Chapter 54
“Noise-ssi?”
………
Noise gives no answer.
Why?
Wasn’t it him who called me to this place?
Or… the princess’s mental damage?
I wonder if this space I’m seeing right now is an illusion.
One that even the mental damage immunity glasses couldn’t block.
Am I trapped in a hallucination?
I doubted the glasses’ immunity protection.
Even though I knew it couldn’t be true, Park Yeon-jeong thought that way.
Rubbing-
With one hand I rubbed my eyes through the gap in my glasses.
And secretly, I hoped.
When I opened my eyes again.
That it wouldn’t be the massacre site where the princess was standing.
Please don’t let it be.
I desperately hoped.
Without the ghost story capture quill, all I could do there was wait for death.
The hand that was rubbing my eyes slowly fell to my knee.
Blink.
Blinking my eyes several times, what entered Park Yeon-jeong’s view was.
An empty library.
I was still standing in the familiar space brightly illuminated by a spotlight.
‘…thank goodness.’
A sigh of relief escaped through my throat.
I really came back.
It wasn’t a hallucination or a misunderstanding.
For the first time, I felt a sense of relief in this place.
Crackle-
And with perfect timing, along with the vibrating speaker sound.
Beyond it.
[…Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
His voice was heard.
His deep, resonant voice flowed through the speaker, reassuring me again.
That voice was so welcome that as soon as I heard Noise’s voice, I almost burst into tears of frustration.
All the things that had happened to me in the ghost stories so far.
All the humiliations I suffered from numerous ghost stories.
I was ready to pour everything out to Noise, my self-proclaimed boss.
I wished he would ask.
I wished he would ask about what had just happened.
…But.
Static-
The intensity of the static coming through the speaker seemed quite far from a welcoming response.
[Employee Park Yeon-jeong… I’m sorry.]
His first words were an apology.
An apology to me.
[For the confusion caused by the unexpected intruder… I apologize again. It was my oversight.]
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at Noise’s unexpected apology.
But his apology didn’t stop there.
[I didn’t expect them to act so quickly. Employee Park Yeon-jeong, how intricately they twisted the passage to extract you…]
Crackle-
[It was extremely unpleasant.]
Noise’s low bass voice was a good indicator of how displeased he was feeling right now.
It looked like a red signal that should never be touched. Instinctively, it might have been the right decision to just keep quiet.
But.
Why was it?
At this time?.
I felt like I could get an answer to this question from him.
Was it an intuition about ghost stories that I had unconsciously realized through numerous explorations?
“Noise-ssi.”
[Yes, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
I opened my mouth in a calm voice.
Very politely, I finally voiced the question that I felt I wouldn’t be able to ask if not now.
The question I had wanted to hear the answer to all this time.
“All the ghost stories refer to you like this. As ‘that person.’”
[………]
“…What kind of being are you?”
Noise was silent at my question.
In that moment of silence, Park Yeon-jeong swallowed dryly.
As reason returned belatedly, I wondered—would the white librarian fly over and break my neck?
Grasp.
Without realizing it, one hand was wrapped around my neck.
I tried to look as if nothing was wrong, but strength unconsciously entered my fingertips wrapped around my neck.
Noise’s response that followed.
Was not the white librarian’s stranglehold.
It was a voice more calm than I had expected.
[…If I hide this any longer, the trust between Employee Park Yeon-jeong and me might crack.]
[That was a good question, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
Fortunately, Noise began to continue the conversation as if he would answer my question willingly.
Noise soon began to speak in his characteristic way, answering a question with a question.
[Employee Park Yeon-jeong. Humans have what is called age. And perhaps, if you look at me by such a standard…]
Noise fell into thought for a moment.
Static-
With a short burst of static, he gave his answer.
[Perhaps if approached from Employee Park Yeon-jeong’s perspective, a good example would be Adam and Eve – ‘the primordial humans’. Something like that, perhaps?]
……What?
Pri-primordial?
Not the Primordial Village that I know about.
Are you talking about the ‘primordial’ of all beginnings?
Park Yeon-jeong was at a loss for words at the nonsensical utterance that momentarily came out of Noise’s mouth.
“N-Noise-ssi, are you saying… that you’re… the ancestor of ghost stories?”
[Ancestor… yes, that expression would also be correct.]
Noise boldly uttered the shocking statement that he was the ‘Homo sapiens’ of ghost stories.
Crackle-
[You don’t need to be too surprised. It’s just an example to make it easier for Employee Park Yeon-jeong to understand.]
“Ah… I see.”
But, even if it was just an example.
If Noise really is an ancient ghost story.
‘Why…’
[Why do I look so plain and insignificant? That’s what you’re thinking, right?]
?!
‘Noise, you!’
Are you really some kind of mind reader or something?!
And that’s a misunderstanding!
I didn’t think that far!
Though it’s true I was thinking something along those lines.
If he was an ancestral-level ghost story, he would already be known to many people.
Even at the lowest estimate, he would easily be S-class.
Or the fact that he’s receiving F-class treatment at the <Ghost Story Record Storage> despite being in a situation where he could be rated even higher than that.
This is completely.
‘Identity laundering’ or something like that, Noise-ssi!
Crackle-
[I know. At least how Employee Park Yeon-jeong thinks of me right now.]
[But………]
Whoosh.
Soon the white librarian, who hadn’t shown himself until now, appeared with a white cloth in hand.
Wipe- Wipe-
He acted as if wiping something.
[The reason I’m being treated this way contains a sad, miserable story that cannot be heard without tears.]
………
Soon another white librarian appeared and handed me a white cloth.
“…Thank you.”
Since it was offered, I accepted it.
Static-
With static brushing my ears again.
[Are you prepared to hear my past, which cannot be heard without tears?]
I wonder why he’s setting this mood – just how grand a story is he planning to tell?
It’s now reached a level where it would be strange not to expect something, and one man’s curiosity was heightened.
Clack!
Soon a light turned on in front of where Park Yeon-jeong was standing, and there appeared the cathode-ray tube that had previously contained Park Yeon-jeong’s own ‘vlog’.
[A long, long time ago.]
[In the days when tigers smoked cigarettes, I was…]
Noise’s voice announced the beginning, and the video broadcast from the cathode-ray tube was.
<Screen adjustment.>
…What?
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
!
The deafening noise made my mind snap to attention.
I instinctively had to cover my ears, and the noise lasted so long.
For what felt like several minutes, I remained crouched on the floor with both ears covered. That was the best measure Park Yeon-jeong could take.
How many minutes passed after that?
Static-
With a short burst of static.
Once again, through the speaker, a deep male voice was heard.
[Oh my, oh my, I was talking so distractedly. I didn’t pay attention to the screen.]
[Hmm… this might have been information too early for you, a human. Employee Park Yeon-jeong’s █▓▒░ level ▒░]
Incomprehensible noise mixed into Noise’s voice.
He continued his explanation with a short sigh.
[It’s unfortunate. I was planning to fully share my past with Employee Park Yeon-jeong. But that will have to be postponed.]
Noise’s voice was tinged with deep regret.
But.
His voice had already returned to its original tone.
[But having this conversation with you, Employee Park Yeon-jeong, I feel somewhat relieved.]
[It was indeed a good learning experience that accumulated stress is best resolved together with others.]
“…I’m glad your mood has improved.”
Yes, if you, Noise-ssi, are in a better mood, I suppose that’s enough.
Beeeeeeee.
My ears seem to have gone deaf from the earlier noise.
Don’t worry about it.
If you, Noise-ssi, are in a better mood, I suppose that’s enough.
Beeeee.
…Is it enough?
It felt as if red tears were flowing from Park Yeon-jeong’s ears, but by now such situations didn’t bother me much.
Crackle-
Noise continued speaking in a bright voice.
[Since you couldn’t hear about my past, today I’ll specially answer one question that Employee Park Yeon-jeong has been curious about.]
[Without lies, that is.]
Noise suddenly said I could ask one thing I was curious about in exchange for listening to his story.
“Something I’ve been curious about?”
[Anything will do.]
[Of course, within the limits allowed by self-filtering.]
“……”
The moment I heard those words.
As if I had been waiting for this moment. This question flowed out first.
Really without hesitation.
My voice traveled through my throat and resonated deeply throughout the space.
“Noise-ssi, why… did you hire me here? Was it really just a coincidence?”
[So you were curious about the hiring criteria.]
To that question, Noise said without a moment’s hesitation.
[Of course. It was simply the principle of mere coincidence.]
“……”
His answer came so quickly and without any hint of deception.
I, who asked the question, was taken aback.
Just a coincidence.
Simply because of bad luck, Park Yeon-jeong became tied to this ghost story, and Noise was fortunate enough to capture someone like me.
Just a simple coincidence.
When I felt that strange emotion during this encounter with the queen.
When I frowned at his contradictory compassion, and such incomprehensible feelings enveloped my body, I.
Really wanted to ask Noise.
-Why, among so many people, did it have to be me?
I wanted to get answers about these contradictory emotions I felt. I wanted to hear about my existence as a part of Noise’s grand scheme.
But the answer that came back was.
Just luck.
Just coincidence, he says.
Without anything particularly special, just with a bit of bad luck, I caught Noise’s eye.
Park Yeon-jeong might have been born unlucky even before the black skull mark appeared on his wrist.
An indescribable sense of emptiness enveloped my body, and somehow I felt like I had lost out by asking the question.
Crackle-
Until I heard Noise’s next answer.
[Yes, my meeting with you, Employee Park Yeon-jeong, was truly coincidental. But choosing you among others was my decision.]
“……what?”
At first, I didn’t understand what they meant.
But.
[Employee Park Yeon-jeong, at the time your job interview was conducted. There were two more applicants at that location who knew me, just like you.]
……?
This was the first time I’d heard this.
The shocking story was that there were other people besides me who knew about <Ghost Story Record Storage> at that time.
Crackle
[But those people merely stood by and watched others die.]
[I observed them trying to bury all attention in your existence. And as a result, they successfully escaped from my space.]
[To be precise, I just let them go. They were no longer necessary to me.]
Swoosh
Soon the white librarian’s hand reached out to Park Yeon-jeong, and the noise’s voice continued.
[I chose you among them. Because that mindset of helping others without expecting anything in return is not something that can be easily shown.]
[Even if this emotion is not human, but rather what you might call a ghost story.]
[While watching that twisted side of you.]
Numerous white librarians’ hands stretched toward Park Yeon-jeong.
They all showed their palms to one man at once.
[I thought you could be the person to realize my ideal.]
[None other than Employee Park Yeon-jeong. If it were you.]
“……..”
I… was at a loss for words.
And quietly I muttered under my breath.
‘Should I… be happy about this or not?’
Being selected by someone and getting hired at a company is certainly a good thing.
Of course, if this had been an ordinary, normal company.
Looking at the current situation where I’m risking my life day after day for work, it clearly couldn’t be seen as good.
And.
I felt indignant toward those two applicants who fled leaving me here alone.
‘Is this how fellow colleagues treat each other!’
The more I thought about it, the more indignant I felt.
While Park Yeon-jeong was seething with passion to survive in another sense due to the betrayal of colleagues.
Crackle
The noise didn’t even give time to collect emotions.
[Nevertheless, I’m glad you’ve returned safely, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
You speak really quickly.
[Now, let’s move on to talk about our company.]
After exchanging greetings until just now, Park Yeon-jeong’s dismay only grew at his words about immediately moving on to company talk.
[As for the wristwatch I gave as a gift, it can’t be helped but.]
Startled
The moment that noise mentioned the wristwatch.
Park Yeon-jeong’s face froze pale.
According to this conversation pattern.
[Damage to company property is not something we can just overlook.]
“…It was an urgent situation.”
That was my excuse.
But.
[Yes, I’ll listen with that part sufficiently taken into account.]
……Our noise made it clear that he couldn’t let it slide.
[It’s just a simple procedure, so you don’t need to be too nervous, Employee Park Yeon-jeong.]
“……”
Company equipment damage and loss.
Park Yeon-jeong.
Referral to the disciplinary committee.
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