Chapter 100.1
Section Chief Kwak Jaekang of the Research Team.
A mad scientist who once threw his subordinates into the âCheerful Theme Parkâ ghost story.
He also served as a consultant for the âManor of the Blindâ incident, which had near-catastrophic results where almost everyone met their end.
“Iâve been wanting to have a long talk with you, Mr. Roe Deer. Finally, the opportunity has come!”
That crazed ghost story researcher grinned and extended his hand.
“Your exploits have been extraordinary! Iâve been dying to hear your thoughts!”
“Thank you, sir.”
What a boss youâd hate to shake hands with. But I did it anywayâsuch is office life.
“I heard that once the new year begins, D-squad will become an elite squad. With that, weâll all get so busy working as a unit that even idle chats like this before heading into darkness might be impossible⊔
Kwak Jaekang joked a few times about how difficult it was to call me over.
“And I was just too curious.”
Then, with a cheerful face, he got to the point.
“How did you manage to win over Section Chief Lee Jaheon?”
“âŠâŠ!!”
“He always cuts me off when I try to call you over. Thatâs not like himâheâs not usually that proactive~”
Internally, I screamed.
âThank you, Squad LeaderâŠ!â
But honestly, I didnât actively try to win him over.
âAll I had to do was say I didnât want to.â
Section Chief Lee Jaheon was already a stickler for the rules and made every effort to reflect his squad membersâ requests.
No one had made such a request before!
After all, in this ghost story specialist corporation, Iâm probably the only one whoâd rather split the workload into N parts than venture into a ghost story solo, no matter how cushy it might be.
And if anyone like me did exist, theyâre probably long goneâdead or disappeared.
This time, however, it seemed even Lee Jaheon had difficulty stopping it on his own.
Or perhaps there simply wasnât any justification to do so.
“Anyway, donât worry. I donât hold any grudges about how hard it was to bring you in, Mr. Roe Deer.”
Kwak Jaekang smiled.
“Itâs just⊠isnât it fascinating how there seems to be nothing Mr. Roe Deer canât do!”
“âFascinatingâ⊠I donât quite understand⊔
“Youâre good at your job, articulate, and you manage your reputation well⊠very impressive. But humans are creatures who canât excel at everything! Myself included.”
He lightly tapped his own chest.
“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. So⊔
His eyes, gleaming with a passionate obsession for ghostly exploration, fixed on me.
“Whatâs your weakness?”
“âŠâŠ”
“How does it remain so hidden, even while youâre diving headfirst into bizarre paranormal phenomena⊠Iâm genuinely curious!”
Hah, fuck, seriouslyâŠ
“If I could tell you, it wouldnât be a weakness.”
“Haha, a clever answer to a foolish question~”
Kill me now.
âHeâs not predicting that Iâm a coward, is he?â
I discreetly swallowed hard.
Kwak Jaekang spread his hands wide.
“Anyway, I called you here today for good news.”
“What kind of good news, exactly?”
“Something worth celebrating! By my calculations⊠Mr. Roe Deer, youâve already earned more than half the points needed for a Wish Ticket, havenât you?”
“âŠâŠ!”
This guyâs scary sharp.
And heâs right.
Thatâs the truth.
I recalled my accumulated points up until last week.
[Accumulated Points : 177,200p]
Even this number alone was staggering.
It was a figure unimaginable for a rookie who hadnât even been with the company for a year, so Iâd never bragged about it.
Even in a department where everyone openly talks about their resignation dates, there are limits.
âWhen someoneâs this much of an outlier, people inevitably start thinking differently.â
But who could have guessed?
As of this week, my accumulated points had entered an entirely new, outrageous realm.
[Accumulated Points: 277,200p]
At this point, people could start claiming it was rigged.
âItâs all thanks to Sekwang Technical High School.â
Letâs break down the base points per grade.
A-grade : 100,000p
And I cleared Sekwang Technical High School solo at A-grade.
Though multiple people entered and cleared it together, I was the only one officially ranked A.
Moreover, the solution I concocted was just intense enough to be recognized as a solo effort.
Thanks to the âenthusiasticâ approval of Directors Cheong and Ho, the Development Departmentâs two powerhouses, my reward passed without issue.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
âAnd this morning, the registration was finalized.â
Officially, Kim Soleum had now accumulated more than half the points needed for a Wish Ticket.
âIâm progressing absurdly faster than I expectedâŠâ
Everything had strangely aligned, leading me here.
At this rate, if I could endure just one yearâor perhaps even lessâas part of an elite squad, I might return to my original world.
A peaceful 21st-century Korea where creepypastas arenât real!
This all flashed through my mind in an instant, but I managed to keep my expression steady⊠or so I hoped.
âDonât give anything awayâŠ!â
“Does earning more than half the points change anything?”
Instead of a direct reaction, I intentionally furrowed my brow slightly, giving an ambiguous response. Was I unsettled because I had earned that much, or annoyed because I hadnât earned enough? I kept him guessing.
“Well, itâs not about change⊠but it opens up opportunities, doesnât it?”
Kwak Jaekang smiled slyly.
“Have you ever heard of the Wish Ticket Simulator?”
Simulator?
âŠAh!
From a certain point, Qterw-D-718 offers a simulator tailored for promising employees with strong potential to secure a Wish Ticket.
âRight, that was one of the ghost story entries.â
I remembered.
I forced myself to recall the increasingly blurry wiki entries while Kwak Jaekangâs voice buzzed in my ear.
“This company gives employees close to earning a Wish Ticket a chance to test their wishâto ensure itâs granted in the most âappropriateâ way.”
The threshold for being a âpromising employeeâ was likely 250,000 points⊠or it could have been calculated based on the remaining time needed to claim a Wish Ticket.
Either way, it seemed Iâd been given the opportunity to try the simulator.
If entering a ghost story can be called an âopportunityâ!
“You could always do it later, but Soleum-ssi, who knows when your turn will come up again? I figured itâd be good for you to do it now, so I called you over.”
“âŠâŠ”
I thought for a moment.
Kwak Jaekang, specially arranging a ghost story entry for someone?
âThereâs definitely a trap.â
But refusing outright wasnât an option either.
This man would hound me for reasons, no doubt.
“Why avoid it if youâre not a coward? Right? Hahaha!”
Hiieekâ
“Well, there could be other reasons to avoid it.”
I sighed and stood up, eager to end the conversation.
âIf I have to face a ghost story anyway, I might as well avoid giving him any leverage.â
“Alright, I understand. When should I enter?”
Kwak Jaekang smirked.
“Mr. Roe Deer.”
“âŠâŠ”
“Youâve really changed. Youâve shed that rookie aura, havenât you?”
Wait.
“No, no, thatâs a compliment! Youâre finally starting to feel like a proper employee here. No pointless chatter, straight to business~ Like a real elite team member.”
His eyes crinkled as he laughed.
“Letâs get you doing some proper company work!”
He slapped a file onto the table.
âThis isâŠâ
A staff profile.
One I recognized.
[Employee : Jang Heo-un]
