A dulled mind stares into the darkness ahead and thinks...

A ghost tale deleted from the Wiki.

And yet, it exists here. That is—

“…Perhaps because it exists even as a deletion record.”

Tales that once met the upvote threshold for Wiki inclusion but were later removed for failing to meet formal criteria could still be found as “Deleted Tales.”

If that’s the case—

Was this ghost tale truly a power created by the Nameless Shining Sect?

Or, since it was deleted for “lack of clear ties to the Nameless Shining Sect,” is it something entirely separate?

…This place that has summoned me, in this grotesque body—
What sort of structure does this world truly have…?

Confusion spreads slowly, riding the slope of a collapsing brain.

The smoke wavers.

“…You okay?”

A voice.

The one in the badger mask.

He’s watching from just outside the bathroom.

It seems he wants to speak.

Standby

But I must decide.

That is—if this tale, potentially belonging to the Nameless Shining Sect, ends up in the hands of Baekilmong Corporation, what effects or side-effects might—

…….

…….

Does it matter?

It doesn’t.

Speculating on the tale’s origins, legitimacy, or contradictions serves no purpose. My sole task is to carry out the assignment.

That is the purpose of my employment contract. Nothing else is needed.

I have one job.

Verification in Progress

To determine whether this darkness is suitable for Dream Residue Production by Baekilmong Corporation.

The three criteria:

I can infer—

The viable “clear” method is likely enduring until the rain stops, without making any contact with rainwater.

It’s a rain-day hallucination.

Since this ghost tale relies more on luring than direct violence or slaughter, merely keeping one’s mind intact and locking the door increases survival odds.

With enough exploration records, behavioral patterns could be extrapolated.

‘Items 1 and 2—satisfied.’

And the third condition:

…….

I looked down at the bathtub, filled with rainwater, and tapped my chin slowly with a fingertip.

Assessing.

And I reached a conclusion.

Conditions Met
: Suitable Darkness

Then—

Proceeding with subjugation for transportable containment form

I moved into action.

“Roe deer? Right now…”

I veiled the bathtub rainwater in mist.

What is now hidden in mist will soon return to its original form.

Unnecessary descriptions and records will be deleted.

Back to its essence.

---

[Bitmul Meari – Echo of the Rainpit]

On rainy days, it sings to the intended sacrifice who approaches the vicinity of the pit, and in the process, mimics the appearance and voice of those who were previously sacrificed to lure people in.

Not only voices, but letters, notes, or even drawings are used in various forms to distort the meaning of the phrase ‘deliver a message,’ and are thus used very broadly.

It takes the form of a binary-choice torment, forcing the victim into a situation where they must agonize over whose message to trust. Inspired by a double-bind moral torture device, its reality is that whatever is chosen, it leads to a trap, and the sacrifice is captured.

A trap that exploits the human psychology of believing they can survive if they choose the correct one.

---

[Bitmul Meari – Echo of the Rainpit]

On rainy days, it sings to the intended sacrifice who approaches the vicinity of the pit, and in the process, mimics the appearance and voice of those who were previously sacrificed to lure people in.

̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶v̶o̶i̶c̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶s̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶w̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶v̶a̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶h̶r̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶‘̶d̶e̶l̶i̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶,̶’̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶u̶s̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶a̶d̶l̶y̶.̶

It takes the form of a binary-choice torment, forcing the victim into a situation where they must agonize over whose message to trust. Inspired by a double-bind moral torture device, its reality is that whatever is chosen, it leads to a trap, and the sacrifice is captured.

A trap that exploits the human psychology of believing they can survive if they choose the correct one.

---

AaaaAAAAAAHHHH!

From the bathtub came a shriek of pure death—echoing through the bathroom, a cry of final desperation and pleading.

The scream of an entity being erased.

It sounded like the scream of a victim.

This thing—having long since learned how to lure prey—had evolved far beyond the crude superstitions it once imitated.

“It’s learned deception.”

The dead victim becomes a new lure, mixing truth and lies into plausible choices, and uses them to draw in the next sacrifice.

It disguises itself. Mimics.
Mocks from both sides.

You listen to one voice—and start to doubt.
You listen to the other—and doubt again.

By the time that cycle begins, it's already “too late.”

Each time the prey senses wrongness, recognizes a shred of truth, their mind wears down further—until finally, they choose a side and follow its voice.

No matter which they pick, the ending is the same.

It ends here.
Inside this rainwater.

This time, it just happened to be the couple—and the child’s handwriting on the sketchbook.

But even that… is over now.

---
[Bitmul Meari – Echo of the Rainpit]

On rainy days, it sings to the intended sacrifice who approaches the vicinity of the pit, and in the process, mimics the appearance and voice of those who were previously sacrificed to lure people in.

̶N̶o̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶l̶y̶ ̶v̶o̶i̶c̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶s̶,̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶w̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶v̶a̶r̶i̶o̶u̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶d̶i̶s̶t̶o̶r̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶a̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶h̶r̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶‘̶d̶e̶l̶i̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶,̶’̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶u̶s̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶a̶d̶l̶y̶.̶

̶I̶t̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶i̶n̶a̶r̶y̶-̶c̶h̶o̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶r̶m̶e̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶c̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶v̶i̶c̶t̶i̶m̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶u̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶g̶o̶n̶i̶z̶e̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶a̶g̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶s̶t̶.̶ ̶I̶n̶s̶p̶i̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶o̶u̶b̶l̶e̶-̶b̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶t̶o̶r̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶t̶y̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶s̶e̶n̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶a̶d̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶p̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶c̶r̶i̶f̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶p̶t̶u̶r̶e̶d̶.̶

̶A̶ ̶t̶r̶a̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶l̶o̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n̶ ̶p̶s̶y̶c̶h̶o̶l̶o̶g̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶b̶e̶l̶i̶e̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶r̶v̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶r̶r̶e̶c̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶.̶
---

The rain-soaked water was now endlessly vomiting up the corpses it had devoured.

AaaaAAAAAAAH!

Thud.

Thud-thud-thud.

The sound of a corpse sliding out of the bathtub and hitting the floor echoed through the bathroom.

The tiled floor was filling with bodies.

AAAAAAaaaAAAAAH!

The corpses piled up.

I covered the smoke, collected it, and covered it again—repeating the task as I watched its final moments.

The rainpit, having expelled every last scrap, began to boil as it evaporated.

Erased.

"More."

Until you lose your identity and collapse.

"More."

Like I did.

"More."

I felt my body collapse further and further, spreading across the bathroom. Until the point of no return, until the very edge—until everything was lost...

“Noru!”

!

“Noru, stop!”

……

……

⚠ Improper Call Sign
Reason: Unofficial Use

I retrieved the smoke.

From behind me came the panting of the one wearing the badger mask.

“…Sorry.”

There was no need to apologize.

That’s right.

If I erase even its identity as a ghost story, I won’t be able to use it as darkness anymore...

I exhaled smoke through the gas mask, then swallowed it again. My broken body slowly began to recover...

I felt the gaze of the badger shift as he looked at the pile of corpses.

“…How… how are you able to do something like this?”

I don’t know.

I don’t want to know.

What matters is the next stage of the mission.

Prepare Transport Case

“……”

The one in the badger mask silently brought over the transport case I had emerged from.

I confirmed that, aside from the space needed to fit me, the interior still had ample room.

Which meant—

Crunch.

The water in the bathtub, now lifted in my grasp, shrank back in fear.

I willingly stuffed the bathtub—still full of rainwater—into the transport case.

Thunk.

The clang of the metal door closing rang out.

“…Confirmed.”

Done.

I picked up the transport case and exited through the bathroom door.

……

A soft silence enveloped the house.

Rain still fell steadily outside the window, but instead of the previous chill and unease, there was now a calm darkness settled over everything.

The sound of rain was gentle.

Like a normal day.

“Ah…”

Even the operator from Sales Team, under the guard captain’s supervision, seemed to realize it.

Hope spread across his face.

“I-Is it… over…?”

✅ Confirmed

“Ha…”

The employee slumped back down again.

But this time, not from fear—this time, from relief.

Soon, the house’s interior lights flickered back on.

Flash.

The house, now bright again, looked as though nothing had ever happened.

“Returning to base.”

The rest of the Security Team also returned to reality, filing their reports as they escaped the ghost story.

Relieved, the Sales Team operator managed to stand and gave a trembling smile.

“Th-thank you…”

There was nothing to thank us for.

Remaining Phase:
Cost Settlement

“…Huh?”

Because everything has a price.

[Settlement Complete]
[The estimated cost will now be charged.]

“……”

The Sales Team employee blinked up at the voice that came from his dead supervisor’s pager.

“…H-how much will it be?”

[A handler will be assigned shortly.]
[Remaining time: 30 seconds…]

“Wait—hey? Wait, please!”

Suddenly.

A thought slowly passed through his mind.

If someone had been visiting this house regularly on rainy days… then they must have already been under the story’s influence the moment they entered.

Just like that Sales employee’s deceased superior.

And yet…

Did Baekilmong Corporation truly not know?

That the couple who regularly purchased those special potions had been replaced—become victims of the ghost story? Or perhaps they had already been ghost story residents long before, receiving potions in their place?

That the Sales Team might get caught up in such situations?

That as long as payment was possible, the direction didn’t matter? Or worse—was that the intended outcome all along…?

……

……

That wasn’t for the Security Team to judge.

“…Let’s go.”

“Hey? Wait, wait—!”

The Security Team returned to the corporation. The shadow of the pager engulfed them once more.

I, too, was stored back into the transport case and transferred to the main building’s underground isolation chamber.

But I kept remembering.

The look on the operator’s face—the expression that had once said “I survived”—gradually overwritten by pure anxiety.

That crumbling mosaic heap.

***

[My, my. This really is the kind of talent our company wants… No, perhaps we should call you a divine recruit. Haha!]

[To think you’d retrieve it just like that!]

Excited voices.

The one receiving this report was the assigned research staff, Kwak Jaegang—his giddy voice rustled across as he flipped through papers.

[Grade. Ah, what kind of grade might it be… It’s got to be at least a D. Even a C would already be so exciting… I mean, we’d get all kinds of interesting exploration records out of it. Definitely Darkness-class.]

[“Whispers on a Rainy Day,” huh!]

“……”

[Well, the two Security Team members assigned as backup ought to thank you, don’t you think?]

[Probably brought back some memories—playing at being a Field Survey Team. Must’ve been quite the thrill!]

The person in the badger mask clenched their fist, then relaxed it like giving up.

……

I incremented the researcher’s counter by one more.

And then:

Query

[Ah, of course, you may ask anything, but…]

Query:

Specific cost breakdown of the caller’s charge

At that moment—

[……]
[You’re curious about that?]

The researcher’s voice turned exceedingly gentle.

Like he wanted to come off as friendly.

[Naturally, I’ll answer. It’s just… this is the first time you’ve asked about something not directly tied to your task, so… is there anything else you’re curious about?]

[Anything at all…]

As if trying to draw out something deeper.

[Why don’t you go ahead and ask whatever’s on your mind? It doesn’t need to be work-related!]

……

I drew smoke.

Cost Inquiry: Work-relevant
▶ Performance efficiency impact

[…Huh?]

Effect of cost on mission behavior:

Caller may experience aggression spikes or erratic behavior

[Excuse me?]

I kindly attached an example phrase:

Example Phrase: “You’d better be worth what we paid.”

A silence passed.

[……Ah.]

[I… yes, well, I suppose that… makes sense?]

The researcher’s voice rang through the speaker, slightly flustered and drained.

[Mm… well, most callers don’t really understand how the cost works, so it probably won’t go that far.]

[And the cost is rarely monetary. …It’s usually labor.]

……

[This caller will likely be assigned a few years of service at a branch office.]

A branch?

A Baekilmong Corporation branch office—an entity not formally detailed in the Wiki.

[Not too bad, right? Remote assignments come with a hardship allowance.]

For a brief moment, something that might be called worry or curiosity flickered across my mind, but soon it sank beneath the mush of my thoughts.

Because the alert in my head was already going off:

–Your shift has ended. Your shift has ended. Your shift has ended…

[Oh dear. Is it that time already? Well then—see you tomorrow, employee!]

The speaker shut off.

Just like that, the room I was in went still—soundless and silent.

……

I sat on the bed.

No more training videos.

In this space designed to imitate a staff dorm room, silence reigned. On the bookshelf were a few books, and a laptop sat on the desk, but they were all mockups. Non-functional.

No interaction was possible.

In this place, until the next shift began… I could not work.

Still—

Knock knock.

…!

“Um, can I… come in?”

I turned toward the steel door.

Someone was standing outside.

And not just standing there—they gently opened the steel door and came in…

Security Team.

The one in the badger mask, and the Guard Captain.

My team.

“Sorry. Took a while to wash up.”

Other Security Team members closed the steel door from the outside.

But they didn’t leave.

“…Hey, so…”

The one in the badger mask held something out to me.

A heavy, rectangular object.

“I got approval to bring this in! Captain said it’d probably be fine, and—turns out it was!”

A book.

A compilation of twelve essential youth classics.

“…Figured you might get bored.”

……

I took it.

The people seated across from me seemed to smile with quiet joy…

“Also… hey…”

A slightly nervous voice.

“I was thinking—could we maybe… call you Noru, at least when it’s just us?”

……

“C-Captain said it’d be okay…”

“Y-you know… off-shift, we’re allowed to use unofficial call signs…”

……

✅ Approved

“…! Okay.”

A sound of laughter filtered through the mask.

And then they sat down beside me.

“…You did great on your first shift, Noru.”

……

The hand that instinctively used to reach toward my head fell to the floor naturally.

There was no hair to ruffle anymore.

……

I raised both hands.

“Noru?”

A dull desire.

A craving I hadn’t felt since the employment contract—rough and clumsy, bubbling up faintly from somewhere deep below…

A desire to resemble a similar shape.

To interact the same way.

Maybe it was a desire expressible in words like that.

“W-wait. Hey…!”

I covered myself with smoke.

But I didn’t know how to build it.

Just like how one can’t be taught how to breathe, the things I once did instinctively—I had no idea how to recreate them artificially. I groped at where my face should be. Bone, rubber, silhouette, the absence of an esophagus. Nostalgia candy I could no longer consume…

……

Nostalgia.

Request

“Huh?”

“…What kind?”

I completed the sentence.

Request:

Nostalgia Kitty

“…!!”

Both Security Team members shot up from the floor at once.

Because they understood what that request implied.

“R-right. Uh—Captain?!”

The Guard Captain had already stepped outside the steel door.

And as though bypassing the vast distance and access procedures to the equipment vault entirely, he returned astonishingly quickly.

In his hand—was the item I’d asked for.

“…Here.”

As I extended my hand, it dropped into my palm—his pale, bone-thin fingers trembling as they passed it to me.

A red yarn-like item.

Nostalgia Kitty

Used once before after rescuing Deputy Park Minseong, who had been contaminated by the “Hungry Hangman” ghost story.
Effect: When worn, the target is fixed in the physical and emotional state of their healthiest moment within the last 10 years.
The more severe the mutation, the faster the effect breaks.

I took the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Nostalgia Kitty.

And wrapped it around my neck.