It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story Chapter 103

–Friend, your boss is a creativity-less and boring slicer….

‘Y-yeah.’

I thanked Lee Ja-heon and went to find Brown.

I felt a bit sorry for both sides, as it was late and the Lizard Team Leader took this stuffed toy home to the staff quarters.

Thanks to that, I thought Brown would be quite intrigued to visit a house of a boss I had never seen (and didn’t particularly want to see in the future).

-Oh, I’d rather sit alone on the cold tiled floor of the backstage studio.

‘…Yeah.’

Seems like it was exceedingly boring….

I broke out in a cold sweat watching Brown complain, “There’s nothing at that author’s house; time flowed silently without soliloquies or humming.”

“But it was just too dirty. I thought as a friend, I shouldn’t let you leave it abandoned in that rundown building.”

–Friend…!

Now I had a rough idea. The ‘Good Friend’ reacted the most when I treated him as a friend….

“Well, that’s the truth.”

Anyhow, I reminisced about the conversation I had with Lee Ja-heon right before transferring Brown.

-Thank you.

I bowed my head.

-And I’m sorry. I’ve caused trouble for you, Team Leader, due to my misdeeds.

To be honest, in a typical company, I would have been hit with a file by my direct superior.

But even after hearing the whole story, the Lizard Manager remained calm.

-Yes.

-…I couldn’t have pushed a colleague into a place that was obviously dangerous without any reason….

-I see.

Then he stared at me and said this.

-Take responsibility for your choice.

-…Yes!

It was a bit scary, but it felt like he let it slide anyway.

‘Phew.’

I apologized and expressed my gratitude to Lee Ja-heon a few more times, handing over the gift set of snacks I had prepared.

And now, I was descending the stairs to the staff quarters.

-So, shall we return to the modest and cozy room of Doe for some rest?

“No, not that.”

I stepped outside the staff quarters building.

“I have one more thing to do.”

Today was the day I would draw the tarot for the F-grade darkness I was managing, ‘Choose One.’

It had been almost two months since I visited the annex to check the tarot cards.

While I was on sick leave, someone else worked as a substitute, and now my turn came again.

“Hello.”

I greeted the staff at the desk, a shadowy figure of the Security Team, and received the key to move through the hallway.

‘Last time, I drew the Moon card upside down.’

-Oh, are you going to pull that trick again? Drawing cards upside down, I mean!

Well, that.

“If necessary, I’ll have to use it… but I’d like to avoid it as much as possible.”

-Oh?

I had some concerns regarding that.

‘When I drew the Moon card upside down, it was said that uncertainty would be resolved.’

-That’s right. Is there an issue with that?

On its own, there was no problem.

During the month after drawing that card, uncertainty was resolved or things became clearer in many instances.

For instance… my affiliation.

‘It’s confirmed that I’m staying in Group D.’

…Since two members had disappeared.

“……”

However, every situation had its premise.

‘For uncertainty to be resolved, one must first experience an uncertain situation.’

In other words, drawing a bad card upside down meant…

‘It’s predicated on experiencing a bad state in some way or another.’

To recover or escape from that, it had to happen at least once.

-Aha, that’s an interesting approach. Quite persuasive!

Right.

Besides, even if I recover, falling into a ‘bad state’ within the horror story universe was an enormous risk…

I must not forget the contamination incidents.

‘It would be safer to pull something good in the upright direction.’

So please, I hope neither card will turn out bad, leading to a situation where I have no choice.

‘Phew.’

I entered the isolation area and released the ‘Choose One’ isolation. I took out two black tarot cards face down onto the table.

Then, taking a deep breath, I flipped the two cards over.

The first card.

The Devil.

Damn it.

‘That Devil card keeps appearing, doesn’t it?’

The amazing part was that this time it was upside down right from the start.

-Oh, an upside down Devil!

-‘I am liberated from the Devil.’ It’s a card of liberation, indicating overcoming addiction or obsession, or a future decision to conquer fear.

-It’s quite fitting for the willpower and creativity of Doe!

I appreciated the interpretation.

But my gaze immediately fixated on the second card.

…The Sun!

The upright red and yellow sun blazed brightly, coloring the card beautifully.

This is…

‘Isn’t this definitely good?!’

-Oh, Sun!

-The joy and blessings enjoyed under the clear light of the Sun! Career success, relationship improvement, and signs of utmost positivity. It guarantees happiness in the near future.

-Some might consider it the best card in the tarot, but, well… isn’t unconditional success and happiness a bit boring?

Sorry, but I desperately need that boredom right now, dear host…!

‘This is a no-brainer.’

I reached out to grab the Sun card.

Thus, I confirmed the upright card and secured a stable and good future.

-It’s a somewhat boring choice! But I respect that choice too, Doe!

‘Thanks.’

And I straightened my mind.

‘Success and happiness, huh.’

That’s definitely something you wouldn’t lose anything over.

For now, let’s feel relieved that a prophecy of this event will occur within this month….

‘Shall I return to the staff quarters now?’

-That’s great, Friend!

With that, I ended my long and eventful day while heading home late at night. By the way, I had to walk up since I couldn’t take the elevator.

‘Climbing stairs at night, even without horror stories, is scarier than I thought…’

I felt a bit miserable.

But that was the last event, truly eventful this year.

Surprisingly, the remainder of this year passed peacefully.

The last month of December.

Gwak Je-gang hadn’t called on me unnecessarily since this incident. Even assignments from strange research teams had become scarce.

‘Looks like the MZ Force worked….’

I worried they might call back Jang Heo-woon from the research team, but that didn’t happen either.

[Jang Heo-woon: Sol-eum! I don’t have any special changes in affiliation. I’m still in Group F.]

Jang Heo-woon seems to have smoothly settled into Group F with the year-end official appointment.

‘That’s something to celebrate.’

Although the group member is Baek Sa-heon… Well, it doesn’t seem like they would just use Jang Heo-woon as bait at Seokwang Technical High School.

Other than that, everything was normal.

‘The horror stories had entered earnestly.’

I hadn’t encountered any high-grade horror stories of C grade or above.

Thanks to that, my internal screams and fears, along with rising insomnia, had been rounded off by watching children’s anime…

I met with Manager Lee Byeong-jin, who was in charge of evaluations in the hallway. He lightly hinted that “the company is busily filthy due to year-end accounting and audits.”

It was still a bit uncomfortable that he occasionally rambled on about Director Ho, but I appreciated that he was providing this kind of information…

“Wow, Chief Kim, once you enter a high-grade darkness, you’re clearing it like crazy and piling up points, so there’s no worry, right? It’s a shame there’s no high-grade, haha!”

“……”

Not at all sad…

Anyway, even as I calmly cleared the low levels, points were accumulating, and I could breathe a sigh as I gathered my thoughts.

Yet during all this time, something peculiar remained unconfirmed.

“Um, Team Leader, is my disciplinary action still under discussion?”

“Yes.”

My disciplinary action, that is.

-Oh. How intriguing… didn’t I expect the result to come out right away, Doe?

That’s right.

To be honest, I didn’t expect a cover-up, but I didn’t think it would take this much time.

I thought it would be a matter of punishing that obnoxious and capable newbie a bit to rein them in.

‘…Why are they being so complicated about this?’

It seemed like rumors had circulated in the Field Exploration Team as well, which was a bit odd.

[Kang Lee-hak: Chief! I heard the news, haha! You decided not to do inefficient work that isn’t included in your salary, right? Wow! I respect you!]

“……”

Uh… rumors were being spread that way?

‘I was trying to build a character with a clear moral line; would that also be distorted…?’

Fortunately, it didn’t seem that severe. It appeared the development department was just confused about what to do with me: whether to treat me as an exception or follow regulations.

And then, in late December.

“The date of the disciplinary action has been confirmed.”

“……”

Whew.

Finally, the official document came down.

Content: Performance of night cleaning duties in the Security Team.

Duration: 3 days.

This disciplinary action is aimed at improving the work attitude of the individual and please take care that similar incidents do not occur in the future.

It was truly the sort of thing you’d expect from a horror story company.

‘Where did the usual private company disciplinary measures like education, pay cuts, suspension, or removal go?’

So, isn’t three days about okay? Didn’t I just dodge a bullet?

That’s true. However…

“The schedule is from December 29 to 31.”

“……”

Who could it be?

‘From the date selection alone, I can feel the desire to mess with me as much as possible…!’

It feels like there’s a malicious intent to have me stay up all night at the company to welcome the New Year. I was really curious as to who it was.

But since I had already charged in once, I had no choice but to comply this time.

‘Phew…’

In the end, at midnight on December 29th, I went down to the security team area in the B1 basement of the company.

And I met a familiar face.

“Hello, J3.”

“Wow… it’s been a while…”

It was none other than Security Team Leader J3.

That lean staff member, who had only met me a few times since escaping from the Horror Story of His Highness and the Hungry Hangman incidents, raised a rather pleased hand toward me.

Of course, the annoyance was more apparent, so I quickly pulled out the bribe I had prepared.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be in your care for three days.”

“You don’t need to be sorry…”

Team Leader J3’s face brightened as he accepted the large boxes of 12 sugar and cream donuts.

“It was worth the support… Thank you… I’ll enjoy these as my snacks….”

“……”

‘I brought two boxes to share with the security team…’

But since he firmly believed it was all for himself, I kept my mouth shut. I thought that was a wise decision.

“Well, let’s go this way…”

The Security Team Leader began to guide me deeper, further than the CCTV room.

‘This is an area only the security team can enter.’

Looks like I’m visiting here again.

I swallowed hard and started walking down the hallway following his footsteps.

So somewhere here, I had to do the cleaning.

“Can I ask where I’ll be cleaning for the next three days?”

“Yes… Since you’ve been here before, it should feel a bit easier, I guess? Umm.”

Been here before, you say?

“Well, today the cleaning area is Isolation B Corridor…. You know, that place where the contaminated employee was taken out from…”

“……!”

Damn.

He was talking about the isolation area next to the Security Team Rental Warehouse.

The passage filled with the sealed rooms where I was held for a short while after being rescued from the Hungry Hangman…

‘That place… wasn’t usually a normal location.’

I recalled all the mutterings and strange phenomena I experienced while walking through the Isolation Corridor and swallowed hard.

‘…Cleaning the security team area.’

An almost certain premonition that I would encounter bizarre phenomena quickened my heart.

“This way… the changing room.”

I swallowed and followed the Security Team Leader’s guidance towards the changing room.

And in the process, I unintentionally got a glimpse of the dormitory for the security team.

[Bedroom]

I could see through the crack of the door.

It was a cramped room furnished with gray supplies, featuring curtains, blankets, a metal desk, and cabinet, exuding a living atmosphere.

…Mysteriously, it felt like a staff dormitory in a prison.

‘It seems more shabby than the staff quarters.’

After all, being in the basement didn’t seem healthy.

“Do all the security team members live here?”

“No, just the security team… um.”

The Security Team Leader squinted slightly as if gauging how far he could speak.

But soon, with a weary expression, he casually answered.

“The security team actually breaks into a higher division called the Security Management Department, but… this is mainly where the security team is located….”

“I see.”

Anyway, we soon arrived at the changing room, and I quickly changed into the clothes provided.

They weren’t the same security team outfit I had worn last time but a bright orange one that stood out. It oddly resembled an engineer’s work uniform.

“The cleaning uniform… isn’t bad… the color is pretty…”

“……”

Is he serious…?

Anyway, it was time to move on to the cleaning location after changing.

‘Phew.’

Feeling like I was being dragged to a slaughterhouse, I looked at the Security Team Leader, who didn’t leave the changing room as if waiting for someone.

“Cleaning is usually done in teams of two.”

Huh?

Don’t tell me the Security Team Leader is sticking around… Could it be another employee?

At that moment, the Security Team Leader looked outside the changing room and waved me over.

“They’re coming… Today’s partner.”

I also looked outside the changing room.

Someone familiar was walking down the hallway where the bedroom was.

…A known face.

“Doe.”

“…!!”

In the hallway, Chief Park Min-seong waved at me with an awkward smile.

“Nice to see you. How have you been?”