Author note: Updated
———————————————————
So far, these were mentioned:
Security Management Department ( )
Security Team ( )
Guard Team ( )
*In line with this, Jay's full position title is 'Guard Sergeant' ( ), but shortened to sergeant for brevity.
Anyway, when I get the time, I'll comb through the past chapters and try to correct all other instances that these terms were mentioned. For now, please keep this in mind. Sorry for the confusion!
I'm still not entirely sure about this department's structure and idk what kind of entity the Security Team is within the Security Department, or if they're actually the same thing given that they have the same-ish name, but… I won't question things for now, I'll just follow you, author-nim * * *
So. I opened the unmanned motel door, and Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang was tied up, with the sergeant sitting on top of him?
And why is Supervisor Park Minseong here?
I mean, it's nice to see him after so long, but what kind of combination is this…
"Mmmpf!"
At that moment, Kwak Jaekang, who was pinned to the floor, started struggling again. Wait a second!
'This won't do.'
If he turns his head and sees my face, things will spiral out of control. I quickly got a hold of myself and tried to close the door and leave.
But apparently, the sergeant noticed something before I could move.
"Ah."
The sergeant struck the head of the man he was restraining. Just like that, Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang passed out.
"..."
– It's a complete mess, my goodness! How chaotic can things get! But there is a certain unique charm that comes from chaos. Wah, please…
"What exactly is going on here?"
"Ah… I secretly followed…"
"…??"
The urgent explanation that followed can be summarized as this:
The sergeant said he had gone all around the company collecting various bits of information that might be useful for the 'Cheerful Research Institute' I'd asked about.
And in the process, he explored different places, and the place he went today was…
"I went to the… Research Team's special area in the annex…"
"…Wait. Isn't that a restricted area where only authorized staff can enter?"
"Ah… the Security Team… can go in if it's for work. Like, for patrols and stuff…"
Ah, I see.
"So you waited until you were assigned patrol duty?"
"No… I just filled in for another guard…"
"..."
"You said you needed information..."
'Now I feel bad…'
The sergeant looked so proud of what he did that I was at a loss for words.
Anyway, given how much our actions overlapped, it seems pretty clear that the Guard Team member Baek Saheon mentioned really was the sergeant.
Wait, now that I think about it…
"I heard that you got into a fight with Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang… is that related to what's happening now?"
"I didn't fight with him… he kept picking a fight with me..."
"Ah, so you just got caught up in it."
"No… I ignored him…"
"..."
"He just ran into me by himself and fell over… um. Anyway."
Scratching his head, the sergeant returned to the main point.
He said that while patrolling the Research Team's special area today, he noticed something strange with the equipment or documents.
"It felt like someone was following me…"
"…!"
At some point, he felt a persistent, watching gaze. He even sensed a strange kind of malice.
"So I just went outside… but this person kept following me secretly…"
And then you subdued him…!
"Well… and there was nobody around to see…"
I nodded, feeling like I wanted to hold my head.
"So you didn't know it was Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang?"
"No, I knew…"
"..."
Aaagh!
"Well… it didn't matter much… I just didn't expect he'd call someone from the Security Team…"
My gaze turned to Supervisor Park Minseong. His pupils wavered.
"Yeah. I was the one who got the call…"
"..."
"When I got here… he was already… yeah."
And so, this bizarre meeting occurred…
– Ahaha! My goodness! This is just like a sitcom!
Life is a comedy when you look at it from a distance. The problem is that I'm stuck right in the middle of it all!
'I'm actually going to lose my mind.'
I barely managed to restrain myself from pressing my temples as I spoke.
"If we just send Assistant Manager Kwak back like this, is it likely he'll report Jay-ssi, or otherwise exaggerate the situation and cause problems?"
"…Probably?"
Supervisor Park Minseong and I exchanged nervous glances, then looked at the sergeant. The sergeant just looked annoyed by the whole situation.
'Whatever happens, happens', his reaction seemed to say.
"..."
"..."
No, I mean, this is about your own safety…!
"So then… Supervisor, does that mean you have to take the sergeant into custody?"
"Technically, yes, but… Umm. If you just send him back, I'll try to handle things on my end… I'll testify that Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang was there alone."
Supervisor Park Minseong laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
"He gets up to so much weird stuff that I think it'll work ou—"
"It probably won't…"
"...!"
The sergeant stared straight at Supervisor Park Minseong.
"You just joined the Security Team… that's when the binding is strongest…"
Binding?
"It… hasn't even been a full 100 days since you started official duty, has it? It'll be hard to lie… to the company…"
"..."
"The clock. It's counting down right now, isn't it…?"
Supervisor Park Minseong's face stiffened. But the very next moment, a picture-perfect smile appeared on his face.
And, as if unconsciously, his hand moved to his wrist. Under the Security Team's uniform, something resembling a wristwatch could be seen.
Right. A wristwatch.
'…The binding that falls on the Security Team.' I recall.
At Daydream Inc., once a rescued employee has sufficiently recovered from contamination and regained their humanity, instead of investing further, they devised methods that could be put to immediate use.
That binding wasn't described in full detail in the Dark Exploration Records. They believed it would be more meaningful and chilling to let the reader imagine it.
But there were hints scattered throughout.
For example…
'The wristwatch.'
Yes, yes. The company's Security Team members really do wear wristwatches. What do they use them for, you ask? I don't know either. The only thing I know for sure is that if they ever… act out of line,
Like, if they try to leave the company during the day, for instance?
Anyway, when that happens, you could hear it. The ticking sound from the watch… Tick, tock. Tick, tock. That sound.
Why was that so strange? Because it was supposed to be a digital watch, so why was there the sound of a second hand moving? That in itself was creepy, like a ghost story…
It would keep getting faster, and eventually, there would be an alarm, I guess?
And then, they'd suddenly vanish.
Not the watch. The Security Team member.
—Excerpt from Interrogation 26 of Glass Prison
Inmate G56 (Origin: Daydream Inc.)
"Supervisor."
"…Ah! Yes."
Supervisor Park Minseong quickly snapped back to his senses and took his hand off his wrist.
The atmosphere in the unmanned motel grew a bit heavier.
But the sergeant spoke casually.
"Um, don't worry… I mean… It'll probably just be a disciplinary measure… It's not like you killed anyone…"
"…?!"
"Just… go explain it... But… wait."
The sergeant looked down at the researcher he'd tied up and muttered seriously,
"Isn't this a bit… wasteful…"
…??
"This guy… knows a lot… Mm, since it's come to this… might as well get some information out of him…"
"No. That's not necessary."
How suspicious!
And why would he suggest taking on even more disciplinary risk himself!
'Let's wrap this up quickly.'
If he hasn't seen my face, it's fine… Wait a minute.
Even if Kwak Jaekang didn't see me, someone else did.
"Supervisor Park Minseong."
"Yeah?"
"If it's difficult for you to lie to the company right now, when you're giving your statement… Do you have to say you saw me?"
"...!!"
Supervisor Park Minseong's face went pale again.
"If the company demands it. I might have to…"
Damn it!
From that point on, the problem isn't just that they'll find out I'm alive.
'…While trying to cover that up, Director Ho would definitely find out about it.'
If they ask why I was meeting with the sergeant, even the Dream Incubation Room could be exposed…
"I'll try my best to avoid that situation…"
"Hey…"
The sergeant raised his hand.
"Um… actually, I don't really want to… it's a hassle…"
Then he pointed at Kwak Jaekang.
"Should I just… kill him?"
"?!"
Immunity for use of deadly force!
Now that I think about it, the Guard Team does have immunity for lethal force!
"If I kill him… and the Security Team reports 'no target for dispatch'… that's not a lie… and we can just move on. Plus… it'll buy us some time…"
"No, you can't."
"P-Please calm down, Sergeant!"
No, I mean, the Guard Team's immunity for deadly force isn't for the guards themselves!
'It's so the company isn't liable if someone dies during the suppression of a ghost story incident!'
And on top of that, it's more like, 'Since they have immunity, don't get in the way and make it cost more when the Guard Team is working.'
From the start…
"The immunity for deadly force is the right for the Guard Team to kill employees who interfere during official duties. You're not in the middle of official duty right now!"
If it were that easy to kill someone, Kwak Jaekang would have already been turned into a puddle by another member of the Guard Team a long time ago.
"Well, that's true… hm."
"L-Let's think of another way."
"Yes! We'll think of a good way!"
"Hmm… okay…"
Cold sweat broke out on my skin.
'I-It's a relief the sergeant isn't that motivated…'
No wonder he made it all the way to squad leader of an elite team. His judgment is so unflinching.
…Honestly, it wasn't just the immunity he was thinking of. He was really considering just killing this guy to get rid of any evidence.
It's only lucky that he's not a bad person at heart. I wiped the sweat from my brow.
…And honestly, this situation was my fault.
I was too tempted when the sergeant said he'd look into the Cheerful Research Institute for me.
– It's a moment of decision, Friend! Will you gamble for a flawless outcome, or accept a little loss for the sake of safety?
– Oh, if you want advice from this host, I'm more than ready to give you a hint!
'…You're going to tell me to gamble and erase the evidence, right?'
– Correct!
Damn it.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, then suddenly…
An idea came to me.
'No.'
– Hm?
'A way to erase evidence… there's one!'
"I'll take care of it."
I pulled out an item I'd been keeping in my inventory.
Disguise Syrup for Kids
(Green Grape Flavor)
★★★★★
A short time later.
"…Hm?"
Assistant Manager Kwak Jaekang opened his eyes.
Or rather, it was a guess that he would, since we'd covered his eyes.
"Ooooh? Am I in the Darkness... No, that's not it. My eyes are just covered."
The excited tone in his voice instantly cooled and became listless.
But soon, perhaps realizing why he was in this situation, his tone changed again.
He'd been following the sergeant, got caught and tied up, and was knocked out.
"No! Just because you cover my eyes doesn't mean I forget what I saw! Hahaha! Oh, heavens. How do you plan to explain this to the company, pulling a stunt like this?"
"..."
"The situation has changed a lot since you were the leader of the B-squad~ Do you still believe the company will give you special treatment? Golly."
Things like, 'Did you really think your immunity for deadly force means you can just kill a real researcher?', or, 'I wonder how the company would react if a busy section chief of the Research Team like me turned up as a fresh corpse?'—
He speaks in that typical tone of someone proud of their own irreplaceability, mixing subtle threats and ominous predictions, but lightly.
However, soon.
"Or… maybe you're desperate enough that you have to go this far."
"..."
"What were you looking for in the special research lab in the annex? Don't tell me…"
His voice took on a meaningful edge.
"Were you hoping to find the Darkness you disappeared into there?"
"..."
"Hey, I'm telling you, the entrance has collapsed! Even if you're curious what state the staff still trapped in there might be in by now—"
He'd talked enough.
I briskly pulled off the cloth covering his eyes.
Kwak Jaekang looked pleased, as if about to say something else, but.
"…!"
But instead of the sergeant—the former elite team leader—he'd been expecting, there was me.
Wearing a Security Team suit.
"..."
In front of the frozen Kwak Jaekang, I took out my pager and flicked it.
"…Aha, so you're the one who responded to the call! This must be… hmm, the Security Team area?"
Silence.
"By any chance, was there a guard sergeant in the spot where I was?"
Silence.
"…Not much of a talker, huh. ...Wait a second."
Realization flickered in Kwak Jaekang's eyes.
"It's a special suit."
He recognized my outfit.
The uniform for the Security Team's Special Division.
"What's going on? You, responding to a mere Research Team section chief's call? This kind of cleanup shouldn't be the job of someone as special and rare as you! Hahaha… Unless you have some other motive—"
As he thought of the next words, his expression changed.
Right.
'Unless there's some other motive.'
I silently raised my hand and placed something on the desk in front of him.
[Fun Truth Game!]
[Shall we play a round?]
"…!"
A carrot-shaped plastic recording toy, cheerfully announcing itself.
It looked childish and cheap, completely out of place, but Kwak Jaekang's face went stiff.
'As I thought, he recognizes it.'
One of the most famous Security Team interrogation tools from Dark Exploration Records.
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story
[All the Things the Carrot Can Do]
: A ghost story featured in
: Daydream Inc. identification code – Qterw-E2525.
A party toy that helps you play a game of Truth or Dare.
If the opponent doesn't tell the truth, it notices immediately and, as a penalty, issues a brutal and shocking dare.
If the mission is not completed, the other game participants can punish the one who failed.
Right.
Where did I get this?
To be honest—
'It's fake.'
I poured the 'Disguise Syrup for Kids' on my smartphone and created a knockoff.
That's why it's rated five stars.
It doesn't disguise me, it disguises whatever I want.
So, because it's for objects and not people, it is highly versatile. And, it perfectly mimics the look and function the user wants.
And it doesn't matter if it's a fake imitating the original.
The important thing is that the person in front of me believes it's real.
For the first time, I saw a flicker of confusion in Kwak Jaekang's eyes.
"…What is this? No, there's no need to go this far, is there? I…"
Now I was ready.
From here on, it was all about skillfully pushing my confused opponent and wrapping up the situation.
Preferably in a way that gave us a bit of an advantage.
[If everyone's ready, we'll begin.]
[Now, the question!]
While the carrot blared on, I subtly shifted my position so Kwak Jaekang could see more clearly.
Behind me, the prototype Dream Incubator from the Cheerful Research Institute came into view.
"…!"
Kwak Jaekang's gaze wavered, but the 'carrot' asked its recorded question.
[What do you know about the machine in front of you?]
Thus began the ridiculously efficient clean-up plan.