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Lee Seonghae was in the Cheerful Theme Park again. It had been a bit close, last time, but now that the red area no longer existed it was about as safe as it got! It was a shame that the Yellow Mascot wasn’t here, though. She had wanted to thank that kind mascot properly!
"Excuse me!" Lee Seonghae calls, to the Blue Dragon Mascot at the intersection of the blue and yellow lanes, "have you seen Mr Yellow Mascot?"
The Blue Dragon Mascot clearly recognized her, by the way it perked up and waved. Then, it tiled its head, gesturing broadly at the park.
"No, not those ones. I mean his original form! The one he arrived in!"
The Blue Dragon Mascot shook its head, and Lee Seonghae frowned.
"He hasn’t visited you?" She asks, with concern.
The Blue Dragon Mascot shakes its head once again.
Strange. Lee Seonghae had not seen the Security Employee, but she knows they’re kept in a different place. For a moment, she considers being contaminated to meet him again, but she brushes it off as a bad idea. There should be an easier way to help Mr Employee!
The Blue Dragon Mascot gestured her over.
Good child. Where?
Lee Seonghae shook her head.
"I don’t know either. I’m sorry, Mr Mascot."
The Dragon Mascot looked dejected. Lee Seonghae tried to cheer it up.
"Perhaps I could visit again if I see him?" Well, she was using vacation time to be here, seeing as the Cheerful Theme Park no longer gave as much essence and was no longer worth sending people in to explore, but she’s certain she can figure something out!
The Blue Dragon Mascot shook its head.
Phone. Call.
Lee Seonghae blinked. "What number should I call?" She asked, curiously.
The Blue Dragon Mascot provided her with a scrap of paper. She makes sure to memorize the number on it properly.
"Sure thing!" Lee Seonghae chirps. "I’ll call you if I see him again!"
Then, to her surprise, the mascot shakes its head.
Call.
Lee Seonghae ponders for a moment.
"Oh, you mean to call you in the real world?"
The Blue Dragon Mascot nodded its head.
Good child.
Lee Seonghae giggled.
"No, you’re the kind one here, Mr Mascot!"
Then, tilting her head, she added:
"Is it better to call you closer to where I think the Yellow Mascot is?"
And, with the nod of the Blue Dragon Mascot’s head, Lee Seonghae leaves, dragging the bodies of her teammates with her. They weren’t dead, of course, because the Blue Dragon Mascot would be sad if she killed without reason, she just knocked them out a bit for a private conversation. It was necessary! Thankfully, the nice Mascot accepted that.
Lee Seonghae calls the Blue Dragon Mascot the second thing after getting back to Daydream Inc. The first thing, of course, is heading to the basement with a burner phone with a number pre-dialed.
She presses the call button.
"Hello?" Lee Seonghae asks, after the phone picks up on the second ring. "Are you there, Mr Mascot?"
She doesn’t hear anything for a second. The phone isn’t ringing, so it’s connected, but it’s silent on the other end. Except for the buzz of electricity present in the city everywhere, there is no other noise in the basement of Daydream Inc. other than her own breathing.
And then her phone bubbles.
"…Huh?"
It’s her trust in the Dragon Mascot that she doesn’t throw the phone away on instinct.
Lee Seonghae can hear the sound of the sea. She can feel the sound of the waves, the noises of the marine animals, she can feel the deep pressure of the sea and the awe of being in front of such a being—
Water pools from the phone in her hands. Its shape is no longer the same, turning into an older-styled retro telephone handset with the wire coiled around her arm and into the water into someplace distant Lee Seonghae carefully does not look at lest her mind be unable to comprehend it.
The phone emits a noise. Lee Seonghae carefully puts an end to her ear.
"Hello?" She asks, again, uncaring of the way deep, viscous water-but-not-quite-water flows down her arm and then her clothing and onto the floor and the constant smell of sea salt in the air and the way the telephone is beginning to grow warm.
[ Good Child. ]
"Hello, Mr Mascot! What should I do now?"
[ Don’t let phone break ]
"Alright!"
With her agreement, the phone within her hand bubbles further, heat beginning to feel scorching against Lee Seonghae’s skin. With the way the cord is coiled around her arm, it would be impossible to remove the phone so Lee Seonghae simply holds her arm out as far away from herself as she can, making sure the ends are pointed away from her.
It’s the right decision, as water bursts out of the end of the phone like a hose, and within moments Lee Seonghae’s feet are ankle-deep in water and a deep-blue mass begins to take shape before her.
Its form isn’t as detailed, some parts blobby and blurry, but it’s pretty clear who it should be.
"How are you, Mr Mascot!"
Well.
Good Child. Near.
"Can I follow you? I’d like to thank the employee for his help!"
Do not go far.
The mass of water seeps into the ground, presumably heading ahead, but a smaller version of the mascot remained and pointed her in the right direction to go the normal human way.
Lee Seonghae walks into an elevator with a Blue Dragon Mascot shaped lump of water the height of her waist behind her, and she waits as it counts slowly before hitting the button for the 13th floor.
"Is that where Mr Employee is, Mr Mascot?" Lee Seonghae asks politely.
The Dragon Mascot nods its head, or an approximation of it, before it freezes entirely and dissipates.
"Mr Mascot?" Lee Seonghae asks, alarmed.
The Mascot does not reply.
The water is still around her ankles, but the feeling of pressure increases by the second as Lee Seonghae waits in silence until the elevator doors opened on the 13th basement floor.
It’s dark. The smell of the sea is intense here, despite the fact that the building is nowhere near the ocean. The Blue Dragon Mascot must have gotten off here.
It’s probably pretty dangerous. Then again, Lee Seonghae has done a lot of dangerous stuff!
She steps out of the elevator, the phone still in her hand, making sure she has a tight grip on it despite the fact it is scalding to the touch.
She glances down at it. Water flows from it, endlessly, but it is more like the dripping of a tap now than the firehose it had been earlier.
Wait. Did she hear something?
Quickly, she darts across the corridor, leaving only ripples in her wake.
Mr Employee is there! And–
The Blue Dragon Mascot is there as well, of course, but Mr Employee is entirely unresponsive.
…Strange. It feels strange. Something’s wrong.
Lee Seonghae steps back, watching with concern as Mr Employee breathes out smoke that tries to smother the Blue Dragon Mascot and it does surround its form, sure, but the smoke can’t surround the entire corridor now, can it?
The answer is probably yes, Lee Seonghae thinks, her mind working quickly. Is this a family dispute? Did Mr Employee and Mr Mascot have a falling out?
Child.
The Blue Dragon says, mournfully. The security team employee seems not to hear it at all. Instead, he spots Lee Seonghae.
Lee Seonghae understands that Mr Employee doesn’t recognize her at about the same time he tries to breathe smoke in her direction, which isn’t nice, but something seems wrong and if there is one thing Lee Seonghae has always listened to it is her instincts.
She backs off quickly, water rising around her feet to section her off from both mascots, but every drop of water the smoke touches falls right back down to the floor.
This was a different basement, so Lee Seonghae couldn’t really run up the stairs, since they didn’t exist, as far as she could tell. Which was pretty bad. And this floor was probably Mr Employee’s floor, so he would have the most power here. Which is pretty bad, because she’s not sure if Mr Mascot can win, and she won’t be upset if Mr Employee hurts her because he’s clearly not in his right mind but she would prefer if it did not happen.
It’d be rude to be angry at Mr Employee, but it is also rude of Mr Employee to try to kill her so she thinks it’s pretty equal! Lee Seonghae ducks under a cloud of smoke which just flew over her head, nevermind her suit getting soaked. She’d need to wash this one for a long time to get the smell of the sea out of it.
‘Is Mr Employee aiming for the phone?’ Lee Seonghae wonders, watching from the corner of her eye as it continues to drip a steady amount of water. Perhaps he knows it's a medium for Mr Mascot? She wouldn’t be surprised; the security team employee knew the Cheerful Theme Park better than her, after all.
The Blue Dragon Mascot lets out a mournful wail somewhere right behind her and also somewhere very far away and Lee Seonghae nearly trips and falls from the sheer weight in the sound. Mr Employee pauses, as though confused, and Lee Seonghae rounds a corner and does not look back. She knows for a fact that Mr Employee is currently between her and the elevator, which is bad, but from the way the smoke seems to stop chasing her she assumes Mr Employee is coming to his senses.
It does feel a bit rude to only call him Mr Employee in her head, though. Does he have a name so Lee Seonghae can refer to him properly?
All is quiet in the corridor. If one were to ignore Lee Seonghae’s panting, the sound of water spilling from the phone and the buzz of the ceiling lights, there are no other noises in the 13th basement floor.
Of course, that is until the elevator goes ding!
Was it the security team? Lee Seonghae thought she did well avoiding surveillance on her way down, but it's inevitable the fight got caught on CCTV. Perhaps she should have asked the Blue Dragon Mascot to destroy all the cameras first.
There was no need to, it appears, as Lee Seonghae glances up at the ceiling. Even when she looks at the corners, there is nothing but empty space. The Blue Dragon Mascot probably already broke all the cameras here.
Then the real problem is who they sent down.
Splash, splash, splash.
Lee Seonghae thinks the footfalls are rather distinct. If there weren’t a thick layer of water on the floor, she might have been able to identify who it was.
Carefully, silently, Lee Seonghae lowers herself as much as possible without disturbing the water, and, with a quiet apology to the Blue Dragon Mascot in her heart, immerses the phone in water.
Water still spouts from the phone from what Lee Seonghae can see, so that’s nice. At least the phone wasn’t broken. She leans back on the wall behind her, making sure her breaths are slow and even.
Well, if she’s found now, then that would be bad!
“I know you’re there.” The person says, and.
Hm.
Well, that sure sounded like Director Cheong Dallae, haha!
Wow, Lee Seonghae’s probably cooked.
Lee Seonghae glances down at the handset in her hand. It was the origin of the water, and therefore the increase in water came from here, so it wasn’t surprising for a being like Director Cheong to notice it.
Lee Seonghae considers for a moment, and then stays silent. The phone bubbles more violently, water spewing forth from what she can see covered of it underneath the water.
A deformed, chubby hand forms from the water. It presses a single finger to Lee Seonghae’s lips– the universal gesture for hush– and then sinks back down without a ripple.
You.
The water swirls and then roars. Lee Seonghae stays absolutely still, watching as the water churns and flowed around her, behind her, presumably to Director Cheong.
“Stand down, 130666.”
Good child. Name not number.
“I thought you would not dare ever step out of that park.”
Kin. Wrong.
A cold laugh.
“He’d be quite saddened to hear that from his guardian.”
Speak not, unworthy Yellow One.
She scoffs.
“Worth. What worth do you speak of? I merely build my power here; is that not the same you do in your little park?”
Bad child.
“Hm? Is that enough of an insult for you? You’ve fallen far, then.”
My Child. Return to me.
Lee Seonghae was learning a lot of things in this conversation, and she’s fairly certain she doesn’t want to. What’s the best way to erase your memory again?
“How possessive. He works for me now. It was his own decision; a contract written in his own blood.”
Bad child.
“You’ve lost touch with the times. Is that not why we can no longer return to where we were born? How hopeless.”
Unworthy.
“Please. As though I would have ever wanted to take part in that amusement park of yours.”
Will speak with him.
“You may try. I shan’t stop you from attempting to do so.”
Lee Seonghae hears nothing but splashing water, and then a low, mournful call.
FOOL.
“He is learning to use his power well underneath me; much more than anything you have done.”
The phone in Lee Seonghae’s hand splinters.
She doesn’t let out a noise of pain. She’s not a rookie, after all.
But there’s no stopping the blood leaking into the water.
“Come out.” Director Cheong says, a note of steel in her voice. “I won’t ask a third time.”
Oh, so the first time was directed to her! Not cool!
Knowing there was absolutely no way she was going to make it to the elevator past Director Cheong, Lee Seonghae stands up straight, and walks out from behind the corner.
Director Cheong looks incredibly unimpressed. Her arms are crossed, her well-manicured nails going tap-tap-tap.
Lee Seonghae feels like she’s being looked down on.
No, worse than that. Lee Seonghae feels as though she’s being looked at through the lens of an insect or bug.
“And what,” Director Cheong said, softly, “did you think you were getting out of this little excursion, Supervisor Lee Seonghae?”
“Nothing!” Lee Seonghae replied, sincerely. “Just meeting with Mr Employee again!”
Director Cheong laughed.
“Yes, you’ve always had a bit of a strange mind.” She mused.
Water swirls around Lee Seonghae’s feet.
“A boundary?” Director Cheong asks. “You do recall where you are, yes?”
There is a strange glint in her eyes Lee Seonghae cannot identify.
“This is my property.” She says, slowly. The water swirls faster in response. “My domain.”
“Special Divisions Employee 130666, neutralize it.”
Smoke descends onto the surface of the water. The water churns, a stormy sea, but everywhere the smoke passes turns calm with nary a ripple.
The Blue Dragon Mascot takes its watery form before Lee Seonghae.
Return child.
“For the last time, he is my employee.”
Kidnapper
"I am not. He signed a contract."
Abusive parent.
"Do not refer to me that way."
Respect. None.
"I give you the same amount of respect that you have shown me. Do not attempt to turn this around."
The Blue Dragon Mascot lets out a rumbling that makes Lee Seonghae weak in the knees.
"Lee Seonghae," Cheong Dallae says, looking at the Blue Dragon Mascot shaped lump of water flowing out of the receiver in her hands. "Destroy the phone you are holding."
Lee Seonghae salutes her cheerfully.
"I don’t think I will!" She chirps.
It’s probably not her place to interfere, but every sentence coming out of their mouths makes it sound like a custody battle. Perhaps Mr Employee is an adopted child? Mr Employee liked the Blue Dragon Mascot, from what she could tell, so even if he worked under Director Cheong she’d rather he have the opportunity to speak with Mr Mascot first!
Child, treat.
“I am not responsible for every step of his being. I would rather not have to puppeteer him each day.”
The Blue Dragon Mascot falls silent, before spitting out a single word containing immense power.
Bitch.
Wow. That’s. Well. Wow. Lee Seonghae does a double take. Wow, Mr Mascot must be really mad to say that… Poor Mr Blue Dragon Mascot.
Hm, maybe Mr Employee was made with Director Cheong’s power but Mr Mascot takes care of him? Lee Seonghae swerves when she realizes she’s thought a bit too deeply about what Director Cheong is. Nope, nope, that information was best out of her mind. She really needed to get a memory erasure procedure ASAP.
Director Cheong Dallae sighed.
“How long do you insist on visiting?” She asked, a bit sarcastically. “You should return to your workplace.”
There’s an inherent maliciousness to her words that makes Lee Seonghae stand up straight and frown.
The Blue Dragon Mascot shakes its head. She can’t be sure if it’s directed to Director Cheong or to herself.
Contract.
“Do you think me a fool? I am not giving you the original copy of the contract. You cannot help him like I can. What will you do, once the binding on his form fades?”
The Blue Dragon Mascot falls silent, and Lee Seonghae can tell that its mood sours by the way the phone in her hand vibrates faster.
And hotter. It’s starting to burn again. That’s not cool, haha.
Red.
Director Cheong raised an eyebrow.
Red, gone.
She laughs.
“Are you offering a part of your park now? How bold.”
The Blue Dragon Mascot remains silent.
Home. Birthplace.
Director Cheong’s expression remains neutral.
They stand there for a long, long time. Lee Seonghae cannot tell how long. For a second, she thinks that time stopped in its entirety.
Then Director Cheong laughs.
It is a different laugh. It’s a lot sharper, but there’s also an undertone of emotion Lee Seonghae doesn’t know.
“Very well.” She says, waving a hand. “I cannot return him to how he was before. It was his own psyche that broke him, you see.”
The Blue Dragon Mascot takes the contract with its watery paws, and to Lee Seonghae’s not-quite-surprise the paper does not look like it gets wet at all.
Whatever imprint of power the Blue Dragon Mascot gives is satisfactory, it appears, for Director Cheong rolls up the contract and puts it in a suit pocket.
“Very well.” She says. “You may leave.”
And with a wave of her hand, the water begins to recede.
She smirks.
“Red is a fine color as well.”
And then Lee Seonghae faints.
She wakes up dry and in a nicely decorated room, with foam everywhere. Looks like a child’s daycare room! Lee Seonghae gets up quickly, and relaxes when she hears familiar music playing.
This was the Cheerful Theme Park, then!
She stretches, and walks out of the room. There’s a lot of Mr Blue Mascots running around, probably in preparation for the new Red Mascot. She frowns, because it looked a lot like extortion and that’s a mean thing to do to nice Mr Blue Mascot, but her smile brightens when she spots the Special Divisions Employee conversing with a Blue Dragon Mascot by smoke.
“Mr Employee!! How are you feeling!” Lee Seonghae calls, her expression bright.
Mr Employee ponders for a second.
Status: Good.
> Gratitude
Lee Seonghae beamed, flapping her hand.
“Don’t thank me! Thank Mr Mascot for doing all the hard work!”
Good Child. With me. Thank you.
“Aw, no need to thank me, Mr Mascot! I’m glad to help nice people!”
The Blue Dragon Mascot opened its arms, and awkwardly, Mr Mascot lowers himself into its hug.
It’s a very sweet family reunion. Lee Seonghae is very glad to be of help.
Mr Employee breathes out another plume of smoke.
Question: Current health status
“I’m fine, really!”
Mr Employee points to her arm.
Lee Seonghae looks down at it. She had instinctively used her right arm to make the call, and it had been wrapped in the wire for the telephone handset. She pulls down her sleeve, and observes the burning lines on her skin.
“It’s no big deal, Mr Mascot.” She soothes. “It’s alright, it won’t affect my work much. Returning with my memories intact will though!”
She giggles to herself. Director Cheong probably let the Blue Dragon Mascot take her with the understanding that she’d return either unable to speak of the events that occurred or having forgotten it entirely. Her prospects were not looking good at the moment.
Well, worst comes to worst she can always work at the Cheerful Theme Park again! Sure, she’s still working towards her wish, but she wouldn’t mind working with these nice people! If only she could quit Daydream Inc sooner…
Question: Memory
“Yep! I know there’s a Darkness Daydream keeps around to erase certain parts of memory, but it’s fallen out of use with the Fox Counseling Room being the better option for treating trauma.”
Mr Employee ponders for a bit.
Solution: Can help
Concern: 70% success rate (untested)
“Really? You can help me, Mr Employee? But don’t force yourself! I don’t mind the success rate, haha! As long as you try!”
Mr Employee nodded.
Question: When?
Lee Seonghae ponders a bit.
“Now is fine! I’m really glad to meet you again, Mr Employee! Thanks for the other time!”
Feeling a bit bold, Lee Seonghae reaches out her arm. The Employee’s hood feels like normal, smooth fabric, one which she can’t recall the name of. It both feels hollow and smooth underneath the hood, as her hand meets no resistance while she pats the employee’s head– or the approximation of it.
Lee Seonghae beams at the employee.
“I’m really grateful to have met you, Mr Employee!”
The Blue Dragon Mascot nods from where it stands a bit away from them both.
Kind child.
“I’m glad you think so, Mr Mascot!”
Question: Readiness.
“Mhm! All prepared, Mr Employee!”
And then Mr Employee leans down, hugging her, and breathes smoke into her face.
Really, Mr Employee is too nice–
It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt but it’s strange and Lee Seonghae is aware that her very existence is being observed and taken apart and each and every word is being scrutinized and it turns to her life and it takes out a part that has just been written and it doesn’t hurt but a part of her is being deleted is being rewritten and she trusts the employee trusts Ireum-nim thegreatIreum-nimwhoislookingathersheissograteful–
Lee Seonghae wakes up in the Cheerful Theme Park.
She frowns. What was she doing just now? Her teammates are missing, but Lee Seonghae isn’t being strangled by the threads. Have they left already?
Oh, she thinks she spots–
“Mr Mascot!” Lee Seonghae calls, waving. “Have you seen the Yellow Mascot lately?”
The Blue Dragon Mascot waves back, nodding its head happily.
“That’s great!”
Good Child, lost?
“I’m not lost, so don’t worry! I was just about to leave!”
Stay safe.
“Thank you! You as well, Mr Mascot! Say hello to Mr Employee for me!”
The Blue Dragon Mascot nodded its head, and Lee Seonghae beamed. She hadn’t seen the Yellow Mascot herself, but if her teammates had all left it must be getting rather late in the real world. She’s glad he’s doing well, though!
(Lee Seonghae feels as though she is forgetting something. Her instincts tell her not to push, so she doesn’t. Because her instincts are what she trusts most of all.)