The Lizard became a theme park employee.
No, seriously!
This morning, Kim Soleum stared blankly at Section Chief Lee Jaheon, who suddenly expressed a firm desire for employment instead of checking out.
R e a l l y ?
“Yes.”
And in an instant, he finished signing the employment contract. The sight of Section Chief Lee Jaheon wearing the uniform was truly, truly….
‘It, it suits him.’
Since he looked like a lizard, he really looked like a theme park employee….
“Is it that way?”
Y e s
Naturally assigned as security personnel, Section Chief Lee Jaheon began working near the main gate.
‘Please take good care of getting rid of the troublemakers….’
For reference, Jang Heowoon, standing next to him, was looking at the Suite Room Accommodation Ticket in his hand with an awkward expression.
That's right. I had already heard that it was Jang Heowoon’s doing!
-To be honest, I went to see Section Chief Lizard last night and asked him. I told him that because the Resort is short-staffed, we can't get out of here….
Thus, Jang Heowoon was promoted to HR Manager.
“……!?”
It was a pyramid-style structure, but no one cared because they were going to make a quick exit after hitting the jackpot anyway!
However… Kim Soleum felt a strange sense of dissonance.
‘How did he know?’
That more staff were needed to escape this Resort.
“Huh? I mean, it just came naturally… Oh, since we needed three employees to operate the Resort to get one stamp, I thought it might be similar for the next one…. That we would need more manpower.”
Hmm.
If it was a deduction, it was very good, but it felt somewhat eerie, so Kim Soleum decided to keep it in mind.
‘Anyway, it’s a good thing.’
If it’s Section Chief Lee Jaheon, he’s a person of excellent values who wouldn’t be strange to see getting involved as a superior for the survival of many employees… no, since he’s an alien.
With this, we’ve moved one step closer to escape!
However, there was someone watching this scene with anxiety.
‘F*ck.’
The Ladybug employee rolled his eyes.
With the release of the Manual on how to handle the crazy room service, work had become slightly more manageable, and he began to have other thoughts.
While standing out in a ghost story was a crazy thing to do, falling behind and being far from 'success' was also a matter directly related to survival.
He held back a curse as he looked at Jang Heowoon in the Bison mask.
‘Are they only going to save that bastard?’
Ghost stories that could only be cleared by people who received a passing grade based on the standards of an Anomaly were a type of cliché.
‘This won't do.’
In the end, he coerced a Weasel employee who had come to check out with lies and threatening remarks into signing an employment contract.
Having heard that they could only leave if they became employees and that Section Chief Lizard wasn't working for no reason, the terrified Weasel mask went to the Mascot in a state of near panic.
‘This is it.’
The Ladybug employee expected to be given a position as well, but….
Y o u M a y G o
Instead, the yellow Mascot told the Weasel employee that they could leave.
After a long stare, a pat.
‘F*ck!’
Is it because he’s a useless bastard?
…Still, since the Weasel employee was hired after practically begging, he was somewhat satisfied.
Another guinea pig has been created…… Uh, uh, uh?
Just then.
Standard-grade Mascots appeared in a swarm and installed something in the center of the lobby.
L o o k
A giant gacha machine appeared in the center of the lobby.
“……??”
The Ladybug employee momentarily forgot all words and stared blankly at that giant, sparkling, enchanting glass ornament that looked like a Christmas tree.
Wh-What on earth was this?
As if to inform him, a flashy sign was attached to the front.
[Welcome Gift Gacha]
Meet wonderful items to help you relax.
The inside, which looked like a giant snow globe, was filled with wrapped gifts.
And the guests could press a button to draw a gift from inside.
Kim Soleum, inside the yellow Mascot, was watching it with a satisfied look.
‘Probability games are always a dopamine hit….’
For reference, Special gifts were wrapped in gold, and upon drawing one, the room was upgraded to a Suite on the top floor.
Besides that, there wasn't a single 'dud'—everything was good—so no one could possibly dislike it…. Hahaha.
‘Take this and just stay quietly in your rooms before you go.’
The yellow Mascot was scattering bribes in all directions!
“Oh my, oh my, it’s so sparkly! I love sparkly things! Can I draw one?”
Y e s
G i f t
That wasn't the end of it.
He was upgrading rooms for every visitor, making up excuses as he went…!
‘W-What is this?’
It was truly a give-away style operation!
The Ladybug employee looked at the Mascot in confusion and bewilderment.
And then he realized.
‘Is he trying to raise his status as the Resort owner by enticing guests like this and pressuring them to stay longer at the theme park?!’
He was wrong!
Kim Soleum, who was running an entertainment-style board game betting all his Coins for the sake of escape, looked at the guests with proud eyes.
For reference, from today, he had openly posted a sign on the glass door in front of the lobby saying, 'A Space for Quiet Rest.'
Whether it was effective or not, some troublemakers were being cut off at the entrance.
‘Good.’
The yellow Mascot breathed a sigh of relief, imagining a fairly decent outlook.
Thinking that he was finally getting the hang of how to run the Resort as it entered its second day.
But just before closing time that day.
An unexpected situation began to occur.
I looked at the potential employee in front of me… no, the guest who wanted to stay but lacked funds.
The person, who still looked human but had hollow eyes, searched their pockets with an anxious face and then sobbed.
“I, I don’t have it…. Money, I don’t have any…!”
Oh!
I reached out my hand as a sign of welcome and said kindly.
T h e n
W o r k
Labor counts too!
“Hieeeek!”
However, the other party instead dashed out the front door. No, I was planning to let them off even if they just slept rough in the lobby….
I hope they exit the theme park quickly within business hours. I smacked my lips and looked down at my paws.
‘Finding that last person… is hard.’
The attempt to suggest employment instead of lodging fees failed.
Still, I thought if I kept at it, at least one person would get caught.
‘…How much longer will it take?’
The thought that it might take longer than expected made me a bit anxious, but I suppressed it since this was a situation where I shouldn't panic from fear.
I am a Mascot right now.
And….
-See you again next time~
‘Closing time is here again today.’
Theme park operations ended.
End of Day 2.
“Aaaaaah!”
“It’s the Resort!”
The last guests ran to the door and entered, and the Standard-grade Mascots stood on either side, preparing to close the doors.
As if to tell Section Chief Lee Jaheon to learn the job, a Standard-grade Mascot holding a suppression rod had him standing behind it while teaching him something.
‘The Section Chief is a rookie….’
Just as I was thinking it was a somewhat funny sight.
Thud.
“…!”
Someone roughly pushed the glass door and appeared in the lobby.
“Welcom— hieek.”
From beside me, I heard the sound of Jang Heowoon gasping and holding back vomit.
…At first, I also thought it was a monster.
A bloody monster with humans sprouting instead of arms.
But looking closely, it was a small person dragging one person in each hand.
…One might think it was a gruesome sight.
If what was being held in those arms weren't corpses with all limbs broken and heads smashed, being dragged like trash.
“Hup,”
The Field Mouse employee, who was cleaning, covered their own mouth. A pure fear stemming from a threat to survival, not supernatural horror.
It leaves two thick trails of blood in the lobby, pushing through the guests who had entered earlier and approaching the front desk at a terrifying speed….
“…….”
Wait?
Instead of fear, a strange emotion rises.
Displeasure.
‘You shouldn't cut in line.’
Isn't that bad manners?
And what is the reason for so blatantly dirtying the floor?
If they had left the bodies in the lobby or entrusted them to the Standard-grade Mascots, they would have kindly moved them!
There is no dignity.
It doesn't suit our Resort.
The Standard-grade Mascots and I all stared at it at once.
‘…….’
However, this strange and sudden displeasure vanished the moment I made eye contact with the person at the front desk.
A small, blood-stained Human Figure, breathing heavily, raised her head toward me at the front desk….
“Give me a room.”
‘…!!’
Dolphin mask.
…It was Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae of the Elite Squad!
‘Why, why is she here?’
Shouldn't she have left yesterday? Why on earth is she still here, and….
‘How on earth did she survive last night?’
In the theme park after business hours had ended.
While dragging two dead bodies.
‘……Wait a minute!’
I barely managed to re-examine the horrific corpses held in Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s hands.
Masks and suits.
They were the team members who, like Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, had drawn the red horses.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘She was carrying them because they all died.’
Because if the physical distance increased, they would be strangled to death.
‘…….’
I felt something strange, but as a Mascot, I responded kindly to the guest.
L o d g i n g F e e
“Ah.”
Thud.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, who dropped the bodies haphazardly on the floor, handed me a small, blood-stained golden object.
“Um, how about something like this?”
It was Pure Gold.
It looked as though something that was originally an ornament had been broken apart.
‘Gold.’
If it were my original self, I would have taken it, thinking what a great profit this was since I was already short on funds.
But as a Mascot, I cannot do that… Whew.
N o
T h i s
I took out a plastic coin, a Cheerful Coin, from under the desk and showed it to her.
But Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae didn't react. It was obvious, but she didn't seem to have any Coins….
Ah.
In that case.
T h e n
W a n t T o W o r k ?
This time, it might work.
I watched the other person's mouth tensely.
Lee Seonghae’s mouth opens…….
“I’d love to!”
Whoa!
“But since I have cracks in both of my legs… could I have a sitting job? Hehet.”
‘…….’
Why are you saying such a thing so brightly?
Looking at her now, it seems like the line-cutting happened because she was barely moving while not even properly perceiving her surroundings.
For now, she needs to rest quickly.
‘Let's hear the details tomorrow.’
H e r e
I quickly held out an employment contract, and Lee Seonghae scanned the contract thoroughly….
“But there’s no compensation section?”
Ah.
Right. From an employee's perspective, that's the most important thing in a contract.
‘The situation was too urgent….’
It’s because we built a Resort in half a day from a ruin and started normal operations.
J u s t A M o m e n t
I quickly wrote on the back of the employment contract.
The employee has the right to be guaranteed lodging while working at the Resort.
Hmm.
In addition to this.
And upon working until all three facilities in the Resort are successfully operational, the employee may take one item of their choice from the Resort’s souvenir shop, which will open in the future.
This way, she might be able to take an Item with her.
‘It’s worth a try.’
I don't know if a real souvenir shop will be built, but thinking of other theme park areas, it was a quite plausible deduction.
“Oh, I like it.”
After checking all the phrases, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae took the pen and signed gallantly.
Employee: Dolphin
At that moment, something amazing happened.
“Ah.”
The bloodstains were erased from Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s Body, replaced by a clean uniform, and her messy, tangled hair was neatly arranged and tied down.
Buckles or stickers resembling Mascots were attached over the severely injured body parts, creating a look that added theme park employee-style decorations.
…Like magic.
“Oh.”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae hopped in place and raised both hands.
“My body feels light!”
That’s a relief.
‘It seems it doesn't just put a uniform on them, but makes them take on the appearance of an employee.’
So that they can work properly.
G o o d
Now I have to accept the next guest, so I'll guide Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae to her room… Ah!
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae tries to tuck the corpses back under her arms. Argh!
N o
The uniform will get dirty!
‘Truly terrifying.’
I suppressed the goosebumps rising as I looked at the two corpses Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae had carelessly thrown on the floor.
And I pointed my finger.
L e a v e T h e m
“But if I leave them, I’ll die….”
I n s i d e T h e R e s o r t
I t ‘ s O k a y
Strictly speaking, all my employees are Mascots and parts of me.
So while they are working as employees. Within the Resort, they seemed to be recognized as one unit.
‘That’s why everyone is working in their respective positions right now.’
And the corpses of the same team… Hmm. It seems they automatically became my Familiars.
They are mine now.
I watched as the Standard-grade Mascots moved the two corpses somewhere.
…Let’s not worry about what happens to them. It’s harmful to my mental health, and I don't have the luxury to worry about that right now.
Let's take care of the living.
T o d a y
R e s t
I placed a Welcome Gift in Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s hand, one that hadn't been put into the machine yet.
It was a golden flower scented candle that gets rid of insomnia.
“Ooh.”
The Assistant Manager watched the burning flame as she drew a small golden flower shape in the air, and then smiled slightly.
“You’re a kind-hearted Mascot.”
T h a n k Y o u
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae raised both her hands in fists.
It looks like a Dolphin doing a 'fighting' gesture.
“Then where will I be working starting tomorrow?”
About that…. Hmm.
‘I think you’d be really good at cutting off troublemakers.’
However, it also feels like she might openly get into a bloody fight or try to kill a customer making unreasonable requests….
‘Uuuum.’
I put the assignment on hold.
W a i t F o r N o w
“Yes, yes.”
Because it’s about time for new positions to be created.
‘Resort expansion.’
After closing time that day.
Day 2 Performance Results
Visitors: 102
Guests: 67
Rooms Occupied: 41
Satisfied Guests: 33 / 45
Revenue: Cheerful Coin x62
‘Done.’
I received a decent report card.
‘The satisfaction was okay even on the first day.’
I’ll be able to see exactly how effective the 'Social Distancing' Theme I started today was tomorrow.
The important thing is….
‘Now I can expand the facilities.’
I looked at the document.
Requirements for Resort Facility Expansion
3 Employees: Completed.
30 Satisfied Guests: Completed.
The opening went smoothly! The guests are generally satisfied, and currently, the biggest reason for satisfaction seems to be that it’s a 'theme park-like accommodation facility.'
I’m looking forward to seeing what effect the new bedding and Welcome Gifts I bought with the revenue investment will have.
And… it seems this Resort is now ready to open a new facility.
What facility would be good to open?
I’m pondering over the following list….
I watched the pen in my hand move as if flying.
Expected words fill the document.
Spa
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Swimming Pool
‘…Whew.’
It’s easy since I thought about it beforehand.
Let’s see.
Considering the personalities of the current employees and ghost story clichés….
‘This is it.’
I picked up the pen and circled one facility.
Spa ○
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Swimming Pool
The Restaurant is a common subject for ghost stories, the Fitness Center has a gore risk, and the Swimming Pool overlaps with the Blue Area, so I don't know what kind of unexpected situation might occur, so I excluded them.
‘Then it’s the Spa, as expected.’
Everyone, go take a sauna and get a massage!
I was satisfied and pleased.
For reference, this choice brought about an entirely unexpected situation.
Two days later.
The number of guests at our Resort exploded by sevenfold….
‘……!?’
And.
…On the same day.
The first death occurs.
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