Chapter Text
Have you ever had an experience where you became totally engrossed in something?
Something that makes you not just think, ‘Oh, this is fun,’ but become so deeply impressed that you end up spending extra time and money on it.
There must be something like that, right?
But for Baek Saheon, he never understood why people became so immersed in such trivial matters. He would even go so far as to say he looked down on those who did engage in such activities. After all, he’s spent his whole life around people who knew nothing except to obsess.
While the cult-like obsession he was exposed to was seemingly different from people’s interest in shows and novels, Saheon had seen enough of the world to understand they stemmed from the same place. He’d seen enough people tread over the fine line that separated the two.
And yet here he was, standing outside a popup store, patiently waiting to enter.
“The 2:30 PM time slot is now open for entry!”
Following the direction of the staff, Saheon swiftly made his way towards the store. He could hear whispers behind him.
“Uhh…”
“A reseller?”
“Isn’t he a dealer?”
Saheon couldn’t have cared less about these teenagers. Does it really matter if people think he’s a reseller or not? He only came here for one reason after all.
[Welcome, explorer of the darkness.]
The decorations were fairly impressive; a theme with black and red backgrounds, caricatures of monsters, occult elements, and symbols of corporations, religions and governments all intertwined.
[Prophecy of the Apocalypse: Dark Exploration Records]
<Dark Exploration Records>
It’s the world of a ghost story universe that’s been super popular recently. It was some kind of open-source collective intelligence universe where people can participate and create their own stories.
The concept of ‘records of exploring various paranormal phenomena called <Darkness>’ spread on the internet like crazy, growing into an independent wiki with hundreds and thousands of creepypastas.
And while all this was impressive, Baek Saheon had to admit he’s barely read any of the records. They weren’t bad by any means, but they just didn’t suit his tastes. The characters were created for teenagers, while the horror didn’t affect him much. Besides, of the records he read, too many reminded him of his hometown.
All this changed during an update a year ago. Due to the nature of the wiki’s creation, there was no clear explanation or guide to understanding the world. Fans were expected to just read records and slowly gain an understanding of the world. While this worked for a while, complaints became apparent as the fandom expanded.
Of course, there were many fan attempts to create one, but somehow, not a single one stuck around for long. No one could come to a unanimous agreement on which one should be ‘canon’. That was, until a Disaster Management Bureau style guide was published.
<Agent Grape’s Darkness Survival Manual>
In it, a mysterious agent with the codename “Grapes” outlined all basic information needed to join the fandom—guides to how darknesses are classified and characteristics of each faction. But as the name suggests, it also explores how each ghost story could be cleared.
Since exploration records didn’t explicitly state the solution, this guide quickly gained popularity among newer fans. Not only was it informative, it was also highly engaging. <AGDSM> treated readers as citizens trapped in a darkness, patiently explaining the circumstances and rules for survival.
When this guide was released, Baek Saheon was sceptical. After all, how interesting could a government agent’s guide be? Agent Grapes was likely just another of those one dimensional characters used purely as an accessory for the story.
Baek Saheon could not have been more wrong.
Though Agent Grapes never had and recorded explorations nor descriptions of himself, his selfless personality was still evident. Maybe that was what made him stand out the most. Unlike any other character, his kindness was undeniably sincere.
Well, it really wasn’t Saheon’s fault he became so attached. He tried not to get attached, he really did. But how can anyone not love Agent Grapes? Although Saheon was originally embarrassed to be a fan, enough time has passed for him to settle down. As long as he never fully dedicated himself to the fandom, he should be fine, right?
Shaking off his thoughts, Saheon hurriedly scanned the displays. Something seemed off. The department store was designed in a way that every section was visible from the entry. Yet no matter how many times he looked, Saheon could not see one dedicated to Agent Grapes.
An uneasy feeling washed over him as he approached a staff member.
“Excuse me, may I know where the Agent Grapes merch are?”
The staff’s face filled with confusion as he typed something on the computer.
“Sir, are you sure you have the correct name? We do not sell any merchandise for that character.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Agent Grapes is not a registered character on the wiki either.”
What?
But before Saheon could say anything, a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
“It seems that there was a small mixup. I’m sorry for the inconvenience sir, but I’m afraid your time here is up.”
A chill ran down Baek Saheon’s spine. He whipped around to see another staff member smiling at him.
“My time here is up? What are you-”
The staff member interrupted by pressing an ID card in his hand.
“Thank you for cherishing this. It’s time to return home"
Saheon’s survival instinct was screaming at him by this point. But he could not move as the staff member’s mouth stretched upwards unnaturally, almost reaching their ears.
In that instant a flash of dizziness overwhelmed him.
“…!?”
Before he knew it, the noise from the popup store vanished, everything blurring together.
…
“Saheon-ah”
…
“Saheon-ah”
A gentle voice called out to him.
Regaining his senses, he stepped back in horror as he began to recognise his surroundings.
“Saheon-ah, this is not what your sister wanted."
In front of him stood an elderly woman.
The village chief. Why is she here?
The deep, consuming fear he thought he escaped came rushing back to him all at once.
Nononono. I escaped this place. I left long ago.
Although his mind was frozen, his body was not. He turned and ran. Due to the countless times he’s mapped out this village, he was able to smoothly make it to his house despite not returning for years. Saheon slammed the door shut, locking it and proceeded to collapse to the floor.
Why am I here? Whywhywhywhywhy?
There was no denying it.
He was back at Jisan Village.