Chapter 56: Ch 56: Don’t wanna leave
"Please think it over carefully."
The civil servant, dressed like a textbook serial killer, spoke with
conviction.
"It’s a guaranteed job until the age of 65, with a grade-based salary system.
Since it’s a specialized position, there are additional allowances."
Why am I sitting here listening to what sounds like a job fair spiel from the
Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau?
"If you’re prone to being drawn into supernatural phenomena, wouldn’t it
be better to have financial stability and institutional protection?"
I already have that, thank you very much.
No matter how I look at it, I doubt a Grade-8 civil servant earns more than
someone working for a major pharmaceutical corporation!
Still, there was no way I could blurt out that I worked for Daydream Inc.
I absolutely do not want to end up as a ’person of interest’ under the
Bureau’s watch!
’I should have stuck to communicating by writing.’
I was beginning to regret speaking out loud for the sake of faster, more
persuasive, and impactful communication.
Feeling like I was starting to break out in a cold sweat, I opened my mouth
carefully.
Since he seemed to think of me as a mere ’civilian prone to supernatural
phenomena’, I decided to play into that perception.
"This incident was truly terrifying, and I just wanted to do something about
it. But I’m not someone capable of resolving supernatural phenomena.
Being an agent? That’s absolutely impossible."
"..."
The civil servant looked at me as if slightly dumbfounded.
Why?
"You thought the caretaker of the lodge was the cause of this phenomenon,
so you terminated the contract to prevent further incidents, correct?"
"That’s... correct."
"Then you independently made a judgment to fully resolve this supernatural
phenomenon, did you not?"
"..."
"That’s an innate talent."
No, it’s only because of the wiki...
"I’m sorry, but I really can’t, sir. To be honest, I only did all of this because
of the friend who came with me here..."
Please, just drop it.
"Besides, I’m not skilled enough to fight or have any special abilities to
warrant becoming an agent."
"Special abilities."
The corners of the civil servant’s mouth lifted slightly.
"Those can be learned."
"...!"
"You’ll be taught in detail after you’re appointed."
Heck.
"What makes you so confident about this?"
"You possess a small silver badge shaped like a shield, don’t you?"
"...!!"
"That’s the reason."
Ah, crap.
’Sharp, aren’t you.’
I had considered this possibility but still feigned being more startled than I
actually was.
"What? H-How did you..."
"That is a piece of persuasion equipment used by the Disaster Management
Bureau. I heard it was once distributed to citizens who performed great
deeds, but... this is my first time seeing someone able to use it."
"Ah..."
"It can only be used by good people, making it something of a certification
tool."
And then he gave me a knowing look.
"Did you use it after taking it out of your pocket?"
This guy’s sharp.
’Pretending I don’t know would make me look more suspicious.’
I decided to lean into it.
Remember, this only works for ’good people’!
’As long as I haven’t caused any trouble, they won’t confiscate it.’
Thankfully, my brain kicked into overdrive, and a seamless response
popped out.
With a faintly bittersweet expression, as if there was a story behind it, I
reached into my pocket and pulled out the small silver badge.
I made sure to present it in a way that felt natural, even mentioning the only
legal route through which I could have obtained it.
"I inherited it from my family."
From today onwards, my merch box is my family.
"They said I should use it when I needed a voice in an emergency..."
"I see."
The civil servant nodded, looking at me with a mix of respect and pity.
"You must have had an admirable family."
"..."
Are you misunderstanding that they’re ’watching over me from the
heavens’?
Well, technically, that’s not entirely wrong...
I tried not to think about the black merch box floating in the sky and
continued speaking.
"They told me not to volunteer for dangerous tasks, and I want to keep that
promise as much as possible."
"..."
That was indeed something my parents said when they tried to dissuade me
from entering the financial sector, and it’s true I didn’t exactly volunteer for
this job either. Not a lie! Not a lie!
"...Understood."
The civil servant looked at me with slight disappointment but backed off
without further insistence.
"In that case, it can’t be helped."
Phew.
And thus, the nerve-wracking job fair came to an end, with an unexpected
bonus.
"If you ever face concerns or issues, feel free to contact me."
As I was leaving the lodge, the civil servant handed me a contact number.
This time, though, it was presented in a different format.
Ryu Jaekwan
010-XXXX-XXXX
"This is my work number."
Oh.
"The one I just gave you will be more useful than the previous card. The
previous one might involve delays in dispatching a response team, and
there’s no telling which type of agent might show up."
In short, it was a get-out-of-a-creepypasta-free card.
I exchanged the previous contact information with this new one as if I were
swapping out cassette tapes.
I never thought I’d end up with connections like this.
Now, before he’d try to make small talk, I should quickly... leave. Though
he’d probably do a background check on me anyway.
’In that case.’
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, pretending to be a bit
embarrassed.
"Actually, with our transactions through the Salmon Market, I was so
scared I resorted to written communication... But next time we meet, I’d
like to talk like this, with our voices."
"Of course."
"And... could my identity be kept confidential? It’s just that it makes me
uncomfortable... and, well, scared."
"..."
The civil servant was silent for a moment.
"If you leave things as they are now, that should be possible."
He’ll let it slide.
Nice!
’Does that mean he’ll leave me as an anonymous figure?’
Perfect. This left room for future dealings.
’Next time, I’ll raise less suspicion and sell more food.’
"Take care on your way down."
"You too, Agent."
I shook hands with the civil servant, who then rode off on a bicycle.
Even his final attempt at persuasion as we parted was brushed off quite
smoothly.
– Honestly, sir, I’m at my limit with situations like this. Even now, I feel like
I’m barely hanging on. It would be too much for me.
And I truly meant it.
Baek Saheon, stop giving me that creepy, glaring look.
The civil servant, apparently just making a polite gesture, nodded and rode
off without hesitation.
Along with their parting advice to leave before the ’Bureau’s cleanup team’
arrived—a life-saving piece of wisdom.
’Time to scram.’
I left the lodge, now bereft of the landslide debris and bus stop as if by
magic, and began walking down the mountain trail.
’Huuu.’
Only then did the tension begin to lift.
– Over the past few days, sacrificing your sleep and pouring your efforts
into creating that artistic final shot... This Braun knows how hard you
worked! Well done.
Yeah. It was grotesque, terrifying, and utterly exhausting...
’To think he got sent into such a ghost story alone—this is why I’m not cut
out for the Bureau.’
I couldn’t remember a day when Daydream Inc. seemed like a better
company than today.
’At least they pay in cash and points.’
There’s a saying that even servants should work for wealthy families, and
this was the perfect example of that.
Though I wouldn’t say it’s particularly rewarding...
I glanced back at my colleague, who was equally entangled in this thankless
job.
"Let’s just get out of here. This cursed lodge...!"
"..."
"Fuck, I got caught up in this nonsense that doesn’t even pay in either
points or cash!"
"There’s something you need to say before we go."
Baek Saheon clamped his mouth shut. Then, turning to me, he spoke in a
highly defensive tone.
"I don’t think I owe you anything for this. After all, it’s not like I begged
you to save me."
Oh, really?
"You’ve already received the reward for the cassette tape exchange...
Supervisor Kim Soleum, sir. Isn’t that enough?"
"Oh."
I smirked.
"That’s funny. You’re bold enough to talk like that to someone who gave up
their weekend and even skipped work to save your sorry life?"
"..."
Baek Saheon’s face turned pale before he reluctantly responded.
"...What do you want?"
"Nothing."
"...?!"
"Honestly, this was fun."
"...!!"
I began walking briskly down the mountain path.
From behind, I heard Baek Saheon scrambling to keep up and offering a
belated response.
"...Anyway, I admit I ruined your weekend and caused you to miss work."
"..."
"That’s all."
Oh?
"I’ll transfer three days’ worth of salary to you, so just wait."
"Sure."
But shortly after, as we entered an area with cell service and our data started
working, Baek Saheon let out a shout.
"The date’s exactly the same!"
Of course it is.
Don’t you know it’s a rule that that time flows differently in ghost stories?
"Still, I spent three whole days here."
"...!"
In the end, I got my salary, while Baek Saheon, wearing a mix of
indignation, relief, and frustration on his face, quickly avoided eye contact
and retreated.
– Haha, regardless of this situation, he seems like the type to live a rough
life!
You’re not wrong.
Honestly, there was something I should’ve said earlier.
’I didn’t expect him to go the entire time without even thanking me.’
What a remarkable guy in so many ways.
Though compared to how he was in the <Dark Exploration Records>, he
seemed a bit less ruthless and slightly more human... for what it’s worth.
Earlier, when the civil servant encountered this guy in the basement, he
gave me some rather chilling advice after a brief, cold glance at him.
– Some inherit the Silver Heart, while others inherit a cassette tape... like
that.
– ...
– Matching them well would be a good thing to do.
– Um. Yes. Thank you, sir.
Well then.
The government had ensured that the cassette tapes ended up in the hands
of criminals, people whose guilt was beyond doubt.
Which means... this guy was officially recognized as a criminal by the
government.
Even if I tried to think the best of him, at least one person in Baek Saheon’s
"inheritance route" had to be a criminal.
– It was just something lying around at home. I inherited it from a relative.
...A relative.
’I suppose there might be a story behind it.’
But I stopped thinking further.
I didn’t have the luxury to dive into the backstories of characters in the
wiki.
’I need to survive this ghost story company first.’
And before long, this cursed company was back to doing what it does best
—bringing bizarre and unpredictable events into my life as if they were the
norm.
* * *
A few days later—
"Supervisor Kim!"
On my way back from a coffee run, someone familiar called out to me in
the hallway.
It was Lee Byeongjin, the section chief in charge of manual revisions who
had gone missing.
"Ah~ Congratulations! I knew our Supervisor Kim would go far!"
We’ve only known each other for less than two months, sir...
"Top of the entry class, scouted to the A-squad, saved me, and even
connected to the Security Team. And now, a rapid promotion? Ee-yaaah,
that’s great."
"Thank you."
It didn’t feel great, but I replied politely anyway.
However, instead of wrapping up the conversation and leaving, Section
Chief Lee Byeongjin lowered his voice and muttered,
"Director Ho has his eye on you, Supervisor Kim."
"..."
"The director is the best superior you could ever have in this company.
Don’t miss this opportunity."
Opportunity...?
"There’s even a rumor that Director Ho runs a top-secret project team under
his department... You might get transferred there."
Haha. You don’t know what you’re saying, sir.
In the world of ghost stories, anything labeled ’confidential’ cuts your
survival odds in half.
Instead of saying that, I politely shook my head.
"I’ve been here less than six months. I’m not seeking out something like
that. I’ll just do my best in the position I’ve been given."
"Ah, modest too! I knew I had a good eye for people. Haha!"
I was just grateful he conveniently forgot his overbearing attitude from
when I was pretending to be part of the Security Team. People are truly
products of their environment.
Section Chief Lee patted my shoulder a few times, looking proud, and left
with these parting words.
"Anyway, I’m curious where you’ll end up, really!"
"...?"
That sounded oddly loaded.
’Why does it feel like he’s assuming I’ll definitely be going somewhere?’
That question didn’t stay unanswered for long.
Later that afternoon—
"Hey, Roe. Even if you get reassigned, let’s catch up occasionally. I still
owe you a meal or two."
Pardon?
I blinked at my somewhat dejected coworker.
Reassigned?
Wait... did I seriously just get transferred to some strange place?
Was the director’s ’interest’ just a ploy to lull me into complacency before
blindsiding me?
Why would anyone bother to do something so petty and diabolical to an
ordinary employee...?!
"I mean, I’d rather you stayed on our squad, but looking at how things are
going..."
Fortunately, before I spiraled into panic, Assistant Manager Eun kindly
explained.
She said that squads of the Field Exploration Team typically had a three-
person quota. Occasionally, they’d assign one or two extra members just to
train new hires.
The new members often stayed as extra personnel until they got promoted.
"But you’re a supervisor now."
Ah.
I was... the exception to the usual case.
"You’ll probably be shuffled somewhere else, but... don’t worry too much."
Feeling a glimmer of hope, I asked,
"Is there a chance I could be an exception?"
"Not really... It’s just that the squad will likely stay exactly at its three-
person quota soon. Keep this between us."
"Huh?"
Assistant Manager Eun smirked.
"I’m quitting soon."
"...!!"
A coworker just announced her escape!