Chapter 41

A dark ventilation duct inside a creepypasta.

A situation where I had to hold my breath to escape terror. And to top it off, I'd just saved Baek Saheon's life.

'Why you, of all people.'

What's worse, he was now desperately avoiding my gaze.

"...?"

This wasn't like him at all…

'Wait a second.'

A sudden realization hit me.

watch out for serial killers –

Was it because I'd been sending him serial killer alerts every day as a 'friendly reminder'?

He seemed a bit intimidated.

Well, fair enough. It is, um, creepy.

'Actually, this works out.'

In truth, that was partially intentional. I hadn't bothered to send those messages anonymously precisely to achieve this effect.

Seems psycho, doesn't it? Exactly. Keep your distance, buddy.

Given Baek Saheon's personality, which was clearly strong against the weak and weak against the strong, he'd likely choose to avoid me rather than use this opportunity to eliminate me.

'Which suits me just fine.'

…The only issue was that, for now, we were stuck together in this vent.

I held my breath. Thankfully, Baek Saheon was also quiet as a mouse.

Outside, shadows of people who had failed to escape flickered faintly in the candlelight, shrouded in Darkness.

Creeeeeeeeak, thud.

The machine came to a halt.

In front of the shadows of people cornered at a dead end, something thin suddenly emerged.

The silhouette of what looked like spider legs.

And then—silence.

"..."

"..."

Only the strange mechanical noise echoed.

Whoosh.

The spider-like silhouette stretched wide in front of the humans.

Hiiieeeek!!

Through the flickering shadows, eight sharp and delicate appendages grasped a human torso.

Save me, please save me… AAAHHHHH!!!

Thwack.

One of the spider legs pierced into the gap in a human's head.

Then, with a plop, it pulled something out of the head.

"..."

I already knew what it had taken.

'…An eyeball.'

That was it.

This was why this exhibition was called the 'Manor of the Blind'.

========================

Numerous visitors testified to the ushers that they had lost body parts, most commonly their eyes, as the first part to go.

========================

The 'usher'.

Encountering that thing here meant having your eyes plucked out.

If you met it again, you'd lose a limb, or perhaps your tongue or ears.

Eventually, you'd end up blind, mute, and crawling helplessly through the dark exhibition hall—a slug-like, pitiful existence.

The fact that this wasn't done all at once made it even more brutal.

Ironically, it was because this exhibition was 'considerate'.

To the extent that it provided 'convenience' without you needing to ask.

========================

For your convenience, sensory enhancement devices are always available for free rental.

(Currently supported devices : visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, gustatory, sixth sense, panoramic vision)

========================

Creak, creeeeak.

A spider leg-like silhouette elegantly and delicately approached the eyeless person.

The shape attached to the end of the leg was briefly illuminated under the candlelight, casting a sharp shadow.

A thin thread and needle.

'Fucking hell.'

I held my breath and waited for all the commotion to subside.

Cold sweat poured from my body.

A moment later.

Thuk, thuk, thuk…

The machine's sound receded.

The person who'd just lost their eyes began to stagger away, their footsteps uneven.

Of all places, they moved toward this vent, their blood-soaked face briefly visible before disappearing from view.

Their eyes had been replaced with camera lenses.

"...!"

Baek Saheon, crouching beside me, silently mouthed a curse.

It wasn't hard to relate.

'With those lenses, you might be able to see for a few hours or maybe a day or two at most.'

But since it was a rental device, the functionality would gradually deteriorate, plunging them into greater terror.

And the next time they encountered the usher, that device would be 'collected' as well.

It was a rental, after all.

'I'm gonna go crazy.'

It felt like a prelude to even more horrifying things to come, making me instinctively squeeze my eyes shut.

'But I can't show fear. I can't let him see.'

Conscious of Baek Saheon beside me, I waited until everything went silent before climbing out of the duct.

'We can't stay here.'

We had to move quickly and escape. I'd organize the exploration records and the manual after splitting up with Baek Saheon…

"Um."

Hm?

"Thank you, sir."

Suddenly, Baek Saheon addressed me politely.

As if it were normal, he nodded slightly in a show of courtesy, much like the first time we met on the subway.

And then, subtly, he began to edge away, clearly planning to run off.

"Then, I'll be off…"

"Wait."

Baek Saheon stopped in his tracks.

I asked,

"How long has it been since you entered?"

"..."

"Don't wanna answer?"

"…About two hours, I think."

He'd entered quite a bit ahead of me.

Since this wasn't a creepypasta that distorted the sense of time, it meant rookie Baek Saheon had been summoned early in the morning, just like I was.

'So my D-squad superiors kept me out of the loop on purpose!'

For a moment, I felt touched.

The thought of finding my squadmates quickly and getting out motivated me.

'Chief Lizard would've probably made it into the final seven survivors anyway.'

But I had to find the other D-squad members soon.

…Though honestly, stepping out of the vent and looking at the hallway made me want to sigh…

'Wow, I have to search this entire place on my own?'

I'm gonna have to comb through every corner of this creepy mansion while dodging that usher monster while looking for clues?

No wonder they made a horror game based on this Darkness. I'd never played it, but I'd seen clips on WeTube…

…while covering half the screen with my hand.

"..."

Um. As much as I didn't want to admit it, going with someone else…even if he's got a personality defect…seemed like the better choice.

I turned to look at Baek Saheon.

In the dark—

Baek Saheon swallowed hard next to Kim Soleum.

'Fucking hell.'

Of all people, why did it have to be this lunatic?

Nothing had gone right ever since Saheon had gotten stuck with this guy as his dorm roommate.

Just hearing the bastard spout insane remarks in that perpetually sarcastic tone, as if he'd never start trouble even if drunk.

It made Saheon's head spin.

'Do I really have to stick with this guy?'

The other employees who entered with him seemed to have woken up scattered throughout the bizarre mansion.

And the civilians he'd encountered earlier? Well, they got obliterated. Still, was it better to wander around alone than to stick with this deranged nutjob…

He was frantically weighing his options when Kim Soleum suddenly spoke.

"You're using formal speech now? All of a sudden?"

Son of a bitch.

Cold sweat trickled down Saheon's back.

"…It was a highly urgent situation back then, so I accidentally slipped into casual speech… but now I think it's better if we speak politely to each other again."

Kim Soleum stared at Saheon for a moment, then replied nonchalantly, "I see. Understood."

"…Yes."

Should I… run for it?

Baek Saheon glanced at Kim Soleum.

He'd already heard all the absurd rumors about this guy. The Field Exploration Team's 'monstrous rookie'.

– I heard he cleared an A-Class Darkness all by himself.

– He was almost scouted for the elite squad, too. But he turned it down?

– Wow, I heard he even found a missing section chief. Is this guy really just a new hire?

– And he's had two manual revisions approved? Isn't this some kind of propaganda rookie to scam the regular staff…

The rumors got so ridiculous that some even joked he was just company propaganda.

But Baek Saheon didn't doubt the rumors.

'Isn't it just because he's a fucking lunatic?'

This guy's monster-like results probably just… stemmed from his monsterlike mindset, right? A mind so different from normal people's that he could come up with ideas no sane person would even inside these ghost stories.

Baek Saheon, for all his self-centered pragmatism, felt a unique pressure from someone so damn unpredictable.

The fear of the unknown.

'Honestly, if someone told me he himself was a ghost story, I'd believe it.'

Baek Saheon wiped away cold sweat.

Still, he wanted information. At the very least, he could listen.

"Where are we headed? Judging by how that monster attacked people, this Darkness seems to treat us as intruders…"

"It doesn't."

"Sorry?"

"This exhibition definitely treats us as guests."

What the hell was he talking about now?

Baek Saheon looked at Kim Soleum, who continued speaking with unwavering confidence.

"That's why it collects fees. It only takes eyes. It's just charging admission fees."

"..."

"Didn't you read the manual?"

Of course he fucking did.

That cursed, bizarre document contaminated by the exhibition's invitation.

"It's an invitation. People who are invited don't get treated as intruders."

"…But it didn't mention anything about fees."

"Read it again. Near the end of page three."

Baek Saheon unfolded the paper.

This exhibition is free for one hour as part of our open-minded appreciation of art.

"Free for one hour implies that fees will either be collected or you'll be kicked out after that time."

"...!"

"But instead of kicking you out of the venue, they take your eyes. That thing earlier… it's probably a 'staff member' of this exhibition."

It was disturbingly convincing.

Without thinking, Baek Saheon asked another question.

"Why do you think human eyes are considered the payment?"

"Well, maybe because they're the most valuable part of the human body?"

"...!"

"Looks like the things we carry don't hold any value to them."

"…'Them'?"

Kim Soleum shook his head expressionlessly.

"No idea."

And no one caught up in this mess would know either.

A chill ran down Saheon's back.

"In any case, sir, whoever's running this exhibition seems to believe that human body parts are the most valuable things we possess."

"..."

"I guess eyes are prolly considered the most appropriate starting payment, so yeah."

Eyes.

Baek Saheon had only one.

He almost instinctively pressed a hand over his covered eye. He still remembered that day vividly.

Kim Soleum staring at him on the subway, casually lifting his 'answer key' of an eye.

The unnerving calmness, the calculated observation, waiting for Baek Saheon to realize his own eye had been plucked pointlessly. That mocking gaze.

This Darkness takes eyes as payment, but what in the world had made this guy so disturbingly nonchalant?

"But…"

"...!"

Kim Soleum was staring directly at him.

"You've slipped back into informal speech." [1]

A chill ran down Baek Saheon's spine.

He forced himself to speak calmly as he now dropped to casual speech for good.

"Fine. Should we just keep it casual then? We're from the same batch after all, and we need to escape together…"

"Don't wanna," Kim Soleum answered back.

"..."

For a moment, irritation flared, but Baek Saheon forced a smile.

"Don't say that. You hid me in the vent earlier—doesn't that mean you wanted to save me as a colleague?"

"Nah. I just figured I could use you as bait if needed."

"..."

Baek Saheon gave up on manipulation and shifted to persuasion. Kim Soleum seemed to have a good understanding of this horrifying exhibition ghost story.

"If we stick together, exploration will be easier. Especially in a dark place like this."

"Not really."

"..."

"But for the sake of dopamine, sure, let's stick together. Having more people means more unpredictability."

This demented fucker.

Baek Saheon was certain now.

He had never encountered someone so blatantly deranged, even in his tumultuous life.

Still…

'Do you have to be this crazy to survive in this godforsaken company?'

Feeling a strange sense of defeat, he clenched his teeth under his black goat mask.

"Let's move."

Kim Soleum ignored Baek Saheon's frozen expression and started walking. Then, out of nowhere, he said,

"Thanks. That's a relief."

"What?"

What was he thankful for?

Before Baek Saheon could question further, Kim Soleum raised a hand to his mouth.

"Quiet. I'm talking to Braun."

"..."

Baek Saheon barely managed to force the word out.

"Braun?"

"Yeah."

Kim Soleum reached into his suit pocket and pulled something out—a cute, plush rabbit keychain.

"Braun's saying hi to you right now."

"..."

Baek Saheon suddenly wanted to run far, far away.

Of course, he couldn't have guessed that Braun was actually 'saying', Oh! Greetings to you, Mr. Scapegoat, soon-to-be victim of the next room!

Nor did he realize that Kim Soleum was thinking this, 'Phew. Having another person around makes this a bit less terrifying.'

The thought of wandering this place alone with Braun made him feel as scared as during the changgwi incident.

'This was a good choice after all!'

"Are you planning to search for another place like that vent earlier?"

"Nope."

Kim Soleum gave Baek Saheon an incredulous look, as if staring at a truly ridiculous person.

"I'm looking for the exit. Why would I search for a vent?"

"..."

"I mean, if you like vents so much, just stay in one. If you get caught though, just pay the fee."

Kim Soleum knew exactly what kind of person Baek Saheon was.

'This guy, he's the kind of person you can't just let loose.'

He was someone who'd exploit any opening, just like how he had ruthlessly attacked someone during their first meeting without even batting an eyelid. Never forget that Baek Saheon's nickname in the wiki was 'Viper' a.k.a. venomous snake!

Never let your guard down!

'Aight, I'll act crazy too.'

Thus began the uncomfortable and uneasy Darkness exploration of two certified lunatics.

Note/s:

[1]

About Baek Saheon's shifting speech levels, sorry about this again but I don't know a more effective way to differentiate other than sometimes adding 'sir' if he goes up to the highest level.

But since Soleum's being so petty about pointing out Saheon's slips, it can get more obvious lol

T/N: This has been the chapter that's made me laugh the most so far lmaoo