Geocaching #17: Could the Two Bureaus Really Have Been One?
The question consumed my thoughts for the entire car ride. If they had truly been one organization originally, then why had they split apart? There had to be some monumental secret buried in all this. Perhaps the split itself was a ghost story or an anomalous phenomenon. The whole situation felt horrifically grim. Too many impossible things were stacked in front of me. The existence of the status window, the concept of loop playthroughs, even the reason behind my regression. I had planned to grow as a Bureau agent, borrowing the organization’s power to investigate these mysteries. For an ordinary person like me, latching onto the Bureau seemed like the smartest path forward. I had become an agent and was steadily building my career, yet it suddenly felt as if a colossal wall had slammed down, blocking my entire path.
To fully wield the Bureau’s strength, I would eventually have to uncover the secret behind why the two Bureaus had separated. It was almost suffocating, but one fact remained crystal clear. I was now riding Jaaldi’s line. No matter what happened, I had to stay with her. Only then could I approach the Bureau’s hidden truth. All right. I would become Jaaldi’s most trusted subordinate. From this point on, Jaaldi was all I had.
“This area must be Lee Do-hyeong’s territory,” Jaaldi muttered.
Collapsed buildings began appearing outside the window. Just as beasts mark their domains, Chief Lee Do-hyeong had carved up the surrounding structures to claim his own. It was a brutal display of dominance.
“We’ll need to move more carefully from here,” I said.
“We’ll drive a little farther and abandon the vehicle.”
“Understood.”
After that, all we had to do was reach the hospital on foot.
“But why doesn’t Chief Lee Do-hyeong touch the hospital itself? He’s demolished everything around it.”
“The doctor might have done something. After all, that doctor was the one who operated on Lee Do-hyeong.”
“Hmm… You think he might be following the Hospital Director’s orders?”
If that was true, meeting Kim Seong-han might give us answers. From what I had seen, the man was already assimilated into Cheongak Mary Hospital. He would know the place inside and out. As a doctor, he might have even participated in Lee Do-hyeong’s surgery. If the chance arose, I would try to approach him, but honestly it seemed unlikely to work.
“We’ll proceed on foot from here. Stay alert. If Lee Do-hyeong catches us, it’s over.”
“Yes, ma’am. Song Jin-seop, you stay sharp too.”
“I will.”
We got out of the car and moved with extreme caution. Piles of stitched corpses towered like mountains around us. All of them were Lee Do-hyeong’s handiwork. For an entity that had escaped the hospital to create an apocalypse like this, even in the stitched world it had to be a catastrophe. With those thoughts in mind, we crept forward until we finally reached our destination. The familiar sight of Cheongak Mary Hospital loomed before us.
“Fortunately we didn’t run into Lee Do-hyeong.”
“I feel like I aged ten years.”
We crossed the fog and entered the hospital grounds. We had been as careful as possible before stepping inside. After all, there was a high chance that Fake Bureau agents were still lurking.
“They’re… gone?”
Once we were inside, it became obvious. The agents had vanished. Song Jin-seop scanned everywhere, desperately searching for his friends, but there was no sign of them.
“Song Jin-seop. Did the Fake Bureau agents withdraw?”
“It looks that way…”
“It doesn’t matter either way. Grong, from this point on we are escaping this world.”
“Yes. That plan you mentioned.”
“Ahem… Do not speak of it.”
Jaaldi was the woman who might have become my mother…!
“What about Song Jin-seop?”
“That’s why reorganization is necessary. I’ll brief him briefly.”
“Huh? Wait, are you saying the team leader is going to become the mother of two sons…!”
“Will you please be quiet…!”
Unbelievable! Were Song Jin-seop and I really about to become brothers?
“What are you talking about?” Song Jin-seop asked, looking confused.
I explained it to him.
“There’s something you need to learn in order to escape.”
“Escape? Actually, our Bureau has a method too. I received training on it.”
“What?”
A method? Of course they had one. That was how they came and went. I had completely forgotten about it.
“What is the method?” Jaaldi asked, clearly intrigued.
“Once you enter this hospital, you can’t just leave whenever you want, right? You need a proper exit strategy. Our agents figured this out after charging in a few times. Simply put, you act like a complete pain in the ass.”
“A pain in the ass?”
What kind of nonsense was this kid spouting?
“If you show up claiming you came to visit Chief Lee Do-hyeong and start throwing a fit about why he isn’t here, they’ll throw you out.”
“What the hell is this bullshit?”
“It’s true. That’s how we were trained.”
“We should verify this. Try it.”
“Sure, whatever.”
Did this actually work?
“Good. After you escape, I’ll tell you what to do next.”
Jaaldi gave Song Jin-seop instructions for his behavior after escaping. Then we all entered the hospital together. Honestly, stepping back inside was a little terrifying, but I wasn’t shaking like I had the first time.
Inside, the same scene from before unfolded. The only difference was that there were no patients, only nurses. Their faces weren’t stitched together either. Now that I thought about it, that had been the case at the very beginning too. Song Jin-seop stepped forward. I wondered if the kid could actually pull this off.
“What brings you here?” the nurse asked.
“I’m here for a visit,” he declared boldly.
“Lee Do-hyeong is admitted here, right?”
I wasn’t sure if this would actually work…
“Mr. Lee Do-hyeong is not here at the moment.”
“What? What do you mean? He’s admitted here, isn’t he?”
“Mr. Lee Do-hyeong is not here at the moment.”
“What are you talking about? He’s supposed to be admitted. Why isn’t he here? Where did he go?”
“Mr. Lee Do-hyeong is not here at the moment.”
“Why do you keep saying he’s not here? I’m asking why. Where is he?”
“He has currently escaped and—”
“Escaped? Escaaaaaped?! What kind of bullshit is that!”
Wait, hold on! Was this kid suddenly going full throttle?
For a second I almost reached out, afraid Song Jin-seop might actually get killed, but Jaaldi grabbed my wrist.
“If it’s too much trouble to tell me, just say you don’t want to! Why are you lying about him escaping! It’s making me feel like shit! Do I look like someone who fixes your mood when you’re upset?! Hey!”
“It’s the truth…”
The nurse answered in a clearly intimidated voice as the agitated Song Jin-seop continued shouting. I had no idea the kid had this kind of crazy side. We had spent so much time together, yet he had this bold, fearless streak? He was really throwing a tantrum at the nurse right now! So this was how much of a tough guy he could be!
“This is ridiculous! I didn’t do anything weird. I just said I came for a visit and you’re treating me like this! Hey! Where’s the director? Bring him out! How the hell do you manage your nurses here!”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Please calm down.”
“Do you even know who I am?! You don’t know me but you’re being this rude? Bullshit!”
“I’m sorry… Excuse me, could you come quickly?”
The flustered nurse picked up a phone and called someone. Even while she did, Song Jin-seop kept rampaging. Soon the outer door opened and a security guard walked in.
Lee Seung-cheol?! The name tag clearly read Lee Seung-cheol!
“Seung-cheol, please escort this gentleman out.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Who the hell are you! Are you a cop? You’re not even a real cop! Hey! Let go! Let go of me! This is sexual harassment, you son of a bitch! Aaaaaaaaagh!”
By the end, Song Jin-seop was screaming at the top of his lungs as the security guard dragged him away. Right before disappearing through the door, he mouthed the words ‘Like this.’
“...”
It was ridiculous, but once Song Jin-seop was gone the hospital’s atmosphere returned to normal.
“What brings you here today?”
Jaaldi gave me a signal. I had a lot to say, but for now I needed to focus on the task at hand.
“Hello. I’m here to discuss admitting my son.”
“Your son?” The nurse looked at me. She probably wouldn’t recognize me, right?
“Mom, why are you talking about admitting me? I told you it’s not that serious.”
I acted like a mischievous son and hid behind Jaaldi.
“Be quiet. Can we have a consultation right now?”
“The doctors are on tight schedules today, so that won’t be possible. Here are the available consultation times…”
Jaaldi and the nurse began discussing the admission consultation process. Since I had nothing to do, I simply stood behind Jaaldi’s backside. After a long conversation, the consultation finally ended.
“Please come back on this date. You may leave now.”
“Understood. Have a good day.”
“Thank you.”
“This kid. You need to say goodbye too.”
Jaaldi pinched my cheek.
“Ow, ow, that hurts, Mom. Goodbye.”
After that we left the hospital. We walked slowly until we were beyond the grounds, and the real world’s scenery greeted us. That was how we escaped.
“That was easier than I expected?”
“We got lucky. There wasn’t a doctor available for immediate consultation, so it was resolved quickly. If there had been, the risk would have skyrocketed from that point.”
So this time it really had been luck.
“I see. Still, escaping is ridiculously easier than trying to enter as a patient or security guard.”
“Isn’t reality the same? For example, it’s hard for a patient admitted to a psychiatric hospital to leave on their own, but someone who came to consult about admitting their son can leave easily.”
“Ah.”
She was right.
“But Song Jin-seop’s tantrum was on another level.”
He had been a complete madman. I never knew such a method existed… I would have to file a report about the Lee Do-hyeong visitation tactic.
We continued chatting while staying hidden. There was still no sign of the Fake Bureau.
“Grong. Any contact with the Bureau?”
“Huh?! It works! The line is open! We’ve returned to our world!”
“How interesting. Returning by passing through an anomalous phenomenon. Truly a strange method. Anyway, how much time has passed?”
“Three days.”
“I’ll make contact. The Fake Bureau doesn’t seem to be around, so search for Song Jin-seop nearby.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
From this point on, it was a gamble. There was no way to know whether Song Jin-seop had gone to their parallel world or had returned with us. This was one thing I truly couldn’t control. Please let him be here.
“Ah, you’re out.”
“You made it!”
After moving a short distance, Song Jin-seop emerged from the bushes. We immediately regrouped and headed back together.
“Team Leader, I’ve brought Song Jin-seop.”
“Good… Then let’s get in the car and return. Song Jin-seop, we’ll drop you off midway. I’ll contact you soon, so stay at the location I told you about and follow the instructions I gave you.”
“Understood. Oh, so this is that place similar to a parallel world?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
After finishing the conversation, we headed to where our car was parked. Our sleek Bureau vehicle was still there, untouched. We got in and immediately set off, beginning the journey back.
We dropped Song Jin-seop off midway.
“Song Jin-seop. Never deviate from what we told you. You’re in a dangerous situation right now. Stay put and wait for our contact.”
“You’ll call soon, right? Honestly, waiting alone is kind of scary…”
The same guy who had thrown a massive tantrum in that insane hospital was now showing this weak side. It was almost comical.
“I understand. Still, even if you miss home, endure it for now. Don’t try to contact us either. We don’t know how the fake agents will react.”
“Understood.”
“See you next time.”
We left Song Jin-seop behind and set off again. After reporting to the Bureau and organizing the situation, I planned to meet Song Jin-seop again to hear about the Fake Bureau. That would bring us one step closer to the secret.
“Grong. As I said, we must approach this matter with extreme caution. Understood?”
“I’m the son who always listens very well to his mother.”
“...”
Jaaldi looked at me with clear displeasure and reached out. Just like she had done in the hospital, she pinched my cheek hard.
“Yeowch!”
“I think I’m starting to understand why mothers pinch their sons’ cheeks. Anyway, enough jokes. Inside the Bureau, act exactly as I instructed. Do not tell Spandal or Jamtree anything.”
“Ow! It hurths!”
“Put on your seatbelt.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The car started moving. I gazed out the window and said, “By the way, Team Leader.”
“Speak.”
“Thank you for calming me down back then. It was a very welcome intervention.”
“Mm… There’s no need to dwell on that.”
Jaaldi’s face turned red.