A cozy and warm atmosphere filled the Fox Counseling Office.
In front of the nameplate that read ‘Closed Today’, at a table in a waiting area that resembled a hallway, Director Ho was waiting for me.
And the moment I greeted him politely and sat down across the table, the first thing out of his mouth was this.
“So, you want… to file for workers’ compensation?”
“Yes, sir.”
I confidently brought out the empty sleeve where my right arm should’ve been and displayed it on the table.
“I was forced to cut off my arm during my very first mission with the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.”
“……”
If Director Ho had any sense, he’d remember it too.
He was the one who introduced this spy job to me, all the while saying that there were better working conditions and safer assignments.
But after crawling through Daydream Inc. for over half a year and extracting two A-grade solutions without a scratch, I lost one of my limbs just three days after becoming a civil servant.
‘This is basically fraud.’
Of course, I was prepared for the possibility that he might try to spin it as bad luck on my part, or a lack of competence…
“Oh dear! Of course we should take care of that!”
“……!”
Director Ho’s face crumpled with concern as he nodded.
“That must have been incredibly painful for you, Soleum-nim. Then… would it be correct to assume you need a regenerative potion from Daydream Inc.?”
“Exactly as you say, sir.”
“Of course, I’d love to give you as much potion as you want right away, Soleum-nim. But… I’m just a little worried whether you’ll be able to manage it.”
“…Sorry?”
Director Ho glanced at the empty space where my arm used to be.
“If your arm suddenly reappears… there won’t even be any room to make excuses to the bureau, right? It might cause some issues for you.”
“……”
“And I’m sure the bureau must have its own procedures for handling lost limbs, so… is there a particularly urgent reason why you’d want Daydream Inc.’s regenerative potion…?”
He trailed off with a worried expression, then caught himself and clasped his hands together.
“Ah, I suppose I may be overthinking this. I’m sure you have a brilliant plan in mind, Soleum-nim.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“Hm, I think I might’ve phrased things poorly and caused some misunderstanding.”
I gave a slight smile.
“I’m not bothering you right now because I want to use the regenerative potion immediately.”
“Of course not! I didn’t think it was a bother, but if that’s what you meant?”
“I need the potion so that I can immediately regenerate if I lose another body part in the future.”
“…!”
“The Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau fundamentally operates with one-man teams. So I figured… if I regenerate before I report back from the ghost story site, it’ll all go without a hitch.”
How’s that?
“I also heard that if your injuries reach an unmanageable level, they strongly recommend retirement… so it’s also meant to prevent that outcome.”
“……”
“Of course, if it’s too difficult for the company to provide it right now, I’ll hold out as best I can.”
Now, if Director Ho were going to turn me down by saying the company’s in dire straits?
‘There’s no way he’d do that.’
If he were going to refuse, he’d either start saying regretful things and hemming and hawing, or he’d abruptly switch tactics and try to assert dominance by pulling rank.
‘But neither of those is Director Ho’s style.’
I could at least trust that he wouldn’t try to act all stingy over one measly C-grade regenerative potion…
“Did you know, Soleum-nim?”
Director Ho stared straight at me.
“When I look at you, I often feel like I’m seeing my past self…”
The Fox Counseling Office wavered strangely.
The worn dirt walls, paper sliding doors, exposed rafters, and the moldy wooden floor.
“I really miss those days…”
For some reason, a rundown thatched cottage flickered at the edge of my vision.
Beyond the comfortable, modern interior, there lay a bleak, abandoned house…
Ka-chak.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“…!”
The door to the Fox Counseling Office opened, and everything came to a halt.
Through the door stepped a man and a woman, their faces tense as they entered the cozy waiting area.
Familiar faces.
“G-Good afternoon, sir.”
“…!”
Go Yeongeun. Jang Heowoon. [1]
The two who had infiltrated the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau with me as spies had also been invited here today.
I was on the verge of tears from how happy I was to see them.
“Welcome, both of you.”
Director Ho smiled and seated them at the table.
I looked at Go Yeongeun, who gave a small nod, and then Jang Heowoon, whose face lit up with relief… before going completely pale the moment he saw what happened to my right arm.
“Ah, thanks to Soleum-nim’s suggestion, all of you will be receiving one regenerative potion each. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“…?! Y-Yes…”
“…Yes, sir. Thank you.”
Go Yeongeun-ssi was holding up better, but Jang Heowoon-ssi looked exactly like a mouse in front of a cat.
Meaning, he was extremely tense.
‘Well, that’s probably the right attitude in front of an executive…’
Especially an executive from a ghost story company, the kind you encounter in a ghost story.
Note/s:
[1] Heo-un Heowoon. Still the same pronunciation, just a different way to spell it in English. I’ve been on the fence about this for a while now, but ‘Heo-un-ssi’ just doesn’t look good on the page ahah >.> Hope yall understand~! When I have time, I’ll go back to the past chapters and edit his name for the sake of continuity. ↩