Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall Into Horror Tales, I Still Have to Go to Work
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Director Ho's mouth did not open.
However, the incantation had begun.
Countless circular ripples shimmered over Agent Choi's face.
The smile on the agent's face distorted amid the ripples.
And the moment he pulled his body back...
Boom.
"...!!"
Blood poured out as if one side of his face had caved in.
Flesh had been torn away in the exact shape of the ripples.
No.
"Don't move. Do not move."
I grabbed Agent Choi.
Not the back of the hand, but the face.
The treatment of spies was different.
It meant he would be killed if he moved.
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
The incantation continued.
That was...
The bleeding intensified.
Blood flowed over my hand gripping Agent Choi's shoulder.
What could I do?
Director Ho's incantations didn't come from his mouth. Even if I spoke to him or begged, it wouldn't stop.
If this continued, wasn't I just helping Agent Choi die more smoothly and quickly by holding him?
I couldn't even help him escape. The incantation had already begun, and his equipment... his equipment was all inside my tattoo.
If only I hadn't disarmed him in the first place.
No, if I hadn't given him that note.
Even in the final moments, it might have been better to transfer him to the glass prison.
But all those moments had passed, and now Director Ho was speaking.
'......'
Is it over?
That was definitely the ending phrase, right? So it just ends with a powerful restraint?
For a moment, I felt relieved.
If we'd gotten past this, maybe we could find another way somehow. At this point, we could manage...
The incantation didn't end.
No.
I lunged forward.
I kicked the back of Director Ho's seat while reaching out to grab his collar.
Then I slammed him roughly against the steering wheel.
Beeeep!
The weight made the horn blare wildly.
The noise drowned out all incantations, and the disrupted focus broke his concentration.
The oppressive pressure filling the space vanished.
In that instant, the circular ripples disappeared from Agent Choi's face.
Panting.
Silence.
...Stillness.
"......"
"......"
"Sol-eum."
"......"
"Did you just attack me?"
I released my hand.
My mouth barely moved.
"It had to be stopped."
"......"
"It was the wrong choice."
It was a mad choice.
I had just rebuked my vastly superior boss, someone who had imposed a restraint on me and could kill me at any moment—something not quite human...
"Aha."
Director Ho clapped his palms together loudly.
"So you knew better than me!"
"......"
"You couldn't last even a quarter of the infiltration period without your own team leader discovering your identity, and without saying a word to me, you've been meeting the security team personally as a spy!"
I'm going to die.
One misstep here, and I'm dead.
Director Ho had never shown such direct animosity before. I was dead.
But, but...
Still.
"That was your mistake."
"......"
"Pardon?"
"The setup was too sloppy from the start. Infiltrators should never have been deployed under their real names."
Yes.
"Judging that the Disaster Management Bureau wouldn't track new hires' movements was an overly naive decision for a planner."
Incredible words came from my mouth, unbelievable to utter to such a superior.
I couldn't stop.
"Why send them in under such easily detectable conditions? I thought there were other safeguards, but there weren't. You did it on purpose..."
"......"
Wait.
"I see."
I looked at Director Ho.
"You did it on purpose. You wanted them caught."
"......!"
"You sent them hoping they'd be exposed from the start. That's why you kept their real names, and why you only selected rookies instead of veterans."
Expecting the inexperienced to make mistakes.
Using the easy excuse of 'to evade the Disaster Management Bureau's detection,' he had cherry-picked honest, diligent new hires who seemed perfect for the Bureau.
And there was another side effect.
"The agents who uncover these infiltrators' identities will be even more confused. After all, there's no real difference in character from genuine agents."
Opinions on disposal would be fiercely divided internally.
Realizing no personality test could screen out spies, suspicion would spread toward each other.
And so...
"You induced internal division in the Disaster Management Bureau?"
"......"
"To slowly dismantle a tightly knit organization by sowing seeds of distrust toward new recruits?"
"Sol-eum, such a vivid imagination!"
Really?
"But you won't directly deny it."
Director Ho stared at me silently.
"'I had no such intent, and I swear it on the counseling room.' ...Can you declare that?"
"......"
"I asked if you can declare it."
"Sol-eum."
A soft, affable smile appeared on Director Ho's face.
"Even if you did, nothing changes."
"......!"
"The promise was one from the beginning."
Director Ho raised his index finger.
"If you bring me the documents I requested, you'll receive the Wish Grant. That's an ironclad guarantee that will never be withdrawn."
"So."
My mouth was dry from tension.
My heart pounded wildly.
But my mouth moved without hesitation.
"Whether I'm exposed or not doesn't matter. As long as I can bring the 'documents.'"
"......"
"As long as you can hear that information, Director."
Information on extinction-grade supernatural disasters.
"......"
Yes.
"Then I'll bring it unconditionally."
"The documents?"
"The information you want."
"You're already exposed?"
"Even if exposed,"
I met Director Ho's eyes.
"I can bring it."
And while pointing at Agent Choi, I subtly shielded him with my back.
"But if this agent dies or becomes incapacitated here, the mission becomes impossible."
"Why is that?"
"Because I can't clean up from there."
"......"
"......"
Director Ho silently smiled at me.
I couldn't tear my eyes away, holding his gaze. I endured.
And then.
"Very well."
Director Ho declared.
"Our promise remains unchanged. I'm truly looking forward to seeing just how you'll deliver those documents to me, Sol-eum."
"......"
A sigh of relief barely escaped my throat.
"But... you must receive punishment."
"......!"
"I'm sure you already know your response just now was utterly rude and inappropriate."
My eyelids trembled.
"None of the others were exposed, so I can't fathom how you claim it's not your personal failing."
A chilling dread ran down my spine.
"Excuses are free, but attacking a superior because your opinion wasn't accepted was too much... So, speculating on why you went that far."
"......"
"Have you grown attached?"
Cold sweat dripped from my chin.
"Are you scared of losing a fellow agent you've worked with? You make precious bonds quite easily, even in unfamiliar environments."
"Director."
I responded as calmly as possible.
"It's natural to fear another person dying."
"......"
"If my rebuttal offended you, I apologize."
"Of course not! I'm not offended. It's only natural."
A smile spread across Director Ho's face again.
"But rules are rules."
"......"
"Extend your hand? You need to be punished."
"......"
I slowly extended both hands, barely keeping them from shaking.
Palms up.
Ripples formed.
But unlike the previous secrecy restraint, it wasn't gentle.
A massive, deep indentation twisted into my hand with grotesque pain and an eerie sensation.
"...!"
I gritted my teeth, sweating coldly. I mustn't move. If I moved...
I suppressed a scream.
As the ripples on my hand faded, the grotesque sensation and pain slowly receded...
"I was concerned you might lie to buy time, so this time I handled it without naivety!"
Director Ho smiled brightly.
"Thank you for letting me know."
"......"
I withdrew my hand.
In that moment, my eyes met Agent Choi's trembling pupils.
"Ah. I should be going now."
"......"
"I only planned a quick cleanup, but our chat dragged on longer than expected, Sol-eum."
"Chat... didn't feel like one......"
"......!!"
"He said... one month later... he'll kill you..."
Security Captain!
Don't say it, please!
Director Ho looked at him for the first time, as if only now noticing the security captain's presence.
And... he smiled and said,
"Please give my regards to Director Cheong."
"......!"
Director Ho turned back as if he hadn't heard the security captain's words at all.
He smiled broadly at me.
"Well then, have a good night, Sol-eum!"
And then.
Director Ho vanished from the driver's seat.
"......"
"......"
"Director Cheong... no reason to meet... Ah, he's gone."
I'm alive.
I nearly collapsed onto the taxi floor.
But realizing I was already sitting, I forced my trembling body to move.
Agent Choi's bleeding had reached a horrific level.
I opened a healing agent from the equipment I'd taken from Agent Choi and began emergency treatment to staunch the bleeding.
"......"
The bleeding from his face stopped, and he calmed somewhat.
Agent Choi didn't resist.
But he still said nothing.
"Agent."
He glanced at me only with his eyes.
"Don't think about it."
"About what."
"Ways to break the director's restraint. Don't even contemplate trying."
"......"
The first restraint Director Ho uttered had already taken hold on Agent Choi.
Now, he couldn't convey any information about me being a spy or today's events.
He had to appear as if living today exactly like yesterday.
Otherwise.
"You'll be punished."
"Punished."
"Yes."
I looked up and said firmly.
"Your most precious possession will meet the director."
"......"
Agent Choi silently took back his treatment tools from my hand and continued the first aid himself.
With the proficiency unique to someone with long experience in the job.
And...
"...He called himself director."
I didn't answer.
"What restraint did the director place on you?"
"......"
"Right now, it seems like if you don't do your spy work properly in a month, he'll kill you. What was it before?"
I opened the car door.
And jerked my chin.
"Go home."
"How do you plan to extract the information?"
"None of your business."
Agent Choi looked at me with unreadable eyes.
"If you tell me what information, maybe I can help."
"No need. I won't ask you to smuggle it out."
"What's the wish you're trying to achieve this way?"
I couldn't hold back.
"Going home."
"......!"
"......I'll leave your equipment in the trunk."
I got out of the car with the security captain.
Then I pulled out all of Agent Choi's gear, placed it in the trunk, and slipped in a low-grade Daydream regeneration potion in between.
Who knew what explanations he'd face at work tomorrow with his face like that.
...While doing this, Agent Choi didn't follow us out of the car.
Click.
I roughly closed the trunk and walked away with the security captain.
...Somewhere.
"......"
"Um... are you... okay...?"
"......Yes."
The worst was averted.
Clearly, I'd properly escaped the situation.
One month.
That was enough. I could do it. I had a plan...
I could do it.
"Mm......"
The security captain's slow voice came.
"If it's really impossible... come find me... "
"...Thank you."
Even the words were appreciated.
I finally pulled myself together.
"S-Sorry. You keep helping me, but I haven't treated you to anything."
Was there a bakery nearby? I wanted to give him something other than donuts, but the security captain slowly shook his head.
"Mm. Next time... at a good place for food......"
"...Yes. Next time. Definitely."
A faint chuckle escaped me.
...My mind eased a bit.
"Um... the info I gathered...?"
"That too, next time."
But that was the limit.
I barely managed a faint smile as I saw the security captain off.
He looked back several times but ultimately returned to Daydream before sunset...
"......"
I lowered my head.
The plush doll at my chest came into view.
"......"
"Think whatever you want."
I pulled out the plush doll.
A brief impulse to throw it onto the roadside surged, but I stuffed it into my jacket pocket instead.
Now I wouldn't have to hear the voice.
At least for today.
"......"
I returned to the rundown motel I'd rented long-term.
And five hours later, I clocked in at the Disaster Management Bureau.
As if nothing had changed.