Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Even Falling into a Ghost Story, I Still Have to Go to Work
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“Oh dear! Send that to the team leader’s desk, Agent Park Ha.”
“Yes...!”
Go Yeongeun moved the stack of documents she had just organized to her superior’s desk.
They contained information on the newly sighted supernatural disaster.
She felt a brief twinge at how the term “disaster” had become more familiar to her than “darkness” these days.
Whew.
Go Yeongeun sat down at her own desk.
Then, faint chatter from the agents sharing the office drifted in from the hallway.
“...and that’s how it turned out. Hyunmu Team 1...”
“That newbie... I probably would’ve done the same...”
“...”
Her nerves stood on end.
She knew exactly who they were talking about from just that much.
It was the hot topic among the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau’s field agents for nearly two weeks now—something they hesitated to mention aloud.
Agent Grape.
It was about her fellow spy trainee.
Talk of Kim Sol-eum’s imprisonment, release, and disappearance.
That was right.
Her trainee partner had failed at her spying mission and vanished.
...Was it a relief that she hadn’t been caught?
From the circumstances, it seemed something had gone down after Director Ho’s seal was exposed, but the hushed atmosphere made it hard to ask outright.
Things had gotten serious during imprisonment but recovered somehow.
And the field agents’ attitudes toward Kim Sol-eum weren’t all that bad even after the disappearance.
...Hyunmu Team 1’s updates had sharply decreased.
That was all Go Yeongeun, as a newbie agent, could confidently piece together.
Of course, Kim Sol-eum had evaporated right after leaving the glass prison, making it hard to learn more.
She really... ran away, right?
Go Yeongeun’s head buzzed with worry, but she always ended up sighing it away.
She couldn’t go digging for traces and risk leaking info.
If Kim Sol-eum had successfully escaped, it’d just be a nuisance—and a dangerous one that might expose her own identity.
It wouldn’t be good for either of them.
Especially since she and Kim Sol-eum had gotten somewhat acquainted as fellow newbies, so she might even be under watch for safety.
...Might even be suspected as a spy.
Who knew.
The Bureau folks were definitely good people, but they were pros at casually probing or digging into the core without batting an eye.
Of course. They’re agents.
In any case, unlike the tightrope-walking tension of a spy, the agents’ attitudes hadn’t changed much.
No one had suddenly dragged her off to the glass prison or anything.
That’s a relief, but...
...Honestly, it was hopeless.
Of the three who’d infiltrated, one was isolated for contamination, another missing.
She was the only one left, and stealing extinction-grade disaster documents solo was next to impossible.
...If she were Director Ho, she’d cut losses around now.
But I have to hold on.
And do her job.
Go Yeongeun calmly tallied things up to avoid panicking.
One step at a time, stay calm.
First, clean up traces more thoroughly.
She’d only contacted Kim Sol-eum via a separate burner phone under a different name.
Time to dispose of that too, she resolved.
That evening, after clocking out, she headed straight to her officetel and dug out the burner.
Instead of hiding it meticulously, she’d left it casually in the drawer with old junk like her previous phone. Easier to overlook that way.
The moment she powered it on.
Spam texts poured in—ones she’d deliberately scattered across numbers and left alone.
Even Director Ho’s messages disguised as counseling invites looked like spam.
Whew.
As Go Yeongeun clicked through to delete them one by one.
[Don’t sit there so serenely—get off! Special ★Discount Sale★ at this station, Gangnam Station...]
Her hand froze.
“...Hold on.”
Serenely, get off, this station...
“...!”
She couldn’t help but remember—it hit like lightning.
The Abyssal Transit Corporation subway.
A hint only someone who’d survived that insane onboarding horror with her would recognize. And at this point, only one person would send it disguised as spam...
Go Yeongeun tapped the message immediately.
[Don’t sit there so serenely—get off! Special ★Discount Sale★ at this station, Gangnam Station Discount Phone Sales Office left counter only until 9 PM on the 17th (Free unsubscribe)]
“...”
Location and time.
Go Yeongeun quickly searched online.
For the discount phone sales office at Gangnam Station.
An hour later.
Go Yeongeun spotted a locker row near the Gangnam Station discount phone sales office.
“...”
At first, she thought it was a meetup in front of the store, but even after 9 PM passed, no one showed.
Then, focusing on “left counter,” she glanced left—and the path to the lockers jumped out.
Here?
She hesitated, then scanned the locker slots.
Number 17 was there.
The number from the text.
“...”
Then.
She entered the combo from the text into the keypad: 1721.
Beep.
“...!”
The locker sprang open.
Go Yeongeun hurriedly pocketed the paid card and peered inside.
A small paper bag sat within.
A crooked note stuck to it, written in an unfamiliar hand on purpose.
Open at home.
“...”
Go Yeongeun snatched the bag and rushed home.
Her heart pounded.
What is it?
The one who left it was almost certainly Kim Sol-eum.
But what was she handing over?
Was the spying protocol changing to item drops? lost in thoughts, Go Yeongeun tore open the bag at the table.
Two boxes?
Black boxes.
Puzzled, she opened one.
Prismatic light spilled out.
“...!!”
The Daydream employee slammed it shut in horror.
W-Wish Grant!
That holographic aurora glow was unmistakably a Wish Grant potion!
Kim Sol-eum!
Had she soloed the spy gig and scored a Wish Grant? How? Was this real? Wish Grant in a subway locker? Wait.
...There were two boxes.
Her heartbeat thundered in her skull.
She reached for the other, opened it.
More dazzling light poured forth.
My god.
Then, a small note fluttered out amid the glow.
“...!”
She snatched it up.
Yeongeun.
Our mission is complete.
Do as you wish.
No need to return.
“...”
A stunned haze gripped her mind.
But the note continued.
P.S. If possible, deliver the other box to its rightful owner. If not, hold onto it until then.
“No way...!”
What if she pocketed it mid-handover? Handing over two Wish Grants on a mere note?
...But even as she thought that, this kind, sharp-minded spy knew.
She’d honor it.
“...”
Gratitude, debt, joy, burden—all swirled in her head.
So...
Go Yeongeun made one more resolve.
And grabbed something before dashing out.
Delivered safely.
I glanced at my empty drink at the cafe.
This was a spot in Gangnam Station’s underground mall.
It’d been an hour and a half since I’d watched Go Yeongeun grab the phone from the subway locker.
No other incidents, so time to go.
This wraps it up.
...Go Yeongeun wouldn’t pocket the Wish Grant; she’d return it to its owner.
And still working at the Bureau, she’d have better access than me.
...She seemed more suited to the Bureau anyway.
With the spy mission done, she could keep working there if she wanted.
Fortunately, no tails from Bureau agents.
...A clean end.
Now, only one Wish Grant left for me.
Time to drink mine...
That’s when.
A familiar figure dashed back toward the lockers.
“...!”
...Go Yeongeun.
Something wrong?
But she calmly reopened locker 17, slipped something inside, locked it tight.
Then left like nothing happened.
“...”
What’d she put in?
No way... she returned Jang Heo-un’s Wish Grant.
Makes sense. I wouldn’t hand off a Wish Grant to someone isolated, uncertain when we’d meet again.
Yeah.
Unreasonable ask from the start.
After confirming she was gone and no tails, enough time passed—I quietly left the cafe for the lockers.
Opened 17.
...As expected, a box inside.
Can’t be helped.
I pocketed it.
But... the weight felt off.
“...?”
Ducked into the bathroom stall, carefully opened it.
No prismatic light—instead, a soft blue glow.
Tender sprout green.
C-Grade regeneration potion.
“...”
I stared blankly.
A note inside.
Like the one I’d left.
I’ll do my best.
Thank you.
Take care.
Indescribable emotions churned within.
She’d barely bought one with points herself.
Probably saw my missing arms... hard to replace with will-o’-the-wisp after leaving the Bureau.
...Thank you.
I tucked the box away carefully.
That night.
I downed the regeneration potion.
With my restored hands, I sent farewell texts.
Scheduled for tomorrow morning.
To my old D Squad bosses... and a few others I owed.
One more to the security captain.
Mainly: I quit safely, no worries.
Writing to Section Chief Lee Jaheon made me sweat, though.
Alien shop installments...
Truly sorry. Bolting right after starting payments.
In exchange, left all my gear in the subway locker—sent him location and code. Please forgive with that...
Whew.
All sorted.
Left was... the will-o’-the-wisp.
I showed my regenerated arms to the little blue flame hovering, watching intently.
“All good now. See? Arms back. You can go home.”
But it flickered in refusal, perching on my desk.
Troublesome... but not unwelcome.
“Fine, stick around a bit. ...When I’m gone, back to the Bureau. Got it?”
It drooped and nodded.
Now, really just one left.
The last.
I pulled out the small, fluffy pink rabbit doll.
“...”
Took a breath, propped the “good friend” doll against the bed leg, shone light to cast its shadow.
To talk even in reality.
—Oh, friend!
The jovial host’s voice.
That ear-grabbing tone and cadence, now familiar, flowed smoothly.
—This hotel’s not bad tonight. Cozy little space reminds me of the room you shared with Mr. Deer. Celebrating your wish come true?
“Something like that.”
No need to save money now.
And...
“...”
—Friend?
“You okay with this?”
—With what?
“Me using the Wish Grant.”
The question that’d nagged me, feared for some huge reveal.
“You know what my wish is.”
The host already knew.
If peeking into my thoughts or knowledge at all—least since my chat with the security captain.
That I wished to leave this world.
“Not one question about it.”
Staring at the giant doll shadow, I continued.
“Felt weird.”
—Oh...
“Like maybe you think I’ll fail, waiting quietly for the catharsis.”
—My god.
—Again, friend, I don’t want you to fail... Just not meddling inappropriately and ruining the flow and scene!
—And here...
A sound like tapping gloves.
—Situation’s crystal clear—no question needed.
—Don’t you want to go home, friend? But you turned down this Brown’s offer of a cooler, newer place...
Chill ran down my spine.
Yet the host’s tone... remained calm, cheerful.
—So, watching where Mr. Deer’s choice takes the show is respect as host.
“...”
—Do as you wish, friend.
—You’ve worked for this—time to see the results.
The rabbit doll’s shadow rippled, like pointing.
At the Wish Grant potion on the table.
“...Whew.”
—Let’s go. Finale and ending!
I seized the Wish Grant.