Exploration Team 1 (2)

I picked up the gear and headed to Exploration Team 1.

The place had a funeral home vibe.

"What the hell? It's not like one or two people have died here—why the gloomy atmosphere?"

Jo Gil-taek whispered.

It was the kind of scary remark that might get overheard.

Luckily, no one caught our words.

Thanks to the busy hum amid all the slumped exhaustion.

"Wait here a sec. I'll go talk to the department head."

Jo Gil-taek left me standing in the office and vanished into the room labeled "Department Head."

An unbearable awkwardness settled in.

Between the partitioned workspaces, eyes were watching.

'Why are they glancing over? It's making me uncomfortable.'

Under those sidelong stares, I felt like an unwelcome outsider—or a fifth wheel dumped in the middle of nowhere.

How long had I been waiting for Jo Gil-taek like that?

One of the Exploration Team members approached me.

"Um..."

Bobbed short hair, bright voice, and a slight lisp.

Her ID badge showed she was an assistant manager like me.

Name: Song Go-eun.

'Why is she...?'

She tilted her head at me, then suddenly shoved a pack of yellow vitamin gummies into my hand.

"Here, take thethe. Vitamith."

"Uh, th-thanks."

...Why this? I wondered, but took it anyway.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Song Go-eun nodded and said,

"You're from Follow-up Special Duty, right? Aigoo... tough job. Anyway, fighting!"

She patted my shoulder, spun on her heel, and marched off.

Back to her desk, just like that.

I fiddled with the vitamins in my hand, pondering the intent.

'...What the hell. Seriously, what?'

...No clue. Probably not just encouragement.

That's when murmurs started from the partitions.

"Huh? Ohhh? Ah, the documents. I forgot-th."

Song Go-eun came marching back, file folder in hand.

"Here, take thith. Anomaly documentth for you to hold."

I took the folder wordlessly.

Song Go-eun bowed her head and marched away again.

'......'

So that's what she meant earlier. The vitamins really were just encouragement?

In a department that just had a funeral vibe not long ago.

What a weird feeling.

Especially since this was the team I'd be joining in three months!

'...Whatever.'

Time to check the documents.

That was the title on the first page of the folder.

E was Mirae Co., Ltd.'s grade for anomalies—the lowest one.

'Number means it was the 153rd discovered. The rest is a nickname. Easier than just codes.'

Object-type meant the anomaly took the form of an object.

...Or so the handover file said.

I was a newbie, so all I could do was recite what I'd read.

Truth was, I needed more training.

'But why throw me into the field right away...!'

Sigh.

...What can you do? If they say go, you go.

At least Jo Gil-taek was with me.

A brutal survivor from the Follow-up Special Duty Team's elite days to its current washed-up era.

He could handle a well-documented anomaly like eating cold porridge—even carrying dead weight like me.

'Human weapon, basically. ...Bald, but whatever.'

The bald thing didn't matter.

No idea why I even thought it.

'...My nonsense is ramping up. Stress, probably.'

Back to the documents.

I couldn't rely on Jo Gil-taek alone.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Time to pull my weight.

[The Mirae Livestock Processing Plant is an object-type anomaly contained in 12-E-37.]

That's when I was reading that line.

Suddenly, my trait activated.

'...Department Head Kang Mi-young.'

My mood soured.

Stomach acid churning.

Looked like my stress wasn't going down anytime soon.

'No. Don't think about it.'

From now on, I was diving into anomalies—corporate ghost stories where people died left and right.

Moping like this would just raise my odds of biting it.

'More importantly...'

Time to shift gears.

'Why did the trait activate suddenly?'

My trait had some fuzzy parts.

No control over it.

Sisyphus, Follow-up Special Duty Team 1—same story.

'Definitely has a trigger condition...'

I'd tried everything to figure it out.

Locked in my apartment on weekends, yelling "Status window!" "Stats!" till my throat hurt.

Ended up at pathetic lows like "Office!" "Activate!" "Generate report!"

'No dice. Until Follow-up Special Duty Team 1.'

Second activation: when I joined Follow-up Special Duty Team 1.

'Guessed it auto-triggers when I'm in danger...'

Nope.

Timing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠issue.

In Follow-up Special Duty Team 1, it activated after escaping the anomaly.

'Same here, and back then...'

Excluding Sisyphus, it never triggered during danger.

So...?

'There must be a common trigger. Not random.'

Common point.

Something clicked.

'I touched paper.'

Sisyphus: pamphlet.

Follow-up Special Duty Team 1: nameplate.

Now: documents.

Touched them.

Documents.

...That's it!

Newbie training flashed back.

Mirae Co., Ltd. treats all internal papers as "documents." No leaking any paper outside.

'Anomaly papers count as documents too. That's why...'

Office Work.

Documents, reports, approvals, safety rules—even paper for nameplates.

All triggers for my trait.

"Huh? Why are you grinning like an idiot?"

Jo Gil-taek asked when he came out.

I'd kept a straight face, but apparently failed.

"Just... good news."

"Good news during work?"

"Heh heh..."

Decided not to mention the trait.

Obviously.

'My trait's dangerous.'

Documents it spits out are random. For now.

Meaning...

Stuff off-limits to grunts like me could pop up anytime.

Classified docs, company secrets.

If this life-devaluing psycho corp found out?

'I'd be screwed.'

A chill ran up my spine.

I rubbed my goosebumped arms.

Jo Gil-taek asked,

"Huh? What's that file?"

"Anomaly docs. Found info on it."

"Hand it over."

I passed the materials to Jo Gil-taek.

He flipped through, nodded.

"Object-type? At least it has a conscience."

"Conscience?"

"Yeah. Object-types don't cause instant deaths if managed right. Anyway, follow me. Got personnel support from the boss here."

He muttered and headed toward the partitions.

Murmurs rippled through the Exploration Team.

"...Why are they here? Did we send docs?"

"Follow-up Special Duty. Like bombs dropping—no reason needed..."

Our team had a notorious rep.

'Bomb treatment, really?'

I eyed the bomb guy.

He yelped "Eek!" and ducked his head.

'That's not bomb—that's voodoo doll treatment.'

Felt oddly deflating.

Just followed the boss's bald head.

We arrived at a cluttered desk.

Its owner hummed and tapped her keyboard.

Song Go-eun, the vitamin girl with the lisp.

"That's Assistant Manager Song Go-eun?"

"Ah, one sec-yo. Finishing thith."

She glanced our way, then back to her monitor.

Total my-pace mode.

Fitting for this insane company.

"...Assistant Manager Song?"

Jo Gil-taek called again.

Same reaction.

"Almost done-yo!"

A vein bulged on the boss's bald pate.

First time seeing veins on a scalp.

'Thought that was cartoon stuff. Guess ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it's real.'

Not the point.

Boss might explode.

'Can't let the bomb guy become a real bomb.'

I cleared my throat behind the trembling, fist-clenched boss.

"Assistant Manager Song? Mind a quick chat?"

"Yeth. But I'm thuper busy now-yo. Gotta finish by end of day."

"You're assigned to support duty. Do that later..."

Song Go-eun straightened up.

Eyes wide, like she'd heard great news.

"Thupport duty?"

She shot up, yelling.

Her bright voice made flowers seem to rain around us.

I was stunned.

Glanced sideways—Jo Gil-taek too.

One thought hit me.

...This won't be easy.

A bit later.

Changed into work clothes, boarded the freight elevator.

A huge safety rules poster inside the elevator door.

Normally ignored it, but now I got the point.

'Field teams, huh.'

Handover file said B6 and below held facilities general staff couldn't know about.

'Our containment room too.'

Yeah.

This insane company raised named anomalies in the head office basement!

'No wonder the building schematics looked weird.'

I shook my head.

Then Jo Gil-taek and Song Go-eun's chat drifted over.

"Boss, take thith-yo."

"...What's this?"

"Vitamith. Good for thcalp care-yo."

I straightened up instinctively.

Is she nuts? Telling a bald guy about scalp care?

"...Haa."

Jo Gil-taek sighed.

Good—no yelling.

"Hey, Assistant Manager Song. You always like this?"

Voice stuffed with suppressed emotion.

Song Go-eun didn't care.

"Yeth! Mom thays alwayth look after folkth around you-yo!"

"......"

"Then good thtuff rollth in while you thleep-yo! But never happened to uth..."

Boss laughed hollowly.

"Gonna lose my mind. How'd someone like you end up in field ops?"

"Huh? Can't go inthane-yo! You okay-yo?!"

"......"

Silence.

Then.

In that insane atmosphere, the elevator hit B12.