GSGW 225

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Chapter 225

I sat back down on the bed.

The bell was still in my hand.

The thing acting as a signpost that let me think like myself.

Ding.

[Oh, I suppose it’s alright if I ask again now.]

[Roe Deer, how does it feel to realize you’ve regained your thinking ability?]

I lifted my head.

'…My mind is clear.'

Amazingly, it felt like me again.

[That’s wonderful news!]

'Yeah. But….'

That was exactly what felt strange.

[Hm?]

The fact that I wasn’t overwhelmed or moved to tears by regaining my sanity.

I just felt… a little dazed.

And because of that, something else began to feel off.

Something like this.

'…Why am I not scared?'

[My, there doesn’t appear to be anything frightening in this bedroom. Of course, that pink merchandise plush is frighteningly charming!]

Y-yeah.

But that’s not what I meant…

'Given the overall situation, it feels like I should be terrified.'

My body is some bizarre thing, my future is a complete mess, and even right now I’m locked alone inside a sealed room in a creepypasta containment facility. Normally I’d probably be screaming internally and swallowing down sobs.

But all I felt was uneasy.

When I used the Nostalgia Kit and briefly became Supervisor Roe Deer again, when my body and mind were restored—then crushed again—I clearly remembered the terror and unbearable panic I had felt.

It had been a situation that deserved pure panic.

Yet now, despite supposedly returning to my senses, I was strangely calm.

I was somewhat afraid, sure—but it felt like the fear switch itself had been disabled. Like I’d taken some kind of mental tranquilizer.

'Is it because this bell is meant for agents?'

Maybe it doesn’t return excessively negative or intense emotions.

But if that’s the case, it also feels like I can’t sense delicate or subtle emotions very well either.

[Oh. Long ago, a philosopher from ancient Greece classified the human mind into layers of reason, will, and emotion.]

[An outdated theory, perhaps, but quite intuitive given the era’s lack of knowledge. Shall we try applying it?]

Hmm. In that case…

'Am I in a state where I’ve only recovered reason and part of my will?'

A state where emotions don’t really register.

Since emotions are heavily influenced by the body, that explanation does feel somewhat reasonable.

[Roe Deer, as always, you catch on quickly. Of course, this is only speculation—but from your perspective, that’s one way to interpret it, my friend.]

[If you continue adapting and growing accustomed to it, perhaps the rest will return little by little.]

…If that’s true, then maybe now is actually a better time to be active.

'If panic and fear are dulled, it might make surviving in this insane creepypasta world a little easier….'

Though who knows what will happen later.

I suppressed a sigh.

Realizing that even if I sighed in this body it would only release smoke made me slightly depressed.

'Well… at least I’m grateful I can feel a little depressed.'

Then I began doing something productive.

Ding.

Throughout my “break time,” I adjusted the intervals at which I rang the bell, checking how long the effect lasted—the time I could maintain my sanity.

The result:

'…About four hours.'

After four hours, it gradually became harder to keep my thoughts stable.

If I wanted to keep my reason intact, I’d have to hear the bell once every four hours. At least for now.

'Hm.'

I stared at the small bell thoughtfully.

Would it break if I used it too much?

[All objects are consumables, except in very special cases.]

[But it appears perfectly fine for now. It must be the work of a skilled craftsman.]

Then I should be able to use it for a while without major problems.

'Thank you, Team Leader Haegum….'

After letting out another quiet sigh, I carefully tucked the bell between the horns growing from my head and fixed it in place.

I can move the horns by shifting my skull.

So if I do this, I’ll be able to shake it whenever I want. And it won’t be easily visible either.

With that done, the urgent matters were finished.

Which meant that until work hours started…I could sink into my thoughts.

'Hah.'

I lay down as comfortably as possible.

Then, avoiding topics that might shake me too much, I began recalling everything that had happened so far.

People passed through my mind.

Kwak Jaekwang, J3, Supervisor Park Minseong, Assistant Manager Lee Songhae, Kang Yihak, …Agent Choi

And when my thoughts traced all the way back to the very first moment—

I realized something.

'...!'

Jang Heoun.

One of the new employees who had come to find me on Basement Level 13, Room 666 of the annex, during the experiment conducted under the excuse of “special recruitment.”

At the time, I think I only felt a faint happiness that Jang Heoun was alive. But now that I could actually think, I realized that wasn’t something that should have just passed by like that.

'He must have recognized me.'

Jang Heoun had entered the Cheerful Theme Park resort with me while knowing that I was Kim Soleum.

And during that process, he even saw the Security Team costume.

Which means he could obviously connect the current me with the Kim Soleum he knew.

Of course, that assumes something. That it was really Jang Heoun.

'Everyone’s faces look like melting mosaics to me….'

I can’t clearly distinguish voices either, so I mostly identify people by general appearance and manner of speaking. Though I can see expressions somewhat.

'No, more importantly—if the Wish Ticket worked properly, why would he come here at all?'

And unlike me, he wasn’t processed as missing or dead and forced to quit. He was just transferred to another branch. If he came back to headquarters, that should have been the end of it.

Did he not contact Director Ho? Why would he…

……

..….!

[Hm?]

A chilling possibility crossed my mind.

What if—

Jang Heoun never returned to being human in the end?

And the wish ticket was used to turn Jang Heoun back into a human instead?

If that were the case, then Jang Heoun wouldn’t have a wish ticket left to fulfill his own wish.

Which would mean the chances that he returned to the company to win another wish ticket…

'Exist.'

There’s definitely a possibility.

'Wait—on the other hand, is it possible that Go Yeongeun gave up her own wish ticket to save Jang Heoun…?'

……That, I don’t know.

Usually, the only people who pass the Field Exploration Team’s aptitude test and make it to the orientation are those who have wishes so desperate they can’t let them go.

[Either way, that’s quite a chilling and interesting hypothesis, Roe Deer. It certainly seems possible.]

[And it looks like that thought led you to another conclusion as well?]

……

Correct.

If Jang Heoun really used a Wish Ticket to become human again—

Then couldn’t I use one too… to regain a human body?

'No. That’s a waste.'

If I ever win another Wish Ticket, I’ll make a proper wish this time. If I can just think of the perfect wording, I could return home—

……

But wasn’t that blind desire to return home something that had been fixed into me through experimentation?

Had I forgotten the experimental records that were used to summon me into this world like some obedient friend?

“…Ah.”

My stomach churned.

Winning another wish ticket…

It’s impossible anyway. The Security Team barely earns any points. Most of them are consumed just by maintenance costs. And besides, I—the underground, the laboratory, The shattered cultivation tank, me collapsing. Everything falling apart…

No.

Ding.

My mind, which had begun collapsing again, was quickly steadied by the sound of the bell.

Hoo.

I shook the bell between my horns again.

Ding.

'Get a hold of yourself.'

Winning a wish ticket from Daydream Inc. with points—let’s not cling to that.

I need to think of another way.

First… I need to understand my situation accurately.

Goal: Approach the truth.

Then I realized something.

The resolution I had made while my mind was blurred… hadn’t changed even after regaining my sanity.

'…I was heading in the right direction.'

Something faint stirred in my chest. Imagining myself taking a deep breath, I reaffirmed my resolve.

And one more thing.

Additional Goal: Meet Jang Heoun again.

Alright.

If possible, that’s what I’ll do.

[You’ve chosen a direction, my friend! Excellent.]

And right around then, my shift started.

—It is your working hours. Please wake up. It is your working hours. Please wake up…

'God, that’s loud….'

I can’t even sleep, and it’s telling me to wake up…

[To attract attention in such a crude and vulgar manner. I suspected as much from that tacky educational video earlier—this level of cost-cutting is truly headache-inducing!]

I actually agree with that.

Before long, the complicated locks on the isolation room door opened, and someone entered.

“Employee!”

Researcher Kwak Jaekwang.

The researcher who had dismissed the Security Team outside entered the room looking visibly excited.

Hm. Seeing him while I’m actually sane makes him look even stranger.

'Seriously… why doesn’t he regenerate the missing segment of his pinky finger?'

He should have enough points. Is he trying to hold out until the physical loss progresses further? Or maybe regeneration potions don’t work on the 'Red Finger' creepypasta. The wiki didn’t have exploration records detailed enough to confirm that.

Either possibility was plausible—but the fact that he didn’t seem bothered at all really was very mad scientist-like.

“Did you spend the night well? Hahaha! The ‘Man in the Darkness’ you captured so magnificently yesterday has safely been transferred to the research team!”

Detailed processing explanation:

Omitted as it is not permitted due to arbitrary purpose

“Of course!”

And Kwak Jaekwang, just as he had promised when they pinky swore, explained everything in detail.

How the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau had successfully contained the situation. How they had quickly secured a Darkness rated at least Class C, saving on processing costs. And how Director Cheong had been very pleased about it.

'…Hoo.'

And then…

“Supervisor Kang Yihak has gone missing.”

…?!

“Oh, apparently the Disaster Management Bureau detained her. Well, what could possibly happen? Even if the Bureau finds out about the USB now, it’s already on our side.”

It feels like an organ I don’t even have is aching…

Ah—no, wait. Do I? Now that my reason has returned, I feel like I can examine my body a little more objectively. It’s collapsed and distorted, but… maybe there’s something in there somewhere?

[An interesting line of thought, but it’s heading in a rather strange direction, my friend!]

R-right.

Anyway, Kang Yihak is still just a chief, so it probably isn’t anything too serious. And it’s probably better for humanity if the Disaster Management Bureau knows that Daydream Inc. took the 'Man in the Screen.'

'.......'

Something like longing or regret tried to surface, but it wasn’t strong enough to overwhelm me. I let it pass.

Instead, I asked Kwak Jaekwang for the next step.

Results.

“Results? Of course there are! Thanks to you, Employee, I even managed to secure a private meeting with Director Cheong!”

Kwak Jaekwang burst into laughter.

“It was the first time I’ve ever been able to speak with her for that long… so I managed to draw out quite a number of very interesting—well, valuable as information—things. Haha! To think the day would come when I’d hear such things.”

The researcher’s eyes gleamed as the curiosity of a personal mystery had been satisfied.

“Our goal—well… the truth about Employee’s origin—this information may become the foundation that brings us closer to it.”

…!

Explanation requested.

“Of course! …It concerns the method this company uses to collect Darkness. And it’s been systematized in surprisingly diverse ways.”

Taking out a ballpoint pen, Kwak Jaekwang flipped over a sheet of paper and began scribbling a structural diagram in front of me.

“The way this company collects Darkness can largely be divided into two categories.”

External Collection.

Internal Collection.

“The former is something you’re already familiar with, Employee.”

Collecting from the outside.

Searching for new wandering creepypastas and bringing them in. Or retrieving ones that had previously been redistributed among civilians for reuse.

External Collection — Capture.

External Collection — Retrieval.

“And the latter… haha, from here on out it becomes an area where the Research Team really shines!”

The things done inside Daydream Inc. itself.

“Development and Excavation.”

Internal Collection — Development.

Internal Collection — Excavation.

“First, Development is the process of grafting together various Darknesses or experimenting with them to create new ones.”

As expected of a creepypasta-style world, that was the kind of work usually known to be handled by the Development Research Team.

Research aimed at raising the classification rank while maintaining the highest possible survival rate, or establishing hypotheses for manuals—all of that belonged to this side.

Naturally, it was something I was already familiar with.

Which meant the important part was…

“But Excavation is something you’ve never heard of before, isn’t it?”

The last category.

“Exactly what it sounds like. …Excavation means digging up Darkness from beneath this company.”

…!!

Kwak Jaekwang broke into a wide grin.

“By any chance, do you know what exists beneath our company…?”

……

Cheerful Research Institute

“…! I knew it. I had a feeling it would be connected… hahaha, ha!”

I quietly stared at Kwak Jaekwang.

He quickly stopped laughing.

“That’s right. If you go further down below the current floors, the same office layout begins repeating endlessly.”

I knew.

Because I had seen it twice.

And… because the security captain had risked his life to find out and tell me.

—Even if you go deeper underground… the same office corridor… just keeps repeating…

—It’s definitely the same place, but… the time period… seems slightly different each time…

I had assumed it was information I no longer needed to investigate after winning the Wish Ticket. But apparently not.

“That phenomenon itself is the creepypasta known as the Cheerful Research Institute.”

A massive creepypasta in its own right.

Kwak Jaekwang showed me documents he seemed to have personally requested access to—copied pages describing the Joyful Research Institute phenomenon.

…They matched the security captain’s information exactly.

And then—

“Inside it, you can find all kinds of prototypes that were produced when the Cheerful Research Institute was still active, along with mediums that connect to various creepypastas.”

The origin of the earliest Darknesses from when Daydream Inc. was first founded.

“This is where Daydream excavates creepypastas that will become Darkness. Especially in the early days.”

Kwak Jaekwang’s eyes gleamed with delight at discovering new knowledge.

“So one could even form the hypothesis that Daydream Inc. built its headquarters on top of it. Hahaha, isn’t that fascinating?”

[My, my. If he tried doing stand-up comedy, he’d be pelted with raw eggs with a delivery like that!]

“In any case, the lower floors have already been searched thoroughly… so now they have to go deeper. But the deeper they go, the stranger things become, which has made progress difficult.”

Kwak Jaekwang looked at me.

“Even the regular Security Team struggles with it. …So wouldn’t the help of an employee from the Special Department be absolutely necessary?”

…!

“It must surely be related to the purpose for which you were created.”

Inside the smoke, I clenched an unseen hand.

“In the end, the Excavation duty will likely be assigned to you…”

Request rapid progress

“Of course! But to reach that point, we’ll need a stronger relationship of trust first!”

Kwak Jaekwang suddenly looked at me carefully.

“For example… perhaps if the usage method I’m developing for 130666 is acknowledged as useful. Hahaha.”

Hmm. In other words, I needed to appear obedient so they’d move me to the next stage.

They had to believe the company could control me with a certain degree of discretion.

This is ridiculous.

'Well… I already signed the slave contract anyway.'

Let’s do it. It’ll be easier to move around that way.

Affirmative.

“…! Excellent. Then I’ll think up a very appropriate and entertaining method—”

Please don’t. Please don’t think of anything.

I quickly formed words out of smoke.

Perform standard Security Team duties

“…Ah.”

Kwak Jaekwang’s enthusiasm deflated.

“Right. Well, that’s a bit… dull—no, tame. Though if the one doing it is you, it might still be different.”

I’m not finished speaking.

Explanation:

A new control factor has been discovered. We intend to experiment with it.

“…! Ah, I see—you’ve discovered a factor that can control you and wish to test it! That’s excellent. Fear? Pleasure? Rewards and punishments— which direction are we going? Haha, whichever it is—”

Money

"......"

Greed based on rules:

Requesting wages according to the employee salary table.

“…Yes.”

Thank you, Kang Yihak.

People who move for money are strangely reassuring.

And Daydream Inc. has plenty of money, doesn’t it?

A few days later,

I found myself sitting at the annex front desk together with two Security Team members.

They said they would pay me.

That part made me happy.

'Ugh.'

And one more thing.

[Oh, that appears to be an ear, my friend.]

During the quiet work hours, I began examining my distorted body rationally, trying to understand how it had melted and which parts were located where.

If any part of me had retained a proper shape, there was something I wanted to check.

Eventually—I found one.

:恩主:

The inventory tattoo.

 

/tn. 恩主 means benefactor 

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