I knew.

That the Disaster Management Bureau was strongly managing to prevent the information about this ghost story, ‘Goblin Workshop’, from leaking out.

To be precise… just up to that point!

‘I had no idea how exactly they were managing the ghost story…’

Because it wasn’t even mentioned in the <Chronicles of Darkness Exploration>!

Who would have imagined that they were actually infiltrating the legend itself, working undercover, weeding out visitors, and monitoring the equipment being made?

Disaster Management Bureau staff pretending to be goblins in the ghost story!

[Oh? You're slow to respond!]

My head feels dizzy.

‘…What should I do?’

Wait, what have I been rambling about until now?

With a chilling sensation, I replayed the past conversation that flashed through my mind like a panorama.

A critical mistake… No, I didn’t make one.

‘…It’s fine!’

I can still make up for it. I can make up for it….

If so,

I deliberately showed a slightly pale expression, fully revealing my flustered and helpless demeanor.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I haven’t received permission to speak about such matters….”

[…….]

I don’t know.

I’m just a rookie who has no idea that he’s a human, let alone my senior agent.

I’m just someone trying my best to respond while flustered and panicking because a goblin from a ghost story started prying into my personal details!

‘Please!’

I slightly raised my head with an expression that seemed to say, ‘What should I do with this goblin?’

[Wow, those government workers like Mr. Kim sure are overly cautious.]

“…….”

Sigh.

[So Mr. Kim and his group are called a team over there, but why can’t you tell me??]

“Yes. Uh, yes…. I’m sorry. It’s just how the government has decided.”

[Oh, how boring!]

The agent pretending to be a goblin clicked his tongue and took a step back.

‘That’s it.’

Did he fall for it?

[Still, I’ll let it slide for the kind-hearted Mr. Kim who gave me the ginseng!]

It seemed the agent would continue pretending to be a goblin.

‘…Did my lead work well?’

Also known as teasing a junior.

This rookie had unknowingly fueled their desire to one day shock him by revealing, ‘That person is an agent.’

He guessed it by seeing that the agent, like a real goblin, sniffed the ginseng stored in the tattoo.

‘By imitating goblins, did they also adopt their abilities and personality?’

Could they have been using that kind of "equipment," I wondered.

And goblins can’t resist such pranks.

“Th-thank you.”

I bowed deeply in accordance with the situation.

[Kind-hearted Mr. Kim, I must still return the favor with some drinks!]

[Well, tell me which goblin item you want! You can recite it in song or dance if you wish….]

Now he’s trying to give the rookie something.

Perhaps he thought the wild ginseng I had was a rare treasure from somewhere, and he figured I gave it away in a panic.

‘…The most natural response is,’

“Th-that’s fine, sir! Then… please show your kindness to the next ‘Mr. Kim working for the government’ who visits. As much as you’re in a good mood.”

[…Oh, really?]

“Yes!”

[Alright, Mr. Kim. I’ll pay for the drinks!]

I smiled brightly and nodded. The goblin, too, looked at me with a slightly satisfied expression and swayed happily.

Good. It seems this topic passed.

And naturally, the next topic shifted to the griptok I was holding.

[So, Mr. Kim, the reason you came here today is… you’d like this trinket fixed nicely, is that it?]

“…Yes.”

This is the problem.

This agent figured out that my griptok wasn’t made here….

Cold sweat formed in my palms.

As expected, the agent disguised as a goblin asked as if he didn’t know.

[Where did this item originate from?]

“Uh, I don’t really know. It was given to me as a gift by the government….”

[Alright, alright. So these days, even Mr. Kims working for the government run factories and keep bringing in items from elsewhere….]

[It’s a risky thing to do.]

“…….”

[Who knows when a daytime goblin might appear!]

Yes. The Disaster Management Bureau no longer relies solely on this workshop to produce supplies for its agents.

‘Even the Silver Heart came from a different place.’

Anyway, it seemed they misunderstood it as something made in one of those places.

It was a very fortunate misunderstanding.

‘Thanks to that, I was saved.’

Seeing the agent pretending to be a goblin until the end, even mentioning the daytime goblin at the last moment, gave me a bit of relief.

Thanks to that, I could laugh it off and admit it lightly.

‘Anyway, I’m screwed.’

That agent will surely remember me, the one who suddenly visited today and even offered ginseng.

‘The moment that person leaves this ghost story and talks to the Disaster Management Bureau, I’ll become a person of interest under surveillance.’

…Is there really no way out?

[Anyway, I’ll fix this trinket completely, so just wait here!]

“Yes….”

The agent pretending to be a goblin whisked my griptok into the tile-roofed house, or rather, the ‘workshop.’

He was probably going to entrust it to the other goblins inside.

I waited quietly.

The ominous thought that the agent might figure out the situation, confiscate my griptok, and make an emergency call to the Disaster Management Bureau made me break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long.

[Here, take your trinket!]

The returning agent casually tossed the griptok to me. I held back a string of curses as I carefully caught it.

The griptok still had cracks visible on it.

However, the grooves were smoothly filled with something shiny.

An adhesive gleaming with a jade-like sheen.

“Ah, is this fully repaired now?”

[Oh, even rice needs to sit and steam after cooking. Do you think an elder’s craftsmanship would be as quick as eating porridge? You need to wait until the adhesive has fully dried!]

[For just one month, don’t use it. Treat it as preciously as if you were caring for a baby wrapped in a blanket. Wish for what you want it to become, and it will turn into a truly splendid trinket!]

A whole month?

“…Thank you.”

I gently held the griptok.

‘…It feels like it might come apart if I apply even a little pressure.’

It means I have to handle it very carefully for the entire month it takes for the adhesive to set.

That means….

‘I won’t be able to access the wiki for an entire month.’

Right now, I’ve been rereading it daily, desperately trying to remember as much as possible, but this means I can’t keep up that routine.

Obviously, human memory has its limits, so I felt anxious… but there was no choice. I had to endure it since getting a new griptok seemed impossible.’

‘Anyway, the fact that it was successfully fixed is something.’

Then there’s only one problem left.

How on earth do I leave here naturally?

[Alright, alright. Let’s have one of the buckwheat rice cakes young Mr. Kim brought and… hear about what Mr. Kims working for the government are up to these days!]

I have no idea either….

‘If this conversation goes on any longer, it’s only a matter of time before I get caught.’

Forget about being wanted; I might get tied up here and now, taken to the Disaster Management Bureau, and thrown into a glass prison.

…Alright.

I made up my mind.

‘In the long run, I’m going to get caught anyway.’

Then… even if I leave a stronger impression,

I’ll go for it!

“Yes, sir. I….”

Gulp.

I couldn’t hold back the blood and just vomited it out.

Gulp.

Clotted blood dripped down my chin.

Wiping it off hastily with my sleeve, I looked at the goblin with a panicked expression.

“I- I’m sorry….”

It wasn’t just about inducing panic.

Blood.

[Mr. Kim…!!]

Traditionally, blood is also a goblin’s Achilles’ heel.

Thud thud thud.

The massive tile-roofed house trembled.

It’s terrifying! Terrifying! Terrifying!

Why is it terrifying? Why is it terrifying? Why is it terrifying?

[Oh, come on! Everyone, stop overreacting! Nothing’s happening!]

It’s terrifying! Who is it? It’s terrifying! Who is it?

Even as the agent shouted, the tile-roofed house continued to tremble. I turned pale, covering my mouth as I gagged.

“I- I’m sorry.”

[Get out now. Whoever sent a sick rookie into a goblin’s den must be out of their mind…!]

“Ah, no! Sir, I… I came here without knowing anything.”

[Sir? What sir! You idiot, you still don’t get it?]

I guess I should start pretending to catch on.

“…!”

I widened my eyes and stumbled to my feet.

“Could it be….”

The agent in the goblin guise crossed his arms.

[Be grateful that this senior is here. Rookie.]

“Yes, yes… I’m sorry.”

With a dazed expression that seemed to say, ‘I have no idea what’s going on,’ I barely managed to gather myself and stand up.

Thud. Thud.

Now, there were sounds as if brooms or wooden sticks were hitting the door of the tile-roofed house.

Hearing that, the agent clicked his tongue and barked at me.

[If you’re sick, you should rest! What are you crawling into a place like this for? Did headquarters send you?]

Huh?

If I handle this well….

“…No, it’s not.”

I quickly searched my mind and pulled out one of the episodes that had happened in the Disaster Management Bureau.

‘…There was a culture of making bets during training school, wasn’t there!’

It was like a test of courage, where they competed to prove their competence and boldness.

Alright. With this…!

“…My colleagues told me to fix the Memorial Griptok on my own……”

The agent flinched.

[…Do they still do that these days?]

I just gave an awkward smile and said nothing.

The agent in the goblin disguise seemed to suppress a sigh, rubbed his face, and waved me off.

[…I won’t report this to headquarters. Just leave.]

It worked.

“Th-thank you.”

[What’s your codename?]

“It hasn’t been decided yet… I’m still thinking about what would be good.”

[…Alright. I’ll see when the time comes.]

The agent pretending to be a goblin waved his hand.

Whisk.

With that gesture, I was pushed out…

[Go inside and take some rest.]

Thud!

I fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ha..."

When I lifted my head, I found myself on the bustling streets of Hongdae. It was still lively, the sun was blazing, and the café with the blue roof ahead was thriving with business as usual...

'...I made it!'

I got out without being caught.

“ – That was an excellent ad-lib, my friend!”

I let out a deep sigh and covered my face with my hands. I almost collapsed flat on the side of the road.

***

After that, I really spent two days resting and recuperating.

Unable to use the grip tok, I grew anxious and tried writing down the thoughts in my head on paper. But I stopped because I felt like I might be unintentionally distorting or creating details.

Instead, I obsessively replayed everything in my mind, and time passed quickly.

And then...

"Kim Sol-eum."

"Yes, Team Leader."

Three days later, when I returned to work, I met Team Leader Lizard again.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes."

"Kim Sol-eum, you need to attend an additional counseling session within this month."

“......Yes.”

Fortunately, things on that end seemed fine too. 

Moreover, Team Leader Lee Jaheon didn’t ask me anything further.

Not even about Braun’s ability to ‘turn off the lights’ or the black water blob mascot that had chased me.

Even as I shared everything I could, he just listened and responded with a simple, ‘I see.’

'As consistent as ever.'

Because of that, I found it hard to ask Team Leader Lee Jaheon anything further myself…

Besides, having taken a three-day sick leave, I came back to a mountain of work, so there wasn’t any room to set the mood for an interrogation.

‘Wow, how am I supposed to get all this done?'

Once again, I became an irregular. Even though I made it out, the entire Team D took leave right after, except for the two junior employees who came to assist.

Everywhere, the pressure was relentless.

I spent the entire day writing reports, conducting interviews with Team Leader Lee Jaheon, and even making calls to thank Director Cheong.

Meanwhile, I had to mention the shadowy taxi I used to escape ‘Dead End Alley’ in my report. This left me racking my brain on how to explain how I’d called it.

‘Should I say I saw some random flyer advertising it on ‘Dead End Alley’?’

But wouldn’t that count as a manual violation due to contamination?

As my head was spinning.

"The taxi you called is currently under review in the manual evaluation system."

“...!”

"This means it’s information that cannot be acquired through the company’s system under normal circumstances."

Wow.

When I turned to look at Team Leader Lee Jaheon with a chilling feeling, the Lizard said this.

"So, I changed the taxi caller."

"......Changed to whom?"

"Me."

Wait a minute.

"You altered the report to state that you were the one who called the taxi?"

"Yes."

Now, I think I’ve started to grasp the operational principle of this lizard.

"...So, this is both a reward for my significant contribution to escaping 'Dead End Alley,' and also you, as the Team Leader, taking collective responsibility, right?"

"Yes."

But that wasn’t the end of it.

"Ah, Team Leader, do you remember? Back in the break room ghost story, you promised me some equipment, didn’t you...?"

"Yes. It will be ready by next week."

Wow.

I decided that from now on, I would genuinely respect Team Leader Lee Jaheon. 

So what if he’s a bit slow? He’s truly a dream boss!

‘If it feels slow, just bear with it yourself, got it, Kim Sol-eum!’

I yelled at myself and continued diligently working through the paperwork.

The new equipment was about to be produced, a new team with a new rank was forming. 

A new chapter in my corporate life was just around the corner.

However, before that, a new darkness was waiting for me.

...Along with a face I wasn’t happy to see at all.

***

"Wow, it’s been a while, Mr. Roe Deer!"

Gwak Jegang from the research team waved at me with a bright smile.

"Are you interested in abandoned elevators?"

No! Absolutely not!!