GDCG c281

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Chapter 281

What… is this situation?

'Wait.'

So right now, the Team B leader is next to me, and I’m here….

And over in that corridor are the head of security and… me, as the mascot.

'…What?'

Is this a hallucination from the library ghost story?

But if you think about it, the one from decades in the past—the uncorrupted version—the Team B leader’s side being the hallucination would make more sense… And yet, someone who has a physical form and can even subdue a student can’t be a hallucination—no….

…….

I swallowed.

'…Braun.'

—My friend is calling me.

I shifted my focus.

'That Golden Mascot over there.'

A yellow, cat-like mascot with antler-like horns.

'…Is that your friend?'

Was that considered me?

—Oh, it could be. But right now, I am with you, Mr. Roe Deer!

An ambiguous answer.

'Haa.'

Meanwhile, the Team B leader, who had already carefully observed the two entities, slowly wrote to inform me.

—They don’t seem to be human.

—They look like entities belonging to this library ghost story. Let’s observe a bit more.

"......."

So he judged them as something other than human.

It wasn’t a wrong judgment.

Even if they had physical forms, they couldn’t be considered ordinary, uncorrupted people.

"Um… since we found the yarn… should I cary it…?"

Tha nk yo u

"Yeah…"

As the head of security picked up the yarn, his pupils flickered yellow.

'Seeing it like this… he really doesn’t look normal…'

Even just their appearances and the way they spoke—those two beyond the corner felt far from ordinary….

'But.'

I kept my gaze on the head of security—still wearing a disposable dental mask—while doing my best not to turn toward the wolf team leader.

…Because if—

If that B-Team leader

realizes that the entity he judged to be part of a ghost story… is actually himself from the future—what would happen?

"......"

I didn’t like the feeling.

'It’s better if they don’t run into each other.'

Keeping my composure, I picked up the pen and wrote a reply.

—Yes. It’s highly likely they’re something lost within this library.

—Makes sense.

I couldn’t lie.

He’d notice.

"Hmm… since we found the yarn… should we follow it and find the end…?"

Ho ld thi s

Mo ve

Fi nd

the oth ers

"Shall we…?"

It seemed their conversation had ended as well—they began to move again. For a moment, the Golden Mascot’s words sounded exactly like something I would say in this situation, sending a chill down my spine. But for now, the priority was avoiding them.

—We’ll give up on the yarn for now. We’ll withdraw first and search elsewhere—

Just as I finished writing—

"Smell……"

……!

I looked up.

Before I knew it, a long, vicious black forepaw from the head of security had surged forward and grabbed the collar of my jacket.

And in that instant, the wolf team leader slipped my body out, leaving only the jacket behind.

"......."

"......."

"…Hey."

We’d been caught.

The head of security fidgeted his fingers, then looked back and forth between me and the Golden Mascot.

"This……"

It ’s o ka y

The Golden Mascot ran over and stood in front of me.

Then it looked at me with black, pebble-like eyes.

We

tried it

What…?

Ah.

An image flashed through my mind.

'Space Shopping Mall VIP shopping.'

The scene where all my contaminations had been manifested and seated there.

"......."

Ri ght?

Then… does that mean this is a phenomenon where the contaminated entity and the uncorrupted human personality have been separated?

Is that how the Golden Mascot sees it?

'But that’s strange too.'

My contaminations weren’t just one or two.

If the one that consumed the most of my ego had manifested, then the kindergarten teacher from Hungry Hangman should have appeared first.

And if the strongest form had emerged—

'…130666 should be the one here.'

My form in reality.

[Oh, how curious. I wonder what the reference point is.]

I began to worry more and more about what had happened to the others.

But the most urgent issue was—

"Looks like you know each other."

The head of security and the B-Team leader had come face to face.

"......."

"......."

A tall frame, a clean suit, neatly groomed hair, and a wolf mask covering the face.

A gaunt, slightly hunched body, a shabby security uniform, a pulled-down cap, unkempt hair, and a wrinkled dental mask.

"What’s going on, Employee Dragon?"

My mind went blank as I watched the two confront each other.

'Did he notice?'

At least the head of security—definitely.

But J…?

He stood there stiffly, as if his movements had paused, then pulled his cap down further and lowered his head.

…….

Phew.

In that case—

"Team leader. This is… a member of the security team."

I stood up, swallowed, and politely gestured toward the head of security as I introduced him.

"He’s with me."

The wolf team leader watched silently.

"But you pretended not to know him."

Hoo.

"As far as I know, the security team… didn’t exist in the early days of the company and was established later, so I assumed you wouldn’t recognize him."

"Hm."

"So I thought you might find it suspicious…"

I exhaled and admitted it.

"Yes. I tried to deceive you. I wasn’t sure how much you’d believe, and honestly, your reactions are a bit… intimidating."

"Me?"

"Yes."

That part was completely sincere.

"Objectively speaking, the situation is suspicious, isn’t it?"

"Haha."

The eyes behind the wolf mask narrowed slightly.

It was impossible to tell whether he was smiling or evaluating me. 

I swallowed.

"So, since they seem to have found yarn as well… I thought we could regroup after securing an exit."

"Hm."

The eyes behind the mask swept over the two figures.

…The head of security still stood silently, head lowered beneath his cap.

The gaze lingered a bit longer on the more flamboyant mascot.

"Alright."

"......."

"Let’s move together for now. We should make use of Employee Dragon’s yarn."

"Yes."

My heart felt like it was shrinking.

Le t’s go

We walked, holding onto the yarn.

The bundle of yarn I had dropped when I moved into Segwang Technical High School was still there.

And logically, the end of this yarn should have been tied outside Hanbit Library—so it should guide us there.

"......."

Even during that process, the wolf team leader continued speaking in a casual tone.

I wasn’t sure whether to consider that fortunate or not—but he directed his words at the Golden Mascot.

"Are you also part of the security team?"

I

own

a fa ncy re so rt

"A resort."

"…Among the darkness of Daydream Inc., there exists a resort run by a ghost story entity that is friendly toward humans."

I wasn’t lying.

"It’s actually quite a nice place."

Cor rect

As if praising me, the mascot reached out and patted the back of my head.

The soft, fluffy touch of its forepaw felt strangely unsettling….

…….

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

'What are the chances that I’m the fake?'

That the Golden Mascot is the real one affected by the ghost story—and I’m just a construct created by it?

'…No.'

Right now, I’m in a human form.

A human consciousness.

There are no gaps in my mind… no breaks.

And Braun is with me too. If anything, that side is more likely to be the ghost story construct. No—don’t think in terms of probability—

'Don’t doubt it.'

The more I do, the easier it becomes to give up or make the wrong judgment.

Still, with an indescribably strange feeling, I kept walking ….

"......."

"......."

And then, surprisingly—the end of the yarn…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was it.

The corridor engraved with strange rules.

The red yarn lay tangled across the floor, forming the same distorted, broken sentences as before….

"......."

'It’s gone.'

There was no exit.

Instead, this passage had appeared again.

A place where letters twisted together, where something hidden existed behind the bookshelves—

Just as my mind began to go blank—

Tap. With a soft sound, I saw a figure stepping back.

"...!"

It was Lee Gyeol, who had been following us.

I hurried after him and asked.

What’s wrong?

He frantically scribbled a reply.

Don’t go

That’s somewhere else

"...!"

That’s not the normal library!

How do you know that?

I just know

There’s no way I wouldn’t

Even in his confusion, Lee Gyeol wrote with certainty.

…Wait.

Segwang Technical High School existed inside Hanbit Library. It was positioned like a special section—meaning it was part of the library. Then perhaps the students themselves could be considered entities of the library.

If that’s the case ….

Lee Gyeol, do you

know all of Hanbit Library’s rules?

I do

Can you write them down?

Lee Gyeol wrote out the rules he “knew.”

Do not make the sound of footsteps

Do not fall asleep

Be curious

If you gain one thing, leave

Do not go down to the basement

Stare at the window

'They match.'

The order was different, but nothing contradicted what we already knew. However—

<One Who Heads Toward the Path of Worship>

There was nothing written in red like that.

'So that’s not part of the rules after all.'

More than that… It carried a far more tempting, deeper, more active nuance ….

Something like—

A law of worship.

The will of the library.

A method of serving something that had made this place its sanctuary—something that must be bowed to.

'…It’s calling us.'

Blocking the exit. Guiding us.

Then—

'Is the appearance of the wolf team leader and the Golden Mascot also something it wants?'

Click.

"...!"

In the meantime, the head of security had already picked up the book <One Who Heads Toward the Path of Worship> and opened it.

At some point, he had deciphered the red-letter anagram. Just like he had done before.

"......."

And once again, it appeared in his hand.

A passage leading to something embedded within the library.

"......."

"…Um… should I… go check it out…? See if there are traces of the others…?"

"Please wait a moment."

I stepped forward reflexively.

"It’s extremely dangerous. The first symptom is the collapse of the text system inside."

"Hm…."

Th en

I

go in

“ ...! ”

I turned. The Golden Mascot tapped its chest.

It’s ok ay

if I me et

li bra ry ow ner

"You think… it’s at the end of that passage?"

Ye s

"......"

I turned toward the wolf team leader.

He was calculating—watching the newly appeared entities, checking me.

Wait.

"…Team leader, could you stay here and keep watch?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Someone needs to guard the entrance. If someone sensitive to danger stays here…"

"You mean it would also prove that we’re not trying to lure you into danger through that passage."

"......."

"Right?"

I couldn’t answer.

"It’s fine. Let’s go in together."

"......!"

He glanced at the Golden Mascot.

"I prefer to keep potential risks close… especially if they won’t disappear anyway."

"...….."

That made far more sense than some warm reassurance about trusting me after half a day together.

But—

"No. I’m asking because it could truly be dangerous."

I took the yarn again and tied it around both myself and the security captain. It wasn’t reliable, but it was all we had.

'Let’s only go as far as we can still see the entrance.'

Then I handed the remaining strand to the wolf team leader.

"If we pull the yarn from inside… could you pull us back?"

…….

His gaze examined the tension in my jaw.

"Alright. I will."

Phew.

Wh at

ab ou t

me?

"You stay here too and wait. We might need both of you to pull together."

And lastly, I spoke to Lee Gyeol.

A farewell.

Even if I don’t come back

don’t worry

I can return another way

Right.

We could leave by dying.

The two of us entering now—

'The head of security and I… must be the real ones.'

I forced myself to believe that.

We existed here, in the present.

Just like before, in Segwang Special City—we could die, wake up from the dream, and escape.

But the others…

'That’s uncertain.'

If they really came from the past… then I should remember encountering the Golden Mascot in the library.

They must be fake.

…That’s what I had to believe.

But I couldn’t bring myself to kill them.

Not when everything about this situation was so unnatural. I had no idea what would happen.

"......."

"…Shall we go."

"Yeah…."

In this tangled situation,

the head of security and I walked in silence into the red, shadowed darkness between the stacks of books.

"......."

The path narrowed.

Sloping downward.

A strange passage.

Books. Walls of books. Text that couldn’t be read, swallowed by darkness.

Nothing unusual. Slowly… carefully… moving forward, checking for anything—

Tap. Tap.

"Hey."

"......."

"Behind us…"

…Ah.

The head of security, who had been slightly ahead of me, turned to look back.

I followed his gaze and turned my head….

 

 

 

 

 

 

The yarn we had tied—

It was stuck to the floor, forming letters.

Like the outer corridor.

But far more distorted, far more unnatural. The characters—the written language itself—were breaking apart. Crushed under something vast, something like overwhelming knowledge, they twisted into unreadable fragments. And yet, those fragments glowed faintly within the dim passage, guiding us….

Light.

“...!”

I realized something had been there all along—something I had overlooked among the yarn.

"Mr. J—"

A button.

Half-embedded in the floor between the strands of yarn…. And that button—

'It’s the kind Assistant Manager Eun Haje often makes as equipment or items.'

My heart pounded. The head of security, following my gesture, narrowed his eyes.

"…Untangle the yarn."

"......."

"Grab it while running, then head straight for the entrance. Don’t damage the letters if possible."

At that moment—

"Then…"

The head of security grabbed me and ran back toward the entrance.

More precisely, he leapt.

“...!”

At the perfect moment, I lowered my arm and snatched the button from the floor—

without disturbing the letters formed by the yarn.

We reached the entrance.

'That was insane.'

My heart nearly dropped.

"Are you… okay…?"

"Just a moment."

Stepping out from between the hidden shelves, I steadied my breathing and examined the button in my hand.

When I pressed it properly—

[Ah.]

“...!”

The button activated.

[Hoo.]

It was Assistant Manager Eun Haje.

Her voice, laced with breath, sounded like she was barely holding it down as she spoke.

[This library… wants a librarian.]

[That’s why it tells you to look at the window.]

And then the recording cut off.

With a deafening crash.

"......."

What just happened?

A chill of unease spread through me—and at the same time, realization struck.

Librarian.

Window.

"Wait."

I recalled the distorted text from before.

It was warped, but readable. I knew the pattern now. It said—

The one who sees themselves

Walks within the sealed world

Come here

To serve me, the librarian

That was it.

Setting aside the fear and strangeness of the situation, I calmly rearranged the anagram—just like before.

The one who sees themselves

Keep walking

Come here

My…

"Librarian."

I lifted my head.

"I see now. I finally understand why the rule suddenly said to ‘stare at the window.’ It means to look at your own reflection in it."

The dark window reflected faces like a mirror. And the user who saw themselves reflected in the library—

"Can become a librarian."

Step.

"Kind of it, really. The owner of this place seems to find the moment when someone is suitable to become a librarian—searching within them, like flipping through pages to find one it likes."

Step.

The sound of the wolf team leader’s footsteps.

And—

The Golden Mascot, bowing its head deeply toward me.

So rr y

I

knew

What?

We are sa me

Wait.

That means—

"If that mascot is the version of you from the past that you experienced… then that means—"

Step.

The wolf team leader stopped walking.

In front of the head of security.

"You are my future."

"......."

The head of security raised his dry eyes.

"…..No."

His pupils, glowing yellow—

"You… are my past."

And so he stared.

At his own nostalgia.

 

note: It has been confirmed that there will be a manhwa adaptation of GSGW/GDCG! Go check it out when it officially releases on June 5, 22:00 KST!!

 

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