Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: How to Deal with Difficult Customers 3
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The pistol he was holding clatters to the ground.
Clack—
With that sound, the convenience store falls completely silent.
Newb is breathing roughly.
His breathing doesn't settle quickly.
You can tell he's exhausted all his stamina.
Even after the battle ends, the tips of his fingers gripping the Great Mop tremble faintly.
[Parcheonhwang]: ..Dangerous.
[Flounder]: Efficient, but his body can't keep up.
[Crazy Woman]: His talents are practically a perfect hexagon.
She can diagnose Newb's current state now too.
She mainly handles investigator work, but when manpower is short, she pitches in with suppression squad duties regardless.
So she knows exactly what Newb's body is going through right now.
By now—
His whole body must feel like it's being torn apart in pain.
To the point where even standing is a struggle.
When you draw out more strength or stamina than your limits allow.
Your body eventually pays back the debt—with interest, all at once.
Just standing like this right now.
In a way, it shows Newb's mental fortitude.
Ssslruk—
Finally, the last doll standing slowly topples over.
The fight is over.
Now, aside from Newb, nothing remains standing in the convenience store.
That's when.
A familiar alert tone rings out—now feeling almost monotonous.
Beep—
[06:00:00]
Soon, that lowlife's sleazy voice leaks from beyond the screen.
—Seems like you want to save that specimen.
The arrogance from earlier is gone from him now.
From midway, he'd tried coaxing Newb.
Offered deals to somehow stop him.
But now.
—You think I'll let it go that easily?
He's made his judgment on Newb and abandoned survival.
Instead, filling that void.
—Absolutely…! Absolutely…!!!! I won't let you go—!!!
—We'll vanish together like this!! Forever, with me!
Endless, pitch-black malice.
—The end is yours. Kekekekekek—
—Die like the lowly beast you are.
—Pathetically.
With those final words, the voice cuts off.
And then—
The receiver rings.
The conference room is utterly silent.
Six a.m.
They might be tired.
But none of them take their eyes off the screen, phones in hand.
'The end is approaching.'
They know it too.
Investigating anomalies inevitably confronts you with countless victims.
And they've experienced it at least once—they know.
How those victims end.
How their stories conclude.
Right now.
They're processing the finale in their own ways.
So the shock doesn't hit too hard.
So they don't break.
They're not just living for today.
Tomorrow, and the day after, they have to enter anomalies again.
The phone rings.
[Riiing… riiing… riiing…]
Newb reaches out and picks up the receiver.
Dust stirs in the air as his fingers touch it.
A blinding light spreads, like electricity surging.
When all phenomena halt—
She's standing there before him.
The one swept into the anomaly, turned into part-time staff.
Transformed into part of the anomaly itself, trapped as an endless energy source in torment.
Her eyes tremble faintly, then slowly open.
Her pupils gradually find focus.
This is—
The moment she first regains reality.
The moment she and he first truly see each other.
Kim Boram blurts out without thinking.
"...Pretty."
Their gazes meet.
—...Hehe.
The corner of her mouth lifts ever so slightly, trembling.
—...I died.
A single clear droplet traces down from the corner of her eye.
The droplet gathered at her chin falls quietly.
—...Can I vent a little?
Her voice cracks.
Her shoulders shake faintly.
The anomaly will clear soon.
You can tell from the crumbling space.
Talking now does nothing to help clear the anomaly.
But.
Not a single viewer abandons the broadcast.
They all focus on her words.
This moment might be her final trace.
The last remnant of someone who might be erased from the world.
She speaks calmly.
Petty daily stories.
Memories before death.
Anecdotes with friends.
Memories with her parents.
Even the deep secrets she never shared with anyone.
Time passes.
And—
The end approaches quietly, yet swiftly.
— I was worried.
—All my friends were moving ahead, but I felt stuck here alone.
—Why can't I make it… Everyone has dreams.
—At night, the city lights up.
—But I… wasn't in any of those lights.
The light spreads slowly, blindingly.
...It chokes you.
Unable to help at all.
Knowing that remembering her end is the only thing you can do.
Her voice echoes.
—But.
Their eyes meet.
From then on, the mood shifts.
Even in the light, she's smiling brightly.
— But it wasn't all hardship.
—There were customers who said, "Good work,"
—Friends who said we'd eat together…
—And the manager, old-school as he was, treated me well.
A chuckle leaks out.
Even as the end nears.
She's calmer than anyone here.
The light intensifies.
—Yeah.
—Life was worth living.
—That must've been what kept me going all this time.
—...If I'd had this courage, I would've tried one more time.
—How precious the people around me were… If only I'd realized a little… sooner…
Her body shatters slowly, like glass.
—Friends at school called me an idiot.
—...I denied it then. Now I see they were right.
Her legs vanish.
—Should've realized sooner.
Destruction climbs her knees.
—Gotta apologize to Mom. Sniff—sorry.
—Dad said once Mom calms down, we'd soothe her together.
It reaches her upper body.
—Please… tell her for me.
—That the trip's a bit longer…
Her arms.
—I'll give you all my part-time pay. It's… on my desk.
—Minted a whole ten million won! Hehe.
Her shoulders.
—And… and…
—Thank you.
—For believing in me.
—To the end.
With those words, her mouth stills after so long.
And into the conference room.
Morning sunlight begins to seep in.
At that moment, Newb's hand rises above her head.
Kim Boram stares blankly at the screen.
Newb's lips, frozen shut until then, part.
"...Good work."
She lifts her head.
Her pupils tremble.
As if hearing something unexpected.
Her body is already gone.
Even so.
Forgetting the situation entirely.
The brightest smile blooms on her lips.
—You finally recognize me. Hehe. I thought I was the only one who remembered…
—Food…
—I'll really treat you later.
—I keep my promises, Agent.
"Enough..."
Newb can't finish.
Now nothing remains before him.
Just a cluster of faint light falling to the ground.
The convenience store door chimes.
Ding—
Time passes.
Daylight fully breaks.
No excuse can cover it now.
The anomaly is over.
She's gone.
Nothing proves she was ever here.
So.
It's time to leave.
That's right.
Logically.
But.
Like Newb on screen, they too are frozen.
As if time itself has stopped.
Kim Boram barely pulls herself together.
From childhood.
Contacting anomalies forced her to grow strong.
This isn't her first time.
She's seen it before.
So she should be numb to it.
She's about to stand, return to routine.
Then she sees Newb on screen.
...Light.
Something rests on Newb's hand.
A square rectangle.
A single button atop it.
A familiar shape.
[Button]
[Description: Can turn something on or off.]
[Status: Active]
Even from afar.
She recognizes it instantly.
What that item is.
Contrary to her thoughts moments ago, different words slip out.
"...It didn't disappear."
She'd thought it vanished with the anomaly's end.
A smile spreads on Newb's lips.
That smile unwittingly fills her with hope.
Unwittingly again.
Newb seems like he'll overturn this ending.
No basis or reason.
Just an inexplicable expectation.
That's all.
But the emotion doesn't fade.
No, it swells bit by bit.
Emotions spread contagiously.
"...Fuck.."
"Ah...Must be the seasonal change..Sweat's coming from my eyes.."
"Me too.. Haha."
Newb opens his mouth.
Can't hear well.
But she knows what he's trying to say.
Newb's finger moves without hesitation.
The button—
Presses down.
Click—
In that instant, the view ripples as a contract sheet slowly materializes.
It's densely packed with clauses.
[Party B: Han Su-ryeon]
The contract between it and her.
And at the bottom.
Amid countless clauses down to 'Article 12.'
A red sentence burns into existence.
Article 13.
The anomaly shall restore Party B Han Su-ryeon to her original state.
This must be fulfilled.
Her eyes tremble the moment she sees it.
Interfering in a contract.
That's not a common concept.
Contracts exist only between higher entities.
Interfering in them isn't normal.
Only possible between the contracting parties.
So no clear countermeasures existed until now.
But now.
That common sense crumbles.
The writing forms.
It might just work like this.
No thoughts of possible or impossible.
No calculations.
Dominating her mind now.
Is simply—
'..Hurry.'
She hopes the text completes.
Her grip tightens.
Pain rises, but she ignores it.
'Hurry!'
But the forming text halts midway.
Then scatters one by one.
Blocked by some resistance.
Like ash caught in wind, the contract clause shatters and fades.
Soon, a system window appears.
[Interference in contract: 'Impossible.']
[This contract is between two entities—]
She glares venomously at the system window.
Even though it's not her business.
She does.
Information Junkie does.
Crazy Woman does.
Flounder does.
Narita does.
Happy Storage does.
The Anomalous Tale Gallery dwellers do.
Living in a dark fantasy world, they've faced despair countless times.
Friends, family, comrades, lovers.
Dying before their eyes.
Yet they never quit entering anomalies amid that despair.
Because even in the shit.
They hoped for a single flower to bloom someday.
Something they no longer even wished for.
An act abandoned after endless despair.
Even so.
They crave hope and pray again.
For her survival.
That's when—
An electronic tone slices through the space.
Her head lifts.
A red system window appears.
[Rule violation detected.]
Rule violations list rapidly.
—Forced convenience store usage
—Forced labor hours
—Forcing part-timer responsibility for customer actions.
Perhaps.
Perhaps..
Miracles aren't far off.
—Plus 13 other reasons.
The mood shifts.
The fading light reignites.
Then, a voice reaches Kim Boram's ear.
Familiar and warm.
Somehow firm.
—Requesting addition to the contract.
She knows instantly.
No.
She couldn't not know.
It's the voice of her dad from hazy memories she tries daily to recall.
—It was Dad's voice from those faint memories.
The floating paper vibrates.
Red glyphs scatter like afterimages.
The contract, stripped of all but consonants.
[....................Analyzing]
It might be an illusion.
Illusion.
Yeah. Definitely an illusion.
[Review complete]
Over ten years since she heard it.
Impossible to still remember.
[Judgment on request.]
If there's one emotion she learned first.
It's disappointment.
Don't be foolishly disappointed again.
[Final: —]
On sports day, thinking Dad came, she turned—only for it to be someone else far off, hugging them.
Expectations never rewarded.
Only cold reality.
On such days, she never forgot the sobs from her parents' room.
So now, no more misunderstandings.
She's no longer a child needing care.
So.
['Contract Addition' approved.]
So, don't expect.
This is.
Just her delusion, surely.
Text begins engraving.
The erased words rapidly return.
Engraving faster than before.
'Article 13.'
'The anomaly shall restore Party B Han Su-ryeon to her original state.'
'This must be fulfilled.'
Then.
A new line adds to what seemed final.
Her eyes freeze on the clause.
A never-before-seen sentence appears.
'—Subject: Lawyer..'
'...Kim..'
The vanishing sentences revive.
'..Name.'
Crimson text blazes.
Restored to original form, the paper slowly absorbs light.
And her eyes lock on the final character.
'...Hoon.'
While others watch the light.
She can't tear away from the contract.
For a while.
A very long while.
Until the text on the paper blurs.
Finally, a small droplet falls from her eye.
The droplet blurs her vision.
She said it in the hospital bed.
Hand on her head.
Promised to return soon.
"It's a contract?"
"Yeah.. It's a contract."
That voice revives.
She glances at her pinky.
Under the gazes, she smiles faintly and speaks.
Lips trembling, laughter mixed with breath leaking out.
As always.
Casually.
Normally.
"...My injured hand from earlier... stings a bit."
With those words, another drop falls to the floor.
"...Seems it got stuck... yeah. Pretty deep."
She says it like always.
But at the end of her voice lingers something intangible.
On screen.
Light regenerates before Newb.
"Time to go home."
A faint grimace crosses his serene face.
Brows furrow slightly, yet his eyes stay shut.
“Mom's birthday—you said you had to go.
"Hmm, Dad's waiting too, right? To soothe her together?”
As his voice stops, the furrowed brow slowly relaxes.
“And this time, you're coming too.”
His closed eyes slowly open.
Revealing round pupils.
Morning sunlight gleams yellow within.
Blink—
Once, twice.
Their eyes meet.
“…Eh."
As if not grasping the situation.
Her mouth opens again after repeated blinks.
"Agent… did you die too?”
The convenience store brightens.
The broadcast fills entirely with light.
Within that light.
A small smile graces her lips.
The screen fades.
The broadcast goes fully dark.
Then, from the dark screen, a single voice emerges.