GDCG c295

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Chapter 295

Jin Nasol frowned as she looked through the restaurant entrance. 

It was the kind of place where you had to take off your shoes before entering. Like most barbecue restaurants equipped with large private rooms, it was moderately crowded with office workers.

In other words, it was a stereotypical company dinner venue. 

Director Ho had summoned the employees who emerged from the darkness with chillingly precise timing, but he had at least given them time to rest. 

Thanks to that, they had managed to catch up on their sleep until lunchtime before heading to the restaurant designated by Director Ho. 

And... 

"This kind of place is open even during lunch hours." 

"I imagine they mainly serve meal dishes during the day." 

"Ooh." 

That guy. 

Jin Nasol silently scrutinized the employee chatting with Lee Seonghae as though she were trying to see straight through him. 

"Shall we go inside?" 

A man wearing a black feline mask. 

—Please make sure to wear your masks during this company dinner^^

Normally, a company dinner was the sort of occasion where everyone naturally took their masks off, but because of that strange rule, everyone was wearing theirs. As a result, no one could see his actual face. 

And although he continued speaking in polite formal language... He somehow managed to sound friendly and gentle. 

"Assistant Manager, are the other members of Team A coming as well?"

"Why are you curious about that?" 

"Ah, I've never seen the Team A members during the project. I suppose I got curious. My apologies." 

Even toward her. 

And he even backed down smoothly without irritating her mood. 

It was the kind of person rarely seen in this company. Even more surprising, he didn't look easy to push around. 

'What kind of person is he?' 

The sharp instinct that Jin Nasol possessed—one that constantly judged hierarchy, strength, and weakness—instantly evaluated him.

Strong. 

Even if she hadn't known that he had somehow cleared a darkness with a fixed escape time through unconventional means, she could feel it from his attitude and presence.

And her painfully sensitive senses picked up something else. 

Stare.

'Feels like I've seen him somewhere before.'

But before that sensation could tell her anything more, they were guided to their reserved room. 

"Ah, this room." 

"Thank you." 

And the moment they opened the door... 

"...!!"

Several people who saw the man in the cat mask either shot to their feet or visibly flinched. Their joy and surprise were completely unconcealed. 

'What?' 

Wasn't that practically the sort of reaction one should have when seeing the company chairman? 

'What exactly does he do in this project?' 

Jin Nasol furrowed her brow and raised her evaluation of the cat mask's position even higher. 

"I'm here." 

The cat mask smiled and bowed his head before naturally walking over toward that table as though he intended to sit there. 

Since two members of Team A happened to be seated nearby, Jin Nasol sat at that table as well. 

Most of the people there, however, were complete strangers. 

She only clearly recognized about two of them. 

The falcon mask and the lizard mask. 

"Um..." 

"It's Mr. Cat!"

"Ah. Cat... right." 

Falcon grinned upon seeing the cat mask. 

"Eat a lot and get plenty of rest today. ...I heard about it from the Section Chief." 

"Yes." 

The cat mask nodded amiably and took a seat beside Section Chief Lizard. 

'.......'

Somehow, the two of them felt strangely similar. 

"Assistant Manager Butterfly, you just came back from an overnight darkness run, right?" 

"Ah. Yes." 

But what did it matter? 

Jin Nasol joined her group and decided to stop caring about everything for the moment. She was tired and irritated. 

"Hello, everyone." 

It wasn't until Director Ho suddenly appeared and began giving what sounded like a toast that she bothered paying attention. Only because it was appropriate to listen to a superior. 

"You've all worked incredibly hard." 

This company dinner had probably been arranged because the project's absurd accomplishments had finally been officially reported within the company. 

—Is it true they can collect Dream Essence at B-rank or higher without any deaths? 

—Apparently it's true. They say there haven't been any casualties so far. Does anyone know more details...? 

—What should I prepare if I want to join Director Ho's project? I'll give compensation if you DM me. 

—For those already in the project, has the point accumulation system still not been finalized...? 

It was the hottest topic in the company. 

Assistant Manager Jin Nasol frowned as she remembered the company-wide chatroom whose notifications she had disabled long ago. 

"Now that the project is on track, I thought it deserved celebration. ...Some of you may be seeing one another's faces for the first time, but you've all been working for the same project." 

Most participants already knew that Director Ho had obsessively prevented project members from recognizing each other across different divisions. 

This was the first time Jin Nasol had seen most of them as well. 

To begin with, Ho Yuwon had used Team A as little more than a standby unit. 

—Team A, whenever I call for you, all you need to do is enter the designated darkness. 

Thus, even the people seated diagonally across from her were complete strangers. 

Two men. 

Like the Field Exploration Team, they wore suits, but their masks were different. 

"I think it'd be nice if everyone introduced themselves." 

'What's that?' 

A Hahoe mask? 

For some reason, it gave her an unpleasant feeling. Jin Nasol stared at it with cold eyes. 

The two men wearing the perpetually smiling masks had been looking toward the cat mask across the room. Then, perhaps sensing her gaze, they looked at Jin Nasol.

And a strange aura emerged. 

A sharp hostility, like predators observing prey. 

"......."

But it vanished just as quickly. Then a cheerful voice followed. 

"Hello. ...You're from the elite team, right? I look forward to working with you. Hahaha." 

Instead of accepting the handshake being offered, Jin Nasol merely nodded once and turned her gaze away. 

'Annoying.' 

She hated meetings where the chain of command was unclear. 

Yet the direction she turned revealed something equally irritating. 

"Dolphin seems to be in a bad mood." 

"Yep. I was gonna go try a restaurant with Mr. Cat, but Director Ho called us over, so I couldn't." 

"Really? What kind of restaurant was it?" 

"Ah. I don't want to tell you!" 

'That one's still like that.' 

Was she insane? She couldn't understand why Dolphin constantly provoked her superiors. 

"Then you can go together next time, Ms. Dolphin. I'll pay when we do."

"Aw, that's okay, Mr. Cat! I'll treat you!"

But even more surprising was the cat mask's reaction. As if he were completely accustomed to it, he simply humored her. 

"You're really too much..." 

"Yes, yes." 

He treated the Director like that?

No, calling it insubordination didn't quite fit. It was far too natural. And because it was so natural, her instincts arrived at a conclusion on their own. 

That wasn't an ordinary employee. 

The project members' strange undertones. Their calm, self-assured, and oddly casual attitudes. 

Someone on equal footing with Director Ho. Someone recruited specifically for the project. 

'...A director from another department?'

At that moment, someone else suddenly inserted herself into the conversation. 

"Wait a second. Mr. Cat, you said?"

It was a person wearing a pony mask.

Jin Nasol didn't know it, but this was the gold-obsessed employee who had barely recovered from the contamination of the "Golden Canopus Pot" at the Fox Counseling Room. After overhearing talk of the company dinner, she had desperately attached herself to the gathering. 

Missing out on free food would have been a waste! 

And now she had met an employee who gave her a strangely good feeling.

Somehow. 

Someone who really reminded her of Mr. Cat.

"Mr. Cat, you use an excellent nickname! Hahaha! Across all cultures and throughout history, cats have always been strongly associated with gold and wealth!"

"...Yes. I suppose that's true." 

The man in the cat mask responded gently and carried on the conversation sincerely. 

But immediately afterward, Jin Nasol saw the glass in his hand crumple. 

"...!"

And when nobody was looking, she even saw him slowly straighten it back into shape.

'.......'

That settled it. 

'He's a superior.'

And while he happened to be patient, his personality probably wasn't very good. 

Jin Nasol reached her cold conclusion. 

As for the truth— 

'Aaaagh.'

He simply couldn't control his strength! 

***

'Oh, come on!'

I silently screamed as I set down my water glass. 

So far, I had nearly chewed through and swallowed my chopsticks three times by accident, and there had been at least five occasions where I almost smashed the table while adjusting my legs and felt a chill run down my spine.

'No, seriously...' 

This was driving me insane. 

But….

"There, there. Mr. Cat, try some of this too. The short rib practically melts in your mouth." 

"...Thank you." 

I carefully picked up the slice of rib meat that Assistant Manager Eun Haje placed onto my plate and put it into my mouth.

"Is it good?" 

"Yes...!" 

It was delicious. 

The rich, crispy texture of beef perfectly grilled over charcoal, followed by the juices bursting forth and filling my mouth with savory flavor. 

This was what living was all about. 

'Though technically, I'm not a person. I'm a lizard.'

Even if there had been the unfortunate incident of nearly eating my chopsticks. 

'...This is hard!' 

It felt like only yesterday that I had found it fascinating watching a lizard head devour premium beef. And now I was the one wearing that lizard head. 

'You really never know where life will take you...' 

I discreetly checked once more to make sure the water glass I had accidentally crumpled earlier had returned to its proper shape before placing it back on the table.

...While trying very hard not to break the table in the process.

'Hrk.' 

Section Chief Lee Jaheon had been quietly watching the entire sequence. 

Wait. Now that I think about it... 

"Section Chief Lizard." 

"Yes." 

"Could I perhaps receive some advice regarding strength control?" 

"Certainly. Assume that every object you encounter in daily life is made of soft tofu."

I almost choked. 

"S-Soft tofu?" 

"? Yes." 

Where had that analogy come from...? No, never mind. 

It was surprisingly intuitive and easy to understand. 

"Thank you." 

"Yes."

The white lizard head smiled. 

'...He somehow seems less scary now.'

Maybe it was because I was seeing a similar face whenever I looked in the mirror these days. 

In any case, there was something I had learned from today's experiences in both the darkness and the restaurant.

"It must have been difficult when you first came here." 

"Yes." 

"Why did you come here?" 

"I cannot answer that." 

"If I become connected to 'us,' would I be able to receive an answer?" 

The lizard's crimson vertical pupils turned toward me. 

"If that happens, you won't need an answer." 

"…...."

Let's just eat meat. 

"Be careful not to eat the chopsticks." 

Yes….

I had realized something. Chopsticks didn't actually taste bad. They had a salty, stimulating metallic flavor that somehow resembled meat. 

'So this... is Section Chief Lee Jaheon's world.' 

Not that I had ever particularly wanted to know. Still, I supposed it was an experience….

Then I looked around the large private room. 

Occasionally I spotted agents wearing Hahoe masks who kept glancing my way, along with employees who had entered Segwang Special City with me, all seated and eating.

But…

'The Security Team isn't here.'

J3 wasn't present. Neither was Supervisor Minseong, who was currently quarantined due to contamination. 

Instead, many more unfamiliar faces filled the room. 

They were probably personnel Ho Yuwon had been using for other parts of the project besides directly entering Segwang Special City. 

Like this person, for example. 

"Don't think I've seen you before. Are you from the Field Exploration Team?"

Team A's leader, Baek Seokju. 

She called out to me from a table diagonally across the room. 

The elite team leader wearing the familiar mallard mask still carried the air of a superior.

"You seem close with Lee Jaheon."

"...We're relatives."

"Oh my. I see."

She still seemed utterly uncomfortable around Section Chief Lee Jaheon…….

"Please speak casually with me. I'm not part of the Field Exploration Team right now anyway, and I haven't worked at this company for very long." 

"In that case." 

This really did feel like a company dinner. 

—When we get out of here, let's have a meal together sometime.

"......."

But somehow, the 'meal' we had talked about in Segwang Special City hadn't felt like this. That realization left behind a strange sense of disappointment. 

Partly because of the people present.

The agents looked as though they had attended mostly to gather information. 

[Oh, my friend... The host is what matters at gatherings. A meal hosted by a Plague? That sounds horrifying just hearing about it. If it's your boss hosting it, that's even worse!]

W-Well, I wouldn't go that far. 

I glanced toward Director Ho's table. 

Somehow, he resembled that oblivious supervisor who forced employees to gather for a meal on their day off and then refused to leave. 

"Please eat plenty." 

"Th-Thank you." 

No. That was exactly what this was. 

'...I kind of agree.'

[Wise judgment, my friend!]

Let's eat more meat. 

I enjoyed this reality to the fullest—a reality where, thanks to the human body I had newly obtained, I could talk with people, eat food, and simply belong among them. 

And after lunch ended... 

I finally realized why Ho Yuwon had arranged all of this. 

"You've obtained a very convenient body. In that case, as a commemorative gift... would you take a look at this?"

After most people had left, Ho Yuwon handed me a thick file. 

"It's a list of employees participating in my project." 

"...Why are you showing this to me?" 

"Ah. It's simple." 

Ho Yuwon smiled brightly. 

"I thought perhaps you could draft them whenever necessary during future explorations." 

"...!"

"Once the exploration is over, we'll simply collect the Dream Essence potion and erase their memories." 

This lunatic. 

"You could think of them as temporary workers of a sort. What do you think? Useful, isn't it?" 

I understood. 

So that was why today's dinner had happened. 

It was an introduction to the potential expedition members. Who they were. What kind of people they were. 

'That's why he made sure to gather everyone who continuously explores Segwang Special City...'

And I finally understood why even the agents had been invited. 

To make discussions easier. 

"...There's no need to rush." 

Suppressing a sigh, I closed the file again. 

'I'll treat this... as one possible option for now.' 

I didn't need it immediately. 

Because my next destination was already decided. 

"First, I'm going back to Midnight Station." 

I had kept reminding myself so I wouldn't forget. 

Whenever I had the chance, I thought about it and repeated it in my head. 

—That train. Train G1572. If you just board that train, just that train….

Right. 

"I'm going to board the train there again." 

I would find the train Yeongeun had spoken about. 

However, when I returned to Segwang Special City and entered that station once more... I encountered a sight I had never expected. 

***

“.…..!!"

Ordinarily, whenever one climbed the stairs from a subway platform in Segwang Special City, an anomaly would appear. 

Whether it was the Snare Forest, the Body Casino, or the bizarre library. 

The station consumed by a ghost story would reveal itself. 

That was true for every station in Segwang Special City. 

And at Midnight Station, the passage leading into Hanbit Library, formed entirely from bookshelves, should have been visible above the stairs. 

The place that contained Segwang Technical High School. 

But— 

"...Wait." 

There was nothing above the stairs. 

The place where the library should have stood had vanished as though it had never existed. 

Instead, a single note was attached to the wall on the right side of the stairway. 

Closed

-Undergoing Section Reorganization-

"...Reorganization?" 

And even more surprising—

"Roe Deer. Look over there."

As my eyes adjusted to the black darkness occupying the space where the passage had once been, I realized it wasn't simply empty. 

A pale shape. 

And a sign that gradually came into focus. 

Station Office

"…!!"

Above the stairs—

The complete, intact subway station of Midnight Station stretched out before us.

 

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