Chapter 16: The Gourmet Who Is Not Alone

The sunlight was pleasant.

Or rather, the LED lights in my apartment illuminated everything evenly, brightly, and almost as if they were sunlight.

I ignored the fact that beyond the window there was nothing but absolute darkness.

I felt like something terrible would happen if I opened it.

I opened my eyes.

I wiped away the sleep from my eyes, stretched my arms, and let out a long yawn.

Waking up meant I was still alive.

And being alive meant I could begin a new day.

“What a refreshing morning.”

It was a monologue.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as the probability wasn’t zero, an optimistic attitude could change the day.

As I sat up, the bedsheets rustled softly.

With movements that had already become familiar, I shook out the blanket and carefully straightened it.

Then I put the pillow back in place.

The small bloodstain in one corner of the pillow was probably just a minor nosebleed.

Probably.

I washed my face at the sink.

I shampooed my hair and washed it.

I showered with hot water until the bathroom mirror was completely fogged over.

I stood under the water for a long time without thinking about anything.

Then I finished with cold water and immediately regained my clarity.

“Good, this is how a routine should be.”

I dried my face with a towel and used a hair dryer to dry my hair.

When I finished, I opened the wardrobe and took out a shirt.

I put on that white shirt that had already become familiar and carefully buttoned every button.

“It feels empty.”

I opened the refrigerator.

As expected, it was completely empty.

The only thing left was the empty bottle of that probiotic drink I had drunk the night before, rolling around in a corner.

“Skipping breakfast helps the mind work better.”

I muttered that mental victory to myself as I closed the door.

My stomach growled softly.

I pretended not to hear it.

I rolled my neck, stretched my shoulders as if I were learning to walk upright again, and stopped in front of the door.

It was time to go to work.

“I’m heading out.”

With a casual greeting, I turned the doorknob.

Click—

The door opened.

And standing in front of me was—

“Grrrooo… Grrrrrr.”

Supervisor Shik.

He was standing there.

With thick chains hanging from his shoulders while staring directly at me.

A deep breath rumbled from behind that mouth full of blade-sharp teeth.

I had returned to reality.

“Good morning, Supervisor Shik.”

I smiled reflexively.

My lips curled upward, but my back was drenched in cold sweat.

Supervisor Shik stared at me for several seconds before slowly lowering his head.

Creak.

Something cracked.

It probably wasn’t his vertebrae.

“I’ll do my best today as well.”

I greeted him again.

Only then did Supervisor Shik give a slight nod.

I felt every hair on my shoulders stand up at the same time.

“Then let’s go first, all right?”

He walked past me and slowly began moving down the hallway.

The chains dragging across the floor produced a strange scraping sound.

I silently closed the door and followed him.

The bright and refreshing morning was over.

Once again, my strange daily life was beginning.

***

Lunchtime.

The cafeteria.

A place whose name I had always seen but never dared to visit.

I thought about it.

Then thought about it again.

And finally made a decision.

‘Let’s go.’

Today I would go.

I was going to eat.

After all, I would be here until the day I resigned.

I wanted to try something as simple as eating with someone.

I had said this morning that fasting helped me think better.

But the truth was that I was already reaching my limit.

My stomach was burning.

My legs were numb.

And my stomach felt as though it had been crushed like a bent drinking straw.

Besides, a little while ago it had seemed as though Supervisor Shik had given me a look that said:

‘Why do you never eat with us?’

I had no idea what would be served in the cafeteria.

But Manager Batori had said it.

We were of the same lineage.

Surely they would take care of me.

“Uh…”

I opened my mouth to address my coworkers.

The lunch announcement had just sounded, and everyone was beginning to rise from their seats.

“Could I… have lunch with you today?”

I hadn’t even finished the sentence when Manager Myeon nodded in front of me.

“Of course.”

“Regular nutrient intake is important.”

“Oh. What’s this?”

“Grrr… Graaah… Kuuuur—!”

Director Mok.

Assistant Manager Son.

And finally Supervisor Shik.

All of them reacted positively.

Well, I wasn’t completely sure that Supervisor Shik’s reaction had been positive.

But I assumed it was.

A strange sense of relief washed over me, and I lowered my head.

When I looked up again, I met Manager Batori’s gaze.

She had not risen from her seat.

As always, she held her tumbler and rested one hand on the desk while silently watching me.

There was a peculiar smile in her eyes.

“And you, Manager…?”

“Fufu. I’ll make do with this again today.”

She slightly raised the tumbler as she smiled.

Inside, the blood swirled gently.

I tilted my head slightly and followed the other four team members out of the office.

The cafeteria was on another floor.

At the end of the hallway stood an old elevator.

The metal doors opened with a hum.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

And finally Supervisor Shik.

Clank.

The moment Supervisor Shik stepped inside, the elevator walls creaked alarmingly.

Wasn’t this exceeding the structural limits of the elevator?

I ended up half-crushed between his enormous body and the wall.

“Ugh…”

It felt as though the air was escaping through some crack.

Manager Myeon stood with his usual elegance.

Director Mok had his roots folded and neatly arranged.

Assistant Manager Son was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

And I was trapped between Supervisor Shik’s back and the elevator wall.

‘I should have skipped lunch.’

I regretted it.

Even breathing was difficult.

I never imagined hope could disappear so quickly.

The elevator slowly began descending with a squeal.

A cramped space.

Strange smells.

Irregular vibrations.

And thousands of thoughts.

‘What exactly is the cafeteria like?’

Would they serve food that a human could eat?

Or would it be some delicacy intended for the monsters in this place?

Supervisor Shik’s back pressed crushingly against me once again.

“Ugh.”

I really should have skipped lunch.

That was when Manager Myeon spoke calmly.

“So, it was the Adjustment Department that insisted all of us participate this time?”

“That is correct.”

Director Mok nodded gently.

“From detection to capture, everything went quite well. They say they want everyone to participate for educational purposes.”

Assistant Manager Son slightly raised his chin.

“Went well? Didn’t they say the capture happened near Seoul Station?”

“More precisely, outside the perimeter, beyond the third filter.”

Director Mok spoke while lowering his gaze with those numerous green eyes resembling frog eggs peeking out from between his knots.

“They say it was located purely through perception, without any reaction from the fixed measuring devices. It seems the Adjustment Department took this very seriously. Or perhaps they received assistance from Executive Director Ahn.”

“Grrr… Rrrrrrr.”

Supervisor Shik let out an incomprehensible growl.

I turned my head reflexively.

I felt a strange vibration in my eardrums.

Had he just laughed?

Or was he annoyed?

“I heard they classified one Rank A entity, one Rank C entity, and one Rank D entity.”

Assistant Manager Son continued speaking calmly.

“They say the possibility of refining the new Rank A entity is uncertain. Its structure… appears to be somewhat different from the previous ones. Will it be safe to bring the rookie along as well?”

“Haha.”

The rookie was participating too?

Manager Myeon replied with his usual smile.

“The Adjustment Department has surely already taken care of all the preparations. And if not, we have other measures ready. We’ve already received notice that the transfer will be completed during the afternoon. After lunch, we’ll go directly to see it.”

This afternoon?

Maintaining an indifferent expression, I looked up at the ceiling while repeating those words in my mind.

‘They’re bringing a new dimensional entity this afternoon?’

Although I didn’t fully understand the internal terminology, I grasped the general context.

Adjustment Department.

Capture.

Perimeter.

Possibility of refinement.

And structure.

I had the feeling that the meaning of those words was connected to whatever I would soon be facing.

“Employee Jeong.”

Suddenly, Manager Myeon turned his head toward me and spoke calmly.

“Yes.”

I straightened my posture reflexively.

“There is no need to be nervous. This afternoon’s program will simply be something quite interesting.”

His tone remained as kind and courteous as ever.

But behind those words was a strange scent suggesting that something had already been prepared.

“Understood. I’ll leave myself in your hands.”

I lowered my head slightly.

My heart lurched heavily.

‘A new dimensional entity.’

What exactly was about to arrive?

The elevator continued descending through the dark shaft.

We were heading to the company cafeteria.

But it felt almost exactly like descending into a slaughterhouse.

***

Lunch was, surprisingly, quite good.

Of course, there were many complicated emotions hidden within that “quite good.”

To begin with, the elevator itself was strange.

At first, I thought it was simply slow.

Then I thought it had been descending for too long.

After that, I came to believe it had broken down.

And finally—

‘It’s still going down?’

At some point, the floor indicators stopped looking like numbers at all.

The digits began twisting into symbols.

Then those symbols mutated into incomprehensible shapes that eventually formed fixed patterns.

And finally, the doors opened.

The entrance to the cafeteria was absurdly clean.

Shining tiles beneath white lights.

A menu board that functioned properly.

Stacks of trays piled high.

And a crowd of monstrous employees.

There were even wet towels on every table.

‘Uh… this really does look like a company cafeteria.’

Except for the fact that it was full of monsters instead of humans.

There were even menus suitable for people.

Spicy stir-fried pork.

Bulgogi over rice.

Pork belly.

Egg soup.

Kimchi.

White rice.

Of course, alongside them, impossible symbols and moving figures also appeared on the illuminated menu boards, apparently representing menu items as well.

At a table across from us, some creatures were eating masses of slime with spoons.

Others drank mysterious liquids from their trays as though they were floating corks.

And when the five members of Extraction Team 1 stopped in front of something that could barely be called an automated kiosk—

The atmosphere changed.

Employees stiffened.

Some looked away.

Heads filled with multiple eyes.

Heads covered with mouths instead of eyes.

Beings composed entirely of formless masses.

All of them were watching us.

‘This…’

Hierarchy.

Even within this grotesque organization, Extraction Team 1 clearly occupied a superior position.

It wasn’t exactly respect.

The gazes were distorted by something else.

It wasn’t exactly fear.

They were too cautious to be mere fear.

It was a kind of silent reverence reserved for something forbidden.

An unpleasant admiration that could not be denied.

Suddenly, I remembered the pride Manager Batori had shown when talking about Extraction Team 1.

‘We are definitely different.’

After choosing our meals, the five of us sat at the same table.

And the moment the food arrived—

Hell began.

First, Supervisor Shik.

He appeared to be eating a bowl of bulgogi over rice.

But the speed was absurd.

Crunch! Splurt! Chomp! Crack!

Spoons were an unnecessary luxury.

Using those enormous fur-covered paws, he devoured the food savagely and emptied three trays in an instant.

From the first tray, some grains of rice flew toward me.

From the second—

“Urgh.”

A kind of black, viscous soup splashed onto my kimchi.

I sighed silently.

‘There’s no helping it. I give up.’

Then there was Assistant Manager Son.

He stared at his tray for several seconds.

And suddenly dumped the entire contents onto his fist-head.

Literally.

The entire tray.

Eggs.

Soup.

Rice.

Seaweed.

And all the other mysterious side dishes.

Then he began kneading his own head with both hands.

As if he were working bread dough.

And then—

Nothing.

When he opened his hands, absolutely nothing remained.

He didn’t even have a mouth.

Yet everything had vanished.

As though he had devoured it completely.

‘…This makes no sense.’

Director Mok, on the other hand, had brought a tray full of dirt.

No rice.

No side dishes.

Nothing.

Silently, he extended several roots from his body.

And carefully planted them into the tray.

The end.

He was simply sitting there planting roots.

‘I am definitely still human.’

And then there was Manager Myeon.

He ate in the most human manner.

If you ignored the detail of his seven faces.

Above the elegant collar of his suit were seven faces.

He fed each one methodically while changing spoons.

Face 1: rice.

Face 2: soup.

Face 3: side dishes.

Face 4: more rice.

Face 5: more soup.

Face 6: observing the cafeteria.

Face 7: smiling at me.

“Employee Jeong, are you enjoying the meal?”

asked the seventh face gently.

I simply nodded.

My tray contained a completely normal meal.

Fried egg.

Spicy pork.

Kimchi.

Soup.

Rice.

Nothing special.

And yet—

“It’s delicious. Ah, I mean, it’s really delicious.”

It truly was delicious.

It was hot.

It wasn’t too salty.

The meat was tender.

The rice had the perfect texture.

The soup slid smoothly down my throat.

And something stirred inside me.

‘Ah… this is food.’

My stomach, which had gone days without being properly fed, was finally receiving real nutrients.

It was telling me that I was still alive.

I finished eating slowly and quietly.

Around me, food continued flying through the air.

Trays continued being dumped onto heads.

Dirt continued covering tables.

And seven faces continued eating with the rhythm of perfect machinery.

But during that meal—

I was still human.

And that fact alone was enough to restore my desire to live.

We finished lunch in silence.

And headed back to the elevator.

Supervisor Shik arrived a moment later, releasing another deep growl.

And the elevator became completely packed once again.

Half-crushed beneath one of his shoulders, I let out a silent sigh.

***

After returning to the office following lunch, the five of us prepared to head together to the Extraction Room.

It was the first time.

There was always someone who stayed behind in the office.

Or someone who left midway through.

But today all of us would be participating.

It was obvious that something important was happening.

When we reached the entrance to the Extraction Room, Manager Myeon stopped.

As always, his movements were slow and precise.

One of his seven faces.

More specifically, the one positioned furthest to the left.

Turned toward me.

And a familiar, polite, and tidy voice spoke.

“Employee Jeong.”

I responded almost reflexively.

“Yes, Manager Myeon.”

“Today, three new dimensional entities have arrived.”

He continued speaking slowly.

“The Broken Violinist.”

“The Portrait of a Dismantled God.”

“The White and Chubby Furball.”

I heard those names and needed a moment before I could breathe again.

‘The Broken Violinist?’

An entity that produces distorted sounds?

Or a humanoid that uses its own body as a bow?

‘The Portrait of a Dismantled God.’

A distorted sacred statue?

A metaphysical existence?

‘The White and Chubby Furball.’

…What the hell is that?

Suddenly, that name seemed ridiculously insignificant compared to the others.

My mind worked at full speed.

From the names alone, it was impossible to guess their forms or natures.

But perhaps that was precisely the point.

One of Manager Myeon’s faces slowly smiled.

There was no pressure.

No manipulation.

Only the expression of a boss asking for a choice.

“Employee Jeong.”

said his fifth face softly.

“Which of the dimensional entities do you believe would be the most suitable?”

I closed my lips and slowly repeated the three names in my mind.

The Broken Violinist.

The Portrait of a Dismantled God.

The White and Chubby Furball.

One of the three.

The monster I would face today.

Between excitement, fear, and a vague anticipation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I…”