Looking again changes nothing.
A human body—to be precise, a body that appears to have the same conditions as when I was originally human... on top of it...
is a lizard head.
'....'
I creaked my head around to look at the lizard.
"?"
Argh!
>Question: Reason for the similarity between the Mood Lamp Cultured Body and the Section Chief Lizard Body
"Unknown."
I feel like I'm going to explode.
>Request: Speculation
"Yes. Referring to the product's user manual, there is a possibility that a 'special effect' has manifested."
…!
Try using the nerves and muscles of the observed life-form yourself! And enjoy the cool special effect, too!
A special effect.
"Considering the uniqueness of a product made as a gift, it can be speculated that some of the gift-giver's characteristics were mixed in to enhance its function as a gift."
So.
'Are you saying the biological traits of the gift-givers, the alien reptiles, manifested and were 'gifted' along with it?'
Since gifts are usually part of social exchange. Like in a sci-fi movie where they give Earth's creatures as a gift upon contacting aliens…
No, even if it's not such a precise metaphor for the situation, it's like how countries exchange local specialties during diplomatic visits.
'This is truly like a ghost story.'
In that it gives you something you don't want!
"Wait, wait! Could the genetic information have been mixed? In your senses, what characteristics of this body and Section Chief Lee Jaheon seem meaningfully similar?That…"
You… get out.
I sent Kwak Jegang away.
Kwak Jegang was quite clingy, saying, 'At least a short interview, no, just a Q&A,' but he was eventually kicked out when he realized he couldn't change the situation.
He stared at the packaging and manual of the 'Egg Mood Lamp' I had used, as if trying to memorize them.
'I'm tired….'
I've only used the mood lamp, but I feel completely drained.
With a troubled gaze, I looked at the mood lamp's body, which I had wrapped in a towel.
"Do you require speculation from other fields?"
>On hold.
First, let's get things straight.
Right. If I think about it calmly….
'The conditions aren't wrong.'
What I wanted was a body that could communicate smoothly with others, be socially active, and live like a human.
It has a lizard head, but to other people, it will look human. Just like Section Chief Lee Jaheon.
'Hoo.'
Alright.
I approached and looked at the body again.
※Warning: Do not, under any circumstances, wake the resulting product.
Indeed, it was asleep.
A body that was breathing, exuding the overwhelming feeling of a living creature.
'…Ah.'
I realized.
It might have been a relief that it was a lizard head.
If a person who looked exactly like my old self, 'Kim Soleum,' had been lying here like this, I don't know how I would have felt.
Hoo.
'…How to use it.'
To use the resulting product's nerves and muscles independently, open the adhesive part of the Egg Mood Lamp.
I carefully closed the mood lamp's groove and put it away again.
My blood, hair, and saline solution had melted inside it into a strange mucus, but I wasn't supposed to wipe it out.
Instead, I peeled off the packaging on the bottom of the mood lamp, revealing a slightly sticky, adhesive surface.
Attach the opened mood lamp near the user's spinal cord, where it connects to the brain.
'…Where is that?'
The brain… hmm, based on the melting sensation from last time, it was near my ribs… around here, so placing it in this vicinity should work.
'Even if my organs are all jumbled up, the things that need to be connected should still be connected.'
The spinal cord must be connected to the brain.
Lying down, I opened the Security Team zipper in that area and attached the mood lamp.
Then, after zipping up all the remaining gaps as much as possible.
Once the attachment is complete, you may activate the mood lamp.
We hope you have a pleasant time using it!
I activated the mood lamp.
'...!'
Shaking.
My senses are in a daze, a feeling of being sucked through a hose and completely removed. Becoming something flimsy, my consciousness and self are going somewhere….
A feeling of moving.
....
"Heup."
I made a sound and sat up.
I reflexively grabbed the towel that had been covering my body as it was about to fall, and looked around with dizzying vision.
"Hands."
A pair of human hands.
My hands.
…I had woken up in the mood lamp's body.
"…!"
I turned to look.
130666's body was lying on its side, stiff as if it were taxidermied.
The sight of Black Smoke flowing in and out with its breaths was chillingly bizarre, yet somehow peaceful.
And on the flesh near its ribs, a round, egg-like something, the shape of the mood lamp, was attached and blinking.
As if reflecting my consciousness.
'Ha.'
Body swap.
I had just experienced a cliché straight out of a horror movie. For a moment, I thought I was about to faint and raised my hands to my eyes, but….
'…I'm more okay than I thought.'
My head is cool.
The fear and dread are there. But I don't feel a hot, pounding sensation.
As if it's filtering out what doesn't need to be expressed.
And that reminded me of a certain being who had been in the same team as me before, and who was watching me in this very space right now....
"…Section Chief."
"Yes."
"This body I'm currently using, is it 'us'?"
The answer came through the silence.
"Yes."
...!
'Good heavens.'
I have now truly become an alien reptile.
A part of some intelligent collective that runs the Cosmic shopping mall.
"But you are not connected."
Connection, could it be?
"…You mean becoming a part of 'us'?"
"Yes."
"When do 'we' connect?"
Section Chief Lee Ja-heon's pupils look at me.
"Individuals born from the same colony become us at the moment of hatching."
Colony.
It's a word that usually means a settlement or a community, but somehow it seems to have a different meaning here.
'…It seems closer to a biological meaning.'
Like how microorganisms such as mold or bacteria grow to form a single cluster.
Where the cluster itself is defined as one and spreads, rather than the individuals that make up the group.
From the perspective of a primate like a human, it was a bizarre ecology.
"Then this mood lamp, was it made by 'us'?"
"No."
"Let me rephrase. Was it, at the very least, made to implement an environment similar to 'our' ecology?"
"Yes."
The reptile's eyes scan the mood lamp.
"The cultivation process of this product matches the method by which 'we' create a new individual's body in a colony. It was likely created with inspiration from a cluster with a similar ecological environment."
And a smile touched Section Chief Lee Ja-heon's lips.
"As a reward, we decided to deliver to you an item of a method verified through us."
And it becomes certain.
…These aliens gave me a body that could become a part of them as a 'reward.'
If they had anticipated this, it was a chilling favor.
'A new individual's body… huh.'
Does that mean Section Chief Lee Jaheon's body was also created through a similar process to be able to blend in among humans?
I clenched and unclenched my hand.
It did, in fact, meet my demands.
'I'm the only one who sees a lizard head, right?'
If so, there should be no problem at all with fitting in naturally among people and communicating….
-[…Oh my goodness.]
Ah.
-[Show business, my god. Friend! To be of the same kind as that humorless, witless, classless blade grunt! What a terrible choice! ]
How eloquent. If words had form, Section Chief Lee Ja-heon would have already been sliced to ribbons….
-[Mr. Roe Deer, you've had your fun and seen the result, so how about we head back now?]
....
'Hold on.'
-[Friend?]
I found the money in 130666's pocket. I took out a coin and bent it.
…It bent as if it were a lie.
"…!"
Terrifying physical strength.
'This is Lee Ja-heon Section Chief's physical power…!'
No, that guy can probably bend steel rebar like it's tteokbokki, so maybe it's not quite that much, but the important thing is that I can use strength comparable to his.
"Mr. Roe Deer. Please put on some clothes."
"Ah, yes."
And strangely… I think I can read the lizard's expression better!
'Come to think of it, I naturally picked up on his friendly expression earlier, too.'
I think I can even read a strange sense of pride…. Hmm.
"…Um, then in this state, can I also connect with 'us'?"
"Yes. Is it necessary?"
"No! It's fine. …But, what's the method? I'd appreciate it if you could just explain it in words."
"Yes."
And so I received a detailed explanation on how to connect with 'us.'
'I can't afford to make a mistake.'
No matter what, I didn't want to start a new life as an alien reptile. But….
"Thank you."
"Yes."
I caught my breath as I put on the clothes I borrowed from Section Chief Lee Ja-heon.
Yes. I can breathe, and I can make a sound with my voice.
'I can do it.'
I can eat, and I can talk to people.
So.
'…Braun.'
-[Mr. Roe Deer calls for me.]
'There are a few things I'd like to try in this form.'
I hear the sound of the emcee tapping his fingers on a desk and sighing.
-[Alright. Oh, I shall watch to see if my friend can make a witty judgment even as a part of that blade grunt….]
I don't know why it turned into me asking for permission, but, well….
'Let's make good use of this body.'
I thoroughly read the recommendations on the back of the user manual.
Resulting Product Usage Recommendations:
1.If used continuously for more than a week, stop use and recharge.
2.Do not forcibly detach the adhered mood lamp.
3.Discontinue use if the mood lamp's adhesion weakens.
4.Be careful not to let the resulting product die during use.
Recommended Usage Period: The life-form's lifespan
And.
"Do you require advice?"
"I would be grateful if you would give it."
"Yes. Rest. A living organism must secure rest time for survival and production efficiency."
"..."
"There are a few days of leeway until the next exploration. Be sure to use them for rest."
I nodded for now.
'Though I can't just rest unconditionally.'
But if I could enjoy things I couldn't feel as 130666, and rest even a little, unrelated to Segwang Metropolitan City….
....
"I want to meet people."
"Yes."
***
That evening. Daydream headquarters building.
"You've familiarized yourself with the entire manual, right?"
"Of course."
'You think I wouldn't have?'
Instead of glaring at the researcher for stating the obvious, Baek Saheon smiled and sat down meekly.
It wasn't just because of office politics.
It was because of the deputy manager sitting across from him, whose eyes were unnaturally clear and sparkling.
Lee Seonghae.
The Elite Team member wearing a dolphin mask, just as she had declared in the Fox Counseling Room, had been watching him like a hawk for the past few days!
Not in the amateurish way of just tailing him.
-Supervisor Goat, we got another call from Team B.
She was specifically requesting him and taking him along…!
Thanks to her, Baek Saheon had only heard secondhand rumors that 'Director Ho's Project' had brought in an incredibly High-Grade Dream Essence, and was unable to subtly leak related information to gain an advantage.
Instead….
He was tagging along with the Elite Team, collecting more High-Grade Dreams with relative ease and racking up points.
'This is definitely not a favor.'
He knew.
'So what?'
What did it matter? What was important was that he could profit from collecting Dream Essence anyway.
And today was no different.
"Well then, I'll be in your care."
"Yep."
The research team, having finished their explanation of the Darkness they were entering today, left the room, leaving only him and Lee Seonghae at the table.
"..."
"..."
"Deputy Manager. Is there… something you need?"
"Nah."
'F-fuck.'
Baek Saheon barely managed to overcome the strange pressure from Lee Seonghae's eyes with a smile.
Though he did break out in a bit of a cold sweat.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Thinking that maybe Team A, who was supposed to enter with them, had come here instead of the Darkness entry point, Baek Saheon turned his gaze that way, feeling a little pleased.
"Yep, come on in!"
At Lee Seonghae's permission, the one who opened the door and entered was….
"Hello."
A man wearing the mask of a black feline.
"..."
The Field Investigation Team has a variety of people in a variety of masks. So, including the branch offices, it wouldn't be that strange if there was still an employee with a mask Baek Saheon didn't know…
'Huh?'
He feels familiar somehow.
Baek Saheon reflexively lifted his eyepatch to check the silhouette of his Halo ever so slightly....
...!!
'W-wait a minute.'
The moment a chill ran down his spine, he heard Lee Seonghae's voice from beside him.
"Mascot?"
The man turned his head to the Deputy Manager Dolphin and smiled.
"Hello, Ms. Dolphin."
And he greets him as well, looking his way.
"Hello."
...?!
"You look like you're living the good life, Supervisor Goat."
'F-fuck.'
It was Kim Soleum.
'What is this.'
Where did he put his own mask, and what was with this one? And….
'He was in the Security Team until a few days ago…!'
Why did he show up again looking perfectly human!
In the midst of that creepy and maddening situation, Deputy Manager Dolphin's eyes lit up with a happy expression as she moved closer to Kim Soleum.
"You can eat now!"
"Mm. That's right."
Is that what's important??
"Then should we go get something to eat? I know a really good place. Abalone bibimbap!"
"…Sounds good."
Why are you looking at me?
"It'd be nice if other people came along to eat, too."
"Ooh! Sounds great!"
And Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae beams.
"As long as they're nice people."
....
"…Deputy Manager, we have to leave to enter the Darkness now."
"Ah."
At Baek Saheon's words, Deputy Manager Lee Seong-hae clapped her hands as if she'd come to her senses.
"Then would you like to come with us?"
What??
"This Darkness is totally safe with the Mascot here, and we can go get lunch right after it's over!"
"…Shall I?"
Don't come!
"Wow! Yep!"
Baek Saheon screamed internally.
From a serial killer to a cat, had there ever been a being who could mess with his mind like this?
…And here, the source of Baek Saheon's internal scream.
As for Kim Soleum's state of mind.
'I can have a conversation!'
He was simply satisfied!
Having sought out acquaintances who were free at the moment, he had even obtained and put on an Item similar to a 'Field Investigation Team mask' through Director Ho.
'It's essential to enter the company.'
He couldn't risk walking around with Kim Soleum's face, after all.
'Besides, for information gathering purposes, I needed an identity that could naturally blend in at Daydream anyway.'
And so he was going to places he couldn't go in 130666's body, grasping the situation and feeling a small sense of satisfaction….
On top of that, Lee Seonghae's suggestion had led Kim Soleum to form a rather efficient plan.
Darkness exploration.
'I have to see if Dream Weave can be extracted from this body, too.'
And if it could be extracted, he planned to exchange that Dream Weave for a bonus through Ho Yuwon.
'Even if not, can't I clear Darknesses pretty easily now?'
Since he could use incredible physical strength in this body.
Kim Soleum felt he had every reason to gladly accept Lee Seonghae's proposal.
"Then shall we get going?"
"Sounds good."
And so, he came to join this Darkness exploration team.
A safe Darkness experience with Deputy Manager Dolphin!
'…Hm?'
A strange sense of déjà vu seemed to flash by, but Kim Soleum brushed it aside.
And.
He would come to bear the karma for it.
"We're here. This is it!"
"..."
A mountain road after sunset.
There, a pitch-black, cave-like tunnel cut through the mountain.
(Red background with black text that says "STOP - Tunnel accident - No entry")
"I guess they blocked it off completely because so many people said they saw ghosts and went missing. It's famous among civilians too because there are so many ghost sightings."
"..."
"But it's okay. It's a Darkness where all we have to do is walk through there all night telling scary stories!"
Flashing through his mind was the scene from when he first met Supervisor Dolphin.
The crazy ghost story about clapping with the back of one's hands.
"You just have to ignore whatever comes out. Here!"
Ah.
Ah!!