Chapter 181: Ch 181: Thoroughly contaminated
...
[Can you hear me?]
I can hear it.
Braun’s voice.
Classic, cheerful, and with a distinctive accent.
[My heartfelt advice is already prepared, but no matter how good the advice
is, it’s meaningless if you’re not ready to listen to it.]
[So, first, I need to properly introduce you to your current situation, Mr.
Roe Deer.]
...Introduce my situation to me?
I held the receiver, and gradually fell into a strange sense of immersion, as
if the conversation was spreading beyond hearing to all five senses...
...
[Can you see it?]
Ah.
I can see it.
[Oh, good! Then, let me introduce it! Roe Deer’s Great Adventures, Resort
Arc!]
A classic band sound and applause as the curtain rises.
That’s...
’Me.’
As if rewinding a sitcom, my days from the very first day I entered Cheerful
Theme Park begin playing before my eyes.
Me, waking up in the resort facilities office wearing a Security Team
uniform.
[What a fun costume! Isn’t it rather nice? A beast restrained by a belt, so
typical of horror and allure. But it’s not bad. Not bad at all...]
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
With cheerful sound effects, the things I did are edited and pass by in quick
succession.
[That was the moment you became the owner of this resort. Hmm, the
mascot’s deformed style looks a little childish... but it’s fine. This is a
theme park, after all!]
[Yellow bowties for all employees? Oh my! It would’ve been better to just
put mascot suits on all of them! Good heavens!]
Laughter.
[Goodness, giving out gifts and free spa services too? That’s a promotion so
outrageous all the world’s gloomy souls would come running! Well, unless
the resort goes bankrupt first, of course!]
Scenes flash by rapidly, edited for speed.
Braun’s cheerful commentary turns my desperate survival story into
something like a fun and successful resort management tale.
[The dead staff rise up and start working again! Thus, Mr. Roe Deer learns
another valuable mascot lesson.]
[’You can’t fix a person, but you can fix an employee’!]
I felt strange.
’...Did I really do all that?’
It was an odd feeling.
After all, true immersion is when you get absorbed in something that’s not
your own experience.
In other words... it’s based on distance.
So, the yellow mascot’s actions in the flashback felt like something to be
evaluated, not relived.
[And another! Someone unsuited to the dignity of the resort is thrown out
the lobby doors once again!]
At some point during the past few days, I’d started endlessly adding new
guest and staff rules, gradually becoming the resort’s powerful and
fearsome manager.
A typical Cheerful Theme Park mascot.
That... that’s...
[Look at your rigorous guest selection process!]
The more successful the resort became, the more powerful I grew.
As the resort expanded, brought in more guests, earned better reviews, and
made more profit, I began to judge management policy not by safety, but by
the presence or absence of discomfort.
’Wait a second.’
A feeling of wrongness slowly crept in.
And then... the scene finally reached the moment I changed ’bodies’.
In the flashback, I naturally transfered my consciousness into a standard
mascot to deal with the chaos inside the resort, when Supervisor Lee
Seonghae killed Ladybug.
...Seeing it this way, it really was a perspective and ability that was no
longer human.
[This is the scene. Here’s my first piece of advice for you, Mr. Roe Deer.]
[Let’s focus on this moment. But...]
With a tape rewind sound, the scene rewinds.
[It’ll be fun to watch it from a different angle this time.]
My consciousness, which had moved into a standard mascot, and what was
left behind. My body.
The yellow mascot standing at the gate to the blue zone stands still for a
moment, then soon begins handing out balloons and greeting guests at the
gate.
Just like the standard mascots.
’...!’
Thank goodness. It was right there the whole time.
Since it was next to the blue zone gate, it shouldn’t have been harmed or
gone missing.
...Although I was immediately struck by horror at the thought that my own
body could be treated like a standard mascot.
Anyway, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over me for a moment.
Now I just have to retrieve my body and quickly perform the ceremony!
T h a n k Y —
[Shh! Let’s enjoy just a little more.]
But the ’advice’ wasn’t over.
[Now then... here it comes. Oh, what a foul and rude intruder!]
It’s dizzying.
The flashback fast-forwards again, soon leading to the recent rampage of
Magic Bunny’s crazy gate attack.
The missing people, driven insane by torture from the red mascot, wail and
beg and die as lunatics.
It was a hellish scene.
[A surprise attack! What an electrifying event that ratchets up the tension.
Oh! Your response is great, too!]
One by one, countless missing people who were once ordinary become
terrifying monsters, shouting for the red mascot, being killed like a joke,
and rising again as red mascots.
And in the scene, the yellow mascot—filled with rage—threatened by
throwing the corpse of the red mascot back through the gate.
From the black shadow of the mascot whose territory had been invaded,
strange golden branches bulged out and then disappeared...
...
Wait a minute.
Rage?
Instead of feeling devastated or terrified by what happened, what came first
was the anger of having my territory invaded?
I was going to punish the intruders?
S t r a n g e
That’s really how it was.
A chilling sensation crawled up my back.
In the end, I came to a conclusion about the evaluation of my own actions...
—Thoroughly contaminated.
As the yellow mascot, I had already become thoroughly assimilated into
this resort.
Under the pretense of acting for the sake of escape, I was doing everything I
could to make the resort more successful and expand it.
And the principles of the resort, which I had originally created for safety,
had ended up dominating me, enforcing etiquette and dignity above all else.
...The means and the ends had been reversed.
S t r a n g e
I flailed my arms, and then realized.
Why do I still have my right arm?
This was already my fifth day here.
So why was my right arm still moving without any problem?
The dokkaebi flame that mimicked my right arm should be recharged every
three days, yet there’s been no reaction.
Even my original body, which I’d left near the blue zone gate, still had its
right arm intact. I, I...
I had reached a point where I could move my right arm just by having the
form of a mascot suit.
A cold realization ran down my spine.
’Just how much have I been consumed by the mascot?’
It wasn’t simply a matter of how long I’d been a mascot, but rather, the
more successfully the resort was operated, the deeper this consumption
became...
[That’s right. You were far too devoted to your role as the mascot of this
resort. And...]
[It’s already too late.]
[You can’t quit on your own anymore. You are now a member of the
Cheerful Theme Park.]
My hands trembled.
[You even personally drove out your meddlesome predecessor just now.
The resort is now completely yours!]
Then...
C a n ’ t
E s c a p e ?
[Oh, it seems that’s the case, doesn’t it?]
This can’t be.
[And once the final announcement is made, everyone will know the truth.
I’m talking about your soon-to-begin event, the Flower Golden Resort
Illumination.]
...The mascot ceremony.
The mascot ceremony is a ritual that officially announces which mascot
owns the Flower Golden Resort and has it recognized by the guests.
If it’s carried out successfully, that fame can be used as a stepping stone to
expand to yet another facility.
The ceremony is about establishing one’s identity as a mascot.
So, the moment the ceremony is completed successfully...
—I’ll be officially recognized as a complete mascot.
The true and sole owner of the resort.
All traces of my former self will be colored over, and there won’t even be a
remnant of self left to separate from the mascot...
’That can’t happen.’
[Hm. I agree. What a boring fate it would be to spend the rest of your days
in such a musty old resort!]
[Mr. Roe Deer, you have an obligation to keep experiencing and showing
entertaining things. It’s something you personally promised your friend...]
F r i e n d
[That’s right. I am your friend. The very reason you came here!]
The kind voice continued to guide me.
[You wish to leave this place, don’t you, Mr. Roe Deer?]
That’s right.
[Then you’d best keep listening to my advice. Just take the receiver with
you, Friend. Now, quickly unplug it and bring it along. Good...]
With trembling forepaws, I unplugged the receiver and picked it up.
The voice still came from the receiver, even after it was unplugged.
[Good... Very good!]
[Now, let me give you my final piece of advice... Don’t be surprised. It’s a
magical solution that can get you out of this predicament! And that is...]
The voice drops to a whisper.
[Switch your place as mascot with one of the employees.]
...!
[There’s no need to make a brand-new mascot! Just have him imitate you.]
[If you make him perform the ceremony in your place, he’ll be mistaken for
you. After all, if everyone thinks so, that’s what becomes reality. Oh, this
will be so much fun!]
[Someone might feel sorry for that fate... but you can just pick one of those
who exist only for your sake!]
[The two employees who swore to serve you forever until the contract ends,
who have nowhere else to return.]
Bison.
Ladybug.
Those brought back from the dead.
[That’s right. The chosen one will faithfully carry on your mascot duties...
well, until he’s eaten alive by the red mascot, anyway.]
[Choose one of the two and make him perform the mascot ceremony in
your place, Mr. Roe Deer!]
...
[Very simple, isn’t it? If I dare guess, this is as good as already decided...]
The voice rises in excitement.
[The one your heart is pointing to, if you were to say the name...?]
...
[Mr. Roe Deer?]
N o n e
[Hm?]
I raised my trembling body and grabbed the facilities room door.
The time left until closing... 45 minutes.
C e r e m o n y
I ’ l l
D o i t
[...Oh. Don’t tell me you’re saying you’ll spend the rest of your days in this
dusty old theme park, Friend? You, who have turned down a far more
wonderful and suitable job for your talents, much less this one...]
N o
[Then do you have another alternative? How surprising! It must be quite a
remarkable idea if you’re rejecting advice from this Braun here!]
I walked out of the facility office with a sense of resolve.
And I declared into the receiver.
My plan.
R e s o r t
B l o w I t U p
[...?!]
For a moment, there was silence on the other end, as if startled.
Of course, the legendary Host was quick to recover and speak smoothly.
[Good heavens. Mr. Roe Deer, destroying this resort doesn’t mean you’ll be
freed from your mascot duties! In fact, you’ll only have to deal with
tremendous expenses.]
[Where on earth did you get that reckless and useless idea?]
I t ’ s W o r t h w h i l e
Meanwhile.
I had finished my conversation with the blue mascot by using my original
body, which was standing by the blue zone gate.
I t ’ l l B e F u n
F r i e n d
[...Oh, good heavens.]
Alright.
I took a deep breath.
...Let’s do this.
* * *
At the same time—
Flower Golden Resort, Evening Garden.
’T-They’re still here...!’
The Magic Bunnies continued to stare.
The cute rabbit mascot, without the slightest movement, was watching the
Flower Golden Resort’s garden and the employees within.
"..."
Dozens of mascot suits stared at me in silence.
It was a bizarre and unnerving experience.
All the more so if you had seen those mascot suits tearing out human
entrails and laughing just a few dozen minutes earlier.
A few of the employees were breaking out in cold sweat. Though, this
wasn’t just because of those unnerving stares.
"W-Why isn’t he coming??"
The yellow mascot still isn’t here!
Because they had all received a direct order from the mascot to ’look after
the guests’, they couldn’t leave their posts.
But the employer who had dragged a Magic Bunny mascot into the resort
was still nowhere to be seen.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes passed, each one feeling like an hour...
"Don’t you know how much time is left now?"
"Forty minutes."
"..."
"There are forty minutes left until closing."
Yes...
The Disaster Management Bureau agent hesitated, hiding behind the team
leader to avoid the Daydream Inc. employee in the lizard mask.
The team leader stifled a sigh.
’...Should I be preparing, just in case?’
She gripped the Four-Tiger sword[1] in her inner pocket.
And it wasn’t just her getting ready for a fight.
Some of the Daydream Inc. employees seemed to be limbering up.
Lizard. Dolphin.
’...Looks like some pretty tough ones.’
Elite team, maybe.
She was eyeing them sharply, checking if their masks bore the gold
emblem. But at that moment—
The one in the dolphin mask clapped her hands and waved.
"He’s here!"
"...!"
It was true.
There, the yellow mascot suit was waddling with all its might, running
toward the resort.
The mascot with glass golden flowers adorning his horns.
At that moment, chills ran down the team leader’s back.
’...He’s gotten stronger?’
He felt somehow like a far greater presence.
It was as if his power could be felt directly on her skin...
But his outward appearance hadn’t changed.
’What is it?’
Did he devour something on the way?
But regardless of her suspicions, the yellow mascot’s gentle manner as he
checked on each of the staff one by one was not reassuring.
It was almost like he was checking on his employees, making sure everyone
was safe before calling all the other mascots together.
N o w
S t a r t
The team leader raised her hand.
"Wait."
"...!!"
"T-Team leader!"
"You said after the event, when the amusement park closes, that thing
comes, right? Do you have any countermeasures?"
The yellow mascot turned to the team leader and held out his hand.
I t ’ s O k a y
And pointed.
Y o u A l l
O v e r T h e r e
"...?!"
And so, with thirty minutes left until closing.
The long-delayed, extravagant illumination event began.
Note/s:
[1] Four-Tiger Sword : a wall-hanging sword that was produced by
the royal family from the early Joseon period (during the reign of King
Taejo), and was crafted throughout the Joseon Dynasty for use both in the
royal court and among the common people. It is a sword imbued with the
energy of pure yang, said to cut down evil spirits and ward off calamities.