Chapter 225: Ch 225: Found it.
I slumped back down on the bed.
The bell was still in my hand.
A marker to guide me back into thinking like myself.
Jingle.
[Oh, I suppose now it’s safe to ask you again.]
[Mr. Roe Deer, how does it feel to realize you’ve regained your ability to
think?]
I lifted my head.
’...My head feels clear.’
Surprisingly, I felt like myself.
[That’s truly excellent news!]
’Right. But...’
That in itself felt strange.
[Hm?]
That I wasn’t overwhelmed or moved to tears by the realization that I was
back in my right mind.
I felt a little dazed.
And so I noticed the sense of dissonance.
For example.
’...Why am I not scared?’
[My word, there’s nothing frightening in this bedroom at all. Of course, this
pink merchandise plushie is frighteningly charming!]
Y-Yeah.
But that’s not what I meant...
’Given everything that happened, I should absolutely be terrified.’
My body was some grotesque thing, my future was a dumpster fire, and
right now, I was locked alone in a ghost story containment cell. Normally,
wouldn’t I be silently screaming, choking back sobs...
But all I felt was ’uneasy’.
When I used Nostalgia Kitty and briefly became Supervisor Roe Deer
again, I’d regained and then lost my body and mind, feeling terror and an
unbearable despair.
It had been a situation where panic was justified.
But now, even though I’d regained clarity, I was oddly calm.
Sure, I was a little scared, but it was as though something like a fear switch
was turned off. Like I’d taken some kind of tranquilizer.
’Is it because this bell was designed for agents?’
Does it simply block out extreme or negative emotions?
But if that was the case, then any subtle or nuanced feelings should be
dulled as well.
[Ah. In ancient times, a Greek philosopher divided the human mind into
layers: reason, will, and emotion.]
[An antiquated theory, yes, but intuitive for an era with no real scientific
grounding. Shall we apply it here?]
Hm. In that case.
’So I’ve only recovered part of my reason and will... something like that?’
A state where I can’t fully feel emotions.
Since emotions are closely tied to the body, it makes sense, in a way.
[As quick-witted as ever, Mr. Roe Deer. Of course, it’s just speculation, but
from your perspective, that seems like a fair assessment, Friend.]
[Once you adapt and get used to things again, the rest might return over
time, perhaps?]
...If that’s the case, maybe this is actually better for now.
’In this insane world of ghost stories, being numb to panic and fear could be
an advantage...’
What happens later, I don’t know.
I stifled a sigh.
Then realized sighing would only release smoke from my body, which was
a bit depressing.
’Let’s just be grateful I only feel a little depressed...’
I turned my focus to something productive.
Jingle.
For the rest of my ’rest period’, I shook the bell at different intervals to
measure how long its effect would last in keeping me ’clear-headed’.
The result.
’...Around four hours.’
After four hours, it became difficult to maintain coherent thought.
If I wanted to stay rational, I’d have to hear the bell’s chime every four
hours. At least for now.
’Hmm.’
I stared thoughtfully at the small bell.
Would using it too much wear it out?
[All things are consumables, except in very rare cases.]
[But it seems perfectly fine for now. Looks like something crafted by a
skilled artisan.]
In that case, I could use it for a while without issue.
’Thank you, Team Leader Haegeum...’
I sighed again, then tucked the bell securely between the base of the horns
sprouting from my head.
I could move my skull and, by extension, my horns.
This way, I could ring it only when needed. And it would stay out of sight.
With that, the urgent tasks were finished.
Until work resumed... I could finally let myself drift into thought.
’Hmm.’
...I lay down as comfortably as I could.
And deliberately steered my mind away from topics that might shake me,
instead reflecting on everything I’d experienced so far.
Mostly, the faces of people I’d met flashed through my mind.
Kwak Jekang, J3, Supervisor Park Minseong, Assistant Manager Lee
Seonghae, Kang Yihak... Agent Choi.
And as my memory traced back to the very first scene,
I realized something.
’...!’
Jang Heowoon.
One of the new employees who visited me in Room 666 in Basement Floor
13 of the Annex, during that ’special recruitment’ experiment.
Back then, I’d felt only a faint joy finding out that Jang Heowoon was
alive... but now that I could think, I realized it wasn’t something to pass
over lightly.
’He would have recognized me.’
Jang Heowoon entered the Cheerful Theme Park resort alongside me,
knowing full well that I was Kim Soleum, and in that process, he also saw
the Security Team costume that I wore.
Which meant he could easily connect the dots between the current me and
the Kim Soleum he knew.
Of course, that came with one big assumption.
If that really was Jang Heowoon.
’I see human faces as melted mosaics...’
Voices are also hard to identify, so I rely mostly on mannerisms and tone to
tell people apart. Expressions are somewhat visible, at least.
’But if his Wish Ticket worked properly, why would he come back to this
place?’
And he wasn’t marked as missing or dead like me, but simply reassigned to
a branch office. He could have just stayed there instead of returning to the
main office.
Did he not contact Director Ho? Why...
...
...!
[Hm?]
A chilling thought passed through my mind.
What if.
Jang Heowoon was never able to return to being human?
And if the Wish Ticket had been used to turn him back into a human?
Then Jang Heowoon wouldn’t have a Wish Ticket left to fulfill his original
wish.
That would mean the reason he returned to the company was to earn
another one...
’It’s possible.’
There was definitely a chance.
’Wait, what if it was the other way around? What if Go Yeongeun used her
Wish Ticket to save Jang Heowoon...’
...I couldn’t say.
Most people who pass the aptitude tests for the Field Exploration Team and
attend orientation are probably people who have wishes too desperate to
ignore.
[Either way, that’s a rather chilling and fascinating line of speculation, Mr.
Roe Deer. It seems plausible.]
[And it seems this has sparked another thought, hasn’t it?]
...
Right.
If Jang Heowoon used a Wish Ticket to regain his human form...
Then couldn’t I also use a Wish Ticket to get a human body?
’No. That’d be a waste.’
If I somehow managed to earn another Wish Ticket, I’d make a proper wish
this time. With a perfectly phrased wish, I could go back home...
...
But wasn’t that blind, instinctive longing for ’home’ something implanted
into me during the experiments?
Had I forgotten that experiment log, the one that used me as a ’Good
Friend’ to summon me into this world?
’Ah.’
My insides churned with nausea.
The thought of trying to get another Wish Ticket.
It was impossible anyway. The Security Team earned barely any points. All
of mine went toward maintenance costs. On top of that, I... Basement.
Laboratory. Shattered incubation tank. Collapsing body. Falling...
No.
Jingle.
The rapid collapse of my mind steadied again at the sound of the bell.
I exhaled sharply.
Then rang it once more, between my horns.
Jingle.
’Pull yourself together.’
Forget about clinging to the idea of earning a Wish Ticket through
Daydream.
I needed to come up with another way.
First... I needed to fully understand my situation.
Goal : Get closer to the truth.
And I realized something.
Even with my fragmented self, that had been my resolution. And even now,
with a clear mind, it hadn’t changed.
’...I’d been heading in the right direction all along.’
A faint stirring rose in my chest.
I mentally pictured myself taking a deep breath and steeled my resolve once
more.
And one more thing.
Additional Goal : Meet Jang Heowoon again.
Good.
If possible, I’d make that happen.
[You’ve found your direction, Friend! Excellent.]
And just then, work began.
– Your work shift has begun. Please wake up. Your work shift has begun.
Please wake up...
’Seriously, that’s so loud...’
I couldn’t even sleep, and yet it insisted I ’wake up’...
[Such a crude, graceless way to draw attention. I should’ve guessed from
that tacky training video, but this level of cost-cutting is enough to make
one’s head ache!]
I sort of agreed with that.
Before long, the complicated locks of the probation room’s door clicked
open, and someone stepped inside.
"Mr. Employee!"
Researcher Kwak Jekang.
The researcher who had dismissed the Security Team stationed outside
entered with an expression brimming with excitement.
Hmm, now that I was in my right mind, he seemed even weirder than
before...
’And, I mean, why won’t he regenerate the tip joint of his pinky finger...’
He should have enough points, but was he choosing to endure it until
further physical loss occurred? Or maybe the ’Red Finger’ ghost story made
regeneration potions ineffective. The wiki didn’t have exploration logs
detailed enough to say.
Either way, both were plausible. And the fact that he didn’t seem bothered
by it made him truly fit the ’mad scientist’ archetype.
"Did you rest well last night? Hahaha, the ’Man in the Screen’ you so
brilliantly captured yesterday was safely delivered to the Research Team!"
Detailed explanation of the processing procedure
: Cannot be omitted based on arbitrary reasoning
"Of course!"
And just as he had ’pinky-sworn’, Kwak Jekang thoroughly explained
everything.
The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau had successfully brought
the situation under control. Director Cheong was pleased they had acquired
a Darkness of at least C-class so quickly, saving processing costs in the
process.
’...Huu.’
And then...
"Supervisor Kang Yihak has gone missing."
...?!
"Oh, they said it seems she was taken in by the bureau. Well, nothing will
come of it, right? Even if they find out about the USB now, it’s already in
our hands."
It felt like my nonexistent digestive organs ached...
Ah, no, maybe? Were they there? With my clarity of mind, I could examine
my body more objectively now. Even though it was broken and collapsed, it
felt like they might still exist somewhere.
[That’s an interesting line of thought, but you seem to be veering off track,
Friend!]
R-Right.
In any case, Kang Yihak was still just a supervisor, so nothing serious
should happen. And it was probably better for humanity that the bureau
knew Daydream had taken the ’man in the screen’...
’...’
A flicker of longing or regret started to rise, but it wasn’t strong, and I could
easily push it aside.
I asked Kwak Jekang for the next step.
Results
"Results? Of course there are! Thanks to you, Mr. Employee, I even
managed to secure a private meeting with Director Cheong!"
Kwak Jekang burst into laughter.
"It was the first time I was able to have such a long conversation... I
managed to pull so many fun— I mean, fascinating tidbits, valuable enough
to count as real intel. Haha! ...To think I’d live to hear such things."
The researcher’s eyes gleamed with the thrill of having satisfied his
personal curiosity.
"These are foundational pieces of information that bring us closer to our
goal... to the truth about your origin, Mr. Employee..."
...!
Request for explanation
"Of course! ...It’s about how this company collects Darknesses. It’s surprisingly structured and multifaceted."
Kwak Jekang pulled out a pen, flipped over a sheet of paper, and scrawled out diagrams in front of me.
"This company’s methods of collecting Darkness are broadly divided into two categories."
External Collection.
Internal Collection.
"The former, of course, is something you’re already very familiar with."
Collecting from the outside.
Discovering and retrieving wandering new ghost stories, or reclaiming
those that had been intentionally redeployed among civilians for recycling.
External Collection – Capture.
External Collection – Retrieval.
"And the latter... Haha, this is where the Research Team really shines!"
The work done inside Daydream Inc.
"Development and Excavation."
Internal Collection – Development.
Internal Collection – Excavation.
"First, development. That’s creating new Darkness by grafting or
experimenting with existing ones."
True to this ghost story world, this was known to be the standard work of
the development-related Research Team.
Research aimed at raising the grade of Darknesses while keeping survival
rates high, or hypothesis building for manuals, and so forth.
Naturally, this was all familiar to me.
That meant the important part was...
"But you haven’t heard of Excavation before, have you?"
The final part.
"Exactly what it sounds like... Excavation is digging up Darkness from
beneath this company’s very floors."
...!!
Kwak Jekang beamed broadly.
"Do you happen to know what’s beneath our company...?"
...
Cheerful Research Institute
"...! I knew it would be related somehow... Hahaha, ha!"
I looked at Kwak Jekang silently.
He quickly stopped laughing.
"That’s right, yes. If you go further down below the lower floors, you’ll see
endless repetitions of the same office layout."
I know.
I’ve seen it twice already.
And... the sergeant had risked himself to find and tell me.
I’d thought that was information I didn’t need anymore since I had already
used the Wish Ticket, but I was wrong.
"That is the ghost story called ’Cheerful Research Institute’."
The entire place itself is a massive ghost story.
– If you go deeper underground... the same office corridors... just keep
repeating...
– It must be the same place, but... maybe... each one is a slightly different
time...?
Kwak Jekang showed me copied documents, pages about Cheerful
Research Institute that he must have requested access to himself.
...They matched the sergeant’s account.
"And within it, you can find all sorts of prototypes they produced back
when Cheerful Research Institute was still active, as well as artifacts that
serve as mediums connecting to ghost stories."
The source of the earliest Darknesses when Daydream Inc. was first
founded.
"This is where Daydream excavates ghost stories that can become
Darknesses. Especially in the early days, this was the norm."
Kwak Jekang’s eyes gleamed with the thrill of uncovering new knowledge.
"So one could theorize... that Daydream built its headquarters right on top
of it. Hahaha, fascinating, isn’t it?"
[Goodness. This man’s comedic timing is so poor he’d be pelted with rotten
eggs if he tried stand-up!]
"Anyway, they’ve already scoured everything they can from the shallower
floors... now they have to go deeper, but the further they go, the stranger
things get, so they’re struggling."
Kwak Jekang looked at me.
"Even the standard Security Team finds it difficult... So wouldn’t the help
of a Special Division staff member be crucial?"
...!
"I’m certain it’s connected to why you were created."
I clenched my invisible hand within the smoke.
"In the end, this ’excavation’ assignment will be given to you, Mr.
Employee..."
Request for expedited progress
"Of course! But to get to that stage, there needs to be a solid foundation of
trust first!"
Kwak Jekang was suddenly trying to feel me out.
"For example... That I, as your supervising researcher, prove that my
method of operating 130666 is reliable. Hahaha."
Hm. In other words, I’d need to appear obedient enough to justify moving
on to the next stage...
To make the company believe they could control me to some extent.
This is driving me nuts, seriously.
’Well, I already signed that damn slave contract, didn’t I.’
Let’s do it. That way, I can move more freely.
Affirmative
"...! Excellent. Then I’ll come up with a very suitable and fun method..."
Please, for the love of everything, stop talking.
I quickly shaped my smoke into words.
Perform standard Security Team duties
"...Aah."
The excitement drained from Kwak Jekang’s voice.
"Right. Well, that’s... rather dull, or should I say, plain... though, coming
from you, it’s a little different."
I’m not done yet.
Justification :
’I’ve discovered an additional method of control, and I wish to test it.’
"...! Ah, so you’re framing it as an experiment to see how well you can be
controlled! That’s good. Fear? Pleasure? Rewards and punishment, which is
it? Haha, whichever direction it is..."
Money
"..."
Greed based on disciplinary measures :
Requesting wages based on the employee pay table
"...I see."
Thank you, Kang Yihak-ssi.
People driven by money are, ironically, easier to predict.
And Daydream has plenty of it.
* * *
A few days later.
I was seated at the annex’s front desk with two Security Team members.
They said they’d pay me. That’s nice.
A bit sad, though, that I was still inside a carrier crate...
’Sniffle.’
And one more thing.
[Oh, that looks like an ear, Friend.]
During the quiet hours of my shift, I began rationally examining my
deformed, melted body, mapping out what part was where.
There was something I wanted to confirm: if any part of me still retained its
proper shape.
And then, I found it.
:Lord: (in Korean)
The inventory tattoo.