NoveLight ™
‘It was a productive day.’
An extra 40,000 won. The best choice.
‘I feel like I've found a line for regular side income without drawing too much attention.’
Several options for how to spend today’s 40,000 won popped up in my mind.
Along with the new company areas that had opened up after my promotion.
And that damn plush toy, which had picked up on my success, was subtly pushing its desires.
Hold on. I can’t exactly steal a blood pack from a hospital, can I...
Hmm, a bath in the bloodlust chamber might be too much, but maybe I could at least ask it to hand-wash something for me.
I was thinking of spending the evening chatting with Braun, throwing out some random chatter, until someone barged in and slammed open my door.
“You!!”
“…!”
It was Baek Saheon.
No, why on earth is this guy, who never leaves his room, suddenly barging into mine without knocking?
But before I could point out his rudeness, I realized something.
He was almost in a panic.
“What the hell is this...?! Where did you drag me into?!”
He was holding his smartphone in his hand, and on the screen was….
[Kim Soleum: Beware of the serial killer.]
It was a message I had sent earlier.
I had sent one right before I came in.
But still…
“I didn’t drag you into this.”
“…….”
“You must have made the wrong choice.”
Baek Saheon’s face turned pale.
‘Seems like something triggered just now in line with my message.’
Since he hasn’t died yet, he could just contact the company and have them take care of it.
Either way, I didn’t want to get caught up in this mess, so I was about to leave when...
Oh no, can you hear this?
It seems like the ‘company colleague’ is running out of time.
“…….”
What?
Hmm, hmm, hmm... A humming sound started to fill the air.
It was coming from Baek Saheon right in front of me.
But Baek Saheon’s mouth wasn’t even moving.
...Then.
“You’re holding something you shouldn’t be holding.”
“…….”
Baek Saheon, with a pale face, reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
A cassette tape.
The old, ivory-colored body of the tape was covered with stickers, and the title had been roughly scratched off with a pen.
Hmm, hmm, hmm... The humming sound from the tape grew louder.
An extremely intuitive... signal.
Time to run.
I immediately stood up and dashed out of the staff housing.
The problem was, Baek Saheon was frantically following me!
“Throw away the tape!”
“I threw it out! Out the window!”
Then stop following me!
It’s too late.
Oh, Deer... You’ve also seen the item. You’ve become part of the story. You’re now a part of the sacrificial selection.
For a talented guest like you, with such entertainment skills, it’s inevitable!
Ha.
‘Why can’t Baek Saheon just handle his own mess and not drag me into this!’
I warned him, and he should’ve just taken care of it! Are you seriously a named employee at an urban legend company?
I was boiling with anger, but there was no time to curse, so I ran faster.
‘First, I need to get physically farther away.’
If I haven’t fully gotten caught in the urban legend yet, then putting some distance between us should help at least a little!
I ran quickly away from the staff housing and headed toward the bus stop.
I caught the bus that came right away.
Beep.
I tapped my card to get on, and I could hear Baek Saheon doing the same behind me.
‘Why the hell is this crazy guy following me?!’
Didn’t I give him advice to keep out of it?
Thinking about it, I knew he didn’t have a conscience. He was a pure sociopath!
Anyway, the bus doors closed, and we were off without issue.
“Ha.”
“Ha…”
The humming sound had stopped.
I moved to the very back and sat next to the emergency hammer by the window—just in case.
Baek Saheon seemed to hesitate for a moment, then sat right next to me.
“......”
“......”
The bus wasn’t during rush hour, nor was it during lunchtime, so there were only a few passengers. Maybe two or three in the front seats.
Baek Saheon looked around, then lowered his voice nervously and asked.
“Hey, how did you know about that message?”
“Me?”
“…You said it casually... I mean, how did you know?”
“The important thing isn’t how I know.”
I barely managed to hold back from yelling at Baek Saheon and instead spoke with a calm tone.
“The important thing is, how did you get that?”
“......”
If he kept his mouth shut, I was planning on getting off at the next stop and taking a taxi to escape. I’d throw him out of the taxi if I had to.
But it seemed like Baek Saheon read my intentions perfectly, as he opened his mouth.
“…It’s something I found at home.”
Home?
“It was passed down by a relative. They said to carry it around in case of a crisis, so I’ve been carrying it with me...”
Exactly.
I wasn’t trying to pick at him, I genuinely asked.
“Working at a company that rates urban legends, you never thought to check it out?”
“…If the company thinks it’s useful, they might not give it back after inspecting it! So, I just carried it around, thinking I’d be fine…”
“You didn’t check, though.”
“......”
“Start checking things next time.”
“…Ah, yeah.”
Baek Saheon’s face turned bright red, and he gave a forced, twitching smile.
This guy was like a sociopath—always acting petty, but when scared, suddenly trying to act polite. It was so obvious.
Anyway, I sighed and analyzed the situation.
This was the typical setup for getting caught in an urban legend.
“First, let’s get off at the last stop and contact the company security team…”
“......”
“......”
“...Why? What’s wrong, Supervisor?”
Something was off.
City bus stops are usually about three minutes apart.
But this bus...
Why does it keep going?
I looked outside.
...Fog was starting to roll in.
The once smooth four-lane road of Seoul was gradually turning into a winding, unpaved road.
“…!”
I stood up from my seat.
The passengers in front were gone.
...The only one left was the bus driver.
“......”
The driver had already pulled down an old hat on his head.
It was the kind of hat that would have been worn when buses still followed formal traffic routes, something you might expect from an older era.
And with gloved hands, he hummed as he reached out to turn on the radio.
Click.
And the sound coming from it was....
Hm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hm...
The humming from the cassette tape.
“......!”
Hm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hm...
The humming filled the bus.
The low-floor bus running through modern Seoul had slowly turned into an old bus, its seats now lined up in rows like something from another time.
Hm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hm...
“Don’t look back.”
It was already too late.
Baek Saheon, with a stiff face, held the handrail while staring straight ahead. I tried not to look too closely at the mist outside, keeping my gaze fixed ahead.
The narrow path was turning into a worn-out paved road.
The old bus, now rattling over the rough country road, gradually slowed down...
[The next stop is ‘Horizon Lodge.’]
“......”
The destination was coming into view.
Hm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hm...
The humming now came through the radio with a clear melody.
As I heard the lively, minor-key melody of a popular song from the 1980s and 90s, I looked out at the scene outside the open door...
[Horizon Lodge]
A classy mountain lodge with an elegant sign was standing in the midst of the mountains.
“......”
Ha.
“…Are you getting off?”
Yeah.
I really hated this, but...
I stood up and moved toward the open door. Behind me, I could hear Baek Saheon muttering something that sounded like a curse as he hurriedly followed me off.
The bus door closed behind us, and it left.
Along with the humming melody.
“......”
“......”
Baek Saheon muttered with a bit of relief in his voice.
“At least the song’s not playing, and the tape’s gone, so this situation’s not as bad as before...”
“Check your pockets.”
“What?”
“Check your pocket, put your hand in.”
“......”
Baek Saheon looked at me blankly, then suddenly shoved his hand into his coat pocket.
And out came....
The same old cassette tape he had supposedly thrown away earlier.
“…!!”
I grabbed his arm, preventing him from throwing the cassette tape again.
“It’s too late. Get ready to go inside.”
“Go inside...?”
“Over there.”
I pointed to the Horizon Lodge.
At this point, running away was pointless.
It would only be a waste of energy, and after all that trouble, we would end up back at this “story-setting location” again...
‘It’s better to go in early and at least figure out the situation.’
Braun, who had picked up on my knowledge of the situation, chimed in.
And... he was right.
‘...That’s it.’
The keywords were connected.
Serial killer.
Luring through transportation.
Cursed items that keep coming back to the pocket.
And...
I lifted my gaze to the destination.
‘...Horizon Lodge.’
---------------------=
Darkness Exploration Records / Urban Legend
[And Someone Was There]
: An urban legend from Darkness Exploration Records, registered under the Disaster Management Bureau’s code 1489PSYA.1991.LA84.
A story about a serial killer who kills people one by one in a remote location, typical of closed-circle mystery novels and B-grade slasher movies.
This is a brain-level (櫴形) disaster that can be sealed by nine people, and the Disaster Management Bureau must recruit or draft personnel every four years.
---------------------=
Through my recent job experiences, I was able to deduce the nature of the urban legend.
But there was something different this time.
‘The affiliation...!’
This isn’t Daydream Inc.’s Darkness.
It’s an urban legend that’s been isolated by the government or will be in the future.
A “disaster”!
What’s the difference?
The operational rules are completely different from the big corporations trying to profit off urban legends by harvesting materials.
The government established the Disaster Management Bureau to prevent human casualties or massive property damage.
At least, that was the justification.
So the Disaster Management Bureau prioritizes isolating urban legends that should never be in civilian hands.
In other words....
Someone has to die.
Whether it’s a clear outcome, being trapped, failing, or succeeding.
In all cases.
‘Once you're caught in this, a kill is inevitable.’
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
The government has decided that to clear this disaster, someone must die...
And I was about to step right into the middle of it.
No points, either!!
‘Damn Baek Saheon!’
I wanted to yell at Baek Saheon and give him a black eye with the remaining eye, but...
‘Waste of time...’
“Hey, Supervisor!”
I ignored Baek Saheon, sighed, and headed toward the lodge’s front door.
After a deep breath, just as I was about to knock...
Ding-ding.
I heard the sound of a bicycle bell from behind.
I turned to look and saw a bicycle stopping in front of the secluded house, with someone riding it.
Exactly.
Another unfortunate person caught up in this damn urban legend.
I turned back in silence, only to be startled.
“…!”
The person getting off the bike was someone I recognized.
Not exactly the face, but the outfit was familiar.
A person wearing dark clothes, with a mask and a hat pulled down low.
‘...The Salmon Market!’
It was the person I had sold urban legend food to at the Gwanghwamun station earlier that morning, standing right there!