Geocaching #1
After a long negotiation, the deal with Padak was finalized. Now all that remained was exchanging information and obtaining what we needed. Since they wanted intel on the Fake Bureau, I decided to hand that over first.
"How much do you know about the Fake Bureau?"
"Almost nothing. All we know is that they suddenly appear, drag people away, and then those people are never found again."
They only knew exactly as much as they needed to. It felt like looking at my past self.
"We Sejeong-ge regulars have always been wary of them."
"Understood."
"Team Leader Jaaldi. How much information on the Fake Bureau should I give them?"
"I'll handle this part. It's just written information, so there won't be any issues."
"...Understood."
If it was just writing down information rather than having a conversation, I could manage. If something seemed off, I'd stop before hitting enter... Though this was the first time Jaaldi felt unreliable. Anyway, Jaaldi took the seat and immediately began typing out information about the Fake Bureau—their scale, equipment, how to avoid them, how to escape, and finally, how to contact the Bureau. For an ordinary person, this much knowledge would be enough to survive the Fake Bureau.
"Is there no fundamental solution? Do we ultimately have to contact your Bureau?"
"Team Leader, shift change."
"..."
Jaaldi switched places with a displeased expression.
"The Fake Bureau is an enormous ghost story organization. It's impossible to deal with them using individual strength. I already told you we're at war."
"I see. That was helpful information. With this, our Sejeong-ge regulars should be a bit safer."
"Then it's your turn. Prove your identity."
"We'll think of a way."
The chat cut off. But I didn't think they would run. They had already learned about the Fake Bureau, and once you know one thing, you inevitably want to know two. Their problems weren't limited to the Fake Bureau either. To survive, they would desperately need the Bureau's information.
At that moment, a photo was uploaded.
"That's Kim Seong-jin?!"
It was a photo of Kim Seong-jin!
"So this is Kim Seong-jin? Quite the peculiar fellow."
"No, what the hell is this!"
The photo was genuinely bizarre. Kim Seong-jin in the picture was wearing some strange aluminum foil hat. His expression looked awkward, and he was holding an A4 sheet with the words "Sorry for not contacting you" written in marker.
"What? Did they torture and threaten Kim Seong-jin?"
"That's not it. He's safe."
"Then what's with that awkward expression and the weird foil hat? This is the most awkward photo in the world!"
"The expression is because he's not used to taking photos, and the foil hat is essential gear for us Sejeong-ge regulars."
"What purpose does it serve?"
"This foil hat blocks ghost waves."
What the hell.
"Jamtree. Can you trace it?"
"Not at all. I thought it would work during a live chat, but no luck."
"Hmm. Guess it can't be helped."
Even while saying this, Jaaldi was ordering a trace. But it didn't seem to have any effect.
"Since we've confirmed Kim Seong-jin is safe, you won't doubt our identity any further."
"Right. You are indeed Sejeong-ge regulars. But proving identity is just the basics. We gave you information about the Fake Bureau, so you need to provide valid information in return."
"Of course."
I wondered what kind of information Padak would give.
"Do you know about geocaching?"
Geocaching?
"Team Leader Jaaldi? What's geocaching?"
"Who knows. Look it up."
"Yes."
I immediately searched for geocaching.
"Hmm?"
What was this? Geocaching—it seemed similar to treasure hunting. According to the description, geocaching involved hiding an item in a location, recording its coordinates, and making them public. Others would then use GPS to find the spot and retrieve the item. It wasn't any special ritual or meaningful activity—just a group treasure hunt where people hid items, wrote in guestbooks, and had fun. A game where everyone enjoyed hiding treasures and playing together.
"What! This sounds fun! Team Leader Jaaldi! Let's try this too!"
"Stop saying nonsense..."
I wanted to do it with Spandal! If not, contacting my vampire hunter friends and enjoying geocaching together would be incredibly entertaining. If board games were indoor fun, geocaching was outdoor entertainment!
"Is it geocaching in the literal sense?"
"That's right. But the geocaching we do is a bit different."
What exactly made it different?
"We Sejeong-ge regulars occasionally gather for geocaching."
"They hold geocaching meetups?! Insane! That sounds awesome! Can I join this group too?!"
Could I become a Sejeong-ge regular too? If I used my Bureau agent status, I'd gain instant recognition within the group and could take the lead in any activity. Eventually, I'd definitely become the most popular and prominent figure among the Sejeong-ge regulars.
"Grong. Please calm down."
"My apologies. I got a bit excited. Anyway, this geocaching doesn't seem like ordinary treasure hunting."
"It seems highly likely that it holds something very important to them as well. Continue the chat."
"Yes."
"You safety-first types are holding meetups for geocaching? There must be some meaning to it."
"Exactly as you said. We don't enjoy simple treasure hunting. This geocaching is by no means ordinary."
Padak continued explaining.
"This is a form of supernatural phenomenon tracking."
"Supernatural phenomenon tracking?"
"We Sejeong-ge regulars sometimes acquire certain codes. We find them online or obtain them by chance in reality. Of course, these aren't ordinary codes."
"What kind of codes?"
"Coordinates."
Coordinates? Could they be the coordinates where treasures were hidden?
"We share the codes we've acquired and interpret them. They take the form of ciphers, so decoding them takes considerable time. Once interpretation is complete, coordinates emerge."
"So you go geocaching there?"
"That's right. Once the coordinates are confirmed, we discuss and then organize a meetup."
"Is there a reason to risk your lives searching for them?"
"Of course. They must contain tremendous treasures."
"Those coordinates hide messages that seem to suggest mysterious tools or something. They're extremely useful to us. That's why we try to find them."
Mysterious tools and messages!
"But sometimes dangerous things are discovered."
"Dangerous things?"
"We don't know how to handle these dangerous items. Moreover, we're afraid that some terrifying existence might find them. We don't know what the world might become. So we hide them away."
I turned my head.
"Team Leader Jaaldi. This feels significant."
"Hmm... Dangerous items. Interesting. I never expected these guys were doing something like this."
"I don't know what those dangerous items are, but we can't just leave them unattended."
"Right. It seems they want us to handle them as well."
Jaaldi nodded.
"The purpose of Sejeong-ge itself seems pure. They prioritize safety, but they also understand that information is necessary to achieve that safety."
"Once you've dipped your toes in... ignorance isn't bliss."
"Exactly. Geocaching is an operation to obtain information."
The supernatural was like quicksand. For ordinary people who knew nothing, that ignorance itself was a blessing. The logic that not knowing was better applied. But once you set even one foot into this hidden world... ignorance became a bomb that could explode at any moment. The Sejeong-ge regulars were such beings.
"When did geocaching start?"
"We don't know. It probably began before our Sejeong-ge took the form of an internet board. Has this organization existed since ancient times?"
"From what I hear, it seems like an organization that's been around for a while. Has the Bureau really not identified them?"
"Hmm. They must have some method to evade the Bureau's eyes. But it appears they've reached their limit and are starting to reveal themselves. Grong, tell them we'll help with the geocaching."
"Understood."
"Padak. It seems you're worried about this geocaching. If you provide us with the coordinates, we'll verify them and investigate directly. Will you accept?"
"I accept."
It was done.
"I'll explain the first coordinate to send. The regulars who went geocaching there went missing. Padak was among them."
"What? There are multiple Padaks?"
"That's right. This guy was a mid-level manager."
"We'd like you to look into those missing persons. Just finding their whereabouts and confirming their existence would be very valuable information for you."
Indeed, if we found the missing persons and investigated, we could learn a great deal about Sejeong-ge.
"This Padak is risking exposing Sejeong-ge's secrets to find the missing regulars. Their loyalty to their comrades seems quite strong."
It really did seem like an organization Kim Seong-jin would belong to.
"Good thing it's not an evil organization. Ah, he sent a file."
"Download this file and transcribe it into a notebook before it disappears. I don't recommend saving it on electronic devices."
"Understood."
I immediately downloaded the file and wrote down the coordinates.
"Team Leader Jaaldi. We've obtained the coordinates. If we investigate this location and find the missing persons' whereabouts, we should be able to uncover Sejeong-ge's secrets. What should we do? I think it would be worth trying."
Our current assignments were the meat factory case and the Kim Seong-jin case—those two. But the meat factory was still in the analysis and training phase, so there was nothing we could execute immediately. Since the Kim Seong-jin matter was half-resolved, doing this geocaching seemed fine too. Once we finished, we could tell Kim Seong-jin to contact us.
"Since we've identified Kim Seong-jin's location, proceeding once should be fine. Jamtree. I'll go with Grong. Let Spandal know when she arrives."
"Yes, yes. Grong, have a good trip. You know to bring snacks on the way back, right?"
"Understood. I'll bring various things."
"Ah, Team Leader. Make sure to pack equipment before going. It seems like Grong needs to be told something."
"I was planning to do that anyway."
Equipment...!
"As expected! When going treasure hunting, equipment is essential!"
"Grong. Don't show your excitement so openly. We don't know what threats might be lurking."
"With the Bureau Director coming along, what could possibly go wrong? Besides, I'm an elite agent."
"Well... Even if you say that, you'll become calm once we enter the field. I won't give any special advice. Follow me."
Yes! We're going treasure hunting!
* * *
"First of all, there will be no treasure hunting."
"What?!"
"Didn't they say it was a dangerous area where a large number of people went missing? We're just going to scout and come back."
No!
"Staring at me like that won't change anything. We'll establish an operation after the initial reconnaissance... Don't look at me with those pleading eyes. No, why are you so obsessed with treasure hunting?"
"It's fun!"
If you didn't seek some enjoyment while doing this kind of work, how could you continue as an agent for long?
"Understood. I'll conduct the reconnaissance with full effort."
"Good... I'll issue equipment. I'll prepare various items necessary for reconnaissance and investigation, plus some for self-defense."
"Ah, now that I think about it, you mentioned there were ghost-catching tools. Are we bringing those?"
"We'll need to bring several. I'm also planning to bring weapons for major anomalies."
"Weapons for major anomalies?!"
Those existed?!
"Don't tell me they're swords or something?! Like Bureau Chief Lee Do-hyeong!"