Chapter 6
‘New goods?’
And if it said usage permission unlocked, it meant I could use another one of the goods I’d purchased.
‘What’s the criteria?’
I wanted to click on the memo pad floating unrealistically in midair right away, but I realized I was still sitting in the middle of the lecture hall. Plus, the host had called me out as the top scorer, so people kept glancing my way.
‘Let’s check it after I leave.’
The event seemed to be over, so I’d go home… wait.
I realized something fatal.
“……”
Do I even have a home here…?
I hurriedly opened my smartphone and started checking records.
As if by magic, all records of me getting a job and working were gone. Even family contacts were wiped out.
‘Oh, come on.’
The only things remaining were records from my college days, which were similar to what I remembered, giving me momentary relief.
The problem was… I lived in a dormitory during college.
‘That’s why I had such a hard time finding a place after graduation when the timing got messed up.’
Sure enough, the most recent records were texts scheduling appointments with real estate agents to view places, and KakaoTalk messages with a friend who was staying at a motel because their studio contract fell through…
“……”
I unconsciously looked up at the screen still floating in the lecture hall.
Specifically, just one line at the bottom.
[Employee Benefits – Other]
Company Housing Support
Benefits… gotta make the most of them, right?
And this ‘Company Housing Support’ was processed with astonishing speed.
“Uh, hello!”
“Hello.”
Within an hour of inquiring at the desk, I was assigned a room number, given a key and address, and moved in. Even the location was decent.
Of course, it probably wasn’t out of genuine goodwill for employee convenience.
‘If they want to work you around the clock 24/7, they’d need to keep their indentured servants nearby, right…’
Either way, the building was a pretty decent-looking officetel. Recently remodeled, it seemed clean and secure.
Considering that ‘company housing support’ is usually a benefit for those assigned to regional branches, this was absurdly generous…
‘After putting us through a death survival test, they expect us to move in just like that.’
But this sarcasm literally came true.
When I ran into Ko Young-eun in front of the officetel and greeted her, she said this to me:
“Did you hear? Seven people got company housing.”
“……?”
That’s over half.
Come to think of it, Ko Young-eun seemed to be here to move in too.
Noticing my gaze, she made an awkward expression.
“It’s scary, but since we’ve already joined, it feels a bit much to turn down a free officetel in a prime location…”
“……Yes.”
Right. In a capitalist society, money is the scariest thing of all.
‘Saving about 1.2 million won a month—it’s worth pretending to be insane and moving in.’
Of course, there was an even more fatal reason.
“Apparently, people coming from the provinces were guided and registered right after passing.”
“I see.”
Now I understood. The new employees who had cheered and said “OK” couldn’t back out now.
I’d wondered how they’d assigned me a room so quickly—now I had an idea.
‘The room I received was probably from a new employee who failed the death survival test…’
Thinking that sent a chill down my spine, which only made me feel embarrassed.
Either way, I said goodbye to Ko Young-eun and went up to the 12th floor where my room was.
So far, so good.
The problem was that the officetel was a two-room unit.
And my company housing roommate was Baek Sa-heon.
“……”
“……”
Baek Sa-heon was sitting in the living room.
Judging by the medical eyepatch on one eye, he’d received something after all. Given the timing, it seemed like the company had provided some kind of treatment rather than a hospital.
I decided not to speak to him, gave a slight nod, and headed toward my room…
“Hey.”
What?
“Hey?”
I stopped walking.
Baek Sa-heon flinched when I responded, but his anger seemed greater—he rolled his eyes and spoke without hesitation.
“You had fun watching me get my perfectly good eye gouged out while you just sat on that lost item, huh?”
It seemed he thought I’d knowingly left the lost item there and let him get his eye gouged out just to watch.
‘You’re the one who ran out on your own.’
He’d punched someone else’s eyeball with his fist, yet somehow thought someone else should’ve taken care of his eye—where did that novel logic come from?
But at the same time, I realized something.
If I took a submissive approach like “That’s not what happened—you suddenly ran out…” or “Why are you suddenly speaking informally to me, sir…”, he’d only get more aggressive and start spouting nonsense.
From years of dealing with clients, I’d learned to identify types like Baek Sa-heon.
The so-called “creationist” troublemaker.
The type who imagines situations in their own head and stubbornly insists on them.
Reasoning doesn’t work with these people.
Better to…
“Yep. It was fun.”
“…!”
Go on the offensive.
I walked right up to Baek Sa-heon without hesitation. And pressed firmly down on his shoulder.
“Thanks. I enjoyed it. Is this what they call dopamine?”
“Wh-what…”
“Keep me posted with good news. Actually, I hope we work together.”
“……”
“Work life’s gonna be fun.”
That’s enough.
‘At this point, he’ll just see me as a crazy person.’
Considering his behavior so far and his track record in <Darkness Exploration Records>…
‘The moment Baek Sa-heon finds out I’m a coward, he’ll definitely push me into a corner and then some, right?’
So it’s better to implant the impression of “Ah, I should stay away from this guy!”
‘Bluffing, and killing two birds with one stone.’
I patted Baek Sa-heon’s shoulder a couple of times after he fell silent, then stood up and headed to my room without looking back.
‘As long as I don’t get stabbed in my sleep, I’m fine.’
To be honest, I’d also bluffed a bit just now.
The probability of working with a fellow trainee at this stage is extremely low.
What company would put new employees together in teams to work? They split everyone up.
And the assignment system balances things out similarly to a certain ninja manga—distributing people evenly based on their scores.
Besides, I was called first, and Baek Sa-heon was called second.
‘He must have scored well too, so the chances of being placed in the same team are even lower.’
So we probably won’t be working together for a while.
Let’s just pretend each other doesn’t exist.
Clack.
With a light heart, I entered my assigned room.
“Phew.”
The clean room had newly replaced bedding, a desk, and even a door leading to a private bathroom.
There was even a guide booklet hanging on that door.
“Apply and for 100,000 won a month, they’ll replace bedding and do cleaning service weekly?”
Seeing this level of benefits—”Is management insane?”—I could sense their scheme to bewilder new employees with carrot-based brainwashing.
Many new employees would be confused by how neat and friendly reality seemed, as if the previous death survival test had been a lie.
From my position, knowing why the company did this, it was all too transparent…
‘Yeah. It’s hard to fill usable personnel in the Field Exploration Team.’
Since we were new employees judged capable of doing the ‘work,’ they wanted to make sure no one ran away.
‘Well, if they’re offering, I’ll take it.’
I’d already decided to work here anyway.
On the desk, there was even a small welcome gift package—expensive snacks and office supplies with the company logo.
Additionally, in a half-open drawer, there was a diary.
The diary cover had the company logo too, so it seemed like a supply item.
‘But it’s from last year.’
Did the previous resident of this company housing leave it behind? I flipped through the diary.
On the first page, large letters…
-Run away.
‘Oh dear.’
Thank you for the blood-and-flesh advice, senior, but I’m already doomed.
It wasn’t even that scary.
‘This is just… the harsh reality of corporate life.’
A bit of humanity welled up in me. I closed the diary and gently placed it back in the drawer.
Having checked everything worth seeing, it was time to do what I needed to do.
[Darkness Exploration Records Real Goods Box]
- New goods usage permission unlocked! (!)
Now that I was alone, I could check it!
‘Hoo…’
With a nervous heart, I sat on the edge of the bed and reached toward the memo pad.
Tuk.
Just like when it had spat out the grip-tack, the memo pad opened and something fell out.
An OPP transparent film pouch.
Inside the pouch—commonly used for wrapping fancy goods—was a stack of stickers.
“This is…”
I lifted the plastic.
A sticker with a yellow circle and a classic smiling emoji drawn on it.
The so-called “bribe item.”
======================
Darkness Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation / Items
Smile Sticker
The salesperson’s friend! 🙂
When attached to a sentient being, induces a mild feeling of friendliness toward the user.
Item usage condition: Daydream Corporation regular employee or higher.
(ps. Use for inappropriate personal purposes such as hunting will result in disciplinary action.)
======================
“Whoa.”
This cheaply packaged, poorly finished sticker was actually an iconic item used in several <Darkness Exploration Records> stories.
Induces friendliness? That’s essentially manipulating favorability.
‘It was used when persuading people from other factions to cooperate.’
And I also realized why this had been unlocked now.
Item usage condition: Daydream Corporation regular employee or higher.
“Because I succeeded in becoming a regular employee.”
In <Darkness Exploration Records>, most items created by organizations or specific groups had usage restrictions based on rank or affiliation.
In terms of world-building consistency, it was to prevent indiscriminate theft.
‘And for the horror story creators, it was to prevent “Mary Sue”-style annoyances where excited beginners barged into every story and used every tool recklessly.’
Anyway, the fact that I now met those conditions meant…
‘Whenever I get promoted or change affiliation, this <Goods Box> will spit out one item at a time?’
It definitely seemed helpful for survival.
But it would’ve been so much better if it hadn’t dragged me into this world in the first place. Thinking that made this whole thing feel like a horror story itself.
‘Ugh.’
Feeling unnecessarily creeped out, I glanced at the glowing memo pad a few times before finally pulling myself together.
‘At least I got something.’
Smile Stickers. Having to attach them directly to people was a bit daunting, but being able to gain favor in an emergency was clearly an advantage.
But there was a problem.
‘…This thing got phased out after appearing a few times.’
The creators fought tooth and nail over the sticker’s power, essentially holding a tongue-in-cheek colosseum battle, and eventually the item itself was erased from history…
I wasn’t sure exactly when that happened, but it was possible that the set in my hands was the only one remaining in this world.
I looked down at the packaged Smile Stickers again.
Hmm.
I must never get caught with these.
Still, just in case, I put five separate sheets in the front pocket of my suit.
This way, I wouldn’t forget to bring them on my first day of work.
‘…Work.’
I felt a mix of emotions, but first I needed to sleep.
After going through all that spectacular and absurd stuff, both my body and mind were completely exhausted.
‘I need to recover.’
I changed into the provided robe, locked the door, and went to bed.
It was my first rest since falling into the horror story.
Honestly, I didn’t sleep well.
The sight of people bursting alive and the grotesquely transformed subway stations played in my brain on surround sound, feeding on my imagination.
I thought I might have bought a home theater speaker system or something.
Still, after a couple of days, I recovered enough to sleep despite the nightmares—so that was something.
And so, a few days passed.
I checked the meager balance in my bank account, and somehow stretched it to buy clothes and necessities, preparing for daily life.
Of course, I didn’t forget the most important thing.
‘I have to memorize everything.’
I kept reading all the <Darkness Exploration Records> wiki pages I’d read through the ‘Memorial Grip-Tack,’ memorizing them so I could recite them at a moment’s notice.
This was my lifeline.
And then Monday arrived.
My first day of work at <Daydream Corporation>.
“……”
Monday morning.
With a face that didn’t look particularly pleasant, I headed to the <Daydream Corporation> headquarters building.
It was so bad that Ko Young-eun, whom I met on the way down from the officetel, was startled.
“Uh, Soleum-ssi, are you okay? Did you not sleep well?”
“…A little. I’m fine.”
“Oh dear…”
The two new employees walked the 15-minute distance to the headquarters building, exchanging brief small talk.
We passed a few other visibly nervous Field Exploration Team new employees, but only exchanged eye contact.
Then we swiped our employee IDs and boarded the elevator.
“I heard the Field Exploration Team uses floors 10 through 15… Ah, I’ll get off here. Soleum-ssi, let’s do our best…”
“Yes. Let’s do our best.”
I saw Ko Young-eun off as she got off at the 10th floor, and looked at the floor number I’d pressed.
13th floor.
‘Even the numbers seem to foreshadow the future…’
I could only hope it was just my imagination.
I checked the assignment message I’d received the day before yesterday once more.
[New Employee (Field Exploration)_Assignment.pdf]
- Kim Soleum / Team D
Ding.
As the elevator doors opened on the 13th floor, I could see a hallway divided into sections labeled with alphabets.
I found the automatic door labeled ‘D’ and pressed the button.
At the same time, I greeted them.
“Good morning.”
“Oh!”
“Here you are, here you are.”
Several adults sitting in the fairly spacious office looked up and welcomed me.
One man stood up and extended his hand to me.
“Welcome to Team D of the 15th intake.”
A short-haired woman standing behind him with a blank expression nodded and continued.
“For your information, the newbies all die off, so we call it Team Death.”
“……”
“Just kidding.”
Should I quit right now?
