[Well then… Good morning once again. Special Department Registration No. 130666. Are you finished with your preparations for work?]
[My, my, the Auxiliary Staff are slow with their preparations~ Security Team 3 Team Leader, have you completely forgotten how to go outside because you’ve only been playing cleaner or guard? Your hands have turned into paws, hahahaha!]
[…….]
[…Hey, are you listening?]
[Anyway, it seems the Auxiliary Staff are finally ready to transport the Special Department employee properly. I will introduce today’s workplace immediately.]
[That friend Badger probably knows; apparently, it’s a matter the Security Team has already been contacted about.]
[A mysterious request came from the sales team staff.]
[As you know, is Daydream not a pharmaceutical company that makes rather special drugs? And fittingly, we also have ‘Special customers’…. Well, should I call them useful high-ranking members of society?]
[The sales representatives of this Daydream Inc. sometimes go to visit and sell directly to such people. If the payment is large, there are occasional regular deliveries as well.]
[However, the sales team delivery workers who went for a regular delivery of this potion have just sent a formal rescue request to Daydream Inc…. saying they are experiencing a strange phenomenon.]
[But does this not have a very interest—no, a very lucrative scent of Darkness?]
[Because this sales team person isn’t asking to be taken out of there, but keeps asking for the answer!]
[According to him, he is trapped in a room after being chased by something, but he doesn't know the right answer. He is rambling, saying he doesn't know who to trust or where to choose.]
[And he mentioned that whenever he came to this house for a regular delivery in the past, he occasionally felt something strange or got the chills. Specifically….]
[On rainy days, that is. Like today.]
Outside the window, the rain is falling steadily.
Crash.
Thunder echoes and passes like tinnitus.
In a state of high tension, two office workers in suits had just been guided to the sofa after entering this house on the outskirts of Seoul.
“You just need to wait a moment.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
‘Phew.’
Supervisor Lee Jinyoung, a sales representative of Daydream Inc. and a so-called ‘delivery worker’ for the sales team, let out a sigh and adjusted his tie.
The middle-aged woman who had let them into the house and was heading upstairs, saying she would ‘announce their visit,’ was already only visible from behind.
She probably wasn't a family member of the customer.
‘She must be the one doing the housework in this house.’
It didn't seem like the kind of people for whom the company would develop and supply very special custom medicine would do their own cleaning and dishwashing.
‘Still, it’s strange that they buy the medicine directly.’
He glanced at the box his superior was holding.
They had come to this place to introduce and sell a ‘Special’ Daydream Potion.
It was only after joining the company that he learned Daydream Inc. developed and sold not only hair loss medicine but also more special drugs.
And that the raw materials were somehow…… not mainstream and special.
‘It’s not some ingredient extracted from the human Body… or anything, right?’
It felt a bit uncomfortable because it smelled of something illegal, but well, what large corporation in modern society doesn't run on the tracks of borderline expedients? He just needed to stay out of it, do his job, and get paid.
…Though it was a bit unsettling.
‘That’s just how sales work is….’
And this was his first time coming to this house for a regular delivery.
His superior had brought him along to replace someone who had taken a leave of absence.
“Assistant manager, are you okay?”
“Hmm. Not great.”
An office worker with a poor complexion, perhaps due to a bad digestive system, answered gloomily.
‘He said they weren't difficult customers.’
…Is it because of the rain?
The Supervisor recalled the conversation they had before coming here.
Regarding today’s regular delivery customer.
-Well, they’re the kind of customers where you can do sales if you break a bit of a sweat…. But that house just feels bad on rainy days.
-It feels bad?
-Yeah. You know… that feeling when the site is bad. You know what you feel when you go to a place like a tunnel where an accident happened?
-Hmm….
-I even brought a Talisman just in case.
To that extent?
‘Isn't he just in bad condition himself?’
It’s natural to feel bad in damp, dark, and cloudy weather.
‘The house looks perfectly fine, though.’
The Supervisor shrugged inwardly and looked around the expensive townhouse located in Seoul.
It was luxurious and clean.
It was typical of a rich person's house that someone else cleaned. The Supervisor felt a slight sense of deprivation as he looked at the floor without a speck of dust.
Then, suddenly, he saw it.
‘…Eh?’
There was something shabby under the sofa.
Without thinking, he reached out and picked it up….
A thin, smooth texture.
‘…Sketchbook paper?’
It was the kind a child would use. He inadvertently flipped the paper over….
hungry
Writing that looked like it had been scrawled crookedly by a young child appeared.
Around the letters, several clumsy Human Figures made of circles and sticks were drawn with various colored crayons.
Did they draw other family members?
“Hey, they’re coming.”
“Ah.”
The Supervisor put the paper beside the sofa for now and greeted the customers who appeared from upstairs.
“Hello!”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
It was a couple with surprisingly soft voices.
“Are you here for the delivery?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
The Assistant manager changed his expression and skillfully handled the customers.
“It’s the C-Grade you always receive.”
The sealed box was handed over from his hand. The couple opened the box, checked the bottle containing the lime-green liquid inside, and nodded with satisfaction.
‘What on earth is that?’
The sales staff, who didn't know much about Daydream Potions, just glanced.
Does it rejuvenate them or something?
Anyway, the payment for that special potion wasn't made on the spot, and rumors said that what they actually paid wasn't even money.
‘They said they help with what the company does….’
The sales staff guessed that they might be covering up something illegal or that there was some bidding corruption involved.
Of course, he didn't breathe a word of it.
Anyway, the situation proceeded as a regular delivery usually would.
Flattering them to create a warm atmosphere before leaving. Making sure the deal would continue.
And as usual, the sales staff just thought of some superficial small talk.
“Ah, your child must like drawing.”
“…Pardon?”
“They left this behind.”
Recalling the drawing he saw earlier, the sales staff reached out and fumbled around the sofa. I mean, it was definitely here….
“The cute crayon drawing that says they’re hungry. That….”
…Eh?
He blinked.
He could only feel the leather texture of the bare sofa.
Even when he turned his head, nothing that could be called a drawing was visible.
Strange, I definitely left it on the sofa….
“What paper?”
“Ah.”
When he turned his head to explain, he saw the couple looking at him curiously.
“Our eldest child has already become independent. They’re a university student.”
“I… see.”
It was a reaction asking what this sudden nonsense was when there was no child in the house.
Dammit!
The couple, who looked at him somewhat suspiciously, soon stood up saying they would ‘go and store the medicine,’ and as soon as they left, the Assistant manager
glared at his subordinate with an incredulous expression.
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m sorry.”
But he felt wronged.
How did this happen?
“No, but it was definitely there. You saw it too, Assistant manager, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know, the drawing that looked like it was torn from a sketchbook. The kind a kid would doodle……”
Like that.
“Ah!”
The sales staff inadvertently stood up and went closer to what he had discovered.
A piece of paper was visible, half-hidden under the carpet beneath the kitchen dining table.
“Hey! What are you doing right now?”
“You see this, right? It was something like this.”
He flipped the paper over. Perhaps this one also had a child’s drawing or writing on the back….
it hurts
hungry
it hurts
wanna go owt
Crooked handwriting filled the paper.
And clumsy family drawings filled the area around the writing.
Those adults were holding black sticks and a Noose in their hands, and where the faces should be, bizarre red and black features were drawn.
As if staring out of the paper.
“…….”
A chill ran down his spine.
This is not ordinary.
This is usually the kind of thing an abused child draws in places like psychological counseling…….
“Um, Assistant manager. We should check this once….”
“Hey.”
The Assistant manager tapped his back.
“What was the first proverb they taught us during training?”
“…….”
“You remember, right?”
“…Curiosity killed the cat.”
-Do not try to know about the customer or the performance of the products sold.
Ignorance.
It was training that went exactly against the expertise usually required of sales staff.
That’s probably why it was the first thing they emphasized.
“Yeah, that’s it. You still don’t even know what medicine we’re delivering, do you?”
“…….”
“It’s better not to know as much as possible.”
Same for the customers.
Better not to know.
“…….”
wanna go owt
The sales staff looked down at the drawing and the phrase once, then eventually sighed and nodded.
“Yes.”
The Assistant manager patted his back. The sales staff leaned down to fold the paper and put it back on the floor.
“Right. Now let's leave carefully….”
get out
Snap.
“……!”
Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out.
Within the pitch-black darkness, the two sales representatives grabbed each other in panic.
It was dark.
“Is, is it a power outage?”
“Yes, it seems so….”
It was strangely quiet.
Usually, when a house suddenly goes dark, wouldn't people make noise like them or talk to check the situation?
But in the silent Darkness, only the sound of rain falling outside filled the stillness.
Pitter-patter….
“…Hello!”
No answer was heard.
Inside the dark house, only faint outlines were visible, as if it were holding its breath….
Eeriness.
“…….”
“……Let’s just go outside for now. Let’s check if the power is out elsewhere too.”
The two headed for the entrance.
It was just gloomy because of the rain, not completely invisible, so getting to the entrance wasn't impossible.
But somehow… it’s uncomfortable.
‘…The smell of rain.’
It smelled like soil soaked in moisture.
It wasn't the kind of smell that would come from a well-maintained house. For some reason, the Supervisor felt a nasty sensation and stepped forward, breathing shallowly.
In front, the Assistant manager seemed to be grabbing and touching something in his pocket.
Is that the Talisman?
“The lock on this… wait a minute.”
And he seemed to be having trouble with the lock on the front door. It was because it was unfamiliar and dark.
“Shall I try it?”
“Yeah. But….”
“Why are you still holding that paper?”
He turned his head.
He saw the paper held in his left hand.
Water was dripping, drip by drip, from the paper….
‘Ah.’
The smell of rain was coming from here….
Beep.
Crack.
“…….”
A sound.
The Supervisor turned his stiffened head forward again.
The Assistant manager, who had been holding the front door lock, was looking this way.
No.
Only his neck had turned.
Thud.
The Body, which had died with its neck snapped backward, collapsed like a toy.
“…….”
His body froze in shock.
A corpse.
From the turned face of the dead Assistant manager, bodily fluids began to flow from every orifice.
Tears, snot, and saliva flowed into the hallway.
Like rainwater.
“Hic, hee-hik, hic….”
Roll, roll….
A small, round machine fell from the dead man’s hand and touched the staff’s hand.
While reflexively grabbing it, the staff thought.
Tinnitus rang in his empty head.
What is this?
What… is this situation?
At that moment.
“Oh my, I’m so sorry! You must have been surprised by the sudden power outage.”
“Are you all right?”
The voices of the panicked couple were heard.
The sound was a bit muffled as if they were calling from upstairs, but the important thing was that it was a human voice.
“Ah…!”
Reality rushed back in.
A sense of relief, fear, horror, and not knowing what to do.
He could barely move his lips, unable to take his eyes off the dead Assistant manager.
“No! No….”
“Where are you? You’re okay, right?”
“Since this is a house, power outages like this happen occasionally… Oh my. What a surprise.”
The sales staff, who finally caught his breath, pulled himself up. And as he raised his hand to hurl the paper away….
liar
The changed phrase on the paper.
And….
Something that crossed his mind.
“Where are you??”
…….
“Hey.”
His mouth opened.
His voice trembled.
“You definitely said so, didn't you? ‘The eldest child has already become independent.’”
“Yes? That’s right. Why is that….”
However.
“…The expression ‘eldest child’ is used when there is a ‘younger child.’”
…….
“Then where is the ‘younger child’?”
A death-like silence.
“Hello?”
“It’s late.”
“It’s late.”
The sales staff began to run like mad.
In the opposite direction of the upstairs stairs.
“It’s late.”
“It’s late.”
The back of his neck felt paralyzed with goosebumps.
Survival instinct screamed.
Something is wrong.
I have to hide.
But where?
With trembling hands, he unfolded the paper again. Plop. Soil and dust soaked by the rain fell to the floor.
But before he could even be terrified by that, the contents were revealed.
The letters had changed again.
“…….”
bathroomtub
‘Bathroom?’
When he looked up, he saw a door with a sign that said ‘Bathroom.’
The sales staff hesitated for a split second, then eventually opened the door next to the bathroom, went inside, and locked it.
“Hic.”
The silhouettes inside the dark pantry were revealed frighteningly, but he caught his breath for now.
And he held his breath.
…Because he heard the sound of someone coming down from upstairs.
Thump, thump.
“It’s late.”
They’re getting closer.
They’re getting closer and closer, the footsteps getting louder and louder until….
“It’s late.”
They stood in front of the door.
The staff stifled his crying and breathing again, but eventually, the sound of someone grabbing the doorknob was heard….
Click.
“…….”
“…….”
The next moment.
The staff realized.
They didn't open the door.
They had locked the door from the outside as well.
“It’s late.”
“It’s late….”
What is this?
What kind of judgment am I making right now?
What is it?
“Ah….”
“Please rest for a bit.”
“There’s no way right now.”
Whose words should I have believed?
In his confusion, the sales staff tremblingly tried to unfold the paper again, only to realize what he was holding in his other hand.
‘The Assistant manager’s Talisman.’
With trembling hands, he checked it properly for the first time….
‘…A beeper?’
It was a wireless Pager.
A shabby little electronic device called a ‘beeper’ that had been briefly popular decades ago.
On it, ‘505’ was entered, as if the Assistant manager had already put it in.
That was….
‘…SOS!’
His desperate brain derived the interpretation.
‘Where does it connect to?’
Perhaps the expression Talisman didn't refer to a real talisman… but to something he could use to request help?
In a desperate attempt to grab a lifeline, the sales staff hurriedly reached out and pressed it. He repeatedly hit the button that looked like a send button at random.
“Please, please….”
And.
[Reception in progress.]
“…!”
A businesslike voice came out.
In a form that echoed in his ears like a small whisper.
[Would you like to call the Security Team? A fee will be charged.]
“Yes, yes!!”
He didn't know what it was, but he needed help. Help!! Please!
“Wh—Who should I trust, no, where should I go, p—please tell me. I don't know what the answer is.”
[Reception in progress.]
The staff rambled, telling everything that had happened so far. The suspicious house, the rainy day, the drawings, the lies.
The child!
“The kid who drew this is….”
“Is there a child in need of care?”
“Aaaaah!”
The sales representative fell backward.
The Pager, from which the strange voice had emerged, fell to the floor.
And from within the black shadow that formed where it fell, a black Human Figure also began to rise.
[Reception complete]
[Security Team assigned]
Staff members dressed in the Uniforms of Daydream Inc.’s Security Team.
Discussion