Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Even If I Fall into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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The letter was matter-of-fact.
"I write this to record the things I failed to mention."
It read like a note left behind by someone stepping out briefly.
Kim Sol-eum mentioned the spare glasses left on the sofa in Hyunmu Team 1's lounge. He noted the flat rear tire on the bike parked in front of headquarters. He informed them about the printer ink still in transit.
It was too trivial and fragmented to qualify as a proper handover.
A hint of lingering attachment would seep through, only to vanish in the next paragraph.
Yet that nonchalant tone maintained its rhythm, slipping past unnoticed before shifting into something profoundly meaningful.
Advice that no rookie from the Disaster Management Bureau could possibly know.
... Counsel regarding supernatural disasters.
"Wearing silk in the ironing section of the intersection laundromat will no longer be safe after the rescue of the citizen in the blue dress."
"Please ensure no agents enter wearing it."
These were the ghost stories Hyunmu Team 1 had entered.
It seemed like content he'd pieced together through observation and deduction, yet the words carried an oddly assured certainty, as if he'd known all along.
One thing was clear: it was written out of genuine concern and worry.
Trembling eyes quickly scanned the lines.
And ... sorry once more.
The content grew more personal.
The events of the night the restriction was imposed were described in highly euphemistic terms, discernible only to the person directly involved.
As if minding someone still under that restriction.
Expressions of gratitude and apology followed toward the bronze agent who had shown consideration, allowing him to speak unvarnished truths without pressure.
And ...
"I still want to go home."
As a farewell.
"I can't bring myself to give up without even attempting it."
"But it weighs on me that my feelings have wasted the time of the Disaster Management Bureau agents."
"Sorry once more. For failing to meet expectations, for not facing discipline earnestly, for retiring like a fugitive."
"..."
"I know it might be uncomfortable, but I've enclosed items I found useful."
"I hope they can be of use to Hyunmu Team 1."
Detailed accounts of the performance and effects of the items he'd left behind were listed.
And finally.
"Just in case, I'm writing this."
"The note I left on the Hyunmu Team 1 lounge whiteboard means nothing."
"I worried you might hesitate to erase it, wondering if it was a hint or marker despite the unease, so I wanted to say it's fine to wipe it away freely."
"It was just an impulsive scribble with no deeper meaning."
The letter ended.
The agent hurriedly flipped the page front and back.
... At the bottom of the back page, more small handwriting.
"Thank you always."
"I wish you health and happiness."
"..."
The reader of the letter lowered their gaze to the scattered items.
They bent down and slowly picked up one of the small, miscellaneous trinkets.
It looked like cheap candy.
But it was an item that briefly rewound time to a 'better past,' restoring the body's condition.
Things that would be invaluable to the emergency rescue squad gleamed on the floor.
"..."
"..."
Agent Choi looked up.
The sunken eyes of Hyunmu Team 1's two agents met.
If he'd vanished just now, the odds were high he hadn't left the area yet.
"Wait. A-Agents ...!"
Dragging the flustered handler with them, they dashed out of the lounge.
To search the crystal cave.
And ...
"..."
Kim Sol-eum, who had been standing stock-still in the corner of the room, quietly followed behind them.
Clutching a single sheet of paper.
Through the gap in the door they had opened to enter this room.
-An elegant and courteous exit. This method isn't bad at all.
"..."
I quietly gazed at the pouring sunlight.
'So this is how I left.'
I'd done my utmost to end it safely and smoothly ... but honestly, I had no idea how the Disaster Management Bureau would take it.
Or what Hyunmu Team 1 would think.
I quickened my steps, deliberately avoiding recollections of the agents' faces I'd brushed past earlier.
I didn't forget to thank the manager who had kept the lights off for me all the way from the crystal cave to the bus stop and onto the high-speed train.
-Oh, think nothing of it!
Thanks to that, I could slip away this quietly.
If not, it would have been a far messier, more emotionally draining escape ...
"..."
[The train will depart shortly ...]
I tried not to think.
About how thoroughly they'd search the crystal cave after I left, how they'd handle the items I left behind, how suspiciously the Disaster Management Bureau would view me, whether Hyunmu Team 1 would erase the note I'd left in the lounge ...
Instead, I tried to sleep.
The high-speed train to Seoul mercifully didn't trigger the horrors of the Tamra line, and I managed to doze off and wake.
To prevent any possible tailing, I paid cash for some random motel and checked in.
Thud.
Only after closing the door did I compose myself and take stock.
Reality finally sank in.
'... Did I really leave almost everything behind?'
Only a handful of consumable items remained.
Especially the safe items bought from the space mall—I'd left most of those.
... Probably because I wouldn't need them anymore.
'Better for people who get hurt more often than me.'
What was left were a few gear items and the tattoos.
However ...
Pfssht.
A small light popped from my chest.
Will-o'-the-wisp.
"You're really going to stick with me like this?"
The flame bobbed up and down vigorously in agreement.
This guy had clung to me all the way to Seoul.
He'd even left behind the glass lantern he'd inhabited.
Considering the risk of tracking, this was less troublesome ...
"Everyone will worry. You're Bureau property."
The will-o'-the-wisp sparkled as if rebutting.
-... He says he's all grown up now, so it's fine. Good lord. Such a stubborn, foolish beast. Sigh!
According to Brown's reluctant translation, it could even recharge itself, albeit slowly.
It could recover faster with sacred thunder essence, but that ... wouldn't be easy to obtain.
Anyway, the will-o'-the-wisp's resolve seemed utterly firm.
"... Alright, stick around a bit longer then."
The will-o'-the-wisp twinkled happily and circled the motel room.
... To be honest, it wasn't nothing but trouble.
'At least one thing remains.'
A trace of where I belonged.
Proof of the days spent with good people ...
'... I'll cherish it briefly.'
It wouldn't be for long anyway.
I stroked the will-o'-the-wisp once, then let it transform into a mark on my right arm.
-You're a free man again, Deer! You can go anywhere. Where to?
Strictly speaking, wasn't it the opposite?
Lucky if the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau didn't put out a warrant. Daydream Corporation already considered me long dead.
My options for contacts were limited.
'Choi agent even knows about the dream incubator at Jolly Lab.'
Even if the restriction prevented telling the Bureau about it, she could visit anytime. I'd need countermeasures, but caution was key.
Still, I hadn't escaped without a plan.
'I have one.'
-Indeed!
... The problem was how deeply uncomfortable it made me.
"..."
I turned on the phone I'd stored in my tattoo.
Messages piled up from two weeks of neglect.
'Lucky it didn't come up during interrogation.'
Would've nearly exposed Yeongeun or Heo-un's identities.
Good thing I'd tucked it into the tattoo right after getting caught at Jisam Village, and the glass prison had nullified the tattoo's function.
I breathed a sigh of relief and scrolled through the messages.
Mostly spam.
But several from acquaintances had stacked up.
[Hey]
[You ok?]
[Tell when you know]
[Hey]
[If sick]
[Contact if problem]
The security chief.
"..."
A strange feeling washed over me.
I'd only ever received worry and help from him ...
'Come to think of it, no contact since the restriction.'
After some hesitation, I replied.
[Sorry. Some issues. All good now.]
Then, after more internal debate, one more.
[Thanks again for the info. Can I hear it tomorrow or the next day?]
[And grab something tasty.]
Read receipt quick, reply slow.
[Yes]
"..."
That was that.
Now it was time to handle business.
I set my destination.
Unwillingly, but no better option.
And ...
Because preparations were already complete.
[Prepare the Wish Grant.]
[We have found the information you requested.]
To Director Ho.
"Sol-eum! You're back!"
"..."
I looked up.
There sat Director Ho at the familiar waiting table in the Fox Counseling Lounge, smiling.
My stomach churned reflexively.
... Revulsion at the choice itself.
A bizarre guilt, like betraying the one who'd lifted my restriction.
Yet also a conflicted appreciation for this paradoxical situation, now free of restrictions for proper negotiation.
"I'm here to collect the Wish Grant."
"One moment. I wanted to share this first."
Director Ho hesitated awkwardly, still wearing that soft smile.
It chilled me more.
"The restriction on your 'death'—I think I overdid it. Looking back, it was an emotional choice in the heat of the moment. Embarrassing ..."
"..."
"Better that it's gone. Right?"
I recalled the bizarre ritual General Daecheongbong had conducted.
And Director Ho's grotesque reactions while possessing Deputy Manager Eun Ha-je's body.
'... Don't ask about the deputy, even if curious or worried.'
Her noticing my concern would likely harm the deputy more. My gut twisted.
Instead of nodding easily, I replied cautiously.
"It doesn't matter. A promise is a promise, restriction or not. I'm here to uphold mine with you, Director."
"Really? It should be impossible."
"..."
"You don't even know exactly what 'extinction-grade disaster' I requested, do you, Sol-eum?"
True.
Director Ho had promised more details once our spies accessed the secret underground archives in Gangwon Province.
But ...
I knew.
I could already guess what she wanted.
"I figured it out through deduction."
"..."
"Just tell me the name of the disaster. If it doesn't match what I brought, punish me."
No risk for Director Ho anyway.
Whether imposing a restriction or punishment after.
The situation had changed—no colleagues left to lift them for me.
So ...
"Fine."
I knew it.
Director Ho smiled and crossed her fingers.
"The name of that supernatural disaster is 'Segwang Special City.'"
"..."
"Oh! Don't try pronouncing it outside the Fox Counseling Lounge. Bad things will happen."
Director Ho peered into my eyes.
"So."
"..."
"Does it match your information?"
I didn't avert my gaze.
"Yes."
"...!"
"Here."
Thud.
A document landed on the Fox Counseling Lounge waiting table.
"Papers on the 'extinction-grade supernatural disaster' you just named."
"..."
"Verify it."
Director Ho reached out, lifted the paper, and read.
And ...
"...!"
She set the paper down.
Director Ho stared at me, expressionless.
"... How did you find out?"
It was correct.
"That doesn't matter."
The truth was.
I hadn't found it.
'... I already knew.'
Yes.
That was why I'd confidently claimed I could deliver in one month.
I already knew.
The fastest, surest method.
Writing the [Darkness Exploration Records] information.
A method I'd pushed down the priority list because I couldn't convince other spies, and it risked horrific consequences if Director Ho grew suspicious.
I'd wanted the safest path.
But with the board in ruins, only one way remained.
'Should've done it sooner.'
Any more delay, and the Bureau would check for other spies, hunt them down.
If Yeongeun or Heo-un got caught, they'd be eternally denied the Wish Grant, bound doubly in agony by Director Ho's restrictions ...
I had to strike first, fast.
However ...
"You were imprisoned in the glass prison until yesterday, yet somehow you learned this ..."
"..."
"They don't store info like that there."
Correct.
The crystal cave holding the glass prison naturally didn't store precious intel.
Just occasional supernatural disaster reports drafted from prisoner interrogations for updates.
But ...
'That's why they have office supplies for reports.'
For instance, this.
Blank Disaster Management Bureau supernatural disaster report forms.
Designed for the glass prison's unknown location, with branch details censored in the format.
In other words ...
The perfect paper to print details of extinction-grade disasters from the secret archives.
Ironically, my imprisonment gave me the chance to acquire exactly what I needed.
Allowing me to present Director Ho with this.
My self-made 'Segwang Special City document,' limited to what I'd read on the wiki.
"..."
But no need to tell her that.
Far too risky.
'I did bring a last resort defense ...'
Cold sweat beaded down my back.
Still, I had to speak.
"The important thing is I brought the promised information. And I did receive help from the other two in the process. Definitely."
"..."
"Now it's your turn to uphold the promise, Director."
A smile spread across Director Ho's face.
"Very well."
"...!"
"Congratulations, Sol-eum. You're receiving the Wish Grant."
I clenched my fist tight.