Chapter 110

Director Ho’s project team.

A classified project with an outrageously generous reward: a Wish Coupon for every team member if it succeeded.

'And I turned it down.'

It had seemed far too risky and suspicious.

But Deputy Eun Haje, who was supposedly on leave... was working there?

“Look at your face, Roe Deer. Yeah. I know you got an offer and kicked it straight to the curb.”

The smile vanished from her face.

“... Good call. Stay away from it, too. That team’s a headache.”

“...”

But aren’t you working there yourself, Deputy...?

“What exactly do you do there...?”

“Can’t tell you.”

“...”

Should I go for it?

Let’s go for it.

“Actually, I was offered a position as a candidate for project team manager.”

“What?!”

“Of course, I think that was just to motivate me, and I turned it—”

“No, hold on. I’m telling you this in case you get tempted later...”

She lowered her voice to a whisper.

“Director Ho is a fucking lunatic.”

“...!”

“I don’t know what the other members of this project do. Director Ho won’t even let employees with different responsibilities talk to each other.”

She swallowed.

“I think... he brought me in because I’d applied for leave. He made the offer because I could work on the project without anyone noticing.”

“... Is that why you’ve been hiding?”

“Yeah. That was a requirement.”

She clicked her tongue, explaining that this was why she had quietly sneaked into my company apartment, too.

“I was worried that roommate of yours might catch me.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. He isn’t at the apartment.”

“He wasn’t? Damn it. All that effort for nothing.”

Despite his short tenure, Baek Saheon had somehow managed to take vacation adjoining January 1. He wasn’t home right now.

“Anyway, I really can’t tell you anything else. Just keep that in mind.”

And she really did refuse to answer all my subsequent questions—why she needed a Wish Coupon, what on earth she was doing, and how she had been recruited.

She only said this:

“I used to make a living digging up dirt on crazy fuckers. This is nothing new.”

There’s a crucial difference between people and ghost stories, Deputy...!

“Worry about yourself. Yourself.”

She soon gave a bitter smile.

“Roe Deer. Don’t worry so much about other people. Even outside this company, there aren’t many better ways to wear yourself out in life.”

“...”

“It probably sounds ridiculous coming from someone like me, who benefited from your concern. But I’m not saying it for nothing.”

“No. Not at all. ... Thank you.”

“... Haha. You really haven’t changed, kid.”

Even as we left the Annex, she repeatedly told me to stop worrying about her and take care of myself.

“Thanks again, and remember. January 2.”

Then she left so quickly it was almost as though she had vanished from outside the Annex.

“...”

Director Ho’s project team, huh.

'It sounded dangerous just hearing about it.'

I had too many problems of my own to worry about it right now, but I would keep it in mind.

-At any rate, we’ve collected plenty of interesting remarks! January 2, a swirling conspiracy surrounding Mr. Roe Deer...

-What do you say, my friend? Any entertaining plans to evade that death declaration? Of course, remember that your Good Friend Braun is always at your side when you’re in trouble.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

-You’re very welcome!

And so I had my first plan for the new year.

Find a way to escape the Darkness I was due to enter on January 2.

I spent the entire New Year’s Day holiday putting that plan together quite successfully...

And then it was time to return to work.

* * *

January 2.

Sure enough, the moment I arrived at work, I received a new Darkness exploration assignment.

Except it was assigned to me alone.

“... So, Team Leader, you have a management meeting this afternoon and will ‘unavoidably’ have to sit this one out?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean I’ll be entering the Darkness alone...?”

“No. Two support personnel will be assigned this afternoon to comply with the manual’s three-person team requirement.”

Right. I’d expected that.

And this, I suspected, might be where Kwak Jegang would play his tricks.

'Is he going to saddle me with a bunch of weird employees?'

The group-project nightmare teammate could always be counted on to make things worse...

'I’d better brace myself.'

But things took a strange turn.

First, before I was even assigned my Darkness for January 2, an announcement went up.

Team D was being reorganized as an Elite Team.

[Field Exploration Team Reorganization Notice]

Director Cheong’s radical proposal had finally come to light.

When the Field Exploration Team learned that the subject of all those rumors really was the radical move of making Team D itself an Elite Team, the whole department erupted.

And what was more, even regular employees could fill Elite Team D’s one remaining slot for a short stint, enjoying Elite Team treatment!

Those desperate to ask anyone at all about the staffing decision... finally located the lowest-ranking, least senior person involved!

Yep.

Me.

“...”

BZZZ, BZZZ, BZZZZZ!

[Hello, Supervisor~^^ Congratulations on joining the Elite Teams! Could I ask you a few questions about...]

[We’ve only met in the group chat, so this is my first time contacting you directly. I wanted to ask about that remaining Elite Team slot...]

'This is seriously overwhelming... '

That was already the seventh message.

I wished they would use some common sense. How could a lowly supervisor possibly have any say over personnel...?

-Hmm? My friend, weren’t you given an opportunity to choose a colleague to work with? I vividly remember the moment you received that interesting proposal!

That... ship had already sailed...

I’d refused to eat the poisoned apple, so it was no longer my concern.

'Anyway, I have no authority.'

I spent the morning responding with some version of “What authority would I have? I’m just another lackey,” translated into polite corporate language.

Still, it did help me realize something.

'They can’t just throw anyone into this exploration, can they?'

Today’s new Darkness exploration, dated January 2, carried a peculiar symbolic significance.

Elite Team D’s very first trial run!

With the entire Field Exploration Team watching, they couldn’t assign just any random nobodies to accompany me.

Doing so would undermine the image of a successful launch for the new Elite Team.

'I don’t think Kwak Jegang can pull any tricks here.'

I wondered.

'Who on earth will those two accompanying employees be?'

... Then, at two in the afternoon.

“Oh, looking forward to working with you, Supervisor Roe Deer!”

I nearly broke into a cold sweat at the employee whose cheerful voice rang out as she opened the Team D Office door and entered.

Supervisor Dolphin from Team C.

An Elite Team!

“Oh, do you know who the other employee is? I’m curious!”

“... Yes. I’m very curious myself.”

A sudden sense of foreboding began to creep over me.

And ten minutes later.

The door opened again at precisely the appointed time, making that premonition a reality...

“You both know how to be on time.”

A confident stride in dress shoes through the door that had swung open.

A perfectly fitted suit, hair tied in a high ponytail, and an elaborate butterfly mask.

It was Deputy Jin Nasol from Team A.

'Good God.'

They’d assigned me two Elite Team members!!

Seeing this superior who valued competence above all else for the first time in ages made my head spin. Still, I was just about to bow my head and greet her.

“It’s been a while, Deputy.”

“Yeah. I hear you turned down Director Ho’s offer.”

“...”

“Another stupid decision, and you still made it onto an Elite Team? Work would be so much easier if everyone were as competent as you. At least I won’t have to watch anyone whine and cry today.”

... Yes.

It’s wonderful to see you too, Deputy...

“Thank you for the compliment.”

I barely managed to answer.

I felt like my soul was about to leave my body.

But my mouth was diligently maintaining professional decorum.

“What? This exploration is out of town? What a pain.”

“Yes. But I’m told the company is providing a fairly generous travel allowance.”

That was right.

We had to go all the way to Mokpo to deal with this C-grade ghost story.

'Finally, a business trip out of the area.'

Urban Legends naturally tended to arise where large numbers of people lived. Their prevalence in the capital region wasn’t implausible within this setting.

'Still, the fact that nearly all my Darkness explorations so far have been around Seoul... is a little strange.'

Anyway, I left the company and set off, doing my best to read the moods of my two Elite Team seniors.

Supervisor Dolphin was quite friendly about making conversation.

“You haven’t moved upstairs yet! You will soon, right? I love how Elite Team members get private offices. They respect your privacy and everything!”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Oh, you don’t have to be so formal! We’re the same rank.”

“But you’re still my senior, and there’s so much I don’t know that I may cause you trouble. I couldn’t presume to do that already. I’ll be sure to show you proper respect.”

“Wow. You’re seriously polite!”

Seeing her give me a thumbs-up eased my nerves a little.

Right. She seemed like a nice person.

'Let’s try some small talk.'

I put on what I hoped was a friendly smile and brought up a suitable person.

The Team C member who’d sat beside her in that ghost story where I’d nearly fainted at the sight of people clapping with the backs of their hands!

“How is Deputy Leopard doing?”

“Oh, he’s dead.”

“...”

“He died being an asshole to a Cleanup Team employee, so he had it coming. Bit of a waste of points, though!”

“I see. May he rest in peace.”

This person’s sensibilities were nothing like a normal person’s.

'Help me.'

Just then, we reached the high-speed rail station.

Trembling only on the inside, I sat down next to Supervisor Dolphin on the train with extreme politeness.

Then I began showing every possible courtesy to a senior who had made it onto an Elite Team as a supervisor...

'Never, ever get uppity just because we’re the same rank.'

Let’s make sure she never decides I’m an asshole...!

... As for Deputy Jin Nasol, sitting in front of us...

“I’m going to sleep. Don’t talk to me.”

“... Understood.”

Frankly, I was grateful...

-Oh, what colorful traveling companions!

Yeah...

And what that meant was...

'They’ve assigned the company’s two most successful employees below management to accompany me.'

Let me repeat that.

The two most capable, work-savvy nonmanagement employees available would be right beside me, watching everything I did...!

'Deputy, how on earth am I supposed to escape without entering the Darkness with these two around...!'

I broke into a cold sweat. My carefully laid plans were springing holes everywhere.

'Even so, I never thought they’d assign two Elite Team members.'

I’d spent far more time simulating what to do if they were trolls.

Maintaining a calm exterior, I desperately racked my brains and hastily added a plan B.

'If worse comes to worst... '

I’d say I needed the bathroom... and run.

The thought alone was so humiliating I could cry, but my life was more important. Right?

Then, when I eventually returned, I could testify that I’d “accidentally” gotten caught up in another Darkness and only just escaped.

'Find a suitable Darkness on the wiki, actually clear an easy ghost story of the appropriate grade, and match the grade of the solution... That should be convincing.'

It was only possible because this was an out-of-town trip.

'O-okay.'

I thought I could make it through this.

Relieved by the plausibility of the plan I had finally cobbled together, I let out a sigh and only then looked at our destination on the train’s electronic display.

Bound for Mokpo

Come to think of it, this was practically my first time going to Mokpo—

Bound for Mokpo

...

Huh?

The destination text beneath the flickering advertisement in the train car changed the next instant.

Bound for Tamna

“...!!”

I shot to my feet.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Supervi... Huh? The display?”

“Yes. We need to get off right—”

...

No.

No, you already know.

'It’s too late.'

This... was already over the moment you boarded the train, sat down, and the destination changed.

From then on, you couldn’t get off.

“...”

It came back to me.

-It was the longest wiki document among the human-error incidents recorded under the Disaster Management Bureau, and had also been written as a short story.

What this was.

-The one and only time the Silver Heart Badge had caused a catastrophe.

That train accident.

That harrowing ghost story I knew so well.

* * *

[Tamna-Bound High-Speed Train Incident]

This document records an anomalous case that occurred under registration number ‘8008PSYA.2002. 아88.’ and contains disturbing material concerning multiple casualties.

As it contains detailed accounts of a tragic catastrophe, please assess your psychological state before requesting access.

Because it may cause severe psychological distress or trauma, we strongly recommend reading only when you are in a stable condition.

—Notice from the Records Management Office,

Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau

* * *

That insane high-speed train with only one survivor from Daydream Inc.

'... Ah.'

I realized.

Today, January 2, when I was scheduled to be declared dead.

'The C-grade Darkness wasn’t the problem.'

The threat awaiting me wasn’t the Darkness at our out-of-town destination, assigned by the company and equipped with a complete manual.

'This train.'