What happens when a new hire successfully completes their probationary period?
Usually, there's a light celebration with some gifts handed out.
I didn't expect a major corporation in a ghost story to do the same.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Let me see... My god! We have 22 graduates this time, everyone! Wow, I wonder what HR thinks about this?]
I wasn't curious at all.
And probably neither were the new hires sitting next to me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[No, really, this is an impressive record. If this isn't due to failed difficulty adjustment, you're the elite class. Elite.]
Silence fell over the auditorium.
The host, unperturbed, shouted cheerfully.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[So, shall we pick the top elite among our elite employees?] [The top of this Field Exploration Team new hire class! One of the people who completed the evaluation and escaped in the shortest time, and recorded the highest overall score.]
The host raised a hand.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Congratulations. Kim Sol-eum!]
Me?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Kim Sol-eum?] [If you don't take the gift, this event won't end~ Come get it!]
Is this for real?
'Why...'
Anyway, I stood up from my seat.
After being trapped in a ghost story where ignoring announcements meant death, staying seated after hearing that instruction would make me an idiot.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Ah, coming up right away is so reassuring. Quick situational awareness means you'll do great in our department too. Such a shame. What a shame.]
Must be a manager from another department. He somehow seemed even more infuriating and punchable.
I stepped up onto the stage and stood in front of the host.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Here, take your gift!]
What the host held out was an angular paper bag.
Inside the silver shopping bag emblazoned with the [Daydream Corporation] logo, I glimpsed what looked like a commendation plaque and some item before it vanished.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[It's top honors, but don't be too disappointed we didn't give anything special.]
I wasn't happy at all.
I took the shopping bag, nodded to avoid glaring at the host, and tried to head back down...
"Check inside carefully."
What?
"What the..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Next new hire, please come up!]
The host was already calling the next person into the mic.
As if he hadn't said a word of small talk.
"..."
Hmm.
I didn't waste any more time and returned to my seat.
After that, Go Yeongeun and the others from the same row went up and received their gifts.
It didn't mean much, but Baek Saheon was called right after me.
"..."
"..."
He was still sitting next to me but hadn't said a word.
To be precise, he hadn't even made eye contact. Seeing him pressing his left eye, it was clear he'd returned the "lost item."
'He'll go to the hospital on his own.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Next up. Kim Ji-won!]
The later people were called, the stranger they looked—odd attire, gait, or eyes—and they went up to receive their gifts.
'...Were they trapped in the ghost story for too long?'
They seemed to regain their senses in the auditorium at the same time, but escape times in the ghost stories definitely differed.
Imagining how long they'd been trapped sent chills down my spine.
Still, compared to the other 78, they might be better off for having escaped at all.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Everyone get your gifts okay?]
Eventually, the gift-giving ended.
There were no replies, but a strange tension and anticipation subtly filled the auditorium.
The hope that they might finally let us go.
Honestly, I was waiting a little too. Isn't it about time this ended?
But.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[But... this company doesn't hire all graduates.]
"...?!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[People who just got lucky always show up.]
No way.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[However, Daydream Corporation is a company that never forgets its great social value of fairness.] [These kinds of probationary employees get heavy deductions in absolute evaluation.]
The host did nothing special.
No clichéd finger snap, no staring gaze. Not even the lights going out in the auditorium.
However...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[As I said, we catch all the freeloaders.]
People started melting.
"...!"
Around me, several people began dissolving like melting shadows.
No screams, no movement.
'Fuck!'
The person in front clamped their mouth shut to stifle a scream.
I hurriedly turned my head.
But my eyes had already seen.
'Gone.'
Half of the people in my row had vanished.
Leaving only me, Go Yeongeun, Baek Saheon, and the new hire he'd attacked.
"..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Congratulations to the remaining 13 new hires! You've become full-time employees with excellent scores!]
Not a single person clapped in joy.
In the chilling silence, one person stammered in panic.
"I-I'll resign... I'll resign."
But the host was relaxed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Huh? Leaving such a great job? Come on, at least hear about the benefits before deciding.]
Go Yeongeun shouted from behind me like she was vomiting.
"Then, can we resign after hearing about the benefits? Without any penalties?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Of course. You can all resign without a single hair out of place~]
The host's words were smooth and full of confidence.
That's when I realized.
'It's here.'
The stick had passed.
Now came the carrot.
...The "benefits" I knew about.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Now, introducing our company's signature benefit!]
The reason Field Exploration Team employees kept working despite going through this madness right after joining.
⚙ EMPLOYEE BENEFIT ⚙Wish Grant
Something appeared on the large screen in the auditorium.
A beautifully streamlined crystal bottle.
Drip.
Inside the bottle, a bizarre liquid of iridescent colors rippled.
It undulated.
All the colors and textures—even the ripples created by the waves—were strangely beautiful and eerie, creating a sense of dissonance.
Silence flowed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Shall we take a closer look?]
The host pressed a button, and the beam projector screen rose. A table hidden behind it came into view.
On the black table sat the actual iridescent bottle from the screen.
"...!"
The liquid inside shook on its own, scattering beautiful light that lit up the entire auditorium.
It was so strange it made you doubt if such a thing could exist in reality...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[You all know our company is famous as a highly successful pharmaceutical company, right? That's why we even make hair loss treatments.] [But actually, we have a main product... this one.]
The host steadied his trembling hand, slipped on white gloves,
and carefully picked up the crystal bottle from the table, holding it out for the employees to see better.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[The medicine's name is 'Wish Grant'.] [Its effect... is exactly as it sounds. Drink this, and any wish comes true.]
"...!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[You don't believe it? But your seniors and bosses who took this and had their wishes come true fill a truck.] [Let me demonstrate.]
The host tore open the packaging of the displayed medicine and dumped it straight into his mouth!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Today was my Wish Grant receipt day. Haha!]
And everyone in the auditorium immediately intuited the host's "wish."
The moment he drank the Wish Grant.
The host, who looked mid-to-late 40s, had his face rapidly tighten and gain a rosy glow.
His body firmed up, and his hair regained luster and thickness.
Yes, it returned.
To that youthful, overflowing vitality from his prime!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Yahoo!]
The host, now looking like a high schooler, pumped his fist in excitement.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[How about that? Ahem, simply put, rejuvenation!]
Even his voice had become young and fresh.
Silence fell over the auditorium again, this time in shocked awe.
This was the silence of agitation.
The host pointed at the new hires.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Your department, the Field Exploration Team, always gets great performance reviews. On average, they get Wish Grants in half the tenure or less compared to other teams...] [The 10 shortest times to receive Wish Grants are all from the Field Exploration Team!]
Gulp.
Somewhere, the sound of swallowing saliva.
Of course, it was all wordplay.
In truth, it was just hazard pay.
'Before those top 10 shortest times, dozens or hundreds must have died on the job.'
So it was bait, a shiny but rotten persimmon.
But...
'Some people have definitely made it.'
It wasn't a scam.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Any questions... Oh, employee!]
One new hire quietly raised a hand and asked in a rough voice.
"Can it bring back the dead?"
A tall man with brown hair.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Ah, the usual line you hear in these stories: 'The one wish that's theoretically impossible'...] [That's what you thought I'd say, right?!]
The host thrust his hand high.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Wish Grant always grants the drinker's wish.]
"...!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Of course, if you use the exact wording. Please refer to the employee portal for detailed instructions.]
"..."
The questioner fell silent again. But the agitation spread even more fiercely among the new hires.
The host didn't miss the moment.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[For other benefits, check the screen and the guide enclosed in your gift bags... Shall we decide now?]
Whoosh.
With a short sound, the back door of the auditorium flew open.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[If you want to decline the job, go to the desk and get the paperwork.] [But if you want to stick with the company...]
The host gestured.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Just put on the mask from your gift bag.]
Mask? Ah.
'So that's when they hand these out.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[They call it custom these days, right? It perfectly expresses your personality.] [Well... this one has no special functions. That's it.]
I gripped my smartphone.
I couldn't check with so many eyes on me, but if I could access the [Darkness Exploration Records] page reconstructed by the Memorial GripTok, it would definitely say this.
====================== Darkness Exploration Records / Daydream Corporation / Department Anecdote Field Exploration Team employees wear masks during fieldwork, issued after the onboarding orientation. According to Employee D, the mask theme is determined by year of hire. For example, agents with ant masks and mantis masks are likely same-year hires. ======================
In short, it's the symbol of Daydream Corporation's Field Exploration Team.
'The day I get one of these has come.'
My feelings were mixed in many ways.
Of course, 90% of me wanted to bolt out, throw the mask away, and scream that I quit.
Please, just let me live.
'But... even if I quit, this world itself is a dumpster fire.'
That "dark anomaly" is scattered everywhere.
I could easily become a ghost story extra and end my life in a rare experience.
'Ha...'
So maybe working as an employee with gear, salary, and ultimate rewards, aiming for a department transfer... might have higher survival odds.
'Plus, to return to my original world, that "Wish Grant" seems the most viable option.'
In this world, a coward like me surviving long-term is hopeless anyway. Better to find a way to escape the world entirely.
So rationally, picking the most promising option...
'I have to join.'
It's insane, but no other choice. Damn it.
In the end, I swallowed my tears and opened the envelope.
As I reached in to pull out the mask,
"...?"
Something came out attached to it.
───
Necessary when needed
010-0153-24865
───
A business card?
The name and title spot was whited out, with the message scribbled in.
'...Did the host put it in?'
I looked around, but no one else seemed to have a card attached to their mask.
'Later for now.'
I peeled off the card, stuffed it back in the envelope, and took out just the mask.
A smooth-textured, basic mask that covers just the upper face.
Surprisingly, people around me were already trying on their masks.
Without a single exception.
'...After all that, no one runs?'
There was only one variable.
Wish Grant.
'They've already filtered for those who'd bet their lives on it.'
I looked around the auditorium where everyone silently donned their masks without a word of resignation, feeling an indescribable emotion.
Because I was joining them.
'No choice.'
I brought my mask to my face.
And truly, the mask's shape changed.
I felt it stretch and become bumpy on my cheeks and forehead...
"..."
I touched it with my hand.
It was a vivid mask with horns protruding and bizarre tree-grain patterns.
Wait, tree-like horns?
'...Antlers? Deer?'
It looked too grotesque for a deer.
I awkwardly scanned the surroundings with the mask on. Go Yeongeun, wearing a sheep-like mask, met my eyes and made an awkward face.
The suited new hires sitting with masks ranging from elephant to goat looked utterly bizarre and creepy.
Fitting for employees managing ghost stories.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Once again, heartfelt congratulations on joining us!]
Clap clap clap.
The PPT advanced with recorded applause.
⚔ STATUS ⚔Employment Confirmed
'So it ended up like this...'
The moment my head started aching thinking about the work ahead, masks or no masks,
Suddenly, the notepad appeared in mid-air again.
"...!"
The one that spat out the Memorial GripTok goodie for me...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Darkness Exploration Records Real Goods Box -New goodie usage rights unlocked! (!)