In the desperate situation where the blood-teared mascots with eyeless stares demanded, "Come on, start killing someone yourself," lies flowed effortlessly from my mouth.
"A trap, you say?"
"Yes. Think about it."
I struggled to avoid looking at the crazed mascots on the window while maintaining an expression that said, 'I just had a brilliant thought.'
"This Darkness bound us as a team. But is it really okay to kill a team member carelessly?"
Actually, it is okay.
"This Darkness chokes us just for putting distance between teammates. But what if we kill someone?"
You could just carry around the corpse, honestly.
But doing something like that… My cowardly heart might not hold up, and I'd end up getting reassigned as the 'official torture maniac', in the perfect spot to die…
"…I believe there would be a massive penalty."
"Hmm."
The eyes under the butterfly mask narrowed.
"Isn't there also a penalty if we don't kill someone?"
"I'm saying we might all be wiped out if we do kill someone."
"..."
"If both possibilities exist, I thought it more rational to choose the option of preserving our numbers."
The other person seemed slightly swayed.
I swallowed hard and added,
"Of course, the final decision is up to you, Assistant Manager…"
"Right! If you kill me, huh? You'll die too, huh? You don't want to die either, do you, you crazy bastard? Stop…"
Thud.
I firmly struck the back of the researcher's neck.
Knocked him out cold.
'Why are you so bent on pushing for your own death when the game's already rigged?'
No wonder he's been gambling at the office with that lack of sense!
Apparently, Y-squad's newbie, face pale as ever, released the researcher's limbs now that the restrictions were lifted.
After watching the entire scene, the A-squad superior finally spoke, slowly.
I waited anxiously.
"You."
"..."
"Don't regret this decision."
Saved.
"Yes, of course."
The A-squad superior didn't respond further. It seemed my reputation had taken quite a hit.
But that didn't matter right now.
What mattered was that we got through this timing safely.
[Die…]
The relentless "Die" narration subsided once we stopped attacking each other.
Blink.
And as the lights on the train flickered,
"They… they're gone…!"
The mascots that had surrounded the windows had vanished.
Only the bloodstains remained.
"..."
But that wasn't the only thing missing.
'Gone.'
The conductor mascot.
The cheerful theme park music.
The lively disembarkation announcement.
"..."
Clang.
Manually pushing the train out, we faced an interior strangely devoid of sound and light.
"…It's like we've stepped on a landmine."
"..."
True.
I recalled an entry from
========================
Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64)
4- Each zone in the theme park is colored according to its theme! The place where you first open your eyes is the zone your team belongs to!
Respect the zone. The zone is more important than anything. Look at the colors, don't upset the mascots, the mascots are everything in the zone.
========================
This rule existed for a reason…
If you anger the mascot in a colored zone of the theme park, you're no longer respected as a 'guest' in that zone.
You may end up becoming a player in one deadly game of hide-and-seek.
But stepping on a landmine is better than hitting the nuke button.
'The mascots' demands escalate like an escalator ride.'
Usually, they start by asking for something simple.
Like eating something, carrying something, or giving them a warm hug.
'But asking us to commit murder right from the start?'
Then by the time we get to the next attraction, we'd be better off dead.
One example in the records even showed mascots ordering something insane like, "Make a balloon with your own bladder."
By that point, the mascots' influence would be too strong to resist.
At that point, death might be preferable.
In this horror story world, such fates worse than death happen regularly.
And even now, there's an escape route.
I swallowed hard.
'Just run.'
If we escape the red rabbit, Magic Bunny's zone, and enter another mascot's zone, this aggro state will dissipate.
For that… let's see.
'Found it!'
I finally spotted what I'd been looking for, off to the side of the dark exit path.
"There's something over there."
"What?"
This was the reason I wanted to ride this attraction in the first place.
'The color map of the theme park!'
[~Fantasyland Color Map~]
After completing this attraction, there's a map near the final exit that shows the zones belonging to each mascot.
I quickly approached, muttering to myself,
"A map. This might be useful to us."
"Why is that?"
At first glance, it looks like mere interior decoration. It visually represents Fantasyland, just as the attraction introduced.
But the information it contains is invaluable.
"Do you remember the theme of this attraction?"
"Well, um… it was about the mascots fighting over territory in this theme park…"
"Exactly."
I nodded.
"This map should indicate the zones belonging to the other mascots."
"...!"
This way, we could see the shortest route to reach another color zone.
"Running away from a monster that seems upset with us? Taking that with us?"
The A-squad assistant manager nodded toward the researcher I was carrying.
Before she could suggest killing him, I responded quickly.
"I'll wake up Reasearch Team 1's Assistant Manager as soon as we confirm the map so he can walk on his own."
"Hmph."
Please, just don't dismantle him right in front of me…
Any hope of a plan brought a glimmer of hope to the Y-squad newbie's face.
I probably looked the same.
'Please, let it be nearby.'
I took a deep breath and quickly approached the map, confirming it…
"..."
"..."
"There's… nothing."
What?
I looked at the map again.
But the image remained unchanged.
[~Fantasyland Color Map~]
The entire illustrated view of the park.
All in red.
[Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone] [Magic Bunny Zone]
Every sign had Magic Bunny's face engraved on it.
"Oh."
[Magic Bunny's Fantasyland]
A place to escape to…
There's none.
"..."
"..."
"Isn't… isn't there something wrong here, Soleum-ssi? There were clearly other mascots before…"
"Seems like they were all driven out."
"...!"
The narration we'd heard during the attraction came to mind automatically.
– One by one, one by one, one by one! Dropping them into pits, drowning them in water, pushing them off cliffs!
So then…
"The yellow and blue ones were killed, and this red mascot took over everything."
"..."
"Then… what about the other employees who drew pieces of different colors?"
"Who knows."
The A-squad assistant manager shrugged.
"All missing?"
"...!"
"Does that even matter right now? What matters is…"
The eyes beneath the butterfly mask turned sinister again.
"You seem to have made the wrong choice."
"..."
"Don't worry. It doesn't mean you'll die first."
Which could only mean one thing.
There was someone else who would die first.
"It's already too late anyway."
"..."
Reflexively, I glanced at the unconscious researcher slung over my shoulder like a deadweight.
B o r i n g
"...!!"
"Wha… what…?"
B o r i n g
The voice echoed in my head.
B o r i n g
Haven't I heard this somewhere before?
Ah, that talk show, that Tuesday talk show. In that revamped version, like the Choir of Purgatory shriekinglikethescreamofadeadpiganimalsthe mascot!MagicBunny,boredtodeath
"Urgh."
I clamped my hands over my ears.
B o r i n g
I looked down.
The admission band on my wrist was vibrating.
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■□□]
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■□□]
The sound… was coming from there.
N o t f u n
Screeeech.
The vibration grew, tearing at the wristband.
========================
Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64)
1- Keep your admission wristband clean!
If lost or damaged, you are no longer a guest. If not a guest, you are an intruder. Thief! Lawbreaker! Horrible punishment awaits. Or would you…
…prefer to be an employee?
========================
No.
I frantically tried to think of a solution.
But there was none.
Nowhere to escape. There was nowhere to run! If I wanted to preserve my dignity as a human being, it would be better to end things before it was too…
– Kim Soleum-ssi
Now I was hearing hallucinations too.
– Kim Soleum-ssi. Can you hear me?
'...'
A hallucination, no.
I lifted my head.
Nothing was visible in the empty space, but a voice as clear as day echoed in my ears, unmistakably real.
The owner of that voice is…
"…Squad Leader?"
– Yes.
Section Chief Lizard— or rather, Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.
This situation felt like déjà vu, though the roles were reversed this time!
"How did you reach us?!"
– I'm using Supervisor Park Minseong's specialized equipment.
B o r i n g
The voices overlapped, and the sound of 'Great Red Magic Bunny' grew faint.
I barely realized I was on the verge of hyperventilating.
No, that wasn't what mattered here…
– Are you okay, Roe? Are you alive?
– We're fine! We just completed all three attractions!
The rest of D-squad's members were all together. How was that possible?
"The three of you aren't on the same color team, are you?"
I was certain of it.
'Only Squad Leader Lee Jaheon was on the blue team, while the others were on yellow!'
– Roe, that's not the point right now…
"It is important! The three of you wound up in the same place in the theme park, despite being on different teams?"
After a short pause,
– No.
Section Chief Lizard's calm voice replied.
– I found the other two and then moved.
Several questions popped up simultaneously in my mind, but the most pressing was this:
"…Where did you find them?"
– On the outskirts of the blue zone.
"…Then, are you currently in the blue mascot's zone?"
N o t f u n
– Yes.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"The map doesn't show it, but do you happen to know which point is the blue zone?"
– I don't.
Damn it.
"You don't need exact coordinates. Just tell me any nearby attractions, or even which direction!"
– Understood.
After a short silence:
– The west…
He got cut off.
"Squad Leader?"
There was no response.
It was likely the time limit on the equipment had expired.
And more crucially than that…
"W-West?"
The face of the Y-squad newbie, who had been listening intently beside me, turned blank.
A-squad's superior looked equally unsettled. The reason was simple.
"We're already in the west, aren't we?"
Exactly.
The 'Fantasy Train' was located near the western edge of the Fantasyland map…
The opposite of the rugged forest on the eastern side, bordered smoothly by castle walls on the west, was this very attraction.
Further westward in Fantasyland than this was… nothing!
B o r i n g
"It seems we might be in separate theme parks? Like a timeline where the blue mascot won. The Darkness always has these kinds of variations."
In separate places?
Are we really talking about different parallel dimensions?
N o t f u n
"No."
That can't be.
"This is a Darkness derived from a board game. If we're playing the same game, there's no reason for separate boards."
"Hey. Shut up."
The A-squad superior replied coldly.
"No matter how much sense you try to make, if it doesn't match reality, just drop it."
This isn't speculation—it's deduction.
I wanted to convey that there were numerous cases like this, but I knew they wouldn't believe me. Right now, all I needed to do was… find the answer.
Where exactly is 'west'?
'Quickly, quickly.'
Think. There has to be an answer.
I looked at the Fantasyland color map again. Every visible area was still painted red.
Ferris wheel, carousel, roller coaster, Viking ride, magic palace. Every single ride was marked with Magic Bunny's red face.
Every attraction… wait.
"...!"
B o r i n g
Hold on.
I looked over the map again.
And I realized—
"…I found it!"
"What?"
"A different color zone."
It was here.
With certainty, I moved forward. Whether they sensed hope or were compelled by my determination, my teammates followed.
N o t f u n
We had to move quickly before the mascot noticed us. There was no time to waste—we needed to get out of this attraction immediately.
I g n o r i n g m e ?
Too late.
The four of us bolted out of the exit of the 'Fantasy Train' and ran.
"Haah… haah!"
The sounds of desperate panting came from both sides, the kind of breathlessness only achieved when running for your life.
It couldn't be helped.
The mascots were pouring out.
D i e
"Aaaaaah!"
"Huu, huuuuk…"
From every attraction entrance, store, and sign, strange, unsettling bubbles of ooze burst, spewing forth grotesque mascots.
They chased after us, mouths peeled back to reveal rows of teeth embedded deep in their innards, giving them a horrifying appearance.
Occasionally, their bodies would lurch, and gooey, tentacle-like things would protrude from their drooping ears and arms.
– ♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
– Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahaha!
The noise was deafening.
The theme park music and laughter swirled together, creating a disturbing cacophony all around.
It was chaotic, frightening, disorienting, and utterly terrifying!!
The overwhelming sounds were disorienting, making it hard to think straight. But…
"Here! This way!"
I gritted my teeth, turning in the direction I'd memorized with determination.
At that moment—
Flick.
Squish.
The slimy end of a tentacle just barely grazed my head.
Hiss.
"…Huuk."
The hair where the slime touched started to melt, and I caught a whiff of something burning.
'This is insane.'
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
But my feet didn't stop moving. They couldn't.
'Stopping would mean the end.'
I'd die. Or worse, I had a gut feeling I'd end up in an even more horrifying state.
The only relief was that the destination was close!
Even the researcher, instead of whining, was drooling as he ran in desperation.
B o r i n g
"Get away! Get awayyyyy!"
"Shut your mouth!"
The butterfly mask shouted. She looked like she wanted to throw the researcher to buy time but couldn't bring herself to do it.
It was understandable.
'They're too close.'
The mascots swarming toward us were multiplying like crazy, and now, some of them were getting alarmingly close.
And they were fast.
Faster than humans!
'Damn, damn, damn!!'
In the moment that terror gripped me—
"Urgh!"
Someone got caught.
"Aaack… ugh…"
The guy in the cow mask went down.
'Fuck.'
Without even looking back, I managed to flip a coin in my pocket to summon the glove. Then I tossed a few 500-won coins to create a semi-transparent shadow hand in mid-air.
Whoosh.
The shadow hand flew forward and shoved the head of a grotesque mascot.
"Run!"
The Y-squad newbie, who'd barely escaped, staggered up and scrambled to run.
"Huff… ha… th-thanks…"
"Later!"
There was no time to stop the bleeding. My special equipment wouldn't be of any help at this point!
'The shadow hand will disappear once it goes beyond the three-meter range…'
A searing pain shot through my left hand.
"—!!!"
I almost dropped to the ground, clutching my hand and screaming in pain. It felt like my hand was being crushed and dissolved in a spiked press.
'Specialized equipment!'
I realized instantly. The shadow hand I'd summoned in mid-air must have suffered some horrible fate in the mascot's maw or tentacles.
In that moment, I discovered the flaw in my specialized equipment: if the hand created by the glove was destroyed, my own hand would feel the exact same pain!
But there was no time to scream. I sprinted like mad.
"There!"
The target point came into view.
A giant gate.
Painted in bright colors, following the style of a typical theme park…
[FANTASYLAND (WESTSIDE GATE)]
A decoration.
An ornamental gate attached to the castle wall encircling the western side of the theme park.
"It's blocked!!"
"Get underneath it!"
I quickly stepped under the ornamental gate and looked back. Almost immediately, two others tried to step in: the A-squad assistant manager and the Y-squad newbie.
The researcher, being behind, was in a more dangerous spot…
"Fuck, move already!"
"Ugh!"
Thud.
The researcher shoved the A-squad assistant manager aside, using the momentum to propel himself forward.
"...!"
The slender body of the assistant manager, caught off guard, collided with a mascot.
D i e
The black-red ooze from the partially melted mascot dripped onto her right then.
"AAAHHHHH!"
Hiss.
The sound of sizzling flesh echoed in my ears.
"Assistant Manager!"
The A-squad employee was pinned beneath a grotesquely distorted mascot, her limbs shaking uncontrollably.
Her face, partly visible beyond the butterfly mask, was already blistered and ruined. In her eyes was resignation—the look of someone who knew they couldn't be saved.
The moment our eyes met—
"Nail!"
I shouted.
"Assistant Manager, your nail—here!"
At the same time, I stretched my left hand forward. The A-squad assistant manager's eyes widened, and she reached out, extending her index finger.
Ping!
The nail shot out, embedding itself in the center of my palm.
"...!"
But I didn't flinch.
'It already hurt like hell before!'
Ignoring the pain, I gripped the nail tightly, pulling her towards me.
Whoosh.
With a short, abrupt noise, the butterfly-masked body was yanked forward, barely missing the snapping jaws and oozing slime from the mascots.
"Haah… haaaah…"
"Huff… huff…"
We collapsed under the archway, gasping for breath.
Right in front of us, countless rabbit mascots, oozing like they were crying blood, stared blankly with empty eyes, frozen in place as if held back by an invisible barrier.
"Gah!"
It looked as if an invisible wall had stopped them in their tracks.
========================
Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (Applicable up to Exploration Record #64)
5- Enjoy the various zones!
Has the appearance of the mascot or the attraction color changed? You're in a new zone now.
Unfortunately, mascots from other zones can't exist in the new zone. Say goodbye warmly!
========================
I looked down at the ground.
'…The bricks are a different color.'
As if by magic, two white brick lines were under the decorative archway. The mascots couldn't cross from the red brick floor beyond.
B o r i n g
I glanced down at my admission ticket.
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■□□]
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■□□]
Not fun
The voice faded away. The mascots clustered in front of us stood perfectly still, and then, in a blink…
Vanished.
"..."
"..."
The sound of our gasping breaths filled the now-silent air. I swallowed hard.
"…It seems this is the end of Magic Bunny's Fantasyland."
We survived.
"We made it. We escaped."
"Aah…!"
"Huuuuh…"
The Y-squad newbie collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder in relief and pain. I leaned my head back against the wall, gazing up at the sky, catching my breath.
'I thought I was done for…'
My heart was pounding out of my chest.
I'm alive, huh.
The A-squad assistant manager glared icily at the researcher who had pushed her, but then, glancing at the nail-shaped wound in my hand, regained her composure. It seemed she'd decided there was no need to get worked up over killing the researcher right now.
It was impressive how calm she remained, despite the intense pain she must have felt from the acidic liquid splashed over her head.
"Anyway."
"Yes?"
The A-squad assistant manager took a deep breath.
"Thanks. I owe you my life."
"..."
I hadn't expected that.
"It's nothing. You survived thanks to your specialized equipment…"
"There's no point being modest here. Just say, 'Got it.' You've landed yourself on the right side here."
Ah, yes.
"Unlike some idiot."
"..."
The researcher desperately avoided her gaze.
The A-squad assistant manager gave him a brief look before returning to business.
"This place seems like a sort of buffer zone. Was that your plan? But it's too cramped to just stand here… what's the next step?"
"This isn't the destination."
"Hm?"
After catching my breath, I turned completely to face the decorative gate.
"Did you know that large theme parks sometimes have more than just the amusement park itself?"
"…Something else?"
"Yes."
Technically, this area under the archway wasn't in Magic Bunny's territory or any other mascot's.
It was a blank zone in the theme park, so they wouldn't come after us for damaging property here.
I rapped my knuckles on the wall that was made to look like a door.
Thunk.
It sounded hollow.
"Assistant Manager, can you use your special equipment to pry this open?"
"..."
The assistant manager silently raised her hand and extended her fingernail again, wedging it into a crack in the wall and yanking it hard.
"Gah!"
Thump, thump.
One of the brick panels cracked open, and a gust of fresh air flowed in, carrying… the scent of water.
– Ahahahaha!
"...!!"
The sound of refreshing splashes, a boat horn, and seagulls filled the air, along with a lively marching tune.
Through the crack in the bricks, I glimpsed open space and sunlight streaming down.
Enormous, swirling water slides descended into a pool below, shimmering in different shades of blue as water and inner tubes streamed down.
[Blue Dream Waterland]
"This place…!"
A water park, the summer zone of this large-scale theme park.
"It's the Blue Zone."
The Y-squad newbie whipped his head around to look at me, eyes wide with shock.
"H-How?!"
"When I looked at the Fantasyland color map earlier, there wasn't a single water-themed attraction."
"...!"
"So I just guessed that there must be a large water section located separately elsewhere."
I took a deep breath.
"And I also figured it wouldn't be accessible through regular routes. They typically sell separate tickets for water parks, after all."
"…So that's why you pried open the wall?"
"Yes."
I recalled my earlier conversation with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.
– …the west.
The west.
Of course, the squad leader had probably meant the west side within Waterland itself. But since we were at the far western edge of Magic Bunny's Fantasyland, it allowed me to deduce the existence of a separate Blue Zone.
'The east side was blocked by the forest, the north led to the entrance, and the south was a cliff…'
Really, the only plausible place for more space beyond Magic Bunny's Fantasyland was the west.
My guess was right.
"It seems the blue mascot, exiled from Fantasyland, created a new zone here."
"Aha…"
"For now, let's get through as quickly as possible."
"Y-Yes, let's!"
Hands busily pried away the remaining bricks. Even the Y-squad newbie, injured as he was, used his one good hand to help.
Meanwhile, the researcher lingered in the corner, looking sly, as if he'd finally noticed things were going in his favor.
And within a few moments—
"It's open!"
One by one, we began crawling through the now-exposed gap. I was the last to emerge, standing on both feet in Waterland, gazing at the blue pools and bright sky above.
A breeze, heavy with moisture, brushed by.
'This sunlight…'
It felt so unbelievably good.
And as I stood, momentarily feeling a strange sense of liberation, I spotted people waving and running toward us from afar.
"Roe!"
"...!"
The members of D-squad.
"Are you alright?!"
"Assistant Manager!"
The D-squad members bustled over, each carrying some bulky load, likely inner tubes or other gear.
Relief surged through me, perhaps from the familiarity of seeing the people I'd been working with for the past month.
"How have you all been!"
I greeted them happily and stepped forward, wondering if I should help take some of the load off the squad leader's shoulder, as any proactive newbie would…
Wait.
'That's a person.'
It wasn't equipment.
Hanging limply off the lizard squad leader's shoulder was a human body.
'…A casualty?'
Looking closer, I realized the person wore a teal duck mask.
It was the A-squad leader.
"..."
No.
Nooo!!
-x-X-x-
After barely escaping the deranged red mascot zone, we finally made it to the blue zone.
That's where D-squad was waiting for us… with A-squad's leader hanging limply over Section Chief Lee's shoulder.
"..."
I managed to ask,
"Uh, Section Chief, Is that a corpse on your shoulder…?"
"Oh, she's just unconscious."
Ah, he was moving her somewhere safe.
Just as I started to feel relieved and the sense of familiarity returned, D-squad's assistant manager pointed her thumb at a large inner tube they'd been dragging with the supervisor.
"The corpse is over there."
"..."
Seeing them haul a body shoved into a tube… really added a new level of horror.
"We wrapped it up well, but some parts were broken off."
Please, spare me the details.
"No, seriously, it was horrific. Ugh…" Supervisor Park shuddered.
"Roe, you better be careful. The mascots here act like some kind of righteous enforcers," Assistant Manager Eun quipped.
"Huh?"
Here's how it was explained: the mascots in this zone absolutely despise violence between team members.
"So, in typical A-squad fashion, the assistant manager with the praying mantis mask decided to run a little experiment."
While riding the first attraction, he kept forcing the Y-squad employees into dangerous positions for laughs: telling them to unbuckle their seat belts, stand up, sing along, or even do a handstand on the track.
"Three Y-squad members died that way. The last one begged for mercy through tears, but he didn't even blink… It was revolting."
"..."
It seemed that feeling was shared by more than just the survivors.
Assistant Manager Eun scowled.
"When we got off the ride, the mascot was waiting for him, just standing there and calling him a 'naughty child'. And then…"
She spared me the details, thank heavens.
"I thought I was going to vomit."
"..."
"Well, I mean, honestly, he had it coming! …Even if the chief disagreed with those methods," Supervisor Park said, glancing over at the limp body of A-squad's leader on the section chief's shoulder.
"By the way, why exactly did she pass out?" I asked, still a bit puzzled.
"Well… our squad leader here, um…"
"..."
Wait a minute.
No way.
"See, she pushed us a bit hard, trying to save her subordinate somehow. And it got a little excessive, so…"
"The chief just knocked her out."
"..."
"Hey. We're all going to agree she passed out from high blood pressure, so keep your mouth shut, Roe."
"Yes, I'll take it to the grave."
"Oh, and if you're wondering why Y-squad got treated that way…"
"I already heard. From that person over there."
I discreetly nodded toward the assistant manager in the butterfly mask. Seeing that I already knew, Supervisor Park seemed a bit more at ease, as if glad to skip such a dark topic.
"Anyway, how are your team members doing?"
Ah.
I quickly checked on the cow mask with the injured shoulder and the butterfly mask with the blistered face.
"Some of them need first aid. Could we get some help?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, Section Chief Lee unceremoniously dropped the unconscious A-squad leader from his shoulder onto the ground. Then, he started shaking her shoulder.
"W-wait, Chief!"
"Ahh!"
"...?!"
After shaking A-squad's leader awake, the section chief said with a calm face,
"Section Chief Seo, there are employees here in need of treatment."
"W-What…"
Looking dazed at first, the A-squad's leader pointed a shaky finger at Section Chief Lee as realization hit her.
"You!! You—"
"Yes?"
"How could you do that to Assistant Manager Lee! The one with the praying mantis mask…!"
"He's deceased."
"..."
"..."
"And while he was dying, what were you doing?"
"We waited until he passed, then retrieved the body and moved on to the next attraction."
Oh, dear lord.
A-squad's leader was at a loss for words, her expression one of disbelief, before finally managing to stammer out a response.
"Y-You watched A-squad die? Are you insane, Lee Jaheon? How are you going to take responsibility for this loss?!"
"? I'm D-squad's leader. A-squad is not my responsibility."
With a slight squint, the section chief looked at her, almost perplexed.
"The responsibility for the loss of A-squad Assistant Manager Lee Seok-jong rests with you, A-squad's leader."
"..."
Witnessing someone say something like that to a superior in a work setting was… something else. Even if they hold the same title, an elite squad leader should technically outrank him.
A chill went down my spine in an entirely new way.
"..."
A-squad's leader glared at Section Chief Lee, her eyes bloodshot.
"You fainted, yet we still completed the three attractions together to meet the clearance conditions. Now, take responsibility and treat your—"
"Chief."
The butterfly-masked assistant manager interrupted, not in an attempt to dissuade Section Chief Lee, but rather addressing the A-squad's leader, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"Perhaps it would be better to continue this conversation outside? Let's complete the clearance before anything else comes up. Plus, you still have that deranged researcher from Research Team 1 to deal with."
"…Yes, of course."
The eyes under the teal duck mask blinked, then gradually calmed down.
It seemed she'd found a new focus for her anger.
But she still left one last comment hanging in the air.
"Squad Leader Jaheon, shall we take this outside?"
"Yes."
Supervisor Park leaned in and whispered to me,
"Don't worry. Apparently, our squad leader hears lines like that as an annual event."
"..."
Is that, uhh… really okay?
Well, one thing's certain.
I'm definitely not at the level to get involved here.
Better to keep my mouth shut and keep my head down.
In any case, the A-squad's leader used her special equipment to heal the butterfly-masked assistant manager. The sight of the skin on her jaw and head area regenerating, almost like it was rewinding, was amazing.
"Employees with equipment like that are almost nonexistent. So envious."
Same here. I wondered if there was any way to acquire something similar. Having equipment like that would definitely improve survival rates.
I watched A-squad's leader's specialized equipment—a healing ring—very closely.
'Healing… huh.'
After ensuring the butterfly-masked employee was fully healed, A-squad's leader was about to walk right past the Y-squad member with the shoulder injuries, barely sparing a glance.
"Could you possibly heal this one too? We need to stay together, and his mobility might be an issue."
"...!"
Surprisingly, the A-squad assistant manager subtly nudged the squad leader to heal both me and the Y-squad rookie.
Thanks to that, the Y-squad rookie, whose shoulder was now miraculously healed, blinked beneath his cow mask.
"…Thank you."
The assistant manager nodded slightly.
'Does she really only consider efficiency?'
Once she'd understood the mechanics of this ghost story and secured an escape plan, she immediately switched to decisions that minimized risks.
A logical approach… maybe that's what makes her elite here.
I made a mental note to remember A-squad's equipment and specialties. …And maybe to try and forget about the bodies stuffed into that tube.
"Right then, let's ride the two remaining attractions and head out quickly."
"Oh, thank you."
As soon as the healing was complete, the red team moved toward the attractions to fill the empty spots on our admission wristbands. The others followed, not exiting just yet.
"It'll only take about 30 minutes, don't worry," they reassured us, likely staying close to keep an eye on the situation and help out us rookies.
Although grateful, part of me thought it would be less terrifying if they just left, considering that tube full of corpses following us…
"As I mentioned before, the mascots here are surprisingly moral for monsters."
That much I'd guessed from our earlier communication.
'If they cleared three attractions so quickly, there must be a reason.'
This team must've been lucky enough to encounter a benevolent zone where the mascot's demands were reasonable. They'd beaten some crazy odds for sure.
"They even answered questions about what was in each attraction. And since we were the first to clear three, they gave us a souvenir."
How nice for them, taking it easy.
Meanwhile, we've been scrambling for survival in that insane Magic Bunny zone…
Strangely enough, while the red team had lower odds for survival, we managed to keep everyone alive up to this point.
Soon, we reached the entrance of an attraction adorned with… a blue dragon head drawn to exaggerate its cuteness, its body wearing a life jacket.
[Hello]
The mascot stationed there waved a greeting sign.
I bowed slightly in response, and the mascot returned the gesture.
"Hm."
We boarded a flume ride called 'Blue Mountain'. It was a typical water attraction where we sat on a boat and enjoyed the stream. The other two field team members boarded without issue.
Only the last person had a problem.
"Fuck."
The researcher sneered, cursing at the mascot. It seemed like he couldn't help but let out his disgust and fear after dealing with Magic Bunny and facing a slightly less terrifying mascot.
"These disgusting little fuckers…"
"Hurry up and get on."
"Yeah, yeah."
He stole a glance at the mascot before boarding the attraction. The blue dragon mascot's button eyes watched silently.
"..."
With everyone on board, we finished the remaining attractions smoothly.
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■■■ ]
"Finally…!"
"Huu."
At last, we'd filled every slot on the wristband.
"The exit is to the north. Let's move."
"Yes!"
Soaked from the water but not caring at all, we were finally on our way out of this cursed theme park.
'I won't be going anywhere near an amusement park for a long time…'
[Have A Safe Journey Back]
The farewell sign above the northern exit gates sparkled with the words. Next to it, a blue mascot stood, dressed formally.
"Looks like we just need to scan your completed wristbands here to exit."
The blue mascot gestured politely toward the gate scanner.
"Alright, alright, Squad Leaders, you first. Off you go."
D-squad's assistant manager made the smart move to organize the situation and get the superiors out first.
People began to exit one by one, and as it came time for the assistants and other staff to leave…
"Alright then, Assistant Manager Jin, after you—"
"M-Move!"
The researcher pushed past everyone, sprinting to the gate.
"Seriously…?"
Though Supervisor Park and Assistant Manager Eun looked momentarily taken aback, they quickly let it slide, likely thinking, 'Civilians, right?' A few seconds' delay was no big deal.
Oblivious to their expressions, the researcher rushed to the gate to scan his admission wristband.
'It's like he's made a habit of it.'
Honestly, I found myself frowning.
B a d c h i l d
"…Huh?"
The researcher turned his head.
A blue dragon mascot held his wristband with one claw, crumpling it.
Y o u
Snap.
a r e a b a d c h i l d
Riiiip—
a r e n ' t y o u ?
The band broke.
Snap!
He stared blankly at the torn wristband pieces on the floor, seeming not to comprehend.
Then—
"AAAAAHHHH! AAAGGGHHHHH!"
The blue dragon's mouth opened wide.
"Save me! Save me!"
It began to pull him in.
Beside me, Cow Mask muttered feverishly.
"Ohhtheseagod'swrathhasawakened.Thewickedarebeingswallowedbythetide…"
The rookie and I averted our eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
So this is how it ends…
When moving to another zone, the previous zone's aggro mascot stops pursuing you.
But the consequences of one's actions follow.
========================
Cheerful Theme Park User Guide (applicable up to Exploration Record #64)
6- Remember, the theme park is a shared space!
Please follow proper etiquette and manners when using public facilities. Countless eyes are watching you, and no one forgets anything.
Hey, there's a mascot right behind you.
========================
All mascots in the Cheerful Theme Park know what you've done.
That includes everything the researcher did.
– Fuck, move already!
Pushing A-squad's assistant manager into the line of attack to escape the red mascot earlier…
'Maybe they were willing to overlook it, considering the extreme situation…'
The problem was, he did the same thing twice.
'It's karma.'
The researcher's screams turned into wails.
"That bastard tried to kill me too! Why just me, why just me! You trash, you—"
That's right.
But A-squad's assistant manager never went through with it. She listened to reason.
'But you didn't.'
Even I, as someone who's practically a member of the Cowards' Club, thought he had this coming.
– Save me! Aaaaaah!
The researcher's voice stretched like taffy, leaving behind a chilling sense of dread.
'Ugh.'
My cowardly heart reacted instinctively, making me flinch, but—
"Don't."
"..."
A-squad's employee grabbed my arm, holding it down.
"You can't save him."
Not that I'd even considered trying.
So I remained quiet. Soon the screams faded, and the unsettling atmosphere around us dissipated.
When I looked up, the blue dragon mascot stood there, as polite and composed as before. You'd never believe it had just killed someone.
Somehow, that made it all the more disturbing.
'The standards are stricter than I thought.'
As expected from a ghost story setting, this mascot seemed to have its own code, beyond just refusing to harm teammates.
'I'll tread carefully from here on out.'
"…Let's try exiting again."
"Yes."
One by one, the remaining people filed out.
"Let's take a look outside."
I gave up and let the superiors go first. After seeing my fellow coward through the gate, I stood by the exit next to the blue dragon mascot.
"..."
The dragon, cutely stylized with round eyes, looked directly at me.
Could you, um, not stare? This is terrifying enough. It's nerve-wracking being the last one here, and I'm trying my best to keep my nerves in check.
Then—
G o o d c h i l d
"...!"
Was it trying to reassure me?
Unlike before, the mascot's voice didn't sound eerie. 'Maybe they're willing to overlook the damaged property…'
Thank goodness.
"Thank you."
I nodded and tried to walk past. But the mascot moved to block my path.
"...?"
G o o d k i d s g e t
a g i f t
The blue dragon reached out, gently touching my wristband.
[(Cheerful) Fantasyland Admission Ticket ■■■ ]
The wristband warmed slightly, and as the mascot released it…
[◎ (Cheerful) Fantasyland Membership ◎ ]
The text had changed.
L e t ' s p l a y
f o r e v e r
…Umm?
I broke out in a cold sweat as I stared at the wristband.
[◎ (Cheerful) Fantasyland Membership ◎ ]
But the words that had changed from 'Admission Ticket' to 'Membership' didn't revert, and the material that had become oddly luxurious and ornate remained the same.
O-Okay…
It's an unexpected situation, but what I have to do hasn't changed.
Scan the wristband at the gate and leave.
'Membership or whatever, I just won't come back.'
"Thank you."
I swallowed hard.
"Um… I'd like to go home now."
The blue mascot tilted its head slightly to the side.
I stepped toward the gate scanner to scan my wristband.
But the mascot blocked my way.
'Please.'
Why are you doing this?
I felt like crying.
"I'm not as much of a good kid as you think…"
G o o d k i d
C o r r e c t
The blue mascot's claw gently, ever so softly, covered my wristband.
And a voice resonated.
To one who knows honor,
you are worthy.
...!!
"Urgh."
A cough burst from my mouth.
It was blood.
'W-What… just happened…'
Could it be… because the ticket changed to a membership?
The blue dragon mascot seemed flustered as I spat out blood, fidgeting anxiously, and then pulled something out from its pocket and offered it to me.
[Blue Soda Churros]
It seemed to be a snack sold inside the theme park.
"…Thank you."
Yeah. I'm definitely not eating that.
"But, I'd like to take it home and eat it."
P l a y
M o r e
The mascot was insistent.
To the point that it turned off the gate machine.
"...!!"
Click.
The lights went out at the north exit, and the shutter came down.
I stared blankly at the scene.
Going this far?
I couldn't grasp what was happening at all.
But I didn't make the foolish move of arguing.
'I might end up like the researcher.'
I definitely wanted to avoid that.
For now, for now… I'm not in immediate mortal danger here. Let's find an alternative.
I stepped back from the gate.
As I ran off, the blue mascot kept watching me…
* * *
"Driving me crazy."
I went into the water park's locker room and collapsed onto a bench.
I'm scared to death.
"What is going on?"
To sum up, the mascot suddenly called me a 'good kid', handed me a membership, and closed the gate shutter.
In other words, I'm trapped here.
"..."
Trapped.
Wait, but what's with this 'good kid' thing anyway?
The researcher was a bad kid, and I'm a good kid…
Ah.
'…Is it because I saved my teammates a few times?'
Yeah. That's the most plausible reason.
By chance, I did help people in dangerous situations a few times… So as a reward, they're letting me play in the theme park forever?
'This is driving me nuts…'
This is inside a B-Class creepypasta.
No matter how friendly and seemingly safe that mascot appears, it means I don't know when or where some dangerous and bizarre, crazy thing might happen. ṜἈΝǑＢÊŞ
Besides.
'…There's no exploration record of anyone staying more than 24 hours.'
Once it goes over 24 hours, it means everyone dies or disappears.
Even if I interpret it optimistically and think that since the admission ticket is a one-day pass, and I'm a member now so I might be okay, the most crucial thing here is that I have no information.
'Shit.'
I racked my brain, feeling like I wanted to bite my tongue.
Maybe due to the fatigue of the past few hours, my thinking was sluggish…
'What can I do?'
I can't win against the mascot in a fight.
I can't sneak in and turn on the gate machine.
'And I used up all my coins earlier.'
In a hurry, seeing Y-squad rookie Jang Heo-un fall, I threw whatever I could grab, which was a blunder. I pressed my fingers against my eyelids.
I don't have a button to communicate with the people outside, so I can't expect help from D-squad.
'The items I have are…'
The Smiley Sticker? It's not something to use when the problem is that their favorability is already too high.
It's the same with the 2x Potion or 0.5x Cookie. They only have meaning if there's an effect to synergize with.
'Do I really have nothing?'
The more I worried, the deeper I seemed to sink.
As I was sinking into gloom, a light flickered above my head.
[Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box]
– New merch unlocked! (!)
"...!!"
It's the black notepad—the merch box.
'Please!'
Without even taking a breath, I pressed it immediately.
Is this a lifeline? No, anything would do. I needed even the smallest hint, anything…
Thud.
Merch dropped out.
"...!"
I picked up the item wrapped transparently in plastic.
It was small enough to fit in my palm and fluffy.
A plush doll.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc.
/ ■■■■■
Good Friend
It's your cute animal doll. It will always be with you and protect you.
Always.
—Product description on the packaging
from the 'Cheerful Theme Park Gift Shop'
========================
Ah.
I recalled the phrase on the board game box.
– Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win spectacular prizes!
In the 'Cheerful Theme Park', the team that rode all three attractions the fastest could take one of various items from the gift shop as a prize.
'Come to think of it, the Supervisor Park mentioned earlier that they received a prize.'
And of course, the theme park gift shop in the ghost story often had bizarre items mixed in.
'There was even an exploration record that sorted the list of prizes people had taken…'
And this was one of the most famous items among them.
Good Friend
In the original story, it was a plush doll small enough to fit into a child's arms, but as merch, it was reborn as a small keychain-sized doll that fit into my hand.
'So the unlock requirement for this merch was to be a participant in the 'Cheerful Theme Park'.'
Unless you were someone who had visited the theme park, it was just a plush doll with no function, but since I had used up all my admission tickets, it seems I unlocked the requirement.
And the ability of this plush doll is…
========================
A strange item that invites someone from the Otherworld, allowing a part of their spirit to dwell in the doll and become your friend.
It rarely appears in the gift shop of the
For detailed invitation records, refer below.
========================
This is it.
"..."
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought it through carefully and set up safety measures before attempting.
'Inviting someone from the Otherworld'—it's the perfect description for the start of a creepypasta.
But I don't have the time or leisure for that now.
'Let's try it.'
Because I desperately need the advice of someone who understands the workings of creepypastas.
I took out my smartphone, equipped with the memorial grip, and opened the 'Good Friend' tab in the
The required items are as follows.
========================
· Materials for the Invitation
– Matches (or a lighter)
– 100mL of water
– One tablespoon of salt
– A coin (clean)
– An item related to a friend
========================
And a quiet place.
'This locker room is perfect.'
Outside is noisy with water sounds and music, so this is the best place.
I can somehow get a lighter, water, and salt inside this theme park—whether by stealing or requesting from a shop.
The problem is the next two items.
A coin (clean)
An item related to a friend
I have no coins left. I used them all.
And the item related to a friend… Actually, it's included to enhance the fun of the creepypasta. If you put in a fairy tale book, a monster from that story motif would come.
'What should I do to make it as safe as possible?'
No, I was reluctant to offer something from this theme park as an item related to a friend.
Isn't this place itself already a creepypasta?
"..."
In the end, after much deliberation, I settled on two items.
Hoping that this substitution would work.
And after a while.
"Huu."
I placed the torch and the salt I had obtained on the floor in the corner of the locker room.
'So creepy.'
I got them all from a snack truck. I saw they were selling a menu item called 'Roasted Marshmallows', so I thought maybe, and they had both.
'…They gave them to me for free when they saw my membership.'
Rather than making me happy, it felt even more ominous.
I wiped my mouth and reopened my smartphone.
I had to start quickly.
========================
· Invitation Ritual
1- On a smooth floor, dip your finger in water and draw a hexagram using the enclosed design.
2- Place the 'Good Friend' in the exact center of the hexagram.
3- Place the coin on the belly of the 'Good Friend'. At this time, your fingers should not have any remaining water.
4- Hold a tablespoon of salt in your mouth and burn the item related to a friend using fire.
5- When the 'Good Friend' starts to speak, swallow the salt and return the greeting kindly!
If the coin has disappeared, the ritual was successful! You have met a reliable friend. Always keep them close and cherish them!
※ If you cannot swallow the salt, tastes strange,
turns to ash, or if blood comes out,
run away.
========================
"Huu."
First, I drew a hexagram on the marble floor of the locker room, exactly like the image. It was a bit complex but not too difficult.
'…It's shining strangely.'
However, the completed hexagram was excessively smooth, its surface gleaming without any smudges.
After thoroughly wiping the moisture off my fingers on the hem of my clothes, I picked up the 'Good Friend' keychain with trembling hands and placed it in the exact center of the hexagram.
'Of all things, it's a rabbit doll.'
I felt uneasy, but remembering that I bought it thinking it was cute at the pop-up store made me feel a bit better.
And for the coin…
'This one.'
I placed the item I had—the Silver Serpent Coin—on top of it.
'This is technically a coin… right?'
I thought that rather than obtaining one from this ghost story, it might be safer to use an item from the Alien Shop from the plane of 'reality'. Considering its price, it seemed to be a fairly valuable item, so I was convincing myself that it might even have a better effect.
Then, after putting the salt in my mouth, finally.
'An item related to a friend.'
This also had to be something that didn't belong to this ghost story.
That is… myself.
"..."
I loosened my necktie.
'If it's my own item, it certainly doesn't belong here.'
A friend related to a necktie? I don't know who it might be, but it's better than something like a kitchen knife.
I lit the torch.
And brought it to the end of the necktie.
Whoosh.
Like magic, the flame flared up fiercely, casting a shadow over the plush doll on the hexagram.
The shadow wavered.
It wavered more.
And more.
Before I knew it, the surroundings had grown dark.
All I could see was the flame consuming my necktie, the hexagram reflecting that light, and the plush doll at its center.
Flicker.
Flicker…
My hazy mind didn't melt away.
Instead, the salt in my mouth melted with its salty taste, numbing my tongue.
Amidst that.
Flicker.
Flicker…
The mouth of the 'Good Friend' hugging the coin opened.
– BEHOLD!
– I AM THE OWNER OF A MILLION MASKS, THE LORD OF CHAOS, THE PINNACLE OF MADNESS, THE DREAM OF PLEASURE AND PLAY, THE INSTIGATOR OF WAR, THE FATHER OF SCIENCE, THE LOW-LYING QUADRUPED BEAST—
...!!
It's too… loud.
It feels like my head is being shaken violently.
I want to cover my ears, but I have no free hands. I'm holding the necktie and the torch!
What is this?
– THE DESIRE OF THE CRAWLING ONES, THE LORD OF STARS, THE ABYSS OF ILLUSION, THE MOUTH OF WISDOM, THE ROAR OF IMPULSE, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON…
The plush doll in the center of the hexagram is convulsing.
In the middle, a silvery round object is burning away.
'The Silver Serpent Coin.'
Did I use the wrong coin?
– I AM…
My head hurts so much, so much…
– Friend.
– Are you in pain, friend?
I lifted my head.
– This won't do…
A gentle and soft voice flowed through the 'Good Friend'.
– You must not be in pain…
"..."
The flickering subsided.
As the necktie burned away, the fire extinguished.
The coin that had been on top of the convulsing rabbit doll had disappeared at some point.
So had the moisture used to draw the hexagram.
"..."
Silence.
I swallowed the salt, looking at the 'Good Friend' lying motionless.
But no sound could be heard.
'Don't tell me.'
"Did it fail…?"
– Mr. Roe Deer?
"...!!"
A cheerful and pleasant voice echoed.
But…
– Mr. Roe Deer?
It's a familiar voice.
Before I knew it, I responded.
"Mr. Host?"
"Ah, so it is you, Mr. Roe Deer!"
Tuesday Quiz Show.
The voice of the TV-headed host who conducted the live broadcast in that ghost story was coming from the doll.
– Nice to meet you, my friend!
"...!!"
In a corner of the locker room within the theme park's creepypasta, a small plush doll moved its limbs and spoke.
At first glance, it would be a life-threatening situation.
Except that I created this situation.
– Friend?
The plush doll convulsed atop the now-vanished hexagram.
"Ah—"
It was then that I realized.
That I had succeeded in inviting the 'Good Friend' into the doll!
The problem was that the one invited was someone I knew, no, a known monster.
'Mr. Host…!'
The monster with a TV head who was conducting the
– I hope you join the crew of my new talk show as well, Mr. Roe Deer!
I swallowed hard, recalling the last scene of escaping from that crazy creepypasta.
"…Nice to meet you, Mr. Host. Have you been well?"
– Haha, nice to meet you too! I remember you shining in the quiz show, Mr. Roe Deer. Have you been well? I…
– I.
Silence.
– Well… I don't really remember. Mm… right. I've been well. I've been conducting the talk show, yes.
The voice coming from the plush doll faded somewhat, then regained strength and friendliness.
– The important thing is that we have met again!
"…Yes."
It felt as though the overwhelming supernatural pressure and fear were being pressed down softly before erupting.
'…Because it's a good friend?'
It seems that the plush doll and the ritual are playing some sort of controlling role.
Still, I have to be careful.
"Um, Mr. Host. I have a question."
– Feel free to speak, friend. Oh, by the way, that kind of title between friends is a bit awkward!
– Just call me Braun, Mr. Roe Deer! Let's drop the stiff formalities!
"…Right. Yes. Braun."
Yeah. Even a TV-headed monster living in a creepypasta has a name…
Anyway, the main point was urgent now. I spoke as politely as possible.
"Actually, I'm trying to leave the theme park now, but I can't find the way out."
– Goodness! Theme parks are famous for their complicated structures and confusing paths. Don't worry. I'm very good at finding my way!
"…I'm not lost, but the mascots are blocking the exit gate."
The plush doll was silent for a moment, as if speechless.
– Huh, hmm. It's a unique situation, isn't it?
A pretty human-like reaction.
I briefly summarized the structure of this theme park and what had happened.
Including the teams and zones divided by color, and the out-of-control mascots.
The plush doll lying on the floor folded its arms.
– Hmm. These mascots are really diva-like! Such conspicuously rambunctious beings exist in the broadcasting industry too.
– But one that hasn't appeared is bothering me.
A mascot that hasn't appeared?
I reflexively thought.
"…Are you talking about the yellow mascot?"
The last mascot, only mentioned in attractions, with no trace.
– Exactly! The yellow flower, isn't it? Do you know where he is?
"...!"
Right.
'Since I found the blue mascot's zone, the yellow mascot's zone must be somewhere…!'
If I find that place and go to that gate…
– He must already be dead, though.
...
"Pardon?"
The yellow mascot?
"Isn't there a space like a botanical garden or greenhouse garden? Because it's a flower…"
– Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, you probably already know.
The kind voice whispered,
– Didn't you say it clearly yourself? You said the yellow team also woke up on the outskirts of the blue zone.
"...!"
– If there was a yellow zone, the yellow team would have woken up there. Wasn't that the promise?
"…That's right."
The rule is that you wake up in the zone of the color you get. But the yellow team didn't.
Because… maybe there really is no yellow zone?
I mulled it over.
And after a moment, I opened my mouth.
"…I realized what I need to do."
I need to check.
– Oh, what is it? Together…
The plush doll struggled as if trying to get up, but couldn't balance and fell flat.
– Ahem, Mr. Roe Deer, could you help me get up?
I cautiously approached and gently lifted the 'Good Friend' keychain with one hand.
It felt a warmth like body heat.
– It's hard to maintain your balance. It might take a little time to adjust… but don't worry. I'm a very capable being!
How dignified.
After pondering, I put the plush doll into the front pocket of my suit.
The plush doll exaggeratedly raised one hand.
– Alright, let's go! …But, where are we going?
It's a place that can guide the way.
A place that's definitely in a large public facility, one of those essential spots.
"It's the information booth."
* * *
Of course, there were exploration records noting that the 'Cheerful Theme Park' also had information booths. Most typical amusement parks are fully equipped with them.
'The problem is that they weren't functioning properly…'
They did inform us of the locations of some nearby attractions.
But when the requests were a bit complicated or required physical items, this happened.
The information mascot raised a 'Members Only' sign.
'It means that having just an admission ticket isn't enough.'
Although they treated us as customers, it was meant to create a spooky atmosphere by implying that this place wasn't originally meant for us…
'Fortunately, I have a membership band on my wrist.'
In fact, as soon as the admission ticket was changed to a membership, I recalled several exploration records related to 'Members Only'.
Special souvenir shops, restaurants, and separate attraction entrances that allow entry without waiting in line.
But there was a clear reason why I tried to avoid them as much as possible.
'Because I have to interact with the mascots.'
Because if I interacted with the crazy mascot who closed the gate without any information, I could trigger some horrific outcome…
'Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.'
But now that I had a monster friend who would act as a crisis alarm, I decided to give it a try.
"Braun. If the person I'm talking to seems upset or might harm me, could you let me know?"
– Of course. It's not a difficult task!
The plush doll cheerfully replied, then quickly came up with a few hand signals we could use. It was indeed a quick response befitting someone in mass media.
And after a short while.
– Over there. Oh, it looks pretty convincing…
I approached the information booth, hearing the 'Good Friend' talking. The booth was made of opaque blue glass and a white screen.
As I got closer, the screen opened, revealing the face of a blue mascot.
It was the blue dragon in uniform.
"Hello. I'd like to see a map of this place."
The blue mascot, waving its hand as if pleased, quickly moved its hand and handed me a high-quality catalog.
It was a convenient map showing various attractions, restaurants, and facilities of 'Blue Dream Waterpark'.
At the top of the catalog, it was marked 'Members Only.'
I looked up at the blue mascot.
"Thank you."
There was a somewhat proud expression.
"By the way, is there one that shows the entire area as well?"
Clunk.
The movement of the blue mascot stopped.
D-Don't be scared.
"I'm sure you know, but I came over here from the red zone without any procedures. I want to avoid going closer there again to prevent any mistakes…"
I asked in the calmest and most polite voice possible.
"What exactly is the boundary between the red zone and this area?"
A short silence.
The mascot reached out its hand.
From here
to here
Riiiiiip. The catalog map I was holding was torn by the blue mascot's claw.
Along the eastern end, it tore down.
'As expected, the eastern part of the blue zone and the western part of the red zone were directly connected…'
But… it's so scary.
My hands holding the torn catalog were shaking as if vibrating…!
'Please save me.'
Isn't it going to split me in half with its claws and kill me?
At the moment the mascot lifted its claws off the map, I hurriedly nodded and expressed my gratitude.
Then, onto the next topic!
"Thank you. If that's the case…"
Thud thud.
"...!"
– Shh.
From the front pocket, the plush doll tapped its chest twice softly.
…This is what it means.
'It seems the other party is not in a good mood.'
…So, this is it!
I immediately shifted my demeanor and only greeted politely.
"Yes. I won't go near the red zone."
The blue dragon stayed still for a moment, then nodded its head.
Then, rummaging through its chest, it took out another polite 'Blue Soda Churros' bag and handed it to me.
"Thank you."
G o o d c h i l d
The blue dragon tapped my wristband gently and then let go of its arm.
Drip.
Eventually, the screen of the information booth closed smoothly.
"..."
'Huu.'
It was done.
I bowed my head, clutching my pounding heart.
I felt like I was going to die of fear…
– You're smiling, my friend! Are you feeling good? Did you find what you wanted?
I figured it out.
"Yes."
I lifted my head and started running.
"Now, I just need to move."
If I had asked the mascot more questions, I might have saved some time, but safety comes first, so from now on, I would use the most reliable means.
My own feet.
'Let's hurry.'
There were only a few hours left.
I looked up at the sky of the theme park, which was starting to darken.
* * *
A few hours later.
The sun had set.
"Huuuff."
I kept running.
My legs were trembling from sprinting thoroughly around the gigantic water theme park, covering half a lap.
– Mr. Roe Deer, you seem terribly exhausted?
"I'm fine."
The plush doll asked with a pitiful tone.
– It seems like the time has come to ask this question. Exactly where are you trying to go?
I wiped the sweat dripping from my chin and replied.
"The yellow zone."
– Hooh!
– We both seemed to agree with the statement 'there is no yellow zone', but why did you change your judgment?
"It's not that I changed my mind. I still believe there is no yellow zone."
But…
"There must have been one in the past."
I lowered the map and looked ahead.
First of all.
"At that time, it probably wasn't directly adjacent to the red zone."
To the east was a forest, to the north was the entrance, to the south was a cliff, and to the west was the blue zone.
'The terrain fits perfectly without any gaps.'
Then…
"It must have been connected to some part of the blue zone. There must have been a connecting passage."
Excluding the north, which was also an entrance, and the east, which was adjacent to the red zone.
What remains is…
– So you're thoroughly searching the west and south? Haha!
That's correct.
Unlike the red zone, there were no mascots chasing me to kill me here, so I could use this laborious method.
And finally, I found it in a corner of the northwest, behind the restroom's flower bed.
A rough dirt path leading up the mountain, like a closed hiking trail.
– Hmm. It must have been opened as a passage before.
The problem is, crossing this almost certainly violates the theme park's rules.
[No Entry Except for Staff]
After checking that sign, I slightly stepped out from behind the restroom and looked around.
I made eye contact with a mascot standing in front of a children's attraction far away.
– Hmm, are you bothered by that mascot?
"Yes. If I cross into the no-entry zone, I'm sure they'll notice…"
– Then just don't get caught!
"..."
But that's not as easy as it sounds…
– Oh, cheer up. It's not difficult!
– Isn't it me? Your friend.
The voice of the 'Good Friend' became somewhat crafty.
Its unique confidence, slyness, and friendliness came to the forefront.
– I will help you. First… it would be good to take me out of your front pocket for a moment!
I did as it said.
Then, the plush doll sitting on my palm raised its hand and pointed at me.
I flinched instantly, remembering how it burned people during the Tuesday Quiz Show.
But this time was different.
Ta-dak!
A small thudding sound echoed as the doll without fingers snapped its hand.
At that moment.
A strange shadow-like thing heavily covered me.
"...!"
I was now faint and sinking…
– Now… they won't be able to notice you. Come on, let's go.
The voice of Braun, the 'Good Friend', sounded slightly weary and faint.
"This is…"
– I turned off your lighting, Mr. Roe Deer.
– We promised not to worry about people who aren't illuminated during the show, didn't we?
Apparently, 'incineration' wasn't the only ability of the host.
'Was he managing the entire filming location by himself…?'
I felt an eerie chill and looked down at the plush doll, but soon realized that wasn't my priority.
First, escape!
"Then, I'll move."
– Very good!
I turned back to the restroom and stood in front of the closed narrow path.
Then, I crossed the no-entry sign.
"..."
Nothing happened.
"Thank…"
– Let's set aside the praise and move first!
I was almost moved to tears by how grateful I was.
I sprinted up the steep hiking trail at my maximum speed, almost sprinting away.
Fragments of broken plastic and decorative items flashed beneath my hands and feet amidst the dirt.
– It seems like the place where something was is definitely here.
I pushed my speed even more.
Upward, further upward…
And finally, the end of the path appeared.
Tak.
I stepped forward and stood.
From the top of the hill, I looked down below.
It's…
– It's a resort.
A large-scale resort building was spread out next to the dark seaside.
…Did all famous franchise theme parks also operate such massive lodging facilities?
It was so large it was overwhelming just to look at it…
[Flower Golden Resort]
It was already a completely abandoned facility.
The golden-lit resort must have looked like quite a dream place once. But now it was old, paint peeling, and desolate.
I looked at the sign with a yellow flower brightly smiling, which had a crack.
And below that, even the familiar but older machinery.
– There's a gate at the entrance to the resort too!
"Yes."
That was expected. The way back to the resort from the theme park was also a kind of exit.
'Found it…!'
I ran again, forgetting my exhaustion. The shadow that had been covering my body snapped away, and my steps quickened.
– Hmm. But the gate here is off too, can I use it?
"Of course."
I looked around the old gate mechanism and opened the emergency control panel.
Just like I did at the attraction.
And I activated the emergency power.
Ziiing.
Creaking, sporadic lights came on in the gate machine.
'Because the mascot had its eyes wide open, I couldn't do it earlier.'
This level of operation was manageable on my own.
I stood in front of the gate where the lights were coming on most completely.
I took a deep breath.
Until the final confirmation.
"Braun. If I enter that resort with my membership, do you think I have to use those facilities?"
– Haha! Those rundown places? Their business seems to have ended long ago, and it's already an ownerless property. It's not a theme park, just land!
Thank you for the sharp and accurate assessment, friend.
I immediately brought my membership to the gate.
Click.
The old gate machine read my membership.
Ding.
The device's lights flickered.
[◎ Goodbye ◎]
Done.
Feeling a shiver, as I moved my feet…
– Goodness, they followed.
I turned around.
Far away, I saw a blue figure crawling up the narrow path.
'…Mascot!'
It was the blue dragon!
The mascot in uniform that I saw at the gate was approaching at a terrifying speed… then stopped.
It's… it's…
Staggering.
"..."
– Tsk tsk. That mascot thinks it's the protagonist of a drama. Let's get out quickly!
I felt uneasy.
'This is completely a foreshadowing of revenge.'
There's nothing good about being hated by a being from a creepypasta, right?
I thought and rummaged through my pocket, finding something that was still left.
[Alice's Picnic Set – Cookie]
It was this flat cookie item that I had never used before.
I lightly threw the paper-wrapped cookie at the mascot.
...
– Mr. Roe Deer, you are excessively kind…
No.
'Anyway, I gave it to you, Dragon.'
As I confirmed that the mascot received the cookie in its hand, I crossed the gate.
G o o d c h i l d
I escaped from the creepypasta.
Amidst the world swirling around, I heard the faint voice of the 'Good Friend'.
– Hmm, now I'm getting strength! I feel like I can move…
* * *
I opened my eyes.
I realized I was sitting in the conference room of Research Team 1 on the 17th floor, empty and dark, right in the middle of Seoul.
'…I survived.'
I succeeded in escaping!
"Ha!!"
Feeling an overwhelming sense of liberation stretching to the tips of my hair, I immediately stood up from my seat.
'Is no one here?'
A few hours had passed, so it seemed everyone had moved from the conference room. I thought of calling to let them know I had escaped…
Huh?
I looked at my wrist.
[◎ (Cheerful) Fantasyland Membership ◎ ]
The band was still there.
"What is this—"
And then it began to burn.
"...!"
In an instant, the form of the admission ticket disappeared.
But something remained.
Exactly where the admission ticket had been, there was a black inscription engraved on my wrist.
: Socius :
What the heck.
-x-X-x-
After I finally escaped from that crazy theme park—
– Roe!
– Whoa crazy, Roe's back!!
I was met with a warm welcome from my teammates who I ran into in the elevator.
Turns out, the team had been in a panic and was even thinking of reaching out to one of the civilian survivors to find out what could have happened inside the ghost story.
"We were just trying to get some insight from them. Anyway, it's a relief you made it out safely."
D-squad's assistant manager spoke with a much brighter expression.
"What happened exactly? Why were you late?"
Hmm.
Before answering, I deliberately raised my hand so my wrist faced outward, massaging the back of my neck so they could clearly see the burn mark left by the membership.
: Socius :
"..."
"..."
"Roe?"
"Oh, sorry. Just… really tired for a moment."
"Ahh."
Both Assistant Manager Eun and Supervisor Park just nodded, acknowledging that after all that hellish ordeal, it made sense.
That's when I realized.
'They can't see it.'
No reaction. That tattoo isn't visible to them.
Not a great sign.
After a short pause, I decided to speak.
"The reason I was late… well, actually, the power to the exit gate went out right in front of me. I waited, but when it didn't come back on, I had to find another way out."
"Huh?!"
I deliberately left out the part where the regular admission band turned into a membership band.
In this bizarre ghost story company, it wouldn't be wise to mention that something weird has attached itself to me.
'Let's also leave out the part about the talking plush doll.'
But aside from that, I explained everything in detail, so there shouldn't be any issues with recording the exploration logs and creating the manual.
"…Wait a minute. So… you went to the yellow zone, but the gate there was off too, so you manually turned it back on? By rewiring the circuit box?"
"Yes."
"What are you…"
"Ehh, I'm just an ordinary roe deer."
"Umm… Right, I guess."
"...??"
In any case, the atmosphere lightened significantly.
"Your points will be credited tomorrow. Don't be surprised—I heard the total might be close to ten thousand points this time."
"Awesome, right?!"
Actually, the points they'd get would be lower since I made it out alive.
The two superiors who seemed so busy worrying about my survival that they hadn't even had time to wash yet looked at me and grinned.
Honestly, I felt kind of grateful.
It was even a bit touching—a warmth too good for this company.
But someone was missing.
"Come to think of it, where's the Squad Leader?"
Assistant Manager Eun averted her gaze.
"…He got called by the Team Leader."
Urk.
"It'll be fine. He'll just get scolded a bit. Honestly, if we're talking about the A-squad's mantis mask, isn't it like he practically did that to himself?"
Well, it did seem like Squad Leader Lee got on the wrong side of the A-squad's leader.
I remembered the teal duck mask glaring daggers at him.
Even Supervisor Park was whispering now.
"Assistant Manager, is that actually true?"
"What?"
"That our squad leader has enough qualifications for the elite team but keeps getting held back in D-squad because of his personality…!"
"Oh. It's probably true."
Assistant Manager Eun crossed her arms.
"But he's been like that his whole life, so people just let him be."
"..."
"It does seem like God is fair, considering that face with that personality…"
"Shhh. He's a good superior."
A lizard face with a lizard personality?
Well, I could now somewhat understand and agree that he was indeed a decent superior.
Especially since I'd just seen the worst kind of boss up close.
"Ah, and about Research Team 1's section chief."
The head of Research Team 1, Kwak Jaekang, who had impulsively thrown his squad member into a ghost story and eventually got him killed.
"He really crossed the line."
Apparently, he's now arguing that he was 'so startled himself that he accidentally sacrificed the researcher as a pawn'.
'Even though anyone could tell it was intentional…'
Everyone from the exploration team present at that scene would remember it wasn't the case.
The problem is, there isn't anyone willing to testify strongly for the deceased, gambling-addicted researcher.
Just look at the state of our outspoken superiors.
"The A-squad's leader is totally fixated on our D-squad's leader, so much that she doesn't even care about Research Team 1's section chief."
The expectation was that things would just get swept under the rug, with maybe a slight pay cut as the only consequence.
Since this is a company where employees' lives are valued based on their performance, it didn't look like a department head would face serious disciplinary action over the accidental death of an expendable employee.
'Is this why Kwak Jaekang, the researcher, kept showing up in the Dark Exploration Records…!'
One wrong move and he'd be in deep trouble, but he seemed to be crafty enough to avoid it each time, slithering away like a snake.
The Team D superiors clicked their tongues, saying that some of the creepy rumors about Kwak Jaekang must have been true.
"I hate the thought of having to keep working with that guy, but since he threw a fit this time, he might calm down a bit until the next quarter."
"Right? If he hadn't, he would've been fired by now."
It was exactly the kind of complacency expected in a company where employees risked their lives for ghost stories.
'I agree to some extent, but… honestly, it felt like Kwak Jaekang wasn't just trying to kill his own researcher but all of us.'
The researcher was just a pawn in his chaos.
But thanks to everyone's safe escape, that part got blurred, leaving things a bit murky.
'I'll have to keep an eye on him going forward.'
I resolved to thoroughly check the
"Phew, what a long day."
"Seriously."
The conversation died down.
Since Squad Leader Lee Jaheon's return was uncertain, we got permission to go home for the day.
Assistant Manager Eun grinned.
"There's nothing more to do. You haven't been reported as missing yet. We thought we might find you. …Good thing we did."
"Yeah! We all believed you'd turn up!"
"Go home and get some rest."
"…Thank you."
"Oh, come on, no need for that."
With their parting words, "Look forward to those points tomorrow," I said goodbye to my superiors.
I returned to Research Team 1's office to gather my things and started heading home.
And along the way, I met a familiar face.
"Jang Heo-eun."
"...! Soleum-ssi!"
A new recruit from the Y-squad.
Since all his squadmates had died, he'd somehow been relegated to the background, sitting idly in the Research Team 1's office.
And although his shoulder had healed, he was still wearing his blood-stained clothes.
"You made it out safely! I'm relieved…"
"Yes, thank you."
I sat across from him for a moment and made some small talk.
Jang Heo-eun looked a bit pale, probably from blood loss, but his gloomy expression seemed somewhat lighter.
Though it feels odd to call him lucky, given what happened to his squadmates…
I recalled what the superiors had hinted at earlier.
– Ah, that new recruit from Y-squad. Looks like management is considering him favorably after his performance this time. If he maintains it, he's likely to be promoted to a regular employee within three months.
– If he can make it through three months without incident, there's a high chance he'll be transferred to a standard position!
That all sounds great.
The problem is, can he survive those three months…!
"So, have you ever thought about quitting? Your situation is too dangerous right now…"
"No."
A firm answer returned.
Jang Heo-eun, the new recruit from Y-squad, still wearing his cow mask, clenched both fists tightly.
"I need that wish ticket. I can't quit."
"..."
Seems he has his own reasons.
"In that case, I wish you the best of luck."
After hesitating, I added a few words.
"Three months."
"Pardon?"
"If you can endure for just three months, there's a high chance you'll be reassigned."
There's a big difference between enduring indefinitely and having a set period to push through.
From a motivational standpoint as well.
"...!"
A glimmer appeared in Jang Heo-eun's eyes.
"Y-Yes… I'll try my best to make it…!"
He took a deep breath, looking at the ceiling, then lowered his head respectfully.
"You've helped me a lot today. In three months, I'll work hard to return the favor."
"No need. Thanks to you, I made it out safely as well. Thank you."
We shook hands.
And, with a mix of sympathy and understanding, I found myself saying it almost automatically.
"Thank you for all your hard work. It must have been frightening for you."
"Pardon?"
A look of puzzlement passed over Jang Heo-eun's face.
Uhh…!
"Oh, it's fine. I've nearly died a few times before…"
"…Not just that. You must have seen some very disturbing scenes as well."
"Oh, that's true."
Jang Heo-eun gave an embarrassed smile.
"I'm not great with blood or organs… I keep fainting or my legs give out."
"…I see."
Hold on.
The definition of 'disturbing scenes' seems to have narrowed down quite a bit just now…
'No way.'
"…Heo-eun-ssi, does that mean that supernatural phenomena or ghosts don't bother you?"
"A-Ah, yes! Those things don't bother me at all!"
"..."
"It's just that I tend to think, 'Oh, so that's what it is,' um, yes. Unless someone gets severely injured, I don't feel much about it."
"..."
So he's… not a coward?
"Thank you for your concern… Oh, that's right! Soleum-ssi, did you happen to talk to that person in the new recruit group chat… oh. Y-You're not in there…"
There's… a new recruit group chat?