Chapter 213: Ch 213: A new assignment has begun
Before opening my eyes.
I heard a voice echoing in my mind.
Instructions.
– You have been assigned to a new post. Follow the researcher’s
instructions. You have been assigned to a new post. Follow the
researcher’s instructions...
"Hello."
I opened my eyes.
"Nice to meet you. I was assigned to be in charge of... No, I’m your
assistant."
The first thing I saw was a mask.
Not a melting mosaic of a face, but a coated paper mask covering it.
It wasn’t the familiar Field Exploration Team mask I knew. It looked more
like a child’s crayon drawing imitating it.
But I knew that animal.
"I’ll try not to get in your way as much as possible. ...You can call me
Badger."
Badger.
I recognized this person in the Security Team uniform...
Supervisor Park Minseong of the D-squad.
My sunbae.
"Let’s, um, work well together."
And he couldn’t recognize me.
"Now then, I’ll just give a brief introduction..."
Of course.
There is nothing in my current state that matches my former self, Kim
Soleum, except physical size, and he’s never seen this appearance before.
But then, something unexpected happened.
"...Why."
Another person’s voice.
From the tone, the slow, flat intonation, I knew who it was.
I saw a slender human figure in a security guard’s uniform, pressing down
the brim of his hat while standing at the door...
"Why... are you here."
J3.
"Sergeant?"
"You... shouldn’t be here..."
...
I tried to speak, but realized my vocal cords weren’t where they should be,
and I didn’t know where in my melted body they even were...
The smoke spelled out words.
Employment contract
"...You said you were quitting."
New employment contract
: Permanent employment
"..."
I lowered the smoke.
"Sergeant, what do you mean, quitting..."
The person in the badger mask stiffened, his voice tense with confusion.
Uncertainty and confusion showed in his short, quick breaths, and
hesitation as he tried to figure out the situation...
And then, as if suddenly realizing something shocking, he inhaled sharply.
He’d remembered.
A mutual acquaintance, someone who recently left the company safely.
And the one who lost contact.
"...Roe?"
There was no answer.
The one in the badger mask stared at me, frozen.
Then looked back at the sergeant.
The sergeant did not deny it.
Instead, he opened the door and left the room.
Click.
The iron door locked.
"N-No... No. This, I, I’m... It’s just..."
He tried to calm his breathing.
It came from the badger mask.
The signs of contamination, flaring up from agitation, were hidden by the
mask.
Only after more than forty seconds had passed did the badger mask, having
completely shaken off the identity of a teacher from the kindergarten
affiliated with ■■, finally take a deep breath.
And then I heard,
"It’ll, it’ll be alright."
The sound of footsteps approaching.
"Being on the Security Team, that means, at least, you can communicate,
right? There’s got to be a way. I recovered too... Right?"
I moved the smoke.
Impossible
"...!"
Contamination is when a being that was once human is transformed by
supernatural phenomena.
Recovery from contamination means regaining one’s original human body
and mind.
And.
"Roe."
Impossible
I don’t have the former.
"...Soleum-ah."
...
I started to form another word, but instead, I scattered the smoke and
contained it inside my gas mask.
For some reason, I felt resistance to continuing.
A desperate voice came.
"Um... So, doesn’t it feel strange to hear your real name?"
It doesn’t matter at all.
"Don’t you have any reaction? Confusion, or anything...? It’d be normal if
you did. So..."
Showing a strange reaction to one’s original name is a typical sign of
contamination.
It has nothing to do with me.
"Soleum..."
Tap.
Park Minseong, about to say my name again, suddenly flinched and gripped
his wrist tightly.
The Security Team’s control wristwatch.
Tick, tick.
The ticking of the watch.
And now, a warning chime, which I hadn’t heard before, faintly sounded for
me as well, since I shared a similar contractual relationship.
– Risk of safety rule violation detected. Time remaining until confinement
for retraining has been reduced by 7 seconds. 71 seconds, 70 seconds, 69
A restriction to control the actions of contaminated Security Team
members, like the guidance I hear in my head.
He must have realized he’d violated the safety rule against using real names
on the job.
Thus, I witnessed one of the specific mechanisms not described in detail in
the .
But it does not matter.
What matters is...
– You have been assigned to a new post. Follow the researcher’s
instructions.
Work.
"..."
"..."
What should I do?
Only in the silence did I finally begin to look around at where I was.
A rusted iron door. An enclosed space. It resembles Basement Floor 13,
Room 666 of the annex, but it is not the same place.
But I can tell where this is.
seconds...
– Daydream Inc. Main Building, Underground Isolation Cell.
Back when I was still human, this was the very place I’d been assigned to
clean as a disciplinary action.
This was also the place where I had been transported together with
Supervisor Park Minseong, after losing consciousness upon clearing the
’Hungry Hangman’.
This was the isolation corridor accessible only through the Security Team’s
equipment storage, and the isolation cells within...
But I can feel it.
This place is much deeper inside than the isolation cell where I was
quarantined after being rescued from the ’Hungry Hangman’ Darkness.
Far, far deeper than the place I visited for disciplinary cleaning, in the
innermost core... located in the central isolation sector. My instincts as a
staff member tell me so.
And then, there was the shape of this sealed room.
I ran my gloved fingers across the lamp on the desk.
A lamp, a wooden desk, a bed, a towel.
I recognize this setup.
’Company housing.’
It’s the exact same room as when Employee Kim Soleum stayed in the
company dormitory.
Every item, down to the smallest prop, has been obsessively replicated.
It feels almost ritualistic, ceremonial in its arrangement.
It’s as if they’re trying not to offend the mood of the Darkness bound by the
employment contract, or trying to placate it.
At the same time, I sense that they’re waiting for my reaction...
’Is this Kwak Jekang’s doing?’
It’s the kind of thing that researcher would do.
I swept my gloved fingers across the desk.
Should I be angry?
My shattered, melted brain tries to think as it used to, but it’s difficult...
’So then, does this mean that I... From now on, I’m not responsible for the
annex basement, but for security in the main building’s underground
isolation cells?’
That’s not difficult.
But if that’s the case...
That person isn’t needed.
"...!"
I stared at the badger mask.
I could feel the badger mask’s unease.
He stood stiffly as I asked.
Job description requested
"...My job is to work with you, Roe."
Inappropriate designation
Reason : Informal
"...Ah."
The one in the badger mask turned his head, glancing at the CCTV in the
corner and letting out a small sound.
Maybe out of concern for contamination, the CCTV lacks audio functions,
but I can feel someone watching from beyond it.
They’re watching.
And there’s no need to give that supervising researcher unnecessary
reassurance about my current state.
Noticing the meaning of the warning I made with smoke, Badger’s words
change.
"Then... What should I call you? Haha, let’s just say we’re coming up with
another nickname. Even ’Roe Deer’ was something that you originally..."
His bright tone faded for a moment, then returned.
"Um... Is there any other animal you like?"
Favorite animal.
I waited for something to come to mind.
But I felt nothing.
Unknown
"..."
...
"That’s okay. I’ll think it over."
I heard him steady his voice.
Job description requested
: Include concrete examples
"Oh, um, so... when you receive an assignment, I’ll accompany you and go
around with you. I’ll help make sure you’re not uncomfortable."
The one in the badger mask spoke kindly.
But then...
"If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me first. Or the sergea—!"
What’s that he’s holding?
"...!"
Sensing my gaze, the one in the badger mask hastily tried to hide what he’d
been taking out of his pocket, but as if realizing something, he carefully
took it out again and held it up for me to see.
A syringe-shaped object.
It resembles a Dream Essence Collector, but it appears to serve the opposite
purpose.
Injector.
For subduing Special Division employees
He slowly nodded at the words I formed in smoke.
"Don’t worry. I won’t use it. Really. Really..."
Why?
Recommended for use in appropriate circumstances
"...For example?"
► Collapse of bipedal form
► Loss of smoke control
► When extreme anxiety is observed
"...When you seem anxious?"
► When extreme anxiety is observed
Criterion : The emotional state of the control tool user
"... Haha..."
A wavering sound came from the badger mask.
I couldn’t tell if he was crying, laughing, or relieved.
"You haven’t changed, have you?"
...
"Right... Mm-hm, it’ll be fine."
And for some reason, as if reassured, the trembling and movement seemed
to calm down, as if feeling at ease.
He reached out as if to pat my shoulder, but... soon let his arm drop.
...
Click.
"Sergeant, we..."
The door opened, and the sergeant entered.
There was no sign of resistance in his physical reaction, as if he had
accepted the unexpected situation rather than run away from it.
Rather, he walked over without hesitation, making the one in the badger
mask flinch.
Then he stretched out his left arm in front of me.
"Sergeant?"
"Here."
From his outstretched left hand, some round objects appeared.
Nostalgia candy.
"This, do you want some...?"
...
I cannot eat it.
I have no mouth. I don’t even know where any organ that could be called a
mouth is.
Maybe one had never been made in the first place, since there was no need.
I just believed I had one.
Above all... I cannot remove the gas mask.
"..."
Silently, I pushed his hand away with my gloved fingers.
Not possible
"I see..."
The sergeant withdrew his hand and just stood there as if lost in thought.
And then he asked,
"What kind of Darkness did you enter...?"
Wish Ticket
"..."
I dispersed the word before the badger mask could see it.
J3 asked no further questions.
He simply raised his head beneath the hat in silence. And then, through the
melting, mosaic-like features...
I saw his face.
’...!’
"Roe, calm down...!"
What is this?
Why can I see it?
"Are you... in pain right now...?"
Even his voice is clear. I can distinguish it. I can perceive it! What is this?
Why? Maybe there is another truth I simply haven’t realized...
...
Ah.
I understand.
"Why is there smoke...!"
Because, more than a human, he is something closer to a ghost story.
The sergeant’s contamination is so powerful and deep that no amount of
Security Team training can ever remove him from the boundary of
existence.
None of this means anything.
"I don’t think you’re in pain, at least..."
And yet, nevertheless...
"Then it’s okay..."
I felt the same strange ache that I’d felt in the elevator slowly start to return.
The sergeant stepped right into the smoke, then, with an awkward motion,
raised his hand and patted my back.
As if doing it for the first time in a very long time.
"...It’ll be alright."
...
I inhaled the smoke. The swirling black tendrils on the floor were gathered
up.
The sergeant glanced briefly at the nostalgia candy.
"Um, I’ll try bringing something else..."
I shook my head.
The nostalgia series is not necessary for my work.
What I need now is something relevant.
– Your work shift has begun. Please wake up. Your work shift has begun.
Please wake up...
It was time.
Requesting work briefing
"Ah, that’s..."
[Ah ha, so passionate!]
"...!"
Both figures whipped their heads toward the source of the sound.
[Haha, see, I’m contacting you at exactly the scheduled time, right? Good
morning. Well, not that it’s really morning, but I thought some small talk to
start the shift would be nice.]
The voice was coming from the CCTV in the corner.
The sergeant stepped forward to stand in front of me.
[Oh, the speaker and recording function are only enabled for two-way
conversation like this. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such ethical and
considerate working conditions. Hahaha!]
"Is he out of his..."
[Anyway, let’s get to the point. As your supervising researcher, I’ll explain
your duties very clearly.]
I shook my head at the sergeant, but he simply stood there in silence.
Only Kwak Jekang’s voice from the CCTV rang out noisily through the
sealed room.
[This is very important work directly connected to the company’s goals.
That is... to efficiently produce as many good potions as possible.]
[And there’s a prerequisite for that, isn’t there?]
The explanation continued as if it were the most obvious thing.
[A smooth supply of Darknesses suitable for extracting ’Dream Essence’ as
potion ingredients!]
[The kind of ghost story that can be ’managed’ by the company, into which
humans can be periodically sent to extract Dream Essence.]
Only, it sounded as if something absurd was about to come next.
[And someone strong needs to consistently bring those ghost stories to the
company, you see...]
The heavy breathing of someone researching Darkness echoed.
[And one of those people is you.]
...
[Please subdue suitable ghost stories for the company. Ensure efficient
production of Dream Essence.]
A new assignment had begun.