Chapter 6: Ch 6: Bad Luck with Housing :’)
’New merch?’
And if it’s saying it’s unlocked, that means I can use another one of the
merch I bought.
’Based on what criteria, though?’
I wanted to click on the floating notepad immediately, but then I
remembered I was still sitting in the middle of the lecture hall.
Not to mention, I could feel people glancing at me since the host had called
me out as the top performer.
’Let’s leave first and check it out later.’
The event seemed to be wrapping up, so I could head home... wait.
I suddenly realized something critically important.
"..."
Do I even have a home here?
I quickly pulled out my smartphone and started checking my records.
Just like that, all traces of my previous job and work history had vanished.
Even my family’s contact information was wiped out.
’Please, no.’
The only records left were from my college days, which at least matched
my memories, giving me a moment of relief.
But the problem is... I lived in a dorm during college.
’And I had a tough time getting my own place after graduation because of
some schedule mix-ups.’
As expected, the most recent record I could find was a text conversation
about going to see rental apartments and a chat with a friend complaining
about staying in a motel because his studio lease fell through.
"..."
I raised my head and glanced at the screen still floating in the lecture hall.
Or rather, I focused on one word at the bottom of the screen.
[Employee Benefit – Miscellaneous]
Company Housing
Benefit, huh... I might as well take full advantage, right?
* * *
The ’company housing benefit’ was processed shockingly fast.
"Ah, hello!"
"Hello."
In less than an hour after inquiring at the front desk, I was assigned a room
number, given a key, and even an address. The location wasn’t bad, either.
Of course, it wasn’t out of the goodness of their hearts to make things
convenient for employees.
’If they want to exploit me around the clock, it makes sense to keep the
wage slaves nearby....’
Still, the building looked like a decent officetel. It was clean, recently
remodeled, and had solid security.
Considering ’company housing’ is usually a perk for working in remote
areas, this was absurdly generous.
’This company just made me go through a death survival game, so sure,
why not move in.’
But this cynical thought became reality soon enough.
When I bumped into Go Yeongeun outside the officetel, she told me,
"Did you hear? Seven of us got company housing."
"...?"
That’s over half of us.
It seemed like Go Yeongeun had also come here to move in. They gave me
a sheepish look, noticing my stare.
"It’s a bit scary, but since we’re already hired... turning down a free place
near the subway would be hard to justify..."
"...Right."
Exactly. In capitalism, money is the scariest thing.
’Saving 1.2 million won a month? Anyone would move in, pretending to be
crazy.’
(Approx. 900 USD)
Of course, there was a more crucial reason behind this.
"It seems like those who came from outside the city got notified about the
housing and signed up as soon as they were hired."
"That makes sense."
Now I understand. The new hires had already celebrated and accepted the
housing, making it hard for them to back out.
I had wondered how they arranged my room so quickly, but now it made
sense.
’The room I’m getting must have belonged to one of the new hires who
didn’t survive the death game...’
The thought sent a chill down my spine, making me feel a little ashamed.
Anyway, after exchanging a few more words with Go Yeongeun, I headed
up to the 12th floor, where my room was located.
So far, so good.
The problem?
The officetel unit had two rooms.
And my roommate was Baek Saheon.
"..."
"..."
Baek Saheon was sitting in the living room.
He had a medical eye patch over one eye, suggesting he’d received some
sort of treatment—probably from the company, not a hospital, considering
the timing.
I quietly nodded to acknowledge him and started heading to my room when
—
"Hey."
What?
"’Hey’?"
I stopped in my tracks.
Baek Saheon flinched when I responded but, fueled by anger, he glared at
me and spoke.
"You must’ve enjoyed watching while I had to gouge out a perfectly good
eye because of that damn lost item, huh?"
It seemed he thought I’d known about the lost item and just stood by to
watch him get his eye taken out.
’He’s the one who ran off on his own, and now he’s blaming me?’
He was perfectly fine punching someone else’s eye out, but when it came to
his own, I was supposed to help him?
What a creative way to twist the situation.
But at that moment, I realized something.
If I responded apologetically, saying, ’Well, you suddenly ran out, so...’ or
’Why are you speaking informally all of a sudden, Teacher?’ it would only
make him feel more justified and lead to more nonsense.
There’s a term I learned from dealing with difficult clients for people like
Baek Saheon.
We call them ’Creationist Complainers’.
They make up situations in their head and stubbornly cling to them.
With people like this, explanations don’t work.
It’s better to just...
"Oh, I found it pretty amusing."
"...!"
Going on the offensive is the best strategy here.
I walked right up to Baek Saheon and gripped his shoulder firmly.
"Thanks for that. I had a great time. Is this what they call a dopamine
rush?"
"Wh..."
"Make sure to share more good news with me. Actually, I hope we work
together."
"..."
"Work’s going to be a blast."
That should do it.
’Now, he probably thinks I’m crazy.’
Given his behavior so far and his performance in <Dark Exploration
Records>...
’Baek Saheon seems like the type who, if he realized the other person was
scared, would push them into a corner even more.’
In that case, it’s better to plant the impression of ’I should stay away from
this guy.’
’Consider it a bit of bluffing, too.’
I patted Baek Saheon’s shoulder a couple of times, then stood up and
walked toward my room without looking back.
’As long as he doesn’t stab me in my sleep, I’ll be fine.’
Of course, I was bluffing a bit just now.
The likelihood of working together with someone from the same squad is
extremely low.
What company forms squads of only new hires? They split us up and assign
us to different squads.
It’s like a balancing act, similar to that famous ninja manga—assigning
people based on their skills.
And besides, I was called first, and Baek Saheon was called second.
’So, he probably did well in the evaluations too, which makes it even less
likely we’ll end up on the same squad.’
We won’t be working together for a while.
Let’s just act like we don’t exist to each other.
Clack.
I entered my assigned room with a sense of relief.
"Huu."
The clean room had fresh bedding, a desk, and even a private bathroom.
There was a guidebook hanging on the door.
"If I apply, they’ll change my bedding and clean the room every week for
just 100,000 won a month?"
This company’s over-the-top benefits seem designed to dazzle the new
hires, making them forget all about the death game they just went through.
A lot of new hires will likely be confused by the sudden shift to this neat,
friendly reality, as if the death survival ordeal had been a lie.
Given what I know about this company’s motivations, it’s all too obvious
what they’re trying to do...
’Yeah, they’re desperate to fill positions in the Field Exploration Team.’
They want to make sure none of the new hires who’ve been deemed capable
of doing the ’work’ decide to quit.
’Well, might as well take full advantage of what they’re offering.’
I’ve already decided to stay, after all.
On the desk was a small welcome gift package—expensive snacks and
company-branded office supplies.
There was even a diary tucked away in a half-open drawer.
Judging by the company logo on the cover, it was another standard-issue
item.
’But it’s from last year.’
Maybe it was left behind by the previous occupant of this housing unit. I
opened the diary.
On the first page, in huge letters, it said:
– RUN.
’Aigoo.’
I appreciated the wise words from my predecessor, but I was already too far
gone.
Not even scary at this point.
’Just another Chapter in the horrors of corporate life, huh.’
My sense of camaraderie with the author of this note swelled. I closed the
diary and carefully put it back in the drawer.
Now that I’ve checked everything out, it’s time to get down to business.
[Dark Exploration Records Real Merch Box]
– New merch unlocked! (!)
Now that I was alone, I could finally check it out!
’Huu.’
With a bit of nervous excitement, I sat on the bed and reached toward the
floating notepad in a comfortable position.
Tak.
Just like before, when it spit out the grip holder, the notepad opened, and
something fell out.
It was a clear OPP vinyl packet.
Inside, I could see a stack of stickers, the kind usually used for fancy merch.
"This ..."
I picked up the vinyl packet.
Inside was a typical smiley-face sticker—yellow, with a standard smiling
emoji.
A.k.a. the bribe item.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Inc.
/ Items
Smiley Sticker
A salesperson’s best friend! :)
When attached to a sentient being, it induces mild feelings of
friendliness toward the user.
Unlock Requirement : Must be a full-time employee or higher at
Daydream Inc.
(p.s. Misusing the item for personal reasons, like flirting, will result in
disciplinary action.)
========================
"Huh."
Despite its cheap packaging and rough finish, this sticker was an iconic
item used in several parts of <Dark Exploration Records>.
It induces friendliness? That’s basically a way to manipulate favorability.
’It was used to convince other departments for collaboration, wasn’t it?’
And I immediately understood why it was unlocked now.
– Unlock Requirement : Must be a full-time employee or higher at
Daydream Inc.
"So I unlocked this because I became a full-time employee?"
In the <Dark Exploration Records>, most items created by organizations or
specific groups had usage restrictions tied to ranks or affiliations. From a
world-building perspective, it was to prevent rampant misuse.
’And from the perspective of those who create the ghost stories, it was to
stop eager newbies from barging into every narrative and recklessly using
all sorts of tools like some Mary Sue causing trouble.’
Anyway, the fact that I now met those conditions means...
’Does this mean that every time I get promoted or change departments, this
<Merch Box> will spit out new merch?’
It definitely seemed like it could be helpful for survival.
But really, I’d prefer if they hadn’t dragged me into this world in the first
place. When I think about it, even this feels like a ghost story in itself.
’Ugh.’
I glanced up at the glowing notepad a few more times, feeling uneasy,
before finally shifting my thoughts.
"Well, at least I got something useful."
The Smiley Sticker. It would be a bit tricky since I’d have to stick it directly
on someone, but having the ability to earn favor in an emergency is
certainly a useful condition.
However, there’s a catch.
’...This thing was discontinued after some drama.’
Apparently, the creators fought fiercely over the power of the sticker,
arguing like it was life or death. The item ended up being discarded entirely
from the narrative.
I’m not sure when exactly it disappeared, but it’s possible the set in my
hand could be the last remaining one in this universe.
I stared at the Smiley Sticker in its packaging.
Hmm.
Better make sure no one finds out about this.
Just in case, I took five stickers and tucked them into my suit pocket. That
way, I’d have them ready for my first day of work.
’...First day of work, huh.’
I was starting to feel a bit unsettled, but I knew I needed rest.
After everything that had happened, my body and mind were completely
drained.
’I need to recover.’
I changed into the provided robe, locked the door, and got into bed. It was
my first proper rest since being plunged into this ghost story.
To be honest, I didn’t sleep well.
The sight of people being torn apart and the grotesque images of that
subway station replayed in my mind, like my brain had turned into a
surround-sound home theater system.
Still, after a couple of days, I was at least able to sleep through the
nightmares. It was a small comfort.
A few days passed like that.
I checked my dwindling bank account balance and made sure to stretch it
out as best as I could, buying clothes and daily necessities.
Of course, I didn’t forget the most important thing.
’I need to memorize everything.’
Through the Memorial Popsocket, I continued reading all the <Dark
Exploration Records> wiki pages I had once glanced at, memorizing them
until they could roll off my tongue.
This was my lifeline now.
And soon enough, Monday arrived.
It was my first day at Daydream Inc.
* * *
"..."
Monday morning.
I made my way to Daydream Inc.’s headquarters with a less-than-pleasant
expression.
Go Yeongeun, who I bumped into as I left the officetel, seemed surprised.
"Oh, Soleum-ssi, are you okay? Did you, um, not sleep well?"
"...Kind of, yeah. I’ll be fine."
"Oh dear..."
The two of us, both new hires, exchanged a few short pleasantries as we
walked the fifteen minutes to the headquarters.
Along the way, we passed a few other new members of the Field
Exploration Team, all of them looking just as tense, though we only
exchanged nods.
We scanned our employee IDs and boarded the elevator.
"I heard the Field Exploration Team uses floors 10 to 15... Ah, I’ll get off
here. Soleum-ssi, let’s give it our best shot, okay?"
"Yes, let’s do our best."
I waved as Go Yeongeun got off on the 10th floor, then glanced at the
button I had pressed for my floor.
13th floor.
’Even the floor number feels like a bad omen...’
I could only hope it was just my imagination.
I double-checked the assignment notice I’d received two days ago.
[New Employee(Field Exploration)_Assignment.pdf]
– Kim Soleum / D Squad
Ding.
The elevator doors opened on the 13th floor, revealing a hallway divided
into sections labeled with letters.
I made my way to the automatic door labeled ’D’ and pressed the button.
At the same time, I greeted those inside.
"Good morning."
"Oh!"
"You’re here!"
A few adults sitting in the spacious office lifted their heads and greeted me.
One of the men stood up and extended his hand.
"Welcome to D-squad of the 15th unit."
A woman with a blank expression and a bob haircut nodded and added,
"By the way, they call us the ’Death Squad’ because all the newbies die."
"..."
"Just kidding."
Should I just quit right here and now?