GSGW c252
Chapter 252
Black Tortoise Team 1, Assistant Manager Eun Haje, and me.
The Disaster Management Bureau, which had permitted this group to go out, had attached conditions similar to last time, yet their attitude had in fact been noticeably different.
'It felt like they were trying to figure out how to manage a spiritual creature.'
Something close to an offering.
Rather than testing whether it was safe to send me outside, it felt more like rural elders helping someone come into the city for an outing.
Or perhaps, a filial piety tour….
—Have fun sightseeing in Seoul! Though please refrain from giving pocket money to passing kids with theme park funds….
…Mm. Thinking of the Agent Sumaksae assigned to monitor me made it really seem that way.
Of course, I had no intention of doing something insane like scattering Cheerful Coins among passersby.
The real issue was that, even without that, we were making a choice that would make the Disaster Management Bureau faint if they found out.
Namely….
Investigating the colossal Catastrophe-Level disaster sealed by the Disaster Management Bureau, by dragging in a Daydream director.
“Roe Deer, so… you’re saying you’ll really include Director Ho in the expedition after all?”
Affirmative
We could not expect help from the Disaster Management Bureau for the Segwang Special City expedition.
But receiving help from Daydream?
‘There’s no way that situation ends well.’
They would probably just research how to extract dream essence from Segwang Special City.
Yet at the same time, since I was bound to that company, I needed a method if I wanted any freedom of movement.
To satisfy every condition, the sentence came down to this.
—A backer with a third objective, capable of exerting influence over Daydream.
In the end, it had to be Ho Yuwon.
Of course, he must have known that himself, which was why he had made the suggestion so confidently….
“…Will that really be okay? I work under that bastard, so if he tells me to jump, I have to jump… but it’s obvious the agents won’t like it.”
“Ah, come on. Since when has whether we like something become the problem!”
Agent Choi replied with a laugh.
Still, it couldn’t be said he truly felt good about it.
“The problem is that something big could happen.”
"......"
“Grapes. You’ve already experienced it.”
There was a certainty in the words of the agent who had nearly been killed by Ho Yuwon.
I couldn’t refute that. But I had something to rely on as well.
Variable:
Ho Yuwon’s desperation
“...!"
The conditions were different from back then.
‘We’re probably the only ones who’ve actually gone into Segwang Special City and come back alive.’
He must be that desperate.
Even though the situation was one where he could have waited calmly—since there were no candidates besides himself—Ho Yuwon couldn’t stay still, and the moment we gathered and brought up the topic, he inserted himself into the conversation.
He might have been watching through Assistant Manager Eun Haje, but one thing was certain.
He was desperate enough to say he would even accept a binding prohibition placed on himself.
And.
When a desperate person shares the same objective:
Possibility of betrayal ▼
",,,,,,"
“Well, that’s true. They say the enemy of my enemy is a friend.”
Of course, Assistant Manager Eun Haje muttered that calling him a true comrade would be disgusting, her eyes drifting toward the café’s smoking room with the clear urge for a cigarette.
“Anyway, I don’t think it’s bad to use what we can. Hm… that guy probably has connections with the Disaster Management Bureau too.”
“Of course he does.”
…!!
“It seems you’ve finally made your decision, everyone.”
A group of office workers passed by our table carrying coffee.
From the middle of them, one person walking among them turned back toward us with a smile and spoke.
“Hello.”
Near the end of lunchtime, the café was crowded with office workers, and the group walked out as if entranced, not even noticing that one of them had quietly slipped away.
"......"
"......"
Ho Yuwon
The one who had appeared as if by a lie smiled and sat down at our table as though he had been with us all along.
“To talk about me while leaving me out… that hurts my feelings.”
“Well, people say they even curse the king when he’s not around. Please let this much slide. It wasn’t even a full string of insults.”
“Of course, Ms. Eun Haje.”
Then Ho Yuwon turned toward me and made a pitiful face.
“In truth, you’ve insulted me several times right in front of me already, but I was too frightened to argue….”
Just what was he trying to do.
[Good heavens, how shameless.]
[But he does seem excited. It looks like he’s been burning with anticipation to work with you, Mr. Roe Deer!]
…That might actually be true.
“How about it, Mr. Roe Deer?”
......
“I trust you won’t miss a good opportunity just because of agents tied down by their organizations….”
……
It seemed there was a misunderstanding.
Expedition members
: Disaster Management Bureau agents excluded
“...!"
“…What?”
I had no intention of conducting the expedition with the agents.
I couldn’t let unnecessary misunderstandings arise.
I had only brought it up here to clarify things, before anyone started worrying about what might happen later or tried investigating it separately.
“….. You.”
“Hm. Government officials probably have a harder time freeing up time anyway. And it’d be difficult to hide it from the Disaster Bureau.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje nodded as if she understood.
“But Roe Deer, the wording though. If you say they’re unnecessary, that would hurt their feelings. If they’re human, I mean.”
……
“…No.”
…!
“As an agent, I understand you said it out of consideration for our circumstances.”
Agent Bronze.
Perhaps he had spent several days agonizing over this unprecedented situation, because the shadows beneath his eyes were even darker. Looking at me, he spoke quietly.
He seemed to have already reached a conclusion.
“…But excluding agents from the rescue operation would not be a good choice. In the first place, both the supernatural disaster itself and the entry path to that disaster were under the Bureau’s jurisdiction.”
Segwang Special City, and the well.
“In the end, once everything is resolved, we will have to cooperate with the Disaster Management Bureau for safety. Besides….”
A firm light entered Agent Bronze’s eyes as he exchanged a glance with Agent Choi.
Agent Choi smiled faintly.
“Grapes. If companions are trapped in a supernatural disaster and the field agents can’t participate in rescuing them, that would be even harder to bear.”
Ah.
“Let’s go together.”
……
……
Accepted
Expedition members added : Black Tortoise Team 1 agents ×2
“You thought it through well.”
A trace of playfulness crept into Agent Choi’s voice as he lightly tapped the dokkaebi on my horn as if offering encouragement.
“And junior. Without us, how are you planning to place that prohibition?”
Ho Yuwon’s smile deepened. Agent Choi returned it.
“The Bureau probably has around nine hundred types of prohibition techniques to slap onto slippery supernatural types like you. Why go looking elsewhere?”
“I would rather die than accept a prohibition from the Disaster Management Bureau.”
“Really? Then we won’t be able to work together.”
“Well. In that case, wouldn’t you be the one leaving the team? Unfortunately, it seems you only just barely managed to get in even now.”
“Oh? Then the day the director gets officially registered as a supernatural disaster will come even sooner, won’t it ~?”
Hmm.
Actually, I had already thought about that as well.
I pulled out something I had prepared in advance from my inventory tattoo.
A rolled sheet of paper. Its contents were….
---
Employment Contract
I accept with gratitude and joy my employment in the mascot team of Flower Golden Resort, and pledge to devote my existence to the cheerful and safe exploration of ■■■■ City.
If the employee wishes to resign, they must reach an agreement with the employer, and must refrain from all actions that intentionally threaten the safety of team members.
Employer : ___________
Employee : ___________
---
“...!”
It was the resort employment contract.
‘I could already summon Cheerful Coins, so I thought I could use this kind of power too.’
One of the few advantages of no longer being human.
As a mascot, as the owner of the resort, I could act without worrying about contamination.
Now, I could even revise the wording to make it quite presentable. I still had to manually erase the mandatory phrases, but at this level, it was a fully recommendable contract.
So….
Target: Ho Yuwon
You shall become my subordinate.
“…Are you forcing contamination on me? That’s cruel, Roe Deer….”
Even though he wasn’t human, I wished he wouldn’t tremble from such whining…
And more.
Mutual contractual relationship:
: Equal standing
Since I too was bound to Daydream, I couldn’t wield life-or-death authority over Director Ho as an employer.
In short, a perfect balance to keep mutual boundaries.
[Truly a generous gesture, Mr. Roe Deer! Even if the expedition ends, won’t this person enjoy the privilege of job security at the resort?]
[However, this Braun worries about a friend’s business. Hiring a plague-like employee prone to such tricks would surely harm the resort’s dignity.]
…It’s fine. Once the expedition ends, he’ll be immediately dismissed.
‘And then we’ll cut ties without looking back….’
This was entirely for safety.
So I deliberately added a clause at the bottom of the contract to make it clearly visible.
Official employment period:
Until the conclusion of the special expedition project
“…You are surprisingly humane.”
To be honest, I thought Ho Yuwon would struggle a bit more.
I expected some back-and-forth, a few threats, before he finally complied, but…
“Good.”
…!
Ho Yuwon took the antique golden pen I was offering from the resort counter.
And he wrote.
Employer : ___________
Employee : Ho Yuwon
The pen returned.
“Now, Mr. Roe Deer, it’s your turn.”
I took the pen as well.
And the moment I signed the employer section, the employment contract turned golden and bound itself to me.
"......"
"......"
Thus, the employment relationship had reversed once.
“Agent Grapes.”
Of course.
“What… have you done just now?”
It wasn’t something a normal person could do.
“Isn’t this accelerating contamination?”
……
Current status: stable
“Please explain in more detail. You’ve been acting like that for the past few days….”
“Jaekwang.”
That was.
Sentence formation impossible
Please understand
"...!"
In truth… my mind had recovered, but speaking like a human was no longer possible.
Forming natural colloquial sentences in smoke felt as vague and difficult as trying to calculate in a dream.
‘…Maybe it will recover over time.’
Slightly anxious that this might be permanent, I relied on the bell to steady my mind.
Apology for discomfort and awkwardness
“No! That’s…”
“Wait, wait a second.”
Agent Choi interjected.
“Grapes. Did you feel awkward and out of place seeing our team leader only in dreams while visiting him?”
……
Negative
“Right?”
He patted my shoulder.
“That’s it.”
I nodded.
“I said it out of concern. No other intention. Right, Bronze?”
“…Of course.”
Gratitude
Assistant Manager Eun Haje sitting next to me looked at this with a bitter smile, then lightly thumped my back once.
“You brat. Well then, it seems everything’s settled… let’s head out with the expedition team now.”
“Oh-oh.”
A faint applause rang on the table.
Ho Yuwon was about to open his mouth as if demanding immediate reentry into Segwang Special City, but…
Something needed to happen first.
Proposal: Recruiting additional personnel for the expedition
This had been a major factor in why he accepted you into the team.
If things went on like this, we’d all probably die again, waking up in the Disaster Bureau headquarters with lingering aftereffects.
“Ah, right.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje asked boldly.
“Director, can we slip Section Chief of D-Team?”
“You mean Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”
“Yes. That person. He’s famous, and his ability is well-known. He will definitely be needed for the expedition.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje must have expected a reaction along the lines of, ‘Needed for Segwang Special City? Of course, I’ll abduct him immediately.’
But.
“Hmm… that might be a bit difficult.”
“Excuse me?”
“Lee Jaheon hasn’t come out of the darkness he entered last.”
“ ……!! "
As expected.
Question: Whether to attempt a rescue
“Ah, you thought the company would plan for a rescue, right? Lee Jaheon is a capable employee, after all.”
Naturally.
But bringing it up like this…
“However, it seems that for now, it has been deemed impossible.”
Ha.
Question: Reason
“They said that the darkness can no longer be entered using the previous method.”
…!
“Thanks to that, the company also lost one C-rank dream essence source, which they regret.”
Wait a second.
So… they’re planning to completely dispose of that darkness?
Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s urgent voice rang out.
“You mean they’ve given up entirely?”
“It might have been handed over to the research team… if the holding period is completed, maybe?”
……
Request: More detailed info immediately available
“Hmm… Ah, right. Among the employees who last explored that darkness with Section Chief Lee Jaheon, Mr. Roe Deer, you know someone, right?”
Huh?
“The one wearing the goat mask.”
……!
‘Baek Saheon!’
***
That evening.
Citizen,
I want to give you the promised item.
Where should I deliver it?
Sorry for being late.
I thought you weren’t giving it
Um
Did it come from a cult?
Yes. Recently,
We succeeded in escaping.
Thank you for worrying.
Worry my ass
Anyway
Just give me my item
How should I deliver the item?
If it’s small
Put it on paper
Fold it into the paper boat
Yes.
After sending the item.
Are you kidding me?
Some string that clears your mind?
I have that too haha
Sorry,
I had to get it quickly as soon as I came out.
It seems it wasn’t that great.
I just hope you accept it as a gift.
You don’t have to return it.
Don’t count your chickens first
I never intended to have it returned
So this time too
You contacted me for a favor?
May I ask about a specific
supernatural disaster?
It seems to be a darkness
your company handled.
Unbelievable
Is this okay? haha
Are you kidding me, asking company info like a government worker?
Sorry.
A few minutes later.
Nevermind, this company doesn’t care about this kind of thing anyway
Because I don't care
Yes?
They don't bother catching people who steal and sell items on the secondhand market. No system in place
What darkness are you curious about?
Oh.
‘It worked again.’
I read the words with newfound curiosity.
Baek Saheon must be at the stage of his annual cycle where the hype of getting into a big company job wears off…
And Daydream wasn’t exempt from the complaints all employees voice.
‘There really is no system for their work….’
If the company that throws employees into ghost stories ever had a system, maybe…
‘No, maybe throwing them into ghost stories actually gave a strange mystical illusion.’
Anyway, it worked, so I was grateful. They seemed willing to continue trading.
‘Saying the item was bad was probably partly to haggle.’
Ho Yuwon had been distributing these items like supplies to project members, and I had obtained one and send it. Anyway….
Don’t keep someone waiting
after asking a question.
Got it.
It’s a supernatural disaster
set in a boarding school.
Have you recently entered
such a supernatural disaster?
Surprisingly, a response came immediately.
The crazy school where they teach you to be a groom?
/tn. groom, meaning a bride & groom in a wedding
…?!
I had entered a place where the darkness makes you pretended to be proper and almost made me vomit why you asking
Wait,
groom class?
‘If it’s there….’
I realized what ghost story Baek Saheon was referring to.
And then it clicked one after another.
‘Ah!’
Why Section Chief Lee Jaheon hadn’t come out…!
***
A few days later.
Question: Location of the crazy boarding school where they teach groom training
"...!?"
With Ho Yuwon’s help, I extracted all information about that darkness and the security team from Kwak Jaekwang.
‘Done.’
And thus, I devised a way to enter.
To rescue Lee Jaheon.
Yes DADDY 🫶🫶
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