There Are No Humans in the Monster Company

6:00 a.m.

The first thing I did as soon as I opened my eyes was check the scenery beyond the window.

The bluish sky and the sun slowly rising above the horizon.

As soon as I got up, I mentally bowed in gratitude to Director Moon Ara, wherever she might be, got out of bed, and grabbed my phone.

‘Finally.’

I could open other apps.

My phone, which until now had practically only been useful for checking Welfare Points and receiving deposit and withdrawal notifications both at the company and at home, had finally regained its original usefulness.

With some anticipation, I checked everything that had piled up.

Ads from the credit card company, videos recommended by the algorithm, spam messages about some bioequivalence trial I had no idea about, and notifications for gift coupons that were about to expire.

The end.

“Well, it’s not like I have anyone who would message me anyway.”

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

I had no family or relatives.

Personal relationships had always practically been a luxury for me, and even the few comrades-in-arms I had kept in touch with had disappeared.

Although I had returned home, the world was still just as silent.

For a moment, I thought about contacting the director of the orphanage, whom I used to message during the holidays to ask how he was doing, but I pushed those thoughts aside and swiped across the screen.

What I needed now wasn’t sentimental comfort, but something practical that could help me today.

‘Let’s start with what I’ve been putting off.’

I opened the bank’s yellow app.

The amount I had only seen in notifications until now was there, clearly reflected in my account.

More than ten million won.

A sum I had never managed to save, except during my time in the military.

Ding.

Ding.

I immediately paid off all the debts I had accumulated during that endless period of looking for work.

It felt as though I had finally managed to set one foot on that ‘normalcy’ society demanded.

And the moment I exited the banking app, I found myself face-to-face with the abnormal once again.

‘This too…… I guess I can use it from here now.’

In one corner of the screen was an icon with a simple, clean logo.

[Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts]

The internal app Manager Myeon had installed on the first day I joined the company.

The security function of this app was probably also the reason I couldn’t communicate with the outside world or use other apps while inside the company.

I had always ended up putting it off because more important matters came up or because I didn’t know exactly when I should use it.

My last resort.

However, after the Residual Layer and Gangsol Prison, it had become quite clear that in this place, I couldn’t simply limit myself to ‘working for the company.’

I needed something even crazier than this place full of lunatics to keep myself safe.

After hesitating for a few moments, I tapped the icon.

An interface far more sophisticated than I had expected opened smoothly, and my information appeared clearly at the top.

[Extraction Team 1 – Employee Jeong Haeil]

And right beside it.

The results of all the blood, sweat, and times I had been on the verge of death appeared converted into a shining number.

[Welfare Points: 88,300p]

“……Is that a lot?”

These were the Welfare Points I had received as rewards for confronting Dimensional Entities and surviving in Distortion Zones.

The problem was that I had nothing to compare them to, so I didn’t know whether it was actually a considerable amount.

After thinking for a moment, I tapped the ‘Welfare Shop’ category, and a flood of product names that made me doubt my own eyes appeared on the screen.

[Employee Welfare Shop]

[Office Supplies] Stapler (used): 1,200p

[Consumable] Anti-Contamination Earplugs (wax): 1,500p

[Food] Hungry Corpse Scream Candies (30 pieces): 5,000p

[Clothing/Accessories] Folding Silver Dagger (blessing included): 18,000p

[Special Item] Mad King’s Pinky Finger (case included): 45,000p

“What the hell is all this?”

It wasn’t as though I had expected to find normal household appliances, but this was a genuine parade of strange objects whose nature was difficult to imagine, even beyond the smell of blood and gunpowder.

I continued scrolling down.

The product descriptions were all equally unhelpful.

I had no choice but to open them one by one and read them.

[Consumable] Tear of the Forgotten God: 8,500p

Description: Extremely accelerates the rate of bodily regeneration, but regenerated body parts may differ slightly from their original form.

[Consumable] Black Mist Spray (150 ml): 12,000p

Description: When used, completely blocks vision within a 3-meter radius. Against targets that do not rely on sight, it will only succeed in inconveniencing the user. Provides an extremely slight sense of comfort when fleeing.

“Do they want me to buy this or not?”

The description was so absurd that I couldn’t help but laugh, but the moment I saw the review underneath, I immediately stopped laughing.

[★★★★☆]

The quantity is a little lacking, but it’s quite useful.

(Extraction Team 1, Assistant Manager Son)

Yeah, I guess it would be for you.

After all, you don’t have eyes.

For now, I would set the consumables aside.

I wasn’t confident I could use them properly at the right time and place.

I moved on to checking the equipment, and this time, even stranger objects appeared before my eyes.

[Clothing/Accessories] Outer Skin of the Sobbing One: 12,000p

Description: Hearing ability will permanently deteriorate, but resistance to mental contamination will increase considerably. Exercise caution, as someone may occasionally speak to you.

[Clothing/Accessories] Glasses of the Distorted Gaze: 22,000p

Description: You will see things that should not be seen. You will understand why they should not be seen. If you wear them for too long, you will not be able to return.

[Clothing/Accessories] White Consolation: 25,000p

Description: Provides excellent physical defense, but may occasionally squeeze the user as though attempting to embrace them.

[Clothing/Accessories] Pocket of the Void: 35,000p

Description: Its interior space is larger than it appears. Even if heavy equipment is placed inside, you will not feel its weight, but the contents may occasionally be digested and disappear.

“……They call these employee benefits?”

I couldn’t even understand what criteria they had used to set the prices.

It was time to stop looking.

Because if I kept looking at more things, I had a feeling I would end up living a little crazier than I already was.

‘It’ll be more efficient to ask my superiors before buying anything.’

I tossed the phone onto the bed, went into the bathroom, took a shower, and came back out.

I still had plenty of time, and anyway, all I had to do was open the wardrobe door to reach the company.

I opened the front door and stepped outside.

It was the first time since I had started working that I had gone out into the outside world by my own means like a normal person.

“Huff.”

As I inhaled the clean morning air, I felt my head clear.

The cold dawn air and the smell of grass lingered in the neighborhood park, which I hadn’t walked through in a long time.

I made a full lap and stopped by a convenience store, where I bought an expensive sports drink I normally never would have bought.

Even that artificial sweetness spreading through my mouth as I quenched my thirst……

“This is nice…….”

This was life.

After all, happiness wasn’t always far away.

I returned home, changed my clothes, and, with more energy than usual, opened the wardrobe door.

It was too short and strange a route to call a commute, but I decided to ignore that.

Ever since I joined the company, nothing had ever been normal.

“Oh, Haeil. You’re here already? Get ready quickly.”

“Good morning, Assistant Manager Son.”

“Grrk, grr. Ghergrk.”

“Yes, good morning, Supervisor Shik.”

Normal greetings between my superiors and me.

The only thing different from usual was that everyone seemed a little busy.

Upon hearing my voice, Manager Myeon abruptly raised the clearest of his seven faces.

“Ah, Employee Jeong. You’re here.”

“Yes, Manager Myeon.”

“We’ll have to head to the Grand Conference Room shortly. There will be a final briefing related to the Fairy Tale Land Project, so prepare yourself immediately.”

This company did things unnecessarily fast.

“Understood.”

I answered briefly, set the sports drink I was holding on the desk, and finished organizing my things.

Just as I was about to turn around.

“One moment.”

I stopped and turned my head.

Manager Myeon had approached without me noticing, and his deep, black eye sockets silently stared at me.

He extended a hand without saying anything.

His pale fingers slipped beneath my shirt collar and brushed against my tie.

“It seems the time has come to give Employee Jeong one as well. Director Mok.”

“Understood.”

Director Mok, who had been arranging the flowerpots on his desk, had approached before I realized it.

The green tie he usually wore had been replaced by a deep red one.

Director Mok rummaged through his clothes and handed me a vivid red tie identical to the one he was wearing.

“What is this……?”

“You’ll find out what it means in the Grand Conference Room.”

Manager Myeon smiled gently and patted me on the shoulder a couple of times.

Still confused, I removed the tie I was wearing and finished replacing it with the red one they had just given me.

Then Manager Myeon briefly clapped his hands and spoke.

“Good. Let’s go.”

There wasn’t even an explanation.

They suddenly handed me a red tie, and that was it.

What did it mean?

‘I think I read online that giving someone a tie was a sign of possessiveness.’

That couldn’t be it.

And it couldn’t mean they wanted me to hang myself either.

But the timing was too strange for it to simply be a gift of encouragement.

Several ideas crossed my mind, but my superiors were already filing out of the office.

I had no choice but to quickly straighten my clothes and follow them.

***

In front of the imposing, enormous doors of the Grand Conference Room.

Manager Myeon turned slightly to look at us.

“All the executives will be present. I would prefer that, as much as possible, you refrain from doing anything that might give them reason to reprimand you. And as for Employee Jeong……”

He paused for a few moments before adding with his usual kind smile.

“I recommend carefully observing how those inside are dressed. Especially their ties.”

“Yes, understood.”

Trying to keep my facial muscles under control despite the tension creeping down the back of my neck, I took a deep breath.

Rumble……

The doors opened with a heavy sound.

As I entered, an incredibly spacious conference room with a gigantic circular table appeared before my eyes.

“You can sit here.”

There was a seat with a nameplate that had nothing written on it.

I observed my superiors’ reactions and, as soon as I sat down, followed Manager Myeon’s advice and discreetly swept my gaze over those who had already arrived.

‘The colors?’

I more or less understood why he had told me to pay attention to their clothing.

The first was Executive Director Gu.

Instead of his usual gray suit, his enormous body was covered by a suit and shirt of such an intense red that it almost hurt to look at.

Manager Sa, from Extraction Team 2, and Assistant Manager Yoo Seulbi, from Extraction Team 3, who were seated beside him, were also wearing black suits with red ties.

I discreetly observed my superiors.

“Aside from us and Assistant Manager Yoo, everyone else is a Team Leader or executive.”

Assistant Manager Son.

He was also wearing a black suit and red tie.

Manager Myeon, seated beside him, as well.

Director Mok, the same.

“I’m sick of seeing the same faces.”

“Grrrrr.”

Except for Manager Batori, who wore a white coat, and Supervisor Shik, who was outright dressed in rags while licking one of his front paws.

Every member of the Extraction Teams wore black suits with red ties.

‘Until now, I’d never paid much attention to it.’

I shifted my gaze slightly to one side, and this time I felt a chill so intense that it seemed to seep into my bones.

Executive Director Seol sat calmly, dressed entirely in white, from her suit and shirt to her tie.

Director Go Gyeol and Director Moon Ara, who occupied the seats on either side of her, were also dressed entirely in white, with the sole exception of their black shirts.

For some reason, Director Moon Ara wasn’t wearing her human-skin coat today. She discreetly waved at me, and I responded with a slight nod.

‘And over there…….’

I turned my gaze toward the opposite side.

Director Won.

The four hands growing from his temples and covering his eyes and ears writhed grotesquely.

The moment he noticed my gaze, the corners of his lips stretched until they nearly reached beneath his ears, forming a huge smile.

Purple suit, black shirt, and purple tie.

Clothing in a color as peculiar as his own appearance.

‘And beside him?’

I turned my gaze toward a woman I had never seen before, seated beside Director Won.

For starters, she was human.

She wore a sky-blue blazer.

She had a tall, slender figure like a model, tanned skin, a defined jawline, and a straight nose.

Dark eyelashes, slightly upturned eyes, and short hair reminiscent of black silk.

‘Who is she?’

When our eyes met, she smiled and even gave me a little wink.

For now, I responded with a nod while quickly going through the list of human employees I knew in my head.

There were only two human employees I still hadn’t met.

‘Director Cheong Haram from the Strategic Planning Office? Or Assistant Manager Gil Sarang?’

Right beside her was some kind of slime-like creature that had forcibly stuffed its body into a navy-blue suit to imitate a human form.

The problem was that, no matter how I looked at it, the material making up that body seemed to be flesh.

“They’re Director Mong, Head of Technology Research Headquarters, and Director Yuk, Head of Sales Headquarters.”

“Ah, I see…… What?”

Manager Batori, who had been carefully watching my eyes as they moved from side to side, whispered that into my ear.

Director Mong?

That thing wasn’t human?

“She takes on the appearance that seems most favorable to each observer. What does she look like to you?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

It seemed I had accidentally discovered my ideal type without even knowing I had one.

I shook my head and turned my gaze one last time.

Two other executives I had never seen before were seated there.

What was peculiar was that both were dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

The next thing that caught my attention was……

‘A tiger?’

And a completely black one.

To be exact, an enormous, completely black tiger.

Since I had started working here, I had seen monsters well over two meters tall several times, but this one was so overwhelmingly large that I could physically feel his size even from quite a distance away.

The pressure emanating from his enormous body and the fierce white gleam of his eyes weighed heavily upon the atmosphere of the entire conference room.

Only then did I direct my gaze toward the nameplate on the table in front of the gigantic black tiger.

Head of Financial Management Headquarters

Executive Director Ho

I had already heard about him.

Along with Executive Director Ahn, he was one of the only two Executive Directors of Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts.

And he was also the troublesome executive who constantly clashed with Executive Director Ahn.

I turned my head to one side and found an existence shocking for completely different reasons.

A skeleton.

Simply a skeleton dressed in a black suit.

A skeleton that could easily have been stolen from any school science lab.

However, seeing him chatter his teeth and frantically move his skull from side to side, it was obvious that he wasn’t a model.

Head of Facility Management Headquarters

Director Gol

What a boneheaded guy.

‘I think I’ve seen everyone now.’

I controlled my expression while mentally repeating the names of the executives I had just encountered.

Director Mong, Director Yuk, Executive Director Ho, and Director Gol.

All of them monsters who gave off a presence completely removed from common sense.

“They’ve finally arrived.”

One of Manager Myeon’s mouths murmured those words as the heavy doors of the Grand Conference Room began to open once again.

And from the other side came the bright, cheerful voice of a woman who seemed completely out of place in that gloomy and grotesque company.

“Strategic Planning Office has arrived~!”

A light tone, as though she were walking into a café on a sunny weekend afternoon.

At that terrible sense of incongruity, I reflexively turned my head.

I wanted to see who owned the voice that, in an instant, had completely altered the atmosphere of that Grand Conference Room dyed in red, blue, white, and black.

Three people stood with the hallway light behind them.

And beyond them, someone dressed in an indigo suit.

“Good. Everyone is here.”

An indescribable voice.

No.

I wasn’t even sure that thing could be called a voice.

It was that existence.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”