1. Debriefing Begins, Emotional Stability Does Not
Ne Job sat cross-legged on the Archive floor, shaking like a phone on 1% battery.
Qi-Yun stood over him, arms folded, expression unreadable.
They had both been blasted across three chambers by the force of "Feeling #47: Caring Too Much."
The Archive was still repairing itself.
A floating notice blinked overhead:
> UNAUTHORIZED EMOTIONAL DETONATION DETECTED
Damage: Moderate
Responsibility: 100% Intern
Ne Job groaned.
"I didn't mean to explode emotionally."
Qi-Yun replied, "Intent does not negate outcome."
Ne Job muttered, "That's what Yue says too…"
Qi-Yun gave a small nod. "She is correct."
Ne Job stared at him.
"Sir… can I… can I ask something personal?"
Qi-Yun's posture instantly stiffened.
"No."
"Too late—did you ever explode like that during training?"
Qi-Yun paused.
A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth suggested he was calculating whether lying was worth the paperwork.
"…Once."
Ne Job gasped.
"Really?! What emotion was it?"
Qi-Yun answered:
"…Annoyance."
"Annoyance at what?"
Qi-Yun looked away.
"…A mentor."
Ne Job blinked.
"Oh."
Then blinked harder.
"OH."
Qi-Yun added quickly, "The situation was irrelevant."
Ne Job: "Sir… did you care—"
"No."
"You cared—"
"No."
"You're caring right now—"
Qi-Yun snapped, "Intern, silence."
Which, of course, was the exact moment the Archive doors shook again.
Ne Job jumped.
"Oh no WHAT now—"
A training alert scrolled across the chamber:
> EMOTIONAL RESONANCE DESTABILIZING
Cause: Mentor–Student sync deviation
Solution: Clarify relationship boundaries
Ne Job whispered, horrified,
"…Sir. The Archive thinks you care about me."
Qi-Yun stared at the alert.
Then quietly said:
"…I will destroy that system."
---
2. The Training System Decides to Make Things Awkward
The entire chamber lit up with projections.
A holographic diagram displayed two glowing silhouettes:
Mentor
Intern
Lines connected them, labeled:
> mutual emotional impact detected
influence level: increasing
risk: dangerously supportive
Ne Job covered his face.
"NO. NO NO NO. TURN IT OFF."
Qi-Yun's voice dropped into absolute cold steel.
"Archive. Purge emotional diagnostics."
The Archive gently replied:
> Request denied.
Reason: Emotional suppression is unhealthy.
Ne Job nearly screamed.
Qi-Yun inhaled like he was about to commit war crimes.
"…Archive. This is an order—"
Another message appeared:
> Override denied.
User Qi-Yun flagged for 'emotional avoidance tendencies.'
Ne Job wheezed.
"Sir… the system just diagnosed you."
Qi-Yun froze.
"…Unacceptable."
The hologram shifted again.
Now the glowing silhouettes were holding hands.
Ne Job shrieked. "WHY?! WHO PROGRAMMED THIS?!"
The Archive responded helpfully:
> This is an example of emotional grounding between mentor and student.
Qi-Yun:
"I WILL ERASE THIS ENTIRE BUILDING."
Ne Job:
"PLEASE DO."
---
3. The System Begins Forced 'Emotional Calibration'
A soft chime.
Floating cushions appeared.
A tea table manifested.
A paper sign descended from the ceiling:
> MANDATORY EMOTIONAL CALIBRATION: PLEASE SHARE FEELINGS
Ne Job: "Absolutely not."
Qi-Yun: "No."
The Archive:
> Calibration cannot end until both participants express one (1) genuine feeling.
Ne Job slowly turned his head.
"Sir. It wants us to talk."
Qi-Yun said nothing.
The cushions pushed them forward.
Qi-Yun resisted physically.
The cushions pushed harder.
Ne Job tripped into one and sank helplessly.
Qi-Yun remained standing.
The Archive displayed a warning:
> Standing detected = emotional unavailability
Applying corrective action.
A second cushion rammed into Qi-Yun's ankles.
He collapsed into a seated position with alarming grace.
Ne Job stared.
"That was the most dramatic fall I've ever seen."
Qi-Yun ignored him.
…Mostly.
---
4. Qi-Yun Tries to Outsmart the System (And Fails)
Qi-Yun attempted strategy.
"Intern."
"Yes sir?"
"You will express a feeling. I will sign acknowledgment. The system will end."
Ne Job looked skeptical.
"That won't work."
"It will."
"It absolutely won't."
"It will."
Ne Job sighed.
"Okay. I feel… tired."
Qi-Yun nodded. "Acknowledged."
The Archive pulsed:
> FEELING REJECTED. Too shallow.
Try again.
Qi-Yun's face darkened.
Ne Job patted his cushion sympathetically.
"Sir. We're trapped."
Qi-Yun muttered something in ancient bureaucratic language that definitely violated HR policy.
Ne Job tried again.
"I feel… scared that I'll mess things up."
The Archive paused.
Then:
> Intern feeling accepted.
Mentor must now express one (1) feeling.
Ne Job stared.
Qi-Yun stared harder.
Silence.
A long one.
Ne Job whispered:
"…Sir?"
Qi-Yun closed his eyes.
A vein twitched.
Then he finally said:
"…I feel…"
The Archive leaned forward like an eager gossip.
Qi-Yun continued:
"…irritated."
The Archive displayed:
> Feeling deemed insufficiently sincere.
Please try a real one.
Ne Job snorted.
Qi-Yun glared.
"You find this humorous."
"A little—"
"Silence."
---
5. The System Corners Qi-Yun Completely
The cushions began closing in like emotional predators.
The Archive projected:
> Mentor emotional resistance detected.
Initiating deeper calibration.
A small orb floated before Qi-Yun.
It radiated truth.
Ne Job whispered, wide-eyed,
"Sir, that thing forces honest feelings—"
Qi-Yun immediately tried to stab it with a pen of pure authority.
The orb gently dodged.
Qi-Yun tried again.
The orb dodged again.
Qi-Yun hissed, "Stand still."
Ne Job grabbed his sleeve.
"Sir! Just say something real!"
Qi-Yun finally snapped,
"FINE!"
The orb hovered centimeters from his face.
Qi-Yun exhaled through his teeth.
"I… feel…"
The Archive dimmed.
The whole room listened.
"…concern."
Ne Job blinked.
"…For…?"
Qi-Yun looked away.
"For my intern."
Ne Job's brain crashed.
The Archive chimed happily:
> Calibration success! Emotional acceptance achieved.
Mentor–Student sync improved by 7%.
The cushions vanished.
The room returned to normal.
Qi-Yun stood instantly, face perfectly expressionless.
Ne Job whispered, stunned,
"…Sir. You care."
Qi-Yun answered coldly:
"That was a mandatory statement. Do not misinterpret it."
Ne Job smiled.
"Too late."
Qi-Yun's eye twitched.
---
6. Outside: Yue Receives the Emotional Blast (Again)
Back in the Void Storeroom—
Yue staggered.
Ling grabbed her.
"WHAT NOW?!"
Yue was flushed red all the way to her ears.
"It's—It's—Qi-Yun. And Ne Job. They—"
Bao poked in.
"Are they alive?"
Yue hid her face in her sleeves.
"They're… synchronizing."
Ling made a face.
"I don't like that word."
Bao shrugged.
"Sounds intimate."
Ling:
"STOP SAYING THINGS."
Yue whispered:
"…I felt concern. From Qi-Yun. For Ne Job."
Ling froze.
Bao's jaw dropped.
Yue's hands shook.
"I've never felt that from him before."
Ling exhaled slowly.
"…This is getting dangerous."
Yue nodded.
"Very."
Because a caring Qi-Yun—
was not something Heaven was prepared for.
And neither was Ne Job.
---
END OF CHAPTER 193