A Ghost Story Set in a School

School ghost stories have a long history of being passed down.

When hundreds of teenagers are confined to a single building all day, it’s hardly surprising that eerie rumors, strange rituals, or tales of ghosts would thrive. In fact, it would be more unusual if such stories didn’t exist.

The "Seven School Mysteries," the Bunshinsaba ritual...

Naturally, as someone who had grown up and graduated from such an environment, I found them quite amusing. They’re universal, relatable, and quintessentially horror.

That’s why I mustered the courage to contribute my first exploration record there.

Fortunately, my record wasn’t bombarded with “Not Recommended” reviews or voted down into obscurity. Instead, it marked the beginning of my occasional contributions, where I even crafted an original ghost story of my own for the archive.

But now...

“We’re really... going there?”

A strange feeling welled up inside me.

It wasn’t the usual spine-chilling dread of entering a ghost story—this was different. A peculiar unease, almost like nausea.

It wasn’t the kind of apprehension you’d feel staring at a difficult manual either.

Anticipation and fear?

"I can’t quite describe it…"

In any case, the manual had already been distributed, and I was at least obligated to attempt an entry.

If that’s the case—

• "Shall we perform a small ritual before sleeping tonight? A special technique for deep slumber, perhaps? I’m curious about your secrets, Soleum!"

“It’s nothing like that.”

Silently, I began tidying up my bed.

“I’m just going to try having the ‘special dream’ the company instructed us about.”

• "Ah, you mean the dream where you aim to reach that ‘high school’?"

Exactly.

“If not this one, I’ll end up in another ghost story anyway. And since this one allows only a handful of people to enter at any given time, it’s better to give it a shot. It’s worth more points.”

“Phew…”

Late at night, in the employee dormitory, I opened the “specific book” provided by the company.

• "If you read a specific book on a night with a full moon and fall asleep, you may awaken in a nighttime school."

Lee Jaheon’s explanation echoed in my mind.

What made this one unique, though, was that the “book” wasn’t a physical copy. It was a text file.

In the Shadows of Darkness.txt

This infamous file is said to sometimes appear in illegal compilations titled “2000s Horror Novel Classics” (with a blatant disregard for copyright). If you were unlucky—or lucky—enough to download the wrong one, you might find this tucked inside.

The file size was easily enough for two novels, but...

I clicked on it and opened the document.

"It all happened on the day of our graduation."

That single sentence was all the content there was.

Puzzled, I scrolled further down.

And then—