Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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...The phrase 'I'm glad you're alive' carries two implications.
That they know who you are.
And that they thought you were dead.
All of this pointed to one thing.
The security chief had recognized me—Kim Sol-eum from the Field Exploration Team, officially declared dead—sitting in the taxi driver's seat.
'...Since when?'
I checked the security chief in the backseat via the rearview mirror. He was dressed in an old security uniform like casual clothes, with his cap pulled low.
His face wasn't clearly visible.
But somehow, he seemed relieved.
Suddenly, I recalled what Foreman Park Minseong had told me.
...With his years of service, a security chief like him must have seen plenty of Daydream Corporation Field Exploration Team rookies get weeded out.
Still, he'd worried about me because we knew each other...
'Thanks, and sorry.'
Plus, it was impressive that he'd recognized me but played it cool, staying silent until now out of consideration for the situation.
Of course, since I was currently playing corporate spy, I couldn't exactly have a tearful reunion.
Director Ho already seemed to suspect that D Squad knew I was alive, so I couldn't risk raising my threat level further.
'The security chief isn't the type to go blabbing about seeing me.'
A subtle hint to keep it secret when we parted would suffice.
Having sorted it out in my head, I spoke in the most friendly taxi driver voice I could muster.
"Whew, what a night... Thought my heart was gonna stop. Uh, sir? You said Seoul Station? About 40 minutes..."
"Ah, that... No need to go there..."
"......Pardon?"
I involuntarily glanced at the security chief in the mirror.
The security chief met my eyes in the mirror and smiled faintly.
"No reason to go anymore...?"
"......"
Hold on.
KTX Seoul Station.
...The publicly known point of disappearance for me, the starting point of the Tamra-bound high-speed train Darkness.
'No way.'
Nah, couldn't be. I fixed my gaze forward.
But... I still asked.
"...Oh, did you decide to meet your contact somewhere else?"
"Nah... Already met them."
"......"
"It's fine..."
Ah, damn it.
He'd really come looking for me?
'A guy who can't even go out during the day.'
We'd given up hope after over a month missing and declared him dead long ago, but just because he knew the employee a bit, he'd chased clues in the dead of night to board that high-speed train... Wow.
Maybe because I knew his backstory from when he was a named leader in B Squad before Security Team. It hit a little harder, making me oddly grateful and emotional.
And it made me wonder.
"......"
At this point... maybe he's trustworthy.
'...The security chief never had any loyalty or passion for the company to begin with.'
So.
I checked once more.
"Uh, sir. You on a business trip? Does the company reimburse taxi fares, track your location, that sort of thing...?"
"Hm...... No. They don't know."
The security chief stated firmly.
"They don't care about me that much anymore... They've loosened up on my outings lately too."
"......"
Good.
"Then, how about a quick drive with me before sunrise?"
"......!"
I turned off the car navigation and set a route on my personal phone.
Destination... A place accessible via the keywords 'empathy, attention, toy.'
The lab with Daydream Corporation's prototype equipment.
I parked the taxi at the destination and got out with the security chief. I called to him right away.
"Jay."
The security chief looked up promptly, unsurprised.
He just seemed relieved.
"Ah, so the taxi wasn't contaminated by a Darkness..."
"...Pardon?"
"High-speed train... contamination could assign you as a driver in other transport Darknesses...?"
"......"
Hold on. Did he think I'd been so contaminated by a ghost story that I became a ghost story taxi driver, and he'd been playing along?!
'He might've dragged me out of the taxi if things went well.'
A bit of cold sweat. Good thing the misunderstanding hadn't escalated that far before we arrived.
"No, I'm not. But... thanks for worrying."
"Yeah... Glad you're okay..."
'Nearly had the rare experience of getting shoved into a ghost story's maw...'
I sighed inwardly in relief as I locked the car door after the security chief got out.
Then, a sudden question occurred to me.
"Uh, why'd you suddenly hail a taxi in the mountains?"
No way he'd walked from Seoul Station and gotten lost...
"Mountains?"
A puzzled voice.
"I was... in front of the company."
"...?!"
His explanation followed.
As expected, the security chief had been wandering blankly from the company toward Seoul Station.
Public transport was stopped at dawn, and he'd forgotten how to call a cab.
Then he spotted it.
A conspicuously eerie taxi.
"And I heard the radio..."
"...!!"
"Hearing the radio reminded me of times I'd ridden in taxis..."
So, he'd impulsively followed and caught it, awkwardly but determinedly.
......Only one cause was possible from this story.
'...Brown!'
Edited space-time and spotlight.
The showbiz ghost story host's handiwork was chillingly impressive.
And how the security chief recognized me was impressive too...
"Your scent."
"...!"
"I have a good nose..."
Utterly convincing from someone clearly contaminated by a snout-having animal ghost story...
Anyway, I had the gist. I shook my head once and headed nearby.
The place to show the security chief.
"This way."
In an alley corner, a door disguised as a leaning manhole cover.
"Better to talk details inside."
I opened the door and went down.
"Whoa..."
The security chief followed with listless admiration, then froze at the lab plaque.
"......"
"This is... the company......"
"Doesn't seem like it."
I opened the lab door and showed the security chief.
"But it seems related."
"...!"
Among the people I knew, the longest-serving, most deeply involved company man with no personal gain ties.
The former Elite Team B Squad leader's eyes darkened at the source lab of Daydream Corporation's pharmaceutical tech.
"Anything catch your eye, Jay?"
The security chief, abandoning his usual ant-tear apathy and sluggish moves, scanned the lab with crisp efficiency.
Even his eyes seemed different.
"Uh, there are some ominous items here, so don't push yourself."
No response.
He even tried skimming the research log I'd tossed after barely enduring it, but a grotesque black shadow lunged at him, so I freaked and snatched it back.
"......"
"......"
Only after the thorough search did the security chief speak.
"...Who told you about this place...? An employee?"
"Nah, stumbled on a hint in another ghost story by chance. Turned out not to be Daydream Corporation stuff, weirdly."
"......"
"Looks like a prototype of the same tech, though."
The security chief affirmed silently.
"Any guesses about this space? Even partial suspicions."
"...Hm."
The security chief surveyed the dead-as-a-doornail lab space, then spoke with a strange expression.
"Hey. You know... how our company disposes of Darknesses...?"
...!!
"No."
I do, actually.
I'd witnessed that setup get plausibly updated multiple times.
But a rookie knowing would be too suspicious, so better hear it directly from the security chief.
"What do you mean by disposing of Darknesses?"
"Like... Even if people clear it, if no more solution extracts... they toss it."
"......"
"No more use for it..."
Right.
From Daydream Corporation's view, ghost stories that lost productivity.
Darknesses lose supernatural presence over time, no more Dream Essence solution harvestable.
Post-registration cancellation, they're disposed; some recycled via research, recharge, etc.
'Losing supernatural presence' usually means exploration records piled up, manual too complete.
'They've figured the whole ghost story out.'
The non-everyday mystery vanishes; many employees handle it routinely, tensely no more.
Once all mechanisms are known, no eeriness or imagination left, it becomes reality.
Just a somewhat dangerous reality.
No different from high-risk industrial sites.
Of course, its ghost story origins leave some eerie, unrealistic trigger remnants.
Like the blood-and-filth-covered research log the security chief was tapping.
"Stuff like this... Feels like discarded Darkness vibes..."
Hm.
So this space itself was probably originally a ghost story.
Piecing it... 'Daydream Corporation extracted pharma tech from this ghost story... Overdid it till the ghost story itself vanished?'
Anyway, now a relatively safe space. Good info.
"And this..."
The security chief picked up the card key by the Dream Cultivator.
The ID from the dead researcher's body I'd found.
"This says 'Jolly,' right...?"
"That's what I saw."
"Ah, figured."
Fiddling with the card key, the security chief mumbled slowly, eyes down.
"Then... ever hear of the 'Jolly Lab'?"
"...!"
The moment I heard the specific name.
I realized.
Why 'Jolly' gave me that eerie sense of familiarity.
'...Jolly Lab!'
From my mysterious candle kit to the theme park ghost story I'd explored before.
The origin of those ghost stories I'd encountered steadily but dismissed as side info.
A faction mentioned several times in [Darkness Exploration Records].
Ghost story makers.
"Hm... There are ghost stories that make ghost stories... Company favors them..."
The security chief explained.
How Jolly Lab was a faction often encountering the name internally at Daydream Corporation.
And new info too.
"Heard the very first Darkness registered at the company had a Jolly Lab tag..."
Huh?
"...What Darkness was that?"
"Dunno. Already disposed... Overheard directors talking..."
My god.
"You... remember all that?"
The security chief's eyes stared at me steadily.
"I remember everything about the company.... All of it."
"......"
"Forget other stuff... a lot..."
"...Wanna find it again someday?"
The security chief pulled down his cap.
"Not really... Not all good memories."
"......"
Maybe he thinks that because he forgot.
"Got it. Still, next chance, maybe recover the good ones? Like especially tasty food. Fun places."
"Hm."
The security chief's voice brightened slightly.
"That... might not be bad."
"Right?"
I nodded with a smile.
"Thanks for kindly explaining despite the weird spot. Few employees know the company's first ghost story had a Jolly Lab tag..."
"Wasn't supposed to know..."
"......"
No.
The security chief put a finger to his lips.
"So don't spread rumors.... Unless you want Security."
Chills down my spine.
"Of course... Deer's... faking dead and slipped out...... Security might take time to find you."
"...?!"
Faking dead...? Oh, right.
"Uh, I couldn't escape the company..."
"...?!"
"In Director Ho's project team now."
I quickly briefed my situation. Skipped the month missing in ghost stories, focused on rolling under the director's direct TF team.
"Seemed fastest way to get a Wish Grant. Signed up."
"......"
"This shouldn't be shared either, so keep secret please."
"No one to tell..."
Damn.
The security chief casually dropped the sad line, then gazed into space thoughtfully.
"Director Ho... None of this company's directors are sane..."
Yes. I'm starting to get that...
"Uh, know much about Director Ho?"
"No... Ho came as director after I joined Security..."
Ah.
"Saw Director Cheong a few times... Ancient history..."
The security chief looked around.
"Anyway... Don't tell directors about this..."
"Of course."
The original discoverer who reported to the company died anyway; no intent there.
But now...
'...Share more solidly.'
Since I'd shared the location with the security chief. He'd seen my shady situation yet kept trusting, sharing info.
'Better solidify trust here.'
I'll share what I know too.
Verified he's decent from [Darkness Exploration Records] named records to the real person before me.
'Good.'
"...Jay, could you check this out?"
I reactivated the dormant Dream Cultivator with the card key.
Whirr, panels and tubes lit up...
"...!"
"Pushing this seems to make syrup like Daydream potions."
I explained, showing pipes for Dream Essence charging.
"Can charge Dream Essence separately going forward..."
"That."
Light entered the security chief's eyes.
"Elite Team collector."
Ah.
"Yes. Got it by chance, unregistered at company."
"......"
The security chief cautiously reached out, barely touched the collector I held, then withdrew.
"...Said they stopped making these..."
"......"
Did he use one like this in B Squad days?
"No... tracking?"
"Yes. Never registered at company."
"I see..."
The security chief didn't ask where from.
Just gazed nostalgically at the collector, then shifted to the cultivator buttons.
"...Know these icons?"
"No... But the machine itself... resembles company ones..."
"...!"
As expected.
"Company makes potions with similar machines?"
"Probably... Hm."
The security chief looked at me and smiled faintly.
"Curious...? Wanna look into it? Jolly Lab... and such..."
...!
"Too dangerous for you?"
"......"
The security chief reverted to apathy, too lazy to shake his head.
"Not dangerous..."
W, well, if you say so.
"Thank you."
"Yeah..."
Thus, I gained a company insider ally.
"Still risky, so three requests per this policy."
Stamina lacking but reliable veteran, Security Chief Jay.
A while later.
"Get home safe."
"Yeah."
Before sunrise, the security chief returned safely.
At the end of our talk, I pressed a new icon for a potion.
For reference... this one.
...I'd never press it alone, I'll admit.
'Whew.'
Meant to give it to the security chief as thanks, but he refused with dead-fish eyes...
Next time, something else.
I fiddled with the glass vial in my pocket as I saw the security chief off.
...By the way (not surprisingly), he had no smartphone, not even a flip phone.
I bought a prepaid SIM at a convenience store, backed up my old smartphone, reset it, inserted the SIM, and gave it to him.
Then bought a new phone as soon as the store opened.
"Contact me on this number."
"Yeah..."
What to say... Seems devoid of worldly desires except donuts...
'Does deep contamination turn you like that?'
I dropped the trudging security chief off 12 minutes' walk from the company on my way to return the taxi.
"Heave-ho."
And now, the long night shift ended.
'Disaster Management Bureau job wrapped nicely too!'
Returned the taxi on time, got good review for role performance!
"Good work."
"No problem...!"
Exhausting as hell, but deny it here. I ignored my right hand's thumbs-up and bowed to the Bronze Agent.
Then, after resting off-duty and learning paperwork over days.
"You'll work here today."
Back at Disaster Management Bureau HQ, I saw a familiar face.
Jang Heo-un.
"Ah...!"
My colleague's eyes lit up at me, then he hurriedly bowed like a greeting.
His boss chuckled heartily, extending a hand to the Bronze Agent beside me.
"Long time. Bronze Agent. Ah, this the rookie?"
"Yes, yes...! Nice to work with you."
Yes.
Today was the on-site cleanup squad duty I'd awaited...!
'I'll prove my aptitude no matter what!'
"......"
Couldn't prove it...