– Friend, your superior is a dull, unimaginative blade grunt…
‘U-Uh-huh.’
I thanked Lee Jaheon and went to fetch Braun.
I felt a little bad for both of them because, by the time I got back, Chief Lizard had already taken the plush to his own place since it was so late.
Thanks to that, Braun ended up visiting a place I’d never seen myself—and had no intention of seeing, period—so he got a bit excited.
– Ah, I would have preferred to sit alone on the cold tiled backstage floor of a studio.
‘…Right.’
In the end, it must have been boring.
As Braun complained about how ‘there was absolutely nothing in that man’s house, no muttering, no humming, just silence dragging on endlessly’, I broke out into a cold sweat.
– Friend…!
I’m starting to get it now. Using a ‘good friend’ as the angle when dealing with Braun seems to get the calmest reaction from him.
‘Well, it’s not entirely a lie.’
Anyway, I recalled the conversation I had with Lee Jaheon as I received Braun.
– Thank you.
I’d said it while bowing my head.
– And I’m sorry. I did something deserving of disciplinary action and caused trouble for you as well, Squad Leader.
Honestly, in a normal company, I’d have been smacked over the head with a stack of files for this.
But even after hearing the full story, the lizard squad leader remained composed.
– Yes.
– …I just couldn’t, for no reason, push a peer into a position where he was obviously going to die…
– I see.
He stared at me for a moment and then spoke.
– Take responsibility for your choice.
– …Yes!
It was a little intimidating, but it seemed like he let it slide.
‘Thank goodness.’
After a few more rounds of apologies and thanks, I handed over a gift box of snacks I’d prepared. Now, I was heading down the stairs of the residential building.
– So, are we heading back to your humble and cozy room for some rest, Mr. Roe Deer?
“No, not yet.”
I exited the building.
“There’s one more thing to take care of.”
Today was the day to draw the tarot cards for The Dilemma, the F-ranked Darkness I was managing.
It had been two months since my last visit to the annex to check the cards. Someone else had covered for me during my sick leave, and the cycle had now come back around.
“Hello.”
I greeted the black silhouette of the security team member at the desk, received the key, and made my way down the hall.
‘Last time, I drew the Moon card in reverse.’
– Ah, are you planning to use that trick again? Picking up the card upside down, I mean!
Hmm. That one.
“I’ll use it if I have to, but I’d rather not.”
– Oh?
Something about it… bothers me.
‘When I drew the Moon card in reverse, it supposedly meant the resolution of uncertainty.’
– Indeed. What’s the issue with that?
The card itself wasn’t the problem. Over that month, several things indeed became clearer or were resolved.
For instance… my assignment.
‘I was confirmed to remain in D-Squad.’
…After we lost two members, that is.
“……”
But here’s the thing about that.
‘Resolving uncertainty requires first experiencing an uncertain situation.’
In other words, drawing a bad card in reverse implies that…
‘I would still have to experience the negative state first.’
To recover from or escape that situation, I’d have to go through it at least once.
– Aha, an interesting perspective! Quite persuasive, too!
Exactly.
And even if things eventually recover, in the world of ghost stories, the act of falling into a ‘bad state’ carries enormous risks.
I couldn’t afford to forget the contamination incident.
‘It’s safer to draw something good and upright, if possible.’
So, please, let’s not have a scenario where both cards are bad, leaving me no choice.
‘Huu.’
I entered the containment room and unlocked The Dilemma’s isolation. Taking out two black tarot cards, I placed them face-down on the table.
Taking a deep breath, I flipped them over.
The first card:
The Devil.
Shit.
‘That damned Devil card keeps showing up.’
The only surprising part was that this time, it was already reversed.
– Ah, the Devil in reverse!
– ‘Breaking free from the Devil.’ A card of liberation. It signifies overcoming addiction or obsession, or making future decisions to conquer fears. It suits someone with your willpower and creativity, Mr. Roe Deer.
I appreciated the explanation, but my attention quickly moved to the second card.
…The Sun!
The red and yellow sun burned brightly, illuminating the tarot card with vibrant colors.
This is…
‘Isn’t this undeniably good?!’
– Oh, the Sun!
– Under the clear light of the Sun, one enjoys joy and blessings in abundance! It signifies career success, strengthened relationships, and unparalleled positivity. It guarantees happiness in the near future.
– Some even consider it the best card in the tarot deck, but… isn’t unconditional success and happiness a bit boring?
I’m sorry, but I could really use that kind of ‘boring’ right now, Mr. Host…!
‘This is an easy choice.’
I reached out and picked up the Sun card.
With that, I secured a positive future, stable and upright.
– A somewhat dull choice, but I respect it, Mr. Roe Deer!
‘Thanks.’
With that, I concluded the ritual.
‘Success and joy, huh.’
There’s no downside to that.
At the very least, I could take comfort in the prediction that something good would happen within the month.
‘Time to head back to the dorm.’
– Sounds good, Friend!
And so, I headed home late at night, ending a long and eventful day. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the elevator and had to climb the stairs.
‘Trudging up the fire escape at night is scarier than you’d think, even without creepypastas…’
It felt a bit unfair.
Still, this truly was the last major event of what had been a tumultuous year.
Surprisingly, the remaining days of the year passed peacefully.
Throughout December, not much happened.
Kwak Jaekang didn’t call for me unnecessarily after the incident, nor did any strange research projects get assigned to me.
‘Looks like my [MZ efficiency] tactic worked…’
I was worried the Research Team might try to involve Jang Heo-un again, but that didn’t happen either.
[Jang Heo-un : Soleum-ssi! No changes in my assignment—I’m officially staying in F-Squad.]
It seemed he’d settled into F-Squad without issue following the year-end personnel announcements.
‘That’s good news.’
Even though he was in the same squad as Baek Saheon… well, based on what I saw at Sekwang Technical High School, it didn’t seem like they were recklessly using Jang Heo-un as bait.
Otherwise, things were ordinary.
‘I diligently entered ghost stories.’
There weren’t any assignments involving high-level ghost stories rated C or above.
As a result, the only ‘horrors’ I experienced were internal screams, fear, and an increasing record of children’s cartoons I watched to combat my insomnia.