It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story 006

‘New merchandise?’

And as for the unlocking of usage rights, it seemed like I could use one of the goods I bought again.

‘Based on what criteria?’

I wanted to click on the notepad that floated unrealistically in mid-air right away, but then I realized I was still sitting in the middle of the lecture hall.

Moreover, the host had introduced me as the chief, so there were curious glances directed my way as well.

‘Let’s get out of here and check it out.’

The event seemed to be over, so I thought about going home… wait a minute.

I suddenly realized a very deadly fact.

“…….”

Do I even have a home here…?

I hurriedly opened my smartphone and began checking my records.

As if it were a lie, all the records of me getting hired and working had vanished completely.

Even family contacts had perished.

‘Oh please.’

The only thing left was my college records, which were somewhat familiar to me, providing momentary relief.

The problem was… I had lived in a dormitory during college.

‘So, when I graduated and tried to find my own place, things got messy.’

Sure enough, the most recent records were messages about a scheduled visit to an officetel and a KakaoTalk chat with a friend who was staying at a motel due to a mix-up with a studio apartment contract…

“…….”

I instinctively raised my gaze to check the screen of the still-floating lecture hall.

To be precise, just one line of text at the bottom stood out.

Benefits… better gather those up nicely, huh?

And this ‘Staff Quarters Support’ was surprisingly processed quickly.

“Uh, hello!”

“Hello.”

Just an hour after inquiring at the desk, I was assigned a room number and even received the key and address, which wasn’t a bad location at all.

Of course, it wasn’t out of genuine concern for the employees’ convenience.

‘To use us around the clock with a 24-hour password, I guess it’s necessary for them to have some sort of live-in help nearby…’

Anyway, the building looked like a pretty decent officetel. It was clean and had decent security, possibly recently remodeled.

Considering that ‘Staff Quarters Support’ was a benefit generally associated with local posts, it felt unbelievably generous…

‘But the company just made me go through a death survival game, and now they want me to move in.’

But this teasing remark turned out to be absolutely true.

When I greeted Ko Yeong-eun, who I met in front of the officetel, she said to me like this:

“Did you hear? Seven people got the staff quarters support.”

“……?”

That’s more than half, isn’t it?

Thinking about it, it seemed like Ko Yeong-eun was here to move in as well.

Realizing this, she appeared a bit awkward as if she sensed my gaze.

“It is a bit scary, but since I’ve already been hired, it feels a bit wrong to pass up the chance to live in a convenient location for free…”

“……Yes.”

Right. In capitalism, money is the scariest thing.

‘Saving around 1.2 million won a month might be worth acting a little crazy for.’

Of course, there was a more definitive reason.

“It looks like those coming from the provinces probably got the information right as they were accepted.”

“I see.”

Now I understood the situation. The new hires who had cheered and said “Okay!” couldn’t back out now.

I was wondering how they could process the rooms so quickly, and now I had a hunch.

‘Did I get the room of a new recruit who just got eliminated from the death survival game…?’

Thinking that made my spine tingle and I felt embarrassed.

Regardless, I said goodbye to Ko Yeong-eun and headed up to the 12th floor where my room was located.

So far, so good.

The problem was, the officetel was a two-room unit.

And my staff roommate was Baek Sa-heon.

“…….”

“…….”

Baek Sa-heon was sitting in the living room.

Noticing that he had a medical eye patch over one eye, it seemed he had received some sort of treatment. Given the timing, it seemed like something was done at the company rather than a hospital.

As I tried to quietly enter my room without making an unnecessary fuss…

“Hey.”

What?

“Hey?”

I stopped in my tracks.

Baek Sa-heon twitched a bit when I responded to him, but his anger seemed to overtake his surprise as he continued to glare at me.

“Were you just watching the whole thing happen while I lost an eye, huh? Is that it?”

It seemed he thought I had known about the loss and had just left him to suffer through it.

‘He really went out on his own, and now he’s blaming me?’

He punched someone else’s eyeball, and yet he decided someone else should take care of his own eye—what kind of bizarre logic was that?

But I also realized something at the same time.

If I came at him with a submissive attitude saying, “That’s not it, you went out suddenly…,” “Why are you talking informally to me, Teacher…” he’d probably just get more arrogant and talk nonsense.

From years of dealing with clients, I can identify types like Baek Sa-heon quite well.

There’s a term for such an archetype: the “Creationist.”

They stubbornly insist on their imagined version of events as if it’s the truth.

In such situations, reasoning falls on deaf ears.

Rather…

“Ah, that was entertaining.”

“…!”

I decided that being straightforward was the best approach.

I approached Baek Sa-heon directly and firmly gripped his shoulder.

“Thank you. I really enjoyed that. Is this what they call dopamine?”

“Wh….”

“Keep the good news coming. No, I actually hope we can work together.”

“…….”

“Our office life is going to be fun.”

Done.

‘At this point, I probably look like a complete lunatic.’

If I had to evaluate my behavior and the exploits of [Dark Exploration Records] so far…

‘It seems Baek Sa-heon will not think twice about cornering me the moment he realizes I’m a coward.’

Then it would be better to leave a lasting impression that says, “Ah, I should refrain from getting involved with this guy!”

‘Also, some bluffing can’t hurt.’

After giving Baek Sa-heon’s now-silent shoulder a couple of pats, I got up and headed straight for my room without looking back.

‘As long as I don’t get stabbed in my sleep.’

In truth, I had just pulled a bit of a scam.

The chances of working with my colleagues during this time are essentially zero.

Which company would form teams by sticking new hires together? They break everyone into different units.

Plus, the arrangement is usually done based on grades to balance things similar to that one ninja anime.

And either way, I was called first, and Baek Sa-heon second.

‘He’s probably been judged to have good grades, so it’s even less likely we would be on the same team.’

So for the foreseeable future, we wouldn’t be working together.

Let’s treat each other like we don’t exist.

Tap.

Feeling lighter, I entered the room that had been assigned to me.

“Phew.”

Inside the clean room lay what seemed like newly replaced bedding, a desk, and even a door leading to a private restroom.

There was even an informational booklet hanging on that door.

“Wait, you can apply for a bedding replacement and tidying service for a monthly fee of 100,000 won?”

Seeing the level of ridiculous benefits provided by the company, I could sense their intention to sweeten things up for us new hires.

As if everything up to this death survival game had been a lie, many new recruits would likely be confused by this neat and courteous reality.

From my perspective, knowing why the company is acting this way makes everything too transparent…

‘Right. Filling the Field Exploration Team with any useful members must be hard.’

They just want to ensure there are no dropouts among the recruits deemed capable of ‘working.’

‘Well, since they’re offering, I should use it well.’

After all, I’ve decided to stick around.

On the desk lay a small welcome gift pack. These were expensive snacks and office supplies featuring the company’s logo.

Moreover, I noticed a diary warmly tucked away in a half-open drawer.

Given that the cover bore the company’s logo, it seemed like it was provided as well.

‘But it was made last year.’

Did the person who lived here before me leave it behind? I flipped through the diary.

And on the first page, I found huge letters….

– Run away.

‘Oh dear.’

Thank you for the advice, Senior, that will be both nurturing and lifesaving, but I’ve already lost my mind.

In fact, it wasn’t even that scary.

‘It’s more like a horror story for office workers.’

My sense of humanity began to swell. I covered the diary and gently put it in the drawer.

Now I felt like I’d seen everything worth checking out, so it was time to start facing my tasks.

[Dark Exploration Records Real Goods Box]

– New goods usage rights unlocked! (!)

Now that I’m alone, I can check it out!

‘Hoo.’

With a trembling heart, I sat on the bed and stretched out my hand toward the notepad in a comfortable position.

Thud.

Just like when I spat out the grip talk, the notepad opened up, and something fell out from within.

An OPP transparent film wrapping.

Inside the commonly used bag for fancy goods was a bundle of stickers.

“This is….”

I lifted the plastic.

A yellow circle bearing a classic smiling emoticon sticker.

Commonly known as a bribe item.

———————=

Dark Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation

/ Item

Smile Sticker

A friend in sales! 🙂

When attached to a sentient being, it causes the user to feel a weak sense of friendliness.

Item usage condition: Regular employee or higher rank at Daydream Corporation.

(ps. If used for inappropriate personal purposes such as hunting, disciplinary action

will be taken.)

———————=

“Huh.”

This sticker, poorly packaged and hastily finished, unexpectedly became an iconic item used in certain [Dark Exploration Records] contexts.

Creates a sense of friendliness? That’s basically manipulating favorability.

‘Was it when persuading people from other departments for collaboration?’

And I can see why this specific item was unlocked now.

Item usage condition: Regular employee or higher rank at Daydream Corporation.

“So it’s because I successfully got hired as a regular employee.”

Most items created by institutions or specific organizations in [Dark Exploration Records] were generally limited to use by certain ranks or affiliations.

From a world-building perspective, it mitigated the risks of reckless siphoning.

‘And for those who create horror stories, it was to prevent the plight of newcomers barging in and using every tool available in various horror stories, like being Mary Sue.’

In any case, the fact that I now met those conditions means….

‘If I get promoted or change departments, this [Goods Box] will spit out goods one by one, won’t it?’

It certainly seems like it will help in my survival.

But I really wish I hadn’t been dragged into this world in the first place. Just thinking about it felt like a horror story itself.

‘Ugh.’

Feeling uneasy, I glanced at the shining notepad several times before finally redirecting my thoughts.

“Anyway, at least I got something.”

The Smile Sticker. While the requirement to apply it directly on someone else might feel burdensome, having the ability to garner favor when truly in a pinch is definitely advantageous.

But there’s one problem.

‘…This thing clearly got thrown away after popping up a few times.’

After much fighting among writers about the sticker’s effectiveness, it eventually faded into the annals of history…

I’m not sure when precisely, but it’s possible that the set I have in my hand is the last remaining sticker set in this world.

With that somber thought, I considered the packaged smile sticker again.

Hmm.

I mustn’t let anyone find out.

Just in case, I tucked five stickers into the front pocket of my jacket.

This way, I won’t forget to bring them on my first day.

‘……So it’s my first day at work.’

Feeling slightly uneasy, I knew I had to get some sleep.

After going through these nonsensical and spectacular events, both my body and mind felt utterly exhausted.

‘I need to recover.’

I quickly changed into the gown that was available and locked the door before going to bed.

This was the first moment of rest after falling into a horror story.

Honestly, I couldn’t sleep well.

The images of people exploding and the bizarre scenes of the transformed subway station played back in my mind like a surround sound feed.

I thought I had somehow bought a specialized home theater speaker.

Fortunately, after a couple of days, I adjusted back to a level where I could sleep, though I still suffered from nightmares.

And so, several days passed.

I checked my savings, which were dwindling, and somehow tried to divide it up to buy clothes and daily necessities, preparing for everyday life.

Of course, I didn’t forget the most crucial thing.

‘I need to memorize everything.’

Through the ‘Memorial Grip Talk’, I continuously read all the [Dark Exploration Records] wiki pages I had encountered, memorizing the information to the point that it would pop out if tapped.

This is my lifeline.

And Monday came around again.

It was the very first day at [Daydream Corporation].

“…….”

Monday morning.

With a rather unwelcoming demeanor, I made my way toward the [Daydream Corporation] headquarters building.

So much so that when I ran into Ko Yeong-eun while going down from the officetel, she was taken aback.

“Uh, Sol-eum, are you alright? Did you… not sleep well?”

“…A little, yes. I’m fine.”

“Goodness….”

The two new hires exchanged brief chit-chat while walking the 15-minute distance to the headquarters building.

We met a few other nervous-looking new recruits from the Field Exploration Team, but only exchanged glances.

Then we swiped our employee IDs and entered the elevator.

“I heard the Field Exploration Team occupies floors 10 to 15… Ah, I’ll get off here. Let’s do our best, Sol-eum…”

“Yes. Let’s do our best.”

As I saw Ko Yeong-eun off at the 10th floor, I looked at the floor number I had pressed in the elevator.

13th floor.

‘The numbers seem to foreshadow the future….’

I could only hope that it was just a feeling.

I double-checked the dispatch message I received the day before again.

[New Recruit (Field Exploration)_Assignment.pdf]

– Kim Sol-eum / Group D

Ding.

As the elevator doors opened on the 13th floor, a hallway divided by sections marked with abbreviations appeared.

I went over to the automatic door labeled ‘D,’ pressed the button, and greeted them.

“Hello.”

“Oh!”

“You’ve arrived.”

A few adults sitting in a reasonably spacious office looked up and welcomed me.

One of the men stood up and extended his hand.

“Welcome to Group D, Class 15.”

The expressionless short-haired woman behind him nodded and continued speaking.

“Just as a reference, they call us Group D because nearly all the new hires are dead.”

“…….”

“Just kidding.”

Should I quit now?