The National Freak Show
The moment I stepped onto the train, the National Freak Show began.
"Hehe. Look at this. It's my personal hand strap."
Some bastard had stuck a plunger to the ceiling and was dangling from it as the train rattled along.
"Dedet! Ningen-san! How about a quickie before you go, desu-ung~"
A wild champi.
"You... you're pent up, aren't you?"
Auntie Nimura.
Besides them, the car was packed with old folks playing Korean chess with severed fingers, and some freak who threw up on his pizza to "add toppings" before chewing it back down.
But the absurdity didn't end there.
The train cars were arranged in reverse.
In other words, to find Baek Yul-ha and Jang A-rin, I had to fight my way to the very end of this subway from hell.
"Excuse me. Hey, out of the way."
Lee Shin scowled. He tried to squeeze through the crowd of anomalies, but it wasn't easy.
Why not just beat them all to a pulp with that gangster-like physique?
These people must be actors. I can't just beat up innocent civilians.
Lee Shin was an orphanage director, not an orphan maker.
Tatiana sent a radio transmission, as if she had expected this.
"Command. The density of anomalies is too high. Progress is difficult."
"Understood. We will proceed as previously discussed with headquarters. ...Ahem!"
Yoo Seohah cleared her throat on the other end of the line.
What were they planning to do?
They were going to set the stage so that this middle-school dropout orphanage director, who possessed zero common sense, could run wild to his heart's content.
"SIN-998. Can you hear me? We are now beginning Part 2 of the interactive attraction!"
"What?"
"Please subdue the disruptive passengers blocking your reunion with the children!"
"Wait, hold on. I mean, they're like my own kids, yeah. But you want me to hit these people? They're actors, aren't they?"
Hmph.
Yoo Seohah let out a cute little giggle in the command room.
He's asking exactly what I expected. I knew he would, so I prepared a script!
"It's fine! The Management Bureau is an extrajudicial organization, remember? We have safety measures for eveeeerything!"
"Are you seriously saying..."
As expected, showing him in person was the best way.
Conveniently, an anomaly slated for termination was right in front of them.
"Bleeegh. Urgh. Bleeeeeegh—"
Anomaly: <Drunk Bastard>.
It was a creature that had devoured five good citizens who had tried to help a drunkard. Conveniently, chunks of the victims' organs were mixed into its vomit.
Yoo Seohah suppressed her anger and gave the order.
"Ahem! Instructor Karstein? Please handle it."
"Command. I am not an instructor."
"M-My bad..."
Hierarchy establishment: total failure.
Click.
Tatiana switched her rifle's fire selector to full-auto.
Rat-tat-tat-tat—
A heavy muffled firing sound erupted from the end of the silencer. As bullets riddled its entire body, the anomaly rolled its eyes back and foamed at the mouth.
"Y-You killed a person?!"
"998. Calm down. It's just playing dead. We've equipped them with full-body safety gear."
Of course, it was a lie.
Nudge, nudge.
She gave it a casual kick, and it twitched. Since they used rubber bullets for suppression, it was probably still breathing.
Now, we just wait for 998 to buy it.
Lee Shin closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. His ping-pong-ball-sized brain was running at full capacity.
Meanwhile, Tatiana quietly dragged the half-dead anomaly backward.
"Dispose of it."
"Understood."
The special task force threw the <Drunk Bastard> out of the train. The creature exploded with a loud pop and died instantly.
The Management Bureau does not contain all anomalies.
— Management Bureau Protocol —
Anomalies with no utility value that are hostile to humanity are to be terminated.
Conversely, if they are friendly to humanity and have sufficient utility, they are granted many privileges.
"Ah!"
After about thirty seconds, Lee Shin slapped his forehead.
"Now that I think about it, this is way milder than Marine Corps-style discipline. What about the actor who got shot?"
"Didn't you see? He got up on his own feet and walked back into the crowd."
"As expected of an extrajudicial organization... lore! That's a highly disciplined safety device!"
"Yes. That's the lore. Are you curious about how it works?"
"No. Don't give me some boring, pedantic explanation."
There was only one thing he needed to know.
"It means I can go wild however the fuck I want, right?!"
Just as planned.
The limiter on the orphanage director searching for his orphans had been released.
One! Two! One! Two!
Right foot! Left foot!!
"Wait, no! Is it arms instead of feet?!"
I was currently throwing the anomaly "actors" blocking my path in all directions like I was pulling radishes.
Judging by the loud noises coming from behind, Tatiana and her lackeys seemed to be keeping up just fine.
"Target for termination confirmed. Terminated."
"How many anomalies is he subduing by himself?"
"Is it Christmas today? Aren't all of these going toward our performance reviews?"
"Cut the chatter. Focus on escorting 998."
Clearing the crowd with ease, we advanced through several train cars. We were almost there.
But perhaps I had let my guard down too soon.
I almost lost my eyesight.
"Holy shit!! My eyes!!"
An old man and an old lady were passionately making love in the priority seating area.
Just your average day on Line 1.
Where on earth did they recruit such realistic actors?
As I growled, Seohah tried to soothe me over the radio.
"SIN-998? Please calm down. That anomaly is a Delta-class. The task force commander will subdue it according to the manual, so please do not approach. First, we will begin the 'Grave Site Search' ritual, and then perform four rituals in order..."
"Hey, Seohah. Don't you think you guys are overdoing the lore a bit?"
"Huh...?"
What do you mean, four rituals?
Stomp, stomp.
I marched right up to the two seniors who were hot and heavy in the middle of their make-out session.
"Huh? What's this? You young punk... want a taste?"
"Oh my, young man. Want to go wild with this granny?"
I felt like my brain was rotting.
But since they were my elders, I would show them proper respect.
Extremely politely!
"Stop having sex."
Lee Ju-hee.
That was the table manners my late mother had taught me.
"How dare this little bastard...!"
The old man flew into a rage. In that case, I had to be even more polite, furrowing my brow like this...
Orphan Discipline Method: Form 1.
Asking if they have a single parent with just a glare.
"I said, stop having sex. Unless you want to stop living."
"S-See! What did I tell you?!"
Out of nowhere, the old lady slapped the old man across the face, snapped a few words at him, and fled behind me.
Suppression complete.
Static. Seohah stammered over the radio.
"H-How...?"
"What do you mean, how? I just gave them a late-life divorce."
Think I went too far? Not at all.
What if my kids had seen that?
That would have turned into a real UFC match.
As I moved to the next car, Tatiana stuck close to my side and muttered.
"Incredible. To completely bypass the containment protocol. A normal person would have been caught between those elders, had their life force drained dry, and died. Over a dozen people died that way."
"Still explaining useless lore even in this situation?"
"998. That... is not lore."
She sounded like she had given up on something.
As I debated whether to ask, I was suddenly struck speechless.
Atop the luggage rack of the very last train car, two girls were holding their breath.
Yul-ha was calmly scanning the surroundings, while A-rin was clinging to her sister's chest, half-crying.
The moment the two little ones saw me, their tense expressions melted away.
They're both safe! Dammit... I can't hold back my paternal affection!
I was going to soothe my daughters right away and put them to sleep in a safe place!
Just before I rushed into the car.
"998. Stop. Don't make a sound."
"Huh?"
"Please. I beg you."
Tatiana grabbed my arm. The special task force behind her raised their weapons without a word.
What is it? Is there something super dangerous?
When I looked back at the kids, Yul-ha silently mouthed to me:
There's... a... monster...
Screeech, groaaan.
A bizarre metallic screech echoed from the conductor's cabin at the end of the car.
Before I knew it, a thick fog had rolled into the train car. Parting the mist, a massive man appeared.
His muscular body was drenched in blood, and he dragged an axe the size of a human body behind him.
He's even got some pentagon thing on his head.
Wow. It's Pentagon Head.
Did he take a stroll out of some quiet hill? The quality of the costume is insane.
It seemed I was the only one impressed. Tatiana gently pulled me back.
"Emergency. Command, we have encountered a Gamma-class anomaly. It shouldn't be here. ...What are the train's current coordinates?"
"It's leaving the metropolitan area. It appears to be running while creating its own tracks. Uh... a spatial singularity has been detected ahead of the train."
"It's going to warp the entire train. How much time do we have left?"
"Two minutes. C-Chief? This looks like..."
Several voices overlapped on the other side of the radio. After a moment, a cold, emotionless male voice came through.
"That's enough. I will speak to him. SIN-998. Can you hear me?"
"Yeah."
"I am the Site Overseer of Site-277. Return immediately with the containment task force."
Ah. Is he the boss of this Management Bureau attraction?
Whatever.
"Sure. Just let me grab my kids."
"...No. Abandon the children."
?
My face twisted in a frown.
The man on the other end of the radio continued coldly.
"The two children have stayed on the train for too long. The train you are on is heading toward SIN-538, and the children have been bound to that anomaly. They cannot disembark until it arrives. Furthermore, that sector is outside our site's jurisdiction."
"Hey. Cut the bullshit roleplay."
Gasp.
Tatiana gasped right beside me. Seohah also seemed flustered on the other end of the line.
Yet the man remained completely unfazed.
"The Management Bureau Council is keeping an eye on you. This is a decision from above, so accept it."
"Fuck you. I make my own decisions."
They are my kids.
We might not share blood, but we formed the bond of parent and child.
"..."
Screeech, groaaan—
From the end of the car, Pentagon Head slowly advanced, step by step.
My daughters were still shivering atop the luggage rack over there.
I shook off Tatiana's hand.
"...998. Don't go. SIN-538 is not a place you can handle with your anomalous properties. This isn't some lore. I... I just don't want you to die."
I didn't know the details, but I could tell Tatiana was genuinely worried about me. I also understood why she wouldn't enter the last car with me.
But none of that was a reason for a parent to abandon their children.
I took a step into the final car.
Now, Tatiana and I were in different cars.
"...998. Please."
"Tatiana. You have parents too, don't you?"
"I..."
"These kids have never known a parent's love. That's why I decided to give it to them."
I lightly tapped her shoulder.
"Children belong with their parents."
"..."
There was no answer.
Tatiana's gun barrel trembled slightly.
With that final sight, the containment task force vanished.
The scenery outside the window changed. It was a city shrouded in thick fog.
The fog seeped all the way inside the train.
I can't see a damn thing.
Lee Shin waved his hand in front of his face.
That pentagon-headed guy should be around there, and the kids should be on the luggage rack...
"Huh?"
The kids were gone. Pentagon Head had vanished without a trace as well.
He was left all alone inside the train car.
"What kind of gimmick is this now?"
Just as his peanut-sized brain was beginning to overheat, a mechanical broadcast echoed through the speakers.
📢 "This station is the final stop of our train. The platform doors are opening."
Rumble. Hiss.
Lee Shin had absolutely no idea where he was.
Even though he was 330 kilometers away from Seoul, he simply smelled the salty sea air and assumed he was somewhere near the beach.
Naturally, he had no way of knowing that headquarters had issued an emergency order to Site-277.
Nor did he know that the Management Bureau Council had begun to intervene directly in this incident.
"Is this not part of the attraction? Wait, where are my kids?!"
Lee Shin tilted his head in confusion after stepping off the train.
Halfway up a path leading straight north along the train tracks, a signpost stood erected.
It was so poorly maintained that the paint was entirely peeled off, covered in streaks of rust.
WELCOME TO MUJIN CITY
It looked like a sign from decades ago.