Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Something One Shouldn't Do
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"What’s going on? Coming to a place like this. I thought maybe the Containment Team disbanded and you all got reassigned somewhere else."
The woman grabbed us and started chattering away.
...
Jang Chaeyeon stayed silent,
...Haha.
while Song Arin wore the most awkward smile I'd ever seen in my life.
Song Arin glanced at me with that awkward smile.
-Hypnosis?
-Just a sec.
-Why.
-You never know.
-Damn it.
I pictured the opponent holding a cross.
At the orphanage, at the amusement park—even though it was the same person, everyone who had a cross or rosary had a spare life or something equivalent.
If Song Arin tried hypnosis and it failed, getting caught would be a disaster.
While we exchanged brief glances with Song Arin,
"Right, back when you were in the Containment Team, that incident caused everyone to scatter, oh my. Oh dear. My mouth's running away with me again."
The woman smacked her own mouth and laughed noisily, drawing our eyes back to her.
I had a rough idea of what kind of person she was.
The type who loved gossiping about others' stories and lacked consideration for them.
Either way, we had to watch our words.
"No, so how did you end up here? New HR assignment? Business trip? Or—"
"I came for a personnel evaluation."
I cut her off, and only then did her gaze turn to me.
"Oh my, oh dear. And who's this guy? Boyfriend? Or something like that?"
Ignoring her teasing tone, I pressed on.
"Hello, I'm—"
'Don't get too casual just because someone talks to you. Better to pretend you're from the Gangdong Branch.'
The man's words popped into my head.
I hesitated for a split second.
No way she didn't even know her own branch's HR staff, right?
But there had to be a reason he suggested pretending to be from Gangdong Branch.
"...Kim Jaeheon, just joined the Gangdong Branch."
"Ah, HR Team?"
"Yes."
He probably knew the situation better than I did.
"Hmm..."
She furrowed her brow.
Watching her, unease bubbled up.
No way she recognized my face?
As someone from Gangseo Branch HR.
"Sorry. Working in the field means I don't really connect with office staff, so you're a new face to me."
"I figured as much."
Luckily, it was just my paranoia.
"So, you two including Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon...?"
"Ah, that's Yoo Daon, the new hire."
"Park Ye-eun, intern."
"An adult?"
"Yes?"
Park Ye-eun blinked at the woman's sudden question,
"I'm legally an adult...?"
and lied without batting an eye.
"Ah, got it."
The woman sighed in relief.
"So."
Her gaze shifted back to me.
-Jingle.
The cross on her bracelet swayed.
"Why are you here? Office workers wouldn't even dream of coming to a place like this."
A different kind of wariness appeared on her face now.
...
The best option was to throw someone under the bus.
But who?
I only knew one name from Gangdong Branch.
That guy I just talked to, Choi Su-cheol.
Should I name-drop him?
As I pondered,
Song Arin slowly spoke up.
"Lee Hyein from the Management Team agreed to do our peer evaluation."
"Ah, Lee Hyein..."
A flash of dismay crossed the woman's face at Song Arin's words.
"Right, you three were on the same team..."
"Yes."
"Wow, even so, Lee Hyein...?"
"She said just this once."
"No matter how I think about it, I doubt it'll go well for your evaluations..."
What kind of person was this Lee Hyein?
"Anyway, Lee Hyein is..."
She hesitated a moment,
"down that way."
and pointed further down the hall.
"Thanks."
First, let's get away from this woman.
As I moved to step away,
"Ah, and."
She rummaged in her pocket,
"Here, use this."
and held out a cross.
A translucent window appeared above the cross.
[Name: Badge of Faith]
[Age: Created 3 days ago]
[Specialty: -]
[Talent: None]
[Background: Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.]
[Weakness: Therefore, whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.]
...
Just a string of incomprehensible words.
"Here, this will protect you."
"Protect me?"
I repeated her words and met her eyes.
"Come on, take it."
She held out the cross again.
No choice.
I reached out and took the cross she offered.
Throb—pain stabbed my temple.
A headache?
Gripping the cross, I hurriedly looked around at the others.
Park Ye-eun frowned slightly at the cross, while the other three stared at it warily, sensing danger even if they didn't know why.
A smile spread across her face as she saw me holding it.
"You're good now. You can go in."
She waved cheerfully, looking utterly unconcerned.
What should I do?
I just waved back casually and left.
Until we were out of sight, she kept waving with a bright smile.
"...That woman wasn't like that before."
"Yeah."
Only after turning the corner and losing sight of her did Jang Chaeyeon mutter, and Song Arin nodded.
"Wasn't like what?"
"Management Team folks are all a bundle of nerves."
Jang Chaeyeon nodded at Song Arin's words.
"Think about it. They have to log info on brand-new containment objects, and if they're unlucky, they die on the spot—or worse."
"Right."
"They wouldn't be paranoid otherwise. Almost delusional. She used to be like that too."
...
That left only one possibility.
"But, oppa."
"Yeah."
Park Ye-eun, who had been quiet until then, pointed at the cross as she looked at me.
"That thing feels weird."
"How so?"
"Kinda... like I can hear singing?"
"Singing?"
It only gave me a slight headache, but others heard singing?
"I don't hear anything."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
But no one else but Park Ye-eun seemed to hear it.
"For now—"
-Crash!
Before I could finish, something shattered somewhere.
Yoo Daon quickly stepped in front, Song Arin took the rear, Jang Chaeyeon raised her hand beside me,
and footsteps approached.
-Thud... thud...
-Throb!
"Ugh...!"
An intense headache crashed over me.
"...Ah."
"...Uh."
"...Ugh."
"Sn-snap out of it, everyone!"
Pressing my throbbing temple, I lifted my head.
Jang Chaeyeon, Song Arin, and Park Ye-eun had collapsed.
Except for one.
"Jaeheon-ssi!"
Only Yoo Daon stood there, looking bewildered at the others.
"What's going on?"
"No idea."
What the hell was happening?
Why was Yoo Daon fine?
-Thud...
Something stepped on glass shards.
I looked up ahead.
...
It was a man in pitch-black priest robes.
Or was it a man?
The body was male, but the face belonged on a holy statue of a woman.
I hurriedly dropped the cross on the floor.
The headache didn't stop.
No,
[Name: Priest]
[Age: X]
[Specialty: Confession]
[Talent: Reminiscence]
[Background: Face your sins head-on. If you can't, kneel and pray to your god.]
[Weakness: Believe fervently in something else. Devote yourself to it. Otherwise, become the exception.]
What the hell does that mean?
No time to think.
"Daon-ssi, buy some time!"
"Got it!"
Yoo Daon hurriedly gloved up and charged forward,
-Slash!
and something whipped through the air, severing her wrist.
"Whoa!"
She muttered and reattached it with her other hand.
I hoisted the other three onto my back.
"Ugh... argh...!"
Even if they were light, that was two adult women and a minor.
My strength wasn't enough.
"Exception, exception..."
Could I make someone an exception?
Then it hit me.
[Therefore, whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.]
And the woman's question about being an adult.
No clue.
I shoved the cross into Park Ye-eun's hand,
"Kyaa!"
and she screamed upright, drenched in cold sweat.
"O-oppa?"
She stared at me in confusion.
No time for that.
"Can you carry these two?"
"Uh, sure."
"Hurry."
-Slash!
Something sliced from behind, and the stench of blood hit my nose.
"Mmph...!"
Park Ye-eun covered her mouth at the sight.
Then she slung the two over her shoulders like luggage.
"L-Let's go."
"Daon-ssi!"
I turned to call Yoo Daon,
and her body was mostly restored.
Like with Butterfly's Dream, her scattered remains reassembled into Yoo Daon.
Only difference: this time, insanely fast.
-Whoosh!
It swung, but restored Yoo Daon backflipped past its hand to my side.
"Can we go?"
"Yes."
"Got it."
"Wh-where to?"
"Turn around!"
Park Ye-eun spun and ran.
I followed.
No footsteps chased us.
*
...Huff... huff...
Hah... hah...
"Whew... that was close."
We ran through the maze-like halls for what felt like forever.
Even though no footsteps followed, instinct screamed we had to flee.
Yoo Daon wiped sweat and muttered.
"...I'll get down now."
Park Ye-eun set the two down.
"Ahh..."
"Ugh..."
They writhed, slick with cold sweat.
"...And I'll hold onto this."
Park Ye-eun handed me the cross.
"It's fine if I hold it."
"How'd it feel?"
"...Hard to describe."
She furrowed her brow.
"A bad dream."
"What kind?"
"...Don't remember."
"Got it."
Leaving her, I checked Song Arin and Jang Chaeyeon.
Held a hand under their noses.
Both breathing steadily.
[Office Manual]
[When someone loses consciousness]
1. If from mental attack, use physical shock or another mental jolt to wake them.
2. This does not mean artificial respiration. Never do that.
Manual wasn't helping.
...
[Method: 1]
...
...
...
"...Why do you keep staring at me, Jaeheon-ssi?"
I had a way to wake one.
Song Arin's voice echoed in my head: never connect me with yourself.
Couldn't link to Park Ye-eun either.
She's a minor. Who knows what it'd do to a growing kid.
"...Daon-ssi."
"Yeah?"
"Gonna link with Arin-ssi..."
"I'm fine with it!"
Yoo Daon smiled and nodded.
"Let's do it."
Knockouts can't complain. Song Arin had to wake first.
[Method: 1->0]
Purple thread emerged over Song Arin's head.
Connected it to myself—just in case.
It bounced off.
What were the conditions to link with me?
I'd done everything I could.
Linked the thread to Yoo Daon.
Immediate effect.
...!
Song Arin shot upright.
Her gaze locked on me.
Emotionless eyes met mine—no anger, no sadness.
"...You linked us."
She muttered in a flat voice.
"Yeah."
"I told you not... urp..."
Mid-sentence, she clutched the wall and stumbled away.
"Urp...!"
Her dry heaves echoed from beyond.
"Ahaha..."
Yoo Daon scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Song Arin walked back toward me.
"You, I told you not to..."
...
As she emotionlessly pointed at me,
her movements froze.
"Ugh, uh..."
After shuddering repeatedly, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.
"...No. Do whatever you want."
"Arin-ssi?"
"I'll do whatever you say."
She looked at me.
Her eyes brimmed with an unknowable darkness.