“Here, sir.”
A silence followed.
Lee Byeongjin hastily wiped his glasses.
“Ha-ha, I must be getting old. My eyesight’s so bad that the light seems to be over-reflecting or someth—?!?”
“Ah.”
I responded with a pleased tone.
“Do you also think it’s A-grade, Section Chief?”
Lee Byeongjin adjusted his glasses and put them back on.
“……Immediately,”
“—Immediately report this! What are you waiting for? Hurry!”
In an instant, I was summoned.
This meant that before I could even report to the D-squad office, the Collector was confiscated by the relevant personnel.
“Goodness!”
The looks from the team—faces screaming ‘It’s you again?’—weren’t exactly welcoming, but I figured it was better than nothing.
And as for the measured grade…
“Kim Soleum-ssi.”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
“The liquid you collected from the Darkness last night has been confirmed as A-grade.”
That afternoon, while I was sitting in the office writing my exploration report, Chief Lizard delivered the news without much fanfare.
Up to that point, it was as I had expected.
But it was the next part that was the problem.
“And regarding this exploration, there’s been a request for a one-on-one interview with you.”
Well, this wasn’t something I could avoid…
The second A-grade.
And this time, it came from an unprecedented ghost story.
‘A-grade in this ghost story was probably only theoretical, a placeholder, right?’
Most yields were either D or F.
Occasionally, someone who lasted long enough while hoarding items and nametags would pull off a C-grade, but that was about it.
The jackpot from a ghost story usually treated as an item-farming zone had now sparked all sorts of chatter from the higher-ups.
But here’s the thing:
‘This is it for this one.’
That was the first clear.
Subsequent attempts to clear it in similar ways yielded liquid one or two grades lower than the same ending (B).
‘That’s just how the game mechanics are.’
If it’s not the first time, it’s just repetition—it doesn’t count as an achievement.
Of course, I didn’t plan to explain all of this, but I’d have to drop enough hints to avoid ridiculous blame later, like: ‘We invested in you, and no more A-grades came out!’
‘Looks like I’ll be running in circles all afternoon…’
Just as I was bracing myself for the inevitable, Chief Lizard spoke again.
“Kim Soleum-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you not want to do the interview?”
Could I, uh, skip this somehow?
But after a moment of thought, I shook my head.
“No, it’s alright, sir. I’ll do it.”
To avoid some absurd blame game like, ‘You only got the A-grade because you refused to write a proper report!’
“Yes.”
Lee Jaheon didn’t ask twice. Very typical of him.
And so, at the appointed time, I left the D-squad office for the interview.
‘They’re calling me to a higher floor, huh.’
Descending to the designated 31st floor, I found the meeting room.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Hearing the voice granting permission, I cautiously opened the door.
Sunlight poured in through the blinds, casting a solemn atmosphere over the meeting room.
At the center was a massive, black, round-table desk.
But…
“Hmmm.”
The researchers who were supposed to conduct the interview weren’t there.
Instead, sitting alone at the head of the massive desk, was one person.
A woman with deep blue-black hair, dressed impeccably in a three-button suit, looked at me with a kindly expression.
She didn’t seem old, but there was something about her that made it difficult to guess her age.
And on the desk before her was a striking black lacquer nameplate.
Managing Director Cheong Dallae
D-Director??
Wait, why is an executive sitting alone in the meeting room I was called to?
And it wasn’t even that Director Ho who Lee Byeongjin and the A-squad were connected to.
But that surname…
‘I’ve heard it before…’
When Section Chief Lee Byeongjin went missing, his team had speculated about who might replace him.
– The new person they bring in might be… who knows, right? But it’s unlikely it’ll be another one of the same line. Probably someone from Director Cheong’s side.
Director Cheong.
A senior executive from the company’s Development Department, someone I’d never been involved with before, had summoned me!
‘What the hell…’
Of course, even as I panicked internally, I bowed deeply.
Because no matter how shocked I was, I couldn’t forget social etiquette!
“……! It’s an honor to meet you, Managing Director.”
“Good. Nice to meet you too.”
Managing Director Cheong shook my hand and gestured broadly to the row of chairs lined around the round-table desk.
“Go ahead and take a seat.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Where should I sit?
I hesitated for a moment before choosing a spot—not too close to the head of the table but still within reasonable distance for a conversation.
Then, someone who seemed to be from the executive secretary’s office entered the meeting room, placed an unknown set of documents in front of the Managing Director, and left.
I could feel cold sweat forming.
‘What is this situation?’
I couldn’t make sense of it, so I focused on grasping the context first.
“So… Supervisor Soleum, are you still in your twenties?”
“I was born in XX, ma’am.”
“How young. I’ll speak casually, so just relax. This is a good meeting.”
“A good meeting, you say…?”
“I’ve heard a lot about you over time.”
Managing Director Cheong smiled faintly.
“You’ve left quite an impression. If only we had more recruits like you, there’d be no issues with acquiring raw material.”
“Thank you.”
When someone this high up starts praising you, it’s best to just sit politely and listen.
Trying too hard to guess what they want or speaking out of turn could easily backfire.
‘Is this meeting just to commend me and encourage me to write a good A-grade manual? Maybe she’s come all this way to leave a strong impression.’
But then—
“So, Supervisor Soleum.”
The main point came out of nowhere, without warning.
“Do you have any interest in joining an elite squad?”
I nearly choked on my own spit.
“Well…”
“Oh, I know you were offered a position by Section Chief Baek from the A-squad last time, and you declined.”
“‘I need to focus on foundational skills and knowledge first’… Good excuse. Well-played.”
Oh, good god.
“That squad… hmm, they care about hierarchy, which is fine, but sometimes their priorities shift, and they put hierarchy above exploration.”
“It’s not a good look, but hey, being good at playing the game is a skill too, isn’t it? Ha-ha!”
She wasn’t even subtle about pointing out that the A-squad was part of a different faction.
‘I am not going to respond to that, Director…’
I forced a faint smile and nodded lightly.
If I were to take one wrong step here, it would sound like I was gossiping about the A-squad with her.
For a Managing Director, that’s no big deal!
But for a new recruit like me, it’s a surefire way to crash and burn.
Trying to stay composed, I carefully spoke, pretending to struggle with my words.
“Um, I felt that as someone who just joined the company, building a solid foundation was necessary… so I’ve been working hard to learn…”
“Hahaha! That’s fine, that’s fine. I understand this must be a nerve-wracking situation for you, Supervisor Soleum.”
Managing Director Cheong laughed heartily before suddenly turning serious.
“You don’t need to just agree with everything I say. I’m not very fond of sycophants.”
“Right. I suppose I should phrase this more clearly, don’t you think?”
Managing Director Cheong paused for a moment, as if deep in thought, before closing the folder in front of her and speaking.
“I’m not saying I want to place you in one of the elite squads.”
“What I’m asking is if you’d be interested in receiving the same treatment as someone on an elite squad. Or, let me put it another way.”
Managing Director Cheong smiled again.
“What would you think if D-squad became one of the elites?”
“And you get to pick a squad member to bring in, too. Just say the word.”
Holy shit.