Director Ho’s mouth did not open.
But the incantation had begun.
-Man.
Numerous circular indentations rippled across Agent Choi’s face.
The smile on the agent’s face also distorted within the ripples.
And the moment he pulled his body back.
Thud.
“···!!”
Blood poured out as if one side of his face had caved in.
The flesh had been torn away, matching the shape of the ripples.
No.
“You mustn't move. Do not move.”
I grabbed Agent Choi.
‘It’s not on the back of his hand; he’s doing it to his face.’
The treatment was different from the spies.
It meant he would be killed if he moved.
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
The incantation continued.
-You shall never speak of this matter for all eternity.
That was.
-You shall be rendered unable to speak of it.
The bleeding intensified.
Blood flowed over my hand as I gripped Agent Choi’s shoulder.
What can I do?
Director Ho’s incantation didn't come from his mouth. Even if I spoke to or pleaded with Director Ho, it wouldn't stop.
-Your final appearance shall be as follows.
If this continued, wouldn't my holding him just make it easier and faster for Agent Choi to die?
I couldn't even help him escape. The incantation had already begun, and his equipment... his equipment was all inside my tattoo.
‘If only I hadn't disarmed him in the first place.’
No, if only I hadn't given him that note.
Perhaps it would have been better for him to be transported to the Glass Prison at the last moment.
But every moment had passed, and now Director Ho spoke.
-Inadvertent hints, changes in attitude, and the providing of clues are fundamentally prohibited, and the restriction of your free will shall never be outwardly revealed.
-All attempts to reveal the fact that a Binding Restriction has been placed will be frustrated, and you will appear no different than before.
-Should you attempt to change this, you shall be punished.
“······.”
Is it over?
That’s definitely the closing phrase, right? So it ends with just a powerful Binding Restriction?
I felt a momentary sense of relief.
If we could just get past this situation for now, I might be able to find another way. If it's just this much, then somehow...
-And tonight.
The incantation did not end.
-You shall resolve to die.
No.
-While despairing over your lot, you shall take your own life in the most wretched place in this alleyway...
I lunged.
I kicked the back of Director Ho’s seat while simultaneously reaching out to grab him by the collar.
Then, I slammed him hard against the steering wheel.
Beeeeeeeeeeeep!
The horn blared madly under the weight.
The noise drowned out all incantations, and the scattered attention broke his focus.
The heavy pressure weighing down the space vanished.
In an instant, the circular ripples disappeared from Agent Choi’s face.
Panting.
Silence.
...Stillness.
“······.”
“······.”
“Soleum-nim.”
“······.”
“Did you just attack me?”
I let go of his collar.
My mouth barely moved.
“You had to stop.”
“······.”
“Because it was the wrong choice.”
It was a dynamic choice.
I had just... criticized... a far-superior boss, something that wasn't even human, who had placed a Binding Restriction on me and could kill me at any time.
“Aha.”
Director Ho clapped his palms together with a sharp smack.
“So you mean you know better than me!”
“······.”
“The person who could barely last a quarter after infiltrating, got caught by a superior on the same team, and has been meeting the Guard Team personally in the capacity of a spy without giving me a single word of warning!”
I felt like I was going to die.
If I took one wrong step here, I would die.
Director Ho had never expressed such direct animosity before. I was going to die.
But, but...
Even so.
“That was your mistake.”
······.
“Pardon?”
“The setup was far too lax from the beginning. An infiltrator should never have been deployed under their real name.”
Yes.
“If you judged that the Disaster Management Bureau would be unaware of the recruits' histories, then as a planner, that was an excessively naive decision.”
Crazy words that I couldn't believe I was saying to a high-ranking superior spilled out of my mouth.
I couldn't stop.
“Why did you send me under such conditions that made it so easy to be caught? I thought there were other safeguards, but as it turns out, there weren't. You did it on purpo—”
······.
Wait.
“I see.”
I looked at Director Ho.
“You did it on purpose. So I would be caught.”
“······!”
“You sent me hoping I would be discovered from the start. That’s why you had me use my real name, and that’s why you chose only rookies instead of veterans.”
Because he expected the inexperienced to make mistakes.
While offering the easy excuse of 'to deceive the Disaster Management Bureau’s detection capabilities,' he had selected only rookies who were kind and diligent—the
types that would most likely fit in at the Disaster Management Bureau.
And there was another side effect to this.
“The agents who uncover the identities of those who infiltrated like that will become even more confused. Because, in truth, there is no difference in character between them and a real agent.”
Internally, opinions on how to handle the situation would be wildly divided.
Furthermore, upon realizing that no personality test could filter out the spies, suspicion toward one another would spread.
In that way...
“Did you intend to induce internal division within the Disaster Management Bureau?”
“······.”
“To slowly dismantle an organization with tight teamwork, and to sow seeds of distrust so they cannot trust newly entering rookies?”
“Soleum-nim. You have quite the imagination!”
Is that so?
“But you aren't directly answering that it isn't the case.”
Director Ho stopped and stared at me in silence.
“'I had no such intention, and I can swear it on the counseling room.' ...Can you make such a declaration?”
“······.”
“I asked if you could declare it.”
“Soleum-nim.”
A soft, good-natured smile appeared on Director Ho’s face.
“Even if I did, nothing would change.”
“······!”
“There was only one promise from the beginning.”
Director Ho raised his index finger.
“Once Soleum-nim brings the documents I requested, the Wish Ticket will be issued. That condition is a certain guarantee that will never be retracted.”
“So.”
My mouth was dry from tension.
My heart pounded madly.
But my mouth moved without hesitation.
“Whether I'm caught or not doesn't actually matter. As long as I can bring the 'documents.'”
“······.”
“As long as you, Director, can hear that information.”
Information about an Extinction-class supernatural disaster.
······.
Right.
“In that case, I will bring them no matter what.”
“The documents?”
“The information you want.”
“Even though you've already been caught?”
“Even if I've been caught,”
I locked eyes with Director Ho.
“I can bring it.”
And while pointing at Agent Choi, I slightly shielded him with my back.
“However, if that agent dies or becomes incapacitated here, execution will be impossible.”
“And why is that?”
“Because from that point on, it will be something I cannot handle.”
“······.”
“······.”
Director Ho continued to look at me with a silent smile.
I couldn't take my eyes off him and kept watching him. I held my ground.
And then.
“Go ahead, then.”
Director Ho declared.
“Because our promise hasn't changed. I'm truly looking forward to seeing exactly how you will bring those documents to me, Soleum-nim.”
“······.”
Just as a sigh of relief finally managed to travel down my throat.
“But... you must be punished, right?”
······!
“I trust you already know that your actions just now were incredibly rude and inappropriate.”
My eyelids trembled.
“To begin with... no one else has been caught at all, so I’m not sure how you can claim this isn't your individual fault.”
A chilling sense of dread crawled down my spine.
“You're free to make excuses, but attacking a superior because your wishes weren't accepted is a bit much... So, if I were to guess why you went this far.”
“······.”
“Did you grow attached?”
Cold sweat dripped down my chin.
“Did you become afraid of an agent you worked with dying? You seem to make precious things quite easily, even when dropped into a strange environment, Soleum-nim.”
“Director.”
I answered as calmly as possible.
“It is only natural for a person to be afraid of another person dying.”
“······.”
“If my rebuttal offended you, I apologize.”
“Of course not! I'm not offended. You're saying what's natural, after all.”
The smile spread across Director Ho’s face again.
“But rules are rules.”
“······.”
“Would you mind holding out the back of your hands? You have to receive your punishment.”
······.
I slowly held out both hands, barely managing not to tremble.
With the backs of my hands facing up.
-Man.
Ripples arose.
However, they were not gentle like the secret Binding Restriction placed before.
Huge, deep indentations twisted my hands with a bizarre pain and a grotesque sensation.
“···!”
I grit my teeth, breaking out in a cold sweat. I mustn't move. If I move...
-You shall die in one month.
···!
-However, upon fulfilling the agreement with ■■■, this obligation shall be rescinded.
-In all other attempts to evade this, you shall be punished.
I suppressed a scream.
As the ripples on the back of my hands subsided, the grotesque sensation and pain slowly vanished...
“I was worried you might have lied to buy time. As you said, I tried not to be naive this time!”
Director Ho laughed brightly.
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“······.”
I withdrew my hands.
In that moment, I locked eyes with Agent Choi’s trembling pupils.
“Ah. I really should be going now.”
“······.”
“I only planned on handling this quickly, I didn't realize my chat with Soleum-nim would last this long.”
“That didn't... feel like a chat...”
······!!
“You said you'd... kill him in a month...”
Head of Security!
‘Don't say anything, please!’
Director Ho looked at him as if realizing the Sergeant’s existence for the first time.
And... he said with a smile.
“Give my regards to Director Cheong.”
······!
Director Ho turned his head again as if he hadn't heard what the Sergeant said.
He grinned widely at me.
“Well then, I hope you have a good night, Soleum-nim!”
And then.
Director Ho vanished from the driver’s seat.
“······.”
“······.”
“I have no reason... to meet Director Cheong... Ah, he's gone.”
I survived.
I almost collapsed onto the floor of the taxi.
But realizing I was already sitting, I immediately moved my trembling body.
Agent Choi’s bleeding was now at a horrific level.
To stop the bleeding, I opened a medical kit from the equipment I had taken from Agent Choi and began emergency first aid.
“······.”
The bleeding from his face stopped, and he calmed down to some extent.
Agent Choi didn't resist.
However, he remained silent.
“Agent.”
He only moved his eyes to look at me.
“Don't think about it.”
“What.”
“A way to break the Binding Restriction the Director placed. Don't even try to plan it.”
“······.”
The first Binding Restriction Director Ho recited had already been applied to Agent Choi.
Now, he couldn't convey any information about me being a spy or about what happened today.
He had to appear as though he were living today just like yesterday.
Otherwise.
“You will be punished.”
“Punished.”
“Yes.”
I looked up and spoke clearly.
“The thing most precious to you will meet the Director.”
“······.”
Agent Choi silently reclaimed his medical tools from my hand and continued the first aid himself.
The proficiency characteristic of someone who had done the same job for a long time.
And...
“...You said his name was Isara.”
I didn't answer.
“What kind of Binding Restriction did the Director place on you?”
“······.”
“Just now, it sounded like he said he'd kill you in a month if you can't play the spy properly. What did he place on you before that?”
I opened the car door.
Then I motioned with my chin.
“Go home.”
“How are you going to get the information?”
“That is none of your concern.”
Agent Choi looked at me with unreadable eyes.
“If you tell me what kind of information it is, I might be able to help.”
“There’s no need. I won't ask you to leak it.”
“What is the wish you’re trying to achieve by doing all this?”
I couldn't help it.
“Going home.”
“······!”
“······I’ll leave your equipment in the trunk.”
I got out of the car with the Sergeant.
After taking out all of Agent Choi’s equipment and placing it in the trunk, I put a Low-grade Regeneration Potion from Daydream among them.
Because I didn't know what people would say if he went to work tomorrow with his face in that state.
...While I was doing that, Agent Choi did not follow me out of the car.
Click.
I closed the trunk loosely and started walking with the Sergeant.
...To somewhere.
“······.”
“Um... are you... okay...?”
“······Yes.”
The worst was avoided.
Clearly, I had properly evaded the situation.
One month.
That was enough time. I could do it. I had a plan...
I could do it.
“Hmm...”
The Sergeant’s slow voice reached me.
“Well, if it really doesn't work out... come find me...”
“...Thank you.”
I was grateful for even just the words.
I finally came to my senses.
“I’m sorry. You help me every time, and I should treat you to something.”
Is there a bakery nearby? Even if doughnuts are out, I wanted to give him something else, but the Sergeant slowly shook his head.
“Hmm. Next time... at a place with good food...”
“...Yes. Next time. Definitely.”
A slight hollow laugh escaped me.
...My heart felt a little lighter.
“Um... about the information I found...?”
“I’ll hear that next time as well.”
But I was at my limit.
I barely managed a faint smile as I saw the Sergeant off.
The Sergeant looked back at me a few times, but eventually returned to Daydream before the sun set...
“······.”
-Whew, that was a breathtakingly suspenseful moment!
I looked down.
I saw the plush doll on my chest.
-I’m very much looking forward to seeing where your journey, which has now entered a new phase, will lead. Aren't you, friend?
“······.”
“Think whatever you want.”
I pulled out the plush doll.
I felt a brief impulse to throw it onto the main road, but it went straight into my jumper pocket.
With this, I shouldn't have to hear its voice.
At least for today.
“······.”
I went back to the old motel I had rented long-term.
And five hours later, I went to work at the Disaster Management Bureau.
As if nothing had changed.
Discussion