Archive of Our Own

Someone was trying to peek inside the cafe. Probably to get a proper glimpse of whoever could be in there.

There was a tight expression on her face, lips pursed as she grips a folder in her hands. At that moment, her eyes met a man from behind the glass. A positively bright smile appeared on his face while the woman's expression only soured more as if she was force-fed a whole lemon.

He made enthusiastic gestures towards her, a nonverbal way to tell her to come in.

Sigh.

Lee Yeonhwa enters the cafe with a reluctant air around her. Although she walked firmly and with her eyes set to where she was going, it was clear from the stiffness of her posture that she did not want to be there at all.

“Look who it is!” The man greeted her, standing up and pulling back a chair. Lee Yeonhwa wasn't convinced by the act, however, because she could feel his eyes glued on what she was holding. “Welcome, welcome. Do you want to order something? My treat, of course.”

“No thank you,” she declined in a short tone. The less time she spends involved with this man, the better. “I only came to deliver this file that a seonbae asked me to bring over. I have some things I'm rushing to do as well, so I won't be long.”

“Ah, what a shame.”

Although he sighed in disappointment, even a child could tell that it was a clear act. He didn't even try to look more convincing…

“Well then, may I?”

“Yes, of course.”

She hands over the folder without any more fanfare. Truthfully, Lee Yeonhwa had no idea what was written there, and she wasn't interested in finding out either. Whatever this man's business was is his alone, and she didn't want any part of it. She's heard too many tales of things he got into that any curiosity she may have in his work has already been squandered, regardless of the fact that he was technically his senior.

She watches for a bit as he opens the item, almost a little too enthusiastically. Then, she stands up and bows slightly.

“Then, I'll be going now.”

“Yes, yes. Goodbye.”

She turns around and leaves without anything else.

The man picks up the cup he ordered and takes a sip as he buries his attention on what was written inside the folder. His name, Kwak Jegang, was written at the top of the page to clarify that yes, it was intended for him, and that it involved the request that he's been trying to get permission for in the last few months.

As for the overall consensus, the Board of Directors have decided to once more disapprove the request to research on—

He stops reading after that.

Kwak Jegang’s expression shifted to an annoyed one. He shuts the folder and carelessly slides it across the table, clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.

Months. It's been months since he's been trying to get permission. Ever since he discovered a strange mountain forest, he's been itching to get his hands on some part of it and study what was so odd about it. But for some reason, there were some higher ups that refused to let him touch the place!

Thinking back to the previous months, he'd already done all the procedures that he needed just to increase his success. He'd already written to the village that watches over the forest (although it took several tries and bribing to get them to agree), signed legal papers about not destroying anything in the wildlife and will only take the most miniscule of samples he could get, and of course went to receive the approval of the directors—

He keeps failing the last step.

He adjusts his glasses and falls into thought.

He doesn't really know who in the list of directors keeps rejecting his proposal. They'd usually allow him to do whatever he wanted as long as it benefits the company, so the fact that they won't let him be this time was definitely weird.

So strange. So, so strange…

There's something up. But he doesn't have much proof, so there was only little he could do apart from coming up with conjectures.

Kwak Jegang takes another sip of his cup. It was already halfway drained by then. He stares down at the dark liquid that reflected his image and thinks up a new plan.

He clicks his tongue again. Isn't it obvious that his idea would definitely be a profit for the company? He's long since made his name in the Research and Development Team by coming up with these sorts of ideas that no one was brave enough to try anyway. What could be better than a strange, mysterious mountain forest in a local area that was the subject of many rumors and stories? Not to mention, the fact that this particular place was listed in Darknesses owned by the company but lacked sufficient information.

Why do they keep refusing?

Hmmm…

…How to convince them, huh…?

…

…

…

Perhaps having signed papers of the village head wasn't enough. Maybe he needed a more…present backup to his proposal.

He fishes his phone from his pocket, leans back, and opens his calendar app for the sole purpose of checking his schedule. If he wanted to really do this, he needed to find a time and date when he doesn't have anything lined up.

He's getting this project and prying open the secrets that this company was trying to bury. No matter what.

As for why?

Well…doesn't it just sound entertaining?

To understand how Kwak Jegang came up with the brilliant idea of researching the mountain forest, it was imperative to go back to a few months back, when he first overheard a story from a high school student telling entertaining stories to his friends.

Kwak Jegang honestly rarely leaves his research office, especially when he has a project that he was busy with. Today would've been no exception, except for the fact that he's locked himself up for weeks straight and finally ran out of caffeine to keep himself awake. That was why he ended up in the same coffee shop near the office to buy his coffee.

He was half-asleep and obviously delirious when he heard the kids talk loudly over each other in what seems to be an argument about a silly ghost story.

“I'm telling you, this is really how that story went!” Some teenage kid who bleached his hair a strange yellow stood up, pointing at someone in his group. “Don't you think it would make more sense? People say they keep hearing wolves in those woods. Wolves don't exist in that part of Korea!”

“There are no wolves, you idiot!” Another protested. “They say that the trees themselves were what was moving. I heard some people actually got devoured, that's why there are a few hikers that go missing.”

“Clearly, you're the idiot who doesn't do enough research. Those so-called “missing” hikers you were talking about all came back after a few hours, but they've also gone dumb and lost their minds.”

Is there some sort of hallucinogen in the forest? He thinks to himself mid-yawn. That's probably it.

“What?”

“See?! You don't even know! Hmph!”

“You two, stop arguing!” Another person cuts in, looking tired of the bickering. “Seriously…It's not really that strange that they're going missing and coming back with their minds lost. That's usually what happens when you offend a mountain god, you know?”

“What?”

“Miyoung, you're—” the second person had to stifle her laughter. “Don't tell me you actually believe in gods? And in that mountain too? Isn't that just folklore?”

“No, it's not! My grandmother told me all about it, you know?”

“All the more reason to not believe it, right?”

“You—Yah! Are you calling my grandmother a liar?”

“Well, no. But you know how old people are with their stories…”

“Kwak Jegang-ssi?” The barista calls out, the drink he ordered in hand. Said man picks up his coffee and leaves the shop quickly, not bothering with anything else and returning to his office to go back to his research.

It was only when he was more than halfway done when he realized something.

“Jisan…” he muttered, fingers tracing the word he wrote on his notes. “Gods and rituals…Wasn't that what those kids were talking about?”

Honestly, Kwak Jegang doesn't have much interest in folklore and beliefs anyway. But seeing that this particular theme appeared twice in a single day, there was something strange that he couldn't help but want to figure out.

He submits a paper with some recommendations on how to approach the lack of information that the company has on Jisan. Naturally, he suggested throwing in as many people with the worst mix of personality ever, just so they could see how the events would turn out. In these scenarios, creating the worst possible scene they could think of has always been one of the best ways to understand a phenomenon.

He keeps thinking back to that mountain forest that was previously mentioned. To be honest, Baekilmong Co. has always been focused on ghost stories that belonged to them instead of gods and the world that civilians get themselves exposed to, so he barely encountered these in his research. The only reason why he managed to get his hands on Jisan was because…well, a certain director handed him the research, for some reason.

He ends up looking up stories about that place when he gets a moment to take a break. Surprisingly, there's more stories than he expected. There were claims of it being a ghost story by that point, as the events have been occurring since around the time he first became a rookie.

They weren't very consistent. Some reported having a strange experience of sitting inside a hut in the forest and eating some snacks baked by someone they can't remember. Some said that they were running through the woods being chased by something. The others—well, those kids before described it already. They said some of the trees walked and devoured humans.

It doesn't sound like the human sacrifice events that were happening in Jisan, though. It was something…a little more different.

The location was…

…Huh?

Kwak Jegang paused, staring at the screen with his eyebrows furrowed. Then, slowly, a gleam appeared in his eyes.

Why is it blocked out?

His eyes drifted upwards, to the link of one of the many sites he's been looking at. A company-owned website that only members of the Research and Development Team would typically have access to.

Hah! Well, well.

“So you have some secrets of your own, huh?” He laughs quietly to himself.

Since this was a company-owned ghost story, he's got a reason to show interest, right?

He shows up with a pack full of things he might need. Rope, a sack, some good in case he accidentally gets lost and spends more time than expected…

The moment he stepped foot inside the village just by the outskirts of the forest, a giddy grin on his face, the first person to see him took one look at him and ran off. He watched the youth go in a trail of smoke, not knowing what to say.

He goes further into the village, but the more he walks, the more he realizes that no one wants to talk to him. All of them would either go back inside their homes or run out of sight the moment he opens his mouth to speak with them.

Tsk. How unfortunate. And here he was planning on asking someone to take him to the trail that leads inside the forest, too…

The next person that he finds, he immediately grabs and smiles at.

“Good afternoon!” He greets pleasantly. The person that he grabbed, someone that he happened to recognize due to his last visit in the area, paled at the sight of him. “Are you free? Would you do me the favor of showing me to the beginning of the trail inside the forest?”

“Wh—what are you doing here?!” The young man spluttered, looking around as if trying to find help. “Aren't you satisfied after getting my dad's signature yet?!”

“Now, now. Don't be like that.”

“You're—”

Ahem.

Anyway, to summarize, Kwak Jegang got the young man to lead him to the start of the trail.

Before leaving him there, his guide shoved a finger in his direction and said, “This better be the last time! I…I swear we won't help you anymore after this!”

“Absolutely!”

“And don't mention my name or anyone's name when you encounter someone in there!”

And then he scurried away.

Looking at the looking trees ahead, Kwak Jegang brought a hand up to his chin and hummed thoughtfully. After a brief while, he clicked his tongue and said under his breath, “I would've preferred throwing a newbie in here instead, but alas…if only any of the directors were willing to lend a hand.”

He checks his bag again if he had everything, before walking straight into the entrance of the forest without any more hesitation.

Honestly, it doesn't feel like a Darkness upon initially entering. It felt no different from most forest areas that he visited during the time before he became an employee at Baekilmong Co.. There was no heavy feeling, or a sense of wrongness telling him to leave the place.

Now, his goal will be to look for the person guarding this place. As far as he knew, when it comes to green spaces like these, there's always at least one person guarding it to make sure that no other person would dare do something like cut down all the trees to use it for construction work or to turn the place into an industrial area. That was who that young man who guided him earlier was referring to before he scampered off like a rat.

It was around the five minute mark when he noticed something was off.

Kwak Jegang looked at the mark he left on a tree branch not too long ago, lips twitching upwards in amusement. It seems he's been walking around in circles for a while now, and he still hasn't found the person he was looking for. This must be an effect of this forest, huh?

He adjusts his glasses, feeling a little giddy at being able to observe first hand, even if he hasn't gotten proper permissions yet. “Now, how to get out of here is the question.”

The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

He stumbled forward quickly, just in time to see a massive crater appear just where he was standing moments ago. He stared at it for a while, observing every little detail and trying to figure out where it came from. His heart pumping loudly, Kwak Jegang started to laugh.

“It's starting, it's starting!”

He started to run, not putting much effort into leaving a mark for himself for later. It wouldn't be much use considering he's already walking around in circles anyway. He leaves behind him an echoing laughter in between numerous trees of varying sizes, like a madman having the time of his life.

There was something behind him, probably. He could hear the crushing of leaves and branches alike, a heavy weight crashing through the path and trying to make its way to his direction. Kwak Jegang risks a look behind, only to find a large dark figure similar to a bear or a wolf chasing after him.

“Hahaha!”

He ducks past a few more trees, sweat dripping down from his temple. Just then, his feet gets caught in what seems to be a stray branch just sticking out from the ground, and he was sent crashing down to the ground.

There was a loud sound from him falling. His heart was beating loudly, and he looked back to the direction where he saw the creature, only to find…nothing.

…Huh?

“Interesting.” Kwak Jegang sits up, ignoring the pain in his palms and knees (which was probably sporting some gashes and open wounds now), readjusted his glasses, then paused. 

There is now a crack in the lenses that he was using. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, but left it there. He could always fix it after he gets out of here (or not at all if he ends up dying), but if he takes it off now, he'd be seeing nothing at all.

The sudden adrenaline rush still has his fingers trembling in excitement and his heart beating loudly. When he stood up, he felt so lightheaded he almost stumbled back down.

He fishes out his notebook to write down some observations. First of all, he did not detect anything strange in the air, nor was there anything like plants or animals that could've caused hallucinations. This was probably just a general effect from the Darkness rather than an environmental one.

Secondly, the thing chasing him doesn't seem to be an effect of a hallucination either, if the first note was to be confirmed.

There was also the unexplainable crater that appeared earlier. He still can't figure out where it came from.

Seeing these written down made him feel excited for when he officially gets to scrutinize and poke around at this place. A low chuckle escaped his mouth. He'd definitely make sure to turn everything over and completely figure it out.

He raised his head and began moving again.

What a strange, strange place.

This time, he seemed to have no longer been walking around in circles. He no longer sees the marks that he left in the trees that he passed by, which means that he was in a different place now. He pauses for a while, before deciding to no longer bother with putting them back up if it was going to be useless.

Besides, the only reason why he was no longer in that loop was because he decided to run around with reckless abandon. If anything, just the information he has now is already useful.

Oddly enough, whatever was chasing him not too long ago also completely vanished, like it was never there in the first place. Kwak Jegang made sure to check several times. He even tried to hide behind trees and quickly glance around in case he catches anything trying to follow him discreetly. It yielded no fruitful results.

He writes down a few more observations before continuing on his way.

It was probably around half an hour in when he finally found what he was looking for.

He was just trying to navigate through the trees, panting from exertion of this much physical activity, when he caught sight of a figure in between the trees. Quickly, the researcher sucked behind one of the bushes to hide his presence. At that moment, he seemed to have forgotten his exhaustion, and all that was left was a sudden sense of excitement.

At last! Proof of a living existence!

He cautiously looks to check if it was really a human. A quick look confirmed it for him (although he can only see the back of this person). They wore a tattered red coat with its hood left down, revealing shoulder-length silver strands left untied. This person's back was slightly hunched, but he stood normally like any other human would.

Deciding to take the chance, Kwak Jegang swiftly dropped his bag, which has been making things so much harder for him in this journey.

He looks for useful items inside it. The rope that he picked up was still there. He also picks up a handkerchief and a bottle with a mix of something he specially prepared for this moment, spraying its contents to the former and making sure he doesn't accidentally inhale any. Then, he digs a little more until his hand grasps on to something. Pausing a little, he smiles smugly.

Yes, well done to him for his foresight.

He retrieved it from his belongings and looked back to his target, eyes glinting in a strange manner. At that moment, Kwak Jegang looked like he was staring at a slab of meat that he couldn't wait to get his hands on.

Brandishing the rope in his hands, he lunged.

There was something strange about the mountain forest.

Considering the strange things that he experienced during the first hours that he was wandering around, Kwak Jegang thought it would be a little more difficult for him to get out. After all, it's always a problem for most Darknesses on how to leave rather than how to enter. But weirdly enough, it felt like…a path had opened for him.

The very same forest that tried to swallow him while seemed to have grown a little duller than earlier. However, he found himself following a trail that seemed to have suddenly appeared just while he was walking.

How interesting!

He glanced down at the marble in his hand, smiling in interest. From there, he can make out a figure with the shape of a person enclosed around the tiny marble.

The entire process of him borrowing a person wasn't very difficult, surprisingly. The man did not react when he was in close vicinity, seemingly lost in thought about something. Kwak Jegang had taken that opportunity to quickly move. He used the handkerchief and blocked the person's mouth and nose with it.

Although he felt the red-cloaked figure tense and tried to fight back, it was too late for them. The drug already worked and managed to knock them out quickly.

He made use of his rope and his last item to successfully take the person with him. After all, with his physical abilities, it would be impossible to take along a knocked out adult and not be spotted by anyone. That'd be a little too obvious too, wouldn't it?

“It's a good thing I took this from those goody-two-shoes Bureau the last time they ended up appearing in the office,” he grinned to himself, all-too-pleased about how useful the stolen items were for him this time. 

Normally, he would've questioned just why it was so easy for him to acquire and use the marble. But he was so high on his success that Kwak Jegang figured it would be better to instead hurry back rather than getting caught up thinking about unrelated matters.

This is very good for him too, because the moment he leaves this forest, no one would suspect him of kidnapping the only living person maintaining this forest. He'd only be seen coming out with the same things he came inside the place with. If anyone bothered to question him, it would be easy to play dumb.

He manages to leave the forest by the time the sky has already turned a warm shade of orange. Kwak Jegang pauses by the entrance where he originally came from to admire it, thinking that this sight was one fitting for his success.

Hehehe.

“With this, I would get my permission to look into this anomaly of a place,” he laughs loudly to himself. “And even if I don't, no one would realize if I poked around several times with this new item I got, right?”

He raised the marble again. The person inside did not move at all. He tilts his head, and throws it upward, before catching it in his hand. He wonders if the man sitting in there could feel what he was doing.

No, but first. He needs to return home and wait for the day to pass. Then, at the sign of the next light, he'd run straight to the company building and work on both his new proposal, as well as interrogate his…ehem, new friend.

Oh, yes. He can't wait for the inevitable results.

His head feels like it was simultaneously filled with stuffing and barbed wire at the same time.

When he opened his eyes, he didn't understand at first where he was. It was a dark place with very dim lighting. As he squints his eyes, he finally makes out the forms of something white in various things around him. A bed. A curtain. A lab gown.

White.

Something initially rose up in his chest. An instinctive feeling that bubbled and tried to resist. He barred his teeth and growled lowly, the sound that came from his mouth, inhuman.

There was a man standing in front of him. He also wore the striking white that seemed to be all around him. A mole just under his right eye, and glinting silver hair. White, so disgustingly white that he could see it no matter how dark the room gets.

The man was grinning, smiling widely as he looked at him in an uncomfortable manner.

“Fascinating!” the man says, staring at him. His eyes almost glowed. A sense of interest, curiosity and…hunger…?

His jaw tightens and his eyes sharpen, glaring with much hostility at the man.

The next thing that he notices was that he seems to be in a bind. He was sitting in what he recognized to be a chair, laid in the middle of everything else in the room like a twisted interrogation scene. However, there were bindings around his wrist and ankles that prevented him from moving any further. Likewise, there was…something around his mouth.

What is this? Where was he?

That man…

He keeps watching the man in white, who was keen on only observing. Something overwrote the emotions he initially felt when he woke up—taken over by something more powerful. All-consuming.

Kill him.

Kill him.

Kill him.

Hatred and resentment.

(Why, though? It was the first time they met, after all.)

The last thing that he notices is that he finally remembers his name.

…Huh? Name?

Was it his name?

Really?

…No, really? What was his name? Was it his name? Is that his name? That?

Th—

J3.

His name is J3. That was his name.

(Yes? No? Yes? No? No? No? What?)

“There's eyes all over your face as well. And collarbone, from what I see,” the man in front of him mused, hand on his chin as he observes closely. “It seems I was wrong. I definitely won't be able to take you to the Board like this. Aren't you just a Darkness?”

What? Him?

J3? A Darkness?

No. Yes? No. Is he?

Where is he?

Tsk, tsk.

“And here I was, thinking I hit the jackpot,” continues the man. “I can't do it like this! Okay, good thing there's a plan b, right?”

The man throws his head back and starts laughing at a joke only he understood. J3 watches him for a while, his glare not fading, and the swirling fury in his chest unwavering.

Kill. Kill him.

But why?

Just kill him.

Kill.

For some reason…A phantom overlapped the figure before him. For just the briefest moment, there was a man with a face that he could not properly make out, frowning and seemingly complaining about something. Just looking at him made something in J3 falter.

He blinks, and forgets about what he saw.

Just then, the man in front of him crouches down. The glint in his eye was still there, and J3’s keen nose could tell that this man was feeling extremely happy about the current situation. This thought made him narrow his eyes, some teeth peeking out from in between his lips.

It was a shame. Wherever he was seemed to be far from the place where he originally was. Even just sitting in this chair and bound, J3 could feel the weak pulse of what is usually power underneath his skin.

“Helloooooo~?” The man in white lab gown waved a hand in front of his face to catch his attention. “Wow, I had no idea that Darknesses also zone out! Are you a Darkness, little wolf?”

There was a slight condescension and arrogance in his tone, like he was fully aware that there was little that the one in front of him could do against him. He sees the glare that he was being subjected to, looking at the several eyes that were looking at him sharply like he was about to be torn to pieces, and let out a laugh that sounds more like a giggle.

“Wow, you’re really angry at me. Can you even understand what I’m saying?”

The answer to the question is yes. But J3 cannot find a reason why he should answer this mad man. He instead tries to break free from his binds by exerting some force, only to find himself unpleasantly surprised to find out that it was futile.

“It’s useless to try to get out, you know?” The man adjusts his glasses as he stands back up. “Usually, those are used to contain our contaminated employees. It was so difficult to take without anyone realizing, you know? I figured it might be difficult to keep you down without these.”

He glares harder.

“Surprisingly, you’re not as violent or as bad as every other contaminated being that I’ve seen in the company. How strange. And although you’re not showing any indication of answering me, your body language was reacting to my words. Is it because you can instinctively tell what I am saying, or because you really can understand me?”

J3 sees another grin directed to him.

“Well, it won’t be the first time that a Darkness is smart enough to understand what I’m saying anyway. There’s a lot of them out there so it won’t be that unbelievable to think about.”

This guy…He keeps speaking as if J3 himself was not staring him down. A completely detached observation like he was addressing a subject that he was experimenting on.

There was something about that tone that felt greatly uncomfortable for him. Like it was a situation he’s been in before.

“I’ll be keeping you here for a while,” smiles the researcher, like it was such a grand thing to happen to him. “Let’s get along well, shall we?”

If only he could bite this person’s head off, J3 would’ve done so a long time ago.

Thankfully, he was left alone to his devices when that guy finally got bored of trying to incite a reaction out of him. He finds himself staring at the white curtains in front of him, with nothing to do.

He looks down and tries to calm himself to think about the situation.

He was taken. That much was obvious. He remembered that he was just an existence drifting around in a mountain forest, doing his own thing. Sometimes, there are people who wander off in his territory. Most of the time, the forest itself would scare them off or devour them whole until J3 notices their presence. Then, their fate depends on his mood for the day.

Based on what he last recalls, he knew that there was someone that entered the forest, but he didn’t think much of it back then. In hindsight, looking back on it now made him realize just how strange it was that he let his guard down.

And now comes this situation…

How strange, really. Although he doesn’t recall being anywhere outside the forest, he finds a strong revulsion to the place where he is in right now. Is it because of claustrophobia?

No, if it was something like that, then he wouldn’t have felt a creeping sense that he has been in this situation and spot before. But way, way more unpleasant than what was currently happening to him.

He shuts his eyes and exhales.

He was too far from his domain to do anything useful anyway. And even more so, his bindings won’t allow him to do much of anything.

Kwak Jegang was in the best of moods. He thinks some of the other researchers noticed this too, based on the wary glances that they keep shooting in his direction.

“Did you think something bad happened?”

“Why would you ask about something like that?!”

“No, it’s just that…Isn’t it strange how cheerful that guy is today?”

Nevertheless, he ignores what they were saying. That was none of his concern.

Kwak Jegang sat down on his chair and didn’t stop the urge to spin it around while humming cheerfully to himself. He picks up a piece of paper before he does this, and his eyes briefly skim through its contents before he ends up laughing again.

Great! This is great~!

Although some could say that he failed with what he originally planned to do, he still thinks that he was finally making progress. Sure, the directors might think that went completely against them, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them, yes? He was wholly determined to keep the existence of a little wolf in that secluded detention center a secret. Besides, that place is reserved for extremely contaminated individuals, so he doubts that it would be used any time soon.

The giddiness almost makes him feel like he was high. He cannot stop grinning from ear to ear.

Originally, the paper he drafted was another request to look into the forest, but with the added condition of having someone who directly watches over the place to be his overseer. He was planning on making the person he kidnapped to vouch for him (and if it didn’t work, he could always resort to blackmail), and even devised a plan already on how to approach the place that sounds like it would really be a benefit for the company.

But as his luck would have it, there was no need to do so. He seems to have accidentally brought home a rather…dangerous individual.

Kwak Jegang pauses to recall the appearance that he was greeted with the moment he got that thing out of the marble. It wasn’t obvious at first because it had its back turned, but he had properly gotten a glimpse of the several yellow wolf-like eyes that stared him down, and the sharp fangs under the muzzle-locked snout.

He pauses his spinning to rest a hand on his chin, thinking about this appearance.

“What kind of Darkness is it?” he mutters to himself. “Red hood and a wolf in a forest…?”

Hm…The only thing that comes to mind was a fairytale. Could it be a fairytale-themed Darkness?

A feeling of strangeness washes over him. Kwak Jegang blinks at the paper, feeling like something was wrong. The high that he was in was slowly coming down, replaced with a sudden confusion that was akin to finding oneself in a place where nothing made sense.

Huh?

…For some reason, something was wrong. He just can’t put a finger on it.

A fairytale Darkness? That felt…wrong. Was its entrance really something in a random mountain forest, where anyone could just enter?

He recalls the fact that it was listed under the Darknesses that Baekilmong Co. manages, despite being blocked out. Even this fact was strange, because won’t it be more likely that something with that location and entry conditions would fall under the Bureau?

No, if he were to follow that logic, it would be even more strange that he was looking into a place like Jisan. 

…Why was he researching Jisan again? He can’t quite…

Hoh.

Haha…

Hahaha…

The sudden laughter that came from his general direction made more of the researchers look over in alarm. They exchanged nervous looks with each other, like they were already dreading the worst.

“Should we…call the security team?” one of them asked.

“I think he’s gone mad. Is he contaminated?”

“How, though? He hasn’t gone inside any Darkness at all. That bastard would sooner throw someone else in rather than come in himself.”

“Maybe he’s the Darkness?”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

Kwak Jegang shoots out of his seat with the vigor of someone who just realized something. He was holding several stacks of paper in his hands, all of which are about past projects that he has worked on before. He would always keep copies of them for himself in case of emergency situations, after all. Then, he scrambles his way to his personal office and tossed everything on top of his desk.

There is something off with what was going on, that was what his intuition was telling him. He just can’t tell what exactly was wrong. As of now, it just feels like a nagging feeling that insists he investigates.

He thinks back to the angry wolf he hid in a detention room and tried to draw a hypothesis.

Could there be a reason why the sudden strange feeling of everything being incongruent only happened after coming back from that forest? He wonders to himself. He grabs a blank sheet of paper and writes this question down.

Underneath it, he writes down a few hypotheses. Some of them seemed ridiculous and completely unreasonable, and some of them were completely unheard of. But in a place where ghost stories manifest in real life and actually affect people, could it really be called impossible?

Could it be some sort of time manipulation?

Or maybe he was just getting ahead of himself? If there was a Darkness capable of manipulating time, he was pretty sure that there are a lot of people he knew that would covet its ability.

No, no. He doesn’t believe that to be that case. Firstly, Kwak Jegang fully trusts his intuition. Besides, he keeps thinking about the strange situation in the website where the information was blocked out. Is what he was feeling related to the reason why the directors refused to get him involved with the situation there?

Just what kind of secrets are you hiding, Baekilmong Co.?

Thinking about it made him shiver in a strange excitement that he hasn’t felt in a while.

“Should I visit the wolf soon?” he muses out loud. Actually, perhaps it knows something. Kwak Jegang just needs to figure out how he was supposed to communicate with it.

He smiles again, widely.

“I’m going to pick every little secret apart,” he mumbles to himself, feeling strangely pleased about the gold mine that he accidentally landed himself in. Was there greater fun than finding out about the things that people keep jealously hiding from others? And an even greater one than discovering what shouldn’t be known?

Piece by piece. That’s how he’s going to dissect this.

And if that doesn’t work, then ripping things apart doesn’t seem like such a bad thing, right?

Kwak Jegang makes sure that he has time to visit the wolf he brought back with him.

For the first few days, it only glared and growled at him threateningly. Even just looking at it causes goosebumps to rise on his arms. It was clear that if he gets too close and complacent, he could get torn apart starting from his head.

He gets bored of having little to no progress after a while. So Kwak Jegang one day settles closer than usual to the growling Darkness, tilting his head as he observes under his glasses.

“Let’s try this again,” he begins, voice almost a singsong. “Can you understand me?”

He gets a nastier glare in response.

Well! It can’t be helped. He had to try this one, too.

“It’ll be easier if you cooperate, you know?” Kwak Jegang says as his hand stretches out. He firmly took a grasp of the other’s chin and tilted his head slightly upwards, so they could look at each other eye-to-eye. “I could take you back to your forest faster if you answer what I’m saying properly.”

…Then.

He sees it.

There was a slight change in the wolf’s eyes. It almost looked like something about mentioning the forest affected him in some form, but it was difficult to tell if it was a positive or negative effect. He still takes the small victory, and the indication that this Darkness does understand what he was saying this entire time.

He releases his hold.

“Shall we continue?”

The glare doesn’t come this time. Instead, the eerie yellow eyes shifted downwards in what almost seems like submission. He barely stops the bubble of laughter from escaping his throat.

“There we go.”

With one swift movement, he removes the muzzle that was keeping the wolf’s jaw locked. It was already a few days since the snout morphed back to a regular human’s face anyway, so there was no reason to be extremely cautious unless it returned back to how it was.

The moment that it was off, he heard a voice, low and cautious, ask, “What do you want?”

He almost jumped up and ran around the room in joy. Really, this was amazing progress!

Kwak Jegang smiles pleasantly and decides to just go straight to the point. “Do you know Baekilmong Co.?”

This time, he was carefully observing every miniscule reaction that he could get as well. That’s why he notices the very few muscles that twitched in the other’s otherwise blank face at the mention of the company.

“Are you from there?” was the response that he gets.

He clicks his tongue in faux disappointment. “You don’t answer a question with a question.”

Kwak Jegang recalls that his co-workers comment that there are times when he is purposely difficult to work with. That was why he knew the exact reason why the wolf started glaring at him again. This caused a smile to creep to his face.

“Your answer is enough of a confirmation anyway,” he waves his hand dismissively. “Then, what about your name? Are you some sort of forest god, or just an average Darkness?”

“J3.”

…J3?

He gives a pause at the answer, feeling strange. That kind of name doesn’t particularly sound like anything that a Darkness would have. In fact, it sounds more like the kind of name that someone from the security team would have.

He makes a mental note of this. Perhaps there was a correlation between this and the erased information in Baekilmong Co.’s website.

“Okay!” Kwak Jegang claps his hand and stands up. “This much is very informative! Since you’re properly answering me now, I guess there’s no harm in telling you this!”

“...”

“You’re a very useful subject that I can use for myself,” he says cheerfully. “So no, it might take a while for you to get out and return to your forest.”

He sees the expression on J3’s face change again. It didn’t even bother to hide the intent behind such a look.

I will rip you apart from your throat.

Now, that’s a really scary expression. Just looking at it made him shiver slightly, but not enough to run away. If anything, it just made him feel even more entertained and excited about what was going on. Haha…At least J3, too, was completely honest about wanting to kill him.

He returns to his office soon after that, leaving J3 with no company but himself again.

Now that the muzzle was off, he feels like there was less restriction than before. J3 exhales through his nose and clenches his jaw.

That entire confrontation…To be completely honest, it was one that left him utterly conflicted.

For as long as he could remember, he was living with a muddled head. It felt like there was something stuck inside his brain, blocking any proper thought that might cross his mind. It lulled him to silence, to remain as a passive observer drifting aimlessly without any real reason to exist.

But…that bastard of a researcher…

He felt like a walking paradox. He stenches of something unpleasant, of malice and self-centeredness that he feels like something he’d been subjected to before. But at the same time, he was a walking reminder of something that he can’t properly remember, like a past that long slipped him by regardless of how much he tries to keep it held tightly in his grasp.

(Like someone he knew, a lifetime ago.

A younger man. An endless stream of complaints. A soft chuckle that found the immaturity hilarious.)

J3 existed in the forest for as long as he can remember. Sometimes, people would pray to him to keep them safe. Sometimes, they would curse him for not doing so.

Anything beyond that, he doesn’t remember anymore.

That’s why he felt so repulsed with that man. He was an embodiment of someone J3 felt that he must kill, and not at the same time.

I have to get rid of him.

It was the worst feeling ever.

There were people in the R&D office when he returned. It was a gaggle of Field Investigation Team members, shifting around anxiously as they looked around the room with obvious nervousness clinging to them. The only ones who didn't share the same expression was a group of four people who carried themselves with much confidence that he immediately knew that they must be part of an elite team.

He caught the eye of Lee Yeonhwa among them, talking in a normal volume. He doesn’t particularly care about what she was saying, since it was probably just a summary of what the team might be expecting in the Darkness that they are about to enter. What caught his attention, however, was what the people around them were talking about.

“I honestly didn’t think they’d call in an elite team for this.”

“Which one is this again?”

“Isn’t it Team B?”

“Oh, really?”

…Team B?

Temporarily sobered from his usual mood, Kwak Jegang’s gaze drifted back to the Field Exploration Team members, who were supposed to be from Team B. It was only after a while did he catch what he was doing. He doesn’t really know why, but the act almost felt like he was subconsciously looking for someone there. As for who…

He brings a hand up to his chin, smiling mischievously.

“Hmm…”

He retreats back to his table. Anyway, whatever they were up to was not anything that he should be too concerned with. That wasn’t the task that was assigned to him.

For some reason, ever since he picked up the wolf from that forest, strange things that he can’t quite put a finger on has been happening around him. It was subtle, more of a nagging feeling in his gut about something being off. And as a researcher, isn’t it natural that he has a firm trust on what his instincts were telling him?

His desk was almost cleared of papers. After all, he took most of them to his office, and some to his house, when he was thinking things through the last time. There were some insignificant papers that were left, though. He decides to clean them up first before any curious eyes decides to take a peek while he is off doing something else.

“How amazing,” he hums to himself. “I thought this was just an interesting little project. But now, many things keep coming at me at once that I have to hurry up just to sort everything before it all vanishes. Haha.”

For half an hour, no one really approached him. They were all busy with their own reports that they probably have to submit soon, and the team that entered the Darkness still haven’t returned. Moreover, he can hear his phone vibrating inside his pocket once in a while, an easy indication that those who didn’t have much to do or wanted to slack off were busy sending texts related to the Darkness and the team that went in, betting among themselves.

It was at this time that he pulled out a drawer in his desk. Inside was a single folder, which he had compiled just yesterday and brought to the company with him in the morning. In there, there were some notes that he had created by following what his intuition was telling him.

At the very beginning of his file was the root of everything.

A simple story between kids who are ignorant of what is actually going on about the world. Thinking about it now, while it wasn’t completely impossible (the possibility existing in a mere five percent), having people talking about a Darkness that was left unattended for a while near Baekilmong Co. might seem a little strange already. In most cases, the Bureau would make sure to take care of small rumors like this as soon as it sparks before the company takes interest in it.

No matter how many requests he sends to the directors to study the particular area, they keep refusing. Sure, there was the fact that it was likely because the place itself is outside the Darknesses under their watch, but so what? It’s not an unprecedented thing to claim that they found themselves, is it? Especially when it is one that could be incredibly useful to the company.

The rest of his notes detail the sudden strange feeling that he’s been getting lately. An odd disharmony in the progression of events, a feeling that something was missing or something was strangely familiar.

In the end, he wears a disappointed face that would’ve never drawn the pity of anyone who knew of his eccentric personality.

“The details are still lacking,” he laments to himself. His eyes drew to the side, thinking deeply to himself. “Should I question that person?…Hmm…”

It was almost by the end of the shift when Team B returned from the Darkness that they entered. The other teams that they came in with seemed to have been halved in number. In contrast, there was minimal damage to the elite team.

He watches them for a while without saying anything. He could see about two people still trembling no matter how much they tried to hide it. They keep looking around anxiously, a clear sign that they don’t think they’re safe just yet. His phone was buzzing again, of his shallow coworkers talking to each other about who won the bet. Having no interest in it, Kwak Jegang does not pay it any attention. 

About ten minutes before the day ends, he stands up to collect his belongings, getting ready to go home. He forgets about the fact that his musing led to him leaving his folder from earlier untouched in his lap. It fell down uselessly, and it was only thanks to the fact that it fell down still shut that the contents did not go flying everywhere. Still, some documents ended up peeking out.

“Oh my.” He clicks his tongue, staring at it. “How clumsy of me.”

He feels someone look at him to see what happened, but whoever it was hastily looked away and pretended to have not seen anything.

Kwak Jegang lowers himself and picks up the folder. One hand reached out to smooth out its contents and keep it neatly arranged inside. But before he could complete his task, his hand stopped mid-motion, and his eye twitched.

The words could’ve reflected back through his glasses, but it was crystal clear in his view.

========================================================

The Road Not Taken

Identification Code: QTERW-D-928

========================================================

It was a Darkness that he didn't recognize.

For a moment, he remained crouched on the same spot, head running countless possibilities. Even without consciously doing so, a large smile slowly starts to creep up to Kwak Jegang’s face.

No matter how much he thinks about it, he was one hundred percent sure that this was a Darkness that he never studied during his time in Baekilmong Co., If it was, shouldn’t it at least ring a bell for him, who seems to possess rather detailed information about it?

Once more, something strange happened while he was focused on things related to that forest. With the amount of times that he experienced it, can it truly be called a coincidence? Even more so, just this incident alone was glaringly obvious that even a foolish person who might try to deny the thoughts of something going on could no longer say anything.

He hurriedly continued what he was doing, eager to return home as quickly as possible. Kwak Jegang didn’t even bother with fake pleasantries anymore. He just left the room hastily, clocked out, and didn’t even look back as he went.

A new clue? Or something else?

He all but threw his possessions on the couch as soon as he returned. Folder firmly grasped in his hand, he makes a beeline for his study desk inside his room. There’s already a mountain of records there from the previous time that he was checking things, but he still did not hesitate to add another one to the pile.

He opens it without further ceremony, not even to open the lights. What initially greeted him was the sight that he was looking at earlier. The same notes and information that he had been compiling. However, he looks through each paper one by one, scanning as closely as he can.

His hand comes to a stop on the seventh page. He quickly grasped it and separated it from everything else, his face conveying an obvious delight.

As he thought, there was a document there that was not there when he had made this folder.

“Haha! Yes, it’s this one!”

It was very clearly a record of a Darkness that apparently belonged to the company. He pauses and thinks for a while, but he could not recall throwing people into it to gather information (which is just his usual procedure.) Even if he tries to look through his computer for a soft copy of this work, he comes up with nothing.

The details written on the Darkness coded as QTERW-D-928 doesn’t seem to be very complete at all either. The prerequisite for entry was apparently two people who knew each other for a certain number of years now. 

There was no memory in his mind about being told to study this particular Darkness. Nor does he remember sending anyone in. So where could this data have come from?

Reading further into the file, he taps his knuckle as he thinks. There was a small smile that was slowly growing in Kwak Jegang’s face.

A thought comes to mind.

“Maybe?”

In a place where ghost stories become real, anything could be possible as well. Most of the time, it even becomes impossible to tell when, exactly, a person has fallen into one.

He's dedicated much of his life to this study, even willing to give more of it just to learn more about the strange phenomenon. Therefore, for someone who has had as much encounter with Darknesses as he had, finding an inconsistency with the world he was living in would naturally cause his eyebrow to raise questioningly.

The sound of laughter echoed inside the room. Kwak Jegang leans back, eyes sparkling in almost-childish fascination which could've been called innocent had any onlooker not known the reason for it.

“Could it be?” He asked no one in particular. “Am I inside a Darkness? This particular Darkness?”

It was a rare opportunity.

The Field Exploration Team is typically the ones sent to explore these places due to how dangerous it was. Rarely do the directors willingly send anyone from the research team, unless Kwak Jegang “accidentally” pushes one of them inside to get more data.

He has no desire to die. But seeing as he was here, perhaps he willingly consented to it? It must be a Darkness that poses very little threat to his life.

He doesn't particularly remember much about the world that he originally was. In fact, it was fascinating how the only thing his memories can recall was a life in this place. But if he was right, then those memories were tampered with, or at worst, completely forged. It was only thanks to his observation and instincts that he felt something wrong.

“Amazing!” He exclaimed. “For something like this to exist!”

It was possible for a person to wander eternally in this place, not being able to realize that they've slowly lost who they originally were.

He stands up and looks around his dimly lit room. Even though what he can see was only limited by whatever the moon illuminated, he felt like there was very little difference in it with what he originally really had. The mix of the truth with the fake made it close to impossible to find something wrong.

He pauses.

“But who was it that came in with me?”

From his memories right now, he doesn't particularly know anyone that could've known him for a long-enough time. He's been in the company for so long but no one really dared to get close to him. His notoriety as an eccentric prevented such. 

“Hmm…”

He stared outside the window, mulling things over. Surprisingly, this particular thing proved to be a challenge as well?

Someone he could've come inside the Darkness with…

No, wait.

In the Baekilmong Co. that he was in right now, there doesn't seem to be anything strange. But if he were to think in that angle, there was someone that kick-started the oddities that he was noticing ever since they'd met.

Recalling the eyes that looked like it wanted to tear him apart, the corners of Kwak Jegang’s lips twitched upwards.

Could it be?

Of all people?

He does not fight the urge to laugh. In fact, it made the tickling feeling in his stomach worse, that he had to throw his head back and express his mirth.

J3, huh?

To know him for such a long time, enough that the Darkness recognized it…

Interesting.

It's a fact that Kwak Jegang is a majorly unlikable person.

Of course, the initial impression wasn't always as such. In the beginning, most people would just assume him to be the nice guy who was more tolerable than most people in the company. This particular idea would last until he throws them headfirst into a Darkness while making sure to disrupt the original plan just to add variables to the situation.

Afterwards, it was only natural that people finally understood his nature. They'd typically try to avoid him as much as possible.

That's why it was so interesting for him to find someone that knew him for what was supposedly such a long time. No matter how much he tries to wrap his head around it, Kwak Jegang can't imagine anyone actually still getting involved with him.

Much less, someone who'd go with him to a Darkness.

He makes his way down to where he had hidden the wolf inside the company. Surprisingly, there wasn't anyone who found out about his presence just yet. He supposed this must be part of the Darkness’s doing.

Kwak Jegang hummed a cheerful tune as he made his way, genuinely happy about what was going on. Not just because of what he had been thinking of since last night, but because he solved this situation by himself somehow. Now all that was left for him to do was figure out the escape conditions with that guy, J3.

His feet came to a stop in front of a locked door. It was the one that would lead him to the room he was looking for.

He reached inside his pocket, fingers closing around something thin and flat. When he fished it out, it was clear that he was holding a keycard.

Kwak Jegang allowed it to get scanned just next to the door. Only when the soft sound of the lock coming off reached his ears did he reach out a hand and slowly pushed it open.

“Helloooo?” He called out in the dark room, tone obviously conveying his excitement. “Are you awake? J3?”

However, there was no response.

“Helloooooo~?”

…

There was still nothing.

He lets out a sigh of faux disappointment. Oh well, it can't be helped. After all, with the way that that guy was staring him down every time they met, not to mention the hostile attitude he had, it was only natural that J3 would not feel obligated to respond to his calls.

That's fine, though. Because he was still technically tied down in one spot.

He walks a little further, mood brightening up when he catches sight of a now-familiar figure hunched over by the chair.

He raises his hand, smiling.

“Hello~!” Kwak Jegang waves. “You'd be delighted to hear what I just found.”

He doesn't get a response. Unaffected by this, he moved closer until he was once more standing just in front of the wolf. He bent his body to move closer to the other man's face, uncaring if he accidentally gets bitten due to his recklessness.

“Anyone there?”

The head lifts upwards to meet his gaze. J3 looks back at him with an unreadable expression. Kwak Jegang finds that he disliked not being able to tell what it meant.

He clicks his tongue. But after a beat, he smiles again.

“The good news is that we're going to have to work together!” He clasps his hands and straightens up again. “Although that means I’d have to free you, too…but it's a bit dangerous.”

J3 still refused to say anything. His yellow eyes just stared back at him without a word.

Well, Kwak Jegang doesn't particularly care whether it was dangerous or not. In fact, just the thought of it sounded a little exciting. He doesn't know what would happen the moment he loosens the restraints.

He reaches inside his pocket and hands the keys by his index finger. Intentionally dangling it so J3 could see it, he nods.

“Would you be willing to go along?”

“...Go along with what?” J3 answers with narrowed eyes.

“Of course, to figure out what Darkness we're in!”

He sees the miniscule movement of eyebrows furrowing from the wolf in front of him. Kwak Jegang begins to talk about what he found with much enthusiasm, moving around as he does wide gestures here and there.

When he was done, J3 remained there, still staring at him with an unchangingly unbothered expression.

Kwak Jegang lowers his arms and goes back to smiling at him. “So, what do you think? Should we work together?”

“...Untie me.”

“You won't kill me if I do, right?” He asks with a chuckle. “If you do, we might not be able to get out of here anymore.”

“...”

“Aiyahh, you know we'd be in trouble if we can't get along now?”

He shakes his head, sighing all the while. “As much as you might hate it, it's necessary.”

“Untie.”

Haha! He's not even going to answer the question, is he? But that was fine, Kwak Jegang didn't really expect him to do so. Their relationship was an antagonistic one from the start, since the kidnapping from the forest happened.

He observes the other person for a brief while.

It's truly strange. What kind of first meeting could they have had? What were the dynamics between them and how did it last for so long? Most people in the company, especially those from the Field Exploration Team, never had long life expectancy in the first place.

When you look at me, what do you think?

It was natural for him to want to know. Kwak Jegang's interest in things that he doesn't know has always been strong, after all.

He grips the key in his hand properly.

It felt like his movements were being carefully watched. Still, he didn't hesitate even at the last second, where he finally unlocked the restraints that were keeping J3 bound to that chair in that constrictive position.

Click.

The first of it came undone.

And then the second.

…

Kwak Jegang leans back, nodding to himself in satisfaction.

At that moment, the hairs at the back of his head suddenly stood up, warning him of a sudden danger.

He barely had time to react to it. Kwak Jegang toppled over to the floor, the crash knocking his breath out momentarily. He blinks, dazed and a little dizzy, with a full pain originating from his backside.

There was a restrictive feeling closing around his neck. Something sharp digs to his skin, a prickling feeling of pain setting his nerves in fire. Kwak Jegang looks at the person—person? creature? just above him, an almost-manical grin on his face.

J3’s fangs grew bigger, sharper. His mouth elongated to something that looks more like a snout, and he was barring his teeth and snarling at the researcher under him. Hatred and something else was reflected in his inhuman eyes.

“Are you really going to kill me?” Kwak Jegang asks.

All he got in response was a low growling noise. But he expected this already, anyway, when he headed down this place. The look in J3’s eyes always seemed like he wanted to kill him.

What a shame, though. They could've worked together to figure out this Darkness.

J3 opens his maw. It was large enough to bite off his head in one go.

…

And then they were gone.

“...”

When he blinked awake, he was back in the R&D room.

It was already nighttime. When he looked at the clock, Kwak Jegang discovered that it's almost midnight by the time he woke up.

Memories flooded back in his mind. Just as he deduced, he was really inside a Darkness. The person that his co-workers decided should go with him was J3, that security guard in the basement because of how long they've known each other.

He stays there for some time, thinking to himself. The corner of Kwak Jegang’s lips keep twitching upwards, as if he was greatly amused by something.

It didn't take long for a figure to appear just next to him afterwards.

J3 no longer wore the rags that he was dressed in inside the Darkness. He readjusts the security team uniform that he was wearing and stood up without much fanfare. Kwak Jegang watches him for a while, but that person did not even spare him a glance.

Really? After their fateful display of acquaintanceship inside the Darkness?

He clicks his tongue, purposely making it loud enough for J3 to hear. But that guy pretended to not have noticed, instead continuing on his way and opening the door.

What was he in such a hurry for? It's not like he's still on duty at this time.

When the door closed, Kwak Jegang was once more alone in the room, leaving him to his own thoughts.

He hummed thoughtfully. Now that he can recall his memories, he also remembered the initial clear requirement for the Darkness he just entered. It was a rather simple one, actually, which was why he hadn't been too worried about it before he entered.

In summary, the Darkness wanted to see if the two people would still end up in the same relationship they had in the present despite having stories different from reality. All that had to be done was to enact a scenario that was also likely to happen outside the Darkness.

He reaches up a hand to touch his neck. He can still feel the sharp claws cutting through his skin, and lets out a shudder.

Even without the context of their history…

So you want to kill me so badly? He thinks in amusement. 

-

End.