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He's... he's screwed.
It should've been obvious from the very start that today wasn't going to be his lucky day—not that he ever really has one, but that's beside the point..
Today, there were no exceptions to that rule. He had to walk into a ghost story completely alone, since every single member of his squad was tied up with something else. He was practically on the verge of tears at the thought of facing this by himself, but relief washed over him when he realized it was rated as an easy darkness.
Sure, it was still frightening, but nothing worth panicking or collapsing over.
Once that was done, he'd be free of his darkness duty for the day and could spend the rest of it however he pleased.
Yes!
That is, if things had actually gone the way they were supposed to.
The instant he stepped into what was supposed to be an ordinary darkness, he was hit with the sound of confetti popping and a chorus of voices shouting something blacked out—■■■—followed by a wave of laughter.
Right after that... he felt something yank at him, and his consciousness slipped away entirely.
The only reason he woke up at all was because his good friend was calling his name, and when he finally cracked his eyes open, he found himself staring at his own office.
Except—the desk, the furniture, everything around him—was roughly ten times its normal size. Kim Soleum immediately spiraled into panic, glanced down at himself, and reached the obvious conclusion: he had shrunk.
Why?? How did this happen??
The pieces clicked into place the second he spotted a towering, three-tiered cake sitting right beside him, smelling unmistakably of grapes.
..
...
Ah.
Kim Soleum went completely still. Now that he thought about it—what was today's date again?
Wait.
He dug through his pockets for his phone, pulled it out, and the moment his eyes landed on the date, he swore under his breath, shut his eyes, and resigned himself to his fate.
He knew exactly which darkness this was...
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Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Is it my birthday today?]
: A ghost story featured in <Dark Exploration Records>
: Daydream Inc. identification code– Qterw-A-1864
Oh no?! Your birthday is here!~ No more suffering today!~ Come on in, we've got cake! You might get a funny little change, but don't worry! It's not deadly or anything silly like that! ><
And when you're done, we'll send you home safely with a present! ♡
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This ghost story specifically targets anyone unlucky—or lucky, depending on how you look at it—enough to enter on their own birthday. Simple mechanic, easy to trigger, but genuinely dangerous once you dig into the fine print.
Given that this was classified as an A-Class darkness, Kim Soleum could feel his heart pounding erratically. Why A-Class, you might wonder? Well...
Being yanked straight back into the real world the instant you step inside is already a powerful mechanic on its own. It doesn't matter what information the ghost story is hiding, or what you supposedly need to accomplish before leaving—if it happens to be your birthday, this thing spits you right back out, no questions asked.
Impressive. Terrifying. Both at once.
The testimonies collected about this ghost story were overwhelmingly positive—more than enough to build a reputation—with several people claiming the cake matched their favorite flavor exactly.
Kim Soleum glanced sideways at the enormous cake looming next to him and nodded to himself. Yep, checks out.
The one catch to this ghost story was that, in return for the quick escape, it slapped you with a completely random physical side effect.
One account described a woman—■■■—who came out of it with enhanced speed. Another testimony came from a man—■■■—who ended up with stretchy arms and legs.
None of it was ever severe enough to be labeled truly dangerous, but random was still random.
And apparently, this was the hand he'd been dealt. Shrinking down to practically nothing.
Aigoo, if that unhinged researcher ever caught wind of this—it would be over for him. Who knows what that asshat would do the second he saw him this vulnerable.
What was he supposed to do now?
"Oh, did Kim Soleum-ssi already head into that darkness?"
Kim Soleum froze in place.
Voices were drawing closer just beyond the door—and yet his body refused to move an inch!
"I think so! But don't stress about it too much—I heard it was an easy one, plus it's our rookie, so it'll probably wrap up fast!" a voice chirped, which Soleum could only guess belonged to Park Minseong.
With barely any options left, and the door already swinging open, Kim Soleum scrambled to his feet and dove behind the towering cake to hide.
The moment Eun Haje stepped inside, her gaze locked onto the massive cake, and she tilted her head, clearly puzzled. Park Minseong walked in right behind her and wore the exact same baffled expression. Lee Jaheon trailed after them, said nothing, and simply let the quiet stretch on.
"...Did someone stop by and leave this here?" Eun Haje asked, wandering over to inspect the cake up close—no name tag, no note, nothing. Who on earth had dropped this off?
While the two of them poked around the cake and even started texting people to ask who might have delivered it, Lee Jaheon quietly slipped behind the table and spotted Kim Soleum frozen solid.
He blinked.
Damn it. Kim Soleum squeezed his eyes shut and accepted defeat—he knew this effect only lasted about an hour tops, so maybe if he just kept hiding for a bit longer, he could wait it out. But no such luck.
It seemed Lee Jaheon had already figured out exactly what was going on—he calmly rested both arms on the edge of the table, palms open, clearly waiting for Kim Soleum to climb aboard.
Kim Soleum was well aware of what was happening but—the humiliation of it all! Who wouldn't feel mortified? Still, did he really have another option? Not one bit. So with an exhausted sigh, he trudged over to his squad leader's massive open palms and sat himself down, clutching one of Jaheon's fingers in a death grip.
Lee Jaheon carefully cradled the tiny version of Soleum and raised both arms to present him to the other two, who were still standing there thoroughly confused.
"Section chief—" Before Eun Haje could even finish the sentence, her eyes zeroed in on the small, embarrassed figure perched in Lee Jaheon's palms. She froze mid-sentence. Park Minseong caught sight of the same thing and froze right along with her.
Then, slowly, Eun Haje lifted a finger and pointed straight at tiny Soleum. "...W-What is that?"
"Kim Soleum-ssi," Lee Jaheon answered smoothly, without missing a single beat. Park Minseong flinched at the name and assumed it had to be some kind of joke—but on closer inspection, the miniature figure was clearly, unmistakably alive and moving!
"What happened to you?" Eun Haje asked, stunned, leaning in close to get a better look at the mortified Soleum. Park Minseong leaned in too and let out a long sigh.
Kim Soleum was shaking from sheer embarrassment! Who wouldn't be, in his position?! He wanted to hide, but there wasn't a single place left to disappear to!
"Ah... is that actually you, Soleum-ssi?" Park Minseong asked, needing the confirmation, and Kim Soleum answered with a weary little "yes."
Even his voice had changed—it came out noticeably higher-pitched now.
Park Minseong slapped a hand over his mouth, trying and failing to smother his laughter, while Eun Haje didn't even bother hiding hers. "Did you get cursed or something?" She kept laughing and gently poked at the top of Soleum's head. Naturally, Kim Soleum flinched at the touch, but he settled down quickly once he realized she wasn't trying to hurt him.
"I... it happened because of a ghost story that targets people whose birthday falls that day..." Kim Soleum winced at how squeaky his own voice sounded but pressed on regardless—Eun Haje and Park Minseong kept giggling at how adorable their rookie looked in this state.
"And I really don't think that cake is safe to eat," Soleum added quickly. "I only figured out it was tied to birthdays because there was a voice telling me to enjoy it." That part, of course, was a complete lie—but considering there was no way to explain how he actually knew without exposing himself, admitting the truth would've been a death sentence.
Lee Jaheon stood completely still and didn't budge until Park Minseong grabbed a clean cloth and spread it out over Soleum's desk. Jaheon hesitated for a beat before finally, gently, setting him down.
"So that's your theory?" Park Minseong asked, still practically bouncing with excitement, flashing the warmest, biggest smile he had. "I had no idea a ghost story like that even existed..."
"I'm not saying my theory's a hundred percent right, it's just—it's my birthday today, and the voices I heard..." Soleum admitted, dropping his voice to a whisper as he confessed the part about it being his birthday. He hadn't even remembered it himself until just now!
Eun Haje reached out and gently patted his head with a single finger, smiling warmly. "Ah, so today really is your birthday," she said, then glanced back at the cake sitting on the table. "Are you absolutely sure it's not safe to eat?"
Kim Soleum could tell she was joking, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that said she genuinely wanted to try a bite—please, anything but that!
"Well... we obviously can't just leave you here on your own, not while you're this small." Park Minseong scratched the back of his head, smiling a little awkwardly.
"I'll keep him safe," Lee Jaheon suddenly cut in, and the silence that followed was somehow even more awkward than before. Seriously! Kim Soleum was suffering through all of this!
A while later—Eun Haje and Park Minseong came back to check on their rookie and absolutely squealed with delight when they found him fast asleep on a tiny plush pillow beside Lee Jaheon's desk. Looks like the exhaustion had finally caught up with him. Goodness.
Eun Haje and Park Minseong wasted no time snapping pictures of him, and even Lee Jaheon asked to have copies sent his way.