I Became a Professional Horror Story Cleaner

As befitting a democratic country, I decided to follow the majority’s decision.

Well.

To be honest, it wasn’t so much because of democracy as because of the sign attached to the vending machine.

[When using the rest area, it is mandatory for each person to consume one beverage.]

From that sign, I deduced why Team Leader Yong had been so obsessed with that drink.

Crunch!

The can I threw onto the floor was crushed under a foot and burst with an unpleasant sound.

Along with the liquid, a clump of hair that belonged to none of us scattered across the floor.

I expected Team Leader Yong to scold me.

But, surprisingly, he remained silent.

“Team Leader? Team Leader?”

“Huff… I almost died.”

“Are you back to your senses?”

Soaked in cold sweat, Team Leader Yong wiped his face with the sleeve of his uniform.

The veins that had been bulging on his forehead had already disappeared.

Instead, he gave me a thumbs-up and smiled.

“Yeah. Good decision. Thanks.”

“What the hell just happened?”

“The moment I pressed the button on the vending machine, my body started moving as though I absolutely had to drink that can no matter what. But take a good look at it. Do you think anyone in their right mind would drink something like that?”

That thick, fluorescent-colored liquid mixed with a mass of tangled hair was disgusting enough to make me shake my head as hard as I could.

“Then why did you touch it in the first place?”

“Didn’t you see the sign? One drink per person.”

“That’s true, but…”

“I’m going to show you something interesting. Come here.”

Team Leader Yong took something like a palm-sized notebook out of his pocket.

I thought he was going to write something.

But instead, he tore out a sheet.

A sticker?

“Watch closely.”

He stuck that rectangular sticker onto the vending machine.

Then, on the black surface of the sticker, the image of a dog slowly appeared.

“Interesting, right? This is called a Dismantling Marker. It’s used to…”

Just as Team Leader Yong, proud to have captured all my attention, was about to continue.

Myeong Haebin stole the explanation from him.

“It’s used to mark confirmed anomalies or entities within a paranormal phenomenon. We call that marking.”

“Isn’t it enough to just stick it on?”

“No. It has to be placed on a confirmed anomaly. Confirming it is mandatory.”

“I see.”

Team Leader Yong lost his chance to show off.

He puffed out his lips in a rather childish manner for someone his size.

Naturally, I pretended not to have seen it and kept looking at Haebin.

“And does sticking that on make the machine return to normal?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t understand what it’s for.”

“Hmm, imagine that every paranormal phenomenon contains a certain number of anomalies. The more you mark, the more the progress percentage increases. When that percentage reaches a certain point, the paranormal phenomenon starts to weaken. And when you place the final Marker, it’s completely dismantled!”

I listened to the explanation in silence.

But I ended up tilting my head.

“Then wouldn’t it be too easy? You’d only have to find a single anomaly that’s easy to reach and cover it with Markers.”

“Good observation. But there’s a rule you didn’t know yet: duplicates aren’t allowed. You can stick as many as you want on the same anomaly, but the progress won’t increase.”

“And what if I use up all the Markers?”

“Dismantling Markers are infinite. Besides, no one knows how many are left until the final one is placed.”

Infinite?

Well.

Neither paranormal phenomena nor the way we entered them had anything normal about them.

I supposed it was like gradually accumulating progress.

I still had trouble imagining how a paranormal phenomenon could weaken.

But at least I understood the system now.

“Thanks for the explanation.”

“You’re welcome!”

Haebin smiled broadly and clapped her hands.

Then she poked Team Leader Yong in the side with her finger while he was still pouting.

“Old man, how long are you planning to stay like that?”

“Ow! Me? Well, then hurry up and get a drink already! We need to keep going.”

“Is it really mandatory to get a drink?”

After seeing the state Team Leader Yong had ended up in.

I honestly didn’t feel very eager to do it.

Besides, the machine had already been marked.

But the moment I finished saying it.

The vending machine’s light turned red and it began shaking violently.

Ah.

“When using the rest area.”

So we couldn’t use that place and leave without consuming anything.

We hadn’t even had time to sit on the sofas.

How unfair.

“Choose one. You only have to choose.”

There were sodas, vitamin drinks, and banana milk.

It was the typical school vending machine, covered in children’s handprints.

Well.

In reality, it was only disguised as a normal machine.

“There’s no coin slot.”

“Very observant.”

The only illuminated buttons were the selection buttons.

There was no slot for coins, bills, or cards.

“Don’t worry. Whatever comes out, if you try to drink it, I’ll stop you myself.”

The way Team Leader Yong’s eyes were gleaming gave me a very bad feeling.

Why was he rolling up his sleeves?

“First of all, what drink did you choose?”

“That one.”

He pointed to a green soda on the second row.

It was a product that also existed outside this place.

I carefully observed the machine.

I needed to confirm a suspicion.

“I’ll give my turn to Mr. Dohyeon.”

“All right. Let’s see which one should I choose?”

“Could you get that banana milk?”

The banana milk button was also illuminated.

Jeong Dohyeon tilted his head slightly, but agreed without any problem.

“All right. If you say so, Hanmu, I’ll trust your intuition.”

He pressed the button.

As before, the drink fell into the compartment.

This time, the impact sounded quite heavy.

Jeong Dohyeon picked up a jug-shaped plastic container.

Several suspicious-looking lumps floated inside that thick milk.

“It’s not often you get the chance to drink something inside a paranormal phenomenon. How lucky.”

There was no way Jeong Dohyeon hadn’t seen what was inside.

Even so, he opened the bottle without hesitation.

“Not again, old man!”

“Have you still not come to your senses?!”

We had already expected it.

Anyone who took a drink out of that machine would try to drink it no matter what it was.

Team Leader Yong, who had been prepared for this, struck Jeong Dohyeon’s Adam’s apple with the edge of his hand.

Taking advantage of him dropping the bottle from the impact, Haebin threw it straight into the trash can.

“Cough… cough…! Team Leader… Don’t you think you went a little too far?”

“But thanks to that, you snapped out of it immediately.”

“It’s good that there’s a way to deal with it, but this is a pain.”

Haebin kicked the trash bag, which was still writhing, and pointed triumphantly at the vending machine.

“All right, Boss. It’s your turn now. I’ll make the old man hit you more gently.”

“Honestly, I’d rather not get hit at all.”

But thanks to Jeong Dohyeon, I had finished confirming my suspicion.

“I’ll choose this one.”

I pressed the vitamin drink button.

Clack.

Thunk.

The sound of a glass bottle falling could be heard.

I picked it up.

And.

I didn’t feel the slightest urge to drink it.

I was right.

“Rookie, it’s not that I feel sorry for you, but…”

“I’m perfectly fine. There’s no need to hit me.”

So that the other two could restrain me if necessary, they had fully prepared themselves.

But, right in front of them, I opened the bottle and emptied all of its contents into the trash can.

A completely transparent liquid poured out with a glug, glug, without containing any kind of lumps.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to drink it?”

“Why would I drink this? It gives me a bad feeling.”

Team Leader Yong relaxed his fist, took the bottle from my hand without any resistance from me, and began smelling it while examining it from different angles.

“But this is a completely normal drink?”

I lightly tapped the vitamin drink button I had just chosen with my fingernail.

“Because this was the only button without a single fingerprint on it.”

The soda Team Leader Yong had chosen had a few fingerprints on its button.

The banana milk button was so covered in fingerprints that it was disgusting to look at.

So, if I interpreted in my own way how to avoid the brainwashing effect of that vending machine.

It could only be this clean button.

“You’re right. Out of all of them, this is the only one without fingerprints.”

“Then, Haebin, get that drink again.”

Jeong Dohyeon, who had been inspecting the machine in disbelief, finally nodded.

A huge smile appeared on Team Leader Yong’s face.

“Thanks, Boss! Honestly, it was a little scary.”

Myeong Haebin muttered that without the slightest conviction and took out a completely normal drink.

At least we wouldn’t have to worry anymore about getting poisoned or having to restrain someone just for using the rest area.

“Not bad at all. Rookie you’re sharper than this guy.”

“If you keep saying that, I’m going to request a transfer to another team.”

“Bah, I was only joking.”

Team Leader Yong quickly changed the subject and slapped me on the shoulder with a hand as large as a pot lid.

“All right. We’ll meet here again during the next break. Don’t forget your textbooks. Everyone, back to your classroom!”

“Yes! Boss, aren’t you coming?”

“I’m coming now.”

Was it already time to go back to class?

What a pain.

…Although I had to go.

I wanted to run into the Teacher again even less.

The next class was math.

But, to my surprise, it wasn’t bad.

There really was a textbook inside the desk.

I wish I had thought to check it earlier.

Although, fortunately, the Teacher didn’t ask any questions like in the previous class.

‘It’s about time I checked it.’

I meant my phone.

I was almost certain the application would have updated again.

I simply hadn’t had a chance to check it until now.

[Completion Condition: Clean ■ ■ ■■ ■■■■ of Hwaae High School.]

All students must leave the school once the school day has ended.

Do not keep unauthorized objects inside the school. (Uncooked food, knives, scissors, or other sharp objects).

Any activity unrelated to studying will be grounds for punishment.

■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■, ■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■.

But this time it was different.

There were a great many words covered by black blocks.

‘It looks like it wants me to clean something again, but why is this part hidden?’

[Cannot be displayed because the conditions have not been met.]

In addition, a new section called [Achievements] had appeared.

However, when I opened it, exactly the same message appeared.

Then why did they add it?

The conditions…?

They were grouped together, so it was obvious they were related to the paranormal phenomenon at this school.

But related to what exactly?

Remembering the clues the application had given me in that house…

These also seemed to be clues related to this paranormal phenomenon.

Although, the more I analyzed them.

The stranger they seemed.

‘This school is so strict that being just a few minutes late is enough for the Teacher to punish you. But these rules…’

They seemed to imply that there was already someone inside the school breaking them.

Someone who ate during class.

Or who carried dangerous objects.

But.

All the students here acted like machines.

Did someone like that really exist?

From my seat at the back of the classroom, I could see almost all the desks.

But they were completely empty.

Just like my abdomen.

‘Stop thinking about that. Enough.’

To stop obsessing over what had already happened, I lightly slapped my cheeks a few times.

While I continued checking the application again and again.

The bell announcing the end of class rang.

Ding~

Dong~

Dang~

Dong.

I assumed the meeting point would once again be the rest area at the end of the hallway.

But when I arrived.

One person was missing.

“Where the hell did that Dohyeon go? Is he going to show up later than the rookie?”

Team Leader Yong struck his fist against his palm.

Although he didn’t look genuinely angry.

Well.

He would probably show up.

“These sofas are so comfortable! The classroom chairs were way too hard.”

Myeong Haebin innocently stretched out on the sofa.

Team Leader Yong remained standing, looking impatiently down the hallway.

And I.

Ended up unable to resist and started cleaning the vending machine.

“Do you really have to clean it?”

“It bothers me seeing it like this.”

How could I leave it covered in fingerprints?

Only after I removed every last one of them and the glass was practically gleaming did I withdraw my hand, satisfied.

“Leave him alone. It looks much better clean.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Do I have to be on your side?”

Up until that moment, none of us suspected anything.

Even though only three minutes passed.

“Where the hell could he have gone?”

“Could he have gotten lost?”

“But he found his way here without any trouble before.”

Jeong Dohyeon wasn’t coming back.

Three minutes might seem like very little.

But during a break of only ten minutes.

It was a long time.

“Something might have happened to him during class.”

“Dohyeon was in Class 3, right?”

It was on that same floor.

We crossed the hallway, filled with shapeless commotion, until we found the first-year, Class 3 classroom.

“Class 3… Here!”

The door was closed.

We looked through the window.

Jeong Dohyeon was there.

Beside the Teacher.

Were they talking?

Or…?

Clack.

Just as Team Leader Yong was about to knock on the window.

The rear door suddenly opened.

“What are you all doing here?”

Jeong Dohyeon looked at us with a puzzled expression.

“Are you all right? Why weren’t you coming out?”

“Don’t tell me you got brainwashed again?”

Team Leader Yong grabbed his cheeks and began turning his head from side to side.

But Dohyeon simply frowned and shook his head.

“He told me I looked pretty badly injured and that I should go to the nurse’s office.”

“The Teacher?”

“I find it hard to believe too, but yes.”

The truth was that Jeong Dohyeon didn’t exactly look well.

Ever since his ear had been torn off, an entire half of his face and neck had been covered in dried blood.

In a normal school.

The logical thing would be to tell him to go to the nurse’s office immediately.

But.

I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“Did he tell you to go right now?”

“He already said something similar during the last class. But this time it seemed like an ultimatum.”

Jeong Dohyeon glanced once at the empty classroom and then looked toward Team Leader Yong, waiting for him to make the decision.

“The nurse’s office was on the second floor, right? All right. Let’s go.”

“Yes. I don’t think they’d do anything strange to someone who’s injured.”

“Boss, don’t say things like that so casually in here. Spit three times to ward off bad luck.”

Team Leader Yong looked very worried.

But there was no other alternative.

If they ignored the order.

Who knew what might happen during the next class?

As soon as we opened the door to the nurse’s office.

A strong smell of alcohol hit our noses.

Two beds separated by white curtains.

A medicine cabinet.

A stool.

A cart with bandages and ointments.

At first glance.

It was the nurse’s office anyone would expect to find in a school.

“Is no one here?”

Myeong Haebin had barely finished saying it.

When a cough came from the desk.

“Nurse? I was told to come because…”

That was when it happened.

At a desk where, a moment earlier, there had been absolutely no one.

The figure of a teacher appeared.

On his forehead, it clearly read.

[Nurse]

We all froze at that silent appearance.

But the Nurse simply gestured with his finger for Jeong Dohyeon to come closer.

“Yes… It’s because of this ear…”

The Nurse leaned forward to examine the wound.

For a moment, I had the impression that he was going to drive those extremely long fingers directly into the wound.

However.

After that examination, as brief as it was endless.

The only thing he handed Jeong Dohyeon was a sheet of paper.

[Early Dismissal Permit]

Name: Jeong Dohyeon

Reason: Physical Injury

The aforementioned student is hereby ordered to leave the school immediately.

We all exchanged puzzled looks.

Right now?

Here?

He has to leave immediately?