Living My Best Life as an Anomaly 359 (4)
“So, with that in mind, how would you feel about staying at the fixer office until things settle down?”
When Woo Chun-yeop said those words, I genuinely thought I was about to be slaughtered.
He’d led me to what he called an “office,” but what if it turned out to be a secret laboratory? I could already picture myself locked up, subjected to every kind of torture imaginable, then handed over to the Byeoksa Bureau with a final squeak of protest.
Terrified, I teared up and started backing away.
There was an expulsion device around my neck, so running wouldn’t have done any good anyway, but my body reacted on pure instinct.
“W-we got along so well~! For half a year we kept trading lame jokes, talking about fixers all the time, right…? Remember when you told me about ‘Saw’~!”
I was stomping my feet in a panic, sniffling, when Woo Chun-yeop furrowed his brows and tilted his head.
“…? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Y-you’re not trying to torture me, right? You’re going to dissect me at the ‘office’! Turn me into sliced meat…!”
A short sigh escaped his lips.
“Calm down and just follow me for now.”
The suggestion that I live at the fixer office for anomaly reports.
I’d assumed it was complete nonsense, but surprisingly, it wasn’t.
Woo Chun-yeop was far more considerate than I’d expected from someone in the Byeoksa Bureau.
I never thought I—an anomaly—would be on the receiving end of that consideration.
“What do you think? This should be livable, right?”
What he proposed was a ghost office.
A fixer agency that was legally registered but didn’t actually operate—a place that existed only on paper.
He wasn’t even asking me to pretend to work as a fixer, so my reaction was naturally positive.
“Well… this is pretty decent.”
The office had space for about five people to work, plus a hidden basement level accessed by pushing aside a bookshelf and going through a secret door. My living quarters would be in that concealed space. It was smaller than the containment facility, but with some decorating it could be quite nice. There was even a dedicated emergency exit from the hidden area, perfect for making a quick getaway if things got annoying.
Before becoming an anomaly, I had lived in a human house about this size, so it actually felt familiar.
Having to prepare my own meals was a bit of a hassle, but the fact that I could freely eat whatever I wanted outside more than made up for it.
“If we put up a sign saying ‘Long-term business trip,’ anyone who stops by will assume I’ll be back soon. Even if a thief breaks in, there’s nothing worth stealing, so they’ll just leave.”
“But why are you doing all this for me…?”
“Like I’ve been saying, there’s been a misunderstanding. The only reason I revealed I’m from the Byeoksa Bureau is because you already figured it out. There’s no other motive.”
“You didn’t have to hide that you’re from the Byeoksa Bureau…?”
Woo Chun-yeop pointed at my neck.
What looked like a solid steel neck armor was actually a treasure belonging to the Administrative Bureau—one that could instantly expel most anomalies outside the city.
“I wear it every day, so I keep forgetting about it, hehe.”
“While we’re cleaning up after the Cheong Clan Alliance and the containment facility, monitoring you would be difficult. That’s why we’re moving you. Let’s end the misunderstanding here.”
Only then did I feel relieved. I giggled and asked, “Then… what about food expenses? Internet bills?”
“Even though it’s a ghost office, we’ll keep proper books. If we register you as a pet, it becomes simple.”
“Oh…”
They were going to treat me like a pet even though all I did was eat and shit up the gallery.
He must think really highly of me.
…Or maybe from the Byeoksa Bureau’s perspective, I wasn’t worth the trouble of disposing of.
Either way, it wasn’t bad. At the very least, it meant I wouldn’t have to fight the Byeoksa Bureau!
“Out of curiosity, is this even allowed? Isn’t running a paper company illegal?”
“Just think of it as undercover inspector work. If any problems arise, the higher-ups will handle it. The most important thing is that you must never harm people.”
“I already know that. I never planned to hurt anyone in the first place.”
“Just in case, would you like to keep some blood bags on hand?”
“No. I don’t need them. I already told you, I don’t drink blood to survive…. If I really needed blood that badly, I would’ve hunted monsters. Have you seen the size of those things? Their blood volume must be enormous.”
“That’s true. If you can manipulate blood, catching monsters would be easy. But in that case, wouldn’t it be better to register you as a fixer for the ghost office instead of a pet? You could build up contribution points at the same time and enter the Core City.”
A fixer? An anomaly becoming a fixer?
The Administrative Bureau would never grant those qualifications.
It was ridiculous, but since it came from the Byeoksa Bureau, I couldn’t openly mock the idea.
“Come on, that makes no sense. And the way you’ve been siding with me since earlier… honestly, if I became a fixer, you’d just dump all the annoying jobs on me, wouldn’t you?”
“I have my own reasons for needing you to enter the Core City. Since we can’t ignore every procedure, this is the best I can offer.”
“Enter the Core City…? Why would you need that?”
“Just know that such a reason exists. I’m not doing this because I particularly like you. It would be nice if you still had the same burning desire to reach the Core City as before, but you don’t, do you?”
“Well, it’s not that I have zero motivation anymore… but you said we can’t ignore procedures. So even if I rush, it wouldn’t mean anything. My contribution points are only at one hundred thousand!”
Someone once said that alliances bound by mutual transactions and contracts are far stronger than ones built on pure goodwill.
Once I could picture us helping each other because we both wanted something, Woo Chun-yeop’s kindness no longer seemed so strange.
So when he pulled out the ghost office representative’s terminal from his inner chest pocket, I immediately clasped my hands together and held them out politely.
My generous sponsor.
“No matter how lazy you are, acting like a pet already?”
“I want to keep rolling around for at least another six months. Being a pet would be perfect.”
“…The food budget has no limit, but don’t even think about using the card for anything else.”
“Even though people have called me a bloodsucker before, I am the last conscience of this era that would never misuse a corporate card. Trust me.”
Honestly, there wasn’t anything I’d need to spend it on besides food right now anyway.
I was just going to eat and browse the gallery for the next six months.
The only variable was that I couldn’t receive deliveries at a closed office, so I’d have to eat outside….
“By the way… there’s no chance of anyone realizing I’m an anomaly because of these clothes, right?”
“There isn’t. Only a handful of people even know these exist.”
Since it came from the Byeoksa Bureau, eating alone probably wouldn’t be a big problem.
One of the nice things about living in a world full of anomalies was that a child walking around alone wasn’t considered particularly dangerous.
In times like these, if a kid was wandering by themselves, it usually meant they were either properly prepared or extremely dangerous.
It had been a chaotic day, but in the end, my quality of life hadn’t actually dropped.
The method had simply changed a little.
So it was about time I shouted it.
You’re an anomaly master, I’m an anomaly mas—.
… ─[[ Fixer Gallery ]]─ …
(>>Contact the administrator<<)
My hand trembled as I tried to press the post button.
I had completely forgotten.
“Ah, damn it, I still haven’t gotten a new account…!”
[Woo Chun-yeop: Do you need any furniture?]
[Baek San-ah: Minimalism is the trend these days]
Baek San-ah seemed satisfied with her new environment and didn’t contact him again after that.
… ─[[ Fixer Gallery ]]─ …
Even after they parted ways, Woo Chun-yeop had been busy until midnight and was worried, but now he could see the sudden burst of activity in the Fixer Gallery starting at the stroke of midnight. There was no need to monitor her through any other means.
“…Time to wrap things up and head home.”
The empty above-ground office of the containment facility, now devoid of people.
Woo Chun-yeop sat in the facility director’s chair, organizing the remaining documents, when a small drone flew in with a low hum and landed on the desk.
A modulated voice soon flowed from the drone.
“Not yet. However, since Baek San-ah and God are close, an opportunity should present itself eventually.”
“That guy’s security is too thick. The moment we try to breach it, we’ll be noticed. Have you formed the task force yet?”
“I told you I can’t catch God by myself….”
Haah.
Woo Chun-yeop let out a short sigh and muttered in clear exasperation.
“I’m quitting at the end of this year, so keep that in mind. This isn’t some hidden-camera group project. You keep making me the leader every single day….”
“There’s a limit to that too. Anyway, form the task force quickly. I can’t catch God alone.”
The person on the other side of the drone let out a sigh and shouted.
“That’s not it.”
“Have I lost my mind? Why would I do that to an anomaly?”
“If you’re about to suggest another ridiculous plan, stop right there.”
The person on the other side cleared their throat a few times before slyly laying out a new plan.
“Me?”
“…? Wasn’t it just one small office that got taken down?”
“I didn’t realize it would blow up this much.”
“Honestly, this one was just good luck. I didn’t find anything myself; I just happened to stumble on what Baek San-ah posted on the gallery.”
“No. That kid already finds everything annoying. If I get involved, she’ll slow down even more.”
“She’ll feel watched and uncomfortable just by me being nearby. She already found out I belong to the Byeoksa Bureau.”
Silence fell over the office.
Before long, something terrifying came from the drone.
“I told you we need Baek San-ah to find my sister.”
“Considering my employment conditions, there is sufficient reason to keep Baek San-ah alive.”
Anger finally seeped into the voice coming from the drone.
“Even if she tells God, it wouldn’t change anything. It’s not like I do a lot of public activities. And that gallery addict didn’t immediately post about it on the gallery even after learning the truth.”
“You can trust her. At least for the time being.”
After a short sigh, the Byeoksa Bureau Chief grumbled.
“Thank you for your consideration, Chief.”
“Huu… huu… hachoo!”
Ugh.
The air in the containment facility really must have been clean. The moment I entered the underground single room, I started coughing.
“Huu, wait, no. Someone was looking for me on the gallery.”
“What the hell is this.”
…Byeoksa Bureau?
Me?
They’re making a ridiculous misunderstanding.
It would be perfect bait for causing chaos, but I know when to stay out of things.
Just looking at the tone of the person who wrote it, you can tell.
The Byeoksa Bureau is an organization that fixers must never get involved with, and ordinary people are better off not even knowing it exists.
The fact that Woo Chun-yeop, who had been joking with me for half a year, belonged to the Byeoksa Bureau still sent chills down my spine.
From today’s conversation, I could tell for sure that Woo Chun-yeop wasn’t a bad person….
Still, it felt off.
If I just accepted everything he gave me, I had a feeling I’d be the one in trouble later.
We were in a relationship of mutual trust because we both had something to give and take.
Most importantly, he was from the Byeoksa Bureau, the organization that killed people without hesitation! (Very important)
But the Core City, the Core City….
‘I do have to go eventually.’
I had grown lazy after half a year of doing nothing but playing around, but that had all been to lower the humans’ wariness.
Since the thing I wanted was in the Core City, I would have to go there someday.
God had assured me that it wouldn’t disappear, but there was no benefit in dragging things out.
Even if the balance between humans and anomalies was stable right now, no one knew when that balance might break.
“The me from half a year ago really left me with no room for excuses….”
But I couldn’t help it.
I had been wandering for tens of thousands of years, and both my body and mind were exhausted to the limit.
If my stomach was full, my back was warm, and browsing the gallery was fun, wasn’t it okay to slack off for a year?!
It was only one year.
Compared to the years I had already lived, it was nothing more than a speck of dust.
It was absolutely not an excuse. I had calculated it very rationally.
‘If the conditions for getting a Core City pass weren’t so damn strict, I would’ve gone immediately, ugh.’
I remembered the Fixer Gallery’s monthly contribution point mission that required one thousand points….
But to receive that support, I ultimately had to become a fixer.
How many years had it been since the gallery’s main mission hadn’t changed?
Beep. Impossible to establish.
I had to escape my NEET lifestyle.
I had to become a productive member of society. The voice inside my head kept echoing.
“……….”
So why was it so hard to find the motivation?
Was it because my one year of rest had been cut in half?
“Uuuuuuuugh….”
……For now, I should look for a quiet place near the ghost office where I could eat in peace.
No more free meals from the facility….
Food is important….
Koreans run on rice, after all….
If I wanted to know something?
I could just dig through the Fixer Gallery and it would come up immediately.
Doksan-dong… best… restaurants…….
“Whoa, whoa.”
Wow, damn.
This crazy bastard posted an article with this many food recommendations at 3 a.m.?
You really deserve to be reported to the Byeoksa Bureau and executed.
“Still, thank you. I’ll make good use of this information.”
Yeah. Let’s eat first and think later.
About how to farm the contribution points needed to enter the Core City.