Bailonz Street 13-Chapter 226.1

An evening where Darkness had settled over.

The annex lobby of Daydream Inc.

Two black-clad Security Team employees sat at the front desk, a carrier crate set between them, greeting visitors.

“Hallway… 32. It’s that way…”

“T-Thank you.”

Of course, ‘greeting’ mostly meant briefly acknowledging people, unlocking their hallway access, and relaying instructions.

Usually, there was only one staff member on duty, and it was rare to see a carrier crate sitting nearby, so employees often froze up or stared with a cold sweat, wondering if this was some kind of experiment.

And inside that ‘exception’ of a carrier crate… was me.

“You okay…?”

Tap.

“Mm… Got it.”

The sergeant occasionally checked on me, but mostly lounged at the desk with a bored expression.

Ordinarily, the Security Team wouldn’t be assigned to handle public-facing duties like this, but since they’d been designated as my handler team, they ended up doing all sorts of things.

‘Sorry…’

“Still, this is nice. Peaceful! Don’t you think so, Ro— I mean, Mr. Employee?”

Tap.

I agreed with Supervisor Park Minseong’s comment.

He said his role in the Security Team mostly involved psychological suppression, so he rarely got to do peaceful work like this. He seemed to genuinely welcome this assignment.

He’d also been delighted to see how much calmer I was during this shift, compared to before.

– Looks like your condition’s improved a lot…! I’m glad, Roe.

I hadn’t told them I’d regained my full clarity of mind yet. I planned to wait until I’d adjusted more to the bell and could steady myself completely before revealing it.

‘And I need to control my body first, too.’

And so, inside the carrier crate, I was once again examining my body.

Let’s see… Yep. It’s mangled.

‘Pure mush…’

I tried to mentally categorize the crumpled mass stuffed awkwardly inside the Security Team suit based on a human body’s structure.

Brain, esophagus, eyes, ears, stomach… I could faintly identify the parts that still had sensation or those I consciously focused on.

[Like a sliding puzzle, isn’t it? Excellent. Let’s piece it together!]

Braun’s advice was also proving helpful.

Of course, someone with proper medical expertise like Go Yeongeun-ssi could probably give me a much broader assessment, but… for now, this was my limit.

‘What the hell even is this? How many eyes do I have?’

…Honestly, many parts felt unfamiliar.

[Ah, what splendid scales, Friend!]

At the end of what I’d call my forelimb… No, my arm… I felt the texture of reptilian scales and talon-like claws, bizarrely strong.

‘This is driving me nuts.’

Still, knowledge was power.

If my emotions were functioning properly, I’d have gone mad long before this knowledge could help me.

At least I was aware that this was a deeply grotesque task.

‘Hm. Maybe if I can stay calm, I might be able to reconstruct my body…’

It felt like I could move parts I’d identified…

But I wasn’t sure yet. Maybe I could attempt it if I ever got out of the suit, but the risk seemed too high for now.

More importantly, I’d found what I was looking for.

:恩主:

The inventory tattoo.

Fortunately, it hadn’t shifted too far from its original spot. It was buried under the flesh of my left arm, just beneath the shoulder.

The other tattoos were probably crumpled even deeper inside, impossible to find for now. Maybe I could use them if I managed to properly organize my body someday…

But for now, this was my focus.

Would I be able to use this tattoo?

[Hooh, you’re already looking forward to the end of today’s shift, Mr. Roe Deer.]

That’s right.

‘I can’t exactly pull my arm out and check while I’m inside this crate.’

So first, let’s just get through this first day at the annex front desk without incident.

Fortunately, work at the annex ran smoothly into the late night without any major issues.

…I did see quite a few familiar faces, though. Most visitors here were likely members of the Field Exploration Team or the Research Team, and naturally, I’d probably run into them during my own shifts before.

It left me with a strange feeling.

“Hallway 12… Ah, Mr. Employee, would you like to hand it over?”

“Eek.”

For reference, when I extended smoke through the carrier crate to write out instructions and hand over the access card, the seal-masked Field Exploration Team employee nearly rolled backward in panic.

Oh, I remembered this person. I used to work in the office next door that employee’s squad.

“……”

“……”

“I-I’m sorry…” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Watching the employee snatch the card and sprint away, I displayed a line of text.

Survival Instinct : Excellent

– Talent suitable for the Field Exploration Team

“Hahaha…”

Supervisor Park Minseong’s voice was the kind of laugh you make when you can’t quite cry.

Well, at least it meant I’d done something resembling normal work for the first time in months.

And around 3 a.m., a very familiar face appeared.

An unexpected VIP.

‘Assistant Manager Jin Nasol!’

A sharp-eyed employee wearing a butterfly mask, her hair neatly tied back, nails polished, and dressed in a suit.

Assistant Manager Jin Nasol of the elite A-squad.

“Mm.”

She seemed to finally make the connection as she glanced at Supervisor Park Minseong, who had slightly bowed his head, while idly touching her nails.

“D-squad?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Heard you moved to the Security Team. You’re still alive, I see.”

“Haha…”

Normally, even if people recognized him, they either ignored him for being in the Security Team or treated him politely with a bit of fear. But of course, she was different…

And as if on cue, another member of the elite team visited the annex.

“Helloo~”

It was Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, who had worked with us just yesterday.

She set down a large snack set wrapped in recycled paper packaging on the desk with a confident thump.

“I heard you were here! Thought it’d be nice if the three of you had something to snack on while working, so I brought this!”

“Um… Thank you…”

For reference, it was seaweed oranda.[1]

I couldn’t eat it… but the sergeant looked interested, so that was fine.

To my surprise, Assistant Manager Lee Songhae didn’t stop there. She gave the carrier crate I was sitting in a light tap and whispered.

Uh…?

“Hey, couldn’t you come out? It’s not like civilians come here anyway!”

“Come out? What?”

At Assistant Manager Jin Nasol’s puzzled reply, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

“Ah, Assistant Manager, right. You’re here. I didn’t bring any oranda for you…”

“……”

The sergeant, who had been sniffing at the oranda and then popped one in his mouth, lazily turned his head toward them and weakly gestured toward the box…

“Want one…?”

“I’m good.”

He didn’t offer twice.

Note/s:

[1] Oranda – A confection that is made by deep-frying small snacks then coating them in syrup and letting them harden. Depending on how it’s made, its texture can range from moderately crunchy to rock-hard, and some versions are sticky like taffy. In some products, nuts such as pumpkin seeds or peanuts are added. (Source: Namuwiki) ↵

Salt Goblin

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