Work Text:
[Haunted House]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-D-291.
-
“Geeeeet ouuuuuut...!”
The long-haired ghost let out a long groan as it gave chase through the manor.
As Lee Jaheon sprinted around the corner, his eyes darted across the room.
Then, he drew his leg back--
Crash!
--and kicked down the load-bearing wall.
The ceiling gave up instantly.
Plaster exploded outward in a choking cloud. A rain of bricks and antique chandeliers crashed down in surrender. Somewhere in the debris, the ghost shrieked as a decorative gargoyle head buried its translucent face.
...There was no longer a haunted house.
Clear.
-
[Saw Trap]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-C-22.
-
The deranged puppet on the TV screen unhinged his jaw. "Hello Team D. I want to play a game. Today, all of your transgressions will be made public. Now you must choose who will drop out of this triangle, for within sixty seconds, one of you must die."
A bead of sweat trailed down Eun Haje's throat as she tugged at the chain trapping her to a set of stationary buzzsaws.
Chained to the same contraption on the other side of the worktable, Park Minseong was visibly pale. His eyes flickered up towards Lee Jaheon, who was strung up overhead with another buzzsaw dangling directly below his abdomen. Lee Jaheon was expressionless as he stared back.
"If you wish to save your boss, then the saws must be pushed all the way to one side or the other, sparing him while proving who is indeed the better employee. If neither of you are able to accomplish this in time, your Section Chief will be cut in half. Make your choice. Time's a-ticking..."
The screen flickered off, then it flashed back on. There was a timer, now.
The buzzsaws started whirring.
Neither of them pushed at the contraption.
Clenching his jaw, Park Minseong murmured, "This explains the low survival rate."
A flat voice resounded above them. "What are the blade's materials?"
Eun Haje looked up incredulously. "It's not exactly putty, is it? Even you of all people would be hurt."
"What are the blade's materials?" Lee Jaheon repeated.
Park Minseong frowned. "There was a sticker on them. I think it said... 'Chi's Discount Buzzsaw - Steel?' There was still a barcode on it, too. Wait, is the puppet planning on returning it to the store...?"
"That would explain the receipt under my shoe right now," Eun Haje said.
The TV screen flickered back to the ventriloquist puppet. The circles on his cheeks were a deeper red than before.
"That's-- that's a bit besides the point, don't you think?" His voice was reedy. "I think you misunderstand the peril that you're in. Thirty seconds!" The screen switched back to the timer.
Meanwhile, the discount buzzsaws were still whirring at the center of the table.
...What kind of half-rate darkness was this?
"Steel is fine," Lee Jaheon said after a moment.
Park Minseong visibly relaxed. "I envy your ab routine, Chief."
Eun Haje was still frowning. "Are you sure? This isn't just something you can just bend. It's going to be ripping into your skin."
"Yes."
Eun Haje waited for an elaboration that never came.
10 seconds. 9 seconds. 8 seconds.
"...I don't feel any better, you know."
"Chi's Discount Torture Supplies are of subpar quality," was all that Lee Jaheon said.
3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1 second.
The whirring buzzsaw beneath Lee Jaheon began to rise, its shriek filling the room. It shredded through his suit with ease. But just as it reached flesh, there was a loud screech.
One by one, the saw’s jagged spikes snapped, shearing off mid-spin.
Chains rattling, Eun Haje swore and ducked just as a broken piece shot toward her face. The chunk of metal slammed into the wall behind her in a shower of sparks.
The room reeked of scorched metal. The buzzsaw had jerked to a stop.
Lifting his head up, Park Minseong accidentally made eye contact with Lee Jaheon's exposed abdomen and turned bright-red.
Clear.
-
Jigsaw scrolled through the comments on his latest stream.
elevatorGhost291: kkkkkk you really let a lizard break your trap like that
xx_tailed_princess_xx has Gifted You 1 Jade Pendant!
xx_tailed_princess_xx: Because you seem to be struggling economically. Please stop falling for shady discounts.
choralp1g: LOLL THE FUNNIEST THING IVE SEEN IN A WHILE keep it up u might get bigger than braun's talkshow!
TheAmazingBraun has joined!
TheAmazingBraun: ?
choralp1g: ...i was clearly kidding
TheAmazingBraun has left!
Jigsaw clenched his jaw and exited out of the tab.
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[Childhood Friend]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-C-543.
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"Hi, I'm Chucky, and I'm your friend 'till the end!"
At the end of the dark hallway, a football-sized doll stood with a knife in hand. It had a horrid red bowl cut and crystal-blue eyes. All in all, it seemed quite ugly. And aggressive.
"I'm a killer, and I dig it!" The doll announced. Then, it started sprinting towards them at a terrifying speed.
Park Minseong shrunk back, tugging at Lee Jaheon's sleeve. "Uh, Chief, we better go."
Lee Jaheon considered the doll, then drew his leg back--
Crash!
--and punted the doll straight through several layers of brick and concrete.
Clear.
-
[Blood Drive]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-D-42.
-
The rotting wooden doors opened with a creak.
"Welcome... to my castle..."
Lisping, a pale foreigner cloaked in a velvet cape towered over Team D.
Eun Haje and Park Minseong exchanged a look.
' Sneak around and find the coffin, then tag-team him?'
'Don't vampires fly? Can we even tag team that guy?'
'Well, the Section Chief--'
'The Section Chief can't fly.'
As the nonverbal conversation continued, Lee Jaheon spoke: "Where do you sleep?"
Park Minseong grimaced. "Chief, you can't just ask that. We're here for, uh, the blood drive, remember?"
A slow blink. "But we are here for the coffin."
"...Okay, but the Darkness structure is that-- you know what, nevermind."
"Humans... sleep on... beds...," the pale foreigner croaked after a moment of silence.
"Yes." Lee Jaheon's voice was flat.
"I... am... your human host..."
"? No. You are a vampire."
"...Just... a folk tale... I assure you..."
"Incorrect. You are a vampire."
"...You came a long way... You must be weary..."
"I am not weary."
"...We have a blood drive tomorrow... You must rest..."
"We are here for the coffin, not the blood drive."
Quietly, Eun Haje drew out her wooden stake. Drawn towards the movement, the foreigner's crimson eyes darted towards her then fixed on her face. Baring his long canines, he flew towards her--
Squelch.
--right as Lee Jaheon's arm impaled his chest. Dark, stale blood dribbled from the wound as the vampire slowed to a halt. Then, Lee Jaheon raised his other arm and gripped the vampire by his stringy white hair. With a light tug-- as if Lee Jaheon were ripping a piece of paper-- the skin around the vampire's neck tore and the man's head popped off of his spine.
Dry ligaments dangled in mid-air as dark blood dribbled onto Lee Jaheon's shoes.
Eun Haje blinked, sheathing her stake. "I had that, you know."
"Yes. I was closer."
Lee Jaheon extracted his arm from the now headless body, which wavered for a second then toppled over in a cloud of dust.
"Wow, sorry for ever doubting you, Chief. But now that your heads are next to each other..." Park Minseong squinted. "Doesn't the Chief look kind of like the vampire?"
"Huh. You're totally right. It's the hair, I think. And that uncanny handsomeness. Not that you're uncanny, Chief."
"..."
As if he hadn't heard them, Lee Jaheon flung the head into the foliage.
Most entrants escaped during the blood drive on Day 2. Team D scoured the castle for three hours before incinerating the coffin.
Clear.
-
[Enigma of Amigara Fault]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-C-321.
-
Park Minseong raised a trembling hand to the human-shaped hole in the cliff-face. It was unerringly similar to his own silhouette. "This hole... it was made for me!"
Lee Jaheon plucked him up like he was a cluster of grapes. "You are contaminated. Go to Fox Therapy."
-
Eun Haje wiped the sweat off of her brow. Scaling Amigara Mountain was no joke. "...Are you sure this is the solution, Chief?"
"No," Lee Jaheon said.
“Well, at least this is better than nothing," Eun Haje said, lifting a megaphone. "Hey! You guys down there!” Her voice blared through the speaker, sharp and crackling.
Below, the crowds had gathered in a dense, buzzing mass at the fault line in the mountainside.
“Avalanche incoming! Get the hell away!”
As her voice echoed down the slopes, Lee Jaheon raised his foot beside her and drove it into the earth with an impossibly powerful stomp.
The effect was instant. Massive boulders tore loose from the cliffs, dragging curtains of dust and debris in their wake as they plummeted down.
Scrambling, scattering in all directions-- the crowds below fled in blind panic.
Within seconds, the human-shaped holes carved into the mountainside were buried under tons of rock and soil.
Clear.
-
[Saw Trap]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-C-01.
-
The A-squad leader was staring daggers into Lee Jaheon.
"I will kill you if you accidentally set off the equipment. Don't go haphazardly breaking things. That's how Anglerfish died last time, you know!"
"...Yes."
"Hello, Daydream employees. You came-- oh, it's you again."
The mechanical puppet's tone soured as his eyes landed on Lee Jaheon.
Lee Jaheon just stared at him. "...?"
"Ahem... As I was saying. You two came looking for the game. Congratulations, you've found it. You may recognize the devices around your collars. These laser cutters slice through tissue and bone like butter. Even your bones, Lizard! I made sure of that after last time!"
The puppet started laughing hysterically.
Baek Seokju spoke, a tone of envy in her voice as she glared at Lee Jaheon. "Can I know your supplier? I've wanted something like that for a long time."
"Of course, of course! This was the Happy Squirrel Medical Store. You can tell them Jigsaw referred you."
"Thank you."
"..."
Lee Jaheon was silent.
"Anyway, back to what I was saying. You both have an opportunity to live. All you need to do is confess within the next five minutes. It's that easy. If you admit to the reason that you deserve to die, you can escape death. I will be listening. Make your choice..."
Then, the screen flickered off. It flashed back on again, displaying a timer.
A bead of sweat rolled down Baek Seokju's face. "Haha... This trap is perfectly suited for us Daydream employees, isn't it? But it's pretty easy if you get down to it."
Lee Jaheon just stared at her.
"...Hey, don't act like you're so high and mighty. Tch. You're so annoying. There are rumors about you, you know."
"..."
"Whatever happens in this room stays in this room, you got it? It would be for both of our sakes."
Silence.
"Fine! I'll take that as a yes!" Another bead of sweat trickled down Baek Seokju's throat. "It's not that big of a deal anyway. All I'm in for is-- is-- fine, I may have been laundering money from Daydream. Not that much! Only a couple million won. With the salary of the elite teams, a couple million is nothing. Even if you told people about it, I'd only get a slap on the wrist."
Her eyes darted down to the collar around her neck, which hadn't loosened.
Meanwhile, Lee Jaheon's expression hadn't changed.
"Okay, maybe that wasn't my worst crime. I do recreational marajuana... but it's not even that bad. It's legal in other countries... and companies in those countries..."
She kept glancing at the collar. Still nothing.
"And maybe I forged a few mission reports. It's not like anyone died because of it. Just some round-off team rookies."
Still no change.
"I sold classified data to the Bureau. It was before A-team and I needed the money, okay? I was careful. Nobody could trace it back to me!"
The collar sat like dead weight around her throat.
"I put a bug in Director Cheong's office. Not for spying! For leverage. It’s different!"
The air felt thinner. Lee Jaheon hadn't blinked.
"...I-- God-- I ran over a kid once. Years ago. I drove off. I told myself she might’ve survived. I never checked."
Nothing.
Two minutes left. Lee Jaheon hadn't spoken a word.
"...Fuck! I don't care if the sociopath here wants to die, but I don't! I confessed everything! Is this thing defective or something?"
"Yes," Lee Jaheon said.
The puppet flickered back on the screen. "No! No, it is not. I paid a lot of money for that and there aren't even free returns. That's when you know the quality is good."
Lee Jaheon's expression didn't change. "Happy Squirrel Medical Store is an unreliable merchant."
The puppet's voice became increasingly annoyed. "How would you know that?! You're just a corporate employee!"
"During market comparisons, Happy Squirrel Medical Store ranked last in quality, timing, payments, and pricing."
"Fuck you, Lizard!" Baek Seokju shouted. "That doesn't help us get these collars off!"
Lee Jaheon reached up with deliberate calm, his fingers closing around the cluster of laser devices at his throat. With a slow, steady squeeze, the metal crumpled in his grip. He then tore the collar from his neck in one fluid motion, the latches snapping apart like paper seams.
"...You could've done that all along? Fuck! Why didn't you just do that from the start!?" Baek Seokju was hyperventilating now.
"...? You asked me not to do it. I assumed you wanted to use another escape method."
"Only because Anglerfish made it seem like--! You could've just told me you could do it!"
"You did not ask."
"Fuck! You better not tell anyone about this."
"The Dream Essence Collector has recording capabilities."
"...Just break my collar already."
Meanwhile, the puppet on the TV screen was watching silently. He seemed to be at a loss of words.
"It's really hard to keep my games going, you know," he said at last. His wooden face seemed downcast. "The streaming revenue isn't nearly enough to afford the nicer stuff. Fuck, even The Belko Experiment and Squid Games have better equipment. Do you have any recommendations or something? Something budget-friendly but strong enough to avoid situations like this?"
As Lee Jaheon crushed her collar, Baek Seokju stared at him tremulously. "You better not..."
"There is a service," Lee Jaheon told the puppet. "It has a commission fee."
The puppet considered him. "I have a budget."
"Yes. I will contact you."
"Fuck you, Lizard!"
Clear.