Chapter 151: Ch 151: been a while
...The phrase ’What a relief that you’re alive’ carried two implied premises.
That he knew who the other person is.
And that he had assumed that person was dead.
All of it pointed back to one thing.
The Security Team’s sergeant had recognized me, the one sitting in the taxi
driver’s seat, as Supervisor Kim Soleum of the Field Exploration Team who
had been declared deceased.
’...Since when?’
I checked the sergeant sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
He was wearing his worn security uniform as if they were civilian clothes,
cap pulled low.
I couldn’t see his face clearly.
But somehow... he seemed relieved.
Suddenly, I remembered what Supervisor Park Minseong had said.
– Sergeant Jay from the Security Team asked about you sometimes... I
didn’t say you got lost in a Darkness or anything... but a few days ago, he
seemed to have figured it out already.
...Given his years of experience as a sergeant in the Security Team, he
would’ve seen plenty of rookies from Daydream Inc.’s Field Exploration
Team vanish.
Still, maybe because we were acquainted, he’d worried about me...
’I’m grateful. And sorry.’
And on top of that, it was surprising how he recognized me and still played
it cool, quietly waiting without saying a word.
Of course, given that I was currently playing the role of corporate spy, this
wasn’t exactly a heartwarming reunion.
Anyway, Director Ho already seemed to suspect that the D-squad knew I
was alive. I couldn’t afford to make things worse.
’The sergeant’s not the type to run around blabbing about seeing me,
anyway.’
A subtle hint when he gets off the taxi, asking him to keep it quiet, would be
enough.
Once I’d sorted it all out in my head, I spoke in the most taxi-driver-like,
friendly voice I could muster.
"Oh man, what a ride... Thought my heart was going to give out. So, sir.
You said you’re headed to Seoul Station, right? It’ll take about 40 minutes
to get—"
"Ah, that... It’s fine. I don’t need to go."
"...Pardon, sir?"
I instinctively glanced at the mirror to look at the sergeant.
He met my eyes in the reflection, smiling faintly.
"No reason to go anymore, I guess...?"
"..."
Wait a second.
– Um... is this how you do it... Please take me to Seoul Station where I can
ride the express train...
Express train. Seoul Station.
...That place is also the publicly known departure point for Tamra Express
into the Darkness—the very one I’d been reported missing in.
’No way.’
No, that couldn’t be. I kept my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
And yet... I ended up speaking.
"...Ah, did you decide to meet the person somewhere else?"
"That’s not it... I already met them."
"..."
"It’s okay..."
Ah, damn it.
He really did come looking for me?
’The guy who’s not even allowed outside except at night.’
It’s been over a month since I went missing. Everyone had given up hope
and processed me as dead.
And yet, this guy... just because we were somewhat acquainted, he came
chasing traces of me before dawn to catch the express train. That’s...
Maybe it’s because I know his backstory. Before he was assigned to the
Security Team, he was a named squad leader of the B squad. Somehow, that
made it even more touching.
And it made me think.
"..."
If it’s to this extent... maybe he’s trustworthy.
’...He was never the type to be blindly loyal or passionate about the
company anyway.’
If that’s the case.
I decided to double-check.
"Ah, sir. Are you maybe out on assignment? Does the company reimburse
the fare or maybe track your location for reports...?"
"Umm... No. They don’t."
The sergeant answered firmly.
"They don’t really care enough to do that now... And these days, they’re
more lenient about going out, too."
"..."
Alright.
"Then... before sunrise, would you like to take a little drive with me?"
"...!"
I turned off the car’s built-in navigation and pulled up a new route on my
personal phone.
The destination... a location accessible through the keywords: Empathy, Attention,
Toy.
The lab where Daydream Inc.’s prototype device was stored.
* * *
I parked the taxi at the destination.
As soon as I got out with the sergeant, I called out to him.
"Jay-ssi."
The sergeant looked up instantly. Not in surprise, but almost with relief.
"Ah, so the taxi wasn’t contaminated by the Darkness..."
"...Pardon?"
"The express train... sometimes you get contaminated while riding it,
and... um... you end up reassigned to other transport, like as a driver or
something...?"
"..."
Hold on.
Did he seriously think I’d been so contaminated by a ghost story that I
became a ghost story taxi driver, and just played along the whole time?!
’If I’d pushed too hard, he might’ve tried to yeet me out of the car.’
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Good thing that misunderstanding didn’t go too far, and he got out when he
did.
"It’s nothing. Still... Thank you for worrying about me."
"Yes... What a relief..."
’I almost had the rare experience of walking straight into the maw of a
ghost story...’
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and locked the car door after the sergeant
stepped out.
Then suddenly, a question popped into my mind.
"Um, but... why did you suddenly hail a taxi in the mountains?"
Don’t tell me... he tried walking to Seoul Station from the mountains and
got lost...
"The mountain?"
A confused voice.
"I... was in front of the company."
"...?!"
The explanation that followed was this.
As expected, the sergeant had been dazedly walking from in front of the
company toward Seoul Station.
It was so early that all public transportation had stopped, and apparently
he’d forgotten how to call a taxi.
And then he saw it.
A taxi that oddly stood out to the eye.
"And I heard the radio..."
"...!!"
"Hearing the radio, um... reminded me of the time I took a taxi before..."
So, though clumsy, he’d impulsively followed the taxi and managed to
catch it.
...There was only one possible explanation for this entire story.
’...Braun!’
Distorted time and space, and the spotlight.
If it was the handiwork of the showbiz ghost story host, then no wonder it
left such a chilling impression.
And the way the sergeant recognized me was just as striking...
"The smell."
"...!"
"I have a good nose..."
A remark that, to anyone watching, would be extremely convincing coming
from someone tainted by an animal ghost story with a snout...
In any case, I had a rough grasp of the situation now. I shook my head once
and moved closer to show him something.
"This way, please."
A door disguised as a manhole cover, propped up against a wall in an alley.
"It would be better to go inside and talk in more detail."
Then I opened the door and headed down.
"Oh..."
The sergeant followed behind with a lifeless murmur, but the moment he
saw the lab’s nameplate, he froze for a second.
Dream Incubation Chamber.
"..."
"This is... the company..."
"I don’t think so."
I opened the lab door and let the sergeant see inside.
"But it does seem to be connected."
"...!"
Among the people I know, he had worked the longest at the company, was
deeply involved, but had no particular personal stake.
The former squad leader of elite B-squad quietly lowered his gaze as he
looked at the fundamental research lab of Daydream Inc.’s pharmaceutical
tech.
"Jay-ssi, is there anything here that catches your eye?"
Rather than his usual sluggish motions, which had shown not even a drop of
enthusiasm, the sergeant moved swiftly and precisely through the lab.
Even his eyes seemed like someone else’s.
"Well, there are some unusual items here, so I hope you won’t overexert
yourself."
There was no reply.
He even tried to skim through the research journal I had once tossed away
in exhaustion, but when a grotesque black shadow tried to leap out over him
again, I freaked out and snatched it away.
"..."
"..."
Only after that whole inspection ended did the sergeant finally speak.
"...Um, this place... who told you about it? A company employee?"
"No, I happened to find a clue in another ghost story. When I looked into it,
strangely enough, it didn’t seem to belong to Daydream Inc."
"..."
"Even though it clearly looks like a prototype made with the same
technology."
The sergeant affirmed this with silence.
"Do you have any idea what this place might be? Even if it’s just a
suspicion or a partial guess."
"...Hmm."
The sergeant glanced around the lifeless, seemingly abandoned lab space,
then opened his mouth with a peculiar expression.
"You know... have you heard of the company disposing of Darknesses?"
...!!
"No."
But I actually had.
I’d directly witnessed how that plot device was updated several times to
become more coherent.
But since it would be too odd for a rookie to know such things, it was better
to hear it directly from the sergeant.
"What do you mean by disposing of Darknesses?"
"I mean... even if someone clears it, if Essence can’t be extracted from it
anymore... they throw it out..."
"..."
"Because it’s no longer useful..."
That’s right.
Ghost stories that, from Daydream Inc.’s perspective, no longer yield any
productivity.
When a Darkness loses its supernatural presence, Dream Essence can no
longer be harvested from it.
In such cases, after the deletion procedure of its registration number, it’s
discarded, although some are recycled through research or recharge
processes.
Here, ’loses its supernatural presence’ typically means that too much
exploration data has accumulated and the manual is overly complete.
’They’ve fully mapped out the ghost story.’
The sense of the extraordinary and mysterious fades, and employees just
handle it like routine, without tension.
Once all its mechanisms are revealed and there’s no longer anything creepy
or left to imagine, that ghost story becomes reality.
Just a slightly dangerous reality.
No different from a high-risk industrial site.
Of course, since it was originally a ghost story, it might still retain some
eerie traits that could act as an unnatural trigger.
Like that blood and filth-covered research journal the sergeant was now
tapping with his fingers.
"This kind of thing too... It just feels like one of those discarded
Darknesses..."
Hmm.
Then there’s a high chance this space itself was originally a ghost story.
If I piece it all together...
’Daydream Inc. extracted pharmaceutical technology from this ghost
story... and in the process of wringing it dry, the ghost story itself
disappeared... is that it?’
In any case, the fact that this place had now become relatively safe was
good information.
"And this..."
The Security Sergeant picked up the card key placed in front of the Dream
Incubator.
The ID I had found on the corpse of the deceased researcher.
Cheerful Researcher
■■■
"This says... ’Cheerful’, right...?"
"That’s how I read it too."
"Ah, I thought so."
The sergeant fiddled with the card key and spoke slowly, gaze lowered.
"Then by any chance... do you know ’Cheerful Research Institute’?"
"...!"
The moment I heard that specific name.
I realized.
Why the name ’Cheerful’ had felt strangely familiar.
’...Cheerful Research Institute!’ [1]
From the mysterious candle kit I had to the theme park ghost story I
previously investigated.
It was the origin of those ghost stories I’d repeatedly come across but
dismissed as incidental worldbuilding tidbits.
A name that had shown up several times even in the <Dark Exploration
Records>.
A ghost story maker.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Factions
Cheerful Research Institute
A strange group that produces toy-themed ghost stories. Their size,
personnel, and purpose are all unknown.
Products from the Cheerful Research Institute appear in various
places, from ghost story shopping platforms like Delusion Home
Shopping, Space Shopping Mall, Today’s Catalogue, to old rural attics.
They’re often registered as Darknesses with Daydream Inc. The most
famous example is that theme park.
========================
"Um... There are ghost stories that produce other ghost stories... and the
company kind of favors those..." the sergeant explained.
That Cheerful Research Institute is a name you can come across fairly often
within Daydream Inc.
And then came something new to me.
"I heard about how the very first Darkness the company ever registered had
the Cheerful Research Institute tag too."
Huh?
"...Do you know what that Darkness was?"
"No idea. I only overheard the executives talking about it... that it had
already been discarded..."
Holy shit.
"You... remember all that?"
The sergeant gazed at me blankly.
"When it comes to the company, I remember everything... all of it."
"..."
"Other things... I’ve forgotten a lot of this and that..."
"...Would you like to remember them again?"
The sergeant pressed down his cap.
"Not really... They weren’t all good memories."
"..."
Maybe he only thinks that because he’s forgotten.
"I understand. Still, if the opportunity comes someday, wouldn’t it be nice
to look for the good memories? Like a really tasty meal or a fun place."
"Mmh."
The sergeant’s voice brightened slightly.
"That... might not be so bad."
"Right?"
I nodded with a smile.
"Thank you for kindly explaining all this despite being dragged to such a
strange place. I doubt there are many employees who know that the first
ghost story Daydream Inc. registered had the Cheerful Research Institute
tag..."
"You’re probably not supposed to know it in the first place..."
"..."
Ack.
The sergeant brought his index finger to his lips.
"So don’t spread it around... unless you want a visit from the Security
Team..."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Of course... Mr. Roe Deer... Since you played dead and slipped
away... it might take the Security Team a while to find you."
"...?!"
Played dead...? Oh, right.
"Uh, I didn’t actually escape the company..."
"...?!"
"I’m currently on Director Ho’s project team."
I quickly explained my current situation. Skipped over the part about being
missing inside a ghost story for a month, and focused on the fact that I was
now being worked to the bone at the director’s task force.
"I applied because it seemed like the fastest way to get a Wish Ticket."
"..."
"I’m not really supposed to say this either,
so I’d appreciate it if you kept it
secret."
"There’s no one I can even tell..."
Oof.
The sergeant said something casually miserable, then stared into space as if
deep in thought.
"Director Ho... All the executives in this company are out of their minds
anyway..."
Yeah. I’m starting to get that too...
"Um, do you know Director Ho well?"
"No... Director Ho came in after I was already in the Security Team..."
Ah.
"I saw Director Cheong a few times... but that was ages ago..."
The sergeant looked around.
"Anyway... don’t tell the executives about this..."
"Of course."
The staff member who originally discovered this facility and reported it was
dead now. I had no intention of divulging this place either.
But at this point...
’...Should I share a bit more clearly.’
I’d already gone ahead and shown this place to the sergeant. And despite
how suspicious I must’ve looked, he’d continued to show trust and offer
information.
’Wouldn’t it be good to solidify that trust a bit more here.’
I should share what I know too.
After all, I’ve confirmed that he’s still a decent person—from the detailed
records in the <Dark Exploration Records> to the real-life person right in
front of me.
’Alright.’
"...Jay-ssi, then could you take a look at this?"
I reactivated the Dream Incubator, which had been in sleep mode, using the
card key.
Ziiing—
The panel and glass chamber lit up with a sound.
🥰🥸🤯🧐🤪🥱
"...!"
"If you press this, it seems to produce a syrup similar to Daydream’s
potions."
I showed the pipe mechanism, even explaining how the Dream Essence had
been charged.
"It looks like we’ll be able to recharge Dream Essence separately going
forward..."
"That."
A light returned to the Security Sergeant’s eyes.
"Elite Team Collector."
Ah.
"Yes. I acquired an unregistered one by chance."
"..."
The sergeant cautiously reached out, gently touched the collector I was
holding, then pulled his hand back.
"...I heard they don’t make these anymore..."
"..."
Had the sergeant used this type of collector back when he was in the B-
squad?
"It won’t be tracked, right...?"
"Yes. It’s an item that was never registered with the company."
"I see..."
The sergeant didn’t even ask where I’d gotten it.
He just stared at the collector, lost in nostalgia, before turning his gaze to
the buttons on the Dream Incubator.
"...Do you recognize any of these emojis?"
"No... But the machine itself... it looks similar to what I saw at the
company..."
"...!"
As expected.
"Does the company also produce potions with a similar machine?"
"Probably... Hmm."
The sergeant looked at me and gave a faint smile.
"If you’re curious... should I look into it a bit...? Cheerful Research
Institute... and other things..."
...!
"Wouldn’t that be dangerous?"
"..."
The sergeant’s face returned to its usual expressionless state. He spoke as if
even shaking his head was too much effort.
"It’s not dangerous..."
Well, if you say so.
"Thank you."
"Mmh..."
And with that, I gained an internal collaborator within the company.
The sergeant, a reliable—if lethargic—veteran.
Some time later.
"Get home safe, sergeant."
"Yeah."
Before the sun rose, the sergeant returned home safely.
And after finishing our conversation, I pressed a new emoji and obtained
one potion.
For the record, the emoji I pressed was...
🤯
...I admit, it was a button I would never have pressed if I were alone.
Huu.
I had originally meant to give it to the sergeant as a token of thanks, but he
rejected it with his usual dead-fish eyes.
– I... don’t really need something like that.
– ...Right.
Let’s give him something else next time.
I absentmindedly fiddled with the glass bottle in my pocket as I saw the
sergeant off.
...By the way, (not that it’s surprising), the sergeant didn’t even have a cell
phone, let alone a smartphone.
So I bought a prepaid SIM at a convenience store, backed up my old phone,
reset it, inserted the SIM, and handed it over to him.
And as soon as stores opened, I went out and bought myself a new phone.
"You can reach me through this number."
"Okay..."
How should I put it. Aside from donuts, the man seemed completely devoid
of any worldly desires...
’Is that what it’s like to be deeply contaminated, I wonder.’
On my way to return the taxi, I dropped the sergeant off about a 12-minute
walk from the company.
"Aaalrighty."
And so, at last, my long night shift was over.
’The Disaster Management Bureau task went smoothly too!’
I returned the taxi on time, got a favorable evaluation for carrying out my
role without incident!
"Good work."
"No, not at all...!"
It was hellish, but here, the right answer was to deny it. I bowed my head to
Agent Bronze while ignoring the right hand that was giving me a proud
thumbs-up.
Then, after a few days of proper rest during my off-duty period and
finishing the associated paperwork...
"You’ll be working here today."
Back at the Disaster Management Bureau headquarters, I encountered a
familiar face.
Jang Heowoon.
"Ah...!"
My fellow recruit’s eyes lit up when he saw me, but he quickly bowed his
head in a forced show of politeness.
The supervisor standing in front of him laughed and extended a hand to
Agent Bronze beside me.
"It’s been a while, Agent Bronze. Ah, is this the new recruit?"
"Yes, yes...! I look forward to working with you!"
That’s right.
Today was the job I’d been waiting for. Site Cleanup Unit duty!
’I’ll definitely prove I’m suited for this...!’
* * *
"..."
I failed to prove it.