To Supervisor Park Minseong, Director Cheong was offering a new employment contract that would allow her to generously collect the 're-education costs'.
"What do you think?"
Director Cheong looked at me.
And so, I remembered.
The contract I received from Director Cheong.
The choice I made on the verge of death during that horrific process of my whole body melting, my ego and flesh collapsing, and returning to my original form.
That was, that was…
A lifetime employment contract.
Eternal labor.
To be permanently stuck in the basement of Daydream Inc. with no possibility of retirement.
'No.'
I reflexively tried to conjure smoke to stop Director Cheong, but I stopped, gritting my teeth.
She had just prevented me from responding to Supervisor Park Minseong's storytelling, so attacking her? It would be impossible, of course. I'd be blocked.
After all, even Director Ho didn't physically restrain me until after the three-warning rule.
What's more, to counter Director Cheong, the owner of my contract, I needed a much stronger justification.
For instance.
>Confirmation:
>Whether the ■■ Kindergarten educational materials were provided to the Badger employee
It should be explicitly confirmed that Director Cheong was involved in exacerbating Supervisor Park Minseong's Contamination.
'I can even get a testimony from the party involved.'
There is definitely evidence of Director Cheong's involvement. If so, I could somehow pin it on her as a cause for disciplinary action…
"Do you think you have the right to ask questions yourself?"
...!
"The moment you became part of Director Ho's Project, you could no longer issue disciplinary action to other employees. Because you are not a security officer."
Director Cheong raises her hand and grabs my head.
As if restraining a dog.
"Besides, even if I were to answer 'yes,' nothing would change."
...
"One should be aware of one's own Contamination and deal with it first. It is not the duty of an employee to blame a superior's instructions for one's own shortcomings."
I looked at Director Cheong.
"But you are quite fortunate."
...
"Even when you return after finishing Director Ho's shabby project, the security staff in charge will still be there. …Eternally."
Amid the dull haze of my mind, a certain emotion that I had not been able to reclaim, one that had only been a faint trace in the emptiness, rises with clarity...
Anger.
A feeling that boils over with crimson red intensity.
[Oh, my friend...]
At that moment.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your wonderful plan, but unfortunately, I don't think that will become a reality..."
...!
"What do you mean?"
"I'm planning to treat that employee at the Fox Counseling Room."
Director Ho pointed at Supervisor Park Minseong.
"Director Cheong, you seem to be exaggerating the mere two or three times the Fox Counseling Room was empty into a major incident, so I'm trying to make up for it this way."
Director Ho smiled.
"By helping a completely Contaminated person recover faster than the re-education facility… I'd like to show, however lightly, my devotion to the company."
Director Cheong and Director Ho stare at each other.
"I will handle the accident where you 'coincidentally' worsened this Security Team employee's condition and report it to the company. So you don't have to worry too much."
"Worry, you say."
"Of course. Since you were so concerned about my performance, Director Cheong, I should also do my best."
Director Ho receives Director Cheong's stare with a smiling face.
"I'm going to use a Contamination recovery method that will be far more effective than the re-education zone. Surely, Director Cheong, who is said to have far more devotion to the company than I, wouldn't oppose it for no reason, right?"
"..."
"..."
The next moment.
The hand with which Director Cheong was holding Supervisor Park Minseong's head loosened its grip.
Thud. The Sprout Class Teacher collapsed onto his own bloodstain.
"Keep this in mind."
Director Cheong looked down at her hand, stained with the Security Team's blood.
The next moment.
The bloodstain vanished without a trace.
"You see. I don't like stray dogs that touch and covet what belongs to others. Even more so if they're diseased."
"I see. I'm not interested in what you're thinking, Director Cheong."
Director Ho's smile remained.
Director Cheong watched him, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Let me give you some advice. Don't let them see you're impatient. It's the same as screaming that you're desperate."
"..."
"And being desperate is a weakness."
Between laughs, Director Cheong slightly wrinkled her nose as if to show her displeasure, but it soon returned to normal.
She looked at me.
"Don't be mistaken. All amicable relationships are merely byproducts of circumstance. There's no telling how long Director Ho's choices will suit your tastes..."
...
"And remember."
Director Cheong took a piece of paper from her pocket.
A once-folded document.
Below the printed lines, a name was messily signed, spilling out of the box...
Kim Soleum.
My contract.
"That it is in my hands."
The moment the employment contract wavered at Director Cheong's fingertips.
"I'll see you on the day the project ends."
Director Cheong disappeared.
As if by magic.
"..."
"..."
Thump. I hear Baek Saheon, who had been crammed into a corner out of sight, mutter a curse as he slumped to the ground, his strength gone.
"Roe Deer-nim."
I helped Supervisor Park Minseong up.
"Let's head back for now."
The Sergeant, J3, regained consciousness two days later.
The recovery room of the Fox Counseling Room.
Lying on the bed, he simply opened his eyes, like a withered, dead tree.
And next to him...
>Question: Current status
I was sitting there.
"..."
The Sergeant stared at the sunlight coming through the curtains with a dazed look.
Then, as if to check something, he raised a hand but soon lowered it, perhaps realizing the sunlight wasn't real.
And he looked at me, as if checking my condition.
I was perfectly fine, trailing black smoke as I gazed at him from behind my gas mask.
At that, the Sergeant’s gaze softened with relief, but his next question was spoken in a low, rough voice.
"...Badger…?"
>Next room
I glanced at one side of the comfortable recovery room.
{Long-term Recovery Room
(No Visitors Allowed)}
Behind the isolated partition, there was a door leading to a sealed room. The Sergeant’s eyes also turned very slowly to look at it...
>Recovering
>Location: Fox Counseling Room
For a moment, the Sergeant’s pupils narrowed.
His gaze, which had been scanning the surroundings, soon came to a halt. Once again, the old, empty, seemingly dead husk of a body lay quietly on the bed.
And he slowly asked.
About the result of what his own Contamination had wrought.
"Badger, his arms..."
>Searching for regeneration method
"..."
The Sergeant's next response came excruciatingly slowly.
"I see..."
...
"A phone... is there one..."
>Question: Reason
"To contact the Security Team... Badger's… recovery costs… they can just put it on my tab..."
Because you're a lifetime employee anyway?
It's not even certain the company would accept the offer to take on the debt, since it's all the same no matter how much more you owe.
And I suddenly realized it once again.
That the Sergeant had also become a lifetime employee through a process similar to mine.
This man's state.
'...'
In the end, I grabbed the memo pad and pen on the table and quickly wrote, showing it to him.
-Don't worry.
-I'm talking with Director Ho, so you don't have to worry about the costs.
"..."
The Sergeant didn't answer.
It's not that I trust Director Ho blindly, but I knew what he needed at this moment, so I meant it will be fine.
"...What does he need…?"
I didn't answer.
Would it be okay to tell the Sergeant about Sekwang Special City right now?
The Sergeant had only just recovered.
Would telling him about a 'ghost story where no one can escape the lockdown' become another trigger?
Besides.
‘The Nostalgia Candy only worked for a moment on the Sergeant, too.'
That thing…
It was a different version.
Indulge in an even more distant memory!
Nostalgia Can-dy, The Farther Flavor
<Fantasy Edition>
I had thought the candy felt strangely larger than the ones I used before, and after coming here and checking, I saw that the description on the wrapper was slightly different.
[Indeed, the blatant commercialism of a food and beverage company. A seasonal edition!]
That's right. And on the back, it said 'Contains 300% ■■'.
'Three times, huh.'
Judging by the modifier 'farther'...
'Thirty years?'
The original Nostalgia Candy was supposed to bring back one's prime from the past 10 years, so this guess was likely to be more or less correct.
So, one could surmise this.
The possibility that the Sergeant’s Contamination is not just 10 years old, but has been going on for much longer, close to 30 years.
So much so that if I had used the regular Nostalgia Candy, it would have had no effect at all.
'...'
In the end, I gave a slightly different answer, as if to change the subject.
-Director Ho is trying to move both of your affiliations to his project team entirely.
It was also because I wanted to reassure him.
'Then, for now, we can avoid getting more involved with Director Cheong.'
However.
"…It won't work... At least… for me…?"
...
A thought occurs to me.
Could it be that all the lifetime employees in the Security Team have contracts with Director Cheong?
"It would be good if… Badger could..."
The Sergeant rolled his eyes again to look at the partition.
Probably at the sealed room beyond it.
...
-I'm sorry.
"...?"
-You two got involved because I needlessly asked for your help. I'm sorry.
"No..."
I bowed my head and apologized.
"The one who should be sorry is me..."
When I didn't react, the Sergeant fell silent for a moment. Then, as if trying to change the subject, he spoke slowly.
"Hey… you know. The thing you asked me to look into..."
Ah.
-Request: Director Ho's history
Right.
I had definitely asked the two from the Security Team that right before entering the
Groom Training Ghost Story...
How Ho Yuwon had spent his time at Daydream.
And his recent activities as well.
"Should I… tell you now..."
...
I nodded.
And belatedly, I heard about 'Director Ho's history' from the Sergeant.
How Ho Yuwon had behaved at the company.
"Director Ho… they say he was suddenly appointed as a director of the development department at the main office 4 years ago... No one knew... There are only rumors… that he was at a Daydream branch before that..."
A branch?
Come to think of it, I remember that the other Disaster Management Bureau spies besides me were processed as being assigned to branches.
'I wondered why it had to be a branch.'
There might be some connection between the Daydream branch and Ho Yuwon. I should remember this point...
"They say he has more of his own people in the Field Investigation Team… than the research team, and that Team A is completely on his side… and..."
Some familiar stories came up.
And...
He moved on to the latest news.
"Um, there were rumors about the project team, too..."
The project team.
"That there haven't been any particular results, so there's a lot of pressure from the higher-ups."
…!!
"They say something… has to come out of it by this year… I heard the administrative team talking..."
...
"Hey… is this not enough..."
-No.
-Thank you very much.
I meant it.
Because I had realized one thing for sure.
'Ho Yuwon is overextending himself.'
It seems that now that he's actually getting to explore Sekwang Special City, he's pulling out all the stops and pouring everything he has into it.
He probably doesn't even think he's overdoing it. As long as he can find what he wants in Sekwang Special City, he's prepared to handle anything.
But that was a problem for me.
'...'
[Mr. Roe Deer, you seem to be deep in thought... Have you made a new decision?]
Yes.
[Oh!]
And the next day.
A modest meeting regarding the 'Sekwang Special City Exploration Project' was held at the Fox Counseling Room.
"First, I thought we'd need some time to greet the newcomer. So I prepared this!"
But a deathly silence flowed over the table.
Not only did everyone already know each other, but the 'newcomer' was slumped in his chair, staring at Baek Saheon, who was wearing a Goat mask, with quiet, tense eyes.
Baek Saheon desperately avoided his gaze, and the Sergeant slowly turned his eyes to the table. Only Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae waved brightly.
It was then that the one person who was in no condition to be at this table was mentioned...
"It's under these circumstances that we meet, but it's nice to see you. Minseong..."
>Recommendation: Adjust form of address
"…!"
A bitter smile appears on Assistant Manager Eun Haje's face.
"…Right. You worked with 'Badger,' didn't you."
I remember.
-Then Park Minseong...
-Call me Badger!
How Supervisor Park Minseong, who had been so Contaminated he couldn't be called by his real name, had slowly recovered and had been able to respond with a smile to Assistant Manager Eun Haje's 'Minseong-ah.'
That was just a few days ago.
And like magic, in a single moment, his condition had worsened this much.
So Contaminated that it was completely beyond help.
-…Right. So that's how it is...
When they first heard the story, the reactions of Section Chief Lee Jaheon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje were nothing but grim...
"Director, how is Badger's recovery speed?"
"He's recovering, but it's probably not the state you're hoping for. Wouldn’t it take at least a few weeks?"
A groan went through the room again, but Section Chief Lee Jaheon continued to ask calmly.
"I see. Please tell us the condition of his arms."
"The arms… the severed ends just healed over bluntly."
"…!"
Right.
I did my best to stop Supervisor Park Minseong's bleeding. And I tried to use a C-grade potion, but...
"He was completely Contaminated by a Darkness from which Dream Essence more powerful than C-grade is extracted… so it'll probably be difficult unless we can get a higher-grade potion, don't you think?"
In that sense, it was impossible.
However.
Director Ho smiled brightly.
"But, there is a way for him to recover as soon as tomorrow."
"..."
"Is that method entering Sekwang Special City?"
"Yes!"
Right.
If we enter Sekwang Special City, the '■■ Kindergarten' will also be cut off by external influence, so there was a high chance Supervisor Park Minseong would momentarily recover from the Contamination.
Just like me, Supervisor Park Minseong would come to his senses, and he would be able to use potions as well...
Lee Jaheon looked at Director Ho with reptilian eyes.
"Are you encouraging employees to enter in order to expedite the exploration ahead of schedule?"
"Isn't that a given?"
…!
"I, for one, would like the exploration to proceed as much as possible. So… do you hate me for it, by any chance?"
Director Ho's eyes were nonchalant as he looked around at Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who had stood up from the table, and Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, who was staring at him without blinking.
"In fact, I did nothing wrong regarding this recent situation with Director Cheong. I only helped you all when you said you were going to break into the Annex for equipment..."
"..."
"Perhaps the one you should resent is someone else."
And then he smiled brightly.
"But I understand completely. Resentment is always directed toward the easier, closer target. Right? It's fine if you resent me. There is only one thing I want..."
To find what he wants in Sekwang Special City.
"That's all."
...
But my thoughts are a little different.
'I need to lead this project more stably.'
Only then can I prevent the Security Team and my team from falling back into Director Cheong's hands when this project is over.
'That contract.'
At least until I can somehow snatch it away.
To do that, I need something.
'Results.'
In this Sekwang Special City exploration, I must bring back as many 'achievements' as possible.
The kind that suited the tastes of Daydream Inc.
And a progress report that the company will eat up and leave us alone, without revealing information about Sekwang Special City, is actually simple.
>Recommended additional equipment for this exploration:
>Dream Collector
"…!"
Let's at least check if any can be extracted.
And so, a short time later.
The exploration team, including the two new explorers J3 and Supervisor Park Minseong, enters Sekwang Special City.
Carrying a Dream Collector.
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