The Birthday Surprise Video That Refused to Die
The Administrator asked the empty desk, addressing the air beyond it as if Libera were still seated there.
Libera’s voice had come from nowhere and vanished just as quickly. It had sounded so natural, so matter-of-fact, that for a moment the Administrator almost believed she could still hear the lieutenant’s calm tone.
“Since she died during an operation. It’s common for the records of deceased personnel to be stored separately.”
The Administrator’s fingers tightened on the edge of the desk. She stared at the spot where Libera had been and felt the old familiar prickle of unease crawl up her spine.
“Even a deceased person should have their disposal and records intact. That’s the standard.”
She spoke slowly, each word measured, testing the water. The Lieutenant had always been precise about procedure. If she said the records had been handled correctly, then they must have been.
Libera’s response was instantaneous, her tone cool and final.
“I processed it according to the regulations and the official procedures.”
The Administrator fell silent. The pause stretched just long enough for the weight of the words to settle between them. Then Libera continued, as if the conversation had never paused.
“…The memories are already gone anyway. The current state is incomplete enough. Digging into old records now would only make my head more muddled. I treated it as a considerate measure.”
The Administrator narrowed her eyes, refusing to step back. She refused to let the words land unchallenged.
“The fact that I have no memories and the fact that I am inquiring about the records of my direct subordinate are two different things. As Administrator, there is no reason for you to arbitrarily control my necessary duties……”
Libera stepped closer. The air between them felt suddenly thinner, charged.
“You have no memory, but you are still the patient. The Administrator who stands before me now existed before that.”
……Libera.
“So don’t go digging uselessly into the past. Just listen to me right now.”
“This isn’t right.”
Libera cut her off sharply, her voice firm. The door to the office stood open behind her. She was already moving toward it.
“I won’t discuss this matter any further. There are other tasks I must attend to, so I’ll be going. Administrator, get some rest.”
She turned and walked out, the click of her boots echoing down the hallway like a countdown.
The Administrator was left alone in the suddenly vast, empty office.
‘What in the world happened that she would hide it all like this?’
She needed answers. She needed the truth of Elia’s past, the missing pieces that would let the stalled gears of memory finally turn again.
Something had gone terribly wrong. Libera had covered every trace. The official route was closed.
‘I’ll have to go out myself.’
Without documents, she would have to find the clues herself. The Administrator rose, legs steady despite the fog in her mind, and stepped into the corridor.
“Excuse me, Administrator-nim……”
A soft, childlike voice stopped her. She turned to find a small agent standing there, hands clasped politely in front of her. Her uniform was a little too big on her narrow shoulders, her face round and unlined. Pure. Uncorrupted.
“Your complexion looks a bit off. Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Or is there something on your mind……?”
The girl watched her carefully, worry plain in her eyes even as she tried not to offend. The Administrator felt her own rigid expression soften without permission.
“No, I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking about a lot of things.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. Thank you for worrying about me.”
The girl’s face broke into a bright, innocent smile. The Administrator reached out and gently ruffled her hair. The gesture came automatically, as if it had been practiced a thousand times.
Her eyes landed on something small and precious nestled in the girl’s arms. A camera. The girl had been hugging it like a secret.
“What is that you’re holding? It looks like a camera.”
“Ah, this one! Hehe, isn’t it cool!?”
The girl lifted the device proudly, eyes sparkling. Her voice bubbled with excitement.
“I can take photos and videos with it! I’ve been taking pictures of every corner of the base with it lately.”
The Administrator already knew what a camera was, but she still played along, amused by the child’s pure delight.
“Oh, you got a really good one?”
“Right? But it has some super amazing hidden features.”
The girl tapped the screen with one finger, gesturing proudly as she spoke.
“There’s a direct reservation system! You set the date and time you want, and the exact moment it appears together with a video notification. It’s like sending a letter straight to the future.”
“……It shows videos at the exact time you set?”
“I’ll show you right now!”
The girl turned the camera toward herself without hesitation and pressed the record button.
“Administrator-nim, always keep fighting! Fighting~!”
She waved cheerfully, then quickly started the timer.
“Okay! I set it to appear in ten seconds with the video. Let’s count together!”
The Administrator found herself caught up in the child’s infectious energy. She smiled despite herself and began counting.
“Ten, nine, eight……”
The girl counted with sparkling eyes. The Administrator followed along, the words falling from her lips without thought.
“……Three, two, one! Ding!”
A cheerful alarm rang out from the camera. In the empty storage compartment, a new file appeared with a soft pop.
The girl pressed play and the speaker crackled to life, the same bright voice filling the room.
— Administrator-nim, always keep fighting! Fighting~!
Accompanied by the cheerful voice, the ten-second video appeared on screen.
“Wow, that’s amazing, right?”
The girl beamed, waiting for the answer. The Administrator nodded.
“Yes. That’s an incredible feature.”
“Hehe, isn’t it?”
The Administrator reached out and patted the girl’s shoulder, then turned to leave.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Wait a second!”
A frantic voice called from behind her. She turned to find the girl’s face bright with excitement.
“Administrator-nim, happy birthday!”
“……Ah, thank you.”
The words hit her like a stone. A memory flickered unbidden. She had seen that same camera before, tucked away in her own drawer.
‘Camera……’
Her steps faltered. Her eyes locked onto the drawer. She opened it with sudden urgency, fingers trembling. Beneath the thick stack of documents, a single camera sat alone.
It had been there when she arrived.
Cautiously, she took it out and turned it on. It powered up instantly. She navigated to the storage folder.
“……”
Nothing.
Both the photo album and video folders were perfectly empty.
Someone had wiped everything clean.
‘They must have backed it up somewhere else, or deleted it all.’
Disappointment settled heavily in her chest. She reached for the power button.
“……Wait.”
A small bell icon appeared in the upper right corner of the screen.
【 Notification: 1 reserved video 】
‘What is this?’
Only one file remained inside the folder. The direct reservation system the girl had described.
Someone had scheduled a video to play today, on her birthday.
‘Why today?’
Today was her birthday. Had someone recorded a surprise video?
Even though the camera’s data had been wiped clean, this one file had survived.
She pressed the reservation file. The video began to play.
— One, two, three. Ah, is it on? I hope I didn’t make a mistake…….
A woman’s voice filled the speaker. She knew the voice. It was warm, too bright, too familiar. Yet she couldn’t place it right away.
Crackle. A short burst of static. The screen brightened.
— Ah, Administrator-nim! Happy birthday!
The cheerful voice rang out.
“H-how is this possible……”
The moment the woman on screen smiled at her, the Administrator felt her scalp prickle. It was like someone had struck her from behind.
The woman on screen looked straight at her, laughing brightly.
“Hehe. Surprised?”
How could this be?
All records of Elia had been erased. Why was this video still alive?
The Administrator stood frozen, unable to understand what was happening.
The woman on screen kept talking in that same bright, unconcerned voice.
— Ding! I set the surprise video to play today, on your birthday! Actually, I secretly borrowed the camera from the drawer…… No, I borrowed it. Sorry, that was a mistake. Please don’t be mad on your birthday, okay? Hehe.
She was an idiot.
Thanks to the reservation system, the video had survived.
Her mind had short-circuited in the sudden panic.
— Anyway, you weren’t alone in the corner working on your birthday, were you? Ah, right! What kind of cake do you like? Cream? Or maybe chocolate? Last time it was chocolate, right? I made sure to ask for a super dense chocolate cake!
Was that Elia? The one who laughed like that?
It felt like her own heart was melting.
— Ahaha, wait. I shouldn’t be talking about cake right now. I got carried away and started rambling for no reason.
Elia cleared her throat, then continued with a slightly gentler tone.
— Um, I had so much to say that I practiced until late at night…… But now my head is completely blank. I don’t know where to start. Administrator-nim, what I want to tell you is……
The Administrator felt as if time had slipped past her, leaving her face-to-face with the present version of herself.
— ……Actually, the reason I’m recording this is because you are watching it right now.
Elia looked away. She only avoided the camera lens, but the Administrator understood. She was afraid to meet the eyes of someone standing outside the screen.
The voice that came through the speaker was steady, trying to keep things light.
— It means I’m already dead.