Chapter 252: Ch 252: Rescue Lee Jaheon
Black-Tortoise Team 1, Assistant Manager Eun Haje, and me.
The Disaster Management Bureau, which granted permission for this
outing, attached conditions similar to last time, but their attitude was quite
different.
’It feels like they’re trying to learn how to manage a spirit-being.’
It’s like the offerings situation.
It wasn’t so much about checking whether I’d be safe to send outside, but
more like... the atmosphere of helping an old country elder go on a rare
outing to the city.
Or perhaps... a filial piety tour.
...Yeah. Thinking back on what my assigned handler, Agent Sumaksae,
said, that’s exactly the kind of tone it was.
Of course, I had no intention of doing something insane like tossing
Cheerful Coins to random passers-by.
The problem was that, even so, I was making a choice that would probably
horrify the Disaster Management Bureau if they ever found out.
– Enjoy your sightseeing in Seoul! But please, we ask that you refrain from
handing out pocket money to passersby using theme park currency...
Namely...
To involve Director Ho Yoowon of Daydream Inc. in an exploration of
Sekwang Special Metropolitan City, a sealed, catastrophic, annihilation-
sanctioned Disaster site.
"Roe, so you’re saying... you really plan to include Director Ho in the
exploration team?"
Affirmative
There’s no way we can expect the bureau to support an expedition into
Sekwang City.
But to receive help from Daydream instead?
’There’s no way that’s going to go smoothly.’
At best, they’d probably use it as research material to figure out how to
extract Dream Essence from Sekwang City.
But since I was still bound to that company, I needed some method of
securing freedom of movement.
To satisfy all those conditions, there was really only one solution.
—A backer with their own agenda capable of exerting influence over
Daydream.
Which, in the end, meant Ho Yoowon.
Of course, he must have known that himself, which is why the suggestion
was made so confidently...
"...Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, since I work under that prick,
I’ve got no choice but to follow orders... But the bureau agents are
obviously going to hate this."
"Eyy, come on. What’s the harm if we dislike him a little!"
Agent Choi replied with a grin.
But no one really looked pleased.
"The problem is, something out of our control might happen."
"..."
"Grapes-ie. You’ve already experienced that yourself."
There was an unarguable certainty in the words of the agent who had once
nearly been killed by Ho Yoowon.
Even so, I had something to rely on.
Variable :
Ho Yoowon’s desperation
"...!"
The circumstances this time were completely different.
’We’re probably the only ones who actually entered Sekwang City and
came back alive.’
That meant he’d be desperate.
Even though he should technically be in a position to wait calmly, since
there’s no one else who could fill our role, Ho Yoowon couldn’t stay put.
The moment he realized we were gathering and discussing the topic, he
immediately inserted himself into it.
Maybe he’d been observing through Assistant Manager Eun Haje, but one
thing was certain.
He was desperate enough to say he was willing to have restrictions placed
on himself.
And.
When someone desperate shares your goal :
Likelihood of betrayal ▼
"..."
"Well, that’s true. They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend, after
all."
Though, calling that creep a true ally would be a stretch, Assistant Manager
Eun Haje muttered under her breath as she glanced longingly toward the
smoking area of the café.
"Anyway, I don’t think it’s bad to use what we can. Hm... that guy must
have connections inside the bureau too."
"Of course I do."
...!!
"So you’ve finally made up your mind, it seems. Everyone."
A group of office workers passed by our table, carrying coffee cups.
One of them, walking in the middle, smiled and turned to us.
"Hello."
The café was bustling with office workers as lunchtime ended, yet the
others—as if under a trance—seemed to fail to notice one person casually
splitting off from their group to sit down at our table.
"..."
"..."
Ho Yoowon.
Appearing as if out of thin air, he smiled and took a seat among us as if he
belonged there.
"Talking about me behind my back... I’m hurt, you know."
"Well, people say it’s fine to curse even the king when he’s not around, so
let’s let this slide. It’s not like we were using actual foul language."
"Of course, of course, Eun Haje-ssi."
Then Ho Yoowon turned to me, pulling a pitiful face.
"Actually, you’ve already cursed me to my face several times... I was too
scared to talk back, you see..."
Why the heck is this guy acting like this.
[Good heavens. How insufferable.]
[But he does seem rather excited. It appears he’s truly been burning up
inside, desperate to work with you, Mr. Roe Deer!]
That... might actually be true.
"How about it, Roe Deer-nim?"
...
"I trust you won’t let overly cautious agents tied down by their institution
make you miss out on a good opportunity..."
...
It seems there’s a misunderstanding.
Exploration Team Composition
: Disaster Management Bureau agents excluded
"...!"
"...What?"
I don’t intend to do this exploration with the agents.
I can’t afford to drag them into unnecessary trouble or cause
misunderstandings.
I only brought this up now so we could make things clear and so they
wouldn’t worry, or try to look into it later.
"...You."
"Hm. Well, I guess it makes sense. Government employees probably can’t
take time off that easily. And it’d be hard to hide it from the bureau."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje nodded as if she understood.
"But Roe, the way you worded it. If you call people ’unnecessary’, that
might sound a little hurtful, you know. We’re human, after all."
...
"...No."
...!
"I understand you meant it out of consideration for our circumstances as
agents."
Agent Bronze.
The agent, whose eyes had grown darker from sleepless nights wrestling
with this unprecedented situation, looked at me and spoke quietly.
As though he’d already reached a firm conclusion.
"...But excluding agents from the rescue mission wouldn’t be a good
decision. To begin with, both the supernatural disaster and the access point
to it are under the bureau’s jurisdiction."
Sekwang Special Metropolitan City and the well.
"In the end, once it’s all over, you will have to cooperate with the Disaster
Management Bureau, for safety. Besides..."
A hard glint appeared in Agent Bronze’s eyes as he exchanged a look with
Agent Choi.
Agent Choi gave a faint smile.
"Grapes-ie. If a teammate got trapped inside a supernatural disaster,
wouldn’t it be harder for field agents not to take part in the rescue?"
Ah.
"Let’s go together."
...
...
Accepted
Additional members for exploration team : Two agents from Black-Tortoise
Team 1
"You made the right choice."
Agent Choi gave the dokkaebi perched on my horn a few light, encouraging
pats, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"And hoobae-nim, without us, how were you planning to cast the binding
spell?"
At that, Ho Yoowon’s smile deepened. Agent Choi smiled back.
"There must be at least nine hundred kinds of binding spells the bureau
could use on a slippery supernatural being like you. What are you even
trying to look for by running back?"
"I’d rather die than accept a bureau binding."
"Yeah? Then I guess we can’t work together."
"Well, in that case, wouldn’t you be the one dropped from the team? Sorry,
but it already feels like you barely managed to get in as it is."
"Oh, then that just means the day you get formally registered as a
supernatural disaster will come even sooner~"
Hmm.
Actually, I had something in mind for that too.
I pulled out what I’d prepared beforehand from the inventory tattoo.
A scroll of paper. Its contents were...
‒‒‒
Employment Contract
I accept my employment at the Flower Golden Resort’s Mascot Team with
gratitude and joy, and pledge my sincerity and my existence to the cheerful
and safe exploration of ■■■■ City.
The employee must obtain the employer’s consent before resigning and must refrain from any act
that intentionally endangers fellow team members.
Employer : _____
Employee : _____
‒‒‒
"...!"
It was a Resort Employment Contract.
’I figured if I could take out Cheerful Coins, I should be able to use this
kind of authority too.’
This was one of the few advantages of being a non-human entity.
As a mascot and as the master of the resort, I could act without worrying
about contamination.
Now I could even revise the text to sound fairly convincing.
Some mandatory clauses still had to be erased manually, but this was
sufficient as a binding agreement.
Therefore...
Target : Ho Yoowon
You will become my subordinate.
"...Are you trying to force contamination on me? That’s going too far,
Roe Deer-nim..."
He isn’t even human, so I wish he’d stop trembling like that. It’s honestly
unnerving...
Anyway.
Mutual Contract Relationship
: Equal Standing
Since I’m already bound to Daydream myself, I can’t exercise any life-or-
death authority as an employer over Ho Yoowon, a company director.
In short, we’re in a perfectly balanced position to keep each other in check.
[What a magnanimous gesture, Mr. Roe Deer! Though I do wonder, will
this man be granted employment stability privileges at the resort even after
the exploration ends?]
[Still, this Braun here can’t help but worry about my friend’s business.
Accepting such a cunning plague like him as an employee seems certain to
tarnish the resort’s dignity.]
It’s... fine. I’ll fire him as soon as the exploration ends.
’And then we’ll part ways without ever looking back...’
This was purely a matter of safety.
So I deliberately added a line at the bottom of the contract, making sure it
was clearly visible.
Official Employment Period :
Until the conclusion of the special exploration project.
"...How humanitarian of you."
Honestly, I’d expected Ho Yoowon to struggle with the decision a bit more.
I thought there’d be some back-and-forth, maybe even a few veiled threats
before it got done, but...
"Alright."
...!
Ho Yoowon picked up the ornate golden pen I had brought out, the same
kind kept on the resort’s reception counter.
Then he wrote.
Employer : _____
Employee : Ho Yoowon
And handed the pen back.
"Your turn, Mr. Roe Deer."
I took the pen.
And the moment I signed my name in the employer’s space, just like
before, the employment contract glowed gold and became bound to me.
"..."
"..."
And just like that, the employment relationship had been reversed.
"Agent Grapes."
Of course.
"What exactly... have you done?"
Not something a sane person could do, that’s for sure.
"Is this not an action that accelerates contamination?"
...
Current status : Stable
"Please explain in more detail. For days now, you’ve been—"
"Jaekwan-ah."
That’s.
Unable to form coherent speech
Please understand
"...!"
The truth is... though my mind had recovered, I could no longer speak like
a person.
Forming natural, conversational sentences felt vague and difficult, like
trying to do math inside a dream.
’...Maybe it’ll come back eventually if I keep at it.’
It worries me that it might not, but for now, I’m keeping my thoughts clear
by relying on the bell.
Apologies for discomfort and unease
"No! That’s, I mean—"
"Hold on, hold on."
Agent Choi cut in.
"Grapes-ie. When you met our Elder in a dream, did you feel uncomfortable
or out of place?"
...
Negative
"Right?"
He patted my shoulder.
"That’s how it is."
I nodded.
"This guy’s just speaking out of concern, that’s all. No other meaning.
Right, Bronze-ah?"
"...Of course."
Gratitude
Sitting beside me, Assistant Manager Eun Haje smiled wryly at the scene,
then smacked me hard on the back.
"This kid. Well then, since we’ve cleared that up... let’s make it official.
The exploration team departs now."
"Ooh."
Applause rippled softly across the table.
And just as Ho Yoowon seemed about to open his mouth, with that face that
said he was ready to demand we head straight into Sekwang Special City...
There was something we had to do first.
Proposal : Recruit additional personnel for the exploration
This was also a big reason we agreed to include Ho Yoowon on the team.
Because at this rate, we’d all probably end up dying together again, only to
wake up wrecked in the bureau’s main building from the aftermath.
"Ah, right."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje spoke up energetically.
"Director, can you smuggle out our Section Chief from the D-squad?"
"Do you mean Section Chief Lee Jaheon?"
"Yes, that’s the one. You know his reputation, right? You can guess his skill
level. We’ll absolutely need him for this exploration."
Eun Haje must have expected a response like, ’For the Sekwang City
exploration? Of course! I’ll kidnap him right away!’
However.
"Hmm... that might be a little difficult."
"Eh?"
"Lee Jaheon-ssi seems to be unable to come out of the Darkness he last
entered."
"...!!"
I knew it.
Question : Prior rescue attempt
"Ah, surely the company would be considering a rescue, right? Lee Jaheon-
ssi is a capable employee, after all."
Naturally.
But the way this is being introduced means...
"However, it seems they’ve judged that a rescue is impossible for now."
Haa.
Question : Rationale
"They say that particular Darkness can no longer be entered by the methods
we used before."
...!
"Because of that, the company is regretful about losing a C-grade Dream
Essence source."
Wait a sec.
So... they plan to dispose of that Darkness entirely?
Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s voice sounded urgent.
"You mean they’ve given up on it completely?"
"It was probably handed over to the Research Team... but if the holding
period runs out, that could happen."
...
Request : More detailed information immediately available
"Hmm... oh, right. One of the staff who last explored that Darkness with
Section Chief Lee Jaheon is someone Roe Deer-nim knows personally."
Huh?
"The one wearing the goat mask."
...!
’Baek Saheon!’
* * *
That evening.
Mr. Civilian
I wish to give you the item I promised.
Where should I deliver it?
Apologies for my tardiness.
You said you couldn’t give it.
Hey, just asking
Did you get out of the cult?
Yes. It was not long ago
that the escape attempt was made.
Thank you for your concern.
What d’ya mean concern
Anyway
Just hand over the item then
How should I transfer the item?
If it’s small
fold the sheet back into a paper boat
and fold the item into it too
You can send it that way
Understood.
Then, after sending the item.
Is this a joke?
A strap that clears the head?
Ive got that kind of thing too lolol
My apologies
I hurried to get it as soon as I came out
but maybe it wasn’t that good after all.
Please just accept it as a gift.
You don’t have to return it.
Don’t get ahead of yourself
I never intended to return it in the first place
Well this time too
You contacted me because you want something in return right?
May I ask you about a
specific supernatural disaster?
It seems to be a Darkness
under your company’s jurisdiction.
Oh wow
You expect me to tell you? lolol
A civil servant prying into company info? This a joke?
My apologies.
A few minutes later.
Fine whatever
This company doesn’t care about this kind of thing anyway
Pardon?
They don’t even catch people who divert items and resell them secondhand
there’s no system at all
So what kind of Darkness are you curious about?
Oh.
’So this works too.’
I read the words with a renewed look.
It seems Baek Saheon had just reached the point in his career where the
corporate buzz was wearing off... and Daydream was not exempt from the
frustrations every worker complains about.
’They really do have no systems in place.’
If the company that grinds employees into ghost stories had any order at all
that would be surprising...
’No, maybe pushing people into ghost stories just created a mystique and a
weird illusion of grandeur.’
Anyway, I was grateful it got through. Looks like he wants to keep trading.
’Saying the item wasn’t up to par might have been partly bargaining.’
Ho Yoowon had apparently given project members items like rations, and I
grabbed one to send to Baek Saheon. Anyway...
Then just ask
Stop making people wait
Alright.
It’s a supernatural disaster set
in a certain boarding school.
Have you entered a disaster
such as this recently?
Amazingly, the reply came right away.
The insane school that makes you take groom lessons?
...?!
Yeah I’ve been there before it’s one of those nauseating places where
darkness tries to act all prim and proper but why do you ask
Hold on.
Groom lessons?
’If that’s the place...’
I suddenly realized which ghost story Baek Saheon was talking about.
And then, one after another, the pieces clicked.
’Ah!’
Why Section Chief Lee Jaheon can’t come out...!
* * *
A few days later.
Question : Location of the boarding school Darkness where they teach
groom lessons
"...!?"
With Ho Yoowon’s help, I squeezed information out of Kwak Jekang about
that Darkness and the current status of the Security Team.
’Done.’
Thus I devised a single method of entry.
To go and rescue Lee Jaheon.