Project-1004 (2): The Angel's Darkening Halo
Anomaly Management Agency Underground Bunker.
"Another... angel meeting..."
"Yeah..."
The directors gathered once more in the bunker, dragging their busy schedules along.
North American Director Catherine, settling into her seat, glanced around and let out a hollow laugh.
"Have we ever met this frequently?"
"Last time was during the Vietnam War, I think."
"Our little angel's keeping us on our toes..."
Catherine grumbled through her lips, but her eyes were deadly serious.
They'd been called together often over angel-related matters, and each time, a crisis of equal magnitude had erupted.
This one might be the gravest they'd faced yet.
A mechanical chime signaled the start of the meeting, and proceedings began in earnest.
Agenda: Discussion on Anomaly-1004's Corruption
The moment the agenda appeared, a massive screen lit up with a magnified photo of the angel.
A faint dark trace had formed on part of her halo, melting away like ice cream.
"This is bad..."
They'd received a brief heads-up already, but seeing the photo hit hard.
A few directors who secretly adored the angel were especially stunned.
Silence hung heavy for a moment before East Asia Director Kim Han-seong spoke up.
"We can all agree that the angel's halo darkening is a sign of corruption."
No one could deny it— a darkening halo was the classic harbinger of an angel's fall.
Kim Han-seong pressed on authoritatively.
"Surprisingly... her clothes wiped away the dark marks, but that's no real fix."
"..."
The board fell silent in unison.
For these directors, who loved picking fights over every word, silence meant consensus.
Confirming their reactions, Kim Han-seong pressed a button on his console.
The screen shifted.
"Just a sec, lemme peel off that dark energy real quick."
This footage showed the angel extracting dark energy from Anomaly-109.
Shockingly, once she pulled it out, the halo's melting stopped dead.
As the directors pondered the clip, the screen flipped again.
Now it displayed a report in English, penned by Han A-young.
Long-winded with graphs galore, but boiled down:
"Hmm..."
The directors narrowed their eyes at the conclusion, murmuring in thought.
Kim Han-seong continued.
"I concur with this report's findings. Any objections?"
"..."
Silence again.
Smiling in satisfaction, he unveiled the meeting's core proposal.
"Given this, I propose immediate execution of the pre-planned Project-1004."
The board stirred at the mention.
Project-1004.
A plan to actively hunt anomalies with Anomaly-1004's help: build a team around her, full agency support across the board.
They'd held off full rollout due to unknowns, starting light.
But Kim Han-seong wanted to accelerate now.
"Too risky."
Carlos shot back instantly, true to his conservative rep.
"If Anomaly-1004 rampages outside, we might trigger agency annihilation protocols. Nukes on your home country, Korea."
"Keeping her locked in containment until she corrupts—that's the bigger risk."
"Mm..."
Kim Han-seong replied coolly.
"Famous fallen angels abound. Consider their cases."
Like Lucifer, the poster child—often equated with Satan, the arch-fiend of Abrahamic lore.
Or Belial, hell's ruler from Solomon's 72 demons, another fallen angel.
"Fair point. I agree."
Carlos nodded; the risk of a fully corrupted fallen angel outweighed field deployment.
"No other objections?"
"None."
"Then Project-1004 launches immediately."
The bunker meeting dragged on for over a full day.
Riiing~!
"Ugh..."
The ten alarms set at one-minute intervals for healthy habits finally roused me on the third round.
Half-asleep, I fumbled to silence them.
Mm... good morning.
My sleepless RatPT, bored stiff, wagged its tail in greeting.
-Merrr...
The pup nestled in my arms stirred awake too.
I'd escaped sleep, but one trial remained: fleeing this fluffy, warm bed.
I wrestled my body's pleas for more cocoon time and—
"Up we go..."
—bolted out in one go.
The chill hit hard post-bed.
I threw on outer layers and launched into Korean Military Range of Motion Exercises in a daze.
"One... two..."
Daily ritual warmed my body; next, breakfast.
"Eek..."
The robot arm's menu sparked instant revulsion.
Today's lineup:
Balanced Nutrition Protocol
Black Bean Rice / Cucumber Banchan / Soybean Banchan / Bean Sprout Bulgogi / Tofu Stew / Veggie Juice
Bean sprout bulgogi offered protein, but tainted with my nemesis bean sprouts.
"Ahem... wow, full plate today..."
I nudged the tray aside slyly—
Angel.
No picky eating, remember?
"..."
"Uh... well..."
Balanced diet is key in your growth phase.
"I kn... know, but..."
Picky habits stick for life. Tough it out now.
"Yes, sir..."
Once-picky RatPT, now full nag-mode like a mom, broke me.
I reluctantly grabbed chopsticks for the bean sprout bulgogi.
Topped it on a spoonful of rice, then—
Nom...
Crunch crunch...
Bean sprouts' crisp texture clashed with black beans' thick bitterness.
"Eugh..."
Forced it down, but brutal...
Veggies and I may never get along...
Good job! 👍
"..."
Finally cleared the plate; RatPT flashed a gold-star emoji.
I replied in kind—
Hiss...
—when the containment door slid open.
"Huh...? RatPT, anything on schedule?"
No prior plans today.
I shivered.
"RatPT... not another checkup, right...?"
Can't rule it out.
Checkup wasn't long ago, but with the recent halo-melt scare, they might poke again.
"Ugh... shots are the worst..."
Shuddering at needle visions—
"Huh...?"
—in walked Agent Ajeossi, not the expected doc.
"Agent Ajeossi...?"
Staring blankly, he pulled something from his case.
"Eh...?"
Oh...!
The familiar Holy Water Rifle—the K2C1.
Agents used laser zappers; not his style.
Why bring this?
He handed it over.
"Here, angel. This is your rifle from now on."
"Y-Yes...?"
A gun...?!
Hands shook.
"A-Ajeossi... isn't this dangerous...?"
He chuckled at my tremors, finding it cute.
"Not the kind you're thinking. Treat it like a water gun loaded with holy water—for anomalies only."
"Ah..."
Phew... relief.
Live rounds? I'd have bolted.
"Starting today, you and I train on this. Think you can handle it?"
I grinned confidently.
"Hehe, of course!"
Me?
Elite warrior pedigree, baby...!