Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: What's the Reason?
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"Wow! Who's this kid?"
The first to react was Park Ye-eun.
"Seriously, she looks just like an angel!"
Her eyes sparkling, she grabbed the child's cheeks and started shaking them cutely.
"Hey, what's your name? How'd you get here? Are you a Containment Object by any chance?"
"What if I am one?"
"Well, nothing we can do about it then!"
Nothing we can do about it?
Staring at Park Ye-eun in bewilderment, the child looked at her with the exact same expression as me.
"How'd you get here?"
"Because it's a place I can come out of."
Answering my question like it was the most obvious thing in the world, the child looked at us, and Park Ye-eun poked my side.
"Oppa, you know her, right?"
She asked me in a tone full of certainty.
"I do know her, but how'd you figure it out?"
"You didn't freak out, and she seems to know you pretty well too. So, even if she's dangerous, I figured I could just hide behind you and survive."
She'd pieced that together in such a short time.
"You've got a real knack for the Management Bureau."
"Right?"
Park Ye-eun grinned and muttered to herself in wonder as she looked at the child.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"...I don't really have one."
"You don't? Then what should we call you?"
After hesitating for a moment at her question, the child finally spoke.
"...Min Noa."
"That's a name that exists?"
Anyone could tell it was just pieced together from the consonants in "Manual."
I stared pointedly at the Manual, and she turned to me, muttering.
"I just came out because this is a place I can come out of."
"Was it because of the bookmark?"
"...Yeah."
The Manual gave a small nod at my question.
So it was the bookmark.
"What's the reason you came out?"
"...You knew it was about time, but I guess you didn't expect it'd be me coming out."
"Neither of us is the type to just pop out randomly."
Had the Manual ever opened to a useless page?
Well, yeah.
Actually, quite a few times.
As I was thinking that, the Manual nodded again.
"Your team leader should be fine even if he's stuck in the fridge. That guy's one of the best in the Management Bureau at surviving no matter where you toss him."
"I wasn't worried from the start."
Worried about our Team Leader? That'd be the most pointless worry in the world. I should be worrying about myself.
The Manual looked at me like I was ridiculous at my confident reply, then started walking deeper inside.
"The inside here's gotten a bit weird."
"Weird how?"
"More precisely, it's time to manage it again."
Muttering to herself, she opened a door.
Inside the room was a single fan.
A translucent window popped up.
[Name: Oxygen Remover]
[Age: Created 20 years ago]
[Specialty: Oxygen Removal]
[Talent: Oxygen Removal]
[Background: In the past, after a large order for this product, rumors spread about people dying from oxygen deprivation after closing their doors, turning on the fan, and going to sleep.]
[Weakness: Leave the door open.]
The Manual stared at the fan for a moment before closing the door again.
"Not here."
"Where are you going?"
"The control room."
She answered as she walked barefoot across the floor.
"You weren't originally supposed to come here—it was supposed to be someone else—but you came instead."
"Someone else?"
"You've seen it before."
She glanced back at me.
"Don't you remember? The one that helped you during the Butterfly's Dream."
"...That black thing?"
The one that first spoke to me through a translucent window.
No way I could forget. I lived because of it.
"Why's it managing this place?"
"Because that's what it agreed to do. And if you knew any more, it'd just make your life miserable."
"No, how would you even know that?"
"Because I saw it."
"..."
She said it so casually, like I was asking something obvious, and kept walking.
No room to argue when she puts it like that.
"That kid..."
"Yeah."
Park Ye-eun, walking beside me, narrowed her eyes at the Manual.
"She seems a lot like you, Oppa."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She's got some human warmth, but basically feels like she's got a robot for a heart?"
"Did I really seem like that to you?"
That hurts.
"You've got a great eye for people. What's your name?"
The Manual turned to look at Park Ye-eun as well.
"Unnie's name is Park Ye-eun!"
"Got it."
And with that, she turned back around.
"She's talking so casually to me? Is she older than she looks or something?"
"Maybe."
I didn't know how old the Manual was either.
Just in case, I glanced above her head, but at that exact moment, she turned back to me.
"You won't see it even if you look, so don't bother."
"Fine."
It really felt like I was in the palm of her hand.
After weaving through the corridors for a while longer, the Manual opened another door.
This time, there was a pen neatly placed inside a black case.
And behind it, an iron door.
Looking at the pen brought up a translucent window.
[Name: The Thing That Writes]
[Age: Created 2 years ago]
[Specialty: Writing]
[Talent: Writing]
[Background: It simply writes. Even on things it shouldn't write on.]
[Weakness: Just break it.]
As I stared at the pen, the Manual picked it up and handed it to me.
"It's yours."
"Hey, isn't this a Containment Object?"
I looked at the pen in the black case.
An expensive-looking pen with a golden cap.
"It's yours."
Ignoring my question, she just held it out to me.
"..."
I slowly took the pen from her, and only then did the Manual smile.
"Good."
Then she pointed near her shoulder.
"Try writing with it."
"...What?"
"I said write with it."
"...Here?"
She was wearing a sleeveless top, so there was no issue with writing there.
"Why? Embarrassed to write on me? You've held me in your hand and fallen asleep with me every night until now."
"What?!"
"Don't say stuff that'll cause misunderstandings."
I hurriedly cut off the Manual, and Park Ye-eun stared at me with wide eyes.
"You're joking too far."
"Yeah, the joke ends here."
The Manual stepped closer and looked up at me.
"But writing on your shoulder isn't a joke. Hurry up and try it."
"...Do I have to do it here?"
"Then where else would you test it?"
"...At home?"
"You probably won't be human by then, so it'd be hard to check. Just do it."
"..."
I let out a sigh but had no choice—I uncapped the pen, bent my knees to meet the Manual's eyes.
Her gaze was utterly inscrutable.
"Are you putting on a show right now because someone else is here?"
"...No?"
I took out the pen while watching her shake her head at my question.
Feels like it, though. Placing the pen against her shoulder, I asked.
"What should I write?"
"Whatever you want. You can even sign it."
"Then I'll just sign it."
I signed her shoulder, and the Manual looked at it expressionlessly.
"Good."
"Alright. Check it when you get home later."
With that, she headed toward the iron door.
"Oppa, what was that just now?"
"Huh?"
Park Ye-eun came up to me, whispering in wonder.
"No, when you wrote on that kid's shoulder, the writing glowed golden?"
"It glowed?"
I didn't see anything like that.
I looked at Park Ye-eun in confusion, and she looked back at me the same way.
"You coming or not?"
The Manual called us, so after exchanging glances, we had no choice but to follow her inside.
*
"Whoa..."
Park Ye-eun muttered in awe as she looked around, and I couldn't help but do the same.
"This looks familiar."
There was an old computer and a wooden desk.
"All Management Bureau systems are like this."
The Manual muttered as she fiddled with the computer.
She wasn't typing furiously—just running her fingers over the keyboard, staring at the monitor.
"Hmm."
Then she pressed Enter hard.
"...Ah."
I remembered now.
This was like the thing I saw the first time with Yoo Daon.
-Rumble...!
At the same time, the ceiling started shaking, and Park Ye-eun grabbed my sleeve in a panic.
"W-What's that?"
"..."
It was the same the first time I saw this too.
"Wha...!"
Park Ye-eun's face went pale as she muttered.
And then she collapsed.
"Oh dear."
I caught her as she fell and gently laid her down, then stared up at the ceiling.
Nothing was visible, but a single translucent window floated there.
[Name: - ]
[Age: - ]
[Specialty: - ]
[Background: - ]
[Weakness: - ]
The darkness rippled, and a slight dizziness hit me, but that was it.
"You didn't pass out this time?"
The Manual smiled at me proudly.
"Yeah. Wonder what's up with that."
"It's not 'what's up.'"
She shook her head.
"It means you've grown that much."
"Doesn't feel like a good thing."
How many scraps with Containment Objects did it take for me to stare at this and stay fine?
I sighed inwardly, watching the rippling darkness, and soon it faded away.
The building started shaking with a rattling noise.
"Who's the current handler that's slacking off like this..."
Sighing heavily, the Manual began reading the papers stuck to the wall nearby.
"Last year's handler was Kim Pilsu... this year's is Lee Haneul..."
"..."
Lee Haneul.
That was the branch chief.
The Manual stared at me.
"Say something."
"What am I supposed to say to my boss?"
Branch Chief, how do you even function day-to-day if you can't handle managing this? I couldn't exactly say that.
"Want me to chew her out?"
"And who are you supposed to be?"
"Hey, I'm basically the foundation of the Management Bureau."
She glared at me indignantly.
"You know that, right."
"Yeah."
"...But can I ask you something?"
"Sure?"
She looked up at me at my question.
"But why?"
There are people who live their whole lives off a single moment's memory.
But would that person really be happy?
Would they never regret that moment while living their life based on it?
What kind of past do you have that makes you...
She smiled as she looked at me.
"You're asking that?"
"..."
"But my answer's the same."
She laughed, gazing up at the ceiling.
The darkness was writhing.
"A question I could never ask even once."
She looked at me.
Under the darkness, only she glowed faintly in the monitor's dim light.
With a soft smile, she spoke.
"Are you happy right now?"