What happens when a new hire successfully completes their probationary period, you ask?
Usually, there's a small congratulatory gift ceremony.
Who would’ve thought even a corporate giant in a ghost story would follow that tradition?
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[Well, let’s see here… My goodness! 22 candidates succeeded this time! I wonder what the HR team thinks of this achievement?]
No one is remotely curious about that stuff.
And I bet the new hires seated near me feel the same.
[Seriously, this is an incredible record. If this isn’t a case of poorly moderated difficulty, you’re all elites. Elites, I say.]
The room fell silent.
The host, unbothered by the silence, cheerfully pressed on.
[Shall we pick the Elite among all the elites?]
[This year’s top recruit of the field exploration team! Someone who completed evaluations and escaped in record time, achieving the highest score in the comprehensive assessment.]
The host raised their hand.
[Congratulations, Kim Sol-eum!]
...Me?
[Kim Sol-eum?]
[The ceremony can’t proceed unless you accept your gift~ Come on up!]
Is this for real?
‘But why…?’
Nevertheless, I stood up from my seat.
Even something as simple as missing an announcement could mean death, so ignoring instructions in a ghost story would be foolish.
[Ah, you’re quick to take action, that’s reassuring. Quick decision-making is just what our department needs. A shame, really. Such a shame.]
Must be a higher-up from another department. Somehow, that made it even more annoying.
I climbed the stage and stood in front of the host.
[Here, take your gift!]
The host handed me a squared paper bag.
Inside the silver shopping bag stamped with the company logo, I caught a glimpse of a plaque, likely a certificate of appointment, and some other items.
[Don’t be too disappointed that there’s nothing special just for the top recruit, okay?]
Not one bit of this is making me happy.
I took the bag, nodded stiffly to avoid glaring at the host, and turned to leave the stage…
“Make sure to check inside.”
What?
“What do you—”
[Next, we’ll call up the following new hires!]
The host was already back to the microphone, calling the next name as if he hadn’t spoken just now.
“…”
Hmm.
Without lingering any further, I stepped down from the stage.
-------------------------------
After me, Go Yeongeun and others who were in the same compartment also went up to receive their gifts.
It didn’t mean much, but Baek Saheon was called right after me.
“…”
“…”
Even though we were still sitting next to each other, we didn’t exchange a word.
More precisely, we didn’t even make eye contact. Seeing him clutching his left eye, it was clear he had “returned” the lost item.
‘He’ll probably head to the hospital on his own.’
[Next up, Kim Jiwon!]
The later they were called, the stranger the new hires looked. Their clothes seemed disheveled, walking unsteady, or their gazes unfocused.
‘…Maybe they were stuck in the ghost story longer.’
Although we all seemed to regain consciousness in the auditorium simultaneously, there was undoubtedly a difference in escape times.
‘How long were they trapped?’
Thinking about it sent a chill down my spine.
Still, having escaped at all made us better off than the other 78 people who didn’t.
-------------------------------
[Everyone received their gifts, right?]
With the ceremony coming to a conclusion, a faint tension and anticipation spread through the Auditorium.
Maybe now they’d finally let us leave.
To be honest, I was starting to hope so, too. Hoping for it to be the end.
But then—
[However… not everyone who succeeded in the probation period is hired.]
“…?!”
[Sometimes, a few people pass purely by luck.]
No way.
[But rest assured, Daydream Incorporation always upholds the value of fairness in society.]
[Such employees will incur significant deductions in their final evaluations.]
The host didn’t do anything, not the typical dramatic finger snap, intense gaze, or even turning off the lights in the hall.
Yet—
[As I said before, freeloaders will always be caught.]
People began melting.
“…!”
Here and there, bodies started dissolving, like shadows smudging and dripping away.
There were no screams. No movement.
What the hell?!
Someone ahead of me muffled a scream by covering their mouth.
I, too, hurriedly turned my head.
But it was too late. I’d already seen it.
‘They’re gone.’
Half of the people from our train car had vanished.
Only I, Go Yeongeun, Baek Saheon, and the injured recruit remained.
-------------------------------
[Congratulations to the 13 remaining candidates! You’ve officially become full-time employees with excellent results!]
Not a single person applauded.
In the cold silence, one person stammered in panic.
“I-I quit! I want to quit….”
The host, unfazed, responded leisurely.
[Oh? Leaving such a great job? Well, at least hear about the benefits first before deciding.]
From behind me, Go Yeongeun shouted like she was spitting blood.
“Does that mean we can resign after hearing about the benefits? With no penalties?”
[Of course. No harm will come to you. You can leave safely~]
The host’s tone was smooth, brimming with confidence.
That’s when I realized.
‘So, it’s here.’
They showed us the stick.
Now, the carrot was coming.
[Note: Stick and carrot is a metaphor, stick being a threat/risk while carrot being the undeniable reward promised by employers.]
…And I knew what that “benefit” would be.
[Let’s introduce one of our company’s signature perks!]
After enduring this nightmare and surviving the madness, this was the reason employees of the field exploration team kept working.
[Employee Benefits]
Wish Token
Something appeared on the large screen in the Auditorium.
A beautiful, streamlined crystal bottle.
Drip.
Inside the bottle, a strange multicolored liquid rippled, creating waves.
The liquid swayed.
The colors, textures, and even the ripples it formed were so strangely captivating that they felt almost out of place.
A heavy silence settled.
[“Let’s take a closer look, shall we?”]
The host pressed a button, and the projector screen was lifted. Behind it, a table that had been hidden came into view.
On top of the black table was the very same shimmering bottle shown on the screen.
“…!”
The liquid inside swirled on its own, with a radiant glow that illuminated the Auditorium.
It was so otherworldly that one might doubt whether such an object could truly exist in reality.
[“Our company is widely recognized as a highly successful pharmaceutical firm, which I’m sure you all knew before applying. How advanced is our technology, you ask? Well, we’ve even created a cure for baldness!”]
[“But, in truth, we have a flagship product that surpasses anything else… and it’s this.”]
The host steadied the trembling hand, wore white gloves, and carefully picked up the crystal bottle from the table, lifting it for everyone to see.
[That medicine is the ‘Wish Token.’]
[And its effect? Quite literal. Drink this, and any wish you have will be granted.]
“…!”
[Unbelievable, right? But plenty of your seniors and supervisors have consumed this and had their wishes granted. Let me demonstrate for you right now.]
The host unwrapped the packaging of the bottle and, without hesitation, gulped it down in one go!
[Today just so happens to be my designated Wish Token retrieval day! Haha!]
And at that moment, everyone in the Auditorium immediately understood the host’s “wish.”
The instant he drank the Wish Token, the host, who appeared to be in his mid-to-late 40s, began to visibly rejuvenate.
The fact face smoothed out, gaining a healthy flush.
The body regained firmness, and even the hair grew glossier and thicker.
Yes, he returned.
To the youth, a time of peak vitality and growth!
[Yahoo!]
The host, now looking like a high school student, jubilantly pumped his fist into the air.
[“How about that? To put it simply: rejuvenation!”]
Even the voice was youthful and vibrant.
The auditorium fell into a stunned silence, this time for an entirely different reason.
It was the silence of disbelief.
The host pointed to the new employees.
[Your department, the Field Exploration Team, consistently receives high-performance evaluations. On average, they receive the Wish Token in half the time of other departments….]
[In fact, the ten employees who attained the Wish Token the fastest were all from the Field Exploration Team!]
Gulp.
Somewhere, someone audibly swallowed.
Of course, it was all a play on words.
In reality, it was no more than dangerous duty pay.
‘Dozens, maybe hundreds, must have died before those top ten ever succeeded.’
In other words, it was bait, a gilded carrot on a stick.
But…
‘There were people who took it.’
It wasn’t a scam.
[Alright, let’s take some questions… Oh, you there!]
A new employee quietly raised his hand and asked in a gruff voice, “Can it bring someone back to life?”
It was a tall man with brown hair.
[Ah, that’s the classic question in stories like these, isn’t it? ‘The one wish that cannot be granted’…]
[…But surprise!]
The host dramatically raised his hand.
[The Wish Token fulfills any~ wish, no exceptions.]
“…!”
[Of course, you just have to use it correctly. Detailed instructions can be found in the employee portal.]
“…”
The employee fell silent again, but the ripple of agitation among the others grew even stronger.
The host seized the moment.
[Well then, as for other benefits, please refer to the screen and the informational booklet in your gift bags… Shall we proceed to make a decision?]
Whoosh.
With a swift sound, the back door of the Auditorium swung open.
[If you wish to decline the position, please step outside to the desk and collect the necessary paperwork.]
[But for anyone willing to take a chance…]
The host gestured.
[Put on the mask included in your gift bag.]
A mask? Oh.
‘So this is when they distribute those.’
[These days, you might call it customization! It’s designed to perfectly express your individuality.]
[Well… for now, it doesn’t have any special features. That’s all it is.]
I clutched my smartphone.
Though I couldn’t check openly under so many watchful eyes, if I reviewed the upgraded information on the “Memorial Griptok” in <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>, it would surely say this:
-------------------------------
Chronicles of Darkness Exploration / Daydream Inc.
/ Departments
Misc
Employees in the Field Exploration Team wear masks during their fieldwork. These masks are distributed after the onboarding orientation.
According to Employee D, the design of the masks varies depending on the year of employment.
For example, an agent wearing an ant mask and another wearing a mantis mask are likely to be from the same cohort.
-------------------------------
In short, it was a symbol of the Field Exploration Team at Daydream Inc.
‘I can’t believe the day has come when I’d receive one of these.’
The feeling was strangely bittersweet.
Of course, 90% of me wanted to dash out of here, hurl the mask, and scream that I was rejecting the job.
Please, just let me live.
‘But… quitting doesn’t change the fact that this entire world is a hellhole.’
The pervasive “dark anomalies” were scattered all over the world.
At any moment, I could end up as an extra in a ghost story and meet my end.
‘Sigh…’
So, ironically, staying employed, earning supplies, and hoping for a departmental transfer might actually offer a better chance of survival.
‘Plus, if I want to return to my original world, the Wish Token seems like the most promising option.’
Either way, in this world, a coward like me is as good as dead. Escaping this world completely is the only viable solution.
So, rationally thinking, even though it hurts, the most logical choice was….
‘To join.’
It was infuriating, but there was no other way. Damn it.
In the end, I swallowed my tears and opened the bag.
When I reached inside to pull out the mask…
“…?”
Something else came out with it.
-------------------------------
If Needed
010-0153-24865
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A business card?
The name and title were whited out, with the phrase scribbled in its place.
"...Did the host put this in here?"
I glanced around, but it didn’t seem like anyone else had a business card attached to their mask.
“Well, I’ll think about it later.”
I peeled the card off and tucked it back into the bag, taking only the mask out.
It had a smooth texture and a basic shape that seemed to only cover the upper part of the face.
The surprising part was that everyone around me was already trying to put on their masks.
Not a single exception.
‘...Even after all that, not a single person is walking away?’
If there was one variable, it was the Wish Token.
“Did they pre-select people who looked like they’d risk everything for the Wish Token from the start?”
I couldn’t shake the inexplicable feeling that lingered as I glanced around the auditorium, where everyone silently put on their masks without a word of resignation.
Including myself.
“Don’t think there’s another choice I guess.”
I raised my mask to my face.
And then it really did begin to change shape.
I could feel it stretching and growing unevenly against my cheeks and forehead...
“...”
I ran my hand over it.
What emerged was a bizarrely shaped mask with protruding antlers and a twisted, woody texture.
Wait, antlers made of wood?
‘...A deer? An antelope?’
But it looked far too strange to be just a deer.
Feeling uneasy, I turned to look around the room with the mask still on. Go Yeongeun, wearing a sheep-like mask, made awkward eye contact with me.
Apart from that, there were other recruits in suits wearing masks resembling everything from elephants to goats. The sight was incredibly bizarre and unnerving.
Exactly what you’d expect from employees at a company managing ghost stories.
[Once again, congratulations on joining us!]
Clap, clap, clap.
The PPT transitioned, and the sound of pre-recorded applause echoed through the room.
[Employment Confirmed]
‘In the end, this is what it came to…’
Mask or no mask, the thought of what lay ahead left my head spinning.
Just then, out of nowhere, the notepad reappeared in front of me.
“...!”
The same notepad that had spat out the "Memorial Griptok" earlier.
[Chronicles of Darkness Exploration Real Goods Box]
– Unlocked the usage rights for new merch!
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