Chapter 49: Ch 49: New Responsibilities
The green magical potion slipped into Go Yeongeun’s mouth.
Gulp. Gulp.
When the liquid was gone, and the glass bottle was completely empty—
"...!"
Go Yeongeun lowered the bottle.
Eyes wide open, she brought both hands to her ears...
And, trembling within her palms,
As if new flesh was sprouting over an injury, round lumps of flesh began
growing where her ears had been torn away.
In an instant, they started taking shape.
The helix, tragus, and earlobes all formed distinct structures around the
cartilage, and then...
They became whole again.
"..."
"W-Wow...!!"
Goodness.
"Go Yeongeun-ssi?"
"Yes!! Oh! I can hear! I can actually hear...!"
Go Yeongeun exclaimed in disbelief as she touched her newly grown ears,
then opened her smartphone’s camera app to inspect them.
As expected, they looked identical to her original ears.
"Does it hurt or feel uncomfortable?"
"Not at all! It just itched for a moment, but then it was fine... Actually, it
feels like my hearing is even better than before!"
It was truly a wonderful thing.
Really, it was astonishing and awe-inspiring, something to be deeply
grateful for, but...
’...This could lead to more reckless decisions.’
In this company, if a high-grade Darkness was confirmed to involve
unavoidable severe physical injuries, low-Class regeneration potions were
sometimes issued as standard equipment.
And once people get used to that?
Employees would gradually begin to feel indifferent about losing parts of
their bodies.
It’s hard the first time, but after the second, it gets easier.
’Is that really a good thing?’
I glanced to the side with a strange feeling.
Baek Saheon was staring somberly into the ornate box containing his
regeneration potion...
With one eye.
"...Pardon, Baek Saheon-ssi."
"..."
Go Yeongeun hesitated before speaking cautiously.
"Losing vision in one eye has a bigger impact than you’d think. Depth
perception, field of view, even balance are affected. It might be better to use
it and regenerate your eye, even if it feels wasteful."
"Mind your own business."
Go Yeongeun almost showed a ’What’s with this guy?’ expression but chose
to let it go, perhaps reassured by the return of her ears.
After some hesitation, I added,
"Given the risks of our work, there’s always the chance of more injuries
later. Saving it for emergencies isn’t a bad idea either."
"Oh... That’s true."
"...!"
Baek Saheon suddenly trembled slightly as he stared intently at the box.
’Hey.’
Why did he suddenly look like he was debating, ’Should I just use it now?’
after I backed him up?
Anyway, I ignored him and carefully stashed my own box.
My heart beat a little faster.
It was my first time seeing such a famous, powerful, and non-threatening
symbolic item in person.
The symbol of Daydream Inc.
The magical potion.
’I better keep this safe.’
At that moment—
"Excuse me, Soleum-ssi."
"Yes?"
"I meant to say this earlier, but I wanted to formally thank you."
Go Yeongeun looked at me and bowed slightly.
"Truly, truly... Thank you."
Huh?
"For fighting that machine alone to let us escape."
"...Go Yeongeun-ssi, you weren’t in immediate danger back then."
Her ears had already been taken, so there was no more fee to pay. Honestly,
the only person I really saved was Baek Saheon.
’And that ungrateful punk hasn’t even said a single word of gratitude...’
What a piece of work, this punk.
However, Go Yeongeun firmly shook her head.
"No. You came back to save us afterward, didn’t you? Even lying that the
candle was ours to protect us."
"..."
"No matter how I think about it, you didn’t need to do that. You could’ve
just stayed with the D-squad."
"Um."
Yeah, but actually...
’If I gave the candle to those guys with nerves of steel instead?’
What? Was the situation secure now? Okay, then let’s test this and test that,
put it through the manual revision process, and farm some points.
Just imagining the chaos they would cause made me feel like I’d collapse
from a heart attack.
I didn’t wander around that insane exhibition to find the two of you for no
reason.
There was something even scarier behind me that drove me to act...!
’And... if I can save someone, it’s right to do so.’
I simply did what I could.
So I just shook my head.
"That’s something anyone would’ve done."
"Are you serious? It doesn’t seem that way..."
"If anything, considering your contributions, both of you deserve
promotions as well. I feel a bit guilty being the only one promoted."
Go Yeongeun frowned.
"N-No. I... I don’t really want to be promoted just yet."
"..."
"Oh but, um, Soleum-ssi, you’d do a great job, though!"
Suddenly, I felt like I might cry...
"But, why do you think we should be promoted? You do remember that all
the items at the exhibition came out of your pockets... right?"
Go Yeongeun looked at me with an expression that seemed somewhat
pitying.
"Um. In a corporate environment, if you seem too nice, people might take
you lightly, so maybe you don’t always have to be so kind to others..."
Yes?
It really felt like she was overestimating me thanks to the ’savior effect’.
But remembering the Silver Heart badge, I simply lowered my head.
Be kind!
"...Thank you for the advice."
Baek Saheon, looking utterly incredulous, alternated his gaze between me
and Go Yeongeun before clamping his mouth shut.
Then, without a word, he stood up and left.
Well, let’s just leave him be.
I exchanged polite goodbyes with Go Yeongeun and turned around, deep in
thought.
’When should I start wearing the Silver Heart badge?’
Should I only use it during missions?
As I rolled the badge around in my pocket with my fingers, planning things
out, a now-familiar silhouette appeared at the end of the hallway...
A white lizard head.
"Squad Leader."
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
It seemed the squad leader had been talking with the team leader while I
was receiving my award.
By now, even those vertical pupils were starting to feel somewhat familiar.
’Is this the savior effect too?’
I momentarily recalled the lizard’s brutal knuckle strikes that had split the
usher machine’s needle in two and fell silent.
Then, the lizard’s vertical pupils shifted toward the empty regeneration
potion bottle and its box.
"Did you use it?"
"Pardon? Oh. It wasn’t mine. My colleague here... Go Yeongeun-ssi used
it."
"Hello, sir! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Go Yeongeun!"
Go Yeongeun bowed her head politely to the unfamiliar lizard—or rather,
the squad leader from another team.
The lizard regarded her with unblinking eyes.
"I have a question."
"Y-Yes?"
"Are you the owner of the escape item?"
"...Pardon?"
"Three days ago, in the B-Class Darkness with the exhibition format, did
you possess the cognitive interference item shaped like a candle?"
Oh.
"Ah... um. Something like that..."
"Yes, that’s correct."
Go Yeongeun glanced at me, quickly grasping the situation, and trailed off
her sentence. But she didn’t outright deny it, showing some situational
awareness.
Still, she probably felt it was time to make a swift exit.
"Well then, I’ll be going now."
With that polite farewell, she quietly slipped away in the opposite direction
down the hallway.
’Good judgment...’
Relieved, I took a water bottle out of my bag and drank a sip...
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Refrain from repeated lies."
I nearly spit the water out through my nose.
"The more you repeat them, the less effective they become."
"..."
When did he catch on?
For now, I just lowered my head immediately.
"I apologize."
"Yes."
"I thought it would be difficult to persuade anyone to use valuable escape
time unless it seemed like my colleague had an escape item."
"Yes."
Though his responses were curt, it wasn’t as though he was angry...
’His voice is calm.’
’This is just how he is, huh? Not a human, but a lizard.’
I cautiously glanced up.
To my surprise, the lizard was... slightly smiling!
"All humans lie."
"..."
"What matters is the intent and the outcome of the act."
It sounded almost philosophical.
’...Does this mean my lie was fine because my intentions were good and
the results turned out well?’
"..."
Oh, whatever.
"I’ll be more careful next time."
"Yes."
And with that, the conversation ended.
Squad Leader Lizard returned to his usual emotionless, reptilian demeanor
with vertical pupils.
’I already thought his personality felt somewhat removed from ordinary
people...’
Now I felt it even more deeply—though not in a bad way.
I picked up the regeneration potion box I’d received as a reward from the
chair.
– Friend, is your work all finished?
Right then, Braun spoke from my pocket.
At work, we’d agreed to avoid idle chatter to keep anyone from realizing I
carried a ’good friend’, but...
Since the timing was right, I figured I’d ask.
I discreetly let the plush doll peek out of my pocket.
’Braun. The employee standing next to me right now.’
– Ah, you mean your tall supervisor, the handsome one, right?
’Yeah. What does he look like to you?’
– Hooh.
A short pause, as if inspecting closely.
– Eyes, nose, mouth, and hearing organs all perfectly intact!
’...As a lizard?’
– Lizard? Haha, Mr. Roe Deer, you’re quite cheeky! Who are you trying to
tease? Calling someone a lizard, really!’
"..."
Even Braun doesn’t see him as a lizard?
Could it be... I’m the only one who sees him as one?
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
"Yes, Squad Leader."
I resolved once again: never utter the ’lizard’ part of ’Chief Lizard’ out
loud.
"Let’s go."
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon began walking toward the elevator.
Feigning composure, I followed him and asked,
"Should I return to the office?"
"No."
Hm?
"...Then, where are we going?"
"We’re heading to a restricted area accessible only to supervisors and
above."
"...!"
"I’ll explain how to use it."
It’s here.
* * *
In this company, the higher an employee’s rank, the more privileges they
gain.
These privileges include benefits, capabilities, and even access to specific
locations.
"Now that you’ve been promoted to supervisor, Kim Soleum-ssi, you are
authorized to use three additional facilities."
Standing in front of an annex, I accepted a folder of documents from Squad
Leader Lee Jaheon.
1- Security Team Rentals Warehouse
2- Annex (two free equipment customizations per year)
3- Fox Counseling Office
"From now on, you can withdraw equipment from the Security Team
Rentals Warehouse."
"..."
"You can also customize exclusive equipment in the annex using Twilight-
Class Darkness without having to be escorted by a superior, and, if
necessary, register for sessions at the Fox Counseling Office."
I was already aware of these benefits.
And I also recognized some of the newly unlocked spaces from the <Dark
Exploration Records>.
A mix of satisfaction and thrill washed over me.
And anticipation.
’There are more ways to survive in this insane world now...!’
But everything comes with its drawbacks.
Better treatment implies greater expectations from employees.
And in this company...
’Danger.’
In a corporation that deals with ghost stories, areas accessible only to high-
ranking staff often imply risks that civilians cannot handle.
Just like this.
"Additionally, supervisors in the Field Exploration Team are assigned one
specific Darkness to manage."
"..."
Exactly.
Aside from my squad responsibilities, I now had to directly manage a ghost
story myself!
"Although management is generally done collectively by a squad, the
primary responsibility falls on the individual employee."
Delegating responsibility to field workers.
How very corporate. It’s like getting a taste of familiar 21st-century
workplace dynamics...
According to Squad Leader Lee Jaheon, the longer your tenure and the
higher your rank, the more Darkness you are assigned, and the more
dangerous it becomes.
Fortunately, I was still a rookie.
"Since you’ve been promoted to supervisor in under a year of service,
you’ll be assigned an F-Class Darkness."
Huuu.
"Manage it according to the schedule, and register any anomalies in the
inspection report."
"Yes, sir."
It wasn’t a situation where complaining would help, so instead of wasting
energy whining, I decided to conserve my strength and pray for something
meaningful.
’Please! Please assign me a normal low-grade Darkness!’
If it turns into some quiz show horror scenario, I might as well quit and start
preparing for the Disaster Management Bureau exam!
Then, I heard something surprising.
"I get to choose?"
"Yes."
Squad Leader Lee Jaheon said he would present a few candidates, and I
could pick from them.
"Is that how it usually works?"
"No."
The lizard stared at me intently.
"It’s my discretion."
...?!
So, he was using his authority to give me some flexibility in choosing...?
This lizard?
"Thank you so much for your consideration. But... may I ask why you’re
doing this for me?"
"It’s a reward."
"Pardon?"
"It’s a reward for finding the correct escape route in a B-Class ghost story
and guiding D-squad to return unharmed."
"...But Squad Leader, you also saved my life from the usher machine."
"That’s a matter of responsibility."
The lizard spoke matter-of-factly.
"A squad leader is obligated to protect their squad members to the best of
their ability."
"..."
Wow. A genuinely good boss... right.
’I was almost moved.’
If I were a fresh graduate just starting out, I might have postponed my
resignation plans for at least a month.
No wonder Assistant Manager Eun Haje and Supervisor Park Minseong
always try to speak well of our squad leader, even when they seem
exasperated.
Even I felt a vague sense of wanting to do my best under this leadership.
"...Still, thank you."
"Yes."
After bowing my head slightly, I followed the lizard to the isolation
chamber for the F-Class Darkness.
It wasn’t a scenario I had anticipated, but it was shaping up to be a very
favorable one.
’If I handle this well, it might even turn out to be a win.’
The <Dark Exploration Records> was an opensource wiki.
What did that mean? It meant that since various creators contributed while
adhering to the rules, the grading criteria for Darkness could vary slightly
depending on the source.
’Even within the F-Class category, there can be items with incredible
potential.’
As long as you know the correct way to handle them, that is.
And through the <Dark Exploration Records>, I already knew how to
handle these.
If the Darkness in front of me was one of those documented in the
records...
"These are the three F-Class Darknesses."
I looked up.
Before me were three objects:
An old teddy bear.
Two black cards.
A model airplane.
"...!"
’I know all three.’
Jackpot.
– Ah, what a shabby and unsightly doll.
Braun muttered in a tone that hinted at some displeasure. Was the influence
of the ’good friend’ causing him to be wary of the doll?
– Well, the time has come to make your choice, Mr. Roe Deer!
I hesitated briefly, considering my options. Then, I reached out my hand.
"Sir, I will take responsibility for this Darkness."