Surviving as an Office Worker in Monster Management Bureau

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“Ugh!”

Thud.

I jolted awake, having hit the floor.

“…”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I scanned my surroundings.

Strangely, I didn’t feel any pain.

I thumped my neck and got up.

It was a small house.

“…”

There were two rooms.

-Creak!

Opening one of the doors revealed a room with only a bed.

The living room had a sofa and a television set.

It was even an old CRT TV, the kind you’d expect from an ancient movie.

“…”

In what I presumed to be the kitchen, there was just a dining table and a refrigerator.

I opened the refrigerator.

“…”

It was empty.

There weren’t even any utensils or anything.

Something felt off.

I placed my hand on the side of my head.

There was no headache.

“What the hell is this?”

I muttered as I looked around.

The cupboard was also completely bare.

“…”

I headed for the bathroom.

There was nothing where the mirror should have been.

I turned on the faucet, but no water came out.

Moving to the other room, I found the bed.

Poking it with my finger, I felt only the soft touch of the mattress.

I looked out the window.

The sunset was beautifully fading.

“…”

I grabbed both sides of the window and gave it a hard pull, but it wouldn’t budge.

What about the front door?

I gazed at the front door.

Just a typical front door.

“Damn it.”

The front door wouldn’t budge either.

It was as if something solid was blocking it from the other side.

“…”

I sat on the sofa and began to think.

Okay, what just happened?

I interacted with the theater company’s leader.

In that time, did Song Ah Rin awaken as the theater leader?

That can’t be right.

Neither could Yu Da On, who had become a saint; it’s not that easy for people to change.

So then, why did Song Ah Rin, now the theater leader, end up appearing here?

In the first place, why did the theater suddenly show up?

I plunged my hands into my pockets.

“…What the?”

There was nothing but emptiness.

I searched my pockets thoroughly but felt nothing.

No gun, and most importantly, no manual.

“…”

Only then did the seriousness of the situation begin to sink in.

A place where I couldn’t even find a manual?

How in the world did I fall here?

What did Song Ah Rin, no, the theater leader do to me?

I tried to recall the hazy memories.

She grabbed me by the collar.

Dropped me with a string.

“Song Ah Rin.”

And then I heard her voice from behind me.

I suppressed the worry rising within me.

If it’s Song Ah Rin, she’ll handle it well on her own.

Because she’s reliable when left alone.

For now, let’s think of a way to get out of here.

The window was blocked, and the door was blocked.

I was definitely not strong enough to break anything down.

“…Ugh…!”

Even shaking the door as if my arms would fall off, nothing changed.

-Crackling…

How long had I been wrestling with the door?

Suddenly, static crackled from the television behind me,

And the screen flickered to life.

[Hello, residents. What a beautiful sunset it is.]

It was a puppet show.

Inside the studio was a person holding a microphone.

No, it wasn’t a person.

A puppet, operated by strings, was speaking while holding the microphone.

[Our Happy Village, as always, is enjoying a cheerful life!]

The sound of audience laughter echoed delightfully.

[Think about it. Isn't it great? No need to fight with others, no need to meet them. All we need is the stimulation from media, and occasionally something fun to pass the time!]

Voices from the crowd chimed in, affirming, and the puppet moved its mouth to laugh.

[Don’t you sometimes find it exhausting to talk with people?]

A soft “uh-huh” came from the audience.

[Do you have to cater to those you don’t want to, listen to stories you don’t want to hear, all while worrying if they might dislike you?]

Another “that’s right!” rang out.

The puppet nodded at the voice.

[Our Happy Village can completely free you from such worries.]

[That's right. You.]

The puppet turned its gaze towards the screen.

No, it was staring directly at me, gripping the doorknob.

[How many worries have you had? How many times have you been hurt by others?/]

“…”

Chills ran down my spine.

With eyes as shiny as glass beads, the puppet continued to stare at me, clenching the doorknob.

[In this place, you can completely erase those worries.]

[You just need to watch our fun show, laugh, and enjoy your alone time.]

[What do you think?/]

Silence fell in the audience.

“…”

I tore my gaze from the screen and looked at the door.

The door was made of wood. Yet, it wouldn’t open. What could be the reason?

What about the window?

I gazed outside.

The sun was still setting.

No.

“…”

The sun hadn’t moved.

Just like when I first looked out, the sunset was still there.

The orange light obscured my vision.

[Oh dear. But I understand. New residents usually take time to adjust. But everyone ends up adapting!]

It continued as though it understood my feelings.

[You will too. After all, humans are animals of adaptation.]

The puppet and I locked eyes.

[That’s all for today! Thank you for your hard work! See you in the late-night broadcast!]

As it finished speaking, the sun set.

The orange light vanished, and darkness took over.

Then the lights turned on.

A central control system? This isn’t a prison.

For now, I gave up on leaving through the door.

I sat back down on the sofa.

With a creak, the sofa made a sound.

Window, can’t leave.

Door, can’t leave.

The only means to communicate with the outside was the television.

Whether it could hear me or not was uncertain.

No manual, nothing particularly visible.

“This is driving me crazy.”

If I think of it all as visible, then I’d be too anxious to sleep.

It felt like everything was sealed off.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

In a state of confusion, I leaned against the sofa and briefly closed my eyes.

Surprisingly, I fell asleep quickly.

*

-Crackling…

I woke up to the sound of the television.

[Good morning!]

Before I knew it, the sun had risen.

Was it the morning broadcast? The same host I saw earlier was dancing with a microphone.

Of course, it was yet another string-operated puppet.

[Wow! How tired must you have been to fall asleep the moment you sat on the sofa? But, of course, moving in on the first day is always a bit tiring, right everyone!?]

They had seen me sleeping.

Which meant there was a camera installed somewhere in the house, or something equivalent.

I stared intently at the television, lost in thought.

Everything I did was being monitored.

Conversely, that meant there had to be something observing the puppet as well.

I needed to reverse-engineer this.

I needed to come up with a way to get out of here.

[Your expression looks serious. My, did you forget your joints or something? Haha!]

Laughter erupted from the audience.

[Alright! Excising the morning stiffness is perfect with some exercises. Let’s begin!]

To the upbeat music, the puppet started to dance.

Let’s form a hypothesis.

First off, if this was a gigantic puppet village.

Then I had to find a way out somehow.

But how?

That was a problem for later.

For now, I needed to find a way out.

Once the cheerful music ended, the host looked at me again.

[Come on now, smile! If you don’t smile, you can’t be happy!]

Just like that, the broadcast cut off, and silence returned.

“…”

Let’s do what I can.

First, I’ll search this house.

I looked under the sofa.

Not a speck of dust.

Nothing under the bed.

Nothing in the cupboard.

Nothing in the refrigerator.

There were no cameras.

If there were no cameras, then where exactly was I being observed from?

Unless it was so small I didn’t notice?

Or maybe it was an ability I didn’t even know I had? If that’s the case, there’s no way to respond.

After all, unless you were a god, how could you watch someone at will—

“Ah.”

In an instant, a hypothesis struck me.

I rushed towards the cupboard.

I searched the cupboard frantically, which had no plates.

Only dust came out.

If there was even a single piece of cutlery, it could stab my heart.

No, it didn’t have to be my heart. My head. Eyes, lungs. Any part would do.

But contrary to my wishes, there were no utensils.

I dashed to the bathroom.

There was no mirror.

Not even a mirror above the sink.

“…”

Let me think.

How long had it been since I arrived here?

I couldn’t tell.

Under the sky that seemed to change at will, there was no way for me to gauge time.

Had I ever felt hungry?

No.

I had felt sleepy, but there was no hunger.

A horrifying theory crossed my mind.

The strings that had pulled me, and the sensation of floating.

If that theory was correct, there was only one way to confirm it.

I gripped the tiled wall.

I closed my eyes tightly.

Ready to die. Ready to smash my head.

I pulled my head back as far as I could and slammed into the wall.

-Smack!

Accompanied by the sound of something breaking,

I felt no pain.

-Dropping…

Wooden pieces fell from above my head.

“Damn it.”

Only then did I notice my hands.

‘My, did you forget your joints?’

The cheerful host’s voice echoed in my head.

Hands full of wooden joints, knees creaking as they moved with a round body.

I was not human.