GSGW c214

note: idk if anyone is going to read this, but as I was reading this story on WebNovel, the MTL(machine translation) which started at around chapter 201 was really bad. So I took it upon myself to try and translate it for myself but then I realized, why not share it with those who also wish to read it. So here we are!

I started from chapter 214 because I just couldn't understand anything from there (should I also do chapter 201+?). If you want to read the previous chapters, check it out at WebNovel.com, it's free. I will probably stop at chapter 221, as there is another version of GSGW that is translated by I_Love_Kim_Soleum, if the translation is readable and understandable.

I'm also not very good at this, so please be easy on me.

if you want me to stop, just comment it. I will try my best to read them

Well, without further ado, I hope you enjoy.

- UglySunfish

 

edited note: I have posted c209+

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Chapter 214

[Well then… good morning. Employee registered under Special Department number 130666. Are you finished preparing to head to work?]

[Oh dear, the support staff are late again~ Captain of Security Team 3, have you forgotten how to leave the building after playing janitor and guard for so long? Your hands have practically turned into leaves—hahaha!]

[...]

[...Hey, are you even listening?]

[Well, anyway, it seems the support staff have finally finished preparing to transport our Special Department employee properly. I will now introduce today’s workplace.]

[It’s probably that fellow Badger’s case. Apparently the security team has already been contacted about it as well.]

[We received a suspicious request from the Sales Department.]

[As you know, our company is a pharmaceutical company that manufactures rather… special medicines. Naturally, we also maintain some ‘special clients’… you might say, useful figures at the upper levels of society.]

[For people like that, the agents of Daydream Inc. sometimes make personal visits to sell our products directly. When the payment is large enough, we even arrange regular deliveries.]

[Well, the delivery staff from the Sales Department who went to make one of those scheduled deliveries for this potion have just sent an official rescue request to Daydream Inc… They claim they’re experiencing something… strange.]

[And that—well, isn’t it rather interesting? No, actually, it smells quite nicely of a profitable darkness, doesn’t it?!]

[You see, this salesperson isn’t asking us to rescue them. Instead, they keep on asking us to tell them the answer!]

[According to them, they're being chased by something and are trapped in a room, but they don't know the correct answer. They're rambling on that how they don't know who to trust or which choice to make.]

[And apparently, every time they made regular deliveries to this house before, they would sometimes say they felt something strange. Something... unsettling. Especially..]

[When it rains. Just like today.]

***

Rain pattered steadily against the window.

Crash.

Thunders' roar ring and fade into the distance.

On edge, two office workers in suits had just entered the house on the outskirts of Seoul and were guided to a sofa.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

“Yes, thank you.”

'Phew.'

Lee Jinyoung, a Supervisor of Daydream Inc., officially a “delivery staff” agent of the Sales Team, let out a sigh as he adjusted his tie.

The middle-aged woman who had let them into the house and gone upstairs to “announce their visit” was already disappearing from view.

She was probably not a member of the client’s family.

‘She must be someone who works in this house.’

People wealthy enough to receive specially developed custom medicine from a pharmaceutical company probably wouldn’t be doing their own cleaning and dishwashing.

‘Still, it’s strange that they buy the medicine themselves.’

He glanced at the box his superior was holding.

They had come here to introduce and sell a “special potion.”

Only after joining the company had Jinyoung learned that Daydream Inc. didn’t just produce hair-loss treatments—it also developed and sold far more specialized drugs.

And that the ingredients for those drugs were… something unusual.

'Surely they’re not ingredients extracted from the human body or something like that…'

The whole thing gave off a faintly illegal scent that made him uncomfortable. But then again, in modern society, what major corporation didn’t walk the thin line of legal loopholes and questionable practices? As far as he was concerned, it was enough to keep his head down, do his job, and collect his paycheck.

…Even if it did leave a bad taste in his mouth.

'Well, that’s just how sales jobs are…'

And this was his first time making a scheduled delivery to this house.

His superior had brought him along as a replacement for someone who was on vacation.

“Assistant Manager, are you alright?”

“Mm. Not really.”

The agent replied gloomily, his complexion pale, as if his stomach wasn’t in great shape.

'I heard this client wasn’t supposed to be difficult.'

…Was it because of the rain?

The agent recalled the conversation they had before coming here.

It was about today’s scheduled delivery client.

—They’re not exactly difficult clients. The kind where you just sweat a bit and the sales pitch usually works out… But on rainy days, that house gives off a bad feeling.

—A bad feeling?

—Yeah. You know… like when a place just feels wrong. Like when you pass through a tunnel where an accident happened—you know that kind of feeling?

—Hmm…

—Just in case, I even brought a talisman with me.

Seriously?

'Maybe he’s just not feeling well.'

On damp, gloomy days like this, it was only natural for people to feel a little off.

'The house looks perfectly fine to me.'

Shrugging to himself, the agent looked around the expensive townhouse in Seoul.

It was luxurious and spotless.

Exactly what you’d expect from a wealthy household where someone else handled the cleaning.

Feeling a faint sense of deprivation, he glanced down at the floor, not a speck of dust in sight.

Then suddenly, he noticed something.

…Huh?

There was something shabby lying under the sofa.

Without thinking, he reached down and picked it up.

The texture was thin and smooth.

'…Sketchbook paper?'

Something a child might use. Absent-mindedly, he flipped the paper over…

I'M HUNGRY

The crooked handwriting looked like something a small child had scribbled.

Around the words were several crude figures drawn with crayons—stick-like people made of circles and lines, colored in various shades.

Maybe it was a drawing of their family?

“Hey, they're here.”

“Oh.”

The agent quickly set the paper beside the sofa and stood to greet the clients who had just come down from upstairs.

“Good afternoon!”

“Yes, hello. Nice to meet you.”

Surprisingly, the couple spoke in gentle, polite tones.

“You’re here for the delivery?”

“That’s right!”

The agent’s expression shifted as he smoothly slipped into professional mode, handling the customers with practiced ease.

“It’s your usual Grade C order”

The sealed box was passed from his hands. The couple opened it and checked the bottle inside, filled with a pale green liquid. After confirming it, they nodded in satisfaction.

'What on earth is that?'

The agent, who didn’t know much about Daydream Inc.’s potions, could only sneak a glance.

/tn. idk why a previous supervisor wouldn't know what potions are

Did it make people younger or something?

In any case, payment for that special potion was never made on the spot. Rumor had it that the “payment” wasn’t even money at all.

'They say the clients help the company with its work…'

The agent guessed it probably meant covering up something illegal, or getting involved in things like bid-rigging scandals.

Of course, he didn’t dare say any of that out loud.

Anyway, things proceeded as regular deliveries usually did.

Before leaving, they would smooth things over with a bit of polite conversation—lightening the atmosphere so the business relationship would continue.

As usual, the agent began some light small talk.

“Ah, it seems your child likes drawing.”

“…Pardon?”

“You left this behind.”

Recalling the drawing he had seen earlier, the agent reached out and felt along the sofa. It had definitely been here just a moment ago…

“The cute crayon drawing that said ‘I’m hungry.’ That one—”

…Huh?

He blinked.

All he could feel was the smooth leather of the empty sofa.

Even when he turned his head and looked around, there was nothing that could be called a drawing.

That’s strange… I definitely left it on the sofa.

“What paper?”

“Oh.”

When he turned his head to explain, he saw the couple looking at him with puzzled expressions.

“Our eldest child has already moved out. They’re in college.”

“I… see.”

Their reaction clearly said: Why would there be a child’s drawing in this house?

Damn it.

The couple, who had been watching him with faint suspicion, soon stood up, saying they would go put the medicine away. As soon as they left the room, his superior glared at him in disbelief.

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m sorry.”

But it felt unfair.

What the hell is going on?

“No, but it was definitely there. You saw it too, Assistant Manager, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean the drawing—like it was torn out of a sketchbook. It looked like something a kid scribbled…”

Something like that.

“Ah!”

The agent abruptly stood up and walked toward something he had just noticed.

Under the kitchen table, half hidden beneath the carpet, a piece of paper was sticking out.

“Hey! What are you doing right now?”

“You see this? It looked like this.”

He flipped the paper over. Maybe on the back of this one too, there would be a child’s drawing or handwriting…

it hurts

im hungry

it hurts

i want to go outside

Crooked, uneven letters filled the page.

Around the words were crude drawings of a family, sketched in clumsy strokes.

The adults were holding black sticks and nooses in their hands. Where their faces should have been, strange features were drawn in lurid red and pitch black.

As if they were staring out from the page.

“……”

A chill crept slowly up his spine.

Something about this wasn’t normal.

This was the kind of drawing you usually saw from abused children in psychological counseling sessions…

“Uh, Assistant Manager. Shouldn’t we at least check on this—”

“Hey.”

His superior tapped him on the back.

“When we were trained, what was the very first proverb they taught us?”

“……”

“You remember, right?”

“…Curiosity killed the cat.”

—Do not try to learn about the customers. Do not try to learn about the products you sell.

Ignorance.

It was training that ran completely counter to the kind of expertise normally expected from sales staff.

Which was precisely why they emphasized it first.

“Right. That’s the one. You still don’t even know what kind of medicine we deliver, do you?”

“……”

“The less you know, the better.”

The same applied to the customers.

Better not to know.

“……”

I want to go outside

The agent lowered his eyes to the drawing and the words once more. After a moment, he finally sighed and nodded.

"Yes."

His superior patted him on the back. The agent folded the paper and bent down to place it back on the floor.

“Good. Now let’s head out carefully—”

GET OUT

Snap.

“—!”

Suddenly, every light in the house went out.

In the pitch-black darkness, the two sales agents grabbed onto each other in confusion.

It was dark.

“Uh… is it a power outage?”

“Yeah… I think so…”

It was strangely quiet.

Normally, when a house suddenly loses power, people would make noise like talking and checking what had happened.

But in the silent darkness, the only thing filling the stillness was the sound of rain falling outside the window.

Pat—patpatpatpatpat…

“…Hello?”

No reply came.

Inside the darkened house, only faint outlines were visible, as if everything were holding its breath.

An eerie stillness.

“….”

“…Let’s head outside first. We should check if the power’s out elsewhere too.”

The two of them moved toward the front door.

Because of the rain it was dim, but not completely pitch-black, so getting to the entrance wasn’t difficult.

But something felt… wrong.

'…The smell of rain.'

The scent of wet soil hung in the air.

It wasn’t the kind of smell you’d expect inside a well-maintained home. The agent felt an inexplicable sense of unease and took a careful breath as he stepped forward.

Ahead of him, his superior seemed to be rummaging through his pocket, feeling around for something.

Is that the talisman?

“The lock is… hold on.”

He appeared to be struggling with the door lock. It was unfamiliar, and it was too dark to see properly.

“Want me to try?”

"Yeah. But…”

“…Why are you still holding that paper?”

He turned his head.

In his left hand, he saw the paper.

From the paper, droplets of water were falling.

“…Ah.”

So the smell of rain was coming from this—

Beep.

Crack.

“….”

A sound.

The agent slowly turned his stiffened head forward again.

His superior, who had been holding the front door lock, was looking back at him.

No.

Only his neck had turned.

Crack.

The body—its neck twisted backward—collapsed like a discarded toy.

“….”

Shock froze his body in place.

A corpse.

From the superior’s twisted face, fluids began to spill from every opening.

Tears. Mucus. Saliva.They ran down the hallway.

Like rainwater.

“Hhk— hhh—!"

Rrrroll…

From the dead man’s hand, a small round device rolled across the floor and bumped against the agent’s foot.

The agent reflexively grabbed it. Even as he did, he tried to think.

But his mind was blank and a high ringing filled his ears.

What is this?

What… is happening?

At that moment—

“Oh my goodness, we’re so sorry! The power suddenly went out—you must’ve been startled.”

“Are you alright?”

The couple’s voices rang out in a flustered tone.

It sounded slightly muffled, as if they were calling from upstairs. But the important thing was that it was a human voice.

“Ah…!”

Reality suddenly rushed back in.

Relief, terror, shock, confusion—his emotions tangled together.

Still unable to take his eyes off his dead superior, the Agent barely managed to move his lips.

“N-No! No…”

“Where are you? You’re alright, aren’t you?”

“This house is detached, so sometimes the power goes out like this… Oh dear, what a scare.”

The agent finally managed to steady his breathing and push himself to his feet. Then he raised his hand to throw away the paper he had been holding.

Liar

The words on the paper had changed.

And—

Something brushed past his mind.

“Where are you??”

……

“Excuse me,” he said.

His mouth opened with a trebling voice.

“You definitely said this earlier. ‘Our eldest already moved out.’”

“Huh? Yes, that’s right. Why—?”

But…

“…You only say ‘eldest child’ when there’s also a younger child, don’t you?”

……

“Then where is the younger one?”

A silence as heavy as death fell.

“Hello?”

“Too late.”

“Too late.”

The agent suddenly started running like a madman.

Not toward the stairs leading upstairs—but the opposite direction.

“Too late.”

“Too late.”

Goosebumps crawled up the back of his neck until it felt numb.

His survival instinct screamed.

Something is wrong.

Hide.

But where?

With trembling hands, he unfolded the paper again. Wet soil and dust, soaked with rain, fell onto the floor.

But before he could even recoil in shock—the contents were revealed.

The writing had changed again.

“….”

Bathroom bathtub

'Bathroom?'

When he looked up, he saw a door with a sign that read “Bathroom.”

For a split second, the agent hesitated. Then he hurriedly opened the door beside it, stepped inside, and locked it behind him.

“Hhk—”

The dim silhouette of the dark pantry-like space loomed before him, terrifying in the gloom. Still, he forced himself to steady his breathing.

Then he held his breath.

Because he could hear footsteps coming down from upstairs.

Step. Step.

“Too late.”

They were getting closer.

Closer and closer. The footsteps grew louder with every step.

“Too late.”

They stopped right in front of the door.

The agent swallowed back a cry and held his breath. Then he heard someone grab the doorknob.

Click.

“……”

“……”

And in the next moment—

the agent realized something.

The door hadn’t been opened.

It had been locked from the outside.

“Too late.”

“Too late…”

What is this?

What kind of decision am I making right now?

What…?

“Ah…”

“Please rest for a moment.”

“There’s no other way right now.”

What was I supposed to believe?

His mind spinning with confusion, the Agent’s hands trembled as he unfolded the paper again—and then he realized he was holding something in his other hand.

'The agent’s talisman.'

With shaking hands, he finally examined it properly for the first time.

“…A beeper?”

It was a pager.

A shabby little electronic device that had briefly been popular decades ago—commonly called a beeper.

On the screen, a number had already been entered, as if his superior had set it earlier: 505

That meant—

…SOS!

His desperate brain produced the interpretation.

'Where does it connect to?'

Maybe when they called it a talisman, they didn’t mean an actual charm—Maybe it was something that could call for help.

Clinging to that last thread of hope, the agent frantically pressed the buttons. He mashed what looked like the send button again and again.

“Please… please…”

And then—

[Request in progress.]

“…!”

A mechanical voice spoke.

It sounded like a faint whisper right beside his ear.

[Would you like to summon the Security Team? Additional charges will apply.]

“Yes—yes!!”

He didn’t care what it was. He needed help. Help—please!

“I—I don’t know who I’m supposed to trust, or where I’m supposed to go. P-please just tell me what to do. I don’t know what the answer is!”

[Request in progress.]

The agent rambled desperately, explaining everything that had happened so far. The strange house. The rainy night. The drawing. The lie.

The child!

“The kid who drew this—”

“Is there a child here who requires care?”

“AAAAH!”

The agent fell backward.

The pager that had produced the eerie voice slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

And from the black shadow that spread where it landed—another black silhouette began to rise.

[Request complete.]

[Security Team assigned.]

Employees wearing the Security Team uniforms of Daydream Inc. emerged from the darkness.

 

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