Extinction-class Ghost Story.
In the middle of the underground station in Segwang Special City, I came face to face with the face of an acquaintance I had never expected to see.
My mouth opened reflexively.
Using a form of address I barely managed to censor.
“…Ms. Mountain Goat?”
“Just a moment.”
Go Youngeun, wrapped in a worn padded coat, turned her tense eyes toward the surroundings.
The same old, run-down casino scenery.
And….
The dealer smiling brightly the moment our eyes met.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s head.
“……”
“……”
“This way.”
Go Youngeun grabbed my arm and suddenly started running. I hurried after her, and in the process, realized something….
‘…Several are missing.’
Several of the fingers on that batchmate’s hand had been shaped only with bandages.
A dreadful premonition came over me.
‘How long has she been in this casino?’
“Whew.”
Only after stopping in a corner of the Slot Machine Room, beside a wall where a broken vending machine stood, did Go Youngeun let go of my arm.
Only then did the words finally come pouring out.
“That dealer really is Assistant Manager Dolphin, right? From the… elite team.”
“Yes.”
“I knew it.”
Go Youngeun’s face darkened.
“I wondered if it might be. Her way of speaking and things like that felt familiar….”
But after that, with a look that held unavoidable hope and tension, she asked,
“Then… has the company come to manage this Ghost Story? So, like, the entry route or the clear method….”
I shook my head with difficulty.
“Assistant Manager Dolphin got caught up in this Ghost Story for personal reasons, and I came in personally as well.”
“Ah,”
Go Youngeun’s expression clouded over.
And after a short silence, she continued.
“So she wasn’t Chief Dolphin, but Assistant Manager Dolphin.”
“…I heard she got promoted a…