Wish Ticket.
The most certain way for me to return home in this Ghost Story Worldview, where bizarre bad endings occur everywhere.
I had endured Daydream Inc. and even tolerated becoming a spy for this one thing alone.
And now, Director Ho, standing before me, was lightly clapping his hands together as I finally fulfilled the conditions to earn the Wish Ticket.
As if he were applauding me.
Clap, clap, clap….
“A Wish Ticket—I’m truly happy for you that you’re finally receiving it.”
“…….”
“But haven’t you ever thought this?”
The clapping stops.
“What if, in fact, Director Ho had no intention of giving you the Wish Ticket?”
“…….”
“What if he changes his word once Soleum finishes the promised task? Like saying he’ll give it to you if you achieve something else. What if he keeps using it as bait in such a subtle way?”
Director Ho smiled broadly.
“Have you really never thought of that?”
“I have.”
I’d be a fool not to.
In society, how many cases are there where people refuse to pay or delay payment after the work is actually done?
Conversely, there are plenty of cases where people take the down payment and then don’t do the job properly.
And in this situation, the Wish Ticket was Director Ho’s unilateral promise.
The promise of the powerful can be broken at any time. Because there’s no penalty for breaking it.
However….
“Still, I know that you, Director, value promises very highly.”
“…….”
Binding Restrictions.
Director Ho was a type of Anomaly that bound others using the form of a ‘promise.’
Yes, thinking of Director Ho as a human at this point would also be foolish.
‘And for an Anomaly, rules are a vital element.’
In terms of ghost story grammar, it’s likely to create a bizarre atmosphere of horror and to give the victim a glimmer of hope, like a hole to escape through….
Regardless, because of that, rules are actually more reliable than if Director Ho were just an evil human.
Because there is a high probability that he has no choice but to keep his word.
Especially considering Director Ho's unnaturally certain attitude when mentioning the reliability of the Counselor in the ‘Fox Counseling Room.’
He might use someone for other hidden purposes or set traps, but he does not make false promises.
I faced the expressionless Director Ho.
“Therefore, I judged that you would certainly keep what you promised with your own mouth.”
“…….”
Clap.
“Of course!”
Director Ho clapped and laughed.
“I always keep my promises. I don’t make promises I can’t keep…. Never.”
“…….”
“Now then.”
Director Ho lifted the briefcase he had kept under the table and put his hand inside.
“You should receive your Wish Ticket now.”
Then, something glowing emerged.
A single small glass bottle.
“…!!”
In the waiting area of the Fox Counseling Room, an enchanting and unrealistic aura, like an aurora, began to ripple through the cozy space.
An overwhelming sense of mystery that was hard to believe came from just this one small bottle.
Wish Ticket.
“It’s yours, Soleum.”
“…….”
Thud.
“Go ahead.”
I reached out.
Just before my arm touched the Wish Ticket placed on the table….
“Oops, wait a moment.”
Director Ho smiled brightly.
“It’s not just one bottle, is it?”
“…!!”
Thud. Thud.
With that same smiling face, Director Ho took out two more glass bottles of enchanting colors from the briefcase and placed them down.
A total of three Wish Tickets.
‘My god.’
A light like the orient of a pearl shimmered across the table, like waves made of the Milky Way.
“…These are,”
“Yes. These are the Wish Tickets for the other two employees you worked with. Didn’t you say so yourself, Soleum? That the other two contributed sufficiently to this task.”
That’s true.
But… he’s just handing them over like this?
Furthermore, Director Ho wasn’t finished speaking.
“But since you were the one who came as the team representative to report, I thought it would be right for you to receive them as the representative as well!”
“……!”
Wait a minute.
“Are you saying that I should receive all three bottles… and give one to each of the other two?”
“Well.”
…!
“You reported as a team. So, isn’t the distribution up to the representative’s heart?”
“…….”
“I don’t mind at all.”
Dark flames flickered in Director Ho’s eyes.
But in the next moment, his face returned to a bright smile, as if nothing had happened.
“I hope that with these Wish Tickets, the wish deep in your heart, Soleum, will certainly come true.”
I opened my mouth.
“Will you not use them, Director?”
“…….”
Director Ho looked into me for a moment.
“Those are items that only regular employees can use.”
“…….”
“Unfortunately, executives are contract workers. That’s the arrangement.”
Director Ho’s hand reached out slightly toward the table as if he wanted to caress the Wish Tickets… but he soon withdrew it.
“So.”
“…….”
“Will you take them? I’m also fine with you taking them later.”
Take all three bottles now?
Or defer them all?
In truth, there was only one choice I could make.
“Yes. I will take them.”
I nodded.
And….
“Excellent!”
Director Ho, smiling broadly, took a box out of his briefcase and began to pack the Wish Ticket bottles from the table one by one.
“The instructions for using the Wish Ticket are enclosed in the box! I’ll put them in one by one for you.”
Like a salesman, Director Ho organized the boxes quickly and neatly, even tying them with ribbons and pushing the bag toward me.
“Here you go.”
“…Thank you.”
I picked up the bag.
A strange sense of déjà vu passed by for a moment.
‘…I did it.’
The reality that I had finally gotten them began to sink in.
They were inside this black paper bag.
I had obtained the Wish Tickets.
“Have a safe trip back, Soleum. I’ll contact you again.”
My head felt dazed.
I stood up from my seat.
After bowing politely to the waving Director Ho, I left the waiting area of the Fox Counseling Room.
Creak.
Behind my back, I thought I heard the sound of the door leading to the Fox Counseling Room opening and closing….
As if someone had entered.
And by the time I turned my head at the exit, there was already no one at the table in the waiting area.
All that remained were the three Wish Tickets in my hand.
“…….”
—Oh, congratulations, Friend! Can we now make a wish and blow out the candles?
It would be great if it proceeded that easily, but the problem was….
‘The fact that I have two more bottles in my hand.’
A little while later.
A nearby cafe.
‘How do I hand these over?’
I sat in my seat, my mind racing as I clutched the bag.
It felt like I had gone out defenseless with a check worth hundreds of millions in my bag.
Every time I became conscious of the Wish Tickets in the bag, I felt an urge to take one out and drink it immediately, but I had to finish what I needed to do first.
First of all….
‘I’ll have to contact Ms. Go Yeongeun.’
I just needed to think of a way to deliver the item indirectly.
Then that colleague would also be able to achieve her desired wish and resign safely. She wouldn’t have to enter ghost stories anymore.
And….
‘I can save Jang Heowoon too.’
I just needed someone to wish for Jang Heowoon to be saved using a Wish Ticket.
Everything was perfect.
Then…, once that distribution was over…….
‘I’m going home.’
My heart pounded with anxiety and anticipation.
I put my hand in the bag, fingering the boxes while trying to figure out what task to handle first.
First, a safe space….
Vibrate!
My smartphone rang, and a message appeared.
[Today]
[Where should I g o?]
“…….”
The Sergeant.
We had agreed to meet this evening after sunset.
‘It was to hear information.’
But now, I didn’t need information.
Whether it was the Cheerful Research Institute or the source of Daydream, it didn’t matter anymore once I left this place.
However, leaving this Ghost Story Worldview….
Also meant that I would never see any of the people I met here again.
“…….”
After deliberating, I sent a text.
[I’d like to see you here.]
And that evening.
“Hmm….”
I met the Sergeant at a corner seat of a famous donut shop that stayed open late.
Since donuts are usually gone by the evening, I had paid for them in advance and picked them up now.
The Sergeant’s weary face brightened slightly upon seeing the donuts.
“Thank you….”
“No. I’m the one who has received much help from you. Honestly, this hardly qualifies as repayment….”
“No…. It’s plenty.”
The Sergeant, with a somewhat joyful face, began stuffing the donuts into his mouth.
Then, he casually dropped a bombshell.
“Regarding the information…. The Cheerful Research Institute… it’s still in our company’s basement…….”
“……!!”
Wait.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said… hmm.”
The Sergeant looked at me.
“Hey, you’ve seen it too….”
Me?
“Hmm… when we first met… that, when you were sucked into the scroll… you went to the second-floor basement restroom….”
“…!”
“Don’t… you remember?”
I did.
When I went down to the basement to track the whereabouts of the missing Section Chief Lee Byeong-jin….
Strangely, there was a hallway lined with ordinary-looking offices.
—Shouldn’t there be safety equipment or facilities here…?
I clearly remembered thinking that.
And….
—Mr. Roe Deer?
Right.
‘The Good Friend was suddenly able to speak…!’
That bizarre Daydream’s Underground lined with offices was… inside a ghost story.
And that ghost story was actually… the Cheerful Research Institute?
“How did you… find out?”
“Hmm… we only called it by a code name… so I didn’t know…. But I found an uncensored document.”
Shrugging his shoulders, the Sergeant continued.
“Anyway, even if you go further down into the basement… the same office hallway… keeps repeating…….”
“…The exact same hallway?”
“Yes. The exact same office…. The structure and even the scratches are the same, so it’s definitely the same place, but… little by little… the time period…… seems different?”
Sounds of people chatting, shadows of people having intense meetings, employees packing things, people fighting, even an office like a dusty ruin….
Every time he took the elevator down, the scenery changed like a game of spot the difference.
Endlessly.
“…How far down does the basement go?”
“I don’t know that… hmm. The furthest I’ve personally been… was the 23rd floor…? Anything below that… was blocked off….”
“…….”
“I think there was… a Security Team that said they went down… to the 40th floor…? But they died… hmm.”
“…….”
They were chilling descriptions.
‘Those offices….’
A chill ran down my spine.
Why on earth would the Cheerful Research Institute be there, why was it a ghost story, and what was Daydream, which built its company building on top of it, up to? Various questions flashed through my mind.
But I soon realized it was all meaningless.
Because… I was leaving.
“…….”
“Ah.”
And it seemed that sentiment reached the Sergeant as well.
“I guess… this isn't needed anymore….”
“…….”
The Sergeant pulled his cap down.
“Hmm, if that’s the case….”
And he easily deduced the most plausible reason for a daydream employee to lose interest in everything.
“Did you… get a Wish Ticket?”
“…….”
I hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
A slight smile appeared on the Sergeant’s lips.
A pure congratulation.
“That’s good….”
“…….”
“Hey, you know… how to use it, right…?”
“…Yes.”
The Sergeant, who nodded at my confirmation, seemed to ponder for a moment before asking.
“Then… this time… are you really resigning……?”
Knowing that my previous resignation wasn’t real and that I had been working undercover under Director Ho, it was a question the Sergeant could ask.
I nodded.
“I see….”
“…….”
The Sergeant lowered his head.
“Hey, even after you resign… maybe occasionally we could talk…?”
“…I wish I could do that too, but.”
I couldn’t.
I avoided his gaze.
“Based on the nature of my wish, I’m not sure what will happen.”
“……Ah.”
The Sergeant stopped speaking.
“A wish… to change the world?”
“……Yes.”
“Then… it can’t be helped.”
“…….”
He must have known after all.
Yes, as an Elite Squad leader, it was much more natural for him to know, especially since members of the Field Exploration team were so obsessed with Wish Tickets.
The essence of the Wish Ticket.
Any tips for drinking the Wish Ticket?
None. Just drink it and make a wish.
It’ll all come true.
…At least from your perspective, that is.
—From the advice of an assistant manager in Elite Squad C-Team.
So…. It was like this.
If the consumer wished to become younger, they would become younger.
If they wished for a clean 10 billion won without tax issues to be deposited into their account, it would happen.
The Wish Potion’s efficacy was no different from a magic lamp when it came to changing only the user’s state.
However.
‘What if that wish is something very macroscopic?’
Wishes that go beyond changing my personal state.
For instance, let’s say it involves a point in time.
Wishes like ‘I want to go back to when I was young and living happily with my parents’ or ‘I want to go back to the moment my husband had a car accident and stop him.’
Or it could be large-scale.
‘Let the world end,’ ‘I wish everyone would become kind,’ ‘Let room-temperature superconductors be invented’… things like that.
Wishes that want to alter the world itself that surrounds me.
Of course, even in these cases, the potion took effect.
Your wish would come true. However….
It would only be true from your perspective.
In other words….
It sends you to such a world.
The Wish Ticket is an extremely personal potion, and its effect is omnipotence for one.
The person who achieves the wish disappears from the world.
Sometimes they remain, but that’s when they fail to make the wish properly or make a mistake. Or perhaps due to an unexpected loophole, the wish wasn’t macroscopic enough, and the Wish Ticket could handle it.
Regardless, in no case does this world undergo a massive change because of a Wish Ticket.
Only the person moves.
‘That’s why the Sergeant knows too.’
If it’s a wish big enough to change the world, I might leave this place altogether.
That I might disappear.
“…….”
I faced the Sergeant, who had finished the donuts.
Time was running out.
“Thank you truly for everything.”
“Yeah….”
We stood up from our seats.
I handed the Sergeant the donuts I had specially requested to be packed for takeout at the counter.
Even the extra paper bag containing only a bread knife.
“Mr. Jay, what kind of wish did you join this company for?”
“…….”
The Sergeant said as he looked into the empty bag.
“I… don’t remember very well.”
“…….”
“Don’t worry about it…. It’s not anything important.”
I couldn’t possibly ask any more.
I eventually nodded and parted ways with the Sergeant in front of the donut shop.
The Sergeant waved his hand.
“…Go back safely.”
And so, it ended.
Through the shadows, I knew that the Sergeant stood still on the street for quite a long time….
“…….”
On the way back. I thought.
…I should say more goodbyes.
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