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It was a small doll, about five centimeters tall. It wore a black cloak with a hood that had little goat ears and horns, and a large eye patch covered its face.
I picked up the doll. The cloak felt soft to the touch. When I carefully lifted the eye patch, I saw that the eye hidden beneath was embroidered in a soft violet thread, a delicate contrast to the gentle green of the other eye.
Add to that the finely stitched bangs, and that sullen expression.
It was, without a doubt, an adorably crafted doll that looked exactly like a certain someone.
The problem was…
“Now, don’t strip the clothes off him, Roe. Let’s let him keep some dignity.”
This thing actually was Baek Saheon himself!
The “Doll Factory” was a C-class Darkness. Although Daydream hadn’t figured it out yet, the Wiki contained a stable method of escape. When I heard that Baek Saheon and Chief Lee Jaheon were entering the Darkness, I volunteered to join the exploration. Assistant Manager Eun Haje happened to be nearby and joined as well, making four of us in total. After many twists and turns, we finally completed the exploration and were about to escape safely—when Baek Saheon basically stepped on a landmine. And this was the result.
Among the Wiki’s records, there was only one case where a person turned into a doll had ever returned to normal. And that method was practically impossible in Baek Saheon’s situation.
I bit my lip and turned the doll over in my hands, hoping to find something—a clue, a sign.
“Mr. Roe Deer, I advise you to put the doll down.”
“Yeah, don’t hold it for too long.”
…That was another problem.
Despite its cute appearance, this doll, far from being ordinary, was a cursed doll. Once someone was recognized as its “owner,” the longer they kept it close, the more the curse seeped into their body, decaying their flesh, until eventually they died.
I carefully set the doll back down. Assistant Manager Eun Haje sighed.
“That’s enough, Roe. Once it’s come to this, it’s already over.”
“...”
The Wiki’s single recorded case of successful reversal hadn't happened yet. Which meant that, as far as Assistant Manager Eun Haje knew, anyone who became a cursed doll could never return to human form.
“The living have to keep living. Let’s get out before this area gets checked again.”
I picked up the doll once more.
“Roe.”
“Assistant Manager. I… might have a way.”
“...!”
“I can’t be certain, but it’s worth a try.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje didn’t stop me this time. I looked up and met the eyes of Squad Leader Lee Jaheon.
“Squad Leader, may I ask for a moment of your time after we exit the Darkness?”
Right after escaping the Darkness.
“Roe, your hand…!”
I looked at the hand Assistant Manager Eun Haje was pointing to. The tip of my index finger had turned gray.
“I’ll handle this too.”
“...Roe, I trust you. But you know when to give up, right?”
I nodded heavily.
“I’ll try for just one week. If nothing works by then, I’ll dispose of it safely.”
“Good.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje patted my shoulder.
“Hang in there, Roe.”
The unexpected obstacle came from close by.
- Oh, my friend. You’re not seriously planning to put that one next to this Braun, are you?
I startled, frozen mid-movement while trying to slip the doll into the bottom pocket of my blazer.
“...No, no, Braun, you’ve got it wrong. This isn’t next to you. See? He’s directly below you. It actually shows hierarchy.”
- That is… true, my friend. After all, the penthouse guest is not the same as the lobby bellboy.
I exhaled in quiet relief.
- Still, I cannot say I’m pleased that your former roommate’s new mask will appear on the same screen as this Braun. That outfit looks far too plain and cheap, doesn’t it? It might affect the show’s reputation.
‘Personally, I thought the cloak looked pretty nice…’
Wasn’t it cute? The whole doll had that oddly clumsy charm that made you want to pat it.
Then again, carrying not just one but two dolls in my suit pocket might look weird. I immediately searched “5cm doll carry case.” Luckily, there were more products for that purpose than I expected, and on my way home from work I stopped by Gwanghwamun to buy a small PVC pouch that fit perfectly.
Inside the clear, snug pouch, doll-sized Baek Saheon looked even cuter. I carefully placed it in my bag and headed home.
That night, just before bed, I faced another dilemma.
After tucking Braun into his towel-made bed on the nightstand, I found that I couldn’t bring myself to just leave Baek Saheon in the bag overnight.
But if I made him a bed like Braun’s, I was sure to get another round of complaints.
In the end, I took him out of the pouch and stood him on a shelf, as if he was part of the room décor.
It looked rather nicer than I expected.
“Sleep well, Baek Saheon.”
I gently patted his head with my index finger that was now slowly turning gray.
When I’d said I had a way, I hadn’t been lying. The Wiki really did contain one confirmed case of a person returning to normal after becoming a doll.
And the restoration item used came from the Space Shopping Mall, meaning I could get a sample cheaply through Chief Lee Jaheon.
An item said to restore not only dolls, but statues, frogs, or anyone turned into something non-human by a curse, back into their original human form.
It couldn’t be used for general contamination cases or for beings such as me who weren’t human to begin with, but it perfectly fit the current situation.
Its identity was, surprisingly—
A True Love’s Kiss
…which was probabilistically enabled by the Space Shopping Mall’s best-seller, the “LoveMelt Perfume”.
The phrase "probabilistically" bothered me… but in truth, there was an even bigger problem.
Was there anyone in this world who truly loved Baek Saheon?
To be fair, in general the “love” requirement wasn’t as impossible as it sounded.
Just like in that one well-known movie from a famous animation studio, something such as the bond between siblings also counted as true love. Familial love, platonic love between friends, it all could work as long as it was sincere.
The problem was that, for Baek Saheon, even those seemed unlikely.
Family? Weren’t they those people from Jisan Village? And from what I’d seen, his treatment there hadn’t been exactly warm.
Friends? Let’s think about his peers. Even the kind-hearted Go Yeongeun was known to grind her teeth at the mention of his name. Who would like a self-centered sociopath who was strong against the weak, bowed to the strong, focused only on his own survival, and kept saying unpleasant things? Let alone love him?
‘It's hopeless…’
I sighed.
Still, if there was even the faintest chance, it’d be at the company. Maybe he had behaved decently when I wasn’t around. Hadn't Jang Heoun once spoken well of him?
‘Yeah, let’s start with Squad F.’
Who knows? Maybe someone had developed a crush on him just for his looks.
Under the pretense of sharing an “update on Baek Saheon’s situation,” I visited Squad F’s office with snacks. I casually asked if anyone there was close to him, or had heard any gossip. The answers were surprisingly consistent.
“Lately, Assistant Manager Dolphin’s been calling him in a lot.”
Ah…
If there were a single person in the world who would not be swayed by Baek Saheon’s looks, it would be Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae…
‘She did say she’d be keeping an eye on him, but I didn’t think she meant this closely…’
Considering her personality, I should probably be thankful she hadn’t killed him already. Maybe I should bring her a gift set of yakgwa as thanks…
Wait a second.
If she’d been observing him that carefully, maybe Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae had noticed something others hadn’t.
I immediately bought a yakgwa set and headed straight for Squad C’s office.
It had been nearly a full day since we’d escaped the “Doll Factory.” By then, my right hand had turned entirely gray-black, rotting away.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae stared at my hand, not even touching the yakgwa.
“...Isn’t there anything I can do to help you?”
“There is.”
I got straight to the point, asking if, during her time monitoring Baek Saheon, she had ever seen anyone who might have shown genuine affection toward him.
Her answer was sharp and immediate.
“Nope.”
“...”
“You’re probably the only one who cares this much, Roe Deer-nim. He doesn’t have friends, and it’s not like he’s built any goodwill in his own squad! Totally brought it on himself. Still, it’s a shame you’re the one suffering for it.”
…Well, that was about what I expected. I smiled softly to reassure her.
“You don’t need to worry too much about my hand. I already have a plan.”
“Oh, that’s good to hear! But don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
That evening, I met Agents Choi and Bronze in a spacious party room in Seoul.
“Give me your arm.”
Just as he’d promised over the phone, Agent Bronze carefully took out a paper talisman and pressed it against my right arm.
For a brief moment, the paper glowed blue.
Then, in the next instant, it lost all color and fluttered to the floor like ordinary paper.
I looked down at my right hand. It was still gray and rotting, but...
“For the next week, the rot shouldn’t progress any further,” Agent Bronze said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Thank you so much, Agent.”
“Don’t mention it. By the way—where’s the doll?”
I took Baek Saheon out of my bag’s pouch and set him on the table. Both agents’ expressions turned grim at the sight.
“It really is him.”
“Agents, is there any possible way to fix this?”
“…I’ve never seen anything like this before—not even in the Bureau’s archives,” said Agent Choi, picking up the doll and examining it from all angles.
“Grape, you’ve got some time, right? We brought a few things to try…”
For the next two hours, the two agents filled the floor with letters and drawings, even seeking help from dokkaebi flame, trying all sorts of methods, but the doll didn’t so much as twitch.
“…Grape, if this doesn’t work out, how about coming with me to Seoraksan?”
“…If you’d really be willing to do that, I’d be grateful.”
‘Although that might be too risky.’
From experience, I could tell the overwhelming energy of the Tiger General could easily crush the doll before we even got a chance to lift the curse. And if that happened, Baek Saheon would be…
“…Actually, I have another plan I’m preparing. If that fails, I’ll ask for your help.”
“Another plan? What kind?”
I briefly explained about the LoveMelt Perfume and the kind of person it required. After listening in silence, Agent Bronze finally said, solemnly,
“For that man, that would indeed be a difficult condition.”
‘Aren’t you being too certain, Agent…’
Granted, I had been thinking the same thing.
With a heavy heart, I looked down at the doll on the table. It stared back blankly, still heartbreakingly cute. I gently brushed its head with my fingertips.
‘Where on earth am I supposed to find someone who genuinely cherishes you…?’
Lost in thought, I eventually noticed the room had gone quiet. When I looked up, Agent Choi was watching me with a strange expression.
“Agent Choi…?”
“Hm?”
“Did something come to mind?”
“Oh, no, not really… It’s just… hah, I suddenly have a really good feeling about this.”
Agent Choi grinned.
“With all this effort you’re putting in, Grape, I bet it’ll be solved soon.”
“...”
Judging by that awkward attempt at encouragement, I must’ve looked pretty miserable.
Agent Choi even picked up the doll and joked, “Dear civillian—once you’re back to normal, don’t let it go to your head, alright?”
Well, that’s just how he is. I decided to let it slide.
Let’s try a change of perspective.
If no one cares about Baek Saheon — couldn't I just make someone who does?
With that thought, I started messaging a few acquaintances for help.
A kindergarten somewhere near Seoul.
During playtime, a new doll made its debut.
“Everyone, shall we say hello to our goat friend?”
“Hello, Mr. Goat~!”
Yes — I had decided to take advantage of children’s pure, innocent hearts.
After all, didn’t Baek Saheon now look like an adorable doll? Surely countless children would fall in love with him and shower him with kisses.
Of course, the incident of the doll suddenly transforming into an adult man in the middle of a kindergarten would be unfortunate, but with the Disaster Management Bureau’s memory-erasing tool, it shouldn’t be a major issue.
I watched from outside the window, heart pounding, as the children played with the goat.
…And kept watching.
…The goat played the patient during doctor games, then the weird guest during house play, and eventually became the villain in some incomprehensible fantasy scenario, being beaten up by the other dolls.
At that point, the teacher, who had agreed to my request, stepped in diplomatically.
“Kids, our goat friend came to visit just for today. Why don’t we be a little nicer to him?”
“Why?”
“Because he came all the way here just to see you! Wouldn’t it be nice to hug this cute little goat and show him some love?”
And then — one of the children said something shocking.
“Teacher… you think this is cute?”
I froze and peered inside the window.
‘W-wait… you don’t think it’s cute?’
“Yeah, he’s ugly.”
“That eye looks weird.”
‘What? I chose that eye with care! You don't know how valuable that thing is!’
I stood there blankly as the teacher handled the situation with practiced grace.
A few of the children, maybe out of sympathy, maybe because they were obedient, did kiss the goat doll, but Baek Saheon didn’t return to his human form.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. I had tried all sorts of methods during that time, but none worked.
I placed the doll on the nightstand and lay down on my bed. Maybe if I rested, something would come to mind…
- Oh, my friend, you look exhausted. Would you care for some of Braun’s advice?
“…Got any bright ideas?”
- Hm, I would only say that my friend is putting in tremendous effort, much more than this ordinary person deserves. It's worthy of some reflection, don't you think?
So basically, he was telling me to give up.
I let out a long sigh.
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t find a single way to safely return Baek Saheon to his human form.
‘He wanted so badly to live…’
All the things Baek Saheon had done just to survive flashed through my mind. That conversation back in Jisan…
The thought that he wouldn't survive after all left a bad taste in my mouth.
No, not just bad. It was depressing. Suffocating. I almost felt grateful that this body of mine could suppress emotional expression.
Still lying on the bed, I carefully picked up the doll from the nightstand. Wrapped in its little cloak, it still looked endearingly cute.
The thought that this might be the last week I’d ever see him made my stomach churn.
‘Might as well contact Agent Choi and head up to Seoraksan… I should at least try everything.’
Lost in thought, I turned the doll over in my hands. The way Baek Saheon’s well-groomed hair was represented in simplified form with thread and cloth was uncanny. I might’ve smiled if the situation weren’t so grim.
Without realizing it, I had squeezed too hard, squishing the doll’s face slightly. Startled, I quickly relaxed my grip.
‘This is soft tofu, this is soft tofu…’
Unfortunately, I relaxed too much.
The doll’s soft cloak slipped from my fingers. Baek Saheon fell from my hands…
Thump.
He landed right against my face.
The doll tumbled, rolling off the bed and landing on the floor.
The faint scent of apples filled the air.
‘Perfume…?’
The only perfume in the room was the “LoveMelt Perfume” I had sprayed on the doll. It wasn’t supposed to release any scent until the effect activated—
“Ow!”
It was Baek Saheon’s voice.
I quickly sat up and looked downwards.
Baek Saheon was there.
Dressed in the same suit he’d worn while investigating the “Doll Factory,” he was sprawled out on the floor with a shocked expression.
‘W-what the—?!’
Before I could say anything, Baek Saheon looked up at me and shouted,
“S-s-s-supervisor, you like me?!”
…What?
Wait, so what happened is…
Because my lips touched him… he turned back into his original form?
Because,
Because I—
‘You’re probably the only one who cares this much, Roe Deer-nim.’
‘You think this is cute?’
‘My friend is putting in tremendous effort, much more than this ordinary person deserves.’
‘No way…’
While I sat there in stunned silence, Baek Saheon seemed to be working something out in his head. Then he said,
“S-so, since you did this because you like me… I don’t owe you anything, right?”
…Yeah. Figures.
The familiarity of the situation helped me calm down. When I nodded, Baek Saheon looked a bit surprised, then continued.
“B-but why didn’t you just do it on the first day? If you’d done it then—”
We both glanced down at my right hand. It looked perfectly fine, not even a trace of the decay that had been spreading before.
I looked away again. When our eyes met, Baek Saheon flinched.
“…See, it would have been easier if you’d done it the first day! You wouldn’t have had such a hard time, and I— I missed work for days! I was supposed to join Squad B for a C-class Darkness mission two days ago, and I lost all those points…”
When I stayed silent, he added quickly, “And remember before? When you took a loss because of me, I even gave you three days’ worth of my pay—”
…Hold on.
…Is this guy laying groundwork to demand compensation from me?
That snapped me out of it.
This was Baek Saheon, after all. A man always ready to take advantage of whoever let their guard down.
My emotions might still be a mess, but one thing was certain: if I let him get the upper hand here, the image I’d built up would be ruined!
I smiled deliberately.
“That’s an interesting thing to say. Back then and now, I only got dragged into the Darkness because of you. I’d be well within my rights to demand compensation — and you’re the one asking me to make up your losses?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant—”
“Funny. You really don’t seem to understand what kind of ‘fondness’ I have for you.”
“…Huh?”
Expressionless, I stood up. Baek Saheon scrambled to his feet as well.
“You’re right — I do like you.”
I took a step toward him. He backed away in alarm.
“When you were a doll, that wasn’t actually bad for me. Because it meant I could own you.”
“...!”
Baek Saheon backed up until his shoulders hit the wall.
I smoothly raised one arm and placed my hand against the wall beside his face.
Thud.
The sound echoed.
…That was a bit too loud.
…Please tell me I didn’t crack the wall.
Swallowing my nerves, I went on,
“I even thought— giving up a hand might be a small price to pay, if it meant you’d obediently become my possession…”
By now, Baek Saheon’s face had gone completely pale.
“Do you think I had to release you? That I’m supposed to compensate you for keeping you like that a few days? I could’ve left you as a doll forever—”
“M-misunderstanding! Total misunderstanding!”
Baek Saheon blurted out hurriedly.
“I just, I just felt bad about missing work! I swear, I wasn’t trying to ask for anything unfair from you!”
I let a moment of cold silence hang between us before answering.
“…Good. Then that’s fine.”
And with a faint smile, I added,
“It’s late. You should go.”
“H-huh?”
“Not going home?”
“Home? But this—”
Baek Saheon froze, suddenly realizing.
This wasn’t the actual company housing — it was the copied version where I was staying.
“T-then I’ll be going!”
After confirming Baek Saheon had really left, I closed the door and sank back onto the bed.
A sigh escaped me.
You really had to give it to him. I even saved his life, and the first thing he does after hearing I like him is look for a way to profit from it.
Thanks to that, I’d had to act out being some kind of an insanely obsessed romantic male lead...
Wait.
‘Dear civillian—once you’re back to normal, don’t let it go to your head, alright?’
…Was that what he’d meant?!
‘You could’ve told me sooner if you’d caught on to it!’
I still don’t even know what my feelings are!
Still, I felt calmer than before. I closed my eyes.
Lying in the faint apple-scented air of the room, I thought about my feelings for Baek Saheon.
When I’d first met him, I’d only thought, “Such a charming, lovely face for such a rotten personality.”
I even vaguely remember thinking I wouldn’t care if he died.
Yes, back then, that had been the way I felt…
But…
Living together in the company housing, seeing him every day, gradually learning how to handle him, and feeling that strange, unexpected sense of connection in his hometown…
Somewhere along the line, I’d grown deeply attached to Baek Saheon.
When had it started?
When did having him around start making me feel lighter?
“Fuck…”
It was true.
I liked Baek Saheon.
Of all people, it had to be the one who, the moment he learned I liked him, immediately tried to exploit it.
And tomorrow, I’d have to dive into a Darkness with him again, pretending to be some deranged personality so he wouldn’t think I’d gone soft.
For some reason, Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s worried face when all this began came to my mind. The pat on my shoulder as she told me to hang in there.
Hah…
‘Assistant Manager… I think I’m screwed.’