There was one thing common among the ghost stories in [Darkness Exploration Records].
The more popular they were, the higher the probability of irregularities appearing in the exploration records.
'It's because there are so many creators.'
At first, when a ghost story emerges, people meticulously follow the rules when writing up the exploration records.
But what happens when it gains popularity and everyone starts scribbling their own exploration records?
As the entries pile up, to avoid repetition and boredom, exceptions start creeping in at a 'plausible' level.
The example I'd desperately recalled was one of those.
Field Exploration Team J Squad from Daydream Corporation had to endure 12 hours in an abandoned hospital at midnight.
But...
⚙ EXPLORATION RECORD ⚙※Special Note: Exploration ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes.
It ambiguously ended after 16 hours and 11 minutes.
This was the 'temporal irregularity' I'd been looking for. Except...
'It actually took longer to escape.'
Something must have gone wrong during the exploration, trapping them in the ghost story longer than the required 12-hour endurance period.
'So... they must have made some mistake.'
I remembered!
'They missed the time alarm!'
⚙ EXPLORATION LOG ⚙(03:12) Employee Lee Jaejin accidentally unplugged the counter phone line.
This prevented the phone call that was supposed to come to the ward desk.
The shift change call for the end of the night duty.
Because of that, the doctor who should have clocked out after 12 hours ended up continuing their shift in a mad situation.
⚙ EXPLORATION LOG ⚙(12:12) Past 7:12 AM, but the sun doesn't rise.
No matter how much time passed, night never ended.
The employee who had set their watch to 7 PM right upon entering the ghost story reportedly panicked upon realizing this.
'They probably argued about whether to get caught and restart, and one ended up restrained.'
Fortunately, a few hours later, another team member reconnected the phone line, allowing things to proceed normally, and they barely escaped.
⚙ EXPLORATION LOG ⚙(16:09) Phone line restored successfully. Phone rings immediately. Wait more than 3m from the desk. (16:11) Doctor picks up the phone and vanishes. Escape attempt successful.
A ghost story that doesn't end even after the promised time. Definitely a chilling irregularity.
'But there's a hint.'
Though this was a case where time extended, it had a mechanism to extract it.
Namely, there was a trigger signaling the time limit.
'In that case, it was the shift change phone call.'
And if that trigger didn't activate, the ghost story didn't end.
Conversely...
'If I can just activate the time-signaling trigger, could it end even faster?'
"..."
What in this convenience store could indicate the passage of time?
Thud.
"...!"
Wait.
'...The sound.'
It's coming from right above my head.
I absentmindedly looked up at the ceiling blocking my view.
This was under the convenience store counter.
So what's above me is...
The POS machine.
Beep.
Beep beep beep beep biiip biiip beep biiip beep beep.
The ghost was pressing the POS machine at the register.
Following that bizarre rhythm, a recorded voice echoed through the convenience store.
"Paging the employee... Paging the employee, pagingtheemployee pagingtheem callingtheem callingtheemployee pagingtheemployee pagingtheem..."
"...!!"
Got it.
It knows I'm down here.
It's deliberately not grabbing me, just toying with me.
...Even knowing that, cold sweat dripped down my back more than anger welled up.
Damn, this is insane. It's driving me crazy.
'Get out.'
I need to get out and run.
But my legs wouldn't move as lightly or easily as my mind wanted. No different from the extras in horror movies who freeze and die upon seeing a ghost.
'No.'
Even if I'll get caught anyway, I can't let lethargy become a habit.
In the end, I forced my way out from under the counter somehow.
The moment I did.
"Paging the employee."
A pale, swollen face suddenly appeared right in front of mine.
Its mouth split wide in a grin.
💥 CAUGHT 💥◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Restart.
'...'
I took a very slow deep breath.
My heart pounded so hard it made my head ache briefly, but I endured.
'It's over.'
My whole body was numb.
'Hold it together.'
Instead, I gazed at the dark convenience store scenery.
This time, instead of heading to the counter, I ran in the opposite direction from the beverage fridge with its light—toward the entrance.
"..."
Outside the glass door was pitch-black darkness.
Still, straining to peer out, I spotted something attached to the outer side of the glass door.
"...!"
An electronic clock.
🕐 CLOCK ⚙[12:00 04/04]
April 4th, 12:00.
Is that the current date set for this ghost story?
My darkness-adapted eyes also made out the chime bell attached to the glass door. The moment I touch that door, the bell would ring, and the ghost would come running with those weird footsteps.
'And it probably won't even open in the first place...'
Since the endurance location is set to the convenience store, there's likely a restriction.
I tore my gaze from the glass door and half-hid my body behind a nearby display shelf.
Leaning my back against the wall, I scanned the store while continuing my thoughts.
Cold sweat trickled down my temple.
'The date I need to endure is three days.'
So, what trigger might indicate the completion time around then?
What happens in this convenience store three days from now...
'Logistics?'
I glanced at the boxes stacked near the glass door.
New stock arrival time.
'Somehow check the items arriving on the third day date and disguise myself as one to sneak in ahead, signaling the time...'
No. That's too indirect.
Something that convoluted with all those fiddly steps wouldn't work.
[Darkness Exploration Records] is an internet horror wiki.
'And internet ghost stories are intuitive.'
The more trivial conditions and contrived setups, the less impact, and they won't gain popularity.
'It needs to feel simple and perfectly fitting.'
In that case...
What item in a convenience store most intuitively shows the passage of time?
"...!"
Right.
I looked at the display shelf closest to the entrance. Unlike the beverage fridge, it emanated cold air but had a different design.
Yet bizarrely, there were only a few items there.
Dairy drinks, some coffee, and... lunch boxes and triangle kimbap.
Quickly perishable meal items.
'...Expiration dates!'
I headed straight to the shelf and started picking up lunch boxes and triangle kimbap to check.
'Most triangle kimbap has a shelf life of 36 to 48 hours.'
Lunch boxes are probably similar.
But eerily, quite a few lunch boxes and triangle kimbap had expiration dates over three days or were messily smudged beyond recognition.
With patience, I carefully inspected the front and back of items without making noise.
And finally...
'Found it.'
Current time in this ghost story: April 4th, 12:00.
A product expiring on April 7th at 12:00.
[Broth Hambak Lunch Box]
I picked up that lunch box.
And crossed the convenience store to the POS machine.
'Ugh.'
Standing at the counter, the afterimage flickered of the ghost madly pressing the call button.
But it was just my imagination. It hadn't appeared here yet...
'Stay calm.'
Press the device settings on the POS, select 'Date and Time Change'... Got it, there it is! Holding back a sigh of relief, I peered at the screen.
'Set time is...'
Exactly two days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes after the start at midnight on April 4th.
🕐 TIME SETTING ⚙[April 7th, 11:59 PM]
'Please!'
I prayed anxiously.
Hit change, confirm...
✅ CONFIRMED ⚙[Change Complete]
"...!!"
Yes!
'Sometimes you can't even change the settings, so at least this misfortune was lucky—no, really lucky.'
My hands trembled with joy and tension, but I steadied them.
Almost there now.
Just scan the brought food and register it as nearing disposal...
Bleeep!
"..."
⚠️ DISPOSAL ALERT ⚠️[Expiration imminent item detected!]
The POS cheerfully announced in its recorded voice.
In the dark convenience store, that solitary guidance voice rang out.
Bleeep! Bleeep!
"..."
I froze and turned my head.
From far away,
Our eyes met.
It's coming.
"Shi...!"
Don't look, focus on the screen. The screen only!
Please, please! Hurry!
Beep.
After three fumbled attempts, my hand scanned the barcode.
⚙ CONFIRM ⚙[Register for disposal?]
Mash yes...
The footsteps grew too close too fast.
The weird tictictictic sounds kept approaching, but I held on, kept moving my hands...
✅ REGISTERED ⚙[Disposal registered.]
The moment the vibration hit as the ghost's feet—charging with those mad footsteps—reached right in front of the counter.
✅ COMPLETE ⚙[Registration complete]
It vanished.
"..."
Click.
The lights turned on.
In the blindingly bright convenience store, the now less noticeable POS screen displayed a simple message.
✅ DONE ⚙[Registration complete]
Zzzzzzt, the closing receipt printed.
Amid that white noise, it sank in.
'I did it.'
I'd succeeded.
"Hoo."
I leaned against the counter and bowed my head. My legs were shaking.
'Can't... breathe...'
Humans really do rely on light!
But just the brightness alone brought calm to my body and mind.
'Now just head for the door...'
Ka-ching!
The cash drawer under the POS popped open automatically.
'Huh?'
Inside was a single thick brown envelope.
"This is..."
I grabbed the envelope and opened it.
Four bundles of crisp golden bills came into view.
"...!?"
Bundles of 50,000 won notes!
'Four bundles of a hundred each?'
That would be 20 million won total.
First time handling this much cash. But why was it in the convenience store cash drawer...?
Ah.
'Prize money!'
⚙ DARKNESS EXPLORATION RECORDS / GHOST STORY ⚙/ Choose for Me Trivia It really gives money on clear. So it's just a good kid who likes scaring people, right?
Oh.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"How long do you think it'll take?"
"If he lasts the full three days, he should pop out right away."
"Cleared on first try? Wow, the evaluation's generous. Generous."
Field Exploration Team D Squad from Daydream Corporation.
The two employees were taking a smoke break on the rooftop via the stairs next to the warehouse.
They'd just sent off the new hire into the darkness.
No matter how many times they did it, shoving rookies into anomalies never got easier.
Still, this [Choose for Me] darkness usually scaled harder with shorter set times and looser with longer ones, so the new hire who drew three days wouldn't have it too rough.
'Like a three-day guts test.'
Of course, it was harsh. Not saying it wasn't.
But both employees shared a common thought.
-If they can't endure this, they'll die soon anyway.
Might as well quit then.
In fact, quite a few new hires had bailed due to this initiation ritual, earning D Squad frequent dirty looks from HR execs, but they still clung on somehow.
Watching a coworker—especially a squadmate new hire—die right beside you was seriously bad for mental health...
But this time felt a bit different.
A strange sense of anticipation.
"About this new hire."
"Yeah?"
"Not ordinary, huh."
"Not ordinary at all."
Kim Sol-eum, the freshly assigned top new hire to D Squad.
"First day on the job and acts like that? Never seen it before."
Normal new hires freak out or bolt in terror the moment they realize repeated throws into near-death anomalies is their 'job.' That was natural.
But Kim Sol-eum was... eerily calm.
"Didn't even seem nervous."
"Yeah. Didn't flinch. Drank his coffee fine too."
Never lost composure, didn't hole up crying in the bathroom, didn't try to run.
Of course, Kim Sol-eum had already been spoiled on everything, mentally prepared over three days of resignation.
To outsiders, he just looked like a new hire with insane mental fortitude!
"Deputy Manager likes him, I see."
"Yeah. Pretty good."
Strong hearts were always welcome.
This department faced all sorts of gruesome, bizarre, creepy urban legends. Cowards were a problem.
'Well, cowards don't pass that death survival test anyway...'
They did!
Of course, the oblivious bosses just nodded, repeating 'this new hire's solid.'
Though there was one slight regret.
"But he doesn't seem the type to slack, so why no note-taking?"
"First job, maybe he doesn't know. We can tell him."
In a job where life hung by a thread, info and manuals were essential, so they nodded.
"Tell him and he'll write it down. That's how you really learn by reviewing."
"Right. Not like he knew ahead."
He did know ahead!
The two, clueless as ever, continued their new-hire chat like a proper team and wrapped up.
"Gotta write the report."
"Ugh, that report no one reads every time..."
The new hire would come out soonest in three days anyway.
And since it was a ghost story with internal food and bedding, even a long haul was fine.
They nodded, grabbed the pad with the internet post that sucked in the new hire.
"So now we check the paperwork...?!"
Tic.
At that moment, the pad spat out a person.
The new hire who should emerge in three days.
"...!?"
New hire Kim Sol-eum stood up from the floor, dusting off his pristine suit as if 1 hour and 30 minutes prior was no different.
And in one hand, he held something up.
A brim-full [Dream Essence Collector].
"Filled it up."
"...?!?!"
Clear time: 1 hour 24 minutes.
The new hire who'd achieved the impossible just stared at his bosses with a straight face.
'Thought I'd die of a heart attack.'
Of course, the desperate coward who'd punched through the inescapable ghost house wall to escape was just drained!