Chapter 101.
Exactly how long had it been since I entered the current GRA test site?
A few hours earlier—
Zzzt—
[“Coincidentally, it seems the place you’ll be going today is where she’s taking her exam.”]
“……”
This couldn’t be a coincidence.
“Like hell it’s a coincidence.”
But I didn’t voice my suspicions aloud.
I already knew I wouldn’t get the answer I wanted even if I asked.
[“As always, I’ll be counting on you today, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.”]
Noise’s usual sly tone came through the speakers.
Yet the accompanying anxiety always fell on me.
As Noise himself had just stated.
—the place I’d be going today was where Soi was taking her exam.
Which meant.
I was about to step into the place closest to GRA’s reach.
Voluntarily walking into the enemy’s den where they were desperate to kill me.
Zzt—
Meanwhile, our dear supervisor Noise, completely oblivious to my internal struggle.
[“Let’s go in, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.”]
Radiated an aura that seemed to be waiting for me to enter enemy territory.
Beyond that white door lay GRA’s palm.
As I stood at the precipice of confrontation.
Zzt—!
Static suddenly crackled past my ear, followed by Noise’s hurried voice.
[“Ah, I nearly forgot… Since you’re going somewhere special, I prepared something in advance.”]
[“I’m certain you’ll find it useful, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.”]
Hearing that tone, I unconsciously felt relieved.
It was comforting to know Noise still had some semblance of conscience.
I was genuinely reassured that his ‘supervisor’ title wasn’t completely meaningless.
No matter how many items I currently possessed.
If the Agency was determined to kill me at all costs, there’d be no way out.
And if Team A joined in?
Certain death—or becoming a test subject.
To be honest…
I couldn’t say I hadn’t considered the possibility that Noise might send me into GRA empty-handed.
But that seemed like baseless paranoia now.
‘At least he has some conscience.’
Swish—
When I saw what the white librarian now standing before me held—
My first reaction was:
?
A question mark.
At first I thought I was seeing wrong.
Through stiff lips, my inner monologue escaped unbidden:
…We’re screwed.
One thing was clear:
Noise definitely hated me.
*****
Shuffle shuffle—
I trudged weakly through the dark tunnel.
Rustle—
……
Rustle—
Each sound seemed to sap my strength in real time.
I kept checking the object in my left hand every minute.
Even though nothing would change no matter how often I looked.
Rustle—
Rustle—
……
What I currently held in my left hand was.
A brown paper bag.
The kind that might contain freshly baked bread.
This was what I’d been given.
When I first received it, I’d asked Noise with faint hope.
Though it looked ordinary, maybe it had some ingenious use?
I wanted to believe that.
After all, every item he’d given me so far had been special.
With desperate sincerity, I asked.
The answer that returned:
—It’s just an ordinary paper bag, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.
……Now I just hate him.
Lately, my reasons to hate Noise keep multiplying.
Step—
As my weak footsteps moved forward, bright light enveloped me.
To briefly describe the scene before me.
A simple playground structure where children might play, shrouded in darkness.
The only notable difference?
This playground was disgustingly large.
When I arrived at this massive playground, I saw no observers or silhouettes.
‘Has the test not started yet?’
If so, that was fortunate. \
If my memory served, this place resembled where that E-grade ghost story creature resided.
A gloomy playground beneath sparse streetlights.
If this was a GRA test ghost story, there was only one possibility:
The Hide-and-Seek ghost story.
—————————
/Ghost Story Journal
[Hide-and-Seek]
Cd-E-27
Hide and seek, don’t let your hair show.
Hide and seek, don’t let your hair show.
Where are you hiding?
Behind the tree pole?
Under the slide?
Beneath the shadows?
Below the ground?
Hide and seek, don’t let your hair show.
Hide and seek, don’t let your hair show.
Where did everyone go?
Did you…leave me all alone?
Kids?
Where are you?
Kids!!
…Ah,
【Found you.】
Physical restraint possible.
No mental damage.
Additional notes:
Follows basic hide-and-seek rules. Easier to hide in lightless darkness.
Currently used as test ghost story by GRA.
—————————
Since this Hide-and-Seek ghost story caused no mental damage, I didn’t strictly need my glasses…
But habits die hard.
Not wearing them felt unsettling.
‘…This feels awkward.’
I decided to assess the situation before deciding whether to wear them.
If Agency operatives spotted me wearing them, that would cause bigger problems.
Unlike other ghost stories, this space was one actively managed by the Agency.
Caution was paramount.
No harm in being careful.
……
……
……
Yet the discomfort of moving bare-faced also brought unease.
Rustle—
Why did my eyes keep returning to the paper bag in my left hand?
Rustle—
After staring blankly at the bag for a while—
Don’t tell me…
‘Did he give it to me for this purpose?’
I was gradually understanding why Noise gave me this paper bag.
And part of me wished I was wrong.
Tap tap—
Using my finger, I poked eyeholes into the bag, then slowly—
Pulled it over my head.
The paper bag fit perfectly.
As if this was its intended use all along.
‘…Is this what you wanted, Noise?’
As indescribable emptiness eroded my self-esteem—
Thud—!!
Footsteps loud enough to pierce eardrums approached.
I quickly hid and looked toward the sound—
Where three people now stood.
They looked remarkably clumsy, some visibly terrified.
I immediately recognized them:
Applicants.
Clearly here to take GRA’s entrance exam.
If so, capturing this ghost story should wait until their test concluded.
Realizing I could do nothing here until then—
‘Might as well rest.’
Since I couldn’t capture the ghost story now, I decided to observe the applicants.
Perhaps some notable candidates were among them.
So I stood silently, watching five teams undergo testing.
My assessment?
Without exception.
These applicants were mediocre.
One team seemed to grasp the hide-and-seek ghost story’s nature, but none stood out as exceptional.
The other teams gave up almost immediately—not worth watching.
Rather than anticipating the next team—
‘When will this end?’
As I endured the boredom, chin in hand—
Thud—
More footsteps. My gaze shifted to a very familiar silhouette.
…Han-Sol?
‘Han-Sol?’
Han-Sol stood there, alongside one of the library girls—Kim Hye-seon.
Why were these two—
At a GRA recruitment test?
Why?
As my mind flooded with questions, Han-Sol’s quiet voice echoed through the space:
“You—you were at that ‘library’.”
……What?
My previously bored eyes—
Sparkled.
That single word ’library’ made my pupils dart.
Following Han-Sol’s gaze, I saw a man about my age.
As their conversation continued, this ‘Ryoo Gun-woo’ said:
“You survived that library? Was there another escape route besides the interview room? Or…do you know about the <Ghost Story Record Storage> too?”
!!
Ghost Story Record Storage.
The moment that name left his mouth—
My curious observation turned into a hammer-blow of realization.
But before I could process this—
The next team’s test began.
An eerie voice whispered past my ears:
【Hide and seek, don’t let your hair show.】
Unsurprisingly, since Han-Sol and Hye-seon lacked information about this ghost story—
They got caught.
Though why Han-Sol and Hye-seon were taking this test remained a mystery—
I quietly sent our third teddy bear to their location.
‘I’m counting on you.’
Snap—!
Even as the teddy saluted, my gaze remained fixed on Ryoo Gun-woo.
Right now, nothing mattered more than this.
A long-awaited reunion.
Like meeting family after forced separation—my heart pounded.
Grin—
My current smile shone brighter than ever.
Through the paper bag’s eyeholes, my gleaming eyes—
Like a predator spotting prey—
Locked onto my target.
‘Found you…you traitorous bastard.’
The beast named Park Yeon-jeong.
Had never been happier than at this moment.
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