Visiting the Tiger's Den
Visiting the Tiger's Den
Lusterless eyes dripping with boredom.
Drooping corners of the mouth.
Long straight hair hanging down like a virgin ghost.
And the clothes she was wearing were a pure white robe, so I thought she was a real ghost.
"What. It was a doll made by Zenon."
The man who had muttered blankly shifted his focus.
He stared for a moment at Hati, who had started growling, then turned his head and looked over the monsters one by one, and chuckled.
"Seeing things like this makes me greedy."
Just a moment ago, there was a stranger who had revealed a strange taste regarding Hati, so it was a statement that could only be misunderstood.
I didn't particularly have a problem with sexual relations, but I hadn't been living as an XX chromosome for long.
If the object that had aroused the man's desire was not Hati but me, I had no confidence in resolving the situation smoothly.
It seemed my anxiety showed on my face.
The man, who looked down at me again, widened his eyes and cleared up the misunderstanding.
"Don't worry. I know you're not a thief. I just came to look around too."
Then he turned his back and advised.
"Still, don't wander around late at night. The researchers here haven't been in good shape lately."
The man went outside.
Kung
The door closed,
Jeobeok jeobeok
Only when the man's footsteps slowly faded away and could no longer be heard did I let out a breath.
I must have been tense without realizing it.
Strength drained from my entire body as fatigue rushed in.
When I turned to look at Hati, she was squatting like a dog and licking the back of her hand.
If I wanted to conduct an experiment, I'd have to get her attention again...
'Should I do it tomorrow.'
In my heart, I wanted to play here with the monsters all night.
But my past life self was an adult.
I could very well distinguish between moments to endure and things to give up.
I immediately realized that this was a 'moment to endure.'
'It's not just stamina, but the mental state of the researchers is too big a variable.'
If a member of a group that feeds human flesh to dogs expressed it as 'not in good shape,' that says it all.
The man who had tried to do vile things to Hati might have been relatively tame.
I walked stealthily toward the entrance.
Behind me, Hati was whining "kki-ing kki-ing," so I greeted her out of habit.
"I'll come again tomorrow."
It was only after going outside and walking for a while that I tilted my head.
'Out of habit?'
I had never raised a pet.
Yet as soon as I heard the whining sound, I reassured Hati as if I had anticipated it.
Just in case, I searched through old memories.
The single-room place I lived in briefly when I worked at a company.
My friend's rented room where I often visited when I lived in the dormitory.
The house of relatives living in Seoul where I stayed for a little over a year to prepare for the college entrance exam, and the shabby country house in the countryside where I spent most of my boyhood.
The memories gradually going back to the past finally found the answer.
'You greet too.'
'To whom?'
'Ttomi.'
'That dog?'
'It's a puppy.'
'A puppy is a son of a bitch.'
'...What the hell?!'
The girl's house, which was even shabbier than ours, had a lot of animals.
There were five cats that always appeared suddenly and then vanished without a trace, and three dogs that freely roamed the yard and living room.
In my eyes at that time, even the halmeoni who fiddled with flower cards every day in the master bedroom looked like an animal.
So I didn't feel the need to perform the meaningless act of 'greeting' that I had learned from bumonim, but the girl taught me.
'You're the son of a bitch!!!'
That sometimes even animals need greetings.
And the fear that if I didn't quickly figure out when that was, I might get beaten to death.
The automatic reflex engraved in my body back then was still functioning.
'My body has undergone a drastic change, yet the synaptic connections maintain their strength.'
It was an interesting phenomenon, but I couldn't continue my contemplation.
Zenon's room, which I had arrived at without realizing it.
The moment I bolted the door, sleepiness poured down.
When I looked around to find a place to lie down, there was a blanket in the spot where the cage had been.
'Did Zenon bring it?'
As if drawn by a magnet, I walked over smoothly and plopped myself down.
The coziness and soft texture, beyond my expectations, accelerated my drowsiness.
'With the technology to make a blanket of this quality, this world really is...'
The next morning was quite chaotic.
"Zenon-nim! The sacrifice meant for today's ritual has been killed! This time too, it's the work of those Department of Genesis bastards!"
I was watching Zenon mix a potion, thinking 'Should I go to the library today?' when a short, stout man burst in and shouted, and immediately after, a lanky old man ran in and retorted.
"Why does the department name come out there! And is this something to report to Zenon-nim?"
The old man, who had been shouting with a red face, turned to look at Zenon and simultaneously displayed an astonishing ability to control his expression.
"Hehe. There's no need to worry. The dead experimental subject was an insensitive one meant for preliminary activation."
Zenon placed the flask he was holding onto the stand.
"This is the fifth time."
At his words, the old man, who had been wearing a friendly smile, broke into a cold sweat, and the short man looked at Zenon with expectant eyes.
Zenon asked.
"What did they say was the reason for killing the experimental subject?"
The short man, as if seizing the opportunity, poured out complaints like a machine gun.
"It's the same as last time. They're very despicable bastards. They said they'd reflect, so they swept up the security garden clean, but they were doing this kind of thing. Moreover, even though the culprit is obvious to anyone, they're trying to cover their tracks."
The lanky old man let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
"Zenon-nim. We didn't assign the security guards in the first place. The 'covering tracks' is just a delusion the Department Head of Magic Engineering is spouting alone. Why would they cover tracks? When a spirited young man works hard underground, things like this happen sometimes. Isn't it clearly written in the regulations?"
The short man rebutted his words, and a brief verbal battle ensued.
"Have you gotten short-sighted with age? Is the current problem just managing the kids? How will you make up for the lack of experimental subjects?"
"What's lacking? It's rather relaxed. Two special-grade ones passed the test."
"That only applies to you bastards!"
"It's fine because it's us! If you used experimental subjects, how much would you use? Even a tenth of what we use?"
"Have you gone senile... What I'm pointing out now is the supply issue! In this situation, are you going to go to the city to catch slaves?! Why do we have to make up for what you wasted?!"
"You're talking nonsense again. How many times do I have to say it? We don't need to use experimental subjects anymore."
"You're the one who's plugging your ears again..."
The short man grabbed the back of his neck.
The lanky old man smirked and glanced at him, but soon his expression hardened upon hearing Zenon's words.
"It's true that the stock is insufficient."
To the old man, who was widening his eyes in surprise, Zenon asked in a calm tone.
"Can the Department of Genesis replenish it?"
The old man revealed his difficult feelings with an awkward smile.
"Is it really necessary to go that far? The timing isn't appropriate either."
"It seems you didn't hear me. I just said the stock is insufficient."
"Ah, no. I heard you correctly. But..."
The old man, who had been tightly shutting his mouth and gauging the mood, reluctantly continued.
"Is it absolutely necessary? From what I understand, there aren't many experiments left that consume human bodies..."
Zenon replied as he moved toward the entrance.
"You're mistaken. There will be an explanation at today's meeting, so pay attention."
Then he left completely, making the atmosphere awkward.
Not only the old man whose opinion was dismissed, but also the short man, who could be considered the victor of this verbal battle, sat down heavily on an empty chair with deep sighs.
I waited for a while, thinking that if another fight broke out I could gather information, but it was in vain.
Both of them only let out groaning sounds with serious faces.
'I should have followed Zenon instead.'
Regretfully, I quickened my pace and headed to the library.
The library was larger than I thought.
When I glanced at it yesterday, I thought it would be less than ten pyeong due to the low ceiling and bookshelves blocking the view, but the underground tunnel created inside was the main body.
At first glance, it looked like a European catacomb.
The only difference was that bookshelves were attached to the concave walls instead of stone coffins.
First, I walked around the library, taking in the appearance.
Old-fashioned lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Lizard patterns carved into the narrow walls between bookshelves.
A black statue resembling a statue of Mary that appeared out of nowhere at a fork in the path.
After thoroughly imprinting this increasingly bizarre space in my mind, I scanned the books.
'It's well organized.'
The section divisions were intuitive, and just by looking at the signs, I could tell that books with deep connections were placed together.
There were many books that piqued my interest, but the book I needed to look for right away was determined.
'External Materials: Horror Documents'
It was a bookshelf densely packed with books that had dates written instead of titles.
I took one book from there and opened it, and a familiar format of material caught my eye.
A scrapbook.
The first page contained nothing but newspaper clippings.
'Missing Persons from Straho Found as Corpses in Closed Area'
'Serial Killer Zod Reappears, Even Royal Guard Deployed to Investigation'
'New Mineral Mine Discovered in Overnut'
'Parliament's Final Warning to Karla for Violating the Treaty'
All were important information and things I wanted to know, but the information I had prioritized did not appear in the newspapers.
When I turned the page, a letter came into view.
'To Karla, my proud blood relative and the true ruler of the Gostic Plains.'
The letter from an unknown authority figure, which began that way, contained the information I was most curious about.
'I heard that you are also suffering from the treacherous black magicians. Since ancient times, they have engaged in murder and rape, and have deceived the simple commoners into baring their fangs against their rightful rulers.'
The subsequent content was obvious.
Something about joining forces to wipe out a troublesome criminal organization, and so on.
The world of people is the same everywhere, and this place was no different.
'There was a reason for researching in an underground tunnel.'
I smacked my lips bitterly and put the book back.
'How safe is this laboratory from public authority?'
I still had many questions about black magic.
At least I hoped this library would remain until I mastered black magic.
So I decided to find out.
'The lifespan of an organization is determined by its system.'
I walked forward confidently.
Today's task was to evaluate the work efficiency of the laboratory.