Even if I fall into a ghost story, I still have to go to work
Chapter 84
I decided to use the Blood Bath Tub one more time.
-If I can rejuvenate a bit more, it will be much easier to accompany you, Roe Deer-ssi!
I had accepted Brown’s argument.
The stuffed doll might get a bit bigger, but… well, one more time should be fine. It was still only the size of a common keychain plushie.
However, Brown had reacted with shock at the idea of casually using my blood as a bath additive.
-Gracious! I must politely decline. My goodness, there are bodily fluids from sentient beings scattered all over the world, so why does my friend keep trying to look at his own blood?
It seemed that my deliberate attempt to scare him last time was still having an effect.
‘Well, I didn’t plan on pouring that much this time….’
I felt a bit guilty, wondering if I’d gone too far.
Anyway, since he felt that way, we agreed to find another way to obtain blood.
-Good, good…. Let us scout for a suitable bath additive, friend!
Sure thing.
It was actually better to have something else to distract me in the middle of all this office politics….
‘He’s already proving helpful.’
I sighed and headed to work.
For the record, Baek Sa-heon didn’t come back to the company housing at all yesterday. I’d wait and see how long he could hold out like that.
In any case, since I didn’t know how long Executive Director Cheong would wait, I needed to make a decision quickly….
“Sol-eum-ssi…!”
Huh?
As I turned my head while waiting for the elevator, a colleague holding a Water Buffalo mask walked in.
‘Jang Heo-un-ssi!’
He was the employee I had met at Segwang Industrial High School last night and accompanied for a brief, eventful period.
“You’re safe!”
“Yes. It looks like you escaped safely too, Heo-un-ssi.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you. I cleared it well….”
Yesterday, I hadn’t been able to think about anyone else’s well-being because of the series of shocks, but it was good to see him like this.
Furthermore, Jang Heo-un seemed to have a surprisingly good impression of the Agent, as his face brightened considerably when the topic came up.
“Um, he was a much better person than I expected. He didn’t use me as bait… and I even got an explanation about the Bureau when it was over.”
Isn’t your bar a bit too low….
Regardless, that man had seemed to have a lot of resentment toward Baekilmong Corporation, so I wondered if traveling with a decent employee had changed his mind.
Well, since there were no major issues, Jang Heo-un’s complexion looked fine.
‘Maybe I can sell ghost story food again next time.’
I felt a glimmer of hope for some side income.
“And… that Agent seemed worried about you until the very end, Sol-eum-ssi. But, I didn’t mention anything about you giving me the name tag!”
Ah, the name tag!
“I made good use of the name tag you gave me. Thank you.”
Actually, even after borrowing the school uniform, there were other ways to get a name tag, but it was true that I’d put it to use quickly thanks to him.
“It must have been a precious name tag for you too, Heo-un-ssi. I won’t forget that you gave it up out of concern for me.”
“Oh, no… it was nothing. Compared to what you did for me.”
“…?”
What did I do?
At that moment, Jang Heo-un clenched his fists and spoke with a joyful expression.
“Sol-eum-ssi. I… I’ve been assigned to a general team!”
“…!”
“They really moved me after I endured for three months. Thank you, thank you so much…. I think I endured because of you!”
Oh!
I hadn’t had the chance to check other people’s assignments because there were so many incidents during the regular personnel reshuffle season, but this was great news.
I asked warmly, “Congratulations! Which team are you in?”
“I’ve been assigned to Team F!”
“…….”
Oops.
“You’re in the same team as… Baek Sa-heon-ssi.”
“Yes! He seemed very kind.”
“…….”
It seems this man’s standard for a ‘good person’ really has plummeted to rock bottom after experiencing the cleanup team…….
’No wonder they were together in the last ghost story.’
They hadn’t just run into each other; they were on the same team.
I said with a smile, “What a funny coincidence. I share company housing with him. …Let’s all get together as colleagues for dinner sometime.”
“Ah, thank you…… yes!”
And at that moment, another unexpected encounter occurred in front of the elevator.
“Good morning, Section Chief Lee Ja-heon!”
“Yes. Good morning.”
I ran into Section Chief Lee Ja-heon, who was on his way to work.
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon gave a brief response to Jang Heo-un, who bowed politely to him, and then got straight to the point.
Meaning, he spoke to me.
“Sol-eum-ssi, you’ve been summoned.”
Again??
“Do I need to… stop by the office, or should I just go straight there?”
“Straight there.”
Feeling like I was developing a neurosis regarding these summons, I ended up pressing the button for the 25th floor as Lee Ja-heon instructed, instead of the 13th.
‘Leaving the Field Exploration Team floor again….’
I really hoped it wasn’t anything serious.
“Have a good day, Sol-eum-ssi!”
“Yes. You too, Heo-un-ssi.”
After seeing Jang Heo-un off, I got off on the 25th floor with Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
Ding.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, sir.”
I trudged along behind the Section Chief.
‘This seems further than I thought.’
After turning several corners in the hallway, instead of a meeting room, a certain door appeared.
On it hung an unexpectedly warm-colored wooden nameplate….
[Fox Counseling Room]
“…….”
Wait.
“Team Leader, this place is…….”
Thud.
In that instant.
I was pinned against the wall by Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
…?!
“Kim Sol-eum-ssi. From now on, answer my questions immediately without hesitation.”
-Oh my! Is this a situation where my help is needed, friend?
’No, wait…!’
The atmosphere was ominous.
I looked at the lizard.
Red vertical pupils were staring intently at me.
“Do you remember the conversation we had yesterday?”
I swallowed hard.
“…Yes.”
“What was the last topic we discussed?”
“That Team D might become an elite team,”
“That was not the final topic. Answer again.”
What?
“That was the final topic!”
“It was not. We discussed another topic after that.”
No!
I mean, we probably did. But it was just small talk….
“Do not hesitate.”
“…!”
“Answer.”
Dammit!
“I don’t remember well!”
“…….”
“It was just… just small talk, wasn’t it?”
A heavy silence and pressure followed.
And then….
Slide.
“I see.”
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon released me from the wall.
I didn’t know what that was about, but for now, I was relieved….
“Kim Sol-eum-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“You are contaminated.”
“…….”
Huh?
But, that’s….
“…I suppose exploring leads to some degree of….”
But I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Thwack.
Lee Ja-heon threw the counseling room door open in one motion, grabbed me by the collar, and tossed me inside.
“…!”
“You cannot leave until you have finished your session. I will wait outside the door.”
Slam.
And the door closed.
“…….”
No.
No!!
-
How dare he be so rude to my friend!!
Wa-Wait.
Don’t you start too, just calm down….
‘It’s okay. I think there’s been some misunderstanding.’
I held back a sigh and looked up.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but….
‘I’ll just have a counseling session. It’s good for mental health anyway.’
Side effects… let’s try not to think about them; the probability is extremely low, isn’t it?
-Hmph…. If that is Roe Deer-ssi’s opinion!
Phew.
It’s decided then.
With a reluctant heart, I dragged my feet forward….
The first thing I saw was a space that looked like a changing room.
And a floral sign was attached to the top of the lockers.
[Welcome, dear client!]
[Please change into a gown before entering ^^]
And there were rows of hospital gowns with green grass patterns arranged by size.
A health check-up look…?
-If clothing were only about comfort, we would all walk around naked.
-In that sense, this is a scrap of cloth that fails even at that. It has no utility other than covering the body.
Point taken.
‘Still, I have to wear it.’
A lizard that could physically destroy ghost stories was guarding the outside. I had to go through the session to get out.
I finished changing.
‘That curtain looks like it leads to the counseling area.’
Just as I was about to pull back the curtain that served as the exit to the changing room.
A message was posted.
[From here on, it is a space for the client only ^^]
[Friends, family, and guardians stop here!]
‘Ah.’
Well… even if it’s called welfare, it’s still a ghost story, so it’s better not to break the rules.
“Brown, can you wait for a moment?”
-Oh, I would be lying if I said I was not concerned, but in this case, I must naturally respect Roe Deer-ssi’s privacy!
Okay.
I carefully placed Brown near a flower vase on the table in the locker room and pulled back the curtain.
Jingle…
Suddenly, sunlight poured over my head.
“…!”
A small, cozy space revealed itself before my eyes.
A warm, midday room that even calmed the heart.
======================
Darkness Exploration Record / Ghost Story
[Fox Counseling Room]
: A ghost story appearing in Baekilmong Corporation, identification code Qterw-E-925.
A Counseling Space consisting of a window where warm sunlight streams in, soft pastel-toned sofas, and a small silver bell door chime with a clear sound.
As one of the E-level employee benefits of Baekilmong Corporation, it is somewhat effective for mental stabilization and recovery from contamination.
For the full usage records of the Fox Counseling Room, refer to this document.
Admittedly, it was a room with a good atmosphere.
-I hope you have a useful counseling session, friend!
I certainly hoped so.
After carefully closing the curtain, I walked into the room.
I saw another instructional message.
[Please sit comfortably on the sofa]
[And enjoy the view outside!]
As instructed, I sat on the sofa.
Then I crossed my arms.
The atmosphere was nice, but….
‘I already know exactly what’s going to happen.’
It’s truly amazing. It helped me regain the motivation I’d lost and made me remember things I’d forgotten…….
-Interview after a session with Lee Jeong-eun (Assistant Manager)
Someone appears outside the window and counsels you.
What appears is customized for each person.
In any case, there was a high probability it would show a person or object related to my trauma and stage a situation where it was resolved for me to watch.
The cliché of the ‘Fox Counseling Room’ records was that someone deeply immersed would eventually gain a sort of emotional healing, leaving the room either in tears or with a peaceful face.
‘Knowing all this, I wonder if it will even have an effect.’
Looking back now, I was skeptical about that too.
With my arms crossed, I looked at the giant window showcasing a beautiful outdoor garden filled with sunlight….
And at that moment.
Someone appeared from beside the garden.
“…!!”
That was….
Me.
A tired and dark-looking ‘me’ stood in the sun-drenched garden, then looked back at the ‘me’ inside the room.
And waved.
“…!”
I reflexively started to raise my hand… then lowered it.
‘What is this?’
It wasn’t even a doppelganger.
A sense of discomfort and repulsion welled up.
But the ‘Kim Sol-eum’ standing in the outdoor garden didn’t stop there; he looked around, grabbed a suitable chair, and came to sit right in front of the window.
And he sat there, beaming as he looked at me.
“…….”
‘Should I just get up?’
The door wouldn’t open until an hour had passed, but I could just squat in front of the door….
Just as the seat was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
“Teacher Kim Sol-eum.”
“…!!”
“Thank you so much for coming for counseling today. I am your counselor.”
The thing outside the window that looked like me began to speak.
“You look very tired today. How have you been feeling when you fall asleep lately? How long do you sleep?”
I gritted my teeth.
“……I sleep well enough.”
“I see…. Could you perhaps give me a specific figure? More than 5 hours?”
“……Sometimes.”
“I see. Could it be… that sleeping for only a short time is related to work being difficult?”
Wow!
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I barely managed to answer.
“I don’t want to answer. It only makes me feel repulsed when you say those things looking like me.”
“Why would Teacher Kim Sol-eum feel repulsed?”
“Isn’t it natural for a person to feel a threat to their existence when they see someone identical to themselves?”
“But… I am a sentient being with clear differences from Teacher Kim Sol-eum.”
What?
“Would you like to try and find them? What differences could there be?”
I unconsciously scanned the other.
Eyes, nose, mouth, body, clothing.
“……They are identical.”
“Then shall we look in a mirror to compare better?”
Rumble.
Suddenly, the bookshelf next to the sofa I was sitting on moved, and a full-length mirror emerged from within it.
Unconsciously, I peered into it.
A tired office worker.
“…….”
“Would you like to compare?”
Whether I compared or not, it was exactly the sa—.
“…….”
“How is it?”
“……My side,”
I looked into the mirror.
“Seems to… have a worse complexion…… I think.”
Is it just my imagination?
“I see.”
The ‘me’ outside the window nodded.
“Why do you think there is such a difference?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then let’s observe a little more. You might see something else.”
I looked back and forth between the ‘me’ outside the window and the ‘me’ in the mirror.
Eyes, nose, mouth, shoulders, arms…….
Wrist.
“The tattoo.”
I muttered as if possessed.
“You don’t have a tattoo.”
The tattoo from the theme park was there.
But….
[: 恩主 :]
That was missing.
The tattoo that had served as my inventory.
“What kind of tattoo is it? Ah, that one!”
“Yes.”
“There must be a reason why you have such a tattoo. What kind of effect does it have?”
“I can store items inside it.”
“I see. Are there various items in there now?”
“Yes.”
“Could you show me? Oh, if you’re reluctant to show me, you can just set them down where I can’t see them.”
“……Fine.”
I pulled the items out of the tattoo.
Items, equipment, coins…….
Things I knew well.
“I’ve taken them all out.”
I didn’t know why he was making me do this.
How was this any different from the ‘me’ outside the window?
“Teacher Kim Sol-eum.”
“Yes?”
“I think there’s still something left inside the tattoo.”
Quiet!
“Would you like to reach out your hand to me?”
I don’t want to kno—
“No. You want to know, and you can do it.”
“…….”
I stood up from the sofa.
I walked right up to the window and….
Reached out my hand.
“You’ve worked really hard.”
The ‘me’ outside the window grabbed my hand.
And.
He thrust his hand straight into my tattoo.
