Chapter 29: The Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management (1)
KilMtWe turned several times after passing corridor corners, and at some point, the footsteps, breathing, and echoes could no longer be heard.SJxX
ziGThe ponytailed woman, who had remained tense the entire time, stopped, and the man with heterochromatic eyes who had been walking half a step ahead of her silently raised a hand.CJrIPp
XkIEPI stopped on reflex.EMNMv2O
45yVDFI pressed my back against the wall and held my breath.YpHh6gx
jN2‘It’s gone.’5VOU
ih761The presence.pIPb
Til0It really was gone now.F9XK9o
ttGiXIt had stopped following us.7txRzv
H8ZI“…Haa.”84ubSgr
TS2HI felt the air escape from my body.Q9nCut
58xbOnly then did it seem as though my lungs returned to their normal size.vwwS
T2kdSOTI never imagined I would be so grateful simply to be able to breathe.6LjH
MS7Ouo‘Now it’s time to deal with another problem.’ejW
3nSIqWhat took the place of that vanished presence was the sharp hostility of the people who had tried to kill me just moments ago.rgu
nODIt had been a long time since I had seen people.Ma1AAdF
phOSince Lee Jihyun, who spoke with me briefly in front of Human Resources and then resigned.1oq8T
yHUPQMvSince the employees of the Emotional Department who ended up getting crushed by Assistant Manager Son after causing a massive disaster by pressing the release button in the Extraction Room.5xV7Y
FZGsRoSince Director Go Gyeol, who seemed to have stopped being human a long time ago.5EEbf
3QNRelatively normal people.gnS
GMVvAAnd, since they did not belong to our company, they were the first ones I had met.Qdv
rSo‘This isn’t exactly a pleasant situation to be happy about.’AjCkpI
uhxFAVnThough, apparently, my fellow humans did not consider me human.zQXs6HX
84fP2B8The ponytailed woman was still watching me.rv7
ra1CXZqThe corners of her lips were completely lowered, and her sharp eyes seemed capable of drawing lines with a blade.Hi2
RfYhcdShe was smaller than I was, but beneath her fitted suit, firm muscles could be discerned.XBiyaiK
HwPfAnd above all, there was the pistol holster at her waist.htoo0
NCq65PWThe sound coming from that holster as it swayed with the proper weight was undoubtedly real.X5sCge1
m40kYThe heterochromatic-eyed Team Leader remained silent.xSfa
PbdejThe fierce expression he had shown earlier was gone, leaving only silence and a blank face behind.01d
6ix900However, his gray and brown eyes remained fixed on me.AXPZVh2
JQHQKAn uncomfortable silence stretched on for several seconds.IOGcWT
nzgfFinally, he silently shook his head, ran his fingers through his gray hair, and opened his mouth.OZZ
d4GMVs“Yeom Hwi. Team Leader of the Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management.”sQP
bqr‘What a peculiar name.’3Pi
LtTAfter such a brief introduction, the man gestured toward the woman beside him with his chin.UYbEyS
7QjThe ponytailed woman was still staring at me with her hand resting on her pistol holster.bln
uLJoJSoIt was incredible that someone could give such a murderous look to a complete stranger.6Sp4GDz
Km6WSeeing her like that, Yeom Hwi gave her a light but precise smack on the back of the head.u8m
7sbRsThud!QhT4Hhm
A6Omst“…”76VaauW
3DmeCcThe woman’s expression twisted.UGDuxe
PcspOHer eyebrows furrowed, and the corner of her mouth twitched.0HD
tQez8paSlowly, the look she had been directing at me turned toward Yeom Hwi.8JmL6
VgNKA1L“What?”SlWrZYT
IJJhe asked with complete indifference.Ox85B
iVHzuThe woman let out a short sigh, placed a hand on her forehead, and after a brief delay, spoke.Id3nA
yKL7UFr“…I’m Seo Ryu, Sub-Team Leader of the Control Team of the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management.”Dwi
Oep8tEHer husky, androgynous voice echoed heavily through the damp corridor.uNXkK
ZEBThe two of them watched me in silence.V7K
UeKnXjI nibbled on my lips for a moment before cautiously replying.wdOmF
xx50l“…My name is Jeong Haeil.”kkUTzBr
nkw4i1OThe words left my lips.foTa4a
zJHbpBut neither of their gazes changed.PV20b
0bizzCaution.slfF
4FBrDistrust.bZv
SuspjyAnd a hostility that could not be erased.iuRVi
SLsEMv‘…Damn it.’Df0AR7
d2eI swallowed and slowly continued.Csh3Kl
H4SIh“As you said, I’m an employee of Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts.”t9owfg
tQWThe moment I finished speaking, the air froze once more.44YIE
ZWC7e“…You.”VM4
D1aYeom Hwi’s voice had changed.2BDx
wiBUntil then, it had been dry and cold.CZVY
BBuNow it wasn’t.btNH5
HMVRRHis tone had an edge.uzhsuJU
YMbRThe muscles in his shoulders tensed, and something broke inside his eyes.u7bojN
TZsHis heterochromatic gaze pierced straight through me.pGIY
tFS9“What exactly are you?”94Vc4
T7Aja2Clack.fP0OObz
4G2MKy3Something familiar sounded beside me.Qdkz
Bwi4And something I should never have heard at that moment.JwoK
Zlhzi1SThe sound of a slide locking back struck my eardrums.YNa3amV
qyNSeo Ryu had drawn the pistol from her waist without the slightest hesitation and was pointing it directly at my head.Xd4okX2
6094cI2The heat radiating from the weapon.Rom9
E9PLThe cold metallic sensation pressing against my skin.PyJ8woO
j09u3CThe weight of the steel.krM
WGNfueInstinctively, I understood it was neither a toy nor a replica.3Rkm
86EOKlI felt the sweat on my back turn cold.gp6B
NUUaE2pIf I made a mistake, even while clearing my throat, they might blow a hole through this head that only knew how to memorize manuals.7Ua8Gm
acL“W-wait a moment… what does this mean…?”0Chr
RCkBefore I could finish the sentence, there was another movement in front of me.XN8
qGVClack.4X9UBW
mBPQYeom Hwi slowly raised a hand.boZ
AUSHe pulled back the lapel of his suit and drew a black pistol from his inner pocket.cmN9
gDCA pistol with a magazine inserted.frs
U2AThe barrel pointed directly at me.edil3b
dn0At the space between my eyebrows.o0R
oqdSX3Exactly between my brows.mf9bs
SlLcN“Hey, Jeong Haeil.”icDydT
vtCpPG“….”WJF
VbH“Are You Really Human?”kNSt
sbW4SFTwo armed people.kbdUq
eXLjTOne was looking at me with the intention of drilling through my skull.VLNc
WkKIwcrThe other was aiming at my temple from an angle capable of blowing it apart.VTR
LgMc‘Ah, damn it.’oVlWD
PVG4M2It was a ridiculous situation.acaSx
0QNI had survived by doing my absolute best among monstrous superiors at the company, and now actual humans were interrogating me to find out whether I was the monster.V9GcNuZ
dQOI silently bit my lips.G6b
liVBdSThere was neither saliva nor blood left, but that was beside the point.Sz8G
3O7What mattered was figuring out how to answer so that neither of those triggers would be pulled.egxNBWZ
a9S9Z‘Panic and beg for my life?’YyjTK
OziYwLooking at that gaze so full of murderous intent, it felt as though if I showed weakness now, they would consider me suspicious and shoot me on the spot.3w07
qiORJdShout that it was unfair and defend myself vehemently?owat3CF
4hrT5gThat was not something someone wearing strange beads on his wrist and carrying a pen made of bone could say.WkNf
vq0HK7In front of people who already distrusted me, a clumsy emotional appeal or panicking would accomplish nothing.XRpK
UfWfxxThen there was only one answer left.kum
BW0Kill my emotions and fake an unnatural calmness.Osa
sIlONcIt was the only survival method I knew.oBm0D
f1zwhoWhen I reached that conclusion, I put on a faint smile.nKpy7
HSjMM“…I’m human.”0ZA
Y6VGA calm tone.3jO4f
GalI also suppressed any trembling in my eyes.Em2D9
QVvFollowing a consistent rule in an incomprehensible situation.zF2T
kXzfqPVIt was the moment when the poker face I had developed in the military and at the company proved its worth.7Fd
tZYm1m“If you don’t believe me, shoot me. You can confirm it by examining the corpse.”yxhL
GJnSilence.7m4uCFJ
tscvA truly brief silence.jfyQ
N85aBBA“Pfft.”cnaF
VCGA short mocking laugh.vyOau
sstIt was Seo Ryu.81xWpP
mdYTnAs if the whole thing were ridiculous, she let out a sneer of contempt while placing her finger on the trigger.gjs7
kaxlxlsClick.SU794Jh
RzC62A loaded weapon.SJ5e7hz
19lkCAnd the trigger began to squeeze ever so slightly.QojnnB
UzFjTKXVery slightly.s7HUpa
m8RGThis was not what I had intended.ffeH4b
cSCQ2JAt that moment—M9rV3jB
GGLTap.r1a2K
o1aWEbYeom Hwi silently extended a hand and grabbed Seo Ryu’s arm.lYjjt
heLHis movement was firm and faster than any words.zKN
isAb9k“…Huu.”XsVz8
BIsYeom Hwi let out a short sigh and lowered his gun.GoF
TKL0w7pSeo Ryu looked at him with a deeply furrowed brow.rMWfyh
jfv“What?”KLOdGF
gIhoo1she muttered while lowering her weapon, lightly grinding her teeth.ece
301o90I remained leaning against the wall, watching the scene.XaxiYs
uPfD31My arms were numb, and my legs had been trembling for quite a while, but I had to pretend nothing was wrong.Bb5fbH
1tGVkTXYeom Hwi looked directly at me and asked,z1iLn
Ek2B“How long have you been with the company?”K16i
3Wuo“…Around a month.”2gj15V
KnZGYN“Department?”uzj
KOrmk“…Extraction Team 1.”mbH4F
qMn1CHeThe instant I finished answering, both gun barrels were aimed at my head again from exactly the same angles as before.OOe
ybhkSv‘Right now, I feel like crying.’WisO
aqEadOzI couldn’t even sigh.Y1RCw
O7TtI swallowed and maintained a calm expression, completely opposite to the hell burning inside me.shiLrW
u7w5yWThough after the previous failure, my composure had wavered somewhat.o1x33C
aehlSeo Ryu spoke in a visibly agitated tone.doIHxhe
9WKp“Team Leader. The correct course of action is to eliminate him.”l40z6
Ox9fAYeom Hwi replied calmly.lXKypJ
8mf“Be quiet for a moment.”4kLq5Eb
bYISeo Ryu clicked her tongue.XEd
3rLIt was obvious she was displeased.TlS
U2ufbBut she did not add anything else.5oE
enPiD9Yeom Hwi continued holding the gun while staring at me.zvnYF3
IJI6f8Those eyes left no room for wind or even the slightest crack.eoDWz1i
7luWDqIt felt as though they were piercing through my skull to see what was inside.ASpzZ
bVf8rpMy breathing became shallower.SiMd
VGvBI felt my lungs compress.AFL93Hr
2rAneAnd then.Nj2Oj
Hles“…That’s enough.”TKi45Z
AwDhoThe barrel moved.PbPZzK
03gAfter a brief pause, the man holstered his weapon without another word.5KdabMd
xhia“Because if he weren’t human, he wouldn’t die even if we shot him. What would be the point?”mSme
es2Click.hCXbz
QssAUWith those words, the pistol disappeared into the inner pocket of his suit.SUnHXeD
uldmSeo Ryu also lowered her weapon with a frown and returned it to its holster.TyMi7
AoR6OYaThat was all.PqJte
lxOThe tension eased slightly.oxRq
jem2‘I really was about to die.’FjC
sMTuYBBOutwardly, I remained calm.z0T
zdTpaNot even my eyes moved.3oED
ME06But inside was a different story.2LwRq
rN5Xu3D‘These damn lunatics…’JJH
RUNyThey really were going to shoot me.8jyu
nyTjmlIn this hellish place where I wasn’t even allowed to breathe or relax, the first people I met had pointed guns at me.EWP
v98v8G7“Let’s go.”NYn1Gk
W2o9FEYeom Hwi said briefly.rV3ZuwI
8KMSeo Ryu nodded without concealing her distrust.7lSw
kJ2Her gaze swept over me once again.N8Dl6Gj
7pXqThe weapons had been lowered, but the threat remained.HwtkEko
GKMhIA“We’ll discuss the details while we walk.”OrVTW
ao9After saying that, Yeom Hwi took the lead.AEfx
9RrI hesitated for a few seconds, but in the end, I followed them.j8mvkwG
bmXvCOoOne step.6So
xndXvThen another.z9aonXW
7uwNpfThe sound of my own footsteps behind them felt strangely unfamiliar.acI
kP2GIt was the first time I had walked beside someone in this place.bIF04RH
kJIRVAn‘Can I really walk with them?’xyNl
CtKHPpRDid they actually trust me?mxKgf
9d5FdJOr were they simply taking me along because they could use me?b82vu
jJGTK‘Either way, it’s better than dying like a dog.’RqI7M5I
gLxY9uWI followed them in silence.RUEoUx
VQJoKThe shadows of the three of us stretched together through the darkness.YdWczkt
sp9The old fluorescent lights overhead flickered from time to time.vj3
BRXs“We know how to get out.”W0s7
pnKAYeom Hwi said in a calm but firm voice.n8NH
XjqmNL9“So follow us and don’t cause any trouble.”DE5B
7uAI nodded.IPIt
8eTTFI had no other choice.5on4DG0
kQDhUPI had already had a gun pointed at me twice.cvp9L
az2A third time was completely out of the question.SpijH
NlnxI was simply choosing the option that gave me a slightly better chance of surviving.wDWwqD
4smILSeo Ryu continued watching me until the very end.1Jz
TKafmWithout saying a single word.9zMO
NeOThat gaze was sharper than a gun barrel and resembled instinct more than emotion.fCU24xh
cGX2qUJCaution?eypV
YGhiZDistrust?EUz
LMUKZG6No.WKc
b1EIt wasn’t that.gs6x0bb
mIb7pHostility.m6o
REEvAnd an extraordinarily clear hostility.R1tpp
9p8JD‘But why?’pmQWaoR
3V5vJust because I belonged to Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts?A0U8r
PT4It was far too obvious a hatred to be explained by a single reason.Eya9pU
6fZBV4lI looked away from her and slowly turned my head.ZGcQ7
McgThe tips of my fingers were still numb.auCF
gd9zWEven though the tension had lessened, my heart continued beating steadily.DZB
CSkJIcx‘So this is the Department of Anomalous Disaster Management…’q8GtMMX
1eEThe organization that had created the manual guiding survivors toward the exit.Rdxrw6q
FMRWThe organization that understood the structure of this absurd place.gQT
uA7kI still knew nothing about them.B1zOtvn
T2KpaBut I had already reached one conclusion.rfl6
fhLV3‘…These people are completely insane too.’ReIWi
29XThey hadn’t saved me.taod
bPwZQVThey hadn’t welcomed me.6xlX
Q8NWbThey had simply threatened me, pointed guns at me, questioned my identity, and decided whether or not they should kill me.yZiY
WIC0i9f‘I don’t know who wrote the manual.’JHaNj
F98But at least these two people in front of me didn’t look like saviors.mBat
QBfv1Yeom Hwi walked ahead.9LF
8u7O6Seo Ryu followed after letting out a short sigh.RnH0w
8juI cast one last glance toward the dark end of the corridor.Ic32Jq
TaU6RIt still felt as though something was waiting there.MaAUFC6
mzY3sPI***9auxXIm
1IHWe walked.Lg4r3pm
BmrIn silence.AUwQnEw
YYhmqFor a long time, we moved forward without exchanging a single word.SfSLPX
HrvPtWe had left the presence behind long ago, and it still had not resumed following us.Mwb
bkVK1But since we didn’t know when it might reappear, we didn’t stop.P4wP
FPMwQD6Our pace was steady.bcxbq
QpuDanger, anxiety, and an indescribable silence floated through the air.8lR
3BWiS1wAnd within all of that, our strange companionship continued.yuuVB0X
q5QSjHow much time passed?glH
zLPnLXLThe footsteps of Yeom Hwi, who was leading the group, came to a halt.mnSBH9l
jlqHis heterochromatic eyes turned toward a wall along the corridor.nHd
Pk3ZfqIt was a room.l216
28JkBYA collapsed sign.Z9G
ZnJdA half-ripped door.hrumJz
tnQwSTwisted hinges.ivS
jGyHDCThe entrance to an abandoned building that, under normal circumstances, would have gone unnoticed.0OvsA
yc90yh“…”0dAQ
wuDIhYeom Hwi stared at the door for a long moment.eAP7F
xbiNr7Then he grasped the doorknob and turned it without saying a word.jAHbnu
gyLPSoCWith a creak, the heavy door slowly opened.93QIf2E
HPo‘Here…’BNYSvG
1WCAn old room.Cjh7d
oPMq6JVWorn wallpaper.wzQmz
eX9Antique furniture.qgKcY
xdWfXW4An unlit lamp.kJYJ
swmIt was an ordinary room, but when Yeom Hwi and Seo Ryu entered, I hesitated for a moment before following them.WaO
2gZEThe inside was quieter than I expected.9imyG
MFirThere was only a rickety bed on the verge of collapse, a worn single-person sofa, a dust-covered mirror, and a cracked dresser.UgL
n9cY6esNaturally, there were no windows.6VieFjo
vRgn7The ceiling lamp flickered unstably.VENNeVq
Za1857And yet, for some reason, it felt safer than those expressionless corridors.j3onZ
KQYYeom Hwi stood in the middle of the room and ran a gloved hand over the thick layer of dust covering the dresser.l0cqlJ
o9kySeo Ryu remained by the door.ntiDGv
FmLWFWqAlthough she had lowered her weapon, she was still watching the corridor with alert ears.RSXH
lbQ1SGCThe shadows of the three of us intertwined within that narrow, damp room.swN
TjThxYeom Hwi turned his head toward me.00kmSp
JWSn86EHis heterochromatic eyes alternately gleamed beneath the flickering light.gdiySM5
TakA“Sit wherever you want.”pk1WzZM
qjxqjfhe said, gesturing with his chin toward an old sofa leaning against the wall, one of its legs broken.FOBO
T71His tone was too firm to be a suggestion and too relaxed to be an order.4ea
KdyvrfI carefully sat down on the edge of the sofa.NcMb2
g94fxThe creak sounded absurdly loud.bCUT
d6UHLcYeom Hwi sat on the edge of the dresser, pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inner pocket of his suit, then put it away again.sawZ
pXOAfterward, his gaze alternated between my face and the beads of the Relics of the Smiling Martyr around my wrist.M7f4
ON9VLU“So you’re from the Extraction Team of Limited Company Where the Dead End Up with Ghosts…”yONi2O
1mU5His voice echoed heavily.BjJAYv
WgysuomI didn’t know whether it was because of the dampness in the corridor or the thoughts he carried within him, but it seemed weighed down.ZTxk
NM0QFM7“I have many questions, but first I’ll ask you only one.”JNH
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