A counseling room filled with warm sunlight.
Another version of me standing outside the window.
He grabs my arm and stirs inside the tattoo.
……
Huh?
Isn’t it someone else?
Then I must reject it. Have I broken the rules?
No, this situation is not right! Not right! Not right! Not right!
I must follow the rules because I am a new teacher who must follow the rules.
“All done, sir.”
The hand that had been stirring inside my tattoo withdrew to the outside.
Tap.
An object, held in that hand, tumbled out together.
From the tattoo, which should have been completely empty…
“This was inside it.”
Under the garden lights, a vivid red title emerged.
A brown folder.
<■■ Affiliated Kindergarten Manual>
"It seems like something you recognize. How do you remember it?"
Oh my god.
'That…!!'
And like a dam bursting, fragments of the blurry memories from the past few weeks poured out vividly.
When I absorbed the contaminated Deputy Manager Park Minseong into my wrist at kindergarten!
The space inside the tattoo kept swallowing it without resistance… Ah, the manual touched it! This must be kept separately; it must not be handled like this.
The manual that the deputy was holding had also been absorbed into my tattoo all at once!
I suppressed the urge to separate it and absorbed it all at once. I must have planned to report it to the security team altogether after rescuing the deputy.
But….
“ – If you have any supplies or items taken from the ‘Hungry Hangman’ darkness, please return them.”
“ – Ah, I don’t have anything like that.”
I didn’t return the manual.
To be precise, every time I tried to recall that there was something more in the tattoo, I unconsciously felt resistance and stopped.
Doubts go against the rules!
And even the things I felt resistance toward gradually slipped out of my memory.
Because a teacher shouldn’t feel resistance to the rules… No.
Let’s not think too deeply about this either!
What’s certain is, I still tried several times.
Attempts to let others know that there was something strange about my condition.
“ – …Team Leader.”
“ – Yes.”
“ – If you ever think I have an unusual obsession with the rules, please take a look….”
“ – Yes.”
“ – …Ah, I just mentioned it because I feel like I’ve been too fixated on work lately.”
“ – I see.”
I had tried bringing up that topic to Team Leader Lee Jaheon several times.
But as I questioned while being consumed by the manual, the conversation ended up trailing off.
‘That was close.’
The manual inside the tattoo began to gradually consume my consciousness, and eventually, I didn’t notice any of the strange points and accepted them naturally….
‘…At least I was still in my right mind at Sekwang Technical High School!’
It was thanks to taking Nostalgia Candy.
But the moment I woke up from the dream, it was all over.
And it reached its peak in the ‘last conversation’ I had with Team Leader Lee Jaheon yesterday.
“ – Mr. Kim Sol-eum.”
“ – Yes?”
“ – Have you been suffering from an unusual sense of pressure to follow the rules or been overtaken by any impulses lately?”
“ – I believe following the rules is just a natural part of being a member of the workplace, Team Leader!”
“ – I see.”
“……”
Wow, oh my god.
'I feel like I’m going to throw up.'
Was I acting like that??
I staggered and leaned against the window.
'So, Team Leader Lee Jaheon…'
He was trying to put me in the counseling room no matter what.
"......Sigh."
Everything becomes clear.
It feels like I had been wearing a small, ill-fitting turtleneck and now I took it off, or like I had been wearing dirty glasses and now I’ve cleaned them.
A refreshing sense of liberation and weakness wrapped around my whole body.
And… also, anxiety.
“……”
"What do you think now?"
"I feel tired and refreshed."
"Do you feel like you’ve freed yourself from some uncomfortable obsession?"
“.....Yes.”
The ‘counseling teacher’ outside the window, who looked like me, stared at me as if comforting me.
"You did very well. The fact that you are sitting here, continuing the counseling, is thanks to your strong willpower, sir."
“……”
Then, quietly placing the manual on the garden floor, he took a shovel from somewhere and lightly dug the ground.
“Even if I don’t want it, being caught by strong impulses or ideas is very distressing."
Swish.
A small hole in the outdoor garden appeared in a corner, created by ‘Kim Sol-eum’s’ hand outside the window.
Thud.
The manual was thrown inside.
"Change is not always bad, but if your body and mind become overwhelmed, it’s always right to refuse."
The me outside the window neatly covered the dug soil and then briskly shook the dirt off my hands.
"Mr. Sol-eum, do you see the small plant in that pot?"
A pot?
I turned my head, and indeed, there was a small pot on the table near the sofa.
It was a plant with small, under-ripe fruits, like beans.
"Could you pick a fruit that you like from there?"
“……”
I gently picked a fruit that was at least a little ripe and handed it to ‘me’ beyond the window.
"You did really well."
The counseling teacher outside the window took my hand along with the fruit.
Then.
“…!”
The fruit I was holding ripened into a bright red.
It looked plump and appetizing, as if it had absorbed all the nutrients.
"Make sure to chew it thoroughly before you go."
“……”
I put the fruit in my mouth.
Intense anxiety, resentment, thoughts, irrational sadness and pain slowly melted away with the fruit…
When a client with severe mental contamination visits, a red fruit (presumably from the foxglove family or fox beads) is provided as medicine.
It has an excellent effect on mental stability.
In all attempts to take the fruit out without eating it, the fruit disappears the moment it leaves the door.
Hoo.
With a sigh, all the emotional residue scattered like grains of sand.
I became calm.
Just, as an ordinary office worker, physically and mentally exhausted.
As my usual self.
I lifted my head and looked at the counseling teacher standing by the window.
"Thank you. I feel much better thanks to you."
"I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Kim Sol-eum!"
The counseling teacher's face brightened up.
Somehow, that person no longer seemed to be mimicking my appearance.
"Shall we talk a bit more?"
After that, it was just a regular psychiatric counseling session.
To be precise, it felt like meeting a very skilled and comforting counseling teacher and being able to share everything comfortably.
'This, I will admit.'
If I had to point out one thing that Daydream Corporation, this useless profit-driven company, did right, it would be that they included this as employee welfare.
"From now on, if you ever feel overwhelmed by bad thoughts, I’ll give you a sign so you can come to the Fox Counseling Room anytime."
On my way out, I also received something.
Fox Counseling Room
It's the same sign that was attached to the door I came in through earlier.
"If you attach that sign to the door and open it, it will lead to our counseling room."
"Thank you."
I want to keep it, but I will have to attach it to the door as soon as I leave.
All clients who use the company's welfare program must attach the sign they receive after counseling ends to the door.
'The nameplate that was hanging on the door I used must have disappeared.'
It's easier to think of it as an advance.
"Well then, I’ll be on my way."
I tried to get up from my seat.
I heard the voice of the counseling teacher, sounding a bit regretful.
"Well, actually, it's best to make a regular appointment and have counseling once a week or every two weeks…"
Aaaah!
"Sorry, but I’m too busy... I think that will be difficult."
"That's right. People these days are all like that..."
The ‘counseling teacher’ lowered their head slightly, looking a bit down, then nodded.
But I mustn't be fooled by that appearance.
'If I make a regular appointment... the chances of side effects dramatically increase...!'
Usage record #521 (Irregular)
The ‘counseling teacher’ strongly recommended regular counseling to the client.
The client refused, but the ‘counseling teacher’ persistently tried to persuade them. After 1 hour and 21 minutes, the client accepted the recommendation with a calm heart.
They went missing afterward.
※ To view the full details of this record, B-level security clearance is required.
Fortunately, the counseling teacher smiled, nodded, and sent me off instead of insisting on the recommendation.
"Still, it's fortunate that Mr. Kim Sol-eum has good acquaintances, family, and friends around you."
“……”
Wait a minute.
Surely, even in this crazy horror world, I do have good-natured acquaintances or 'good friends'...
"Family... you say?"
The counseling teacher reached out and tapped their wrist.
I also looked down at my wrist.
That position is…
: Socius :
"That person."
“…?!”
♬♩♪♬♪♪♩
"Ah, time's up. Please go back safely, Mr. Kim Sol-eum."
I raised my head.
There was no one.
The counselor who had been smiling by the window disappeared like a lie, and only the sunlight pouring into the simple yet beautiful outdoor garden remained…
♬♩♪♬♪♪♩
The light waltz melody signaling the end of the session.
Far away, I thought I saw the scarlet tail of a fox disappearing under the stone wall of the garden…
“…….”
I got up from the sofa and headed towards the changing room curtains.
On the lace floral table placed on the way to the curtains, there was a cool drink of unknown origin.
Stay strong today as well!
^^
“……”
I drank the beverage in one go and placed it down gratefully.
It was a very nutty barley tea.
“ – Was the counseling helpful, my friend?”
"Yes."
I grabbed the 'Good Friend' plush doll.
...As my mind cleared up, I had a few thoughts about this thing, but...
'That’s for after work.'
Creak.
I opened the door and came out.
The white lizard-headed figure in a black suit, leaning against the opposite wall, turned to look at me.
"Did you have the counseling?"
"Yes."
I’m not sure, but I’d probably have a rather awkward expression while saying this.
"Thank you, Team Leader. Thanks to you, I’ve escaped from the contamination."
"It’s nothing."
The lizard team leader is being humble...?!
"Kim Sol-eum, you are still in a contaminated state. Please continue to have regular counseling."
"......Yes."
Ah.
So that’s what it meant…
"But I think I’m much better now. Do you think so too, Team Leader?"
"Yes."
The lizard team leader looked at me as if measuring me, then declared this.
"It’s okay to look now."
"What do you mean...?"
"It’s a message from Supervisor Park Minseong."
“…!!”
...Team Leader Lee Jaheon took a small post-it from his suit pocket and handed it to me.
Roe Deer, you’ve worked hard.
Thank you for bringing me out.
“…….”
I took a short deep breath.
"Are you recovered?"
"The standard of recovery is..."
"Can you communicate rationally?"
"It’s possible probabilistically."
Huh…
"Does that mean I’m wavering?"
Anyway, it was a good thing that I was in recovery.
And naturally, another team member came to mind.
"......By any chance, has Deputy Manager Eun Haje ever contacted you separately, Team Leader?"
"Yes."
“…….”
As soon as Deputy Manager Eun Haje took a leave of absence, news stopped.
If I send a text or a Kakao message, he sometimes sees it, but there’s no reply. He only marks it as read.
‘Maybe she wants to distance himself from this creepy company.’
After going through all kinds of chaos due to mental contamination, it actually seemed like a wise stance…
Anyway, that was the end of my morning schedule.
"Should I return to the office now?"
"Yes."
"Once again, thank you so much, Team Leader."
"Yes."
Team Leader Lee Jaheon left to take care of his work, and I killed some time in the office, browsing the welfare mall until lunchtime.
It was a luxury I could afford thanks to having just extracted an A-grade solution.
‘Is it better now that I’m in my right mind?’
I don’t know. This company is just terrifying…
Knock knock.
"Hello."
Huh?
I turned my gaze away from the monitor.
Somehow, someone had entered the office and was gently tapping on my desk.
It was a young man wearing a gray suit.
‘I don’t recognize this face.’
Is he from another team or department?
He seemed to be around my age, but he gave the impression of someone I would never want to face as a competitor in an interview…
‘Why didn’t he just go to another big company instead of this one?’
For a moment, I almost looked at him with pity, but I quickly moved past that and straightened my posture.
"Hello. What brings you here?"
"Ah, I just have a question to ask."
He asked politely in the same manner
"Did you have a good session, Sol-eum?"
"…!"
"I'm glad to see you've recovered a lot. It's nice to meet you. My name is Ho Yoo-won."
He extended his hand as if asking for a handshake.
"I heard you've received an interesting proposal from Director Cheong recently."
“…….”
Director Cheong.
He referred to him without using honorifics.
And the name.
Ho Yoo-won.
……
…Director Ho!!
"I actually have a proposal for you too, seems like a strange coincidence."
Director Ho visited the D team office.
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