Chapter 83: Ch 83: A simple favor
Elite squads.
In Daydream Corporation, where the lives of Field Exploration Team
members are valued less than B-grade Dream Essence Liquid, being
designated as part of an elite squad means you’re finally considered a ’long-
term valuable employee’.
This designation comes with perks: a personal office, a separate salary
table, and additional options in the corporate benefits mall.
Most importantly...
If things go south, they assign you a Round-Off Team member to act as a
sort of extra life.
While it’s a policy that leaves a bitter taste, there’s no denying it improves
survival rates...
And now.
The Development Department Managing Director in front of me was
making an offer.
"Currently, there’s a growing initiative to increase the number of elite
squads... Wouldn’t it look great if D-squad were one of them?"
She was offering to elevate D-squad itself to elite status.
To keep my current environment intact while drastically improving the
treatment and benefits.
"It just happens to fit alphabetically, and it would simplify administrative
processes in many ways."
"..."
"Pick one coworker you’d like to work with. If you prefer, you can prepare
a list of two or three candidates."
Wait a second.
I can’t keep up with the flow of this conversation...
"Thank you, but... why are you making such a significant offer to me?"
To be frank, I’d understand if she wanted to send Squad Leader Lee Jaheon
to an elite squad.
As far as I remember, he was already on track for a brief stint as an elite
squad leader before being promoted through another route.
But why... did I somehow fit her criteria?
’It’s strange to bypass the squad leader and make this kind of offer to a new
hire.’
Sure, I’d delivered extraordinary results by creating manuals and pulling
two A-grade essences, but there were others who cleared ghost stories in
similarly unconventional ways.
Their exploration records contributed just as much to the manuals.
And yet, none of them ever heard something like, "We’ll turn your entire
squad into an elite team for you~"
’Weird.’
To anyone, this situation would seem unnatural.
"With all due respect, ma’am, I’m just a new recruit. I’ve been adequately
rewarded with points and bonuses for the work I’ve done, and even my
rapid promotion has been more than enough..."
"Supervisor Soleum. Have you ever heard the name Yoon Johoon?"
A chill ran down my spine.
I barely managed to keep it from showing. Instead, I succeeded in
responding in a calm, tense tone appropriate for the situation.
"...Is he an employee?"
"That’s correct."
The Managing Director replied nonchalantly, smiling faintly as she looked
at me.
"He was the supervisor newly assigned to D-squad in the last round of
personnel changes."
"..."
"But now, you won’t find him in the company database. Nor will he exist in
your memory."
I didn’t react.
"At higher levels, there’s sometimes a Darkness like this. When someone
’fails’, their existence is erased. But..."
The Managing Director placed the folder in her hand down and retrieved
something from beneath the desk.
A Dream Essence Collector.
"Dream Essence Collectors from deceased employees are still retrieved by
the company."
"...!!"
"Regrettable, but this is a self-operating model powered by the essence
collected right up until the moment of death. And..."
The Managing Director flicked the edge of the recorder attached to it.
"It also includes a basic recording function."
"..."
"This means that even exploration records from employees erased from
existence can still be reviewed and referenced by the company."
Holy shit.
"You’ve probably wondered about it at some point: ’How are the records of
deceased employees referenced in the manuals?’"
Wait a second.
She’s right. Of course, the <Dark Exploration Records> included the results
of deceased employees’ explorations, right?
That was natural. To build the atmosphere of a ghost story, records of
explorers being wiped out had to be included. They were effective at
heightening the fear!
Even the records of erased employees and objects existed in pristine detail.
But...
’I always thought the wiki was omniscient by design.’
The logic behind their existence seemed conceptually sound.
Records of the Field Exploration Team’s employees are transmitted to the
company upon death.
That’s how it was explained.
Details about the items or methods used weren’t elaborated on, supposedly
to prevent conflicts in the system’s settings...
So when I landed here, I accepted that blind spot as just another natural
element of the setting.
After all, this was a universe based on a wiki!
’But now I find out there’s such a detailed and definitive system in place...’
Suddenly, all the questions I had brushed aside as ’just part of the
worldbuilding’ came rushing back to me.
Could there be coherent background explanations for all of those gaps too?
In ways like this?
My mind was racing.
– Mr. Roe Deer! The person in front of you is still watching you. It seems
she wants to continue the interview.
’...!’
– She seems to prefer a humble attitude from stars like you, so let’s focus...
Right.
For now, I needed to focus on the conversation at hand.
Fortunately, my reaction didn’t go beyond the level of ’a curious employee
uncovering a company secret’, and the Managing Director continued
speaking.
"Based on this record, it seems you have a rather unique way of exploring
and dominating the Darkness, Supervisor Kim Soleum."
"..."
It appeared that Supervisor Yoon Johoon had recognized me when I became
a student.
"Becoming part of an urban legend yourself. ’Assimilation’—it’s not a
method for the faint-hearted or the unwise to attempt..."
What are you even saying? That sounds terrifying...
"In any case, even such exploration records are being collected without
gaps... I wanted to share that with you."
Managing Director Cheong looked at me.
"What do you think? Is it more systematic than you expected?"
"..."
"I’ve heard there are employees who claim this company runs on sheer
improvisation."
Th, this... is making me break out in a cold sweat as a mere cog in the
system.
"I’ve even met and spoken with some of them. Most of them are bright
individuals."
Her tone was strangely kind.
"But eventually, they’ll realize there’s no other company in the world where
rewards and punishments are as clear and rational as this one."
"..."
"If you’re truly capable, even a few mistakes won’t stop you from moving
up smoothly."
I didn’t agree with her.
But Managing Director Cheong smiled as if I had enthusiastically
responded with, "Of course, ma’am, I’ll think positively about it!" and then
dismissed me with a parting remark.
"Off you go. Send my regards to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon."
– Friend. Do you know this saying? ’Cream always rises to the top.’
– It means the excellent always stand out, no matter where they are. A
phrase perfectly suited to describe you right now!
Honestly, ’The nail that sticks out gets hammered’ feels more accurate...
I returned to the D-squad office feeling utterly drained.
It was like reading a pseudo-scientific book and realizing it was all true.
I couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.
"Squad Leader."
"Yes."
"What I just went through wasn’t an interview."
"I see."
"..."
"..."
"Do you need help?"
"Yes, sir."
"Explain."
I practically rapped out everything that had just happened.
From Managing Director Cheong’s remarks, the Dream Essence Collector,
the missing D-squad employee...
And even the proposal I received!
’Anyway, information about the Dream Essence Collector is probably
something a squad leader would already know.’
Plus, I knew Squad Leader Lee Jaheon wasn’t the type to get angry or
manipulate me for receiving an exceptional offer over him.
Because, well... he’s a lizard.
"I see."
As expected, the lizard simply nodded.
"Do you need my advice?"
"Yes."
"Decline it."
"...!!"
That’s it? Just a flat-out conclusion?
"Could you tell me why?"
"Certainly. Managing Director Cheong Dallae is a being with a strong sense
of ownership over the company."
"..."
Does she think of the company as hers?
Wait a minute.
"Did you just refer to her as a ’being’?"
"Yes."
That’s a very suspicious term.
"...Are you saying Managing Director Cheong isn’t human?"
"I cannot answer that."
"..."
That’s basically the same as confirming it, isn’t it?
At the very least, it’s clear there’s something off about Managing Director
Cheong.
But then again, this is a ghost story specialist corporation!
"A-Anyway, please continue."
"Yes. Because of this, Managing Director Cheong will not hesitate to seize
an opportunity to bind capable individuals to what she considers her
property."
"...!"
"There’s a high likelihood that, during this process, actions will occur that
go strongly against your ethical standards, Supervisor Kim Soleum’s."
Holy shit.
"Don’t take the risk. Additionally, there’s a strong chance you’ll be assigned
to an elite squad within six months."
"...But I’ll have to leave D-squad, won’t I?"
"Yes."
"..."
"Do you wish to stay in D-squad?"
"I’d prefer to, if possible."
"I see."
Not even a hint of regret, huh, Squad Leader...
What a consistent man... I mean, a consistent lizard.
’Not that I was expecting anything else.’
At least I could trust that he wouldn’t deliberately try to deceive me. I could
take his advice at face value.
"Thank you for explaining everything, Squad Leader."
"Yes."
Hm.
I hesitated and then asked,
"By any chance, Squad Leader, don’t you want to become the leader of an
elite squad?"
"I have no desire for it."
In other words, he doesn’t care either way.
Which also means his opinion isn’t helpful for my decision at all...
’This is driving me nuts.’
Afterward, I had a few more conversations with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon,
but nothing particularly fruitful came from them.
It only deepened my dilemma.
’An elite squad, huh...’
While the squad leader had logically and rationally advised me to refuse,
corporate life often operates on irrationality and emotions.
Why else would Squad Leader Lee Jaheon have so many enemies in the
company, and why would the A-squad leader glare at him like she wanted
to kill him every time they met?
’I appreciate the advice, but it’s hard to approach this situation that way...’
Moreover, the senior staff at this ghost story company didn’t seem like the
kind of people you could just refuse outright.
Dodging the way I had with the A-squad leader wouldn’t work here.
Managing Director Cheong had practically implied that refusing outright
would lead to disaster.
"Ha..."
Why am I agonizing over this when I’ve been promised a promotion and
exceptional treatment...?!
’I just want to quit this ghost story company...!!’
That evening, in the end, I went home utterly mentally exhausted.
"..."
I didn’t even explore any Darknesses—just stayed in the office, writing
reports—and yet it had been ages since I’d felt so drained.
– Oh dear, my friend seems utterly worn out.
– Let’s head inside quickly. Rest is crucial for delivering a great
performance, isn’t it?
’...Yeah.’
Meeting a high-ranking official, learning about the lore, and receiving an
extraordinary proposal...
’I’m exhausted...’
As soon as I showered, I collapsed on the living room sofa.
– Friend, how about we have a nice cup of hot chocolate and chat tonight?
It’ll help you unwind from the day’s fatigue!
I don’t have hot chocolate... but a glass of honey water sounds like a good
idea.
I set Braun on the dining table, boiled water in the kettle, and made myself
some honey water.
As I drank it absentmindedly, I turned my back slightly to Braun, intending
to continue our conversation lightly.
– Friend. I have a secret to share with you.
A secret?
– Yes. With my professional charm, I’ve hidden it well, so it might have
been hard for you to notice. But in truth...
Braun took a dramatic breath before announcing,
– Last night’s events were a tremendous shock to me!
"..."
A secret...?
Well, it seemed his intention was to console me, so I responded earnestly.
"What... shocked you so much?"
– A ’good friend’ goes wherever their friend wants to go... Yet, this Braun...
couldn’t follow you.
The shadow of the bunny plushie seemed to droop slightly.
– It is truly a shameful and mortifying experience.
D-Does it really have to be that serious?
It was just a dream, after all.
I figured Braun couldn’t come along because he’s not just an item I carry,
but an independent entity that might require a special ritual.
’You don’t have to worry. That sort of thing won’t happen often in the
future.’
– Oh, my friend is so considerate. In that case, let’s think of it this way...
– If I, your very good friend, had accompanied you to last night’s intense
graduation ceremony, don’t you think today’s troubles would’ve been a
little easier to handle?
...
Well... maybe.
Assistant Manager Yoon Johoon might not have noticed me at all.
If Braun had triggered his ’Lights Out’ ability.
– Exactly! That’s my role!
– ...It’s been a while since I’ve felt such anticipation. For our friendship,
and for me to fulfill my role, hmm...
From behind me came the sound of someone pacing nervously, like a shoe
tapping against the floor.
And then, they stopped abruptly.
– Right! I would’ve loved to act directly, but with this body of stuffing, I’m
afraid I’ll need your help.
– Just one simple action, and we’ll be in a much better position, Friend.
Could I ask you for this favor?
Braun spoke in a polite and warm tone.
– If you help me bathe in the Tub of Youth just one more time, I’ll be
overjoyed!
Ah.
’That.’
...
...
"Sure, why not?"
– Oh! Thank you so much, Friend...!
I readily agreed!
Seeing my good friend so happy made me feel a little better.
– You won’t regret this decision.
T/N: braun is lowkey scaring me a little here >.> he’s really acting like a
ghost haunting a doll, whispering ’benign’ things to the doll’s owner
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