Tiger (1)
“What are you all doing? Get ready to withdraw.”
At Team Leader Jo's mutter, Deputy Manager Ham pulled out the capture frame.
It was a cube-shaped box the size of a palm.
Ham turned the cube's dial a couple times.
Click, click.
The box swelled in size, and moments later, with a clunk, the center popped open.
He shoved the fallen larvae inside.
The box swallowed people endlessly.
One, two, three...
Until finally, everyone.
Ham manipulated the cube again.
This time, he turned it to five.
Click, click.
With a crisp sound, the cube shrank back to palm size.
Team Leader Jo gazed at it bitterly.
“Tsk. It's empty, empty. At least no one bit it, so that's something...”
Not like the boss who'd been playing hero since entering Dangsan Dowon.
I just had to ask about Saecheonnyeon.
“Sir?”
Before I could say more, Team Leader Jo shook his head.
“Oh Sung-jin, don't get curious. This info starts at deputy manager level.”
“...”
A sticky unease crawled up my spine.
This bugs me.
Jo scanned my face and shook his head again.
“Just know this. You know the BIG3, right?”
Of course.
I nodded, and he continued.
“In influence, that's BIG3 plus one. The plus one are just ant-crazy fanatic bastards.”
“...Fanatics?”
“Yeah.”
“Like Christian heretics?”
Jo denied it.
“Not Abrahamic. Not Buddhist. Not any religion you're thinking of.”
“...But fanatics?”
“Closest concept. Not precise. Just know they exist. You'll figure it out soon anyway. Got it?”
I started to open my mouth again, then stopped.
Jo wasn't in the mood for more explanation.
Wait, 'figure it out soon'? Was that praise?
Deputy manager info only, so he thinks I'll make deputy soon...
No, no.
Don't read into nothing.
Trait making me twist boss stuff positive...
I shook my head and headed to Junior Ko.
Veteran freelancer who'd survived the underworld long enough to join Mirae Co., Ltd..
He might know something.
“Kyung-min? Any idea what Saecheonnyeon is?”
“...Not really.”
This guy's been off since last time.
Surprisingly airheaded...
Then.
“Ah.”
Something clicked?
“Got a hunch?”
“No, not that... Saecheonnyeon—doesn't it mean millennium? Like end-of-century...”
“End-of-century?”
Ko hardened his expression.
A meaningful shadow fell across his cheek.
“Yeah. New millennium always brings the end of an era, right? And 'end-of-century' has this decadent, gloomy vibe.”
I could've thought of that.
...Still.
Close to nonsense, but from another angle, it held water.
Not about the connotation.
Millennium and end-of-era cycle.
Like a snake eating its tail.
...Pure guess, of course.
Don't take as fact.
Personally or otherwise.
Doesn't mesh with religion anyway.
Upper management judges the ringleaders.
Not for grunts like me.
Best leave speculation as is.
And.
In this line of work, knowing too much isn't always best.
Secrets just tire you out, rarely help.
Boss always says it: 'Ordinary folks die.' 'Won't last long.' Etc.
...Wait, am I getting used to boss's logic?
Bald potbellied middle-aged logic?
...Kinda hate that.
Maybe a lot.
I looked over.
Boss was flicking an unlit cig, erasing our traces here.
No time for this. Help, don't daydream.
I started wiping traces.
Nothing major.
Blur footprints subtly, pick up stray hairs, etc.
In the end, it ends like this?
Anticlimactic.
Didn't even see that tiger's face.
Strange I warned so hard last loop...
Strange...
...Wait.
No.
“Alright, cleanup done. Prep evac. Ham? Bearing to join point 3.”
“Yes sir!”
Can't be this easy.
Yeah.
Too suspicious.
If it ended simple, 'I' wouldn't have...
Oh Sung-jin wouldn't have left a warning.
“Ko, Sung-jin, what? Hurry up!”
“Ah, yes. Coming. Sung-jin? Let's go.”
Think again.
All prior loops, 'I' failed.
This loop's attempts mirror previous ones.
One month prep, improvements, but similar plan.
So...
Can I swear nothing like this happened before?
Stake 1,700 lives plus team's?
...No.
“Sung-jin? Hurry!”
“No. We can't leave.”
“Huh? What...”
Not vague unease.
Certainty.
Efficient call.
“We failed. Right?”
“Yeah. But not bad. Damage minimized.”
“Maybe not.”
“Huh?”
Jo furrowed his brow.
“We might not have failed yet. And maybe didn't minimize damage.”
Not positive spin.
“What cloud-gazing bullshit?”
“The Dream Tiger—in the three-view death video, it spoke in your voice, sir.”
“...What?”
Chill raced up my spine.
Wind whispered through Dangsan's trees.
Fog rolled in.
Fog meant chill.
“In Deputy Manager Ham's voice. Song Go-eun's. Choi Soo-jung's too.”
Sensed the off-note in my voice?
Jo nodded for more.
“We did everything we could. Maxed our authority.”
“...Yeah.”
“In the video too, surely. 'Me' and the team.”
“...”
Realization crashed in.
Not just mine...
“Looks like escape failed.”
Trembling, I pulled my phone.
Clicked the app from the welfare mall.
“Everyone, check your Cheonri-an Cartographer.”
Red.
Silence.
Then sighs.
“We gotta neutralize it. At least minimal isolation.”
“Ah.”
“Shit...”
“...”
Wind carried a beast's howl.
Far off.
But not too far.
This era's icon of misfortune, Junior Hwang Eun-hye, got clocked mid-tail and blacked out.
Woke just before the capture frame swallowed her.
What... happened...? Ugh, head...
Fell asleep?
How?
New recruit exam, right?
Ah, yeah. Someone rushed me.
And...
Neck chop? Even so, me eating that?
Absurd.
Misfortune at illness level.
Tears blurring vision.
...That's when.
Choi Soo-jung, carrying her, noticed Hwang awake.
Choi's eyes flashed.
Her hand looked blood-red.
Illusion?
No way.
Hwang instantly quit resisting.
“No, wait! Gently! Gently hit!”
Mmmph! Mmph! Mmm-mmph!
If not gagged, that's what she'd yell.
Tears welled.
Why me suffer this?
Elite, damn it.
Not for this treatment.
Mmmph—!
No sob story transmitted.
Doomed.
Hwang squeezed eyes shut.
Mmmph—!
Another neck chop blackout humiliation...
...Huh?
Nothing?
Then.
Choi tapped Hwang's forehead with her index finger.
Eyes open—finger at nose tip.
Quiet? Why? Just KO and box me?
Doubt flashed.
Beast musk hit her nose.
Choi froze all motion.
Song Go-eun smartly mimicked.
Hwang, clueless, hushed at misfortune's whisper.
Thud.
Heavy footfall.
Ah?
Thud, thud.
King of ten thousand beasts.
Ruler.
That... thing...
Thud, thud, thud.
On the mountain king's path...
What the hell is that.
Thud.
It came.
Never heard of this! Cheat!
Shadow fell.
Mottled white fur danced wildly.
Masks dangled at fur tips.
Clinking with the wind.
groan, groan.
“...Strange—.”
It cocked its head.
Grinning mask grotesque in moonlight.
Teeth chattered song.
Tongue lolled waves.
“Clearly— sound—.”
Blood droplet from torn lip edge.
“Heard—.”
Hot breath.
Grazed.
Sweat beaded on Choi's chin.
Dropped.
Drip.
Sound that shouldn't carry rang crystal clear.
Under misfortune's name, beast bulk circled.
“Found you.”
“Tch—!”
Choi hurled Hwang.
Body sliced moonlight, hit road edge.
Slope.
Body tumbled naturally.
Tussle sounds from beyond.
Ow, aaah, aaaah—!
Hwang's eyes spun.
Misfortune whispered: your time not yet.
Diiiizzzyyy—!
Pathetic sight.
But destined to rise grand again.