How a Veteran of the Urban Legend Gallery Survives – Chapter 8

The silence in the isolation room weighed heavily.

A space surrounded by gray walls with no windows. The LED light above emitted a cold white glow. Only the ticking sound of a clock filled the room.

The cocoa in my hand had long gone lukewarm. The cocoa handed to me by the researcher had a sweet aroma, but it had cooled down during the examination. Still, it was better than nothing. At least it was better than the almond water I drank in the Back Room.

It had already been three hours since the examination ended. The researchers meticulously checked if any anomalies from the Back Room were on my body or if there were any other irregularities.

Skin tissue tests, blood tests, even brainwave tests. They scrutinized me as if studying an alien. Fortunately, the results were normal. According to them, the “anomaly contamination level was 0%.”

“Can I finally rest now…?”

Just as I was about to yawn, the door to the isolation room burst open.

“Is this the right place?”

Unfamiliar faces poured in like a dam breaking. People flooded in all at once.

The ones in black security uniforms were the security team. Their armbands clearly read “Security.” The researchers in white coats were different from those who had examined me earlier. And… Assistant Kang Hana.

She was still dressed in a neat suit. With the same calm expression as when we first met, she observed the situation.

“Is it true that you escaped the Back Room in just 8 hours?”

One of the researchers in a white coat asked eagerly. His voice was filled with excitement. His eyes sparkled like a scientist who had discovered a new test subject.

“How was that possible? Do you have some special ability…?”

“No, I just… got lucky.”

I answered with an awkward smile. I had to hide the existence of the Dalant Shop and the tracking incense set.

If these people found out about that… I’d probably become a “research subject.” I already knew from the documents that the Catastrophe Foundation isolates any entity with anomalies.

“Got lucky, huh?”

A Busan dialect echoed in my ears. A burly man in a security uniform chuckled as he spoke. Sweat was dripping down his neck. He must have run here.

“Luck is a skill, kid. Escaping the Back Room in 8 hours… That could make it into the Guinness Book!”

“Hahaha…”

I forced an awkward laugh. This attention was overwhelming. I was just a regular new employee, but everyone looked at me as if I had seen a UFO.

Then it happened.

“The HR manager is here!”

All eyes turned to the door. The host I had seen at the forum earlier entered.

He was still dressed in a neat suit. His expression was more serious than at the forum, but he still wore a gentle smile.

“So, you’re the top scorer in this recruitment test.”

His voice was calm. His tone was as comfortable as talking to an old friend. I nodded, and he continued.

“Usually, we assign departments based on aptitude, but… the top scorer gets to choose. Which department would you like to join?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Tension filled the air, like when a high-value item appears at an auction.

“Our security team is super stable. We have a system in place to handle even the most dangerous horror stories.”

“If you join the research team, you’ll work with cutting-edge equipment. Our goal is to understand the essence of horror stories.”

Both sides began pitching their advantages simultaneously. Then, Assistant Kang Hana stepped forward.

“Our field investigation team is dangerous. You’ll often face horror stories without manuals.”

She paused briefly before continuing.

“But the rewards are solid. There are plenty of incentives, and promotion opportunities are more frequent than in other departments.”

There was no reason to hesitate.

“I’ll join the field investigation team.”

To collect Dalant, I needed to frequently encounter horror stories. And the field investigation team was the place with the most opportunities for that.

The expressions of the security and research teams were filled with regret. But they nodded as if they understood. The high salaries and fast promotions of the field investigation team were well-known within the company.

“Very well. Then you’ll be assigned to Field Investigation Team 4.”

The HR manager turned to Kang Hana.

“Assistant, please handle the department orientation.”

“Yes, Manager.”

Kang Hana bowed politely. As the HR manager left the isolation room, she spoke to me.

“Get some rest today. You must have had a rough night. Report to the headquarters by 9 AM tomorrow.”

I nodded. The fatigue was finally hitting me.

***

I collapsed onto my bed in my studio apartment.

I didn’t even have the energy to take off my suit. The exhaustion from the 8-hour escape from the Back Room was finally catching up. I could feel the cold sweat on my back, but I didn’t even have the energy to shower.

I opened the Dalant Shop on my phone. 150,000 points. It was a decent amount, but I didn’t feel like spending it now.

‘It’s better to use it when needed…’

The experience in the Back Room came to mind. It was best to buy what I needed at the moment. Preparing in advance didn’t guarantee help, and it could lead to unnecessary spending.

I thought about writing about today’s events on the Horror Story Gallery but decided against it. My eyelids were heavy. I didn’t even have the strength to put down my phone.

‘Maybe I should write something on the Horror Story Gallery…’

I was tired, but I felt a sense of duty to share today’s events with my fellow gallery users. No matter how tired I was, important information like this needed to be shared.

I accessed the Horror Story Gallery on my phone. As usual, I started typing.

─Title) I escaped the Back Room, AMA

─Author: [Baekyaⓖ]

─Content: I was in the Back Room until just now and escaped in 8 hours. Ask me anything in the comments.

Normally, I wouldn’t like such a title. It felt too clickbaity. But this time, it was real.

Comments started pouring in immediately.

[Cryptidⓖ]: You escaped in 8 hours? Is that even possible?

[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: How did you get out so fast?

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: That’s insane ㄷㄷ

The familiar usernames were comforting, but now that horror stories had become reality, my feelings were complicated.

I slowly typed a response.

└[Baekyaⓖ]: It’s true. I just got out of the Foundation’s isolation room.

└[[Hikikoⓖ]: The Foundation? You mean the Catastrophe Foundation?

└[Baekyaⓖ]: Yeah, it was part of the new employee test.

The comments exploded. Like poking a beehive, several comments appeared in an instant.

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: Sending new employees to the Back Room as a test? And you clearing it in 8 hours? Both are insane.

[Cryptidⓖ]: But 8 hours is crazy, right? It usually takes months.

[Hikikoⓖ]: Any proof that you joined the Foundation?

Various reactions poured in. Some were skeptical, others amazed. It was a natural reaction. Even I would have been skeptical if someone else had posted this.

I continued answering while avoiding detailed information. I couldn’t reveal the existence of the Dalant Shop or the tracking incense.

└[Baekyaⓖ]: I got lucky. Found an exit in Level 0.

└[Hikikoⓖ]: Did you encounter any entities?

A chill ran down my spine. The moment I faced the Howler came to mind. The grotesque monster with bulging eyes, and the other new employee I had to leave behind…

└[Baekyaⓖ]: I saw one briefly in Level 1 but managed to avoid it. Not sure if the other survivor I met got caught.

└[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: ㄷㄷㄷ That new employee is done for… RIP

└[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: But the Foundation just throws new employees in and leaves them? Don’t they send rescue teams?

└[Cryptidⓖ]: Rescue? ㅋㅋㅋ Have you even read the Foundation documents? They don’t do that.

The comment section went quiet for a moment. Everyone was probably thinking about that new employee’s fate. I felt guilty too. I could have asked them to come with me…

[Cryptidⓖ]: But you only went up to Level 1? Didn’t go deeper?

└[Baekyaⓖ]: Yeah, no need to go further. I figured the Foundation would have a connection in Level 0, so I searched there and found an exit.

[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: Going deeper would’ve made it really hard to come back.

[Hikikoⓖ]: How many levels are there in the Back Room?

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: Officially, it’s like a few hundred, right?

Just as the conversation was getting deeper, someone changed the topic.

[Cryptidⓖ]: So which department did you get assigned to?

└[Baekyaⓖ]: Field Investigation Team.

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: Field Investigation Team? ㄷㄷㄷ

[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: At least you’ll make good money there.

Then, a new comment appeared.

[ㅇㅇ(112.223)]: Isn’t the Field Investigation Team the suicide squad? ㅋㅋ

I checked the IP, but it was unfamiliar. A logged-out veteran user? Or just a troll?

[Cryptidⓖ]: Joining the Foundation is all the same anyway.

[Hikikoⓖ]: But escaping the Back Room in 8 hours means you have the skills to survive, right?

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: Don’t worry, you cleared the Back Room in 8 hours, so you’ll be fine.

[Hikikoⓖ]: But the Field Investigation Team means you’ll keep facing horror stories, right?

The atmosphere in the Horror Story Gallery grew heavier. Normally, light jokes or memes would lighten the mood, but now that it had become reality, that wasn’t possible.

[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: But isn’t it mentally draining for a new employee to talk about this stuff?

[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: ㅇㅇ You start work tomorrow, so you shouldn’t be doing this.

[Hikikoⓖ]: Don’t worry and get some sleep!

Warm, concerned comments followed. The Horror Story Gallery users were truly special.

[Cryptidⓖ]: You did well in the recruitment test, so you’ll do fine.

[Hikikoⓖ]: ㄹㅇ Escaping the Back Room in 8 hours means you can handle anything.

Just as more comments were about to pour in, my eyelids grew unbearably heavy. I couldn’t go on.

[Baekyaⓖ]: I’m too tired to continue. I have work tomorrow…

└[Jjolmyeon500wonⓖ]: Sleep well ㅂㅂ

└[Cryptidⓖ]: Share more Field Investigation Team stories later.

└[AnalogueLoverⓖ]: Come back if you’re still alive ㅋㅋ

The last comment felt oddly ominous. The phrase “if you’re still alive” stuck in my mind, but I was too tired to dwell on it.

I collapsed onto my bed, still in my suit.

“Ugh…”

My phone fell onto the blanket. The exhaustion from the eight hours in the Back Room hit me all at once. The time spent running from the Howler, hiding from unknown sounds.

But strangely, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep that night. No nightmares, just a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

7 AM.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm.

“Ugh…”

My whole body ached. Sleeping in my suit had left my shirt wrinkled, and my back was damp with sweat.

‘First, a shower.’

I changed into a fresh suit and tied my tie. My reflection in the mirror looked unfamiliar.

Even on the subway to Gangnam Station, the tension didn’t ease. The trauma from a week ago lingered. Ever since witnessing the dwarfs’ massacre, I broke into a cold sweat every time I took the subway.

‘I just can’t get used to this.’

Fortunately, it was an ordinary commute.

“Sigh…”

I finally let out a sigh of relief upon arriving at Gangnam Station. I exited the station and headed toward the Foundation’s headquarters.

The Catastrophe Foundation headquarters looked like an ordinary office building. Only the English logo “Catastrophe Foundation” hung in the lobby.

I took the elevator to the 12th floor, where the Field Investigation Team was located.

As the elevator doors opened, a bright voice greeted me. Assistant Kang Hana and several unfamiliar faces were standing there.

I approached them and greeted them.

“Good morning.”

“Oh.”

“Are you the newbie?”

The people chatting in the office looked up and welcomed me.

Among them, a man with a friendly demeanor smiled and spoke.

“Welcome to Field Investigation Team 4.”

Of all teams, I had to be assigned to Team 4…

A sense of unease flickered. In East Asia, the number 4 has long been a symbol of death. Being assigned to a team with such an ominous number…

But I shook my head. This wasn’t the time to worry about that.

‘It’ll be fine, right?’

…At least, I wanted to believe that for now.