I took a deep breath and recalled the instructions for the Bloodbathtub. First, fill the tub with warm water.
1- Add clean water to the tub as much as you like.
('Bathtub of Youth – Foot Massage Edition' is a product that does not support automatic water filling.)
As instructed, I poured enough warm water from the sink into the tub to submerge a plush doll.
Then…
This is where the main process begins.
2- Once the water is filled to the desired level, pour at least 200ml of fresh blood over it.
The fresher the blood, especially from a healthy and lively subject, the better the effects.
The very idea that such nonsense was written in a polite and friendly font seemed absurd, but thankfully, I had a substitute.
I lifted the wild ginseng.
With scissors, I cut off one of the medium-sized outer roots.
'Ugh.'
Dark purple sap, nauseating to look at, oozed from the severed root. I was immensely grateful for the rubber gloves I wore.
Careful not to touch the sap, I placed the severed root against the edge of the Bloodbathtub.
And then, a remarkable sight unfolded.
Bubble, bubble.
The sap that touched the water began to froth, releasing a fantastic aroma.
"...!"
The nauseating, dark purple sap transformed into a rich, beautiful, rose colored cream that shimmered brilliantly.
It was bizarre and mesmerizing.
The luxurious and inviting bathwater that anyone would be tempted to step into was now prepared.
3- Submerge your body entirely in the bathwater and enjoy the experience.
(The Foot Massage Edition also restores vitality to the entire body.)
An eager voice came from beneath the dark bed.
– At last!
The laughter of the plush doll.
– Ah, there's no need to carry me, Mr. Roe Deer.
– Just don't turn around.
I froze on the spot.
…Behind me, I heard a sound.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound of footsteps.
No, was it the plush doll?
The sound resembled a man's heavy, rhythmic leather shoes, slightly lively yet weighty. It passed right behind me and stopped.
Then came the sound of something splashing into the tub.
– You may look now.
I turned my head.
The plush doll, soaked in the bathwater in the small tub, floated there with its unchanged, smiling mascot-like face.
"…Braun?"
There was no response.
Of course, there wouldn't be. Talking face-to-face with a plush doll wasn't something possible in reality.
But I knew it was listening.
"Well, I'll clean up the wild ginseng for now. Enjoy your bath."
I placed the wild ginseng, which had stopped oozing sap, back on the desk and turned to look at the tub, recalling the records of those who had used the Bloodbathtub.
========================
Usage Record #05
In the process of cleaning up the remnants of a bathbomb of a tenant (a half-Caucasian man in his 20s), the landlord (a man in his 40s) inevitably dipped his hand into the bathwater left behind. This lasted for about 30 seconds before he emptied the tub.
Immediately, the skin and muscle tissues of his hand regressed to the condition of his mid-30s. Signs of vitality were observed throughout his body.
That same night, he attempted to flee with the Bloodbathtub in his car but was apprehended.
========================
Hmm, nothing like that seemed to be happening here.
'Maybe it doesn't work on dolls after all.'
I should grab a towel.
As I turned toward the dresser—
– Ooooh!
A voice?
I turned my head.
From the seemingly empty tub, faint sparks crackled like an old TV screen short-circuiting.
– Light is entering my powerless limbs!
Flash.
The shadow of the plush doll loomed large over the tub as its small arms were raised triumphantly.
What was that?
– Mr. Roe Deer!
Don't call me!
– This is such a fascinating artifact! Haha, hahahaha!
I swallowed nervously as I watched.
'…Could he really be regaining power?'
There was no record of the Bloodbathtub's rejuvenation effects extending this far. This was unprecedented.
– More bath salts! Pour in more!
Bath salts.
Without thinking, I grabbed the wild ginseng from the desk…
[AAAAACK! This punk, don't grab the wild ginseng!!!]
[Mercy, noble one!! Spare me! Please spare me!!]
Ack, fucking hell!
Startled, I reflexively threw the wild ginseng.
Thunk.
The wild ginseng landed straight into the Bloodbathtub. It seemed to realize that its sap was being transformed into fragrant bathwater and let out a desperate scream.
[AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!]
But that was all.
The wild ginseng didn't seem capable of causing trouble as before. Whether the bathtub's mysterious power was suppressing it, or Braun had done something, I couldn't tell.
A desperate cry echoed.
[Please spare me, noble one! Noble one!! I was wrong! I was wrong!]
[I'll do my best! I'll serve you!!]
– How rude and noisy!
More sparks crackled from the Bloodbathtub.
It resembled a TV screen with its signals scrambled.
From within, the booming voice of an irate announcer rang out.
– Slice its neck, Friend! Silence it! Don't ruin this scene!
"..."
I straightened up.
Without looking into the tub, I said, "You don't have to go that far to quiet it down."
– ...
"There's no need for such extreme methods."
– In a show, a single moment or timing can dictate all the reactions and feelings.
"But this isn't a show, is it?"
– That is…
The electricity sparking from the tub began to subside.
– You're right. Yes, that's true.
Phew.
'I almost ended up registering this under the Bloodbathtub's irregular usage records.'
Not that the situation wasn't already ridiculous.
From inside the tub came a pitiful, sobbing voice.
[Thank you… Thank you, savior.]
[Kind benefactor! Please, now get me out of here and save me from this ruthless monster's hands…]
I crossed my arms.
"I never said I'd save you."
[...?!]
Who ends up as the victim in the middle of a ghost story? It's always the kind-hearted person who lets their guard down at moments like this!
'When a ghost starts crying, and you get soft-hearted, that's exactly when something scary happens!'
At times like this, you must stay calm and act firmly. I stared at the wild ginseng abandoned in the tub, past the ceramic edge.
"If I save you, how do I know you won't cause trouble?"
A sobbing sound followed.
[Then, in that case… uh, how about this? A field! I'll tell you about the rare treasures around the field where I lived!]
"I don't need it."
It was bound to be some cursed, haunted item anyway.
[Th-then…]
I sighed.
"Just prove you won't harm anyone. Stay quiet."
[...]
The wild ginseng fell silent.
At least I'd bought some time.
A few minutes passed in a tense silence (though possibly enjoyable for Braun).
'Ten minutes.'
That's how long I had been keeping track when—
– Hm. That was a fine bath.
"..."
Is it over?
I was about to turn my head, thinking I might need to lift Braun out of the tub.
– Ah, splendid… Thank you, Mr. Roe Deer.
The plush doll's voice had turned sly.
– For waiting until my bath was finished!
Bang.
[GAAAHH!!]
A thunderous noise and a scream erupted from the tub.
This insane—!
– Wait a moment! Friend, don't move. If anyone sees this plush body stuffed with cotton, I'll die of embarrassment!
[You promised to save me, you promised!!]
– Haha! But Mr. Roe Deer said he never made such a promise!
"Wait!"
I finally ran to the tub.
I thought I heard someone clicking their tongue, but it vanished as soon as I leaned over the tub.
What I saw was the wild ginseng, cornered, thrashing about wildly while shaking itself like crazy.
The ginseng's berries looked half-crushed, as if it had been kicked, and its roots were mangled as though someone had tried to squeeze the sap out of them.
[Save me, save me…]
The wild ginseng seemed completely drained, its berries movements slowing.
[L-Let me go…]
…Let you go?
I reached into the tub with my gloved hand to examine the wild ginseng.
'It's not tied down or anything.'
[Save…]
As I followed the ginseng's plea, I felt vibrations in my hand.
"..."
Vibrations.
Now that I thought about it, every time the wild ginseng 'spoke', I felt this kind of pulse in my hand.
It wasn't odd, considering its voice was a form of vibration. But something did seem strange.
'Its roots aren't moving.'
Now that I thought about it, even in the field, only the leaves and berries moved when it spoke.
The roots merely stretched out like infected tendrils.
"..."
If that's the case…
I instinctively grabbed the ginseng and plucked off its berries.
At that moment—
[Yeeeeeessss!]
The berries vibrated wildly before bouncing out of my hand.
"...!"
It seemed overjoyed as it spun in midair.
[Freedom!! Freedom! The tiger's jaws are gone! Gone!!!]
[Thank you, benefactor!! Thank you!!]
The berries began to fade, its shape flickering until it turned into a glowing light, floating upward and eventually disappearing out the window.
"..."
Was that the real body?
– Oh no! It escaped. What a shame.
Phew.
– Such a lowly, deceitful creature, constantly changing its story, should never be given another chance!
"Is that so. Well, next time, let's make sure to agree on things beforehand…"
– Even in moments requiring quick decision-making?
"If no one's life is at stake, yes."
– …Understood, friend.
It sounded a bit sulky, but at least I got a promise.
Satisfied, I let it go…
– By the way, look at this! I've rejuvenated quite a bit!
I looked back into the tub.
There was the plush doll, now oddly shiny, soaking in the water. The once damp cotton stuffing now seemed to glisten for some reason.
"...?"
Oh, somehow it did look a bit more expensive now. Should I say it looked higher quality?
He also seemed to have grown slightly, just as he claimed.
'…It better not get any bigger.'
The whole point was that he was keychain-sized so I could carry him around without drawing suspicion. A full-grown adult carrying a stuffed toy bigger than their hand wherever he went would attract way too much attention.
I already stood out enough at the company as it was.
'I'll think this through before letting him use the Bloodbathtub again.'
Or better yet, I'd just go home before needing to deal with it again.
"You're right. You do look great."
I carefully dried Braun with a hairdryer and wrapped him in a clean towel for safekeeping.
When I returned to clean the tub, I noticed something surprising.
"…The wild ginseng root is still here."
I thought the wild ginseng would disappear along with its berries, but there it was, completely intact.
In fact, it looked even better.
The wild ginseng, which had been discolored as though contaminated, had regained its original ivory hue, now clean and pristine.
'It even smells kind of nice.'
It now exuded an aura of mystery, entirely opposite to its prior cursed nature.
"Hm."
After some hesitation, I decided to keep it and placed it in my desk drawer. Who knows, it might come in handy someday.
"And with that… it's over."
'One more ordeal survived…'
I collapsed onto my bed with a thud.
Wow, since entering this ghost-story world, I felt like my lifespan had shortened by at least twenty years.
'I need to rack up points quickly and get out of here.'
The irony of having to actively tackle more ghost stories to achieve that was almost laughable.
– Mr. Roe Deer.
Ack, startled me again.
– My body and speech feel much more fluid now!
– Oh, but don't turn to look over here.
I almost turned but stopped myself, fixing my head back onto the pillow. Braun chattered on.
– It seems we can now have conversations here without directly meeting eyes.
– Isn't that a delightfully shy method? Frustrating yet oddly fascinating.
Sure, talk all you want…
'You'll probably save my life again when I enter another ghost story, so…'
– You seem quite tired! Have a good dream, my friend.
I passed out as if fainting.
It was a deep, refreshing sleep, washing away days of exhaustion. …Only to wake up to yet another problem.
That same day, in the afternoon.
While Kim Soleum was idly chatting about trivial matters with his superiors in D-squad's office, a certain other employee closely connected to him was walking down the corridor…
"Ah, Section Chief Lee Byeongjin."
Yes, it was that same section chief who had gone missing and been rescued by Kim Soleum.
"Y-Yes!"
The person who stopped him was one of the company's directors. It wasn't exactly a pleasant encounter for a regular employee, but Section Chief Lee forced a bright smile onto his face and politely shook hands. He had no choice.
This man was the lifeline connecting him to the company's hierarchy. A direct link to A-squad, and to the top of the terrifying and mysterious corporate food chain of this company!
'Director Ho!'
The director who had called him in the hallway smiled and asked, "I heard you returned after being missing. Are you alright?"
"Oh, yes, Director. Thanks to your concern, I'm perfectly fine and working hard to ensure the company's well-being."
"Haha."
The director didn't comment on the obvious flattery. Instead, he spoke softly and calmly.
"You were lucky. Many who fall into the Darkness never make it out."
"Oh, indeed… I was lucky to have been rescued."
"Rescued? Did you perhaps receive help from the Disaster Management Bureau?"
Though the director's tone remained unchanged, Lee Byeongjin flinched. This particular director was notoriously uncomfortable with, if not outright hostile toward, any government involvement.
Cold sweat dripped down his back.
"N-No, of course not! A company employee found me!"
"Ah, I see."
"Yes, yes! Oh, it was a new hire from the Field Exploration Team. A very capable individual, truly!"
That such praise could come from such a self-preserving man was shocking in itself.
The director smiled and asked,
"What's their name?"
"Oh! Kim Soleum… a new hire in D-Squad. Kim Soleum."
For Lee Byeongjin, saying this took a surprising amount of courage. It was his way of repaying the person who saved his life.
'Director Ho might be intimidating, but he's a decent superior.'
As long as you didn't trigger any of his pet peeves, of course.
"He's a very promising recruit, Director. Truly."
And so, unbeknownst to Kim Soleum, a connection was being established behind the scenes.
Lee Byeongjin wiped his nose with his hand.
'Soleum, when you find out later, you'll thank me!'
But no, that wasn't the case at all!
In any case, this action by Lee Byeongjin ended up creating a significant butterfly effect…
"Oh, yes. I'll have to remember that name."
And just a few days later, something big occurred in the company. Specifically, within the Field Exploration Team.
T/N: We have a server now! Join the community here: https://discord.gg/Kv5qUKSGXS
Massive thanks to Jia for helping me out with the server!! I really wouldn't have opened this without her out of procrastination XD