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This couldn't be happening. What were the chances?
No, don't answer that.
The odds were always stacked against him. Luck saw him as its own punching bag.
Soleum knew that and yet—
"Despite the circumstances, it's nice to meet you."
A charming smile, polite and energetic even though they were displaced and put on a moving train.
"I'm Baek Saheon."
He stuck out his hand. It hung in the air for a long moment before Soleum met it.
Baek Saheon was in front of him.
Not the man who Soleum had spent over a year in a relationship with, but the character.
This was the character that Soleum's ex-boyfriend created as a joke.
A self-insert, he had said teasingly. Followed by, Am I your favorite Daydream field agent now?
Soleum was shaking.
He mentally ticked off a checklist that made his brain more frazzled.
The man introducing himself looked like, well, like Saheon.
His brown hair was slightly curly.
His milky green eyes were just a bit brighter, almost more vivid.
His skin was smoother as if he had a nighttime routine to keep his appearance up instead of hand soap being put straight onto his skin.
This was Soleum's ex's self-insert into the Darkness Exploration Records Wiki.
The one that Baek Saheon—not to be confused with Viper, field agent Baek Saheon of Daydream—created because he thought Soleum spent too much time reading through the wiki.
Your eyes are glued to your phone at this point, he'd say. Look at me instead. Look! Smiling~! Smile with me.
Of course, by random chance, Baek Saheon would be canonized and accepted into the DER Wiki.
Of course, Soleum would fall into a ghost story that aligned with DER.
Of course, he would just so happen to attend the same orientation as his ex's self-insert character.
Were people laughing? No.
That was the sound of Soleum's tears, the ones he held back.
He was no longer in a relationship with Saheon.
Viper didn't care. He didn't even know about their history an entire world away.
"Considering the circumstances, we should work together," said Saheon.
He had no idea that Soleum was currently imploding.
Tick, tick, tick.
Boom.
Kim Soleum.exe was offline.
He was floating out in space, unaware of his surroundings.
They didn't matter.
He was not in a ghost story.
He was having a strange dream.
He must have seen a picture of Baek Saheon pop up on his social media feed.
Yes, of course. That's why he's having this nightmare.
He wasn't on a train. Honestly, this dream was well-constructed.
But he wouldn't remember, like, any of this as soon as he woke up.
His alarm would wake him in a few hours.
This dream wouldn't even feel that long. He'd instantly forget everything that happened during it.
It was fine.
He blinked back into awareness, more self-assured.
This was a bad dream. He'd stick it out for a while longer.
Just enough.
Soon, he'd jolt in his sleep, turn off his roaring alarm, and go to work.
Soleum would forget that his ex was living the time of his life.
He would forget that stupid little face that made a fiery torch light in his chest.
Rage, aggression, confusion, betrayal.
And worst of all—
Understanding. Concern. Comfort. Love.
They had separated on rather good terms. But now…
Saheon and Yeongeun were looking at him, both of their eyes bright.
Doe-eyed.
Bushy-tailed.
God, it was like having two fauns blinking up at him.
Soleum's heart couldn't take it.
He couldn't take emotional moments. He couldn't handle scary things either.
He was going to die here.
But maybe that's what he needed.
If he died, he'd wake up from this dream. The shock of it would make his eyes shoot open.
There was a secret about him, though.
He was a coward.
He didn't like having nightmares.
And this situation all felt very real.
He wouldn't die if he could help it.
He valued his life.
He valued his sanity.
He wasn't going to keel over and die just because it might get this nightmare over sooner.
… He wouldn't remember this anyway.
It was best to keep going. Act like this was real.
"Kim Soleum," he introduced belatedly.
Yeongeun bowed her head, a small greeting that he appreciated.
Saheon looked at him with a pep, his shoulders going back and forth, teeter-tottering.
"Soleum-ssi believes it's a ghost story, too, like me," said Yeongeun.
Soleum agreed with a quick shake of his head.
Saheon asked, "A ghost story?"
"A ghost story sounds plausible in this situation," Yeongeun said.
It was targeted toward Saheon, who was skeptical.
She looked at him, assessment in her eyes.
Soleum stood off to the side, thankful not to have that gaze focused on him any longer.
"Ghosts are real, sure," Saheon replied, "but—"
"But what?"
"Why would ghosts be at Daydream Pharmaceuticals?"
"Ah..."
Yeongeun fell quiet.
Soleum supposed he'd have to agree with that form of thinking.
Ghosts were supposed to be born from something, weren't they? There was a reason why they haunted whatever place they were in.
Daydream wasn't a new company, but it was well-known in this world.
It made headlines more often, now.
It was making many strides in the health of all ages.
And cosmetics, in case you needed help with feeling self-confident when you looked in the mirror.
Their serums were top of the line.
Accessible, but good quality.
Don't be like us and wind up at their orientation, though.
Barely any would make it out alive.
"Doesn't matter," Soleum intervened.
He had bitten his lip.
The blood lay on his tongue now.
"We are in an impossible situation. We need to solve it."
Saheon finally accepted those words. "I... I agree with that. Whatever this is, it's clearly not normal."
Soleum stared.
He knew about Saheon's background. His ex was quite proud of it.
Trauma on top of trauma on top of—
You get the point.
It wasn't a pretty picture.
Saheon was charming, bright and sunny, in a similar way to Kwak Jekang.
It's how they coped with what they did to earn Points.
But it made them crueler.
Jekang showed his true colors whenever it suited him best.
Saheon would remain quiet as a snake in a garden until he had someone trapped in his jaws.
Yet, knowing all of that, Soleum felt secure.
Yeongeun and Saheon were here.
Two allies who believed that a ghost story was happening around them.
He could work with this.
"I'll help," Soleum said, sealing his fate as a leader. "I know what to do."
He'd take responsibility for what happened if they followed his guidance.
Yeongeun seemed pleased, her hands not shaking as much now that he had made a claim.
Saheon, on the other hand, was looking at him weirdly.
That green stare of his was unyielding.
It was remarkable, sending shivers down Soleum's spine.
He knew that he was not safe.
Soleum had read Baek Saheon's character profile over his boyfriend's shoulder to get a look at the screen.
He knew that Saheon was a loose cannon when he thought his life was in danger.
It happened quickly.
A flinch as soon as the announcement was up.
An eye was lost and needed to be found. An eye from an AB Male in his twenties.
Saheon was not the type to die.
Be that alone or in a group.
He would sacrifice everyone else to save his own hide.
And then he'd hibernate for a while to recover from what actions he committed.
It's what a man who witnessed the person he loved most die.
Die for him.
The blood splattered on Soleum's face was hot.
It dripped down sluggishly, drying out across his skin.
"I'm getting out of here," Saheon said.
His voice had a bite in it.
His eyes were brighter than ever. Insanity lit the spark, probably.
He sounded deranged, but those types of people succeeded as employees at Daydream.
Saheon's phone was covered in blood. His hands were too.
But he did not hold an eyeball in it.
"I fit the parameters," he said.
"I'm going to live," he said.
And then the train came to a stop.
No one moved toward him.
The man whose eye he tried to take merely let out another groan of pain.
Yeongeun held part of her shirt to the man's eye, but was looking at Saheon.
Soleum swallowed dryly.
The doors didn't close for a long moment.
Saheon exited, his panting breaths echoing in Soleum's ears.
Soleum reached above the seats of the train.
He found the container.
It was a Female eye.
That didn't matter.
He covered up the label and met Saheon's anxious gaze as the doors to the train closed.
Saheon's eyes widened.
Widened more.
His mouth dropped open in shock.
Soleum smiled.
Softly. Tightly. Morosely.
A small tilt of his head, saying, 'you should have followed my lead.'
The train began moving before Saheon could truly react.
He began to yell, his lips parting, but nothing coherent.
Soleum tucked the eyeball container back where he found it.
He then turned around.
Yeongeun was still holding the injured man, the one Saheon attacked.
The others in the cabin looked toward Soleum.
"It wasn't the right station for us," he said.
They kept moving.
On and on.
Multiple stops.
It could be endless. Ghost stories were like that.
But this one had an end.
Yeongeun stepped up to him as they walked across the train platform.
"Is this the right one, Soleum-ssi?"
"Yes," he confirmed confidently.
And it was.
They were returned to where they began.
Orientation.
There were fewer people now.
Many of them looked exhausted. Some covered in blood, others covered in worse.
Then an announcement by the man at the podium.
Their surviving population dwindled.
They melted right in front of them.
There was no saving those who didn't work hard to live.
Yeongeun survived it. She stood by Soleum's side.
They both glanced over at Saheon, who held a cloth to his eye.
Or rather, the place that no longer had an eye.
He glared at Soleum.
It was awkward.
Soleum usually received that look for if he forgot to take out the trash or finished off Saheon's favorite snack without telling him.
Now, that annoyed look was from fury.
Saheon might even be plotting Soleum's murder.
Soleum admittedly deserved it.
But he had to show that he wasn't a pushover.
Saheon was dangerous. On some level, he was a psychopath.
Soleum wanted to live.
If he wanted that, then he had to do things he never imagined he'd do.
Like smiling viciously as Saheon passed next to him on his way to the platform.
Saheon shuddered, nearly tripping over himself.
Cute, Soleum thought.
No. Not cute. He could not be thinking that…!
Yeongeun gave him a look.
Soleum faltered, sweating.
Employee orientation was nearly complete.
They were all in it now.
Humans were greedy beings.
The Wish Potion would drive them all to places they didn't want to be.
Currently, for Soleum, it was standing inside his dorm.
Saheon was on the other side, the door open between them.
Neither moved.
Saheon looked like a spooked animal.
He'd run away if Soleum threatened him.
But then Saheon would return to his hometown, and Soleum couldn't have that.
He pressed his body against the door, opening it further.
Saheon shuffled inside.
He paused for a single moment before hurdling toward the empty bedroom.
Soleum hysterically wondered which of them would have the worst time.
The one who believed he was rooming with a sociopath who smiled at his suffering.
Or the one who was bunking with a psycho who looked like his ex-boyfriend.
Place your bets now!
Soleum needed the cash. He had no bank account. Or car. Or family.
He was far away from home.
But how many people got to terrorize someone who looked like their ex, huh?