Chapter 228: Ch 228: Excavating Darkness
Right now.
Beneath the desk where I sit.
Something is there.
It calls to me.
The employee of the cursed resort, the one I summoned.
"Mr. Mascot?"
The corrupted Jang Heowoon.
My colleague, who died and has yet to be revived, calls out to me as part of
a ghost story.
To me, the one who turned him into a ghost story.
"Please give me instructions for the tasks I am to carry out. Thank you for
summoning me!"
A dizzying sensation.
I realize, in an unpleasant way, that I have regained the feeling of ’chills’...
Like a spinal reflex, I shape words in the smoke and send them under the
desk.
Question : Your current status
Please.
"I am stationed at the Yongcheon Fairy Bath Special Rehabilitation Zone,
part of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau located in Gangwon
Province, carrying out duties as per your orders, Mr. Mascot. I am
accommodating all requests from the ’agents’ as long as they do not hinder
resort operations!"
Yongcheon Fairy Bath.
A well-known paranormal phenomenon registered in the bureau’s wiki,
used for contamination treatment and physical recovery.
’So that’s where they sent him.’
My confused mind calms slightly as it encounters familiar knowledge.
The voice from beneath the desk echoes.
"The agents have me look into the thirty-three pools of water gathered
around the hot spring, checking what reflection of myself appears on their
surfaces."
But then.
"They ask me if I see the form of ’Agent Hwagak’, who I was before signing
my contract with you, Mr. Mascot, but I never do. I always answer them
politely!"
...
No.
No, I mean, it’s only been half a year... progress might not have been made
yet.
But surely something has changed, even a little?
’Okay.’
I suddenly caught onto a clue.
The name I called him by.
’He responded when I called him Jang Heowoon.’
Because I had just met another ’Heowoon’, the strong impression led me to
call him by his real name, but I had definitely contracted with Mr. Jang
Heowoon under the codename ’Bison’.
He had responded to his real name. Doesn’t that mean he’s regained at least
some sense of human identity? It’s his own name...
[Oh... Mr. Roe Deer, that’s how servitude works! Even if a master calls out
with vague names like ’Hey’ or ’You there’, if a subordinate feels they are
being addressed, they will gladly respond and take their place.]
...
So, rather than a sign of recovery, it’s just proof that his subordination to me
is absolute...
’Then what about the Wish Ticket?’
If he used it... wait a second.
Question : Go Yeongeun-ssi’s status
(Including whether or not you’ve met her)
"I do not have that information. Shall I investigate separately if needed?"
Question : Wish Ticket usage status
"I do not have that information. Shall I investigate separately if needed?"
...
Question : Your identity
"I am Bison, honored to be employed by you, Mr. Mascot, at Flower
Golden Resort, currently stationed on assignment!"
No.
Something is wrong.
Seriously, deeply wrong.
’What is going on?’
If the Jang Heowoon I summoned just now has shown no recovery
whatsoever... If nothing unusual has happened to him and he’s simply been
managed by the bureau for the past six months.
Then, just now.
Who was the person that introduced himself to me as ’Heowoon’, the
employee who recognized me?
And where is the Wish Ticket?
...
This won’t do.
’I need to get in touch with Yeongeun-ssi.’
As soon as possible.
But I don’t even have a smartphone, and someone as intelligent and
cautious as Go Yeongeun-ssi would have changed her number long ago.
How in the world am I supposed to reach her...
"Um, Mr. Mascot."
...!
"May I... dare to ask a question?"
...
Affirmative
: Proceed to ask freely
"Thank you!"
That unnaturally cheerful, polite voice from under the desk... wavers
slightly.
"When... will my assignment end?"
...!
"Have I been summoned now to return to the resort with you, Mr. Mascot?"
I can feel it.
Anticipation.
A product of will and desire.
Something a resort employee does not need.
[Oh, I sense a faint individuality.]
Right.
’Has something changed?’
Perhaps the Bureau’s measures are working.
To be sure, I quickly composed a reply.
Response : Negative
"..."
The sound beneath the desk stopped.
I continued speaking.
Return Condition : Must be able to request personal desires unrelated to
work from the Mascot.
"But I have no personal desires. My joy has already been fulfilled, and the
things I wanted before becoming a staff member are meaningless now!"
Huu.
Find something.
"Mr. Mascot...?"
I briefly considered handing Jang Heowoon the bell I held, but soon
realized it was meaningless.
After all, Agent Haegeum was the one who took custody of Mr. Jang
Heowoon. If that had worked, she would have given it to him long ago.
’More importantly...’
If I delayed any longer, the agents might start tracking him or initiate
emergency measures.
’If there is any progress, they need to keep receiving it from him steadily,
without interruption.’
I decided to send Jang Heowoon-ssi back immediately.
To make his sudden absence appear natural, I instructed him to perceive the
summons as a ’dispatched employee satisfaction inspection’ called by the
Mascot.
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Mascot!"
And just before I ended the summoning and sent him back—
"Will you summon me again?"
...
Affirmative.
"Thank you, Mr. Mascot!"
A bright voice responded.
Then, the dead man beneath the desk vanished.
Beneath my left arm brace, within the smoke, the red inventory tattoo
briefly gleamed with golden light...
As if the ’lodge keeper’, currently serving as manager of the resort, had
acknowledged my orders.
’Huu.’
[Friend, you’ve learned how to handle subordinates. Congratulations! If
only we had a fine bottle of champagne to celebrate!]
I couldn’t bring myself to thank him.
Curled up in the carrier crate, I waited until the dull, creeping sensation of
’chills’ subsided.
Then I asked.
’So, the person who came to the annex earlier... wasn’t Bison, was it?’
Because the Jang Heowoon I contracted with remained unchanged.
[Correct, Mr. Roe Deer.]
...
[But every spoken word carries intent. What intent that person had in
addressing you, Friend, even this announcer cannot tell...]
Right.
In that case...
’I need to start by finding basic information on that employee.’
[Oh. Are you planning to use that vulgar researcher? If I recall, you were
reluctant to bring this matter up to him directly!]
That’s true. It might only provoke him.
So...
’I’ll just make him bring it up himself.’
That day, after my shift ended, with some time left before rest—
"Eeyah. Did you enjoy your shift, Mr. Employee?"
I silently stared at Kwak Jekang, who had come to see me.
"...Um. Mr. Employee?"
And just as he began puzzling over the situation, I displayed words.
Permission to confess
"...Confess? Haha, I do have quite a lot to confess, but well, since it’s you,
Mr. Employee..."
Topic : Today’s visitors to the annex
...
"Ah. Hahaha..."
Kwak Jekang picked up a file folder.
"You mean the new hire, Jang Heowoon, don’t you?"
I did not respond.
"Wait a second. I didn’t send him. No... I’m telling the truth! I can’t lie to
you, right? And it’s not like I could stop him if he insisted on going..."
I stayed silent, as if willing to listen to his excuse.
As if I were suspecting him of provoking me just to extract specialized data.
Until the fear, branded into him when he felt his life was in danger during
my escape, rose up the back of his neck.
Because really.
’There’s no way you didn’t know.’
Even if he hadn’t summoned him directly, he would have been thrilled to
draw attention.
He surely watched everything through the CCTV, observing and recording
the conversation.
So.
Prove it
"...How?"
Submission :
Today’s duty log for 130666
"...Haha, yes."
Whether from excitement or fear, Kwak Jekang’s hands trembled slightly as
he handed me the file folder.
I accepted it with a gloved hand.
Flipping past my profile, operating instructions, and observation records, I
found today’s log entry.
The record of all visitors I had interacted with.
Scrolling down to the time slot for the new hire who introduced himself as
’Heowoon’...
2:12 a.m
Interaction(s) : Employee Kim Heowoon
’...!!’
Kim... Heowoon?
130666 inquired whether the employee was personally acquainted.
It is presumed this inquiry was based on prior contact during the
New Hire Orientation experiment.
The employee confirmed familiarity, after which 130666 issued the
annex access pass to the other party without any further response.
...Up to this point, the report was refined and reasonable enough that
’Director Cheong’ would not find it suspicious.
However, the next entry was this.
Special Note : During the orientation experiment, the employee used
the name ’Jang Heowoon’ in place of his legal name.
...
In a subsequent interview conducted after the experiment, the
employee stated that this action was taken ’to gain courage’.
The employee repeatedly claimed to have been an acquaintance of
Supervisor Jang Heowoon (stationed at a branch office at the time)
and to have been aware of his employment at the company.
"Ah, have you read that part?"
The researcher’s voice, previously suppressed by fear, now carried a spark
of curiosity.
"It’s a rather flimsy excuse... but at least that’s what they said in the
interview."
Then, glancing at me, he added,
"Haha, at the time I was curious how that name would sound to you, Mr.
Employee. They do look a bit alike, too."
Wait a moment.
So, they’re saying it was just a person with the same name but a different
surname?
And an acquaintance of Jang Heowoon-ssi?
That’s all?
’...No.’
That felt strange.
I clearly remember.
After the deceased Jang Heowoon became corrupted and was resurrected as
a resort employee, he had casually shared his past with me.
And now there’s supposed to be another person close enough to know that
he’d joined this company?
The very fact that someone would show up claiming that felt unnatural and
suspicious.
Moreover, that person recognized me.
– I was an orphan and grew up in a facility, but three years ago, there was a
huge fire, and all the family I lived with died in it. I just barely survived, by
chance.
That much I was certain of...
...
But is that really the case?
What if that person was just expressing kindness toward the ’friendly
monster’ he had met on Basement Floor 13? What if I’d misread the
context? What if my crushed brain wasn’t functioning properly? What if—
Jingle.
Huu.
’...Let’s not spiral.’
I discreetly shook the bell once more within the smoke, organizing my
thoughts.
At the very least, I needed to remember two things clearly.
First, during the two times we’d met, that person showed no signs of sudden
or dangerous behavior.
And second, since he was working as part of the Field Investigation Team,
the Dream Essence Collector had deemed him human.
Those two facts would be enough to hold onto.
[Suspicion is a companion of wisdom. But if it is too sharp, it wounds as
well. Oh, Mr. Roe Deer, your careful and polite approach is admirable.]
Yeah. Thanks.
"...Aha, so that person is really bothering you, isn’t he?"
Damn it.
"In that case, perhaps I should designate them for special monitoring, just in
case..."
Denied
"Ah... understood."
Let’s not cross that line.
Restrictions
► No personal summons involving the individual in question
► No assignment of tasks related to 130666
► Prohibition of any additional troublesome actions
I continued to impose comprehensive restrictions on Kwak Jekang,
suppressing a sigh.
’...That new hire definitely said he’d come back.’
In that case, I’d better keep my access privileges at the annex front desk
open so I could remain stationed there.
I had a feeling that if I probed through Kwak Jekang’s side recklessly, I’d
end up hitting a nerve I shouldn’t.
’And... it’s not as if that’s the only way to get information.’
The whereabouts of the Wish Ticket.
...No matter how I looked at it, speaking to Go Yeongeun-ssi would be the
right call.
I’d need to figure out a way to reach her.
"Hm. Understood."
Kwak Jekang seemed to wipe away a nervous sweat, but quickly recovered.
Once I returned the folder, he even looked a little disappointed that nothing
more dramatic had happened.
"Well, this was certainly an intriguing conversation..."
But surprisingly, aside from that slight disappointment, he didn’t seem
overly excited or scheming.
I realized why after seeing his expression.
There was something else far more important on his mind.
"Now then, would it be alright if I returned to the reason for my visit
today?"
...
Affirmative
"...! Excellent!"
Excitement returned to his smiling face.
"Well, Director Cheong’s orders have finally come through!"
...!
"Mr. Employee, it’s time... to prepare to excavate Darkness in the main
building’s underground Cheerful Research Institute! Hahaha!"