'New goods?'
And if it was unlocking usage rights, that meant I could use one of the goods I'd bought.
'Based on what?'
I wanted to click on the memo pad floating surrealistically in the air right then and there, but I remembered I was still sitting in the middle of the lecture hall.
What's more, the moderator had called me out as the top scorer or whatever, so there were people glancing my way.
'I'll step away first and check.'
The event seemed to be over, so I could head home... wait.
I realized something critically important.
"..."
Do I even have a home here...?
I hurriedly opened my smartphone and started checking my records.
Incredibly, all records of my job hunting and employment were completely gone.
Even my family contacts were wiped out.
'Come on, please.'
The only things left were my college records, which matched my memories closely enough that I felt a moment of relief.
The problem was... I'd lived in the dorms back in college.
'That's why it was such a hassle finding a place after graduation.'
Sure enough, the most recent records were texts about viewing rooms with a realtor and KakaoTalk chats with a friend about crashing in a motel because the studio lease fell through...
"..."
I absentmindedly looked up at the lecture hall screen still floating there.
Specifically, at one line of text enlarged at the bottom.
[Employee Benefits – Other] Company Dormitory Support
Welfare... they'd take good care of it, right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
And this 'company dormitory support' was processed with astonishing speed.
"Oh, hello!"
"Hello."
Just an hour after inquiring at the desk, I was assigned a room number, given keys and the address, and moved in. The location was even decent.
Of course, it wasn't out of any good intentions toward employee convenience.
'If they're going to work us 24/7 day and night, they need disposable slaves close by, huh...'
Anyway, the building was a pretty nice officetel. It looked recently remodeled—clean, with good security.
Considering company dorms were usually a perk for provincial postings, this was ridiculously good...
'The company just put us through death survival, and here I am moving in.'
But this sarcasm became reality.
When I ran into Go Yeongeun in front of the officetel and greeted her, she said this to me.
"Did you hear? Seven people got company dormitory support."
"...?"
That's more than half.
Come to think of it, Go Yeongeun seemed to be moving in here too.
She noticed my gaze and gave an awkward smile.
"It's a bit scary, but since we've already joined the company, passing up free rent in a convenient location feels like..."
"...Yeah."
Right. In capitalism, money is the scariest thing of all.
'Saving about 1.2 million won a month? Worth pretending to be crazy to move in.'
Of course, there was an even more critical reason.
"Looks like people coming from out of town got notified right after passing and registered immediately."
"I see."
Now I got the picture. The new hires cheering and giving thumbs-up got screwed over.
I'd been wondering how they freed up a room for me so fast. Now it made sense.
'The room I got was from a new hire who dropped out of death survival...'
Thinking that sent chills down my spine, but I felt pathetic for it.
Anyway, I finished greeting Go Yeongeun and headed up to my room on the 12th floor.
That part was fine.
The problem? The officetel was a two-room unit.
And my company dorm roommate was Baek Saheon.
"..."
"..."
Baek Saheon was sitting in the living room.
Seeing the medical eyepatch over one eye, he'd gotten some treatment. Timing-wise, it seemed the company handled it rather than a hospital.
I silently bowed without speaking and tried to head to my room...
"Hey."
What?
"Hey?"
I stopped in my tracks.
Baek Saheon flinched when I responded but pressed on with anger, rolling his eyes wildly.
"Must've been fun watching me lose a perfectly good eye just to retrieve your lost item, huh?"
He seemed to think I knew about the lost item all along and let him lose his eye on purpose.
'No, you ran off on your own, and now what?'
Where did he get the brilliant idea that he could punch out someone else's eye but someone else had to baby his?
But at the same time, I realized.
If I went low-posture like 'No, you suddenly left so...' or 'Why the casual tone all of a sudden, sir...', he'd get even more uppity and spout nonsense.
From years dealing with clients, I knew the type Baek Saheon was.
They call it the 'Creationist Karen'.
The kind who imagines the situation their way and clings desperately.
Explanations don't work on them.
Better to...
"Yeah. It was fun."
"...!"
Go strong.
I strode right up to Baek Saheon and gripped his shoulder hard.
"Thanks. Made my day. Is this what they call dopamine?"
"Wha..."
"Keep the good news coming. Hell, I'd love to work with you."
"..."
"Company life's gonna be a blast."
Done.
'This'll make him think I'm just crazy.'
Combining my behavior so far with my feats in Darkness Exploration Records...
'Baek Saheon seems like the type who'd push me into danger the moment he senses I'm scared.'
Then better to plant the impression 'I shouldn't get tangled with this guy!'
'Bluffing, and killing two birds.'
I patted the now-silent Baek Saheon's shoulder a couple times, then got up and headed to my room without looking back.
'As long as I don't get stabbed in my sleep.'
Truth be told, I bluffed a bit there.
At this stage, the odds of working with fellow new hires were extremely low.
What company groups rookies together? They scatter them.
Plus, like some ninja manga, they balance teams by scores, distributing evenly.
And anyway, I was called first, Baek Saheon second.
'He probably scored high too, so even less chance of the same team.'
So no working together for a while.
Let's treat each other like we don't exist.
Click.
I entered my assigned room with a light heart.
"Phew."
The clean room had fresh bedding, a desk, and even a door to a private bathroom.
A guide booklet hung on that door.
"Apply for 100,000 won a month and get weekly bedding replacement and cleaning?"
Seeing the insane perks, I could sense the company's ploy to dazzle new hires with carrots after the stick.
A lot of rookies would be confused by this clean, friendly reality after the death survival felt like a lie.
I knew why, so it was transparent...
'Yeah. Hard to fill the Field Exploration Team with useful people.'
They'd deemed us capable of 'work', so they wanted no deserters.
'Well, if they're offering, might as well use it.'
I'd decided to stick around anyway.
A small welcome gift package sat on the desk. Fancy snacks and company-logo office supplies.
Half-open drawer had a diary too.
Company logo on the cover, so probably issued.
'But dated last year.'
Left by the previous occupant? I flipped it open.
And on the first page, huge letters...
-RUN AWAY
'Aigoo.'
Thanks for the senior's blood-and-guts advice, but I'm already in too deep.
Not even that scary.
'Just... office worker horror story.'
A twinge of humanity stirred. I closed the diary and tucked it away.
Seen everything worth seeing. Time for business.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Darkness Exploration Records Real Goods Box] -New goods usage rights unlocked! (!)
Alone now, time to check!
'Whew.'
I sat on the bed, stretched comfortably, and reached for the memo pad.
Pok.
Just like with the GripTok, the memo pad opened, and something fell out.
OPP transparent film packaging.
The kind used for stationery, containing a bunch of stickers.
"This is..."
I held up the bag.
A yellow circle with a classic smiley emoticon.
The infamous bribery item.
📦 ITEM DETAILS 📦Darkness Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation / Item Smile Sticker Friend of sales reps! :) Attach to a sentient being to induce mild affinity toward the user. Item use condition: Daydream Corporation full-time employee or higher. (P.S. Discipline for improper private use like hunting.)
"Heh."
This shoddily packaged sticker with no frills was surprisingly iconic in several Darkness Exploration Records entries.
Induces affinity? Basically manipulates favorability.
'For convincing other factions to collaborate, right?'
And why this one unlocked? Obvious.
Item use condition: Daydream Corporation full-time employee or higher.
"Because I successfully joined as a full-timer."
Items made by organizations in Darkness Exploration Records usually had restrictions by rank or affiliation.
For worldbuilding consistency, to prevent embezzlement.
'And from the creators' side, to stop noob Mary Sues barging into every horror with OP tools.'
Anyway, fulfilling the condition meant...
'Level up or change affiliation, and the Goods Box spits out more goods?'
Seemed helpful for survival.
But wouldn't have minded not being dragged into this world. Made even this feel like horror.
'Ugh.'
Feeling iffy, I glanced at the glowing memo pad a few times before shaking it off.
"Got it, that's something."
Smile Sticker. Sticking it on someone directly was awkward, but buying favor in a pinch was advantageous.
One issue though.
'...This got used a few times then fully discontinued.'
Authors fought bloody wars over its power, held a verbal Colosseum, and it vanished into history...
Not sure when exactly, but this set might be the last in this world.
I looked anew at the packaged Smile Stickers.
Hmm.
Never let it get found out.
Just in case, I pocketed five in my suit's front pocket.
This way, I wouldn't forget on first day.
'...First day.'
Mood soured, but sleep first.
After the spectacle, body and mind were wrecked.
'Need recovery.'
I changed into the provided robe, locked up, and hit the hay.
First rest since falling into the horror.
Honestly, didn't sleep well.
Images of people bursting raw and grotesque subway stations fueled surround-sound nightmares.
Thought I'd bought home theater speakers.
But after a couple days, recovered to nightmare-tolerable sleep. Lucky.
Days passed like that.
Checked my meager bank balance, scraped for clothes and essentials, set up daily life.
Didn't forget the most important.
'Memorize it all.'
Through the Memorial GripTok, reread every Darkness Exploration Records wiki page till I could summon on tap.
My lifeline.
And Monday returned.
First day at Daydream Corporation.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"..."
Monday morning.
I headed to Daydream Corporation HQ with a far-from-pleasant face.
Go Yeongeun I met descending the officetel was shocked.
"Oh, Sol-eum, you okay? D-didn't sleep well?"
"...A bit, yeah. I'm fine."
"Aigoo..."
The two new hires walked the 15-minute trek to HQ, chatting briefly.
Saw other tense-faced Field Exploration Team newbies, just bowed eyes.
Badged in, elevator up.
"Field Exploration Team uses 10th to 15th floors... Ah, my stop. Let's do our best, Sol-eum."
"Yeah. Fighting."
I waved off Go Yeongeun at 10, eyed the button I'd pressed.
13th floor.
'Even the number foreshadows doom...'
Hoping it's just me.
Checked the assignment text from the day before yesterday again.
[New Hire (Field Exploration) Assignment.pdf] - Kim Sol-eum / D Squad
Ding.
13th floor doors opened to alphabet-sectioned corridors.
I found the 'D'-printed auto-door, pressed the button.
And greeted simultaneously.
"Hello."
"Oh!"
"He's here, he's here."
A few adults in the spacious office looked up and welcomed me.
One man stood, offered his hand.
"Welcome to 15th batch D Squad."
The expressionless bob-cut woman behind nodded.
"FYI, D Squad's nicknamed that since all newbies die."
"..."
"Kidding."
Quit now?