GSGW c249
Chapter 249
Ten days after the unprecedented incident in which two agents of the Black Tortoise Team 1, two employees of Daydream Inc., and an unidentified supernatural disaster suddenly appeared unconscious inside the headquarters of the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau…
The people involved gathered at a barbecue restaurant.
The somewhat shabby meat restaurant bustled like a long-standing local favorite in an office district, but the corner table where they sat was filled with exhausted silence.
They had only just regained their composure.
"......"
"......"
Sizzle.
The sound of meat grilling on the hot plate filled the air. The three pale-faced people exchanged polite encouragements.
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Agent Choi grabbed a piece of meat from the grill and popped it into his mouth without hesitation.
It was hard to believe this was someone who had spent an entire week unable to swallow anything, surviving only on water and liquid food while recovering.
Something similar was happening with Assistant Manager Eun Haje, who was opening a bottle of soju.
“Man, forced sobriety is torture.”
“Come on now, even a government agency can’t give you alcohol. But at least the treatment was free, right?”
“If I start making tax jokes here, that’d make me a nuisance, wouldn’t it?”
“You know that already?”
This person had once had their personal information dug up by an agent they met in an urban legend when they were still a rookie. Because of that, despite the grandmotherly disguise, they were identified as an employee of Daydream Inc..
After several days of interrogation and treatment, they were finally allowed out under the condition that they accompany the agents.
Their equipment had been confiscated by the Bureau, though some basic gear was returned out of humanitarian consideration. A gloved hand—wearing gloves so electricity wouldn’t arc out—held the tongs and flipped the meat.
“Come on now, old man.”
"......"
The most composed-looking person at the table, Ryu Jaekwang—Agent Bronze—accepted the slice of Korean beef with a complicated expression.
It probably wasn’t just because he was calculating whether the meal price might barely violate anti-corruption laws. More likely, he had no idea how to deal with this entire situation.
That was the truth.
Every single one of them had died at Segwang Station—hanged by a noose—before waking up again. Afterward, they barely recovered enough from the severe aftereffects to function in daily life.
They were still plagued by nightmares and strange auditory hallucinations, and only now were they finally starting to understand what had happened.
After all, talking about Segwang Special City wasn’t exactly easy inside the Bureau.
“…It’s really hard to gather information about that place. Have you agents had any luck?”
“If you dig too deeply, you’ll literally lose your memories. Honestly, the current situation is probably the best outcome.”
“The current situation meaning…”
“The Bureau has officially classified our condition as contamination. Apparently passing through an uninspected well exposed us to an unidentified supernatural phenomenon.”
In other words, an ambiguous stable state.
The Bureau basically believed Agent Choi had pulled another reckless stunt and that somehow—somehow—they had managed to escape.
That interpretation was also why the Daydream employees weren’t locked up in a glass containment cell but allowed to live in this uneasy, loosely monitored state.
The Bureau believed they had simply been dragged into the mess.
“We benefited from that troublemaker reputation of yours.”
“Hey now~ Saving citizens sometimes means things get messy. There’s a perfectly good word for it—being bold.”
“Sure, sure. Eat more beef.”
Then Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s gaze flicked to one side.
No—everyone’s gaze turned in the same direction.
The only one at the table who couldn’t eat the beef.
“…Next time, you’ll eat with us for sure.”
A conditionally positive statement.
That was me.
A being with the codename 130666, classified as a supernatural disaster.
An amorphous mass of flesh inside a gas mask, incapable of putting even a single slice of perfectly grilled beef into my mouth.
For reference, the only reason I could even sit here was because the leader of Black Tortoise Team 1 had used a trick—something like goblin magic—to distort the vision of the other diners in the restaurant.
The human body I had regained in Segwang Special City was nowhere to be found.
It had been a dream from the beginning.
'Ha…'
And how was I still thinking like a human?
'Because someone went through hell for me…'
Well, luck had something to do with it too.
At least I was relieved enough that not being able to eat beef didn’t feel that tragic.
'Right… they said it started about three days after everyone woke up.'
That was when Agent Bronze first heard about my condition.
About how I had returned…having completely lost my humanity.
***
—Did you meet them?
“…Yes.”
Sitting in the hospital room, Ryu Jaekwang looked at his superior.
Recovering faster than anyone else, he had finally been granted permission to visit the others after a few days.
He had just come back from seeing the person nicknamed Falcon—only now learning their real name was Eun Haje.
And that they could devour a lunchbox of LA galbi with one hand.
It was an impressive attitude for someone drenched in cold sweat and complaining that their throat still felt constantly strangled.
His superior in front of him—Agent Choi—was much the same.
“They’ve given the same testimony. It seems what we experienced… should indeed be treated as a ‘dream.’”
—Okay haha
This superior was in such a severe contaminated state—beyond simple PTSD—that verbal conversation was impossible. His neck was even covered with a cloth so no one would have to look at it.
Yet even while lying in bed under strict rest orders, his eyes gleamed as if his brain were still racing with plans.
Thanks to that, the moment they concluded the incident had been a dream, they tracked down an urban legend connected to it.
—Remember Segwang Technical High School, Jaekwang?
It turned out that the legend was connected to an even larger Catastrophe-Level anomaly.
'The records matched exactly.'
A place that could only be entered through dreams.
Of course, both agents had already felt something unsettling about the testimonies from Kim Soleum and Eun Haje regarding Segwang Special City.
They had suspected it might actually be true. But they also kept doubting the possibility that it was a lie. Now, however, the surrounding circumstances suggested it was real.
A city erased from cognition—Segwang Special City. A sealed Catastrophe-Level disaster zone.
…A place where even dying inside a dream produced immense contamination levels.
'Whew…'
But the bigger problem was that the superior in front of him wasn’t even the worst case.
Not counting the person still in a coma.
…Just as his superior hesitated and wrote a question on the notepad.
—How’s Grapes?
"......"
Ryu Jaekwang’s expression darkened slightly.
The person who had looked perfectly human in Segwang Special City—Kim Soleum—was now…
—That entity should probably be transferred elsewhere.
Completely classified as a supernatural disaster.
Attempts by the Bureau to communicate had failed. The only thing the entity repeated was a request to return to Daydream Inc..
It hadn’t shown aggression yet, but if the request kept being delayed, no one knew what might happen. That was the Bureau’s current judgment.
—Did they attempt purification on the assumption it used to be human?
“…Yes.”
Ryu Jaekwang’s voice dropped.
“But aside from reducing some anxiety symptoms, there was no other improvement.”
"......"
No purification method used at headquarters could strip away the supernatural contamination and restore Kim Soleum to being human.
For three whole days… Absolutely nothing worked.
Leaving Agent Choi’s hospital room and walking down the corridor, Ryu Jaekwang’s thoughts sank heavily.
'If that’s the case…'
Maybe it was finally time to say it.
That strange entity had originally been Agent Grapes.
It wasn’t simply a matter of bad timing that he hadn’t reported it yet. He had been considering Kim Soleum’s complicated circumstances.
The fact that Daydream Inc. had turned a former employee infiltrating the Bureau into a supernatural being and was still using them as an employee…
The moment he reported that, the information would inevitably travel to higher authorities.
'And then… who knows how they’ll treat Agent Grapes.'
The Bureau was an organization used to choosing the lesser evil.
Like selecting criminals.
"......"
But perhaps even that was necessary now.
A stronger, more specialized purification method might be required.
'Maybe I should have told them from the beginning.'
Perhaps that would have been the right choice for the Bureau’s greater good. Just as Ryu Jaekwang’s thoughts sank deeper, tangled with the phantom sound of tightening nooses—
“Oh, Ryu Jaekwang. Visiting someone?”
“...!"
A tall middle-aged woman walking down the corridor waved her hand.
Ryu Jaekwang’s eyes widened.
“Agent Haegum.”
The leader of Black Tortoise Team 3.
The agent carrying the Four Tiger Demon‑Slaying Sword looked tired, as if she had just finished a deployment, but she still flashed an energetic grin.
“So I heard what happened. Tried to use a well and got knocked out, right?”
"......"
“You’ve got it rough, dealing with Mr. Choi.”
This time it had been a slightly different case, but no one could bring themselves to deny it.
“I also heard some Daydream Inc. employees were involved. That true?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm.”
She tossed the next words out casually.
“One of them looked familiar.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, maybe ‘familiar’ isn’t quite right… since they’re wearing a gas mask.”
“ …!! "
“Yeah. The one with horns and smoke coming out of the mask. That one’s from the security team, right? Looks like Daydream Inc. finally figured out how to make use of supernatural disasters.”
How does she know that?
Just as Ryu Jaekwang’s mind began to spiral again—
Agent Haegum rolled her shoulders.
“I should drop by and see them.”
“Why…?”
“I’ve got something to give.”
And from that moment, something remarkable began to happen.
Agent Haegum’s visit.
The entity’s identity was described as matching a being from the supernatural disaster known as “Cheerful Theme Park,” specifically the entity called Flower Golden Mascot.
She stated she had seen the entity during a deployment and proposed using an item that might improve its condition.
Permission was granted to bring in jade bells.
However, the attempt failed catastrophically.
The jade bells shattered.
A total of five bells deteriorated and crumbled into nothing, each lasting an average of 182 minutes. No improvement in the subject’s condition was observed.
This repeated for two days.
Failure after failure. Yet Agent Haegum insisted the destruction itself held meaning. Her reasoning eventually convinced the Bureau to allow the use of stronger equipment of the same lineage.
Permission was granted to use the Great Jade Resonance Bell.
Treatment was carried out by having the subject listen to the great bell’s strike at the hour of the Snake while leaning against a resonance board.
Part of the goal was likely to prevent the wasteful consumption of more bells.
If this attempt failed as well, it was almost certain that other measures would follow.
But surprisingly…
A change occurred.
The subject asked about the well users’ well-being.
“...!”
Rational communication had become possible.
The entity still communicated by forming letters from black smoke, but meaningful personal exchange could now occur.
After that, jade bells were prescribed periodically to maintain the condition.
Eventually, Ryu Jaekwang sought out Agent Haegum personally to ask.
—How did you do it??
—Let’s just say your initial assumption was flawed.
And she said no more.
Later, rumors spread that the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau had reclassified the supernatural disaster as a phenomenon and was exploring the possibility of treating it as a cooperative spiritual entity.
From that, Ryu Jaekwang arrived at a terrifying deduction.
The jade bells were not meant for purifying human contamination.
The same was true of the Great Jade Bell.
They did have some effect on purification, but their primary function was something else—to steady the mind and allow one to recover their own identity.
Which meant…
Had Agent Haegum purified it under the assumption it wasn’t human in the first place?
And the fact that it worked meant…
"......"
Ryu Jaekwang quietly swallowed the thought.
It was just speculation.
'I should just be grateful that Agent Grapes regained their senses.'
He chose not to report his suspicion to Agent Choi and let the thought sink away.
Several more days passed. The people who had used the well steadily recovered, underwent safety evaluations from the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau…
And thus, a worn-out group of office workers was finally allowed—under conditions—to have a company dinner at a barbecue restaurant.
***
I avoided the gaze of Agent Bronze, who seemed to be glancing back and forth between the meat and me.
Seriously, I can’t eat it—please don’t misunderstand…
“…Have you received enough bells?”
Affirmative:
Total: 7
“Understood.”
Thankfully, after that the stares eased a bit. Not just from Agent Bronze, but from the others too.
They made sure to include me in the conversation while continuing to enjoy the meat. Lucky… no, good for them.
It was only natural that once alcohol and food started flowing, the atmosphere softened.
The same thing was happening here.
Inside the barbecue restaurant—now quieter as the night wound down—the group, slightly recovered in spirit, moved on to the truly important topic.
Namely…
Topic: The whereabouts of Dolphin.
The biggest problem at the moment.
“Yeah. Seriously… why hasn’t Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae woken up yet?”
"......"
“It’s already been fifteen days.”
That was right.
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae was still lying in a coma inside a protected room at the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau.
Of course, I had explained what I had done…
“But that’s exactly why it’s strange. The one who escaped and cleared the scenario should’ve woken up.”
……
My hands clenched.
'I shouldn’t have interfered.'
I hadn’t understood the situation properly, and it felt like I had dragged Assistant Manager Lee into danger. My throat went dry.
Even though I didn’t actually have a mouth.
If dehydration had killed them, they should have exited the dream by now. If they still hadn’t woken up… Then maybe the train wasn’t the escape method.
Concern: She might still be alive in that place.
Cause: Complete contamination.
"......"
Yes.
The fear was that they had become fully contaminated by the urban legend and turned into one of its residents.
And if rescue was delayed in that state…There was another disaster unique to Daydream Inc..
Potential risk: Dolphin employee’s point reset.
“…!!"
“What does ‘point reset’ mean?”
“If one of us goes missing for about a month, the company assumes we’re dead and processes a resignation.”
Assistant Manager Eun Haje gestured with her hands.
“And all the points we worked like hell to earn for a wish ticket—reset.”
“……!!"
“Gone. Completely.”
Sigh.
“Well, I heard agents like you don’t believe in wish tickets… but for us, that’s a nightmare scenario.”
"......"
Agent Choi didn’t exactly agree.
But he did say this much:
“Either way, that means a rescue is necessary. That’s our specialty.”
However—
“Hey, government man. Even if you prepare and go in, there’s no guarantee what’ll happen. Don’t be too certain.”
……
That was true too.
A place where they didn’t even know how to break the noose, where most equipment became useless.
'This is difficult.'
Unless someone was physically strong enough not to die even if a noose tightened around their neck…
Wait.
'Then what if someone could just tear it apart physically?'
And I happened to know someone capable of smashing both nooses and trees alike.
A physical exorcism agent from <Dark Exploration Records>.
Recommended personnel.
“Oh?”
Recommended personnel:
Section Chief Lizard of Field Exploration Team D.
"…?!"
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