Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Safe Return and Shadowy Counsel
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After I finally escaped that insane theme park.
-Deer!
-Holy shit, Deer's out!!
I received an enthusiastic welcome from my teammates in the elevator.
Apparently, they'd been panicking and were even about to contact civilian survivors to figure out what the hell had happened.
"We were gonna pry some experience out of them. Anyway, glad you made it out safe."
The D Squad deputy manager said with a much brighter expression.
"What the hell happened? Why were you so late?"
Hm.
Before answering, I deliberately raised my wrist outward and rubbed the back of my neck.
Making sure the burn mark from the membership bracelet was clearly visible.
"……."
"……."
"Deer?"
"Ah, sorry. Just... really tired."
"Ahh."
The deputy manager and foreman just nodded, figuring it was understandable after all that ordeal.
That was when I realized.
'They can't see it.'
No reaction.
This tattoo was invisible to them.
Not a good sign.
I pondered for a split second before speaking up.
"The reason I was late... the exit gate right in front of me lost power. It wouldn't come back on no matter how long I waited, so I found another way out."
"What?!"
I deliberately skipped mentioning how the bracelet had turned into the membership pass.
In this absurd ghost story of a company, admitting some unnatural thing had latched onto my body wasn't a smart move.
'Better skip the part about the talking plush doll too.'
Of course, I explained everything else in detail, so registering the exploration record and making a manual should be fine.
"...Hold on. So you went to the yellow zone, the gate there was out too, and you manually turned it on and got out? By ripping open the breaker panel?"
"Yes."
"What the... you..."
"Eh, just your average Deer here."
"Hm... yeah, true."
"...??"
Anyway, the mood warmed up nicely.
"Your points should get credited tomorrow. Don't freak out—the amount might be close to ten thousand this time."
"No way?!"
In truth, the points we'd split would've been bigger if I hadn't survived.
The two seniors, who looked like they hadn't even washed up after frantically worrying about my life or death, grinned at me.
Honestly, I was a little grateful.
It was almost touching. Way too heartwarming for this company.
But one person was missing.
"Come to think of it, where's the squad leader?"
The deputy manager averted her gaze.
"...Got called to the team leader."
Oh shit.
"He'll be fine. Just a scolding and done. Hell, didn't that A Squad mantis mask pretty much suicide?"
Still, he seemed to have seriously pissed off the A Squad leader.
I recalled the teal duck mask glaring daggers at Lizard.
Even the foreman muttered.
"Deputy, is that for real?"
"What."
"Our squad leader has the record to join the elite team, but because of that guy's personality, he keeps slipping and stays stuck in D Squad...?"
"Yeah. Probably."
The deputy manager crossed her arms.
"But he's always been like that, so just leave him be."
"……."
"Guess God is fair after all. With that face and personality...?"
"Shh. He's a good boss."
A lizard face with a lizard personality?
Well, I could understand and agree he was a good boss now.
Especially after watching the worst boss up close.
"Ah, the research team section chief."
The Research Team 1 section chief, Kwak Je-gang, who'd spontaneously shoved his own team member into a ghost story without warning and gotten him killed.
"That guy's crossed the line."
Word was, when questioned, he'd claimed he panicked and accidentally tossed a long-term curse at the researcher.
'Anyone could see it was deliberate malice...'
The field exploration teams present remembered it wasn't that vibe at all.
The problem was no one was willing to testify strongly for the dead gambling-addict researcher.
Look at the higher-ups with real sway.
"A Squad leader's got his eyes rolled back at our squad leader, and our guy might have to deal with the research section chief too."
Prospects were it'd fizzle out with a light pay docketing.
In a company where employee lives were valued based on performance, docking a section chief big-time over one expendable drone's workplace accident didn't seem likely.
'So this is how Kwak Je-gang keeps showing up in the <Darkness Exploration Records>...'
One slip-up and you're fucked, but he slithered out like a sly fox every time.
The D Squad bosses clicked their tongues, confirming some creepy rumors about Kwak Je-gang were true.
"Hate having to keep working with that creep, but he flipped out this time, so he'll behave till next quarter."
"Right? Otherwise he'd be fired already."
Truly desensitized enough to risk life in a ghost story company.
'I kinda agree... but honestly, Kwak Je-gang wasn't trying to kill his researcher—he was aiming for all of us.'
The researcher was just bait.
But since everyone escaped safe, that part got muddled.
'Gotta keep eyes on him.'
I planned to thoroughly recheck Kwak Je-gang's wiki page on the [Darkness Exploration Records].
"Whew, what a long day."
"For real."
The conversation petered out.
With no telling when Squad Leader Lee Jaheon would return, we got permission to head home.
The deputy manager grinned.
"Nothing else to do. We didn't register you as missing. Figured you'd turn up. ...Good call."
"Yeah! We were all saying you'd definitely make it out, right?"
"Go home and rest."
"......Thanks."
"Psh, no need."
We parted with well-wishes like "Look forward to those points tomorrow."
I headed back to the Research Team 1 office, grabbed my stuff, and set off home.
And on the way, I ran into another familiar face.
"Jang Heo-un."
"...! Sol-eum!"
Y Squad newbie.
With his whole squad wiped, he'd been pushed aside and was just sitting blankly in the Research Team 1 office.
His shoulder wound had healed, but he was still in bloodied clothes.
"You're safe! Thank goodness...!"
"Yeah, thanks."
I sat across from him briefly for some chit-chat.
Jang Heo-un looked pale from blood loss, but less gloomy than before.
Considering his squadmates were all dead, calling him lucky felt off... but.
I recalled what the bosses had tipped me off about.
-That Y Squad newbie handled himself well this time; word from up top. B-rank's high-grade.
-Just work three months without issues, and high chance they'll promote him to regular employee!
All good.
Problem was surviving those three months...
"Um, have you ever considered quitting? Your situation seems too dangerous..."
"Yes."
A firm reply.
Jang Heo-un, still in his ox mask, clenched both fists tight.
"I absolutely need a Wish Grant. Can't quit."
"……."
He had his reasons too.
"Then, best of luck."
I hesitated, then added,
"Three months."
"Pardon?"
"Survive three months, and you'll likely get reassigned."
Enduring with a deadline versus indefinitely was worlds apart.
Motivation-wise too.
"...!"
Light entered Jang Heo-un's eyes.
"Y-Yes... I'll endure...!"
He took a deep breath, gazing at the ceiling, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you for all the help today. I... next time, in three months, I'll make sure to repay the favor."
"No, I should thank you—I got out safe thanks to you."
I shook his hand.
And, with sympathy and empathy, I blurted,
"You really went through hell. Must've been terrifying."
"Pardon?"
A puzzled look crossed Jang Heo-un's face.
Uh...?
"Ah, it's fine. I've nearly died a few times before too..."
"......And beyond that, you saw a lot of gruesome stuff."
"Ah, right."
Jang Heo-un looked sheepish.
"I'm bad with blood and organs... keeps making me faint or my legs give out."
"...I see."
Wait a sec.
That 'gruesome scenes' range just narrowed a ton...
'No way.'
"...Heo-un, by chance... supernatural phenomena or ghosts... you're fine with those?"
"Ah, y-yes! Those are okay!"
"……."
"I just go 'huh, okay.' Yeah. Unless someone's actually badly hurt, no big reaction."
"……."
Not a scaredy-cat...?
"Thanks for worrying... Ah, right! Sol-eum. In the newbie group chat, you talked to that person... uh. You're not in the room?"
There was a... newbie group chat?
My shelter buddy from the coward camp... wasn't one.
...And everyone but me had a classmate group chat!
"Ha."
I returned to the company dorm unsettled, showered, and stepped out.
Two shocking truths made the back of my head throb.
'What a long-ass day...'
I got the newbie group chat link from the traitor... er, Jang Heo-un, but I'd check it later.
Had higher priorities.
"Gotta check the wrist tattoo first."
Several suspects came to mind, but I had a reliable, low-key person to ask.
'Good friend.'
I perched on the bed and pulled the plush doll keychain from my suit pocket.
And called.
"Brown?"
No answer.
'As expected.'
Once back from the ghost story to reality, it looks like a normal doll.
Meaning, it wasn't playing possum while watching my company chats—it literally couldn't speak.
But even outside ghost stories, there was a way to talk to the 'good friend.'
'...Turn reality into a ghost story.'
I recalled a method from the [Darkness Exploration Records].
A bit creepy, but let's try.
I ducked my head under the bed.
And propped the 'good friend' against the back right bed leg.
'Next... light.'
Long-time nonsmoker, no lighter—smartphone flashlight instead.
Placed it on the floor to shine on the bed leg in that narrow beam, turned off the room light.
Click.
Then I sat on the bed in the dim darkness.
'...Kinda scary.'
Back shivering, I pulled up the blanket.
No shame. I'm alone.
'...Not for long, though.'
I looked up; flashlight beam from under the bed cast a huge plush doll shadow on the wall.
"……."
Soon, the shadow of the doll leaning on the bed leg began to wobble with the light.
As if shaking awake.
Hold your breath watching, and soon a voice comes.
A voice sounding like auditory hallucination from somewhere.
"...Brown."
The host had awakened.
"Thanks."
Brown seemed to vaguely recall everything that happened to me after leaving the ghost story, like rewinding tape.
'So that's what "remembers everything" means.'
"Thanks."
Not my house, the dorm, but whatever.
"...Brown's pretty formal too."
I swallowed 'mine's the newbie curse of this insane ghost story company.'
The friendlier this plush, the safer and stronger it gets.
"...Yeah. Casual from now on, then. Friends."
The doll's shadow bobbed happily.
Good... now the main topic.
"Perfect, got a question for my friend."
Stop being so ghost story!
"Yeah. Sounds fun."
Forced a cheerful reply.
Feels like overtime... hang in there.
"What I wanted to ask: this."
I thrust my left hand down under the bed.
Black tattoo-like letters on my inner wrist right in the doll's 'face.'
"Membership bracelet burned up, left this mark."
Moment of silence.
Then...
Strange interest and immersion in the tone.
Voice lowers.
"Knew that much."
Dictionary lookup on the way back.
The 'membership' bracelet burning into a member-mark seemed connected, but more importantly:
"Others couldn't see it. Why do you think?"
Ghost story beings can see it.
"Good it's visible to you."
Rephrased my question.
"What does this mark do?"
Immediate, cheerful reply.
I reflexively lifted my arm to check.
"So this is like a 'special privilege'?"
Brown's voice turned nonchalant.
Never going back.
But I nodded cooperatively.
'Corporate life sucks...'
Anyway, 'qualification' was vague but not bad vibes.
'Next ghost story, see if it's useful.'
The doll's shadow bobbed excitedly a few times, then whispered.
What.
Chills down my spine.
Phew.
"...Thanks."
I swallowed, eyeing the massive doll shadow on the wall.
"What're you curious about?"
Brown whispered.
Totally unexpected.
And in this dorm next door was obviously...
"...Company colleague."
Baek Saheon.
Not at all.
"Just a coworker."
Brown's voice cheered up again.
"Why?"