Geocaching #8: The Fog of Trauma
The tailing had begun.
I had no idea where those Fake Bureau agents were headed, but the sight of them piling into a black van as a group gave off the distinct scent of an operation in progress.
Were they planning to reach the operation zone first, then cross into the parallel world from there?
Either way, simply witnessing them use that kind of technology would be a massive achievement.
An opportunity to get one step closer to uncovering their true identity.
"So, Team Leader. Are you really planning to go to Cheongak Mary Hospital?"
Honestly, that place was the very crystallization of my trauma.
I had overcome my trauma toward vampires by turning it into hatred. I raged against them, gathered vampire hunters, and poured everything into battle until the fear was driven out.
But that insane hospital was different.
I never wanted to go back, and even the thought of heading there made my entire body prickle with dread. It wasn't hatred I felt—only pure, unadulterated terror.
I had survived the horrors of the meat factory anomaly and even rescued Kim Seong-jin as an agent, but what if he had drifted into Cheongak Mary Hospital instead?
Could I have stayed calm and acted like a proper agent then?
Probably not.
I was still afraid of that place.
"If necessary, I intend to go."
"That... terrifies me. Honestly."
"As expected, the trauma remains."
"I can't hide it. Yes. The thought of going back scares me."
"Grong. First, let me say this."
"Yes."
"I have no intention of tormenting you. However, there are times when an agent must face their trauma head-on and overcome it as part of their duty."
A sound argument.
"Even if an agent is afraid, the mission does not disappear. I believe you need to overcome the trauma that is Cheongak Mary Hospital."
"I think so too."
But thoughts and reality were different.
"Of course, if we're going, then we're going. I'm not a child—I'm an agent. I won't throw a tantrum and refuse. That said, I'm not entirely confident I can perform at my best once we're there."
"You survived that place even when you were just a civilian. You brought back far more information than even our Bureau agents knew. I don't believe someone like you would be defeated by that space a second time."
Even while skillfully tailing the van, Jaaldi offered me encouragement.
"Thanks to your contributions, a great deal of information about Cheongak Mary Hospital has been updated. You should be proud of that."
"I am proud."
I had established more concrete survival methods, after all.
It was an achievement worth being proud of.
"Well, even if we do go there, there's no need to live as a patient or security guard."
"Excuse me?"
"Why the surprise? The Bureau has been regularly planting rule sheets in that hospital from the start. There are failures, but we generally succeed. Naturally, we have routes that our agents use."
"Ah, that's right! Of course!"
"Exactly. It's one of the Surveillance Team's duties. Naturally, as Department Head, I'm fully aware of them as well."
"As expected!"
That's our Jaaldi!
"Let me give you a brief explanation about Cheongak Mary Hospital. Specifically, the background behind why the Bureau began monitoring it."
Jaaldi began her explanation.
The Bureau always did its utmost to identify and thoroughly investigate unscientific missing persons cases. During one such investigation, they had learned of Cheongak Mary Hospital's existence.
From that point on, they had dispatched agents to gather information.
"The volunteers for those early missions were people who had lost family members to anomalies and subsequently joined the Bureau."
"Ah."
"Unfortunately... none of them returned alive. However, an agent who did survive eventually appeared. Based on that agent's testimony, the initial rule sheets were created, and from there, they gradually improved."
So that was the background.
"At present, we've made considerable progress. Moreover, thanks to your contributions, Grong, the rule sheets have been further reinforced."
"But what I described only applies when entering as a patient."
"Correct. The routes our agents use when planting rule sheets are different. In those cases, they infiltrate by posing as hospital visitors, counselors, interior staff, or family members requesting visits."
"Wait, there are methods like that?"
Could I have escaped using that kind of acting as well?
"Those methods aren't available to someone who entered as a patient. You have to go in with that setting from the beginning. In most anomalous spaces, rules and settings are extremely important."
"Understood."
This was something I had come to realize through my own encounters with anomalies.
Rules and settings were crucial.
"By the way, the Surveillance Team handles that kind of work."
"It's an extremely dangerous team."
I had no desire to join them.
"Regardless, if we go to Cheongak Mary Hospital, we'll use those methods. I'll explain the details when the time comes, but for now, just trust me, Grong."
"Understood."
I was afraid, but if I was going with Jaaldi, it would probably be fine. I steadied my resolve.
"Besides, we're not going right away. You can relax for now."
As she said, we weren't heading there immediately.
"It's only a last resort. Right now, tailing those fake agents takes priority. But if we keep following them like this, won't they notice us?"
"Hah, who do you think I am? For an agent, tailing someone by car is basic training."
"Oh! As expected of our Department Head!"
"Moreover, this vehicle is a Bureau special-purpose car. It has a camouflage system that can alter its appearance. I'm using it right now."
"That's insane—wait! Why didn't you mention that earlier!"
"I wanted to surprise you."
"That's your reason?!"
Now she really felt like a proper agent!
Well, with those thoughts in mind, we continued following the black van.
Where they were going, what kind of operation they would conduct, and how they would perform their dimensional transfer—I was dying to know.
However...
The route we were taking felt strangely familiar.
"..."
A sense of unease crept over me.
A peculiar déjà vu.
The road and scenery we were following while tailing the black van felt oddly familiar, as if we were returning to a place I had visited before.
"Ah."
That feeling reached its peak the moment we entered a rural road.
Here.
"Team Leader! This is the road we took when we went to Cheongak Mary Hospital! This exact road!"
"What...?"
"This is it!"
It was definitely that road!
"Strange. Cheongak Mary Hospital's location isn't fixed. It shifts constantly."
"Excuse me? It moves?"
"The Bureau tracks its position at all times, so it isn't a major issue. There are certain conditions required to enter in the first place, so the location itself isn't particularly important. But if it's this road... could it be that the location hasn't changed?"
The position that should have shifted had remained the same?
"This is rather disconcerting. Is it a coincidence? If not, it seems those Fake Bureau agents are heading toward Cheongak Mary Hospital."
"Could they be going there to investigate? After all, as I reported last time, they took quite a beating."
"That's a possibility."
God, this was maddening!
Of all times, they were going to Cheongak Mary Hospital now?
What an absurd coincidence!
"Aigoo!"
The sensation of returning to old memories grew stronger. Every time the surrounding scenery came into view, I felt like I was being dragged back into a nightmare.
This was the place.
Cheongak Mary Hospital was right here!
"They've disappeared."
At some point, the Fake Bureau's van had vanished.
"Ah, there's fog up ahead."
The fog that separated the hospital from reality spread out before us.
The black van had clearly driven into it.
"If they went in there... it's the hospital."
"Right."
"Team Leader. Are you going in?"
"I was planning to attempt it only as a last resort. But an opportunity has presented itself. In that case, we should seize it."
"Ah."
"Besides, aren't you curious about what those fake agents are up to?"
That was true, but...!
—Screech.
After parking in a suitable spot, we got out.
"Grong. Any contact with the Bureau?"
"No. It doesn't seem like we've performed a dimensional transfer yet."
"So we have to cross this fog. Even if we do, we won't be able to escape immediately, though."
That was right.
Even if we performed a dimensional transfer, escaping the hospital was an entirely separate problem.
"We're going in."
"Ugh... Understood."
"Just trust me."
So in the end, I was returning to this hellish place?
Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind that I might still be trapped in the hospital and that everything was just an illusion. The fact that I was having such insane thoughts was proof that my mind was wavering.
Even so, I was an agent.
Together with Jaaldi, I stepped through the fog.
The moment we passed through the fog, the full view of Cheongak Mary Hospital came into sight.
It was a kind of visual terrorism... Simply stepping onto this ground again sent an indescribable terror slowly creeping up from beneath my feet, chilling me to the core.
It felt as though black paint was being poured over my head, as if I were stepping onto a soggy floor.
To think I had returned to this insane place...!
"Hoo, hoo. Hoo...!"
I kept glancing at Jaaldi. If she disappeared like a ghost, I wouldn't be able to endure any longer.
Right then.
"Grong. Calm down."
Jaaldi took my hand and interlaced our fingers.
"Team Leader."
"Your breathing is rough. Come this way for a moment."
Jaaldi led me toward a wall in a secluded corner. I already knew the hospital's layout. This was the outer area of the parking lot.
"Take deep breaths. You're overcoming your fear."
"Hoo, hoo... Hoo..."
I breathed deeply, but the terror refused to fade easily.
As an agent, I had experienced countless incidents. I had felt fear during those times, but I had always overcome it splendidly. Even at the meat factory, I had maintained my composure.
Yet my hands were trembling violently.
This place really was different.
With our fingers still interlaced, Jaaldi's grip tightened as my legs began to shake. Flashbacks of all sorts of scenes flooded my mind, disrupting my breathing pattern.
Seeing how badly I was shaking—
"This won't do. If you have a panic attack, it'll be troublesome. I'll take measures for a moment."
"Yes...?"
Jaaldi suddenly pushed me against the wall and pulled me into a full embrace.
"Ah."
My back was against the wall.
Jaaldi was in front.
It felt as though I had been shoved between the plates of a press...
"Hold me tighter. Feeling body heat should help you calm down."
I could barely breathe because of her chest, but I followed her instructions, hugging Jaaldi and taking deep breaths. The warmth I felt was real, and gradually, the anxiety began to recede.
After some time had passed, Jaaldi released me.
"The trembling has stopped. Feeling better?"
"Yes... It seems warmth really is the best medicine for fear."
"Indeed. Grong, you were usually so brave. So this really is trauma."
"..."
I had nothing to say.
"Still, you must learn to overcome it. Use this incident as an opportunity. As you know, if you're paralyzed by fear in an operation zone, you won't survive."
"I know. Thank you for calming me down."
"If you're calm now, let's move."
If I said I wasn't calm yet, would she press me against the wall again?
The fact that such a thought occurred to me meant I had definitely recovered.
"I can't be cowering in front of someone like you, Team Leader. Let's go. Agent Grong, fully recovered."
"Excellent."
"I'll take the lead. This place is practically my territory, after all. I've even worked as a security guard here."
"Guide us."
I took the lead.
At the very least, in this place, I was more experienced than Jaaldi.
"We'll avoid the security office for now. Let's head in the opposite direction."
"Hmm, understood."
No need to run into the guards unnecessarily.
After making a wide detour and heading in the opposite direction, we spotted the parked black van.
The Fake Bureau's vehicle.
We exchanged hand signals to halt and observed together.
The Fake Bureau agents had exited the van and were doing something. Were they preparing before entering the hospital? This was clearly different from last time, when they had charged in recklessly.
They must have been investigating ever since Bureau Chief Lee Do-hyeong had fallen in battle.
"Team Leader. The fake agents are gathered over there."
"I see them as well."
"Then have those guys already performed a dimensional transfer?"
"That's difficult to determine. At the very least, I haven't sensed anything of the sort."
Had we already crossed over without even realizing it?
"There are two possibilities. One is that we have already performed a dimensional transfer following those fake agents. The other is... wait a moment."
Jaaldi trailed off, stroking her chin.
"Team Leader?"
"Could it be... that Cheongak Mary Hospital exists across both worlds?"
Huh?
