TL/Editor: raei
Status: 5/week mon-fri
Illustrations: posted in discord
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Yoo Ji-yoo spread a plague. Having caught a nasty cold sowhere, she infected not only the team leader but also Choi Jae-min, the parent detector about to graduate, paralyzing the investigation team.
The departnt that usually kept running smoothly even through considerable incidents and accidents was now wiped out, from the departnt head to the reserve personnel, by a re cold.
The team leader and Yoo Ji-yoo contacted Yeonwoo with their voices heavily congested.
"Hey, Yeonwoo. You'll have to temporarily take charge of the investigation team. Just reject any incoming work and postpone everything."
"Well, I guess it's not so bad if we consider it paying our dues. A cold is better than so weird accident happening."
Yeonwoo, resisting with the vitality from the rain, readily took charge of the investigation team.
"Alright. Get plenty of rest."
Answering phones for a few days was no big deal. It wasn't even for strangers or an unfamiliar departnt.
So Yeonwoo began working as an investigator again after a long ti, guarding the quiet building alone. Just killing ti until work ca in.
Rejecting calls when they ca.
"Yes, this is the investigation team. Oh, the team leader? He's resting now with the flu. Yes, please call back later. Investigation work? We don't have any available investigators right now..."
Yeonwoo clicked his mouse, halfheartedly answering calls.
While responding in an unenthusiastic voice, his eyes browsed the company intranet.
'The experint proposal is under review. Ah, there's nothing to do.'
The report and proposal related to the Human Qualification Certificate seed like they would take quite a while. In the end, Yeonwoo, with ti to spare, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
"Might as well take a nap."
The sunlight was warm and the heating was just right, perfect for sleeping. His tension loosened. His body sank into the chair tilted far back.
Wheeze, wheeze, his breathing continued. Yeonwoo's consciousness sank deep down.
And then, his consciousness connected sowhere. Past individual unconsciousness or dreams, to a strange ntal space.
------
"...Huh?"
Yeonwoo blinked. He was sure he had fallen asleep in the office. When he opened his eyes, it was an unfamiliar world.
An endless expanse of sand in a desert. A temperature neither hot nor cold. In the blue sky, various clouds floated lazily.
Above all, there was a building in front that didn't fit the desert. Yeonwoo looked up at its sign. The ever-changing sign transford into Yeonwoo's language.
"Dream Exchange?"
Yeonwoo's expression soured.
He had been through all sorts of incidents and accidents. It was easy to distinguish whether this was a simple dream or reality involving an anomalous entity.
Yeonwoo scratched his head vigorously. A sharp, irritated look flashed across his face.
'Co on, what is this? I just took a nap, why am I getting mixed up with an anomalous entity again?'
It didn't look dangerous, but he didn't like it one bit. After searching for his dice first, Yeonwoo considered going back with them, but then slowly stepped forward.
'Movent is scary if a critical failure cos up. Let's go inside for now.'
Since it had brought him here, the way to send him back should be in that shop too.
Yeonwoo entered cautiously, quietly tense, carefully opening the wooden door. Ding-a-ling, a bell rang cheerfully, and from inside, a hooded shop owner greeted Yeonwoo.
"Welco! This is the Dream Exchange, where we find dreams for you or connect your dreams to suitable people!"
"..."
Yeonwoo didn't answer. He just looked around widely, taking in the shop owner and the shop.
The shop owner's face wasn't visible. A deep shadow covered their face under the hood.
'The shop has an antique store feel.'
On the neat shelves of the shop, items like music boxes, crystal balls, pianos, soccer balls, guitars, microphones, test papers, and stethoscopes were scattered about.
Yeonwoo fixed his gaze on the shop owner.
"Did you call here?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I called you, rather your soul sought out the Dream Exchange-"
Nonsense. Yeonwoo waved his hand dismissively, cutting off the shop owner's words.
"I'm not interested, so please send back."
"Ahaha. People who have lost their dreams all react like that. But since we've t, why not listen for a bit? It's all just a montary dream anyway."
The shop owner waved their gloved hand slightly. Wooden chairs appeared, and steaming tea rose up on the counter.
Yeonwoo frowned. He asked briefly.
"Is this the Goldberg Club?"
A shop that buys and sells dreams. Naturally, the Club ca to mind first. But the shop owner shook their head and laughed it off.
"Ah, the Goldberg Club. Humans dreaming golden dreams! I'm not such a materialist. This work is far more grand, beautiful, and noble!"
Yeonwoo muttered to himself.
'What is he talking about?'
Regardless of Yeonwoo's reaction, the shop owner straightened their shoulders and began speaking confidently.
"Those who can't achieve their dreams will sell their dreams to find freedom, and those with ability but no dreams will buy dreams to achieve them. In other words, it's the beautiful work of making flowers bloom that would otherwise wither and die!"
"Ah, yes. You're doing good work. So where's the way back?"
"..."
The shop owner stopped. They hunched over as if they had never been excited, and let out an ominous voice.
"You're not listening to ."
"You're not listening to either."
Yeonwoo also spoke irritably.
'What's with this dream peddler? I said I'm not interested, didn't I?'
Dreams. The mysterious shop that traded in these vessels of human passion and hope was degraded to a re peddler in Yeonwoo's eyes. No, Yeonwoo saw it as even worse than a peddler.
"I'm not buying or selling. You're not trying to kidnap people and force sales, are you-"
That was when it happened.
As the shop owner's mood soured, the shop began to change. Darkness rippled like a nightmare, and instead of the beautiful dreams scattered about, dark and terrible dreams crawled out.
The shop suddenly plunged into darkness.
Beyond the darkness ca sounds of crying, lantation, and screaming.
Yeonwoo quickly sat down in the chair.
"This is really interesting. What can one receive for selling a dream? And what kind of dreams do you sell?"
Yeonwoo blinked innocently. He leaned forward as if focusing on the shop owner. His sleepy mind woke up.
'The thing in front of is an anomalous entity. I need to be careful.'
He didn't want to carelessly provoke it and have an accident. It was best to get through this smoothly.
The shop owner was speechless for a while, then let out a small sigh.
"How did I end up with a custor like this."
The darkness receded, and a dreamlike atmosphere settled over the shop again. Various objects representing people's dreams glowed softly.
Yeonwoo breathed a sigh of relief, and the shop owner spoke gruffly.
"Be careful. I'm more amazing than you think, and I'm doing good for everyone."
"You're wonderful, sir!"
Clap, clap, clap, Yeonwoo's soulless applause and admiration.
The shop owner waved their hand, making the tea disappear. There was no tea for Yeonwoo. The owner spoke unkindly.
"Dreams aren't sothing you can buy just because you want to. I only sell them to people who have the ability to achieve that dream. But you..."
Yeonwoo pretended to listen attentively, and the shop owner looked Yeonwoo up and down.
"You don't qualify to buy dreams. You need to have the ability to achieve sothing."
"Ah, I see. Then I guess I don't qualify as a custor. Regrettable, but I should go back."
Yeonwoo smiled broadly. In a way, he had been insulted, but to him it ant he could go back without any problems.
But the shop owner continued speaking.
"Still, your dream is quite good. Pure survival instinct. A thirst for life. This is sothing you'd usually only see in terminally ill patients. I like it. I could sell it to soone who has lost hope in life."
The shop owner could see Yeonwoo's dream.
Survival. That primal and pure dream.
The shop owner nodded their head. A pleased voice flowed from the darkness under the hood.
"Why don't you sell that dream to ? I'll pass it on to soone more suitable. Soone who can fulfill that dream better than you will make it shine like a jewel."
"..."
Yeonwoo didn't answer. He just stared blankly at the shop owner.
The shop owner brought both hands together on the counter. They spoke kindly, as if persuading.
"How painful must it be to have a dream you can't handle when you don't even have the ability? If you give up your dream cleanly, you can be free from it. Soone else will fulfill your dream for you."
"I'm not selling."
"Pardon?"
At that point, Yeonwoo stood up. There was no need for further conversation.
'If I sell my dream, I might live more comfortably and freely. I'd retire from the company and enjoy life with the money I've earned. But that's all.'
Survival. The mont he lost that fundantal drive, everything would start to fall apart. He might let his guard down and die soon.
'Let's get out of this shop first.'
Yeonwoo didn't look back. He approached the shop door and grabbed the handle. He gripped it tightly and pulled.
Clunk-
The door didn't open. Instead, a voice ca from behind.
"You might think that if you don't know. It's okay. I'll free you from your dream. You'll thank when it's all over, won't you?"
In an instant.
Yeonwoo lost sothing. Whatever you call it - heart, mind, soul - sothing fundantal at the root was gone.
Yeonwoo, having lost the dream of survival, slowly turned around.
The shop owner was holding a heart-shaped model in one hand. A ceaselessly beating heart model.
"Good. It's an excellent dream. Strong and pure. Who should I give this to so it shines beautifully?"
At that mont, the shop owner looked at Yeonwoo, and their gazes crossed. The shop owner spoke.
"How does it feel? To be free?"
"I'm not sure."
Yeonwoo spoke blankly. His mind was being reconstructed, replacing the lost survival instinct. Newly, based on all the mories he had experienced.
Yeonwoo's confused and unsettled atmosphere began to change.
"Now, you're no longer bound by dreams and free to..."
The shop owner spoke with a voice tinged with laughter, then stopped. Sothing felt off.
Yeonwoo muttered coldly.
"People die soday."
His values were reestablished. The accidents and anomalous experiences he had been through. The world like thin ice. The vast universe and anomalous world.
There is no eternity in this world. Struggling to survive day by day like a mayfly is nothing but futile effort.
The right thing to do is to live each day fully, to live so that you can die satisfied even if you die tomorrow, to live as your heart desires.
And where Yeonwoo's heart was heading now was...
"You took my dream as you pleased. I'll take my compensation as I see fit."
It would be dangerous. The opponent was an unknown anomalous entity, and the dice's risks were still there. His survival instinct was quietly screaming.
But he didn't care. Resolving this unpleasant feeling was more important. Yeonwoo called upon the dice.
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