…The situation quickly settled afterward.
Or rather, it couldn't not settle.
The lizard had doubts about my earlier behavior.
– Mr. Roe Deer, were your questions last night intended to engage in lengthy conversation with a ghost because you mistook me for one?
That moment was genuinely spine-chilling.
– …How could that be? I was simply keeping both possibilities in mind after seeing you clapping with the backs of your hands, sir.
And I raised an imaginary thumbs-up toward the respected superior.
That means I smoothed it over with flattery.
– I couldn't afford to miss the first chance to have an in-depth conversation with you, even if it meant risking a misunderstanding.
– I see.
– Thank you for kindly consulting with me for such a long time.
– Yes.
Phew.
For the record, the C-squad members, who had slept peacefully through the night, woke up before Lee Jaheon and I left.
They chuckled casually.
"Ah~ It just had to be the two of you, huh? What a coincidence."
"Wow. That must've been really scary."
"Right? Pretty chilling~"
Liars!
Watching them laugh as they recalled the things the ghosts imitating them had done, I was once again struck by how bold the so-called elites of this company were.
Oh, before I forget.
'Now's my chance to figure out who referred me to the Salmon Market.'
"Um, would it be alright if I ask for your names, please?"
"Of course!"
Supervisor Dolphin raised her hand energetically.
"I'm Supervisor Lee Seonghae, and over there is Assistant Manager Kang Dojun."
"..."
Huh?
Wait a second.
The assistant manager who introduced me to the Salmon Market was… Ah!
"By any chance, is C-squad's manager named Lee Kangheon?"
"Huh? No."
"..."
'I've been had.'
No wonder that person had been so quick to share their information. They were all lies.
'They must've counted on the fact that the elite units, A, B, and C, are off limits for direct contact via the company directory for regular employees.'
Well, it didn't really matter. It just made me glad I'd created an alternate ID to bypass their scheme.
As I was about to wrap up the conversation with some casual remark along the lines of, 'I must have confused that person with someone else'—
"Pardon me, Supervisor Roe Deer."
While Assistant Manager Leopard was talking to Section Chief Lee Jaheon, Supervisor Dolphin suddenly turned to me, speaking in a hushed tone.
"By any chance… Did you also get a katalk message about making money?"
"...!!"
"…From someone with a Hawaii beach background on their profile?"
"Famous, huh?"
"Is it a word-of-mouth thing?"
Supervisor Dolphin glanced at her colleague to ensure they weren't paying attention, then quickly continued.
"Um, well, I was also the top recruit in my batch when I joined."
Ah.
"They contacted me too. That… fish bears eat a lot of… oh, Salmon Market! Yeah, Salmon Market."
So she'd been fished—or maybe phished—too…
"I've heard a few other promising recruits got contacted as well!"
According to her, the identity of the sender varied each time, but two details always matched.
[K.LEE: Oh hello, Mr./Ms. Employee lolol]
The profile photo and the name "K.LEE."
Supervisor Dolphin whispered conspiratorially.
"Want to hear my theory?"
"Of course."
"I think the site admin sent it. Like, they're recruiting people to sell actual items from the Darknesses on their secondhand platform!"
Oh.
"You think the site was created by a company employee?"
"They must at least be connected! They knew way too much about the Field Exploration Team."
Interesting.
I rubbed my chin.
'If such an employee really exists…'
A named character?
I mentally sifted through the profiles in the company wiki for employees who might pull something like this.
"Thank you. That clears up some of my questions."
"No problem."
Supervisor Dolphin grinned and shrugged.
"By the way, are there that many employees using Salmon Market within the company?"
"Quite a few, actually. The company doesn't care as long as we're not selling Dream Essence Collectors or masks. It's like how looting gets overlooked in wartime to keep soldiers' morale up. Ugh."
Supervisor Dolphin grumbled.
"Honestly, this company is so annoying."
I nodded without thinking.
"There's definitely a tendency to disregard human casualties."
"Well, I mean… technically, people dying is eco-friendly, so whatever."
"..."
"But it's the randomness that bugs me. If it were me, I'd send them off in order of personality. Ugh."
I… think I'm scared of the C-squad.
"Anyway, that's just my take."
"Thank you."
"No worries."
Supervisor Dolphin tied her long hair into a ponytail and answered cheerfully.
"You know, you were so polite even when I was a ghost, Supervisor Roe Deer. I think good people should live long."
She gave me a thumbs-up and a bright smile.
Um. Thank you.
In the end, I parted ways with C-squad on a relatively pleasant note.
"Next time, let's meet in a Darkness that gives lots of points! We'll show you how awesome we are then!"
"And it'd be even better if only the person giving us points shows up! Hahaha!"
Hmm.
'I'd rather not encounter the greatness of the elite unit in Darkness…!'
Still, working with C-squad seemed smoother and less friction-filled compared to A-squad.
Of course, C-squad also appeared to have a certain sense of elitism, but that could be chalked up to being an inherent trait of elite units. …Except for the endless replaying in my head of the shocking ghost version C-squad I saw today.
'Ugh.'
Let's go home.
Let's indulge in the luxury of sleeping while the sun's still up in the sky…
Feeling a small sense of gratitude for having the day off, I bowed to Lee Jaheon.
"Squad Leader, thank you for today. Once again, I appreciate you patiently answering my questions in the chaos of the Darkness."
"Yes."
"Please feel free to ask me anything in return anytime, Squad Leader!"
"Yes. Then I'll ask now."
"..."
Already?
Lee Jaheon asked bluntly.
"Supervisor Kim Soleum, have you used the 'Fox Counseling Room' before?"
"...!"
That was one of three locations I gained access to after becoming a supervisor:
1- Security Team Rentals Warehouse
2- Annex (two free equipment customizations per year)
3- Fox Counseling Office
It was the only one I hadn't used yet…
"No, I haven't."
Of course, I hadn't had the time or opportunity.
"Do you plan to use it?"
"..."
Hmm.
"…Squad Leader, you're suggesting the Fox Counseling Room to help me recover from the psychological effects of contamination, correct?"
"Yes. I recommend scheduling a session soon."
That was reasonable advice.
Except for one issue.
'There's a side effect to that place.'
The Fox Counseling Room had a severe, unwritten side effect not mentioned in the employee manual.
Granted, it was a very low probability, so regular employees didn't need to worry about it.
Still, I didn't want to take that risk, no matter how small.
…With everything that's happened lately, I'm a bit tired of dealing with probabilities.
'I think I can manage for now.'
Unless I'd deliberately think about strange inner whispers or a sudden urge to read the employee handbook, such feelings didn't surface. Nights could be rough until I fell asleep, but having someone to talk to made it manageable.
That someone being Braun.
– Goodness! What an honor, Friend.
Yup.
Never would I have imagined a monster from a ghost story could feel like such a lifeline…
'Humans are truly creatures of adaptation, aren't we?'
Anyway, since I had the day off today and could sleep during the day, I figured I could compensate for my lack of sleep this way. Of course, outwardly, I nodded politely.
"Yes. I'll schedule it when I have the time."
Though that 'time' might not come for a while—maybe even months. But hey, I wasn't lying.
"…Yes."
Chief Lizard stared at me for a moment before nodding and leaving. And with that, I returned home safely…
"Huu."
Click.
I entered my room.
The officetel building was quiet, probably because everyone else was at work. Baek Saheon wasn't around either.
'Time to sleep.'
After washing up, I lay on my bed, intending to check the latest information and websites one last time…
"...!"
And immediately lost all thoughts of sleep.
'It's open!'
The alien shop had finished its renewal and launched a new homepage. The colorful screen stabbed at my eyes as I clicked on it.
I'll take a look at the items
★ Grand Reopening Sale! ★
Shocking prices!
Wow, really… shocking.
The design, I mean.
'How could it look even worse?'
As pixelated fireworks burst across the screen, the increasing colors and effects made it even more hideous.
If these aliens were outsourcing their design work, someone needed to intervene.
– Mr. Roe Deer, please have mercy on this host and move me far away from that awful advert.
I gladly propped Braun on a towel on the desk.
I'd endure this design terror alone.
'Anyway, a grand reopening sale sounds like a good opportunity.'
It might even mean more products were available now.
Excited, I clicked the entry button.
Items
Happy Maker – ₩27,999,999 ★
Nostalgia Candy – ₩12,999,999 ★
Wrapper 12B357나 – ₩9,999,999
Necronomicon – ₩49,999,999
We Can Help! – ₩66,666,666
Buy over ₩100,000,000 and get a 20% discount!
Become a Space Shopping Mall VIP!
"..."
Wait a minute.
"It's here!"
– Mr. Roe Deer?
I nearly jumped out of bed in excitement but managed to calm myself.
"The armor finally showed up!"
– Oh, you've found the item you were looking for? Congratulations!
Absolutely.
Wrapper 12B357나 – ₩9,999,999
'I have to buy this no matter what.'
It was even the cheapest item. What kind of jackpot was this? I added it to my cart and only then realized it was 10 million won, momentarily struck by reality.
But canceling the purchase? Not a chance.
As I tried to calm down and scrolled through the rest of the items:
"..."
– Friend? Did something happen?
"No."
It was the opposite, actually.
I checked the list again, a bit startled, but it was real.
'I recognize all of these items.'
That was a first.
Even when an item wasn't listed in the , there was at least a brief mention that allowed me to make a reasonable guess. Granted, some items seemed so ominous they bordered on ghost story material, but since they were just descriptions for now, I could still focus on their usefulness and applications.
'This is amazing.'
And then, I noticed a peculiar mark next to some items.
Happy Maker – ₩27,999,999 ★
What does this star mean?
When I hovered my finger over it, a description popped up:
★ Similar to something you've purchased before!
'Oh.'
These aliens… So this is why they revamped the site.
They'd implemented an algorithm. Items related to past purchases were marked with stars and listed at the top!
'But shouldn't it work the other way around?'
For clothing, I could understand, but why would I buy a similar item? It might work for consumables that could run out, though. Like this one.
Nostalgia Candy – ₩12,999,999 ★
'The Nostalgia series.'
It was from the same place as the red yarn control gear that had been wrapped around my wrist during my time in the Security Team's isolation room.
A series themed around returning to 'a better time in the past'. Since this was candy, it probably had a similar effect when consumed. Looks like it showed up because I'd bought several edible products before —similar to the Snow White Mountain Apples.
'This is a must-buy.'
Especially since I was almost out of those mini-apples, whether in juice or pill form.
I immediately added it to my cart and continued browsing the rest of the list.
Painkillers, healing items, armor, intimidation tools, escape items… And then it hit me:
'These are all good.'
Every single one was practical. Knowing their uses made it easy to discern their value.
And then, of course:
Buy over ₩100,000,000 and get a 20% discount!
"..."
A discount, huh?
'Opportunities like this don't come often.'
When I combined my salary, extra earnings, performance bonuses, and subtracted living expenses, my available funds came to…
'Up to 140 million? No… maybe even 150 million?'
"..."
– Friend, are you managing to enjoy shopping despite that visual torment?
"No."
– Hmm?
"It's over."
I looked at my cart.
Happy Maker – ₩27,999,999
Nostalgia Candy – ₩12,999,999
Wrapper 12B357나 – ₩9,999,999
Necronomicon – ₩49,999,999
We Can Help! – ₩66,666,666
= ₩167,666,662
※ Discount Applied! ※ : ₩134,133,329
Let's go. Buy every single thing!