Baek Saheon.

– You fools. If you just need one eye to escape, do it already!

My coworker, the one who caused all that commotion on the subway back then.

This guy, who’s also a named employee in <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, will steadily leave his mark until he’s promoted to manager…

"He’ll die?"

Suddenly, the haunted plushie delivered a death sentence to Baek Saheon.

It was only natural for this question to pop out reflexively.

“Why?”

No, but I know this guy will make it till he becomes a manager, don’t I…?

“– Ah, this is so typical. So very typical... Roe Deer, have you ever seen those movies?”

“…Movie?”

“– Yes, those with a serial killer.”

Oh, please.

“– In popular culture, there are certain marked targets who always end up victims. A blonde, a college student, a hitchhiker, or someone wearing noticeable red shoes—symbols that catch the eye.”

“– Do you know what the most classic and certain victim trope among them is?”

The shadow of the plushie whispered.

“– Picking up the killer’s belongings.”

“…”

The large black shadow on the wall pointed beyond it.

“– Your ‘coworker’ picked something up, and now he’s going to die horribly!”

“…”

Ugh, seriously...

“Well, thanks for letting me know.”

“– Don’t mention it!”

I tried to tell the plushie as politely as possible, “I need to sleep because I have work tomorrow,” and thankfully, this “good friend” readily understood my situation.

“– Oh dear, it must have been a tiring day. May you sleep soundly and have sweet dreams!”

Yeah, right. Sweet dreams, my foot.

‘And let’s not forget, part of this mess is your fault…’

“– Adios!”

The flashlight on my phone turned off on its own.

The large shadow that had been cast on the wall disappeared as well.

After some thought, I made a soft little bed for the plushie on my desk using a clean towel.

‘With this much care, it shouldn’t come chasing me with a knife in my dreams, right?’

Of course, first, I had to worry about whether I could even sleep and dream.

“Hm.”

I turned my bedside lamp to its brightest setting and lay down on the bed.

Baek Saheon.

He’s probably sleeping in the room next door right now…

‘What the heck did you do?’

What on earth did he pick up for the plushie to sense it through the wall?

Is this some butterfly effect? Or was this supposed to happen anyway, and he just overcame it?

I thought back to the things Baek Saheon had done in <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration> and even looked him up on a wiki, but nothing specific came up.

Which might make sense if this is a personal incident rather than something that happened on duty.

Sigh.

“…”

‘If I knock on his door in the middle of the night, would he have a heart attack?’

Besides, even I wasn’t keen on willingly approaching a terrifying ghost story item that could easily make me the next target of a serial killer.

To be honest, he isn’t someone who makes me want to risk my life for him either.

‘Still, since I know about it, it’s only right to warn him.’

There must be a way to approach this indirectly…

‘There is one.’

And it just so happens that it ties into what I need to do next.

Lying in bed, I checked my phone messenger.

[ Jang Heo-un: This is the new hire group chat. Please join using this link. Thank you! (Link) ]

The colleague from Team Y had sent it.

With a sigh, I clicked the link.

[ 17th Batch Field Exploration Team Chatroom ]

It was an open chatroom.

I wondered why they’d leave it open, but it seemed like they didn’t want to sync their contacts to minimize the emotional blow when something bad happened to someone.

At least everyone had their names set as their profile names, so identifying people shouldn’t be an issue.

‘Guess I’ll set my name too and join.’

[ Kim Sol-eum has entered. ]

As I was typing out a greeting…

[ wow]

[ damn ]

[ Is it really the Kim Sol-eum? ]

[ welcome ^^ ]

[ For real?? Who invited you? ]

“…??”

Before I could even type, reactions flooded in.

‘Surely, they’re not reacting like this because they are wondering who cluelessly invited “that guy,” right?’

Trying to stay optimistic, I thought maybe my recent performance had sparked some curiosity or rumors.

I posted a simple greeting.

[ Nice to meet you. I’ll be in your care. ]

As if waiting, someone asked immediately.

[ Kang Yihak: Is it true you scored 40,000 points? Haha ]

Hmm.

[ Yes. ]

[ Kang Yihak: I’m so jealous! How did you manage to get so many, haha? ]

[ I did my best. ]

I didn’t elaborate further, just sent a bowing emoji and left it at that.

‘This feels like a jungle.’

I thought it might be a friendly group where colleagues shared tips and hobbies, but that was clearly not the case.

‘Feels like an intern chatroom where only 10% get converted to full-time employees.’

Everyone was pretending otherwise while trying to gain any edge they could.

‘Well, I guess it makes sense. When deaths are so common here, everyone’s desperate for the wish token.’

I felt a slight bitter taste in my mouth but could understand their stance.

[ Go Yeongeun: (Fighting emoji) ]

[ Go Yeongeun: (Clapping emoji) ]

[Note: Fighting/Hwaiting – All the best/Good luck]

At least there were still some genuinely nice colleagues.

‘Glad to know that she’s doing well…’

I nodded, looking at the clean, supportive emojis from the medical school dropout colleague who’d fully supported my opinion back on that deadly subway.

‘Alright, time to do what I joined for.’

Following my conscience, I searched for Baek Saheon’s profile in the chatroom and opened a private chat.

Then I wrote.

[ Watch out for serial killers. ]

The "1" indicating the unread message disappeared in less than a second.

But there was no reply.

Hmm, maybe he feels guilty?

‘At least if he feels guilty, he’ll be careful.’

This should suffice as a warning.

“Guess I’ll send it every morning from now on.”

Repeating it for about a week should be enough to ensure he stays cautious.

Feeling satisfied with myself, I turned off my phone.

‘…Let’s try to sleep.’

Whether or not I’d succeed, I had to at least try. After all, I still had to go to work tomorrow… sob.

‘Wish the company would just explode.’

Knowing full well that wouldn’t save me from having to show up anyway, I bitterly pondered this sad truth and spent the whole night wide awake.

When I finally dozed off near dawn, I dreamt of theme park mascots swinging around some intestines and chasing me while I offered churros to a plushie in terror.

‘Help me.’

It was a night full of trauma for an ordinary office worker.

The news I heard the next day, however, was anything but ordinary.

* * *

“Roe, you hit the jackpot.”

“…?”

“You just earned 20,000 points.”

What?

I looked up to check my points for the morning.

[ Employee Kim Sol-eum / Earned Points: 20,000p ]

It was true.

‘Wasn’t I only supposed to get 10,000 points…?’

My supervisor slapped my shoulder enthusiastically.

“Deputy Manager Jin from Team A insisted you get bonus points and added them!”

Deputy Manager Jin…! You recognized my efforts to get us all out, and the fact that I even endured the hole you put in my palm.

I upgraded my evaluation of this workaholic to include perceptiveness, fairness, and competence.

“Well, originally, our team leader was supposed to be named as a key contributor, but Team A’s leader was making a fuss, so…”

Ah.

Honestly, from their perspective, it’s understandable.

‘Guess I got lucky.’

I wasn’t sure if I should be happy about this, but I’d accept it gratefully.

“Anyway, congrats, Roe. You’re setting records for the fastest success rate since joining. It’s crazy.”

“Thank you.”

Still, I might have to give up on staying under the radar at this company…

‘But these points are sweet.’

And that wasn’t the end of it.

Before the morning was over, I got a call.

“…Deputy Manager Jin?”

“–Yeah.”

I’d been hoping for a slightly relaxed day, writing reports after finishing the B-Grade darkness exploration yesterday.

But Deputy Manager Jin from Team A called me through the company network.

I immediately thanked her.

“Thank you so much for recommending me as a key contributor for clearing the theme park darkness…”

“–The one who does the work should get the points. Why thank me for that?”

Oh, um, alright.

“–Anyway, come up here.”

“…?”

“–My team’s entering a darkness today, but we’re short on people. You’re coming to help.”

“…”

“–Don’t want to?”

Yes! I don’t want to!

I’m just a newbie who almost died yesterday—what’s the harm in letting me rest today?

“Please wait a moment… Um, Deputy Manager Eun, you’ve got a call.”

“Oh, what is it?”

Help me, dear superior!

After pushing over the call to the superiors in my team, I tried to brush it off lightly…

But it didn’t work.

“Team A is short-staffed? Is this a backup request?”

“…!”

Uh-oh.

Even Supervisor Park who had his head buried at the desk suddenly flew over with their chair, murmuring.

“Wait, did Team A call in for you as backup, Roe?”

I don’t know, supervisor. Please don’t shake me, my shoulder hurts.

“Alright, understood. Yes.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy Manager hung up the phone.

Then, with a glint in their eye, she waved her fist at me.

“Hey. Go.”

…Excuse me?

“Yes! With Team A in its current situation, it’s a golden opportunity! It’s safer, and you can earn more—don’t miss this chance!”

“It’s all about points. Points, Roe Deer.”

“…”

…So, in other words.

‘For starters, elite Team A gets bonus points per task.’

Apparently, it’s quite tempting.

Considering that Team Y, which handles cleanups, wasn’t called, it’s not one of those dark assignments where they need a sacrificial lamb.

Moreover, since they called in a rookie like me to fill the gap, it’s unlikely to be particularly difficult either.

In short, it’s overtime, but it pays well and is easy money!

“They must’ve liked you yesterday and decided to give you a shot. Go for it!”

“…”

‘There’s no excuse I can make…’

Saying something like “I couldn’t sleep out of fear and just want to rest” was now impossible, even if my lips tore apart.

‘A team exploration team member complaining despite the relatively safe situation with decent bonus points? It’d be suspicious as hell…!’

Unless I wanted to be branded a coward and sent to the cleanup team, I had to keep my mouth shut.

Thus, I forced my unwilling feet to move toward the 15th floor…

“That’s right, the rookie’s got guts!”

It’s not guts, it feels more like defeat.

Dragging my feet as much as possible, I made my way to the elevator.

When I reached the top floor of the field exploration team, the 15th floor, and the doors opened, I was slightly taken aback.

“…!”

Gone were the usual cramped desks or partitions you’d expect in an office.

Instead, it looked more like a luxury lounge you’d find in a hotel. Beyond that, there were private rooms separated by frosted glass panels, each bearing an employee’s name.

‘Wow.’

A private room for every employee?

That’s the kind of workplace perk you’d expect for executives.

‘Is this supposed to be some kind of motivation?’

Apparently, becoming part of the elite Team A in the field exploration team meant you got your own personal space.

‘It’s every office worker’s dream, but…’

Just then, a familiar face stepped out of the glass door beside me.

It was the superior already wearing a butterfly mask.

“Hello, Deputy Manager Jin.”

“Oh.”

Deputy Manager Jin of Team A looked slightly more human than when I’d seen her during the ghost story.

“The team leader wants to see you again.”

From the larger office across the way, Team A’s leader emerged, holding a cup of coffee.

“Roe Deer.”

“Hello, Manager.”

With a kind smile and a warm demeanor, the middle-aged leader of Team A patted me on the shoulder.

She acted as if the glaring look she’d shot at Team Leader Lee Jaheon in the theme park had never happened.

“Deputy Manager Jin isn’t one to praise people easily, but she seem to think highly of you. I’ve heard good things.”

To that extent…?

“So I thought we’d call you over today. It’s the first time Deputy Manager Jin has spoken so well of someone.”

I reflexively glanced at Deputy Manager Jin.

The butterfly-masked superior smirked and snorted.

“I merely reported the truth.”

“Oh, there you go again.”

Despite frowning as our eyes met, her voice had softened.

“What? You did a good job.”

“…Thank you.”

“Yeah. Do well today too.”

“Ah, youngsters these days. You guys, make sure to get along.”

With a hearty laugh, Team A’s leader, who had been watching the exchange, put on the mallard duck mask.

“Welcome to Team A, Kim Sol-eum.”

“…”

“Now, let’s get to work.”

* * *

To be honest, I was a little curious.

‘Do elite teams have a different approach?’

I mean, maybe the work process for the field exploration team was fundamentally different.

Surely, it wouldn’t be like the regular teams that receive their assignments on the day, skim the manual, and then stumble into the darkness.

And different, it was.

“Collector: check, recording device: check, mask: check, equipment: check, and basic supplies: check. Declaring readiness status for ‘ID code Qterw-C-402,’ 31 minutes prior to 1100H.”

Hmm… They’re strict.

Unlike Team D, who would sit around on couches for a briefing, toss jokes the leader didn’t understand, and then trudge into the darkness, this team had a whole different vibe.

Even after someone on their team died recently, and considering they’re under staffed, they had a solid hierarchy and followed protocol to the letter.

Right from the start, they had me, the temporary substitute, conduct the equipment check breifing.

“…That’s all.”

“Good. Let’s head in.”

“Yes.”

Temporary substitute or not, the lowest-ranking member in the team had to do all the grunt work.

‘Come to think of it, even Deputy Manager Jin, with her sharp personality, was speaking formally to the team leader.’

Well, I guess I’d eventually be a part of a team like this.

Having this kind of experience early on isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

‘As long as I don’t let them realize I’m a coward…’

If I could just figure out what ghost story we’d be entering today, I could at least prepare myself mentally.

Team A’s leader approached me, holding the manual.

“Oh, Sol-eum, you haven’t read the manual yet, have you?”

“No, ma’am.”

Trying to think positively, I politely held out both hands to the leader.

Just as they were about to hand over the manual for today’s task, their hand stopped.

…?

“That’s right. Sol-eum, why don’t you experience this one without the manual?”

Excuse me?

“I heard you’re good at deducing things on the fly.”

Startled, I looked up.

From beneath the duck mask, the leader’s smiling mouth was visible.

“If it seems dangerous, I’ll give it to you right away. Okay?”

“…”

That’s… not her saying I can ask if it gets dangerous.

‘She’ll decide what counts as dangerous.’

Which means she might never give it to me at all.

“…”

They both know everything, and I know nothing, yet I’m supposed to dive into a ghost story?

“Well, let’s get going, then! Ah, I haven’t had this much fun at work in a while~”

Wait. Could this possibly be…

‘Workplace harassment?’

It’s so stereotypical it feels like a joke. My head felt dizzy.

But why would a team leader I only met yesterday do this… Oh.

‘…Lee Jaheon!!’

Could it be that our Lizard Manager pissed her off so badly they’re taking it out on me, the rookie?

Am I being targeted too?!