Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Apostle of Justice
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...
...
...
13.
...
...
...
14.
'......Fifteen.'
I counted the number of lights attached to the ceiling, trying to calm my dizzy mind.
...Rrring-
The ceiling is just a ceiling~
Lights are just lights~
But what was I born for?
...Rrrring-
The reason I'm counting lights right now,
like some slack-jawed idiot, boils down to one thing.
It's not some grand revelation like 'I've grasped the truths of the universe!!'
Throb-
It's because my body won't respond.
Not even a twitch of a finger—that's how powerless I felt.
Rrrriiiing-
So...
Even at this very moment,
that's the real reason I can't pick up the blaring rotary phone.
Rrrriiiing-!
I know.
I get it.
I want to answer it too.
But what can I do?
'Can't you just be satisfied that I came back with all my limbs intact?'
Rrrriiiing-!
...
Guess not.
Rrrriiiing-!!
For some reason, the ringing feels louder. Just my imagination?
Rrrriiiing-!!!!
Nope...
It's definitely louder than before.
I'd turn my head to check if I could.
In this situation where my perfectly good ears might go deaf if it keeps up.
Click-
?
The ringing stopped.
But soon, a familiar voice reached my ears.
『This call is being recorded. We always prioritize employee safety above all else.』
"......"
'I'll pretend I didn't hear that.'
As the AI droned on with its usual pointless nonsense,
I rolled my eyes—the only part of me that still worked—
toward the source of the voice, straining with all my might.
There, floating in midair, was a receiver asserting its presence.
It was straight out of a ghost story.
『Congratulations, Employee Kim Min-hyuk. It seems you've achieved more than expected in your duties.』
When I heard that I'd exceeded expectations,
'So... this is supposed to be good news?'
Maybe because my default mindset was 'even good news doesn't feel good,'
it didn't really hit home.
But denying I was curious about the reward?
That would be a lie.
So I turned the question back to the one who'd gotten my hopes up.
"This reward... it's worth looking forward to, right?"
『Regarding the reward procedure you inquired about, discussions with upper management are already underway. Likely within the next few days...』
As the AI sheep's explanation continued,
Flutter-
A single sheet of paper fell from above.
『It seems upper management's decision has arrived just in time. Take a look.』
The paper drifted down slowly,
landing softly on my chest.
"......"
『.......』
I can't move right now.
Which means I can't check what's written on it.
"Could you maybe read what's on the paper?"
I asked politely,
『That won't be possible.』
And got politely refused.
『The first time, at least, needs to be confirmed with your own eyes for it to mean anything.』
"......"
That 'first time' recipient can't even hold their body up right now.
At the AI voice's rigid attitude, spinning circles around its refusal to read it,
I built another wall in my heart.
But from the receiver came the most welcome words I'd heard yet.
『This concludes today's assigned duties. You may now rest fully. I'll end the call.』
With those words marking the end of my tasks,
the AI voice said to me,
『See you tomorrow.』
Ending with that pat on the back.
Click-
Click-
Click-
The connection cut off.
"Duties... are done?"
A hollow ringing echoed in my eardrums.
Beep-
The only sounds filling this vast space
were the steady beat of my heart and my shallow breaths.
"......"
Silence settled in.
The first free time since arriving here.
The relief it brought was an indescribable high.
But if I had to pick one downside amid this euphoria,
it was my current physical state.
The worst possible.
No different from a breathing rock.
I strained afterward to move, but my petrified body showed no sign of budging.
...
...
...
All I could do right now was what I'd started with: count lights.
Trapped in a situation where I wanted to do something but couldn't,
I had to make a decision.
'......Sleep it is.'
Since sleeping seemed to be the only option anyway.
I closed my eyes
and took a deep breath.
Five seconds later.
.........zzZZZ.
I passed out into sleep.
When I opened my eyes again,
quite some time had passed.
*****
"Hurry and check for mental contamination first!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
In front of the abandoned building, where hardly a soul was in sight,
dozens of suspicious black cars.
Dozens of people in black suits scurried about, investigating every corner.
Some checked the condition of a man collapsed on the ground, even drawing blood to test his veins.
It all looked highly suspicious to anyone watching.
And among them,
silver hair glinting under the bluish moonlight and a shirt straining at certain prominent areas
drew eyes naturally to one woman.
"Ms. Choi Yeon-jeong?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The female employee called out to Choi Yeon-jeong again, continuing the conversation.
"So, you saw a man wearing an old radio upside down on his head."
"......Yes."
"And then, when one of your acquaintances raised their voice at the radio-headed thing, their head... exploded."
"I know it's hard to believe! But it's true!"
Choi Yeon-jeong emphasized again that she wasn't lying,
pleading with desperate eyes for them to believe her.
"We believe you."
The other woman didn't deny it.
More than denial, she probed deeper into the details.
"Then, to confirm once more: the person who saved you all from that danger called themselves part of the 'Anomalous Phenomena Management Agency,' correct?"
"......Yes. That's exactly what they said."
After hearing Choi Yeon-jeong's answer, the female employee pondered briefly,
then called over one of the employees rushing around behind them.
"Hey, newbie!"
"......Yes?"
"Yeah, you. The one who stopped when he heard me."
"I'm... a five-year assistant manager..."
"Perfect. Get over here."
"......"
The reason the female employee summoned an assistant manager-level employee was simple.
"Find out which division the field team deployed for this 'Tyui-E-150' belongs to."
"...Pardon? You could ask the actual newbies for something that simple..."
As the male employee jutted his lip and grumbled,
the female employee's face darkened like settling shadows,
her red eyes glaring sharply at him.
"And?"
"!!"
"You saying you... can't do it?"
"N-No! Of course not! I'll investigate and report back immediately!!"
Snap-!
The assistant manager gave a crisp salute and bolted from the scene faster than anyone.
"Assistant managers these days... Hah."
The female employee's face twisted into the grimmest expression she'd shown Choi Yeon-jeong yet.
"......"
Choi Yeon-jeong unconsciously straightened up in response.
"Ms. Choi Yeon-jeong."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"......At ease. No need to be so tense. Could you describe the appearance of the person who saved you?"
"Appearance...?"
At the female employee's question about their savior's looks, Choi Yeon-jeong didn't answer right away.
Not because she couldn't remember.
Just...
A natural question arose from the query.
"Is the person who saved me... in some kind of trouble?"
"......"
Choi Yeon-jeong instinctively took a guarded stance toward the woman before her.
Noting her defensive posture,
the female employee said,
"Ms. Choi Yeon-jeong......"
"......"
Her previously shadowed expression melted away,
a soft smile settling naturally on her lips.
"Of course not. Saving two people single-handedly, without a team? That's an incredible achievement. If he's a regular employee, he might even aim for assistant manager."
The female employee heaped praise on Choi Yeon-jeong's savior without reserve.
Choi Yeon-jeong seemed to relax a bit at the compliments.
"I see."
"So please, relax and tell me. What did he look like?"
"Um...... He looked ordinary."
She described him as a typical twenty-something guy you'd see on any street.
"If anything unusual, he was weirdly 'calm.' Like he already knew how to 'handle' that situation."
"...Maybe not a regular employee after all. Where did he go after saving you?"
"After rescuing us, he vanished through a white door that appeared in midair."
"A white door?"
"Yes. It was dark, so I didn't see clearly, but it looked connected to another space."
After hearing Choi Yeon-jeong out,
the female employee smiled warmly.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Our employees will escort you home soon, so please wait here."
"Yes, understood."
"Alright then."
".........He was a good person!"
"...Pardon?"
Choi Yeon-jeong's voice trembled...
But she said what she needed to.
"He valued others' lives over his own. So...... please tell the others."
"......Yes, I will."
The female employee walked away, piecing together all the information.
Ordinary-looking twenty-something man.
Strong enough mentally to stay calm even against an E-rank ghost story.
And he seemed to already know about that entity.
Putting it together,
three possibilities came to mind.
First: an internal agency operation she wasn't aware of.
Second: the work of those pesky ghost story cultists.
The first two would leave traces upon investigation.
But the real problem was
the third.
The third: involvement of a third party.
"Please, not the third one......"
She already had enough headaches with the first two.
Static-
?
As the female employee racked her brain,
a voice crackled from the walkie-talkie in her hand.
[Section Chief, 'abandoned building' and surrounding village secured. The two civilians you mentioned are also in position.]
"Deploy the 'ACC gas' immediately."
[Understood.]
Hiss-!
Right after the transmission ended,
the abandoned building and surroundings
were engulfed in thick yellow smoke.
The female employee quickly donned her gas mask from her belt,
and soon,
another voice came through.
Static-
[Civilians confirmed unconscious. Administering 'memory erasure agent' now.]
"Escort the woman home safely."
[What about the man?]
"......"
[Seems he has a criminal record...]
"Follow procedure. Pro-ce-dure."
[......Understood. Sending the man to headquarters.]
Static-
Transmission ended.
The female employee gazed at the moon and pictured the silhouette Choi Yeon-jeong described.
-He valued others' lives over his own.
"I'd like to meet him sometime. A rare breed in these times......
Apostle of Justice."