Persuasion
Persuasion
What will my relationship with noona be like from now on?
We went crazy with skinship inside the Jangmak and even shared our bodily fluids.
Could we really just brush it off and keep up our sibling relationship like nothing happened?
"......."
No point overthinking it—it wasn't a problem that'd give me any answers.
I'd just chalk up what happened in the Jangmak to being trapped with no choice and move on.
More importantly, I needed to confirm if noona was completely safe from the Jangmak now.
She'd been trapped in there for so long that there might be lingering aftereffects, and she could get caught in another new Jangmak too.
My noona had already fallen into Jangmaks twice.
Next time I saw Kang Seo-ha, I'd have to ask if things were okay like this.
I also needed to check if the Jangmak on campus was completely gone.
"Hello."
"Yes, hello."
A café near the subway station close to home.
I greeted Kang Seo-ha, who'd already grabbed a seat and was waiting.
There was a female staff member I'd never seen before sitting next to Kang Seo-ha.
"Um, who's this?"
"She's from the SCBAP support team. She's here to help with the incident follow-up."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Minseo from the support team. You must be Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi, and the woman next to you is Cha Hye-rin-ssi, right?"
"Yes."
Round glasses and plain clothes. She didn't give off that model vibe like Kang Seo-ha.
She looked like your typical female public sector employee.
"The Jangmak incident that happened inside the university campus. Please explain in detail how it unfolded. That way, we can tell you whether Cha Hye-rin-ssi and Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi safely escaped the Jangmak."
Han Minseo set her laptop on the café table, sat down, and asked us.
"Uh, are you recording everything we say on that laptop right now?"
"What you say will be saved as an incident investigation file. But don't worry about privacy protection. Your identities will be kept strictly confidential."
She handed over the SCBAP's personal information protection policy consent form.
Skimming the long paragraphs, it said they'd only record investigation materials, keeping the involved parties anonymous and protecting their personal details.
Anyway, SCBAP policy was to only keep records for Jangmak research.
Since privacy was guaranteed, I agreed to the terms and decided to tell them about the incident we went through.
"......."
"......."
We were having sex in the Club Room when the Harasser showed up, we ran away and ended up in the lecture hall building where we went wild with Milking Sex to drive off the Harasser and escape the Jangmak—Kang Seo-ha and Han Minseo went silent.
"We didn't take the pill you gave us back then. I wanted to take responsibility for noona to the end."
"Hold on. You're saying you really kept having sex right in front of the Harasser?"
"Yes."
Han Minseo asked in shock.
Even Kang Seo-ha, who'd had a blank expression, looked at me with surprised eyes.
"Weren't you scared of the Anomaly? If it grabbed you, Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi, you could've been folded in half."
"I was thinking about what the Jangmak wanted. If my guess was right, the Jangmak's goal was to create lewd stories that couldn't happen in reality. I believed if we put on a proper scene with noona, its desires would be satisfied."
"Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi, are you secretly an SCBAP employee? How could someone experiencing a Jangmak for the first time be this bold..."
It wasn't my first Jangmak.
After [The Room You Can't Leave Unless You Milk], I'd gotten somewhat used to them.
Even back in that room, doing exactly as ordered and milking noona with all my strength let us escape.
Same this time.
We went so intense with Milking Sex that even the Harasser knelt, and we got out of the Jangmak.
"You adapt to Jangmaks incredibly fast."
"Really? I thought it was the only way."
"For normal people, they'd either get caught running from the Harasser or try fighting it, get hurt, and end up with serious aftereffects."
Kang Seo-ha tilted her head and looked at me.
She scanned my face like she was probing.
"Clearly distinguishing reality from unreality, figuring out the hidden rules and patterns in the Jangmak, and using them—that's not easy for civilians."
"I didn't know the Jangmak would block the Harasser. But I figured if I went all out with noona, the Harasser would disappear."
"How did you make that call?"
"If I were the Jangmak, sure, I'd wanna see the Harasser grab noona, but a forbidden love with my step-sister would satisfy its desires even more..."
In short, I judged that me openly banging noona there would be the hottest scene.
I was confident I could fuck noona real dirty.
"You've got Talent."
"?"
"Going into the Jangmak where Cha Hye-rin-ssi was trapped, and how you handled it. It's hard to believe it's your first time—you coped perfectly."
"Really? Thanks. That's a compliment, right?"
"......."
Talent for resolving Jangmaks—I'd take that in a good way.
"But I'm not sure if adapting to Jangmaks that quickly is generally a good thing."
"Huh? Why?"
"Being someone who 'fits' with Jangmaks means you're also prone to falling into them."
Prone to falling into Jangmaks? Me?
Kang Seo-ha continued explaining in a serious tone.
"As I mentioned before, Jangmaks like people with strong personalities and charm. People who perfectly fulfill the desires embedded in the Jangmak can end up repeatedly pulled into them."
"Gasp, do too well and you keep getting trapped?"
Like some yandere?
Satisfy the Jangmak so perfectly that even after its desires are quenched, it gets obsessed and sticks around.
"Those people have Special Constitutions too. They don't forget what happens inside Jangmaks and keep getting loved by them steadily."
"?!"
Me, loved by Jangmaks with a Special Constitution?
Should I be happy or scared?
Chasing people because it loves lewd ghost stories.
"Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi, are you perhaps a Special Constitution?"
Kang Seo-ha leaned forward as she asked.
Her eyes sharpened like she'd taken an interest in me.
"Well, I'm not sure... If I am a Special Constitution, what happens?"
According to her explanation, I definitely was one.
But since I didn't know what treatment I'd get if I was, I played dumb and asked.
"People with Special Constitutions are under special SCBAP management. Since they could get trapped again anytime, we keep a separate list and protect them."
"Really? That's a relief. If SCBAP protects me."
"But maintaining a normal daily life will be tough. Like with Cha Hye-rin-ssi, you'll suffer from Jangmaks and the anomalies inside them."
"Then what should I do?"
Me and noona suddenly trapped in weird rooms, noona lactating at university, threatened by the Harasser.
If we kept getting caught in Jangmaks like she said, normal life would be impossible.
"First option: Live in a Protection Management Zone run by SCBAP. We isolate people with Special Constitutions from Jangmaks. It's safe there."
"Second option: Learn Jangmak response methods from SCBAP. Avoid things related to Jangmaks as much as possible, reduce stimulating situations to bore the Jangmak. Make it forget you, and you forget it."
Kang Seo-ha finished there, looked at me and noona, then raised a third finger.
"Final third option: Become an SCBAP employee and help manage Jangmaks. This applies to those most affected by Jangmaks but don't fear them—instead, they use the conditions to rescue others trapped inside."
"Hmm, so the third is to become an SCBAP employee?"
"Yes, exactly. SCBAP welcomes young, smart new recruits. Let's save people trapped in these unprecedented Jangmak crises together."
The last one felt like it was aimed at us.
Kang Seo-ha flashed a kind smile I'd never seen before.
Her going soft like that made it look like a sales pitch smile.
Is she trying to lure us in?
"Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi. You're a college student, right? Job hunting worries must be piling up, but join SCBAP and you won't have to stress anymore."
Job talk got my attention.
Might as well hear her out.
"SCBAP is government-designated, offering all the benefits of regular civil servants, plus the most important part: salary. We promise 50 million won starting salary."
50 million starting? That's huge. Don't new grads need years of prep to land that at a big corp?
"And most importantly, that starting pay is just base. Performance bonuses add on based on your contributions. If Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi shines, promotions and raises come fast. SCBAP values performance."
The more you excel in Jangmaks, the more you earn.
Makes sense—SCBAP manages Jangmaks.
"Join our Field Division Team 6, and I'll take good care of you."
She patted her chest and spoke sweetly.
Why's she like this? It's overwhelming.
This woman who'd been ice-cold suddenly turning buddy-buddy felt off.
I glanced at Han Minseo next to her—she looked awkward, glancing at us.
'Um, Team Leader Kang. Are you thinking of specially recruiting Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi? Field Division's short-staffed, right?'
'Shh, don't mention the staffing shortage. He might run.'
'But isn't Jangmak too dangerous for someone like Cha Yu-hyeon-ssi?'
'I'll train him well. Can't let a rare Talent like this slip away.'
The SCBAP staff whispering.
Overhearing, it was about whether dragging me into their dangerous work was okay.
Kang Seo-ha wanted to hire me because they're understaffed.
Han Minseo said Field Division would be too much for an outsider.
SCBAP scouting me? Unexpected.
50 million start, plus performance bonuses. Sounds good?
I'd need more details on the employment terms.