GSGW c269
Chapter 269
Results of the second exploration of Segwang Special City.
“Rescue… success.”
Word came from the Disaster Management Bureau that Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae had regained consciousness.
And the gimmick—‘if you die in the Segwang Special City subway, you wake up in reality’—had worked as well.
“Other than everyone’s heads hurting like hell from getting shot, we’re mostly fine. That civil servant guy even woke up laughing.”
One by one, in the order they’d ‘won’ the Russian roulette, the group died and returned to reality.
“But yeah… I was laughing when I woke up. Then I realized the situation and the laughter just… stopped.”
Except for me.
After that, for a little over an hour, I remained unconscious.
Apparently, while weighing every possible option, the group had nearly escalated to half-threatening Ho Yuwon.
“If you’d taken just a bit longer, we were seriously about to plan going straight back into the Special City. Good thing you woke up first….”
…Hoo.
I looked again at myself—no longer human, but something else—clad in the black special uniform of the Security Team.
And then I saw the interior—warm, soft, almost bathed in sunlight that didn’t belong with it at all.
The Fox Counseling Room.
As promised, Ho Yuwon had ‘intercepted’ the passage connected to the well that normally transmitted to the Disaster Management Bureau—and rerouted it somewhere else.
For Patients
Rest Area ^^
It looked newly built—a hidden chamber connected from the corner of a cabinet beside the waiting room.
The place resembled a hospital ward. One by one, people woke up in the beds, each marked with their names like entries on a chart.
Meanwhile, right beside me, the agents—who had just been relieved to see me awake—were now speaking to Ho Yuwon in stiff, hardened voices.
“How is this even possible?”
“You’re finally talking! Earlier it was nothing but threats, so I was quite frightened….”
He clearly had no intention of answering the Disaster Management Bureau agents. I expected as much.
What mattered was this—when it came to the Segwang Special City exploration, Ho Yuwon would obsessively support it no matter what.
…Regardless of what happened in the process.
Anyway, the agents, once they confirmed I’d calmed down enough, immediately tried to piece together what had happened—
“What reckless thing did you do this time?”
[Oh. That sounds less like a question and more like certainty, my friend!]
Ah—no.
I hurriedly explained the situation.
Using gestures and written notes, I laid everything out. The agents looked like they wanted to smack my head—if I weren’t a horned gas-mask monster—but when I mentioned that Go Yeongeun had carried me out, their intensity gradually faded.
It was the kind of shared understanding only those who’d gone through similar horrors could have.
“…Agent Peppermint helped you, right?”
Affirmative
If it hadn’t been for Go Yeongeun, there was an extremely high chance I would’ve lost all my limbs in there and ended up working as a dealer.
And then…
“…Did you happen to hear why Agent Peppermint was in that disaster?”
…….
“Roe Deer-nim? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Following my gaze, everyone turned toward Ho Yuwon.
Question: Criteria for selecting spy personnel
“I’m not sure why I should tell you that.”
Spy personnel selection criteria
Hypothesis: Individuals related to Segwang Special City
“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”
He lowered his brows slightly, feigning regret.
“But that’s unfortunate… It seems she’s completely trapped inside Segwang Special City. Unable to escape—even through death.”
…….
“But don’t worry. As you proceed with my project, you’re welcome to help her.”
Bastard.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje asked the others for a moment, then pulled only me and Section Chief Lee Jaheon aside and spoke in a low voice.
“No matter how I look at it, this feels like bait… Doesn’t it seem like he’s laid out a whole scheme just to keep people tied to his project?”
With a cold, sunken feeling, I moved the smoke.
Agreement
I didn’t know when or how long he’d been drawing this plan, but there was no way Ho Yuwon didn’t know that Go Yeongeun was from Segwang Special City.
'Someone that obsessed with that place wouldn’t miss that.'
Even what he said the moment I woke up—
—Have you found a reason to go back in?
…It was as if he already knew Go Yeongeun was trapped in that city.
'Same with selecting Jang Heoun, who’s connected to the Cheerful Research Institute.'
And then… even choosing me.
I had a strong feeling he hadn’t simply selected employees who would pass the Disaster Management Bureau’s standards.
I heard Assistant Manager Eun Haje let out a sigh.
“No wonder that bastard gave us such a half-assed exploration objective this time. Was he planning to shove us right back in?”
“Haje, I can hear everything.”
“Yes, please do. I’m talking about my cat.”
At this point, she sounded completely fed up—rank and all be damned.
And separate from how refreshing that was, it left me with a complicated feeling.
'How far ahead has he seen?'
Of course, it didn’t change my decision.
From the start, I had decided to continue exploring Segwang Special City—to learn more about this ghost story world, and the circumstances of my summoning.
Still, this strange unease and lingering discomfort clung unpleasantly to my senses.
“Be careful.”
Agreement
At least there was one thing that brought relief in all this.
We had achieved our objective.
“Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae is on her way.”
We had successfully rescued Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae. And remarkably—her mind was completely intact.
“Hello, Roe Deer-nim!”
The very next day.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae appeared in the Fox Counseling Room, brought in by Ho Yuwon.
She had only been released after passing the Disaster Management Bureau’s ‘inspection’ and giving a full account of her information—but what was surprising was that her eyes looked exactly the same as before.
Clear eyes, gleaming with a green light.
“Thank you all so much!”
There were no changes in her speech, no signs of PTSD, no visible suffering.
At most, she occasionally slipped into a dealer’s tone or absentmindedly displayed deep knowledge of casinos.
“Hmm, maybe the contamination from the Body Casino got sealed up somewhere and couldn’t follow me out?”
“Forget contamination—it’s hard to believe you’re someone whose entire body was torn apart.”
“Hm? The pain was only for a moment. It doesn’t hurt now, so why would it be hard?”
She was calm.
Considering how we’d struggled for weeks after getting caught in a snare at the first station, it felt all the more unnatural.
[Ah, like a wolf among sheep. A difference in nature, perhaps.]
That in itself was eerie—but something else stood out even more.
A perfectly clear aftereffect.
“But… this won’t move.”
Her leg.
…The body parts Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae failed to reclaim from the casino didn’t move at all.
She had even arrived at the Fox Counseling Room in a wheelchair.
“Do you have any sensation?”
“Faintly? But there’s this strange phantom pain too… ‘pawned’ really is the perfect word. It feels like my will doesn’t reach it.”
From the outside, her legs looked completely normal. Even an examination would likely show nothing wrong.
But the effect was unmistakable.
“My vision’s bad too, on the side where I swapped eyes. Hm.”
'If I hadn’t managed to steal back both arms and the pelvis from the rails…'
…At the thought of what might have happened, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Still—
“…Grapes.”
Agent Choi looked at me.
“You said Agent Peppermint carried you while running, right? And she’s only in the 150 cm range?”
Ah.
“Come to think of it, sitting all this time must be stiffening you up. How about you stand and walk a bit, Grapes?”
……
Hoo.
Unable to use legs
Reason: Claimed by the casino
“...!"
Right.
To be honest, my legs weren’t responding either.
That part… couldn’t be helped.
But still.
“Roe Deer, are you unable to move?”
Negative:
Movement possible
That wasn’t quite true.
“Show us.”
Like this.
Without moving my legs, I ‘shifted’ to another chair.
“..!"
Wrapped in black smoke, I melted away and reappeared elsewhere.
It was a form that looked nothing like a human—but at least I still had freedom of movement.
Like a ghost, I connected myself through smoke from place to place, revealing my body.
Ta-da.
Heh. Well, once you get used to it… aside from not being human, it’s not bad at—
……
…No, wait.
Did I just… say something like “ta-da”?
'…!'
Even after seeing someone I know abandoned in a Catastrophe-Level disaster.
I’m… calm?
A chill crawled down my spine.
'It’s happening again.'
The severity and intensity I felt inside Segwang Special City… were fading.
The exact same symptom as when Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae hadn’t woken up.
'I was just worrying about what kind of situation Go Yeongeun might be in.'
…From now on, I’d have to consciously keep it in check.
At least one thing was reassuring—I wasn’t forgetting it entirely. I could still calculate. Still make plans.
'Even so, be careful.'
Anyway, I stopped my little display and returned to the chair I had originally been sitting in.
And Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae—who had been clapping at my little performance—hadn’t finished speaking yet.
“But I should have said this first. I’m late.”
She looked around at all of us.
“Thank you so much. I survived thanks to you. Especially Roe Deer… you even lost the use of your legs….”
Then she quietly studied us.
“And yet, none of you resent anything. Hmm.”
As if confirming something.
“You all… are really kind people.”
Our eyes met.
“I won’t forget this. I’ll repay you.”
“Oh, come on, repay us? If you really want to, how about quitting that shady cult-like company?”
“Ah, that’s not possible.”
“Tch. What a shame.”
“Well, if there’s a chance to receive help later, I won’t refuse. More importantly….”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje tapped her missing limb.
“I think Dolphin here might need something like what I’ve got.”
More precisely, equipment to replace her missing left hand.
That’s right.
Recommendation: Acquire support equipment
Usage period: Until body parts are reclaimed from the casino
In this world, there were many ways to compensate for missing body parts.
Just look at Baek Saheon’s left eye—sitting quietly, saying nothing, calculating the safest and most advantageous words.
I needed it too.
'If I go back into Segwang Special City, I’ll still be without legs.'
And there was also a promise.
'Us.'
Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s reptilian alien group had said they’d bring me something that could restore a human form.
But at this rate, even if I returned to a human body, I wouldn’t be able to walk. Either way, I needed equipment.
“Seems that way, right?”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae smiled brightly.
“We also have to go save Ms. Goral.”
…!
“I should help kind people like you. I received a lot of help too!”
Then, after carefully thinking it through, she spoke.
“I guess I’ll have to go back to the company and make some equipment.”
“If you’re making it….”
“We’re heading to the Annex, right?”
It came back to me after a long while.
The Annex—where Daydream Inc. employees could access equipment. Where Twilight-grade darknesses were stored.
[Cheerful Research Institute’s Toy Maker / Qterw-E-07]
[Kind Seed Kit / Qterw-E-99]
[We Offer Our Ritual / Qterw-E-404]
Among these, the Field Exploration Team most commonly used the “Kind Seed Kit,” but this time… even if it cost more, the others would likely be more useful.
However—
“Unfortunately, the company is currently not supporting equipment production using the Annex’s darknesses….”
“Then we’ll just do it secretly.”
For a moment, Ho Yuwon was speechless.
“Why has support for equipment production been halted?”
“Something happened at the Annex. I didn’t look into the details.”
“I see. Please find out.”
“Pfft.”
Behind us, I heard Agent Choi stifling laughter. It sounded like Agent Bronze was smacking his back.
“…Then I’ll take this as you agreeing to participate in my project. In that case, I should help you as well. You said you needed equipment, correct?”
“Yes. Are you going to grant special authorization, Director?”
“Hmm. Officially, that’s impossible, but….”
Ho Yuwon smiled.
“Perhaps I could help you use it unofficially?”
“To do that….”
His gaze turned toward me.
“…We might need internal cooperation.”
More precisely—the Security Team uniform I was wearing.
“Someone like… a security insider?”
And I already knew exactly who Ho Yuwon was referring to.
***
“Hoo.”
Park Minseong pulled down the collar zipper of his uniform after a long, exhausting day.
Work had been piling up recently due to the incident at the Annex.
He had only heard news once, but being used to environments where people died or disappeared overnight, his thoughts swung between the worst expectations and the faintest hopes.
The guard captain, J3, wasn’t present yet for reporting, so he sat expressionlessly on the worn sofa in the Security Team’s living quarters.
Just as he was about to close his eyes from fatigue—
“Minseong.”
…!
He turned his head reflexively.
“Assistant Manager…!”
A familiar face stood behind him.
For a moment, he wondered if it was a hallucination caused by darkness—but the hand ruffling his hair felt unmistakably real.
“It’s been a while.”
And behind Eun Haje, two more figures.
“Roe Deer… Section Chief….”
An unexpected reunion.
Though their appearances and circumstances had changed completely, the familiar composition made Park Minseong feel, for a fleeting moment, like he had returned to Field Exploration Team D.
Question: Status of the Security Team in charge of 130666
“We’ve been… getting by….”
Slightly choked up, Park Minseong watched as the former members of Field Exploration Team D approached and sat on the sofa.
“Alright, we have something important to discuss.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje slung an arm over his shoulders. Just like back then.
'She used to say that a lot before work….'
Caught in a bit of nostalgia, Park Minseong smiled more than he had in days.
“Yes, what is it—”
“There’s something we need to steal from the company.”
What…?
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