GSGW c251

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Chapter 251

The dokkaebi fire.

The being inside the lantern that the Disaster Management Bureau had lent me after I lost my arm during a mission.

It had also been with me right up until the moment I drank the Wish Ticket potion.

After that, I had occasionally wondered whether it managed to return safely to the Bureau….

'…Thank goodness.'

If it was here now, that meant it had returned safely.

I watched the dokkaebi fire drift out of the lantern and circle in front of the paper door.

It was good to see it again.

Still, I shouldn’t expect it to recognize me. Considering what I look like now….

Whoosh.

The dokkaebi fire shot toward me and stuck to my head.

'...!'

No, seriously—it pierced straight through the paper door like an arrow and slammed right between my horns so precisely it almost deserved a loud thwack sound…!

'W-wait, no.'

Startled, I raised my hand to gently remove it—but the dokkaebi fire slid along my horn and formed a shape.

…A blue, warm flame giving a thumbs-up.

Then it pressed itself against my horn and slowly began to trickle downward.

Like it was crying.

'......'

It recognized me.

“H-hey, dokkaebi friend! You can’t behave so rudely….”

Gratitude: A good reunion

“......!"

Once it regained its composure, I allowed the dokkaebi fire to wander around my horns.

The agent assigned to watch me today saw the scene and, instead of panicking, quietly pushed up their glasses and began observing us….

And then—

Knock, knock.

“Agent Sumaksae, Gomyung says you promised late-night snacks and wants to know why you haven’t shown up yet.”

A now-familiar silhouette appeared beyond the paper door.

Then she looked over at me.

“Oh, looks like you’re doing well.”

Agent Haegum!

“Seems like you get along well with dokkaebi fire. Guess Heung-unnie really does have good instincts.”

She casually sat near the door and spoke to the agent assigned to me.

“If it’s because of the dokkaebi fire, I’ll stay here. Go keep your snack promise.”

“Ah…!”

The agent thanked her repeatedly and left without much hesitation or concern.

“Thank you!”

They even gave an awkward little wave toward me and the dokkaebi fire before heading off down the corridor beyond the paper door.

The moment the staff member completely disappeared—

“…See? They’re starting to trust your character a bit now.”

……

“From now on there’ll probably be people slipping various items in here to see how you react. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take it the wrong way. They’re just trying to figure out what kind of offerings you’d like.”

Question: Recipient of offerings

“Obviously you.”

…As expected.

I watched the dokkaebi fire, which had been playing around my horns, drift curiously near the yellow lantern glowing around my ribs and held back a sigh.

“Well… back when you were the mascot, people asked me a lot about what you liked.”

Huh.

“So if there’s something you’d like to receive, you can tell me now.”

No.

Just helping me regain my sanity and letting me stay here rent-free is already more than enough….

Of course, I knew the Disaster Management Bureau wasn’t simply trying to please me.

'They want my help as a supernatural being.'

Especially if this agent had testified that I was the owner of the Flower Golden Resort.

Borrowing power from supernatural beings friendly to humans was already a standardized disaster response method within the Bureau.

Just like dokkaebi fire, the Baridegi Workshop, or General Tiger—I was probably being treated as a potential cooperative spirit as well.

The problem was that I wasn’t really in a position for that.

Not only had I originally been human, but my current form wasn’t some sacred spirit… If anything, I felt more like some kind of impure mass of stitched-together flesh.

And besides—

“Looks like you still haven’t fully escaped that awful company.”

…….

“How about settling down with the Disaster Management Bureau? I don’t know what kind of deal tied you to them, but we could try to find a way out together.”

Find a way out of my employment contract with Director Cheong… together?

That…

I didn’t know. Was that even possible? Director Cheong clearly wasn’t an ordinary existence.

Even if it were possible, it would require enormous investment—and I wasn’t nearly valuable or divine enough as a supernatural being to repay that cost.

Just imagining breaking that contract already made the rule-violation broadcast in my head blare loudly enough to make my brain feel like it was melting….

Spark.

'......'

The dokkaebi fire gently circled around my head.

Like another hallucination layering itself over the broadcast, I heard humming, the tapping of a club, cheerful footsteps.

The sound of a dokkaebi.

……

Gratitude

When the announcement’s noise finally began to fade, I lightly tapped the dokkaebi fire resting on my shoulder.

Watching quietly, Agent Haegum smiled and ran a hand along the hilt of the Four-Tiger Ritual Sword.

“Right. So you can at least put up a bit of a fight. Especially if other supernatural beings help you. They even repaired your clothes, after all.”

Without thinking, I looked down at my sleeve. A patch of silver thread had been sewn onto it.

The broken zipper of my security team uniform had already been repaired when I regained my senses.

Someone from the Baridegi Workshop must have come and stitched it.

'There’s some kind of strange aura coming from it too.'

I’d have to check it later. Anyway….

Gratitude for the proposal

: Will consider accepting

A lie.

“Of course. It’s an honor, Mascot.”

I truly was grateful—even if she didn’t realize she was making this offer to Agent Grapes, the spy.

Of course, accepting wasn’t actually possible.

'Still… I want to help somehow before I leave.'

After thinking for a moment, I quietly unzipped my sleeve and slipped my hand inside.

Into the inventory tattoo.

To her, it probably just looked like I was suddenly shoving my hand inside my own body.

“…..!"

'This space is connected to the resort.'

And to the lodge keeper who had now become the resort’s manager.

'When I called Mr. Jang Heoun before, I could feel the decision passing through the manager.'

If that was the case, maybe this would work too.

I sent a few signals, instructing the manager to place several resort items into the space connected to the tattoo….

The resort itself wasn’t a sacred place either.

So I ordered items that wouldn’t spread contamination, wouldn’t suddenly drag someone into the resort, and were safe enough for me to distribute.

I withdrew my hand.

Resting in my black-gloved palm was a colorful plastic circle.

“That’s….”

The Cheerful Coin.

Repayment for treatment and lodging

Recipient: Disaster Management Bureau & Agent Haegum

“...!"

I poured the coins onto the floor before the paper door where Agent Haegum stood.

She jumped to her feet.

Usage:

▶ Resort lodging

▶ Theme park souvenir shop

▶ Theme park restaurant (not recommended)

'The Bureau should be able to use these.'

People occasionally fell into the resort, and agents sometimes came to rescue them—so there had to be another entrance to the theme park somewhere.

With Cheerful Coins, the agents would be able to move around more easily.

Inside my territory, the souvenir shop mostly sold items relatively safe for humans, so they could buy and use those.

And this amount wasn’t enough to harm the resort’s operations, so it wouldn’t trigger any resistance.

Repayment item: Cheerful Coins ×30

Caution: Mild contamination symptoms possible while in possession. Recommend containment storage.

“No, wait….”

Ah, come on—just take them.

Feeling like a small-time civilian offering a bribe, I pushed the coins toward the agent.

'That should count as repayment.'

Soon the dokkaebi fire returned to its lantern. Watching Agent Haegum walk away carrying the lantern and the pile of coins, I nodded quietly to myself.

Thinking our accounts were more or less settled.

…… That, however, was only my assumption.

Starting the next day, the Disaster Management Bureau began placing all kinds of items before me as offerings.

'...!?'

And then I realized.

'…I proved my usefulness!'

If the agents who entered the theme park testified about the usefulness of the Cheerful Coins—then now they were trying to figure out how to use me.

So they could exchange things for Cheerful Coins as efficiently as possible.

Refusal

Suggestion: Give it to a child

Today marked the third refusal. I awkwardly declined the basket filled with children’s toys.

'Maybe it’s because they think I’m a ghost story that governs a theme park….'

They kept bringing things related to amusement parks. Or things connected to the resort.

For reference, the dokkaebi fire had now been permanently loaned to me. Apparently, it had insisted on it quite strongly.

I was grateful, but I was starting to regret leaving a few extra Cheerful Coins as payment.

'What if they start introducing me to more supernatural beings as “friends”…!'

Just as I began seriously worrying that they might even be interviewing Mr. Jang Heoun while he was still undergoing contamination treatment—

It finally happened.

“This supposedly came from your resort. Is that right?”

……

……!

“Looks like it is.”

Through the paper door, I saw what had been brought out in the basket.

A pink body. Round black eyes like little pebbles. Soft, well-kept fur. The rabbit plush was—

'Good Friend…!'

W-why is this here?

And then—

[Friend! I have returned.]

'....!?'

No.

'Braun?'

[Who else would it be! Ah, finally we meet in this splendid body you chose yourself, not that cheap merchandise.]

[Now behold this silhouette—and inside my belly is even the coin you used.]

I was bewildered.

As I lifted the doll out of the basket with both hands, I realized something.

'Don’t tell me… this was the reason?'

[Indeed it was.]

The pleasant voice rang out, tinged with a hint of playful pride.

[A true entertainer knows how to wait for an even more magnificent reunion.]

[I trusted that once someone discovered this cotton body came from your humble yet charming resort, they would eventually guide Braun back to you, Mr. Roe Deer. Ah, what a beautiful meeting of fate!]

Wait.

'Did someone actually have the Good Friend item?'

[Of course. The very agents who dreamed together with you in Segwang Special City.]

Ah.

Aaaaah!

'So that’s what happened!'

A rumor must have spread around the organization that they were collecting items related to the Cheerful Theme Park to give to me. There might even have been an official notice.

Then somehow—though I had no idea how—they tracked it down. And the agents of Black Tortoise Team 1 who possessed my “Good Friend” (very likely) had willingly handed the rabbit over.

After all, they knew it would ultimately return to Kim Soleum anyway.

They might even have been satisfied that they could deliver it officially instead of secretly taking it out….

[Well then, friend. Did you enjoy my surprise?]

Looking at the rabbit plush that somehow seemed rather smug, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

Familiarity.

'Is this… also the effect of the Good Friend item?'

Maybe.

'Yeah. It was impressive.'

[As expected!]

The rabbit plush sounded delighted.

'But listen.'

[Oh? A question?]

'You knew entering Segwang Special City was a dream.'

The rabbit plush froze.

'That hundred million… you made me waste it on purpose!'

Just for fun!

[…Friend! How could you harbor such suspicions!]

It doesn’t feel like suspicion—it feels true!

[My goodness. Very well, then let us think about this.]

[If Mr. Roe Deer, impressed by my brilliant insight, had told the others that the place was a dream—would everyone have calmly ended their lives together?]

'......!'

[Oh, surley my friend wouldn't expect such an implausible plot twist that even for a comedy sketch in a show, that kind of development would strain credibility.]

[Naturally, doubt, anguish, and suffering would have divided your companions! Some might never have awakened.]

[Surely you wouldn’t want me to do something that dangerous.]

That…

…was true.

'Still, you could have told me the hundred-million-won exorcism pollock wasn’t necessary….'

Ugh.

[Mr. Roe Deer, do remember that it was you who insisted on repaying Braun for what I offered as a gift.]

……

Yeah….

'I need to earn money.'

Even if I couldn’t pull the pop socket embedded in my body back out, I could still search the wiki for ways to make money….

[Take your time repaying it. For now, simply restore the trust you rightfully owe me, my friend.]

Despite everything I had experienced, the words didn’t annoy me. The Good Friend effect definitely made the voice sound friendlier.

'Sheesh.'

I tucked the rabbit plush—somehow feeling closer than when it had been mere merchandise—into my pocket.

The mind of 130666, numbed of fear, didn’t even register the creepiness of the ghost story host who had become my creditor. The Good Friend settled somewhere in my front pocket.

“So it really did come from the resort. Looks like you’re pretty happy to see it.”

Let’s go with that….

“Well… actually, that item originally had an owner.”

……Huh?

I heard Agent Haegum speak with a hint of hesitation.

“Do you happen to know someone called Agent Grapes?”

…!!

“I suspect that agent visited your theme park and obtained that doll. But his whereabouts are currently unknown.”

Cold sweat broke out.

“My team members had been holding onto it. If you could track him somehow, I’d appreciate it. Or at least hear how he’s doing.”

……

Tracking impossible

Reason: Ownership has already been transferred

“…I thought so.”

My conscience hurts!

Status of the doll’s purchaser:

Alive, at peace.

“…I see. That’s a relief.”

Agent Haegum calmly listened as I handed over a few coins in exchange for the rabbit plush and provided some information (such as the fact that this doll had already been discontinued as an event item in the theme park).

Then she stood up with a smile.

“It’s a relief you’re friendly toward humans.”

……

“Get some good rest.”

Agent Haegum disappeared once more into the corridor beyond the paper door.

Thud.

Hearing the door close, I finally sighed and reached a conclusion.

'I can’t stay here any longer.'

If the Disaster Management Bureau started believing I would permanently register here and cooperate as a spiritual entity, it would only waste their time and resources. They were busy enough already.

And ignoring the summons from Daydream Inc. indefinitely was becoming harder too.

But time kept passing. And Assistant Manager Lee Songhae still hadn’t awakened….

'…I think I’ll have to go back in alone.'

For the rescue.

To Segwang Special City.

Considering everything, there was only one answer.

And so, a few days later—

At an outing arranged once again by Black Tortoise Team 1—I made an announcement.

Declaration:

Establishment of an Independent Segwang Special City Exploration Team

(Including Ho Yuwon)

“..…!!"

 

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