Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: KEH Isn't Bad (1)
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Rewind the clock just a bit.
The Korean branch of the World Health Safety League.
Oh Ji-seong hadn't gone home, hadn't even caught a wink of sleep. He just paced aimlessly around the darkened office, clenching and unclenching his fists, unable to hide his anxiety.
"…"
"…Fuck."
"…No. It'll be fine."
"…"
"…Fuck."
Pacing back and forth.
He clutched his head.
"Argh… Team Leader Shin Na… she'll be okay, right? Damn it. Why'd she have to go there alone…"
Oh Ji-seong was an agent with the World Health Safety League (WHSL).
Normally, the rank of agent was something you picked up after three to five years on the job—nothing particularly impressive in itself.
But agents in the Whistle organization were different.
For starters, in this shady, inhuman, brutal outfit, promotions didn't come just from racking up years of service.
On the contrary, plenty of people packed their bags and left before they even hit that mark, unable to prove themselves.
Oh Ji-seong was someone who'd made it to agent in a place like that.
That meant he'd walked the line between the true secrets and horrors of this world—things most politicians and CEOs didn't even know existed—and not only survived, but thrived.
So, under normal circumstances, Oh Ji-seong wouldn't have been this worried.
Especially not with someone like Team Leader Shin Na, who outranked him and had far superior skills. That would have been overstepping.
But.
"How the hell can the higher-ups even do that? The target's an ARPS Maker! And they hand initial recon to just one person? They're just gonna burn through top-tier talent like Team Leader Shin Na like that?"
He startled himself saying it out loud and shook his head furiously.
"No. No, that's not it. Scratch that. It's not like they're disposable… Of course not. No way she'd get used up like that. She'll come back safe, obviously. But…! Fuck!"
Oh Ji-seong was so worked up he barely knew what he was saying anymore.
He clutched his head and slumped into his chair.
ARPS Maker.
Those five letters crushed him.
Aberrant Reality Pollution Source (ARPS)
Abbreviated as ARPS.
The name itself hammered in the idea of "anti-reality"—things that inevitably caused all sorts of bizarre events. But among them, ARPS Makers were special. Of course they were.
An ARPS that makes other ARPSes. The ripple effects were on another level entirely. Leaving one unchecked meant the already overwhelming number of ARPSes would multiply even more, growing more vicious by the day.
Thus, ARPS Makers—regardless of type—were always classified as World-level threats. Their ARPS code always started with a W as the second letter.
But what Oh Ji-seong truly feared wasn't even the terrifying destructive power these ARPS Makers wielded.
⚙ ARPS RECORD ⚙ <When That Day Comes> #ARPS-HWU-24002 A pollution phenomenon that erased an entire administrative district of 10,000 people the moment it appeared. That day is the day dreams come true. Seized by the unshakable conviction that earnest wishes alone will make dreams reality, it fulfills them in ways no human could ever desire. Rip,
smash,
slice,
crush,
whatever—ARPSes like that were actually pretty straightforward. You could even call them honest ARPSes that didn't twist things at all.
But.
Seven years ago.
The day that day came.
Oh Ji-seong had seen a lot.
He'd learned that sometimes, death was preferable.
That there was mercy in such an easy escape.
He learned it that day—when his entire neighborhood evaporated, countless people vanished, and countless ARPSes were born in their wake.
That's why he was afraid.
No matter how capable Team Leader Shin Na was. Recon on an ARPS Maker—alone. Trauma from the past mingled with all sorts of horrific imaginings he shouldn't even entertain, swimming through his mind.
"…I should at least check the duty room."
Unable to bear it any longer, Oh Ji-seong stormed out of the office.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ If Shin Na died, everything she discovered would be recorded on a specific item.
⚙ ARPS RECORD ⚙ <Agent K's Final Log> #ARPS-NTS-99031 "Final log" refers to a mission that must be delivered even in death. The final duties and cause of death of those who sign here are recorded. Sometimes, non-existent entities leave their final traces through the log, distorting reality. This item, called the Final Log, lay open in the duty room.
The current page was signed by "Shin Na."
Oh Ji-seong stood before it, his legs jiggling nervously.
"Ha… Kid. You're freaking me out."
"Sorry. Sorry."
"Jeez. 'Sorry' my ass—you're not even looking at me, just mumbling it."
"Sorry. Sorry."
Oh Ji-seong muttered apologies like he was possessed, his expression unchanged. He barely blinked, eyes locked on the log before him.
Section Chief Shin Min-hyung of Regular Team 3 watched with exasperation, but soon clicked his tongue in understanding.
"Come to think of it. You joined because of an ARPS Maker, right? Team Leader Shin Na saved you back then? That's how you found out about our company."
"Yes. That's right."
"Yeah, makes sense. I remember. When Shin Na got promoted to deputy and became team leader, no one wanted to work under her because she was too young. But you were the first to volunteer."
"Yes."
"You like her that much?"
"Yes."
"…Fuck. Wasting a goldmine like this on such a boring reaction."
Shin Min-hyung chuckled to himself.
"Still, don't worry too much. You know better than anyone—she's the real deal. A special agent who's piled up insane experience since she was a kid. Unless it's some insane bad luck, she'll find a way out even in the depths of hell."
"…"
Oh Ji-seong just stared at the log, then the clock, then back to the log, repeating endlessly.
Shin Min-hyung got his impatience and gave up trying to talk more.
'Honestly, even the higher-ups went too far this time. Even if Team Leader Shin volunteered, how do you approve solo recon? Against an ARPS Maker. For someone of her caliber.'
Even as he thought that, a bitter realization crept in.
'…But flip it around. That's probably the top brass's objective valuation of us. Team leader or whatever, she's just a branch team leader, not HQ. Against an ARPS Maker-level threat, she's expendable. Replaceable at exactly that level…'
Having survived long enough in this terrifying company to make section chief, he now vaguely understood.
The truth of this world was a far deeper, more distant abyss than he'd ever imagined.
And the people operating from HQ in that abyss were fundamentally different from branch folks like him.
'Still. Someone like Team Leader Shin Na should be HQ material. If she makes it back this time… maybe she will.'
As Shin Min-hyung mulled over such thoughts alone,
"Aaaahhh!"
A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the duty room.
"W-What?! What's wrong?!"
Whipping around, they saw Oh Ji-seong with his face half-buried in the log.
"Wait. Don't tell me…!"
Sensing something, Section Chief Shin Min-hyung rushed behind him.
And saw it.
Words etching themselves into the Final Log.
<Shin Na> Sign: Sign: Massive Blood Loss Sign: Massive Blood Loss Time of Death: "No! Don't! Stop it! No!"
A hulking guy over 190 cm tall.
Rugged lines, sharp features, handsome in a straightforward way. The epitome of an alpha male.
And he was practically wailing.
"…"
Section Chief Shin Min-hyung had no words, falling silent.
Longtime veteran of the company or not, moments like this never got easier.
But then,
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Both Oh Ji-seong and Shin Min-hyung jolted in surprise.
"D-Does this… thing… stop sometimes? What happens then…?"
"No idea. First time I've seen this."
The steadily etching Final Log suddenly halted.
And then,
"Huh?"
The on-duty Shin Min-hyung realized it.
"Team Leader Shin Na's vitals just pinged!"
He immediately hit the radio.
"Shin Na's survival confirmed. Dispatch escort and medical teams to the following coordinates immediately. Coordinates…"
The moment he finished, Oh Ji-seong shouted.
"Me too! Let me go!"
"Shut it. Escort team's en route."
"But I'm on her team…!"
"Exactly why you can't go. We don't know the situation—if an emotional loose cannon like you gets tangled up and causes trouble, then what?"
"Section Chief!"
"Pipe down."
Oh Ji-seong knew it, rationally. Section Chief Shin Min-hyung was right.
"Ji-seong. She's alive, at least. Calm down and wait."
Oh Ji-seong gritted his teeth and nodded.
His fists trembled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The recovery room at the WHSL Korean branch.
Oh Ji-seong stepped inside.
Members of Regular Team 1, who had escorted Team Leader Shin Na back, sat around with grim expressions.
Reading their faces, Oh Ji-seong felt his breath catch.
"Is… something wrong? Are the injuries that bad?"
The Team 1 section chief, who knew Oh Ji-seong, shook his head.
"Nah. If they were that bad, she'd be in surgery, not here. Team Leader Shin Na's healthy. Too healthy."
Oh Ji-seong's face brightened slightly at that.
He hurried to Shin Na's bedside.
Breathing steady.
Good color.
Face relaxed, like she was just sleeping peacefully.
"Phew… Thank God. What a relief."
The big guy let out a heavy sigh, knees buckling as he clutched them, bending at the waist for deep breaths.
The Team 1 section chief watched him with pity, then spoke up.
"Ji-seong."
"Yes."
"Check Team Leader Shin Na's left side."
"Pardon?"
"Lift her gown a bit. You're her direct subordinate. You need to know."
"What do you…"
Confused and anxious, Oh Ji-seong followed the instruction anyway.
He lifted the blanket slightly and pulled up her patient gown to expose her left side.
!!!
His massive frame swayed like he might collapse.
"W-What… is this…"
His voice shook violently.
His damp eyes—sweat or tears?—trembled dangerously.
Team 1 members looked away somberly, unable to meet his gaze.
"What is this… What the hell…"
With trembling hands, he brushed her left side.
There,
⚙ INSCRIPTION ⚙ <K.E.H> A Wind-up Device engraved with those letters, surrounded by gear tattoos and this text: <K.E.H's Toy Doll / Model Name: Shin Na>
To the dazed Oh Ji-seong, the Team 1 section chief said bitterly.
"We did a full scan earlier…"
"…"
Avoiding Oh Ji-seong's blank stare, the section chief finished.
"Team Leader Shin Na… has no blood. At all. Heart's beating fine. Good color. All organs, cells—everything functioning normally. But… no blood."
"…What does that mean?"
"Her veins are empty, man. Stick a needle in—no blood comes out. Not a drop. From that body."
"…So what are you saying?"
The section chief glared at him emotionally,
then flinched at his wretched face and trailed off.
"What it… means."
"…I don't know, kid."
A heavy silence descended over the recovery room.