It Seems I Must Go to Work Even After Falling into a Horror Story, Chapter 067

Everything was handled quite rapidly after that.

It seems I’ve received some significant recognition at the company.

Rescuing a contaminated colleague by an employee happens sometimes, but it seems most cases involve months or even years of preparation with a desperate resolve.

There are countless examples of those who go missing while attempting a rescue too.

To pull someone out right after they get contaminated is apparently unprecedented among newbies.

“Hey, is that deer antler mask over there…?”

“Oh, is that them?”

“Wow… how many times is this now?”

As I walked through the company hallway, I could occasionally hear whispers behind me.

I recalled having similar experiences when our Group D met up for lunch in the cafeteria a few times before…

Maybe it was because I was alone, but I could hear them particularly well.

It wasn’t long, however.

“Kim Sol-eum.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t come to work for the next ten days starting tomorrow.”

“…??”

“It’s a paid leave.”

With half the team already gone, Group D was temporarily suspended, and now I was being granted a vacation.

‘Still, I’d been coming in diligently for a few days just to write up the situation report.’

I was quite curious about how Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je survived the Class B darkness that required the Hangman to die for a clear.

‘Looks like someone reported that Park Min-seong and I were up to something.’

There were even talks of interviews to reinforce the research team and exploration record credibility, it seems…

– Ah, Chief Kim! Why bother with that? Take a break, take a break. You’ve done a great job!

– …Um. Thank you.

It seemed to have been cut short by Manager Lee Byeong-jin, the manual review officer, and our Group Manager Lee Ja-heon.

It’s a bit funny though, as the employees who went in with me testified that “Kim Sol-eum must have acted to rescue her colleague without any ulterior motive.”

They made it sound like it was just good timing and quick thinking on my part, providing me with an excuse.

‘As soon as the clear gate opened, everyone bolted, yet they still made a story out of it for me.’

The former was obvious, while the latter was appreciated, so I decided to accept it as is.

In any case, thanks to this, my name was bouncing up and down within the company phone logs, and the manual for [Hungry Hangman] bore the label “Possibility of Revisions.”

In the colleague group chat, they were all trying to dig for information from me…

[Ko Yeong-eun: You’ve had a tough time.]

“……”

Someone sent a comforting text.

‘Thanks. Really.’

By the way, Baek Sa-heon didn’t even ask how I was doing at home.

‘That guy’s personality is just like that….’

I hadn’t expected anything.

Nevertheless, the situation hadn’t been too bad for my survival so far.

‘Actually, is it even good?’

I was continuing to build a rather impressive career.

Especially as I was progressively being recognized as a named employee with keywords like “quick clear without following the existing manual” and “goodness.”

Even a ten-day vacation.

I could be happy that I was drifting ten days away from a horror story, or disappointed that my point-collecting speed would slow down.

I thought it’d be one or the other, but neither felt that way.

So I just did nothing….

– Doe, would you like to hear my view on why that dreadful comedy failed to capture public attention? It’ll be very interesting!

“Should I?”

I sat in the living room watching TV for a few days.

It was around the third day when… a message came.

[Eun Ha-je Assistant Manager: Come to the hospital.]

“…!”

“Did Doe come?”

“……Assistant Manager.”

I placed the hospital visit gift I brought under the nightstand and stood next to the bed.

Eun Ha-je Assistant Manager smirked.

“Is that soy milk? Good choice.”

“…Thank you.”

This was the first time I was seeing her since we briefly communicated when I woke up in the infirmary…

She looked a bit pale but had a healthy appearance.

The apple from White Snow Mountain must have done some work.

“I’m alright for someone who died and came back, right? …That item was great. Thanks.”

Thanks to that item, Eun Ha-je looked a bit like a corpse, but due to the special circumstances of missing a neck rather than an arm, she was fortunate to be kept in isolation.

‘Did Manager Lee Ja-heon confirm her survival and report it to the infirmary at sunrise the next day….’

Now, she was transferred to a hospital under some kind of affiliation with the company, having just completed urgent treatment.

“Oh, I said that apple was something I had lying around. Usually, people don’t want their sources revealed.”

“…Thank you.”

“No need for thanks, I have things to say to you and Min-seong.”

Eun Ha-je seemed to raise her left hand as if to wave, but then hesitated.

Because it was gone.

“……”

The left wrist wrapped in a bandage looked blunt.

A body like that wouldn’t regenerate with the company’s supplied healing potions.

“…Um, Assistant Manager.”

I finally spoke what I’d been thinking.

“About the C-class healing potion I have….”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to hand it over?”

“I was going to sell it for money.”

“Ha.”

Eun Ha-je clicked her tongue.

“Listen, Doe. Items traded for points can’t typically be bought with regular money outside.”

“……”

“And using that potion just because you lost a hand would be wasteful. It takes a lot to regenerate something if half your body is gone.”

“Still,”

“Enough. I’ll take care of my hand, so you keep that as an emergency supply.”

Eun Ha-je’s eyes glinted gloomily.

“If you continue diving into the darkness, there’ll definitely come a time when something worse than just a hand is lost.”

A shiver ran down my spine…

“Instead, I have something to give you.”

Eun Ha-je deftly handled her one remaining hand like she’d used it for years and rummaged through a drawer.

Then, she pulled out a luxurious gold box with an elegant painting.

“…?!”

[Daydream Potion]

‘Wait, hold on.’

That’s the box for the special potion from Daydream Corporation!

The opulence even exceeded the C-class healing potion I had received.

“Assistant Manager, what are you….”

“Here, see? There’s one left.”

Eun Ha-je opened the box with flair.

Inside was a concave space shaped like silk, fitting two round glass bottles.

But one was already empty.

Eun Ha-je took the remaining one and tossed it to me.

“Catch.”

“……!”

Oh my gosh.

I hurriedly reached out to catch the glass bottle to prevent it from falling and checked inside it.

A liquid that looked like a blend of purple and silver was swimming inside like a smooth line….

: Daydream Potion :

Poison

Desert Horned Viper (Outstanding)

Poison?!

“Did you purchase this with points…?”

“Correct.”

Eun Ha-je grinned, showing her teeth.

“Handle it well. It’s a 170,000-point death note.”

“…!!”

“You can silently kill someone from a distance.”

Wait a moment.

I read the description on the glass bottle with trembling hands.

The poison of the Desert Horned Viper aids in revenge quietly and cruelly.

With a simple ritual, you can blow the name of your target into the vial…

That night, a terrible death will visit the target.

“In other words, if you have someone you want to kill, it’s perfect for sending them off without a noise.”

“……”

“Before they die, they apparently go through a torturous mental agony filled with fiery pain and curse the world, falling into a coma and feeling roughly four years of suffering over four hours.”

You’re giving me a murder weapon…?

Eun Ha-je complained, saying things like “When you get poisoned, two lines must be set, so they usually sell it as a set of two bottles” and “That damn concept made my work period double,” and she grumbled.

But in the end, she smiled at me.

“If someone you want dead shows up, go ahead and use it.”

“…!”

“I had one.”

I stared at the empty space in the box for the glass bottle in silence.

…Did she really use it already?

“Curious? Who did I use it on?”

I couldn’t help but think reflexively.

– The word that best describes Assistant Manager Eun Ha-je is ‘traitor’!

In the exposure of [Hungry Hangman].

“If it’s a personal matter and you feel uncomfortable sharing, you don’t have to tell me…”

“Uncomfortable? I’m so eager to spill it I’m going crazy.”

Well, if you say so.

Eun Ha-je crossed her arms and leaned back on the bed.

“To cut a long story short… it’s true I was involved in a scandal while working as a reporter.”

“……”

“I was digging up a politician’s son who was into drugs and human trafficking, and it blew up in my face.”

Eun Ha-je spoke with the same calm tone she usually had, but the content was anything but calm.

It was a story that felt very refined, thought through over a long time.

Even though my articles didn’t pass inspection at the desk, I ended up facing tremendous pressure from my team the next day, getting stalked, and having threatening phone calls made to my family….

“Actually, within the team, the conclusion was to just sweep it under the rug and act like it never happened, but I couldn’t take it and tried to break the news to an overseas media outlet. So yes, I did betray. But…”

A small sigh.

“On the day I was to leave the country, I received a call. Four of my informants had died, like a sick joke.”

“……”

“Outwardly, it was reported as suicide due to despair from life… but obviously, that’s not true, right? They were killed, or tortured to death.”

“……”

“I was an absolute fool to think everything would get resolved just by reporting it.”

“Not at all.”

“I was a fool, and I admit it. Anyway….”

Eun Ha-je quit being a journalist.

She said she could no longer continue.

“But I had to find a job. There were people to feed at home.”

At that time, fortunately, she found a suitable company.

One that preferred a wide age range for new hires and favored those with various experiences in sales.

A pharmaceutical company where there was no risk of being blacklisted.

“Daydream Corporation.”

And here she met…

A wish ticket.

“Well… at first, I thought maybe I could revive all the dead, but that felt like a disrespect to the deceased.”

Eun Ha-je adjusted her crossed arms.

“If I felt guilty and selfishly tried to revive people, that would just be self-satisfaction. It’s better to respect the dead as they are. Even in our company, many can’t agree to this. Anyway…”

She finished with a faint smile.

“So last night, I got my revenge, and that’s that.”

“……”

“When the news comes out about how that politician’s son died horrifically, know that I did it.”

Then Eun Ha-je stretched her arms wide.

“Ha… Damn it, finally quitting this damn dark exploration!!”

“Are you really going to resign?”

“Life is unpredictable.”

Despite her refreshing statement, Eun Ha-je’s face seemed somewhat stiff.

She had mentioned it lightly to avoid putting pressure on me, but it was clear she was concerned about Manager Park Min-seong…

“Still, I’m going to take a break for a while… so I guess I can’t work in Group D like before.”

“……”

Eun Ha-je forced a bitter smile.

“You were so desperate for me to stay in our team, and it turned out as you wished.”

“…Yes.”

I reflexively realized.

From now on… I wouldn’t be able to see Eun Ha-je Assistant Manager, who used to sit right next to me.

“……”

“Doe.”

“……”

“Are you feeling overwhelmed?”

“…!”

“Yeah. If you aren’t feeling overwhelmed, you must be a piece of work. People are going to go through this process at least once because you’ve been so capable, it’s just a little late in coming for you.”

Eun Ha-je chuckled and patted her chest.

“Not seeing your colleague, who sat beside you, the next day.”

“……”

“But this is the best-case scenario, so give yourself a compliment. It’s because you’re good that you’re not seeing your colleague for a good reason.”

“…Chief Park Min-seong is,”

“That’s something I’ll keep as a debt to be paid off later.”

Eun Ha-je firmly cut me off.

“You brought him back too. You should take pride in that. He’s a strong guy in his own right. He’ll recover on his own, so… just worry about yourself.”

Then she glanced at me and smiled.

“I heard the Team Leader has been worrying about you.”

“……?”

The lizard… is worried?

“Doe, hasn’t the Team Leader barely come into the office lately?”

That was true.

“Normally, when half the team flies off, the usual is to fill in for another team, not to take a break.”

Ah.

“But they exempted you.”

“…!”

“Whether using their connections or stepping in for themselves.”

Oh my gosh.

“Doesn’t that feel a bit trustworthy? That guy’s been doing that since I joined. Strange that he isn’t flexible at all but still someone you can rely on.”

Eun Ha-je grabbed my shoulder with her intact hand.

“It’s hard to work with trustworthy people in this company, and that’s your blessing. …Going forward, do well working with the Team Leader.”

Then she smiled warmly, extending her remaining right hand.

“No matter who steps into my place, if it’s Team Leader Lee Ja-heon and Kim Sol-eum, it’ll be fine.”

With her intact right hand.

“I hope you earn a lot of points safely, Doe.”

I gripped it tightly.

“May your wish come true.”

“……Yes.”

I shook hands with Group D’s Eun Ha-je Assistant Manager.

That was the last time.

On the day my vacation ended and I returned to work, I saw that Eun Ha-je Assistant Manager’s belongings were gone from the Group D office.

Chief Park Min-seong’s desk was still as it was, but who knows? When he might leave.

“……”

I quietly went to my desk and sat down.

And so.

In Group D, I was left as the only remaining member.