Chapter 323
Chapter 323
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 323. A Taste
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Yoo Daon was uneasy.
The woman beside her was unsettling in her unknowable thoughts, but just being alone with her was nerve-wracking enough.
With someone like Jang Chaeyeon or Song Arin, they could at least hold a decent conversation, and being alone with a guy would have been comfortable—but that wasn't the case here.
Of course, Yoo Daon knew the woman next to her wouldn't harm her. Still, that didn't make it any less uncomfortable.
Above all, the atmosphere itself was unnerving.
It wasn't silence—it was the branch manager's movements, as if she'd been waiting for this exact moment.
"Wow, it took forever."
"Yes?"
As the door closed, the branch manager let out a long sigh, and Yoo Daon looked at her quizzically.
"Honestly, I just wanted some time alone with you, Daon."
The branch manager gazed at her.
Her red eyes were slightly open.
"...Me?"
"Yes, you, Daon."
What was she getting at?
Yoo Daon stared at the branch manager, fists clenched.
She'd probably lose in a fight. Should she call for the guy?
He'd come running if she did... but that would just tire him out and wear him down.
"Don't be so tense."
The branch manager patted Yoo Daon's shoulder as if it were nothing.
"Last time, I told you to come find me if you wanted to know about your parents, but you never did."
"Not interested."
That was it?
Yoo Daon tilted her head, eyeing the branch manager.
"You're not interested? In your own parents..."
The branch manager muttered in mild surprise, still watching Yoo Daon, who...
...
felt a flicker of annoyance.
"Would learning about them change anything for me?"
"Hmm..."
The branch manager rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, while Yoo Daon stared openly.
"No, it wouldn't. People's pasts don't change."
"Right."
Yoo Daon replied curtly and took a step forward.
She couldn't make sense of the branch manager, who kept spouting meaningless nonsense since last time.
"But even knowing your parents are still alive?"
The branch manager's voice followed, but Yoo Daon didn't stop walking.
It truly meant nothing to her.
She'd stopped resenting and calling out for her parents long ago.
It must have been the dozenth time or so—when the blade finally touched her body, that's when she realized no one would come, no matter how loudly she screamed.
"And what if those parents are taking an interest in the HR Team this time?"
"...Pardon?"
Yoo Daon finally turned around.
The branch manager sighed.
"Seems they weren't satisfied with just you."
"That doesn't matter. If it's the HR Team..."
"Exactly. Kim Jaeheon."
Yoo Daon's gaze shifted to the branch manager, who met her eyes squarely.
The eyes that were always narrowed were now fully open, fixed on Yoo Daon.
"You might've heard bits during the fight with the hospital director—or maybe you already know—but the hospital has always wanted someone exceptional."
The branch manager continued in a calm voice.
"And from their perspective, a perfect candidate has appeared."
"...Why haven't you told Jaeheon this?"
"No point."
What did that mean?
Yoo Daon frowned at the branch manager, who looked back with fresh surprise.
"Do you really think Kim Jaeheon would hear that and go, 'Oh, better be careful,' then hole up and avoid incidents?"
"...No."
"That's why I'm telling you."
The branch manager narrowed her eyes again.
"Anything you remember about your parents?"
...
Yoo Daon dredged up hazy memories.
What were her parents like when she was little?
Just fragments surfaced.
Eating together, them smiling at her...
"...I don't remember much."
"I see."
The branch manager sighed softly and looked away.
"Anyway, keep a close eye on Kim Jaeheon."
...
She planned to anyway, even without being told.
Yoo Daon grumbled inwardly and turned to the branch manager,
when the man with the sewn-shut lips came rattling down from the ceiling.
Some liquid poured from above—
—Boom!
The branch manager swung her fist, and with a sound like air tearing, the liquid overhead evaporated instantly.
"Shall we go?"
...
Yoo Daon stared for a moment before turning back to the branch manager.
"Branch Manager."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind."
...
She shook her head, and the branch manager just smiled silently.
*
This time, the branch manager appeared with a person slung over her arm.
"Who's this?"
"I found him over there."
"What about the title of the piece?"
"No need to check every little detail."
She shook her head at my words.
"The important thing is we saved someone."
...
A person with sewn lips and another without eyes.
What did it mean?
"Let's move to the next room."
We started walking again, all heading to Room 103.
The sewn-lips guy was hypnotized by Song Arin to follow quietly behind.
A sign reading [Room 103] appeared before us.
"This door..."
"It's all dented."
The door was crushed beyond recognition.
...
The branch manager frowned slightly, while Jang Chaeyeon stared at it intently.
"See something, Chaeyeon?"
"No."
"Shall we go in?"
As the branch manager grabbed the handle, it creaked ominously, and I hurriedly stopped her.
"Wait a second."
"Why?"
"If we just barge in like—"
"Then come with me."
The branch manager smiled at me.
...
Was following her the right call?
Though I wasn't sure if worrying about her made sense either.
...
"Come on."
"Branch Manager, wait—"
Before I could finish, she yanked my arm, and someone grabbed my hand from behind.
It was Jang Chaeyeon.
"...Together."
She looked at me, and the branch manager smirked my way before raising her pinky.
"Mr. Popular, huh."
"You're the one being reckless."
Whatever the branch manager thought, we were risking our lives here.
"So, me, Jang Chaeyeon, and Kim Jaeheon... that work?"
"I wanna go too."
"Me too."
"...Me as well."
The other three raised their hands in unison, and the branch manager looked at them in disbelief.
"Then who's watching those guys?"
...
The three exchanged glances, forcing me to step in.
"Chaeyeon and I will go in with the branch manager. If anything happens—"
"We'll call."
Yoo Daon replied reluctantly, while Ailin racked her gun with a sigh.
"If you say so."
"...Why am I the only one..."
And Song Arin, muttering something incomprehensible with a pout.
"Let's go."
The branch manager shoved the door with force, and it shattered with a crunch.
She led the way, followed by me and Jang Chaeyeon.
...
It was a dark room.
Nothing prepared, no people this time.
"Kim Jaeheon."
"Yes."
"Those people we saved."
She spoke slowly.
"Don't they seem off?"
"I thought the same."
...
The branch manager and I talked, while Jang Chaeyeon just listened quietly.
"The eyes, the mouths."
...
"I think they're using those people to watch us."
"Hmm..."
She had a point.
After hearing Ailin's words, I'd suspected Aestheticism might be observing us through them.
"But I don't think that's all."
"Oh..."
The branch manager's eyes widened at my words, and Jang Chaeyeon looked my way too.
Thinking about Aestheticism.
"Stuff like that—unnecessary flair—seems right up Aestheticism's alley."
Going to pointless lengths to creep people out, just to observe.
But...
"If it really wanted to watch, it could've used other methods."
From a non-human viewpoint, borrowing human eyes is inconvenient. Inefficient.
Just for its aesthetic tastes? Probably more to it.
"Like what?"
"...For example..."
Attaching titles, hanging people up, and most of all...
"It's giving us choices."
One thing I'd learned fighting beings beyond common sense: they usually see humans as 'energy sources' or 'prey.'
So they don't let go of the hunt. They kill or devour unless there's a good reason not to.
But Aestheticism was different.
Pure amusement. Curiosity.
In a way, the most human of them all.
Because you could assign meaning to its actions.
"Probably... it'll keep those people alive to force more choices on us."
Make us abandon them, or...
"Makes sense."
The branch manager crossed her arms, murmuring, and at that moment.
"Wow. Figuring out my intentions this thoroughly is starting to creep me out."
—Clack! Clack! Clack!
The sound of something hard hitting echoed, the branch manager's body stiffening as she braced herself.
Jang Chaeyeon shoved me aside, eyes wide.
—Click... click...
Plastic heels on the floor.
A mannequin's form emerged from the shadows.
...
A familiar body, an unfamiliar face.
It was Aestheticism.
"Changed your head again in the meantime?"
The branch manager stared at Aestheticism, tense, as it grinned ear-to-ear back at her.
"How's it look? Suits me?"
...
The branch manager clamped her mouth shut, and Aestheticism's gaze turned to me.
"Kid, you've got real talent."
"...For what."
"That look like you're standing on my head sometimes... or trembling while still pushing forward."
Its mouth split into a full tear.
"The more I see, the more I like it. Really."
"...Hoo."
The branch manager drew a deep breath,
[Critical: 0->1]
and a translucent window appeared.