Chapter 116.
The shadow man just mentioned the title ‘that person’ out loud.
And the subject was easier to deduce than I thought.
Our self-proclaimed competent boss.
‘Noise?’.
That guy… is really alive?
I had vaguely thought, ‘Of course, if it’s Noise…’.
But it seemed that vague thought was correct.
The title ‘that person’ mentioned by the shadow man is commonly understood in the current horror world to most likely refer to ‘Noise.’
So, the ‘that person’ he just mentioned is almost certainly Noise.
There’s no one else it could be.
It’s 100%.
If that’s the case, capturing the Black King in the pen right here would cause this space to collapse.
Of course, if Noise is truly alive as the shadow guy said, he would help me escape this place.
But what if…
Just what if… he isn’t?
‘…Can I really trust this?’
I did receive help from the shadow man, but we’re not close enough to have built a trusting relationship.
‘I’ve already taken out the pen from the employee ID, but…’.
My steps feel heavy.
I still couldn’t let go of my suspicion toward him.
We continued to stand in silent confrontation.
Rustle—
A fox girl with nine swaying tails entered my line of sight as she approached us.
【Master, are you okay!】
The fox girl ran toward me with a spirited voice.
More than anything else, I glanced at her current physical condition.
‘…She doesn’t seem hurt.’
From the looks of it, there were no major injuries.
We couldn’t just keep standing like this.
I decided to ask the shadow man one last question.
“What is your relationship with Noise?”
Since the shadow guy mentioned the pen, there’s a high chance he has a very close relationship with Noise…
Probably—
Otherwise,
It wouldn’t be easy for him to know about the pen’s existence.
If, by any chance, he was just testing me…
I shouldn’t hastily capture the Black King. I waited for the shadow man’s answer.
And the answer that came back was:
【This might be the first time I’ve introduced myself to someone else. I wonder if the audience will be curious about me…】
【If you’re curious about the protagonist on stage, then as the narrator, it’s only natural for me to explain.】
【That’s the role of a stage narrator, after all.】
After a longer-than-expected introduction, the shadow man’s convoluted explanation ended with the following answer:
【The title ‘Support Department’ would suit me. My job is to make the protagonist on stage shine.】
…Support Department?
There were other departments in that library?
Seriously?
I was quite shocked to learn that there was another department in the ghostcompany I worked for.
The shadow man even added:
【That person said it would be best to return as soon as possible to help calm her anger.】
“…….”
Right.
Definitely someone who knows Noise.
No matter how I think about it, only Noise would say something like that.
I instantly realized who the ‘her’ referred to in the shadow man’s words.
Without hesitation, I clenched the pen in my hand and extended it toward where the Black King’s body was.
The pen responded effectively.
『Valid ingredient identified.』
Soon after, the Black King was sucked into the pen, and a man’s eerie narration followed.
【Never forget that behind every stage you stand on, there is a Support Department.】
【Then, I’ll see you at the next stage.】
【I look forward to seeing another great performance then.】
With those final words from the shadow man, the familiar sound of lighting flickered past my ears.
Thud—
*****
Agency Control Room.
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The expressions of everyone in the room had stiffened.
As if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, or as if something that shouldn’t have happened had occurred.
No one dared to speak up first in this situation.
But when a towering figure rushed in upon hearing the news and broke the chilling silence—
Haa—
With sweat beading on his face, he opened his trembling lips and demanded a briefing.
“……Report.”
“…Director Kwon, just now… the signal of the S-grade ‘Black Forest King’ disappeared.”
Just now.
The signal of an S-grade horror had been cut off.
And what this meant was all too simple.
Director Kwon felt the urgency of the situation with his entire being.
Because he felt it, he spat out these words:
“……Assemble them.”
“Huh?”
“Notify all directors immediately! As of now, Team J will prioritize the elimination of the ‘Man with Black Flame’”
“……Understood.”
Director Kwon Ji-yong of Team J declared that, as of this moment, the top priority would be dealing with the Man with Black Flame.
His shift from a moderate approach to a hardline stance sent shockwaves through the other directors.
And Director Kang Tae-sik of Team B, who had been the first to advocate for the Man with Black Flame elimination, clicked his tongue upon hearing Director Kwon’s orders.
“The old man’s finally come to his senses.”
Kang Tae-sik of Team B had been waiting for this moment.
“Just you wait, flame-headed bastard.”
With Team B leading the way, the teams that agreed to the current directive were as follows:
———-
Team B. (Kang Tae-sik)
Team H.
Team J. (Kwon Ji-yong)
Team L. (Han Ji-eun)
Team S.
Team O.
———-
And the teams that had yet to respond were:
———-
Team A.
Team F.
Team R. (Lee Joo-i)
Team Z. (Seo Eun-bom)
———-
Unlike the others,
Excluding Team A, which wouldn’t move until orders came from the upper echelons of the agency,
Team Z’s Seo Eun-bom, still recovering from the previous battle with the Man with Black Flame, and Team F and Team R’s Lee Joo-i had yet to respond.
But since the majority of directors had already agreed,
The agency issued the following directive regarding the current situation:
———-
-All employees are to evacuate immediately if the Man with Black Flame is observed in any space as of this moment.
Directors are to be notified immediately.
Directors must deploy in teams of at least two.
———-
At the same time, another directive was issued to Team A.
And its contents were:
———-
-Team A is to stand by until further instructions. Until then, focus on the ‘current mission’.
———-
*****
Under the bright lights scorching my scalp, the first sight that greeted my eyes was:
<Congrats! Welcome back, Employee Park Yeon-jeong!>
…….
When I locked eyes with the white librarians welcoming me with a tacky banner strung between pillars,
My gaze naturally drifted toward the old-fashioned speaker in the room.
“As expected, you were alive.”
At my quiet mutter, the other side responded with a hurt tone through the speaker.
[What kind of reaction is that! No matter how great a boss I am, that kind of response is a bit hurtful, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
“Somehow, I had a feeling Noise would show up like this, so I couldn’t react too strongly. My apologies.”
Of course, when I first saw Noise’s body being crushed by the Black King, it’s not like I wasn’t shocked.
But…
It’s Noise.
Somehow, I never thought he’d die in that space.
Because I never even considered that possibility, my current reaction wasn’t entirely wrong.
Noise seemed a bit disappointed by my dry reaction but said:
[Still, I hope you enjoy the congratulatory event we prepared. Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
The moment those words ended,
The white librarians, lined up in a row, simultaneously set off the party poppers they were holding.
Pop-!
Pop-!
Pop-!
Pop-!
Pop-!!
The sight was nothing short of spectacular.
Not stopping there, a woman’s bright voice quickly brushed past my ears.
Rustle—
While waving her uniquely fluffy tails.
【Master. It’s so beautiful… Could it be… you prepared this for me?】
【…I’m so happy.】
The woman’s face turned as red as a rose as she incessantly swished her nine tails.
A man observing her reaction with a stiff gaze
Doubted his own eyes.
Denied the existence before him.
‘……Why are you here?’
Why, of all places,
Was the fox girl, who shouldn’t be in this space, standing right beside me?
When his rigid gaze slowly turned toward the speaker, the presumed culprit,
[It seems our guest has also come to celebrate.]
Celebrate?
Noise, do your eyes really see this as a celebration?
Crunch—!
!
A chilling sensation wrapped around my arm, sending a cold shiver down my spine.
When I turned my gaze, the fox girl was clinging tightly to me,
Staring at me with the eyes of a lovestruck girl.
【Master… no. H-husband. I’ll do my best from now on. I’ll never… disappoint you.】
“…….”
Just like the S-grade horror, the Black King, another colossal crisis threatening my life had begun to take hold of me.
Bzzzt—
[……! I was being inconsiderate! Employee Park Yeon-jeong, if you need me, I can give a congratulatory speech…!]
“No need!”
Noise, you
Are way too oblivious.
[Oh my! How inconsiderate of me. Forget a speech—on such a joyous day, you’ll need a private bedroom to spend some intimate time. I’ll prepare it right away.]
【A b-bedroom… with my husband… our f-first, first night.】
[Of course, I won’t tell her. So relax and enjoy 🙂 ]
“…….”
I’m done for.
After barely managing to refuse Noise’s unnecessary meddling in preparing a bedroom,
I handed the pen containing the Black King to Noise and finally escaped that space.
Of course, the real problem
Was what came next…
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