The upper floors of Daydream Inc. headquarters.
Knock, knock, knock.
I carefully rapped on the luxurious door with the back of my hand.
The door slid open automatically, and…
“You’re here.”
Inside, the figure of the director seated at their desk came into view.
An executive with dark, blue-tinged hair of indeterminate age.
Director Cheong Dallae.
“You didn’t waste unnecessary time, nor were you deceived by schemes. A wise child always lives long, you know.”
Quite the fierce way to deliver a compliment…“Yes, thank you, ma’am.”
In any case, I’d made my decision.
I chose to accept Director Cheong’s proposal: ‘to turn D-squad into an elite squad’.
There were reasons, of course, but I’d reflect on those later. For now, I had to handle the intimidating executive in front of me.
Director Cheong examined me with a satisfied expression and smiled.
“I trust you’ll wait quietly while the reorganization takes place in the necessary time.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll work even harder to ensure I’m deserving of this promotion.”
I shook hands with Director Cheong, maintaining a perfectly polite demeanor.
And beside me…
“You’ll do the same, won’t you, Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”
“Yes.”
Chief Lizard was accompanying me.
…For the record, this is how Section Chief Lee reacted to my decision:
– I see.
End of story.
‘Is it really fair to call that reaction… easygoing?’
It was hard to believe that this was the same lizard who had previously advised me to ‘refuse’.
‘Seriously, isn’t he also in the same boat now? Shouldn’t he at least listen to some of the reasoning?!’
Thanks to that, I ended up explaining my choice to the seemingly indifferent Chief Lizard, hearing ‘I see’ and ‘Yes’ about ten times in the process.
I also discussed how to minimize the ‘risks’ associated with Director Cheong.
“So, have you decided on the third squad member?”
Right on cue, the topic came up.
With only two active members currently in D-squad, Director Cheong had suggested I bring in whoever I wanted for the remaining position.
“I’ve come up with an idea regarding that matter.”
“What kind of idea?”
I spoke as calmly as possible, getting straight to the point.
“To ensure that anyone can work together.”
* * * [Leave the third member of Elite D-squad as an open slot]
Since D-squad wasn’t being absorbed into the existing elite squad structure but rather trialed under a new system, it was a plausible suggestion.
The biggest advantage?
‘It prevents Director Cheong from indiscriminately placing one of her own people.’
Didn’t she say I could bring in whoever I wanted?
If I trusted that at face value, this wouldn’t be a company.
‘If the person I picked didn’t meet her expectations, she’d just ask if there was anyone else.’
From there, she’d gradually steer the selection toward someone she preferred.
‘Once I accepted the offer and willingly aligned myself with her line, she’d have nothing to lose.’
She’d either insert her own person or, at the very least, try to sway whoever joined next.
In my view, that’s where Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s warning about the ‘danger’ came into play.
‘The person working alongside me shouldn’t be a pawn of Director Cheong.’
It’d be better to have a rotating roster for each exploration mission.
This approach even provided a reasonable pretext.
‘Since it’s a new trial, why not leave a vacancy in D-squad as an internship spot for aspiring elite squad members?’
Like that.
Obviously, elite squad positions were limited, and few people advanced from regular squads.
Most junior employees tended to give up early, prioritizing cost-efficiency unless they had exceptional performance or networked well.
From the management’s perspective, they likely viewed this lack of initiative as inefficient, criticizing employees for being ‘fixated solely on points, with no loyalty to the company’.
‘Seriously, without the points, why would anyone join in the first place?’
It was a rather ridiculous expectation, but… hmm, seeing how this company operates, I thought it might actually work.
– I considered whether it might provide a new motivation for junior employees in the Field Exploration Team, who currently lack incentives beyond wish tickets, to want to improve their performance.
I gave Director Cheong a thorough presentation along those lines.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if the employees would really bite.
At best, a few capable supervisors or assistant managers might try the elite squad experience and then reassess their career plans.
But it sounded convincing enough, and it wouldn’t be entirely ineffective, so it worked out.
‘At the very least, it should help set the tone.’
And at the very least, it… worked on Director Cheong.
– Not bad.
…I felt a little stung by her ‘I’ll let it slide’ kind of reaction, but what mattered was that it passed.
Sure enough, within a few days, rumors had spread through the Field Exploration Team, and even the group chat among my batchmates was buzzing for the first time in a while.
[does anyone know the deets on the new elite squad? ㅎ]
[is it true theyre selecting employees with 1–3 years of exp?]
[I heard about elite squad internships. What have you all heard? ^^]
[the elite squad’s benefits are incredible…]
The funny thing was… no one messaged me directly anymore.
Even after news broke that I’d cleared another A-grade mission, no one sent congratulations or inquiries.
‘Is this… ostracism?’
After carefully responding to a few group chat questions to avoid being underestimated, the questions themselves stopped coming.
‘Come to think of it, I was the last to be added to the group chat in the first place.’
It was a bit bitter.
[Heard the news! Congrats, Soleum-ssi! You really succeeded with that method!]
[Thank you, Yeongeun-ssi.]
Still, I was grateful that one colleague consistently sent congratulatory messages.
Taking the chance, I also squared up with Go Yeongeun for the help she’d given me during the last ghost story mission.
‘Since she’s the type to return the favor, it’s best to keep building trust.’
I shared the method I used to clear the mission and offered her part of the ‘boss fight rewards’ I’d received.
‘Thanks to her, I survived the mission.’
Specifically, I’d learned from Go Yeongeun where to protect my organs to avoid instant death.
Of course, recalling the experience sent goosebumps down my spine. It had been utterly reckless.
‘Note to self… Use tattoo stickers sparingly.’
They worked, but they weren’t something to mess with lightly…
[Ah… um. I’ll gratefully accept.]
Go Yeongeun seemed conflicted but accepted, and we met in front of her dorm to hand over a few protective talisman beads.
During our conversation, the topic of the ‘new elite squad’ rumors came up…
“By the way, Yeongeun-ssi, are you thinking of aiming for the elite squad?”
“No I’m perfectly fine as I am thank you.”
“……”
Please, breathe before you answer, Yeongeun-ssi…
She seemed to strongly suspect I might include her.
‘To be honest, I’d considered her as a candidate… but maybe it’s good I didn’t push for it.’
In any case, this seemed like the best answer I could come up with in the current situation…
Though, of course, not everyone would agree with me.