Chapter 264.1 |
An annihilation-sanctioned ghost story.
In the very heart of the underground station beneath Sekwang Special Metropolitan City, I came face to face with the familiar face of someone I never would have expected.
My mouth opened reflexively. With a title I barely managed to pivot to her codename.
“…Ms. Goral?”
“Wait.”
Go Yeongeun-ssi, wrapped in a worn padded jacket, scanned the surroundings with tense eyes.
The equally dilapidated casino scenery.
And…
The dealer, smiling brightly the moment our eyes met.
“……”
“……”
“This way.”
Go Yeongeun-ssi grabbed my arm and suddenly started running. I hurriedly chased after her, and as I did, I realized something…
‘…There are some missing.’
That several of her fingers had only been shaped with bandages.
An ominous feeling ran through me.
‘How long has she been in this casino.’
“Huu.”
Only after stopping in a secluded corner of the slot machine room, beside a wall with broken machines lined up, did Go Yeongeun-ssi let go of my arm.
Only then did she begin to speak.
“That dealer. It really is Supervisor Dolphin, right? The… elite team member.”
“Yes.”
“I knew it.”
Go Yeongeun-ssi’s face darkened.
“I had a feeling. The way she spoke felt familiar…”
But then, with unavoidable hope and tension mixed into her voice, she asked.
“Then… has the company started managing this ghost story? I mean, the entry route or the clearing method…”
I shook my head with difficulty.
“Assistant Manager Dolphin got caught up in this ghost story for personal reasons, and I also came here outside work hours.”
“Ah,”
Go Yeongeun-ssi’s expression clouded.
Then, after a brief silence, she continued.
“So she’s not just a supervisor anymore. She’s an assistant manager now.”
“…I heard she was promoted a few months ago.”
“A few months.”
Go Yeongeun-ssi lowered her head.
“So much time has already passed.”
“Ms. Goral.”
This wouldn’t do.
“What exactly happened?”
“……”
She said nothing back.
But why someone who had been working normally as an agent at the Disaster Management Bureau was in Sekwang City was… wait.
‘Why did I never once think to look into Yeongeun-ssi’s whereabouts…?’
A chilling sensation ran down my spine.
While staying at the Disaster Management Bureau, I could have looked her up, but I never once thought to.
The same symptom as when thinking about Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae.
Being forgotten.
A phenomenon that occurs to people trapped in Sekwang City.
‘Damn it.’
…I also considered the possibility that this was a hallucination or some strange phenomenon, but it really did seem to be her.
And the reason that came to mind for why Go Yeongeun-ssi would be standing in the middle of an annihilation-sanctioned supernatural disaster sealed into an unperceivable state was…
…In practice, there was only one.
Something I had used myself.
“Ms. Goral. After using a Wish Ticket, did you wake up here?”
“……”
Go Yeongeun-ssi suddenly answered.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, I did use a Wish Ticket, but even here, I…”
Go Yeongeun-ssi looked confused, then quickly composed herself.
“No, what matters right now isn’t that. How long have you been here?”
“In Sekwang City?”
“No. This Casino of Corporeity.”
Keeping her gaze fixed on the missing persons of Sekwang Special Metropolitan City clustered around the slot machines, Go Yeongeun-ssi explained quickly.
“If you stay too long, your way of thinking starts to change, like a gambling addict’s. So you shouldn’t spend more than one night here. You have to leave, then stay outside for at least as long as you spent here before coming back in…”
“How do you know that, Ms. Goral?”
“That’s… something I should explain after we get out.”
She glanced once more toward the casino entrance.
“With just you, Mr. Roe Deer… it should be okay. There’s a shelter where you can stay.”
“…!”
“For now, it’d be better to get settled there a bit and then talk again about Assistant Manager Dolphin.”
‘A shelter?’
If there was such a place in the subway, that was a relief.
At the very least, it meant Go Yeongeun-ssi had been able to hold out.
But…
“I didn’t come alone.”
“…Pardon?”
At that moment.
“Mr. Roe Deer.”
“…!”
I was the one being called, but it was Go Yeongeun-ssi who spun around in shock.
Section Chief Lee Jaheon was already standing behind us, wearing the same reptilian face as always.
“S-Section Chief?”
“Ms. Goral.”
Chief Lizard recognized Go Yeongeun-ssi at once, even as she stood there with her mouth agape.
Then the barrage of questions began.
“Has the Daydream branch secured this Darkness and deployed you into it, Supervisor Goral?”
“Ah, n-no…!”
“Are you currently exploring of your own volition?”
“No!”
“Is more than twelve percent of your body currently lost?”
“……”
Go Yeongeun-ssi closed her mouth, then answered with difficulty.
“Yes.”
“I see. Take this.”
Skipping all explanations, Chief Lizard pulled something from his pocket.
A potion shimmering with a pale green light, like new leaves.
“This is…”
Having received it once before, her complexion changed.
A Daydream C-grade regeneration potion.
Holding out a provision issued by Director Ho Yoowon, Section Chief Lee Jaheon gave a calm instruction.
“After consumption, provide all usage and environmental information you have learned regarding this casino.”
“…Yes.”
Unable to refuse even this, she extended her bandaged hand, trembling slightly.
At that moment, through the slightly parted padding, I saw her ear…
‘…It’s gone.’
Her left ear was missing. The gap had been wrapped neatly in bandages.
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