"Friend, your superior is a dull, unimaginative blade grunt…"
"U-Uh-huh."
I thanked Lee Jaheon and went to fetch Braun.
I felt a little bad for both of them because, by the time I got back, Chief Lizard had already taken the plush to his own place since it was so late. Thanks to that, Braun ended up visiting a place I'd never seen myself—and had no intention of seeing, period—so he got a bit excited.
"Ah, I would have preferred to sit alone on the cold tiled backstage floor of a studio."
"…Right."
In the end, it must have been boring.
As Braun complained about how "there was absolutely nothing in that man's house, no muttering, no humming, just silence dragging on endlessly", I broke out into a cold sweat.
"But it was honestly so dirty there. It wouldn't sit right with me to leave you behind in that abandoned building. As your friend, I just couldn't do that."
"Friend…!"
I'm starting to get it now. Using a "good friend" as the angle when dealing with Braun seems to get the calmest reaction from him.
"Well, it's not entirely a lie."
Anyway, I recalled the conversation I had with Lee Jaheon as I received Braun.
"Thank you."
I'd said it while bowing my head.
"And I'm sorry. I did something deserving of disciplinary action and caused trouble for you as well, Squad Leader."
Honestly, in a normal company, I'd have been smacked over the head with a stack of files for this.
But even after hearing the full story, the lizard squad leader remained composed.
"Yes."
"…I just couldn't, for no reason, push a peer into a position where he was obviously going to die…"
"I see."
He stared at me for a moment and then spoke.
"Take responsibility for your choice."
"…Yes!"
It was a little intimidating, but it seemed like he let it slide. "Thank goodness."
After a few more rounds of apologies and thanks, I handed over a gift box of snacks I'd prepared. Now, I was heading down the stairs of the residential building.
"So, are we heading back to your humble and cozy room for some rest, Mr. Roe Deer?"
"No, not yet."
I exited the building.
"There's one more thing to take care of."
Today was the day to draw the tarot cards for The Dilemma, the F-ranked Darkness I was managing.
It had been two months since my last visit to the annex to check the cards. Someone else had covered for me during my sick leave, and the cycle had now come back around.
"Hello."
I greeted the black silhouette of the security team member at the desk, received the key, and made my way down the hall.
"Last time, I drew the Moon card in reverse."
"Ah, are you planning to use that trick again? Picking up the card upside down, I mean!"
Hmm. That one.
"I'll use it if I have to, but I'd rather not."
"Oh?"
Something about it… bothers me.
"When I drew the Moon card in reverse, it supposedly meant the resolution of uncertainty."
"Indeed. What's the issue with that?"
The card itself wasn't the problem. Over that month, several things indeed became clearer or were resolved.
For instance… my assignment.
"I was confirmed to remain in D-Squad."
…After we lost two members, that is.
"..."
But here's the thing about that.
"Resolving uncertainty requires first experiencing an uncertain situation."
In other words, drawing a bad card in reverse implies that… "I would still have to experience the negative state first."
To recover from or escape that situation, I'd have to go through it at least once.
"Aha, an interesting perspective! Quite persuasive, too! Exactly."
And even if things eventually recover, in the world of ghost stories, the act of falling into a "bad state" carries enormous risks.
I couldn't afford to forget the contamination incident.
"It's safer to draw something good and upright, if possible."
So, please, let's not have a scenario where both cards are bad, leaving me no choice.
"Huu."
I entered the containment room and unlocked The Dilemma's isolation. Taking out two black tarot cards, I placed them face-down on the table. Taking a deep breath, I flipped them over.
The first card: The Devil.
Shit.
"That damned Devil card keeps showing up."
The only surprising part was that this time, it was already reversed.
"Ah, the Devil in reverse!"
"'Breaking free from the Devil.' A card of liberation. It signifies overcoming addiction or obsession, or making future decisions to conquer fears. It suits someone with your willpower and creativity, Mr. Roe Deer."
I appreciated the explanation, but my attention quickly moved to the second card.
…The Sun!
The red and yellow sun burned brightly, illuminating the tarot card with vibrant colors.
This is…
"Isn't this undeniably good?!"
"Oh, the Sun!"
"Under the clear light of the Sun, one enjoys joy and blessings in abundance! It signifies career success, strengthened relationships, and unparalleled positivity. It guarantees happiness in the near future."
"Some even consider it the best card in the tarot deck, but… isn't unconditional success and happiness a bit boring?"
I'm sorry, but I could really use that kind of "boring" right now, Mr. Host…!
"This is an easy choice."
I reached out and picked up the Sun card.
With that, I secured a positive future, stable and upright.
"A somewhat dull choice, but I respect it, Mr. Roe Deer!
"Thanks."
With that, I concluded the ritual.
"Success and joy, huh."
There's no downside to that.
At the very least, I could take comfort in the prediction that something good would happen within the month.
"Time to head back to the dorm."
"Sounds good, Friend!"
And so, I headed home late at night, ending a long and eventful day. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the elevator and had to climb the stairs.
"Trudging up the fire escape at night is scarier than you'd think, even without creepypastas…"
It felt a bit unfair.
Still, this truly was the last major event of what had been a tumultuous year. Surprisingly, the remaining days of the year passed peacefully. Throughout December, not much happened.
Kwak Jaekang didn't call for me unnecessarily after the incident, nor did any strange research projects get assigned to me.
"Looks like my [MZ efficiency] tactic worked…"
I was worried the Research Team might try to involve Jang Heo-un again, but that didn't happen either.
[Jang Heo-un : Soleum-ssi! No changes in my assignment—I'm officially staying in F-Squad.]
It seemed he'd settled into F-Squad without issue following the year-end personnel announcements.
"That's good news."
Even though he was in the same squad as Baek Saheon… well, based on what I saw at Sekwang Technical High School, it didn't seem like they were recklessly using Jang Heo-un as bait.
Otherwise, things were ordinary.
"I diligently entered ghost stories."
There weren't any assignments involving high-level ghost stories rated C or above.
As a result, the only "horrors" I experienced were internal screams, fear, and an increasing record of children's cartoons I watched to combat my insomnia.
On one occasion, I ran into Lee Byeongjin, the manual reviews officer, in the hallway, who gave me a casual hint: "The company's ridiculously busy with year-end accounting and audits, which is why things have been so quiet for you."
He still occasionally brought up Director Ho, which was uncomfortable, but the information was helpful…
"Aiyah. Supervisor Kim, you must have no worries! You clear high-level Darknesses and rack up points so fast. You must be disappointed there aren't more high-level cases these days, haha!"
"..."
I'm not disappointed at all, actually…
Clearing low-level cases steadily still earned points, allowing me to catch my breath and focus my thoughts.
However, during this quiet time, there was one thing that oddly remained unresolved.
"Uh, Squad Leader, is my disciplinary action still under discussion?"
"Yes."
My disciplinary action, of course.
"Oh. This is quite, hm. Fascinating… didn't you expect a swift decision, Mr. Roe Deer?"
I did.
I wasn't hoping to avoid punishment, but I didn't expect it to take this long. I thought they'd hand me a simple, swift penalty to knock me down a peg for being a cheeky yet competent newbie.
"…Why is this so complicated?"
It seemed the Field Exploration Team had even caught wind of this, judging by some curious reactions.
[Kang Yihak : Supervisor! I heard about it haha! You took a bold stand against inefficient tasks not covered by your salary. Kyaah! I respect you!]
"..."
Wait, is that how the story's spreading?
"I was trying to come across as a morally principled character, but did that backfire too…?"
Thankfully, it didn't seem to go that far. The Development Department appeared to be debating how to handle my case—whether to make an exception or follow standard procedure.
Finally, in late December.
"The date for your disciplinary action has been set."
"..."
Huu.
The official notice had arrived.
Disciplinary Notice
Task : Perform night cleaning duties with the Security Team.
Duration : 3 days.
This disciplinary measure is intended to improve the employee's work attitude and prevent similar incidents in the future.
It was such a quintessentially ghost-story-company type of punishment.
"Where are the usual corporate disciplinary measures like training, pay cuts, suspension, or demotion?"
So, was three days of punishment not too bad? Did I manage to get off lightly? Sure, but…
"The schedule will be from December 29th to the 31st."
"..."
Who came up with this?
"I can feel how much they wanted to make my life miserable with this choice of dates…!"
It was like they wanted me to spend the entire year-end pulling all-nighters at the company and to start the New Year here. I was dying to know who was responsible for this cruelty.
But since I'd already crossed the line once, this time, I had no choice but to comply.
"Huu…"
So, on the midnight of December 29th, I headed to the basement level 1 of the company, into the Security Team's area.
And I was greeted by a familiar face.
"Good evening, Jay-ssi."
"Wow… long time no see…"
It was Security Sergeant J3.
This slender staff member, whom I'd encountered during the Sangun-nim ghost story and the Hungry Hangman escape, raised a hand in greeting, looking somewhat glad to see me.
Of course, the annoyance on his face outweighed any actual joy, so I quickly pulled out the bribe I had prepared.
"My apologies. I'll be in your care for the next three days."
"Oh, no need to apologize…"
The security sergeant's face brightened as he accepted the two large boxes of sugar and cream donuts, each containing a dozen.
"Finally, some payoff for volunteering… thank you… I'll enjoy these as my snacks…"
"..."
"I brought two boxes so the Security Team could share, but…"
Since he clearly believed all 24 donuts were his alone, I kept my mouth shut. I figured it was the wise thing to do.
"Alright, follow me…"
The security sergeant led me deeper into the facility, past the CCTV room.
"This is an area only the Security Team can access."
I hadn't expected to return here.
Swallowing hard, I followed him down the hallway. Somewhere here, I'd be doing the cleaning.
"May I ask where exactly I'll be cleaning for the next three days?"
"Well… it's a place you've been before, so it shouldn't be too bad. I think… yeah."
A place I've been before?
"Today's cleaning zone is the Isolation B hallway… you know… the one where they took out that contaminated employee…"
"...!"
Damn.
He was referring to the isolation area next to the Security Team's storage room.
The hallway lined with sealed rooms, where I'd been briefly held after being rescued from the Hungry Hangman.
"That place… definitely wasn't normal."
I recalled all the strange murmurs and phenomena I'd experienced walking down that isolation hallway and gulped nervously.
"Cleaning the Security Team's area, huh."
The near certainty of encountering something unusual made my heart pound.
"This way… to the locker room."
I followed the security sergeant to the locker room, swallowing my fear. Along the way, I caught a glimpse of the Security Team's quarters through an open door.
[Sleeping Quarters]
Through the gap, I could see compact rooms furnished with gray standard-issue curtains, bedding, metal desks, and cabinets.
…Oddly enough, it reminded me of a prison staff dormitory.
"It looks worse than my dorm."
The fact that it was underground seemed unhealthy, to say the least.
"Do all the Security Team members live here?"
"No, just the guards… um."
The security sergeant furrowed his brow slightly, as if deciding how much to share.
Eventually, he gave a vague answer, ending the conversation on this topic.
"The Security Team is… actually a branch of the higher-level Security Management Department. This area is mostly for the guards…"
"I see."
Finally, we reached the locker room, and I quickly changed into the provided uniform.
It wasn't the Security Team uniform I'd worn before. This one was bright orange and eye-catching, resembling an engineer's work suit.
"Cleaning uniforms… not bad… the color's nice…"
"..."
Was he serious?
In any case, I finished changing and prepared to head to the cleaning site.
"Huu."
Feeling like I was being led to the slaughterhouse, I glanced at the security sergeant, who was still lingering in the locker room as if waiting for someone.
"Cleaning… usually requires two people per team."
Um?
Surely the security sergeant wasn't going to join me—maybe it was another staff member?
Then, the security sergeant glanced out of the locker room and gestured for me to look.
"There they are… your partner for today."
I turned to see someone walking down the hallway from the direction of the sleeping quarters.
…A familiar face.
"Roe."
"...!!"
Supervisor Park Minseong approached awkwardly from the hallway, raising a hand in greeting.
"Long time no see. How've you been?"