11
Chapter 11
Lee Yeon-woo stood awkwardly, unbuttoning a few buttons of his shirt as he scanned the laboratory.
A gentle breeze from the temperature control device drifted through the room.
Documents were strewn across the floor as if a storm had ripped through. Papers filled with complex jargon, graphs, and tables were trampled, crumpled, and smeared with footprints.
The people standing among the wreckage looked just as broken as the lab itself.
Thud—
Lee Seo-yeon sank to the floor. Like Lee Yeon-woo, she clutched a crumpled tie and suit jacket in one hand. Her once-neat hair was now wild and disheveled, as if she had been tossed about.
It wasn't just her. Dr. Kim had stripped off his suit jacket, Kang Yeol his military tunic, and the researcher held a rolled-up white gown.
Suddenly, Lee Seo-yeon spoke in a tone of awe.
"Wow. It's finally over."
With a glint in her eyes, she looked up at the Containment Squad Member.
"Yes, it is. You are now safe."
There was only one Containment Squad Member.
He wore a jet-black helmet cluttered with small cameras, and a blue and red augmented reality display flickered behind the dark visor.
Wrapped tightly in a thick black protective suit, not a single inch of skin was visible.
In his gloved hands, he held a diary and a taser gun; the taser seemed already spent, as no blue electricity remained.
It was obvious who the taser had been used on.
"Ugh! Gack! Urgh!"
Park Sang-jun lay atop the documents, trembling violently while entwined by a blue snake. It seemed he had been affected by the Anomaly and had gone mad trying to keep reading the book. He pushed, tore, and scorched the papers with blue electricity, foaming at the mouth.
"Recovery!"
The Containment Squad Member leaned over and pressed the taser gun against Park Sang-jun's forehead. As if waiting for the signal, the blue snake slithered back into the device. The taser sparked with blue electricity.
"Uuuugh..."
Park Sang-jun went limp, staring blankly at the sparks. Perhaps due to a sedative, he couldn't even twitch a finger. He simply drooled, breathing heavily.
Two guards hauled Park Sang-jun to his feet. Wearing sunglasses, they draped his arms over their shoulders and dragged him out of the lab.
"We'll move him to the infirmary."
"Go ahead."
Swish—
Dr. Kim threw on his crumpled suit jacket. Then, he extended his hand toward the Containment Squad Member.
"Give that to me."
"I'm not sure which item you mean."
"That Anomaly. Now that it's subdued, I want to show it to the rookies."
Without a word, the Containment Squad Member handed the small diary to Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim propped it up so the new employees could see. The sentence on the cover was visible to all.
"39 Reasons Why I Must Die..."
Lee Seo-yeon read it as if possessed. Startled, Kang Yeol looked up at the ceiling and moved toward the door. Lee Yeon-woo instinctively closed and then opened his eyes.
'He said it was subdued.'
But he couldn't help the involuntary shiver that racked his body.
Rustle—
As the distinct sound of a page turning echoed, he instinctively stepped back. His heel bumped against a cabinet. The sweat that had soaked his skin dried, replaced by a creeping chill.
Dr. Kim, having flipped the cover, spoke.
"Read it. It's perfectly safe."
After a short breath, Yeon-woo read the sentence written in ballpoint pen. Then, a question mark popped up in his head.
[It happened on a hot summer night. But then! Suddenly a ninja appeared! "Do-mo. Nice to meet you. I am a ninja."]
"A ninja?"
The word that had been circling in his head accidentally slipped out. All surprise and fear vanished instantly. With bewildered expressions, Lee Seo-yeon and Kang Yeol also looked at Dr. Kim.
Dr. Kim continued in an explanatory tone.
"Not all Anomalies are hostile toward humans. There are some, like this 'But Suddenly a Ninja!', that actually help the company."
"Are you saying this sentence itself is an Anomaly Entity?"
When Kang Yeol asked with a confused look, Dr. Kim gave a small nod.
"You can think of it as something like an Information Lifeform. It moves from one cultural medium to another—be it text, images, or video—and alters the content. Using that trait, it can neutralize other Cultural Disasters."
"That's fascinating."
Lee Seo-yeon's eyes sparkled as she read the sentence over and over. While reading the strange text about the ninja, Lee Yeon-woo suddenly remembered something.
'Anomalies that harm humans. Anomalies that help humans. Then what about people?'
Did every human agree with the company's philosophy? Was there no one with thoughts opposing the company? Or at least, someone whose interests clashed?
The possibility flashed through his mind. Goosebumps prickled across his skin. With trembling eyes, Lee Yeon-woo looked at Dr. Kim and asked.
"Is the company the only group that deals with these Anomalies?"
"You're quick. Good. I've noticed it since earlier, but you're impressive. That intuition and survival instinct are the most important virtues for an employee."
"...So there are others."
The implication was simple. The company didn't just deal with Anomalies.
Lee Yeon-woo's face stiffened. His complexion grew darker as Dr. Kim continued speaking.
"Even in the world you once knew, there were all sorts of people. In a world with Anomalies, it's even worse. There are groups that try to expose Anomalies like this diary to as many people as possible..."
A hint of irritation crept into Dr. Kim's voice. It was only for a moment.
Dr. Kim's gaze returned to the new employees. He looked at Lee Seo-yeon, Kang Yeol, and Lee Yeon-woo one by one and spoke.
"The Humanity Protection Company. Protect humanity from Anomalies. That includes threats from groups associated with them. Considering that, what you experienced today might be nothing. So, I will ask you now."
His voice was serious and heavy. The new employees focused, waiting for Dr. Kim's question.
Dr. Kim spoke.
"Would you like to join the company?"
"Yes, I will!"
It was Lee Seo-yeon. She answered instantly, nodding rapidly with the excitement of a child seeing a robot for the first time.
Kang Yeol spoke briefly, in true soldier's fashion.
"I will join."
Dr. Kim's gaze shifted to Lee Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo closed his eyes, lost in thought. A crossroads that would determine his future life lay before him.
'I don't care about grand causes or beliefs.'
He simply weighed the risks against the rewards.
'If I join.'
The benefit was simple: employment. A job.
The risk was also simple: Anomalies. Hostile Groups.
'If I don't join.'
His livelihood would be at risk. To prepare for the civil servant exam again, the time he'd wasted by coming here was far from negligible. He had already forgotten more than a few key points.
He would live a relatively safe life, unrelated to Anomalies, but...
'I just didn't know it, but the danger of things like Anomaly Entities or anomalous phenomena was always there. Just think about the Human Qualification Exam. It's better to know and be prepared. Besides, industrial accidents and mishaps happen regardless of where you work.'
Lee Yeon-woo opened his eyes.
Against a backdrop of shattered windows, the researcher and Dr. Kim stood there, with the Containment Squad Member waiting stoically. He had returned the item in the meantime; the closed diary was in his hand.
'Even today's event was technically controllable. An accident happened, but all the company staff survived.'
It was dangerous. But perhaps not *that* dangerous. It was a manageable job and a viable career.
His mind was made up.
"If it's hard to decide, you can take your time. The training hasn't ended yet. Just tell me by the final day—"
"No. I will join as well."
Lee Yeon-woo spoke. Dr. Kim smiled.
"Excellent. New employees with anomalous experiences can hold their own no matter the task. I'm glad the three of you are joining."
Clap!
With a single clap, Dr. Kim left the lab. The new employees followed him, listening closely to his words.
"I'll cancel the rest of today's schedule. Since you've experienced a sudden crisis firsthand, there's nothing more to learn. I'll guide you to the dormitory, so spend the rest of your time resting."
***
The dormitory was on the second floor of a two-story building.
It resembled military barracks; with two eight-person rooms vacant, Kang Yeol and Lee Yeon-woo shared one, while Lee Seo-yeon took the other.
"You can unpack and rest here. You're free to wander around near this building, and as for meals... it's already past lunchtime. For dinner, come down to the first floor at 6 PM."
After guiding the three new employees to the dormitory, Dr. Kim turned away. Having roughly finished the training tasks, it was time to return to his primary duties.
He left the two-story building and climbed to the third floor of a three-story building. At the center of the third-floor hallway was the Director's Office.
Click—
Dr. Kim opened the door and entered without knocking.
The Director's Office was empty. He walked slowly and sat in the chair where the Director's nameplate was placed. As he leaned back, the plush seat sank under his weight.
"The researcher will write the accident report; I'll just handle the rookie evaluations."
He gave the mouse a light click. The monitor of the computer, waking from sleep mode, lit up.
He had just opened the evaluation document and left one hand resting idly on the keyboard when...
Knock, knock—
"Come in."
"Yes, Director. Regarding Mr. Park Sang-jun—"
"Call me Dr. Kim. I hate being called Director."
He spoke irritably to the medical staff from the infirmary, who swallowed hard before continuing.
"Yes, Doctor. Mr. Park Sang-jun has regained consciousness and says he wants to go home. I've administered more sedatives for now, but how should we proceed?"
"Administer the memory eraser and then send him on his way. Forcing someone who doesn't want to work only leads to accidents."
Slide, click—
Having spoken coldly, Dr. Kim deleted Park Sang-jun's entry from the evaluation sheet. Deletions followed twice more. Han Chang-young and Song Si-woo.
After reciting the two names for a moment, Dr. Kim picked up the extension phone and waved the medical staff away with a dismissive gesture.
"You may leave now."
"Yes, sir!"
The medical staff left with quick steps. Dr. Kim dialed an extension and began a call.
"Regarding the two rookies who died this time, coordinate with the Korea Branch to ensure it's handled cleanly. They were both promising civil servants, so make sure no questions are raised."
Then, after disconnecting, he placed another call to a different person.
"Security Chief. What's the status on the Association of Free Artists? There were many suspicious people approaching lately. Oh, they were all just civilians who took the wrong turn? Does that even make sense? Fine, I understand."
After a few such calls, the business was roughly settled.
Dr. Kim looked back at the monitor. The cursor had stopped at Lee Seo-yeon's name. A moment later, the keyboard clattered as he added her evaluation.
The roles they would take on in the future were also decided by Dr. Kim's hand.
Lee Seo-yeon to the Administrative Office, Kang Yeol to the Security Office.
His hand, which had been moving without hesitation, stopped abruptly at Lee Yeon-woo. He was a different kind of rookie compared to the two staying at the Baekbeom Culture Research Institute.
"The Korea Branch's Anomaly Investigation Unit is taking him..."
Given his impressive survival instinct and intuition, the Korea Branch had already decided to recruit him. He was a fine talent, but as a research institute that was merely a branch office under the Korea Branch, there was nothing to be done.
The only option was to provide the training and let him go.
"Well, he was more suited for the Anomaly Investigation Unit than a place like this."
The Anomaly Investigation Unit is the first to be deployed whenever an incident suspected to be the work of an Anomaly occurs. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lee Yeon-woo, with his superior survival instincts, had already adapted to the department.