Free Web NovelChapter 67: Ch 67: The lizard...worried?
After that, everything was processed fairly quickly.
It seemed I had gained some remarkable recognition at the company again.
Apparently, rescuing a contaminated colleague by yourself wasn’t entirely
unheard of, but most cases involved months or even years of preparation
and a desperate determination to pull it off.
There were countless cases where the people supposedly on a rescue
mission would disappeared together with those contaminated people while
attempting it.
But to pull someone out immediately after contamination? It was apparently
unprecedented for a new hire.
"Look, that guy with the deer antler mask..."
"Oh, is that him?"
"Wow... How many times is this now?"
Sometimes, as I walked through the company corridors, I overheard
whispers behind me.
Come to think of it, I remembered experiencing something similar while
eating with D-squad at the cafeteria a few times before.
But maybe because I was walking alone now, the comments felt especially
clear.
Though it didn’t last long.
"Kim Soleum-ssi."
"Yes, sir."
"Don’t come to work for the next ten days."
"...??"
"It’s paid leave."
With half the team gone, D-squad operations had already been temporarily
suspended, and now I was being granted leave.
’I was still coming in regularly to write the situation report, though.’
I’d been curious about how we’d managed to twist the rules of a B-class
Darkness, where the Hangman had to die to clear it, and bring Assistant
Manager Eun Haje out alive.
’Someone must’ve reported that Supervisor Park Minseong and I tried to do
something.’
It even seemed there had been discussions about scheduling interviews with
the Research Team to strengthen the reliability of the exploration records.
– Ah, Supervisor Kim. Why bother with that! Take a break, take a break.
You’ve done something huge!
– ...Um. Thank you.
It appeared Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, who’s in charge of manual
revisions, and Section Chief Lee Jaheon from our squad had cut off the
talks at their level.
It was a bit funny, but during the reports from the employees who had been
with us, they had apparently testified, ’Kim Soleum-ssi must have acted to
save his squadmates without any ulterior motive.’
They essentially made excuses on my behalf, claiming it was all a fortunate
combination of quick thinking and good luck.
’They all bolted the moment the clear door opened, yet they still spoke up
for me.’
The former was only natural, but the latter was something I was grateful for,
so I decided to accept it.
Thanks to all this, my name kept circulating on internal calls, and the
manual now had a ’Possibly Subject to Revision’ label attached to it.
In the group chat with my fellow new hires, people kept trying to dig for
information from me.
[Go Yeongeun : You’ve been through a lot. Great
job.]
"..."
Some even sent texts to comfort me.
’Thanks. Truly.’
For the record, Baek Saheon hadn’t even asked how I was doing, even
when I live with the guy.
’That punk’s personality has always been like that, anyway.’
I didn’t expect anything different.
Overall, the situation so far hadn’t been bad for my survival.
’Actually, isn’t this good?’
I was steadily building an impressive career.
Specifically, I was establishing a reputation as a standout employee known
for ’quick clears using unconventional methods outside the existing
manual’ and for ’benevolence’.
And now, a ten-day paid leave.
I thought I’d either be pleased about distancing myself from ghost stories
for ten days or feel disappointed about slowing down the pace of
accumulating points.
I expected it to be one or the other, but I felt neither particularly.
So, I ended up doing nothing at all.
-Mr. Roe Deer, would you like to hear my thoughts on why that abysmal
comedy show failed to captivate the public? It’ll be fascinating!
"Why not."
I spent a few days just sitting in the living room, watching TV.
Then, about three days in...
...a text arrived.
[Eun Haje : Come to the hospital.]
"...!"
* * *
"Roe, you’re here."
"...Assistant Manager."
I placed the get-well gift I’d brought on the side table and stood next to the
bed.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje let out a faint chuckle.
"Soy milk? Nice choice."
"...Thank you."
It was the first time we were meeting since the brief communication we had
in the infirmary, right after she regained consciousness.
The assistant manager’s complexion was slightly pale, but her face
otherwise looked fine.
The Snow White Mountain Apple had apparently done its job to some
extent.
"Not bad for someone who came back from the brink of death, right? ...
That item was great. Thanks."
Thanks to that item, Assistant Manager Eun Haje had appeared to be a
corpse. Luckily, the unique condition of her missing hand rather than her
neck led to her being preserved in isolation.
’Section Chief Lee Jaheon reported her survival and had her moved to the
infirmary at sunrise the next day...’
Now, she had been transferred to a hospital with some sort of partnership
with the company, and the urgent treatments had just been completed.
"Oh, by the way, I just said the apple was something I had on me. People
usually prefer to keep their sources a secret."
"...Thank you."
"Gratitude? If anything, I should be the one thanking you and Minseong."
Assistant Manager Eun Haje started to raise her left hand as if to wave it
and dismiss the notion, but then froze.
Because it wasn’t there.
"..."
Her bandaged left arm ended abruptly at the wrist.
With such a loss, company-issued supply potions wouldn’t be able to
regenerate it.
"Um, Assistant Manager."
I voiced what I’d been considering.
"I have that C-grade regeneration potion with me..."
"You’re not about to offer it to me, are you?"
"I was planning to sell it... for money."
"Hah."
Eun Haje clicked her tongue.
"Listen up, Roe. Items that are only tradeable for points? You can’t just buy
those outside, no matter how much money you have."
"..."
"And using that potion just because I lost a hand? That’s wasteful. It’s the
kind of thing you save for when half your body’s gone."
"But still—"
"It’s fine. I’ll handle my hand. You keep it for emergencies."
Her gaze grew faintly shadowed.
"If you keep going into the Darkness, you’ll face situations far worse than
losing a hand. Trust me."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Actually, I’ve got something for you."
With the grace of someone who’d been using just one hand for years, Eun
Haje reached into the bedside drawer...
And pulled out a luxurious gold-embossed box painted with an oil painting
design.
"...?!"
[Daydream Potion]
’W-Wait.’
That’s the kind of box Daydream Inc. uses for their premium potions!
And it looked even fancier than the box my C-grade regeneration potion
came in.
"Assistant Manager, what exactly are you..."
"See this? There’s only one left."
She opened the box with an exuberant gesture.
Inside, the molded silk lining held spaces for two round glass vials—but
one was already empty.
Eun Haje took the remaining vial and casually tossed it to me.
"Take it."
"...!"
Oh my God.
I lunged forward, catching the vial before it could fall.
Inside, a liquid shimmered like flowing silk, blending hues of deep purple
and silver.
: Daydream Potion :
Venom
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Outstanding)
Venom?!
"Assistant Manager, you bought this with points—"
"Yup."
Eun Haje grinned, showing her teeth.
"Handle it carefully. That’s a 170,000-point death note."
"...!!"
"You can kill someone remotely without leaving a trace."
W, Wait a minute.
With trembling hands, I read the description on the vial.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Venom assists with silent and ruthless
revenge.
Through a simple ritual, breathe the target’s name into the vial...
That very night, a horrific death shall find them.
"In short, it’s perfect for getting rid of someone you want dead without any
fuss."
"..."
"Before they die, they’ll experience excruciating, searing pain and horrific
mental torment, enough to curse the world itself, before falling into a coma.
Over the next four hours, they’ll endure what feels like four years of
agony."
You’re giving me a murder weapon...?
Assistant Manager Eun Haje further grumbled about how the venom always
came in sets of two vials because of the ’damn concept’, so she had to work
twice as hard and twice as long just to get it.
But eventually, she smiked mischievously at me.
"Use it if someone you want to kill shows up."
"...!"
"Because I had someone like that."
I glanced at the empty slot in the box, feeling a lump in my throat.
...Did she already use the first one?!
"Curious? About who I used it on?"
My mind instantly flashed to the revelation from the <Hungry Hangman>.
– The word that best represents Teacher Eun Haje is ’Betrayer’!
"If it’s a personal matter and you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell
me..."
"Uncomfortable? Please. I’ve been dying to talk about it."
If that’s the case, by all means.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje leaned back against the bed with her arms
crossed.
"To cut to the chase... Yes, I got into trouble as a journalist and ended up
switching careers."
"..."
"There was this second-generation politician who dabbled in everything
from drugs to human trafficking. I was chasing an exclusive scoop on him,
but I ruined myself in the process."
Her tone was casual, as usual, but the content was anything but.
It was the kind of story that felt polished through years of introspection and
regret.
Her article was killed at the desk, and the very next day, immense pressure
came down on her entire team. She was stalked, her family received
threatening calls...
"The team decided to drop the whole thing and pretend it never happened.
But I couldn’t let it go and tried to blow the whistle through a foreign media
outlet. Sure, that could be considered betrayal. But..."
A small sigh escaped her lips.
"On the day I was supposed to leave the country, I got a call. Four of the
informants had died as if it were some sort of cruel joke."
"..."
"Officially, it was ruled as suicides due to despair... but they obviously
weren’t. Either they were killed outright or driven to the point of death."
"..."
"I was stupid to think that just publishing the story would fix everything."
"It wasn’t stupidity."
"It was stupid, no matter how you look at it. Anyway..."
Eun Haje quit being a journalist.
She said she simply couldn’t do it anymore.
"But I still needed a job. I had a family to support at home."
Fortunately, she found a company that fit.
A place where the age range for new hires was relatively broad, where
experience in diverse fields was valued for sales positions, and—since it
was in a different industry—she wasn’t on any blacklists.
"A pharmaceutical company called Daydream Inc.."
And at this company, she encountered something extraordinary—
A wish ticket.
"At first, I thought about bringing the dead back to life, but that felt like an
insult to them."
Eun Haje adjusted her arms, crossing them more comfortably.
"Trying to bring them back just because I felt guilty would’ve been self-
serving. Respecting the dead as they are... that’s the right thing to do.
Plenty of people in this company wouldn’t agree, but that’s my stance.
Anyway..."
Her story ended with a faint smile.
"So last night, I got my revenge. And that’s the end of it."
"..."
"If you hear about a second-generation politician dying a horrible death in
the news, just know that I was the one responsible."
Eun Haje stretched her arms high with a relieved sigh.
"Ah... Fuck, I’m finally done with this cursed Darkness exploration!!"
"Are you quitting?"
"You never know in life."
Despite her bold declaration, her face was slightly stiff.
Even though she mentioned it casually to avoid burdening me, it was clear
that she felt conflicted about leaving Supervisor Park Minseong behind.
"Either way, I’ll be taking a break for a while... but I guess that means I
won’t be working in the D-squad anymore."
"..."
She gave a slightly bitter smile.
"I made such a fuss about you staying in our squad, and it ended up
happening after all."
"...Yes."
I realized it reflexively.
From now on... I wouldn’t see Assistant Manager Eun Haje sitting at the
desk next to mine anymore.
"..."
"Roe."
"..."
"Is it hard on you?"
"...!"
"Yeah. If it weren’t, you’d have to be some kind of psychopath. You’ve
been so capable that it’s just hitting you a bit later than usual, but everyone
goes through this at some point."
Eun Haje smiled and lightly thumped her chest.
"Not being able to see the squadmate who used to sit next to you the very
next day."
"..."
"But you should give yourself some credit for this. It’s the best-case
scenario—you’re not seeing us anymore for a good reason, thanks to your
own abilities."
"...Supervisor Park Minseong, he..."
"That’s a debt I’ll keep on my own tab."
Eun Haje cut me off firmly.
"You rescued him too. Be proud of that. He’s strong in his own way. He’ll
recover... Focus on yourself for now."
She glanced at me and smiled.
"Even the squad leader seems worried about you."
"...?"
The lizard... worried?
"Roe, hasn’t the squad leader been barely showing up at the office lately?"
He hadn’t.
"Usually, when half a squad gets wiped out, the norm isn’t taking a break—
it’s stepping in to support another squad."
Ah.
"But he made sure to keep you out of that."
"...!"
"Whether it’s by pulling strings or stepping in himself."
Goodness.
"Trustworthy, huh? He’s been like that since I joined. Not exactly flexible,
but dependable."
Eun Haje placed her intact hand on my shoulder.
"It’s not easy finding people you can rely on in this company. That’s part of
your good fortune. Work well with the squad leader moving forward."
Then she grinned and extended her hand.
"Whoever ends up taking my spot, with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and Kim
Soleum, I’m sure the D-squad will be fine."
She firmly shook my hand with her uninjured right one.
"Earn plenty of points safely, Roe."
And she added with a smile,
"I hope your wish comes true."
"...Yes."
That was my last handshake with Assistant Manager Eun Haje from the D-
squad.
* * *
When I returned to work after my short leave, I saw that all of Assistant
Manager Eun Haje’s belongings had been cleared from her desk in the D-
squad’s office.
Supervisor Park Minseong’s desk had been left alone, but who knew how
long that would last.
"..."
I quietly went to my desk and sat down.
Just like that.
I was the last remaining member of the D-squad here.
