“I really can’t believe you’ve become an elite squad…”
“Why would you make such a risky choice?”
The voice was filled with concern.
Sitting at a desk in D-squad’s office, I rubbed my forehead.
“…Director Ho.”
“Yes?”
“If I’ve been rude in any way, sir, I sincerely apologize.”
Why exactly are you here?
“Pardon? You’ve never been rude, Soleum-nim. Honestly, you should have more confidence in yourself.”
This man is no ordinary character…
Director Ho, with a slightly disappointed look, acted as though I’d refused a simple lunch invitation from a coworker.
That made it all the more terrifying.
‘I expected him to either target me or ignore me completely.’
Why is he acting so… neutral?
To be honest, Director Ho had the authority and had made a more shocking proposal, so rejecting him could’ve easily offended him.
‘Any rational person would’ve chosen his side.’
Naturally, I was leaning more toward that side.
At least, until I asked this question.
– Director, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask what iteration this project is on?
– Iteration? Ah, you’re asking which one this is?
– Yes, that’s correct.
– If that’s what you mean, there’s no specific number. It’s a new initiative.
– …I see. Thank you.
In that moment, I made my decision.
‘Let’s cut ties.’
A new project in a ghost story company?
Nine times out of ten, a project like that’s established due to a high-grade, unidentified ghost story.
‘It’s definitely A-grade or higher.’
At this point, we’re not talking about ghost stories that simply correlate with risk levels.
The projects are based on fears so devastating that no individual could handle them—utter despair with no way to predict or prepare.
These aren’t just fears of death or disappearance—they’re existential, higher-level horrors.
And now they’ve dangled wish tickets as rewards, the kind that would make any employee lose their mind?
‘It’s probably S-grade, isn’t it?’
This project seemed poised to be the company’s top-tier mission for the Field Exploration Team.
On top of that, this was the first trial run, meaning there was no prior data available?
‘It’s a suicide mission.’
No matter how good the perks were, the premise was flawed from the start.
If I were guaranteed to be the team leader, it might’ve been different… but honestly, even as a team leader, it’d be a hollow title.
‘As if the dream team of employees handpicked by the director would ever listen to someone like me, who hasn’t even been here a full year.’
Besides, with the director involved, the team leader would just be a middle manager, caught in the crossfire and barely surviving—or not surviving at all.
‘…I don’t want that.’
I’d already accumulated nearly a third of the required points. I didn’t need to take such a gamble for a wish ticket.
…Besides, staying with D-squad had another practical benefit.
‘This way, if Supervisor Park Minseong or Assistant Manager Eun Haje returns, they can naturally rejoin D-squad…’
…It’s much easier to bring someone into a spot that’s been kept open and flexible.
So, it was a multifaceted decision.
But since I couldn’t explain all this, I simply said this.
“This seemed like the better choice for more people, so I had to go with this side. My apologies.”
In that moment, Director Ho’s genial expression seemed to falter.
And then he spoke.
“Kind-hearted people are always the hardest to understand…”
Wait, just now…!
Tak.
“Well, if you ever change your mind, feel free to reach out, Soleum-nim.”
With that, his voice faded.
Director Ho casually nodded at me, smiled, and left the office.
Just now… that didn’t seem normal.
– Mr. Roe Deer, I detect the scent of pestilence on that man.
Pestilence?
– Be sure to take extra care with sterilization if you invite him into a personal space or studio!
‘Pestilence, meaning a plague…?’
I mulled over Director Ho’s identity for a moment before shrugging it off.
‘First things first. Focus on the urgent tasks.’
For now, I needed to reorganize and prepare for what I’d need before officially joining the elite squad…
“Soleum-ssi.”
Aagh!
“S-Squad Leader.”
Chief Lizard entered through the door that Director Ho had just exited, holding out some documents.
“Director Cheong asked me to pass these along, saying, ‘Perhaps it’s worth checking out.’”
“Yes. Understood…”
‘Please, a little warning next time…’
I quietly exhaled as I took the documents and read the title on the first page.
Qterw-C-1603
Unregistered Exploration Testimony #21
Security Clearance: [C]
…Huh?
“Am I allowed to read this…?”
“Yes.”
Umm.
It appeared to be a ‘pre-registration’ exploration report that required C-grade security clearance for access. It seemed Director Cheong had given me special permission to read it…
‘That’s even scarier!’
But refusing to read it felt even riskier, so I took a deep breath and began reading.
What kind of exploration record could this be…?
……
Huh?
Ad leaflet introducing a new product released, confirmed to be from Qterw-C-1603.
Product name : Good Child Chocolate Bar (Cinnamon Churros Flavor).
Features : Packaging depicts a caricature of a child’s face wearing a suit and a mask with tree branch-like goat horns.
※ The character on the packaging resembles the company’s Field Exploration Team uniform.
Be cognizant in checking staff with a similar mask design.
Wait a second.
Isn’t this…
Me?