Something Terrible Has Appeared
Baek Suyeon pulled out the drawer beneath her vanity, lifted the false bottom, and retrieved the small hidden terminal. She pressed it to her ear, her previously delicate voice completely erased as she spoke in her true low, husky tone.
"Surveillance target 'Resonator' has arrived at work. Perimeter surveillance team, stand by. And Association President..."
[Speak.]
"I'm quitting, you bald bastard. Honestly, three weeks is plenty, isn't it? That pathetic, socially-inept virgin loser is driving me insane in more ways than I can count. At this rate, I'm going to waste an S-Class Hunter for nothing."
[He chose you! What can we do about it... He's an important singularity.]
"I get the situation, but... ugh. Can't even handle something like this, you bald-headed Association President? Are there seriously no prettier options? The Association must've scraped the bottom of the barrel~"
[...What did you just say?]
"Ah... No, sir. Understood. I'll cooperate fully with the investigation."
[...I've overlooked your attitude more than enough. Write a detailed report on the surveillance target 'Resonator'.]
"Yessir, yessir~ I'll work veeery haaard~"
After deliberately giving the exact opposite of what she was actually thinking, she abruptly ended the call with a sharp click. She shoved the terminal back into the vanity, ripped off her robe, and flung herself spread-eagle across the bed.
As she stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, as if measuring the time she still had left to endure. The pillow still carried the lingering scent her husband had left behind.
"Ha... That husband of mine... At least he smells decent... I don't know anymore~ I'll sleep a little more, then get up and write that report. That dense idiot won't notice anyway."
Suyeon pulled the pillow her husband had used into her arms, pressing hard on her temples to fight off the oncoming migraine. As an S-Class Hunter, she had secretly protected South Korea from invasions by otherworldly dimensions, yet dealing with the pure, unfiltered gaze of a civilian loser like her husband drained far more mental strength.
She slowly closed her eyes, calculating the remaining hellish hours of this sham marriage she still had to endure.
"Achoo! What the hell, I just sneezed. Is Suyeon thinking about me?"
In the office break room, my hand froze while making instant coffee, my shoulders jerking. I sniffed and wiped my mouth with a tissue from the nearby box, but I could feel the stupid grin spreading across my face. Just thinking about my wife made it impossible to control my expression.
"Are you catching a cold in early summer? For a big guy, you're surprisingly weak."
Kim Dae-ri, who was washing his tumbler beside me, gave me a concerned remark. My coworker from the same intake and now a close friend from the department next door had approached me warmly the moment I joined the company. Looking back, I probably had him to thank for meeting my wife in the first place...
I shook my head and gently adjusted my tie. It was the very tie Suyeon had carefully knotted for me with her delicate hands that morning. Feeling the knot with my fingertips brought the moment rushing back, filling me with happiness all over again.
Wow... I really married well. How can a person change this much? When I first joined the company, I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life.
"It's not a cold. My wife must love me too much. She's probably thinking about me really hard right now~"
"Ah, right... Wait, what? Your sister-in-law? No way..."
"Hey, you know how much my wife likes me. Come on, man."
"R-right? Is this what they call the honeymoon phase after three weeks of marriage? Hehe, I'm so jealous, you bastard."
Why is this guy laughing so creepily?
The moment I heard that, I realized just how envious he was. I took a sip of coffee and lowered my voice. This was the perfect timing to unleash all the wife-bragging I'd been dying to share since arriving at the office that morning.
"Don't even get me started. This morning I almost called in sick and used my vacation days. My wife felt so bad that I had to go to work because of her that she buried her face in my chest and acted all cute like a kitten... Ha, that's what marriage is. That's what life is. That's what LIFE is. I could actually feel myself breathing, you know?"
"Really? Pfft... Puhahahahaha! That sister-in-law of yours? She's that affectionate~?"
"It's way beyond affectionate, you idiot~ I thought a goddess had descended or something."
"For real? Puhaha! How much?"
"When I said I had to leave for work, this shadow of pure reluctance flashed across her eyes... It was like looking at a pitiful cat staring at you from inside an animal shelter, I swear."
"...A shelter cat."
"Yeah."
"Your sister-in-law."
"Yeah."
"...Heh."
"Why are you laughing, dumbass?"
"I'm not laughing because it's funny. I'm just moved. Please continue."
"My heart ached so much I didn't want to leave... And then when she was tying my tie for me on the way out, those red eyes and her trembling little hands... Ha... She's basically a baby angel. She kept begging me to think about her even when I'm outside."
"...Why were her hands shaking?"
"Because she was excited, obviously. What else?"
"Ah. Yes. Excited."
"Why do you keep repeating everything I say? Are you an echo?"
"No, no. I'm just in awe. You really look happy, man."
"Of course~ Do you have any idea how happy I am right now? Honestly, before I got married, would you have ever thought I'd become like this? Remember what I was like when I first joined? Eating lunch alone, leaving work alone—"
"You ate with me, though."
"That's because you followed me."
"...That's true, but it still hurts a little."
"Anyway! That's how much I've changed. Ever since I met Suyeon, I've become a real person. You remember what I was like before, right?"
"I do. You'd spend twenty minutes agonizing over what to eat for lunch like you had decision paralysis, watch YouTube alone after work, and on weekends you'd debate when to do laundry before just going to sleep instead."
"Dude, how the hell do you know all that?"
"...You told me. Every time you got drunk."
"...Did I?"
"Yes. Three times."
"...Anyway, that's not the point—"
"Right. The important thing is that you're happy now. Got it. I understand. Sister-in-law is the best, you're living in paradise, nothing in the world to envy."
"Hey, are you being sarcastic or sincere?"
"...Fifty-fifty."
"This bastard."
"You really like her that much? For real?"
"You even have to ask? It's obvious."
"Hehe. Got it. Let's finish our coffee and head back."
"You should get married soon too. You're seriously missing out on ninety percent of life."
"Yes, yes. Understood. Just hurry up and get back to your desk."
As we talked, the soft, elastic sensation of Suyeon's butt that I'd touched that morning seemed to come alive again at my fingertips.
Ah, I'm going crazy. At this rate I'm going to cause an accident in the office. Get a grip, you idiot. Wake up, you horny bastard.
I subtly pulled my hips back and straightened my posture while mentally singing the national anthem. My determination to fly straight home the moment I got off work grew even stronger.
"Looks like escaping your virgin days has made you blind to everything else. So your sister-in-law is that affectionate and full of love, huh~? You really are living in paradise~?"
"This place is paradise. Where else would it be? Hahaha!"
I left the break room with a smile that suggested I owned the entire world. The steam rising from my mug slightly fogged my glasses, but even that felt pleasant.
I'm definitely not working overtime today...! No matter what happens, I'm rushing home...! I wonder what Suyeon's doing right now...? Is she thinking about me?
I had no way of knowing what Suyeon was doing at home. All I could do was smile at the thought of leaving work at the perfect time to see my wife again.
With my mug in hand, I sat down in front of my monitor and began handling today's tasks at lightning speed. The office filled with keyboard sounds that were almost violently rhythmic. My fingers moved so fast they were practically invisible, all in pursuit of the noble goal of leaving work on time.
The way I'm staring at the monitor is like a hawk that has spotted its prey... These letters are the prey I've captured... My wife waiting at home like a little rabbit... What a beautiful life this is...!
"Whoa, Cheon Taerang. Did something happen today? You usually work hard, but the keyboard sounds like it's screaming for mercy right now."
The team leader who was passing by with his coffee glanced at my monitor. His eyes widened when he saw that the data optimization task—which would normally take at least two days—was already over eighty percent complete.
"Isn't life... beautiful, Team Leader...? Once you realize how beautiful life is, your concentration becomes absolutely! Extremely! Effective..."
It wasn't just good condition. It was the power of love. Every time Suyeon's bashful smiling face floated in the empty space of my monitor, my fingers twitched on their own and revved up like a race car.
Just wait for me, Suyeon. Tonight I'm really going to make you pass out...
At 5:59 PM, I finally finished every single task assigned for the day and hit the send button on the email. The moment my finger touched the button, my heart dropped with a thrilling jolt. Exactly as the clock struck six, I sprang out of my chair like it was a launching pad.
My bag had already been packed ten minutes earlier.
"Boss, I've finished all the tasks you assigned and sent them by email. I'll be heading out first."
"Huh? Oh... Already finished all that...? Yeah, yeah, good work..."
Before the boss could even open his mouth to create the usual overtime atmosphere, I had already driven in the wedge. Today, no one could stop me.
As I crossed the office toward the entrance, my eyes met Kim Dae-ri's. When he saw me running with my bag, a look of pure terror crossed his face and he let out a deep sigh.
"...Dude, you crazy bastard."
"What? Jealous? If you get married quickly and get that love-powered boost, your leaving time will shrink to the speed of light too. I'm out."
"No, that's not what I... Ha... Never mind, you bastard. Get home safe."
"Why are you worrying about me like some kind of loser? It's weird as hell. You're looking at me like I'm about to die or something..."
Kim Dae-ri's voice sounded strangely pitiful, but I was in the mood of a slave who had just broken his chains and escaped, so I brushed it off and frantically hammered the elevator button. He should be worrying about my stamina that was about to burn like wildfire tonight instead. Hehe.
But my joy was short-lived. The moment I passed through the company lobby and stepped out the main entrance, I froze in place.
"What the... is that...?"
I had come face to face with something that shouldn't exist in reality—something utterly bizarre.