...Church of the Luminous Unknown.
If the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau seeks to eliminate creepypastas, and Daydream Inc. attempts to utilize them… 'Church of the Luminous Unknown is a creepypasta in itself.' They worshipped creepypastas, believing that the very foundation of the world is based on them.
The followers of this group are fanatics who think that if they unearth and cultivate ghost stories skillfully and become a meaningful existence in the world, they will be chosen by 'Ireum-nim' and granted eternal life. 'A total doomsday cult.'
To be honest, of the three major factions that appear in the , this is the one I feel the most distance from. 'It's… not to my taste.'
Of course, I've read the wiki entries about this cult.
That's why I could still access the wiki pages I had saved in my head with the 'Memorial Popsocket', but the problem was that I hadn't been able to read the wiki for days.
'That's probably why I didn't catch on right away.'
But now that I've identified it, I can properly assess the current situation. The bizarre repetitive phenomena during the nighttime cleaning of the isolation room—what exactly caused this nightmare-like situation within Church of the Luminous Unknown's framework?
I took a deep breath.
This is…
'A doppelgänger-type creepypasta.'
A supernatural entity that takes over someone's life.
It was one of the early creepypastas registered under the Church of the Luminous Unknown in the wiki, exploding in popularity and making the cult infamous for its eerie narratives.
To be precise, it was classified as one of the cult's hierarchical ranks. This insane cult matches its members and their ranks with specific supernatural phenomena!
And its name is…
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[Story Usurper]
: A power of Church of the Luminous Unknown that appears in the . Ranked as a 4th-rank entity under the Mimicry Sect of the cult.
It seeks to mimic others, stealing their stories to use as nourishment for its own narrative.
When a person is caught in this phenomenon, they lose potential paths in their life, and if the duration extends, even their very identity can be stolen.
========================
From a wiki perspective, this is a creepypasta derived from the fear of an unknown entity replacing oneself or those around them.
'The most distinct sign is… someone close to you acting bizarrely in their familiar form.'
These entities appear in the guise of a targeted person's lover, friend, or someone they feel indebted to, luring them into a false sense of security and then inducing supernatural terror.
Their goal is clear.
To invoke a strong psychological state in their target, such as, 'I wish this situation would just be over'. After gaining elicit implicit agreement and acquiescence, they steal their target's stories.
And I… I had my stories of the 29th and 30th 'stolen'.
The Story Usurper robs its target of the ability to make other choices or live through other experiences, claiming those possibilities for itself. As a result, the target perceives the stolen time as having 'slipped away meaninglessly'.
That's why I processed those two days as having been 'uneventful and unmemorable', and then snapped back to awareness at a similar time the next day.
'Maybe it's thanks to the silver ring that I only lost one day at a time.' If I'd been less perceptive, I might have been drawn into their flow indefinitely.
When you lose the ability to distinguish between truth and illusion, you end up entirely consumed by the situation.
'And your life is drained away just like that.'
Thankfully, I managed to stay mentally intact and avoid such an outcome.
– Oh, how fascinating. Pheeew, this time I caught up even faster! 'Braun!'
From the small plush toy, I heard the exaggerated sound of a host catching his breath, followed by the cheerful voice of a commentator.
– You've given away another day of your story, Friend! Hmm, but it seems the other side used some clever tricks to guide you into that choice.
– So, the mimicry of people close to you was part of their strategy?
'That's right.'
At first, it mimicked Assistant Manager Eun Haje, and the second time, it impersonated Supervisor Park Minseong, completely throwing me off balance.
It avoided reusing previously exposed identities, constantly switching forms to steal my story.
– Hooh. If that's the case, I'm curious who you'll encounter as a 'familiar face' on the 31st, Mr. Roe Deer.
– At this very moment, on the third day, who could it be impersonating? The reveal is… coming soon!
"..."
I looked around.
There was no trace of Supervisor Park Minseong. Naturally, there was no sign of Assistant Manager Eun Haje either.
I was alone in the Security Team's storage room.
'…At the end of the second day, the lockdown was lifted.'
If so, perhaps it already left as well?
But generally, 'Story Usurpers' tend to obsess over their targets, putting in effort to completely usurp their chosen victim's life if the opportunity arises.
'It wouldn't have guessed that I realized its true nature.'
In that case, the next person to appear would be someone I already knew, someone whose presence here wouldn't feel unnatural, and someone who could relax my guard…
Bee-bee-beep.
[It's been… almost ten minutes now… I'm coming.]
"..."
I stiffened as I listened to the voice coming through the radio. A moment later.
[BEEEEEEEEP!!]
[Lockdown lifted. Shutters opening.]
I stood up and looked ahead.
The doors were opening.
The shutters blocking the way out from the Security Team's storage room were rising, the red emergency lights shifting back to green. And beyond the rising shutters…
"You're safe. That's a relief…"
Sergeant J3 of the Security Team stood there, as he always did, looking utterly exhausted, but with a faint sense of relief in his eyes as he looked at me.
"The other one… Oh, is he still inside… Um, are you okay?"
"..."
"Um…"
I stood up… and turned away from Sergeant J3.
"Huh…?"
I stood facing the wall.
The thing is…
'When religion enters creepypastas, exorcism tends to follow.' There are procedures to counteract transcendental beings, a sort of mirror to their existence.
Even Church of the Luminous Unknown, as insane as it is, isn't exempt from this rule.
'There's a way to banish a Story Usurper.'
I recalled the work tips I had received on the first day.
Ireum-nim? Anyway, it'll start calling you by something weird and babbling about happiness and some nonsense like that. Just yell back at it, curse if you have to—it'll shut up.
If you don't want to curse, just tell it to get lost.
Weird.
Even if the second sheet of tips had been corrupted, the hints it provided were accurate.
Because.
"Get lost."
The way to banish it is to 'completely reject it after realizing its identity'.
Does it need implicit agreement and acquiescence to steal my time? If I don't give my permission, that's the end of it.
So…
"Um, what's wrong…?"
"Get lost."
I declared again, still with my back to it.
... Kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke
Seriously? For real?
After giving permission twice already?
"Get lost."
"Roe, what's with your tone? Even if something's wrong, why are you speaking like that to a superior…?"
"Get lost."
"Huuh? Hey, wait, Roe. Isn't that too harsh? I'm just trying to help you finish cleaning…"
"Get lost."
"I don't want to… But, well, I'll just stay here quietly… I mean… it's not like I said anything bad to you…"
"Get lost."
"..."
Kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke
What a shaaaaaaaaame
The voice behind me warped, growing twisted.
To reject the blessing granted to us pitiful beings who can't leave even a single letter's worth of impact on the foundation of this world. What a shame.
If you had handed over your meager story, we could have filled it with IREUM-nim's luminous grace. IREUM-nim would have acknowledged us. How unfortunate.
"Get lost."
Pity…
I clenched my teeth.
"Get lost."
The bizarre murmurs behind me began to fade.
And then…
It went quiet.
"..."
It seems to have given up targeting me.
'Phew…'
I almost collapsed from the release of tension but managed to hold myself together. Instead, I began to think critically.
I couldn't hear any footsteps yet, so as soon as it moved somewhere else, I planned to run out of here and report everything to the Security Team. That was the plan…
Bee-bee-beep.
"...!"
The radio in my pocket crackled to life.
A familiar voice came through.
[I've arrived… Um.]
"I've arrived… Um."
But then, I heard a voice nearby.
"..."
I slowly turned my head toward the entrance of the storage room. Standing just outside the door was Security Sergeant J3, his face devoid of expression as he looked in my direction.
'Is that really him?'
No, it had to be him!
I quickly opened my mouth to explain the situation—
"...! Jay-ssi."
—when I heard a voice behind me.
It sounded perplexed.
I turned my head further to look over my shoulder.
The Story Usurper from Church of the Luminous Unknown, now wearing a bright orange cleaning uniform, stood there.
"I don't understand what's going on."
It was a young man in his mid-to-late twenties, with black hair and a pale, shocked expression. He alternated his gaze between the Security Sergeant and me, his face etched with confusion.
Kim Soleum.
It was perfectly mimicking my current appearance, staring at me with a bewildered tone.
"What is this…? Could something like this really happen while cleaning?"
It was imitating me.
'Fucking hell…!'
A chill ran down my spine.
I quickly turned to the Security Sergeant and spoke calmly but urgently. "Jay-ssi, that's a Church of the Luminous Unknown cultist."
"Church of the… what? What do you mean? Jay-ssi, do you know what's going on here? This seems like some kind of Darkness…"
"Jay-ssi! Do not respond. Just listen and assess the situation silently. If you reply, you'll get caught up in it."
"..."
"If you need to test anything, speak to the wall by yourself—or better yet, just yell at both of us to get lost. That's the safest option."
The Security Sergeant stared at me, his face unreadable. Beside me, 'Kim Soleum' trembled slightly and spoke in a frail voice.
"I… I don't understand what that means."
What?
"Think about it, Jay-ssi. I'm just… here to clean for three days. I only realized this was some kind of Darkness because… something next to me pointed it out."
"...!"
"It's more natural that I wouldn't know what's in the Security Team's isolation area. Jay-ssi, please think logically. Isn't it more likely… that I'm the real one?"
– Oh, quite convincing.
Right? Damn it…!
"And… I feel relieved that you came. I'm sorry you've been caught up in this mess…"
"..."
'It's disturbingly good at talking.'
Very fitting for a cultist. I gritted my teeth.
Come to think of it, I almost fell for it on the first day when it showed up as Assistant Manager Eun Haje.
'How did Supervisor Park Minseong realize it wasn't actually Assistant Manager Eun Haje?'
I tried desperately to recall that moment.
What gave it away?
'There weren't any logical inconsistencies back then either…'
What was it?
A sense of unease only someone familiar with the real person would notice? A nuance in the way they spoke?
'Or…'
As I frantically analyzed and pondered, another soft and composed voice came from beside me.
"Jay-ssi, please don't feel guilty. Just act on your judgment. I'll accept it."
...
Ah.
'I understand now.'
So that's what it was.
I pressed my fingers against my temples and spoke.
"Jay-ssi, please pay attention to the purpose behind their words. Who's trying to engage you in friendly conversation and draw you into the situation?"
Back then, when it appeared as Assistant Manager Eun Haje…
It was excessively friendly, considering the circumstances. Someone who had just escaped confinement and was trying to avoid detection wouldn't behave like that.
'If it really had been Assistant Manager Eun Haje, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to reveal herself and convince us. She would've hidden until she could escape.'
Especially since she said she had an escape item and just needed to wait for the lockdown to lift.
Taking the risk to talk to us immediately didn't make sense. An odd, situationally inappropriate response.
So…
"Who is unnecessarily making sociable remarks in this strange, dangerous situation? Who seems to have an ulterior motive?"
I spoke calmly.
"There's no need to trust me entirely. Just shout at that guy to leave and ignore him—that's enough to banish this ghost story. Or you can call for another Security Team unit…"
"Hmm."
The Security Sergeant rose from his position.
And then.
"It's this one."
A massive, wolf-like creature's black claw came crashing down toward my head like a guillotine.
'Fuck…!'
In the split second before I could even close my eyes—
Thud.
It wasn't my head that flew off.
It was the doppelgänger's.
"...!!"
Squelch.
The grotesque shadowy claw, dripping with the crushed remains of the doppelgänger, rose back up with a sickening squelch and returned to the arm of the Security Sergeant.
"Um."
"..."
"Are you okay…?"
I looked down at my orange cleaning uniform, now drenched in the doppelgänger's blood, and collapsed to the ground.
"...!"
"Yes. Thank you."
I survived.