Special Specialist Agent

A strange woman's voice came from the other side of the front door.

She identified herself as being from the Distortion Phenomenon Management Bureau, South Korea Branch.

"The Distortion Phenomenon Management Bureau?"

"That's correct. I'd be grateful if you could open the door."

The Distortion Phenomenon Management Bureau.

It was an organization name I'd glimpsed in passing the first time I'd searched things up. Viewers had mentioned it in chat before, too. But I had no idea what they actually did. I only knew that such an organization existed.

What?

Lock it down? My house?

"Then where am I supposed to live? Is the Bureau going to set me up with a new place or something?"

I asked with a look of sheer disbelief. And that was when a donation message popped up on screen out of nowhere.

"It's not bait. The username that just donated, Goldnari — that's me."

The voice came through the front door again. So the person outside and the viewer named Goldnari really were the same person.

I hesitated for a moment.

Hmm… should I open it?

Cooperating quietly might be the smarter move. There was nothing to gain from getting on the bad side of an organization that managed Distortion Phenomena.

"What happens if I don't open it?"

"In that case, we'll have no choice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but to break the door down. I hope you understand."

Yikes.

So they weren't just going to turn around and leave. They weren't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above using force, either.

"…You do realize I'm in the middle of a live stream, right? And you'd still break down the door and trespass?"

"That's irrelevant. We have the authority to do so."

Was that true? Or was she bluffing?

While I was turning that over, a few messages in chat caught my eye.

So it wasn't a bluff. The Bureau's authority was apparently overwhelming.

Beep-beep—

I unlocked the door and eased it open, carefully. I didn't open it all the way, of course. The chain was still on. There was no ruling out the possibility that this was some lunatic impersonating a Bureau employee.

Through the narrow gap in the door, I could see a blonde woman. Black sunglasses, a black suit. I framed her into the broadcast without even thinking about it.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to— hup?!"

The woman took one look at me and swallowed her breath. What was that about?

I tilted my head, and she let out a sound of genuine awe.

"Y-your real appearance… is impossibly… beautiful."

Maybe she wanted a clearer look at my face. The woman slowly took off her sunglasses.

Her eyes had gone as wide as a rabbit's. And then the awe and the compliments just kept coming.

"Hahh… you were already more than enough on stream, but seeing you in person, how do I put this… it makes me think the word 'perfection' might exist solely for you, YeoulYeoul."

The woman had been staring at me, completely dazed, before she finally collected herself, cleared her throat, and apologized.

"Ah…! I ended up evaluating your appearance without meaning to. If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

"No, it's fine. You were only stating facts."

The woman cleared her throat again and drew a rectangular something from inside her jacket.

"Ahem. I'm glad I didn't offend you. Allow me to introduce myself properly, then. I am Geum Bitnari, Special Specialist Agent with the Bureau."

She passed the rectangular object through the gap in the door.

"This is my agent ID. Please don't show it on stream."

"Ah, okay. I won't film the ID. But it's fine if your face is on stream, right?"

"Yes. Exposure isn't a problem."

I took the agent ID and checked it myself. Of course, looking at it told me nothing. How was I supposed to know whether the thing was real or fake?

LovesThiccBabes's message caught my eye.

"The Bureau has a website?"

"Yes. And the profiles of field agents like myself are all posted there."

Geum Bitnari answered in the viewer's place. They posted agent profiles too? Was it really all right to make that much information public?

…Ah. She'd already said appearing on stream wasn't a problem.

"Making our profiles public is a given. It's how people can verify that we actually belong to the Bureau."

Now that she put it that way, it made sense. If anyone could check the information of agents who operated in the field, people would be able to tell impersonators apart.

Anyway. Her identity checked out, so I decided to receive Geum Bitnari properly. I unlatched the chain and opened the front door wide.

There was no one behind her. She'd come alone, without bringing any other agents along.

"Thank you for opening the door. Excuse me, then."

Geum Bitnari stepped into my apartment. She even took off her shoes, as naturally as anything.

According to Bureau agent Geum Bitnari, the studio I lived in had been confirmed as a Distortion Phenomenon occurrence zone, and the Bureau had issued a lockdown order as a result.

For how long? She said there was no way to know. It could become a permanent lockdown, or it could be temporary. And even a "temporary" lockdown lasted a year at the shortest, apparently.

Geum Bitnari kept going.

"We'll seal the building, and the Bureau will collect every other item."

Every object sitting at the Distortion Phenomenon site. And if there was an Escaper, everything they'd brought out of the Distorted World, plus everything they'd originally owned — all of it, without exception. That was the part Geum Bitnari added.

"I won't get the confiscated items back?"

"Correct. The Bureau stores them permanently."

The viewer who'd just typed that was right. They provided compensation fully matching the value of whatever they collected. Money, if you wanted money. Replacements, if you wanted replacements.

"You can submit your clothes once we arrive at the Bureau. We'll provide a change of clothes, of course."

"At the Bureau? I have to go there too?"

I tilted my head. What was this, all of a sudden? Why would I be going there?

"Ah. I haven't mentioned that yet. Escapers are required to accompany us to the Bureau. There's a number of things we need to investigate. I realize it's inconvenient, but I'd ask for your cooperation."

Ah… what a pain.

Even if I said I wouldn't go, they'd just take me by force. Same as everything else — I didn't get a say.

…Nothing I could do about it, then. I'd play along for now.

"Alright. I'll go with you."

"Thank you."

"But before that, I have one request."

"Of course. What is it?"

Right. I didn't have a choice, so I'd go. But before that…

"Before we head to the Bureau, could we stop by a restaurant first and get something to eat?"

I needed to eat.