Chapter 163.1

For the escape destination to be set to Daydream Inc.’s headquarters, given that it was a Darkness under their jurisdiction…

Sure, it’s not all that strange. But still.

‘If we all entered through different paths, shouldn’t we have been sent back to where we each came from…!’

I gulped hard.

Looking around, it seemed like everyone who’d been aboard the escape pod had, without exception, been dropped into the Research Team’s office.

Why the hell had every last one of us ended up stuck inside Daydream Inc? Shouldn’t an escape pod, at the very least, ask passengers where they want to go…?

Ah.

‘Don’t tell me. It was because the first person to board and calibrate the pod was someone from Daydream Inc…?’

Maybe that initial input had set the default destination for everyone.

‘Totally possible.’

Problem was, thinking about that now didn’t change anything.

I wiped my cold sweat and shifted my eyes to glance at Agent Bronze, who was now facing off with Section Chief Kwak Jaekang.

“Ah, I see the uniform now. Disaster Management Bureau agents, right? Looks like a distress signal from our Darkness reached your organization somehow. Haha!”

“Supernatural Disasters are not private property. Please refrain from inappropriate terminology.”

Agent-nim!

“Well, you can put it that way, sure, but…”

Kwak Jaekang smiled behind his glasses.

“Still, you did trespass into this here private company. Right, sir?”

“……”

“But hey, since we helped each other clear things up down there, yeah? If you’ll just give us a quick interview, we won’t even charge you for—”

“Charge us?”

“Well I mean, you did use one of our designated escape routes! Things like data usage fees, labor costs, expert consultation fees… You’re a government agency, so surely you’re not planning to dine and dash?”

Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Agent Bronze introduced his fist to Kwak Jaekang’s face right then and there.

But shockingly, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he stared with quiet contempt and replied.

“We did not request any consultation. And the escape method we used was based on our own previously acquired intel.”

“Pfft… Then I guess that makes it unauthorized trespassing, not collaboration.”

Kwak Jaekang continued smiling at him.

“……”

Agent Bronze, silent, slipped a hand into the inside of his jacket.

A strange tension crackled through the room.

Right.

‘This place… We’re standing in the heart of a psychotic pharmaceutical megacorp.’

And not just any office, but the Research Team.

A simple press of a call button would make Daydream Inc.’s Security Team come running to subdue the ‘intruders’ in no time.

And since those Security Team members had long surpassed what could be called human… Even these two veteran agents could end up horribly overpowered.

In short, we were deep in enemy territory where no concept of societal common sense applied.

…A chill ran down my spine.

‘This lunatic company wouldn’t bat an eye at making a few civil servants disappear and turning them into test subjects…’

“Aigoo, my back…”

“…!”

Just then, a groaning voice cut through the tension as someone stirred on the floor.

With deliberate exaggeration, Agent Choi sat up, playing up the drama enough to cut through the tension.

‘Agent Choi!’

“Well, I couldn’t stay lying down, I was too scared. What’s this about trespassing… I mean, these days even crash-landing out of a ghost story counts as unauthorized entry, huh? Goodness gracious, how’s a guy supposed to work under such cruel rules?”

Agent Choi stood up, locking eyes with Kwak Jaekang and flashing a cheeky smile.

“Over at the Disaster Management Bureau, we don’t treat people who wander in during a safety inspection so coldly, you know…”

“……”

Ah, right.

Daydream Inc.’s hatred for the Disaster Management Bureau didn’t stem from anything like wounded pride or jealousy. The reason was far more simple.

The government simply did not recognize ownership over supernatural disasters. Officially, that is.

So, when the bureau identified a ghost story under Daydream Inc.’s ‘jurisdiction’ and deemed it solvable, they’d storm in and put an end to it.

All under the banner of a ‘safety inspection’.

‘From Daydream Inc.’s point of view, the bureau’s more like a disaster that would ravage through and destroy raw material suppliers.’

Because of this, both sides had even established rules to limit how often their investigations clashed over ghost stories.

Otherwise, the number of chaotic reports would have gotten out of hand.

…Just like this case.

“I worry we might get a little too aggressive if this keeps happening~ Don’t you think?”

In other words, Agent Choi was now politely threatening to make their lives hell.

And as the veteran members of both factions dueled with words and veiled menace, Agent Bronze, now out of the spotlight, casually turned his head in my direction while pretending to check on the children.

Our eyes met.

And I read his lips.

– Stay still.

Yes, sir. Absolutely.

‘Zip it and don’t stand out.’

If I got exposed here, the consequences would spiral out of control.

Agent Bronze probably thought I’d ‘faked my death and resigned’ from this company, which was why he was trying to protect my identity… But the truth was far more complicated.

‘I’m not just missing. My identity was officially altered so that, as far as the company’s concerned, I’m dead because I’m working undercover as a corporate spy.’

If the Research Team found out who I really was, and that information reached Director Ho… I couldn’t even fathom what might happen.

And if Director Cheong—who thinks I hit her on the back of the head and ran—found out ‘Kim Soleum’ was currently inside the company?

Gulp.

‘…I’m dead.’

No, worse than dead. This was a ghost story, after all.

‘I absolutely cannot be exposed.’

So I naturally blended in among the children, doing everything I could to hide my presence.

Meanwhile, Agent Choi’s subtle threat—basically, ‘keep this up and we’ll keep crashing into your jurisdiction with inspections’—was gradually leading the conversation toward a conclusion.

“We’ll just take the civilians and be on our way. No need for any formal thanks for rescuing your employees, of course~ Haha!”

A clean, diplomatic offer.

But, let’s not forget. Kwak Jaekang’s a total nutjob.

“…Ah, yes, of course. Always so busy, working for the good of the citizens. I understand completely.”

He spread his arms wide, holding a file folder.

“Then by all means, take only the civilians!”

“……!”

Kwak Jaekang started walking toward us.

‘…!’

I quickly lowered my posture and bowed my head, pretending I was still unconscious.

Footsteps.

Tap. Tap.

They drew closer.

Then, right above me—

“But these contaminated ones here… No matter how you look at them, they don’t seem like proper, functioning members of society.”

Shit.

“Why, look right here. Gills instead of ears! That’s not something a citizen should have! And this one has an extra arm. This one over here…”

A gaze.

“…is missing his right arm.”

Goosebumps raced up my back.

“Oh, of course, it could just be a poor civilian who lost it in an accident, but we won’t know until we run some tests, right?”

His voice turned gleeful.

“Since they’re all heavily contaminated, we’ll go ahead and examine them, sort them, and make sure only true citizens are safely sent home.”

And if they aren’t ‘citizens’…

The company would handle it themselves.

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