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One-dollar stores.
They're quite popular places that people visit, whether for fun or to buy a gift on a budget.
Kim Soleum, of course, had none of these reasons.
As for the first, he literally had neither the physical nor the mental energy for such activities after work. And even on his rare days off, he was too busy preparing for the life-threatening situations that filled his life thanks to his profession.
But the second reason was much simpler. He simply had no reason to buy any gifts. Even if such rare situations did arise, he usually gave something that wouldn't be available in regular stores.
In any case, despite the lack of such motives, Kim Soleum now stood in front of such a store.
"Hey! Cheer up!"
The senior's hand struck Soleum's back, causing him to straighten up and expel all the air he'd collected in his lungs.
Unlike her junior, Deputy Eun Haje was in high spirits.
A smirk crossed her face.
"Have you read the instructions for this darkness?"
The usually silent squad leader asked, prompting a wave of confirmation from the rest of the team.
Despite his answer, Kim Soleum hadn't read the instructions. After all, just a few lines were enough for him to understand what this ghost story was about.
Dollar store
A ghost story active during the week leading up to various holidays.
It consists of a store selling a variety of goods, priced at one dollar each, where the customers and the salesperson are not human.
To access this shop, you had to visit a dollar store built in the 2000s-2010s and touch items related to the upcoming holiday.
The hyperlink to the items led to a page where you could find items you were supposed to touch before certain holidays.
These included national holidays like Seollal and Chuseok, as well as world-famous ones like February 14th and New Year's.
The reason they were here was related to the latter.
The holiday was literally a week away, and many had already managed to get their much-needed and well-deserved weekend off.
Meanwhile, only the Daydream Inc. field research team was suffering, swamped with mandatory overtime.
Certain types of darkness were available precisely at this time, right before the holidays—the Dollar Store was one of them.
"This crazy bunch won't miss out on even a little profit."
"Does everyone remember the item they need to buy?"
And it wasn't just the essence, but also the useful items from there.
"Yes."
Each squad member held a list of several items in their hands—but only one of them needed to be purchased.
The rest were written down only in case the previous item wasn't available in the store.
"Then let's go in."
***
The snow globe used to transport them to the otherworldly store was quickly found.
Thanks to this, Squad D was already standing on the other side, in a packed general merchandise store.
Unlike the place they'd come from, the air was filled with a completely different atmosphere.
The kind people feel when watching videos about the past, aimed at evoking feelings of nostalgia. The scene before the eyes felt like a yellow filter had been placed on it, creating a comfortable, familiar feeling in the soul.
This was the greatest weapon of this ghost story.
The ghost story itself has a nostalgic, pleasant atmosphere that relaxes the people within.
For this reason, they don't react when customers arrive through the front doors.
Encounters with customers lead to ■■■■.
That's right.
Customers in this store aren't limited to humans.
And unlike other ghost stories, like Road of the Dead, all the creatures here except the clerk weren't friendly.
But that wasn't all.
If customers don't buy a certain amount of goods, the clerk transforms and ■■■■.
If you pay with bills other than one dollar, the clerk will transform and ■■■■.
Yes.
The clerk wasn't exactly a friendly creature either.
All of these factors led to this Darkness acquiring the identification number Qterw-C-4013.
"So, there are no other customers here?"
"Yes."
Deputy Eun Haje was the first to ask about the results of Commander Lee Jaheon's brief inspection of the store.
"Then we proceed as agreed. Each person purchases the specified item, and then the rest is at their own discretion. When you see someone enter the store, hide immediately."
"Yes."
"Ok."
After checking several more times to ensure everyone understood their tasks, Squad D dispersed throughout the store.
It wasn't particularly large, but it was large enough to prevent those inside from seeing each other. Of course, the layout also played a significant role.
The shelves were arranged as if they were trying to simulate a kind of labyrinth.
It was impossible to get lost in it, but it was perfect for hiding from "customers."
Kim Soleum quickly found and took the item listed. It was one of the consumables produced in the ghost story.
Now he needed to buy two more items—that's exactly how many he needed to avoid a terrible fate at the hands of the salesperson.
The number of people simultaneously entering this ghost story mattered greatly. The number of items needed to be purchased was based on the number of people.
Specifically, each person had to buy a number of items equal to the number of people minus one.
For Squad D, this totaled 12 items, four of which would be taken by Daydream Inc.
"What should I buy for Deputy Eun Haje?"
Now Kim Soleum wandered the store shelves, looking for a suitable gift.
Eyes kept falling on objects with supernatural properties—they would be perfect for expeditions into the Darkness.
However, given their connection to ghost stories, no one could guarantee their safety.
The fact that Daydream Inc. had confiscated some of the items for its own profit didn't make it any easier.
"Is there anything ordinary here?"
It was at that moment that Kim Soleum noticed a shelf with a pile of mugs.
"Ah."
He seemed to remember Deputy Eun Haje complaining recently about a shortage of plastic cups.
As soon as the cold weather set in, employees from various squads whose offices were on the same floor as Squad D began brewing coffee and tea more often.
This led to a shortage of shared beverage items, particularly plastic cups.
"If I give her a mug, the problem will go away."
Kim Soleum approached the shelf and began to carefully examine the prints on the dishes.
Most often, they featured images related to Christmas or New Year.
However, knowing the personality of Deputy Eun Haje, or simply his own preferences, Soleum's gaze was automatically drawn to more practical designs.
Specifically, mugs without any prints.
Most of them were simply black—one of the most popular colors worldwide, so it was no surprise.
Kim Soleum stared at these mugs for a while until he heard bells ringing.
The same bells that hung above the main entrance of the store.
It was no longer safe to be among the shelves.
Quickly grabbing one of the black mugs, Kim Soleum ran to a confirmed safe place.
Namely, the back room, located at the deepest point of the store.
When he arrived, the rest of Squad D were already waiting for him inside. Deputy Eun Haje was among them.
Kim Soleum, keeping his mug covered behind him, stepped inside, after which the door was closed behind him.
Speaking was prohibited. Voices could attract passing shoppers.
However, nonverbal communication was not prohibited.
Chief Park Minseong and Deputy Eun Haje began showing off what they had managed to grab.
Soon, Squad Leader Lee Jaheon followed suit, showing off three items at once...
Considering that one of them was a gift for someone, Kim Soleum couldn't help but be confused by the sight.
Although, he is a lizard, so it's not too surprising...
This wasn't a bad thing, considering that in a normal situation, it's unlikely that the recipient of three items would be known.
However, the gift was too specific to be misunderstood.
It was doll clothes.
And of the three members of Squad D, only one carried a doll.
"Squad leader Lee Jaheon."
"Yes?"
"You understand that you weren't supposed to reveal the gift or the recipient, right?"
"I didn't reveal the recipient."
As soon as the customers left the store, Squad D emerged from the back room.
Not a couple of seconds passed before Deputy Eun Haje noticed the commander's mistake.
"Of course, you didn't reveal it, but..."
Deputy Eun Haje hesitated slightly, but after a quick glance at Kim Soleum, she continued.
"I don't think anyone in our squad likes dolls, except for one person."
Lizard seemed lost in thought and was silent for a moment, but then continued.
"My apologies. I didn't take that into account. We can reshuffle the gift recipients if you'd like."
"No, don't do that."
Kim Soleum, a little taken aback by the way he'd been addressed, shook his head.
The last thing he wanted was to end up in a ghost story over such a minor issue.
No matter how safe it was without customers, they could still come in at any moment.
"Then I'll replace the gift, if that's okay with you."
"...Yes. Let's leave it at that."
Sometimes Kim Soleum was surprised by how thoughtful the squad leader was.
He hadn't expected such a trait from him.
"Wait."
But just as Squad D was about to disperse, Kim Soleum stopped Lee Jaheon.
"Can you tell me where you got the doll's clothes?"
***
Kim Soleum stood at the checkout.
Deputy Eun Haje and Chief Park Minseong had already left the store, leaving only him and the squad leader inside.
Due to the incident at the Fun Theme Park, squad leader Lee Jaheon refused to let Kim Soleum be the last one in.
He was very grateful for this.
The prospect of being stuck in a ghost story alone wasn't exactly appealing, so having someone else by his side was reassuring.
Especially if it was Lee Jaheon, famed for his role as the King of Destruction in <Darkness Exploration Records>.
Kim Soleum carefully placed the three items on the counter.
A creature, its features obscured by darkness and impossible to discern, stretched its limbs toward them.
But instead of watching, Kim Soleum turned his head toward the door.
It was impossible to look at what it was doing to the merchandise. It would contaminate him.
And if you looked at the glass doors, behind which there was a thick fog, you could see the black silhouettes of purchasers approaching.
It would have been easy to escape, even if you were near the checkout.
"But I still hope no one comes."
Luckily, they finished wrapping the merchandise in bright, festive packaging before the other shoppers arrived.
Placing three one-dollar bills on the counter, Kim Soleum picked up the gifts.
And when he blinked, he realized he was outside. Right in front of the general merchandise store they'd entered through.
The two members of Squad D smiled, seeing their teammate successfully escape the ghost story.
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon also didn't keep them waiting.
***
The next day.
The holidays were supposed to begin tomorrow, and therefore the weekend.
For the employees of Daydream Inc., naturally. Elsewhere, everyone was already preparing to celebrate the festivities without having to go to work.
So Squad D had to make do with this thought, sitting in the office and wrapping up all their work before a well-deserved break.
However, when Squad Leader Lee Jaheon entered the room, the atmosphere instantly brightened.
All eyes were fixed on the newcomer, while anticipation sparkled in their bored eyes.
"There were no problems with the items."
A report on the items they brought from the Dollar Store.
"We can begin."
At these words, Deputy Eun Haje and Supervisor Park Minseong jumped up, opening their desk drawers.
Instead of doing the same, Kim Soleum watched Deputy Eun Haje's reaction.
A box soon appeared in her hands, wrapped in shiny blue packaging with a holiday print. It rustled as the deputy tore it open.
Inside the box was a familiar black mug. After all, he had chosen this gift himself.
"Oh."
A grin crossed the deputy's face.
"I'm just craving some coffee. Why not make some now?"
To be honest, Kim Soleum was glad she wasn't upset by such a simple gift.
No matter how hard he tried to remain indifferent, he was still nervous about not being able to find a good gift.
Remembering that he should check his own gift, Kim Soleum opened the desk drawer and found a translucent bag made of thin red mesh inside.
Some of its parts had golden stars and crescents, but the most prominent was the inscription "Happy New Year!"
Inside were all sorts of sweets — cookies, chocolates, candies, and much more.
On the one hand, it wasn't surprising to see such a gift from a lizard, given his love of snacks. But wasn't it strange to give food from a ghost story?
"All food in this bag has been safety tested. Any questionable items have been confiscated and replaced with regular snacks."
"Speak of the devil."
Kim Soleum didn't even notice the squad leader approaching him.
He was wearing a huge red scarf. So huge that even if it were around the neck of squad leader Lee Jaheon, it still seemed large.
"Ah... I understand. Thank you."
A second inspection revealed that the contents contained only the well-known, healthy food found in ghost stories, along with a few real-life snacks.
Kim Soleum's gaze briefly lingered on a chocolate bar with an image of a black-haired child wearing a familiar horned mask, but he quickly returned it to the entrance.
Deputy Eun Haje returned, holding a mug.
No longer black.
It was green, with a three-leaf clover in the center.
Kim Soleum's expression froze at the sight.
Because a description of one of the objects that was essentially a ghost story immediately came to mind...
Black mug
A black mug that changes its appearance when hot liquid is poured into it.
The image that appears corresponds to what will happen the next day.
Side effects vary depending on the accuracy of the prediction.
The mug can be used once per day. After that, if the image on the mug turns black, it cannot be used until the next day.
The usage timer resets at 00:00.
A ghost story that predicts the future.
How could he not recognize it as that when he picked it up?
Although, maybe it was an ordinary mug with a similar image, and not the one that predicted the future!
It's impossible that Kim Soleum chose that one.
"We need to see what the image will be next time..."
For now, it's advisable to keep the image from turning black and not let the deputy take the mug with her.
***
The clock struck twelve.
At that time, Kim Soleum, as usual, was watching cartoons in the living room with the lights on.
However, as soon as the date changed, he rose from the couch, turned off the TV, and the lights in the room.
Putting a pink rabbit plush toy on the table, next to it a box small enough to fit in one hand, he turned away.
Incidentally, it was wrapped much more skillfully than the previous one.
Instead of the rustling, bright, and cheap packaging, its place was taken by pleasant-to-the-touch paper in muted colors.
Neutral brown, with a black ribbon.
[Oh! I didn't think my friend would remember me, even though he went to that tasteless store completely alone!]
Yes. Kim Soleum used his last chance to buy a gift for Braun.
He thought long and hard about what to buy. And he was leaning toward buying something that might help with his future ghost story forays.
"I had to give my friend at least this kind of gift."
Who knows what this host would have done if he hadn't given him a gift...
[I confess, I'm flattered! I would say so, but first I need to see what you've prepared for me.]
A rustling sound was heard behind me. Not like when Deputy Eun Haje opened her gift.
It wasn't jarring, but rather much more pleasant.
Brown's gentleness when opening the gift must have had something to do with it. I wonder if he ripped the packaging too?
[Not bad at all!]
Kim Soleum held back a sigh of relief.
[Turn around and take a look, Mr. Roe! I wonder what you think about this.]
After listening to Braun, Kim Soleum turned.
The box was now unwrapped. It was naked, and the packaging itself was carefully folded and tied with a ribbon, as if it had never been used.
The contents of the box were already on the plush doll.
A soft cloak with white fur on the collar. The cloak itself was dark blue, decorated with glitter. Not at all pretentious. More like a night sky.
It was tied around the bunny with a black ribbon. It was quite fluffy, which looked quite charming on the doll.
"It suits you very well, Braun."
A smile touched Soleum's lips.
He seemed not to notice.