Chapter Text
Daydream Inc. was the kind of company that harbored the worst bunch of people you’d never want to be around. They were all selfish, greedy, and conniving. They would throw away the lives of the coworkers they were enjoying a meal with just 30 minutes ago if it meant they could obtain a useful item from a high grade darkness; hardly a place for the weak minded.
Employee Baek Saheon was one of those dastardly employees, if not the very definition.
Baek Saheon was a new employee like the rest of his batch, but he was far from ignorant to the horrors of this world's darkness. In fact, he was sure in his skill to ‘read the room’ and survive in the event of something going wrong, whether it be with people or supernatural entities. All he’d have to do is shove one of the useless dolts near him in line of the danger and book it the opposite direction. Far ahead of his braindead peers who couldn’t accept that they’d been thrown into a low grade darkness first day into their brand new job at a ‘pharmaceutical company’. He was startled— shocked even, but hardly denial to his reality. He had to accept it if he wanted to survive.
The crème de la crème, a top ranked rookie.
So why?
Why did he always seem to make the wrong decisions whenever it came to that employee Kim Soleum?
He had done everything perfectly. He threw out flatteries like candy, sucked up to him, and made himself look as useful as he could without seeming overbearing or daring to impose on Kim Soleum's position.
Of course, until Baek Saheon decided that there was an easier way out. What a fucking joke. He just had to rip that guy's eye out…
‘But you really can’t blame me!’
‘Really, it really seemed like the only way out!!’
That guy, Kim Soleum, he seemed so sure of himself… but how could I have known that he was some expert darkness explorer?
Baek Saheon could never forget the face of Kim Soleum taunting him through the train window, the distinctive pain of his own eye bursting in its socket, the warm trails of blood streaming down his face, all while the departing train rings through his ears. The scene was burned into his memory.
And like the biggest ‘fuck you’ ever, the company even put them in the same dorm room. To live in. And surely, just as he had feared, Kim Soleum spared no effort to make his time in that dorm room a living hell. Although, there was always one thing in particular that Baek Saheon just couldn’t ever forget, not even if he tried.
- watch out for serial killers.
??? -
Yeah, that bastard. He’d always make interpretable threats, but really? Not only was it such a direct threat, but he was leaving such hard evidence… what a bold, scary, idiot.
At least that's what he thought. Turns out it was all because of some darkness.
‘How did he know? Was he warning me? Was he actually worried? Or does he just take his job at this damned company that seriously?’
‘…’
‘Whatever.’
Baek Saheon settled with the thought that Kim Soleum was just a very dedicated employee. One that maybe enjoyed tormenting his colleagues. Thinking any further would only hurt his head.
Such a competent employee, he was sure to make it to the elite team.
And that he did.
Kim Soleum rose to heights no other rookie had before. ‘The one who was most likely to claim the wish ticket’ according to the employee forums. Problem was, he went missing just as quickly as he had risen.
His name slowly faded from the employee forums and Baek Saheon got full rights to a 2-person dorm, something he had been praying for. The world had continued to move, and people moved on with it.
But something was missing.
Baek Saheon would return to silence, not the familiar sound of Kim Soleum’s peculiar taste in children's cartoons. He would place one pair of shoes at the doorway, warm some instant food, and trudge to his room. He wouldn’t sleep, just close his eyes. The only thing to keep his mind busy was the darkness he had experienced during the day haunting him. Occasionally, he would recall Kim Soleum’s presence and shake the thought off.
It was silly to think that the absence of the person who used to terrify him would shake him so much. He sees people go missing in some terrifying darkness nearly every day. But still he couldn't help but wonder, what fate was Kim Soleum suffering right now?
‘…’
The thoughts would only continue through the night.
For many, many nights.
Baek Saheon could only find rest at night after getting a good item, or after meeting a certain Disaster Management Bureau agent, one that seemed resigned to his own death despite trying so hard for others.
‘I’m nothing like him.’ Baek Saheon couldn't help but think. After all, he couldn’t care less about the lives around him.
But… for some reason unbeknownst to him, Baek Saheon found himself thinking about that agent, earnestly hoping he was living the best he could in the back of his mind.
‘Shit, maybe I’ve been around too many assholes recently. Who knew I would be weak to those pushover bureau agents?’
He could imagine running his hands through the agents dark messy hair. Even though he couldn’t remember his face, he could imagine the clumsy agent bumping his glasses into people's faces when he went into hugs or kisses.
…he wasn’t very proud of his thoughts, but at this point in his Daydream career, could he really feel guilty for something in his head that nobody else would ever figure out?
The answer is of course not!!
As a matter of fact, Baek Saheon used these silly thoughts of the clumsy agent at night as his very own Nyquil. It was a godsend, really. Now he wouldn't have dark circles under his singular eye at work! He could be thrice as efficient in darknesses! Get through reports in a whopping 30 minutes flat! His shitty corporate life was finally looking like it’d go from hot hell to a slightly less hotter hell. All because he could get some sleep at night. All because he wouldn’t have to think about Kim Soleum.
All thanks to one agent.
One that he was sure he’d never see again, or even recognize if he did. I mean, how do you recognize someone who was made to be indistinguishable upon meeting because of that damn cult?
He had no idea.
So why, why of all places, was he face to face with a certain head of unkempt hair and large round glasses in the fox counseling office, belonging to a Daydream director?
“You… You’re— ”
Before Baek Saheon could even finish his sentence the agent cut him off, startled, yet also like he was meeting an old acquaintance that he’d been meaning to meet for a long while, almost eagerly.
“Civilian… You, you’re the civilian that was caught up in the Jisan Village disaster…?”
“What? Oh, oh yes…”
“I see. I’m relieved to see you made it out safe. I hadn’t seen you after it’d all been resolved.”
‘What the hell? Why is this agent at a daydream owned and regulated area like the fox counseling office?’
Baek Saheon knew better than anyone how this company worked, and this agent surely shouldn’t have been able to even come into the front lobby of the main building. He didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t just ignore how suspicious this ‘clumsy’ agent was.
“Agent, I left a paper boat at the village. Did you see it?”
I intentionally didn’t mention the fact that it was a method of direct communication between a Daydream employee and a bureau agent, considering we were in the fox counseling room…
“Ah..!”
The agent fumbled over his clothes before pulling a folded origami boat out of his standard bureau jacket. Baek Saheon simply stared at the spectacle.
‘He’s exactly like I remembered.’
Baek Saheon snorted.
The agent held out the paper boat
“I picked up this paper boat because I felt it held some significance, but I didn’t know it would reunite me with you, civilian.”
That’s because it didn’t.
“Yeah, sure… Agent, what might you be doing at our company's counseling room, though?”
Panic.
“Ahh~~ well, you see civilian…! I was in a very difficult rescue and got very contaminated… Company employees of a special project team were present in that darkness, and I was allowed to recover here rather than wait to get treatment from HQ, it was authorized by the director through phone, you see…”
‘His lying is so bad it almost hurts.’
“Wow~ really~? That’s pretty interesting, agent. That director absolutely hates the bureau! How generous of him to let an agent in his counseling room~ I’m so glad I’m in a company with such a generous director, really~!”
“...”
Baek Saheon knew he didn’t have to be so sarcastic, but it was the only way of hiding what he was feeling. I mean, what even was he feeling? It seemed like anger, but why? He did meet the agent… but it was under such unfavorable circumstances, he couldn’t help the disappointment. Had the agent been in cahoots with Daydream, or was he a spy for the bureau? Baek Saheon was leaning toward the latter.
Even the thought of Daydream employees taking in a bureau agent seemed foreign. His terrible excuses almost made it seem like this agent had no idea what he was doing. Why would the bureau send a guy like this to be the spy? Really…
Baek Saheon finally spoke again to break the silence between him and the fidgeting agent.
“Well, whatever. You’ve made it back from a terrifying darkness… lucky you.”
“...! Yes, thank you.”
Kim Soleum’s name flashed across his mind as he spoke his own words before being quickly chased out.
“Are you headed back to the bureau now?”
“No… no, I’m headed home for the day. I’ll have to make my report to the bureau in the morning.”
A smile Baek Saheon couldn’t hold crept up on his face.
“Is that so? Then, should I treat you to a warm meal, agent?”
“Yes— Huh?”
The agents mouth gaped
“A meal.”
‘What the hell, has this guy figured me out?!’