Slam—!
Beyond the heavily shut door.
In that instant, all sound ceased.
The presence of the countless dolls that had swarmed moments before vanished without a trace.
All that remained was a profound silence, so absolute it seemed to swallow even one’s breath.
As I slowly turned, the CEO’s office of this very company unfolded before my eyes.
It was an enormous room.
The ceiling soared twice as high as those on other floors, and dark-hued wallpaper adorned the walls.
In the center of the room, a weighty, deep-seated leather sofa was positioned.
And at its far end.
Upon the executive desk, a single nameplate rested.
[CEO, Sekwang Tech Solutions Co., Ltd. ■■■■■]
The characters after that were illegible.
‘It must have been his name.’
I lifted my gaze.
This was my first time encountering a ghastly manifested so directly.
Every piece of furniture in the room served merely as an elaborate embellishment, designed to accentuate his presence.
At the heart of this tableau.
An alien entity sat serenely at the executive desk, as if mimicking a human being.
A human-faced monkey.
No, its appearance had become so human-like that it was now nearly indistinguishable from a person.
Yet, I could not help but categorize him as a monkey, not a human, for one reason.
Despite possessing a human face, the tell-tale glint of a beast lurking in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
Clap, clap—
“Excellent!!! Truly!!”
He smiled, as if nothing could bring him greater joy.
“To think someone actually made it this far!!! This is a first since I founded this company!!”
Buoyed by his own excitement, he continued speaking.
“Have you ever considered working with me? I appreciate talent. Running a company, I constantly realize the value of capable individuals. Of course, there have been others who caught my eye and demonstrated their abilities before. All of them are now content with the offer I extended, diligently working to this day.”
‘…Surely, he’s talking about the human-faced monkeys.’
At my words, he tilted his head.
His gestures were exaggerated, like a clown’s. Every action seemed painted over with a theatrical flourish.
“Human-faced monkeys? Ah, yes, that’s how humans would perceive them. So, what do you say? Consider it. Eternal life, a position as a lifelong manager, revered by those beneath you. A robust and destructive physique that no human could ever hope to compare with. … Is there a single one of these that a human could possibly rival?”
A single contract slid across the executive desk.
[Full-Time Employment Offer]
“Ordinarily, more tests would be required, but as a special concession, I shall use my authority to transition you directly to full-time employment.”
As his words concluded, a brief silence settled.
Staring at the contract before me, a myriad of thoughts briefly flickered through my mind.
Human-faced monkeys.
Full-time employment.
Eternal life and power.
…Yet, my answer was already decided.
“What if I refuse?”
To the words that escaped my lips, he responded with surprising composure.
His demeanor had suggested he would react with anger or some other drastic action.
“That wouldn’t be so bad. However…”
A cunning smile spread across his face.
Within it, numerous teeth, sharp as a beast’s fangs, became visible.
“When you came here, did you bring your resignation letter? We do have procedures, after all.”
He exuded an air of absolute certainty.
He wore a complacent smile, as if he already held all the cards.
“Of course—”
“I brought it.”
Thanks to your detailed, mocking explanation, I made sure to bring it.
‘This is my second run. You bastard.’
I pulled out a single sheet of paper and tossed it onto his desk.
‘Did he want to prove he was merely a monkey?’
‘His brain, it seemed, had yet to evolve beyond that of an ape.’
“This… is unexpected.”
Aside from a momentary stiffening at my resignation letter, his face still bore that perpetual, unsettling smile.
I didn’t know why he trapped so many humans within this company.
In truth, I didn’t even want to know.
I simply sensed it.
That humans were absolutely essential for whatever this ghastly was doing.
A remark from Investigator Kim Sera, whom I had met previously, came to mind.
‘Ghastlies devour human bodies, souls, and emotions, wasn’t it?’
Perhaps what he was collecting here was the negative emotions exuded by his company employees.
Once those were fully consumed, he would meticulously dispose of their bodies and souls as well.
The company itself was nothing short of a colossal breeding ground.
I dropped my formal tone.
After all, only he and I were in this space.
“Are you familiar with the trending concept of proxy resignations these days?”
From within my coat, I produced yet another resignation letter.
“Ah, is that Intern Kang Suji’s?”
His face remained utterly unchanged.
Still the same laugh, the same smile.
Yes, of course.
I had seen over a thousand human-dolls just to get this far.
Two fewer wouldn’t significantly impact him.
‘Let’s see how long that smile lasts.’
“Oh? Then this one shouldn’t be an issue either.”
I pulled out the next resignation letter.
And then another.
****
After first hearing the hint about resignation letters from him in the CEO’s office, I had deliberately opened the door, stepped out, and allowed myself to be killed by the dolls.
Upon arriving at the first-floor lobby, I immediately purchased an item from the Ghastly Shop.
[Ghastly Shop]
It happened to be in the ‘Best’ section.
The very item I needed most at that moment.
[Oblivion Capsule] (180 Coins)
Erases the last 5 minutes of memory.
Note: The memory erasure is a single-entity effect; memories of other beings are not affected.
[Iron Key] (250 Coins)
Can forcibly open one locked door.
Note: One must contemplate the reason the door is locked. The ‘Being Behind’ may be released along with it.
[Small Inventory] (200 Coins)
-Max weight capacity: 10kg
Note: Once an item is retrieved, it cannot be placed back into the inventory.
[Current Coins: 213]
[Purchase Small Inventory?]
‘Of course.’
An item capable of storing approximately 10kg.
I expended all of my remaining 200-odd coins.
This, however, caused a slight delay.
Had my sole goal been to escape myself, this ghastly tale would have concluded shortly after it began.
But I had much to replicate.
For the resignation letters I needed to submit were not just one.
The countless resignation letters now laid out before me.
These were the very letters I had painstakingly prepared by hand, having visited the HR department earlier to individually verify the information of every employee affiliated with the company.
Only then did his eyes undergo a transformation.
In an instant, a monstrous shriek erupted.
“How dare you!!! You mere livestock!!! You mock me?!”
In a flash, his human facade peeled away, and his physique swelled dramatically.
From the door, vibrations and clamor erupted once more.
A pressure so intense it felt as though the door might shatter at any moment.
Yet, I remained unfazed.
My hands were, after all, swifter than his approach.
I bypassed the tedious effort of pulling them out one by one.
Instead, I lifted the entire stack of resignation letters and flung them into the air.
Swish—
The papers, released from my grasp, scattered and drifted through the CEO’s office.
White sheets floated down lightly, settling upon the desk, the floor, and between the chairs.
And as the final resignation letter slowly descended…
The ear-splitting clamor abruptly ceased.
The noise from the door, which had threatened to burst open, vanished.
His colossal body, which had swelled to fill the room as he charged toward me, shriveled like a deflated balloon.
I looked down at him, sprawled before me.
For the first time, the complacent smile that had perpetually graced his face was gone.
“Nooo! Do you think I’d ever approve that resignation?!”
‘A company, after all, is bound to collapse without employees to work it.’
I shook my head at his words.
Then, I pressed my foot onto his face.
“If you were going to study humans, you should have done it properly, shouldn’t you? An intern, from the outset, is a temporary employee. If their term expires and they aren’t converted to full-time… no approval is needed for their resignation.”
The company building shook as if on the verge of collapse.
“My fingers nearly fell off from writing down the names of every employee in this company. It’s an office, yet you don’t even have a copier? Goodbye, and also…”
A burst of light erupted.
“—Let’s never meet again, you monkey bastard.”
Clear.
Ding!
****
[New Employee’s First Day Ghastly Tale]
[Progress] : 100%
[Rulebook – New Employee’s First Day Ghastly Tale]
Rule 1. Arrival Time
1-1. New employees must arrive at their desks before 9:00 AM.
1-2. The moment 9:00 AM strikes, the desk automatically transfers to a ‘Substitute’.
1-3. If someone else is seated at your desk, under no circumstances make eye contact.
1-4. Should eye contact occur, the ‘Incorporation’ of your being will take place.
Rule 2. Telephone Receiver
2-1. You must answer the phone precisely on the third ring.
– Answering on the first or second ring → Perceived as hasty and rude.
– Answering on or after the fourth ring → Perceived as disrespectful of the caller’s time.
2-2. Your first words must always state your affiliation and name.
2-3. You must always respond positively to the caller’s statements. (No negative responses other than “Yes, that’s correct” are permitted.)
2-4. Never remain silent during a call. You must indicate attentiveness with a brief response at least every 5 seconds.
2-5. Calls must not exceed 3 minutes.
2-6. Always express gratitude before hanging up.
Rule 3. Work and Departure
3-1. You can only depart after all assigned tasks are completed.
3-2. After 5:30 PM, colleagues and superiors will assign additional tasks.
3-3. It is absolutely impossible to leave on time.
3-4. At 6:00 PM, the entire building will undergo a blackout, leading to the ‘Disappearance’ of beings.
Rule 4. Emergency Stairwell
4-1. Human-faced gorillas are stationed at the entrance of each floor’s emergency stairwell.
4-2. Ordinary new employees (based on adult males) are physically incapable of subduing them.
4-3. If entering the emergency stairwell via an entrance, do not attempt to rush through the stairs indiscriminately.
4-4. You must always distract their attention using external means such as fire or diversions before proceeding.
Rule 5. Elevator Usage
5-1. Never press the floor button for a department you do not belong to.
5-2. If you arrive at an unauthorized floor, the entire space will become ‘Eroded’.
5-3. If the arrived floor is an unassigned floor, under no circumstances should you exit.
5-4. If you have already arrived at an unauthorized floor, you must pray that someone else presses an elevator button and that it reaches a floor appropriate for you.
Rule 6. Resignation Method
6-1. You must absolutely refuse the CEO’s offer of full-time employment.
6-2. Interns and temporary employees can resign simply by submitting a resignation letter, without any separate approval process.
6-3. The resignation letter must be submitted before the 6:00 PM blackout.
6-4. If your position has already been taken, or ‘Incorporation’ has occurred, resignation becomes permanently impossible.
[Rulebook Updated]
[Current Number of Rules : 6]
[6 Discovered]
[Level Adjustment : Evolving from ‘Stage 2 – Threat Level’ to ‘Stage 3 – Annihilation Level’]
[Conditions for Next Stage Met]
[You have successfully neutralized the New Employee’s First Day Ghastly Tale.]
[First Clear Bonus : 100 Ghastly Coins awarded.]
[Initial Clear Bonus : 100 Ghastly Coins awarded.]
[100% Completion Bonus : 200 Ghastly Coins awarded.]
****
