Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Apocalypse #8
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"To go through so many ordeals one after another! I can't stop feeling sorrow just thinking about how hard it must have been for you, brother!"
Sal-hyung grabbed my hand with eyes moist enough to make me uncomfortable and shook it vigorously.
How long had it been since I'd received such warm comfort?
My eyes were starting to well up.
He was making them moist.
"It's a wonder you're even alive. To endure that many things in a row."
Even I thought so.
"A case that's been caught up in quite a few anomalies."
"It has been abnormally frequent, even by my standards. Pretty unusual."
"Well, it's unusual, but not unheard of. Anomalies have a way of attracting more anomalies."
"No way."
Was that really true?
"More importantly, you're saying the Lee Do-hyung entity is dead?"
Jaaldi let out a short chuckle as she said it.
"Ha... If the world were still normal, that would be great news. Who would've thought that Lee Do-hyung entity would die."
"Is that surprising?"
"Hm?"
"He lunged at the doctor and got torn in half in an instant without landing a single hit."
"In an instant? Ha. So the director of Cheongak Mary Hospital was that monstrous after all. Looks like full containment really was impossible."
She seemed a bit surprised.
Did the Management Bureau not have much intel on the Hospital Director either?
"The Lee Do-hyung entity was powerful enough to be under close watch even by our Management Bureau."
"Wait, really?"
Lee Do-hyung was a strong one?
He got wiped out in seconds?
"If this were normal times, we'd bump up Cheongak Mary Hospital's threat level."
That much?
I thought he was just cannon fodder since he got one-shot by the doctor, but he must've been tougher than I realized.
Anyway.
What had been bugging me since earlier was her calling Lee Do-hyung Section Chief an 'entity.' And 'under close watch'? I kept staring at her pointedly until Jaaldi spoke up.
"By the way. You've been subtly hostile toward me this whole time, and now I see why. Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Jaaldi, an agent of the Management Bureau. And the Lee Do-hyung Section Chief entity is a derivative of the anomaly known as 'Fake Management Bureau.'"
"Huh?"
What did she say?
"There's a ghost story like that."
Jaaldi fiddled with her glove as she continued.
"Someone who happens to glimpse the future makes a fortune in stocks and crypto. Then they vanish not long after."
That's my story.
"Or someone witnesses some hidden truth about the world. Then men in black suits and sunglasses show up and take them away. What's another one? Aliens, I suppose. Someone spots aliens and suddenly goes missing."
"..."
"That's the kind of ghost story. One where mysterious men in black suddenly appear."
A ghost story.
"The ones chasing you weren't Management Bureau agents. They were anomalies spawned from the ghost story of a Fake Management Bureau that doesn't exist in reality."
So...
There was a real Management Bureau.
And a ghost story about a Fake Management Bureau.
"In other words, you got caught up in a ghost story."
"..."
It was such a shock that my jaw dropped.
"Fake Management Bureau..."
Those things were from a ghost story?
"They're entities mimicking our Management Bureau. A ghost story that kills humans. Extremely dangerous ones."
A ghost story that kills humans.
"Th-then... Cheongak Mary Hospital. That place is..."
"That's a ghost story too. Though it's under our Management Bureau's surveillance. From what you've said, the Fake Management Bureau didn't know that."
"..."
"Honestly, not many people make it out alive from there. That's how dangerous it is. We monitor it, but full control and containment aren't possible. We barely had any info on the Hospital Director."
"So that's why the Lee Do-hyung Section Chief entity got taken out in such a dangerous place?"
Jaaldi nodded.
"Some monsters wield absolute power in their own domains. Cheongak Mary Hospital is one such place. We knew its director was extremely dangerous, but we never imagined it'd one-shot Lee Do-hyung."
"Then, Jaaldi, the rulebook and business cards..."
"We distributed those. We couldn't just let people die, so we investigated and experimented to create the rulebooks. Countless agents died in the process."
I could only gape.
The ones who yanked out my brain and tracked me online were the Fake Management Bureau.
And the Lee Do-hyung Section Chief who stormed the hospital was also spawned from a ghost story.
...So that's how it was.
Of course.
It never made sense. Those bastards leaving behind survival rulebooks for patients? It was always suspicious, but now it all clicks.
But still, a question lingers.
Did the Management Bureau really sacrifice agents to create rulebooks to save people? My suspicions haven't fully cleared. After everything, I can't just blindly trust them.
"Did you get the medicine prescribed?"
As I was lost in thought, Jaaldi asked.
"I did, but... with the world like this, it got lost along the way."
"Can't be helped. Actually, it might be better that way. That medicine is extremely dangerous. Not something humans should consume."
"So that's why you're collecting it."
"Yeah. Containing hazardous materials like that is the Management Bureau's job."
Containment...
"But I took it while I was a patient there. Was that okay?"
"It's fine inside. Outside is different. Anyway, our Management Bureau has been controlling, exterminating, monitoring, and containing things like that. Though everything's fallen apart now."
Either way, it seems not just the Fake Management Bureau, but even the real one was powerless in this crisis.
"How strong is the real Management Bureau? Stronger than the Fake one?"
"We're at war with the Fake Management Bureau, so I can't say for sure. But from the looks of it, they couldn't handle these giants either."
"This giant apocalypse... how dangerous is it in the Management Bureau's view?"
"On a scale, I'd say S-rank world-ending event."
World-ending?!
"Normally, it'd take the full might of the Management Bureau just to barely stop it. Even then, failure's more likely. And it happened so suddenly... Well, not important now."
"Wait. S-rank? Does the Management Bureau assign grades to anomalies like that?"
"You're quite curious."
Jaaldi gave a faint smile.
"You've survived multiple ghost stories. And you're leading a survivor group like this, so you've got guts. If this crisis hadn't happened, we might've recruited you as a newbie."
"A newbie..."
"Water under the bridge now. Lure operation. Looking forward to it."
Tap tap.
She patted my shoulder encouragingly as she walked past.
"..."
Management Bureau newbie...
"Alright, let's start forming the operation teams. Originally, I planned to entrust the lure op to you and your survivor group."
Sal-hyung stepped up beside me.
"I'll go with brother! If I join this side, the lure will be even more effective!"
With me?
"Sal-hyung? Is that okay? Even three of us might barely make it through."
"It might be, but if I join the decoy, it'll reliably split the enemy's forces too. Not a bad choice. What do you think? Heretic? And agent?"
The nun crossed her arms and replied.
"Hmm, sure. One less terrorist is no issue. Actually, your heretic powers might just get in the way, so this works out better."
"That's my line, you vile heretic."
Their bickering eyes turned to Jaaldi.
"Got it, holy warrior. We'll do that."
"Good. I'll monitor from the decoy and join if it looks good."
"That does sound better. If the agent and I fail the mission, you take over, holy warrior."
"Right. Then, brother. Gather the survivors. We'll head out soon, so come after we're set."
"Got it."
I nodded.
Too much information all at once. From the Management Bureau, Islam, and the Holy See's existence to the Fake Management Bureau.
Above all, learning about the real and fake Management Bureaus was the biggest revelation.
Who would've thought there were two Management Bureaus in the world? And one was a 'ghost story.' Those tales on places like the World Politics Bulletin Board about agents abducting people—they were real.
The contact on the business card I picked up leaving the hospital is the real Management Bureau's. I thought contacting them was pointless before, but now I can actually use it.
"Bro. Who the hell are those people?"
Jinseop approached warily.
"Management Bureau agent and a Holy See nun. The Arab guy's a jihad holy warrior."
"What's that? What the hell?"
"What else? With monsters in the world, secret organizations fighting them existed too."
"Like in movies?!"
"Yeah. Anyway, Jinseop. Round up the kids. We've got work. Important stuff, so hurry."
"Uh, yeah. Got it, bro."
While waiting, Jinseop gathered everyone.
They're all tense, staring at me. Seeing their faces brings back everything we've been through together.
So much happened.
Struggling desperately to survive, fighting, losing comrades and weeping, yet clawing our way on.
"I'm about to head into a very dangerous operation. Raise your hands if you're coming with me."
"..."
Silence.
"Dangerous op? Bro, you can't just spring this without details..."
"We're attacking the flower."
"What?!"
Everyone stirred at my words.
"Simple job. Head toward the flower and draw their attention. A decoy op. If it goes well, we can take down the giants."
"What do you...!"
"It's dangerous, so volunteers only. Pick a new leader from the rest."
"Leader! What the hell are you talking about!"
"No time. Pick quick and let's go. Jinseop, explain to them."
"..."
Jinseop nodded gravely and started explaining to the group.
I stood quietly, waiting.
The end of this loop is approaching. I feel it strongly. Heading into the heart of the giants occupying Earth—no way I'd come out unscathed.
If I loop back, I'll see a clean sky again, if only briefly.
But...
These guys here.
The ones who've survived with me.
They'll never see that sky.
Only I can go back.
All the time together, the bonds, the memories—everything vanishes.
Why can't these guys see that blue sky again? Thinking about it clenched my fists, rage boiling up. I ground my teeth, emotions flaring after so long.
Truth is...
I wanted to see that sky with all of you.
"Bro. Picked 'em."
"..."
Jinseop brought the volunteers.
Taeho. Byeongcheol. Gunhee. Sanghyeon. Junsu. Hyeonho. Guys who've stuck with me for ages. I know what they've done, how they think. Couldn't remember birthdays till the end, though.
"Quite a few. So, next leader?"
"Jongbin hyung says he'll do it."
"Jongbin's a bit flaky."
That gonna be okay?
...I paused mid-thought.
Feels like worrying about the platoon after discharge.
"Jongbin-ham is flaky. I'm worried too."
"Me too... More importantly, you guys sure? We might all die."
"Bro, whatever, we're fighting, right? With those weird agents."
"Yeah. They said it's our last shot."
"So we're betting on that."
Jinseop looked at me with resolute eyes.
"This world's hopeless anyway, right? If there's one last hope, even if we die, I wanna go for it. Living longer's meaningless otherwise."
"Right, bro!"
"Me too! Leader!"
"You guys..."
A world of despair.
But hope makes us move.
"Yeah."
I swear.
I'll resolve this.
So you never have to go through this shit again.
"Let's go."
I'll give you back the blue sky.