A morning after clearing the horrifying high school ghost story in a horror game.
Yet, the even more horrifying reality that I still have to go to work drives me to prepare diligently for my commute.
But this time, the commute wasn’t so exhausting.
Because I had something to rely on.
The dream collector filled with A-grade liquid.
‘How reassuring.’
I carefully packed the dream collector filled with golden liquid into my briefcase.
It was the fruit of last night’s labor.
Moreover, the moment I fully got up from bed, I noticed a rather peculiar ‘additional reward.’
Thud, thud.
Something that had been covering my body spilled onto the floor.
Dozens of… beads?
It was a transparent bead that looked like it could be loaded into a glass handgun.
I picked one up, examined its appearance, and read the single Chinese character written inside it.
護
Does it mean ho, as in "to assist"?
“ – Ah, it’s a Chinese character often used to mean protecting or safeguarding someone. Quite straightforward and intuitive.”
Ah.
I realized it instantly.
‘This must be the final stage reward from that game!’
Graduation ceremony completed successfully (2 dead, 1 survivor).
The field exploration staff who died as students were confirmed to have safely awakened in the morning.
A large number of reward items were found at the sleeping spot of the sole survivor. (Analyzed as a type of talisman with some effect in exorcism and protection.)
In other words, I brought the items from the dream game into reality.
Just like Baek Saheon, who bolted with the fountain pen item from the teachers' office.
“…Hmm.”
Come to think of it, I just remembered something.
When I went to the front door, Baek Saheon's shoes were already gone.
‘He must have hurried off to work.’
See you later.
Anyway, these dozens of glass beads serve as talismans to some extent.
‘I’ll probably find a use for them.’
I stored all the so-called "talismans" in my tattoo, kept one or two in my pocket, and continued preparing for work.
However.
“ –…….”
“ –…….”
It feels unusually silent.
‘...Braun.’
“ – Oh, are you calling me, my friend?”
By the way.
‘Were you... very uncomfortable last night?’
The Tuesday Quiz Show host, who almost got flattened because I used him as a pillow….
“ – Haha, it wasn’t exactly the best feeling of my life!”
“ – It seems my friend had quite an amusing experience alone last night, and not being invited to that is something no one would feel great about….”
Gulp.
“ – Ah, but at least it’s a relief. While I, Brown, had the special experience of feeling like a waffle, it seems my friend also had a special experience!”
“…….”
Hmm….
‘I did feel something special.’
“ – Indeed!”
‘I ran the graduation ceremony with a bang.’
“ – A graduation ceremony? Did you give a speech?”
No.
‘The teacher didn’t like how I ran things and attacked me. I had to endure as my limbs were blown off one by one until it safely ended.’
“ – Oh my goodness!”
Braun, who seemed a bit upset, quickly became excited as I explained what had happened in the dream.
Maybe I should do something like the aromatic massage the tattoo artist gave me that evening.
“ – What an excellent attitude, Roe Deer! I’d love to hear more.”
Alright, alright.
On my way to work, I continued explaining what had happened to me.
I told him everything, from being chased by students to becoming one of them myself.
“ – Oh!”
And finally, I arrived at the building and was heading up to my office.
“Mr. Sol-eum!”
I ran into a familiar face.
“Oh, Manager Lee Byungjin.”
The missing person I rescued from the Vengeful Spirit ghost story, Manager Lee Byungjin, who is in charge of manual reviews, greeted me with a bright expression.
“I heard the field exploration team attempted to enter the ghost story with a decent yield this time!”
Ah, he already knows I was deployed to the high school ghost story.
Well, a directive had already been issued for the entire field exploration team to attempt entry.
“How did your team do, Mr. Sol-eum?”
“Ah, I did go in and come back, but… I don’t know about the others.”
I assume Team Leader Lizard didn’t make it in.
‘If he had entered, it would have definitely been recorded in the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>….’
No, it probably wouldn’t even have been recorded in the first place, since Lee Jaheon is the counter to this ghost story.
‘A chase like that would be meaningless to someone who can take down everything with physical attacks….’
Why ruin the ghost story?
Even if my involvement in the exploration caused a butterfly effect, if Team Leader Lizard had been there, I would have noticed his presence.
‘He probably wasn’t there.’
……And then.
The other member of Team D……
…died.
‘Phew.’
Just as I was about to say those words.
“Oh, Team D still only had the leader and Deputy Manager Sol-eum, right? I guess you didn’t meet each other.”
“…Yes?”
“Well, since it was a solo task, huh? No way would anyone dare get in the way of our company’s future! The talented Deputy Manager Sol-eum, haha!”
……..
What?
“Wait a moment. When you say Team D only has two members…”
“Oh? No, the personnel transfer was temporarily put on hold, wasn’t it?”
The manager spoke to me with a puzzled expression.
“Well, Team D was told to skip this season and focus on support duties since contaminated individuals might recover… wasn’t that communicated?”
“……!”
In the next moment, I realized.
Deputy Manager Yoon Johun.
The newly assigned person was erased by the ‘teacher’ in the dream for being an error….
And erased in reality as well.
Literally deleted.
As if they had never existed in reality to begin with.
“…….”
That’s right.
‘That’s why people mistakenly thought there were no deaths in this ghost story.’
Even in the worst-case scenario, they believed they would just be dragged back to that school on the last day of the month.
Everyone!
Because….
Those who collected many name tags and stubbornly endured on the upper floors without retiring were all ‘erased.’
Because they became someone who never existed in the first place.
……It was a terrifying ability to manipulate reality.
‘……Could it be that the liquid was rated A-grade for a reason?’
I can feel that something deeper and darker is connected to this…….
A shiver ran down my spine.
Objectively speaking, this might not be a bad situation for me.
Because someone who was clearly difficult to work with disappeared naturally.
But…….
‘It’s no different from being erased from existence.’
My stomach churned. Moreover, this feeling that I’m the only one who remembers is truly strange.
Wait, hold on.
‘Why am I the only one who remembers in the first place?’
Shouldn’t everyone have forgotten?
Could it be because I witnessed their death directly?
Ah!
Or was it because I was eating Nostalgia Candy at the time, so the effect missed me?
……..
“Mr. Sol-eum?”
“…Ah. It seems I was mistaken about something.”
Anyway, it’s not important, so let’s focus on the conversation for now.
Even if he’s from another team, a superior is still a superior.
Just then, Manager Lee Byungjin asked me with a slightly expectant look.
“Oh, come to think of it, Mr. Sol-eum, how did you clear it? If you show me the collector, I can roughly tell the grade by checking the liquid concentration….”
“Oh.”
I readily took out the collector from my briefcase and showed it to him.
The golden liquid shimmered.
“This is it.”
“…….”
After a moment of silence.
“…?!”
Swoosh.
Manager Lee Byungjin wiped his glasses.
“Haha, I must be getting old. My vision’s blurry, or maybe the light is over-reflecting…?!?”
“Oh.”
I responded with a cheerful voice.
“Does it seem like an A-grade to you as well, Manager?”
“…….”
Lee Byungjin put his glasses back on.
“……Immediately,”
“…?”
“Go report this immediately! What are you waiting for? Hurry!”
***
I was summoned in an instant.
It means my collector was taken by the supervisors even before I could report to Team D’s office.
“Oh my goodness!”
The supervisors’ expressions, as if saying, ‘It’s you again?’ Well, I suppose that’s better than the alternative.
And the measured grade was…….
“Mr. Kim Sol-eum.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“The liquid Mr. Kim Sol-eum collected from the darkness last night has been confirmed as A-grade.”
That afternoon, as I was sitting in the office writing an exploration report, Team Leader Lizard casually delivered the news to me.
That much, I had anticipated.
But it was what he said next that was the problem.
“And regarding this exploration, there’s been a request for an exclusive interview with you, Mr. Kim Sol-eum.”
“…….”
Well, this was something I couldn’t avoid this time….
The second A-grade.
This time, it even came from an unprecedented ghost story.
‘Wasn’t an A-grade in that ghost story practically just a nominal existence?’
Most were either D or F.
Those who endured for a long time and gathered items and name tags might have extracted a C-grade liquid once or twice, but that was it.
They said it was just a ghost story used for farming items, but a jackpot occurred, and now the higher-ups are talking about it again.
But you know.
‘Actually, this is the end.’
They only count the first clear, you know….
Subsequent attempts to clear in a similar way resulted in liquid of one or two grades lower than the same ending (B).
‘That’s just how the game works.’
If it’s not the first, it’s just repetition, so they don’t count it as an achievement….
Of course, I don’t plan to reveal everything, but I should drop some hints to avoid ridiculous blame-shifting like, ‘We trusted you and invested, but there’s no A-grade again!’
‘Looks like I’ll be running around all afternoon….’
Just as I was gloomily anticipating this.
“Mr. Kim Sol-eum.”
“Yes?”
“Do you not want to do the interview?”
Wait, you’re excusing me??
But after a moment of thought, I shook my head.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll do it.”
To avoid ridiculous blame-shifting like, ‘You couldn’t get an A-grade clear because you tried to wrap it up with the situation report!’… Ugh.
“Yes.”
Team Leader Lee Jaheon didn’t ask twice. He truly lived up to his nickname, “the Lizard.”
And shortly after, the appointed time.
I left Team D’s office for the interview.
‘They even called me to a higher floor.’
I got off at the designated 31st floor and looked for the meeting room.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing the permission from inside, I carefully opened the door.
Sunlight poured through the blinds-covered windows, creating a majestic atmosphere in the meeting room.
And a massive, black, round table.
But….
“Hmm.”
The research team members for the interview weren’t there.
Instead, at the head of the massive table, there was only one person sitting alone.
A woman with dark blue hair, dressed in a perfectly tailored three-button suit, looked at me with a gentle expression.
She didn’t give off an aged impression, but there was an air about her that made it hard to determine her age.
And on the desk was a striking black mother-of-pearl nameplate.
Executive Director Cheong Dal-rae
“…?!”
An… Executive Director??
Wait, the meeting room I’ve been summoned to… has an Executive Director sitting alone?
And she wasn’t even Director Ho, who was connected to Manager Lee Byungjin or Team A.
However, the last name itself was….
‘I’ve heard it before….’
When Manager Lee Byungjin, who was part of Director Ho’s line, went missing.
During the chatter among the office staff about who would come as the replacement.
“ – Honestly, it’s uncertain what the new person will be like… but the chances of someone from the same line are low. It’ll probably be someone from Director Cheong’s side.”
Director Cheong.
A distant superior, who had never been connected to me before, and one of the executives in this company’s development division, had summoned me…!
‘What the hell….’
Of course, while feeling shocked, I bowed my head deeply.
Because being surprised doesn’t mean you can forget social etiquette!
“…! It’s an honor to meet you, Executive Director.”
“Good. Nice to meet you.”
Director Cheong shook my hand and gestured toward the row of chairs around the round table.
“Let’s take a seat for now.”
“Yes.”
Where should I sit?
After some thought, I chose a seat that wasn’t too high-ranking but still allowed for a proper conversation with the director.
Then someone who appeared to be from the secretary’s office entered the meeting room, placed some documents in front of the director, and left.
Cold sweat seemed ready to break out.
‘What’s going on here?’
Since I can’t grasp the context, let’s start with that first.
“So… Deputy Manager Sol-eum? Are you still in your twenties?”
“I was born in XX.”
“You’re young. I’ll speak casually, so you can feel at ease too. I called you here for a good reason.”
“What do you mean by a good reason…?”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Deputy Manager.”
Director Cheong smiled faintly.
“You were very impressive. If only we had more recruits like you, there wouldn’t be any issues with raw material supply.”
“Thank you.”
When someone of high rank acts like that, it’s best to just sit politely and listen attentively.
If I unnecessarily try to guess their needs and speak too assertively, it might end up looking like I’m overstepping….
‘Did she personally come to the meeting room today just to commend me and remind me to properly write the A-grade manual?’
You know, leaving an impression.
“So, Deputy Manager Sol-eum.”
But the main topic began from there.
Without any warning.
“Are you perhaps interested in the elite team?”
I nearly choked on my own saliva.
“Well….”
“Oh, I heard you were offered by Team Leader Seok from Team A last time but declined.”
“…!”
“‘I want to build from the basics’…. A good excuse. You handled it well.”
Oh, my goodness.
“That team… hmm, it’s good that they respect hierarchy, but sometimes they prioritize it over exploration.”
“…….”
“It’s not a great look, but riding the right line is a skill too, isn’t it? Haha!”
She’s being very explicit about Team A being a different faction.
‘I won’t respond to that at all, Director….’
I’ll just smile awkwardly and nod.
If this goes wrong, it’ll look like I’m gossiping about Team A with the director.
Of course, the director would be fine with it!
But as a rookie who hasn’t chosen a side, I’d be screwed….
Unsure of what to do, I tried to appear composed and awkwardly started to speak.
“Well, since it’s clear that as someone who hasn’t been here long, I need a strong foundation… I’ve been working hard to learn….”
“Haha! That’s fine, that’s fine. Yes, it’s understandable to feel nervous, Deputy Manager Sol-eum.”
Director Cheong burst into a hearty laugh and then turned serious.
“There’s no need to agree with everything I say. I don’t like sycophantic people like that.”
“…….”
“Alright. I suppose I need to be more precise with my choice of words, right?”
Director Cheong seemed to pause briefly in thought, then closed the file and spoke.
“I’m not saying I’ll place you in one of the elite teams.”
“…?”
“What I meant was, are you interested in receiving the treatment of an elite team? Yes… I could phrase it this way.”
Director Cheong smiled faintly.
“What do you think about Team D becoming an elite team?”
“…!!”
“You can add one member of your choice, and the entire team, I mean.”
Oh my goodness.
