Chapter 24 - Screwed: It Wasn't Just About Looks
I'm screwed. It wasn't just a matter of appearance. It was the aura radiating from her. Even without a single word, the sharp, quiet pressure was palpable. The very air in the room felt like it was being honed thin and cold right then and there.
Lea knew it instinctively. The woman before her was strong. Stronger, without a doubt, than Arnot, the first villain she'd taken down.
And. She was the seriously exhausting type.
'Ah, this is bad.'
Inside, she already wanted to take a step back, but Lea forced her chin up just a bit. She couldn't let it show. Couldn't let on that she was intimidated.
The moment Yoo Eun-ha crossed the threshold, she felt a faint tension coil deep inside her body. It was nothing like the photos. When she'd heard the receptionist's report, she'd been skeptical. But the presence right in front of her now erased that doubt in an instant.
'...Dangerous.'
It wasn't just the overwhelming mana. Even without fully revealing her power, the very texture of the space had shifted subtly. An unpleasant sense of wrongness, as if the center of this reception room wasn't her but that side. And above all, the gaze. Not the eyes of someone looking down on their opponent, but a scanning look that didn't bother with wariness—like she'd already seen through what she was in a single glance.
'This won't be easy.'
That fact only heightened Eun-ha's tension. A powerhouse who didn't tense up. That was the most unpredictable type.
Of course, for Lea, it was just plain intimidation.
Eun-ha closed the door as if nothing was amiss and stepped inside. Click-clack. The tip of her cane tapped the floor with a short, crisp sound.
She kept a certain distance from Lea, stared for a moment, then sat in the chair opposite. A distance where neither could lunge in a single glance, but close enough that letting her guard down would be risky. Even that spacing felt precisely calculated.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence. Both were choosing their opening words.
Lea drafted and erased dozens of sentences in her head.
'Hello?' No, too weak.
'I am the agent of God.' What, this wasn't a declaration of war... Plus, she'd already said something similar to the receptionist earlier?
'I've come about an identity issue.' ...Too straightforward maybe?
As Lea agonized over her opener, Eun-ha was in a similar bind.
'What brings you here?' Too ordinary.
'Are you the agent of God?' Too direct.
'I am Director Yoo Eun-ha of the Management Bureau.' Necessary.
But what came after was the problem.
In the end, Eun-ha spoke first.
"A precious guest has come in person."
A low, cold voice. Polite, but not friendly.
Lea broke into a cold sweat inside at those words.
'Precious guest, my ass...'
She was clearly minding her manners. But it felt like any weird answer would get her pierced right through.
Lea schooled her expression as best she could and slowly opened her mouth.
『Skip the unnecessary greetings.』
Her voice came out well, fortunately. Cold, low, with a decent air of dignity. If only her inner thoughts didn't betray her, it was pretty convincing.
But Eun-ha didn't even narrow her eyes. She simply waited quietly for the next words.
That attitude only made Lea more jittery.
'...Why no reaction?'
'She's the scary one here.'
But the water was already spilled. Lea paused a beat and continued.
『You must have some idea why I've come.』
Eun-ha gave a very brief reply.
"I have a few possibilities in mind."
Eh, really? That thought flashed through Lea's mind, but she didn't let it show.
"But I won't assume based on guesses alone."
Lea was momentarily at a loss for words. Far more cautious than expected. And far more skilled.
The more Lea tried to press with authority, the more Eun-ha retreated with polite chill. That made her even harder to handle.
Eun-ha thought to herself.
No clear hostility. But the purpose is definite.
Coming of her own will means she wants something.
Reaching that conclusion, she went a bit more direct.
"Since you've come in person, you must have a request."
Lea's fingertips twitched ever so slightly. Not caught, but poked.
Eun-ha didn't miss that tiny reaction.
'As expected.'
But her expression didn't change.
Lea fixed her gaze and said, 『...Quick thinker.』
"Quick judgment is my job."
An unshakable response. As Lea nearly wanted to cry inside at Eun-ha's flat delivery over a tilted coffee cup,
'Ah, this person is exhausting...'
There was no turning back now. She'd come this far; she had to say it.
'Just say it. Say it and be done. Finish quick and go home.'
Lea repeated that to herself several times. And finally, she got to the point.
『...I need a new identity right now.』
Eun-ha's gaze deepened just a fraction. It was one of the purposes she'd anticipated. But not so bluntly.
"A new identity..."
She echoed it briefly.
"Not based on existing records?"
『Yes.』
"A legal identity, then?"
Lea hesitated at that. Legal. The word stung.
In the end, she lifted her chin slightly and replied, 『I have no desire for needless commotion.』
This wasn't a lie. 『I only need the bare minimum foundation to live quietly.』
Eun-ha fell silent for a long moment after hearing that. Light streaming in from the window cast long shadows across the room floor. The silence between them wasn't long, but it felt strangely heavy.
In that moment, Eun-ha pondered quietly.
She wants an identity.
Not for escape or destruction, but a base to settle.
This was important. It meant she wasn't, at least in this instant, a being who'd completely turned her back on society.
But she couldn't trust it too easily either.
Eun-ha spoke very slowly. "It's hard to answer on feasibility right away."
Lea's gut dropped.
'Screwed?'
But Eun-ha's words didn't end there.
"However."
Her ash-gray eyes fixed precisely on Lea.
"If you truly have no intention of causing a commotion and plan to live quietly in Korea."
"The Management Bureau has no reason to act with hostility."
The moment she heard that, Lea exhaled—just barely enough not to show.
A tiny breath. Really tiny.
Eun-ha didn't miss even that faint relief.
'...She seems like someone being chased.'
Her guard didn't relax, though. Not knowing what she'd done made her need to be more cautious.
Eun-ha tapped the cane tip lightly on the floor and continued. "Instead, there are conditions."
Lea's insides clenched again.
'Ah, of course.'
'Yeah, no way it'd end easy.'
Her face showed no tremor as she opened her mouth. 『Speak.』
The air in the reception room grew taut once more.
Eun-ha lowered her eyes briefly, then spoke in a very matter-of-fact tone. "It's simple."
『...』
"Granting you a new identity isn't impossible."
At those words, a small spark lit in Lea's heart. Was it working? Really?
'I can use the internet and YouTube again?'
But it was too early to celebrate. Eun-ha's next words followed.
"In exchange, the Bureau needs minimal safeguards."
As expected. Lea swallowed a sigh inside. 『Be specific.』
Eun-ha rested her hand on the cane handle and explained calmly. "First, you'll receive one designated contact method from the Bureau."
『...』
"It's not for surveillance. Just so we can reach you in emergencies."
Lea's expression didn't change, but inside she was a mess.
'Hate it.'
'Hate it so much.'
They'd contact her every time something happened. Already annoying.
As if reading her mind, Eun-ha continued. "Second, if large-scale use of your powers is anticipated, at least notify us afterward."
『Afterward?』
"Yes. Like conducting mass healing in the middle of Seoul, or turning a terrorist to ash in one blow..."
"For incidents like the recent ones—phenomena too large to control easily—it makes follow-up measures difficult for us."
"For example..."
"...Reactions strong enough to shatter precision equipment in the medical ward."
At that, an earthquake hit Lea's pupils.
『..Wh-what does that mean..?』
"...?"
It was a completely unexpected reaction. She'd anticipated some response, but not this level of shake.
'So that girl Lea and God's agent are the same person.'
That reaction made it obvious. She'd been trying to mask it with bravado and intimidation from the start, but the moment an unanticipated topic hit, the facade cracked.
"It's nothing. If it doesn't concern you, no need to worry."
Her true form was probably that child from the report, after all.
"..."
As that thought clicked, Eun-ha's mind raced.
She needs an identity. A new one. So why does she need one?
She wields immense power but lacks common social norms. So, no proper education?
『...Um?』
Lea spoke up, growing anxious, but no answer came.
'What? Did I mess up? Why'd she go quiet all of a sudden?'
Maintaining the dignified pose was getting hard; even the projected body began to waver, but...
Lea didn't notice at all. The woman in front of her was acting even stranger.
With the director deep in thought right there, Lea was the only one fretting.
But the moment Lea swallowed nervously, the tips of her golden hair trembled ever so faintly. Like a camera focus slipping just a bit.
And then... Shimmer—
『Eh, wha— wha??』
"In that case, our... Bu... reau... Eh?"
"..."
"..."
Too anxious, the projection unraveled.
"...Uh.."
Eun-ha blanked for a moment. After all, the charismatic agent of God before her had... in an instant, become an innocent, petite girl.
It was the form from the report.
"..."
Shimmer—
And after a brief pause, the girl's face sitting before Eun-ha flushed bright red as a glow enveloped her.
For the first time, Eun-ha couldn't hide her expression, silently watching the scene.
...
"..."
And a few seconds later, only Eun-ha remained in the room.