The last time I met Jang Heo-un. …No, the 'last time I called him,' he appeared, still as a Resort employee.
A ghost story working at the Ghost Story Resort.
Once human, but no longer human, an eerie existence.
But the one before my eyes now is….
"Uh, so, I… huh?"
A person.
"Brother!"
He seems so human. To the point where, upon making eye contact with Kim Heo-un, he bursts into tears and they embrace each other.
It's the image of a person reunited with family they thought was dead.
A person, in the form of a person….
[Oh, how moving. A family reunion!]
...!
Right.
Just because he's expressing emotions naturally doesn't necessarily make him human.
'In the first place, if he were human, he couldn't have appeared like this.'
The person named Jang Heo-un was dead, and only the Resort employee remained, which is why he could be summoned to this 'Leased Space' I had designated as a new Resort site.
So, in other words….
It's a state closer to 'still Darkness, but appearing as if he has regained his living persona'… is what it is.
'…How on earth?'
Something, be it wonder or fear, runs down my spine.
In the meantime, having barely finished his reunion, Jang Heo-un turns to me and spoke.
"Uh, Mascot. Thank you…! Is this also something you did for me…?"
…I silently watched the employee, then asked.
W h o
a r e
y o u ?
He flinches.
"…Pardon? I, well… I'm Bison, I mean… I used to work at Daydream, and, uh, I'm Bison, who came to work at the Resort."
W h o
a m
I?
As if he's realized something, Jang Heo-un's expression changes.
"I know that you, Mascot, …were Mr. Roe Deer."
…!
"Ever since I was on the Cleanup team, I've only received a lot of help from you….Mascot."
Jang Heo-un swallows hard.
"I… died. Right?"
....
"In that Resort room, at the hands of another employee…. And you saved me, and that's why… I survived as an employee of the Flower Golden Resort… is that correct?"
C o r r e c t
"...Yes."
Jang Heo-un, who had been hanging his head, soon continued in a slightly brighter, almost artificially constructed tone.
"I was definitely in a place like a hot spring where the agents were, and I even faintly regained my self-awareness there."
Ah.
'So it wasn't completely without effect.'
Of course, it was such a faint change that it was judged that no meaningful recovery was possible, so the kind of despair that makes one's mouth turn bitter is that the feeling of hopelessness from being given false hope would have been greater.
But now, anticipation and tension swirl in Jang Heo-un's eyes.
"But now, my consciousness is clear. I, am I…recovered? Is this also something you do for your employees?"
At that moment, Kim Heo-un couldn't hold back and spoke with an anxious look.
"I, I want to be an employee too…! You, you saved me and brought me here to ask me that, didn't you? Should I just sign?"
Dying, coming back to life, not being human.
Even though they've experienced these insane occult events several times, the two men raised in the Nameless Brilliant Cult's facility treat me with a strange sense of normalcy.
It creates a bizarre chill.
And my thoughts deepen….
I f y o u s i g n
y o u h a v e t o w o r k
I pointed with my forepaw.
H e r e
"Here… you mean."
A slightly bewildered look appears on the two figures' faces.
An empty, vacant space connected to the platform.
A small commercial space, not even 50 square meters.
F o r a w h i l e
h e r e
y o u c a n n o t l e a v e
"…!"
Right.
'You can't leave with your sanity intact…'
The moment they leave, their living personality will disappear again, and only the employee from the Resort's ghost story will remain.
In the end, it means they have to stay, practically trapped in this space.
In a cramped space of less than 35 square meters.
S o r r y
O n l y h e r e
a r e y o u l i k e t h i s
And if I get rid of this space, they have to return to the Resort. And there, they can't exist with their living personalities like this.
A moment of silence passed.
But.
"…I'll still stay here."
…!
"If this is also part of the Resort, I think it'll be fine."
Then, as if checking my reaction, he adds a word.
"Uh, and if I can work with my brother… I'll be able to work more happily."
"Yes, I'm used to being in small spaces. I can do well…!"
The 'Heo-uns' answered as if actively appealing to me.
The pride a Mascot feels when seeing an enthusiastic employee and the complicated
feelings of the human Kim Soleum simultaneously occupy my mind.
And both of them admit it.
That there is only one answer right now.
A l r i g h t
I had Kim Heo-un sign the employment contract.
"So, what kind of work should I do?"
S e l l s o u v e n i r s
At that moment.
The material of the floor and ceiling of the space I had leased changed.
"…!"
Formal wood and golden decorations.
They were from the Flower Golden Resort.
And on a wooden stall that suddenly rises in the center, items are displayed.
The products and amenities sold at the Flower Golden Resort's gift shop.
And most importantly… the food items.
Good Child Chocolate Bar (Golden Edition),Flower Cookies,Garden Salad, and even hot dogs with the Pleasant Theme Park logo and a few other theme park foods.
[ Flower Golden Resort ]
S o u v e n i r p o p - u p s t o r e
It was a substitute for Delusion Home Shopping.
'Since that place was blown away, the survivors have lost one place to get food.'
That means life for the survivors on the train will become more difficult, and there was a high probability that it would have some negative impact on Ms. Go Young-eun.
'So I have to replace it.'
There might be a risk of Contamination, but I figured it would be okay since I had procured food that was, as much as possible, 'edible for humans.'
'Even if I want to sell more or give it away for free… this is the limit.'
Surprisingly, bringing these items here from the Resort mainland incurred something like a 'shipping fee.'
'I have to consume coins rapidly to transfer them.'
It seemed possible only because this place, being a broadcast station, had some degree of 'connection' to ghost stories beyond Segwang Metropolitan City.
I held back a sigh.
And.
B e c a r e f u l
o f j e r k s
I k i c k t h e m o u t
A Mass-produced Mascot was deployed.
'Since it's Resort territory.'
It would perform the basic functions of a Golden Mascot.
Fortunately, the employees could also step beyond the 35m^2 line I had drawn. If I, the Resort's Mascot, allowed it.
'Hoo.'
…It was just a relief that their range of movement, even if only within Afternoon Station, had widened.
[Impressive. To be honest, it's not a choice that greatly benefits the Resort… but there is a certain fun in pioneering a new path.]
[Your two employees look happy too! My, a good employer like my friend is rare.]
…I doubt that, but it was still a relief.
'Hoo.'
But still, seeing the two dead people, the ghost stories, laughing, talking, and moving like ordinary people, evoked a strange feeling.
How is this possible?
'Supervisor Park Minseong and I… at least we weren't dead.'
It's not even because it's a dream. Because they were truly summoned into Segwang Metropolitan City.
For them to be able to appear so human-like despite that, perhaps….
'A characteristic of Segwang Metropolitan City…?'
Wait a minute.
-And I heard strange words. To heaven? To paradise… I think it meant something like that….
Could it be that the disaster in Segwang Metropolitan City.
The Cheerful Research Institute's research on heaven or paradise….
Is it related to that phenomenon?
W a i t
Leaving the employees behind, I looked beyond the empty space of the shop where the lease sign was displayed.
'As I thought.'
Just like when Hanbit Library was closed, a normal waiting room was connected beyond it.
I passed through the waiting room, headed to the opposite platform, and...
'…!'
…I discovered some shocking news from the facilities there.
But even that shock had to be pushed aside for now in the face of the immediate task.
There was something more important right in front of me.
Agent Bronze and Deputy Manager Eun Haje.
Terminating the daily employment contracts of the dead.
***
"Assistant manager."
Eun Haje opened her eyes.
In front of her, her hubae was looking down at her with a pale complexion.
"Roe."
Eun Haje reflexively checked if all her limbs were intact, then frowned as she looked around.
"Are we still in Segwang City?"
"...."
Beside her, the stiff-necked Old Man of a public servant was coming to his senses just
like her.
What that meant was that he was still raising his somewhat stiff, dead body.
Honestly, it was a gruesome sight.
'I'm going through all sorts of things.'
To think I'd even move around as a corpse.
"I'm sorry. I…."
"What are you talking about, this again?"
Eun Haje flicked her juniors forehead.
"We all agreed to come in here together in the first place, and we were just unlucky to take the Euthanasia Drug first. Isn't that right, Old Man public servant?"
"…Yes."
Shock was etched in the agent's eyes, but greater than that was composure and relief.
'He seems to be thinking it's a relief that Soleum is fine and the others seem to have
gotten out safely.'
The same was true for Eun Haje herself.
Still, she asked for confirmation.
"What about the others? I vaguely heard you did something like the greatest show on earth on a live broadcast, and that some home shopping thing was getting seized. We were organizing luggage in the warehouse."
"It's roughly similar, but it wasn't anything like the greatest show on earth…. Anyway, the others got out safely."
"Alright."
Then that's fine.
Eun Haje craved a cigarette, but she didn't pull one out here. She wasn't sure if she could smoke with a dead body.
Besides, the place they were in now looked like some kind of shop.
"What is this place?"
"Ah. This is a safe place. I rented it. Through a lease contract."
Rented it?
She had a bad feeling.
Kim Soleum smiles. Behind him, she could see the figure of a person, who looked somewhat familiar….
"…Agent Hwagak?"[1]
"…!"
Ryu Jaegwan shot up, trying to immediately check the figure behind him. Kim Soleum rushed to stop him.
"Calm down, Agent."
"What on earth happened?"
"It would be best to go outside and talk."
"Roe."
Eun Haje deliberately shook her dead body in a somewhat comical way.
"We… hiss. It seems like it'll be hard for us to get out."
"No!"
Kim Soleum urgently pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket. They were the daily employment contracts they had signed.
"I've obtained both of your contracts. If we terminate these, you can get out of
here...."
And his expression hardened.
"Roe?"
The contract
can't be terminated.
'…Why?'
Kim Soleum, whose vision went dizzy as if he were falling, realized in the next moment.
'It was too weak…!'
The idea of leasing only a tiny part of the Leased Space ultimately led to a lack of control.
It could make the employees move as if they were alive, but the lessee of this lease contract didn't have the authority to cancel and terminate the subordination itself.
Because he didn't have that much power.
But that could be solved.
He could just borrow the security deposit!
"…There was a slight problem, but don't worry. I can solve it right away. That…."
"What kind of problem is it?"
"...."
"I asked what kind of problem it is. Agent Grapes."
"…It's probably because I contracted for too small a leased space. If I make a bigger contract…."
"Don't do it."
"…!"
"You shouldn't carelessly make contracts in a Supernatural Disaster! If you've already made one, at least don't increase its size."
Ryu Jaegwan grabbed Kim Soleum's arm.
"Agent, you knew that too, which is why you only contracted for this much, isn't it?"
"...."
"What did you do to lease this space. What price did you pay?"
"It's really fine."
Kim Soleum pulled his arm away.
"I handled it well. There's a safe way to borrow the remaining cost…."
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Oops.
"Never, ever entertain the idea of going into debt to a Supernatural Disaster!"
"...."
A look of fatigue briefly appeared on Kim Soleum's face, then quickly vanished, replaced by a composed expression.
"I'm already in debt."
"…!"
"The amount won't be much different. So…."
"You think it won't be??"
This crazy bastard!
Eun Haje quickly grabbed her junior and whispered.
"Have you ever once seen a good ending for a kid who kept borrowing from a monster in the Darkness and became a debtor?"
"...."
"You haven't. You know it too."
Kim Soleum's expression clouded over, then he gritted his teeth.
But Eun Haje didn't change her words.
"So just leave it for now."
"Assistant manager,"
"Don't forget. Our bodies are fine outside."
Eun Haje pointed to the air with her thumb.
Out there.
"You said this was an entry through a dream. A kind of coma."
"...."
"This is actually better. Since we're already dead, we don't have to worry about starving to death or Contamination."
"What kind of nonsense…!"
"It makes more sense than getting into lease-cost debt with a ghost story, so be quiet."
"...."
Eun Haje slapped the back of the now-silent Kim Soleum.
While exchanging a look with the agent.
"Let's just think of it as… having a long dream. Got it?"
In truth, she knows that's not it.
To be trapped in a vegetative state with your mind dead inside a nightmare's ghost story?That's the picture-perfect prelude to being processed as a missing person….
"Let's take the long view."
But this conclusion was sincere.
***
A few hours later.
We signaled a Train Shelter entering the platform and boarded it.
"Are you okay…!"
Ms. Go Young-eun, who looked delighted with many things to say upon seeing us, simply welcomed us with a 'You've worked hard,' after seeing the drastically reduced number of people and the atmosphere.
And my two companions and I split up and moved.
Because our purposes were different.
"...."
Now that it's come to this, I can't just leave.
'I'll check the next station too.'
No, I will check the Cheerful Research Institute facilities at as many stations as possible, as quickly as possible. I will check for hidden elements and find a way to get people out of here, no matter what….
I recalled.
My reaction to the two people who said they would accompany me when I said I was going to the next station.
-You can't!
-....
-No, I mean… please, stay on the train as much as possible. If staying on the train isn't feasible, then at Afternoon Station, next to the stall, please just stay there and absolutely do not help with the work….
-Got it.
The hand that calmly patted my shoulder.
-I'll somehow rub my butt and squeeze onto the train, so don't worry. This Old Man will probably get more thick-skinned as he goes.
-....
-I'll find out whatever I can.
I had agreed to that.
'If they're on the train, they can remain in their complete forms.'
Then the two of them will be safe as well.
So right now, the two of them had gone to see Ms. Go Young-eun's Auntie, who was said to manage the rear cars of this Train Shelter….
With a few bribes in hand for the person who was the conductor of the front cars.
'It's okay.'
And I, who will still be an outsider, decided to use what I had purchased from the street vendor in car 7 during my previous visit.
-Car 8 Accommodation Ticket Purchase Window
"Here you go."
The 'Train Accommodation Ticket' was a transit card with a serial number carved into it with an awl.
I handed the item to the shelter person guarding the door and was able to enter car 8 of the train.
Drrrk.
With the sound of the door opening, the last train car, furnished with blankets and shabby bedding, reveals itself.
I gasped for breath.
'Just one day… let's just sleep for one day and then move.'
So many things have happened that I don't even know if I'm making the right decisions right now.
Mr. Heo-un and Mr. Heo-on, the dead Assistant Manager and Agent, Segwang Metropolitan City, Cheerful Research Institute, paradise, the talk show, the Resort....
'I need to rest.'
A human body, unlike 130666, needs to eat, sleep, and rest.
Let's just sleep first, and then think again.
I instinctively went to the seat at the very end and got into the bedding.
But I'm already asleep, so does sleeping again have any meaning? Such thoughts rage in my head, and sleep eludes me instead.
So I asked.
'Braun. The people whose contracts you took over, did they all… start working at the talk show?'
[That's right. Mr. Roe Deer! Hmm, they range from reasonably useful personnel to chaps who can barely manage to run errands.]
And among them would be my companions.
'…When my companions return home, could you deliver a letter from me?'
[That's not a difficult request, Mr. Roe Deer!]
I quickly wrote a letter from where I sat.
That the two of them were unable to leave Segwang Metropolitan City while dead.
…That I bear responsibility for this matter.
But that I will find a way no matter what, and to do that, I will continue my exploration in Segwang Metropolitan City for now.
So there was no need to panic even if I didn't wake up.
And....
Along with a request, though I was truly sorry, to please deliver that letter to Agent Choi as well.
'…Like this, please pass it on to Manager Lee Jaheon.'
[Mr. Roe Deer, I find it truly difficult to understand why my friend would leave a letter for a sword grunt in such a subservient manner…. Goodness, a letter itself is more than he deserves.]
I thought he would say something like that, but I just placated him gently and finished my request to Braun.
'Thanks.'
And silence fell once more.
"..."
Inside the bright train car. Lying on the floor, I let my gaze wander aimlessly.
It was the last car, so there was no door, but the space had been finished off. My eyes grew increasingly blank as I stared at the panel bolted in with screws.
Screws, a metallic color, all of the same standard size, but some had wrinkles like patterns, perhaps worn down by the passage of time. For instance, the second screw from the left was like a logo....
'…Wait.'
It's a Daydream Potion cap.
"…!!"
I shot up.
I looked at the screw again.
My impression didn't change.
'That's right.'
I rummaged through my pocket and took out the bottle of a used, low-grade Regeneration Potion, and held its cap up to the screw….
…The pattern in the center matched.
"..."
I reached for the cap disguised as a screw and pulled with all my might.
There was resistance, but to my surprise, it popped right out.
And attached to the cap, a note rolled up like a screw revealed itself....
Oh~ You figured it out?
Then you're qualified to read this pro tip lol
"…!"
Read it well and do your best
At the very end of the note that began that way, the writer's name was written.
-Lee Kangheon
[1] i forgot his agent name so let me know and I’ll fix this