"Ah, Roe's back!"
"Yeah. Did you get your regeneration potion safely?"
"Yes."
As I returned to the office, I greeted my superiors who had already finished their lunch and were lounging around.
However, their expressions stiffened as they noticed the translucent, reinforced plastic box in my hands.
They immediately sat up straight.
"...!"
"Wait, is that your assigned Darkness, Roe?"
"Yes, that's correct."
I lifted the transport box to show its contents.
Inside, two black cards clicked softly.
It was the F-Class Darkness I had chosen.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story [The Dilemma]
A ghost story featured in Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-F-2073
Two plain black cards, 60mm wide and 110mm tall.
When the owner flips these cards at midnight, images appear on the front. These images are randomly chosen themes from the Major Arcanas of Tarot.
Events depicted on the cards will come true in the future.
========================
Although it was a low-grade Darkness, small and portable enough to be managed by a single employee, it was, in fact, the most dangerous and unpredictable of the three options I had been given.
Because it dealt with the future.
My superiors, recognizing this, wore grave expressions.
"That's a bit harsh for a rookie."
"Exactly! Don't they usually assign something easier? When I was a rookie, I got a radio. You saw it on your first day too, didn't you, Roe? That one ended up being downgraded to Twilight-Class, even."
Ah, that radio.
So it was managed by Supervisor Park, huh.
No wonder it was left so openly in the office.
Supervisor Park spoke with some concern.
"Maybe they have high expectations because you're doing so well, Roe… Oh, Squad Leader!"
Chief Lizard, who had just entered the office, turned his head at the sound of his name.
"You mentioned letting Roe choose his Darkness directly—when was that supposed to happen? Has it already happened?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
"...?"
"...??"
"It was chosen twenty minutes ago."
My superiors turned to me.
"Roe."
"Yes?"
"You picked that from the options the Squad Leader gave you?"
"Yes."
I nodded without expression.
"They're offering overtime pay."
"..."
"..."
"This Darkness requires regular nighttime management, you see."
My two superiors exchanged wistful looks.
"Ah… I see."
"Hmm, that's so you, Roe."
And just like that, they regained their calm.
"..."
Where is my reputation even headed?
Should I be happy that my character profile is developing so successfully? Sniffle.
Holding back tears, I turned on my computer.
"Are you registering it now?"
"Yes, I'm entering my employee ID."
On the intranet, I navigated to the 'Unassigned Darkness List', found the code for my Darkness, and registered it under my account. Done.
Qterw-F-2073 : Kim Soleum (Supervisor)
And with that, I officially had my own assigned Darkness.
"Even if it's F-Class, it's still a supernatural phenomenon. Be careful when managing it."
"Yes."
I read through the management instructions for the Darkness. It was exactly what I already knew about this ghost story.
[Flip the cards at midnight / once a month]
***
A few days later, at midnight.
I was working a night shift at the company annex.
"You're working hard."
The staff member at the desk, dressed entirely in pitch-black clothing, nodded slightly and unlocked the hallway for me.
Following the path, I reached the designated door and opened it… "Well, here it is."
Two black cards lay before me—my task for the night.
Carefully, I stepped into the room, closed the heavy metal door behind me, and approached the card storage case.
I retrieved The Dilemma and placed the cards face down on the circular table provided in the room.
– Are you doing a reading? Occult verification was always a favorite on talk shows! Now, Mr. Roe Deer, why don't you take a peek at the future?
This was slightly different.
"It's not about seeing the future."
– Hmm?
"It's about making a choice."
========================
Interpretation
A pair of mystical tarot cards that reveal their symbols when flipped. After viewing both cards, the user shall choose one, and an event matching the chosen symbol will occur in the near future. However, the event must be something plausible within the user's everyday life. (Winning the lottery, for example, cannot be done.)
========================
That's right.
These cards allow the user to choose between two possible near-future events.
Of course, it's not always a good thing.
I reached out and flipped the two cards on the table.
As if by magic, elaborate illustrations appeared.
The Devil. The Moon.
'Damn.'
Just like that.
– Oh dear. Neither of these is traditionally considered a particularly positive symbol!
Well, depending on the context, they don't necessarily have entirely negative meanings either… but overall, they do lean that way. In other words, when both options are bad, all you're doing is picking which unfortunate event to add to your life.
Considering that over half of the tarot deck can be interpreted ambiguously or negatively, the odds of this happening were at least one in four. But…
– Have you decided which one to choose?
"Yes."
I was going to do this a little differently.
I moved around to the opposite side of the table.
'This way, naturally…'
From the opposite side, the cards appeared upside down. If I picked up a card in this position…
– Oh, reversed orientation!
I looked at the card I had drawn, now upside down.
'They say you should never do this during a proper reading.'
As expected of an F-Class Darkness, its power wasn't overwhelming, and it had plenty of loopholes that allowed for tricks like this.
'Even if the trick fails, it usually just reverts back to being a plain black card.'
So, I decided to give it a shot, and it seemed to have worked out. Now, the card I chose was…
– The Moon! Ah, the symbol of confusion!
I stared at the reversed Moon card, with a pale yellow full moon hanging upside down.
– The Moon typically represents mystery and uncertainty. In the absence of the Sun, vague shapes and doubts grow under the moonlight, eventually giving way to madness.
– However, reversed, it suggests the opposite, doesn't it? Hmm.
'So something becomes clear?'
– Quite promising! The resolution of uncertainty! Doesn't that bring peace of mind?
Agreed.
'In this insane world of ghost stories where it's hard to see even a step ahead, anything certain is welcome.'
– Is that the end?
"That's it."
I carefully placed the cards back where they belonged.
Readings were done only once per month.
This means the event will happen sometime this month.
While the scope of events is clearly limited to 'everyday' occurrences, my 'everyday' involves working at a ghost story company…
In that sense, it might actually be quite helpful for survival.
'Even if it's not, locking in at least one slightly positive outcome for the future isn't a bad thing.'
Having an assigned ghost story that's more of an asset than a burden isn't so bad.
I decided not to get too greedy…
Thud.
"..."
A sound came from outside.
This was the annex.
It's where relatively safe Darknesses were stored—mostly Twilight-Class, occasionally F-Class as well…
But in the end, they're all still ghost stories.
Thud.
Occasionally.
Very occasionally, if a management failure results in an unexpected incident… people can die. Easily.
I stood in front of the iron door.
'…How far away is that sound coming from?'
Should I wait here, or…
BOOOOOOOM!!
"...!"
I immediately opened the heavy iron door and ran.
It definitely sounded like something had exploded!
'The odds of survival are higher if I run out of here rather than being trapped inside.'
I sprinted toward the entrance, intending to escape through the main door, but…
The floor was already partially destroyed.
"..."
– Oh dear! What a mess this is.
A flood of wild possibilities raced through my mind.
But then, I saw someone standing in the middle of the broken lobby floor, their foot firmly pinning down something shattered.
"...!"
It was the black-clad staff member from the front desk.
Judging by their stance and the way they seemed to have 'subdued' the Darkness…
'They must be a Security Team member!'
The situation already seemed resolved.
The sounds I had heard earlier must have been the noise created while the Security Team handled the situation.
'So they don't just let anyone sit at the annex front desk.'
I hesitated, then spoke from about four meters away.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
The black-clad staff member shook their head.
Thank goodness…
I'd better get out of here quickly.
"Well then, I'll be on my way."
The staff member looked at me briefly, then reached over to the desk and picked up something.
A post-it note.
Have a good evening.
So they're surprisingly sociable, huh?
"Thank you."
I bowed politely. The entirely black-clad desk worker gave me a slight nod in return and stepped back to sit down at their desk.
The shattered fragments of what appeared to be the medium of the Darkness, likely some kind of glass, sparkled on the broken floor. In the reflection of the shards, I briefly noticed the shadow of the staff member's leg twist unnaturally, making their foot appear like a cloven hoof…
…and then return to a normal human form.
'Phew…'
Let's not dwell on it.
Avoiding eye contact with anything, I exited the annex.
"This is just… unbelievable."
These bizarre incidents feel so routine.
'I guess fixing one positive daily event into my life was a good call.'
Life was tough and exhausting, but it felt like I was managing to navigate through it somehow, and that gave me a bit of comfort.
Come to think of it, I once communicated in writing just like that desk staff did.
[Have a nice day ^^]
It was during a face-to-face transaction on a secondhand market where I sold cursed food for 40 million won.
I even communicated in writing to hide my voice back then.
I'd sold the churros given to me by the blue dragon mascot from that theme park.
'I still have one more bag of those churros.'
I don't plan to sell them unless absolutely necessary, but… hmm.
I realized that I actually have quite a few food-related items in my possession.
My inventory wasn't bad.
'Maybe it wouldn't hurt to sell one or two and turn them into cash.'
If someone's still looking for them, that is.
Since the thought struck me, I decided to check Salmon Market. To my surprise, another post had been uploaded.
--------------------
[Buying : Food from Paranormal Phenomena]
For research purposes
Strong preference for food originating from Fracture-sanctioned phenomena (according to the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau's classification) 40.0
--------------------
– this guy doesn't get tired of trying, huh
– lololol at this point, getting scammed is on this rtrd ryt?
Hmm.
'If they've already used the previous churros for research…'
I sent a message.
[BlueFriend: Hello, sir ^^ I've secured more food. Would you be interested, by any chance?]
***
And so, two days later, on the weekend.
Once again, I found myself waiting for a secondhand market transaction partner at Exit 5 of Gwanghwamun Station.
'Trust really is important in business, huh?'
Because I had met their expectations last time, this time they set up a meeting with no fuss or unnecessary questions.
In fact, they were already waiting for me at the exit.
Like last time, they were dressed in dark clothing, complete with a hat and mask.
I recognized them by the drink box they were holding. Well, I was dressed similarly, so I couldn't exactly judge.
[Hello ^^]
I opened my notepad again and showed the greeting message. The buyer, seemingly expecting it, didn't appear surprised.
[Here is the item I prepared.]
Inside the box I handed over were two cookies from the Alice Picnic Set. Why did I choose these? Simple.
'The expiration date's coming up.'
Like most snacks, these cookies had a shelf life!
Because they were items that diminished or exaggerated effects based on usage, they weren't often needed, so I still had several left. However, since the drink from the Tuesday Quiz Show had been such a lifesaving item, I couldn't bring myself to part with it. Instead, I opted to let go of the cookies.
'Cookies are harder to use anyway.'
It seemed like a waste to just let them expire without being used. Using expired items? I didn't even want to imagine what could happen. Anyway, I presented the item and waited for the buyer's reaction. The buyer, just like last time, ran a gloved hand over the box before shaking their head slightly.
"This isn't exactly what I was looking for."
Hmm. As expected.
'It didn't seem like it would meet their Fracture-sanctioned standards.'
Mass-produced items like this have relatively low risk and feel more passive, so they're different from the bizarre objects directly retrieved from high-grade ghost stories…
'A bit disappointing, but oh well.'
Still, it was worth trying to negotiate.
"In that case, I'll purchase them for half the original price each."
Thank you for the smooth transaction.
'If this person finds out about the existence of the alien shop, would they be so upset they'd try to kill me?'
Just in case, I decided to lay some groundwork.
Hastily, I scribbled something in the notebook.
[Thank you. I really needed the money.]
"..."
[These don't seem as dangerous as other foods, but since the expiration date is close, I suggest conducting your research soon. I'll add a couple more for you.]
I then slipped a small packet with one or two extra cookies into the bag.
'Think of it as a bonus.'
This was a trust-building move to encourage continued transactions. It was supposed to be for negotiations, but it came in handy here. At this point, I felt like I was an exceptionally considerate secondhand seller. In a ghost story world, even more so.
As I was about to leave, holding the cash-filled drink box handed to me by the buyer, their voice called out to me.
"Excuse me."
Hmm?
"How do you acquire things like this?"
Hmm.
[I'm afraid I can't tell you. My apologies.]
That should suffice.
It's a platform for trading supernatural items—everyone has their stories. Better to let their imagination fill in the blanks.
'The alien shop is one of those places where, unless you've seen the ad for it yourself, it just redirects to a nonexistent page.'
I was preparing to bolt if they pressed further, but instead…
"..."
The buyer pulled a pen from their pocket and wrote something on my notebook.
"If you ever find yourself in danger, contact this number."
Huh?
"Then, bye."
The buyer left, and I looked at the note.
1717 8282 42
"...!"
'This is a government number.'
It was a direct emergency assistance hotline for the Disaster Management Bureau.
In short, the ghost story equivalent of 911.
'So they were connected to the government?'
No wonder they used the terminology commonly associated with the Bureau.
I shrugged and carefully secured the cash and the notepad. Daydream Inc., being the awful mega-conglomerate that it was, had a notoriously bad relationship with the government.
As an employee of such a company, there was no way I'd ever need to call that number.
'Definitely not.'
Yup. Nuh-uh.
And yet!
That very evening, when I returned to the company dorm…