Chapter Text
Opening his eyes, Kim Soleum saw the inside of a classroom.
The classroom was blanketed in darkness, with the only light emanating from the windows.
“Wh-what is this??”
Looking around, there were many other people in the classroom too, all wearing different uniforms, as if there was a meetup of a group of friends who all ended up going to different areas after middle school.
“Huh? Huh? Why am I in a uniform…”
Of course, in reality, none of these people knew each other.
Shit…
Because of the random nature of the selection of those who entered the disaster, it was impossible for the Bureau to keep all civilians out. So all the people who were mulling over their return to their old uniforms were just adults, dragged into a nightmare where they return to their high school bodies.
I felt a stomachache as I watched the people flailing between panic, fear, curiosity, and amusement while checking their surroundings, looking at their uniforms, and staring in confusion and fear at their nametags, which only held blacked out characters, as if they weren’t privy to the information.
And…
“Why isn’t this person moving?”
… I’m so fucked.
Unlike the rest of the occupants in the classroom, who were all yelling and moving and trying to figure out their situation, there was one student sitting quietly at a desk, not moving at all, even for something as small as taking a shallow breath in.
The male student stayed so still, it almost seemed like he was a doll, or a clay figure, not a human being.
And his nametag was completely legible, spelling out the words,
“Sekwang Technical High School? Has anyone heard of that?”
That’s right.
He was a student at the hellish high school disaster that Kim Soleum was now stuck in.
More importantly, he was the main threat of the disaster.
If I don’t get out soon then I’m dead!
He rushed towards the backdoor, taking a chair and using it to block it so it couldn’t be closed.
Exploration Log #7
: The student in the class will always try to lock the backdoor so no one can get out. Block the door to ensure an exit.
But that really wasn’t what he was trying to do.
Carefully, he navigated around the chair, and shakily waited outside the classroom, his eyes darting around the corridor, making sure no other students came after him in the meantime.
[Ding- Dong- Dang- Dong-]
[Students of Sekwang Technical High School! The graduation ceremony is about to begin. Please gather in the auditorium.]
“Graduation ceremony…?”
“Hey, what’s that guy doing?”
“Bro, are you trying to get a headstart or something? Not cool.”
The people inside all turned to look at him.
And since all eyes were on him, no eyes were on the student.
When he realized this, he turned from the hallway, just to see the student making eye contact with him, standing in front of the door, hand reaching out like he was about to pull the chair out of the way to close it.
A chill ran down his spine.
“H-hey. You're joking right now, right?”
A more brave man approached the student carefully, waving his hand in front of his face.
“They're not breathing. It's not a person, it's a mannequin…”
“No, how does a mannequin move all of a sudden? Didn't they just learn a technique to make it look like they're not breathing?”
The people crowded around the student curiously, debating if it was real or just a prop.
“Wait…!” Kim Soleum called out, “It’s not safe! Move away from the student!”
“What is this guy talking about…”
But the people didn’t believe him.
Fuck!
He wanted to continue to try to convince them, but staying so close to the student was practically a death wish! Additionally, he needed to keep a close eye on the hall to make sure that no student killed him before he could get a nametag.
So, with quivering hands, he reached out to grab the nametag of the student.
This is so scary!
Having successfully taken it off, he quickly transferred the nametag to the depths of his pockets.
Although this action seemed benign at worst, it actually was one of the worst things Kim Soleum could do to his survival rate within this disaster.
If you are witnessed stealing a student’s name tag, you will be pursued by that student until you die.
It was a cardinal rule of the disaster.
But also, it was all of Kim Soleum’s plan.
I’m just gonna let him kill me!
That’s right.
Dying in this disaster guaranteed someone entrance to it the next time the moon was full, whether the person wanted to enter or not. This cycle would continue and continue until they died with a student from Sekwang Technical High School’s nametag.
In short, it was a torturous disaster that forced people to find an insanely random mechanism in order to escape.
Sweat pouring down his back, Kim Soleum closed his eyes, praying for a quick and painless death.
I know I’m not actually gonna die, but fuck this is crazy!
“Soleum-ssi.”
His eyes shot open, head turning in alarm to behind him, where his name had sounded.
And there stood…
“Aren’t you happy to see your coworker? I’ll even give you the proper words to say. ‘Goat-nim, I’m so elated to meet the man I made lose an eye!’ Go on, say it.”
Baek Saheon, the named character from the DER Wiki known as Viper, was behind him, wearing a reddish high school uniform.
Underneath his goat mask, Baek Saheon’s right eye was covered completely by an eyepatch while his left eye glinted with a sort of vengeful hatred Kim Soleum could only come from ghosts that had been screwed over by an abusive, gambling, husband.
…
Would it actually be better to go back to the classroom with the student?
Eyes darting back and forth from Baek Saheon and the Sekwang High School student, Kim Soleum slowly pulled away from Baek Saheon, subtly opening the door wider so that he could fit through the gap.
If his right eye was actually completely out of commission, then maybe he would miss Kim Soleum’s actions.
Just as he starts to think his plan might work, a pair of blue eyes attracts his attention, a small stirring of familiarity flowing through his gut.
Who is tha—
Baek Saheon stepped forward, grabbing Kim Soleum’s wrist tightly, bringing his gaze back onto him, before kicking the chair into the body of the student and swinging the door closed. He then violently grasped his collar with both of his hands, slamming him against the wall next to the classroom door.
“Hm? Why aren’t you saying anything to your supervisor?”
… Why are you calling yourself my superior? I didn’t even join Daydream!
“Damn, who was that?” said the muffled voice of one of the people still in the classroom.
A murderer! He’s a psychopathic murderer! Save me!
“Hey, I saw what you were doing earlier.”
What a creep.
“How did you know about the nametags?”
Wait…
This guy didn’t seem surprised to see him at all?
In fact, he had been watching him at least a little, if he had seen the whole nametag debacle.
“Fuck, how did you even find out anything about this darkness?? What a fucking psycho.”
Um, hello kettle…
But really, was Baek Saheon the one who sent him the pdf?
No, it actually made sense. He had access to the disaster, a reason to try to screw him over, and witnessed him quit after only experiencing one disaster.
Actually, Kim Soleum really should have suspected him earlier. He was the perfect suspect!
Still though…
What a scheming bastard!
Who would think that, even after leaving the company permanently, Baek Saheon would hold a grudge strong enough to drag him kicking and screaming into another ghost story?
Well, actually…
“Answer me, you fucking bastard.”
That’s exactly the kind of thing this immoral bastard would do.
“...”
“... Fuck. What else do you know about this disaster??”
Are you seriously trying to get information out of the guy you dragged into a literal nightmare? So shameless…
Kim Soleum kept his mouth shut, hands pulling at the fingers curled tightly into the collar of his shirt.
“Fine.”
Baek Saheon banged Kim Soleum’s head against the wall again, using the temporary disorientation to remove one of his hands and take the nametag from his pocket.
Returning his hand to his collar, Baek Saheon threatened, “Now will you listen to me?”
…
Fuck.
[Students, we will now close the automatic curtains and turn off the lights for heating and safety.]
Baek Saheon lifted his head in alarm and, using the distraction of the announcement, Kim Soleum ripped himself away from Baek Saheon, running to the nook in the wall which held three [Portable Lighting Device].
“Fuck, get back here!”
Gritting his teeth, he grabbed all three of the flashlights, turning one on as he ran through the hallway, shining the light on all the students frozen in the hall.
“Aaaaah!”
“Kkeu-heoo-eok!!”
In the classroom he had left, the slaughter of the students had started.
But he couldn’t worry about the people he left behind anymore.
“I’m gonna kill you!”
Because he had a dangerous threat chasing him too.
Miraculously, Kim Soleum had escaped from the threat known as Baek Saheon with general ease, using the students around them to deter him from chasing after him recklessly through the school.
“Goddammit! You bastard, just fucking die already!”
He had chased him, cursing wildly, until Kim Soleum threw him a flashlight out of pity, since he had already made the guy half-blind.
Unfortunately though…
I couldn’t pick up any nametags!
… The chase had distracted him into forgetting to get another exit ticket.
By the time he had remembered, he had sequestered himself away under a desk in a classroom on the second floor.
If Kim Soleum was a normal person, this wouldn’t be too much of an issue. But, sadly, he was a coward.
There’s no way I can go out there again.
He was afraid he would faint before he could get another nametag.
A sheen of cold sweat covered his entire body, making his uniform stick uncomfortably to his back, his breaths coming out quick and uneven.
The door to the classroom quietly creaked open, revealing the uniform pants of a man. They seemed to be a reddish color, with a checkered pattern
Kim Soleum’s breath caught in his throat.
It wasn’t a Sekwang High School student, who had been wearing a sleek black uniform, so it had to be an actual person.
But the only person he could remember wearing a uniform similar to that…
Has he caught up with me already???
… Was Baek Saheon.
He clenched his fist, preparing to run away by shocking him momentarily and gain the chance to exit the classroom.
But instead, the voice of a civil servant rang out, “Civilian?”
Peaking out from under the desk, Kim Soleum made eye contact with the blue-eyed agent from before, Ryu Jaekwan. His reliable countenance and stoicness really did fit the civil servant stereotype to a tee.
Relief flooded in his chest at the realization that it was him and not Baek Saheon or a certain overly friendly senior of Ryu Jaekwan’s.
Standing up, Kim Soleum felt a little bit of embarrassment, realizing he had been sniveling under a desk like a coward in front of a government worker.
“Um… what should I call you?” Kim Soleum asked.
“Agent Bronze,” he answered. “We have to go now. Let’s get you a nametag and then meet up with the others.”
So reliable!
“Yes, agent.”
Agent Bronze nodded, turning towards the door cautiously, clearly looking out for any students that might be waiting for their chance to attack in the hallways. He squinted his eyes, trying to remain vigil despite the overall lack of illumination.
…!
“Oh, agent, I have two flashlights. Would you like one?”
Nodding with a pleasantly surprised expression, Agent Bronze took one of the flashlights, instructing Kim Soleum to keep his eyes on the students that he sees.
“This disaster takes the form of a high school on the day of graduation. All the students are trying to kill you but they can only move when they are not perceived. Make sure that you keep an eye on the students at all times. They are inhumanly strong and move at incredibly quick speeds. Here’s a nametag.”
Agent Bronze handed him a nametag, instructing him to put it in his pocket to make sure it stayed safe.
It’s not even safe there… sob…
“Yes, agent.”
With that, they carefully made their way out of the classroom, checking every room for civilians or agents that may be hiding on the floor.
After finding no one, they climbed up the staircase to the third floor.
“Daydream…” the agent whispered, looking at the floor.
All the doors had been chained up, keeping the students stuck in their classrooms, asleep, as per the Daydream manual.
Agent Bronze looked at Kim Soleum strangely as he inspected the handiwork of the Daydream employees.
Hey, I’m just interested because it’s a strategy I read in the wiki…
Moving on, they quietly snuck down the corridor to the 2nd Year Faculty Office.
It was obvious that the civil servant was after the item, Fountain Pen of 2nd-year ■■■.
But as they entered the room,
“There you are…”
They were met with the sight of a group of Bureau agents, facing off against a squad of Daydream employees.
And right at the center of all of them, was Baek Saheon, glaring at him like he might rip his head off at any moment.