Chapter Text
“Done.”
Soleum was finally able to finish Qterw-B-1019’s manual a little after three o’clock and email it to Baek Saheon. He could feel the effects of the morning’s HOT6ix fading, so he made his way back to the break room to get another one. He remembered to bring his laptop with him this time.
— Perhaps some sustenance instead, Mr. Roe Deer?
He paused to think where Team F might be at this hour.
— Not to worry, Friend! They’re currently in that foul-mouthed lady’s abode.
Qterw-C-432, the Witch’s House. It usually took exploration teams an entire day to clear that one. He pushed the [2] button on the elevator instead of [6].
Ding!
The doors opened to a blessedly empty cafeteria.
Soleum walked to the counter. The kind lady who was in charge of the kitchen met him near the display glass.
“Oh, Director Kim. If I knew you were going to be down, I would have set aside something…”
“That’s alright. I wasn’t expecting to have time for a break either.” He thought for a moment. “Could I have something to go?”
Soleum ended up with two lovingly made tuna egg sandwiches and some kimchi in a plastic container. He paid for it with company credit and made his way toward the cafeteria doors.
— Friend.
What is it?
— This Braun may have underestimated your new neighbor’s capabilities…
What are you-
The cafeteria doors opened in front of him.
“-the first time we’ve escaped the Witch’s House so quickly?” An employee with high pigtails that fell past her shoulders said excitedly. She had a rabbit mask hanging by her waist.
“I know, right?” Another employee, this time a blonde man with a shark mask, grinned behind her. His teeth were sharper than an ordinary human’s, likely a ghost story item. “I thought you being a former elite employee was bullshit, but is it actually true, Kangheon-ssi?”
“Aigoo, how dare you—of course that’s true! Actually, I’m… a bit surprised myself. Were Darknesses always this easy to clear? During my time they were…”
Agent Choi moved his gaze from Shark to Soleum.
“Director!”
He moved past the other two employees of Team F and hugged Soleum in front of them.
“You and Director Kim really are close, huh?” Supervisor Rabbit asked curiously.
“I thought those stories about you two being on the same team were bullshit too…” Assistant Manager Shark looked at Soleum with the same interest.
What the hell has Agent Choi been telling these people?!
“Psh, as if I would ever lie about that.” Choi finally let him go, only to sling an arm over his shoulder. “The Director and I go way back~?”
Aren’t you afraid of getting outed as a government plant?!
Then again, They didn’t really care about things like that as long as it profited the company.
“Actually, why don’t we join you on your break, Director?” Agent Choi quickly suggested, looking at Soleum’s uneaten meal.
“Speak for yourself, Kangheon-ssi,” Shark let out a small tsk. “Everybody knows you should eat a heavy breakfast before you venture into the Witch’s House. It usually takes a day to escape.”
Choi laughed shyly. “Is that so?”
Rabbit nodded. “It’s the very first item on the manual. Though I don’t blame you for missing the briefing. You were with the HR Director all morning, right?”
Shark made a gagging face.
“Oh, gross. Are you okay, Kangheon-ssi?” The assistant manager gave him a worried look. “Fucker’s been on Field Exploration’s ass for months. He’s just jealous the higher-ups like us more because… ah…”
Shark sheepishly turned to Soleum, who was still awkwardly standing beneath Choi’s arm.
“Sorry, sir. I promise to watch my words. Don’t report me?”
These rascals from Team F weren’t fazed by Choi’s public display of affection for a higher-ranked employee because they were fairly casual with Soleum, too. The perks of seeing him and Baek Saheon work together often, he guessed. After all, this was the team his former roommate managed the closest.
Soleum sighed. “And who exactly am I going to report you to? HR?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Shark nodded sagely. “But I heard you’re pretty close to the CEO? Then again, you’ve never reported anyone to him either…”
“Him?” Rabbit questioned. “I thought the CEO was a woman?”
“No, he’s definitely a man. I swear it was him I saw the other month when I had to get some overtime approved…”
The other two Team F employees continued to gossip about company affairs, which Choi listened to as he not-so-subtly led Soleum and the rest of the group to one of the cafeteria tables. He was likely hoping to understand Soleum’s situation better, since he refused to offer anything up himself.
Or rather, he couldn’t because of his contract.
14.2 Non-Disclosure Agreement. The Employee agrees that they shall not, during or after their employment with the Company, directly or indirectly disclose, publish, or otherwise communicate any Confidential Information to any third party not authorized to receive such information. This includes the terms, conditions, and internal logistics of this contract, as well as the existence of the body that governed the company.
But nobody was supposed to know about this arrangement in the first place other than Baek Saheon and Jin Nasol, who were there when Soleum had made his declaration to get promoted.
Soleum ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in the cafeteria sandwiched between Agent Choi and a wall. The two other members of Team F sat on the bench across from them with their own snacks.
Since Soleum only had to work on manuals that afternoon, he opened his laptop and finished two D-Grade ones while the other three conversed in the background. He ate one of the sandwiches while he worked and offered the other to his former senior agent.
“Ah, you don’t really have to…”
Soleum placed it in front of him anyway and went back to his work. He ignored his protests.
He didn’t know if what Agent Choi had said about not having eaten anything that day was true, but Qterw-C-432 wasn’t an easy Darkness to clear. He surely needed the calories anyway.
Click-Click-Click-Click.
He felt Agent Choi’s eyes on his screen sometimes. Soleum wasn’t working on anything confidential at the moment, so he pretended he didn’t notice it.
A little before 5 PM, Baek Saheon entered the cafeteria. He likely just finished his report and stopped by for a quick snack before heading home.
“Chief, over here!”
Supervisor Rabbit waved at him.
His eyes widened and looked visibly conflicted. It was a table that included all members of Team F, after all, including…
Agent Choi waved at the guy as well.
…the guy who threatened him “a bit” the previous week.
Still, while Baek Saheon truly didn’t give a damn about the other employees of this company, or anyone else for that matter, Soleum liked to think that he developed a soft spot for people he considered “his”—namely Teams F, G, and H.
With the exception of Lee Kangheon, but that was given.
Soleum raised an eyebrow, asking the question they were all thinking.
“Well?”
Baek Saheon seemed to have come to a decision.
After speaking with the kitchen manager, he arrived at their table and sat on Soleum’s opposite side, between the wall and Supervisor Rabbit.
Half an hour later, the lady in charge of Daydream’s meals pushed a cart that contained plates and plates of food. From noodles and fried rice to pancakes and dessert, it was a volume large enough to feed four to five people.
“Section Chief Baek asked us to serve everything that we could make with leftover ingredients from lunch and, well,” she offered an apologetic, half-hearted smile, “even I didn’t expect it would amount to this much…”
“No need to apologize madam! We’re truly grateful for the food! Ehehehe…”
Rabbit shook her head at her colleague’s shameless behavior. “I thought you said you weren’t hungry?”
“Well, if it’s being offered, it would be ruder to say no, y’know? Besides…” Shark said, taking the massive plate of Kimchijeon from the tray and placing it near him, “it’s not every day we catch Chief Goat in a generous mood. You gotta take advantage of the magic when it happens.”
“That is true…”
Baek Saheon grimaced. “Shut up, both of you, and eat the damn food. And you-”
He pointed at Soleum.
“They ran out of pickled radish, so I had the kimbap rolled with some mugunji instead. Don’t complain.”
“Yes? Thank you?”
Why on earth would Soleum complain about free food?
“Ah, seriously, why do you always say it with a question mark?” Baek Saheon mumbled. “You never do that when it’s Jin Nasol…”
“Hmm. Is it this?”
Choi held up a rectangular plate that had 18 sliced portions of kimbap on it. He placed it beside Soleum’s laptop.
The remaining members of Team F unloaded the rest of the dishes and spread the food on the table. A pitcher of water and five glasses were placed in the middle.
“Say ahh, Director~”
Agent Choi held a piece of kimbap between his chopsticks and hovered it in front of Soleum’s mouth.
Soleum, who was deep into his work and didn’t want to lift his hands until he finished with the section he was on, opened his mouth to accept the offering.
Assistant Manager Shark choked on his food.
“What the fuck…” Baek Saheon whispered in front of him. “He isn’t five. He can eat his own damn food!”
Agent Choi pouted.
“But when he gets like this, he doesn’t eat anything until he finishes! Jaekwan and I did this for him all the time. It’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t skip meals.”
Baek Saheon lightly prodded his laptop’s screen to get his attention.
“Hey. Kim Soleum. Is that true?”
Soleum looked up to see Baek Saheon looking at him intently.
“Yes…?”
Huh? Why did this bastard look so betrayed?
“I mean, you already know I have this habit of…”
“Eating late? Yeah but,” Baek Saheon frowned. “You skip meals?”
“I try not to, but I can’t help it sometimes. It’s just easier on my mind when I finish my current task before I take a break.”
“I figured you were that kind of person.” Baek Saheon nodded, his eyes glazing over slightly. “I knew somebody who was the same way…”
The other three employees looked like they wanted to ask who it was.
Soleum saved the D-Grade manual draft he just finished and grabbed his own pair of chopsticks. “If it makes a difference, I rarely skip meals since I rejoined Daydream-”
Choi laughed. “Wow, I didn’t know you evolved into a liar since I last saw you, Director~”
What the…
“How would you know? You haven’t even been here that long.”
Thank you, Baek Saheon.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Choi replied with a small pout. “If I don’t drag him down for lunch, he just works through the afternoon!”
“Actually, I would appreciate it if you stopped doing that,” Soleum said, taking a piece of kimbab and putting it in his mouth. He could feel Agent Choi pause beside him. “If I’m not down at noon, I’m here at around three or four o’clock. You’re welcome to join me then.”
As Baek Saheon mentioned, Soleum ate later than everybody else, but he did unless he was on a tight deadline.
“Um. Maybe it would be good to eat at noontime more often, Director Kim.” Rabbit offered. “If the other employees saw you more, they wouldn’t be as scared…”
“Why does he have to care about what those bastards think?” Baek Saheon huffed. “Just let them be.”
“Ugh, if everybody just knew that Supervisor Parrot isn’t actually dead-”
“Ah, I don’t actually mind if they think that,” Soleum affirmed, thoroughly chewing on another piece of kimbap.
He wanted that man to live a peaceful, uninterrupted life. Even if he hadn’t accepted the severance money Soleum offered, he had long routed some of his own into a local NGO that could ensure the farming facilities at Naju-si were in their best condition.
Plus, Soleum knew a lot of people from the lower alphabet teams that were jealous of Teams F to H, which were technically Daydream’s “elites” at this point. It was better for Supervisor Parrot to be out of Seoul, where Daydream employees could easily find him.
Besides…
— A little fear is needed to control the masses!
If they think Director Kim was going to kill them for acting out of line, then they would do their best to maintain a clean act.
Since the Bloody Mary incident, he could proudly say that the department has recorded zero fatalities.
“Um, I have a question.” Choi slowly raised a hand. “Who is Supervisor Parrot and why does everybody think he’s dead?”
Shark’s eyes widened. “Shit, Kangheon-ssi, hasn’t anyone told you about the E-Grade Darkness in the employee break room?”
Choi briefly eyed Soleum, who ignored him in favor of reaching out for some Tteokbokki. “You mean the coffee machine…?”
Supervisor Rabbit nodded.
“It all started when the supervisor thought it would be a great idea to use it as an alcohol mixer…”
Agent Choi, Shark, and Rabbit had a hushed conversation about Qterw-E-17 for the next half an hour. Soleum listened and moved to grab two slices of Kimchijeon from the big plate near Shark. He stacked them onto his.
He looked around for-
“Here.”
Baek Saheon offered him a saucer where he had already mixed some soy sauce and vinegar.
“Thanks.”
“…whatever.”
On the other side of the table, Soleum and Baek Saheon enjoyed a comfortable meal in relative silence. It made Soleum miss the days when Jin Nasol was around to complete their little trio. The next time he visited the Namhae branch, he was going to try and-
Ping-Ping!
His phone notification went off. It wasn’t the sound it had for texts but for other notifications… like emails.
He put his chopsticks down and opened his laptop to check what had been sent to him.
“Bleh. Who emails at,” Shark, who had correctly deduced the cause, checked the time on his watch and winced, “6:45. Ugh, way past the standard clock-out time, too.”
Soleum could relate. Even though he overtimed a lot, he sent all his emails at the reasonable hours of 9-to-5. He didn’t like notifying people about work outside their work days.
Unfortunately, he could think of a handful who did.
Baek Saheon had a tense expression in front of him. “So, who is it this time?”
Soleum scrolled to the top of his emails and scanned the title and sender. “The CEO.”
He could see him frown in the background.
Soleum angled his screen away from Agent Choi, who looked determined to see what it was about. When his former senior raised an eyebrow, Soleum could only mumble “confidential” under his breath.
With the two other members of Team F at the table already looking at them curiously, Choi had no choice but to look away.
Safely hidden from the eyes of nosy seniors, Soleum opened the email.
Dinner. Tomorrow, at 6:00 PM.
…
Was it a blessing or a curse that the emails he received from the CEO were written so succinctly? He tried not to think about it too hard.
He repeated the exact same words to Baek Saheon, ignoring how Choi muttered “that doesn’t sound confidential” under his breath.
“Oh shit, I was kidding when I said you and him are close but you actually are?” Shark exclaimed. “No wonder you get things approved so quickly…”
Baek Saheon clicked his tongue once. “Tomorrow’s the scheduled exploration of Qterw-B-1019 with Team G…”
And if he had seen the revised manual Soleum had sent over early that afternoon, he would have seen the note that said best entered after dark. That way, they didn’t have to deal with the ghost story entities that went crazy during the day. Nighttime made the Darkness difficult to explore, but it was doable with the right items.
If Baek Saheon didn’t follow that manual to the letter, he was going to hit him. He worked on that for three days.
“It’s okay.”
Soleum nodded.
“You don’t have to do it tomorrow.”
He was used to walking home alone weeks before Baek Saheon offered his company. Well, not completely alone.
— That’s right! Your good friend is always with you!
And even then, there were days when the section chief himself was busy. Braun’s company on those nights was more than enough.
Baek Saheon looked like he was about to protest but remained silent.
“Ooh, is it something I can help with, Team Leader?” Agent Choi inquired.
“No-”
“Actually, Kangheon-ssi and Director-nim live in the same direction, so maybe…?” Rabbit whispered. A glare from Baek Saheon was enough to make her shut up, though.
Unfortunately, Assistant Manager Shark didn’t have the same tact.
“That’s true! Rabi said she saw the two of you approach the building together!” The man exclaimed. “Why don’t you walk Director-nim home instead?”
Choi paused. “That was always the plan, though…?”
Wonderful. Soleum should have expected this too.
“I mean, I was thinking I could walk you home every day after work…” The older man turned to Soleum, an unusually unsure look on his face. “Might as well, right? Since we live in the same building-”
“What?”
Baek Saheon quickly turned to Soleum. “What did he mean you live in the same building?! Didn’t you stay in-”
Soleum stood up, his laptop already tucked under one arm. “Wow, would you look at the time? We need to leave soon so the people here can clean up.”
“H-Hey! Don’t ignore me-”
Supervisor Rabbit did the same, looking a little embarrassed. Assistant Manager Shark quickly followed with a guilty smile directed toward the kitchen.
“Thank you for the food!” He yelled.
“No problem, sir.” The kind lady smiled. “It was nice having to clear out our ingredients for once. If you eat here tomorrow, everything will be fresh from the market.”
“Did you hear that, Director? We’re gonna have fresh-” Choi chimed over his shoulder before pausing to awkwardly look away. “Um…”
Soleum shook his head.
“I’ll be here, Kangheon-ssi. I’ll text you when I’m about to head down.”
“Yeah?” Agent Choi sent him a hopeful look. “You’re not mad about, you know…?”
“I’m not mad.”
Soleum would have been, if this stupidly overbearing senior of his ignored his earlier words and continued to invade his office anyway. But it looked like he was only a little stupid and didn’t actually mean to be overbearing. Soleum would be more sure tomorrow.
Agent Choi beamed. It was blinding.
Soleum looked away and turned his attention to the kitchen manager. “Unless someone lets you know I’m not coming, just assume I will, even if it’s late in the afternoon.”
“I’ll remember to set aside some portions for you, Director-nim.”
A hand made its way to his shoulder. “Kim Soleum, I asked you a question-”
Choi caught Baek Saheon’s wrist before he could say anything else.
“I can answer for him, Team Leader!” Choi exclaimed. “Or should I say ‘new neighbor’~?”
Baek Saheon went two shades paler. “What are you talking about?”
“As of yesterday, he now stays in room 3602,” Soleum said bluntly. “Congratulations, Saheon-ssi. You finally have a floor companion.”
The only thing that likely stopped Baek Saheon from breaking down then and there was the presence of the other two members of Team F. But Soleum could tell. If the walls in their dorms weren’t soundproof, he would have heard a dozen curses directed at him that night.
All five of them went back to their respective offices, grabbed their things, and met again at the building’s main entrance. Shark and Rabbit lived in the same direction, opposite of the Daydream dorms. This was the main reason they were never able to accompany Soleum home on late nights when Baek Saheon was unavailable (or rather, why Soleum was able to reject their offers easily).
Double-checking he had everything he needed, Shark turned toward the three of them. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow!”
Rabbit nodded beside him.
With a few more words, they walked away from the building first.
Now it was just Agent Choi, Baek Saheon, and Soleum left.
“...”
The silence dragged on until Soleum opened his mouth. “Then, should we head back as well?”
“…yeah.”
“Yep.”
Soleum walked back to the company-provided housing sandwiched between a former senior from the Disaster Management Bureau and the HQ exploration team’s only remaining section chief.
The walk home felt longer than usual.
The moment the three of them made it through the front doors of the officetel, Baek Saheon sped-walked to the vacant elevator across the lobby. It closed just as Soleum and Agent Choi arrived in front of it.
“…”
Fortunately, the second elevator beside it arrived moments later. They stepped into that one.
Soleum tapped his ID on the card reader and pressed both [36] and [37].
— Oh my, a test!
— But are you sure, Friend? If he fails it, you can’t get any more work done.
That’s fine.
Soleum was actually done for the day. To nobody’s surprise, an undisturbed afternoon and an equally undisturbed working meal with Team F did wonders for his schedule.
Besides, Soleum was curious. It was implied, but he essentially let Agent Choi know it was fine to accompany him home. It was also okay to make sure he was eating his meals, as long as Soleum chose what time he ate.
But it was not okay to enter his room without being invited in.
If he clearly drew the line, would this senior, who Soleum knew to be incredibly stubborn, willingly stay on the other side?
Ding!
Once the elevator reached floor 36, Agent Choi stepped off.
Huh.
He turned back to Soleum, hesitating for a moment. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Does it look like I have a choice?”
Soleum only meant to tease, but Choi flinched at the words.
Wow. He must have reflected a lot if he was actually taking my feelings into account.
For the first time in two weeks, Soleum was able to direct a genuine smile his way. “I’m only kidding sunbae-nim. I’ll see you downstairs.”
The elevator doors closed before Soleum could see what expression he made, but Agent Choi’s smile was much brighter when he met him in the lobby the following morning. His former senior even offered him a frappe from the nearby café. It had an extra pump of syrup and more whipped cream than usual—additions he only asked for if the drink was meant to be a peace offering.
Soleum accepted it gratefully.
They walked to the office together. Choi filled most of those 20 minutes with stories about Disasters he, Agent Bronze, and a fully recovered Park Hongrim had recently been sent to as a team. The implication wasn’t lost on Soleum, but he let it all roll over his head.
He was needed… no, he still needed to be here, in Daydream, to accomplish a few things.
— All related to your noble goal of preventing this world from reaching its end, yes?
Soleum’s mind was actually on the remaining Darknesses that needed their manuals rewritten if he didn’t want the employees to die, but yes, the apocalypse too. They were… surprisingly helpful in that regard.
“No way, an apocalypse-like Darkness?!” A lollipop fell out of the Chief Financial Officer’s mouth. Her mouth remained agape. “Who the hell would release something like that?”
She turned to the head of the table.
“CEO…”
The CEO nodded. “We’ll help.”
If it was to track down the source of the apocalypse, a catastrophic event that would negatively affect the company’s profit margin, Soleum could use all of the information and items Daydream owned to chase his leads.
Soleum continued to listen to Agent Choi babble about how easy the reinstatement process was nowadays until they reached the office.
“I meant to ask yesterday but…” Agent Choi waited until they were settled at a table far enough from the few people who ate in the cafeteria this late before bringing it up. It was just a little past 3 PM. “Is there any particular reason why Goat meant to walk you home today? I mean, he never bothered this past week…”
Soleum wasn’t going to question how he knew that.
— If you really want to know, this Braun can tell you.
Please, no.
He didn’t want to know.
Soleum sighed. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
The answer came quickly.
Soleum stopped eating and thought about it.
Let’s see… that guy probably began his habit after he met the COO in person for the first time.
Soleum needed assistance on a lot of aspects of his job, especially if they involved Darknesses. He would sometimes ask Baek Saheon, the only remaining section chief in the Field Exploration department, for the occasional favor. He always did it with the expectation that he would be rejected but, well…
Baek Saheon always did them.
There were backhanded comments for sure, and a lot of “remember to pay me back for this” mumbled under his breath, but he got the job done and didn’t ask for anything. It was very weird. Soleum made sure to reward his time by redirecting some of the Darknesses he should have handled to the lower alphabet teams.
Once, when Soleum needed help with the containment of a new type of ghost story—a relatively safe F-Grade one that he couldn’t get to because of other tasks—he had asked Baek Saheon to do it for him.
“Just be sure the Chief Operating Officer takes a look at this one before you give it to the research team.”
Baek Saheon looked at him in disbelief. “The hell does the COO want with an F-Grade Darkness…?”
“Mm. Something about possibly seeing if it could be used as a way to reach another ghost story?”
Baek Saheon went silent. It made Soleum look up from his computer.
“I scouted the location before today,” he reassured. “It’s safe, I promise.”
As usual, Baek Saheon looked like he wanted to protest at the time but never did. He contained the Darkness that afternoon. Soleum set up a meeting between him and the COO the following evening.
The following night, somebody knocked at Soleum’s kitchen door. It was so quiet and subdued that if Soleum wasn’t already nearby, he doubted he would have heard it.
He opened the door and was met with Baek Saheon’s muted expression. He hadn’t even bothered changing into casual clothing and likely just went here straight from the meeting.
Soleum was a bit confused but let him in.
“So… how did it go?”
“Well,” Baek Saheon began. He sat on one of the chairs around the counter while Soleum checked if the kettle still had water. “There’s really a possibility of it being linked to a Darkness the research team’s been looking for since last year…”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” Soleum asked unsurely.
Baek Saheon didn’t speak up. Soleum prepared two mugs, dropped some tea bags into them, and poured the still-warm water. He offered one of them to the man sitting near his counter.
“Yeah. I guess it is.” He said, taking the mug, gaze not leaving Soleum’s face. “Say, doesn’t the COO feel off to you?”
“Yes?” All three executives of Daydream Inc. were ghost story entities. No normal person would think of building a company like this. Soleum said as much to the person in front of him.
He frowned. “And it doesn’t bother you?”
“Why would it bother me…?” Was Baek Saheon getting cold feet after meeting some Darkness? “Is it that surprising? To know that the things who managed the company who farmed ghost stories weren’t human?”
Baek Saheon suddenly looked angry. “You idiot, are you trying to piss me off?! That’s not what I’m saying! Are you really okay with-”
“Grapes, is everything okay?”
Agent Choi’s voice jogged Soleum out of the memory.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. Sorry.” Soleum didn’t like thinking about the argument they had that night. He was genuinely hurt that Baek Saheon thought that.
They weren’t...
Choi leaned forward slightly. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s hard.”
“Ah, no, it’s not hard. I was thinking about something else.” Soleum paused to think about the answer again.
Truthfully, Soleum has a good idea of why Baek Saheon accompanied him on these nights. But he definitely has the wrong idea. Soleum had tried correcting him multiple times but that bastard never listened. And if ever pliant, albeit noisy, Baek Saheon didn’t believe him, what chance did he have with Choi?
“I suppose he just sometimes does it when I clock out late. You’d have to ask him.”
He could feel Agent Choi trying to gauge his expression but that was the truth. Not the whole truth, but the truth nonetheless.
And, well, Soleum sometimes let Baek Saheon accompany him, even if it was just to catch him up on the rumor mill (courtesy of Team F’s notoriously gossipy duo) because he liked the company. Whether it was with Team D, J3, or Black Tortoise Team 1, He supposed he missed the days he used to have people around him at work. Even with Braun, his days as a Daydream director could feel a bit lonely.
So, even though he was a bit overbearing…
“I’m glad you’re here, sunbae-nim.”
Ah, the words slipped out. His senior also looked a bit surprised by it.
“Well, your sunbae is also happy to see you, Grapes-ie.” Choi smiled at him. “Now hurry up and finish your meal~ weren’t you telling me about that random audit you were planning to do on those people in Research Team 3?”
Right. Rumor has it that they were planning to create a field exploration sub-unit within the department.
“Apparently, they’re tired of you denying their exploration ‘requests’ and are now looking to test things internally.” Baek Saheon had told him the other night. “So, they went to HR and…”
Hiring ordinary civilians to throw into ghost stories was unacceptable. The company would also lose money. This wasn’t Namhae, where they could recycle people like items.
Soleum sighed and quickly finished his food. There were so many aspects to working in Daydream that made him feel like he was constantly defusing a ticking bomb.
Once the table had been cleared, the two of them went out of the cafeteria and waited for the elevator to come down.
Choi looked over at him. “I’ll see you tonight?”
Soleum hesitated.
“Are you really sure about this? I don’t know when I’ll be done…” He always tried his best to get out of dinner quickly, but Soleum was afraid to come off as overly rude. He often ended up staying with Them for at least two hours.
“That’s okay! I’ll wait for you as long as I need to!”
Soleum frowned. This was all truly unnecessary. He didn’t want to be a bother-
“Grapes.”
Soleum looked at him.
“It’s my decision, okay?” Agent Choi patted him on the head. “So, don’t make that face.”
“Okay…”
If his former senior was sure, then Soleum would accept the company.
Oh, before he forgot.
He gently picked up Braun from his pocket and handed him over to Agent Choi. “Could you look after him for a bit?”
— Has the tearful hour of our parting finally arrived? My Friend, how cruel the fates must be to keep us separated for yet another evening…
Don’t be dramatic, Braun. I’ll see you in a few hours.
His former senior accepted the doll cautiously. “This is… your good friend Mr. Braun, isn’t it?”
— !
— I am indeed his good friend, Braun! Mr. Roe Deer’s one and only good friend! I am pleased you remember!
Soleum nodded. “He’s happy you remembered him.”
Choi laughed weakly. “How could I forget? Mr. Braun is a very memorable character.”
— Well, I can’t call myself an entertainer if I don’t leave an impression!
Agent Choi held the rabbit in one hand. He made sure it was seated and not lying down on its back. “So, why are you leaving Mr. Braun with me?”
“The CEO doesn’t like him.”
To be more specific, They threw away outsiders who weren’t invited and especially not to dinner. It was fine if it was, say, a meeting Soleum himself had scheduled, but never if it was the other way around.
Both he and Braun had discovered this the hard way. Let’s just say he went and retrieved another good friend doll from the Cheerful Theme Park after that incident.
— Ungrateful and rude, don’t you agree? Friend, are you absolutely sure we can’t just burn them to ashes? I promise, I’ll make it a good show!
“Why not just leave him in your office?” Choi asked.
— Hmph. What sort of show is there to be had if I’m left all alone?
“He thinks it’s boring.”
If there was an option to leave Braun with Baek Saheon until the meeting was over, his friend often insisted on it.
— That man has a terribly loose lip when he thinks he’s alone. Gossip, in a way, is its own form of entertainment.
Not that Braun ever let him know what he learned. But since Agent Choi was aware that it was an item that held the consciousness of an entity that could easily kill an A-Grade Darkness, he would likely be more careful.
Ding!
The elevator finally arrived. Choi and Soleum entered it and pressed the number that led to their respective destinations.
Agent Choi stepped off the elevator first and waved him goodbye. He made sure Braun could wave too by controlling the rabbit’s arm with two fingers.
It was… cute. He decided that the two of them would be alright.
After ascending a few more floors, Soleum reached his own destination: floor 23, where over half of the research teams’ laboratories were located. He opened the third door on his right.
“Oh, Director-nim. I was wondering when you’d stop b- Hieeeeek!”
One of the lead researchers in Research Team 3 screamed at the sight of him. The rest of the people in the room abruptly stopped what they were doing.
Soleum raised a brow. “Why? Were you expecting another ‘Director-nim’ to come for a visit?”
“T-That’s…”
Soleum spent the next hour inspecting the team’s most recent documents and Darkness logs. At some point, he was able to find a Qterw file marked “for exploration” that Soleum himself had never seen.
“...”
He deliberately went through it page by page, occasionally staring at the junior researcher whose desk he found this document on.
“I swear I don’t know anything!”
“Hmm. Is that so…”
He flipped through another page and, oh look, acquisition requests for field equipment, Dream Collectors, and other suspicious items tagged as “office supplies.”
“I thought it was just HR, but you managed to get the Procurement Department on this too?”
The poor researcher looked like she was on the verge of throwing up.
A corporation will be a corporation, he supposed. Soleum didn’t know why he thought one that handled ghost stories would be any different.
“Well, I’m meeting the CEO in a bit and I’m sure he would love to hear all about,” he read a line on one of the pages, “the ‘risk allowance’ you were going to request to cover ‘increased Darkness grades’ that would be assigned to you for research.”
Not that Soleum was actually planning to tell the CEO anything. He would resolve this on his own. But as a good friend once said, fear is sometimes necessary to control the masses.
“I…”
“Mm. But I don’t think I’ve ever given this team anything new since last month?”
“I-I don’t know anything…”
“And where exactly are you going to get the funding for this? This quarter’s budget has already been approved-”
“It’s the Chief!” The junior researcher blurted out. “He’s the one who told me to draft this-”
“Shut up, Min! Do you want everyone here to lose their jobs?!” One of the other researchers hissed.
Soleum frowned.
“No, do speak up, Min-ssi. What’s this about people losing their jobs?”
Researcher Min quietly sobbed in front of him. “Team Leader says that if we don’t meet this quarter’s quota, everybody in Research Team 3 is being laid off at the end of the year...”
Why the hell would a company like Daydream lay anybody off? Firing people was inefficient and a waste of resources. Nobody could even leave the Field Exploration Team unless they quit, died, or were transferred to security.
If Research Team 3 truly went and created an exploration sub-unit within the department, that would be a waste of company resources. Ordinary civilians just weren’t built for Darkness exploration. People would die with no results to show for it. That would certainly piss Them off…
Oh.
“Uh, Director-nim, you’re making a very scary face right now…”
“Nobody here is getting fired.” He said flatly. “In fact, you’re all doing a good job.”
The lead researcher looked surprised. “Really…?”
“Really.” Soleum took out his phone and reviewed the document that showed all of the Research Team’s KPIs for the last month. “Team 3 is just a bit behind Team 1 in terms of numbers but it’s not a competition. If you find a way to contain last month’s newly located Darknesses, it should mark the entire team as meeting expectations for the quarter.”
“What…?” Researcher Min looked up with red eyes. “B-But we found one just last week! Team Leader heard it still wasn’t enough to justify the funding provided to Research Team 3.”
“And who told him that?”
“FP&A…”
HR, Procurement, and now the Finance Department? What was this dog-like corporate situation…
“The Financial Planning and Analysis Team only has control over normal expenditures in the company.” He massaged his forehead. “I send your budget proposals to the CFO directly. If there were changes to be made, you would hear about it from me.”
“S-So, we’ll be okay?” One of the other researchers tentatively asked. “No one’s getting fired?”
Soleum nodded. “No one’s getting fired.”
A scream of joy echoed through the room.
“Uuuuhh… Noona…” The first lead researcher he had seen openly cried beside him. “I don’t have to give up on my wish…”
Right, he nearly forgot that not everybody in the Research Team was like Kwak Jekang, who stayed because he was addicted to Darkness research. Many of these people were here for a chance to get their wishes fulfilled.
Soleum checked the time. 5:45 PM. He’d have to start sorting this out in the morning.
He turned to Researcher Min. “Tell your Team Leader to drop by my office tomorrow. We’ll sort this misunderstanding out.”
“O-Of course. But, um, Director-nim, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.”
Actually, he was a bit angry.
If those bastards wanted him to be in trouble, don’t use his employees!
Unlogged Qterw draft still in hand, Soleum walked out of Research Team 3’s laboratory and made a beeline for the elevator on the opposite side of the hallway. The one with two extra buttons he discouraged Agent Choi from using during orientation. Not that he wasn’t allowed to—it could just accidentally send its passengers to a Darkness they kept below the building.
But if you had a formal invitation and pressed the blank button at the top, this elevator would take you to the very top floor of the building. The only place where you could meet Them—the three executives of Daydream Inc.
He would arrive for dinner a bit early, but that was better than being late.