'Lord Cat' looked down at the researcher in the white coat he was holding by the collar.
Still smiling even as he was being choked, Kwak Jegang spoke.
"My doing? What on earth do you mean by…!?"
Lord Cat began walking, still holding him by the collar.
As Kwak Jegang was dragged along, a fire hydrant on the platform swung open in front of him.
Inside was a head.
"…!!"
It was the severed head of a 'Neck-Twisted Entity,' burned and torn off before being placed inside the fire hydrant once it stopped moving.
That face, charred black by the fire, was the head of Research Team 2's Team Leader, Choi Myungjin.
"Ugh,"
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa clamped a hand over her mouth.
"It was your doing."
"Lord Cat, that's just speculation…."
"The researchers are all dead."
It was a flat voice, as if simply stating a fact.
"Only you three are capable of such an act, and one of you was found dead in the residential area, neck twisted, still clutching a fire hydrant. That leaves two…."
The eyes behind the cat mask looked at Kwak Jegang's hands.
"Your hands are clean."
"...!"
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa reflexively looked at her own hands.
They were dirty with dust, ash, and soot. Traces left from escaping the residential area as it began to burn.
Of course.
If someone's hands were clean, that person….
Had deliberately wiped them.
"You wiped them on your gown."
Lord Cat's gaze shifted downward. With his other hand, he lifted the flap of Kwak Jegang's fluttering goen.
The inside was filthy with handprints caked in blood and black scabs.
"..."
"..."
"Correct."
A smile spread across Kwak Jegang's face.
"To deduce it right away, you're exceptionally sharp! You understand human behavior patterns completely! In that case…."
"Researcher."
A low voice.
"You broke your promise."
The cat mask drew closer.
Cold sweat trickled down Kwak Jegang's temple, and….
"Just a moment!"
A calm voice emerged.
"The terms of the promise were different."
"Terms?"
"That's right! You just need to recall the sentence I pinky-promised to…."
The sentence simultaneously surfaced in the minds of the two, excluding Researcher Lee Yeonhwa.
I will not go against your will from now on.
"And I have never gone against Lord Cat's will. I followed your command to hide inside the fire hydrant exactly!"
"..."
"If I had truly broken it, the 'Symptom' would have probably already appeared…. There's no need for you to be holding me by the collar, hahaha!"
Kwak Jegang waved his pinky finger, its tip now gone, in front of Lord Cat's eyes.
And while a cold sweat drenched him, he smiled.
"I did not break the promise I made with a pinky swear... Cough."
Kwak Jegang fell from Lord Cat's grasp to the floor.
Lord Cat bent his knees and crouched down, meeting eyes with Kwak Jegang, who was sprawled on the ground.
And his eyes curved into a grin as he smiled.
"You're right."
"..."
"You're right."
For the first time, tension appeared on Kwak Jegang's face.
But at the same time, a sense of anticipation seemed to flicker.
Lee Yeonhwa noticed.
That crazy bastard was now looking forward to seeing how the entity called 'Lord Cat' would respond.
Kwak Jegang's gleaming eyes and his tightly clenched, trembling hands, right before the opportunity to observe a phenomenon.
"So, from now on, I'll make it clear. My will is…."
....
"For you to quit."
"...Pardon?"
"Quit the Daydream Research Team."
A gentle voice spoke.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't approach the Darkness, didn't research it, and didn't try to satisfy your curiosity."
"…!!"
Kwak Jegang's face turned pale. Behind Lord Cat's mask, his eyes narrowed into thin crescents.
"Isn't that great? I'm telling you to live safely. Don't die, I'd like it if you continued to live safely for a long, long time."
"..."
A torrent seemed to rage within Kwak Jegang's eyes, but soon, a smile surfaced again.
"Haha, no, but then I'd be of no use! You'll need my research and information…."
"What if I don't?"
"..."
Kwak Jegang's smile became strained.
"How about cutting off a hand instead? Or removing an organ, or having nightmares every time I sleep, or being dragged into the Darkness when the full moon rises…."
"You seem to have thought of the usual retributive punishments used in a Darkness. Haven't you?"
"..."
"But what to do? I have no need for such things. Your pain or your body parts mean nothing to me."
The heat began to fade from Kwak Jegang's eyes.
On his smile-less face, something unidentifiable, be it despair or numbness, filled the space. As if he were performing some intense calculation….
'...That look.'
It seems dangerous.
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa heard a warning bell of crisis ring in her head, strong enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Just as she was about to open her mouth.
"Do you want to remain a researcher?"
"...!"
Kwak Jegang snapped his head up.
"I asked you a question."
"Yes!"
The answer came without a moment's hesitation.
But Lord Cat just stared down at the researcher in silence.
Kwak Jegang, his mind racing, spoke again, seemingly more cautious but with urgency.
"This will never happen again. If you declare that as your will, something like this…."
"Fine."
"…!"
"How about I watch how you behave in this Segwang Metropolitan City and we'll talk again."
"Haha, ha… Thank you!"
Life flashed back into Kwak Jegang's eyes as a smile spread across his face. In that moment of relief.
"Then let's do that from now on."
"..."
"As for what you did today, it would be best to receive a retributive punishment. Right?"
"...That's, right?"
"Good."
Lord Cat declared.
"How about you break your remaining pinky finger yourself?"
A moment later, a suppressed scream echoed through the station platform.
* * *
[Phew! Friend, that was some incredible tension! An ignorant character needs to be taught a proper lesson.]
A 'lesson', he says.
This wasn't a lesson, it was just violence.
Something I chose only because there was no other way.
'Hoo.'
Putting a mad scientist in his place with a violent show of dominance… I'm doing all sorts of things I never thought I'd do.
'But if I don't do this, he won't be scared. He'll just keep testing me.'
The thought of the researcher who died with his neck twisted while trying to open the fire hydrant was grim, but at the same time, it sent a chill down my spine.
Because it felt like Kwak Jegang was testing me.
'Did he choose that person on purpose?'
Could he have noticed the displeased look I gave when I saw that project researcher push someone else aside to run?
It felt like he did it to check my limits—how much I would tolerate, whether I would notice, whether I would let it slide, to confirm the 'line'.
Of course, he might have also simply wanted to check and record how sturdy the fire hydrant was.
'Which is even more chilling.'
That's why I deliberately came on stronger.
…Though, honestly, it was also because I was angry.
'Hoo.'
I looked down at the tattoo sticker I had placed on my arm.
A delicate black tattoo of flames spreading over a broken gas lamp.
—I'd like this design, please.
It was a tattoo sticker I'd bought at the Moonlight Tattoo Shop for the purpose of smooth arson.
I had chosen it with great care, looking at its form and symbolism, and sure enough, when I broke glass with this on, flames would erupt over it.
But as a side effect, it seemed to have the effect of making the desire to set fires intensely surge, and making it difficult to suppress violent anger….
This must have influenced my heavy-handedness.
'Ha.'
I forced my thoughts elsewhere.
For the record, Blue Mascot paid for it.
G O O D C H I L D
I
B O U G H T
F O R Y O U
…Honestly, I was really grateful.
This wasn't a basic tattoo, but a line called Royal Premium or something. It wasn't something I could have gotten through a review.
Since I didn't have any more pearls or mother-of-pearl, in the worst-case scenario, I was thinking of somehow trying to bargain with a Resort accommodation ticket.
Blue Mascot, who paid with something like a small scale, left me with these words.
M Y G I F T
D O N O T
F O R G E T
That round, mysterious, dark blue scale I had received from him.
That wondrous object that had an iridescent sheen.
'…I do have it with me.'
It seemed to mean I should call him when I was in danger or needed him, or when I wanted to see him.
'Will it work in Segwang Metropolitan City?'
Not that I had any intention of testing it right now.
There was something more urgent at the moment.
Thud, thud.
I was climbing the platform stairs.
Every time I registered Kwak Jegang limping behind me, the anger intensified by the tattoo sticker would flare up before coldly subsiding.
'If I had kept insisting on 'quitting and a ban on research' as the condition, he probably would have tried to take me down with him one way or another.'
He would have thought, if I'm going to die anyway, I might as well die seeing some interesting research results.
I had to remember to handle him by pushing him into a corner, but never blocking his escape route, lest he do something crazy instead of complying.
'Hoo.'
Even Baek Saheon, at the very least, wasn't the type to troll just because it was 'interesting, fun, and rewarding.'
Anyway, I came to my senses and looked at what I had done from the top of the stairs.
"..."
I could see the residential area, burned to a crisp and turned to black ash.
In that place, incinerated and reduced to rubble, there were no more corpses walking around with their necks twisted.
They would no longer need to sleep.
Because there were no homes here anymore.
"..."
But setting a fire so suddenly did come with a price.
—No! No! Our house!
—Please don't! Just why….
—My home is gone now. There's nowhere to go back to. Mom, Dad….
Resentment and screams echoed in my ears.
Others couldn't hear them. It was a kind of auditory hallucination only I could hear.
—Arsonistttt!!!!
—Die die die die die die
—Your house will burn down too
…The consciousness of the Segwang Metropolitan City citizens who had wanted to return home was whispering to me with a grudge.
But I was fine.
Because I had injected myself with Happy Maker.
Did you know that acetaminophen(paracetamol) has some effect on depression? A powerful painkiller can kill mental pain as well.
'It'll probably disappear once I leave this place.'
I don't plan on staying long.
Aaaaaah…
The sight of the burned-out residential area began to fade to white.
Those things that failed to become homes no longer had the right to occupy the subway station, the symbol of this residential district.
I watched them in silence.
From somewhere, I thought I heard a sad wail....
"..."
The next moment.
"…Hah."
At the top of the stairs, the unlit concourse area spread out.
I heard Researcher Lee Yeonhwa gasp.
"Researcher Gwak and I will go into that concourse. But you can wait here if you want."
"…! If I may ask, where exactly are you going…."
I pointed to the opposite platform.
The other side, which was unreachable without going through the concourse because, as experiments showed, the platform screen door's emergency exit wouldn't open.
"There is another Darkness over there."
At that moment, Researcher Lee Yeonhwa swallowed and pushed herself up.
"I'll go."
…If that's the case.
With the two researchers in tow, I took a step into the dark concourse.
…Like Midnight Station, where Hanbit Library was closed, the concourse was a dusty, abandoned ruin.
Passing through it, we went down to the opposite platform, found the machine room, and opened it.
Creeak.
A thick smell of burning wafted out, and a completely burnt-out office hallway revealed itself.
"This place is…."
"This place is called the Cheerful Research Institute."
I explained slowly.
"Have you ever seen the Daydream Potion Production Machine?"
"Huh? Yes. I wasn't in charge of it, but I've seen it while collaborating."
"Actually, that is technology developed by this institute."
"What??"
"From the looks of it, Daydream has been stealing the Cheerful Research Institute's technology and equipment to produce their potions."
"That…."
Ms. Lee Yeonhwa's face turned pale, and at the same time, her cheeks flushed red.
She realized she was hearing something that she shouldn't, but at the same time, the excitement of a researcher hearing a censored truth must have been surging.
Suspicion and the thirst for inquiry.
"Wait a minute, but if it's the Cheerful Research Institute… it's a Darkness that produces Darkness,"
"Correct. Follow me."
I entered the burnt office hallway.
The two researchers began to follow me.
I could hear the breathing of Kwak Jegang, who had been tactfully keeping his mouth shut, grow rough.
And then….
"Look."
"…!!"
After opening a few doors, I find a single machine.
A dream incubator.
"It's still operational."
It was broken, having seemingly lost most of its functions, and it was a version without a button to produce potions.
But it was definitely there.
'Just as I thought.'
What I had confirmed at the previous station where Delusion Home Shopping was.
A note from a Written Conversation between employees had been stuck between drawers.
—Seems like there was a fire downstairs, everyone went with fire extinguishers. It's the floor with the most dream incubators, what on earth is this
And if the research institutes in this Segwang Special City Subway station were built in stacked layers, then the very next station, this 'Midday Station', would be the floor below.
So, perhaps.
'If there were many incubators, I guessed there was a chance at least one might have survived.'
And that bet paid off.
I looked at the researchers.
The researchers were scanning the dream incubator with trembling eyes.
"Then I will collect the price for keeping you alive here."
"..."
"Analyze this machine."
"…!"
"What differences there are from Daydream's machine."
Right.
'Even if their main job is developing Darkness, loading and handling Dream Essence Liquid in the machines is also a researcher's job.'
They would be far more familiar with this machine than I am.
"That..."
"What differences are there? There are differences immediately visible to the naked eye!"
Kwak Jegang blurted out.
He then urgently touched and scanned every part of the dream incubator, speaking in a rapid-fire manner.
"Employee, no, Lord Cat. Inside, inside that liquid tank, do you see that round thing?"
I see it.
A round object that looks like an egg.
I had seen it in the prototype machine in the other Dream Incubation Room that Agent Choi had discovered….
"Daydream's potion production machines don't have anything like that."
…!
"Isn't that right, Assistant Manager Lee?"
"…That's correct."
Researcher Lee Yeonhwa's calm voice was trembling.
The tone of someone who, while hesitating whether it was okay to give this answer, ultimately confesses the truth.
"Inside Daydream Inc.'s liquid tanks… there's nothing."
"..."
"You said this machine is called a dream incubator, right? It's possible the machine was originally made for the purpose of incubating that egg, and Daydream removed that function for their use."
Right.
The Cheerful Research Institute's dream incubator was a machine for incubating some kind of being. And the result was….
'Me.'
I was created, incubated from an egg in one of those dream incubators.
It wouldn't be strange to think that Daydream had removed that function and was only utilizing the potion production function.
"Yes. That's correct."
It was a fact I already knew.
I answered, somewhat numbly.
"By inference, the dream incubator is a device for incubating some kind of life form…."
"A life form? It's not something that can be described with such a simple expression!"
What?
"Lord Cat. You know what kind of resource Dream Essence Liquid is, don't you? It's a tremendous energy source that manipulates and controls reality. Do you think they would use that much volume just to create a single life form?"
What…?
What is he talking about?
"A researcher would never make such an inefficient design. It must be something else…. Well, from here on, it's just my speculation."
....
Kwak Jegang, his eyes meeting mine, grinned despite his pale face.
"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'The egg is a world'?"
Ah.
"It's a line from a classic novel. Well, the meaning used there is a bit different… but I think the same words can be used in this case!"
Wait a minute…
"The egg in that incubator is a world."
...!!
"The goal of that dream incubator is… to create a new world."
"..."
"…is a deduction I've made. Hahaha! Of course, it's a hypothesis. A hypothesis."
It's preposterous.
But into my stunned mind, a certain idea suddenly pops up.
The Cheerful Research Institute is a company that creates toy-like ghost stories.
Children's toys.
In the end, that….
'It's like an attempt to accept… ghost stories in the least harmful way possible.'
And considering the keywords like paradise and heaven that came up during the Segwang Metropolitan City incident, his words….
'It's possible.'
If that's the case.
The world the Cheerful Research Institute was trying to create, could it be something like this?
A safe world.
A harmless world.
....
'A world without ghost stories.'
The very world I came from.