Chapter Text
Cale regained consciousness with a deep sense of peace. His entire body seemed to be healthy and bursting with vitality. He felt as though he could comfortably sleep forever.
That feeling lasted for about five seconds.
“The patient has finally awoken!”
He lurched up from where he had been peacefully resting. The motion drew a hiss as it tugged on the IV that had been planted quietly in his arm, jostling it uncomfortably.
Looking around for the mysterious voice he noticed the warm sunlight and comfortable atmosphere similar to a small nurses office. He had been lying in a small medical cot with a thin sheet draped over his body.
The sight made him frown.
A suspicion was building in his heart.
‘A place characterised by warm sunlight and a mysterious voice’ only one such place could come to mind.
The [Fox Counseling Office]
A place for the recovery of contaminated individuals. Coincidentally also the place where one could meet a company Director without ever realising.
Truth be, Cale had ended up here much sooner than he had imagined he would.
He didn’t know if it was a type of record to end up in this place on only a person’s second day of employment.
He would have thought the level of contamination damage to warrant this treatment, if acquired so soon into employment, would be a write off for the higher ups and the individual would simply be disposed of or dumped in a round off team.
But that hadn’t happened.
And Cale could hazard a good guess as to the reason why.
The shining, golden, almost opalescent, shimmering liquid that had been sloshing around in the Dream Essence Collector when he had fainted.
It was for sure A-rank.
Rather than being a useless write off, Cale was closer to looking like a miracle golden goose, pulling higher ranking essence from low ranked Darknesses on the regular.
Well, either that or a glaringly suspicious individual.
However those weren’t mutually exclusive, it simply meant a closer eye than usual would be kept on him. In fact, it was probably part of the reason Director Ho was secretly meeting and assessing him in such a way.
Ding.
The clear and bright tone of a bell rang out.
It gathered his attention, a calming feeling flowing over him at the sound.
A bright window was nearby next to a soft pastel-toned couch, inexplicably something drew him to the sight of the window, the small and gentle garden beyond the window looking warm and inviting.
Still, the thought of getting up to walk towards the window sounded like too much effort.
Cale was more happy to simply remain in the cot he had awoken in, thoughts of having to remove the IV and walk the distance to the window seemed too taxing.
Indeed, lazing about and doing nothing was best!
Then, an unknown figure appeared in the window.
It was a young man with neat black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a tidy black suit as though heading to a job interview, on his neck just above the cinch of the tie there was a small mole peeking out.
Cale placed where he had seen this sight before.
It was one of the many people who had been at the Daydream orientation.
A person who had quit and walked out when prompted, or in other words, a person Cale had saved that day.
‘Ah’
So that’s the sight Director—no Counselor Ho had decided to treat him with.
Truthfully Cale hadn’t known what to expect.
But… It was a relieving sight.
Even if this person wasn’t truly here, only the appearance being used, it felt better than seeing a reflection of himself.
In fact the thoughtful choice was the only thing keeping Cale from becoming extremely annoyed.
He could guess quite well as to why this whole thing was set up in such a way. However, still having to deal with such bullshit so soon after waking up from passing out had him wishing for a deep, dark and convenient hole to drop all these Daydream people down.
Ding.
The clear sound of the bell washed away the feeling of annoyance that had been building.
“How is the Patient-nim feeling? It’s been three days since you fell unconscious.”
‘...’
Cale felt sweat start beading at the back of his neck.
Had he really been here all that time? Was that why the smile on the Counselor's face looked so scary?
Indeed the soft looking smile on the young man’s face hadn’t changed, eyes hidden as crescents above a young and joyful smile, but the emotion behind that smile seemed to have completely changed.
It was like the gaze of a fox smiling just before it viciously tore into its dinner.
The previously warm atmosphere of the room suddenly felt stifling.
‘I knew it.’
No one in this crazy world was normal. Even the counselor had an aura like this mid-session.
“It’s a pity.”
“Ho?”
That smile seemed to be asking ‘do you have any more crazy things to say?’
“I slept so long and missed the rest of the work week. The cost of such a quality recovery will surely come out of my pay, I probably managed to end up in debt on my second day.”
Cale was sure that wasn’t actually the case, in fact he wouldn’t be surprised if the company tried to hush up any complaints with such a cushy recovery and a comfortable bonus to keep working him until the day he died.
It was despicably corporate, but at the same time offered a level of fairness for the dangers of the work.
Of course, that was only if you were deemed worth investing in by the company.
For the Field Exploration Department, quality investments were like fishing in the desert, the hopeless grind for most would dry them out before they ever saw any rewards.
“Such a dedicated employee shouldn’t worry about such things.”
“Should a superior really be saying such things so carelessly?”
Cale carelessly kicked off the sheet that had been comfortably laying over his body, and similarly yanked out the IV needle without a second thought, moving to swing his legs off the side of the small bed to stand up.
He groaned as he stretched his body for the first time in three days, the rumpled suit he was still wearing restricting some of the movement.
He purposely ignored the sharpened atmosphere from his comment.
“Counselor Ho or rather—Director, you’re looking for something right?”
“...”
A heavy silence settled over the room.
“Did someone send you?”
The accusation was delivered with a deathly sincere intent that seemed to scream a wrong answer would mean he never saw outside these walls again.
Cale felt his expression twist into a grimace, he made his way over to the pastel couch under the window, a place where he could sit face to face with the Director.
Being blunt to personalities like this was best. For someone used to machinations and complicated dealings of both internal and external factions, being blunt and to-the-point created an effective relationship.
There was no need to put on false faces for the master of such things.
“I have no affiliations to anything in this world, the company must have been wondering how I seemingly appeared out of nowhere right? It’s because I have no past here.”
It was true. Despite this being a modern day Korea, Cale truly had no connection to this place.
“That doesn’t seem entirely true now does it? For someone ‘with no affiliations’ aren’t you too familiar with things you shouldn’t be?”
The fox’s smile from beyond the window seemed to be saying ‘like my identity?’
Cale merely gazed back with a neutral expression.
“It doesn’t really matter how I know such things does it? I wouldn’t have revealed my hand so early if I didn’t plan on working honestly with you.”
“That could be true.”
The black-haired disguised fox conceded with a small nod, however the suspicious light in his eyes seemed to say he didn’t believe him.
Well not that it mattered too much. He would be forced to believe Cale’s sincerity before this conversation was over.
“So then, please let us be honest with each other.”
Cale had been honest from the start.
He took in the warm and comfortable space that represented the heart of the entity before him. The peaceful scene outside the window and the knowledge of the little fox that sometimes liked to frolic in the grass when no one was looking.
Then, before his eyes something began to change.
The appearance of the young man Cale had saved seemed to catch oddly in the warm sunlight, a golden gleam settling into the black strands of hair and the bright light on the skin gleaming to the point he had to squint his eyes shut.
When the light faded, the young man was gone.
In his place was the true appearance of the Fox Counselor and Daydream Director.
A display of intent towards the so-called honesty.
The sight brought a faint smile to Cale’s lips, it made him think that he should reciprocate such intent properly.
“Director, there is a way to enter Sekwang City.”
“Please continue.”
Indeed a blunt conversation was best.
“Both of us are looking for something in that city, and for that reason I would like to work together in finding our respective goals.”
Like the templative reflection cast in still water, the fox entity looked thoughtful. He had long been searching, the knowledge of his existence fundamentally incomplete and nothing but the impressions left behind from his true self in that city.
Ho Yuwon didn’t know much about himself.
Even what he did know he often found himself questioning.
This counseling office he had opened to try and fulfill what little he remembered often left him questioning and second guessing. Sometimes, the executive position he had taken at the company spoke more to his current self than the faint impressions left behind ever could.
Then that same position would feel so alien it was as though he had no place or identity in the world at all.
There were answers in that city.
Something to explain this feeling that had haunted him for so long.
It was something he had seemingly always known.
The hidden motivation that not even other executives could guess at, the driving force behind his plans and actions, he had found someone who acted like revealing such things was as simple as reporting the weather.
The mysterious, suspicious and competent rookie who moved in ways that couldn’t be explained.
A person who had appeared overnight.
Such a person was also looking for something in that city.
It was difficult to read what the red-haired man was thinking, even sensing the heart and history behind that face felt muddled like looking through dirtied pond water.
Yet the faint scent of nature emanating from the figure seemed like it was trying to reassure him.
The person before him was human.
Ho Yuwon was certain, yet the way nature seemed to curl adoringly around the stoic figure puzzled him. Certainly there were people in the world more in tune with certain unseen elements, people who could sense the supernatural of ■■■ to an extent, or had a stronger connection to the afterlife or even an unusual perception of time and space.
It wasn’t a stretch to consider an individual who maintained a unique understanding of nature.
Yet still, there was an unknown tug somewhere inside at the cheerful and playful way it coiled unseen and unsensed around the figure.
Cale Henituse.
A person who had appeared miraculously before him.
Someone suited to his very nature.
Perhaps… even someone related to his past.
It was a disquieting thought, but it also felt like a relief in a way. Even if this situation was dripping with suspicion and though there were questions those red-brown eyes warned him away from asking it was bearable.
“Please tell me everything.”
The honesty brought a smile to that individual's face.
“You ask for quite a lot don’t you?”
The Daydream Director was lounging back in a chair he had pulled up for himself at some point in their discussion. Despite his huffing he actually looked quite comfortable lounging in the sun.
“It can be considered a way of my honesty, isn’t it preferable than me hiding my intentions?”
Cale’s answer was quick and guileless, he had taken to comfortably sprawling out along the pastel couch, any supposed respect at chatting with a company superior long having vanished.
“It can be considered troublesome.”
Director Ho was being equalling informal, calling out Cale’s bullshit with ease.
“Hmm there's just one more thing I was hoping you could do for me…”
He ignored the long look he was receiving that seemed to be saying ‘Ho! You’re really asking for more?’ There was no need to pay attention to such looks.
“Please spread a rumor, it doesn’t have to be too grand but the type to make me seem weaker, less suspicious. I may have moved too competently over the past few days”
Yes, Cale, having already gained the attention of the higher up he was looking for, had no reason to move so extraordinarily now. It was best that some rumors undermining his abilities slowly made their way out to discredit his work and allow him to slip mostly back under the radar.
“I suppose I could assist with such a thing…”
“Ah, having the support of a Company Director is really comfortable.”
“Markhor-ssi!”
“Oh God you’re alive!”
His two seniors leapt at him as soon as he stepped foot in the D-squad office, one shaking him roughly by the shoulders and the other clutching onto him with teary eyes like a particularly emotional barnacle.
Both of them started shouting all the while.
What was this? T-this reaction from his Senior’s, didn’t it seem like too much?
“Everyone’s talking about it!”
Cale froze. There was something ominous in that sentence, keywords that had him feeling nervous.
“Ah–Seniors, what is everyone talking about?”
He tried to gently brush off the appendages clinging to his body that seemed to be trying to reassure them he was actually there. It didn’t really work, it simply earned him a pinch at the delicate skin of his forearm that had him wincing and resignedly remaining in place.
“You died!—”
“—Everyone was saying you were either dead or barely clinging to life!”
“A rumour came out, everyone was saying different versions but we kept receiving condolences!”
This rumour. It couldn’t be right?
That fox wouldn’t have spread such a scary and crazy rumour about him right?
…That crazy bastard.
Cale cursed out the scheming Daydream Director in his heart, that crafty fox couldn’t be trusted with even something like this.
Then, suddenly—
“Say Markhor-ssi, don’t you have some answering to do?”
The switch up left him feeling like he had made a mistake at some point. Both seniors were suddenly looking at him with a serious gaze, and the hands still grabbing him squeezed threateningly despite the supposed rumours of his death floating around.
“Cale-ssi, as a reliable junior shouldn’t you explain some things hmmm?”
Of course he had intended to do exactly that, but still to do it in such a way had him wondering if instead he should just pretend to faint and avoid the conversation.
He was sure the natural tired pallor of his skin, and the length of time he had been missing would be more than enough to explain the sudden illness. Although, he would still have to deal with the explanation at some point later in time.
He sighed, faintly cursing his past self for making such troublesome decisions.
“Lets sit down first.”
The two of them looked at him with suspicion as though he would run the moment they let go, but upon seeing the flatness of his face reluctantly let go to approach the couches to sit down like normal people.
He started simple.
“Hmmm, I guess the easiest way to explain this is that I’m not from here.”
A questioning but also faintly stricken look seemed to take over their faces. It seemed as though a truth they had hoped not to hear was about to be announced.
No one wanted their new rookie to secretly be some unknown entity.
They had hoped it was a past contamination, or an item he had picked up in secret. Something human that could explain the bizarre ability they had witnessed inside the Darkness, and the familiar way with which he had addressed the Host entity.
However this nonchalant confession, it seemed to point to the worst option available.
“I was meant to die once, and someone who was about to die made a deal with a certain existence.”
What was this?
Wasn’t this going in some weird direction? The explanation they had steeled themselves to hear was coming in some round-about story that was impossible to guess.
“Because of that deal, I was dragged to another place, somewhere that wasn’t Korea or Earth.”
H-hang on! Wasn’t this too unpredictable?
“That place, it was a bit like one of those novels… I picked up some powers while I was there, that’s what you saw in the Darkness the other day.”
‘...’
“...And that place is one I hope to return to someday.”
…So their D-squad rookie was human after all? Despite the unbelievable explanation that seemed like some badly-written novel they couldn’t help but feel relieved.
In that case—
“You punk!”
“You worried us for nothing!”
Cale felt like he had been wronged, being called a punk in such a harsh tone despite having legitimately fainted for three days, these seniors of his were way too crazy!
Frowning, but freed from his responsibilities to explain, he flopped out across the couch, planning to laze about for the rest of the afternoon. Despite all the terrible things he had to say about Daydream Inc. he could at least commend their choice of furniture.
The plush and comfortable lounge that seemed to cradle his body at any position was frankly luxurious. All that’d improve the situation would be some fresh fruit to eat while he lazed about.
“...you are alright though?”
Park Minseong’s little cough before the question did little to hide the genuine concern underneath the nonchalant inquiry.
To him, the rookie who had appeared so suddenly and disappeared so suddenly with such vivid rumours the entire time, made him feel like he needed to step up as a senior. The worry he had felt in the situation when they had suddenly disappeared from the Darkness without the rookie, instead leaving him behind had been maddening.
A sick feeling of powerlessness as they could only guess at what was happening.
His mask of a badger could accurately represent the trails he had tracked pacing back and forth in concern waiting for news.
He had stewed in the thoughts of that day for a long time, despite being practiced at throwing such thoughts away they had stuck to him like honeyed grains of rice.
Even if Eun Haje was better at hiding the worry he knew it had eaten at her as well.
Now, having been able to dismiss their greatest fears, the remaining worry about their junior had inexplicably wormed its way into conversation.
He felt embarrassed about having grown attached so quickly, the red haired figure lazing about on the couch didn’t seem to feel it in such a way certainly, but he still found himself worrying like this.
‘Human! This great and mighty dragon will make sure you’re okay!’
Cale felt the emotions of a certain six year old and a senior colleague could be pretty similar. He kept the thought to himself however, feeling it might make his senior feel awkward at the comparison.
“We should go drinking later to make it better.”
Despite his trashy nature his suggestion wasn’t actually for the alcohol, it was to relax his seniors by having some light fun with them so they could feel better. He felt a little bad about how things had turned out, he hadn’t intended to worry them in such a manner.
And the crazy rumours Director Ho had started spreading around were also partially his fault as well.
He would make sure to pay them back the trouble with a good drink.
Besides, it was a Friday, there was no better day to go drinking than at the end of the week.
Paat.
He blocked the pillow Eun Haje had just thrown at his head. The crazy woman was already muttering some dark things under her breath.
‘Aigoo.’
What did he do to deserve that?
“This punk.”
‘Huh?’
Minesong too?
Cale wondered if this was just simply how the crazy people of this world reacted to everything.
Before he could figure out the cause of such strange behaviour a soft sound was heard from the door as the handle was pressed down from the outside. He straightened from his slouch quickly to peek over the back of the couch.
The sight he had failed to see before he fainted.
The most reliable Senior of all!
An alien with a lizard for a face, the odd reptile appearance that had unsettled Kim Soleum for so long.
He braced himself for the sight of large reptilian eyes, a long snout, pale white scales—
Fwoosh.
With a soft sound the door to the D-squad office opened, revealing—
“!!!”
—A gorgeous man.
A man with beautiful classical facial features, the softest looking pure white hair, clear and healthy skin that subtly revealed handsome bone structure, and a stoic expression that drew attention to the gleaming jewel-like red eyes that completed the image.
No wonder people overlooked the dry personality of the Section Chief.
Such a face spoke for itself!
Those aliens, they clearly suffered in understanding human aesthetics, being practically blind, deaf and dumb to the conventions of human marketing, but the aesthetics of the face—they excelled at that!
It was the type of face that could make any outfit look good.
Although… it definitely wasn’t the face of a Lizard.
However, Cale had a unique way to look at the true nature of an individual.
Still locked with those gleaming red eyes he activated the Annual Rings of Life. Instantly a flood of information hit him, that head that had been the handsome face of a human male instantly became reptilian and those gleaming red eyes revealed their true nature.
From the corner of his vision below near the aliens heart the annual rings were moving, impossible, distracting shapes brought about by the existence of a collective hivemind species.
He resolutely ignored the peripheral sight, instead choosing to analyse the true appearance of the Section Chief Lee Jaheon.
The Chief was analysing him back, the stoic lizard face tilted slightly in curiosity, as though trying to understand something complex.
Indeed the Chief would already know him to some degree.
The contact he had made with the Space Shopping Mall was equivalent to having made contact with Lee Jaheon, furthermore this individual had helped rescue him from Braun’s studio, and had seen the pitiful state he had been in then.
Certainly the change from that state to now was incredible.
For such a thing to happen in three days was seemingly impossible, defying common understanding of contamination and Darknesses.
Of course though Cale had been injured from his own actions, more so than harm from contamination.
Additionally the Vitality of the Heart ensured that he recovered in no time at all.
“Team Leader.”
He greeted the alien with a respectful bow after a few seconds of what was probably impolite staring. There was faint laughter from off to the side which he diligently ignored. Those seniors of his were no-good, crazy bastards anyway.
“Mr. Markhor.”
Honestly Cale had been more surprised at the handsome face than the sight of a Lizard one.
“Are you well?”
It was refreshing. The blunt delivery without any of the bullshit corporate flowery language, despite the knowing gleam in those red eyes he wasn’t asked any complicated questions.
The alien lizard knew he knew but didn’t make any trouble or cause an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Lee Jaheon might be a lizard who was poor at adhering to social cues, but his reliable nature was smart and considerate.
This type of nature was very comfortable to work with.
“I’m doing much better, thank you for the concern.”
Then he remembered something.
“...would you like to come drinking with us later Squad Leader?”
Cale stopped using his ancient power to instead focus on the handsome face of the Squad Leader. It would be the face he read most often after all, there was no need to be constantly using the Annual Rings of Life, so instead he should get used to reading the faint human expressions.
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll make sure to pour you a drink in thanks.”
Lee Jaheon had come to help him despite never having met him after all. He would have to pay back the assistance.
“Yes.”
And like that they were set to go out after the work day finished.
“Ugh–hic–Cale-ssi drinks very well!”
Park Minseong was swaying in his seat, small hiccups bubbling out of him intermittently. His face had long since been overtaken by a bright drinking flush, and he was starting to look like he might regret everything come the next morning.
He had tried keeping up with their new rookie, but the Meteor seemingly like in everything streaked far above in this type of activity as well.
Eun Haje was at his left with their Squad Leader and the rookie sitting across from the small BBQ table.
He felt like he was seeing double looking at the two stoic faces side by side.
The evening had started well, Cale offering to pour drinks like a proper rookie and accepting all the drinks poured for him dutifully as well. His face had begun to furiously flush after the first drink but he didn’t seem to be getting drunk at all.
Just like the Section Chief he seemed as though he could down the entire stock and never get past sober.
“Ha, Chief–hic–it’s like there are two of you!”
“??? Yes.”
“O-Or maybe Cale-ssi there are two of you?”
“No.”
Huh he was so sure?
“Aaaaand that's enough drinking for you.”
Eun Haje reached over to remove the drink from his hand, significantly more sober having not pridefully tried drinking their young rookie under the table.
Huh?
And like that the D-squad’s first night of drinks came to a peaceful end.
“You! —Ah I mean Teacher, are you drunk?”
Cale frowned at the remark.
“I’m fine.”
Proving his point he made his way from the doorway to the kitchen without so much as a wobble. He knew how he looked when he drank and would willingly take advantage of it to suit a plan, but right now it was just annoying.
‘This shitty drinking culture!’
Stuck as the rookie unable to refuse a drink from his Seniors his face had naturally ended up in such a state despite feeling perfectly fine.
He expected Baek Saheon to make a big deal about the three days he had been gone but the man conspicuously didn’t mention a thing.
Feeling it was too good to be true, Cale instead just looked at him searchingly.
“...Ah, Teacher!”
As though suddenly thinking of something, the brown haired man made his way over to a shadowed part of the bench to pick up a small item. Cale fought back a scoff, but didn’t mention it since the other coughed up whatever it was quickly enough.
Baek Saheon walked back over holding up a small advertising postcard.
“This strange thing arrived for you while you were gone.”
He held it up, flashing it between his fingers. It was an old style postcard with bright colours as though inviting you to join the stage for a good time. His eyes caught the title of the production:
[Braun’s Late Night Variety Show!]
“Burn it.”
Cale turned his back to the card feeling shivers run down his spine. There was no need to entertain such nonsense, it was enough that he had already dealt with it in such a capacity. There was no need to get further involved.
Then he felt an even greater shiver run down his spine.
On the table there was a mug, steam curling in small wisps above it.
“What is this?”
He walked closer, a faint terror sparking in his heart.
‘Have I been too much of a pushover?’
He was considering if he had been wrong not to completely dominate Baek Saheon from the start. Give the greedy man an inch of wriggle room and he’ll somehow start thinking he owned the place.
However he didn’t get the reaction he was expecting.
“It's nothing!”
The brown haired man hurried past him to stand possessively over the drink, bumping his shoulder in the process and creating a ridiculous scene as he hunched over the steaming mug of tea.
His expression must have betrayed some of the level of crazy he was thinking about Baek Saheon because the other man finally mumbled out an explanation, trying and failing to act nonchalantly after his odd reaction.
“Since Teacher recommended it last time I started making some for myself on occasion. But if you want some you’ll need to make your own. I worked hard today after all…”
He trailed off realising he might have said too much.
What kind of crazy…
“Baek-ssi should drink up well then.”
Feeling like his decently respectable opinion of the other man had sunk through the floor and started digging he quickly made his way to his room trying to forget everything that had just happened.
That crazy bastard!
…But if lemon tea didn’t work he was sure there was a different bitter tea he could simply use instead.
With this reassuring thought he got ready for bed, setting an alarm to wake up early for tomorrow.
As he was drifting off something he had noticed came back to him.
‘That tea… hadn’t it been on the wrong side of the table?’
‘That bastard hadn’t made it for himself at all!’
It was Monday.
The weekend had passed in reasonable peace. Other than occasionally running into his roommate Cale had kept minimal contact with the outside world, instead taking the time as a well deserved break.
Or at least that's how he wished it would have gone.
In truth, on a quick trip to a nearby convenience store late at night a small notification had ‘dinged’ on his phone. A set of co-ordinates popping up in a suspiciously incoherent font. Given that his phone had been silenced to escape the nonsense currently spamming the Rookie Chat, the impossible message instantly caught his attention.
[37.xxxxx, 126.xxxxxx]
Cale had debated his options, a feeling like being at an unknown precipice unsettling him. There was no way to know what would happen if he ignored the message, or worse if he gave it any attention.
Following the mysterious coordinates that pop up on your phone seems like the perfectly foolish way to end up in some unknown ghost story.
Especially given how distorted the message was.
Yet, having already opened the message and seen the co-ordinates didn’t it seem too late?
The chances were he was already within the grasp of the ghost story.
Suddenly a crackle had rung out from the walkie-talkie at his waist, a green dot lighting up in the corner to show it was active.
Yet no voice came from the device.
Annoyed at the situation, Cale took the confirmation he was already inside a ghost story and made a decisive course of action. He would continue on, keeping track of any supernatural activity and try to piece together the logic behind the ghost story.
A faint idea was already growing within his mind.
Having made up his mind, he kept walking along the now suspiciously empty streets.
He lightened his footsteps with the Sound of the Wind, reducing the noise from his shoes to the barest whisper of a breeze.
The sensation of eyes watching sat heavy on his shoulders.
The area around him quickly became unfamiliar.
The neat urban sprawl seemed to grow progressively more crowded, the roads narrowing and buildings stretching high, until there was barely enough room for a car on a one-way street.
The faint feeling of breath on his shoulders had him resisting the urge to start running.
He maintained the steady pace. Footsteps light and swift, breaths tickling the nape of his spine with every other step.
It seemed to urge him.
‘Don’t look behind.’
The street continued to devolve, a faint splatter of dark matter appearing in the empty display of a window.
Not quite blood, instead like a black tar it shone still wet and thick.
It was vaguely disgusting.
Feeling unsettled with the increasingly filthy surroundings he found himself wishing to move faster, not wanting to accidentally linger long enough for something to touch him.
Up ahead something moved.
There was no breeze.
It was a flyer that had caught his attention, it fluttered softly.
It was pasted on a street lamp near a worn down and filthy telephone box. Signs of multiple other papers having been stuck up, overlapping ripped and faded papers showed it to be one of many that had been placed before.
He approached it cautiously until he could read the writing on it from a short distance.
At first glance it seemed like an advertisement for a cleaning company, irony strong with the way the paper itself was also covered in the mysterious viscera, but upon closer inspection in smaller text at the bottom a careful message had been implanted.
<‘Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’>
<‘If in need of assistance, call this number, an agent will be dispatched to your location soon!’>
Small tear away ribbons with the number were located underneath, about half of them had already been torn off.
Cale immediately turned around walking in the opposite direction from both the flyer and the telephone box, still standing silently.
Silence hung heavy in the air. A pressure pressing down on him.
A small, warm gust of air hit his face as though someone was standing right in front of him.
He remembered the feeling from earlier.
‘Don’t look back.’
Cale strode from where he came with no hesitation, ignoring the gust that had felt like a sigh.
After a few seconds, as though the sound had been delayed, a short exhale reached his ears.
Disappointed.
His suspicion was confirmed.
It had been a trap.
In a situation where things got progressively more strange, an unfamiliar environment, the warping of what should be familiar roads and paths, strange messages and occurrences, an eerie feeling began building.
The seemingly endless walk, the slow devolution of a situation.
Then suddenly a bright ray of hope in the darkness.
The darkness preyed on the feeling of isolation, the growing horror as you realised you were alone and without help.
It kept your mind on that feeling of isolation at every turn.
The strange message that had precluded the incident, Cale had been pondering why a warning was even given in the first place. The relevance of sending an unavoidable message to the phone, the eerie coordinates that had been on it.
It was to keep the mind drawn to the device, the ability to send and receive messages.
This Darkness targeted the use of technology, inviting at all opportunities for an individual to use communication to seek out help, reminding the possibility through mildly odd and scary means.
The empty crackle of a walkie talkie.
The sudden ding of a message on a silenced phone.
The appearance of a phone booth with a hail mary promise of rescue.
Three times Cale had ignored the temptation, figuratively and literally turning away from the possibility of communication.
The rule of three had a sort of magic of its own. A logic that was often respected in superstitious circles. Three chances, three opportunities to live or die.
The sigh that had followed him. It simply proved he had made the correct decision.
As he walked back along the path the road slowly widened again, the streets becoming neater, the faint sounds of life that had faded away at some point returning.
When finally he saw another person Cale felt his shoulders loosen, a pressure he hadn’t noticed fading away.
Then, a small smile appeared on his face.
In his mind the memory of the number on the flyer was as clear as day.
Just like that he had managed to obtain the bureau's secret emergency number to escape a Darkness. A number that would work even when there was no connection and trapped in an unknown Darkness, a sort of get out of jail free card.
The cruelty of the darkness is that the number would have likely worked, just as he was sure using the walkie-talkie or messaging someone else would have worked. It just simply would have caused the situation to devolve terribly, possibly drawing another person into the Darkness and continuing the story of the Darkness to the next stage.
He saved the number to his phone despite it having too many digits, placing it at his emergency contact.
He didn’t name the contact, simply leaving it blank.
Walking back he felt that although annoying it hadn’t been completely useless either.
All in all, it had been a rather peaceful Darkness.
Someone like Kim Soleum who had a weak constitution for horror may have found the eerie atmosphere brutal on the nerves, but really it had just been an annoyingly long walk.
Something to simply get through.
It had even had a small reward at the end, if one looked at the situation properly.
Still though, now it was Monday and he felt as though he had been working overtime on the weekend as well. It felt like the rotten type of luck that would have gotten him stuck in this situation in the first place.
This situation… how had he?
‘What a shitty fucking world.’
But there was nothing else for it than to show up to work. He had already committed to doing a certain arduous task today after all.
“You want to go?”
Director Ho’s voice sounded incredulous as though he couldn’t believe Cale was actually asking to be given work.
“Yes, please leave this to me.”
He stopped by on his way into the office to deliver a pack of glazed donuts to J3 but the man wasn’t in the Security Team Office. Feeling slightly disconcerted, but ultimately not in a position to question it, he instead left the donuts outside the door with a small note addressing them to the grey haired man.
Meeting up with the D-squad Cale noted the way Park Minseong seemed unable to meet his eyes, it would be the first time they had all gone on a field exploration together.
Last night he had heard all about the clown Darkness he had missed while recovering in the [Fox Counseling Office], the exploration had taken a while since Squad Leader Lee Jaheon had been in charge, using process of elimination in beating up the clowns that crawled out of the portraits to find the Pierrot.
Cale frankly was happy he had missed out on dealing with that mess.
“Our little Meteor~ must be happy to finally go on a proper mission!”
He wasn’t.
Nevermind he had asked to specifically attend.
“I heard a bunch of us have been called this time!”
“I know right? I wonder what we need four squads for…”
Eventually they made their way to a bright and fancy looking part of the building. It resembled a medical facility, all the surfaces clean and glossy whites and everything contained neatly to individual sections.
Finally they arrived at a room where many people had gathered. There were many different animal masked individuals and a few lab-coated personnel around.
He found his gaze honing in on a lab-coated individual with light coloured hair and a kind looking smile that seemed so at odds with the professional seriousness of the surroundings.
Cale thought back to his conversation with the Director from a few days ago.
“Please let me borrow a researcher for a bit.”
“Oh?”
“You won’t miss the bastard, besides it shouldn’t take very long.”
The fox watched him sharply for a long moment.
“Hmmm, I suppose it’s alright then.”
Kwak Jekang in front of him, the smug bastard was already looking at him with a professional smile. Cale smiled back, a refreshing feeling rising in his heart.
A person who was described in the [DER] as ‘cheerful and sociable’ because he found constant joy and fascination in observing Darknesses and the many miserable deaths possible within.
It was time to finally slap one of these bastards back.