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"I'm a bit surprised someone like you was assigned as my guard." Kwak Jekang sat down, completely unfazed after putting down a few sheets of paper. His green eyes shifted to stare intently at J3, a faint glint dancing in them—whether it was arrogance, amusement, or a deep-seated grudge he had never voiced. "Has living in the basement regressed their intelligence so much that you're the only suitable candidate?"
J3 didn't answer. His gaze drifted to the dark side of the researchers' office. The light streaming from the window behind Kwak Jekang strained his eyesight, which had been steadily worsening with age.
And again, that taunt. No need to reply.
"Didn't your colleague have far superior competence recently?"
Park Minseong, was it?
Well, yes. It would be much better if that man were the one dealing with Kwak Jekang. But no one knew what that bastard might do to the Darkness security team members behind closed doors. The researcher could practically sabotage anything.
Toying with discarded employees was easier than flipping a palm. There were no special penalties—just workplace accidents and proof that the failed Security Team was no longer useful to the company.
Everyone knew that.
The only person the company deemed competent enough to return safely after being assigned to the mad researcher was J3. Even though he hadn't even completed 10 assignments this decade, the mere fact that J3 always managed to come back was considered nothing short of a miracle.
Hm ... not quite ....
... he was just too lazy.
J3 pulled the brim of his cap lower, the light had been irritating his eyes much more severely lately.
"I have to go back."
Kwak Jekang pushed a light-blue report, shoving it forcefully into J3's hands until their fingers brushed against each other. Kwak Jekang lingered for a long moment, perhaps imagining how J3's slender fingers would better suit the massive claws of contamination.
Too lazy to move, J3 simply watched Kwak Jekang's white hair sway softly in the wind.
How soft was that hair? Would it be as soft as a marshmallow?
Ah ... forget it.
The silence dragged on, until Kwak Jekang finally issued a stern warning. "You need to read this without missing a single detail."
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
---
A number of employees reported arriving in a room where they only saw a single pen during their visit. The effect of the Darkness was triggered only after the pen was spun by everyone inside the room.
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A Darkness that varies depending on who enters it.
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Reports from employees who survived the contamination state that the pen will point to a word, and you must perform that action toward the person indicated by the arrow. You may use the items that appear when a word is revealed.
There are three options:
Do you want to ◾ ◾ ◾?
Do you want to kill them?
Do you want to ◾ ◾ ◾?
The three choices appear to be selected at random. Currently, it is agreed that the pen reads an individual's suppressed desires toward the targeted person. It cannot be fooled.
:Identification Code Daydream Inc—Qterw-B-341*
---
J3 blinked, a slight movement noticed by Kwak Jekang, who had been watching him all along. The researcher chuckled softly, like a child venting frustration over a sweet bun. "Are you worried about me?"
He shook his head, merely gripping the paper in his hands. His nails elongated into claws, accidentally tearing the most bothersome part. "You... will die... if you go in with me."
The mission had a 95% failure rate.
Or....
Just do it.
The death of a mad researcher would make at least a dozen employees cheer. Besides, Kwak Jekang insisted on researching this Darkness by throwing himself directly into it. J3 would only have to face a light disciplinary action if the man in front of him actually died.
Hm, a good idea?
"Do you want me dead that badly?"
Wasn't that obvious?
J3 didn't bother to answer.
Kwak Jekang chuckled. The researcher thrust a hand into his lab coat pocket, pulled out a pen—a replica of the entrance to the Darkness they were about to explore—and twirled it in front of J3.
The object that would determine Kwak Jekang's life and death.
Though, both of them knew for sure. That wasn't the main reason.
Click.
The pen was clicked, its sound deeply irritating.
Usually, Kwak Jekang would start rambling about unidentified items. But this time, only the sound of the pen being clicked repeatedly filled the room, as if intentionally trying to annoy the security sergeant's hyper-sensitive hearing.
Wasn't that actual suicide?
It would raise Kwak Jekang's chances of dying to 99%.
"Hahaha."
J3 still stood calmly, merely letting out a faint grunt, while the researcher was already beginning to lose his sanity—though he had been crazy long before this.
"The Research Team has a special habit, we bet on who will die and how severe someone's contamination will be." The man held his hand up high, showing off the phone in his grip. The screen displayed a group chat constantly spewing messages.
Kang Minha: I'm sure he's gonna die
Lee Hamin: 100%
Lee Hamin: The Unit 3 security sergeant really hates him
Lee Hamin: I'm sure of it
"Don't worry! This was supposed to be a group without 'me'. But I stole a deceased Junior researcher's number for this."
Wasn't that pitiful?
"I don't like snooping, really, but I needed to see their reactions because they stay quiet and don't place bets in the main group. Aren't they cornering us a bit too much?"
J3 didn't reply, simply observing Kwak Jekang's face, which could shift through expressions remarkably fast.
Wasn't that unique?
His lips moved open and closed, occasionally forming a pout. He had so many expressions to show.
"Did you hear me?"
"...just keep... rambling...."
"What is wrong with you?"
Pouting again.
Kwak Jekang stood up. "I'm sure you want me dead—"
Indeed... wasn't that no surprise?
"—and I also feel like you deserve to die."
Click.
The pen was clicked once more. This time, everything inside the office vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of white. Only a single desk remained, holding a luxurious wooden pen resting on a deep red cushion.
"Should I?" Kwak Jekang grabbed the pen first. "It seems there's an unlisted function in the report."
The man positioned the tip of the pen upward, then spun it without the slightest hesitation.
Click.
The researcher then tossed the pen toward J3, who caught it effortlessly. He twirled the wooden pen, feeling no danger. Whether because the effect wasn't particularly potent on him or because his senses were already too dull to care, he couldn't tell.
He looked once more; a floating arrow-like feature appeared. He moved the tip of the pen toward Kwak Jekang, and the arrow adjusted to his action.
Click.
The room faded, replaced by rows of massive bookshelves and flickering lights. The illumination inside was so dim that reading a single word was impossible. J3 turned his head; Kwak Jekang was nowhere beside him.
This Darkness made the area feel like a game of hide-and-seek, of course. Individuals would end up killing each other if put face-to-face right away.
J3 started walking. Fortunately, tracking Kwak Jekang wasn't difficult. The researcher possessed a unique scent he could always identify; sometimes, if they were about to bump into each other by accident, he would turn back the moment he caught a whiff of Kwak Jekang's body scent.
Found him.
Kwak Jekang stood before him, holding a massive battleaxe.
Ah, so it was a matter of who had the greater striking power?
Kwak Jekang would lose. The researcher's thin hands spent more time dealing with keyboards than defensive weapons, while J3, a contaminated individual, possessed offensive power and physical strength many times greater than an ordinary human.
Kwak Jekang was going to die.
J3 looked up. A green arrow floated above a word: Kill.
So, he really did want Kwak Jekang dead.
He lunged immediately. Pinning the thin researcher down was no challenge for him. Kwak Jekang let out a yell, lost his balance, and fell. J3 sat on the researcher's stomach at once, staring down intently. The massive axe had been sent flying far away; Kwak Jekang was merely fumbling around the floor, which was strewn with fallen books.
"HEY, HEY, THAT'S NOT FAIR!!"
The researcher yelled with great effort. Ignoring him, J3 reached out and wrapped his hand around the neck of the man beneath him.
For a moment, their eyes locked. The green arrow flickered like a warning alarm.
One of his hands morphed into a massive claw. If the axe was what Kwak Jekang had chosen, then that was the weapon required to kill the target. He grabbed the axe, gripped it tightly, and shattered the rusted iron into harmless shards.
Kwak Jekang no longer had a weapon.
Kwak Jekang could no longer kill his target.
[INDIVIDUAL FAILED TO EXECUTE TASK]
The sound of a click echoed again.
The space behind them distorted into overlapping folds. J3 looked down as his hand returned to its human form. It moved back to the exposed neck of the researcher, who had simply resigned himself.
The long silence was filled by their locked gazes—green meeting gold, glowing under the dim light.
[PUNISHMENT IMPOSED]
[PUNISHMENT IMPOSED]
[DIE! DIE! DIE!!]
Click.
He pulled out the pen tucked inside Kwak Jekang's pocket and crushed it into pieces. The warning vanished, the green arrow disappeared, and the golden arrow that had lingered above Kwak Jekang's head a few seconds ago faded into thin smoke.
The word 'Kiss' completely disappeared.
They were thrust back into the Research Team's office.
Kwak Jekang was the first to stand up. His slender hand grabbed the black tie worn around J3's neck, pulling him directly closer until their lips touched. Warm, soft, and... wet.
J3 blinked.
Kwak Jekang threw the shattered pen aside and left the room without a single word coming out of the researcher's usually chatty mouth.
The Darkness, categorized as a B-rank, was completely destroyed.
The next day, J3 received a severe disciplinary warning.