There Are No Humans in the Monster Company

“Ah, employee Jeong. crystal Did everything go well in Human Resources?”

Because the choice I made when I entered this place was complete garbage.

There’s a phrase that says life is the C (Choice) between B (Birth) and D (Death).

And it’s true.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

When I returned to the office feeling as though all the energy had been drained from my body, Manager Myeon stared at me with his seven faces.

“…Yes. sphere I don’t think I’m going to quit.”

As soon as I left Human Resources, I immediately took the elevator.

And there was only one answer I could give him.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Maybe because it was the correct answer, Manager Myeon didn’t continue asking about the call.

“It seems there was a mistake on the hospital’s part. galaxy They said it’s not such a serious condition after all.”

“Oh, did something happen?”

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Perhaps they were simply short on staff here.

It had just seemed to me like the fifth face licked its lips.

“I see. athlete What a relief, truly a relief. aspect We just hired a new employee, and it would have been a shame if you quit on your very first day.”

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“Go home…?”

But surely that was just my imagination.

“It must have been quite a shocking day for you, so for today, finish up here and go home. sphere It seems the others will still take a while to return, so I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team tomorrow morning. arena And starting tomorrow afternoon, we’ll begin the real training.”

When I responded with an awkward smile, Manager Myeon approached and patted me on the shoulder.

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I carefully looked around while leaving the sentence unfinished.

“Don’t tell me there’s another problem?”

Beyond the open office door, I could vaguely see the hallway I had passed through earlier.

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Manager Myeon nodded.

“N-no, it’s not that. alert Do I simply leave through there?”

As though he were watching a completely lost rookie who didn’t know how work functioned.

He was definitely holding back laughter.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

If I had spoken carelessly at that moment, that enormous red tongue would have tasted my flesh, and I never would have been able to leave this place.

It truly was fortunate that I hadn’t said in front of the baby monster that I wanted to quit.

Even so, this was at least a place where something called an “exit” existed.

I decided not to directly ask that thing how exactly “leaving work” functioned.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

It wasn’t a bad improvisation.

The baby monster responded irritably that something like that could be confirmed from its own office, and I maintained my composure as best I could before escaping Human Resources unharmed.

Being seen as an excessively polite employee was a hundred times better than losing my life.

— I’m Jeong Haeil, the new employee who just joined Extraction Team 1. alert I came to introduce myself. avalanche I hope we get along well.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

As for Lee Jihyun…

It was a little clumsy, but even that baby monster didn’t eat a hardworking rookie just because his face looked a little pale.

‘Forget it. academy Don’t think about that and get out of here.’

I stood up from my seat, picked up my bag as naturally as possible, and headed toward the office door.

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I bowed my head in farewell and headed toward the emergency exit at the end of the hallway.

“Then, as you said, I’ll be leaving for today.”

“Very well. abstract You worked hard today, employee Jeong.”

Manager Myeon chose one of his kindest faces to smile at me.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

For some reason, I didn’t want to use the elevator I had taken to go to Human Resources again.

But even so, I managed to endure an entire day.

It had been a day full of absurd situations.

First, let’s leave the company.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Thinking only about that, I opened the door.

Cold air immediately rushed in.

Click—

Let’s go home and rest.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

The clothes and bed were still perfectly arranged.

And what appeared before me was unfortunately, my room.

Aside from the deep darkness beyond the window, it was exactly the same room I had been in this morning.

A small, cramped but tidy studio apartment.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

And opened it again.

Just in case, I carefully closed the door.

I closed it and opened it again.

My room again.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

My room again.

My room.

My room.

I stared at that scene for several seconds, as though it had been sewn into place with a needle.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

On top of the shoe cabinet by the entrance sat the book I had left reading last night.

I guess that made sense.

And the goldfish inside the aquarium opened and closed its mouth as always.

Well, they had said they would come pick me up when it was time to go to work.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

— Can we leave? avalanche Really? matrix No…!

But.

Could I really call this “leaving work”?

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Leave work?

I sensed malice and mockery organized at an institutional level.

Quit?

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I closed the door and pressed my hand against my forehead.

It wasn’t.

No.

Was it even possible to leave this building from the beginning?

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

But my hands were freezing cold.

My forehead was warm.

Was I really going insane?

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I didn’t know when he had followed me, but Manager Myeon was standing several steps behind me.

I flinched and violently turned my head.

“Employee Jeong.”

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His seven faces wore expressions of satisfaction, as though they had finally seen my true feelings.

Another yawned.

One laughed.

Another frowned.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

“Since you are a valuable talent, I made a special arrangement to improve your work efficiency. arcade So you no longer have to worry about coming to or leaving work.”

And then one of them, the one with the most innocent expression of all, spoke kindly.

Manager Myeon brought his kind face closer and smiled at me once again before elegantly turning around and heading back toward the office.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I had already arrived home.

As a working adult, I no longer had any choice but to accept it.

***

In a way I could not escape from.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

It’s a new morning.

I pushed aside the blanket and lowered my feet to the floor.

A quiet awakening, without sunlight or alarms.

Leaving the warmth of the bed is never easy, but this time it was difficult for a different reason.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Even so, I forced myself to get up, open the cabinet, and take out the bag of cereal I had left there two days ago.

“…Haaap.”

The milk seemed so old that I couldn’t even remember when I bought it, but at least the smell was still normal.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Crunch, crunch.

Normal sensations.

I scooped up a spoonful of cereal and brought it to my mouth.

Sweet, crunchy, and slightly rough as it went down my throat.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I hadn’t collapsed either.

The kinds of sounds that belong in a place where a person lives.

Like remnants of a routine that still hasn’t collapsed.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

A notification appeared on the black phone screen.

I got up normally, I was eating cereal, and soon I would go to work.

Somehow, I would survive inside that organization and get something out of it.

Ding.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

The first was a deposit of three million won from Citizens Bank, labeled as a welcome bonus and work support.

But.

The second was a notification indicating that points had been added to an internal company store application that I didn’t remember ever installing.

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“Well, I’d better take a shower.”

From experience, I knew that if I didn’t mutter something even while alone, I would eventually lose my mind.

Where exactly was I supposed to use money or points like those?

I forced my voice while imitating Manager Myeon just to make myself speak.

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I opened the bathroom door, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and quickly rinsed my body with water.

“I’m fine.”

The face reflected in the mirror looked paler than yesterday.

The dark circles under my eyes also seemed deeper.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I finished drying my face with the towel and put on my pants and shirt.
Then, absentmindedly, I opened the curtains.

Even while saying it, my voice trembled slightly.

It felt as though icy water filled my lungs.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

No light.

Outside the window, there was still nothing but empty darkness.

‘I forgot.’

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It wasn’t night.

It wasn’t even darkness.

No outlines.

No sound.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

It was something nonexistent.

Slowly, with extreme care, I closed the curtains again.

A void where everything seemed to have come undone.

Since no one was watching me, my fingers trembled freely.

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Then I saw something beneath the window, on top of the desk.

The fact that my room was behind the company’s door and that nothing existed outside the window.

Today’s mental escape had failed.

This entire world seemed to be screaming at me that I had no choice.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Employee Jeong Haeil

Had I left it there myself?

Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts | Extraction Team 1

Beside my work clothes, the employee ID badge had been carefully placed there, as though someone had deliberately left it.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

“Limited Company… Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts.”

My name and department were engraved with an almost funerary clarity, like an epitaph.

I slowly picked up the ID badge.

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I silently turned the doorknob.

If there truly was nowhere to escape to and no time to do so then I had no choice but to enter.

I took one step toward the entrance.

With my lips closed, I murmured those words to myself, as though trying to hypnotize myself.

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When I opened the door, the company’s fluorescent lights enveloped my face.

Click.

The faint smell of dust, the scent of detergent spreading through the hallway, and the cold air of a perfectly organized office space.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

I took exactly one step.

Chk, chk, chk—

Just as I expected, beyond the door I had closed after leaving work last night, the same company hallway still stretched out.

And at that instant, as though the entire world had been waiting for me, the fluorescent lights began turning on one by one.

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Was I already adapting to this grotesque office?

The electric buzzing accompanied the gradual lighting of the hallway, like a kind welcome preparing my place.

Or perhaps I was degrading?

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The doorknob was warm, as though someone had just touched it.

I continued walking straight toward the Extraction Team 1 office.

Or maybe, in order to say that someone has “adapted” to a company like this, every difference between the two first has to disappear?

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Manager Myeon was already sitting down writing something.

One of his seven faces slowly turned toward me and lifted the corners of its lips.

When the door softly opened, the exact same office space as yesterday appeared.

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“Very good morning, Mr. shadow Haeil.”

I bowed my head and walked toward my desk.

I also put on the mask more naturally than yesterday before responding.

“Good morning, Manager Myeon.”

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

A working life where no alternatives remained.

It had begun.

Maybe, if I tried hard enough, I could survive one more day.

A routine I never chose.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

“Yes. aluminum Understood.”

Thud.

As I set my bag on the desk and slowly regained my breathing, the sound of someone coming out of the break room was heard.

“Assistant Manager Son just went to the break room. antique It seems he was excited because a new employee joined, so wait a moment. artist I’ll introduce him to you when he returns.”

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Thud.

Thud.

The first step was heavy and long.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

And I saw him.

Thud.

Naturally, I lifted my head.

After those slow footsteps, the office door opened.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

He wore a simple black suit and an immaculate red tie.

He was a large-built man.

The creases in his pants were sharply pressed, his shoes slightly shiny, and he carried a mug in his hand.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

The image of a completely ordinary office worker.

Except for one single thing.

“Assistant Manager Son, this is employee Jeong Haeil. atomic Introduce yourselves.”

The head on his shoulders.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Because in reality, it was “Assistant Manager Hand.”

A word was missing.

Assistant Manager Son.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

A gigantic pale-skinned hand was attached directly to his shoulders without a neck, clenched like the sturdy fist of a boxer.

His head was literally a hand.

It had no ears, eyes, or nose.

More precisely, an enormous fist.

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The thumb and index finger gently separated before coming together again.

And that hand slowly began to move.

Then the middle finger opened before closing once more.

Only five bent fingers rising like a deformed crown.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Or perhaps the motion right before strangling someone.

A handshake.

It looked like a greeting.

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“Ah, so you’re the rookie?”

No rather, it was embedded directly into my mind.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

The voice came from his head.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

“Wow, a new employee finally joined. arch Call me Assistant Manager Son. aspect I hope we get along well.”

Every time he pronounced a syllable, the fingers of that fist twisted in place of lips.

It was as though it crushed and burst something between my eardrums and brain before being forced inside me.

That voice didn’t enter through my ears.

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He wasn’t extending a hand.

As he approached, the fist on top of his head slowly began to open.

As though politely offering a handshake.

Content of There Are No Humans in the Monster Company - Chapter 4: Not Even in My Dreams published by TrungTu Reads.

Erasing the bewildered expression from my face, I extended my right hand.

“How about a handshake?”

That entire enormous head was what pointed toward me.

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The instant our palms touched, a chill ran through my body because of the abnormal warmth of that hand.

“Yes, nice to meet you. audit I’m Jeong Haeil.”

Because I felt that the hand embedded in his head could clench into a fist and smash into my face at any moment.

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Creeeak—

A pain as though steel pincers were crushing my entire hand.

And then came an absolutely inhuman pressure.

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Without noticing my condition, Assistant Manager Son let out a loud laugh and lightly smacked my back.

The strength he applied simply by shaking hands was in a completely different category from mine.

“You’ve got a tougher hand than I expected. ability Looks like you trained something, huh?”

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But for me, it was enough of an impact to force all the air out of my lungs at once.

“Guhk…!”

Tap!

For him, it was probably just a friendly pat.

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Something cracked inside my body.

Thinking I could endure an entire day here had been pure arrogance.

Maybe no bones were broken.

But my brain was already slowly pulling down the emergency shutters in order to survive.

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The last image I saw before collapsing was Assistant Manager Son’s enormous fist-shaped head tilting from side to side.

‘…Damn monsters.’