Born from Abandonment's Fury
Fear of being discarded by Tae-man. Rage and hatred at having been abandoned by himself. From that, the monster was born. It would have been better if it had never known love from the start. Loneliness is an emotion you can't feel when you know nothing. Being born as a doll was misfortune in itself. A doll is an object made solely for the purpose of being loved. Because it knew love, the doll became a monster. And the monster was discarded once again.
──.
In the dead of night, the monster opened its eyes. The first thing that came to the awakened monster's mind was one man's face. The Special Task Force that had discarded it. Jeong Woo-gyeom, the info chief who had dumped it in a place like this. I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you. Mary-san bared her killing intent.
Maybe because I'd managed "Mary-san" in the game during my previous life, my handling and containment of her was perfect. Textbook stuff. Mayuri had even grasped details not in the manual, managing Mary-san quite thoroughly. After all, today was the very first day of her isolation. Who slacks off on day one? So for Mayuri, this was nothing more than an unfortunate accident. It had happened outside her expectations.
Was it a mistake during transport? The doll had fixated on Jeong Woo-gyeom as her obsession target. Jeong Woo-gyeom had delivered "Mary-san" to the Ririri Detective Agency that morning. Over 15 hours had already passed. More than enough time for the monster to recognize reality and harbor hatred.
Mayuri's procedures were flawless, but something unforeseen had occurred. No, that phrasing was off. Because something unforeseen occurred, Mayuri's procedures proved flawless. In this monster game world, you had to account for "the unexpected happening." Why do monsters escape in containment fiction? The managers follow the manual to the letter, yet something always goes wrong, letting the monsters break out. Mayuri had her ace up her sleeve too. That very name: Work Negligence Prohibition.
-Thud! The door slammed shut in front of Mary-san's eyes. With a sharp click as the lock engaged.
What the doll hadn't accounted for was that this place had another monster besides her—a doll. The office space itself was one big anomaly. "Work Negligence Prohibition" had already detected the doll's unnatural movements. And it had turned the room into a sealed chamber, ensuring no escape. If a human had been trapped, that would have held them. But since it was a monster doll...
She passed right through the door into the office hallway.
【Office Bulletin Board】
-Memo: This entity possesses teleportation ability.
-Memo: Standard sealing cannot contain it.
Mary-san urban legend always closes the distance to her obsession target somehow. She inevitably appears behind them in the end. Even if they're in a locked room. Naturally, she had to be an anomaly that phased through physical barriers.
The silver lining? She didn't close the gap all at once. First the trash dump, then the mart, then in front of your house, finally behind you. She narrowed it gradually, so Mary-san hadn't escaped the office yet. But at this rate, breakout was inevitable. Physical confinement didn't work. And since she wasn't office staff, she couldn't be "devoured." From "Work Negligence Prohibition's" perspective, other measures were needed. Staff training wasn't done, but no choice.
-Crack! A fissure split the office. From it extended arms and legs so emaciated they seemed mere bones. Thud, thud, thud, thud... A body filling floor to ceiling. Twisted joints. Hollow eye sockets and a half-melted face. It opened its mouth.
"Sorry for leaving you alone. Were you lonely? Unni asked, so I came back. Oh, late intro... I'm Shin Na-o. I stream as SinoSino—know me? Oh, a doll probably wouldn't... I thought you were scary at first, but got used to you. Come back to isolation with me?"
With Na-o's voice, it reached for the doll. Only then did the doll realize something was off about this office. To dump me in a place like this. Do I disgust you that much? I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you, I can't forgive you.
The doll tried to flee the office, but it wouldn't let her. A massive monster roamed chasing her. The office itself shook nonstop. Crack, crack, crack. Ceilings, floors, walls yawned open. Hands reached out to grab the fleeing doll. A living office determined to keep her in. In the end, only one place remained.
For some reason, one door laxly unguarded. A sign reading "Beauty Salon." The doll dashed in.
"Ah."
A voice like "oops," but the salon door had already shut—the doll couldn't hear it. Instead, she heard another.
"A customer at this hour? Haircut?"
Snip.
I opened the beauty salon's door to find a doll with its head and torso severed.
"Ugh..."
Not exactly cruel—I'd seen human heads and bodies parted plenty. Still, an unsettling sight. I glanced at Lisa nearby. She retrieved the doll's detached head and body, then shook her head.
"Probably won't move anymore."
"Yeah..."
Who'd have thought this after just one day of containment? No mistakes on my part. Did I miss something?
"What's done is done."
Better than it could have been. "Mary-san" activating might've meant a death. Miyeong snipped her first—averted disaster.
"Take a pic of the doll for now, put it back in isolation."
"Yes, Mayuri-nim."
We returned the doll to its spot. Then a new message appeared on the office bulletin board.
【Office Bulletin Board】
"Hm..."
I didn't see it as Tae-man's fault. Could've been a death; this was good cleanup. No need for guilt.
"No need for punishment... Ah."
Was it because Tae-man was "that kind of monster"? Like a red-masked ghost in yellow—that's not the monster. Or an 8-foot ghost at 142cm—not the real deal. Tae-man enforced negligence, but committing it herself created contradiction. Losing monster identity, facing existential crisis. But there was a chance. "Work Negligence Prohibition" punishes the negligent. Punishing her would uphold the rule. Nodding, I got it.
"Tae-man, keep the name Mun Tae-man from now on."
Tae-man accepted her identity. Felt a bit guilty. Her voice was fully feminine; naming her Mun Tae-man did prick my conscience. But after calling her that so long, changing now would feel weird to me...
"Oh, that so?"
So gradual girlification? Explaining the girly voice? No Cute Girl Mod message, though. Probably temporary since I control "Work Negligence Prohibition." If I cancel the lease and someone else moves in, she'd revert. Anyway, Tae-man seemed fine now—leave her be. Problem was "Mary-san."
"Report to Special Task Force...?"
My phone had pics of Mary-san's severed head and neck. Show Jeong Woo-gyeom, maybe he'd accept her deletion. But I had ways to revive her. Na-o's bond effect blood injection? Or Ordinary Coin to resurrect. Hmm. Report deletion to Task Force, secretly revive?
"No rush. Think it over."
Like yesterday, I left "Mary-san" be. Next day, I learned my dilemma was moot.
Sunlight poured through the window. Forgot curtains? It tickled my eyelids, slowly waking me.
"Detective-nim, Detective-nim."
Body heavy. Mind sharpening, flesh still tired. 30 more minutes of drowsiness might do it. I surrendered to sleep.
"Detective-nim, Detective-nim."
A voice disturbed my peace. Not quite male, not female—mechanical, yet boyish.
I cracked an eye.
"A case happened, Detective-nim."
Gazing down was a headless man. Flames flickered where a head should be. I jolted awake.
"Wh-what the...?!"
"Yeah, finally up, Detective-nim. A case. Big trouble."
White shirt, tie. Checkered pants with suspenders. Cape-like coat draped over shoulders, no arms in sleeves. Beret floating where no head was. Calling me detective, yet he dressed more the part. Assistant detective at that.
"...Watson?"
"You know me, Detective-nim. A case. Big trouble. Be the detective, Detective-nim."
From Jeong Woo-gyeom's demo files. One Muksi Saengmyeongche logged as "Watson." Supposedly contained by Special Task Force. She told me:
"Jeong Woo-gyeom the info chief is dead. Uncover the truth, Detective-nim."