Velvet & Read (1)
Velvet & Read (1)
March 23.
"Even this is a type of anomaly."
Having finished analyzing the business card, Lee Da-eun placed it back on the desk with a tired expression.
As a result of carrying the business card around all day to figure out what it was.
Just as feared, a slight increase in mental contamination levels was detected.
She had been more irritable than usual, had more negative thoughts, and most decisively, she complained of intense fatigue just from having the business card on her person—that was the basis for the judgment.
"Your mental contamination levels have risen."
"......"
Kang Tae-jun, who picked the business card back up, let out a faint sneer.
He was a battle-hardened agent who didn't fear anomalies and fought against them head-on—you could feel his boldness.
"So is this business card going to eat us or something? Suddenly turn giant and slice our necks with its edge?"
"Not all anomalies have a kill pattern. According to what I've learned, contamination levels this minor are classified as anomalies, but they're more accurately used as 'interaction' tools for anomalies."
Kang Tae-jun analyzed it from a physical combat standpoint, like an agent.
Lee Da-eun analyzed it from a professional, anomaly-centric perspective, like a doctor.
Both were evaluation criteria suited to their respective jobs, but the doctor's side, which specialized in analyzing anomaly behavior patterns, was more accurate.
"Hey, Da-eun. Explain a bit more..."
"Yes?"
"If you just say 'interaction,' it's hard to understand."
"Oh, then— It's not like every anomaly is just some being that mindlessly charges into battle like a mad doctor or a wine glass woman, right?"
Snatching the business card back from Kang Tae-jun, Lee Da-eun placed it on the desk again.
It was a gesture saying not to touch it recklessly because it was still dangerous.
"There are also anomalies that fit the common 'urban legend' mold. According to the manual, they're classified as 'Regularity' anomalies."
"I get it. The Film anomaly was like that—you had to follow the predetermined movie story to escape. Whenever we tried to deviate from the established flow, the projector would reverse."
Anomalies with fixed rules.
In simple terms, anomalies with a strategy method.
"There was also that rule-breaker who burned all those stupid rules to hell, forcing us to re-evaluate our entire analysis protocol."
Kang Tae-jun, Lee Da-eun, and Seo Young-eun's gazes all focused on one direction.
It was me, sitting motionless on the sofa, just listening.
I gave a slight flicker to show I was listening.
"Blue Flame is an exceptional case even among exceptional incidents. You can't judge it by our standards."
"I know. I was just thinking it was kinda funny looking back."
"As for 'interaction,' it also falls under a type of regularity. It activates only when certain conditions are met."
"What are those conditions?"
"We need to figure that out now."
"Then go figure it out."
"We're looking into it right now, aren't we!"
Having apparently gotten a taste for teasing, Kang Tae-jun grinned, and Lee Da-eun huffed in response.
Meanwhile, Seo Young-eun, who had been quietly listening, didn't interrupt. She just picked up the business card and handed it back to me.
"Blue Flame, you got anything?"
I took the card she handed me and quietly stared at it.
Just because I'm an anomaly doesn't mean I know everything about anomalies.
All I could sense was a faint dark energy seeping from the card. That was the extent of what I knew.
Lee Da-eun or Seo Young-eun probably knew better than I did. They were the anomaly-analysis doctors.
Lee Da-eun spoke.
"Just in case, I followed Team Leader Kang Tae-jun's orders and looked up establishments with the same name."
"Did you find any?"
"A total of five locations came up."
Five establishments bearing the name 'Velvet & Read.'
The exact business names might have been different, but the bar's name was Velvet & Read.
"So, did the Wine Glass Woman greet you?"
"No way. All of them were normal businesses. No trace of Object Heads."
"Wrong approach? Then we're back to square one."
"There's no way she would have just thrown us the business card without giving us a lead like this... If this was going to happen, she might as well have not given it."
As we were pondering the reason the Wine Glass Woman gave us the card,
Seo Young-eun suddenly turned around.
She even walked towards the decompression door as if she was about to leave entirely, then asked in her usual prickly tone.
"What are you doing? Is no one going?"
"Dr. Seo. What do you mean by 'no one going'? You can't just think to yourself and act on your own and expect us to read your mind."
"If no more information is coming out, there's nothing to gain by butting heads here. So we have to go."
She especially looked my way and jerked her head towards the outside.
"We should go see those bars ourselves."
※※※
"The Council sure seems to be doing us a favor. Only took an hour to get the anomaly's outdoor permit approved."
Inside the Management Bureau's operations bus, Kang Tae-jun muttered while looking at the outside scenery. Lee Da-eun, who was sitting right next to him researching data on her laptop, jerked her head up and asked.
"Normally, for an anomaly to leave the facility, isn't there a minimum two-day administrative process followed by transport in a container box?"
"That's the standard."
"Uh... but..."
Lee Da-eun looked back.
Currently inside the bus were me sitting alone in the back row, Seo Young-eun sitting two rows ahead with her seat fully reclined, and a few members of the 5th Unit waiting near the front seats.
"We're all moving together by bus."
"The Council gave special permission under operational conditions, not as an anomaly."
Kang Tae-jun raised his head and threw a glance in my direction.
"Because you protected us from that wine-bitch last time. They see you more as a fellow agent now than an anomaly."
I didn't budge, but I heard it all, I saw it all.
Seeing me not as an anomaly but as a fellow agent—a comrade.
Feels good.
"Look at that flame flickering. Means he's happy."
By then, we reached the first Velvet & Read.
Since I couldn't just step outside the bus carelessly, only Lee Da-eun, Kang Tae-jun, and the agents could visit the bar.
Left behind with Seo Young-eun, I carefully examined the bar outside the window.
'No dark energy.'
No dark energy meant that bar was a bust.
Sure enough, the team returned empty-handed shortly after.
"Let's go to the next bar."
"Chhhhh— That one— isn't it."
"What?"
"Chhhhh— Doesn't have the same— dark energy as the card."
Think back to the case of the anomaly hospital.
That hospital was drenched in dark energy, so I could instantly tell it was an anomaly building.
If the Wine Glass Woman was at a Velvet & Read, it might have a similar feel.
Kang Tae-jun, watching with a deflated expression, snapped in annoyance.
"How about telling us that sooner?"
Arrived at the next bar.
This time, rather than rushing to check, I confirmed it first from the window.
"Chhhhh— Nothing—."
"I see. Still, we should check thoroughly, so we'll visit and see."
This time, only Kang Tae-jun and Lee Da-eun went into the bar and came out.
As I expected.
"Hm, you were right."
"More importantly, Blue Flame. Please don't press too close to the window. From outside, your blue glow is way too visible."
We went to the next bar as well, but it was another bust.
Just as we were starting to worry that maybe this approach was wrong, we reached yet another bar.
But this one was different.
"This place is closed down?"
The Velvet & Read bar we arrived at was permanently closed.
A two-story building only accessible by going into an alley.
From the outside, it was decorated elegantly and was located downtown, but it seemed it didn't have much talent for business. It had been left abandoned with a 'CLOSE' sign hanging.
On top of that, there was a big 'For Lease' sign taped to the window near the entrance.
"Yeah, that's right. It's a closed shop."
"Did you know about this?"
"Just in case. We can't just dismiss it because it's closed."
Kang Tae-jun agreed and pulled the doorknob.
But there's no way a closed shop would leave its door unlocked.
He grumbled and peeked at the phone number written on the lease sign.
"Damn, what a hassle. Let's see... the number..."
Just as I was looking at the closed shop from inside the bus.
'...?'
The dark energy in the business card reacted.
It began to pulse like a heartbeat.
At the same time, the same pulse came from the closed shop, and dark energy seeped out.
That's it.
That was the Velvet & Read we were looking for.
"Chhhhh— That's— it."
Seo Young-eun turned and asked again.
"You sure?"
I bobbed my body back and forth, and Seo Young-eun quickly got off the bus.
"Everyone stay away from the door! Blue Flame says it's here."
The agents who had been loitering in front of the closed shop all stepped back.
Kang Tae-jun, who had been crouched in front of the lease sign, also turned off his phone and stood up.
"This is it?"
"Yes. He said the business card started resonating with this building. Be careful not to touch anything carelessly or we might trigger a trap."
"Good thing. But we still need to open the door. Should we break it down?"
"No. Forcing our way in like a rappelling infiltration isn't a good idea in this situation. A trap is highly likely."
She handled it smartly, like a 2nd-class grade doctor.
Kang Tae-jun, who had stepped back, glanced at Seo Young-eun in confusion, then whispered to Lee Da-eun.
"What's up with her lately? She's all proactive. During the Blue Flame capture, she was so frustratingly passive."
"Something changed after her last night shift. She used to just observe from the back and give orders."
"You think she wants a promotion? Rushing to the front like that just gets you killed early. People who change overnight usually end up in big trouble. Big trouble."
"Do you think I can't hear you? I— I can step up when I have to!"
Seo Young-eun gestured to me as I was just stepping off the bus.
"Come on. I've already activated the Perception Interference Device."
Standing in front of the door, she pulled out the business card.
It was definitely resonating.
The building and the card reacted like they were a single living being.
'But that's it.'
The resonance was all there was—no other changes or reactions.
In that case, let's broaden my senses.
I extended my detection range into the building to search.
Past the entrance, down a short staircase.
There was a dusty lobby, and the counter was there too.
No drinks. Everything was completely empty.
Beyond that, there were a few scattered tables and chairs, and a stage was set up on one side.
And the second floor.
The second floor was the same kind of space.
Nothing particularly special.
I withdrew my senses. Even after scanning like that, no traces of Object Heads were found.
This was just a closed shop.
That was all.
"Judging by the reaction, there's nothing here."
Kang Tae-jun, the first to pick up on my reaction, muttered dispiritedly.
As Lee Da-eun and the agents showed looks of disappointment, Seo Young-eun spoke.
"No. The very fact that this place is resonating means there is a reaction."
"I'm not complaining out of spite. What should we do? Should we head back to the facility and grab some equipment?"
She was probably talking about equipment that could dig into a rift and enter the anomaly world, like at the hospital last time.
But the problem was that this place was too close to a busy commercial district.
And the space itself was very cramped.
All in all, we were at a disadvantage.
"We'll have to consider that as an option too."
Suddenly, she approached the door.
The firmly shut glass door with 'CLOSE' on it.
She stared blankly at it, then grabbed the handle.
"It's already locked. You want to break it?"
I know. It's locked.
But if this place had the same kind of space as the anomaly hospital's world...?
Click.
The door handle, which hadn't budged a bit while locked, only reacted to my hand.
Creeeak—
The door opened.
Kang Tae-jun, who had his arms crossed, hastily pointed his gun forward and aimed inside.
"Damn. So it's one of those 'only the person holding the card can enter' deals?"
"Team Leader. This is a Regularity anomaly. The kind that could be called an urban legend."
"We're not going in yet. Let's check our gear and do a quick briefing on precautions before entering. Just in case, Blue Head—you stay there and hold the door."
After a short preparation time,
the team members stood in front of the closed building and listened to Kang Tae-jun's brief briefing.
"Two agents and I will take the lead. Dr. Lee Da-eun and Dr. Seo Young-eun will join in the middle. The rear guard will be the remaining agents and you, Blue Flame."
""Yes!""
"Everyone, including the doctors, turn on your body cams. All situations will be recorded, and the Council is watching this operation closely."
"Team Leader. I've put in a support request to the facility. The agents waiting on the bus will also block off access to this area."
"Good. So far the doctors were the experts, but from now on, we agents are the experts. I give my order today too. Don't you dare die."
Kang Tae-jun took point, and Seo Young-eun and Lee Da-eun followed behind.
As I also followed in the rear, an agent guarding the back cautiously spoke to me.
"B-Blue Flame."
I didn't turn around, but I focused my senses on him.
"I'm an agent who participated in the capture operation against you last time. And I'm also the one who got shoved by you and knocked out for the first time."
Is that so. Back then, everyone had their faces hidden by helmets, so I didn't know what they looked like.
The agent, while staying vigilant of his surroundings, spoke with persistence, as if he absolutely had to get this out.
"I was scared back then, and I've never found the right time to say this since. But since I might die in this operation, I wanted to tell you."
"......"
"Even if it was an order from above... I'm sorry. You're my comrade now, and I really wanted to apologize."
I never really cared.
If anything, I'd long forgotten about it.
Still, it was admirable for him to apologize now.
Just like Kang Tae-jun sometimes did, I lightly placed my hand on the agent's shoulder.
"Hk!"
"......"
"Wh-What are you doing?! Grabbing me suddenly while I'm tense gives me a shock. Please don't do that."
I meant it as encouragement.
I thought it would look cool.
Instead, I just ended up feeling deflated, drooping my head flame as I kept following behind.
We reached the lobby after going down the short staircase.
Something was off.
It was supposed to be a closed shop, but the building we entered was an elegant, upscale bar.
'Everything is steeped in dark energy. Almost every object here is an anomaly.'
The interior was clean, the air was warm.
A faint red glow permeated the space, and the air was thick with a deep, alcoholic scent.
Red curtains, whether for decoration or not, were visible here and there. On the counter were liquor bottles that definitely weren't there before, displayed elegantly.
Soft jazz music flowed quietly from somewhere in the ceiling.
And the bartender.
"What?"
As Kang Tae-jun was the first to aim at the counter, the other agents moved in an instant.
Half of them aimed at the bartender as well.
The rest guarded the opposite direction, ready for any potential threats.
The bartender.
The reason we didn't notice him right away was his head—a shaker.
Partly because his head was an object, not a human head, making it harder to spot.
And partly because he was standing there silently, without making a peep.
Scrub, scrub.
The bartender was noisily wiping a glass at the counter.
Judging by his attitude, he didn't even acknowledge our presence.
Kang Tae-jun muttered in exasperation.
"Damn, how many Object Heads are we going to see in a few days? They said these were rare anomalies. Why are there so many?"
"No hostile intent... it seems."
"I'll handle it. Don't shoot recklessly. Since he shows no attack intent, I will refrain from attacking rashly myself."
Dr. Seo Young-eun took a deep breath and stepped forward.
She greeted the bartender.
"Hello."
The bartender didn't even act like he heard.
Seo Young-eun, already trained by dealing with me, calmly spoke to him despite getting no response.
"I came because I was invited. Isn't the Wine Glass Woman here?"
Still no response.
Unlike me, this was definitely an attitude of pure ignoring.
"Excuse me! Don't think we can't hear you just because you don't have ears! We know our stuff too."
Clink.
Two glasses appeared on the counter.
One was a martini glass. It contained a deep red liquor.
The other was a straight glass. It contained a faint amber-colored liquor, probably a strong spirit.
"Chhhhh— Curtain Call—"
The bartender pointed at the martini glass and spoke.
His deep voice came from the speaker that had been playing jazz.
Then he pointed at the straight glass.
"Chhhhh— Headshot—"
Seo Young-eun turned around.
She looked at me once, then at Kang Tae-jun.
Kang Tae-jun also glanced my way with a similar expression.
'Those are just normal drinks.'
Perfectly ordinary liquor, mixed with no dark energy.
We were being given a choice.
"Wh—What is this? Are we supposed to choose?"
"Damn. It's a problem to drink on duty."
"If we refuse... who knows what might happen."
Steeling herself, Seo Young-eun stood before the two glasses.
I could see her swallow dryly.
"Usually, when incomprehensible situations repeat or choices are given, we classify it as a Regularity anomaly. A situation perfectly suited for an urban legend. There must be a strategy."
"But we don't know that strategy, Dr. Seo."
"You're right. But to figure out the strategy, someone has to take the challenge within the rules, don't they?"
Seo Young-eun picked up one of the glasses with a trembling hand.
"Ever since the youngest escaped... this is the first time I've done this myself. I'm not really the type to step up."
"Doctor! Let me drink it!"
"Da-eun. The bartender already singled me out. If we violate the rules, we might all die."
Visibly tense, Seo Young-eun picked up the 'Curtain Call.'
A look of ominous dread was on her face, but then she suddenly turned to me.
"If... if I'm in danger... help me. I don't plan on dying here."
I bobbed up and down as a sign of understanding.
Seo Young-eun gave a faint smile.
"H-He, Headshot sounds ominous, so I'll go with Curtain Call."
She drank the Curtain Call.
It wasn't a large amount, so she downed it in one go.
Her face scrunched up as she tasted it, but then she turned around with wide eyes.
"I-It's delicious."
"You're not supposed to taste test it, Dr. Seo."
"I— I know. I'm just saying it's really delicious."
We all turned our attention back to the bartender.
He was still scrubbing the glass.
An ominous laugh came from the speaker.
"Chhhhh— Heh— heh heh— Puhuhuhut—"
"He's giggling. The cup-headed bastard."
"Chhhhh— Please give your thanks— to the actors—"
The curtain moved.
One side of the huge red curtain slid forward like a flowing wave, splitting the team apart.
Swoooosh—
"Whoa!"
"T-Team Leader!"
"Don't shoot! If you shoot carelessly, we'll hit each other!"
"Kyaaaaaah!"
"Da-eun!"
"Everyone stay calm!"
Thwack!
The lobby was tangled in curtains.
When the curtains withdrew, all the team members had vanished like magic.
Standing alone in their place was only me.
I stood there in bewilderment, then looked at the bartender.
"Chhhhh— The invited guest—"
The bartender politely gestured to the counter seat.
"Chhhhh— Is one—"
I didn't know what was going on, but I followed the order and sat down.
For all I knew, my actions could mean life or death for my comrades.
Just then, someone was walking out from the back of the bar.
The Wine Glass Woman.
Still sensuous and elegant, she calmly sat down next to me.
She placed a small speaker on the counter and spoke.
"Thank you— for coming."
"......"
"But I didn't say— to bring friends—"
"......"
"Then— shall we talk— seriously—? We are Velvet &—"
Chhhhhhhh—
A harsh noise cut off her words.
Even the jazz music twisted grotesquely.
"Chhhhh— Giving you— only three— chances."
"What—?"
"Chhhhh— Put it back—"
The size of my flame grew.
As the heat surged, the Wine Glass Woman flinched and backed away from her seat.
The memory of pain clearly carved into her seemed to instill fear.
The bartender in front also set down the glass he was holding, but accidentally dropped it.
Shatter!
"Chhhhh— Two— left."