[Oh, it seems that's the case, doesn't it?]
This can't be.
[And once the final announcement is made, everyone will know the truth. I'm talking about your soon-to-begin event, the Flower Golden Resort Illumination.]
…The mascot ceremony.
The mascot ceremony is a ritual that officially announces which mascot owns the Flower Golden Resort and has it recognized by the guests.
If it's carried out successfully, that fame can be used as a stepping stone to expand to yet another facility.
The ceremony is about establishing one's identity as a mascot.
So, the moment the ceremony is completed successfully…
—I'll be officially recognized as a complete mascot.
The true and sole owner of the resort.
All traces of my former self will be colored over, and there won't even be a remnant of self left to separate from the mascot…
'That can't happen.'
[Hm. I agree. What a boring fate it would be to spend the rest of your days in such a musty old resort!]
[Mr. Roe Deer, you have an obligation to keep experiencing and showing entertaining things. It's something you personally promised your friend…]
F r i e n d
[That's right. I am your friend. The very reason you came here!]
The kind voice continued to guide me.
[You wish to leave this place, don't you, Mr. Roe Deer?]
That's right.
[Then you'd best keep listening to my advice. Just take the receiver with you, Friend. Now, quickly unplug it and bring it along. Good…]
With trembling forepaws, I unplugged the receiver and picked it up.
The voice still came from the receiver, even after it was unplugged.
[Good… Very good!]
[Now, let me give you my final piece of advice… Don't be surprised. It's a magical solution that can get you out of this predicament! And that is…]
The voice drops to a whisper.
[Switch your place as mascot with one of the employees.]
...!
[There's no need to make a brand-new mascot! Just have him imitate you.]
[If you make him perform the ceremony in your place, he'll be mistaken for you. After all, if everyone thinks so, that's what becomes reality. Oh, this will be so much fun!]
[Someone might feel sorry for that fate… but you can just pick one of those who exist only for your sake!]
[The two employees who swore to serve you forever until the contract ends, who have nowhere else to return.]
Bison.
Ladybug.
Those brought back from the dead.
[That's right. The chosen one will faithfully carry on your mascot duties… well, until he's eaten alive by the red mascot, anyway.]
[Choose one of the two and make him perform the mascot ceremony in your place, Mr. Roe Deer!]
...
[Very simple, isn't it? If I dare guess, this is as good as already decided…]
The voice rises in excitement.
[The one your heart is pointing to, if you were to say the name…?]
...
[Mr. Roe Deer?]
N o n e
[Hm?]
I raised my trembling body and grabbed the facilities room door.
The time left until closing… 45 minutes.
C e r e m o n y
I ' l l
D o i t
[…Oh. Don't tell me you're saying you'll spend the rest of your days in this dusty old theme park, Friend? You, who have turned down a far more wonderful and suitable job for your talents, much less this one…]
N o
[Then do you have another alternative? How surprising! It must be quite a remarkable idea if you're rejecting advice from this Braun here!]
I walked out of the facility office with a sense of resolve.
And I declared into the receiver.
My plan.
R e s o r t
B l o w I t U p
[...?!]
For a moment, there was silence on the other end, as if startled.
Of course, the legendary Host was quick to recover and speak smoothly.
[Good heavens. Mr. Roe Deer, destroying this resort doesn't mean you'll be freed from your mascot duties! In fact, you'll only have to deal with tremendous expenses.]
[Where on earth did you get that reckless and useless idea?]
I t ' s W o r t h w h i l e
Meanwhile.
I had finished my conversation with the blue mascot by using my original body, which was standing by the blue zone gate.
I t ' l l B e F u n
F r i e n d
[…Oh, good heavens.]
Alright.
I took a deep breath.
…Let's do this.
* * *
At the same time—
Flower Golden Resort, Evening Garden.
'T-They're still here…!'
The Magic Bunnies continued to stare.
The cute rabbit mascot, without the slightest movement, was watching the Flower Golden Resort's garden and the employees within.
"..."
Dozens of mascot suits stared at me in silence.
It was a bizarre and unnerving experience.
All the more so if you had seen those mascot suits tearing out human entrails and laughing just a few dozen minutes earlier.
A few of the employees were breaking out in cold sweat. Though, this wasn't just because of those unnerving stares.
"W-Why isn't he coming??"
The yellow mascot still isn't here!
Because they had all received a direct order from the mascot to 'look after the guests', they couldn't leave their posts.
But the employer who had dragged a Magic Bunny mascot into the resort was still nowhere to be seen.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes passed, each one feeling like an hour…
"Don't you know how much time is left now?"
"Forty minutes."
"..."
"There are forty minutes left until closing."
Yes...
The Disaster Management Bureau agent hesitated, hiding behind the team leader to avoid the Daydream Inc. employee in the lizard mask.
The team leader stifled a sigh.
'…Should I be preparing, just in case?'
She gripped the Four-Tiger sword[1] in her inner pocket.
And it wasn't just her getting ready for a fight.
Some of the Daydream Inc. employees seemed to be limbering up.
Lizard. Dolphin.
'…Looks like some pretty tough ones.'
Elite team, maybe.
She was eyeing them sharply, checking if their masks bore the gold emblem. But at that moment—
The one in the dolphin mask clapped his hands and waved.
"He's here!"
"…!"
It was true.
There, the yellow mascot suit was waddling with all its might, running toward the resort.
The mascot with glass golden flowers adorning his horns.
At that moment, chills ran down the team leader's back.
'…He's gotten stronger?'
He felt somehow like a far greater presence.
It was as if his power could be felt directly on her skin…
But his outward appearance hadn't changed.
'What is it?'
Did he devour something on the way?
But regardless of her suspicions, the yellow mascot's gentle manner as he checked on each of the staff one by one was not reassuring.
It was almost like he was checking on his employees, making sure everyone was safe before calling all the other mascots together.
N o w
S t a r t
The team leader raised her hand.
"Wait."
"…!!"
"T-Team leader!"
"You said after the event, when the amusement park closes, that thing comes, right? Do you have any countermeasures?"
The yellow mascot turned to the team leader and held out his hand.
I t ' s O k a y
And pointed.
Y o u A l l
O v e r T h e r e
"…?!"
And so, with thirty minutes left until closing.
The long-delayed, extravagant illumination event began.
Note/s:
[1] Four-Tiger Sword (사인검) : a wall-hanging sword that was produced by the royal family from the early Joseon period (during the reign of King Taejo), and was crafted throughout the Joseon Dynasty for use both in the royal court and among the common people. It is a sword imbued with the energy of pure yang, said to cut down evil spirits and ward off calamities.
-x-X-x-
In the evening garden of Flower Golden Resort, lights bloom.
Fwoosh.
A beam of light shoots into the sky, spectacularly exploding, cascading glittering lights like a waterfall onto the resort building.
Wow!
All around the garden, flowers of various colors blossom in radiant light, dancing gently and blooming sequentially as if choreographed. Even the luminous flowers held aloft by the non-human guests glow, eliciting exclamations of awe.
A sight so breathtaking it borders on the uncanny.
And soon after, the resort building itself begins to bloom with light.
Vines of glowing light climb upward, glittering along windows and terraces, rising to the very top of the building before bursting brilliantly into shimmering, pollen-like specks of radiance.
Letters carve themselves out in midair.
F L O W E R G O L D E N
At last, he has stepped fully into the spotlight.
The owner of this resort.
The yellow mascot walks out to the center of the garden accompanied by numerous mascots, performing choreographed dances. With each of their movements, the lights dance in harmony.
The cheerful theme song of Cheerful Theme Park flows through the air.
-♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
At the same time, faint echoes of the same tune, variated and coming from afar, softly reverberate.
Sounds from distant places.
"..."
The team leader of Black-Tortoise Team 3 glances around quickly.
Red zone and blue zone.
The other zones are also holding their own ceremony events.
Blue zone's fireworks display, and…
– Kyahhahahaha!
The parade from the Red Zone.
Led by Magic Bunny, the insanely painful, joyful, horrific, and splendid procession had set off from the Magic Castle at the center of the Red Zone, accompanied by loud music, screams, and cheers.
The details were impossible to discern from this distance, but the team leader could roughly gauge the parade's route.
And she sensed it clearly.
Their destination is here.
This was not the case yesterday. They must have changed their route.
As soon as this ceremony ends, that parade will also come to a stop at the red gate before the garden.
And the moment operating hours conclude…
"The entire parade will come flooding in, I guess."
"…!"
"Ah, sorry. Did I surprise you?"
Had he made the same guess?
The team leader quietly observes the employee wearing the dolphin mask, who bows apologetically toward her, before nodding in acknowledgment.
She wasn't young enough to openly express hostility toward the suspicious pharmaceutical company, especially after witnessing the strange exchange earlier.
– I W i l l
S t a y H e r e
– I don't like it.
– I t ' s O k a y
– It doesn't seem alright at all.
Right before the ceremony began, the yellow mascot had sent all the employees away from the garden, having them gather in front of the resort building.
As if protecting them from something.
Consequently, the staff were observing the illumination show from a considerable distance, nearly as far as the resort building itself.
And yet, seeing her team members staring as if hypnotized, the team leader feels acutely the bizarre nature of this 'Mascot Ceremony'.
And if her eyes were not mistaken…
That dolphin-masked employee had been attempting to help the mascot, who had insisted on protecting his staff until the end.
'...'
Younger agents often conflate the unethical nature of an organization with the individual personalities of its members, but reality was not so simple.
This applied equally to creatures from ghost stories.
And that only made matters more complicated…
'Huu.'
She shook off those thoughts.
There was work to do.
And now was precisely the time to act.
Wowwwww!
Toward the finale of the illumination, as the yellow mascot takes center stage, his horns burst into brilliant golden light, blossoming into flowers.
At that moment, the yellow mascot turns toward them, lifting his front paw and waving theatrically, as if part of the act.
A will conveyed without words.
G o
"…Now!"
At that signal, the employees started running frantically.
Their destination was the gate leading to the Blue Zone.
And moments later…
The ground near the gate began shaking and rising.
* * *
The illumination raced toward its climax.
Beneath the feet of the yellow mascot standing in the center of the garden, lights gathered, lifting him gently into the air.
A drumroll.
Ooooh!
From the mascot's horn, beams of light grew, spreading out and swaying like a massive tree, towering above the resort building.
Breathtakingly blooming flowers.
And as the mascot raised his hand perfectly timed with the end of the music…
Aaaaaah!
His name exploded in midair, crystallizing into complete recognition.
Flower Golden.
Master of the Cheerful Theme Park's Yellow Zone.
Everyone knew. It was proclaimed to all.
Congratulations. Now, he was the perfect mascot of this place.
And the yellow mascot was overwhelmed by an extraordinary new sensation.
'…!'
He felt the entirety of the Yellow Zone.
He knew everything happening in his resort, could control all mascots as he wished, and understood every law and ■■ governing Cheerful Theme Park!
Now he was the absolute master and mascot of the zone!
Aaaaah!
An instinctive thrill maximized the splendor of the illumination, culminating in one last magnificent burst of golden flowers, concluding the Mascot Ceremony.
Aaaaaaaaaaah!
However, at that moment, something emerged beyond the red gate.
The Parade of Madness.
The revolting, overwhelming, and splendid march led by Magic Bunny reached its end.
[Great Magic Bunny!]
The red rabbit, the carriage, the giant balloon shaped like a smiling face, and various parade floats stopped before the gate, having concluded their last sacrificial ceremony.
Lights flashed madly as if challenging the illumination, then abruptly went out.
Simultaneously, the waves of brilliant illumination faded into a final silence.
Ending.
Flowing softly now…
-♩♪♬♬~♩♬♬~♩♪♪
…The ending theme.
The gently rearranged version of the theme song began playing.
The park was approaching closing time.
– Attention please. The theme park will close in ten minutes…
The garden became quiet.
Guests who had enjoyed the illumination began dispersing, quickly heading toward the exit gates.
The zone quickly regained its busy tranquility.
It was the final stage of operations.
The yellow mascots tidied up the night garden, courteously guided the remaining guests, and managed the resort facilities.
No movement could be seen beyond the dark red gate.
The yellow mascots lightly celebrated the day's successful event, checking to ensure no guests were left in the lobby.
No movement could be seen beyond the dark red gate.
The serene resort building now stood quietly illuminated, its soft lights gently visible through the lobby windows. Inside, the yellow mascots waved goodbye to the departing guests heading toward the exit gate.
No movement could be seen beyond the dark red gate.
Then the lobby doors closed.
THUD.
– See you next time~
...
...
...
Beyond the dark red gate.
Countless red eyes began popping open.
-x-X-x-
The Four-Tiger Sword.
Legend says it was a sword originally forged in ancient times through rituals performed precisely during the Year, Month, Day, and Hour of the Tiger, to dispel evil spirits.
Specifically, the sword now grasped by the team leader of Disaster Management Bureau's Black-Tortoise Team 3 wasn't even sharpened. It was crafted solely for ceremonial purposes.
But precisely for this reason, it exerted incredible power in cases of supernatural disaster.
"Haa."
Of course, it wasn't usable in every supernatural incident.
Nor could just anyone wield it.
Only under specific circumstances.
– When an evil entity, clearly defined as calamity or demonic, directly invades one's space.
The closer it matched this condition, the stronger its effect.
In most supernatural incidents, people usually enter or are drawn into a creature's territory.
On the contrary, cases where an entity 'invaded' directly were rare, and situations perfectly classifiable as purely evil were even rarer.
But this time…
'It's perfect.'
The team leader's hand trembled with excitement.
Because the entity had invaded the zone where she herself was employed.
Moreover, because it had discarded even the facade of a theme park's friendly mascot!
Every condition aligned perfectly, thrillingly, like puzzle pieces falling into place.
"Ha!"
Thus, the pure yang energy from the sword surged forth along its half-drawn path, transforming into lightning that struck the evil and unholy being.
Utterly powerful.
Absolutely complete!
AAAAAHHHH!
"Aghh!!"
Thunder and tremors, powerful enough to shake even the distant shelter, rumbled through the ground and radiated outward.
Dust and debris momentarily clouded vision, then cleared…
"…!!"
Within the collapsing, flaming ruins of the resort building.
The grotesquely crushed corpse of the massive Magic Bunny parade cast its shadow amid the flickering flames.
And in the next instant—
Boom, boom, BOOOOM!!!
The remaining debris of the resort collapsed, burying everything inside the red mascots deep underground with the structure itself.
Completely.
"..."
"..."
"Is… Is it over?"
The team leader of Black-Tortoise Team 3 opened the shelter door and lightly stepped back inside.
"Ah! Team Leader!"
"Hush."
She sighed, brushed off her clothes, briefly examined the sword intently, and nodded.
"…There's nothing evil left here now."
"Huu!"
The agent sat down with relief.
The resort employees, who had already guessed the identities of the Disaster Management agents from their appearance and speech but had hesitated to confront them given the situation, also visibly relaxed.
"Was this what Mr. Mascot asked for?"
The team leader nodded lightly.
The employees murmured softly in admiration. Mr. Mascot had planned it all along!
Right. So while he used the resort building itself as a trap to contain the insane Magic Bunny, he had arranged for a suitable employee to deliver a decisive blow…
...
…Wait a minute.
"T-Then what about Mr. Mascot…?"
He was buried within the building when the lightning struck.
Silence.
All eyes turned to the team leader, but she slightly shook her head.
"I didn't hear anything beyond that."
"...!!"
Wait.
"I-If even one yellow mascot remains, can't we still communicate? It seemed like he switched bodies…"
"They all stayed at the resort!"
Moreover, everyone had seen from the shelter that the mad Magic Bunny had chased down every last yellow mascot to rip them apart!
"Then… the Yellow Mascot is dead too?"
"…!"
Some employees panicked at the agent's speculation.
Harvest Mouse grabbed the collar of the employee who had once been Ladybug.
"Y-You, don't you know something? Anything?!"
"Communication with Mr. Mascot is currently cut off! Let's just wait together until the theme park opens again!"
"Aghh!"
"W-Wait! If Mr. Mascot's not here… who's going to stamp our cards? We need proof of using this shelter! Who'll confirm we used this place?!"
"Calm down! Tomorrow morning we can just go to the Blue Zone and get stamped there!"
"You can! I have a yellow token—I have to drag even Mr. Mascot's corpse with me! Otherwise, we're stuck here!"
As the mascot grew stronger, they could freely move around within the zone, but rules were still rules.
If they wanted to clear the board game without getting hanged, they absolutely had to move together!
…Dragging a dead mascot along?
The face of the sole surviving member of the yellow team, Harvest Mouse, holding a yellow token turned pale.
Tap-tap.
"...?"
A polite knock echoed.
Turning their heads, they saw Section Chief Lizard tapping gently on the floor.
"Come out now."
In that instant—
Crack.
With an odd sound, the floor suddenly burst open, and someone sprang out from within!
"Aaaagh!"
"Ahh!"
It was… it was…
"T-The Security Team!"
A figure wearing a strange mask, black smoke pouring from its entire body. Numerous bizarre horns, yellow lantern-like eyes, and a glowing light at its waist. It looked like a supernatural being forcibly restrained into human form by a belt.
This was the true body that had been inside the yellow mascot suit.
"…!!"
Having only faced it as a cute mascot, the employees of Daydream Inc. momentarily felt chills run down their spines as they saw its raw, clearly monstrous form.
But at the same time, they realized the reality.
He's alive!
"Aha! You must have thought Magic Bunny wouldn't find you easily without your mascot form!"
"Ah…!"
Indeed, after business hours ended, the yellow mascot had shed its mascot costume, just as Magic Bunny had done. While the yellow mascots lured Magic Bunny into the resort, the real body had quietly hidden beneath the shelter, safely alive. In other words…
He's completely fine!
"Th-then… is the Yellow Zone safe now? Eek!"
The true body of the yellow mascot quietly turned toward the weasel-masked employee and nodded.
"Ahh…!"
At that moment, the shelter filled with relief.
They survived!
They had safely survived Magic Bunny's attack!
"Ahhh!"
Observing all of this silently was the team leader of Disaster Management Bureau.
'Hmm.'
Her eyes rapidly scanned the yellow being.
Apparently, this was the real entity hidden inside the cute yellow mascot costume.
'Did Daydream Inc. actually find a way to control supernatural entities?'
She knew that Daydream Inc. had been obsessively trying to figure out how the Disaster Management Bureau cooperated with the dokkaebi, and perhaps they'd developed their own method.
'…It seems there might be some sort of seal on it as well.'
It certainly didn't look harmless, but not every powerful entity was evil.
She recognized that this entity genuinely intended goodwill towards and protection of the human employees.
'Hmm. But… did that entity consider the consequences of failure?'
What if the Magic Bunny had realized sooner that the real body of the yellow mascot was hiding beneath the shelter? They certainly would've attacked the shelter, killing everyone.
'Well… maybe they thought if things got that bad, dying cleanly together would have been better.'
The team leader felt a vague unease but decided to let it pass.
After all, this intimidating supernatural phenomenon seemed to harbor enough goodwill to avoid outright classification as a disaster.
"Oh, so Section Chief Lizard already knew Mr. Mascot's plans! That's why you knocked to inform us, right?"
"No."
"Huh? Then how did you know?"
"I heard a sound."
"Oh."
The atmosphere became fairly amicable.
The team leader also noticed that despite the mascot's intimidating presence, its current movements seemed oddly weak, and its spiritual aura was no longer making her skin tingle.
Ironically, when it had worn the yellow mascot costume, its presence had been chillingly oppressive.
...Apparently, it had been severely weakened, either from Magic Bunny's lethal attack or from losing the resort, the source of its mascot power.
'…Has all its energy been drained?'
The team leader conveniently misunderstood the costume's effect!
Meanwhile, the yellow mascot did something else unusual.
"Uh, Mr. Mascot…?"
The special Security Team entity calmly raised something and placed it near where the ear of its mask would be.
It was…
'A phone receiver…?'
A classic-style receiver with its cord torn off.
For a while, he stood silently, occasionally nodding or shaking his head.
Of course, no sound came from the disconnected receiver…
"..."
"..."
What on earth was he listening to?
In the silence, employees felt an odd creepiness, but they tried to keep the hopeful mood alive.
"S-So, we just need to hold out here until morning, then leave! Anyway, we used the facility, and with Mr. Mascot here, he can stamp our cards, so…!"
"..."
"R-Right?"
The mascot stared quietly at Harvest Mouse.
Then shook his head.
"…!"
"Does that mean… we can't get out?"
At that moment—
The black smoke swirling around the mascot drew shapes in the air. Like dark haze, it revealed clear forms illuminated by the yellow lantern-like glow.
Words.
You can get out
"Ah…!"
But first
Let's finish this
"Huh?"
We're taking over
The Red Zone
"…?!"
* * *
And so, in the dead of night—
The employees of the Yellow Zone carefully emerged from the shelter, following the bizarre entity that had served as the yellow mascot.
Even the shelter itself had begun to waver, perhaps due to the collapse of the Yellow Zone.
"Well, since it's come to this, let's just go along."
"Team Leader…"
Agent Gomyeong wiped tears, complaining how he'd spent all day calling on superiors.
Several employees considered rebelling, refusing to follow, but inevitably came out of the shelter begrudgingly, as their teammates moved first.
Because if they became separated from those who'd drawn the same-colored pieces, they'd face immediate execution by hanging. And none were confident enough to overpower Section Chief Lizard or Supervisor Dolphin, who had already moved to join.
Moreover, the most capable potential rebel had already been reborn with a new identity as an 'Employee of Flower Golden Resort'.
"My instructions are to follow the employees' actions and cooperate!"
Thus, everyone followed the special Security Team entity wearing the security uniform.
The first destination…
…was the gate, now darkened.
– Are we infiltrating the Red Zone through the Blue Zone?
The former yellow mascot nodded affirmatively to this question.
"Huu."
The employees hurried across the gate, even careful of their breathing, and then…
Their eyes met those of the Blue Mascot.
"…Ack!"
It sat motionlessly by the gate, still wearing its mascot costume.
But it lacked the liveliness of business hours. Anyone could tell this was merely an empty mascot suit controlled from within, rigid and lifeless.
The strange entity, formerly the yellow mascot, approached it and communicated once more with smoke.
To the Red Zone.
The one wearing the Blue Mascot costume quietly stood up.
Then began walking, as if to lead.
"..."
"..."
Had this already been agreed upon?
Swallowing nervously, the employees silently followed the two supernatural entities.
The Blue Mascot led them through the closed-down water park.
Splash.
With each step, water splashed underfoot.
A dark waterfront, illuminated only by the eerie yellow lantern-light emanating from the strange entity, feeling ominous enough to forget it was ever a theme park… tension crept up some employees' spines.
Then—
"Hey, Blue Mascot? Isn't it stuffy to keep that mascot costume on?"
Aaaack!
"Mr. Mascot said you can't cross zones in mascot form. Shouldn't you remove your costume if you're coming along?"
At Supervisor Lee Seonghae's blunt words, several employees and even an agent froze in shock.
But the Blue Mascot remained silent.
...
It simply stared at the questioner briefly, then kept walking without a word.
Supervisor Lee Seonghae tilted her head curiously but quickly shrugged it off and followed along.
Soon, they stood before a giant wall.
The barrier separating Magic Bunny's Fantasyland and Blue Dream Waterpark.
It seemed to have been reinforced once more, thicker and flashier than before.
Section Chief Lizard asked,
"Shall we break in?"
The former yellow mascot nodded, but raised a hand.
Wait.
Then he turned to gaze at the Blue Mascot. The one in the costume quietly walked to the very back.
Thud, thud.
The employees heard the heavy, sluggish footsteps of the mascot suit moving behind them.
And then.
Do not look back
"…!"
The employees staggered.
It felt as though a deep, oceanic pressure, a force as overwhelming as a tidal wave, had seized their insides.
Instinctively, they knew. It was safe only because it was behind them. They must never face it. To look back would be—
Disastrous.
"..."
Zzzzzzip.
Behind them, a rusty zipper slowly opened, followed by the sound of heavy fabric falling to the ground, leaving something standing there.
Splash.
The sound of water dripping.
At the very front, the entity carrying the yellow lantern formed new words from smoke.
From now on
Never
Look back
"..."
The employees swallowed hard.
Thus, they took their first step into the darkness of Magic Bunny's Fantasyland…
With something from the abyss following right behind.
The ending was near.
I walked forward, slowly.
Magic Bunny's Fantasyland.
Everything had stopped, and it was dark.
A silent amusement park, in itself, was enough to conjure up truly terrifying thoughts.
All the more so if I was the one walking at the very front.
'Huuuu…'
Is this what it would feel like, hiding in a haunted house, dressed up as a ghost?
I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry about the fact that I was searing a Security Team uniform now.
One thing was certain. The strange sense of stability I'd felt inside the mascot suit was now gone.
…It has its pros and cons, but I couldn't help feeling the tension rising.
[Ah, a midnight infiltration! What a tense and delightful situation!]
[And, if I may, let me say this once more. What a spectacle that was earlier! A gigantic trap to hunt a gigantic monster! Destruction is, after all, one of life's most primal joys. What a wonderful show it was!]
Hmm.
Hearing Braun's voice through the receiver, I felt a familiar, easygoing comfort, and a faint sense of relief.
'Should I be glad that at least you're enjoying this?'
If the storyteller from a ghost story had said it was boring after I'd promised him entertainment, I would've broken out in a cold sweat.
And even aside from that, this was a moment to be glad and relieved.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Splash.
Behind me, following along, was the Blue Mascot.
No, not the mascot, but whoever had taken off the mascot suit.
Just thinking of them sent a chill down my back, but at the same time, someone inside me let out a sigh of relief.
Terrifying, but at the same time, it felt like having a whole army at my back.
'It's a relief we reached an agreement right before the ceremony.'
At first, I'd wanted to ask them to attack the Magic Bunny zone right after the park closed for the night.
To tell them, 'Attack the Red Zone while my resort is under siege. Eat it.'
But the timing would have been off… and if the Blue Mascot lost, it would be a disaster.
'It seems like the two of them are evenly matched.'
I suspect the Blue Mascot thinks that the Magic Bunny is just as powerful as they are, which is why those two had maintained this mutual standoff.
If either one made a move, it could mean mutual destruction.
'Given that the crazy Red Mascot never invaded the Blue Zone, there must be some kind of balance of power.'
So, I had to set the stage so they could safely devour Magic Bunny.
'It needed to proceed step by step.'
That's why I took the most cautious approach that had the most probable chance, and it led to this very moment.
The employees and I hid in the shelter, and bombed the resort itself.
Then, together with the powerful Blue Mascot, we invaded the Magic Bunny's zone.
Of course…
'There were conditions.'
N e v e r
L o o k B a c k
'...'
Still, I couldn't help but listen intently.
Splash.
The sound of water behind me, the tail dragging on the ground, something massive dragging its belly as it walked, following behind.
It was audible.
It sounded like the roar of a giant wave, or a snake moving, or something strange—maybe even like wings or whiskers brushing by. Or like something sticky, dragging itself across the floor.
Following behind, the being who'd taken off the Blue Mascot suit… something.
Splash.
My nerves were instinctively on edge.
Maybe… unlike the Magic Bunny, the Blue Mascot hadn't had their entire identity sucked dry by the theme park, hadn't lost their outer form.
The sounds suggested they were at least maintaining some kind of shape.
Of course, I couldn't turn around to check.
'There must be a reason.'
I kept the smoky letters, 'Never look back,' floating ahead as I walked. Ah, at some point, I started being able to do this. Was my own costume influenced by the mascot in return?
Anyway, we kept moving forward.
The destination was the center of the Red Zone.
Magic Bunny's Fantasy Castle.
"..."
"..."
I hadn't even warned them to be quiet, but even the civilian being rescued by the Disaster Management Bureau was keeping her mouth shut, treading carefully.
'There's really no need for that.'
But maybe because of the anxiety, our steps became more like a near-run.
The brightly colored castle-shaped building of the amusement park loomed rapidly out of the darkness.
The largest, most important facility in this zone.
'…Something must still be there.'
Even though the Magic Bunny's main body and its horde had invaded the Yellow Zone, been struck by lightning, and buried under the rubble, there were surely scraps left in the Red Zone.
And any of those could become the Magic Bunny.
Now I knew. That's the nature of mascots.
And over time, those scraps could start functioning as a new main body.
We had to take care of it before that happened.
"…We've arrived."
I stopped first, hearing Supervisor Lee Seonghae's whisper.
The back side of the Fantasy Castle was visible.
Yes. We'd approached from the rear, and as befitted an exaggerated fairytale palace, there was a cleverly concealed back door finished with modern technology.
"..."
I didn't stop Section Chief Lee Jaheon from forcing the door open.
Crack, screeeech.
The door swung open, revealing a gaudy, silent interior in all its colors.
Things that looked horrific, yet were displayed as if they were just theme park props, appeared in the darkness and then disappeared again as soon as my lantern light passed.
Gulp.
I heard someone behind me swallow.
[Now, search to your heart's content, Friend…]
I thoroughly searched every wall, making my way to the gate where the red rabbit mascot would have stood to greet guests.
And then, what I'd been searching for appeared.
[Authorized Personnel Only]
"This is…"
"…Looks like a staff area, maybe?"
That's right.
Even the resort had an office for authorized personnel only.
Remembering how I'd found operational documents and stamps in there, I figured the red zone must have a similar space.
If there was any place where I could be recognized for conquering the red zone…
'This must be it.'
"Is this our destination?"
I nodded.
Section Chief Lee Jaheon, without hesitation, forced open the locked door again.
Down below.
A modern-style staircase leading underground appeared.
The stark design looked corroded here and there, as if rusted by blood.
"..."
With smoke, I presented everyone with options.
Choose freely
▶ Wait here
▶ Go down
"Huh…?"
And I quietly stood at the stairway leading into the 'Magic Bunny Only' area.
'Please, let at least a few strong ones follow me.'
The thought of walking down in silence, unable even to look back, with whatever had taken off the Blue Mascot suit, made me break out in a cold sweat.
But surprisingly, everyone came along.
"W-What if I stay behind and accidentally look 'back' while I'm waiting!"
"In situations like this, the stragglers always die."
"..."
Hm. That was a pretty convincing argument.
Anyway, the darkness exploration began again.
As we descended, we passed doors with strange names: 'Supply Room', 'Freezer', 'Magical Storage Room', but I ignored them and kept going.
I could feel it.
[Oh, is that the instinct of a former mascot?]
Something like that.
The others followed me, doing their best not to even look through the glass set into those doors.
At last, when we reached the bottom, I saw a rusted nameplate.
[Mascot Development Lab]
The door was half=open.
Found it.
"Excuse me, sir. Just a moment. 'Mascot Development'… what does that—"
I grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open.
"…!!"
I heard the employees clamp their own hands over their mouths to stifle screams.
No wonder. What was in front of us was…
[My, how avant-garde!]
In the center of the huge Development Lab, a gigantic red body, only half-stuffed with cotton, was visible.
It was a gigantic, monstrous… thing. Hind legs with sharp claws, grand and sinister membranous wings, a severed tail, only the lower half remaining.
"Urrrp—"
People froze with fear.
Then, a lively voice piped up beside me.
"Oh, it's a mascot suit!"
"…!"
"But it looks unfinished, doesn't it? There's only half of it."
That's right.
On closer inspection, the half-finished lower body on display was empty inside, with bundles of cut hair stuffed in to substitute for cotton here and there.
Traces of trying to create a mascot suit in-house.
'Huu.'
With my lamp-lit vision, I inspected the lower half of the strange beast more closely.
It was covered in dense scales.
Those were human fingernails.
'…Ha.'
And that wasn't all.
All over the spacious 'Development Lab' were parts that had never been assembled, just left scattered about.
A yellow, vertically slit eyeball, small fin-like membranes, huge birdlike foreclaws, a tongue, bits of flesh from a snout.
Remnants of mascot development. Many of the materials hinted at their disturbing origins, making me nauseous.
Apparently, they had never managed to officially introduce or use this as a mascot for the theme park.
This was, after all, the zone of the red rabbit, Magic Bunny.
That majestic and overwhelming form simply didn't fit this cute, colorful amusement park.
Cheerful Theme Park would never have allowed it.
"Instead of the rabbit, did it… want to use that as the new mascot?"
"...Who knows."
I could hear the agents whispering.
[Developing a new image! A cliché but classic idea. What's your take, Mr. Roe Deer?]
Hmm.
'…I think it might be the opposite.'
[Hmm?]
'I mean, maybe it was trying to restore its original form with that suit.'
The Magic Bunny had completely lost its original form inside the mascot suit.
'So I think it tried to remake the suit in the image of its true self.'
Whether by instinct or calculation.
But in the end, it failed.
'And judging by those fragmented pieces, the original identity of Magic Bunny was…'
At that very moment, something moved.
"AAHHH!"
I quickly grabbed the civilian by the back of the neck and tossed her toward the agents.
Ssssslurp…
The scaly tail the civilian had been staring at intently started to move, dripping some viscous fluid.
"Huuuhk."
A remnant of Magic Bunny.
It had been clinging to the inside wall of the tail-shaped mascot suit, writhing.
No limbs.
No collection of organs or limbs harvested from missing persons and guests.
Just the residue from inside the mascot suit, having lost its original shape.
But its cunning and aggression seemed unchanged.
And then.
Creakcreakcreakcreak.
Sounds began echoing from all around.
All the mascot suit parts in the Development Lab began to vibrate.
And the huge mass in the center started to twist its joints, following the tail.
Beneath the red costume, even redder things were writhing and swelling.
"AAHHH!"
Some screamed, others hesitated on the stairs, unsure whether to run because they couldn't look back, and agents took defensive positions with the civilian between them…
"Should we destroy it?"
"I feel like we could actually fight this one?"
N-No, that's not it!
I quickly shook my head and manipulated the black smoke again.
I sent it toward the huge figure that had quietly waited in one corner of the lab, the one that had followed us from the very back.
The true body of the Blue Mascot.
"…!"
The one who had shed the Blue Mascot suit was engulfed in my black smoke, momentarily hidden from everyone's view.
'Now!'
I gestured for everyone to evacuate up the stairs.
The employees rushed to the stairs in a panic, and I followed, taking up the rear and pressing my back to the lab door.
Standing the same way, backs to the lab and sweating coldly, I drew back the smoke I'd sent to the Blue Mascot and formed new words.
Never look back
And then.
Splash.
A sound came from the Development Lab.
"..."
The one who had been inside the Blue Mascot moved.
To do what had been promised.
A massive, powerful step moved slowly. An oceanic presence. The master of the deep. There was a grinding sound, as if, with a sense of regret, it surveyed the scattered mascot suit pieces and their contents…
At last, this moment has arrived
O wicked seed of a foreign land
It devours.
"…!!"
The remnants of Magic Bunny's contents in the Development Lab were crushed and sucked in, as if by a raging tidal wave or vortex.
Just like the 'bad child' who'd been sucked into their mouth at the water park.
Devoured.
Grotesque screams, monstrous emptiness.
"Huuhhk."
"Urk!"
Instinctively, people clamped their ears and bowed their heads, not wanting to witness or accept what was happening.
But…
Someone was looking at me.
The one wearing the yellow mascot mask.
Jang Heowoon was smiling faintly.
As if he were already completely subsumed by something else, as if he no longer capable of feeling fear in this situation.
As if he could turn around at any moment if he wanted and look directly at what was happening now.
A different kind of chill ran all over my body.
But even behind me, the immense presence reached its peak.
A huge surge of something lashed around the lab like a massive whip or tail. And then.
It vanished.
"..."
"..."
Those who'd had their ears covered slowly lowered their hands.
From behind us, a will that seemed to try to be gentle could be felt.
It is done
"..."
And then.
The staircase began to move.
"Huuuuh?!"
It shifted like a wave, pushing people gently up the stairs as if being remodeled in real time.
"W-What is this?"
At last, the 'Authorized Personnel Only' door opened, and as they burst out into the open… they witnessed something astonishing.
"Uh…?"
All the red rabbits had disappeared from Magic Castle!
The grotesque symbols he had created were still there, but every rabbit character that used to fill the Magic Castle was completely gone.
Instead, a new image was appearing.
Blue Dream.
Here and there, the figure of a cutely deformed blue dragon was showing up, as if hurriedly renovating before opening hours.
"…!"
"I-It worked?"
The staff glanced at me, somehow, and I nodded.
The Magic Bunny zone had been overtaken by another mascot.
Completely!
Now
Safe
"Ah!!"
"We… We did it!"
Seeing the words I wrote in smoke, people let out sighs of relief. Some even smiled or laughed with joy, though they still couldn't look back, so the sound just escaped their mouths.
"Um, thank you."
"Thank you!"
They said, directed at the Blue Mascot.
The shadow behind me, cast by my yellow lantern, seemed to sway happily.
That shadow…
"…A dragon?"
"Team Leader?"
"A dragon or an imoogi[1]… No, never mind."
The team leader started to say something, then stopped herself.
"..."
A thought crossed my mind.
'I was forced to take up the mascot role, too.'
If the one behind me was something else before becoming the Blue Mascot…
And if that mascot suit just now really was Magic Bunny's true original form, now lost…
What if… Cheerful Theme Park had captured powerful beings from other ghost stories or legends and forced them into contracts as mascots.
"..."
Didn't the board game you play to enter the theme park also come from Cheerful Research Institute?
'It's an odd feeling.'
Anyway, it's not something to worry about right now.
What matters is…
The Magic Bunny is gone now.
Even if someone remains in the resort, there's no longer any chance of being killed by the Magic Bunny.
'It's done.'
My heart felt lighter at that.
[You're the one who worked the hardest, Mr. Roe Deer!]
[Thanks to you giving all the credit, that mascot, who now thinks he's the star of a drama, will probably get even more full of himself.]
Huu.
'Still, it'll be fine.'
I led the staff out of Magic Castle.
Dawn was breaking.
Note/s:
[1] Imoogi – a creature from Korean mythology that's a mix of a land god, a snake and a dragon, and it's sort of a pre-evolution of a dragon (like dratini -> dragonite). Read more over here: namu.wiki/w/이무기 ↩
-x-X-x-
Cheerful Theme Park would soon open for business.
We returned to the connecting gate to the yellow zone, but the gate we'd used was no longer the entrance to Blue Dream Waterland.
It was the gate Magic Bunny had installed.
But now, a different sign hung there.
[Blue Dream Fantasyland Gate]
The Blue Mascot, who had put their mascot suit back on, now waved from what was now their own territory.
The staff clumsily waved back.
[Good heavens, it's like Stockholm syndrome.]
…That's probably what Braun would have said, if he'd been there.
But with the arrival of dawn, the receiver had lost its function, and the connection with Braun had already been cut.
Still, I was sure we'd meet again soon.
I hung the receiver on my belt.
Just then, Supervisor Lee Seonghae came up to me.
"Um, does this mean you have to go back into your mascot suit now?"
I just looked at her.
If there was no other solution, that's what I'd have to do.
And then, unable to follow the others out, I'd remain in this theme park as a mascot forever…
If I quit being a mascot, there would be nothing left of me. …I would disappear.
But then.
– Cheerful Theme Park is now open!
As lively music signaled the start of operations, my Security Team uniform was overlaid with a resort staff uniform.
But it wasn't a mascot suit.
"Huuh?!"
A neat suit uniform, with a yellow bowtie.
"A… staff member?"
That's right.
Finally, the horns on my mask were smoothed down, and I stood there as a fully-fledged employee of Flower Golden Resort.
"Mr… Mascot?"
Um.
Strictly speaking, no.
This body was an employee.
Since when, you ask?
Since just before the illumination show started!
'Because I signed an employment contract!'
Employer: GOLDEN
Employee: Roe Deer
That's right.
I brought my original body, which had been waiting by the blue gate, and made it sign an employment contract.
So that I would be separated from the mascot!
'As long as the being is alive, you can make it an employee.'
Since the mascot ceremony had not yet been performed, not all of my mind and body existed for the mascot.
But the mascot's will was so strong that even a standard mascot suit could serve as a body, so this separation was carried out perfectly.
Thus, my original body was separated as an employee!
That's why, even while I was buried inside the shelter, the Magic Bunny couldn't notice me.
Because I was not a mascot, but an employee.
"Uhhh…"
I felt a little sorry that, as part of the Security Team concept, I couldn't even manage a smile for the few staff who stared at me in confusion.
'Still, I have to do what needs to be done.'
…Of course, there were problems with this process.
Namely, that my consciousness was split in two.
Experiencing the death of the 'me' in the standard mascot suit was not pleasant.
But I could endure it.
No, I had to endure it.
For this result!
'Now I can leave.'
All the yellow mascots except for a few standard ones were dead, and even the resort had collapsed.
Taking advantage of this moment, when the mascot's power was weakened, I could quickly resign as an 'employee' and leave this theme park.
As for the part of my consciousness that would remain behind, torn apart as a mascot and left in a ghost story… It was horrifying, but I had to accept it.
If, as Braun said, I'd dumped all of this on another employee, we both would have been torn apart by the Magic Bunny.
'…If I'd tried that, my already weakened self probably wouldn't have survived.'
In fact, this whole expedition into Cheerful Theme Park had been a special event arranged at my request by Director Ho.
Even if everyone had volunteered, especially Jang Heowoon… I kept thinking Director Ho had hand-picked him.
So, if I had to bear something, it was better this way.
I took a breath.
And from the ruined resort, I had the me inside the standard mascot suit escape…
'Let's have everyone resign first, then rebuild the resort.'
If I poured in the Cheerful Coins we earned by taking over the red zone, it would be easy.
Then the remaining employees would have a workplace again, and we could all escape quickly.
There shouldn't be any problem.
Or so I thought.
Good Child
The Blue Mascot, standing beyond the gate, looked at me in silence.
Then, raising their hand to the air, they pointed toward the zone conquered by Magic Bunny, where they now stood.
Hm?
Here
Good Child
Take It
'…?!'
W-Wait a minute.
But it was already happening.
The color of the zone transferred by the blue dragon began to change.
The paths that had turned blue now began glowing gold again.
And the golden light, spreading along half the path, began to occupy 'Fantasy Land'.
'Oh god.'
Nearly a third of the entire 'Fantasy Land', the parts serving as resort facilities, were dyed in golden light.
And everywhere, cat mascot decorations with flower crowns on their heads began to appear.
Good Child
For You
No.
No!! I had utterly no plans to expand the yellow zone at all…!
'All I wanted was a bit of money to rebuild the resort!'
I barely stifled a scream at the expectant face of the Blue Mascot watching me.
Now there were five—no, seven—yellow zone facilities!
'I'm going crazy.'
I could feel it.
The mascot's consciousness was swelling far too much.
Wait, at this rate, I won't be able to resign…!
'The mascot is getting too powerful!'
Compared to when I just had just the resort facility, overwhelming things were pouring into my mind, pushing aside my employee self and making me want to shift my vision back to the standard mascot. No!
'If I resign now, will I… will I even be left?'
On the verge of being overwhelmed by terror, and in that maddening moment when the mascot's joy surged over me—
Light began to shine through my Security Team uniform.
"…!"
I looked down.
Light was leaking from my wrist in the shape of letters.
: 恩主 :
The tattoo that acted as my inventory.
And that light detached from my skin and formed an object.
Its shape was…
'The employment contract!'
The words that had been blurred there began to come to life.
A person of inherent, existential nobility.
The strikethrough, which had previously been drawn across it in denial…
A person of inherent, existential nobility.
…disappeared.
-x-X-x-
I remember.
When I had just been promoted to Supervisor at Daydream Inc.
I got caught up in that serial killer lodge ghost story because of a certain roommate of mine, but I barely managed to clear it without having anyone killed.
As a reward, I 'inherited' this tattoo from the lodge owner.
: 恩主 :
Later, I upgraded it at Moonlight Tattoo Shop, so now I use part of the lodge like an inventory subspace, but in truth, that's not the real nature of this tattoo.
The lodge keeper's employment authority.
It was a contract for commanding the servants who ran the serial killer lodge.
But I couldn't use it.
– However, with all due respect, the employer must meet certain qualifications.
– There must be inherent, existential nobility.
That didn't matter to me. I only tried to take over the employment contract to stop the lodge ghost story.
But…
Now, in this moment.
A person of inherent, existential nobility.
The employment contract says so.
That I meet that standard.
"You called for me."
Somehow, standing across from me, holding the employment contract, was a man in shabby clothes.
In his hand, the red wax seal he used for his original contract was still intact.
The mountain lodge keeper.
Wearing a worn-out garment that covered his head, he nevertheless looked at me quietly, exuding a certain dignity and decorum befitting an attendant.
'...!'
"As you have met the qualifications of my employer, I stand before you to serve and follow your orders under the authority of the contract."
Wait a sec.
I hurriedly summoned my black smoke to move.
Perhaps because this ability was deemed unsuited for a 'Flower Golden Resort' employee, it was even harder to use than before.
And even though the black smoke turned golden midway, I still managed to write out the words successfully.
I'm qualified?
Where did that judgment come from?
"I too have some doubts, but that's not for me to decide."
But the criteria for nobility are
What you think they are
"I understand."
Like a true servant, the mountain lodge keeper immediately spoke.
"Exceptional birth."
…!
"A promised inheritance and power. The existence of those who beg for fear and mercy from them."
And then…
"The ruthless and powerful authority as a landlord exercised over the parasites, visitors, intruders, and challengers in one's domain."
…Why do these explanations sound like something out of a disaster god's job description? Wasn't nobility supposed to be about good and virtuous values?
Well, come to think of it, the lodge keeper's master was a madman who lured people with inheritance just to have them kill and be killed in the lodge.
'Brutal…'
The more I listened, the more I realized these conditions were never meant for humans.
But apparently, everything I've done so far, being reborn as a mascot in a ghost story, fit those requirements.
'Did the Yellow Zone of the theme park get judged as my domain…?'
But there's one thing I don't understand.
A promised inheritance and power?
"That's right. You've had it since the first time we met."
The lodge keeper bowed his head again.
But do I really have something like that?
Sensing my confusion, the lodge keeper respectfully pointed to something.
"It's proven by a mark even more powerful than the seal of my employment contract."
…!
Reflexively, I looked down at my left arm, hidden under my Security Team uniform.
My other tattoo.
: Socius :
The mark given to me by the Blue Mascot.
I turned toward the gate. The Blue Mascot, looking rather proud, said something.
I'm
Good Child's
Guardian
'…!!'
Good Child
Must Protect
Wait a minute.
So this tattoo… didn't 'socius' mean something like 'companion, member, kin' in Latin?
I'd always thought it was just a VIP annual pass for the theme park since it burned onto my wrist as the annual membership ticket was destroyed.
But in truth, it was something even stronger…
'They're saying… They're guarding me? Claiming me as family?'
I met the gaze of the cutely deformed blue dragon.
A mix of gratitude and chills passed through me.
Surely, it was an act of goodwill, and thanks to it, I had definitely benefited and escaped danger a few times.
But ultimately, it was because of this mascot's goodwill that I ended up trapped in Cheerful Theme Park.
And besides…
Today, ever since dawn, it feels like I can hear the blue dragon's words even more clearly…
'...'
Stiffly, I stared at the Blue Mascot, and both the mascot and the nearby staff seemed to grow restless.
Just then, the lodge keeper's voice rang out.
"Will you assign me to manage your domain?"
Wait.
Can you work
At this resort?
"Of course. Would you like to instruct me to manage this territory called 'Flower Golden Resort'?"
He maintained perfect politeness, but there was a hint of impatience or anticipation behind the question.
Suddenly, I remembered how those who were completely bound to an employee contract in this resort had worked with real joy.
Even me, when I was fully immersed in management as a mascot.
Are you someone who wants to work?
"That's not important. Only the will of my employer matters."
The employer's will
I want to know more
"…I exist to manage my employer's domain on behalf of them."
The lodge keeper explained.
"I have faithfully cared for the manor of a noble master, but if you entrust me with a greater post, I can serve you with even stronger servants to match…"
A desire to become something greater flickered briefly, then vanished.
So if he's assigned to manage this resort, which is larger than the lodge, he'll be able to exercise greater abilities.
Wait a minute.
You said you'd act on my behalf?
Then…
Even if I'm not here
The resort can still be run?
"Yes. I am a servant hired for that very purpose."
A chill ran through my body.
Every operating zone of Cheerful Theme Park must have a mascot.
I couldn't just offload my officially recognized mascot duties after the ceremony, but… if there was a perfect agent to take my place…
Could I finally leave?
"Shall I begin?"
I nodded.
At that moment.
"I will work according to your instructions."
The lodge keeper's appearance began to change.
…!
His shabby rags vanished, and a uniform and suit befitting a resort staff member appeared.
White gloves, neatly combed black hair, dress shoes, a monocle, and even the mask symbolizing the Yellow Mascot.
And then…
[Manager]
A name badge.
"Thank you very much."
I had hired the mountain lodge keeper as manager.
With his tidy new appearance, the manager straightened his back, politely held out the red wax seal in his hand.
The wax turned gold.
He resealed the employment contract formed of golden light in front of me, and then the entire contract turned to gold and returned as my tattoo.
: 恩主 :
I watched as the light faded beneath my Security Team uniform.
"The term of your inherited employment contract is 1,241 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 23 seconds by the solar calendar."
That was more than enough. I'd be long gone with a Wish Ticket long before then.
The important part was this.
Now, I could leave this place without tearing myself apart as the mascot.
Because I had a manager to work in my stead.
A moment of relief left my head spinning.
Behind me, I heard the staff murmuring.
"Is that another Security Team special division staff?"
"Did he set all this up just for this…?"
"Wait, 'for this', what do you mean? Wasn't it a coincidence he came here and got caught?"
"Uh, no, I mean… maybe that Security Team…"
Damn.
Before the Disaster Management Bureau could share more information about me, I quickly cut off the conversation.
Golden smoke spelled out words.
Your choice
▶ Resign
▶ Stay
"…!"
"R-Resign!"
"I want to resign!"
A wise decision.
'I was planning to get them out right away anyway.'
The mood reversed instantly.
I watched as the standard mascots hurried over with resignation forms, and the staff quickly signed their exit confirmations.
'Let's just get everyone out.'
One by one, their uniforms disappeared and they returned to their original clothes.
To give them the promised items, I used a standard mascot to lead them to the gift shop.
Whether to laugh or cry, with part of the red zone now merged into the yellow, the gift shop had been included too.
'Let's focus on guiding them to what's safest.'
But a few did not follow my lead.
"Ah, thank you very much."
For example, Supervisor Lee Seonghae gave her thanks but didn't immediately head to the gift shop or the gate.
In fact, once her uniform vanished, she staggered and cautiously sat down on the floor.
…!
The injuries she'd sustained before becoming a resort employee had returned.
Because she was no longer required to work as an employee.
"Oh dear."
With both legs fractured, she sat comfortably near the gate to the blue zone and looked at me.
Quick return recommended
For injury treatment
"I'm fine! Let's go together!"
Section Chief Lee Jaheon also checked the remaining staff after looking back at the manager and me, then quietly stood at the gate.
No!
'Get out.'
All of you, just leave!
"You go first and report the rescuees."
"Yes!"
…But why isn't the team leader leaving yet either?!
I stole a glance at the Black-Tortoise team leader, who'd performed so impressively with the Four-Tiger Sword yesterday. She stood at the gate, arms crossed, only sending her subordinate out first. Secretly, I wiped the cold sweat from my brow.
Well, at least the urgent fires had all been put out.
Now, there was just one agent, one elite team member, and one Chief Lizard left.
'Looks like a lineup that can keep their mouths shut…'
And then…
Two employees still wearing the Yellow Mascot mask.
Those who couldn't resign.
'...'
Judging from Supervisor Lee Seonghae's condition, if those two canceled their employee contracts, they'd probably revert to how they were before returning as staff…
Which meant, as corpses.
'Phew.'
I looked back at the lodge keeper.
While I was handling things, he stood perfectly still in a polite posture, waiting.
And then he asked again.
"Are those the employees who will work at the resort?"
Pointing to the two remaining staff.
'…!'
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind.
If I could leave as a mascot after all…
They will leave the domain
Together with me
"Forgive me, but isn't it difficult for those contracted as employees of the resort to leave this place?"
The standard mascot brought the employment contracts I'd signed to the lodge keeper, who checked them carefully and then declared as much.
But I didn't back down.
The workplace doesn't matter
Those people signed their contracts with me
And I pointed at the signature line on the contract.
Employer : GOLDEN
See this?
They belong to me
Not the domain
But me
"..."
The lodge keeper seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if checking if this conflicted with the resort's operating policies…
Soon, he looked up and nodded.
"I acknowledge your instructions."
It worked!
"Then you're taking the employees out—"
"Wait."
Just then, the team leader, who'd been watching our exchange, suddenly jumped in.
More precisely, she was looking at me.
"You're saying you can send them out, right? Then, would you consider selling one of your 'employees'?"
...!
Reflexively, I formed words out of smoke.
Employees are not for sale they're upstanding workers
"..."
The team leader was briefly at a loss for words, then sighed and spoke, sounding a bit frustrated or perhaps exasperated.
"Yeah, that's fair. Then how about dispatching them temporarily? I'll pay you. I have quite a few interesting things to trade."
Ah.
"You know that long-haired staff member? Send him with me."
She raised a hand and pointed at someone.
…Jang Heowoon.
"I'll take him."
I looked between the two employees and suddenly realized something.
Jang Heowoon must never fall into Director Ho's hands.
No matter what, being handed over to the Disaster Management Bureau was better. If he went to Director Ho, who knew what would happen.
How entertaining would it be? You disguise one spy as a cryptid and send him in, only for another spy who's become fully contaminated as a ghost-story resident to run straight to back him.
Even if Director Ho wasn't malicious enough to enjoy it, there was another problem.
'We've lost a spy.'
If I showed too much leniency and suffered a loss, Director Ho's anger might fall on poor Jang Heowoon as well.
Who knew how he'd be punished, but I had a bad feeling it wouldn't be humane.
'But would Jang Heowoon recover if he's sent to the Disaster Management Bureau?'
He'd gone undercover as a spy, but no one could predict what would happen next.
A fierce debate played out in my mind.
Then, after reaching a decision, I wrote out a word with smoke again.
Alright
"…! Good. Then as payment—"
Wait.
For the safety and wage guarantee
Of the dispatched worker
Drafting a contract takes priority
"..."
After a long discussion with the Team Leader, we drew up a contract and exchanged copies.
And so, Jang Heowoon's affiliation was transferred.
"My place of employment has changed! I'll be in your care from now on, Agent!"
He gave me a polite farewell, "I'll return after this assignment," then followed the agent without hesitation.
'Don't come back.'
I sincerely hoped the bureau could find a way to restore Jang Heowoon to his original self.
Or at least…
'…Let him be able to keep up the act as a spy for Director Ho's sake.'
…Then I could use a Wish Ticket for him.
With that wish, I'd be able to restore Jang Heowoon to his living self, before he became an employee.
'It's worth trying…'
I quietly clenched my fist.
And… as I checked on Ladybug, I held back a sigh.
"Yes. I'll prepare for the workplace transfer!"
Honestly, this guy… I can't save another wish ticket for him, and the state he's in is honestly his own fault, so I just can't help him.
'Still, I'll at least transfer custody of him to Daydream Inc.'
That's the right thing to do.
If I could take him out, I had to take him out no matter what.
* * *
"Have you finished up?"
After that, I wrapped up the handover and information sharing with the lodge keeper.
About the resort's operation policies, profit distribution, and also—
"I've confirmed the unique implementation method you included in the contract."
—about the inventory function of the tattoo as well.
"Once you clear out the temporary space you were using, I'll have a new one set up at the resort. From now on, you'll be able to send instructions to your domain easily through that gap."
It seemed this tattoo would now serve as a strange new communication channel.
'An upgrade again, huh.'
Finally, I asked the lodge keeper for the most basic information for communication.
Name.
Tell me your name
"Address me however you wish."
What do you want to be called
"In that case, I ask that you call me 'Resort Manager'."
I nodded.
The person who was no longer the lodge keeper but would now be called Manager bowed to me, and I turned to head toward the Blue Mascot waiting at the gate.
The Blue Mascot, apparently eavesdropping on my conversation with the manager, desperately began to speak.
Now, Here
Our Home
Huu.
I shook my head.
The Blue Mascot looked shocked.
Why?
Bad Mascot
I Ate It
As if trying to convince me, the blue dragon waved both their front paws.
It's Gone Now
It's Safe
I shook my head as politely as I could.
And I formed a message out of smoke.
There is work I must do
My duty
The Blue Mascot's shoulders drooped, but in the end, they seemed to accept it. Perhaps because I was still the recognized owner of this theme park zone, they seemed reassured that I would be back eventually.
Wait
Instead, they hurriedly used one of their other bodies to fetch something.
Then, just like how they had previously tossed churros and snacks to me, they carefully tossed something to me from the other side of the gate.
Take This
Reflexively, I held out both hands and caught it.
A scale.
A black and blue scale reflected a strange rainbow sheen in the sunlight, then waves of blue shimmered from inside.
You
Can Call Me
'…!'
…Wait, could this scale be a piece of its original form from inside the mascot suit?
'Can I really summon that? Is it okay to call them?'
At any rate, it was certainly something incredibly powerful, so I nodded and accepted the scale.
The Blue Mascot quietly watched me, and I shook hands with the mascot.
Then, they reached over the gate and pulled me into a tight hug.
'Thank goodness I was treated as an employee.'
…And thank goodness I was wearing the Security Team suit.
"Shall we head back now?"
I nodded gladly.
With Section Chief Lee Jaheon's help, I supported the limping Supervisor Lee Seonghae to the gift shop, then we all made our way to the exit gate.
[◎Please come play again◎]
One of the Fantasy Land exits had already changed to display the symbols of the Yellow Zone.
Looking up at it, Supervisor Lee Seonghae muttered,
"Hmm. If you come in through the board game now, won't you always end up here? Usually when things get this entangled… it feels like it becomes 'linked' or something."
It was a plausible theory.
But for now, escape was the priority, and I… really, really needed some rest.
'Let's go.'
One by one, we scanned our used tickets at the gate.
Beep.
And we all stepped out together.
Bye Bye
From behind us, I thought I faintly heard the now-familiar voice of the Blue Mascot…
The next moment—
"Huuu!"
We all opened our eyes, sitting on chairs inside Daydream Inc.'s Research Team office.
We had finally escaped after six whole days.
My second expedition to Cheerful Theme Park has finally come to an end.
And…
The assigned Research Team was thrown into chaos.
Expedition Results:
Of the 12 personnel dispatched, 8 returned.
Among the returnees, 2 completed the expedition within the scheduled time. Meanwhile, 6 were found in the conference room where the board game began, on the sixth day of the expedition.
Among them, an employee displaying symptoms of complete contamination (mask deformation) was identified and transferred to the Fox Counseling Office.
Among the 4 who did not return, eyewitness accounts confirm the deaths of 3. All had drawn the red pawn, and one was transported by a survivor as only a head but was lost in the yellow zone.
Additional Special Note 1) Upon visual inspection, the collected Dream Essence was found to be of higher quality than usual. Classified as similar to A-grade.
Additional Special Note 2) Several of the employees who returned on the sixth day reported having worked as theme park staff. They claimed to have received items from the gift shop as their wages.
This summary looked as though it was organized and had gone through a thorough confirmation process as if it had been a wiki entry.
The expedition duration was multiplied sixfold, yet the resulting essence was a grade higher. Truly, an irregularity.
And there was only one variable responsible for the irregularity.
'Me.'
A staff member of the Security Team's special division.
However, seen as something like a ghost story creature or a contaminated being, I managed to scare the Research Team just enough to smoothly escape the interview hell and head home.
– Excuse me! I'm really really grateful for everything. How can I contact you so I can buy you a meal…
– S-Supervisor!! That's not allowed!
…During this, Supervisor Lee Seonghae kindly tried to make a friendly gesture toward me but was blocked by a researcher.
'Which was a relief in the end.'
There was no way to contact me in the first place.
After all, all of this was just a disguise created by Director Ho.
And…
Before going home, I had to meet that very Director Ho, a boss even more relentless and frightening than the Research Team.
– You must have had a tough time, Soleum-nim!
As soon as I took off my Security Team suit, I checked the empty right arm and the dokkaebi flame that had returned to its lantern form.
The dokkaebi flame, as if frightened, had its lantern completely hardened.
Director Ho, strangely, smiled with his eyes as he looked at it closely, but fortunately, he didn't take the dokkaebi flame away.
On the contrary, after seeing the Security Team suit I'd taken off, he said this.
– Wow! After traveling with you through this Darkness, Soleum-nim, it seems the Security Team uniform was affected in an interesting way.
– Even aside from that, it's quite an interesting outfit, isn't it? I'll extend the rental period a bit longer. You never know when you might have another chance to use it.
I nodded obediently.
It was clear that refusal would not be tolerated. I was in no position to complain, either. Because, right then…
– By the way, do you know anything about Jang Heowoon's whereabouts?
Huu.
– He's the staff member sent in with you to assist, but I wonder if he was of any use to you.
…I told only the truth.
That agents from the Disaster Management Bureau suddenly entered, and Jang Heowoon, whose identity was divulged, was eventually taken away by them under the pretense of rescue.
– …Oh dear!
Director Ho looked unphased.
'He… looked kind of pissed, too.'
– But Director, since Heowoon-ssi's status as an employee of Daydream Inc. wasn't exposed, he should be able to continue his spy work.
– Ah, is that so?
Disguised as deduction, I gave the excuse that 'because of the contamination checks during the rescue process, Jang Heowoon's movements will be restricted for a while'. Somehow, it seemed to work.
…For now, at least.
– Then, was Jang Heowoon's Dream Essence Collector recovered? The Research Team was in an uproar, saying that A-grade essence was collected during this expedition.
– …Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the retrieval process so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the Disaster Management Bureau.
In truth, that's not what happened.
I destroyed it myself.
To patch this logical hole… Right before escaping the theme park, I retrieved Jang Heowoon's Dream Essence Collector and crushed it in the form of a standard mascot.
If Jang Heowoon were caught with it by the Disaster Management Bureau, it would be no different from confirming he was a spy.
But if I just left the collector inside a ghost story, it would automatically be sent back to the company, and because of the recorded data, Director Ho might find out exactly what state Jang Heowoon was in.
Destruction was the only answer.
– That's unfortunate. Normally, the person in charge would have to pay points for destroying a collector… Ah, right. Since this was a special situation in the line of duty, I'll smooth things over on my end!
– …Yes. Thank you, sir.
– Haha, it's not like I'm doing you any special favor, Soleum-nim. Really!
Thankfully, Director Ho let it go without further issue.
I thought there might be an uproar because the collected essence was high-grade, but unexpectedly, he didn't seem particularly attached to the high grade of the essence.
'…Strange.'
Anyway, A-grade was A-grade, so I figured I should check my own elite team collector as well… but for now, that wasn't possible.
…Because after going through all of that, I collapsed onto my bed and slept straight through until the next morning.
'I really thought I was going to die.'
The only consolation was that I was so tired I slept straight through the night without waking up.
And to say it another way…
…It means my six days off vanished just like that.
And this morning.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I went to work at the Disaster Management Bureau...
Uuugh.