“Actually, I’ve got something for you.”
With the grace of someone who’d been using just one hand for years, Eun Haje reached into the bedside drawer…
And pulled out a luxurious gold-embossed box painted with an oil painting design.
[Daydream Potion]
‘W-Wait.’
That’s the kind of box Daydream Inc. uses for their premium potions!
And it looked even fancier than the box my C-grade regeneration potion came in.
“Assistant Manager, what exactly are you…”
“See this? There’s only one left.”
She opened the box with an exuberant gesture.
Inside, the molded silk lining held spaces for two round glass vials—but one was already empty.
Eun Haje took the remaining vial and casually tossed it to me.
“Take it.”
Oh my God.
I lunged forward, catching the vial before it could fall.
Inside, a liquid shimmered like flowing silk, blending hues of deep purple and silver.
: Daydream Potion :
Venom
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Outstanding)
Venom?!
“Assistant Manager, you bought this with points—”
“Yup.”
Eun Haje grinned, showing her teeth.
“Handle it carefully. That’s a 170,000-point death note.”
“You can kill someone remotely without leaving a trace.”
W, Wait a minute.
With trembling hands, I read the description on the vial.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Venom assists with silent and ruthless revenge.
Through a simple ritual, breathe the target’s name into the vial…
That very night, a horrific death shall find them.
“In short, it’s perfect for getting rid of someone you want dead without any fuss.”
“Before they die, they’ll experience excruciating, searing pain and horrific mental torment, enough to curse the world itself, before falling into a coma. Over the next four hours, they’ll endure what feels like four years of agony.”
You’re giving me a murder weapon…?
Assistant Manager Eun Haje further grumbled about how the venom always came in sets of two vials because of the ‘damn concept’, so she had to work twice as hard and twice as long just to get it.
But eventually, she smiked mischievously at me.
“Use it if someone you want to kill shows up.”
“Because I had someone like that.”
I glanced at the empty slot in the box, feeling a lump in my throat.
…Did she already use the first one?!
“Curious? About who I used it on?”
My mind instantly flashed to the revelation from the <Hungry Hangman>.
– The word that best represents Teacher Eun Haje is ‘Betrayer’!
“If it’s a personal matter and you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me…”
“Uncomfortable? Please. I’ve been dying to talk about it.”
If that’s the case, by all means.
Assistant Manager Eun Haje leaned back against the bed with her arms crossed.
“To cut to the chase… Yes, I got into trouble as a journalist and ended up switching careers.”
“There was this second-generation politician who dabbled in everything from drugs to human trafficking. I was chasing an exclusive scoop on him, but I ruined myself in the process.”
Her tone was casual, as usual, but the content was anything but.
It was the kind of story that felt polished through years of introspection and regret.
Her article was killed at the desk, and the very next day, immense pressure came down on her entire team. She was stalked, her family received threatening calls…
“The team decided to drop the whole thing and pretend it never happened. But I couldn’t let it go and tried to blow the whistle through a foreign media outlet. Sure, that could be considered betrayal. But…”
A small sigh escaped her lips.
“On the day I was supposed to leave the country, I got a call. Four of the informants had died as if it were some sort of cruel joke.”
“Officially, it was ruled as suicides due to despair… but they obviously weren’t. Either they were killed outright or driven to the point of death.”
“I was stupid to think that just publishing the story would fix everything.”
“It wasn’t stupidity.”
“It was stupid, no matter how you look at it. Anyway…”
Eun Haje quit being a journalist.
She said she simply couldn’t do it anymore.
“But I still needed a job. I had a family to support at home.”
Fortunately, she found a company that fit.
A place where the age range for new hires was relatively broad, where experience in diverse fields was valued for sales positions, and—since it was in a different industry—she wasn’t on any blacklists.
“A pharmaceutical company called Daydream Inc..”
And at this company, she encountered something extraordinary—
A wish ticket.
“At first, I thought about bringing the dead back to life, but that felt like an insult to them.”
Eun Haje adjusted her arms, crossing them more comfortably.
“Trying to bring them back just because I felt guilty would’ve been self-serving. Respecting the dead as they are… that’s the right thing to do. Plenty of people in this company wouldn’t agree, but that’s my stance. Anyway…”
Her story ended with a faint smile.
“So last night, I got my revenge. And that’s the end of it.”
“If you hear about a second-generation politician dying a horrible death in the news, just know that I was the one responsible.”
Eun Haje stretched her arms high with a relieved sigh.
“Ah… Fuck, I’m finally done with this cursed Darkness exploration!!”
“Are you quitting?”
“You never know in life.”
Despite her bold declaration, her face was slightly stiff.
Even though she mentioned it casually to avoid burdening me, it was clear that she felt conflicted about leaving Supervisor Park Minseong behind.
“Either way, I’ll be taking a break for a while… but I guess that means I won’t be working in the D-squad anymore.”
She gave a slightly bitter smile.
“I made such a fuss about you staying in our squad, and it ended up happening after all.”
“…Yes.”
I realized it reflexively.
From now on… I wouldn’t see Assistant Manager Eun Haje sitting at the desk next to mine anymore.
“Roe.”
“Is it hard on you?”
“Yeah. If it weren’t, you’d have to be some kind of psychopath. You’ve been so capable that it’s just hitting you a bit later than usual, but everyone goes through this at some point.”
Eun Haje smiled and lightly thumped her chest.
“Not being able to see the squadmate who used to sit next to you the very next day.”
“But you should give yourself some credit for this. It’s the best-case scenario—you’re not seeing us anymore for a good reason, thanks to your own abilities.”
“…Supervisor Park Minseong, he…”
“That’s a debt I’ll keep on my own tab.”
Eun Haje cut me off firmly.
“You rescued him too. Be proud of that. He’s strong in his own way. He’ll recover… Focus on yourself for now.”
She glanced at me and smiled.
“Even the squad leader seems worried about you.”
The lizard… worried?
“Roe, hasn’t the squad leader been barely showing up at the office lately?”
He hadn’t.
“Usually, when half a squad gets wiped out, the norm isn’t taking a break—it’s stepping in to support another squad.”
Ah.
“But he made sure to keep you out of that.”
“Whether it’s by pulling strings or stepping in himself.”
Goodness.
“Trustworthy, huh? He’s been like that since I joined. Not exactly flexible, but dependable.”
Eun Haje placed her intact hand on my shoulder.
“It’s not easy finding people you can rely on in this company. That’s part of your good fortune. Work well with the squad leader moving forward.”
Then she grinned and extended her hand.
“Whoever ends up taking my spot, with Squad Leader Lee Jaheon and Kim Soleum, I’m sure the D-squad will be fine.”
She firmly shook my hand with her uninjured right one.
“Earn plenty of points safely, Roe.”
And she added with a smile,
“I hope your wish comes true.”
That was my last handshake with Assistant Manager Eun Haje from the D-squad.
* * *
When I returned to work after my short leave, I saw that all of Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s belongings had been cleared from her desk in the D-squad’s office.
Supervisor Park Minseong’s desk had been left alone, but who knew how long that would last.
I quietly went to my desk and sat down.
Just like that.
I was the last remaining member of the D-squad here.