New mascot?
'What kind of crazy nonsense is this now.'
I immediately recoiled from the desk. But nothing changed.
Congratulations on your appointment as the new mascot of Flower Golden Resort!
The message didn't change.
And in the ruined manager's office of Flower Golden Resort, I was the only one there.
Wearing a suit that made me look like a monster.
"..."
Don't tell me… Did they judge my disguised self as a ghost story resident and just straight-up hired me as a mascot for Cheerful Theme Park…?
It was a goosebump-inducing thought, but the logic didn't quite add up.
'This place was always meant for beings that aren't human, anyway.'
Even if it's a ghost story, there's usually some internal logic. Assigning me as the mascot out of nowhere, as if I were being targeted, feels odd. There must be some reason…
Ah.
I recalled what I'd done the last time I entered this theme park.
The already-ruined yellow zone.
I was the one who activated the gate to that place.
So, strictly speaking, I… had 'reopened' this resort.
'...'
This is driving me nuts.
I swallowed hard.
'So I became the mascot? Me?'
I hurriedly checked my appearance, but it was still that combat suit with the monstrous look.
'Another hint.'
I inspected the desk again, where the card with the message had been placed.
Next to the card was an ink bottle.
And an old-fashioned quill pen stuck into it.
"..."
Did they use this pen to write the congratulatory message?
Thinking of the various ghost story gimmicks, I sat in front of the desk. Maybe if I politely wrote something like 'I respectfully decline' on the document with that pen, I could get out of this situation.
But the moment I grabbed the pen.
'…?!'
…My hand started moving on its own, writing a message.
Requirements to begin resort operations
Employees : 3
This is insane.
My hand kept scribbling. The sentences continued.
The employment contracts should be in the desk drawer.
And, as it happens, there are visitors outside right now. If any of them are suitable, why not politely scout them?
It was utter madness. But then…
…'Visitors outside'?
Just then.
"This place…?"
"It's not even a real resort, is it?"
Voices came from outside the door.
A chill ran down my spine as I looked at the closed door.
The employees from Daydream Inc. who had drawn the 'yellow piece' with me had ended up here too…!
'Damn it.'
I immediately got up and opened the door.
Bang.
As soon as the door opened and our eyes met, the employees started and stiffened, frozen in place.
"Huhk…!"
"Uhh…"
The only reason they didn't scream must have been their experience with explorations into the Darkness.
The two employees, eyes wide with tension and fear behind their masks, hesitantly backed up against the wall and looked up at me.
At least Jang Heowoon's face had turned pale, but he didn't press himself against the wall as obviously. Maybe Director Ho had told him who I was.
Either way, my head throbbed.
Inside the theme park, I couldn't get too far away from these people.
'…Last time, the people who drew the same piece were also transported nearby.'
If you went further than a set distance, a rope would appear, put a noose around your neck, and you'd be strangled.
'For now, we have to stick together.'
And the escape method was obvious.
Be the first team to ride all three fantasy attractions with your teammates and win spectacular prizes!
Just ride three attractions and get a stamp from the mascot.
The problem was, it seemed the mascot was me.
"Um."
Jang Heowoon spoke to me.
"It doesn't look like there are any attractions to ride here… Should we try moving to another area to ride something?"
I looked back at Jang Heowoon.
"Hiek!"
For some reason, the other employees let out a sharp breath.
'But I agree!'
I just nodded slowly, and Jang Heowoon—face still pale—nodded back.
"Then let's move…"
Phew.
We stepped outside.
The place we'd been was like a corner of the lobby attached to the largest building.
We walked straight through the gloomy ruins of the resort, heading outdoors toward the gate.
I took the lead. Toward the very gate I'd escaped from last time.
"Uh, y-you know the way, don't you?"
"Shut up."
Luckily, the gate I'd used last time… was still in operation. The lights were flickering and looked unstable, but at least part of the gate was lit.
…Just as I'd left it.
[◎ Welcome ◎ ]
And from the resort, just an entrance ticket for three attractions was enough to enter the theme park…
But.
"..."
I stopped in front of the gate.
'I can't leave…!'
– The theme park mascots cannot leave their own zone.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
An overwhelming pressure pinned down my limbs.
I can't interfere with other zones. That would be a horrific violation threatening my very existence. I can't. I can't…
My bizarre identity, now defined as the mascot, was strangling me.
'But if I can't leave this place, I can't ride any attractions!'
There are no attractions in this ruined Golden Resort.
Because it's a ruin!
I looked at the gate that could lead to Blue Dream Waterpark.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
'…Even if I died and became a corpse, I don't think it would work.'
Of course, just imagining my corpse being dragged around by the others and going on rides in the blue zone gave me chills up to my scalp.
But this isn't just a matter of whether I'm willing to accept such a miserable death.
'I can't even be sure you can drag a dead mascot into another zone.'
No, I have no idea what would even happen in this zone if the mascot died…
Not for those people, either.
'...'
In that case.
I looked at the company employees.
"Hiek!"
The harvest mouse-masked employee's mouth was covered by the ladybug-masked employee to keep him from screaming.
Ignoring the sight with polite indifference, I blocked the path in front of the gate.
"Uh…?"
And then pointed in one direction with my finger.
Back to the room we started in.
"Um, are you… not supposed to leave? Do we have to go back?"
Nod.
"I-If we go back, is there another way?"
Nod.
"…!"
The employees' faces turned pale as a sheet.
"N-No way…"
"Hahaha, s-so we just have to follow you, right? Is that it?"
The ladybug-masked employee, holding back the harvest mouse-masked one, looked at me as they awkwardly shuffled backward.
'Damn.'
Still, I was relieved they listened.
Suppressing a sigh, I headed back inside the building where we'd regained consciousness.
And opened the office door I'd come out of.
"Ah…!"
I stopped Jang Heowoon, who was about to follow me in, and pointed at the worn-out door sign.
[Administrator Area]
Rule violation.
No matter how I thought about it, letting them in was a bad idea.
Bang.
I slammed the door on purpose and went inside, shutting my eyes tight.
Wow…
'This is seriously driving me insane.'
…For a moment, I even thought, what if I just take off this suit and get judged as human again? Maybe I'd lose my mascot qualifications.
But on the other hand, being 'modified by the ghost story' to fit the role could lead to a truly horrific ending.
No, in creepypastas, that's the more standard outcome.
'Ha.'
In the end… judging from the hints so far—
The only way for the group who drew the yellow piece to escape from Cheerful Theme Park is this.
'…To get the resort operating and make it possible to use three attractions.'
And what's needed is…
I went back to the desk and looked at the document card.
Requirements to begin resort operations
Employees : 3
"..."
I opened the desk drawer.
Inside were employment contracts, just as the document had said.
‒‒‒
Employment Contract
I accept my employment at the Flower Golden Resort with gratitude and joy, and pledge my sincerity and my existence to the operation of a happy and joyful theme park.
Employer : _____
Employee : _____
‒‒‒
A chilling document, like something for illegal test subjects.
'No way am I letting it end like this.'
I immediately grabbed the pen and edited the contract.
‒‒‒
Employment Contract I accept my employment at the Flower Golden Resort with deep gratitude and joy, and pledge my sincerity and my existence to the operation of a happy and joyful theme park.
The employee may, at any time, safely return home if they wish to resign, and may refuse any action that threatens their safety.
Employer : _____
Employee : _____
‒‒‒
I erased as much as possible of the ambiguous parts that could be interpreted in multiple ways.
'Writing over the sentence is not allowed.'
The pen refused. I could barely manage to cross out and erase lines, and squeezed in some added provisions in small letters in a blank space.
Then, holding the completed contract, the original document card, and the quill pen, I went back outside.
Click.
The staff, huddled in the hallway on high alert and whispering to each other, turned to look at me.
Only Jang Heowoon stood a bit apart, as if he hadn't been included by the others, waiting quietly.
'Phew.'
I held out the employment contract to them.
"What's this…?"
"..."
"…!!"
As if confirming something horrific, the employees stared at the contract with trembling eyes, then immediately froze in horror.
Because I was telling them to get hired by the theme park.
"Y-You want us to sign this…?"
"Uh…"
Of course, signing an employment contract in a ghost story leads to a horrible disappearance more than half the time.
Those who knew that had a different look in their eyes.
The eyes of experienced people searching for a way out.
"Um… I already have a job, so it's difficult to sign something like this right away. Could I have a moment to think about it?"
"M-Me too, please…!"
So, given time, they'd try to find a way to escape, or prepare some gear to temporarily overpower me the moment I let my guard down.
'If they're veterans in the Field Exploration Team, they're bound to have at least one life-saving trick hidden.'
So I couldn't just wait for them.
'No choice.'
I silently stared at the person who spoke first.
"Uh, uh…?"
And then I stopped breathing.
"…!"
Instead of being drawn in with my breath, black smoke thickened around my suit.
Smoke that wouldn't disperse began to flow heavily beneath the staff member's feet and around their waist.
If you don't sign, something will happen.
That was made clear to all five senses.
So clear that, trying to buy time, they'd realize they might die right now.
I lowered my face and looked down at Employee Harvest Mouse.
Up close.
Completely enveloped in black smoke and the dim glow of yellow lanterns, the staff member's hand shook.
"H-Hiicc…"
In the end, Harvest Mouse, tears streaming down his face, reached out to the paper and, with trembling hands, took the pen I held out and signed in the employee section.
'Please, don't write your real name.'
If they tried to, I was going to snatch it back and nudge him to write a nickname, but luckily 'Harvest Mouse' was what was written.
'Phew.'
I immediately inhaled and drew back the black smoke.
"Ah…!"
Harvest Mouse sat down right there and pressed back against the wall, bowing her head to me.
And, while all this was going on, Employee Ladybug—whose eyes were quivering as he watched—quietly started backing away…
"Ugh!"
Then shoved Jang Heowoon and bolted down the hallway, trying to escape in a panic.
But.
"Urk!!"
As Ladybug ran, a rope wrapped around his neck and he collapsed.
'He tried to break away from the yellow group.'
So the yellow line strangled her neck…
As I thought, I was still recognized as a member of the yellow group. The rules of entry through the board game were still in effect.
I suppressed a sigh and walked over to them.
Fortunately, instead of running away again, the staff member knelt in the hallway.
"S-Sorry. I just thought I saw something over there… If it was a trespasser, I was going to chase them out, ha ha…"
I silently held out the employment contract again.
"..."
He gulped, then, eyes squeezed tightly shut, signed the document.
Ladybug. Good.
And finally…
"..."
Jang Heowoon glanced up at my face for a moment, then hurriedly lowered his head and signed.
'Thank you.'
In this way, I got signatures on all three employment contracts.
'And last…'
Employer. It was time to sign my name.
I chose the most appropriate alias.
Employer : GOLDEN
At that moment.
Fwoosh.
The employment contracts burst into flames and turned to ash.
And the ashes stuck to the foreheads of all three people.
"Ah…!"
Now, on the foreheads of the Daydream Inc. employees, something like an ornate cursive letter 'G' was engraved.
"..."
I looked at the first document I'd brought from the room.
As soon as I lifted the pen above it—
Requirements to begin resort operations
Employees : 3 complete.
The area began to tremble.
"…!!"
The decrepit ruins we had been in collapsed, and something new emerged.
A glittering golden light.
A splendid and cozy corridor surrounded on all sides by bright and beautiful wood and gold decorations.
Elegant, small chandelier-style lights swayed from the ceiling, and at the end of the corridor, a grand and dazzling lobby appeared.
A space where golden staircases like in a cartoon, magenta velvet, and sparkling yellow crystal ornaments bloomed like flowers.
And then…
[Flower Golden Resort]
The sign of Flower Golden Resort appeared in elegant script, revealing the glorious resort of Cheerful Theme Park.
"…!"
Unfortunately, the guests were not suitable candidates. But I pitied these frail lower life forms and hired them.
They may be unqualified to work as full-time staff at the Flower Golden Resort, but I expect them to do their best.
The pen moved on its own.
The document updated itself.
With ■■ being insufficient, it was decided to begin temporary operation of the lobby and basic accommodations.
May many guests find peaceful rest.
And.
And for the guests who come seeking rest, I resolved to show a friendly and cheerful appearance, befitting a theme park.
The moment that sentence was recorded—
My appearance began to change.
"…!!"
Something warm, soft, and suffocating began to wrap around me over my suit.
With its soft fur, it naturally enveloped my entire body and formed a thick figure, as if it were my own skin.
"..."
Before I knew it, I saw my reflection in the clean, shiny corridor window.
There stood the mascot.
"…!"
With branch-like horns, a cat-like thing, stylized into a deformed, toy-like form.
The new mascot suit of Cheerful Theme Park.
But it wasn't only me who was changing.
"Ahh!"
The employees' bodies began to twist and transform, taking on the standard mascot form. Wait a minute…!
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the pen with my stubby mascot paw and wrote on the document.
However, for regular staff, wearing uniforms instead of mascot suits would better match the luxury of the resort.
"Huuuhk!"
The transformation stopped.
Instead, the employees' suits changed, becoming formal uniforms adorned with golden bowties.
I withdrew my sweat-soaked hand.
It seemed I could write things, as long as it didn't go against the operation of the resort.
And I… I would be fine. My body hadn't actually turned into a mascot. I was just wearing the mascot costume.
…Probably.
'Huu.'
I took a deep breath and waddled out to the lobby.
Horribly, there were already mascots with my appearance waiting there.
"…!"
Bellboys, cleaning staff, security, front desk—all kinds of uniforms.
No… It was all me standing there.
I would manage the resort as the mascot.
I could do anything and be anything. As long as it was for the operation of the resort.
…Just as the text said.
I could know whatever I wanted about what I was doing.
'I'm going to hurl.'
My stomach churned. This didn't feel like a human sensation.
But I had to keep working. There was no other way right now.
I approached the largest front desk in the lobby. Avoiding eye contact with the mascot standing at the reception, I scanned the desk.
There was a golden stamp.
'…!'
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed to be a stamp for confirming attraction usage.
It looked like, at the resort, you could get a stamp by using subsidiary facilities.
"Um, this…"
I immediately tried to pick up the stamp and stamp the other people's wristbands, but a strong resistance stopped my hand.
'No!'
Youabsolutelycannotdarestampthecountforguestswhohaven'tenjoyedanattractionyet! Thatwouldviolatetheoperationrules!
My breath got stuck in my throat.
Instead, I handed them the guestbook.
"…!"
The employees looked disoriented, clearly overwhelmed by a situation far outside the manual, but eventually wrote their nicknames in the guestbook after seeing the stamp.
"I-I'm fine!"
Except for Employee Ladybug.
"..."
I stamped the guestbook entries for Jang Heowoon-ssi and Employee Harvest Mouse.
[(Cheerful) Fantasy Land Ride Ticket ■□□]
[(Cheerful) Fantasy Land Ride Ticket ■□□]
"Ah…!"
"It's real."
The atmosphere brightened a little.
Ladybug glanced over here with a look of mild regret, but didn't say anything for now.
'I'll set things up so he can come forward on his own later.'
For now, if he saw any chance to escape or incapacitate me, he'd surely take it… so dragging this out was dangerous.
I'm not an actual Security Team member, and I don't possess any overwhelming, superhuman power.
'If I slip up, this could fall apart and end in death.'
I had to keep this group together as stably as possible.
And besides.
'If we just stay here for three nights, would that count as the three attractions?'
It said three attractions. Maybe if we changed room types each night?
Wondering if there was a hint, I lifted the pen over the document.
I should assign accommodations to the staff.
And since they're guests today, let's use the ride tickets to let them stay in a fabulous suite.
Yes.
And the official opening is only after sunset.
…What?
I'm quite looking forward to it.
I stared blankly at the pen.
'…Of course.'
Reopening the resort meant accepting guests.
And the guests of this theme park were originally…
'Not human.'
Which meant—
After sunset, non-human entities would flood in here.
'…!'
I had to get out before that happened.
'Expansion!'
I needed to add attractions immediately. I had to open up more areas of the resort and find new attractions!
A new page appeared in the document and words began to write themselves.
Requirements to expand resort facilities
Employees : 3
Damn it!!
'Where am I supposed to get three more?'
Anyone in the other zones, unless they're crazy, will just finish the rides at Blue Dream Waterpark and escape.
There's no reason for anyone to come here!
I was anxiously biting my tongue when—
…If I started business as is, there was no telling what the guests would do.
'That would be a ghost story all on its own.'
At that moment.
My pen moved again.
Then let's establish the resort's rules of use before the official opening.
"…!"
As the mascot of this place, I must wholeheartedly decide what kind of place the Flower Golden Resort should be.
Just as the red mascot pursues endless stimulation and slaughter.
Just as the blue mascot values kindness and honor.
My own mascot values.
'In that case.'
I immediately took up the pen.
Flower Golden Resort Rules of Use
1- Our resort is a dream destination for guests with courtesy and class.
That's right!
Please be sure to observe resort manners and etiquette.
No troublemakers allowed.
T/N: The thing is, Soleum used the word '진상' over here, which could mean troublemaking guests… but also means the following:
1- truth
2- reality
3- offering to the king
So, uh… ¯ _(ツ)_/¯
Sidenote, there weren't any specific mentions of harvest mouse employee's gender, so I'm only assuming they're male. Pronouns could change later, and if you see any inconsistencies, just let me know (I was flip-flopping between the pronouns in my head so I might've missed a couple)