It was past midnight,
and only two days remained until the Day of Disaster.
Inside the hideout, Agent Choi and I sat beside the still-sleeping Agent Bronze, each of us organizing our information.
Nothing had changed from when I had woken up a few days ago.
Silence flowed between us.
-The seal will be released in the evening of the day, around the hour of the dog… If you want to make a move before then, that morning is your last chance.
There really wasn't much time left.
Which meant we couldn't go on like this.
I let out a breath and put down what I was looking at.
"Agent Choi."
"..."
"What are you hiding?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know there's something you're not telling me. …We can't afford to spend our time like this."
I looked at him.
"This is an Extinction-class supernatural disaster. It's a situation where even if we share everything we know and plan our operation together, there's no guarantee our attempt will succeed."
"..."
"Besides, the termination method I'm trying to use hasn't been definitively proven, so there are bound to be flaws. It'll be a problem if the people entering the Disaster aren't in sync."
"…Right. You know that well."
Agent Choi said in a casual tone, his eyes still fixed on what he was reading.
"Grapes-ie."
"..."
"The method you're trying to use is bogus."
....
"Excuse me?"
"I said it's bogus."
Thud.
Agent Choi placed the researchers' 'Potion Maker Repair Log' on the floor.
"I've memorized it all. I also heard from the researchers you smuggled out."
"That's…"
"But no matter how I look at it, I can't deduce that this machine has the ability to end the metropolitan city's Supernatural Disaster."
"..."
"You knew it too, didn't you? Your plan isn't just flawed, it's a complete gamble."
"It's not that bad."
"What do you mean, 'it's not that bad'? …Do you trust that note left by Lee Kangheon so much?"
"..."
"That's not a hint you found in a Supernatural Phenomenon, it's just a note someone left behind. And you're going to believe that?"
"I thought it was worth a shot, given the circumstances."
"No."
Agent Choi's eyes, sunken, stared at me.
"This isn't taking a shot, it's running an experiment."
"…!"
"'It might be true, so I'll risk my life alone to try it out,' isn't that it?"
"You too, Agent Choi…"
I said, suppressing my anger.
"While rescuing people until now, haven't you ever tried an escape method based on a small clue?"
"Of course I have. But willingly walking into a death trap is different! I don't do things like that."
"..."
No, you do.
If the flow of events hadn't changed when I cleared Lookie Mart, you were the agent who would have gone up to the 4th floor and disappeared.
The words rose to my throat, but I couldn't say them.
And another thing.
"I'm not walking into a death trap."
"Oh yeah? Then let me ask you. You said people go crazy when they hear that damn music box, so how were you planning to prevent that? It didn't seem like you were looking for an Item these past few days."
"I told you. For some strange reason, I wasn't greatly affected by that mental Contamination…"
"..."
"Agent Choi."
I realized.
"You never believed me from the start, did you?"
-So, you're saying that if the Disaster is terminated right before the seal is released… the civilians might survive.
That wasn't an agreement.
This man had no intention of cooperating with my attempt from the very beginning.
He didn't believe what I said.
"Suggesting we try to terminate it… was just a lie to reassure me."
"It wasn't a lie."
Agent Choi stood up from his seat.
"I'm just trying a different method."
"What kind of method? If you had such a method in the first place, shouldn't you have told me about it…"
Ah.
"You had no intention of moving with me."
"..."
"Come to think of it, it would be easy. After saying you'll enter the special city, you could just put me to sleep instead of letting me enter."
"Grapes-ie."
"You were aiming for that, just pretending to go along with what I wanted all this time, weren't you?"
"..."
"A different method? What's so different if you try it instead of me?"
"It is different."
Agent Choi looked at me with a weary face, then rubbed his face and stood before me.
He was about to speak in a calm voice.
"…Soleum. At the very least, I won't try a method I don't even know is a trap or not. I'll choose a method where I can predict the outcome as much as possible."
"I've already dismantled the trap."
"What if there's another one? What if the note itself is a trap? Do you think others can't think of what you've thought of?"
"Even so, we already discussed that things can't get any worse!"
"Right! Even if it's a trap, things won't get worse! Except for the person doing it dying or ending up in a state worse than death!"
"Stop it!!"
Agent Choi and I gasped for breath and turned our heads.
Agent Haegeum, who had just entered the hideout, was looking at us and shouted with a hardened face.
"This country might end in two days, and you two are fighting amongst yourselves? Do you have that much time to spare?"
"…The country won't end. The Disaster Management Bureau will re-initiate the seal."
I said, as if vomiting the words without realizing it.
"But Segwang Metropolitan City will remain trapped in a ghost story where its citizens die repeatedly every day. That's…"
"Agent Grapes."
Agent Haegeum looked into me.
What I saw in her eyes was… a worried calmness.
"Where is that impatience coming from?"
"..."
"If I had heard that from Young-eun, I would have understood. But you don't have any special ties to that city."
"..."
"Could it be that emotion… is it coming from that executive from the Fox Counseling Room, the one who was said to be a supernatural being of the special city?"
I was conflicted.
"…I may have been influenced, but that's not all it is."
It's difficult and frustrating to keep being vague and silent.
…What if I try being more honest?
I haven't been able to until now, so maybe if I confess everything this time, something might change…
After hesitating, I finally opened my mouth as if spewing it all out.
"I… want to terminate this Darkness, no, this Disaster."
"It seems like you have a personal reason. Why?"
"..."
Ha.
"I need Dream Essence Liquid."
I clenched both fists and lowered my gaze.
Maybe, this time…
"The liquid used to make Wish Tickets at Daydream. I… I really, this time… I've found a way to use it properly."
"..."
"It's not the dangerous kind of Wish Ticket the company gives out. It's the original. The Cheerful Research Institute, that organization originally developed it… and considering the group's purpose, it will really grant wishes, so-"
"...Agent Grapes."
"It's true. The Wish Tickets produced at Daydream were a distorted version, but this time, it will be real."
And Agent Haegeum…
patted my back.
As if calming down someone who wasn't in their right mind.
....
"You don't believe me."
I sank.
"Yes… I couldn't tell you because I thought that would happen. But-"
"Kim Soleum."
Agent Choi sat down in front of me.
And a pleading yet firm voice was heard.
"You can't go home."
"..."
Calm down.
"You've experienced it too. Don't believe anyone who says you can go back to before, to the past. Okay? But…"
This, he's saying this because he doesn't know my real situation… It's natural that a rational person wouldn't believe that I really have a home in a world other than this one. And he keeps saying something, but…
'The living must go on living.'
'You have to move forward, not be tied to the past.'
I know, I know it's that kind of advice and shock therapy for encouragement, but…
....
What the hell do you know?
"…!"
I lowered the hand that had almost grabbed Agent Choi by the collar.
But the words had already spilled out.
"I can go back! Because I'm not from here!"
"What?"
"This whole situation, this place is a ghost story and a Supernatural Disaster to me! I…"
"..."
"..."
"What does that mean?"
Ah.
I backed away.
"I'm sorry."
"Grapes, Kim Soleum…!"
I stumbled backward out of the hideout. Then I ran down, looking for a door.
"Kim Soleum!"
I was about to hang a nameplate on the door of an abandoned container, which could barely be called a door, and cross over to the Fox Counseling Room… but.
"..."
I stopped in my tracks.
'I can't go on like this.'
Don't be overwhelmed by the situation just because it feels unbearable. If I keep avoiding it, I'll just keep avoiding it.
....
Right.
"Agent Choi."
I turned around, head still bowed, took a deep breath, and spoke.
"I'm sure this seems frustrating from your perspective. You probably don't understand what I'm saying."
I could see Agent Choi's feet stop.
"And if you're already thinking of another, more certain method, I know my attempt might just look like throwing an egg at a rock."
"..."
"But in truth, I know that the 'certain method' you mentioned is also a crazy method where you shoulder the entire burden yourself."
"You–"
"So let's be fair."
I said, looking back.
"I, too, am going to try my best."
"..."
"If you ever feel like cooperating, I hope you'll come to the counseling room then."
I then opened the door and crossed over into the counseling room.
Click.
"..."
"…Mr. Roe Deer?"
I let out a deep sigh.
Then I sat on the floor of the counseling room and took out the Dream Collector from within my tattoo.
It was intact.
'I can collect it.'
…I wonder how Agent Choi will react.
Even if the agents couldn't cooperate, there were plenty of alternatives.
'I can proceed with the plan.'
After all, getting help with entry, movement, and backup… is also possible from this counseling room.
'Hoo.'
I lifted my head and looked at Ho Yuwon, who was sitting at the waiting room table.
"What did you and Agent Choi talk about yesterday?"
"Pardon?"
"Did he, by any chance, ask you to secretly put me to sleep when it's my turn to enter, so I don't enter the special city?"
"..."
His mouth opened.
"That's right."
....
"He said he would try a more humane and safer way to seal the Disaster while saving the citizens of Segwang Metropolitan City."
Just as I thought.
'Agent Choi was planning to interfere with the Sealing Ritual…!'
He was planning to interfere with the Disaster Management Bureau's Sealing Ritual, which would be conducted again as soon as the current seal was released, to change something.
The fact that Agent Choi had been tracking the Sealing Ritual at the Ritual Site for the past few days wasn't just to grasp the situation, but clearly in preparation for that method.
And of course, it wouldn't be an ordinary method.
'How on earth can one person handle a seal that was completed by repeatedly sacrificing hundreds of thousands, maybe over a million people, every single day?'
…And he planned to stop my method of trying to terminate it before the seal was released by pretending to agree, then backstabbing me.
'...'
Did Agent Haegeum… know too?
My head grew cold.
My mouth was dry with impatience.
"So, did you… agree to stop my entry and just put me to sleep?"
"I told him I'd think about it."
"..."
"But he did say that since there wasn't much time left, he needed an answer within today or tomorrow."
A peculiar smile graced Ho Yuwon's face.
"He seemed to dislike me quite a bit, yet he asked so earnestly."
"…I see."
Through the shock, a very faint, stinging feeling welled up and then disappeared.
Because I knew his decision was definitely made out of concern for me.
'Ha.'
If that's the case, it's better that things turned out this way before it got to that point.
'If anything, my head has cleared.'
I tried to think that way…
Besides, to be perfectly honest, I knew that there was definitely some truth in what Agent Choi said.
'…I barely delved into the possibility of failure.'
I only thought about how to make this method succeed. Thinking about the possibility of failure would only make me anxious, and there was no alternative.
Yes. Right now, I'm fixated on a single possibility.
Because this kind of termination would be an unparalleled good result, I'm interpreting all information with a bias toward that outcome.
…But if I step away from that.
The thing that feels most out of place to me right now is…
"Mr. Ho Yuwon."
"Yes?"
"Why isn't Director Cheong storming in here right now and harming us all?"
This.
Director Cheong almost captured me when I escaped from Segwang Metropolitan City.
That means she probably has a rough idea of how much I've found out.
With her personality, would she just set up the 'Potion Maker's Music Box' trap and leave me be?
Is that rational?
"If the plan I'm making is truly effective, I'd think she'd try to stop this Project itself by destroying this counseling room, even if it's a bit of a stretch."
But Ho Yuwon, who had been looking at me with a slightly surprised expression, seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Hmm. I don't think she would do that."
"Is there a reason?"
"Well, that's… because I am an executive of Daydream, and this Project is under my jurisdiction as an executive, right?"
...!
"I don't think Director Cheong would respect you just because you're a fellow executive."
"That's right. It's closer to her abiding by the rules of this pharmaceutical company."
A slightly sinister look flickered in Ho Yuwon's eyes.
"She can't just one-dimensionally attack an executive of the same rank, especially over a company project, without a proper reason."
"..."
"It's even more so for a company executive to use force to sabotage her own department's project that's producing good results, without any justification."
"…So she can attack through internal company politics, but she won't take matters into her own hands personally?"
"Correct."
I realized something.
Director Cheong had attacked Ho Yuwon with performance pressure and such while he was digging into Segwang Metropolitan City with this project, but she didn't respond by trying to kill him on the street.
As for me, if she really wanted to put me back under her direct command, she could have tried to physically abduct me when I was out on project business, but she didn't…
"If there's one thing that being, who uses any and all means to achieve her goals, desires, and pleasures, cares about."
That is.
"Perhaps it's Daydream Inc. itself? Director Cheong probably prioritizes the rules of this company above all else."
I recalled Director Cheong, who always had the words 'my company' on her lips.
"…Perhaps, it might be the only rule she follows?"
"Perhaps so."
I nodded my head with a strange feeling.
…My mind felt a little calmer. Right.
'Probably… Director Cheong has more tricks up her sleeve.'
The most important thing is that my employment contract is in that executive's hands.
But I also made my own preparations at the Resort for the worst-case scenario, so I won't be taken down without a fight.
And I had absolutely no intention of just letting Agent Choi interfere with the Sealing Ritual.
'Then he'll be the one to die.'
Or he'll be the one to end up in a state worse than death. A chill ran down my spine thinking about what he was trying to handle.
It's more rational to first try my method, which has a chance of leaving even me, the one performing it, unharmed.
But I don't know if such words will get through to him.
Moreover, a groan escaped me as I remembered my own self-exposing outburst.
"..."
"Mr. Roe Deer. How about getting some sleep for now?"
"Pardon?"
"It seems you haven't slept properly for about two days. In this state, I'm worried you'll die on the street from a ridiculous mistake, let alone terminate the Disaster…"
"..."
"Shouldn't you sleep first before you go? That way you can make judgments with a clear mind."
"…What if the agents spirit me away while I'm sleeping?"
"You say something very disappointing."
I could see an expression that seemed to be blinking its eyes with a hint of pretense.
"You can just ask me to prevent that. I'm your employee too, Mr. Noru."
Ah.
"You remember, right? I signed an employment contract too."
I remember.
"I promise. I won't arbitrarily hand over your identity, nor will I interfere with your sleep."
"…I understand."
I finally nodded my head.
Then I went into the Long-Term Inpatient Room and got on the bed.
"Sleep well, Mr. Roe Deer."
And so, I fell asleep.
…And when I opened my eyes again, I saw a being looking down at me from the bedside.
"Hello!"
A familiar person I hadn't seen in a very long time.
I opened my mouth, my voice hoarse.
"…Ms. Dolphin."
"It's been a really long time, hasn't it?"
The small, smiling employee's curly white hair sparkles in the sunlight beyond the counseling room curtains.
"I heard you're going in for the Darkness Termination this time!"
"..."
"I'll be providing my full support."
I nodded and shook her hand.
"Thank you."
…And until I re-entered the Segwang Special City Subway, Agent Choi did not visit the counseling room.