Chapter 8.2
I hurried to the shelf, carefully picking up a doshirak and triangle kimbap to check their expiration dates.
‘Most kimbap has a shelf life of 36 to 48 hours.’
The doshirak would likely be the same.
But strangely, many of the doshirak and kimbap had expiration dates that were either more than three days away or were completely smudged and unreadable.
I kept searching, patient and quiet, carefully turning the items over and checking both sides.
And finallyā¦
āFound it.ā
The current time in this ghost story is April 4th at 12:00.
I found an item with an expiration date of April 7th at 12:00.
[Gravy Burger Steak Doshirak]
I grabbed the doshirak and headed for the cash register at the counter.
‘Ugh.’
The image of the ghost madly pressing the buttons on the register flashed in my mind, but it was just a memory. The ghost hadnāt appeared here yet.
āStay calm.ā
I navigated the registerās settings, selecting āDate and Time Adjustmentā… and there it was! I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
āThe set time is…ā
Exactly two days and 23 hours from the start time of April 4th, 12:00.
Ā
[April 7th, 11:59 p.m.]
‘Please let this work!’
I pressed the change button and then confirmed…
[Time adjusted successfully]
“ā¦ā¦!!”
It worked!
āThank goodness, it actually worked. Sometimes it doesnāt let you change it, but thank heavens this time it did.ā
I steadied my trembling hands, a mix of joy and anxiety coursing through me.
I was almost there.
All I had to do now was register the food as an item close to its expiration date.
Bee-bee-bee-beepā!
“……”
[Expiration Alert]
[Items approaching expiration date!]
The cash register announced cheerfully.
The recorded voice echoed through the dark convenience store.
Bee-bee-bee-beepā! Bee-bee-bee-beepā!
“……”
I froze and turned my head slowly.
In the distance, I saw it.
Our eyes met.
It was coming.
“Shiā!”
I forced myself to focus on the screen. Just look at the screen!
Please, please, hurry!
My shaking hand missed the barcode scanner three times before I finally got it.
[Would you like to register this item?]
I spammed [Yes] with all my might, and…
The strange, erratic footsteps grew closer, almost upon me.
I kept my composure as much as I could, moving my hands as fast as possible…
[Item registered for expiration.]
At the exact moment the ghostās distorted steps brought it to the counterā¦
[Process complete]
It disappeared.
“……”
Click.
The lights turned on.
The bright convenience store flooded with light, and the now unremarkable POS screen displayed a simple message.
[Registration complete]
The sound of a receipt printing broke the silence.
In that white noise, I realized.
‘I did it.’
I had succeeded.
“Huu.”
I leaned against the counter, my legs trembling.
āI can finally breatheā¦ā
Itās amazing how much we humans rely on light!
Still, the brightness alone was enough to bring my mind some peace.
āNow I just have to head for the door andāā
Clang!
The cash drawer beneath the cash register popped open.
āHuh?ā
Inside was a thick, brown envelope.
“This isā¦”
I grabbed the envelope and opened it.
Inside were four thick bundles of crisp, golden bills.
“ā¦ā¦!?”
Stacks of 50,000 won bills!
āIs it a hundred bills in each stack?ā
That meant a total of 20 million won.
It was the first time Iād ever handled so much cash. But why was this money in the convenience storeās cash drawerā¦?
Oh.
āThe reward!ā
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
/ Make Your Choice
Note
If you clear it, you actually get the money. Maybe itās just a nice ghost who likes to scare people for fun.
Oh.
“How long do you think itāll take?”
“If he makes it through three days, he should be able to come out right away.”
“First try success? Wow, thatās pretty generous.”
D-squad of <Daydream Inc.>’s Field Exploration Team.
The two employees had just stepped out to the rooftop for a smoke after sending the new recruit into the ghost story.
No matter how many times they did it, it never felt routine. Pushing new recruits into paranormal phenomena was still unsettling.
But this particular ghost story, <Make Your Choice>, was known to be harsher if the time limit was shorter and more lenient if it was longer. Since the rookie was assigned three days, it probably wouldnāt be too difficult for him.
āItās like a three-day courage test at most.ā
Of course, it was still harsh. But there was a shared understanding between the two employees:
– If he canāt handle this, heāll be dead soon anyway.
Better to quit now than get killed later.
Many recruits had quit after this initiation, which was why D-squad often got side-eyed from the HR department, but they managed to get by, joking around as usual.
Watching a coworker, especially a new team member, die right next to you was terrible for oneās mental health, after allā¦
But this time, something felt a little different.
There was a strange sense of anticipation.
“This new guy, though.”
“Yeah?”
“Heās something else.”
“He sure is.”
The rookie assigned to D-squad, Kim Soleum, had ranked top in his class.
“Iāve never seen anyone act like that on their first day.”
Most new hires freak out the moment they realize their ājobā involves repeatedly being thrown into life-threatening paranormal phenomena. Itās only natural.
But Kim Soleumā¦ he was eerily calm.
“He didnāt even seem nervous.”
“Yeah, didnāt flinch at all. Even drank his coffee just fine.”
Not once did he lose his composure, break down in tears, or try to run away.
Of course, Kim Soleum had already spoiled everything for himself and spent three days mentally preparing and resigning himself to the situation, but from an outsiderās perspective, he seemed like a rookie with an insane level of mental fortitude!
“You like him already, donāt you?”
“Yeah, heās solid.”
Strong nerves were always welcome in this department, where employees regularly encountered horrific, bizarre, and eerie urban legends. Cowards wouldnāt survive.
āWell, itās not like any coward could pass the death survival test anywayā¦ā
But one did!
Not that his superiors would ever knowāthey just kept nodding and praising the new recruit, thinking they had a gem on their hands.
There was just one thing that bothered them.
“He doesnāt seem like the type to slack off, so why didnāt he take any notes?”
“Maybe heās just new to all this. Weāll teach him. Heāll catch on.”
In a job where life was on the line, information and manuals were crucial. The two nodded in agreement.
“He needs to write things down so he can review them later. Thatās how you learn.”
“Exactly. Itās not like he knew all this in advance.”
He knew it all in advance!
Unaware, the two continued chatting, saying things typical of a team with a new recruit, before finally deciding to head back to the office.
“We still have to write the report.”
“Ugh, those reports no one even readsā¦”
The rookie wouldnāt be coming out for at least three days.
Still, the ghost story had food and a place to sleep, so even if it took a while, heād be fine.
They nodded, picked up the tablet with the internet post that had sucked in the new recruit, and started heading back whenā¦
Tick.
The tablet spat out a person.
The new recruit, who was supposed to come out three days later.
“ā¦ā¦?!”
Kim Soleum, the rookie, dusted off his perfectly intact suit and stood up as if nothing had happened.
In his hand, he held something.
A completely filled āDream Essence Collectorā.
“Iāve filled it.”
“ā¦ā¦?!?!”
[Clear time: 1 hour and 24 minutes.]
The rookie, who had just achieved an unbelievable feat, looked at his stunned superiors with a calm, composed expression.
āI almost died of a heart attack.ā
Of course, this was just the result of a desperate coward who, if given the chance, would have crashed through the walls of the haunted house to escape!
Siptea
Goodness the bravest coward I’ve ever seen hahah