The morning after clearing a horrific high school ghost story horror game. Still, the fact that I had to go to work—a reality more haunting than the ghost story itself—meant I was busily preparing to head out. This time, though, the commute didn't feel as burdensome. Because I had something to rely on.
The A-grade liquid filling the Dream Essence Collector.
'Reassuring.'
I carefully packed the Dream Essence Collector, brimming with golden liquid, into my briefcase.
It was the fruit of my labor from the night before.
Moreover, as I fully rose from bed, I noticed a rather peculiar 'extra reward'.
Clatter, clatter.
Something that had been covering me spilled onto the floor.
Dozens of… beads?
They were transparent, like they could be loaded into the glass-handled pistol.
I picked one up to examine it closely and read the single Chinese character inscribed within it.
護
This reads as… 'Hù', I think?
– Ah, this is a commonly used character symbolizing protection or defense. Fairly straightforward and intuitive.
Ah.
I immediately understood.
'This is the reward for clearing the game's final chapter!'
Graduation Ceremony Successfully Completed (2 Deaths, 1 Survivor) Members of the Field Exploration Team who died as students confirmed to have safely awakened the next morning.
A large number of reward items discovered at the bedside of the sole survivor. (Analyzed to be a type of protective charm with minor effects in exorcism and defense.) In other words, I had brought items from the dream game into reality. Just like when Baek Saheon swiped that fountain pen item from the faculty office and ran off with it.
"…Hmmm."
Thinking about that, I stepped out to the entrance.
Baek Saheon's shoes were already gone.
'He's already bolted to work. Figures.'
I'll catch up with him later.
Anyway, the dozens of glass beads seemed to function as 'protective charms' to some extent.
'I'm sure they'll come in handy.'
I tucked all the 'protective charms' into my tattoo inventory, keeping just one or two in my pocket, then continued preparing for work. But.
– ...
– ...
A strange silence seemed to hang in the air.
'…Braun.'
– Oh, calling for me, are you, Friend?
By any chance.
'Were you… uncomfortable last night?'
The host of the Tuesday Quiz Show, whose stuffing had nearly been flattened because Soleum used him as a pillow…
– Haha, well, it wasn't exactly the best feeling of my life!
– Anyone would feel a bit slighted if their friend had such a fun and extraordinary experience alone without inviting them…
Oops.
– Ah, but no matter. It seems my friend had a special time of his own while this Braun was having the unique experience of feeling like a waffle!
"..."
Umm…
'It was a special time indeed.'
– As I thought!
'The graduation ceremony was quite intense.'
– A graduation ceremony? Did you give a congratulatory speech?
No.
'The teacher didn't like my hosting style and attacked me. I had to endure, losing limbs one by one, until it ended safely.'
– Good heavens!
Though initially offended, Braun quickly grew excited as I explained in detail what had transpired in the dream.
I'll make it up to him later with that… aromatherapy massage-like thing the tattoo artist did in the evening.
– A most commendable attitude, Mr. Roe Deer! I'd love to hear more.
Sure, sure.
On my way to work, I recounted everything that had happened to me.
From being chased by students to becoming one of them myself.
– Hooh!
Finally, as I arrived at the building and began heading up to his office, he ran into a familiar face.
"Soleum-ssi!"
"Ah, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin."
It was Lee Byeongjin, the manual revision officer Soleum had rescued from the changgwi ghost story.
He lit up at the sight of me.
"So, the entire Field Exploration Team attempted to enter this ghost story with decent item yields this time!"
Ah, so he already knew about my involvement in the high school ghost story.
Well, it's not surprising. There was even an official directive for the entire Field Exploration Team to attempt entry.
"What happened to your squad, Soleum?"
"Oh, I went in and came back, but… I'm not sure about the others."
I doubted Chief Lizard managed to enter.
'If he had, it would've definitely been written in the .'
Actually, no, they wouldn't have even bothered recording it. After all, the perfect counter to this ghost story is Lee Jaheon.
'A pursuit-based ghost story is meaningless for someone who can just destroy everything with brute force…'
There's no point in ruining the ghost story mechanics.
Even if my involvement caused some butterfly effect during the exploration, I would've noticed if Chief Lizard had been part of this expedition.
'He wasn't there.'
…And then.
One other member of D-squad…
Didn't make it out alive.
'Huu.'
Just as I was about to say it aloud—
"Oh, right. There are only two people left in D-squad now: Squad Leader and you, Supervisor Soleum, right? I guess you didn't run into each other."
"…Pardon?"
"Still, it's a solo mission, huh? Well, at least our company's future is in capable hands with the talented Supervisor Soleum, ha-ha!"
...
Excuse me?
"Wait a second. When you say there are only two people left in D-squad…"
"Huh? Oh, wasn't the personnel decision temporarily put on hold?"
The section chief looked at me quizzically.
"You know, D-squad was told to focus on support work this season since the contaminated member might recover. Didn't you get that notice?"
"...!"
Ah.
In that moment, I realized something.
Supervisor Yoon Johoon.
The newly assigned member.
He had been eliminated as a 'glitch' by the 'teacher' in the dream… And was erased in reality as well.
Literally deleted.
As if he had never existed in the first place.
"..."
That's right.
'That's why people mistakenly believe there were no fatalities in this ghost story.'
At worst, they thought people who were 'retired' were just dragged back to the school on the next new moon.
Everyone believed this!
Because…
Those who collected a lot of nametags and stubbornly stayed on the higher floors without retiring… were all 'deleted'.
They became people who had never existed.
…An unnerving ability to manipulate reality.
'No wonder the essence was rated A-grade.'
It felt as though a deeper darkness was at work here…
A chill ran down my spine.
Objectively, this situation might not seem bad for me.
After all, someone difficult to work with had conveniently disappeared. But…
'It's no different from having their existence erased.'
My stomach churned.
The fact that I was the only one who remembered him felt profoundly strange.
Wait.
'Why am I the only one who remembers?'
Shouldn't we all have forgotten?
Could it be because I witnessed his death directly?
Ah!
Or maybe it was because I had eaten the Nostalgia Candy at the time, and its effects shielded me?
Come to think of it, when I ate the Nostalgia Candy, I…
...
...
"S-Soleum-ssi?"
"…Ah. I must have been mistaken about something."
Anyway, it wasn't something important, so I decided to refocus on the conversation.
Even if he was from a different team, a superior was still a superior.
At that moment, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, looking slightly expectant, asked me, "Oh, by the way, Soleum-ssi, what grade did you clear with? If you show me your collector, I can estimate the liquid concentration and tell you the grade…"
"Ah."
I readily pulled the collector from my briefcase and showed it to him. The golden liquid shimmered as it sloshed.
"Here, sir."
"..."
A silence followed.
"...?!"
Lee Byeongjin hastily wiped his glasses.
"Ha-ha, I must be getting old. My eyesight's so bad that the light seems to be over-reflecting or someth—?!?"
"Ah."
I responded with a pleased tone.
"Do you also think it's A-grade, Section Chief?"
"..."
Lee Byeongjin adjusted his glasses and put them back on.
"...Immediately,"
"...?"
"—Immediately report this! What are you waiting for? Hurry!"
In an instant, I was summoned.
This meant that before I could even report to the D-squad office, the Collector was confiscated by the relevant personnel.
"Goodness!"
The looks from the team—faces screaming 'It's you again?'—weren't exactly welcoming, but I figured it was better than nothing. And as for the measured grade…
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
"Yes, Squad Leader."
"The liquid you collected from the Darkness last night has been confirmed as A-grade."
That afternoon, while I was sitting in the office writing my exploration report, Chief Lizard delivered the news without much fanfare. Up to that point, it was as I had expected.
But it was the next part that was the problem.
"And regarding this exploration, there's been a request for a one-on-one interview with you."
"..."
Well, this wasn't something I could avoid…
The second A-grade.
And this time, it came from an unprecedented ghost story.
'A-grade in this ghost story was probably only theoretical, a placeholder, right?'
Most yields were either D or F.
Occasionally, someone who lasted long enough while hoarding items and nametags would pull off a C-grade, but that was about it. The jackpot from a ghost story usually treated as an item-farming zone had now sparked all sorts of chatter from the higher-ups.
But here's the thing:
'This is it for this one.'
That was the first clear.
Subsequent attempts to clear it in similar ways yielded liquid one or two grades lower than the same ending (B).
'That's just how the game mechanics are.'
If it's not the first time, it's just repetition—it doesn't count as an achievement.
Of course, I didn't plan to explain all of this, but I'd have to drop enough hints to avoid ridiculous blame later, like: 'We invested in you, and no more A-grades came out!'
'Looks like I'll be running in circles all afternoon…'
Just as I was bracing myself for the inevitable, Chief Lizard spoke again.
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
"Yes?"
"Do you not want to do the interview?"
Could I, uh, skip this somehow?
But after a moment of thought, I shook my head.
"No, it's alright, sir. I'll do it."
To avoid some absurd blame game like, 'You only got the A-grade because you refused to write a proper report!'
"Yes."
Lee Jaheon didn't ask twice. Very typical of him.
And so, at the appointed time, I left the D-squad office for the interview.
'They're calling me to a higher floor, huh.'
Ascending to the designated 31st floor, I found the meeting room.
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
Hearing the voice granting permission, I cautiously opened the door. Sunlight poured in through the blinds, casting a solemn atmosphere over the meeting room.
At the center was a massive, black, round-table desk.
But…
"Hmmm."
The researchers who were supposed to conduct the interview weren't there. Instead, sitting alone at the head of the massive desk, was one person. A woman with deep blue-black hair, dressed impeccably in a three-button suit, looked at me with a kindly expression.
She didn't seem old, but there was something about her that made it difficult to guess her age.
And on the desk before her was a striking black lacquer nameplate.
Managing Director Cheong Dallae
"...?!"
D-Director??
Wait, why is an executive sitting alone in the meeting room I was called to? And it wasn't even that Director Ho who Lee Byeongjin and the A-squad were connected to.
But that surname…
'I've heard it before…'
When Section Chief Lee Byeongjin went missing, his team had speculated about who might replace him.
– The new person they bring in might be… who knows, right? But it's unlikely it'll be another one of the same line. Probably someone from Director Cheong's side.
Director Cheong.
A senior executive from the company's Development Department, someone I'd never been involved with before, had summoned me!
'What the hell…'
Of course, even as I panicked internally, I bowed deeply. Because no matter how shocked I was, I couldn't forget social etiquette!
"...! It's an honor to meet you, Managing Director."
"Good. Nice to meet you too."
Managing Director Cheong shook my hand and gestured broadly to the row of chairs lined around the round-table desk.
"Go ahead and take a seat."
"Yes, ma'am."
Where should I sit?
I hesitated for a moment before choosing a spot—not too close to the head of the table but still within reasonable distance for a conversation. Then, someone who seemed to be from the executive secretary's office entered the meeting room, placed an unknown set of documents in front of the Managing Director, and left.
I could feel cold sweat forming.
'What is this situation?'
I couldn't make sense of it, so I focused on grasping the context first.
"So… Supervisor Soleum, are you still in your twenties?"
"I was born in XX, ma'am."
"How young. I'll speak casually, so just relax. This is a good meeting."
"A good meeting, you say…?"
"I've heard a lot about you over time."
Managing Director Cheong smiled faintly.
"You've left quite an impression. If only we had more recruits like you, there'd be no issues with acquiring raw material."
"Thank you."
When someone this high up starts praising you, it's best to just sit politely and listen.
Trying too hard to guess what they want or speaking out of turn could easily backfire.
'Is this meeting just to commend me and encourage me to write a good A-grade manual? Maybe she's come all this way to leave a strong impression.'
But then—
"So, Supervisor Soleum."
The main point came out of nowhere, without warning.
"Do you have any interest in joining an elite squad?"
I nearly choked on my own spit.
"Well…"
"Oh, I know you were offered a position by Section Chief Baek from the A-squad last time, and you declined."
"...!"
"'I need to focus on foundational skills and knowledge first'… Good excuse. Well-played."
Oh, good god.
"That squad… hmm, they care about hierarchy, which is fine, but sometimes their priorities shift, and they put hierarchy above exploration."
"..."
"It's not a good look, but hey, being good at playing the game is a skill too, isn't it? Ha-ha!"
She wasn't even subtle about pointing out that the A-squad was part of a different faction.
'I am not going to respond to that, Director…'
I forced a faint smile and nodded lightly.
If I were to take one wrong step here, it would sound like I was gossiping about the A-squad with her.
For a Managing Director, that's no big deal!
But for a new recruit like me, it's a surefire way to crash and burn. Trying to stay composed, I carefully spoke, pretending to struggle with my words.
"Um, I felt that as someone who just joined the company, building a solid foundation was necessary… so I've been working hard to learn…"
"Hahaha! That's fine, that's fine. I understand this must be a nerve-wracking situation for you, Supervisor Soleum."
Managing Director Cheong laughed heartily before suddenly turning serious.
"You don't need to just agree with everything I say. I'm not very fond of sycophants."
"..."
"Right. I suppose I should phrase this more clearly, don't you think?"
Managing Director Cheong paused for a moment, as if deep in thought, before closing the folder in front of her and speaking.
"I'm not saying I want to place you in one of the elite squads."
"...?"
"What I'm asking is if you'd be interested in receiving the same treatment as someone on an elite squad. Or, let me put it another way."
Managing Director Cheong smiled again.
"What would you think if D-squad became one of the elites?"
"...!!"
"And you get to pick a squad member to bring in, too. Just say the word."
Holy shit.