Chapter 274

In an effort to secure the “re-education expenses,” Director Cheong presented Supervisor Park Minseong with a fresh labor agreement.
“How does this look to you?” she asked, her gaze shifting toward me.

That look triggered a memory of my own arrangement with her. I recalled the choice I made while facing the abyss of death—that agonizing moment when my physical form was dissolving, and my consciousness was unraveling before being knit back together into its current state.

It was a contract for life. Infinite servitude. I was condemned to work within the subterranean depths of Daydream Inc. forever, with no hope of retirement.

‘Absolutely not.’

I felt the instinctive urge to summon my smoke to disrupt Director Cheong, but I forced myself to remain still, teeth clenched. She had prevented me from interfering with Park Minseong’s narrative just moments ago; attacking her now would be futile. I would be stopped instantly. Even Director Ho hadn’t laid a hand on me until the third violation of the rules. Furthermore, to challenge Director Cheong—the actual holder of my contract—I required a far more substantial pretext.

For instance:
Verification:
Determine if educational materials from the ■■ Affiliated Kindergarten were supplied to the Badger employee.

I needed to prove that Director Cheong was the catalyst for the spike in Supervisor Park Minseong’s Contamination.
‘I might even be able to get a statement from the victim.’
Evidence of her meddling surely existed. If I could confirm it, I could frame her actions as a cause for a formal disciplinary grievance.

“Do you honestly believe you have the standing to interrogate me?”
…!

“From the moment you joined Director Ho’s initiative, your authority to discipline other staff members evaporated. You are no longer part of the security apparatus.”

Director Cheong reached out, her hand clamping onto my head as if she were subduing a stray animal.

“Even if I confirmed your suspicions, the outcome remains the same.”
….
“An employee should manage their own levels of Contamination. Blaming a supervisor’s orders for your own internal failures is a sign of incompetence.”

I stared back at her.

“Regardless, you should consider yourself lucky.”
….
“Once Director Ho’s pathetic project concludes and you return, your designated security handler will be waiting for you… for all eternity.”

Within my clouded consciousness, an emotion I hadn’t truly felt in ages—something that had been nothing more than a hollow echo—suddenly flared into existence with terrifying precision.
Fury.
A searing, blood-red heat began to simmer within me.

[Oh, my dear companion…]

Suddenly, a voice broke the tension.
“I hate to ruin such a charming forecast, but I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”
…!

“Explain yourself,” Director Cheong demanded.
“I intend to oversee that employee’s recovery within the Fox Counseling Room,” Director Ho replied, gesturing toward Supervisor Park Minseong. “You seemed so distressed over the few times the Fox Counseling Room sat idle that I’ve decided to rectify that by taking this case.”

Director Ho wore a sharp smile.
“By demonstrating that a fully Contaminated individual can recover more efficiently under my care than in a re-education center… well, I simply want to show my commitment to the firm.”

The two Directors locked eyes.

“I will personally manage the fallout of this ‘unfortunate’ degradation of a Security Team member and provide the report to the board. You won’t have to lift a finger.”
“You think I’m worried?”
“Of course. You’ve shown such deep interest in my results, Director Cheong, that I felt it only right to return the favor.”

Director Ho met her icy stare with unshakeable cheerfulness.
“I’m implementing a rehabilitation strategy that will far exceed the results of the re-education zone. I assume a woman as dedicated to the company as yourself wouldn’t dream of obstructing such progress?”

“…”
“…”

After a tense silence, Director Cheong’s hand finally released its grip on Supervisor Park Minseong.
*Thud.* The Sprout Class Teacher slumped into the pool of his own blood.

“Never forget this,” Director Cheong muttered, glancing down at her blood-stained hand.
In an instant, the stain vanished as if it had never been there.
“I have no patience for mongrels that try to snatch what isn’t theirs. Especially when they’re infested with disease.”

“Duly noted. Your personal feelings are of no consequence to me,” Director Ho replied, his smile never wavering.
Director Cheong watched him for a beat, then let out a sudden, sharp laugh.

“A word of advice: don’t let your desperation show. It’s the same as screaming that you’ve lost.”
“…”
“And desperation is a vulnerability.”

Her nose wrinkled in a brief flash of disgust before her expression smoothed out. She turned her attention back to me.
“Don’t delude yourself. Any kindness you perceive is just a temporary convenience. There’s no telling when Director Ho’s goals will stop aligning with yours.”
….
“And keep this in mind.”

She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket—a document that had been folded once. At the bottom, a signature was scrawled messy and large, bleeding outside the lines of the signature box.
Kim Soleum.
My contract.

“This remains in my possession.”
The paper fluttered slightly in the air between her fingers.
“I’ll see you the moment your project is finished.”

With that, Director Cheong vanished as if erased from the room.
“…”
“…”

A heavy thud echoed as Baek Saheon, who had been hiding in the shadows, collapsed to the floor, his energy completely spent.
“Mr. Noru.”
I reached down to help Supervisor Park Minseong up.
“Let’s get out of here for now.”

The Security Chief, J3, didn’t wake up until two days later.
In the medical wing of the Fox Counseling Room, he lay on the bed and opened his eyes. He looked like a piece of parched, dead wood.
And beside him…

Inquiry: Current status
I was waiting.

“…”
The Security Chief stared blankly at the light filtering through the window. He raised a hand as if to touch the sunbeams but dropped it quickly, seemingly aware the light was artificial. He then turned to look at me, assessing my presence.
I stood there, trails of Black Smoke drifting from my gas mask, appearing perfectly intact. A flicker of relief crossed his eyes, but his voice was like grinding gravel when he finally spoke.

“…The Badger…?”
Adjacent room.

I looked toward the side of the quiet ward.
Long-term Recovery Suite
(Authorized Personnel Only)

Behind a heavy partition lay the entrance to a pressurized room. The Security Chief’s eyes moved with agonizing slowness toward it.
In treatment.
Location: Fox Counseling Room.

For a split second, his pupils contracted. His eyes, which had been darting around the room, eventually grew still. He returned to being a silent, hollow shell on the mattress.
Finally, he asked about the consequences of his own madness.
“The Badger… his arms…”

Searching for a restoration technique.
“…”
The Security Chief took a long time to process that.
“I understand.”
….
“Is there… a telephone…”

Inquiry: Purpose
“I need to talk to the Security Team… The Badger’s… medical bills… they can deduct it from my earnings…”

Because you’re already a permanent servant?
It was doubtful the company would care about adding more debt to a man who already owed his entire existence to them.
It struck me then with fresh clarity: the Security Chief had been trapped in a lifetime contract through a nightmare very similar to my own. This man’s current state was my potential future.

‘….’

I picked up a notepad and pen from the bedside table and scribbled a message for him to see.
Do not worry.
I am negotiating with Director Ho. The expenses are being handled.

“…”
He didn’t reply.
I didn’t trust Director Ho implicitly, but I knew what he required right now, so the costs wouldn’t be an issue for the time being.

“…What is it that… he needs…?”
I offered no answer.
Was it wise to mention Sekwang Special City to him now? He was barely stable. Telling him about a ‘cursed city where no one escapes’ might push him over the edge again.

Furthermore:
‘The Nostalgia Candy was barely effective on the Security Chief.’
That specific candy…
It was a variant.
Dwell in a far more distant memory!
Nostalgia Can-dy, The Farther Flavor
<Fantasy Edition>

I had noticed the candy was unusually large compared to the standard ones. Looking at the wrapper now, the text confirmed it.
[The ruthless marketing of the snack industry. A limited edition!]
Exactly. And the fine print on the back mentioned ‘Contains 300% ■■’.
‘Three times the potency.’

Based on the ‘farther’ label…
‘Thirty years?’
The standard Nostalgia Candy targets a ten-year window of a person’s prime. It stood to reason this one reached much further back.
This led to a grim realization:
-The Security Chief’s Contamination wasn’t a decade old; it had been festering for nearly thirty years.
If I had used a normal candy, it wouldn’t have worked at all.

‘….’

I wrote a different response to steer the conversation away.
Director Ho is planning to transfer both of your contracts to his own project division.

I wanted to offer him some semblance of peace.
‘If that happens, we can stay out of Director Cheong’s reach for a while.’
But he shook his head.

“…It won’t work… At least… not for me…”
….
A thought struck me.
Did every permanent employee in the Security Team belong to Director Cheong?

“It would be better if… the Badger could go…”
The Security Chief looked back toward the partition, toward the sealed room.
….
I am sorry.
“…?”
You were both dragged into this because I asked for your assistance. It’s my fault.

“No…”
I bowed my head in a sincere apology.
“I am the one… who should be apologizing…”

When I remained silent, he eventually spoke again, changing the subject.
“Listen… about the information you wanted me to find…”
Ah.
Request: Director Ho’s background.

Right. I had tasked the Security Team with investigating Ho Yuwon’s history just before we entered the Groom Training Ghost Story. I wanted to know his history at Daydream and his recent movements.

“Do you… want to hear it now…”
….
I nodded.
And so, I finally learned about ‘Director Ho’s past’ from the Security Chief.

“Director Ho… people say he was abruptly promoted to Director of Development at the central office four years ago… Nobody really knew him before that… There are only whispers… that he came from a Daydream Branch…”

A branch?
I recalled that the other moles from the Disaster Management Bureau were usually sent to branches.
‘I always wondered why they prioritized branches.’
There was likely a link between the Daydream Branch and Ho Yuwon. I needed to keep that in mind.

“They say he has more loyalists in the Field Investigation Team than in research… and that Team A answers only to him…”

I had heard some of this before. Then he moved to the most recent developments.
“There were also whispers about the project team…”
The project team.
“Apparently, they haven’t produced any significant results, and the top brass is putting a lot of pressure on him.”
…!!
“They’re saying… he needs to deliver something before the year ends… I overheard the admins talking about it…”
….
“Is that… useful at all…?”

It was more than enough.
Thank you.
I meant it. I had confirmed one vital truth.
‘Ho Yuwon is acting out of desperation.’

Now that he had access to Sekwang Special City, he was gambling everything. He probably didn’t even view his actions as reckless; as long as he secured what he wanted from the city, he was willing to burn every bridge.
But that was a complication for my plans.

‘….’

[Mr. Roe Deer, you look lost in thought… Have you reached a new conclusion?]
Yes.
[Oh!]

The following day, a quiet briefing regarding the ‘Sekwang Special City Exploration Project’ took place at the Fox Counseling Room.
“First, I thought we should welcome our new recruit. I’ve arranged everything!”

However, the room was filled with a chilling silence. Everyone present already knew one another, and the ‘newcomer’ was currently slumped in his seat, staring at the Goat-masked Baek Saheon with cold, intense eyes. Baek Saheon looked away nervously while the Security Chief focused on the table. Only Deputy Lee Seong-hae gave a small, cheerful wave.

Then, the name of the one person unable to attend was brought up.
“It’s a shame we’re meeting under these terms, but it’s good to see you, Minseong…”

Suggestion: Modify form of address.
“…!”

A pained expression crossed Deputy Manager Eun Haje’s face.
“…That’s right. You were working with ‘Badger’.”

I remembered.
-Then Park Minseong…
-Call me Badger!

The man who had been so consumed by Contamination that he couldn’t even use his real name had been recovering. He had even smiled when Eun Haje called him ‘Minseong-ah.’ That was only days ago. Now, in a heartbeat, he had regressed. He was so far gone that he was considered a lost cause.

-…Understood. So that’s the situation…
When they first heard the news, Section Chief Lee Ja-heon and Assistant Manager Eun Haje had looked absolutely devastated.

“Director, what is Badger’s current rate of recovery?”
“He’s making progress, but likely not as fast as you’d like. It will probably be weeks before there’s a real change.”

The room filled with heavy sighs, but Lee Ja-heon remained clinical.
“Understood. What is the status of his limbs?”
“The arms… the tissue has simply sealed over at the stumps.”
“…!”

It was the truth. I had done what I could to stop the bleeding, and I tried to use a C-grade potion, but…
“He was tainted by a Darkness that produces Dream Weave far beyond C-grade… healing him is likely impossible without a high-tier potion.”

In this environment, that was a dead end. However, Director Ho just smiled.
“Actually, there is a way he could recover by tomorrow.”
“…”
“Are you suggesting we take him into Sekwang Special City?”
“Precisely!”

It made sense. If we entered Sekwang Special City, the influence of the ‘■■ Affiliated Kindergarten’ would be blocked by the city’s unique properties. There was a strong chance Park Minseong would regain his senses temporarily. If he did, he could use potions effectively.

Lee Ja-heon fixed Director Ho with a cold, reptilian stare.
“Are you manipulating an employee into entering the field just to speed up your schedule?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
…!
“I want this exploration to move forward as fast as possible. Does that bother you?”

Director Ho looked around the room with total indifference, ignoring Deputy Manager Eun Haje, who had stood up in anger, and Lee Seong-hae, who was staring him down.
“The truth is, I didn’t cause the incident with Director Cheong. I only assisted when you all decided to raid the Annex for gear…”
“…”
“If you want someone to blame, look elsewhere.”

He smiled broadly.
“But I understand. It’s easier to be angry at the person standing right in front of you. Go ahead and resent me. I only care about one thing…”

Finding his prize in Sekwang Special City.
“Nothing else matters.”
….

My own goals, however, were different.
‘I have to ensure this project remains stable.’
That was the only way to prevent the Security Team and myself from being handed back to Director Cheong when the job was done.
‘That contract.’
I had to stay under Ho’s protection until I could reclaim it. To do that, I needed leverage.
‘Results.’

I had to return from Sekwang Special City with massive achievements—the kind that would satisfy Daydream Inc.’s hunger. I needed a progress report so impressive that the company would leave us be without me having to reveal the city’s deepest secrets.

Proposed additional gear for this mission:
Dream Collector.
“…!”

Let’s see if we can harvest anything useful.

A short while later, the expedition team—now including J3 and Supervisor Park Minseong—crossed the threshold into Sekwang Special City.
They were equipped with a Dream Collector.