NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
The steps toward the Foundation building felt light. Perhaps it was the feeling of starting anew after a 7-day vacation. The morning air was cool, and the streets were bustling as usual during the commute.
As I passed the bus stop, a familiar billboard caught my eye. It was the spot where last week’s Fresh Island flyers had been posted. Now, a regular real estate flyer had replaced them.
With no trace left, it seemed the Foundation or some other entity had handled it. Looking back, the morning sunlight streamed between the high-rise buildings.
Walking towards the subway station, I absentmindedly touched my left arm. The mouth on the Glutton King’s palm slightly moved. Since swallowing the Barge Man, it seemed to be more active.
On the platform, I put on my earphones and browsed the Horror Story Gallery. Skimming through recent posts, there didn’t seem to be any significant issues. Apparently, there hadn’t been any major incidents since the Fresh Island case.
– Is it true the leader of Fresh Island is dead?
– White Night, can you elaborate more on the story?
– It’s inconvenient not knowing anything.
There were still occasional posts about Fresh Island, but most were rumors or speculative content. Only those like Narae and Analog Lover, who were connected to this world, knew the truth.
The subway arrived. It was less crowded than usual, with a few seats even empty during this commuting hour.
Gazing out the window at the passing scenery, I reflected that the week-long vacation had flown by. What started as a simple fishing trip with a friend somehow turned into a horror story.
I reached the Foundation building. Despite its old appearance, it was equipped with cutting-edge systems.
Passing through the lobby security gate, I checked my employee ID. The green light turned on and the gate opened. The expressions of the employees passing by were all heavy, just another ordinary day.
While waiting for the elevator, I checked my emails on my phone. Most were monitoring reports and document approval requests. Just as I was about to delete them, a familiar scent of perfume wafted over.
“Good morning, thanks for your hard work.”
Kang Hana stood near the partition in what looked like a newly bought suit. Though her greeting was the same as usual, something was off about her reaction.
“Wait… are you already back from investigating the horror stories?”
I felt a momentary daze.
That was strange.
“Huh?”
“Uh, no. I was on vacation and just came back. What do you mean?”
Kang Hana lifted her eyes from the tablet and carefully examined me. Her brow furrowed slightly.
“What vacation? Didn’t we go together to investigate a horror story this week?”
A chill ran down my spine. Clearly, I had spent the entire week fishing in Yeongdeok and only dealt with the Barge Man incident before returning.
“What do you mean…?”
“Cold sweat trickled down my body. Kang Hana’s expression was serious; she wasn’t joking around.
“The Baby Bear Soup, suicide bowl horror story. Don’t you remember?”
This was odd.
Baby Bear Soup? Suicide Bowl?
Though I could recall these being horror stories due to the serum’s effects, they were ones I had never tackled before.
At that moment,
the elevator ‘dinged’ and the doors opened. Down the hallway, Narae and Moon Jinwook were approaching.
Under normal circumstances, their sight would have been welcoming, but now it only heightened my unease. Everything seemed the same yet different.
Moon Jinwook spoke first.
“Oh, Mr. Jeong is here too?”
I cautiously asked,
“Did both of you also go on a horror story investigation with me?”
“Of course. What are you talking about? We went together to the basement of Cheonho Building three days ago, didn’t we?”
Narae’s voice carried her usual sharpness, but the certainty within it gripped my heart tightly.
“Um…”
I was at a loss for words. If what they said was true, then I must have gone on investigations last week, but that was absurd.
I pulled out my phone and checked the call logs. The conversations with Seo Hyun Woo and messages with the Shaman were clear. My time in Yeongdeok was undoubtedly real.
“I told Manager Kang a week ago that I was going on vacation.”
“You immediately returned saying there was work, and postponed your vacation, didn’t you?”
“What…?”
Their expressions grew strangely altered. They glanced at each other as if I were making some kind of joke.
“Mr. Jeong, you’re joking, right?”
Moon Jinwook laughed but his smile seemed forced. His usual composed demeanor briefly warped before returning.
“No, why would I… “
I couldn’t continue. Everything was off. It was as if they were treating me like someone who had lost their memory.
“Then how about this?”
Kang Hana handed me her tablet. On the screen was last week’s horror story investigation report with my signature clearly visible.
My heart sank heavily.
I read every word. It was unmistakably my handwriting. The way the horror stories were described, the sentence structures—all were exactly like mine. As if I had written it myself.
“How… “
My fingertips trembled. This was definitely my signature, yet I had never written this report nor participated in any such investigation.
“Hmm… You look exactly like the senior I met yesterday, don’t you?”
Narae scrutinized my face. A fleeting red glow flashed in her eyes before disappearing.
Narae’s statement made Kang Hana and Moon Jinwook nod in agreement. Their confident expressions were unsettling.
‘Doppelgänger…?’
A chill ran down my spine. All signs pointed to that possibility—someone had perfectly impersonated me for a week while conducting horror story investigations.
However, something was amiss.
In typical doppelgänger horror stories, the ‘real’ and ‘fake’ versions confront each other, revealing the impostor’s identity. But so far, no one resembling me had appeared.
Sitting back at my desk, I turned on my computer and logged into the work messenger app. Notifications flooded in, mostly regarding last week’s supposed horror story investigations.
[Mr. Jeong, I’ve sent the revised report for the Baby Bear Soup horror story – Kang Hana]
[It seems the Cheonho Building case concluded well yesterday. Great job. – Moon Jinwook]
It was hard to believe. Every conversation log flowed naturally, as if I had genuinely participated in the investigations.
“Um… “
I hesitated to speak. It seemed best to investigate this situation alone for now.
“Could I review the report again?”
Kang Hana handed me the tablet.
Opening the report, everything was impeccable. It wasn’t just the signature. The writing style, expressions, and even the analytical perspective on the horror stories mirrored my own perfectly.
‘This isn’t mere imitation.’
A chill ran down my spine.
The results of the horror story investigation were detailed and thorough. It accurately captured how I would approach and resolve such cases.
Glancing at the clock, it was 10:00 AM.
Even while taking a short bathroom break, I kept looking around. I wondered if someone resembling me might appear.
But as time passed, no doppelgänger showed up—not even during lunch at the cafeteria or after the afternoon meeting ended.
Eventually, it was time to leave work, yet the other ‘me’ never appeared.
‘This is strange…’
It was as if whoever it was knew I was at the office and avoided showing up.
A sudden ominous thought struck me.
‘Could this guy also have Nostradamus’s Eye?’
If the horror entity could see 10 seconds into the future like me, it would easily avoid confrontation.
I couldn’t stay at the office any longer. Staying past working hours would only raise suspicion.
While packing up, I continued scanning my surroundings. Even while waiting for the elevator and walking through the lobby, I carefully observed everyone’s faces.
The path to the subway station was quiet in the late night. The occasional footsteps of people heading home were the only sounds. Scenery I normally wouldn’t notice now felt unsettling.
Even on the subway, my thoughts spiraled.
‘Who, and why?’
What was the motive? Was it simply to harm me, or did it have another purpose?
And why specifically me? There were countless employees at the Foundation.
When I finally reached home and opened the door, I felt uneasy. What if ‘me’ was inside?
Luckily, the room was unchanged. The bed remained messy from when I left for work, and the clothes I had discarded before washing were still scattered on the floor.
After resolving a quick dinner, I decided to shower when the doorbell rang.
‘This late?’
Curious, I peeked through the peephole.
There stood none other than Narae in the hallway.
“Jeong Woo, it’s me. Open up.”
Unconsciously reaching for the doorknob, I paused.
‘Wait.’
A sudden wave of discomfort swept down my spine.
Something was off.
This wasn’t the Narae I knew. She openly displayed her fox ears and eyes, almost flaunting her identity as a gumiho.
Narae would never reveal her true nature so casually, no matter how urgent the situation.
I was certain.
‘That’s not Narae.’
The presence outside the door was not the real Narae.