manager Lee Yeonhwa and the Project researcher tucked under each arm.
My back grew damp with dread.
'There are too many.'
For some reason, I felt like the residential area was gradually getting smaller.
And the frequency of neck-twisted entities appearing on every street was increasing.
'I shouldn't have tried the methods Kwak Jegang mentioned.'
I should have just dumped all three of them on the platform right away.
Cold sweat trickled from my temples, but thankfully, it pooled inside the cat mask and wasn't visible.
Even if I tried to find meaning in the fact that we now knew those methods didn't work, my heart felt like it was going to explode at the thought that the lives of three researchers were in my hands.
It might also be because I'd seen too many dead researchers and neck-twisted bodies.
'What should I do?'
And of all things, there were three of them, making it difficult for me to run with them tucked under my arms.
I was acting nonchalant, but my mind was racing furiously.
'If I turn into a cat now, I don't think they'll be able to keep up with their stamina.'
Still, should I check the path first? No, even if the cat Contamination is relatively easy to shake off and reapply, I don't know what dangers it might hold, just like other Contaminations….
'This won't do.'
I guess I'll have to find another Fire Hydrant, put them all inside, and then figure out a new route.
"Please let me know if you spot a shiny, silver rectangle."
I'll go check immediately if it's a Fire Hydrant.
Just as I said that and was about to turn into a cat and leap onto a wall.
"L-Lord Cat, over there…."
I reflexively turned my head.
"That… looks like a silver rectangle!"
At the end of researcher Lee Yeonhwa's line of sight, on one side of the shabby residential area.
There was definitely a silver rectangle.
But it wasn't a Fire Hydrant.
Like a trendy cafe or a small select shop that had recently popped up in a residential area, a single sign was placed casually.
And I could read the words on that sign.
Moonlight Tattoo Shop
...!!
"Uwaaaaah!"
[Oh dear, more are swarming from the other side!]
I clamped a hand over the screaming Project researcher's mouth and quickly gave an order.
"Go inside."
"Pardon?"
"I'm acquainted with the owner of that place. They'll welcome you, so go in."
"…?!"
There was no more time to talk. Dodging the neck-twisted ones, I rushed to the front of the sign and opened the door to the tattoo shop.
Then, as if herding sheep, I pushed all the researchers inside, went in myself, and closed the door.
Thud.
"..."
My third visit.
The now-familiar interior of the tattoo shop came into view.
Even the artificial moonlight pouring down from the center of the ceiling.
'Why is this shop in Sekwang Special City?'
I didn't know, but I was grateful just to have caught my breath.
And over there, the tattooist shop owner, who had been sitting at a table, had stood up upon seeing the four customers who had suddenly rushed in.
Up to this point, it more or less matched the picture I had drawn in my head as I ran toward the tattoo shop the moment I saw it.
...But there was also a completely unexpected picture.
G o o d C h i l d
The form of the blue Dragon Mascot was sitting opposite the tattooist, holding a teacup.