Chapter Text
When the squad leader announced which ghost story they’re going to enter next, Kim Soleum was prepared for anything. The week leading to the day of the mission, he spent it visiting karaoke booths late at night and binge watching videos of idols dancing like there is no tomorrow. Of course he doesn’t have what it takes to become an idol, but knowing his luck he’d definitely be chosen as a participant. If he were to be forced to participate, he’ll at least have to endure until he could escape safely.
(Nevermind the fact that he doesn’t want anyone else to be chosen, whether it’d be someone from his team or from the other squads.)
According to the wiki records, there were three cases where up to twenty participants were chosen, two where fifteen were chosen, one where only seven were chosen, and one case where there was only one participant chosen. The poor victim from the last record suffered the most, considering there was no one else there who would bear the consequences of downvotes. In the end, the person immediately jumped into oncoming traffic as soon as she got out, the weight of being an idol too much to bear.
Another record where fifteen participants were chosen, two participants managed to escape by one faking a collapse and the other supposedly helping the idol go rest backstage. There, they escaped through the emergency exit, successfully escaping the ghost story before the show ended. Although even with all those effort, the both of them still ended up dying within three months, both by separate cases of suicide.
Then, the key to escaping successfully and without bearing the crushing weight of being an idol is…
…escaping within at least the first two challenges.
Combining all the records, there were going to be at least five challenges presented, although the number of said challenges could increase or decrease randomly by each entry. The two participants who escaped did it after three challenges, and then died within three months. While there was no concrete evidence of it, Soleum had concluded that the fewer challenges they participate in, the less likely they would suffer after getting out.
The plan was nearly perfect. Ask for Braun’s help to make sure he gets selected as a participant, manipulate the darkness so only one or two people were selected, stop everything by at least the second challenge and then escape with everyone through the various emergency exits available.
So why…
[So now, dear audience! Let’s welcome our new contestants!]
Upon the stage were seven masked people, members of both squad S and squad T, struggling against the noose around their necks tightly keeping them in place underneath the spotlights.
[Now this won’t do! Please take off your masks, dear participants! So you can show off your full idol charm for the world!]
People sitting in the audience seats all gasped as the masks on their faces vanished one by one. Their usual handsome faces now were in various states of shock and surprise, unbefitting of them at all. Seven young men stood on stage as an invisible host shouted out both their code names and their real names, announcing it for all the audience to hear.
…did everything go wrong?
Park Moondae was having a great day. Almost great, if only that damn status window didn’t exist. No, actually, he would’ve had a very great, very amazing day if only he wasn’t working here in the first place.
Well anyway.
Park Moondae was having a somewhat great day, until his squad leader and unfortunately his sunbae, suddenly announced they needed to enter a darkness. The darkness was supposedly assigned to some other squads, but because of circumstances, both his squad and squad S were suddenly needed.
“It’ll be fine~ Kwak Jekang said it’s because the other guys that were supposed to take this on were found dead this morning. He said we just need to sit and watch the whole time,” Lee Sejin said with an easy grin. Moondae raised an eyebrow at him.
“It’s Kwak Jekang, do you really believe that’s his only reason?”
“Fair enough!” Sejin gave the manual he was holding to Moondae.
“B- but weren’t we s- supposed to be on paperwork duty today?” Seon Ahyeon stood up from where he was sitting on his chair, putting down the mug of cold tea he was holding. Moondae shrugged, opening the manual and giving space for Seon Ahyeon to join him in reading it.
“Hey, at least because of this we won’t need to see another damn paper until at least tomorrow!" Sejin joined them in their little huddle, leaning his elbow against Moondae’s shoulder, to the shorter’s annoyance.
The three of them had been slaving away at their desks since five in the morning, trying to finish all the paperwork their squad had piled up before the end of the week. You would’ve thought a team filled with three somewhat responsible people would’ve finished these on time, but no, not when the team leader would rather annoy his hubae than do work, and said hubae whose patience is as thin as a hair strand kept being tested everyday, while the only other sane person on the team is trying very hard not to break down because of their cat fights.
Yesterday they had finally agreed on a date, clocked in early this morning, and had been working on their paperworks ever since. The members from the squad next door had been checking in on them, offering them support and some teasing remarks. Internally, Moondae cursed Ryu Cheongwoo's sense of responsibility. S-squad had finished all their work, both paperwork and fieldwork. They didn’t need to do anything at all that day; basically paid free time!
“S- Sejin-ah, you said we’ll be going with squad S r- right?”
“Yep~ they’re also dragged into this. Should we get some popcorn before we go? Heard from Eugene that this’ll be a fun one,” Sejin playfully suggested. Moondae let out a heavy sigh, flipping through the thin manual. “That guy always said it’ll be a fun one for every darkness we enter,” He said, “For all we know we would die in this one,”
“Don’t be so pessimistic, assistant manager~ See,” Sejin let his finger trace a sentence on the manual. “It said here most audience members survived and escaped safely. All we need to do is not cause a scene!”
“W- what if we got chosen as participants instead?”
“Aish, that chance is low! Out of all people, us? Even if one of us does get picked, we’ll just burn everything and get out!”
“I d- don’t think that’s a good idea…”
The door to their shared office slammed open. A young man with red hair stood there with a wide grin.
“Hey, hyungs! You guys ready? We’ve been waiting for ages!”
Frantic footsteps. Seconds later a familiar face came into view. “CHA EUGENE! Don’t be rude to our seniors!” Kim Raebin grabbed the back of Cha Eugene’s head, forcing him to bow with him. “I’m so sorry hyungs!”
“Ah~ Raebin-ah, Eugene-yah! Where’s the other hyungs huh?” Sejin cheerfully greeted them, going ahead to ruffle their heads in fondness.
“We’re here. We were just picking up some items,” Ryu Cheongwoo and Bae Sejin finally appeared, their masks in their hands. Bae Sejin seemed to be typing furiously with one hand, glaring at his phone like it had personally offended him.
“We need to go now. That Kwak Jekang guy has been spamming my phone, ugh,” The older Sejin shut down his phone with a frustrated huff, looking up at them.
Cheongwoo smiled, “Then, shall we go?”
The deafening cheers definitely didn’t come from the human audience at the front. From up on stage, Moondae could see various other kinds in the audience, clapping and cheering for their shitty luck.
A strange, fleshy, lump-like creature seemed to be eyeing him with a predatory gaze. Moondae carefully looked away.
Ahyeon, who’s standing beside him, was trembling. Moondae slowly reached the taller’s hand, about to comfort him silently, but as soon as he touched Ahyeon’s skin, they both flinched from the burning hot feeling from the contact.
[Tsk, tsk! A participant touching another participant is not allowed! This will only result in sabotage and cheating, you know that? Sigh…we haven’t even started the show yet, but we already have to give out penalties!]
A second later, Moondae felt the noose around him tightened. He choked, hands grasping desperately at his neck for relief. Between his blurring eyes he could see Ahyeon doing the same, gasping for breath.
“Hyung!”
“Retriever! Elk!”
[Ah but of course, I am a kind and generous being! This will only serve as a warning for you all, understood?]
His coworkers on stage all nodded frantically, and Moondae felt himself falling to his knees as the noose suddenly disappeared. Ahyeon collapsed beside him, huffing and panting.
“Shit, are you guys okay?!” Keun Sejin kneeled beside them, hands hovering.
[Oh? Do you not know, participant Bear?]
“...?!”
[Aspiring idols are not allowed to curse!]
Keun Sejin’s eyes widened, before he suddenly started coughing harshly. Moondae felt horror when he saw blood spilling from Sejin’s mouth.
[Second warning~ Third warning and the three of you may end up dead before the show even starts! Ah, how ironic~]
Keun Sejin only wheezed painfully, glaring at where he assumed the host was situated.
[But I suppose the show hasn't even started yet, hmm…aha! Since I am generous, the moment we start, I will remove the amount of warnings you have! You could say I reset the counter to zero, haha! Such a merciful and kind being I am~]
No one said anything. The non-human audience continued cheering.
[Then, without further ado, let’s get started!]