27
Chapter 27
[Regarding the improvement of treatment for Error NPCs.]
The reason we didn't put bomb collars on the Error NPCs was our concern that they might misuse them as a means of escape.
However, as seen in the recent Error Spreading incident, we've determined that if they are willing to cooperate with the company, it would be acceptable to implement them.
In exchange, however, we must treat them like human beings.
Of course, Error NPCs are Anomalies.
How could a being that suddenly appears in the world in such a form be human?
It is a strict company rule: no matter how human an Anomaly behaves, it is not human. In principle, the previous treatment was not wrong.
But the company's policy also states that if human-like treatment helps in the management of an Anomaly, it should be granted as an exception.
We will improve the treatment of Error NPCs.
They will be moved from padded Isolation Rooms, which lack means of self-harm, to proper living quarters. They will be provided with the same meals as company employees and allowed some leisure activities.
And we'll first need to start by finding the Stuck Man and the Repeating Man.
***
A report accessed using the Chief's account.
'Thank goodness. This is great.'
Lee Yeon-woo let out a soft sigh after reading the report several times. The Stuck Man's sacrifice had been rewarded. His worries about whether the company would change its policy or restrict them further were finally eased.
If the day ever comes when the company and the Stuck Man meet again, they will meet as equals, person to person, just as he hoped.
Lee Yeon-woo slowly leaned back against the chair. The old chair let out a creak.
Screeech-
Just then, Yu Ji-yu, who was sitting next to the desk and reading news on her phone, slid the device toward Lee Yeon-woo.
"This is what happened to you this time, right, Yeon-woo?"
"Huh? Oh."
Lee Yeon-woo leaned forward, fixing his gaze on the phone. A reporter was speaking on the small screen, and the location was the heart of the anomaly where Lee Yeon-woo had stood not long ago.
The reporter walked while pointing to the chaotic streets, and the camera panned out to show the wider area.
[I am currently at the scene of the chain explosion accidents that occurred in Cheonghae City. As you can see, the scene resembles a battlefield.]
"Wait, why is this on the news?"
It was even on a national network. He thought the company would handle it, but to think it would actually make the news.
Lee Yeon-woo, his face buried in the phone, looked at Yu Ji-yu in confusion, but she only jerked her chin for him to keep watching.
[Five vehicles, including oil tankers and LPG gas delivery trucks, exploded simultaneously due to a pile-up, which then triggered a massive explosion by hitting gas pipes. Meanwhile, the cause of the accident was revealed to be unlicensed driving and smoking by a juvenile offender—]
Lee Yeon-woo's jaw dropped. His eyes widened. He simply couldn't believe it.
An oil tanker, sure. A gas explosion, fine. A juvenile offender, plausible. But mixing all of that together?
"Do people actually believe this? This is completely absurd."
"Most people just accept it and move on. Some might not believe it, but it's not a big deal."
Yu Ji-yu paused the video and searched for another news clip from the related videos.
A news segment interviewing an elderly man.
[Kim Chun-deok: I can't remember a thing. My mind is, uh, just pitch black.]
[Citizens of Cheonghae City who witnessed the catastrophe are reporting cases of traumatic amnesia.]
Traumatic amnesia.
Lee Yeon-woo blinked. Now that he thought about it, he had seen the term "traumatic amnesia" frequently in the news.
Chain collisions, random killings, explosions, building collapses—accidents, accidents, countless accidents.
A realization struck him. Lee Yeon-woo spoke up.
"Is traumatic amnesia not some kind of mental shock, but actually a memory eraser?"
"Exactly. I heard they spray it as a mist or put it in the water supply; basically, they dump a ton of it whenever a major anomaly event happens."
Yu Ji-yu calmly took her phone back. Her fingernail tapped the screen rhythmically.
"And they do a huge amount of information warfare, too. Wait, that's not what I meant to say."
Placing the phone on the desk, Yu Ji-yu subtly pushed her chair back, moving away from Lee Yeon-woo. As Lee Yeon-woo looked at her blankly, Yu Ji-yu scanned him with a suspicious gaze.
"I'm really glad you came back without getting hurt. But seriously, Yeon-woo, are you cursed or something? How does this happen every time you go out?"
Yu Ji-yu cut herself off, likely thinking further would be rude, but Lee Yeon-woo knew exactly where she was going. He couldn't even argue.
Lee Yeon-woo let out a deep sigh and leaned his head back against the chair with a thud.
"...I think so too."
Ever since the human qualification exam, he felt like something had gone terribly wrong. Like his life was completely twisted.
'Maybe I should see a shaman...'
Suddenly, Lee Yeon-woo leaned forward over the desk and spoke loudly.
"Chief. Do you happen to know any effective shamans?"
"Rookie."
The Chief answered without even lifting his head. His voice sounded slightly exasperated.
"If such a shaman existed, they'd be an anomaly entity. The company would have captured them already. So don't waste your money getting swayed by nonsense. No buying talismans or paying for rituals."
"...Then how about a priest or a monk? Just someone who could provide some psychological comfort, even if it's not effective."
The Chief slowly lifted his head and met Lee Yeon-woo's eyes. His clouded eyes looked utterly exhausted.
Then again, considering the number of anomalies he'd faced in such a short time... the error alone was risk level 4... it was a miracle he'd returned alive.
However, there was nothing he could do. The Chief avoided Lee Yeon-woo's hollow gaze.
"I do know one priest. But he's not the kind of priest you're hoping for."
Disappointed, Lee Yeon-woo lowered his head toward the desk. Then, he looked up again. He had one last request.
"Then, Chief. Is there any way I can get some equipment? Even just a pistol."
Actually, he didn't need a shaman or anything. He'd feel much better if he just had a proper weapon. As if she were thinking the same thing, Yu Ji-yu joined in and looked at the Chief.
"Chief, isn't just carrying a knife a bit much? If we had pistols, we could take down those mist monsters without getting hurt—"
Once again, the Chief shook his head.
"Rookie. Jiyu. Do you have any idea what kind of country we live in?"
"Excuse me?"
"This is a country where civilians cannot own firearms. We are civilians. Even the guys with guns in the Special Task Force are officially listed as members of the Ministry of National Defense. They're actual soldiers."
As he spoke, the Chief suddenly bolted upright from his seat. Something must have triggered a memory, as he began to shout, venting his anger.
"Why on earth are the security guards using those pathetic taser guns? Foreigners all carry real guns! That—that damn snake bastard! One shot and it's over! Calling that a gun, what a load of crap!"
Lee Yeon-woo and Yu Ji-yu looked at each other for a moment, then lowered their heads and focused on their own work.
No matter how frustrated or angry one is, it's draining when the other person reacts even more violently. They could only sigh deeply in their hearts.
Leaving the Chief to stamp his feet in the background, Lee Yeon-woo scanned the desk.
'...Where did I leave my phone?'
He was sure he'd put it somewhere on the desk, but it was nowhere to be seen. Lee Yeon-woo rummaged through various spots on the desk before giving up and closing his eyes.
The image of the dice appeared vividly.
'Where is my phone?'
Rattle-
As soon as he focused his will, the dice rolled alone within his mind. Soon, the dice stopped.
Thud!
Nothing happened. Lee Yeon-woo thought again.
'Again. Phone.'
Rattle-
Success!
Naturally, the phone came into view. It had slid deep under the monitor. Lee Yeon-woo pulled the phone out with an ambiguous expression.
'The dice. This isn't bad.'
After a few experiments, he found it quite useful.
Most of the time it was a miss, with occasional successes or failures.
It was a double-edged sword, but for small things, it was helpful. For instance, finding lost items or recalling a forgotten password.
'I haven't experienced a critical success or a critical failure yet, but since they rarely happen, there's no need to worry—'
Bam-!
The door to the Anomaly Investigation Unit flew open with such force that it slammed into the wall. Lee Yeon-woo, Yu Ji-yu, and the still-fuming Chief all stopped talking and looked toward the door.
Huff— huff—
There stood Choi Jae-min, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Unable to even catch his breath, Choi Jae-min spoke urgently.
"My friend, my friend!"
"Student. Calm down first."
The Chief spoke as if he had never been agitated, but Choi Jae-min screamed desperately, as if squeezing out his last bit of breath.
"My friend's parents are gone!"
"...What? You mean... they're missing?"
"No! They're just gone! They don't exist!"
Choi Jae-min rushed over and stood before the Chief. Without even a moment to cool off from his sweat, he began to explain, his words tumbling out incoherently.
***
The world Choi Jae-min sees is different from others.
When he looks at people with parents, letters appear above their heads.
[Father: Choi Dong-hyun (Status: Deceased)]
[Mother: Lee Jin (Status: Healthy)]
Something like that.
Therefore, on the Monday that followed the weekend, he knew the moment he stepped into the classroom.
"Jammin! Hey!"
"Uh... oh, hey."
Baek A-yun, a female student sitting next to him, tilted her head and looked up at him. She blinked.
"Did you stay up all night? Why do you look so exhausted?"
"I, uh, went to bed early..."
Without even putting down his bag, Choi Jae-min stood stiffly and shifted his gaze slightly upward. Above Baek A-yun's head.
[Father: ]
[Mother: ]
They were blank. That meant they didn't exist in the first place.
If she were human, this would be impossible.
The air conditioner wasn't on in the classroom. A hot summer breeze blew in through the window, but a chill crawled down his spine.
Choi Jae-min shoved his trembling hand into his pocket and gripped his phone.
'It's an Anomaly. It's definitely an Anomaly.'
She looked like Baek A-yun and acted like Baek A-yun, but he could see. This was not a human.
'Jiyu Noona, Yeon-woo Hyung, Chief. I have to call someone—'
The moment he started to take out the phone.
Rattle-
The classroom door opened. The homeroom teacher walked in. As soon as he entered, he spoke to the students.
"Hand in your phones. Turn them off, don't give me dummy phones, and don't lie about forgetting them. Especially you, Jae-min. I saw you holding your phone."
"Teacher, please, just one call—"
"No. What have you been doing until now?"
"Teacher! I really left mine at home today!"
Baek A-yun spoke up quickly. Choi Jae-min stopped trying to figure out a way to call and looked down at her. A thought finally clicked.
'A-yun. What happened to the real A-yun?'
In the blink of an eye, the phones were collected and class began. Choi Jae-min couldn't focus on the lesson for a second, his eyes fixed solely on Baek A-yun.