I don't know how I managed to get through that night after noticing the crack in the popsocket.
The next day, I ignored my illness, headed out immediately, and bought a new phone.
After transferring my sim card, I nervously attached the cracked popsocket and powered it on.
'…It works!'
Thankfully, the wiki was still up and running, but…
Something felt off.
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Hellfare Taxi]
It's glitching.
It felt like an old computer on its last legs, showing the characteristic sluggishness of a dying machine.
Although it eventually restored itself, the chill down my spine remained.
'Right. Even merch can break…'
The strange reality of using merch purchased from a pop-up store in a creepypasta universe had made me overlook how reliant I'd become on my phone.
Why not copy or back up the wiki contents somewhere else, you ask?
'That would take over a month.'
Pages accessed via the Memorial Popsocket couldn't be copied or captured. Every entry had to be painstakingly transcribed by hand.
'And there's no guarantee that the popsocket as it is would last that long.'
Still, no need to panic.
These merch were, after all, from a creepypasta universe. I've built a foundation here over the past six months, and now other options have opened up.
Get a new popsocket.
Or find a way to repair it.
Interestingly, both required the same type of connection.
'The Disaster Management Bureau.'
The popsocket's origin, of course.
And I knew where items like this and the Silver Heart badge were manufactured…
Naturally, I also knew how to gain access there, the passcode, and the necessary preparations.
Conveniently, I even had a temporary Disaster Management Bureau agent badge.
"..."
I pressed my temples and thought.
'My sick leave's three days.'
Which meant I couldn't handle any follow-up tasks related to Death Lane or company work in this condition.
But as long as I didn't report to work, I could exert myself in other areas if I could bear it. After all, my recovery was guaranteed in three days.
'However, I can't avoid the pain from the taxi fare-induced curse artificially.'
Since it's a curse, even the strongest painkillers wouldn't help. Moreover, using supernatural methods to escape the pain would only extend the curse's duration.
Only actual suffering would count as payment.
So, unless absolutely necessary, I'd keep my ultra-potent painkiller, Happy Maker, unused.
Honestly…
"..."
Thinking back to how I used it in that nightmare gave me chills.
'I truly felt no pain, only peace…'
Had it not been a dream, or if the Fox Counseling Room hadn't treated my contamination, I might have become addicted to it, reliving those moments whenever things got tough.
I've got to be careful.
'…Alright.'
Don't procrastinate what I can do now—prepare while I can. I carefully removed the cracked popsocket from the phone, packed it up, and stored it in my tattoo inventory.
"Braun. We're heading out again."
– Aha, the indomitable spirit despite injuries! What an interview-worthy story. A testament to one's passion for the industry, wouldn't you say?
– But if it becomes too much, just let me know. This Braun, your perfect colleague and friend, is always ready to help…
That was both comforting and chilling.
"Thanks."
After another quick shower to wash off my sweat, I slipped on a light hoodie and tucked the gleaming bowtie-wearing rabbit plush into the hoodie's front pocket.
– Looking sharp, Mr. Roe Deer! So, where to now?
Hmm.
"To the place in Seoul where young people gather the most."
I got off at Hongdae Station.
It was fascinating how crowded the area was, even on a weekday afternoon.
'Even far from the station, there are still so many people.'
From Mangwon to Yeonnam, every street would be bustling with visitors. It was a stark contrast to yesterday's dead-end alley connected to Death Lane—this crowd felt almost surreal.
– Such a lively place, full of bright and reactive people! Oh, I'd love to invite them all to a show, delivering once-in-a-lifetime thrills and shocks! Ahhh!
Thankfully, Braun quickly got distracted, sparing me from having to calm his excited voice.
– Ah, the aroma of coffee is delightful! Care for a cup, Friend? …Oh dear! You're staggering. Do you need support?
'…I'm fine.'
Cursed with illness and now out in the bustling city of Seoul alongside this ghost story resident, it was inevitable that strange events would follow… Ha, well.
Still, the feeling of being in a lively, sunlit area was comforting. A street lined with cafes, drenched in sunlight, with not a hint of gloom to be found.
It was almost impossible to imagine anything mystical or eerie happening here in broad daylight.
'Which is precisely why it's safe.'
I recalled the instructions on how to access the place that could repair my popsocket.
The Disaster Management Bureau's document, registered in the wiki complete with an image of a note.
! Destroy after thorough reading
Where to go: A café with a blue roof and no sign. It's a converted house with a buckwheat flower wreath on the door.
There it was.
With Braun's assistance, I suppressed my presence entirely and slipped into the blue-roofed building.
It was a large café bustling with customers.
Even in broad daylight, the place sparkled with all kinds of lights and decorations, and the staff busily took orders and prepared drinks. Instead of joining the line to order, I subtly moved aside, ducked, and slipped into the kitchen area.
Venturing deeper, I soon came upon two doors at the turn of a corner.
[Staff Only]
Though both yellow doors looked identical, one led outside while the other…
'Is the door I need to open.'
Enter through the right-hand door only. Do not touch the left door. Once touched, the 'location' becomes inaccessible through the right door.
Carefully, I approached the right-hand door and rapped on the surface rhythmically.
Knock-knock, knockknock—, knock-knock, knockknock—
The Jajinmori Jangdan, a beat familiar to anyone who'd gone through Korea's public education.
I opened the door just slightly and slipped inside.
"..."
Inside, it looked like an ordinary staff area.
A mix of corridors, storage spaces, and employee lounges. Worn-out sofas, desks, laptops, boxes of supplies. In one corner, seasonal decorations were stacked.
Look for an object resembling a house, such as a model of a residence, apartment, or yurt.
I carefully sifted through the decorations and found it.
A hanok model.
It seemed to have been used as a Chuseok holiday decoration.
'This must be it.'
I crouched before the hanok model and reached for its tiny gate. The moment I opened it—
BAM!
I fell backward, landing hard on my rear.
"Ah…"
Already in pain, I felt blood welling up in my throat but suppressed it. This was not a place where I could afford to shed blood.
'Let's see…'
I got up and surveyed my surroundings, which were no longer the bustling café but a quiet, enclosed hanok courtyard.
The space was eerily still, with no wind and surrounded by walls. The characteristic wooden beams and ivory-colored walls of a traditional Korean house came into view.
'Silent.'
It felt like stumbling into a break room where no one was supposed to be. Suddenly—
[Hey! Who's there? You can't just… Eh? Kim-seobang[1]?]
The hanok's door burst open, and out came someone with braided hair, wearing a tracksuit.
The person pointed a finger at the Disaster Management Bureau's metal badge on my hoodie.
I took a deep breath and bowed my head slightly.
"Ah, my apologies. It's my first time here."
[A new Kim-seobang, huh?! Must be those meddling government agents up to their weird tricks again!]
[What if you, a scrawny Kim-seobang, stumbled upon a mischievous noontime goblin while wandering in broad daylight, eh?!]
Though the figure seemed ordinary—just large and loud—
[What's wrong? Lost your hearing? Why aren't you speaking, Kim-seobang?!]
It wasn't human.
The title Kim-seobang alone gave it away.[2]
'That's a goblin.'
And this was their gathering place.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Dokkaebi Workshop]
: A ghost story featured in
: Disaster Management Bureau identification code – no records found
: Daydream Inc. identification code – no records found
A workshop where goblins gather at night to craft clubs and hats. Nearly all exploration logs occur during the day.
The Disaster Management Bureau strongly restricts information to prevent Daydream Inc. from accessing it.
Refer to the relevant documents for usage details.
========================
This was it.
The goblins were said to gather here nightly, drinking, eating buckwheat cakes, and crafting their tools.
This ghost story begins with the idea that some nocturnal goblins enjoy their gatherings so much they linger even during the day.
If you approach the goblins idling in the workshop at midday, offer them something nice, and ask them to craft items for you, they'll often do so enthusiastically.
Currently, however, they scare off and chase away anyone who isn't a 'government official Kim-seobang'.
No one who's been chased away has ever succeeded in re-entering the place.
Honestly, it feels less like a ghost story and more like a modern version of a charming old folktale.
Isn't that what urban legends are supposed to be?
'That's why the Disaster Management Bureau just quietly thanks them and takes the equipment.'
Some of the low-rank equipment, like popsockets, issued to rookie agents comes from here—including the glass gun I received from Agent Bronze. Such harmless and straightforward ghost stories aren't even classified as Disasters—they're simply labeled as 'common supernatural phenomena' by the Disaster Management Bureau.
Although, there is one troubling description…
People are often warned to beware of fearsome daytime goblins, though no sightings have been reported to date.
This loose end hasn't even been picked up in the , so it wasn't an immediate concern.
'Let's get this over with.'
I carefully unwrapped the popsocket, which I'd wrapped in multiple layers, and held it out to the goblin.
"I rushed over, hoping you could fix this. Ah, here's a token of gratitude…"
[Kim-seobang, this isn't something we made, is it?]
…What?
"It's not?"
[Nope, nope. Looks like someone copied us. Haha, funny, so funny…]
The goblin chuckled to himself and stretched his neck forward, closely examining the cracked popsocket.
…'Copied'?
'But the merch from the merch box had the same effects as the originals.'
Apparently, the source wasn't treated as identical. I'd need to be careful. Swallowing down spit and blood, I spoke,
"Then, is this too difficult to repair, even for your marvelous workshop?"
[What are you saying? This old-timer can fix anything smaller than my palm… but, you know.]
A sly grin spread across the goblin's face.
[Kim-seobang, you seem to have some good stuff on you!]
"...! Oh, I did bring some buckwheat snacks…"
[Huh? Not that!]
[There's a delicious smell coming from you…]
"...!!"
I'm screwed, aren't I?
[Ah, it smells aged and divine…]
The goblin grinned even wider.
[Ginseng!]
"..."
Ah.
I adjusted my sleeve to cover my wrist, pretending to rummage in my bag before cautiously pulling out the item.
"Are you referring to… this ginseng, Elder?"
It was a piece of wild ginseng, previously used for Braun's bath to release its sentience and purify it entirely.
Though the cut surface had dried, the strong scent of earth and forest remained.
[That's it! Oh, how splendid, what a beauty!]
The goblin practically drooled over it.
[This would make a perfect tonic. How about it? I'll craft you a fine hoe or broom. Or perhaps a lovely jade ring!]
Whoa.
– Brazen yet amusing offers! What do you think, Mr. Roe Deer? Would you trust the artisan's skill?
"..."
'That's… tempting.'
Why hesitate when a benevolent goblin offers you an item?
'Because I'm here under false pretenses.'
I'm not an actual agent.
I'm only impersonating one with this temporary badge, so I've got to tread carefully here.
'The government should never find out about me.'
If the Disaster Management Bureau received a report of someone intruding on a ghost story they're desperately trying to control, it'd be a disaster. If today had been within fifteen days of their scheduled inspection, I wouldn't have come at all.
'That's exactly the regular schedule for the Bureau's visit.'
Even if repairing the popsocket is minor, offering premium ginseng and leaving with an item though?
'It wouldn't be with any ill intentions, but that goblin would undoubtedly gossip about it.'
– Aha, very true!
Even if I begged him to keep it a secret, he'd likely forget and slip up later.
'Better refuse.'
"I'll just give you the ginseng. Please enjoy brewing it into a fine tonic."
[Oh, what a kind-hearted Kim-seobang! Truly generous!]
The goblin beamed as he took the ginseng.
Then—
[But you see, it's proper to leave here with something, you know.]
"..."
What?
[Which team are you from? Judging by the temporary badge, are you one of the new recruits undergoing training?]
What the hell was this?
– Ah, goblins may be loose-lipped, but you should've been more cautious!
– Your reasoning was sound, Mr. Roe Deer, but there's a flaw in your logic. Which was—
– This one's human.
"..."
I barely managed to turn my head to look up.
[Why aren't you answering, eh?!]
It wasn't a goblin—it was a Disaster Management Bureau agent pretending to be one.
Notes:
[1] Seobang – old-fashioned term for 'husband', but these days older people use it to refer to a son-in-law (or grandson-in-law, nephew-in-law, brother-in-law, etc)
[2] Korean Goblin / Dokkaebi – often depicted wearing vibrant, traditional Korean hanboks with simple designs. Their appearance is diverse and intimidating, emphasizing their untamed and fearsome nature.
Dokkaebi come in various forms with distinct traits and behaviors:
– Cham dokkaebi: mischievous tricksters
– Gae dokkaebi: malicious and evil
– Kim seobang dokkaebi: portrayed as dumb farmers
– Nat dokkaebi: unique for appearing during daylight
– Go dokkaebi: skilled warriors wielding weapons
– Gaksi & chonggak dokkaebi: considered attractive to humans
– Oenun dokkaebi: one-eyed creatures
– Oedari dokkaebi: one-legged beings known for their love of wrestling
(Source: Mythlok)