After I finally escaped from the crazy theme park.
-Roe!
-Crap, Roe’s out!!
I was greeted with a passionate welcome from my teammates whom I encountered at the elevator.
As it turned out, my team members had been in a state of panic, even trying to contact civilian survivors to figure out what on earth had happened.
“We were going to try and dig for info on those people’s experiences. Anyway, I’m glad you made it out safely.”
The Assistant Manager of Team D said with a much brighter expression.
“What the hell happened? Why were you so late?”
Hmm.
Before answering, I intentionally lifted my wrist outward while massaging the back of my neck.
So that the mark left by the burnt Membership Pass was clearly visible.
: Socius :
“…….”
“…….”
“Roe?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Just… I’m so tired.”
“Ah, right.”
The Assistant Manager and the Senior Staff simply nodded, agreeing that it was only natural after going through such hell.
That’s when I realized.
‘They can’t see it.’
There was no reaction.
This tattoo was invisible to their eyes.
It wasn’t exactly a good sign.
I deliberated for a very short moment before opening my mouth.
“The reason I was late… well, the exit gate lost power right in front of me. I waited, but it didn't come back on, so I looked for another way out.”
“Huh?!”
I intentionally omitted the part about the bracelet changing into a Membership Pass.
In this Unconventional Ghost Story Company, it wasn't a very wise decision to mention that something abnormal was clinging to my body.
‘Let’s also omit the fact that I’ve acquired a talking plush doll.’
Of course, I explained everything else thoroughly, so there shouldn’t be any issues with registering the Exploration Record and creating a Manual.
“…Wait a minute. So… you went to the Yellow Zone, but since the gate there was also powered down, you turned it on yourself and came out? By ripping open the distribution board?”
“Yes.”
“What even are you….”
“Hey, I’m just a normal Roe Deer.”
“Hmm… true.”
“…??”
Anyway, the atmosphere became quite warm.
“The points will be credited tomorrow. Don’t be surprised; they say the amount might come out to nearly ten thousand points this time.”
“Isn't that crazy?!”
In truth, the points to be distributed should have decreased because I survived.
The two seniors, who looked like they hadn't even had a chance to wash yet because they had been busy running around worrying about my life, smiled at me.
To be honest, I was a bit grateful.
It was almost touching. It was a level of warmth that was too good for this company.
But one person was missing.
“Speaking of which, where is the Team Leader?”
The Assistant Manager avoided my gaze.
“…He was called in by the Team Head.”
Uh-oh.
“It’s fine. He’ll probably just get chewed out. I mean, honestly, didn't that Mantis Mask guy from Team A basically commit suicide?”
Still, it looked like he’d really gotten on the bad side of the Team A Leader.
I recalled the Mallard Mask glaring at the Lizard as if he wanted to kill him.
Even the Senior Staff started whispering.
“Assistant Manager, is that really true?”
“What?”
“That our Team Leader has the track record to join the Elite Squad, but because of his personality, he keeps slipping up and staying in Team D….”
“Yeah. It’s probably true.”
The Assistant Manager crossed his arms.
“But he’s been living like that for ages, so we can just leave him be.”
“…….”
“I guess God really is fair. Seeing that personality on a face like the Team Leader’s….”
“Shhh. He’s a good boss.”
A Lizard's personality on a Lizard's face?
Well, I could now understand and agree to some extent that he was a good boss.
Especially since I had witnessed the worst kind of boss right in front of my eyes.
“Ah, the Research Team Section Chief.”
I was talking about Kwak Jekang, the Section Chief of Research Team 1, who had impulsively pushed his own team member into a ghost story without warning, ultimately causing his death.
“That guy crossed the line.”
From what I heard, he was claiming during questioning that ‘he was also panicked and accidentally threw a pawn at the Researcher.’
‘It was a very deliberate act of malice, no matter who saw it….’
All the Field Exploration team members present would remember that it didn't feel like an accident.
The problem was that there was no one who would testify strongly for the deceased gambling-addict Researcher.
Just look at the state of the higher-ups who had a strong say.
“The Team A Leader is focused on our Team Leader, and our Team Leader probably doesn't even know if he should care about the Research Team Section Chief.”
The outlook was that the matter would fizzle out with a simple salary cut or something similar.
Since this was a company where an employee’s life was worth as much as their performance, it didn't seem like they were in a position to give a heavy disciplinary action to a Section Chief-level employee just because a low-level staff member, whose salary was a waste anyway, died in an accident.
‘Is this how Researcher Kwak Jekang keeps appearing in the <Dark Exploration Record>…?’
It was obvious that he would be screwed if he got caught even once, but he seemed to be dodging it like a slippery eel because he was quick-witted.
The Team D seniors clicked their tongues, saying that several eerie rumors related to Kwak Jekang seemed to have been true.
“I hate having to keep working with that human, but since he had an outburst this time, he’ll probably be quiet until next quarter.”
“Right? If not, he would have been fired already.”
They were certainly desensitized to safety enough to work at a ghost story company while risking their lives.
‘I agree to some extent, but… honestly, it felt like Kwak Jekang was trying to kill all of us, not just his own Researcher.’
The Researcher was just a variable used to stir up trouble for that purpose.
But because everyone escaped safely, that part became ambiguous and hazy.
‘I’ll have to keep an eye on him in the future.’
I planned to check the Wiki Page of the <Dark Exploration Record> where Kwak Jekang appeared one more time.
“Phew, it’s been a long day.”
“It really has.”
The conversation entered a lull.
The Assistant Manager gave me permission to go home for now, saying they didn't know when Team Leader Lee Jaheon would return.
The Assistant Manager said with a smirk.
“There’s nothing else to do. I didn't register you as missing yet. Because I thought we’d be able to find you. …Glad I did that.”
“Exactly! We kept saying among ourselves that you, Roe, would definitely make it out!”
“Go on home and rest.”
“……Thank you.”
“Hey, no need for thanks.”
And so, I parted ways with my seniors after hearing well-wishes like ‘just look forward to the points coming in tomorrow.’
I returned to the Research Team 1 office, packed my things, and headed home.
And on the way, I met another familiar face.
“Jang Heowoon.”
“…! Soleum!”
The Team Y Rookie.
Perhaps because he was pushed to the back of everyone's mind after his entire team died, he was sitting vacantly in the Research Team 1 office.
His shoulder had healed, but he was still wearing his blood-stained clothes.
“You’re safe! That’s a relief….”
“Yes, thank you.”
I sat opposite him for a moment and shared some small talk.
Jang Heowoon looked a bit pale, perhaps due to the amount of blood he'd lost, but his gloomy aura seemed to have lessened.
It felt wrong to say he was lucky, considering everyone else in his team was dead, but….
I recalled what my seniors had tipped me off about earlier.
-Ah, that Team Y Rookie, word is he handled himself well this time, so the higher-ups might be talking about him. Being B-rank means he’s high-rank.
-There’s a high chance they’ll move him to a regular employee position if he works for about three months without any issues!
That was all well and good.
The problem was whether he could survive for three months….
“Um, have you ever considered resigning? I feel like the situation you’re in is far too dangerous….”
“Yes.”
A firm answer came back.
Jang Heowoon, the Team Y Rookie, still wearing his Cow Mask, clenched both hands tightly.
“I absolutely need a Wish Ticket. I cannot resign.”
“…….”
It seemed this person had his own story too.
“In that case, I wish you the best of luck.”
I hesitated before adding more.
“Three months.”
“Yes?”
“If you can just hold out for three months, there’s a high probability you’ll be reassigned.”
Enduring for a set period is entirely different in weight from enduring indefinitely.
It would be the same from a motivational standpoint.
“…!”
A light returned to Jang Heowoon’s eyes.
“Yes, yes…. I’ll try to hold out…!”
He took a deep breath while looking at the ceiling, then gave a deep bow.
“I received so much help today. I… next time, in three months, I will definitely work hard so that I can be of help to you.”
“No, not at all. I was the one who made it out safely thanks to you. Thank you.”
I shook his hand.
Out of pity and empathy, I found myself saying.
“You really went through a lot. It must have been terrifying.”
“Yes?”
A look of confusion crossed Jang Heowoon’s face.
Uh…?
“Ah, it’s okay. I’ve almost died several times before….”
“……That too, but you witnessed many unpleasant scenes in many ways.”
“Ah, right.”
Jang Heowoon made an awkward expression.
“I’m not very good with blood or organs… so I kept fainting or my legs kept giving out.”
“…I see.”
Wait a minute.
The scope of ‘unpleasant scenes’ just narrowed significantly….
‘No way.’
“……Mr. Heowoon, are you perhaps… okay with anomalous phenomena or ghosts?”
“Ah, ah yes! I’m fine with those!”
“…….”
“I tend to just think ‘oh, that’s how it is,’ yes. Unless someone is actually getting seriously hurt, I don’t have much of a reaction.”
“…….”
He wasn't… a coward?
“Thank you for worrying about me… ah, that’s right! Mr. Soleum. Did you happen to talk to that person in the rookie group chat… Oh. Y-you aren’t in the room.”
There was… a rookie group chat?
To think he wasn't a comrade from the Coward’s Shelter.
…To think there was a group chat for the rookies that only I was left out of!
“Ha.”
After returning to the dormitory with a troubled heart, I showered and came out.
Two shocking truths left my head spinning.
‘It’s been a long day….’
Since I had received the link to the rookie group chat from the traitor… no, from Jang Heowoon, I would have to join it, but I planned to do that a bit later.
Because there was something I needed to look into as a priority.
“I should check the tattoo on my wrist first.”
Several candidates came to mind, but there was someone I could easily ask.
‘Good Friend.’
I sat on the edge of the bed and took out the plush doll keyring from my suit’s front pocket.
And I called out.
“Braun?”
But there was no answer.
‘As expected.’
It was said that when it returns to reality from a ghost story, it looks like an ordinary doll.
==========
The Good Friend will be with you in your daily life like a shy doll.
Treat it appropriately.
Because it remembers everything.
==========
In other words, it wasn't that it had been tactfully keeping its mouth shut while watching me talk at the company, but that it was in a state where it truly could not speak.
However, even if it wasn't a ghost story, there was a way to talk to ‘Good Friend.’
‘…I just have to make reality like a ghost story.’
I recalled one method written in the <Dark Exploration Record>.
==========
Talking to ‘Good Friend’
#1 Use darkness, a lighter, and shadows.
==========
Honestly, it was a bit creepy, but let’s do it.
I bowed my head under the bed.
And I leaned ‘Good Friend’ against the back right leg of the bed.
‘Next is… a light.’
Since it had been a long time since I quit smoking, I didn't have a lighter, so I replaced it with my smartphone flashlight.
I placed it on the floor so that the narrow beam hit the bed leg, and I turned off the room lights.
Click.
And I sat on the bed in the middle of the pitch darkness.
‘…This is a bit scary.’
My back felt chilly, so I covered myself with a blanket.
There was no need to be embarrassed. I was alone.
‘…Though I feel like I won't be alone for long.’
When I looked up, the flashlight beam projected a giant shadow of the plush doll onto the wall from under the bed.
“…….”
Before long, the shadow of the plush doll leaning against the bed leg began to sway along with the light.
As if it were waking up and shaking its body.
As I watched with bated breath, I soon heard a sound.
A voice that sounded somewhat like an illusion.
-Friend.
“…Braun.”
The Host had awakened.
-Ah, you made it out safely from that strange theme park! Congratulations.
“Thank you.”
Braun seemed to recall the events that had happened to me after leaving the ghost story, as if rewinding a tape.
‘So that’s what it meant by remembering everything.’
-Yes, my friend went home from work. Have you come home to rest now? Oh, it’s quite a cozy place!
“Thank you.”
It wasn't my house but a dormitory, though.
-Hmm, speaking of which, Mr. Roe Deer seems to be speaking to me too formally! A friend doesn't have to do that.
“…I feel like Braun is also speaking quite formally, though.”
-Haha, I can’t help it. It’s what they call an occupational hazard!
I swallowed the words ‘I don't think I can help it either because of my occupational hazard of being a rookie in a crazy ghost story company.’
The friendlier we became, the safer and more powerful this plush doll would become.
“…Right. Then I’ll speak comfortably from now on. Since we’re friends.”
-Oh, excellent!
The shadow of the doll swayed as if it were bobbing its head joyfully.
Good… now for the main point.
“I happen to have a question for my friend.”
-Oh! In that case, how about we take turns asking each other questions? However, you must answer.
-It’s like a game. This will be fun….
Stop acting like a ghost story!
“Yeah. Sounds fun.”
But I forced a cheerful reply.
It felt like I was working overtime…. Let’s hang in there.
“What I wanted to ask is this.”
I immediately lowered my left hand toward the underside of the bed.
So that the black tattoo-like letters on the inside of my wrist were clearly visible in front of the plush doll.
“After the Membership Pass bracelet burned away, this mark was left.”
A brief silence.
And….
-This is… Latin. Ho-oh.
A strange interest and immersion permeated its tone.
Its voice grew deeper.
-Socius.
-It was used to mean comrade, member, or kin. The versatility of Latin!
“I know that much.”
Because I had searched the dictionary on the internet on my way back.
The fact that the ‘Membership Pass’ bracelet burned and left a phrase meaning member seemed quite relevant, but the more important thing was this.
“But it seems other people can't see it. Why do you think that is?”
-My, they must all have poor eyesight! It is very clear to me.
This meant it was visible to creatures within ghost stories.
“I’m glad you can see it.”
I changed my question.
“Then, what role does this text play?”
-It is a mark that gives you a qualification.
The answer flowed out in a cheerful tone without hesitation.
-Aren't there times when VIPs come as audience members to a talk show? They always have a wonderful mark that differentiates them from the other audience members. For example, a name tag or a badge!
-That ‘superior mark’ grants them special seating, rehearsal viewing, and backstage access!
Reflexively, I lifted my arm to check the letters.
“…So this is like a ‘special qualification’?”
-Well, to a theme park mascot, that is.
Braun’s voice became indifferent.
-That overemotional mascot seems to be acting far too friendly toward Mr. Roe Deer. Well, next time you visit, you should use that to at least get a welcome drink!
I don't ever want to visit again.
But to show my cooperation, I nodded as if in agreement.
-Excellent, excellent!
‘Work life is damn hard….’
Anyway, even if giving a ‘qualification’ was abstract, it didn't have a bad nuance.
‘In the future, when I enter a ghost story, I should check if there’s a place where I can use it.’
After the plush doll’s shadow swayed its head a few times as if it were excited, it whispered softly.
-Did you know?
What.
-Mr. Roe Deer, you just asked two questions.
-That’s a violation of the rules.
Goosebumps rose on my back.
-Haha, it’s fine. Isn't the beauty of a close relationship sometimes breaking the rules!
Phew.
“…Yeah, thanks.”
-Don’t mention it!
-Anyway, now it’s my turn to ask a question.
I swallowed hard and looked at the giant doll shadow projected on the wall.
“What are you curious about?”
Braun whispered.
-Who is the person living in the room next to yours?
It was a completely unexpected question.
And naturally, the one in the room next to mine in this dormitory was….
“…A coworker.”
It was Baek Saheon.
-Are you in a close relationship?
Not at all.
“Just a workplace colleague.”
-Ah, I see. Yes…. Excellent.
Braun’s voice became cheerful again.
-Friend. It would be best for you not to worry about that ‘workplace colleague’ living next door anymore!
“Why?”
-Because he’ll be dead soon!
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