012 – For the One I Love #1

After the nymph Melinoi vanished, Goddess Melinoë appeared.

The goddess of ghosts and nightmares, Melinoë. She looked just like that black-haired, red-eyed nymph Melinoi. If there was any connection between the two?

Of course, comparing the beautiful, chilling goddess of nightmares to that bizarre nymph might border on blasphemy.

'But!' In a situation where even the tiniest scrap of info might open the path to my resignation—or become the lifeline to save me from getting "Orion'd"—I decided to dig for every last speck of dust.

"What were you doing here, Lady Melinoë?"

A supply warehouse thick with dust and cobwebs didn't suit a beautiful goddess at all. At my question, Lady Melinoë's red eyes twitched like she'd been caught off guard.

"Me? I was... uh, what was I doing? Patrolling. Yeah, patrolling. I've heard supplies have been going missing lately, so I volunteered for guard duty. And with the big audit coming up soon..."

I'd heard rumors about supplies vanishing too. There'd even been a recent proposal for employees to take rotating night watches.

That was part of why calls to increase Happy World's security personnel kept coming up.

"But guard duty like that could be handled by regular employees or security staff. Isn't it too trivial and minor for someone like you, Lady Melinoë?"

"Ahem, Section Chief Joey, you've probably heard this before: 'Small and trivial things are the most important of all.' That's my motto, so keep it in mind."

She raised a single finger, lecturing me like a wayward little brother, and it actually looked pretty convincing.

But that line—small and trivial things are the most important—didn't it sound familiar? Like something someone else had said?

As a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me, Lady Melinoë cleared her throat repeatedly.

"Anyway, Joey, congrats on the promotion. I have high expectations for outstanding employees like you. On that note, as a section chief, is there anything you'd like to suggest to the company? I'm always open to ideas for the company's growth."

Sure, I was a section chief now, but compared to a high executive like Lady Melinoë, I was still at the very bottom of the totem pole. Asking even grunts like me for input? That was some top-notch, humble leadership right there.

'Getting to voice requests to the goddess herself. I could shed tears of gratitude and be none the wiser...'

But chatting one-on-one with Lady Melinoë like this felt like it was shaving years off my life. My scalp was practically drilling holes from the tension.

"Nothing in particular."

"Really?"

Lady Melinoë's slender eyes widened slightly. Then she crossed her arms and sank into thought.

"Well, yeah, it's not like you'd have something ready to pitch on the spot. It'd just feel like pressure. My bad for being short-sighted. How about this—I'll pick a topic. What about the dorms?"

"The dorms?"

"They're pretty cramped, right? I noticed last time."

Last time? She must mean that day. My vision swam dizzily at the memory.

'...So it wasn't just a dream I had alone!'

Lately, I'd been secretly hoping that spending the night with Lady Melinoë had been a solo dream of mine.

What were the odds that a genuine goddess—not some office crush metaphor—would wake up in the same bed as me? So maybe it was all just my imagination, my hopeful fantasy.

But her words just now shattered that delusion completely.

Undeterred, Lady Melinoë continued in her gentle tone.

"It's not like the fancy new apartments in Elysium where HQ staff and execs live, but I think Happy World's employee dorms need an upgrade. Here, take this."

I peered closer—it was a key.

"This is to celebrate successfully wrapping up the collab with Cronus and earning your promotion. It's plenty spacious for one person, and even roomy enough for occasional guests."

A house key? In other words, Happy World was giving me new company housing.

'Taking a gift this big might give me indigestion.'

The more I accepted from Happy World, the harder resignation—or getting fired—might become.

I was just about to refuse when—

"On second thought, maybe not—huh?"

Princess Melinoë was gone. Like a ghost without feet, she'd vanished silently, leaving me standing there dumbfounded alone.

Back at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the office, nymph employee Melinoi still hadn't returned. Even more shocking was Marquius's response.

"Melinoi? Who's that?"

The newbie Melinoi—that bizarre, larger-than-life fairy. Marquius reacted like he'd never heard the name.

The other employees were the same.

"You guys don't know Melinoi? You forgot Melinoi?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Section Chief, did you doze off and have a dream or something?"

"Go home and get some real rest today!"

What? What the hell was going on?

It felt like my brain was being toyed with. Was this some hidden camera prank?

"Marquius, you don't know Melinoi? The nymph who just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flattened Mercenary King Magnus? Crates, the newbie who spotted that three-gold-coin error in the budget report...!?"

"Joey, you flattened Magnus. Man, even I gotta admit—that was one hell of a punch."

"...Hmph, strutting around over spotting a tiny paperwork glitch. What nymph?"

This couldn't be happening. Everything the nymph Melinoi had done was somehow remembered by everyone as my achievements.

How was this possible? Had I dreamed the whole thing alone?

"Then Marquius, who did we hire as the new recruit?"

"Joey, you didn't hire anyone. Said no one met your standards."

That didn't match my memory at all. It was like Melinoi had been surgically excised from everyone's minds, her feats clumsily pasted onto mine.

The problem? All those impressive performances by Melinoi were now credited to me, skyrocketing my employee eval without me lifting a finger.

Rumors were even spreading that I'd taken down Magnus.

"What a star employee. Not just brains, but brawn too."

"Well-rounded in letters and martial arts."

"They say you need combat skills to make deputy manager and up..."

This was absurd. Talk about the ultimate raw deal.

But Melinoi was real. I clearly remembered her hiding in the corner, chomping away on candy alone.

Clack, clack. Manager Bones approached, his bony jaw clicking as he handed me some documents.

"Section Chief Joey, looks like you've been burning the candle at both ends. Wrap up this one field assignment and head home straight from the site. Perfect timing—it's nymph-related!"

Nymph-related? The report detailed a special prisoner.

"Prisoner A-09C..."

Yeah, thinking about this guy's history, it definitely tied to nymphs.

I glanced around the office one last time before leaving. She'd been such a noisy little brat. We'd only known each other a day, but no one remembering her left a lonely pang.

'...Maybe it really was just a dream.'

Weird, bizarre stuff happened all the time in Happy World. Panicking every time would wear out my still-living heart and mind.

So I pushed aside my unresolved feelings and headed to the rundown apartment building.

Someone might wonder why meeting a special prisoner meant an old multi-unit housing complex instead of the penalty execution site or a holding cell.

The reason? This prisoner was exceptionally special.

The grating noise started as I approached the apartments—fingers violently strumming strings. The wail-like song droned on until I reached Room 404.

Bang bang bang!

"Mr. Orpheus, this is Section Chief Joey from Penalty Execution. Open the door! The noise complaints from neighbors won't stop! Mr. Orpheus!"

Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang bang!

How long did I pound? Finally—

Creeeak.

"Ah, you who arrive like fate itself. Such splendid rhythm in your knocking!"

The door opened to a man with ghostly white face paint. His long, dangling hair and heavy black eyeliner made him look like a terrifying demon, but this was Happy World's famous singer, Orpheus.

"Haha! Come in!"

Orpheus invited me inside. I hesitated, but steeling myself, I stepped in. Trash strewn everywhere, clothes tossed haphazardly, hell cockroaches scurrying through it all—it was nightmarish.

"Joo-ji!"

"Joo-ji."

"C'mon, at least clean up a bit! Anyway, Mr. Orpheus, who knows how many complaints this makes. Singing's fine, but could you keep it down?"

"Sorry, but just a little longer! Very soon, I'll surpass my masterpiece Song of the Nymph with a legendary hit! Bear with me a bit more!"

"I've heard that line plenty of times already. Be honest, Mr. Orpheus—you're in a slump, right? Everyone says your new songs don't measure up to the old ones."

"A sl-s-slump? Me? Hm, heh-heh-hum... Absolutely not. Never."

He looked utterly stabbed by my words. His powdered face paled to true ghostly white—I almost felt sorry for him.

Orpheus. Once mythology's greatest bard, but since becoming a Happy World prisoner, he'd devolved into a third-rate clown. Complete with freakish makeup.

"It's the instrument's fault. If only I had a lyre made from a nymph's hair, I could craft a killer song! Just a nymph-hair lyre!"

No, from those lyrics earlier, the instrument wasn't the issue. Orpheus was obsessed with "nymph-hair instruments." I could vaguely guess why, but I played ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dumb.

"Why the fixation on nymph-hair instruments? Something special about them?"

"In life, I used one. The tone was exquisite. You know nymph hair is coveted but impossible to get?"

"Why's that?"

"Nymphs only give their hair to those they truly cherish. I was lucky to get one... Huh? How did I get it?"

He tilted his head, puzzled. Pretending ignorance, I pressed further.

"Does Eurydice ring any bells?"

"Eu... what? Who's that?"

Orpheus and Eurydice. Protagonists of one of Greek myth's most tragic, beautiful love stories. Yet he cocked his head like it was news to him.

The reason was simple. Prisoner A-09C Orpheus's penalty started with A: Amnesia.

He'd forgotten what he sought, whom he loved, living on as a Happy World resident in oblivion.

Normally, bringing up Eurydice to Orpheus was taboo—but.

"Mr. Orpheus, I'll let you meet Eurydice."

"You want me to meet who? And I can't leave here. You know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my penalty better than anyone..."

"Then stop being a prisoner."

"Pardon?"

Orpheus's supervision level was C. Penalties C or below could be suspended at section chief discretion or higher.

"I'm Happy World's Section Chief Joey."

"By my sole discretion and judgment, I suspend prisoner A-09C Orpheus's penalty."

"Wh-what?!"

"Time for release. We'll handle the paperwork back at the office, but for now, you're provisionally free."

Whoosh! I lit Orpheus's penalty contract with a nearby candle and burned it.

Of course, there was no good reason. This was textbook abuse of power—bound to be office gossip for ages!