GSGW c243
Chapter 243
An agent of the Disaster Management Bureau.
And the being his execution blade pointed at.
Ho Yuwon.
A supernatural disaster.
"......"
“I’ll file the report as soon as we return to the Bureau. ‘The Black Tortoise Team 1 intends to formally approve the registration of this supernatural disaster with the goal of termination.’”
Agent Choi and Ho Yuwon locked eyes.
Between the two hardened expressions, the agent’s eyes burned.
“Let’s see… whether that insane cult company that grinds people up will keep trying to save a director who’s been marked by the Bureau.”
“…Ah.”
And then—
“So you plan to register me as a supernatural disaster and have the Bureau manage me directly? Until I die? Until I’m terminated?”
The sinister presence beyond the black smoke spoke in a smooth voice.
“That’s terribly cruel.”
“A government agent threatening a civilian… when I haven’t even killed anyone right in front of you.”
Yet Ho Yuwon’s eyes remained sunken and cold.
“Someone had to die anyway, didn’t they? If the Disaster Management Bureau chooses who dies, does death stop being death? Does it become reasonable?”
"......"
“You people choose who is more acceptable to die. Did you really think someone like me wouldn’t appear?”
Ryu Jaekwang clenched his teeth.
Just then—
“Huh? Then you just kill anyone at random?”
"......!"
“We were talking about how, if someone has to die anyway, we shouldn’t kill good people. But you’re the one who just killed someone on your own without even agreeing with anyone.”
Assistant Manager Lee Songhae brushed dust off herself as she walked over.
Ho Yuwon’s smile deepened.
“You seem to be saying that failing to cooperate with the group is wrong… I’m a bit worried. Since you belong to a company, is it really acceptable to personally criticize your superior?”
“Why not? I didn’t attack you or anything. And your interpretation’s weird. I’m just saying you did something mean.”
Lee Songhae looked at him as if she truly didn’t understand, then lightly hopped over and stood beside the employee.
“And I’m on vacation, so I’m not even working!”
“Wow. You’re brave.”
“Yep! I kind of am!”
"......"
"......"
“…Well. I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
After weighing the situation for a moment, Ho Yuwon ultimately ignored the irritating employee and turned his head.
Toward 130666.
“Employee. Would you continue accompanying me for my project? As part of your duties.”
Then he added:
“And those people over there keep interfering with work… I’d appreciate it if you would subdue them. For security purposes.”
"..!"
The agents’ expressions hardened.
Beneath the black shadow, the yellow lantern-light slowly turned toward them—
Then back toward the director.
Refusal
“...!"
Reason :
▶ Previous assignment (exploration of the Church of the Luminous Unknown) completed
▶ Uniform damaged
Will return to isolation chamber and report to assigned researcher
Uniform?
At that moment, everyone noticed.
Inside the employee’s coat, through torn fabric, something was leaking out.
Something shapeless.
Clotted masses like flesh were spilling out, losing form as they forced their way through the gaps.
130666 pressed the area with a gloved hand and covered it with black mist. Almost as if conscious of the stares.
Among those watching, someone read a faint signal in that action.
A trace of something like shame.
"...…!"
Agent Choi’s eyes changed.
Hope.
“We can fix that uniform too.”
The employee’s gaze turned to him.
“Come with us. They’ll embroider it into something amazing. The craftsmen at the workshop are seriously talented.”
But—
Impossible
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
“…Labor regulations? Could you explain what that means a bit more?”
Impossible
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
"......"
“Wait—does that mean you’re not even considering changing jobs?”
130666 looked down at Lee Songhae.
Resignation impossible
Reason: Proposal violates labor regulations
“You can’t even resign? Huh, that’s—”
Before she could finish her sentence, the employee turned.
They were about to leave.
Back to the underground facility of Daydream Inc..
Back to the isolation chamber.
“Wait!”
Agent Choi hurried forward and blocked the path.
“I’ll help you get back.”
……
Question: Reason
“You pulled me out of that box, remember?”
“…! Right. I should repay the favor.”
With help from Ryu Jaekwang, Agent Choi continued:
“We’re near Cheonan right now. Even if you walked using teleportation techniques as fast as possible, it would still take hours to reach the company in Seoul.”
Instead of arguing as usual, Ryu Jaekwang quietly stepped up beside him.
“You don’t have a car, and you can’t move through space. Right? I’ll take you.”
……
Silence.
And then—
Question: Method of transportation
Good.
“Were you worried I’d make you ride a bicycle? Nah. I’ll use something else.”
Agent Choi casually began walking, as if guiding them somewhere.
Toward a well.
“This is a secret, but this well’s location is special. A ley line flows through it. In the old days, the Bureau used it as an emergency passage when deploying agents to the provinces.”
He added that it had later been sealed due to procedural issues. Because of the symbolic power tied to the well, it had also served as an evacuation point when this village itself became a supernatural disaster.
“You remember, right? When you came to this village festival, you brought the manual where I wrote down some tips. It mentioned the well too. Haha. What did you think when you read it?”
Another stretch of silence.
Unknown.
……
"That's fine. Don't worry."
And then—
“Anyway, they don’t use that well anymore… but if we send the right signal, the transport function might activate again. So let’s just try using it.”
Of course.
It was a lie.
'There are records of it, sure—but there’s no way it would actually work again.'
The Disaster Management Bureau weren’t idiots. If it were still a usable passage, they would’ve at least relocated it.
Still, it sounded convincing enough.
“I’m going to try moving us with it. Close your eyes, open them again, and we’ll be in Seoul. Sounds good, right?”
That wouldn’t happen.
The plan was to lure him into the well, trap him somewhere enclosed where he couldn’t escape, and then use a transport ability.
'The portable glass prison.'
…He didn’t want to use that method if he could help it.
But there was no other option.
“Using the well won’t suddenly send your identity to the Bureau or anything like that. I swear on the dokkaebi.”
He could swear however he liked.
They were never going to actually use the well anyway.
'…Does he notice?'
It was possible. That damn junior had a knack for picking up on things at moments like this.
Seriously—he was a kid perfectly suited to being an agent.
'Please.'
The fact that Director Ho was just standing there quietly bothered him. He expected the man to interfere or try something to take the employee back himself, but strangely, he remained silent and well-behaved.
And Assistant Manager Lee Songhae following along didn’t feel quite right either.
But he couldn’t tell her to stop. If he did, she might notice something was off.
Agent Choi sharpened his senses and kept walking.
Behind him, Ryu Jaekwang would be preparing the portable glass prison.
'Thanks, Jaekwang.'
His junior, who had no talent for lying and had only just barely made it out alive, was still doing everything he could to help.
Agent Choi kept walking.
Step.
Step.
The well grew closer with each footstep.
“Alright.”
Ryu Jaekwang quickly tore away the sealed cover over the well.
…The stale, damp air trapped inside drifted out, carrying a strange smell.
Agent Choi took a breath and turned back to 130666—no, Kim Soleum with a smile.
“…It’d be hard for you to go first, right? I’ll go down first and show you it’s safe. Look. There might be something else down there too.”
The gas mask stared silently at him.
Agent Choi grinned and stepped into the well.
'The footholds… good. Still there.'
They hadn’t collapsed.
Carefully bracing his feet against the inner wall, he climbed down as quickly as possible.
To lure the other down without complications.
And when his feet finally touched the bottom—
“Oh! Looks like it’ll work! Come on down!”
At that call, the horned figure leaned over and looked inside.
“…Once you come down, I’ll try sending the movement signal.”
Please.
……
Tap.
Black combat boots caught against the wall of the well as the figure descended.
Smoke drifted downward and gathered along the bottom, while 130666’s body arrived in the well in a strangely unnatural manner—like a supernatural phenomenon unconcerned with normal physics.
'Hah…'
Something like nausea passed through Agent Choi’s throat, but there was no time to focus on that now.
'I have to do this.'
To sell the act, he reached through the black smoke and placed the dokkaebi lantern on the ground in the center of the well.
As if he were really sending a transport signal.
In reality, it was a different signal entirely.
A silent one meant for Ryu Jaekwang.
“Alright, then—”
Jaekwang had to capture this thing with him right now.
But at that moment—
Light burst from the dokkaebi lantern on the ground.
“...!!"
Wait.
'This…'
That was the kind of light that only appeared when a movement signal activated at a genuine ley-line convergence point.
Was it really transporting them?
'Where to?'
And the strange events didn’t end there.
Within the black smoke, something on 130666’s body began to glow with a similar light.
A small rectangle inside an inner pocket of the uniform.
“…?”
130666 pulled it out as if to check it.
It was… something shaped like an employee ID card. But it wasn’t from Daydream Inc.. The company name written on it was—
'Cheerful Research Institute…?'
At that moment—
The light grew brighter.
“…!”
Someone watching from above finally realized what was happening.
'Damn it!'
Ryu Jaekwang hesitated only briefly before gritting his teeth and jumping into the well. He couldn’t let the two of them be transported alone.
And the curious Lee Songhae followed right after.
“Ooo.”
Seeing that the situation looked serious, she jumped in to help the good people.
After all, she was on vacation today and had plenty of time.
And so, a moment later—
When Ho Yuwon quietly approached the well and looked down—this was what he saw.
“Ah.”
There was nothing inside.
Ho Yuwon gripped the stones around the mouth of the well with trembling excitement.
***
……
Dark.
Noisy.
Muscle aches, the chill of sleeping somewhere cold, and a dull ache in the bones made it hard to move.
I was clearly sprawled on a concrete floor… but I was so tired I couldn’t even open my eyes.
Tired?
“...!!"
My eyes snapped open.
The back of my neck was damp, like I’d just woken from a disturbing dream. I wiped away the cold sweat and let out a breath.
“Whew…”
……
…Wait.
'…My voice.'
I just spoke.
“...!!”
And my hands—my hands were bare. Normal hands. With fingernails, joints, fingerprints. My hands. I touched my hair. My face. My skin damp with sweat.
Slowly, I lifted my head and looked around.
In the dark glass window beside me, a silhouette was reflected.
“…A person.”
It was me.
I stared blankly at my reflection in the glass.
I had no idea what was going on.
And only a moment later did I realize—
Several familiar people were collapsed around me.
And…
This place was a subway platform.
"......"
I staggered to my feet. The station name, partially hidden behind a pillar, came into view.
Segwang Transportation Corporation
Segwang Station
“…!!”
That’s when I realized.
This was the subway of Segwang Special City.
OMGGGGG
ReplyDeleteThe fox is tweaking of happiness 😂
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